Kate, makeing friends? “Yea and… I like explosions.” "IIIII love explosions! this is is the start of a beautiful friendship" She gave him a hug of all things which drew snickers from the guards standing around. With that she skipped off. ".....Whoa!" Her voice sounded down the hall, what a strange soldier.
Arun Arun's armor was removed by the guards, to which he submitted. He intended to do them no harm, and knew that when their leaders understood this they would give his equipment back to him. He was then lead to the holding facility in the base, where he was allowed a shower and given a change of clothes. Arun spoke with his escorts gratefully when he could, but they seldom replied, as most were wary of him. It was understandable, so he let them do their job and waited for someone who wanted to speak with him. Someone was always going to come. He was a prisoner of war, as the shapeshifting mermaid had said, and needed to be interrogated at the least. The bed in his cell was surprisingly comfortable, just as the dwarf had said, and he was even given a large portion of food in the first hour of his arrival. A couple of troops stood guard outside his cell, but he noticed that they never locked it. It was incredibly hospitable, and Arun began to wonder if the rebels treated all of their prisoners like this, although, having had a quick scan of the room when he was first brought in, Arun noticed that all the other cells were empty. He lay down and waited.
Syl Nerrier If you think you’re going to change me, you’ve got another thing coming, Syl thought, while she listened to Zanne and Alistair. She was steadfast in her conviction that humans were a blight on the galaxy and needed to be wiped out, or at least severely checked. Zanne seemed to believe that coexistence was possible. Indira agreed: it was possible, but it wasn’t the ideal state of affairs. An ideal world was a world without humans. Fed up with hearing them prattle on about fairness and humanitarian nonsense, Syl turned away. She’d heard enough. A few minutes later, she arrived at the detention center and showed her --Syl’s-- identification to the guard on duty. “Where’s the Judicator? The Brigadier has requested his release. I am to be his escort for the duration of his stay,” she asked. The guard, a large green-skinned ogre, looked her up and down for a moment before replying, “down that hall. Last cell on the left.” Indira thanked him and was just about to go when he added, “is Zanne really going to let him walk freely? Sure, he’s an elf, but…” Indira turned as she strode away, “he’s not ‘free.’ He’s with me,” she said. Having no idea who she was, the ogre didn’t understand the seriousness of that statement. She followed his instructions and soon arrived at the Judicator’s cell block. He was the only prisoner there. Two guards stood outside, armed only with clubs and tasers. Worst of all, she noticed the Judicator’s cell wasn’t even locked. You’ve got to be kidding me, Syl Nerrier thought. Is this what passes for security around here? She flashed her identification to the guards and asked them to retrieve his belongings. They departed to collect the crate with his armor and weapons. Syl clicked the lock shut and paced outside the Judicator’s cell, watching him like a predatory lioness. “Judicators... the most terrifying force in the galaxy,” she mused, watching him. “That's what they say... but I don't place much stock in what idiots say." She stopped pacing and faced him. She took great pleasure in the iron bars between them. "Let's talk, one dark elf to another," she teased. "If you were in my position, what would you do, Judicator?”
Alistair “Our numbers are too few to shun our own. That woman isn’t so different from you, Alistair… though you seem to have changed of late.” "Hmph, we may share some character traits, but... I know her kind. She enjoys the fight for the fights sake." Alistair said. "And as for any changes in me, circumstance necessitated that I let certain things go, and remembered others. It won't affect my performance, not negatively at any rate." He was preparing to leave, but he had a thought. "Ma'am, there aren't enough of us to win this fight... Not in the conventional way at least. We need something big, something to rally the people to our cause." He didn't know what could be done, but there had to be a way, something they could do that would give them the upper hand, at least for a little while.
Kate, makeing friends? The female judicator Kate saw yesterday was sitting by herself looking rather gloomy, not that that mattered to Kate. "Yah Hoo! How's it going?" Kate bounced up to the woman with a mix of curiosity and awe. "Wow you're pretty, my names Kate, What's yours?" Kate stuck out her hand just as Nate followed her into the room.
Arun and Kerys Arun The dark elf locked his gate and spoke to him behind bars, only Arun knew that she in fact wasn't a dark elf, she was a shapeshifting mermaid, and she definitely wasn't taking any chances. She had been the leader for the train mission, which is what Arun gathered during the flight back, but why she had to change form, he didn't know. Something was amiss.* "If I was in your situation, I wouldn't trust you either," he looked at the ID card clipped to her waist, "but I would carry out my orders, Syl. If that is your real name." he stayed seated on the edge of his bed. Kerys They hadn't come back with any news of Arun, which Kerys took to be both positive and negative. With the Moon's bare terrain, it would've been easy to spot a body, which was the good news. The bad news meant that he had either been taken prisoner, or joined the rebels on his own accord - a direct defiance of their orders.* Kerys had thought to go see Riley about the conversation she and Arun had had the night before, but the Judicator commander was being tended to in the infirmary - the knee injury he had received from his fight with a dark elf void mage seemed to be healing badly.* So, Kerys sat in the corridor of the officer's quarters, thinking about what to do. That's when the human girl, Kate, walked up and greeted her, all cheery and quite frankly annoying. The black ops soldier who had taken Smith off Kerys' hands was in-toe. "Hi Kate," Kerys replied horsely, she hadn't spoken in hours. "I'm Kerys. You did really well back on that train mission." For all her childishness, the girl had actually been pretty useful. Kerys then also acknowledged the man behind her with a nod, "I'm sorry about the way we met - what's your name?" Courtesies meant everything.
"Hi Kate" Kate stared at her, studying her like a child would study a peculiar creature. "So Kerys what's your story?" Kate sat down beside her looking up at her. "Wow, 600 years of living underground, you don't see a lot of people with dark skin were I'm from, it looks nice though, like chocolate." Kates eyes widened as a thought just occurred to her. "Chocolate! do they still have chocolate in this world? Oooooh what I wouldn't give for some chocolate right now." Kate squealed in delight. Then suddenly blushing she composed her, "Erm...sorry bout that, just got a little excited. What's more important is your story." Kate plopped down beside her again. "Sooo?"
--:--:-- Marta Zanne --:--:-- "Hmph, we may share some character traits, but... I know her kind. She enjoys the fight for the fights sake," Alistair said. Zanne inclined her head slightly. She wasn’t so sure of that. Indira was a leader, not a fighter. She wanted the war to end and would do unspeakable evil to bring it to an end. On the other hand, the mermaid did seem to take great pleasure in the horrors of war… Zanne found it troubling, to say the least. "And as for any changes in me, circumstance necessitated that I let certain things go, and remembered others. It won't affect my performance, not negatively at any rate," he added. On that, she could agree. “I like the change,” she said with a plain smile. His outlook on humans seemed to be changing for the better. He was no longer motivated by anger. “Remember what you fight for, Alistair, but don’t let those memories corrupt you.” Alistair halted, as he was about to leave. "Ma'am, there aren't enough of us to win this fight... Not in the conventional way at least. We need something big, something to rally the people to our cause." “I’m working on it,” Zanne said cryptically. “The UEFSF is now lending aid, unofficially. I’m also building a tentative partnership with Indira’s forces; they’re already trading sensitive information with us. Don’t let today’s defeat get you down, Commander. Tomorrow will be brighter. “In the meantime, do what you can to keep morale up,” she said. “As a senior officer, with centuries of experience, many of the newer recruits look up to you, Alistair. The moves I’m making behind the scenes may not become tangible on the frontlines for a long time. I need you to keep our troops strong until that day comes.” --:--:-- Syl Nerrier --:--:-- "If I was in your situation, I wouldn't trust you either," the dark elf said. His eyes shifted to the ID card at her waist. "But I would carry out my orders, Syl. If that is your real name." “Real name? There’s no such thing as a real name,” Syl said flippantly. “We are who and whatever we choose to be.” She laughed, though nothing was funny. Nothing ever was. “Fear not, elf, I’ll let you out soon. I’ll follow my orders… the same as you followed yours and betrayed your own kind.” She glanced down the hall. The guards were taking awfully long to retrieve his gear. She didn’t mind. It gave her more time to pick his brain. This wasn’t an interrogation. If it were, he’d been crying, bleeding, and begging for his life. Zanne had put very specific restrictions on what Indira was allowed to do. Interrogation was strictly out of the question. She pulled up a chair and took a seat, crossing one leg over the other. “Tell me something, elf. Why did you choose to attack your own kind? Even I never sank to that level.”
Kerys and Arun --:--Kerys--:-- "Wow, 600 years of living underground, you don't see a lot of people with dark skin were I'm from, it looks nice though, like chocolate." Kerys didn't know if she liked being described as 'chocolate'. "Chocolate! do they still have chocolate in this world? Oooooh what I wouldn't give for some chocolate right now." Kate squealed in delight. Then suddenly blushing she composed her, "Erm...sorry bout that, just got a little excited. What's more important is your story." Kate plopped down beside her again. "Sooo?" Kerys really wasn't in the mood to be meeting new people, but she supposed conversation would help ease her mind a little. "I haven't seen any chocolate since I've been here, but they certainly have it on Eris. That's where I'm from. It's a beautiful planet where the sun shines purple in the evenings. I became a judicator to fight for justice - to keep what I loved alive." Suddenly Arun's words came back to her - were they really on the right side? She dismissed her thoughts and turned her attention back to Kate. "I know that this isn't exactly what you were expecting the colony to be like, Kate, but I promise you it will get better. We'll solve the problem soon enough." Kerys sounded confident, but in reality she was skeptical about what the problem truly was. She wanted so badly to talk to someone about it, and to say what she thought had happened with Arun. She thought that Kate might understand, but she didn't dare bring it up with that NCF black-ops member around. --:--Arun--:-- “Tell me something, elf. Why did you choose to attack your own kind? Even I never sank to that level.” The mermaid took a seat and crossed her legs. This definitely wasn't an interrogation - the shifter had a need to satisfy her own curiosity. "Where I come from," he kept his cold, grey eyes on her, "there are no kinds. Problems are caused by people, not races. When we were given this mission, we weren't informed of the segregation. We were simply told that there was a group of rebels who planned to disrupt the peace." There was no point in keeping the truth from her. "Needless to say, we saw what was happening pretty quickly. And in fact, I did not follow my orders. My being here is a direct defiance. However, my orders have very little weight in contrast to my oath and morals." Arun stood up and walked closer to the bars, "as a Judicator, I vowed to fight for peace and justice. The NCF are the ones breaching the peace if you ask me, which is where our thoughts are similar," he paused, looking for a sign of confirmation, "are they not, Syl?"
Kate "Your friendly! that's good, life's too short to be cold. Now it's my turn, I'm from earth, you can't see the sun because acidic clouds block the sky most of the time, when you can it burns your skin, no ozone layer. There is still some beauty on earth, but it's rare and far between. That's why we came here...though t's not much better." Kate looked depressed for a moment. "Oh...this is Nate, he's my twin and my only friend for 10 years, say hi Nate." "..." " he says hi." The Kates voice went quiet, "Arun says hi too." Before she could respond Kate was skipping off with Nate in tow.
--:--:--Syl Nerrier--:--:-- "Where I come from, there are no kinds. Problems are caused by people, not races. When we were given this mission, we weren't informed of the segregation. We were simply told that there was a group of rebels who planned to disrupt the peace," Arun said. “Needless to say, we saw what was happening pretty quickly. And in fact, I did not follow my orders. My being here is a direct defiance. However, my orders have very little weight in contrast to my oath and morals." She nodded, acknowledging the truth in that. As he stood and approached the bars, she didn’t back down. She held her seat and her posture, unflinching. "As a Judicator, I vowed to fight for peace and justice. The NCF are the ones breaching the peace if you ask me, which is where our thoughts are similar," he concluded, "are they not, Syl?" “There are kinds everywhere,” Syl murmured. “The only difference is, it can get you killed here.” She continued in a slightly less cynical tone: “Nevertheless, I’m glad to see you have a rudimentary understanding of the situation here, Judicator. It proves you’re no fool. Though I must say, the idea of fighting for peace is laughable.” She was about to go on, but the guardsmen entered the cell block. Between them, they carried a crate with Arun’s gear. “Thank you,” Syl said as the two men set it down. She opened the lid and briefly perused its contents. Armor… a sidearm… some personal effects… “We can continue our discussion elsewhere,” she said as she unlocked Arun’s cell and gestured for him to step out. “My superiors forbid you from possessing armor or weapons on base, but take whatever personal artifacts you require. All other items will be kept in storage and made available to you upon your release. You are still a prisoner of war. Your actions from here on will determine whether you remain that way or are properly invited into our ranks.” She gave him a moment to sift through the items before adding, “the terms of your stay require that I accompany you at all times, so I suggest you get used to it. You won’t even take a piss without me over your shoulder, Arun. Should you require a male escort, I can make one available to you upon request."
Arun and Kerys Arun Syl had stopped talking when the guards re-appeared, and Arun too decided it was in their best interest to continue their conversation later. Besides, he was more curious to find out about the operation these rebels were running than talk about his morals. The guards unlocked his cell and let him peruse the contents of the crate they brought with them. His sword, sidearm, and armor were there, but his helmet was missing. There was no way he could contact Kerys or any of the others, which he deemed a good thing for the moment. “The terms of your stay require that I accompany you at all times, so I suggest you get used to it. You won’t even take a piss without me over your shoulder, Arun. Should you require a male escort, I can make one available to you upon request." Syl said. "That interested in me, are you?" Arun sniggered, "And there's no need for a male escort, I doubt it'll be much different." He gave her a wink. When he was done with inspecting his equipment, he stood in front of Syl. "Are you going to give me a tour then?" Kerys "Arun says hi too." Kate whispered, so no one but Kerys could hear, but before she could reply the girl skipped away gleefully. Kerys stared at her down the corridor, perplexed. How could she possibly know anything about Arun?
Syl Nerrier "That interested in me, are you?" Arun sniggered, "And there's no need for a male escort, I doubt it'll be much different." He gave her a wink. Syl scowled at him and began to strongly reconsider this disguise. She didn’t like hanging around with him as a dark elf female. He might start getting ideas... "Are you going to give me a tour then?” Arun said when he was done inspecting his belongings. Syl had hoped to glean some additional information from him by watching what he takes from the box; personal photographs or keepsakes, for example. But he took nothing, which could mean one of two things: there was nothing to take or he was hiding something. “No,” she said curtly. “You don’t get a tour. If you wish to go someplace, you’ll ask me and I’ll decide if I wish to take you there. For now, I would like to eat. We’re going to the mess hall.” She began to walk. In a rare moment of vulnerability, she added, “I’m new here myself, Arun. I couldn’t give you a tour if I wanted. I was only shown the mess hall, my room, and my office -- eat, sleep, and work. Which is fine, because that’s all I do anyhow. This war leaves no time for games.”
Kelly McKeller Kelly nearly chocked on her food when she saw Syl escorting the dark elf she had nearly killed into the mess hall. Well, you rebles certainly are nice. Feeding prisoners and treating them like guests of honor. If I was in charge he'd be screaming out everything he knew about... Just, shutup. Kelly kept her head down avoiding Syl's eyes. She was embarrsed of how Kiva had spoken to her and everyone else. Who was this side of her and why was she so...evil? I am who you are supposed to be. Who you really are. Someday...I will defeat your weak mind and take complete control. If this part of me is so weak then how has it kept you at bay all this time. No, Kiva. It is you who I will defeat.
Doctor M M stood in the shower soaking himself. After getting back he'd been forced to remain in his pixie form while he fixed his broken arms. It hadn't been fun. The base didn't contain anywhere pixie sized to sleep so he taken to sleeping in one of the garages. It had been alright but he had missed his bed, and his shower. He climbed out and started toweling off. Being clean was nice. As his stomach rumbled his thoughts turned to food and he pulled on some clothes. The mess hall wasn't too far from his room and it didn't take him long to get there. One of the chefs looked up as he entered, signaling for him to come over. With an abnormally large appetite the chefs had started making M his own serving of food. M beamed as he picked up a tray heaped with meats and veg. He had only started tucking in when Syl walked in, Judicator in toe. What is he doing here? M moved towards them as they entered standing right in the Judicator's path. He had a full head on him and M was using it to be as intimidating as he could. The effect increased by his pure red eyes. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't end you where you stand." He spat with venom.
Arun They walked in silence to the mess hall. Arun wasn't particularly hungry, but he had to stay with this Syl woman, which he didn't mind. She was an odd one, but interesting too. Maybe her tailing him wouldn't be such a bad thing. As they reached the mess hall Arun could smell the familiar scent of military cooking. It was the same everywhere you went. At least something felt homely on this colony. There were rebel soldiers scattered around on the tables, not many particularly noticing their entrance, except the half elf he had seen down by the river, who looked disturbed, and the glaring red eyes of the pixie. Arun was sure that this was the same pixie he had fought back at the power facility, as there were not that many around. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't end you where you stand!" the Pixie spat amidst his dinner. Somebody's having a bad day, Arun thought. "Calm down - I'm not here to harm anyone." He said truthfully. A few other rebels looked up from their meals. "And besides, I'm sure you've had a long day and there's nothing more you want to end than that plate of food before you."
Syl Nerrier The mess hall seemed rather peaceful, at first. The various rebels enjoying their meals and small talk hardly noticed Syl and her new pet Judicator. However, the halfie, Kelly, lowered her eyes when she saw the two dark elves enter. Syl wasn’t sure if that was due to Arun’s presence or her own, but she instantly decided where she was going to have her meal: right there, next to Kelly, uncomfortably close. Suddenly, a towering wall of pixie stepped out in front of them. Syl and Arun stopped, their path blocked by Dr. M. This mindless brute… I wonder if he’s a doctor at all, Syl pondered. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't end you where you stand!" the pixie declared. All eyes in the room shifted to them. "Calm down - I'm not here to harm anyone," Arun said truthfully. "And besides, I'm sure you've had a long day and there's nothing more you want to end than that plate of food before you." “From one endangered species to another,” Syl said, staring directly into M’s red eyes, “I strongly suggest you stand down. As a fellow physician, I would be more than happy to educate these people on the internal workings of a pixie.” Although it was intended as a threat, the words awoke something within her. She studied him for a moment, taking in his full appearance... and his injuries. Syl continued in a slightly less confrontational tone: "You don't look well, M. Seriously, why do this to yourself? Let's all just have a seat..."
Nathan and the Judicator “Oh… this is Nate, he’s my twin and my only friend for 10 years, say hi Nate.” The robot thing gave a few loud beeps before Kate translated, “He says hi.” She then proceeded to whisper in the judicator’s ear and skip off merrily. Nathan looked at her and then back to Kerys, who was equally perplexed. He rested himself on the door frame with his arms crossed. “Where are my manners – the name’s Nathan Scott. I’m sorry for being so short on the train, when I’m out in the field I tend to be very business-like.” She sat at the end of the bed, still and dejected, staring off into space. Nathan sat across in the opposite bed to drag her attention back to the real world. Low morale was such a killer in the military, with soldiers losing focus on the frontline and emotions getting the best of even the strongest warriors. He knew this all too well. “Looks like you had a tough day.” He said with a smile. “Don’t worry, you don’t have to spill your guts – I think the quirky girl did enough for the both of us.” They both sat there in silence, reflecting on the day’s events. When Nathan had reached the train he knew the battling had been fierce. The first clue was probably the fact that the train had been ripped to pieces. The battle was won; at a cost. Nathan wasn’t sure what it was, but it gripped at Kerys’ very soul. “The debriefing is coming up in a couple of hours, maybe a little sleep will calm your mind. If not you can always try some ‘therapy’ at the shooting range. Works like a charm for me – there’s nothing sweeter.”
Syl Nerrier The pixie seemed to calm down enough to let Syl and Arun pass. Conflict resolution wasn't usually her way of handing situations like this, but she didn't want to risk an incident. Indira had only been working with the rebels a short time and she knew Zanne was watching her closely, waiting for her to screw up. After today's failure, she didn't want to give the fairy any more reason to doubt her. She and Arun retrieved their meals and headed toward Kelly's table, which was in the corner, away from prying eyes. A Judicator, a halfie, and a terrorist in disguise... they were all outcasts in their own way. Indira felt her stomach churn at the thought of being compared to a half-elf. Syl took a seat across from the halfie and gave her an icy stare, but when she spoke it was with controlled neutrality. "I've recommended you for a psychological evaluation," she said, as plainly as one might say 'the soup is a little cold today.' "I doubt Zanne will go through with it, but I thought you should know."
NCF Command Cadre “We're losing the colony, my Lord.” Deputy Commander Senir stood before Lord Commander Solomon, head erect, shoulders square, eyes focused immovably ahead, braced for a response; he received none. He continued. “Our forces have suffered devastating losses on the battlefield. Our dream of perfection, purity... our cleansing, my Lord. Control over New Hope is quickly slipping from our grasp. The Rebel forces have been severely underestimated; they nearly managed to capture Smith, for Earth's sake! His continued safety is merely a drop in the pond of this war... a war in which we are failing to win. Their alliance with the UEFSF has crippled our resources. Supplies are dwindling. We are using our ammunition reserves too heavily, and the soldiers rely entirely on dehydrated rations for sustenance. We are at a turning point, my Lord, and if we don't reestablish our dominance, our vision will be lost forever.” “I've heard enough prose, Deputy. I'm well aware of the condition of our vision. You forget, old friend, what resides at the heart of our movement; it is not about New Hope. Indeed, it never was. Rather, it is about our philosophy. Our beliefs must persist; too long have we lived under the farce of equal opportunity; too long have we labored to the benefit of these minorities. Our movement here was only ever a staging ground, a platform upon which to speak aloud what every other human thinks silently: It is time for Humans to claim the galaxy from the impure; the criminal; the humanoid. It is time to eliminate the inferior species.” The Lord Commander paused. “Deputy, do you think this is something that we have achieved? Does the galaxy now know of the revolution? Ours is a philosophy that resides deep within the being of every Human. Tell me: Have we awakened it sufficiently in the hearts of men?” The Deputy Commander thought deeply. His brow deepened and furrowed; his eyes, alight and pensive, continued to bear forward relentlessly. “Yes, my Lord. We have awakened the galaxy to the superiority of the Human species.” “I know we have, Deputy. Initiate the Omega Protocol.” The Deputy Commander's focus broke, his eyes faltered. For the first time in their conversation, he looked directly at the Lord Commander. “Solomon... are you insane?” Lord Commander Solomon leaned forward in his chair. His sudden movement awoke a burst of creaking wood that echoed throughout the empty room. Only now did the Deputy realize how large, and how vacant, the briefing room truly was. The sound expanded into the opulent infinity, reverberating off of marble columns, solid oak crown molding, and muffled into rich silk curtains. “For the duration of your service in my military, it would behoove you to address me by the appropriate title, Senir.” He stared intensely at the Deputy, his eyes slimming, face hardening into a demented grimace. “Now initiate the god damn protocol.” “Yes, my Lord.” The Deputy stood quickly, raised an insincere salute, and swiftly moved to exit the briefing room. “Senir.” The Lord Commander called out. “This is the End of New Hope. I want you to say that with me.” Without turning to face the Lord Commander, Senir said, “This is the End of New Hope, my Lord.”
UEFSF Information Divison Senior Information Officer Lang hovered over the shoulder of the communications watch stander. Omega Protocol? Why have we never heard of this operation until now? She wondered. We've been monitoring NCF communications since the beginning of this war. She snapped erect suddenly, troubled by thought, and an expression of deep concern flashed across her otherwise gentle Nymph features. “Copy this transmission, I will need the recording available in less than zero-five mikes.” The watch stander responded, “Aye aye, ma'am.” Immediately his communication station was expanded to the main holographic screen of the comms center, and he trimmed, compressed, and encrypted the transmission. Lang tapped the NRT in her ear, instantly initiating a conversation with the Captain of the Sundew. “This is Tal. What have you got for us, Lang?” She swept quickly out of the comms center, and into the long, sterile passageways of the freighter. Storming down the narrow walk, she spoke rapidly. “Captain, we've received a transmission relay from Rebel field information analysts. It is an intercepted conversation between the Lord and Deputy Commanders. I have reason to believe that the Rebel and civilian populations of New Hope are in grave danger. I request permission to assemble the Information Specialists in the operations center.” “Permission granted, Lieutenant. Have the brief prepared within the hour.” “Aye aye, Captain.” She paced swiftly, beating down the polished metal beneath her feet, each footstep echoing loudly down the outstretched passage. She lifted a small hand, and her delicate fingers reached to terminate the call. “Lang... whatever the cost, we must do everything within our power to prevent the failure of the Rebel cause.” She paused, trying to catch her breath. “Agreed.” Lang ended the transmission. She was stopped in the middle of the hall, afraid her rapid breathing might betray her near frantic disposition. She tapped again on her NRT. “This is Kelly.” “Captain McKeller, it's Lieutenant Lang. I am requesting your presence aboard the Sundew within the hour, along with the chief most intelligence officer of the Rebellion. We are facing a potential emergency situation.”
The UEFSF Brief "I've recommended you for a psychological evaluation," she said, as plainly as one might say 'the soup is a little cold today.' "I doubt Zanne will go through with it, but I thought you should know." Syl said to Kelly, an icy gleam in her eye. The captain looked down at her food, suddenly losing her appetite. The situation with her split-personality had gotten way out of control early today. Her human nature and her elven nature had always been at war, but never before had she let it show on the outside. She didn't need a shrink, she needed a way to fuse her two natures back together. A beep on her comm interrupted her thoughts. "This is, Kelly." She said lifting a hand to her comm. “Captain McKeller, it's Lieutenant Lang. I am requesting your presence aboard the Sundew within the hour, along with the chief most intelligence officer of the Rebellion. We are facing a potential emergency situation.” Kelly nodded, "I'm on my way." She stood and returned Syl's glare. "Looks like your psych eval is going to have to wait. Emergency meeting. Excuse me." ------------------------ Capetian Kelly McKeller and Commander Aeros stepped off the transport and onto the hard metal floor of the Sundew. Aeros, the senior most member of the loosely-organized intelligence division, had volunteered to accompany Kelly to the brief. Neither had been aboard the ship before. All the way over, Kelly had been wondering what this was about. And why would they ask for a lowly captain like herself. She had only recently officially joined the Rebellion though she had helped them on many occasions before. Kelly looked around uncertain of where to go next. After only moments in the hangar, the two Rebels were approached by a densely bearded man of a more than diminutive stature. His pace was quick, his movement surprisingly swift; he stopped abruptly before them, and raised a firm salute. His rich black UEFSF uniform and highly decorated ribbon bar bore a stark contrast to the gleaming metallic floors of the hangar. "Officers, I am Operations Specialist First Class Rowan, but please, for the remainder of our time together, call me Arden." He grinned, warmly, exuding the typically kind and jovial demeanor of a Gnome. "You're just in time. The brief will begin shortly." Arden turned, a smooth, but informal, about-face, and beckoned with one short-fingered hand to the two officers. "Follow me, please!" ------------------------- The atmosphere of the briefing room was frenzied; specialists discussed, argued, shared data, threw thick, white files emblazoned with bright red letters to each other, all waiting expectantly for the brief. Arden lifted his hands into the air as he entered the room. Before he even spoke, the the crowd fell quiet. "Everyone, please, the brief will begin in a moment! Lieutenant Lang is nearly ready, so complete your preparations. From what I hear, the sooner we end this, the better!" He chuckled. The seriousness that possessed the room dissolved instantly, and some Federationists smiled, even laughed, before settling into their chairs. They sat around a large titanium table; oblong and wide, it could easily seat thirty. To Aeros' estimations, their were only sixteen personnel currently in the room. He turned to Kelly, searching her features for some hint of what was transpiring. They barely spoke on the flight to the Sundew; both were too anxious to make any conversation at all, let alone discuss anything meaningful. A fear clung to the consciousness of the rebellion; a fear of defeat, of loss... of failure. "Captain, what do you make of this? I find it difficult to believe that good news is to come of our presence." "I can't either." Kelly replied quietly. "Lang said it was an emergency. They must have overheard some sort of terrible transmission. What do you think is going on?" “There was a debrief on the most recent intelligence gathering mission at 0600 this morning. We were summoned to here before I was updated on its findings. It is likely that this is why we have been summoned; it is more likely that the resultant information isn't good." They exchanged uncomfortable glances at the mention of more bad news. An unnatural silence fell between the two, and then, over the room. Slowly, every pair of eyes wandered to the head of the table where a small, fragile-looking pixie stood, clasping tightly to her chest a Digital Operations Data Sender. She quickly placed the sender on the table, where it immediately sprung to life, rendered red and green holographic illuminations that spun and whirled inches above its surface. “Dim the lights, please.” “Yes, Ms. Lang.” Rang a voice from the back. “Thank you.” With a gentle deliberation, she inserted her narrow fingers into the holographic frenzy of encryption patterns and quickly expanded the display to fill the width of the room, gleaming wall to wall. The image was an aerial photo of a barren section of the moon. An endless string of coordinates and red plotting-tracks stretching across it's surface like veins. “We have very little time, so we will skip the customary introductions.” Spoke the pixie. “What you see before you is the desert basin of the Sonoran II, an area of the moon whose development was abruptly halted at the economic collapse of New Hope.” “Our information operatives have, through working alongside the RF's intelligence division, monitored closely this region; more specifically, we have studied the NCF's interest and presence in it. In the past year, the Fathers have transported thousands of tons of building resources to the Sonoran. We continued to monitor their developments, mistakenly assuming it to be an effort to establish new military facility.” “However, when no facility was built, we ceased active surveillance of the region. RF scouts, acting on information intercepted over NCF frequencies, completed a reconnaissance mission to the region. A team of 12 scouts and infiltrators discovered an underground facility housing a Teraelectronvolt High Energy Exa-Neutrinic Detonator. The explosive device possessed no discernible mechanical propulsion, leading our information team to believe that it was not meant to be deployed. At least, never off of New Hope.” “This morning, using our high-powered geosynchronous shortwave interceptor satellites, we were able to record a conversation between the two top-most officials of the NCF decidedly invoking a protocol that we believe directly involves the THE-eND device.” “We believe the NCF intends to commit a mass genocide of holocaustic proportions.” Kelly put a hand over her mouth in horror. They were going to destroy a planet just to get rid of the resistance? She and Aeros exchanged horrified looks. She had known the NCF was brutal and merciless but this was a whole new level of horrible. There wasn't even time to evacuate the planet. She put her hand on the table and put on a brave face. "So what's the plan, Ms. Lang?" "Captain, Commander Aeros and yourself have been summoned here to effect a rescue mission whose success is highly unlikely." She spoke firmly, gravely even, but her voice was powerful; she was not willing to parse hope where there was none. "You, in particular, have been hand-selected for this task by myself, and a number of other command members. Your devotion to the RF runs deep; your actions throughout this war have made that obvious." Lang stated. Kelly nodded, humbled by Lang's words. Lang then turned to Aeros, and for a moment, her stern resolution faltered. His face was one of the rebellion; not a member, or a soldier in a war, but a victim of it, whose only hope for normalcy lied in resistance. Her bright eyes revealed her desperation. How can I tell him that it's over? That we tried our best? That not everyone will survive? Aeros stood; he saw the tortured expression, the pain in her heart that betrayed her collected composure. He would not ask her to say what he already knew. "Please, Lieutenant. The RF understands perfectly the conditions under which we operate. We will do our best to aid in the evacuation of as many civilians as possible." Lang nodded, swallowing the knot in her throat, and found her voice. "The evacuation begins immediately. Captain McKeller, please notify the RF command of the situation. We will dispatch all available pilots to use all available ships in this operation." She paused. "We don't know how much time we have left. If death is our fate, so let us be resigned to it. If even one life is spared by our efforts, we will all have succeeded. In the exploration of our galaxy, we have found that we inhabit a insignificant corner of the universe, awash and forgotten; indeed, the only individuals who are remembered are those who died to ensure that others may live; so that peace may persist." The pixie's lower lip trembled, and her eyes shone like glass. She spoke through a clenched jaw. "Prepare to cast all lines in 0-3-0 mikes."
"Kate, are you sleeping?" Carl asked as they sat around a large table for a debriefing. It had been some time since Kate joined the NCF, she was in fact a double agent secretly working for the rebels, but during her time here she found it hard to view her new coworkers as the enemy. In fact she had made many good friends there. "Kate, the commanders talking it's rude to have you eye's close." Carson whispered. "I'm listening." Kate whispered back yawning a little, her comp brain hummed silently recording the words floating through the meeting. Carl sighed shaking his head at the commanding officer who was far too young to be leading on such a dangerous mission. Somehow this girl, little more than a child in his eyes shot through the ranks like a rocket. Her combat prowess, her ability to think and process information faster than a supercomputer, and her God like the ability to program and reprogram machines in an instant made her one of the most revered and well respected soldiers they had. Though, you would never guess from the way she acted. "Commander Kate, did you get all that?" The general doing the debriefing asked with a little bite in his tongue. Kates' success had not gone unnoticed and there were some who felt the girl had no right to be so high up the military ladder. Most who said this however had never seen her in battle, had never seen what she is capable of. Kate took a deep breath, then in 30 seconds retold the entire hour and a half meeting word for word. Letter for letter, syllable for syllable. "Did you get all that Kate?" She finished mimicking the commander's voice drawing chuckles from the other commanders. He grunted at her but let it slide. "You will be departing asap, the rocket is located in Sonoran II, I am assigning Kate to be mission leader. "Yay!" Kate replied raising her hands in the air in a gesture of glee. The other commanders looked at her blushing a little, then back at the general who did a small face palm. "Kate could you at least try to act your age?" Carl whispered. He couldn't help but smile at her though, It was hard to imagine that such a happy go lucky person, could be so absolutely deadly on the battlefield. Both as a fighter and commander, and secretly everyone wanted to know what was her secret. "If we launch this rocket, we'll be one step closer to defeating the rebels once and for all. For humanity!" "For humanity!" they all responded, one by one they began to leave in order to prepare as Carl exited the room he noted a rather worried look on Kates face, she was frowning her brow furrowed in confusion. Arms crossed. "Something the matter mission leader?" Carl asked quietly. "Nothing Carl, you go get ready, then after the mission we'll have ice cream k?" "Uhhh...sure." With a bright smile Kate sent him off. The general was eyeing as she stood by the door, her very presence annoyed him. Why was she staring at him? "Can I help you captain Kate? I said you were dismissed." Kate's smile so pure and sunny vanished beneath a cloud of suspicion, she glared at him with a persona quiet opposite to her usual self. "What are you hiding?" The General was taken back by the girl's rudeness, He clenched his fists, "what do you mean, are you implying-" "You are lying about something, don't play dumb!" Kate snarled as she suddenly approached him. "Don't be fooled by my personality, I did not become a top ranking commander because I am niave. You were lying to us about something I could tell. Let me make something clear, I don't know what orders the higher ups have given you, but if the information you withheld costs a hair on the head of one of my soldiers I will make sure you are responsible." With that Kate turned and left leaving the General dumbfounded, indeed she was correct she had hid something, he had hidden the fact that it wasn't a rocket they were activated, it was a bomb. Somehow, she knew. "Now I see, why you are so revered, whatever mental chaos allowed you to figure out that I withheld information is very impressive indeed. But do not worry commander Kate. The NCF does only what is best for humanity." Kate nodded. "That was a good lie too, but I am in no position to pry you for the truth. I pray you do this with a clear conscious." Kate cursed under her breath, if her higher ups kept secrets there really was nothing she could do. "Come on Nate lets get ready." She called to her automate, the cyborge hurried over to her side. "I wonder if we'll see our old freinds at the rocket site? won't that be fun?" her smile was back.
