GuyYouMetOnline

I've got access again (I still don't have anything to post, though).

[COLOR=indigo][I]Nothing to do.[/I][/COLOR] [COLOR=#4b0082]Aftertaking out the bar the previous night, Vaxla didn't have any info on any freaks, vampire or otherwise. Oh, there were all sorts of reports on Hunter_Net, but nothing in her area. Many cities had multiple Hunters, and thus a large amount of information, but Vaxla lived in Phoenix, Arizona, and there were only a couple other hunters in the Phoenix area, which was surprising to Vaxla, givin the size of the Phoenix area. But given the relativly small number of Hunters, it wasn't that strange. It was just how chance had played out, and Vaxla accepted that. It just meant she had to do more work on her own, but this didn't bother her at all.[/COLOR] [COLOR=#4b0082]Vaxla did make a point of keeping up with freak sightings in other places; she liked to know what was going on, and if there was something really big, she usually traveled to the site to assist in the effort against it. And sometimes there was information about freaks in the Phoenix area; there weren't many other Hunters in the area, but there were a couple, and Vaxla paid attention to any information they had. So she'd check Hunter_Net, but if there was nothing, Vaxla'd rest for the rest of the day, then head out at night to hunt. She'd probably return to the bar she'd hit; someone might be by to take a look at the remains, or someone who didn't know it was gone might come by. It was certainly worth trying, and Vaxla'd gotten good results that way in the past. Besides, anyone she found that way was likely to be a vampire, and those were her primary targets.[/COLOR] [COLOR=#4b0082]There wasn't much information on Hunter_Net that interested Vaxla; there was a small vampire nest in New Orleans that the reporting Hunter didn't want to take on, but it wasn't enough to be worth the trip. There was, however, an unusual discussion regarding a mysterious message. Vaxla read the message, then shook her head. [I]Well, that's obviously bullshit. But everyone else is taking it seriously. Don't those idiots know bullshit when they see it?[/I][/COLOR] [I][/I] [COLOR=#4b0082]Then Vaxla recieved a private message from an unidentified sender. Vaxla wasn't too surprised when she read it. [I]I thought so. Whoever's doing this pretty much has to send the coordinates to people. Hmm... well, given how seriously everyone's taking this, it's pretty much a given that at least some of the others that receive the message will go. Odds are I haven't met any of them, but I may run into some I know. And who knows, maybe I'll meet someone it's useful to speak with in person. Besides, even if there's nothing else, there's that vampire nest. Sure, others will be there, but they don't go after Vampires like I do, so unless one of them's in New Orleans too, odds are none of them paid any attention to it. So even though this is most likely nothing, at least the trip won't be a complete waste of time. I guess I'll go.[/I][/COLOR] [COLOR=#4b0082]Vaxla went online and found plane tickets for a flight later that day. There was a red-eye to New Orleans leaving at about 10:00 PM with empty seats in both first class and coach, so she bought a ticket for first class. She always took red-eye flights; they were what vampires used when they needed to travel by plane. Finding one on a flight was rare, but it did happen, and there was no chance of finding one on a daytime flight, so Vaxla lost nothing by taking red-eyes. So she bought a ticket. She'd use the day to prepare, then head for the airport.[/COLOR] [COLOR=#4b0082]Vaxla posted a message to the topic discussing the unknown message:[/COLOR] [I][COLOR=#4b0082]I suspect the message is false, as are the private messages specifying a location. However, I did receive one of these messages, and despite my suspicion, I will travel to the specified location to investigate. I expect I will be seeing others there, although I would recommend that anyone else who received the message not come to the specified location unless I find something there. I have already booked travel to the location; to any who come, I will see you there. Odds are you will not know who I am, so I will identify myself as Ravager401, which, as my _Net handle, is what you know me as. To the rest of you, I intend to post more information as soon as I obtain it.[/COLOR][/I] [I][/I] [COLOR=#4b0082]Vaxla disconnected after posting the message and turned her efforts toward preparing for the trip. She didn't bring all her lights, but she did bring a good selection, in addition to her other equipment. Sure, the extra weight meant it cost a lot, but Vaxla was never short on cash; she collected everything her victims had, including credit cards and other personal information. She had cards and PINs for many individuals, and she used the info to withdraw cash from their accounts. She'd made quite a bit just last night; the number of victims insured that if nothing else, there'd be a lot of cash left. Vaxla'd gathered what was there before the fire truly got going. And she had a lot from previous victims; money wasn't a concern for her. So she'd pay whatever she had to, because she wasn't going into anything without being able to properly prepare herself. She would be ready for anything.[/COLOR]

I hope my post wasn't too excessive. Remember, Vaxla doesn't often get the opportunity for things like that. Anyways, if everyone's arriving at the coordinates and I'm not posting (because I'll be away from access Wednesday-Saturday), just mention Vaxla's arrival, Talon (or anyone), and I'll post when I can. Thanks.

[COLOR=indigo][I]They were all her enemies, all of the freaks, but it was the vampires she truly hated. Her first freak encounter was with a vampire, and her hatred of that kind hadn't faded. They were among the most dangerous freaks; they were tough, they looked much like normal humans, and they could increase their number easily. That was Vaxla's rationalization, and it had some merit to it. But it was that first freak encounter, when Jaron raped her, that truly motivated her. The encounter she'd burned into her mind. Many people got over traumatic incidents; Valxa could not. Others tried to forget; Vaxla had deliberately relived it again and again while learning to use her abilities. The psychological effect had already been significant; now, the impact would never fade.[/I][/COLOR] [I][/I] [COLOR=#4b0082]Vaxla had spent the day preparing. She'd taken vampire spots before, and she had an established routine that had worked every time. As night fell, vampires began gathering in the bar. Mortals didn't visit the place; those that did were either killed or turned into vampires. Vaxla didn't have to worry about mortals; none would be present. So light would be enough to kill all of them.[/COLOR] [COLOR=#4b0082]Soon after her imbuing, Vaxla had obtained a large number of various types of lights, from simple flashlights to heavier fare. During the day, she'd set up lights on the roofs of the places beside the bar, as well as a couple on the place across the street and a couple behind the bar. They were plugged into outlets inside various buildings with extension cords, and were about as strong as lights could get without needing more power than a standard plug could provide, which was more than enough for Vaxla's purposes.. Nobody'd objected to Vaxla's doing this, not when she started throwing money around. Besides, they were just lights. What harm could they do?[/COLOR] [I][COLOR=#4b0082]Vampires were active at night, so Vaxla generally was, too, although not exclusively. Mundane activities were usually done durring the day, and when she needed to set up for an attack, she did so in the afternoon, so no vampires could discover her actions. She stuck when they had gathered, and usually, they never saw it coming.[/COLOR][/I] [COLOR=#4b0082]It was midnight. Vaxla was on the roof of the place to the left of the vampire bar. The lights were off; she had them on timers so that they wouldn't come on until she wanted them to. Which would be very, very soon. The bar was packed, which was good; more vampires present meant more vampires dead. It was time to begin... [I]now[/I].[/COLOR] [COLOR=#4b0082]Vaxla focused on theleft wall of thevampire bar and closed herleft hand into a fist. The wall exploded, causing startled reactions from inside. Then Vaxla blew the back wall, and the roof began to collapse. Vaxla finished the job by blowing the other two walls, then jumped to the ground.[/COLOR] [COLOR=#4b0082]One of the vampires saw her, and shouted out to the others. "Hi, there," Vaxla said. "I have to say, you picked a bad night to come here."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#4b0082]"Oh yeah?" one of the vampires said as they formed a semicircle around Vaxla, whose back was against the wall of the place she'd been on the roof of. "And why's that? You got friends hiding around here?"[/COLOR] [COLOR=#4b0082]"Yeah, like that'll help," another vampire said. "You're the one who picked a bad night. Most of us have been around a long time; we were having a meeting of sorts. I'm afraid most of us won't be harmed by anything but the sun."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#4b0082]"Interesting," Vaxla said. "However, I think you'll find that I'm better prepared than you think." Right on schedule, the lights came on. "See?"[/COLOR] [COLOR=#4b0082]A vampire laughed. "Plain light can't harm us, only the sun. You must be stupid if you thought to kill us with plain light."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#4b0082]"I think you know better than that," Vaxla said. "You should be able to tell that I went through a lot of trouble setting this up. Surely you don't think I'm that ignorant about your kind, do you?[/COLOR] [COLOR=#4b0082][I]Lux[/I]."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#4b0082]And it begun. Vaxla did one light after another, until the entire area was illuminated by the simulated sunlight of her Edge. "Now you die."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#4b0082]Vaxla saw movement out of the corner of her eye. One vampire had ducked between two buildings in time to avoid the light, and was trying to escape. Vaxla didn't give him the chance. She closed her left hand into a fist, blowing the walls out in front of the vampire. It stopped and turned, taking a couple steps towards her. "You don't have your light here, bitch," it said. "Bad move." It was upon her before she could react. It threw her to the ground and bent over her, holding her down. "Any last words?"[/COLOR] [COLOR=#4b0082]"[I]Vis[/I]."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#4b0082]Vaxla gave the vampire a kick, which, impowered by her Edge, sent it flying. She ran towards it, pulling her flashlight out. Unfortunately, it wouldn't work; she'd fallen such that she'd landed on it, and it was broken. "Well, that makes things interedting," she said. She pulled out a wooden stake; even if it couldn't kill this vampire, the creature would be in pain, allowing Vaxla time to Impact and knock it back into the light.[/COLOR] [COLOR=#4b0082]The vampire sprung to its feet, but Vaxla kept it from truly recovering. She'd knocked it into the street, and she used everything she saw as a weapon, repeatedly closing her left hand into a fist as she ran towards the freak with the stake in her right hand. It couldn't take a step without something blowing up in front of it. Trash cans, chunks of asphault, cars, everything was fair game. Civilian casualties meant nothing to Vaxla. She tackled the disoriented vampire and shoved the stake into its heart. Clearly, this one hadn't progressed past that weakness; the signs of its coming death were obvious to one who'd seen it as many times as Vaxla. She turned and walked towards the burning remains of the bar, and saw a car speeding towards her, the driver apparently drunk and not paying attention. Vaxla closed her left hand into a fist one more time, and the vehicle exploded. In the wreckage, Vaxla saw four bodies; a group of young men who'd spent the night partying, most likely. Vaxla didn't care; they were of no interest to her. She quickly gathered the lights before the fire spread to the surrounding buildings and left, exhausted from using her Edges so much. She walked away before any police or firemen arrived; the deaths of the four in the car, and of those in other vehicles she'd exploded, were already forgotten.[/COLOR] [I][COLOR=#4b0082]It was a good night. Such large kill counts were rare, it wasn't often that a vampire gathering spot was located. Usually, she worked one vampire at a time, and usually without being able to make preperations as she'd done this time. Such large victories were rare, and Vaxla savored every one of them she had. Many vampires had died. It was a good night.[/COLOR][/I] [I][/I] [COLOR=#4b0082][I]The previously mentioned location has been dealt with,[/I] Vaxla posted to Hunter-Net later. [I]All vampires present at the site at that time are presumed dead; I don't know the exact number. Location was destroyed. [/I]Vaxla knew that other Hunters would learn of the extra damage, but she didn't care. They could think of her however they wanted too. More freaks had died; nothing else mattered.[/COLOR]

Surprisingly enough, I have Internet access here, although from Wednesday to Saturday I probably won't (I'm in a different town then).

[COLOR=indigo]They rarely wanted her.[/COLOR] [I][COLOR=#4b0082]The pain as the knife cut through her skin. The pain as the thing beat her.[/COLOR][/I] [COLOR=#4b0082]It never surprised Vaxla that other Hunters rarely wanted her around. Vaxla wasn't like them. They all had their own motivations, their own goals. Like Vaxla, many of them just wanted all of the freaks dead. But most of them excersized restraint to at least some extent. Vaxla did not.[/COLOR] [I][COLOR=#4b0082]The horror as it overpowered her. The horror as it raped her.[/COLOR][/I] [COLOR=#4b0082]Killing them was all that mattered to Vaxla. She didn't care about civilian casualties, about collateral damage, about anything but their death. Many Hunters saw her as a mindless killer, but that was far from the truth. She didn't always kill freaks on sight; sometimes, it was better to wait. Like last night, when she followed a vampire instead of killing it. Followed it to what had looked like just another bar, but turned out to be a gathering spot for vampires. Allowing the one vampire to live a little longer had directed her to many more. [/COLOR][COLOR=#4b0082]But Vaxla didn't kill then, either. Going against so many vampires would have been suicide. So she'd left to properly prepare herself. The next night, she would go in.[/COLOR] [I][COLOR=#4b0082]The fear as it came at her. The fear as she saw what it really was. The fear that its child would be a monster like it.[/COLOR][/I] [COLOR=#4b0082]She'd posted the location on Hunter-Net, and stated her intent to go in the next night, when vampires, safe from the sun, would come out again. But she didn't expect any help. Few Hunters would see the message and be able to make it in time, and odds were than none of them would want to aid her. Many wanted nothing to do with her, and some thought it would be better if she got herself killed.[/COLOR] [COLOR=#4b0082]She was expecting to be by herself when she went in. But that didn't matter. She would be properly prepared, and would be able to do it without help.[/COLOR] [I][COLOR=#4b0082]The satisfaction as she killed it. The satisfaction as its unborn child died.[/COLOR][/I] [COLOR=#4b0082]She didn't need any others. She would kill them by herself.[/COLOR] [COLOR=#4b0082][I]The satisfaction of every kill.[/I][/COLOR] [COLOR=#4b0082]She would kill them all.[/COLOR]

Just a heads-up: I'll be leaving this Saturday on a two-week vacation. I should have Internet access, although I'm not 100% certain. I'll post before I leave, just in case, and if I do dissapear for two weeks, you'll know why, although I think that's unlikely. UPDATE: I did some checking, and it looks like I won't have Internet access for the first week, but I will for the second week. I'll make sure to get a post in before I leave, and my character's by herself anyways, so it shouldn't be a problem. EDIT: Actually, I really don't have anything to post about, so I probably won't post before I leave.

I know you made this primarily for the list, but it's the best place for me to say this. I'm going to be leaving on vacation this Saturday, and I'll be gone for two weeks. I should have Internet access, but I'm not 100% certain, so I figured I'd give a heads-up. If for some reason I don't have Internet access while I'm gone, at least now you know. UPDATE: I checked, and it looks like I won't have Internet access for the first week, but I will for the second week. Assuming the RPG is started before I leave, I'll try to post before I go; after that, it'll be a week before I can post again. If Vaxla's presence is necessary for something (like a briefing or whatever), just include her, and I'll take over when I have access again.

[COLOR=indigo][B]Name: [/B]Vaxla Intunecat[/COLOR] [COLOR=indigo][B]Hunter-Net Name:[/B] Ravager 401[/COLOR] [COLOR=indigo][B]Age:[/B] 27[/COLOR] [COLOR=indigo][B]Hair:[/B] Black[/COLOR] [COLOR=indigo][B]Eyes:[/B] Blue[/COLOR] [COLOR=indigo][B]Height:[/B] 6'2''[/COLOR] [COLOR=indigo][B]Weight:[/B] 200 lbs. (thanks for the weight clarification, Raiha)[/COLOR] [COLOR=indigo][B]Creed:[/B] Wayward (yes, I cleared it with Talon)[/COLOR] [COLOR=indigo][B]Weapons:[/B] Whatever she thinks she'll need for the task at hand. Her most-used weapons are a sword and a pair of pistols, usually loaded with silver bullets. Her sword is coated in silver, which gives it additional force against the many silver-vulnerable freaks out there, although it's not as good as a pure silver weapon.[/COLOR] [COLOR=indigo][B]Edges:[/B] [/COLOR] [COLOR=indigo]Pinpoint: Vaxla focuses on the target, picturing it as though she was looking through the targeting scope of a weapon.[/COLOR] [COLOR=indigo]Delve: Vaxla focuses on what she desires to view the past of and speaks the word 'praeteritum', a Latin word meaning 'past'.[/COLOR] [COLOR=indigo]Restore: Vaxla triggers this with the Latin word 'salvus', meaning 'healthy'.[/COLOR] [COLOR=indigo]Cleave: The desired object is energized with fire upon saying the word 'ignus', Latin for 'fire'.[/COLOR] [COLOR=indigo]Impact: Vaxla triggers this with 'vis' a Latin word meaning 'force'.[/COLOR] [COLOR=indigo]Smite: Vaxla focuses on the target and closes her left hand into a fist.[/COLOR] [COLOR=indigo]Blaze: Vaxla focuses on the light source and says the Latin word 'lux', meaning 'light'[/COLOR] [COLOR=indigo][B]Appearance:[/B] Vaxla's always been a good-looking woman, and she still is even now, despite the numerous wounds she's sustained. Thanks to her Restore Edge, she has no scars or any visible signs of past injury, with one exception. During her imbuing incident, she sustained an injury on her left arm that left a scar. She sees it as a symbol of what happened that night, of the reason she fights.[/COLOR] [COLOR=indigo][B]Biography:[/B] Vaxla's life before her imbuing wasn't too remarkable. Her father wasn't around much, so she didn't get to know him very well. She never came to resent him for it; she understood that his job kept him busy, and that he wasn't away so often by choice. As she grew older, she began to worry more about her safety; she knew she was good-looking, and she kept hearing about cases of rape. As a result, she started taking self-defense lessons.[/COLOR] [COLOR=indigo]Vaxla met Jaron in her senior year at high school. The two of them quickly became friends, and before long they were going out. They continued to see each other after high school; Jaron went to college, while Vaxla decided to go straight to employment. She moved into a small house close to her job, and also, as it happened, close to the place Jaron and a couple of his friends had rented.[/COLOR] [COLOR=indigo]Vaxla had thought there was nothing wrong with her and Jaron's relationship until one night. She knew Jaron didn't have any plans, so she decided to pay him a surprise visit. When she got there, however, she saw Jaron through the window. And he was making out with another woman. She left immediately; Jaron didn't even know she's seen him. It was a huge blow to her, as she had come to truly love him. She didn't say anything until the next week, when Jaron had come over for the evening. He came to her place more frequently than she went to his; she wasn't too fond of his friends. This time, she especially wanted to be alone with him; she didn't want his friends there when she confronted him. She decided to confront him alone, a decision that almost resulted in her death.[/COLOR] [COLOR=indigo][B]Imbuing:[/B] When Vaxla confronted Jaron about his other relationship, at first he didn't seem to react at all. He just stared at her, with a look on his face Vaxla'd never seen before. He muttered something to himself, then locked eyes with Vaxla. A couple seconds later, he made his move.[/COLOR] [COLOR=indigo]Vaxla hadn't thought Jaron to be a violent person, so she hadn't expected a physical response. But he came at her anyways. Despite her surprise, she fought back, but Jaron moved fast, and he was strong. He easily overpowered her, then commenced to rape her. It was at the moment he came that it happened. Suddenly, the man was no longer a man, and she saw him for what he really was. Jaron, the man she'd loved, was a vampire.[/COLOR] [COLOR=indigo]Vaxla didn't have time to think. She simply reacted, throwing Jaron off of herself. She leapt to her feet as the vampire charged her. Terrified, she ran to the counter and grabbed a cutting knife, the best weapon at hand. Jaron grabbed it by the blade, seemingly impervious to the pain, and took it from her. He used it himself, but the only wound he managed to inflict was a cut on her left arm.[/COLOR] [COLOR=indigo]The pain seemed to trigger something within Vaxla. Without really knowing what she was doing, she said, "[I]Salvus[/I]". Jaron stepped back in surprise as the wound quickly healed. But Vaxla was just as shocked, and it stopped before the wound was fully healed. Vaxla stared at Jaron and, still nor really certain what she was doing, closed her left hand into a fist. There was a flash, a noise, and then Vaxla fell to the ground, unconcious. She awoke with the coming of dawn, just in time to see the sunlight burn away Jaron's body.[/COLOR] [COLOR=indigo]Over the next weeks, Vaxla experimented, gradually leaning her abilities. But initially, she could only use them when she recalled her feelings that night. She learned to use her abilities, but repeatedly reliving the incident had a deeper emotional effect on her. And then she missed her period. A home-pregnancy test confirmed her fear: Jaron had impregnated her.[/COLOR] [COLOR=indigo]There were other... things. Vaxla had seen them. In fact, the first time she saw Jaron's 'friends' after his death, she saw that they, too, were vampires. And now she carried Jaron's child. She didn't know if it would be a vampire child or what, but it didn't matter. Nothing seemed to matter any more, except for one thing.[/COLOR] [COLOR=indigo]Vaxla had the child aborted. She didn't have any doubts about it, any second thoughts. She felt nothing but satisfaction, satisfaction at the death of a monster. It didn't matter to her that she didn't even know if the child would have been vampiric. It might have been, and that was enough, in her mind, to justify his death.[/COLOR] [COLOR=indigo]Her first victims were Jaron's vampire friends. They treid to fight back, but it made no difference. By the end of it, they were both dead. The fight had destroyed the house, and also resulted in a civilian casualty, a woman from the next house who came over to investigate the noise. Vaxla didn't care; it didn't matter to her. Nothing mattered anymore except killing them. All of them. She left the dead bodies and wrecked house behind, walking away with no injuries, no marks of any kind except for one: the scar on her left arm, left by the wound Jaron had inflicted. She would leave it there as a mark of who she was, a mark of her goal: to kill every last one of them.[/COLOR]

I was assuming that there'd be some minor debris, but nothing worth noting. Random bits of debris can't be too uncommon, considering the number of ships in use; small bits would come off all the time, and then you have debris resulting from deadly malfunctions, attacks, etc. So I thought there's be debris, but nothing more, and nothing anyone would bother to notice. In other words, it would be as good as if there was literally nothing left.

[COLOR=darkslateblue]"I'm still not sure why you were assigned to this," Daego said. "Sure, maybe they needed help making the program, but you could've done that and given it to someone else. While we're doing this, you're not available for anything else."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"And I'm hardly the only elite operative William has. Hell, he's gotten two sets of Specialist codes. That we know of. Plus, he would seem to have connections with freelancers. Don't worry; he'll be able to handle things while we're doing this."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]Things had gone well at the first relay station. Kiva'd gotten into the system without any problems, and the program had been planted successfully. The relay station had assumed they were checking in according to standard operating procedure for patrols, and they hadn't given anyone any reason to doubt this. The program was planted, and nobody even had a clue it was there. The [I]Catalyst[/I] was now en route to the next relay station.[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]Daego nodded. "Yeah, probably. It just seems like a waste to put you on this, but whatever. This does seem like an important mission."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"Exactly. I wasn't assigned to it because i have to be, but because I'm the best William has for this sort of thing."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"Yeah. You know, speaking of 'freelancers', I've been meaning to ask you what the deal is with that ship you brought in."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"You mean the [I]Stykera[/I]? I rendesvoued with it to pick up some valuable cargo; specifically, Jared Scorer."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"So we did get him, then? I've heard the rumors, but I didn't know if they were true."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"They are," Kiva said. "It wasn't planned, though; I'm not sure what all happened, but someone grabbed him, and I was sent out to receive him. I verified his identity in person before transferring him, and was about to return to the [I]Catalyst[/I] myself when the ship detected a hacking attempt."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"Someone tried to hack the [I]Catalyst[/I]?"[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"It's more complicated than that. There were only two people on that ship. The capitan, Valencia, was with me at the time, so it wasn't her, and no automated routine, no matter how good, could get that far in. The hacker actually penetrated the first security layer before being detected."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"Damn. Obviously, Valencia's passenger was quite the hacker."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]Kiva laughed. "I told you, it's not that simple. The passenger was no hacker. You've met her, actually. Kerstin Anderson."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"What? Why the hell was she on a freelancer's ship?"[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"To get to sector 9. She's looking for Darren, and she's concluded we have him. Anyways, the hacker was not a person on the [I]Stykera[/I]. Valencia claims it was something called 'Cassandra'. She said Cassandra was her ship's computer system."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"She- an AI? Are you serious?"[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"That's what Valencia said. There's certainly something; I spoke with this 'Cassandra' over the speaker system, but I wasn't ready to accept an AI> And since I'd taken standard precautions, Valencia couldn't very well do anything to me, and she knew I wasn't about to let her go, so she surrendered and gave me the [I]Stykera[/I]'s access codes. So I brought the ship back with me. Techs are all over it, of course; developing a true AI has been something of an obsession in that field for a while now, and if someone's done it, they want to know how. I don't think they'll have any luck, though. The security around the core system is the standard set agreed on by AI researchers, so I don't think anyone's getting in."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"Surely someone will, eventually," Daego said.[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"Yeah, but how long do you think they have?"[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"What do you mean?"[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"Valencia's been in the business for a long time, Daego. Do you think she's never been captured before? She has some tricks up her sleeve, count on it. I'll be honest; if she wants out, she'll make it out, although it may be a bit more difficult than she expects, thanks to me. I didn't do enough to really have a chance at keeping her there, though."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"Why not?"[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"Because a, she's not really a prisonner; she came with me willingly when the situation got out of hand, and she never intended to hack me; I believe her about that. And b, I was never told to put anything in place. I planted a few surprises, but mainly because I always do. They're enough to stop most people, but not someone with as much skill and experience as Valencia. No, she may get a surprise or to, but if she wants to escape, she'll be gone. It's not our concern, though. I'm sure William knows what he's doing."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]Daego nodded. "True. Yeah, I suppose we can't do much about it here. We'll just have to focus on our job."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"Right."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=darkslateblue]"So," Daego said, "how exactly are we going to do this?"[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]The [I]Catalyst[/I] was in hyperspace, still within New Alliance territory but not too far from crossing into Empire-controlled space, and also not too far from the first relay station they'd plant the program in.[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"Well, I've got the program finished. I'm using a modified version of the program I used to track down the traitor in sector 9. That one was designed to monitor transmissions and block any that met specified criteria while notifying me and awaiting a command. This version monitors transmissions in the same manner, but since it makes no recording or transmission of its own, it leaves no record of its presence until it receives a specific message. That message is the signal for it to activate and use the relay station to distribute the information. It'll self-delete after that, although even so, it'll be obvious that such a program was there. I just don't want them seeing how I did it."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"Makes sense to me. How are we getting the program in?"[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"That's where the [I]Madran[/I] code comes in. William provided us with not only the [I]Madran[/I]'s codes and emmissions signature, but the identities of the Specialist and her two crew members. You've probably heard of the Specialist. Her name's Telara Kalathes; she's the one who exposed that smuggling ring a couple years ago. She was made a Specialist soon after that."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"Yes, I have heard of her. She was in the news a lot after that. I take it we have sufficient recordings to simulate her?"[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]Kiva nodded. "Yes. I've loaded the data in; when I activate it, whoever's on the other end will see and hear Telara instead of me. Sure, there's a risk that if Telara shows up there later on, someone'll mention 'her' visit, but even if that happens, it won't be the first time something like that happens; patrolers make enough stops and com people change frequently enough and talk to enough people that cases of mistaken identity happen. And we'll need some sort of legitimate signal to get entry in the first place, so this is the best option."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"I thought you were going to handle that by disrupting the security systems. Isn't that why I'm here, to make sure the program is planted while you're busy with that?"[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]Kiva nodded. "Yes, but even if I do that, the initial signal will be detected, and we can't have that. Remember, this program needs to stay in place for an indefinate period of time. We can't give anyone even a himt that something might be there. So we'll get a legitimate signal going, and access the areas we need from there. I'll go straight to the security systems while you make sure the program gets where it's supposed to go. I've written up a routine to take care of that, but I want someone [/COLOR][COLOR=darkslateblue]supervising it, and I can't do that if I'm busy with the security systems. That's why you're here."[/COLOR] [COLOR=darkslateblue]"I see. Well, I don't think I'll have any problem with that."[/COLOR] [COLOR=darkslateblue]"Good, because if we mess this up, they'll tighten up so hard that there'll be no way we can get another such program in. In other words, we don't get any second chances here, so when we do it, we have to do it right."[/COLOR]

[quote name='Indi'][COLOR=indigo]You are missing something, they're surprised by [I]who posted[/I], not by the actual event per se. :p[/COLOR][/quote] Ah. Okay, so what's the deal with Allamorph? The name's familiar, but I can't place where I know it from (which is not unusual; I'm very bad with names).

Am I missing something? It didn't seem like much of an event to me. We already knew Jared was going to be picked up, so what's the big deal?

[COLOR=#483d8b]Daego had quickly agreed to join Kiva on her mission. The two of them were on board the [I]Catalyst[/I], speaking to William for the last time before departing.[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"Focus on relay stations," William was saying, mainly for Daego's benefit; he'd already gone over this with Kiva. "We can't distribute the information the way we did before the war; they won't let us get away with that again. That's why we need a new distribution program. If we plant it at the relay stations, we'll achieve maximum dispersion as quickly as possible. And we can get it planted at the relay stations this time, because we've got you two and the [I]Catalyst[/I] available. And just as importantly, we've got security codes for you to use."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"New ones?" Kiva said.[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"Yes. I got them through the same channel that got the [I]Phoenix[/I]'s. My source is still in place, and I'm not worried about compromising my source this time, because this time, you'll maintain your ruse for the entire mission. After all, they'll do a full inspection if they think we've had someone snooping around. The codes are for the [I]Madran[/I], a ship that, like the [I]Catalyst[/I] and the [I]Phoenix[/I], has been upgraded to the new model of messenger ship. The [I]Madran[/I] is on wide-area patrol, so nobody's going to wonder why it's in the area."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"Wait," Daego said. "You've gotten [I]two[/I] sets of Specialist codes? How the hell did you pull that off?"[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"I'm not going to ask questions," Kiva said. "We're obviously talking about an extremely valuable source here; I don't want to know anything more than I have to about this source."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"Kiva's right," William said. "The less you know, the better."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"I know," Daego said. "I was just surprised."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"I can't say I blame you. Anyways, I'm sending you the [I]Madran[/I]'s codes now, along with other data you might find useful. I'm also including data on the [I]M[/I][/COLOR][COLOR=#483d8b][I]adran[/I]'s emissions signature so you can make sure your signature matches the ship you're claiming to be."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"I assumed you would," Kiva said. "Anything else?"[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"Nope. Data transmission is complete... now. Confirmed?"[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]Kiva nodded. "I've got it. Ready to move out."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"Then get going. And good luck."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=darkslateblue][FONT=Tahoma]"Excuse me?" Kiva said. "You need [I]me[/I] for that?"[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=darkslateblue][FONT=Tahoma]Kiva was onboard the [I]Catalyst[/I], speaking to William. Transferring Jared and Kerstin had gone smoothly, but then the [I]Transcendence[/I] was stolen and used to cripple the [I]Liberator[/I]. Then it was discovered that Daniel was missing. To make things worse, analysis of the circumstances leading up to the incident made it clear that the person responsible was Graydon Kreid.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=darkslateblue]Despite her insistance on having Kreid removed until he could be fully investigated, Kiva hadn't actually believed him to be an operative for the Empire. She simply preferred to be as careful as possible.Even though she'd advised Daniel to relieve Kreid, she'd believed him to be clean. But he wasn't, which was the kind of thing that was why Kiva took every precaution she could.[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]Daniel's capture would be a serious blow to the New Alliance. Sure, finding a replacement for him wouldn't be too hard, but Daniel's real value, like Jared's, was what he knew. In particular, he had a high level of security access. Fortunately, he wasn't as informed on overall operations as William, but what he did know was bad enought. And this time, Kiva wasn't there to rescue him. So security access had to be redone. Fortunately, Daniel wasn't a programming expert, so there was no need to completely rewrite the software, but as a precaution, some changes were being made to the software. [/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]In addition to Daniel, Kreid had taken the [I]Transcendencee[/I]. Fortunately, the Empire wouldn't be able to learn much from that ship; they'd built it, after all. And the ship's database didn't contain anything they wouldn't know, either; it didn't contain anything on New Alliance operations, nor did the [I]Catalyst[/I]'s. Kiva made sure she didn't have access to any information she didn't need to have; that way, there was less the enemy could learn from her in the event of her capture.[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]In addition to Kreid's actions, there was the situation with Kerstin, and there was also the [I]Stykera[/I] and 'Cassandra'. Plus, the kamikaze attack still had everyone on edge; many were morried that such an atack would happen again. And there were about a dozen other things going on, as there always were in wartime. All of which contributed to Kiva's surprise upon hearing her next assignment.[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"Let me get this straight," Kiva said. "You want me to leave everything that's been going on recently and begin a sweeping operation to plant a program in as many places as possible? There's no reason you need me for smething that simple. I can think of about ten thousand better uses of my time."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"This one's more difficult and more important than it sounds, Kiva," William said. "First of all, I'm sure you remember the effect our release of the illegal research in sector 14 had. The data we've got this time may have just as much of an effect, if not more of one. So we need it distributed, and we'll be using the program to do so. The problem is that we don't know when we'll have the data. After what Kreid did, we're going to need any advantage we can get as soon as we can get it, so we can't wait until the data's ready and then distribute the program. We need the program in place now, but we need it to be something that can evade detection for an unknown period of time."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"And it obviously has to be something that can receive the data for distribution. Yeah, that's not something a lot of people could make."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"Can you?"[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]Kiva nodded. "Yes. I actually already have a program I could use. I just need to modify it. It was designed to covertly monitor signal traffic; I used a version of it when I was investigating the leak regarding sectors 3 and 4. Remember that?"[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"Um, yes. I'm still getting complaints about what you and Daego did. Especially Daego, since he's the one who took care of the brute force end of things."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"Funny you should mention Daego," Kiva said, "because I'm going to need a second person for this one, and he's the first person I thought of. I know he still doesn't want to participate in the fighting, but he shouldn't have any problem with something like this."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"That's fine with me," William said, "but why do you need him? I'd have thought you'd be fine with this one on your own."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"Because it'll take at least two people to do this right. I'll need a signal to get the program in, but unless the security systems are malfunctioning, this outside access will be detected. To prevent that, I'll need to disrupt the security systems at the same time as I insert the program, and I'm not about to trust either of those tasks to an automated routine. Daego's not as good with computers as I am, but if I handle the security end, he's more than capable of handleing the program's insertion."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"All right," William said. "You can get his help for this one, then. Anything else?"[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"I'll want any information about shipping and transport patterns you have," Kiva said. "it'd make things much easier."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"I'll get the data sent to you. Anything else?"[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"No. Kiva out."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=darkslateblue]William contacted Kiva soon after her arrival in sector 9, just as she'd anticipated. After all, she'd been expected to return alone. "Hello there, William," she said. "I've verified the prisoner's identity, and I have him aboard."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"Yes, good," William said. "Now, could you please tell me what you're doing with that ship?"[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"You mean the [I]Stykera[/I], I assume. Well, I did get the prisoner transferred, but not without incident."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"Come on, Kiva. What happened?"[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"Someone on board the [I]Stykera[/I] attempted to hack into the [I]Catalyst[/I]. Not only that, but whoever it was managed to penetrate the first security layer. I know it wasn't Valencia, because I was with her at the time. Valencia did have a passenger on board, but said passenger didn't do it."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"You're sure?"[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]Kiva nodded. "I am. In fact, I happen to be aquainted with the individual in question. It seems Kerstin Anderson has concluded that we have her brother, and got Valencia to agree to bring her here."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"Um," William said. "Well, that can wait for later. Who hacked you, then?"[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"Valencia called the individual 'Cassandra'. She claims that Cassandra is her ship's computer system."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"Wait, are you saying she used an automated routine?"[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"No, there's no way anything like that would've gotten as far as this Cassandra did. And I spoke with Cassandra, but just over the [I]Stykera[/I]'s internal intercomm. I never saw Cassandra, though, but I find it hard to believe that she's a computer system. And even if 'she' is, Valencia denies knowing anything about her. She claims that even after seventy years, she has no clue what Cassandra really is, and she has yet to manage entrance into Cassandra's core systems. Cassandra claims that her core security is automatic, and that not even she can override it. Although that part does make sense; I would expect core security on an AI to be restricted in that manner."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"On an- is this 'Cassandra' an artificial intelligence?"[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"I don't know," Kiva said. "However, if Cassandra is the [I]Stykera[/I]'s computer system, I see no other explanation than that 'she' is some form of AI. I did a complete sweep of the [I]Stykera[/I], but aside from Valencia, Kerstin, and Jared, there was nobody on board. Anyways, I obviously was not prepared to accept Valencia's claim of ignorance after 'Cassandra' attempted to hack the [I]Catalyst[/I]. Valencia claimed that she had told me all she knew, and that since I was not prepared to accept it, she felt she had no choice but to surrender. She gave me the [I]Stykera[/I]'s access codes, giving me access to the ship. I slaved it to the [I]Catalyst[/I] and locked out all other access, took Valencia aboard the [I]Catalyst[/I] as a prisoner, and transferred Kerstin to my ship as a passenger. I then proceeded to return here with the [I]Stykera[/I] in tow."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"I... see," William said. "Well, I can't say I'm entirely pleased with the situation, but what happened happened."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]Kiva nodded. "Indeed. All right, I will transfer Jared to you as planned. I'll let you handle Kerstin as well, although please do keep in mind that she is not a captive, and should not be treated as one. As for the [I]Stykera[/I], I recommend turning it over to the shipyards for examination. In particular, you should make sure a good electronics team is assigned to the job, since if Cassandra truly is an AI, any knowledge about 'her' would be extremely valuable. I can lend my assistance if you don't have any other assignments. Oh, and one more thing. I know we don't torture, but as you were prepared to do with Darren, I recommend that an exception be made in Jared's case, as he is certain to posess extremely valuable information."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"Noted," William said. "Anything else?"[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"No. Kiva out."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=darkslateblue]?Do what you must; all I request is that my ship is unharmed.?[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"I will not harm your ship," Kiva said, "but you seem to realize that I can't just let you go after this. Cassandra can't override the codes you just gave me?"[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"She can't," Valencia confirmed.[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"Very well, then. I will be taking the [I]Stykera[/I] with me to sector nine. Your ship's systems will be slaved to the [I]Catalyst[/I]'s. You will be detained aboard the [I]Catalyst[/I] for the trip, and in a way, Cassandra will be detained as well, as I will lock her out of all sysems. Normally, I'd be content with just locking 'her' out of the communications, propulsion, and weapons systems, but given the... unusual circumstances here, I'm not taking any chances."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]Valencia sighed. "All right. What about Ms. Anderson?"[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"Kerstin will, of course, be coming along as well. Since she was bound for sector nine anyways, this won't really affect her all that much, although I think I'll bring her aboard the [I]Catalyst[/I] as well. As for you and Cassandra, it'll be up to William to decide what to do."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]The [I]Stykera[/I]'s systems were slaved to the [I]Catalyst[/I]'s and access from all other sources was locked, preventing Cassandra from accessing anything. Valencia was in a cell on the [I]Catalyst[/I]. The only thing left was Kerstin.[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]Kerstin looked up as the door to her quarters opened, staring in shock as Kiva stepped through. "Well, this is quite the coincidence," Kiva said. "Hello, Kerstin."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"Kiva? What- what the hell are you doing here?"[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"Before delivering you to sector nine, Valencia had a... cargo transfer to make. I was sent to receive this cargo. I was expecting a routine transfer, but... unexpected events led to me siezing this ship. Valencia is now detained aboard the [I]Catalyst[/I], and the [I]Stykera[/I]'s systems are slaved to it. I will be taking this ship with me."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"But- no, you can't-"[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"Don't worry," Kiva said. "Sector nine happens to be my destination as well as yours. I'll transport you in Valencia's place. However, I will be taking you on board the [I]Catalyst[/I]. I won't put you in a cell, but I'd rather have you on my ship than on this one."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"I- I mean, what's- all right, fine."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]Kiva took out her handheld and signaled the [I]Catalyst[/I] to open a transport door. "After you," she said, and Kerstin stepped through the door. She ended up in what had been Daego's quarters, and Kiva opened another transport door for herself, which deposited her on the [I]catalyst[/I]'s bridge. She set a course for sector 9, and both the [I]Catalyst[/I] and the [I]Stykera[/I] jumped into hyperspace.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=darkslateblue]Kiva stepped through the transport door onto Valencia's ship, the [I]Stykera[/I]. "You must be Valencia," she said. "I, of course, am Kiva."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"Yes," Valencia said. "I've been expecting you. Shall we get down to business?"[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"Not quite yet. There's something I should warn you about first. As you may have been expecting, I have taken certain precautions to ensure nothing... unfortunate happens. Specifically, I am equipped with a deadman switch. I assume you're familiar with that type of device."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"As long as you're alive, it transmits a signal to, I'm assuming, the [I]Catalyst[/I]. Nothing happens while the signal is being received. If you die, however, the signal stops. If the signal is no longer being received, a predefined action occurs. That means blocking the signal triggers the predefined action, as well."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"In this case," Kiva said, "the action would be the [I]Catalyst[/I] firing on and destroying this ship. So I wouldn't advise trying anything."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"I have no intention of trying anything," Valencia said. "I just want to transfer Jared and be on my way."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"Then let's get this done," Kiva said. "I can see him on the monitor there, but I'd like to make personal visual confirmation of his identity. Open the cell door, please."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"No need. It'll open as you approach it."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b][I]Automated, then, [/I]Kiva thought. [I]I suppose there's no reason not to, when you're the only crew the ship has. It's not like there's anyone else to consider, after all.[/I][/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]Kiva stepped through the cell door as it opened. Jared looked up, then stopped. "Hello, Jared," Kiva said. "I didn't think we'd meet again, but here we are."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"You," Jared said.[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"Me. Surely this isn't much of a surprise. Who else would be sent to pick up a prisoner as important as you? But I don't have anything to say to you."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"Verifying my identity, then."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]Kiva nodded. "Exactly. And I'm satisfied." With that, she walked out of the cell. "I'm satisfied," she told Valencia. "I'm going to transfer him to a cell on the [I]Catalyst[/I]."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"Go ahead," Valencia said. Kiva nodded and took out her handheld. She sent a command to the [I]Catalyst[/I], and the ship picked up Jared with a transport door and put him into a cell.[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"Well, that's that," Kiva said, putting her handheld away. "Unless you have any other business with me, that is."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"I don't," Valencia said.[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"Then I'll-"[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]Kiva's handheld sounded a loud signal, and she grabbed it immediately, as it was sounding the alert signal. She read the alert, and her eyes went wide, but she didn't hesitate. She immediately sent a command to the Catalyst, then trained her weapon, her preferred ML-SS.7 gun, on Valencia. "Explain yourself."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]Valencia seemedtaken aback. "I- what- what the hell are you doing?"[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"Responding," Kiva said. "You didn't really think your little attempt would succeed, did you?"[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"A- attempt?"[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"Feigning ignorance, then. Don't bother, Valencia. The signal was detected and has been cut off. Now, who's the one who tried it?"[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"Wait, what?"[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"There's someone else on board this ship, and that person just tried to hack into the [I]Catalyst[/I]'s systems. Who is it?"[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"I didn't- I only have one other passenger, and she's in her quarters."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"That means nothing," Kiva said.[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"Yeah, but she wouldn't know how to do something like that, anyways?"[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"Well, someone sure as hell tried it. You don't expect me to believe you automated it, do you?"[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]Kiva saw the the shocked realization on Valencia's face as the other woman spoke. "I- Cassandra?"[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"Who's Cassandra?" Kiva said.[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"Cassandra is my ship's computer system," Valencia said.[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"Bullshit. Cassandra didn't just try to hack the [I]Catalyst[/I]; she actually penetrated the first security layer before she was detected. No automated routine could do that. So tell me the truth. Cassandra's obviously the 'passenger' you mentioned."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"No," Valencia said, "she's not."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"Then you have two things to tell me. Who's your passenger, and who's Cassandra? Start talking, or this will end badly for you."[/COLOR] ----------------------------------------------------- OOC: Your turn, Aaryanna.

It's not your fault, don't worry. I haven't posted because I don't have anything to post, as I finished my objective and don't have a new one. I'd post anyways, but the RPG has shown signs of dying. Some of the participants have had poor post quality, which I know from experience can drive people away. Posts by anyone have become less and less frequent, and Kei seems to have abandoned the RPG. And that last one is the kiss of death. I've been in RPGs where the creator's lost interest, and although participants often try to keep it going, it never works, and the RPG dies within a few days. So yeah, at this point I don't have high hopes for this RPG. If it continues, it would likely be just you, me, Kei, and probably M.Ali, which would be fine, since we're the four highest-quality posters and would be easily able to keep the RPG going, but unless Kei reappears, then not even that's going to happen. So although I want this RPG to keep going, I find it unlikely that it will.

[COLOR=darkslateblue]"[I]Striker[/I] is down!" Kiva said over the comm. "[I]Knife[/I], divert to replace [I]Striker[/I]. I'll cover [I]Caravan[/I]."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]Kiva may not have officially been part of the fleet, but she'd more or less found herself in command of the defense. And there was a good reason; only the [I]Catalyst[/I] had the sensor equipment to detect which ships were the explosive-carrying kamikazies. Nothing else in-system could do so; only the [I]Catalyst[/I]'s more advanced sensor equipment was able to. So since only Kiva's ship could tell which ships to target, she'd ended up coordinating the system's defense.[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]The entire situation was a mess. Several ships had already been hit and destroyed, including both millitary and civilian ships. To make things worse, the civilian passenger liner [I]Caravan[/I] had suffered an engine failure upon exiting hyperspace. It was drifting in-system on momentum, but not very quickly. Tugs were on the way to tow it in for repairs, but until they arrived, [I]Caravan[/I] was just drifting on momentum. Which hadn't been a problem until the kamikazies showed up. They were targeting the nearest ships, and [I]Caravan[/I] was stuck in the outer system, unable to get to safety. Which meant that it had been targeted by multiple attackers. And the [I]Caravan[/I] had a full passenger load. If it was hit, a hell of a lot of people would die.[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b][I]Knife [/I]had been covering [I]Caravan[/I], but Kiva sent the ship to replace the destroyed [I]Striker[/I] while she moved the [I]Catalyst[/I] over to cover [I]Caravan[/I]. It was a superior ship, better able to do the job. Not that the job would be too hard, as things were winding down. Only a few kamikazies remained, and it didn't take long to get rid of them.[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"Okay," Kiva said, "looks like we're clear. Excellent work, everyone. Return to your stations; this one's over."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"...and the millitary ship [I]Striker[/I] was the last casualty," Kiva said to William over the comm.[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"I see," William said. "Well, you showed up just in time, Kiva. Things would've been much worse if you hadn't made it in time. Anyways, what about your mission in sector 2?"[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"Successful. I got in and out without a problem, and I got the data. I'm sending it to you now."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"Excellent. This will be very useful. Now, I know this is all happening fast, but I have another assignment for you, and this one's important."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"Another big one? What is it?"[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"Nothing too difficult this time," William said, "or at least it shouldn't be. However, none of this was planned; it came out of nowhere, and honestly, I'm not sure how this is going to work out. So I'm not taking any chances."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"What's the job?"[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"You'll be heading to sector 3 [/COLOR][COLOR=darkslateblue]to [/COLOR][COLOR=black][FONT=Tahoma][COLOR=darkslateblue]rendezvous with the [I]Stykera[/I], a ship under the command of a woman named Valencia. I''m sending you the coordinates for the rendezvous point now. Valencia will be transferring a prisoner to you. Once you've secured him, return here as quickly as possible."[/COLOR][/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=black][FONT=Tahoma][/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=black][FONT=Tahoma][COLOR=#483d8b]"Understood," Kiva said. "Who's the prisoner?"[/COLOR][/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=black][FONT=Tahoma][/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=black][FONT=Tahoma][COLOR=#483d8b]"Jared Scorer."[/COLOR][/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=black][FONT=Tahoma][/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=black][FONT=Tahoma][COLOR=#483d8b]"[I]What?![/I]" Kiva didn't know what she'd been expecting, but that wasn't it. "Jared? We've captured Jared?"[/COLOR][/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=black][FONT=Tahoma][/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=black][FONT=Tahoma][COLOR=#483d8b]"Apparently," William said. "I'm not entirely certain what happened, but he was captured, and now Valencia has him on board the [I]Stykera[/I]. Your job is to retrieve him."[/COLOR][/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=black][FONT=Tahoma][/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=black][FONT=Tahoma][COLOR=#483d8b]"Okay. Yeah, this could get interesting. All right, I'll take care of it."[/COLOR][/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=black][FONT=Tahoma][/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=black][FONT=Tahoma][COLOR=#483d8b]"Good. And be careful with Valencia. She's not fond of Elite Specialists, and you used to be one. And even though she's on our side, I don't want you taking any chances with her. Not when you're there to get someone like Jared."[/COLOR][/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=black][FONT=Tahoma][/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=black][FONT=Tahoma][COLOR=#483d8b]"Understood. Kiva out."[/COLOR][/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR=darkslateblue]Someone had undoubtable guessed by now what had happened at the facility, but it no longer mattered, as Kiva was out of Empire-controlled space. In fact, she was about to exit hyperspace in sector 9. She didn't care if anyone knew what she'd done now; all that mattered was that they'd been in the dark long enough for Kiva to get away. And the data she'd aquired was extremely valuable. William would doubtlessly be eager to receive it.[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]The [I]Catalyst[/I] exited hyperspace, and Kiva proceeded in-system normally. But then she saw one ship ram another and explode, and realized that things weren't as calm as she'd expected. [I]What the hell?[/I][/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]Kiva sent a priority transmission requesting to speak to William, then tried to make sense out of what was happening. [I]Those are all transport ships! This isn't a normal attack; those are kamikazies! And-[/I] one of them collided with what was clearly a civilian ship- [I]they're not discriminating targets. They aren't hitting each other, but they're hitting whatever else is closest.[/I][/COLOR] [I][/I] [COLOR=#483d8b]As soon as William was put on, Kiva spoke. "William, what the hell is this?"[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"I don't know. They're suiciding into whatever they can reach, and-"[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"These have to be automated," Kiva said. "No human crew would make the targeting decisions these ships have. Their pattern clearly indicates these are operating under computer control."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"Maybe, but this is still a nasty move."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]Another civilian ship was hit. "And a dumb one," Kiva said. "Something like this can only contribute to unrest. I wouldn't be surprised if the Empire loses another sector to us because of something like this. Be careful, William. There has to be something more going on here."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"I can't wory about that now," William said. "I've got my hands full with this mess."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"Then we need to take care of this as quickly as possible. I'm taking the [I]Catalyst[/I] in to assist. I'll get the sector 2 data to you once this is over. Kiva out."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]Kiva ended the transmission, brought the [I]Catalyst[/I] to full combat readiness, and headed forward into the fray.[/COLOR]

I didn't even notice that. Yeah, Kiva's on the [I]Catalyst[/I], and the [I]Liberator[/I] has the [I]Transcendence[/I]. My bad. Anyways, yeah, looks like things are getting ugly. I may not have my objective yet, but I think I'll probably have Kiva show up while it's all going on (I was planning to post soon anyways, and at least now there's some action going on).

[COLOR=indigo]It hadn't taken too long to determine how to find Palkia and Dialga; the legends were generally in agreement. They were found at a place called Spear Pilliar on the peak of Mt. Coronet. According to the legends, Mt. Coronet was where the Sinnoh region began, and the ruin-like area at the top, the Spear Pillar, was where Palkia and Dialga could be found. Of course, people had been to Spear Pilliar and found no sign of Palkia or Dialga. But according to the legends, it wasn't that easy.[/COLOR] [COLOR=#4b0082]The key seemed to be three other legendary Pokemon, known as the 'lake Pokemon' because they were said to reside at three lakes throughout the Sinnoh region. Some believed these Pokemon to be real, because there were Pokemon residing there. But nobody knew anything about them. They were seen only rarely, and even then they were just glimpsed briefly. They were unknowns, so of course there were people who believed them to be Uxie, Azelf, and Mesprit, the trio from the legends. There wasn't any evidence to prove this, but there wasn't any to disprove it, either. [/COLOR][COLOR=#4b0082]One thing was certain, however. Uxie, Azelf, and Mesprit were an integral part of the legends of Palkia and Dialga, and the trio were always a trio, not just three seperate Pokemon. All this made determining if these Pokemon were real a lot simpler. If one of the trio existed, all three of them existed. And if they were real, then Palkia and Dialga were also real. So verifying the existance of one of them meant they all existed.[/COLOR] [COLOR=#4b0082]Aesera'd been in Saffron for a couple days, and she'd made good use of the time, going over the data Silph obtained in Sinnoh. Studying the legends to the extent she'd studied the legends of Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn would take a lot more time, but the time she'd spent was more than enough to complete her assignment. Or to come as close to it as she could, at least. She'd determined how one would find and control Palkia and Dialga, this requiring the trio. And she'd determined the extent of their abilities as described in the legends. What she couldn't do was determine if Palkia, Dialga, and the trio were real. She didn't think they were, but there was no conclusive evidence. The only way to be sure would be to mount an expedition, even a small one, to Sinnoh to follow the legends and try to find Palkia, Dialga, and the trio.[/COLOR] [COLOR=#4b0082]Aesera was still in Saffron at Silph HQ, continuing her research; specifically, she was looking in more detail at the abilities of the Pokemon. She had, however, made a recording of her analysis, including her statement that determining the existance of the Pokemon would require an expedition to Sinnoh. She'd had Gardevoir leave Saffron on her own and go to Azaela with the message, returning to Aesera with the reply. If she wasn't given a new assignment, she'd finish up her research and return to Azaela and her position as an instructor.[/COLOR] ------------------------------------------------------------------ OOC: That's your cue, Kei. What's next for Aesera?

[COLOR=indigo]"Okay, Gardevoir, you remember the location, right?"[/COLOR] [COLOR=#4b0082]Gardevoir nodded. "All right, then," Aesera said, "I'm ready, so let's go."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#4b0082]Gardevoir nodded again and teleported herself and Aesera. Aesera experienced the familiar distortion, then the wrenching shift as she was moved from one location to another. Then she bent over and threw up. Some people could handle being teleported without a problem, but Aesera wasn't one of them. But the effect passed quickly.[/COLOR] [COLOR=#4b0082]Aesera returned Gardevoir to her Pokeball and began the walk to Saffron. Gardevoir couldn't teleport directly into the city, thanks to the psychic barrier, so Aesera'd had to settle for teleporting close to the city and walking the rest of the way. But she was pretty close to the city, and teleporting had saved a lot of time. Teleportation was impractical for sizeable objects or large numbers of people, so armies couldn't make too much use of it, but teleporting just one additional person was no problem for any decently capable psychic Pokemon. For Gardevoir, teleporting herself and Aesera was easy, provided she had a good enough mental image of the destination.[/COLOR] [COLOR=#4b0082]Aesera hadn't been able to leave Azaela once classes were done. She'd had to wait a couple days, until after the graduation ceremony. All instructors were expected to attend if any of their students were graduating, and several of Aesera's were. And with the exception of Ryan, who'd been graduated simply to ensure his father didn't cease financial contributions, Aesera was pleased with all of them. So she'd stayed for graduation, but that was yesterday. Today, she would reach Saffron and begin her research. And however much she disliked the reason for the assignment, she was looking forward to getting underway.[/COLOR]