Allamorph

Titanic Vandalism On learning that there was an underground cavern being used by the vampires at the resort, Nathan had immediately suspected a laboratory containing equipment for drug production and refinement. He had encountered similar situations in the past; drug running was an easy and tried method for drawing in excess funds, money which a mountainside resort could launder with little trouble. Such a location would have been perfect for sending inexperienced Reapers to their deaths, the guise of keeping vampires in check and disrupting their support lines providing the perfect excuseâ??although the possible motives for such an act still escaped him. Heâ??d been right about the laboratory, but designed for drugs it was not. This one wasnâ??t designed to handle distillation of anything, much less refinement, and there were far too many physical experimentation devices present for his original theory to hold. From the materials on the tables and shelves, Nathan deduced that the vampires had been using humans and human parts for tests of some sort, and he felt the distinct sensation of residual magic, specifically on a crude level. The presence of this equipment would have made him uneasy anyway, but Alexâ??s comment about seeing a similar set-up, as well as definite torture chambers, made Nathan wonder how connected the two incidents really were. Disturbed, he moved closer to the nearest table, on which rested a pan of scalpels and bloody water, a small device which held a large section of human skin stretched taut between its four prongs, and a succession of beakers and vials containing various colored liquids. A few of the beakers gave off the same feeling of magic residue that he had felt hanging in the air when heâ??d entered. â??Hmm.â? Musing, he held his hand a few inches over a beaker containing a dark orange liquid. He stilled his thoughts and slowed his breathing, and after a second a series of peculiar sensations rushed up his arm. His hand spasmed briefly at the shock. The crystal was in his other hand immediately. â??Lucia,â? he said, â??where are the others?â? â??They just got back. Everyoneâ??s been cleared out of the upper section. Isen brought something she said you or I might want to look at, and Iâ??m almost done downloading anything encrypted from their servers.â? Nathan concentrated on keeping his arm steady. â??Good. Could you put Phaidra on for me? I have something to ask her.â? â??She can hear you,â? came the monotone reply. â??Good,â? Nathan repeated. â??Phaidra, youâ??ve been studying magic for a long time. Do you think you could recognize a particular spell or incantation if I described the residual sensations to you?â? â??I think so. Itâ??d be easier if I could get a sample of it, though.â? â??Yes, I think so too, but Iâ??m not certain you really want to be down here right now. Iâ??ll try and grab something, though. For now, just listen closely....â? Nathan conversed with Phaidra for a few minutes, he translating his sensations into words and she asking him to feel for this thing or push there with a small bit of that magic. He complied each time and relayed the results back to her; during an attempt to get a specific reaction out of the liquid, the beaker abruptly shattered. Nathan instinctively dodged, but a small drop of the fluid managed to splosh onto the corner of his blazer. Nathan gave the stain a peculiar look. â??Nathan, are you all right?! What happened?â? Nathan pondered the situation for a moment. â??It blew up,â? he said at last. â??It did?â? â??Kaplowie,â? confirmed the shinigami. â??Orange stuff gone everywhere.â? â??Oh. Well are there other beakers?â? â??Yes,â? Nathan said, â??but I think Iâ??d rather not make any more explode. Itâ??s kinda messy.â? He looked at his blazer again. â??Are those bleach pens any good?â? â??What?!â? â??Nevermind. For now I thinkâ??â? A shout from the doorway drew his attention. His head snapped around just as five vampires burst into the room, throwing Alex backwards into a table. Nathan saw the boyâ??s scythe forming in his hands. â??â??crap.â? Leaping over the table, he wrested the scythe from the boyâ??s grip, batting one vampire away with a quick sweep of the staff. He shoved the edge of the blade to the right and into the gut of a second, spinning to the side, his follow-through plunging the scytheâ??s point deep into a third. An arced sweep sent the corpse hurtling into the charging fourth. His left hand whipped the entire weapon behind him, catching the fifth mid-jump; Nathan slammed the vampireâ??s body into the ground and fired two quick flaming darts into the chest of the vampire heâ??d just sent sprawling. With a deep breath, Nathan walked over to Alex, who had paused in the act of disengaging himself from the upset table and its flotsam. â??Reflex,â? Nathan said simply. He grinned. â??Weâ??ll train you out of that.â? As he retrieved his weapon from the blue man, Alex noticed burn marks on Nathanâ??s palms. â??Are you okay?â? he asked. â??Hunh?â? Nathan glanced at his hands. â??Oh. No, I wasnâ??t using my scythe. Didnâ??t they teach you about that?â? Alex shook his head. â??Oh,â? said Nathan. He picked up a small phial and filled it with some bluish liquid from an intact beaker. â??Well, you know each Reaperâ??s scythe is specific to them, right? In tune with their energies?â? When Alex nodded, he continued. â??If I use another Reaperâ??s scythe to free a soul, the energies donâ??t match exactly, and it can hurt if I donâ??t prepare properly.â? He flexed his burned palms. â??Nothing serious, though. â??I think weâ??re done here,â? he decided, pocketing the phial. â??Letâ??s get out of this place. Itâ??s starting to raise my hackles.â? He hoped he didnâ??t look as disturbed as he felt. Nathan felt a long conversation with his sister in his future.

[FONT=Arial]Actually, since there are no swear filters in the Anthology, your little asterisk endeavor up there was completely unnecessary. Unless you just want to censor yourself. In which case I wonder why you included the expletive at all.[/FONT]

[CENTER][FONT=Arial]No noes! Not the red button! [IMG]http://failblog.files.wordpress.com/2008/09/fail-owned-red-button-fail.jpg?w=500&h=375[/IMG] Also also wik:[/FONT] [IMG]http://www.explosm.net/db/files/Comics/Rob/messengerpigeonnew.png[/IMG][/CENTER]

[FONT=Arial][CENTER][URL="http://www.eagleeyemovie.com/"][COLOR="Blue"]Official Trailer[/COLOR][/URL][/CENTER] Saw the trailer for this movie a while back and thought "hunh, LaBeouf's in a serious role?" Then I remembered that I didn't actually hate him in [I]Constantine[/I], I haven't seen [I]Disturbia[/I] yet, and he seems to be at least trying to break out of the stereotyped role that Even Stevens pigeonholed him into (yay prepositions). So according to the imdb site, the gist is: [indent][I]Two strangers become the pawns of a mysterious woman they have never met, but who seems to know their every move. Realizing they are being used to further her plot for a political assassination, they must work together to outwit the woman before she has them killed.[/I][/indent] Shia LaBeouf and Michelle Monaghan play lead, with Billy Bob Thornton supporting (which strikes me as interesting in itself), and judging from the way Hollywood tends to mismarket their films with action-y trailers, I wonder if this movie will have a balance of the crazy 'splosions and the mind games. I hope so. Any thoughts?[/FONT]

[quote name='visualkei']From someone who's never read/watch the original Dragonball, I've got to say that the thought of a main character being green is distracting, and it would take mad skillz to make a character such as Piccolo in real life not look hokey.[/quote] [FONT=Arial]The Hulk comes to mind. Also Yoda. Also, 'mad skillz' are what the people in Hollywood are supposed to have. That's why they're there. If they have the skills enough to pull off Transformers so well to the point where I wasn't bothered by the token hot chick, if they have the skills enough to make Gotham look absolutely epic, then they can sure as heck make one person green and give him antennae. I mean, criminy. The Andorians had antennae (that moved), and were [I]blue[/I]. The Borg Queen is a slimy pallid half-corpse who still manages to make half the male trekkies warm in places (which is just weird), Hell Boy is bright flaming red, and the vampire-lycan hybrid from Underworld was what, cobalt? Bulma I could care less about. Hair is hair, and all the live-action anime-based shows I've seen glimpses of where they kept the original hair color looked atrocious, so I can understand going more for reality in that sense. But Hollywood [I]has the capability[/I] to do this right. It's not outside their means. So why this . . . thing?[/FONT]

[quote name='Lunar][FONT="Arial Narrow"][COLOR="Indigo"]1. I'm an extremely smart ninth grader, who enjoys school more than most people.[/COLOR'][/FONT][/quote] [FONT=Arial]Wait, so you're two years younger than me, and you're only a high-school freshman? This is my third year of college, and I was held back from entering grade school for one year because of my age. How does that work? (Unless you lied about your age....) Fifth semester of college, just switched from music ed to mech/civ engineering after finally figuring out what I was doing. I was in music originally because a whole lot of professors told me that doing music and engineering at the same time was impossible, and I didn't want to give up playing. Turns out that this is not the case. Thanks, guys. Engineering now because I enjoy problem-solving and making things work, and because math makes sense to me. I want to be a candy man. I'm interested in Truth and people who use the brains in their heads. I also write and enjoy ensemble setting where I can play trombone. Obviously I am interested in this message board.[/FONT]

[FONT="Arial"][CENTER] You never know 'til afterwards.[/CENTER][/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]I'd like to counter that series of . . . . whatever . . . with the amv that got me hooked on Porcupine Tree. And because it's a dang good video as well as a dang good song, I won't embed, but link instead. [CENTER][URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXkEPk9ibX8"][COLOR="Blue"]A Promise In The Clouds[/COLOR][/URL] Anime: The Placed Promised in Our Early Days (Beyond the Clouds) Music: Porcupine Tree - Trains[/CENTER][/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]Ah yes, almost forgot. When outside, I am [I]always[/I] wearing close-fitting sunglasses (regardless of the season) because direct sunlight makes me sneeze violently. And it's just no fun feeling like the Duchess's son. Sometimes I forget and wear them inside or after sundown as well, and so people started calling me Shades and singing Corey Hart when I walk by. Which is depressing, because most people I know can't sing. Typically the vocal majors. Also, sometimes in winter (oh gosh, that was bad) I wear this huge black topcoat. I like it because it's thick enough to keep me warm, and yet ventilated at the neckline so I don't suffocate myself with my own body heat. And also it tends to flap out at the most opportune moments?which can be rather intimidating, I've heard. I know I scared a freshman so badly he fled to the other side of campus for fear I'd follow. I should really stop looking so angry when I think.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]My usual wont is either a three-button polo or button-down T-shirt, blue jeans with a black belt, and black Wolverines. I have not changed this combination in several years, mostly because I don't like looking like a disheveled moron who doesn't give a damn. Thank you for your time.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]What she said. And yes, you moronic juvenile joke-crackers, that [I]is[/I] what she said. Criminy.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]So we're in agreement, then. :D[/FONT]

[quote name='Lunar][FONT="Book Antiqua"][COLOR="Blue"]Allamorph, I'm a girl, so I don't want to get banged up really bad,[/COLOR'][/FONT][/quote] [FONT=Arial]I'm a guy, and I don't particularly take to getting banged up really bad. I don't know many people who do. But you can't figure out how to do something the right way without doing it the wrong way a few times and then going "oooohhhhhh, I see...." And it just so happens that skateboarders are prone to getting hurt because skateboarding is a physical activity. A few scrapes aren't going to kill you, and certainly won't disfigure you or make you look bad. And besides, a girl being willing to get a [I]little[/I] banged up is pretty durn cool to a lot of guys (and kind of intimidating to some girls, I've heard).[/FONT]

I Would Love To Isen was beginning to get aggravated. In all honesty, the werecat would rather have been hunting by herself. â??Seek and destroyâ?? to her meant hit hard, hit fast, and switch to the next target. That type of rapid striking was her strong point; she excelled at ensuring that all the little random variables that might screw up an otherwise well-planned mission were eliminated, prowling just inside the edge of the shadows until the perfect moment for the kill and slipping instantly back. Partnering wasnâ??t a problem for her, but only with people she knew and could trust to take an opening if she created one. Isen relied almost wholly on unspoken communication, looks and gestures that meant her ally was thinking the same as she and trusted her to know exactly what to do. Christine was one of those people. A look at her before they entered a room and Isen instantly knew how many were inside, how many were threats and what kind of threat they were, and where each person was; and she could provide the same if she had the line of sight and not Christine. But Nathan had ordered Lucia to coordinate everything from the main security station, and so Isen was forced to move almost at a crawl as Phaidra constantly checked back in with Lucia over her phone. Clearing a room would excite Isenâ??s blood and hone her senses, only for them to be cooled and dulled by the inevitable talk-session. It was sheer luck that the noise hadnâ??t alerted half the resort by now. Isen was almost ecstatic when she heard Phaidra say that the upcoming room was the last one to be cleared. One more stop and the annoying task would be finished. The rest of them could stay in the building, but Isen had no intent to do the same; she was heading down as soon as the opportunity arose. Hopefully her Reaperâ??s search would be interesting. The next room was a sequestered office, accessible by only one door. Isen instantly darted to the side opposite the handle, leaving Christine flanking the other side. A nod from the werecat, and Chris aimed a backwards kick at the door, smashing the lock and throwing the door wide open. Diving forward, Isen rolled into the room, her draw splitting in half the surprised Renfield assisting her master with some late-night paperwork. The second vampire, on the other side of the room, had better reflexes and managed to take half a lunge forward before Christine impaled his chest with a backhanded stab; Isen was already risen and mid-swing for the vampiress behind the metal desk. A second later, the womanâ??s head was rolling across the floor towards Phaidraâ??s feet, the floor and the papers on her desk gruesomely stained. Isen didnâ??t care; she certainly wouldnâ??t be reading them. Instead, she eyed the half-open safe in the corner. â??Ask Lucia if we should take this thingâ??s contents,â? she said without looking at Phaidra. Frowning, Phaidra did as she was asked. The obviously terse response deepened her expression. â??She says that there shouldnâ??t be anything worthwhile above ground that wouldnâ??t be in the database. She said sheâ??s downloading everything she can into her crystal, so we shouldnâ??t need it.â? â??Sheâ??s probably right,â? said Chris, thumbing through the bloody pages on the desk. â??These are all general accounting files. Nothing of any value.â? â??Lucia says sheâ??s certain that if itâ??s not in the database, itâ??s almost certainly underground,â? added Phaidra. Isen said nothing, but sheathed her sword and knelt by the safe to get a better view inside. Perhaps Lucia was right, she thought, but then again, if an important object looked valueless, it was sometimes safer in a less secure location. A thief after money might not care about a placard or a PDAâ??or a half-open manila envelope which contained more papers. Isen drew it out and stood. â??Weâ??re taking this,â? she told the others. She thrust the envelope at Phaidra. â??Hold onto it until we return to Lucia.â? Phaidra took the envelope but didnâ??t move. â??Why?â? she asked. Isen gave her a long, thoughtful look. â??Because,â? she answered. â??Letâ??s go. Weâ??re wasting time.â?

[FONT=Arial]Quick question: is [COLOR="DarkRed"]Knuckles[/COLOR] banned from OB until the 27th? Because if he isn't...... That aside, what all does he like about Halloween? What kind of a party setting are you going for: large, or close? You know, give us some of the little things that might jog someone's mind. :D[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial][SIZE=3]With brown hair: [CENTER][IMG]http://static1.animepaper.net/upload/thumbs/scans/Tsubasa-Chronicle/%5Blarge%5D%5BAnimePaper%5Dscans_Tsubasa-Chronicle_bouinbouin(0.68)__THISRES__156645.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] Although [URL="http://static1.animepaper.net/upload/thumbs/scans/Tsubasa-Reservoir-Chronicle/%5Blarge%5D%5BAnimePaper%5Dscans_Tsubasa-Reservoir-Chronicle_Saa-chan(0.7)__THISRES__124320.jpg"][COLOR="Blue"]this[/COLOR][/URL] one captures my typical mood as well. (I sit like that a lot, too.)[/SIZE][/FONT]

[CENTER][FONT="Arial"]Time for some trekkie. [IMG]http://www.explosm.net/db/files/Comics/Rob/shakespeare.jpg[/IMG] [B]Edited[/B] for hilarious election year pic.[/FONT] [IMG]http://totallylookslike.files.wordpress.com/2008/07/cindy-mccain2.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER]

[quote name='Lunar][COLOR="Purple"][FONT="Arial Narrow"]i know i won't ever learn anything, but i'm not going to try until i get a little bit better.[/FONT'][/COLOR][/quote] [FONT=Arial]Logic fail. Lessee how to put this gently . . . . umm . . . . You're going to fall. At some point or another, you [I]will[/I] wipe the heck out and get banged the heck up. It happens. I'd been riding bikes for three years (not solid) when I rode over a sandy patch at high speeds, sent my bike sailing over someone's yard, and took a crash course in body-surfing on mini-cobbled pavement. It hurt like the dickens?but not as bad as Dickens?and when they put iodine on me I wished I was still sliding across asphalt, but I kept riding. So yeah. Wipe-outs are inevitable. Just don't let that stop you. And when you do wipe out, make sure you take pains not to do again whatever it was you did wrong. That's the trick. :p (I also killed a lamppost while I was learning to ride. But that's beside the point.)[/FONT]

[quote name='Ace][FONT="Comic Sans MS"']Chibi, don't spoil the answers! :p[/FONT][/quote] [quote name='The13thMan][FONT="Trebuchet MS"]Then the next person guesses what the thing is by reading the description. . . . But everybody's welcome to guess any one of the previous posts, [B]just try to make sure you guess the most recent one as well.[/B'] It wouldn't be nice if somebody got skipped.[/FONT][/quote] [FONT=Arial][COLOR="DarkRed"]Ace[/COLOR], don't fail. And if we hadn't been talking about that person just this afternoon, you would have got me. Good one. :p [spoiler]John Lennon[/spoiler] [COLOR=DarkRed]chibi[/COLOR], I confess I have no frikkin' idea. Sorry. [spoiler]Kathy Ireland in [I]Alien From L.A.[/I][/spoiler] Most annoying voice ever in televised history, and has severe parental issues, mostly paternal.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]I's been fotograffed![/FONT] [CENTER][IMG]http://images.icanhascheezburger.com/completestore/2008/8/25/pssstevecat128641813833652599.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER]

[FONT=Arial]I tend to view Macs the same way I view Casio calculators. We've all been raised on the TI (Windows) format, so it's familiar to us, but despite the minor confusion when starting to use a Casio (Mac), they are much better. Plus, I have heard a lot of people comment that Macs are the way to go for art program compatibility and usefulness. And since I know how into art you are, Jae, I'd say go with Mac. And if you [I]really want[/I] Windows stuff later on, Apple has stuff to scratch that itch. :p[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]A few comments off the top of my head. First, don't use the strike-through option. Since the narrator is speaking directly to the audience, and you're writing it as if the narrator's speaking directly to the audience, you should use either dashes or ellipses to indicate broken, self-corrected speech; spoken words can't be struck. Also, striking through text is an editorial tool, and shouldn't be used in showcased writing at all. It's only used on message boards to feign a slip of the tongue. So while I like what you're doing with the "I'm not supposed to call Her that" concept, you can find a [strike]correct[/strike] better way to express it. Second, why is this a prologue? Will the story continue from Gabriel's pov, or will it switch to a totally different person? The only merit I can see with using a prologue is to establish some vital part of the setting—mood or atmosphere or something—that you either can't do as well or can't do at all as part of the regular narrative. This scene feels like it wants to lead directly into another one, which indicates to me that it would be better presented as part of the first chapter, or possibly expanded somewhat and made [I]into[/I] the first chapter. Basically, I think you've mixed up 'prologue' with 'introductory segment'. Third, at first I just thought that your two lines of dialogue should have been detached from their paragraphs to maximize impact, since the narrator is obviously neither speaker. But after another look, I'm wondering what the point of presenting the exchange was—at least, in the manner you did so. In keeping with the thought about expanding the section, perhaps you should include some further lead in material so the exchange doesn't feel so . . . contrived, really. Either that, or add some more material about Lucifer after his gambit. That way, the response from Metatron might have more impact to the audience. I'm not going to go into syntax or style right now, mostly because I don't feel like being an ass. =P But yeah, if you've got some more, toss it up. And keep in mind your goal so you can line your presentation to fit that, instead of going for an 'awesome' idea that feels good but doesn't really help your movement any.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]I still maintain that the story had more appeal for me back when it was just a short story and only as long as the opening post. More poignant, I think. Still, depending on the goal of the narrative now, I could get back into it. And with that in mind, I have a few questions. What if you included more of Dahler right after the initial scene, and let Linnett's dreams continually interrupt the reader's following of him until he awakens her? If you did that, you could work towards not just revealing Linnett's identity, but do so as Dahler tries to do so. Since you seem to have definitively shifted to Dahler's pov by now, that concept has some merit, I think. Additionally, that would give you a solid goal to pursue, and would pace Linnett's dreams better; you could also use Dahler's presence to influence her dreams, and so add to Linnett's character by letting her use the dreams to sense someone's arrival. Basically just thoughts on presentation and purpose. Also, watch your modifiers. [QUOTE=Raiha][COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]Terrible and overwhelming, Kai and his brother..... Like many deep sleeping vampires, Linnett's dreams,....[/FONT][/COLOR][/QUOTE] There, you described Kai and his brother as terrible and overwhelming (instead of Dynn), and you described Linnett's dreams as "like many vampires" (instead of like the dreams of many deep sleeping vampires). Check yourself. (^_^) Apologies for the cursory tone of this post, but that's really all I can think to add at the moment.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]Points for AC/DC. Hopefully this Mr. D pities no fools, and isn't a Night Elf Mohawk.[/FONT]

â??Helm, status report!â? All heads on the bridge snapped around, their owners jumping to salute Salier and quickly returning to their duties. The response from Helm came before the bridge doors hissed shut. â??Approaching the rendezvous point now, sir! ETA three minutes to deceleration.â? â??Thank you, Helm.â? Salier settled herself into the commanderâ??s chair and glanced to Tourney. â??Has the base been contacted?â? Gillam nodded. â??We transmitted them our expected entrance point, and theyâ??ll be ready for us when we get there.â? â??Good,â? said Salier. â??Itâ??s about time this trip was over. Weâ??re set back three weeks for the interrogation anyway; we need to get Scorer processed as soon as possible before his information completely depreciates.â? â??I went ahead and asked that a direct path to the preparation chamber be cleared,â? Gillam informed her. â??Figured itâ??d be best to get him ready right as we got in, since thatâ??ll give Inquisition something to do right away and we can get the crew off and rested.â? He smirked. â??I hear they just finished a new swimming pool.â? â??Something like that,â? Salier remarked. â??I doubt Iâ??ll get to use it.â? â??Paperwork?â? â??Loads.â? Gillam shook his head. â??Story of your life these days.â? The Helm officer announced that the Chevalier was exiting hyperspace, and the two officers ceased their discussion, Salier ordering the forward viewscreen brought online. Under her feet, she felt the slight hum of the balancing thrusters kicking in to prevent the stress of deceleration tearing the ship to pieces, and the viewscreen displayed the asteroid field that shielded the Black Ops central base sliding impossibly across space as the sensors translated their readings into visual data. â??Exiting hyperspace now,â? said Helm. â??Sub-light engines ahead one-half.â? The asteroid field reached a normal rate of approach, and Salier waited patiently as Helm steered the Chevalier towards it. â??The Hub is hailing us,â? called Tactical. â??Transmitting security codes and reconfirming mainframe fingerprint. Visual in five seconds.â? An asteroid that rivaled most Dreadnaughts in size cleared the Chevalierâ??s bow, sailing over them to the port side as the Helm officer made rapid navigational changes to compensate for drift. In front of them, a section of the field suddenly disappeared, replaced by a small group of ships in parallel formation. The base of operations for the Resistanceâ??s Black Ops was not really a base at all, but a collection of independent ships linked together through their central computer mainframes. The concept for the design had been Sauvageâ??s, utilizing the door generators on each ship to interconnect a small group, changing them into a single large unit capable of dissolving at a moments notice and fleeing in any direction necessary to rejoin each other at a later time. Additionally, any ship in the Black Opsâ?? fleet could withdraw at any time to pursue individual missions, while the rest of the group stayed behind and continued operations. Sauvageâ??s concept was a closely-guarded secret, since until that time no one had considered ships as potential smaller pieces of a whole instead of simply independent units that could link together if necessary. The concept was also crucial to Sauvageâ??s secrecy; as long as any possible enemies seeking them out were concentrating on a single establishment, a ship or two would easily slip past detection, preserving the integrity of the unit. â??Synchronization in process. Ship controls are being transferred to the Adept.â? â??Transfer confirmed,â? said Helm. â??Adept has the helm. We are on course for formation, starboard of the Bastion.â? â??Reopening doors to the group now.â? The Adept was the brain of the group. The original design had been a custom model based on an Avalon light cruiser, but the ship had been extensively remodeled to accommodate a massive supercomputer capable of handling the informational enormity of multiple ship system data and maintenance. The computer and its coolant system took up over forty percent of the ship; and with the engines built into the streamlined design, very little room was left for anything besides a Central Operations room, which took up four decks, and various conference rooms. All of the systems on the other ships were routed directly through the Adeptâ??s mainframe, which was also an essential part of the segmented station design: with one source for navigational direction, time wasted transmitting coordinates and minor helm changes were eliminated, and while linked the ships could effectively function as a single unit with no loss of efficiency. Forward of the Adept, and several hundred kilometers below it, hung the Bastion, a Defender acquired shortly before the Harrier line of Messengers had been decommissioned. Since the Defender was a popular model, Sauvage had declared the Bastion expendable, and the ship was used primarily for crew quarters and any undertakings that required a large degree of space which decks would otherwise have limited. A section of the Bastionâ??s center was hollowed out and equipped for removable deck plating to that end. Flanking the Bastion and to the rear of the Adept were two heavy cruisers, both Culverin class. Nearest the Chevalier, which was beginning its pass over the group, was the Squall, the groupâ??s espionage and information vessel; and on the other side the Zenith, which had been Sauvageâ??s secondary reconnaissance ship until the new addition had been confirmed, and was now being converted into a full-time research vessel. In front of the Squall and still flanking the Bastion rested the newly acquired Melisande, an Aria model to partner with the Chevalier for necessary trips. Since the Aria was a lighter model than the Javelin, the Melisande was to be equipped with a state-of-the-art cloaking system for secure rendezvous and agent runs, and the Chevalier would take the opportunity to get some dry-dock time and upgrade a few of its systems. The Chevalier lifted over the Zenith and settled into formation. â??Synchronization complete at elapsed two minutes and thirty-eight seconds,â? said Tactical. â??All doors operational. Prisoner transfer path confirmed, through Squall to Bastion; corridors have been secured.â? â??All right, gentlemen.â? Salier rose. â??Letâ??s get mister Scorer comfortable.â?