RPG Silver One

[Horendithas]

[SIZE=1][COLOR=DarkRed]Sandra was finishing up some work when the chime sounded, indicating someone was at her door. She paused the recording that she was listening too and then gave the command for who ever was outside her quarters to enter. It was as she has expected it to be, Jared.

?[B]Ah Jared, sit down.[/B]? She said indicating the seat at the small workstation. ?[B]I?ve already sent the copy of the report to you, but it seems that the resistance is more resourceful than we expected.[/B]?

?[B]More resourceful?[/B]?

?[B]Kiva?s ship the Catalyst has better equipment than we do, their initial scan picked up active grade B sensor equipment.[/B]? Sandra pulled up a holographic screen on Jared?s side so he could see the location of the equipment on Earth. ?[B]For now we are going to do nothing about it.[/B]?

?[B]Doing so would only let the resistance know we are on to them.[/B]? Jared observed.

?[B]Exactly, right now they believe we have not detected it. And since the sensors on the Crimson and the Tempest did not, it?s actually true that we did not. Also Kiva has requested that we leave it alone and I agree with her decision since I understand a skilled hacker can use that to their advantage.[/B]?

?[B]What else did they find out?[/B]?

?[B]The resistance has three large fully equipped bases someone where on Earth. Unfortunately, they are hidden well enough that even the Catalyst is unable to find them.[/B]? Sandra explained.

?[B]Three? They?re getting more resourceful to have managed to get the equipment here to build that many bases. I?d be willing to bet an entire years pay that former Commander Daniel is behind it. To the best of my knowledge he is the first Commander to turn traitor and join the resistance, if he was working with Nathan it?s even possible that the bases were here the last time we visited Earth and picked up both Jason and Celestia.[/B]?

?[B]The High Council came to the same conclusion. Which is why after I spoke to them earlier today they have changed the bounty on Daniel to a live capture only. If he is still here we are to secure him and then send him to them for interrogation. If that is the case, dealing with him will put an end to the recent surge in resistance activity. Or at the very least give us enough information to get it back under control.[/B]? Sandra replied.

?[B]I?ll make sure that everyone is updated on the change in regards to Daniel then. Anything else I need to know?[/B]? Jared asked.

?[B]No, just continue with what you have been doing with Darren. Though you might find it amusing to listen in to what the US Government is saying about that melodramatic conversation you had with the authorities on Earth. They can?t make up their mind if you are some raving lunatic or a real terrorist, and it?s not helping that a fair number of zealous groups are jumping on the bandwagon as they put it to claim credit for your work. It?s a good thing you used the holographic technology since the images you used are literally plastered all over their computer network and any from of reporting media.[/B]?

Jared laughed. ?[B]Just wait until they see the next one. I intend to use the same image. I?ll be jamming their primitive surveillance systems and saving the actual recording to be one of a mocking bow as I leave the area. I had planned on going to a different country, but Darren pointed out that by attacking the same one twice it would create a deeper ripple effect of panic among the people, so my next target will be one of their airports that they use. The last one was ground shipping, this one is for shipping in the air.[/B]?

?[B]Excellent, while you are doing that the Elite Specialist will start working on their list of the military facilities here on Earth. It?s a pity my part is rather boring. Trying to find a decent liaison from among the leaders of Earth is turning out to be far more difficult than I had anticipated. And a number of them, especially the religious leaders, are totally unsuitable.[/B]?

?[B]I?ll leave you to your work then Sandra.[/B]? Jared said as he got up to leave.

?[B]One other thing Jared.[/B]?

?[B]Yes?[/B]?

?[B]Send an update to the Conqueror as to our progress on Phase One.[/B]?

?[B]At once Sandra.[/B]?[/COLOR][/SIZE]

[Aaryanna]

[COLOR=Teal]It took a couple of hours, but finally Crystal was finished with the batch of humans they had picked up. It would have taken a lot longer if the Tempest?s own doctor Alex had not assisted her with sedating them as quite a few of them had panicked when they were transported to the Crimson. Out of the 307 that she had tagged, 298 had been picked up before the buildings had been destroyed. Unfortunately the remaining ones had been caught in the final explosion. She understood why Jared had sped things up, as it was his task to disrupt their shipping, but it didn?t change the fact that it still irritated her just the same.

She sighed, in the end it didn?t really matter. By insisting that Jared modify the plan to accommodate what she had in mind it had made it possible for her to advance the timeline for the research the High Council had in mind. They had planned on starting one aspect and then another until they had enough to fulfill all three lines of research. By getting so many at once she had made it possible for them to start all three at the same time. Now all she would have to do is meet a smaller quota of expanding all three as the research progressed.

Crystal pulled out her handheld computer as she was walking through the corridors of the Crimson towards the transport room, with the intent of heading back to the Tempest. She was too preoccupied to really notice any glances sent her way. Now that she had the research project underway she could focus more on making the plans for setting up the government medical facilities on Earth once it was taken over. If the Earthlings were going to be of any use, they had quite a few diseases and issues that would need to be resolved. The list she had kept growing every single day.

She entered the transportation room and requested a door back to her own ship. Moments later she had stepped through and the door had closed. She greeting the technician there briefly before heading for the bridge as she needed to check in with her Sub-Commander before calling it a day. As she entered the bridge she shut down the hand held device and headed towards her seat.

?[B]Commander, welcome back.[/B]?

Crystal sat down before responding to her Sub-Commander. ?[B]What?s our status?[/B]?

?[B]The ship to transport the humans will be arriving tomorrow morning as planned. There are also two messages for you as well. One from the Catalyst and one from Sub-Commander Jared.[/B]?

?[B]Carry on.[/B]?

?[B]Yes Commander.[/B]?

Crystal turned on the workstation in the side armrest of her chair; she pulled up a holographic screen and reviewed the messages. The grade B equipment did not concern her but she would inform her Sub-Commander of the specialist?s decision. Then she looked over the report from Jared, it was a request for specifics on the humans she had transported up. That would be easy, she had already been writing up her report for the three lines of research to be started. She would just send him a copy as well once she was done.

She closed the reports and transferred the one she had been working on from her hand held computer to the workstation at her chair. A holographic keyboard appeared in front of her and without hesitation she got to work on the report. [/COLOR]

[SunfallE]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue]Still in the same observation room of the Conqueror that overlooked the planet they were still orbiting around, the figure was this time seated at an elaborate workstation, going over some information that was up on the holographic screens. They paused at the sound of an incoming call and then moved to answer it.

?[B]What is it?[/B]?

?[B]A message has come for you from the Crimson.[/B]?

?[B]Patch it through.[/B]?

A moment later they had it pulled up on their screen and opened it to first listen to the brief message from Sub-Commander Jared. Then they opened up the reports that were attached to it. They skimmed through it, unconcerned by the knowledge that grade B sensor equipment had been found. Along with the information indicating that three facilities had been built by the resistance.

They had told the High Council this would happen; the report only confirmed their initial reasoning for advancing Phase One. One did not obtain and keep power if they were too foolish to recognize when it was about to slip from their grasp. The figure pulled up the next report that had been sent. This time it was the one by Commander Crystal. It took a moment to register that she had already obtained enough specimens to begin all three phases of the research. [I]Interesting.[/I] They thought. [I]I?ll need to make adjustments for that.[/I]

There was no need to bother the bridge crew for what they needed to do next. A short command entered into the computer secured the door to the observation room and another sent out a priority one request to the High Council. In less than a minute a member responded.

?[B]What is it?[/B]?

?[B]I need you to send the necessary equipment to begin all three lines of research immediately.[/B]? The figure stated.

?[B]All three? You don?t even have the specimens yet.[/B]? The member of the High Council retorted.

?[B]You of all people should know why I insisted that Crystal be given Command of a battleship instead of a medical ship. She has already obtained more than enough specimens to begin all three lines. The ship bringing them here will be leaving Earth tomorrow.[/B]?

?[B]I see, very well, I will have the equipment sent immediately.[/B]?

?[B]Good and while you are at it, increase the supplies and other equipment by ten percent.[/B]?

?[B]Ten percent! Why so much?[/B]? The council member asked.

?[B]It?s in the report I will be sending you, the details will all be there. Once you?ve read it I?m sure the rest of the Council will agree.[/B]? The figure replied.

?[B]I?m sure they will,[/B]? the member said, irony lacing their words.

?[B]Thank you for your quick response my lord.[/B]? They said, waiting patiently for the member of the High Council to end the transmission. Once they had done so they turned off the workstation and walked over to take yet another look at the planet below.

All the pieces were falling into place. Soon it would be time for Phase Two. [/COLOR]

[Rachmaninoff]

Darren had been confined to his quarters since the transportation facility had been destroyed, but to tell the truth he didn?t mind. Apparently Jared along with several of his operatives were scouting several targets so they could be taken out at the same time. He would be working with Jared for one of them. Why he didn?t know, but then he supposed it was his own fault for expressing the desire to see things in person. And though the information was useful, he was thinking that most of it could be obtained by using the ships sensors. But being allowed to access them was something he had been denied.

At least Jared had been leaving him alone to work on the plans for setting up a replacement. He had already determined the most effective way to cripple the shipping was to target their shipyards for transport over the seas. Earth was highly dependant upon the use of huge vessels that carried cargo over their seas. If they were to destroy the major shipyards, within a month people would begin to starve, literally, some areas even quicker than that.

So instead they were going to continue to disrupt the ground and soon the air shipping as well. This time they would be hitting several airports. And then in secession, each day for nearly two weeks a facility would be blown up. Starting with a place called Dallas, Texas. In just a few days he along with Jared would take care of that facility. His part would include hacking into their computer systems and observing how things were done while Jared set the necessary charges. This time there would be no need for him to hide what he looked like, at least initially, especially since it would be foolish to try and walk in there looking like they had before. Then once he and Jared were ready to leave they would use the same image they had before, and thus deliberately lead the authorities to believe that it was the same person as last time.

Darren leaned back and stretched. There was nothing to do in the quarters. Unlike his own ship that had a small recreation room where he could work out if he desired or engage in a holographic program. He didn?t dare ask for access to anything like that here. And he?d rather not talk to Jared anyway. Not sure what to do he started checking what he was allowed to access. Current news from the Empire, which included a report of three traitors who had been executed for selling military goods on the market.[I] Idiots,[/I] he thought. [I]That was a dumb thing to do.[/I]

A new Elite Specialist had been assigned. That too was interesting since it didn?t happen very often. [I]I wonder where they sent them? [/I]Finally he pulled up the wanted list to see the current status on bounties. He himself did not try to collect, but he had contacts that did and he had always made a point of keeping an eye out for any criminals. Tossing tidbits of valuable information like that to people was good for business. There were a few new additions since he had last looked several weeks ago. There was even another Earthling listed.

[I]Another one?[/I] He thought. [I]Doesn?t that make three now? I wonder why they want them so badly?[/I] Until the bounty on a human named Jason and one named Celestia had been announced, he had never seen a bounty that was for a live capture only. And the amount they were offering was astonishing. He pulled up the information and checked out the profile and picture that was included. Something caught his eye and he pulled up the one of Jason to verify it. [I]Siblings? Earthlings have more than one kid?[/I] That was a bit surprising. No wonder they had issues with poverty and people starving. There was no attempt to balance things.

In the Empire if you did have children, you had to get permission to have more than one. If the current population was too high for the area, you couldn?t have another one. They had learned the hard way what overpopulation could do, as well as senseless wars. Darren started to close the report when another one caught his eye. The change to it less than a day old, he opened it to find that one had been changed to a live capture only. It was for the former Commander of the Tempest, Daniel. [I]I wonder what he did to make them want him so badly too. [/I]

Darren closed the reports, [I]was that connected to why sector thirteen had been restricted?[/I] Usually such a restriction did not occur until after a world was invaded, but this time it had happened first. [I]Was it because those four were in the area? [/I]It would certainly make sense. A yawn caught up with him, reminding him that he was tired. [I]I think I?ll take a shower and get ready for bed a little early tonight.[/I] The quarters were spacious enough that he could even do some standard stretching exercises to help him unwind for the day.

[GuyYouMetOnline]

[color=darkslateblue]"You're certain we can't afford to allow these other facilities to be evacuated?" Daego asked Kiva.[/color]
[color=#483d8b][/color]
[color=#483d8b]Kiva nodded. "I'm sure. With all those minor facilities, they could clear out everything if we gave them time to evacuate. It would render our destruction of them pretty pointless. And as for the big one, well, if we announced our intent, they wouldn't evacuate that place. The Resistance members in it would probably get the hell out of there, but to the humans, that facility is extremely valuable. Remember, those 'nukes' are the humans' deadliest weapons. They won't want to lose the facility. So calling in ahead of time will only serve to spare the lives of our enemies."[/color]
[color=#483d8b][/color]
[color=#483d8b]"True. Yeah, I guess you're right, as much as I hate having to kill so many innocents."[/color]
[color=#483d8b][/color]
[color=#483d8b]"I'm not fond of that, either, but I just don't see a way to avoid it. Anyways, are we decided on the [/color][color=darkslateblue]order, then?"[/color]
[color=darkslateblue][/color]
[color=darkslateblue]"Yes."[/color]
[color=darkslateblue][/color]
[color=darkslateblue]"Good," Kiva said. "In that case, we might as well get started."[/color]
[color=#483d8b][/color]
[color=#483d8b]The first target was a nuclear weapons facility at which Resistance presence had been confirmed. After taking it out, Kiva and Daego would hit other large facilities. For those, they'd call in ahead of time to get the facilities evacuated before destroying them. And last was a number of smaller, less important locations that would be taken out in rapid succession.[/color]
[color=#483d8b][/color]
[color=#483d8b]The first target, the nuclear facility, would be the toughest. The heavy security and millitary presence wouldn't give the [i]Catalyst[/i] any trouble, and the ship could easily destroy the facilty, but first the nuclear weapons had to be secured. This wasn't likely to be that hard to pull off against the humans' inferior technology, but it would still be more difficult than destroying the other facilities.[/color]


[color=#483d8b]Under cover of night, the [i]Catalyst [/i]desended towards the facility with full stealth systems active. Een the best stealth systems couldn't prevent somebody from seeing the ship, however, hence the nighttime approach. Nobody would see the ship coming until it was right over the facility.[/color]
[color=#483d8b][/color]
[color=#483d8b]"Coming up on the target," Daego said. "Defens are as primitive as expected."[/color]
[color=#483d8b][/color]
[color=#483d8b]"Take them out anyways."[/color]
[color=#483d8b][/color]
[color=#483d8b]"Got it," Daego said "Targeting defensive units... targets locked. Opening fire."[/color]
[color=#483d8b][/color]
[color=#483d8b]Nothing could be seen or heard from within the ship, but that didn't mean that nothing was hapening. The [i]Catalyst[/i] was automatically locking on and firing at the various defenses around the facility, none of which had enough time to do anything. Before anybody could react, it was over, and the [i]Catalyst[/i] was hovering over the facility.[/color]
[color=#483d8b][/color]
[color=#483d8b]"All right," Daego said, "that takes care of that."[/color]
[color=#483d8b][/color]
[color=#483d8b]"Good," Kiva replied. "I've got the communications signals traced. I'm opening now. Audio only, of course." Kiva and Daego had agreed to use audio only. It made things easier, as they didn't have to disguise their faces, and voice alteration was much easier to do. And audio-only was the norm on Earth, so the lack of video wouldn't be unusual.[/color]
[color=#483d8b][/color]
[color=#483d8b]It wasn't long before someone answered the call. By now, the people running the facility had to be peeing themselves. Their defenses had just been wiped out, and not they were being contacted on a private line. So Kiva could only imagine what was going through this particular man's head as he answered the call. "Just who the hell are you?"[/color]
[color=#483d8b][/color]
[color=#483d8b]"That's not relevant," Kiva said, knowing that the the voice the man was hearing sounded nothing like her own. "All that you should care about right now are my instructions."[/color]
[color=#483d8b][/color]
[color=#483d8b]"Just what the hell do you want?"[/color]
[color=#483d8b][/color]
[color=#483d8b]"It's quite simple, really. I want you to evacuate this facility, and I want you to do it now."[/color]
[color=#483d8b][/color]
[color=#483d8b]"And if I don't?"[/color]
[color=#483d8b][/color]
[color=#483d8b]"If you don't," Kiva said, "then everyone in the facility will die when I blow it up."[/color]
[color=#483d8b][/color]
[color=#483d8b]"You couldn't do that," the man scoffed.[/color]
[color=#483d8b][/color]
[color=#483d8b]"Couldn't I? I just tore through your defenses like they weren't even there. I'm more than capable of blowing this place up, and you know it. Now, I'm going to destroy this facility in one hour. Whether or not you evacuate it is your choice, but remember that either way, I will destroy the facility." And with that, Kiva cut the channel.[/color]
[color=#483d8b][/color]
[color=#483d8b]Kiva and Daego weren't going toto let the people escape, of course. After all, many of them were with the Resistance, and since Kiva and Daego didn't know which ones were and which ones weren't, they were going to play it safe and kill everyone. But they wanted the people out of the facility because they had to secure the nukes before blowing the place up, and they didn't want any humans making things harder.[/color]
[color=#483d8b][/color]
[color=#483d8b][/color]
[color=#483d8b]The operation went quite smoothly. When the facility had been evacuated, the [i]Catalyst[/i] opened fire at the fleeing people. They all died quickly. Next, Daego pinpointed the locations of all nuclear weapons within the facility. The [i]Catalyst[/i]'s pinpoint lasers cut through the facility to the weapons, which were grabbed by the [i]Catalyst[/i]'s grappling lines and hauled aboard. When all the weapons were onboard, the [i]Catalyst[/i] opened fire once again, destroying what was left of the facility. The ship then ascended into space, and Daego set a course for the Earth's sun. After dumping the nukes near the sun, Kiva and Daego would return to Earth and take out the rest of their targets.[/color]

[Horendithas]

[SIZE=1][COLOR=DarkRed]Jared was up early and in the small conference room just off the bridge with Sandra and a number of other officers. Now that the first batch of humans had been transported over to the ship the High Council had sent, they were preparing to continue with their task of disrupting things on Earth. When the last person arrived and took a seat Jared turned on the display and began the briefing. The screen behind him showing the targets across Earth highlighted in green.

?[B]Each of you have received a report indicating which target you are to check out and then rig to blow up. However, I wish to address a concern with each of you before sending you down.[/B]? Jared paused and turned to face them directly.

?[B]In the past due to sloppy work the civilian causalities have been far in excess of the accepted limit. They may be inferior, but a dead body is of no use to the Empire and you would do well to remember that. Unless you wish to take their place in on one of the conquered worlds and do their work for them, I expect you to not kill anyone unless you have no choice. Am I clear on this?[/B]"

Jared waited until each one of them had nodded indicating that they understood.

?[B]Now this doesn?t mean you can?t do your job, nor do I expect you to protect the humans. After all if they choose to stay in the transportation sites even after the warnings and you have started blowing the place up, then that?s just too bad. But if I find anyone has destroyed a facility without giving a warning, one that actually gives them enough time to leave, that person will be stripped of their rank and dealt with accordingly.[/B]?

The officers shifted uneasily in their chairs, Jared could see that they did not understand why he had given the order. Or why it would mean they would be punished if they didn?t follow it. [I]I?d better clarify it for them or else there?s going to be several incidents.[/I] Jared thought with a groan of exasperation.

?[B]This is a direct order from the High Council, we are to spare as many civilians as possible, whether or not it is realistic is irrelevant. We?ve been given an order and we must follow it. Any questions?[/B]?

?[B]What about the Elite Specialist? Do we need to worry about them?[/B]? One of them asked.

?[B]No they have their own orders that they are following. However if for any reason they were give you a task, that would take the place of any previous orders, including the one to spare civilians. I do not expect that to happen, but if it did, you are to follow their orders without question. Their task is different than ours and the last thing I want anyone to do is to get in their way. Any more questions?[/B]?

Jared looked around but no one said anything else. ?[B]Very well, assemble your teams and be ready to move out at 0700 tomorrow morning. Dismissed.[/B]?

He waited until they had left the room before addressing Sandra who had remained.

?[B]Why do I get the feeling that I just wasted my breath?[/B]?

?[B]It matters not,[/B]? Sandra replied. ?[B]I believe that most of them will do just fine and if one does step over the line, once you?ve made an example out of them that will end it.[/B]?

?[B]True, but sometimes it gets old dealing with idiots who can?t see beyond their own comfort. And even though they are inferior, they do serve a vital task in the Empire. Earth?s high population will vastly increase the base of slaves available. Not that we couldn?t get by without them, but it certainly wouldn?t be anywhere as comfortable with out the labor that they do.[/B]?

Sandra chuckled, ?[B]I know, believe me I know. If everything goes well the research Crystal is getting the humans for will end that problem. But right now what interests me more is why you are bothering to take the Merchant Darren with you this time.[/B]?

?[B]Because a fair number of the facilities are rundown and in need of major computer overhauls. Many of them are just a step away from breaking down altogether. To truly hack everything, some of the systems will need him to be right there to get a clear signal. Especially at one of their airports as they call them. They have so many signals going everywhere that I don?t want him missing anything due to possible interference.[/B]?

?[B]That would make sense,[/B]? she replied. ?[B]I suggest you double check the teams later today and then I want you to review some of the information I?ve complied on the various leaders on Earth. I want your opinion as to which ones are not suitable, I?m already leaning towards one potential, but I wish to see who you would choose as well. I?ve already forwarded the report to your quarters.[/B]?

?[B]I?ll get started on it immediately then.[/B]?[/COLOR][/SIZE]

[SunfallE]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue]Jason put his shirt back on now that the doctor had finished scanning his right side where Sara had hit him too hard. He sighed. He was sure part of it was due to her adjusting to her newfound strength, but as her brother he could see that she was being a bit obsessive over what had happened between him and Jared. [I]God she can be overprotective at times. [/I]

At least he would heal quickly, in less than forty-eight hours the broken ribs would be completely healed. Though until then the doctor had given him some pain suppressants and a strict order to avoid any training for the next three days. Not that he cared. His interest in training was only to be able to protect himself from the main population. He already knew he would never match someone like Jared or anyone with real training for that matter.

Sara was different though, fighting was what she did, she had trained since she was little and before he had been kidnapped, she taught classes and competed in martial arts competitions. Now if he could just convince her that he didn?t need to train like she did. Since he had been working with Celestia and Kim his programming skills far outstripped anyone on Earth. In fact before the spar earlier today, he and Celestia had managed to tweak the sensors to be more specific in determining where the transportation doors opened. Now they could at least pinpoint that it was in a certain radius where before, unless more than one transport to the same area was done, they could not do so.

Jason picked up the chip the doctor had given him to give to Sara. It didn?t take long to find her since she was just outside the infirmary talking with Kim. Both of them turned to face him when he came out.

?[B]How are you feeling Jason?[/B]? Both of them asked at the same time.

?[B]I?m fine, with the pain suppressants I can?t even tell I?m hurt.[/B]?

Sara was looking down at the floor, Jason could tell that she was feeling guilty, after all the doctor had to chase her out of the infirmary since she kept saying I?m sorry, over and over and was getting in the way.

?[B]Here,[/B]? he said as he handed the chip to Sara, ?[B]the doctor said you wanted this.[/B]?

?[B]Oh! Already?[/B]? And in a lightening quick change of mood, something Jason was well acquainted with she grabbed the chip and took off to read it. Pausing to look back and say, ?[B]I?m glad you?re okay.[/B]? She smiled at both of them and left.

?[B]Kim, can I ask you something?[/B]?

?[B]What do you want to know?[/B]?

?[B]I?m concerned about Sara, she?s focusing on Jared so much that I?m worried she?s obsessing about killing him for what he?s done.[/B]?

?[B]I know, don?t worry Jason, she?s be working with me and I?ll be sure to keep an eye on her.[/B]? Kim replied with a kind smile.

Jason sighed, ?[B]I just wish she hadn?t insisted on going with you and the others when you check out transportation areas any time a scan is detected in that area. She doesn?t want to admit it, but she?s not ready for that, at least not until she?s adjusted to the change more.[/B]?

?[B]Trust me Jason, I understand your concern. She will be going with me, but she will be covering the lighter areas instead of the deeper ones where explosives would actually be placed. I haven?t told her this since even though there will be nothing for her to find, it will be good practice and keep her out of harms way.[/B]?

?[B]I see, thank you Kim, I appreciate it. And I?ll definitely be sure to [I]not[/I] tell her you said that.[/B]?[/COLOR]

[Aaryanna_Mom]

The first thing that came to Daniel?s attention was a report from the night crew that they had lost visual contact with the Catalyst during the night, something that resolved itself when it appeared on the scanners several hours later as it briefly left Earth?s orbit and then returned. He had barely read through the information when yet another report came in from the commander of the second base. He read through the report feeling older by the minute.

If the destruction of the transportation facility wasn?t enough, the utter destruction and slaughter of the personal at one of the nuclear facilities that he had agents in was. There was no question in his mind. Earth was going to be taken over within the next month if the military followed the standard time table that they had used for past invasions.

Daniel got up and left for the private room just off the main command center. He needed to prepare a report to send to William. He was running out of time if he wanted to get Jason, Celestia and Sara to safety. Once the world was invaded the military presence would be a problem while things were being set up for Versilan rule.

He sent off a message to Kim for her to join him immediately and then he began to prepare the message for William. He left nothing out, not even sparing his own harsh criticism of his decision to allow agents to volunteer to stay at the military bases. A decision that had now claimed the lives of two Versilans along with a dozen Earthlings when the base had been destroyed by the Catalyst.

The fact that the base had been utterly destroyed and that the nuclear weapons were gone was more than enough to prove that only the Catalyst could have done it. Though he was surprised by their action in taking the weapons. As well as Jared?s action in allowing the humans to evacuate, the transportation facility before it was blown up. That had never concerned the High Council before. It was good from the standpoint that destroying the weapons would have resulted in radiation contamination, but still, just what was the High Council up to?

Daniel finished up the report and sent it off to William. Then he sent out a warning to all the agents in the bases, explaining what had happened, telling them that the weapons were not worth dying for. Now if the humans will actually leave. He had no doubt that the Versilans would but the humans? It would feel like they abandoned their duty and some of them were only potential recruits and had not agreed to follow orders yet. He could only hope they would listen and leave.

Then he began to work on their newest task to attempt to slow down the invasion. Celestia and Jason had worked hard since the Facility was blown up to make tracking the transportation doors more precise since other than to know one had been used, you couldn?t pinpoint where it had gone unless more than one transport had been done in the same area within a certain time frame. Now they could, though the radius was horribly wide at nearly one hundred miles. Still if they were targeting transportation the easiest thing to do would be to send agents to the only facility within the radius.

Once there the scanners would be able to pick up the stealth shields used to keep the resistance from simply transporting them into space. Ideally it would be best if they could seize the explosives for them to use at a later date. Realistically he only expected them to be able eliminate the agent putting them in place. Something that with only three ships staying around Earth would slow them down until more people were sent. There had been a fourth ship for a very short time, but it had not stayed for very long. And it was a simple transport ship, which could be a problem if it had brought more military personal for both the Crimson and the Tempest.

He finished up the details of the missions and sent it to all the bases. Now all they had to do was wait for the military to make the first move.

[Rachmaninoff]

The time had finally come. The other teams had already transported down to Earth equipment in hand to destroy several transportation facilities worldwide. Darren waited patiently for his turn with Jared. He already had the hand held computer and scanner he would be using at the main computer bank for the Dallas, Texas airport. If he understood correctly, the initial scan done by the Crimson indicated that there was a main section and an underground backup; he would be accessing the backup while Jared placed the actual explosives.

This time since he would not be with Commander Crystal Jared had provided him with a sort of panic button. He had written a program where all Darren had to do was press the power button for the hand held computer and hold it, resulting in it sending a alarm to Jared to indicate he had ran into trouble. Not that he expected to need it.

Darren stifled a sigh; it had been so nice to not have to deal with Jared the past couple of days, he wasn?t looking forward to today, especially after what had happened last time. Jared may have advised him to control his reaction, but it wasn?t that easy. He abhorred violence and just the thought of Jared actually doing anything to him was enough to give him nightmares. He wanted nothing to do with owning slaves or being part of the military. Sure there were people like Jared no matter what you did, but most of them lacked the authority to get away with abusing others.

He had thought that by being neutral he could avoid getting caught up in some of the more ugly and petty arguments of his people. He should have known better. After he heard the rumors on how a mere Earthling had written a program that actually disabled a battleship he had wondered if what he had been taught about them being superior was really true. But then the damn resistance had hacked his clearance, nearly getting him and Mike killed in the process.

Something that if the military would have done if they hadn?t needed his skills. Thanks to them he was now in the military?s debt, something that he was sure they would use regardless of what happened to him, and he doubted they would even care if Jared were to take advantage of him. Especially after Jared had installed the translator in his left ear. He may as well be branded at this point as no civilian would have such a device, and he would not be able to afford having it removed. Darren caught himself sighing and suppressed it yet again.

If the resistance really was for equal status among the races, then why the hell were they throwing their own people into the line of fire? He would not be in this mess if they hadn?t done what they did. [I]If I ever find the idiot who hacked my clearance, I?m going to beat the crap out of him. [/I]He thought with annoyance. Darren caught himself scowling and before Jared could notice he looked elsewhere. [I]Careful idiot! [/I]He admonished himself. [I]Don?t give him another reason to toy with you. [/I] Yet another reason he was furious with the resistance and the military.

The time finally came and without a word he entered the door first when Jared indicated he should. Devoid of windows, the underground section was full of tunnels with huge pipes running along the walls and bright lights everywhere. Without a word he followed Jared staying behind him. It didn?t take long for them to find the underground computer system. Jared motioned for Darren to stay put. And then he moved forward, leaving Darren to wait. It didn?t take long. The sound of Jared firing his disruptor weapon several times was clear and then his voice telling Darren to join him.

Darren was surprised at how huge the room was. Their computers were massive and bulky. His own handheld computer could easily manage this airport and only take a fraction of its available resources. He moved into the room to join Jared, stepping over the stunned bodies of the guards at the entrance.

?[B]I?ll be checking the area and taking care of any more guards in this section. I should be done in less than an hour. I assume that?s enough time for you to get the information you need?[/B]? Jared asked Darren.

?[B]It should, it just depends on how much of the data is local and how much of it is networked. If I have to go elsewhere, it could take a while since their connection speeds for transferring data is horrid.[/B]?

?[B]I suggest you get to work then, remember if anything comes up, use the alert function and stay out of sight until I return.[/B]?

?[B]Understood.[/B]? Darren replied. He opened up his handheld computer and began the process of hacking into the computer system of the airport.

[Aaryanna]

[COLOR=DarkRed]Crystal finished locking down the clinic and checking to make sure that everything had been accounted for. Since the destruction of the Transportation facility, Denver had come to a standstill. As a result of the investigation, people were afraid to leave their homes and only the major hospitals were receiving medical supplies. And the presence of the US military to maintain order since riots had broken out only made things worse. Since that day, not a single patient had come. She wasn?t surprised, the people were in shock, they believed that over three hundred and sixty people had died. They didn?t know that nearly three hundred of them had been taken.

It didn?t matter to her; in the short time she had worked there she already had obtained quite a bit of data on the various diseases and health issues that affected the people. And she had already tagged a good number of people that had come to the clinic. The Tempest?s doctor Alex had also done the same by simply using cities that had public transportation to scan people for what she was looking for. Then those who were with him would simply tag them by shooting them with a modified disruptor pistol. It would sting, but other than that they would have no idea that a locator had just been inserted in their system.

Finished with what she needed to do, Crystal transported back up to the Tempest. Jared and his group would be hitting eight targets today and she intended to take advantage of the chaos to pick up the ones she and Alex had tagged. She had already given the order and even now they were already being picked up. Crystal had spoken to Jared already and the next transport ship would be at Earth in just a few days.

She paused briefly as she entered the bridge of the Tempest before taking her seat. She pulled up her report for the Conqueror and began to prepare it. Regardless of what the High Council had ordered she was going to do things her way. Their foolish idea to spread the research out would only result in issues. For what they wanted done, it was best to have all of them going at the same time, and to have several test groups started at different intervals for comparison.

It would be easier to address inconsistencies if there was an active group being worked with. Crystal sighed. If only they had just come to her in the first place.[I] I wish I knew which idiot came up with this idea. [/I]She thought, because council member or not, she would have let them know just how ignorant they were. [/COLOR]

[Rachmaninoff]

Darren breathed a sigh of relief once Jared had left. He hated working with him and the sooner he was done the quicker he could get back to working on his own ship. He was tired of Jared finding ways to get under his skin. It was obvious he enjoyed upsetting others, what other reason could he have had for having one of the day crew give him a chip with the results of his investigation into who had hacked his clearance? Unless Jared was lying and in all honesty he couldn?t see a reason why he would, everything pointed to it being done by the resistance, especially since he didn?t have any rivals who would go to such lengths. No one wanted him dead; he had no real enemies in the trade business.

He was brought back to what he was doing when a soft chime indicated that the signal had been lost. Not the one to the Crimson, but the one from his handheld to the computer system.

?[B]God damn stupid backwards piece of junk![/B]? He growled, resisting the urge to kick the equipment. ?[B]The first thing I?m going to recommend is that all of this useless garbage is scrapped![/B]?

He moved over to another section and opened up the casing so he could log in directly. [I]No wonder Jason had me come, there?s no way I could have effectively hacked this from orbit. [/I]Darren had thought the transportation facility was bad, this was worse. [I]And these idiots actually trust this to get them safely to their next destination.[/I]

Darren swore again when he saw that there was no point for him to connect to the system. He moved over a few yards to the next section to check the next set of computers. Again there was nothing for him to work with. It looked like this part was nothing but their form of storage to hold the information. It must be built into the workstation that was near the door.

He turned intending to walk back to the desk near the door, but instead a split second after realizing someone was actually in the room with him, he found himself flying sideways back into the computer equipment as something struck him with incredible force on his right shoulder. Pain blossomed in his left side when he struck the edge of the column of computer equipment, knocking the section over and again when he landed hard on his back among the scattered equipment.

He barely had time to register that it was a human female who was attacking him. He caught a flash of surprise in her eyes before she hit him again a split second after he landed on the floor. This time her hit landed directly on his left side and there was no mistaking the sharp sudden pain that indicated she had broken several of his ribs. Then for some unknown reason she hesitated.

Instinct took over and he took advantage of her hesitation to shove her off of him. He was still holding the handheld computer and though it pained him to do so he held the power button down sending the signal to Jared. He was halfway up as she overcame her hesitation and attacked him again, knocking him back down and pinning him to the floor, her left knee jammed painfully into his chest where she had broken his ribs, making it hard to breathe. [I]How did she manage to even hurt me?[/I] Darren thought as he began to panic.[I] Humans aren?t that strong![/I]

But then it hit him, he knew who she was, he had seen her picture just a few days ago on the wanted list. She was Jason?s sister! If she was attacking him it meant she was working for the resistance. [I]If I don?t stop her she?ll kill me! [/I]

Darren did the only thing he could think of. He was still holding the hand held computer in his right hand and he swiftly brought it up as hard as he could striking her on the left side of her head with enough force to cause her to shriek with pain as she was thrown sideways into the next set of computer equipment.

He managed to get on his knees but when he reached for the disruptor that was in his pouch there was nothing there. The utility belt he had been wearing was gone. It must have been pulled off during the struggle. He looked for it and then stopped when Sara started to stir.

[I]Damn it! Where the hell is Jared?[/I] He thought as he got to his feet and backed away. Favoring his left side where she had hurt him. The pain was making him dizzy and nauseated, leaving him to wonder what else the impact had done.[I] I can?t fight her.[/I] He thought as he watched her get up. Blood was running down the side of her head from the cut where he had hit her, but other than that she appeared unharmed. [I] Human or not I don?t think I can beat her.[/I] He thought. He continued to back away as she was between him and the only exit to the room a gasp of pain escaping his lips when he made contact with the wall by virtue of backing into it.

The stood for what seemed like an eternity, watching each other, waiting for the other one to make the first move. And when she did it was not what he expected.

?[B]Who are you? You?re not Jared[/B].? She said. ?[B]And don?t pretend you don?t know what I?m talking about, I know you?re a Versilan.[/B]?

Darren was speechless, he couldn?t possibly answer her. Even he knew that the resistance had no qualms about killing members of the military. And why did she think he was Jared?

?[B]You?ve mistaken me for someone else.[/B]? He finally replied.

?[B]Don?t play stupid with me. I know what a handheld computer is, that?s a product of Versilan technology.[/B]? She replied. ?[B]Only one of your people would have one.[/B]?

Darren remained silent.

?[B]Don?t make me force it out of you.[/B]? She warned him.

Again Darren remained silent, surely Jared would arrive soon, all he had to do was hold out until then. But Sara was not so patient, he barely had time to register that she had moved before she rushed him again. He tried to get out of her way even though he knew he would not succeed.

[SunfallE]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue]Jason couldn?t help but worry, when Daniel had confirmed that over eight transportations had been done near major ground and air shipping around the world, he had immediately sent teams to the area to attempt to thwart the Crimson. He couldn?t be sure they were actually going to do something, but he had told Jason earlier, that they couldn?t take the chance that it was just a random transport.

Kim and Sara had already left to check out the Dallas Texas airport and he just hoped that Kim would keep her word and keep Sara out of harms way. Jason closed the project he was working on, too keyed up to concentrate.

?[B]Don?t let it bother you Jason.[/B]?

He turned to face Celestia who had also closed her project.

?[B]I know, it?s not like she doesn?t have the right to help.[/B]? He faltered, unsure how to voice his concern.

?[B]I understand that you are worried, but we need to concentrate on what we can do minimize any risks to her and any other team out there.[/B]?

?[B]Exactly,[/B]? Daniel added as he joined the conversation, waiting until both of them had turned to face him before continuing. ?[B]The best thing both of you can do is focus on narrowing down the radius for the transport as it will give them an edge if they know where person who transported down is.[/B]?

?[B]I don?t understand Daniel, how is it that we can detect the equipment for transporting and not the actual door?[/B]? Jason asked.

?[B]To put it simply, you are only tracing the equipment and not the actual door. By shifting frequencies it makes it harder for someone to pinpoint where our equipment is. The Crimson has no need to hide their location and if they did, they have stealth equipment that is well suited to the task, and even then the ship can simply move.

But the doors tap into a different type of space in the same way that hyperspace does. Getting the door to open where we want it to has never been a problem. We?ve never worried about tracking the disturbance either since it stays within that realm. Which is what makes it so hard to track, you have a very slim window of when the door is actually open and even then so little of the disturbance even crosses into normal space.[/B]?

?[B]I see, so basically the reaction is contained and what you pick up is the equipment on the Crimson and not the actual door.[/B]? Jason replied.

?[B]Exactly, and when you use the door in the same area so many times, that slight disturbance becomes more noticeable, like an echo, only now we can see if an echo exists so long as it?s caught in the same moment the transportation occurred. Something that until you and Crystia modified the programming to the sensors was not possible. We've never had a need to track the actual door.[/B]?

?[B]All right, I understand,[/B]? Jason, said with a sigh. ?[B]I?ll keep working on refining the process then.[/B]?

Celestia reached over gently touched Jason?s left shoulder, smiling at him when he turned to look at her. ?[B]Lets do our best.[/B]? She said softly.

Jason nodded and then reopened the project to continue where he had left off. [/COLOR]

[GuyYouMetOnline]

[color=darkslateblue]"Well," Kiva said, "it looks like the bomb units have finally given up."[/color]
[color=#483d8b][/color]
[color=#483d8b]"It's about time," Daego replied. "They cut it close, didn't they? There's only a few minutes left before it's time to blow the places up."[/color]
[color=#483d8b][/color]
[color=#483d8b]Kiva and Daego were on the bridge of the [i]Catalyst[/i], which was once more in orbit around Earth. After disposing of the procured nuclear weapons, Kiva and Daego had returned to Earth and immediately started on their next targets. Next on their list were several large facilities, though not ones that were as large as the first facility they'd hit. There were a couple of nuclear facilities among the targets, but neither of them actually kept radioactive materials on the grounds, which made things easier.[/color]
[color=#483d8b][/color]
[color=#483d8b]Kiva and Daego had contacted all of the large facilities. The facilities were given two hours to evacuate before the buildings were destroyed, and that was two hours ago. Thanks to the previous day's destruction of the transportation facility by the [i]Crimson[/i], these threats were all taken seriously, and the facilities were quickly evacuated. Bomb squads had gone in to try and find the bombs, but they hadn't found anything. Kiva doubted that they would have even had their been anything for them to find. But there wasn't anything for them to find, and eventually they'd withdrawn.[/color]
[color=#483d8b][/color]
[color=#483d8b]The [i]Crimson[/i] couldn't blow up its targets from orbit while remaining inconspicuous, so it had been necessary for people too go down to the planet and actually plant bombs. However, there was a missile-based weapon for use from orbit against surface targets; it was designed to look, when it hit the target, like the destruction was because of standard explosives like those Jared and the others were using. Because of its specialized useage, this [i]Chameleon[/i] missile weapon wasn't a very common one, but all of the Elite Specialists' messanger ships were fitted with it. So Kiva and Daego didn't have to go down to Earth and plant bombs; they could destroy their targets from orbit, and nobody would know that standard explosive's weren't used. Not even grade B sensor gear would be able to pick up the firing of the weapon, though some of the more-advanced equipment could. But nothing on Earth would be able to.[/color]
[color=#483d8b][/color]
[color=#483d8b]The [i]Catalyst[/i] fired the missiles right on scedule. The targets would be hit precisely two hours after the evacuation calls had been made. And those facilities weren't the only locations being targeted. Since Resistance personell were the primary targets at the other locations, they were being targeted now as well. Otherwise, it was possible that some of the Resistance people would guess what was hapening and evacuate. Kiva and Daego were nullifying this possibility by destroying every remaining target simultaniously, something that was quite simple, thank's to that nice [i]Chameleon[/i] launcher.[/color]
[color=#483d8b][/color]
[color=#483d8b]As each missile impacted, the target was marked as destroyed. And when all the missiles had hit, every target was destroyed. "That takes care of that," Daego said. "Now what?"[/color]
[color=#483d8b][/color]
[color=#483d8b]"Send a message to the [i]Crimson[/i] updating them on our status. Tell them that we've taken out all identified targets and are going to make one final in-depth sensor sweep of the planet to confirm destruction of all targets. And send that message to the Hign Council as well, through the standard channel they have for Elite Specialists. And ask if there are any mission updated or new orders, too."[/color]
[color=#483d8b][/color]
[color=#483d8b]Daego nodded. "Got it," he said. He composed and sent the messages as Kiva started the final sensor sweep.[/color]

[Horendithas]

[SIZE=1][COLOR=DarkRed]Once again it had been remarkably easy to bypass the security, it was more than a lack of technology. Jared had never seen such a poor set up. In no time at all the charges were in place. He was setting the last one when his handheld computer gave off a tiny chime. Surprised he opened it up to see that Darren had actually activated the alarm indicating he had run into trouble. Jared couldn?t help but raise an eyebrow at that, since he knew the last thing Darren would ever do was ask him for help. Quickly he set the final stealth shield and then he made his way back to the computer room where he had left Darren.

It didn?t take long for him to use the underground elevator to the place and in no time he was almost there. Just in time to hear a woman?s voice talking. ?[B]?you. I had no idea Versilan officers were trained so poorly?I was expecting more of a fight.[/B]? A few sounds he did not recognize and then he was at the door, just in time to see a woman putting away a handheld computer. But more importantly she had Darren pinned to the floor among broken and smashed computer equipment. He appeared to be unconscious.[I] Interesting,[/I] he thought.

?[B]That will be quite enough from you.[/B]? He said.

The woman turned to look at him and then stood up and turned to face him, blood still running down the left side of her face, but there was no mistaking who she was. Jared smiled.

?[B]So you?re still here after all and you?re already doing the resistance?s dirty work. So tell me, how does it feel to know you beat up a civilian?[/B]?

Jared watched as Jason?s sister glanced briefly at Darren and then back to him.

?[B]That?s right, he is not an officer and hardly a challenge to defeat. You were saying you expected more of a fight, very well, I?ll even let you have the first hit.[/B]? He held his arms out to the side inviting her to strike. He could see her hesitating as if expecting a trap.

?[B]Oh come now, are you really that timid Sara? Or does the prospect of a true fight frighten you?[/B]? Jared taunted.

A slight change in expression, a glint in her eyes was all he needed to see that she was going to attack but when she hit him in the chest the last thing he had expected was for it to actually hurt. Surprised he staggered a bit before she immediately followed up with another blow aimed towards his throat. He managed to block it, but the pain in his left arm indicated that she had fractured the bone.

She was far quicker than he had expected, she pulled back and immediately launched another blow, this time aimed at his abdomen. [I]I can?t let that hit,[/I] Jared thought as his training took over, he step sided the blow taking a glancing blow to the side instead, painful but not as dangerous as the other would have been. He had read her file but had dismissed the part indicating she had hand-to-hand combat training. And from the force of her blows it was obvious she had been modified. Just a little harder and she would have done more than fracture some ribs and his arm. She might have even killed him.

Before she could recover from him sidestepping her attack he brought his right fist up and hit her in the head where she was bleeding, the force strong enough to send her sprawling to the floor. He watched her struggle to get back up; it was obvious the blow dazed her. He waited for her to attack again, but this time she was far more wary.

Her body language was a mixture of anger and rage as well as caution, he could be wrong, but the way she had immediately tried to kill him and yet did not kill Darren meant she knew who he was. Well there was one way to find out. It would be easy if he was correct. And he usually was. This would be fun.

?[B]Well, I must say, you?re certainly more feisty than Jason ever was.[/B]? Jared smiled maliciously.

?[B]Shut up Jared.[/B]? She growled at him.

Jared laughed, ignoring the pain in his side. ?[B]Ah so you do know who I am. I thought as much, after all, you struck with the intent to kill instead of trying to disable me like you did with him.[/B]?

He watched her as she backed away a little, it was obvious to him she was trying stall to give herself time to recover from his blow. But she couldn?t hide the anger in her eyes. He started walking towards her.

?[B]The fact that you know who I am tells me that your brother is here,[/B]? he chuckled inwardly at her small start of surprise. ?[B]It also tells me that you are a member of the resistance since you knew about my people.[/B]? He stopped when he was less than five feet away from her.

?[B]You know nothing fool![/B]? She replied.

Jared smiled, ?[B]Really? Then I?ll just have to see if you taste every bit as good as your brother did before I hand you over to the High Council.[/B]?

Jared was prepared when she growled in anger and launched herself at him, but it was futile, even he could see that her reflexes were off due to the blow to her head. He had seen that flat dazed look one got when they had a concussion. He step sided her attack yet again and then did to her what she had tried to do to him, his blow to her stomach literally knocked the wind out of her and she fell to her knees gasping for breath.

He did not give her time to recover as he then rained blow after blow on her, beating her senseless. Until a few minutes later she literally couldn?t get up. Jared did not care that she was a woman and he ruthless exploited her head injury to incapacitate her completely. Then when she was barely conscious he grabbed her shirt with his right hand and held her limp body in front of him. He reached into his pouch with his other hand to contact the Crimson and request a transport door.

?[B]Jared![/B]? An angry voice called out.

He turned to see Kim standing in the doorway, her disruptor aimed in his direction. The fact that she hadn?t fired could only mean she was worried about Sara being hit with a glancing blow, without knowing her state, a stun blast could kill her. Jared smiled again.

?[B]It?s been a while Kim.[/B]?

?[B]Put her down![/B]?

?[B]Why should I?[/B]?

Kim aimed the disruptor at Darren?s body. ?[B]I?ll kill him if you don?t.[/B]?

Jared laughed. ?[B]Do you really think I care? I thought you knew me better than that Kim. Still if you wish to play too then toss your disruptor aside and I?ll toss her aside as well.[/B]?

To his surprise Kim discarded her weapon. ?[B]Fine, I?ll take you on.[/B]?

Jared released Sara ignoring her moan of pain as she fell to floor. But before he could do anything the sound of people running towards the computer room could be heard. And then he was surprised yet again when two transportation doors opened above both Kim and Sara and actually moved! [I]What the hell?[/I] Before Jared could react the doors moved on their own flowing downward and closing the instant they were through. Well that was new! Since when did transportation doors move?

He didn?t have time to think about it. He placed a small charge in the room, quickly retrieved Darren and once he stepped though the door he requested, he activated the charge, blowing up the computer room. First he would take Darren to sickbay and then he would need to report to Sandra. [/COLOR][/SIZE]

[SunfallE]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue][SIZE=1][CENTER][IMG]http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/3821/silveronebanner001fj1.jpg[/IMG]
Banner by [URL=http://www.otakuboards.com/member.php?userid=20994][COLOR=RoyalBlue][U][B]indifference[/B][/U][/COLOR][/URL] [/CENTER][/SIZE]
Gathered in a special session with the High Council a holographic representation of the person on board the Conqueror their face still hidden by the green cloak they wore clearly visible in the center of the room, the figure spoke.

?[B]I trust you have read the reports?[/B]?

?[B]We have,[/B]? Sandra?s father responded. ?[B]The report from the Elite Specialist confirms that the first wave of targets have been eliminated. It seems we overestimated Earth?s capabilities as they are ahead of schedule.[/B]?

The figure laughed, ?[B]Earth is not the problem, it is the actions of the resistance there that is. Have you also reviewed Jared?s report??[/B]

?[B]The one regarding Sara? We have. It is exactly as you predicted. She had been modified like her brother and the human Celestia was. It seems the resistance has also figured out how to not only track the transportation doors but to make them move as well, enabling both Kim and Sara to escape.[/B]?

?[B]Exactly,[/B]? the figure responded. ?[B]I am positive that this development is due to both Jason and Celestia, the manner in how they keep improving on our technology is garnering quite a bit of respect for the lesser races. By modifying the other races they are also putting them on more of an equal footing physically as well as mentally in that they will believe they can fight.[/B]?

?[B]We know this already. What is it that you hope to accomplish with this meeting?[/B]? The member of the High Council asked.

The figure bowed before responding. ?[B]My apologies, I will get to the point. I wish to advance the time schedule by three weeks.[/B]?

?[B]Three weeks? What of your preparations?[/B]?

?[B]Commander Crystal has already obtained enough specimens that the three lines of research have begun, and yesterday among the confusion caused by the Elite Specialist destroying military facilities and Jared?s team destroying eight of the major transportation facilities world wide, Crystal obtained enough specimens to begin two more waves of research once they arrive at the lab.[/B]?

Sandra's father raised his eyebrow at that before responding. ?[B]So that is why you requested the increase in supplies and moved the other flagship the Creator along with the rest of the fleet currently under your command to the border between sector thirteen and fourteen.[/B]?

?[B]Correct. I intend to have the Elite Specialist address the remaining military presence on Earth?s oceans. We left them alone at Darren?s request as the disruption of the military and the shipping on their seas would result in starvation and could have potentially caused riots that would have caused untold collateral damage. But with the arrival of the fleet in a week, in four days, after the Catalyst has finished checking for the remaining ground and military presence I would have them move to finish the military on the sea.

The ships are powered using nuclear power, but unlike the weapons, direct hits from the Catalyst would leave very little in the way of contamination. At this point there would be no need for them to hide who they are and such a mission could easily be undertaken from space.[/B]?

One of the high council members interrupted the figure, ?[B]If that is the case then why keep the specialist there? The Crimson or the Tempest could easily handle such a task.[/B]?

?[B]True, but in case you?ve forgotten, the specialist found information indicating that the resistance not only had grade B sensor equipment, but three facilities that they have built as well. They are hidden well enough that even the Catalyst has been unable to locate them with their superior equipment.

Jared has also confirmed that former Sub-Commander Kim, Jason and his sister Sara are still on Earth. It was my intention to keep them around to locate and eventually destroy the resistance bases as well as track down the wanted criminals.

Kiva is far more skilled at finding things that are hidden, remember, in less than twenty four hours of her arrival she not only found the sensor equipment but managed to hack into the resistance?s network without them even knowing. This enabled her to not only destroy the military bases but eliminate a good number of resistance members as well.[/B]?

The figure waited patiently while the High Council members paused to talk among themselves. A few minutes later they turned back to give the figure their answer.

?[B]Very well then, your request to advance the schedule is approved and the appropriate orders will be issued.[/B]?

The figure bowed and waited for the transmission to end. Once it had they turned and headed back to the workstation in the observation room on the Conqueror . In just one week it would begin. The figure smiled to themselves, it was going even better than they had expected. [/COLOR]

[Aaryanna_Mom]

Kim wanted to follow the medical crew into the infirmary when they rushed in with Sara, but the doctor was firm, kicking her out into the waiting room. Other than a few words from Sara about being sorry for trying to take them on instead of calling her, Kim didn?t know what had happened, or how Sara had run into Jared and another officer. And when Daniel, Celestia and Jason showed up she held up her hands motioning for silence when all three of them spoke at once.

?[B]I don?t know that happened. The only thing I do know is that it appears that she fought Jared and another officer and lost.[/B]? She ignored Jason?s look of panic and grabbed him when he attempted to bypass her and enter sickbay.

?[B]Let me go Kim![/B]? He said as he struggled to pull free of her grasp.

?[B]The doctor ordered us to wait right here, and since Jared was preparing to transport to the Crimson and take Sara with him when I arrived, I?m positive she will recover. Remember Jason, the High Council wants her alive.[/B]? Kim waited until Jason stopped struggling before she let him go.

?[B]I?m truly sorry Jason, I don?t know why they were there. The section she was checking was not where the explosives were being placed, I can only assume that they were looking for something in the computer system of the airport. It was a miscalculation on my part as I thought that no one would be in that section, other than the normal personal of the airport.[/B]?

Jason hesitated and then finally spoke up, ?[B]So that?s why you requested an emergency transport using the new movement ability. To keep Jared from escaping to the Crimson with Sara.[/B]?

?[B]Correct, it was the only way to get her since she couldn?t move on her own. And I?m sure Jared would not have stood by and let me pick her up and walk through a transportation door.[/B]? Kim moved to stop Jason from barging into the sickbay when she saw his expression upon realizing what she had just said. But it was unnecessary as the doctor came out to address them.

?[B]Sara is going to be fine. However you will have to wait to question her as I?ve given her a sedative.[/B]? The doctor paused and when no one voiced a question they continued.

?[B]I have both good news and bad news. The bad news is that the damage is fairly extensive. Who ever beat her up continued do so long after she lost the ability to fight back. She has quite a few internal and external injuries and broken bones as well.[/B]?

The doctor handed Kim a chip. ?[B]The initial scan showing everything is on that. Now the good news is that her modification has set well enough that she will not only heal quickly, but there will be no permanent side effects. In that respect she is lucky, she will regain her original strength and unlike regular humans, the injuries will not trouble her once they?ve healed completely. Something that will take between two to four days.[/B]? The doctor smiled.

?[B]Not that we couldn?t have fixed them if she hadn?t been modified, it would have just taken a lot longer. Now I know you are eager to see her and you can through the observation window if you choose, but I will not wake her for any reason. The damage to her nerves was causing her considerable pain and I want that part of her healing to happen while she is sedated.[/B]? The doctor fixed both Kim and Daniel with a stern look as if daring them to object.

?[B]Very well Doctor,[/B]? Daniel said,"[B]but the moment she is awake and able to speak I want to know about it.[/B]?

?[B]You will, I?ve left orders on her file to that effect. If you wish to observe her though the window just talk to my assistant. Now if you?ll excuse me I have work to do.[/B]? The doctor turned and head back into the sickbay.

?[B]I have to get back to the command center and finish coordinating the other teams.[/B]? Daniel said before turning and leaving.

?[B]I need to do the same.[/B]? Kim said. ?[B]I?ll come back later to check on how she?s doing.[/B]?

Kim left both Jason and Celestia standing in the waiting room to head towards the command center to assist Daniel. [I]I really hope she didn?t do what she mumbled to me before the medical team came to get her.[/I] She thought. [I]Because if she did?[/I]Kim swore under her breath. [I]I?ll smack her myself once she recovers!
[/I]

[Horendithas]

[SIZE=1][COLOR=DarkRed]?[B]I take it that you?ve sent the reports to both the Conqueror and the High Council?[/B]? Sandra asked Jared when he joined her on the bridge.

?[B]I have,[/B]? Jared, said as he sat down in his seat next to Sandra. ?[B]Everything went well today in spite of the resistance?s attempt to stop us. Between the transportation facilities and the ground military bases being destroyed. Earth is in utter turmoil. They believe that I am responsible for everything and the amount of panic going on in an attempt to locate me is rather amusing.[/B]?

Sandra chuckled, ?[B]I agree, and some of the meetings between the higher authorities have been very enlightening, it?s helping me to narrow down my choices. And to make my choices as to who will be dealt with.[/B]?

Jared looked at her raising an eyebrow questioningly, ?[B]You?ve already received confirmation to begin Phase Two?[/B]?

?[B]I have,[/B]? Sandra confirmed. ?[B]The message came while you were having Darren attended to and getting yourself checked out.[/B]?

?[B]That was quick I did not expect the High Council to move so quickly. The specialist may have already taken care of all ground resistance, and their facilities for making more weapons, but still I was expecting it to take longer for the fleet to arrive.[/B]?

?[B]The fleet was sent the moment we arrived, though I?m not convinced that it was the High Council that made the decision. I believe that someone else did and they simply approved it. Still it means we have less than a week to finish up, once Darren has recovered you two will need to take out the domestic shipping yards for transport over the seas. The High Council has informed me that the Elite Specialist will be taking care of the military presence on the seas, so it shouldn't be that difficult to have everything done before the fleet arrives.[/B]?

Jared leaned back in his chair a thoughtful look on his face before he replied. ?[B]I take it that you have decided on a liaison then? Or at the very least you have a list of targets to be eliminated?[/B]?

?[B]I have narrowed it down to three possibilities and in the end I will wait and see how the react to their precious home world being conquered. That should tell me who would be most suitable. As for the others I?ve already sent you a report with a list of those who need to be dealt with.[/B]? Sandra replied.

?[B]What about my report confirming that former Sub-Commander Kim along with Jason and his sister are still here on Earth?[/B]? Jared asked.

?[B]The High Council has already told me that they plan on keep the Specialist around to assist with not only locating the criminals, but tracking down the three bases they have and destroying them.?[/B]

Jared smiled. ?[B]Good, once I?ve gotten some rest and finished healing, I?ll head down first thing tomorrow and start on the list you?ve prepared.[/B]? [/COLOR][/SIZE]

[Rachmaninoff]

When Darren finally came to he was relieved to realize that he was in the sickbay on board the Crimson. [I]I guess Jared finally showed up.[/I] He thought. It was apparent he had already been treated since other than a bit of soreness on his left side he felt fine. A little groggy, but then if the clock on the wall was correct the doctor had probably given him a sedative as it was nearly ten pm.

He stretched experimentally before using the controls to raise the bed to a more upright position. Darren started to reach for the button to summon the staff when the door opened and the doctor entered the room.

?[B]Ah good, you?re awake.[/B]? He said with a smile. ?[B]How are you feeling?[/B]?

Darren stretched again but other than the soreness he had already noticed on his left side, he felt fine and said so.

?[B]Excellent, you had three broken ribs on your left side as well as some internal bruising from hits near your knees and from a blow to your right shoulder. Your ribs have already set and by tomorrow morning the discomfort should be completely gone, though I?m going to recommend that you be off duty for at least another 24 hours just to be on the safe side. Especially since what ever broke your ribs did so with enough force to bruise your heart.[/B]?

The doctor paused and then continued when Darren was silent. ?[B]I?ve already notified Sub-Commander Jared and he?s on his way to take you to your quarters since you?ll rest much better in your quarters than you would here, tomorrow evening at five you are to return here for a follow up exam though I don?t expect to find anything wrong. Any questions?[/B]?

Darren shook his head indicating that he had none.

?[B]If you think of any don?t hesitate to call sickbay.[/B]?

Darren watched the doctor leave and then reached over to change the bed back so it was closer to being flat again. So Jared was going to pick him up was he. Well he supposed that made sense, Jared probably wanted to know what had happened. Unless he had already found out from the human who had attacked him, unfortunately she had knocked him out so for all he knew she could have already left before Jared arrived.

Well he?d find out soon enough. At least he wasn?t anywhere near that crazy woman.[I] I wonder if all resistance members are like that?[/I] She had been willing to torture him just to get information on Jared. And other members had been willing to throw him to the wolves by hacking his clearance and using him as a diversion regardless of the fact that he could have been executed. He didn?t know what to think anymore.

[I]Idiot![/I] He thought to himself. [I]Of course you know what to think! The resistance for all their posturing about being for equal treatment is no better than the damn military![/I] He sighed. [I]As soon as I?m finished here I?m not only going back to shipping, but I?ll be sure to take any contract that keeps me as far away from both the military and the resistance as possible. [/I]

Before he could brood on it any longer the door opened and Jared entered the room. Darren didn?t even wait for him to speak he got up and indicated that he was ready to follow him to his quarters.

To his relief, other than to request an explanation as to what had happened, Jared was completely to the point and said absolutely nothing to upset him as they walked through the corridors of the Crimson towards his quarters. Then when he was finished, Jared took over and explained briefly how he had dealt with the woman and that unfortunately she had managed to escape.

Darren wanted to feel bad that Jared had thrashed her, but a part of him did not. Though he was glad Jared had not caught her. Even if she was a member of the resistance he couldn?t bring himself to wish anyone was in Jared?s clutches. He sighed again as the door to his quarters closed behind him.

He went immediately to the bedroom and took a moment to change into something more comfortable for sleeping. Even though he had been out all day, he found that he was still exhausted. He had barely gotten comfortable under the covers when he was fast asleep.

[GuyYouMetOnline]

[color=darkslateblue]The sensor sweep was nearing completion when the message indicator went off. The tone used indicated that this particular message was from the High Council. Kiva left Daego to finish analyzing the sweep's results and went to view the message.[/color]
[color=#483d8b][/color]
[color=#483d8b]"What was it?" Daego asked Kiva when she returned. "New orders?"[/color]
[color=#483d8b][/color]
[color=#483d8b]Kiva nodded. "Yes, new orders. It seems that, as we thought, the timetable has been advanced. The fleet will be arriving in a week, and they want Earth's millitary neutralized before they get here. Our job is to take out the planet's naval forces."[/color]
[color=#483d8b][/color]
[color=#483d8b]"All right. Not sure why we're needed for that, though. The [i]Crimson[/i] or even the [i]Tempest[/i] could do that."[/color]
[color=#483d8b][/color]
[color=#483d8b]"Well, the Council wants us to remain in-system anyways. We're to work on locating those three Resistance bases we learned about, and when we find them, we destroy them. We're also to keep an eye out for some wanted individuals. It would appear that Kim and Jason are indeed on Earth as was suspected. Jason's sister, Sara, is also with the Resistance, and we're to look for her as well."[/color]
[color=#483d8b][/color]
[color=#483d8b]"That makes more sense," Daego said. "There's nobody better at tracking down the Resistance than you are, and we already know how well-hidden these bases are."[/color]
[color=#483d8b][/color]
[color=#483d8b]"Yeah, that's for sure. Anyways, that's what our orders are: locate and destroy the Resistance bases, and take out the naval forces. Now, we've got a preset timetable for the naval forces. We're to begin four days from now, and finish by the time the fleet arrives.[/color]
[color=#483d8b][/color]
[color=#483d8b]"This mission is a bit different from out previous one. For one thing, our targets don't have fixed locations. The naval bases do, but the actual ships don't. so we can't pinpoint their locations ahead of time. Many will be in the bases, but many wil also be all over the place. We'll have to hit them as we locate them. That won't pose a problem, though. Since the invasion is imminent, we will not be required to hide ourselves, which is good, because we'll have to enter the atmosphere for this. We don't have enough missiles for the job, of course, so we'll have to use energy weapons, and using those from orbit as many times as we'd need to would have negative effects on Earth's atmosphere."[/color]
[color=#483d8b][/color]
[color=#483d8b]"Makes sense. What about notification? Can we get the people off the boats, or are they targets too?"[/color]
[color=#483d8b][/color]
[color=#483d8b]"They're not targets," Kiva said. "We can have them evacuate. Not all of them will be able to do so in time, however. Their ships are slow, and many won't be able to reach land before we have to blow them up. The crew could evacuate in lifeboats, but those don't even have food or water, so nobody would last long.[/color]
[color=#483d8b][/color]
[color=#483d8b]"Now, if we want to evacuate as many people as we can, our best bet would be to make a blanket transmission as soon as possible. We notify everyone that all naval vessels will be destroyed beginning four days from now, and tell them to use whatever means necessary to get at many ships evacuatedd as they possibly can withing the allotted time."[/color]
[color=#483d8b][/color]
[color=#483d8b]"Sounds like the best choice to me," Daego said after thinking about it for a minute. "Of course, we'll need relay points in triangulation around the planet to reach everyone at the same time. We'd be one of the points, but we need two others."[/color]
[color=#483d8b][/color]
[color=#483d8b]"Well, we could always deploy two of our relay drones, but there's no reason to waste them when we can use the [i]Crimson[/i] and the [i]Tempest[/i]. We'll have those two ships triangulate their positions with us."[/color]
[color=#483d8b][/color]
[color=#483d8b]"That... that's a good idea. Yeah, let's do that."[/color]
[color=#483d8b][/color]
[color=#483d8b]"Okay, then. You get position coordinates for us and the [i]Crimson[/i] and [i]Tempest[/i], and send those ships their coordinates. I'll record our message for transmission once we're all in position."[/color]
[color=#483d8b][/color]
[color=#483d8b][/color]
[color=#483d8b]"...and we were also behind the destructions of the Hindburg nuclear weapons facility. I assume you all know how quickly that place went down. You should know that we're perfectly capable of doing what we say. So please comply as soon as possible. Remember, we will commence the destruction of naval forces in four days, regardless of how many people we will kill. I hope you'll make the right decision and get as many people to safety as you possibly can." And with that, Kiva terminated the transmission.[/color]
[color=#483d8b][/color]
[color=#483d8b]"Confirmed proper relay from the [i]Crimson[/i] and the [i]Tempest[/i]," Daego said. "The blanket transmission was a success. Translation programs are reporting succesful language identification and translation. Our message was globally recieved and properly translated. Everything went as planned."[/color]
[color=#483d8b][/color]
[color=#483d8b]"Good. Thank the [i]Crimson[/i] and the [i]Tempest[/i] for their aid, and tell them that we have no further need of them at the moment."[/color]
[color=#483d8b][/color]
[color=#483d8b]"Go it," Daego said. He quickly composed and sent the message, then turned to Kiva. "Well, we've got four days before we start blowing things up. We going to work on the Resistance bases until them?"[/color]
[color=#483d8b][/color]
[color=#483d8b]"Of course. In fact, we should get started right now. You start examining that grade B gear. See if you can make any progress in unscrambling the signal so we can trace it. I'll try to modify a tracker program so it'll work through the scrambling. Let's get to work."[/color]

-------------------------------------------------------------------

OOC: I hope the bit with using the [i]Crimson[/i] and the [i]Tempest[/i] was okay. If it wasn't, please tell me, and I'll change it.

[SunfallE]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue]It had taken every bit of self control Jason had to return to the Command Center and continue working the programming assignments he had with Celestia after seeing Sara?s battered and bruised body through the observation window in the sickbay. And even then he fought all day long to keep from crying.

And the turmoil in the base due to report after report of military facilities and transportation facilities of both ground and air being destroyed didn?t help things at all. It was total chaos out there. Riots, panic and a real sense of doom was in the air as Earth?s authorities scrambled to try and make sense of how someone could effectively strike world wide and yet elude their grasp.

Daniel had finally turned the alarm off since the harsh glaring noise became more of an hindrance than anything else. And then finally the destruction stopped and though things on the surface were far from calm, at least things in the base settled down. Jason wanted to head back to sickbay but Celestia had convinced him to stay until the doctor called them. He knew she was right but it didn?t change the fact that he didn?t want to work on programming at the moment.

And he was certain that Daniel was hiding something from them. His reaction, even though he controlled it well, to the surge of destruction had Jason wondering just what he was thinking. He had seemed surprised and then as the reports flowed in he had looked almost sad and resigned. Jason wanted to drag him aside and demand some answers. He still had said nothing about William and Jason was beginning to wonder just what the hell was going on.

When Daniel got up after receiving a message and left the Command Center, Jason got up and moved to follow him, only to be stopped by Kim.

?[B]What?s going on Kim,[/B]? Jason said angrily. ?[B]What are you and Daniel hiding?[/B]?

Kim fixed him with a stern look of her own before responding, ?[B]I?ll answer that question but you have to agree to hear me out first.[/B]?

[I]Hear her out first? What does she mean by that? [/I]Jason thought about it and finally nodded his head agreeing to what she said.

?[B]Come with me then,[/B]? Kim said turning to leave for the room just off the command center, not bothering to see if Jason actually followed her. Moments later when they were both in the room and the door had shut behind them, only then did she speak.

?[B]Daniel is going to speak with your sister.[/B]? She saw the flash of anger in his eyes that he had not been told she was awake and ignored it. ?[B]It?s better if he talks to her first. Daniel can find out what happened and as much as you want to help your sister, you of all people know that he will understand her frustration.[/B]?

Jason looked away from Kim, he didn?t want to say it but after what Jared had done to Daniel?s mother he couldn?t argue with Kim, she was right, he would understand his sisters feelings of rage towards Jared. He had been lucky; William had rescued him before Jared had finished what he had started with him where Daniel?s mother and Daniel himself had not been so lucky.

He fought to hold back the tears and lost and when Kim simply moved forward and put her arms around him to comfort him, her embrace undid him completely. Kim simply held him until he cried himself out. And when he pushed away she let go.

?[B]Feel better?[/B]? She asked.

?[B]I?ll feel better when Jared is dead.[/B]? Jason replied.

?[B]I understand. And as soon as Daniel is done briefing Sara you can see her okay?[/B]?

Jason nodded reluctantly he would wait.

?[B]Good, now you stay put and take a moment to compose yourself. Would you like me to get Celetia to join you so you can both go together when Daniel is done?[/B]?

Jason took a deep breath, ?[B]yes.[/B]?

?[B]All right, I?ll take care of that immediately.[/B]? Kim said before she left.

Once she was gone Jason sat down, bending over to put his head between his hands. [I]Pull it together idiot! [/I]He admonished himself. [I]Sara will recover.[/I] But most importantly, he acknowledged to himself. Jared did not managed to capture her. Just thinking about how Jared would have used that to force him to surrender was something he didn?t want to think about. [/COLOR]

[Horendithas]

[SIZE=1][COLOR=DarkRed]The next morning Jared looked over the list Sandra had sent him while he finished his breakfast in his quarters. Surprisingly it wasn?t as long as he had expected. Considering the amount of corruption and greed on Earth he had expected the list to include thousands, not a few hundred. But upon closer examination he realized that was because for the most part only a handful of countries on Earth were truly powerful. Even if the others wanted to cause problems, they simply lacked the resources to even do anything.

That made things much easier and far more doable with the resources at hand. He could take the same squads that planted the explosives and use them to eliminate quite a few of the targets for him. If necessary he could even request aid from Commander Crystal to make sure they met the deadline.

Another report had come in while he was resting and he opened it. Surprisingly it was from Commander Crystal herself and of all things she had a small list of people that she indicated needed to eliminated. Jared couldn?t help but raise an eyebrow at that. Until he read up on who they were. Something that had him chuckling out loud, it was so like her. Crystal was so wonderfully blunt and to the point, if duty ever required him to choose someone to share his genes with for a child, it would be her.

Jared took her list and added it to his own, it wasn?t that big and would be child?s play to do, especially since they weren?t standard targets and yet it was very astute of Crystal to realize how they could create an unnecessary power struggle in regards to the medical care of the humans. Until the medical centers built by the Versilan Empire were finished they would be relying on the medical facilities on Earth and that would include using the facilities that produced the medicines they used.

They wouldn?t understand that once certain things were in place everyone would become slaves, so the resulting power struggle over the money would only be a hindrance to things working smoothly. One that would put an additional strain on the occupying force, as always Crystal was right. By removing those in charge of the huge pharmaceutical companies it would create division in their ranks and by the time the struggle was over, it would be too late to really matter. And in the process it would help ensure that those who really needed medical care would not go without.

Jared finished making the assignments to the various teams and sent the orders out, he then sent a request to Commander Crystal to request her aid in taking care of the list of political leaders, religious leaders, businessmen and anyone else that Sandra felt needed to be dealt with. A few minutes later a confirmation came from Commander Crystal approving the use of the task forces under her command. A few more minutes to confirm the time schedule and he was done.

Now all he needed to do was check briefly on Darren before he headed down to Earth to take care of the first wave of targets. Even if Darren would not be cleared for duty until after his follow up exam this evening, it wouldn?t hurt to check in and explain that he would need to start working on the replacement plan for when the fleet arrived.

[I]It?s a pity Sara hit him with enough force to actually bruise his heart,[/I] Jared thought. He would have loved to tease Darren a bit before heading out. But once the doctor cleared him for duty again?Jared smiled. He would enjoy tormenting Darren on how he had been so completely beaten by a mere earthling. An attractive one at that, but the real fun would begin once he had both Jason and Sara in his grasp. A moment he was looking forward to with great pleasure. Jared had never had a brother and sister before; he was really going to enjoy himself.

[I]I should see if the High Council is still interested in her now that Sara's already been modified,[/I] he thought. If they were not, once she had been interrogated he would gladly pay the bounty fees to be able to keep her for himself. To have Jason and his sister [I]together[/I]...Jared crushed that line of thought, he had already taken a shower this morning and he didn't have time to take a cold one to calm himself down. He shoved his unfinished breakfast aside and left his quarters immediately to get to work. [/COLOR][/SIZE]

[Aaryanna_Mom]

It didn?t take long for Daniel to get Sara to tell him what happened. She was so racked with pain and depression over what had happened that she couldn?t even look him in the eyes. Daniel listened, as she spared no detail as to how she had tried to attack the civilian from behind once the disruptor had failed her. Or how she had started to torture him to get information but then knocked him out when she couldn?t follow through with her threats.

He listened as she went into great detail as to how her own desire to kill Jared resulted in not only jeopardizing Kim?s safety but Jason?s as well since Jared now knew he was on Earth. Sara paused for a moment to regain her composure before finishing but it didn?t help, tears began to flow down her face as she finally looked at Daniel.

?[B]I failed everyone, especially Kim who trusted me to help her.[/B]?

Daniel walked over and sat on the edge of the bed, he reached over and took Sara?s hands in his own.

?[B]You?re right, you did mess up. You failed to follow orders and you overestimated your own abilities.[/B]? Daniel said. When Sara tried to pull her hands free he refused to let go. ?[B]But the important thing is you did not fail into Jared?s hands nor did Kim. Even if we lost the chance to use the new movement feature in the transportation as a surprise tactic, it still served its purpose in that it saved your life.[/B]?

?[B]But...[/B]? Sara started to protest.

?[B]I won?t deny that your actions today were foolish, and I am going to take you off active duty for a while so you can recover and get some more training in before we send you out in the field again. It won?t be too long since the modifications have set well enough that in less than four days you will be completely healed.[/B]?

Sara didn?t even protest she just nodded her head in agreement. At least training would be better than being locked up for disobeying orders. And to heal in only four days? She would believe it when she saw it.

?[B]I understand, and I promise that I won?t attempt to go after Jared by myself again.[/B]?

?[B]Sara,[/B]? Daniel in a more serious tone of voice. ?[B]I don?t expect you to never go after Jared, but I do want you to understand what you are up against.[/B]? He handed her a data chip. ?[B]I noticed that you were searching the database for information on Jared and myself as well as your brother.[/B]?

Sara looked startled but said nothing.

?[B]I locked out the information since I did not want to frighten you, but now I believe you need to know so you never underestimate Jared again. What is on that chip is not for the faint of heart. Nor should someone who is as kind and gentle as you are have to see such things. But if you are going to kill Jared, you cannot do so without understanding how evil he really is.[/B]? Daniel stated.

He could see the confusion in Sara?s eyes and he sighed inwardly at what he had given her. The record of his mother?s death was ugly, brutal and terrible. And the details of what had happened to him when Jared tortured him were equally as horrible.

?[B]When you deal with darkness, you must understand it first. You must conquer your own feelings that would take that darkness into your own soul. It is something my mother use to tell me when I was a child. If you are going to protect those who can not protect themselves, you must be willing to take the darkness of those who harm others into you and yet not become one with it. You must separate yourself from your anger and your rage. I did not understand her at the time but I believe she was saying you must stay true to yourself and if dealing with Jared means you cannot do that, then it is a task that is not meant for you.[/B]? Daniel finally let go of her hands.

Sara did not respond and Daniel did not press her.

?[B]You need to rest some more, but first I?ll let Jason and Celestia know you are awake as they are worried sick about you.[/B]?

Daniel got up to leave, ?[B]If you have any questions about the information on the chip I gave you be sure to ask me.[/B]? He leaned over and gently kissed her on the forehead. ?[B]You need to be more careful for my sake as well, remember by your Earth customs, should Jason and Celestia get married, that would make Jason my son-in-law and I would feel the same about you as well. All of us would be hurt if something were to happen to you. Killing Jared is not worth losing anyone over.[/B]?

Daniel smiled kindly and then left Sara to think about what he had said.

[Rachmaninoff]

Darren felt much better the next day when he woke up and even Jared had continued to be nothing but straightforward without his usual banter and teasing. It was almost as unsettling as when he did poke fun at him. But it did make finishing preparing his recommendations for the transportation on Earth easier since Jared had left him alone other than to check in occasionally.

The only thing that was different was that Jared had informed him that the invasion had been moved up by three weeks, which meant that in four days the fleet would be arriving at Earth and Jared had also informed him that in only one day the remaining military on Earth would be dealt with. Along with the domestic shipping yards.

He wondered just who was going to do this task since Jared had not told him anything beyond what he needed to know. But he wondered how in the world they were going to deal with the presence of the military on the seas. There were enough of them that firing from space would be detrimental to the atmosphere. Jared would need to take the ships down into the actual atmosphere and there was no way you could hide a ship as big as the Crimson.

He put the thought out of his mind since he needed to finish his report before Jared showed up to go over it with him. Darren pulled up the chart of Earth and continued highlighting the points where he would recommend placing transportation door facilities to handle the flow of goods. He was going to recommend that air shipping be completely eliminated unless it was done with their technology. Earth?s was just too primitive and unreliable; they would get better results with the transportation doors. Those could be easily controlled and anything brought in to transport could be screened via scanners in the facility.

Then they could rely on their ground transportation to take things brought through the transportation door to the surrounding areas until the more effective rail systems were installed. Similar to the light rail and subways used on Earth, they too were more efficient. Then a small amount of smaller trucks to finish the job until those who would run Earth finished putting everything in place. If everything went well, they could slowly phase out Earth?s transportation with their own within the next five years.

He finished putting the final touches on it and then he closed the report. Finally he was finished. Once the invasion begun, his part of the deal would be done. Jared had told him he would be required to advise him on how to effective disrupt things and to recommend a solution and unless he didn?t like what he had in mind. He had now done so. Darren got up and went into the bedroom to grab a change of clothes. Jared wasn?t due to show up for over an hour and he could use a shower to refresh himself after spending the past couple of days sitting and working at the workstation.

It didn?t take him long to get cleaned up and even though he hated to admit it, having the full shower and the luxury of using as much water as he wanted was something he actually did like. And occasionally he had even used the bath to soak. Once he was back on his own ship he would have to reconsider his own accommodations. He could certainly afford to have the four quarters modified into three that would leave room to provide each quarter with a bit more space and a full shower and bathtub for each one. It had been a long time since he had spent anything on any form of luxury.

He finished and after drying his hair he quickly changed into the recruit uniform that had been provided for him. He would be glad to be rid of it too. He hated wearing it since he preferred the high neck gray tank top that he usually wore. Just as he hated the full pajamas they provided though he would rather die than have Jared show up when he was in his nightclothes. He preferred to only wear a simple brief; much like the boxers humans wore to sleep in. But that make him feel naked when he was around Jared so he had immediately switched to the full pants and long-sleeved shirt pajamas that were provided.

Darren sighed when the chime sounded indicating that Jared had arrived. [I]I wish he would go away.[/I] He thought as he went to let him in.

[Aaryanna]

[COLOR=DarkRed]Tomorrow, everything would change. Even though she was not a true Commander due to being a doctor, even she knew that to eliminate so many targets it would be necessary for the Catalyst to actually enter the atmosphere. Especially since they intended to take the world along with the inhabitants intact. Crystal pulled up another report at her chair on the bridge of the Tempest. She had already made tentative plans for the medical centers to be built, but there was something else that was nagging at the back of her mind. There just wasn?t a way for some of the naval vessels to make it to the shores in time to evacuate.

After all the destruction and now additional panic once those who were charge realized that someone was assassinating those who were in power, every ship that could be brought to shore had and other than a small crew the rest had been moved off the ships. She wondered if any of them would attempt to use the lifeboats even though their chances of survival were non-existent. If they did, it would be a simple matter for her to take the Tempest into the atmosphere and simply pick up any that had. Unlike the Catalyst she had plenty of room to convert her holds to temporary holding areas for moving them to shore.

Some of the carriers as they called them had over five thousand crewmembers. Crystal started writing up a report to send to the Catalyst. If she had assumed correctly, it would be child?s play for them to inform her if a ship they destroyed had attempted to evacuate using their lifeboats. She requested that they inform her so she could deal with them if it did not interfere with their mission. Then she went on further to offer her services in destroying some of the naval forces should they require it. They didn?t need her to offer to help since their position as an Elite Specialist gave them the authority to request her assistance. But they might not have thought of using her to perform rescue missions and she wanted to make it clear that if their mission permitted, she would see to it that as many humans as possible were taken care of.

Crystal finished up the report and then forwarded it to the Catalyst, only waiting long enough to receive confirmation that they had received the message. Then she started closing down everything she had been working on and started on a new project, one that should the Catalyst agree to inform her of survivors or request her help would ensure that everything ran smoothly. It took her very little time to decide who would do what and when she finished she shut everything down for the day. She would take a moment to discuss things with the ships doctor Alex and they she would call it a night. If she did end up helping tomorrow, she wanted to be well rested and ready.[/COLOR]

[GuyYouMetOnline]

[color=darkslateblue]"Any progress on that tracker, Kiva?" Daego asked.[/color]
[color=#483d8b][/color]
[color=#483d8b]"No. I can't get anything to work. Whoever set up that signal scrambler routine is [i]good[/i]. I've never seen one this solid. One thing's for sure: we can't let whoever's in charge down there escape. Which won't be easy to do, since we don't even know who the person is. Anyways, how are things looking down there?"[/color]
[color=#483d8b][/color]
[color=#483d8b]Daego had left Kiva to work on locating the Resistance bases and had taken a look at how things were going down on Earth. "Well, not too good," he told Kiva. "They're moving at about the speed we predicted, but it looks like they wasted a day or so before getting started. God, are they even inefficient down there. Anyways, there'll be a lot more casualties than we anticipated unless we do something."[/color]
[color=#483d8b][/color]
[color=darkslateblue]"What can we do? It's not like we can save them ourselves. And we can't give them more time; the Fleet's not going to wait for us. I just don't see any way to avoid it, Daego."[/color]
[color=#483d8b][/color]
[color=#483d8b]"What about the [i]Crimson [/i]or the [i]Tempest[/i]? We could make sure the crews get into lifeboats and then have them come down and pick the people up."[/color]
[color=#483d8b][/color]
[color=#483d8b]"True, but that would likely interfere with their own duties. No, that's not really a workableoption, I'm afraid."[/color]
[color=#483d8b][/color]
[color=#483d8b]Just then, the 'message received' beep sounded. Daego sent confirmation that the message was received, then read it. As he finished reading the message, he just had to laugh. Kiva looked at him. [/color][color=#483d8b]"What's so funny?"[/color]
[color=#483d8b][/color]
[color=#483d8b]"Just a very amusing coincedence, that's all. This message is from the [i]Tempest[/i]. Commander Crystia is informing us that she's noticed the delay in naval evacuation, and she says that if necessary, it would be no problem for the [i]Tempest[/i] to pick up survivors. She also says that they could help us blow the ships up if we need the assistance."[/color]
[color=#483d8b][/color]
[color=#483d8b]Kiva had to laugh at that, too. "Really? That is kind of funny. Well, it sounds like our problem is solved. Send a reply thanking Crystia for her offer. Tell her that although we should have no problem destroying the ships, we will inform her of the locations of evacuees needing retrieval."[/color]
[color=#483d8b][/color]
[color=#483d8b]"Got it," Daego said. As he sent the message, Kiva started another sensor sweep, this time a quicker one. She wanted updated positions of all naval vessels, which would make it easier to locate them tomorrow, when the destruction would begin.[/color]