RPG Crusade VII [PG-LV]

[Disenchanted]

[SIZE=1][CENTER][IMG]http://img294.imageshack.us/img294/6514/crusadeyf2.png[/IMG][/CENTER]
[B][SIZE=3][CENTER]Chapter 1
Encounter[/CENTER][/SIZE][/B]

[CENTER][I]?The time to stop a revolution is at the beginning, not the end.?[/I]
[B]Adlai E. Stevenson[/B][/CENTER]

[CENTER]--------------------------[/CENTER]

[B]?Opp C, Bromin reporting, lowering inertial dampeners.? [/B] The young male?s voice echoed throughout the Crusades Mission Operations Center.

[B]?Affirmative, Captain Bromin.? [/B] A techy replied over his head set while logging the Captains changes.

Opp C, as it was called by most, never slept. It was a hive of activity; its responsibility was to monitor the pilot?s vital signs and performance as well as record mission status and the condition of the mechs. A job that proved to be difficult at times. When there wasn?t a mission to monitor; reports had to be made and filed, computers kept up to date and virus free. People were always rushing about and it was virtually impossible to speak to one another directly because of the sheer volume of noise, but everyone seemed to manage.

One was usually taken aback by the sight of the Opp C when seeing it for the first time. A somewhat eerie blue light was permanently cast over everything from the amount of display screens and equipment. Various colored lights danced around as buttons were pushed and switches flipped. The most impressive thing about the Opp C however was the massive viewing window situated at its far end. The screen of reinforced glass was as thick as 10 meters and absolutely massive. It gave everyone a fantastic view of deep space while flashing various amounts of information. The window had an overwhelming ability to make you feel extremely inadequate in the grand scheme of things.

Suddenly every person in the Opp C simultaneously stopped what they were doing and snapped to attention, which was a rare but awesome sight. Their cause for paying respects was the appearance of the Crusade?s General. General Hank T. Stansfield [five stars] was not an imposing figure; he stood at only 5? 6? and looked as though he had never quite left puberty. Despite his strange looks the general commanded respect wherever he went. A proud looking lieutenant strode towards the general with a stern expression and snapped into a salute.

[B]?General Sir!?[/B]

[B]?Good morning everyone, as you were. Lieutenant, call the Knights in from training.? [/B]

The soldier snapped another salute before speaking into his head set; there was a quite hush around the Opp C, the Knights were rarely brought in from training.

[CENTER]--------------------------[/CENTER]

[B]?Ouch!? [/B] Alex spoke over the open com channel; her comment was met with quiet chuckles. They had been training for a good 4 hours now, up at the crack of simulated dawn and going at each other hard. Leon and Fort had just begun fight one another and sparks were already flying. Leon had dodged a kick from Fort and struck back with a brutal punch to Equinox?s chest. The punch connected and sent Fort reeling, he recovered quickly however and was about to give Leon something back in return when a vid feed appeared on their HUD?s [heads up display]. The face before them was General Stansfield?s; he saluted them and waited until they returned the gesture before continuing.

[B]?Apologies for interrupting your training ladies and gentlemen but we have a situation. Six minutes ago at 0900 hours we received a hail for assistance from one of our scientific research ships. They reported sighting another vessel before we lost their channel. You are ordered to investigate immediately and provide any help they require, the coordinates are being uploaded into your nav as we speak. Keep me posted.? [/B] The video cut to black and the pilots were left momentarily speechless. James was the first to break the silence.

[B]?Do we have an ETA on the last known location of the ship??[/B]

[B]?Estimated time of arrival is 15 minutes, 10 if we punch it.?[/B] Minerva replied, typing could be heard in the background as she spoke.

[B]?Saddle up guys, Boosters all the way.?[/B] Mari ordered. Everyone set their boosters to maximum and in a split second the group of eight was gone.

[CENTER]--------------------------[/CENTER]

When the team arrived they were all rendered silent at the sight that lay before them. An alien vessel loomed large over their heads; the scientific ship they had been sent to search for looked horribly insignificant in comparison. The Knight Mechs looked as though they might have stood more of a chance against the ship.

[B]?Min, please tell me you can get a scan on that ship?? [/B] Alex spoke as she stared up at the structure slightly unnerved, try as she might their guys were just not responding to her hails.

[B]?That?s a neg Lexy; I can?t get a fix on her. Something is blocking our? oh this is not good." [/B] The sound of Minerva?s voice made Alex feel very uncomfortable.

[B]?Minerva??[/B] Alex used Min?s first name when things started to get serious.

[B]?They are jamming our long range comms. Their code is like nothing I?ve seen before??[/B] Min?s voice trailed off and was drowned out by her typing.

[B]?Look.? [/B] Kari cut though the conversation drawing everyone?s attention to the alien ship. The massive structure spun large protrusions on their axes and pointed them in the direction of the scientific research ship. At that moment a worried and panicked voice burst across their emergency channel.

[B]?Knights?! Is that you? Thank god it is you. We thought you?d never come. We were down on the planet and returning home when this thing came out of nowhere and cut off our communications??[/B] at that moment the alien ship fired and screams burst forth as a small explosion erupted from the side of the small vessel. It accelerated away in a vain attempt to save itself and begun dodging the enemy fire.

[B]?Knights, scatter!?[/B] Dr. Turghun reflexively yelled as the alien guns were turned towards them.

[CENTER]--------------------------[/CENTER]

[B]ooc:[/B] Oooh, drama! You can fight in groups or solo, whatever you please. Have fun and kick some alien butt! XD [/SIZE]

[Sakura]

[SIZE=1][B]OOC:[/B] Sorry about the length, couldn't really think of much.
-BTW, for information on armaments I'll be using refer to [URL=http://seedgenesis.net/index.php?action=mecha/strikefreedom/analysis][B]HERE[/B][/URL] because since I'm using Strike Freedom I might as well use what it's been given, with the Elemental properties being optional.
-Let me know if I should change anything. ^^;;

[COLOR=Purple]Mari watched the alien ship cautiously while Menerva tried to scan. Suddenly an alert flashed in the top corner of her screen, informing her that long range communication had been severed. She narrowed her eyes; this would be the reason why the research ship couldn?t communicate earlier to inform of their problem.

The research vessel rocked violently in space as it was hit. Everyone pushed their thrusters as the alien ship took aim at them and fired off a volley of shots. The shots sprayed the area, making the Knight pilots stay on the defensive as they couldn?t get closer to the ship.

Mari took a chance and flew over the spray toward the research ship, flying with it to provide as much protection as possible. Houka?s fanned wings provided a larger shield as she fired off a couple of long bursts from her hip railguns. The other Knights were steadily approaching the alien ship, blocking or dodging shots, firing their own in return.

[B]"Aim for the cannons!"[/B] she shouted over the comm, locking onto one of the large protrusions.

She fired her callidus multi-phase beam cannon (abdomen large beam cannon), sending a long stream of energy towards her target. She let out a cheer as it hit its mark, blowing off one of the protrusions and damaging the ship.

Alex fired Ares' beam rifle destroying another cannon on the alien ship. She flew up beside Mari and discussed the best way to get past the sweeping ammunition. They continued to fire against the assault as they talked, keeping watch on the other Knights too in case they were in need of backup, but Mari was still covering the research ship.

Suddenly the ship paused in its fire. Altair took that opening and rocketed toward the ship, slashing at the protrusions with its beam saber. There was a hiss and an electrical whirring sound as a hatch opened, revealing tracks with lights along it. Suddenly there was a beeping noise and a whoosh as eight mechs were deployed from the runway, into space. Each of the mechs looked the same on the outside, but most had different armaments on them.

[B]"Knights, split and take care of 'em. Don't let them get to the ship."[/B] Forte called.

Everyone replied with the affirmative and scattered, concentrating on the enemy mechs, but still keeping an eye on the alien ship in case it pulled anything while they weren?t watching. Mari watched carefully, she didn?t want to abandon the research ship, but she knew that sooner or later, one of the mechs would head toward her. This happened faster than she expected as one came full on, brandishing a bright beam saber. Mari apologized to the crew of the ship before giving them a shove to get out of the active battlefield. She quickly drew her own twin sabers, blocking the downward sweep with her left and slashing with the right, aiming for the shoulder joint. The enemy twisted lashing out with its right leg to push her away before firing a beam rifle aimed at the cockpit. Mari used the extra exhaust thrusters in her wings and performed a backflip, flying up and back to avoid the stream of energy.

She fired her railguns at it in return, adding more electricity to it than usual, utilising her Knight's abilities. Mari made her target, aiming for the head of the mech where its main cameras were for visual. The energy smashed in one side of the head, knocking out one of its major cameras. Flying around to its blind side she swooped in with an extra kick from her thrusters, as she got close she pulled out one of her beam sabers and slashed at the head, cutting through most of the neck area, rendering the top cameras useless by slicing through the wiring.

The enemy mech pushed his thrusters, shifting into a ramming position in an attempt to deal damage by shear physical force. She stayed still until the last possible moment, boosting out of the way to catch the mech in the back with a roundhouse kick. The mech was pushed forward by the force of the kick, but instead of coming back like Mari expected it to, it continued to fly in the direction it had been heading. She levelled one of her twin beam rifles and fired. It seems they expected it and dodged quickly, turning and firing a couple of shots in return. It seemed like the mech was retreating, but when Mari focussed on its direction she realised it was heading for the research ship. She pushed her thrusters forward, jetting after it as it increased its speed. A visor for sharp aiming flipped down infront of her right eye as she aimed for the thrusters of her opponent. The enemy rolled out of the way, firing at the little ship as it tried to escape. Mari flew in front of the enemy and knocked it back in the direction they had come from.

[B]"Everyone, watch out that your enemy or the ship doesn't go for the research ship. They want it for something. Min, if you can try to find out what information that ship has that our enemies may want."[/B] Mari said quickly, alerting everyone to the fact that the little ship was already damaged around the engine area, slowing it down.[/COLOR][/SIZE]

[Redemption]

[size=1][color=Navy]Menerva clicked her tongue is disapproval.

[b]? Everyone wants something done yesterday!?[/b] she muttered to herself, irritated, as her hands moved in a blur over the keyboard that lay before her.

Her bright pink eyes searched the transparent screen in front of her. The words whirled around as if they were all riding a carousel.

[b]? Time?. time? why is it when I want time, I can never get any??[/b]

[b]? Any day now Min!?[/b] Mari?s voice echoed over the intercom as Aibou flew past

The ship?s information suddenly all came up on the screen ? some paragraphs in red, others in green. Using a specially designed glove, Min moved the various holographic screens with her hand, using it much like you would a mouse on the computer. The paragraphs in green were virus-free and usually just normal system information, however, the ones in red were potential security risks to QUESTA?s systems. That meant Min would have to sift through them all, debug them and then read the information. By this time, a slight headache was starting to throb inside of her head.

[b]? What?s taking so long Menerva??[/b] Leon, pilot of the Altair, said sternly over the intercom.

[b]? One, viruses. Two, can?t find the ruddy information, and three, all of you just stop annoying me for a second!?[/b]

[b]? Menerva, watch out!?[/b]

Min?s head was jerked forwards as QUESTA was thrown backwards from its hover position. An enemy mech had seen QUESTA just sitting there while its pilot had been going through all the information from the research vessel. Min slammed on the thrusters for a moment, stopping the movement of the mech.

[b]? Oi, you all right??[/b] Leon yelled over the intercom.

Min quickly inspected herself in the reflection of one of the computer screens. The right side of her face had smacked into the side of her pilot?s seat. [b]? Black eye, red cheek? yeah, just dandy.?[/b] Her attention then turned to the mech that had attacked her.

QUESTA jolted forward as Min pushed up the level for the thrusters. The insect-looking mech sped towards the enemy with much more speed than anticipated. What looked like two ropes sprang forth from the legs of QUESTA and wrapped themselves around the opponent, paralysing it.

[b]? There? that should keep you quiet for a few more minutes.?[/b]

Min looked back at the holographic screens to her left. [b]? Information on the research vessel, 62 percent of debugging completed. Scan on enemy ship, 37 percent complete.?[/b][/size][/color]

OOC: I had no idea of what kind of info we?re looking for so I kept it for Eclipse to decide.

[Ezekiel]

[SIZE=1]As soon as the enemy mechs had launched from the mother ship, Fortescue had switched on his stealth cover. He broke away from the rest of the Knights, knowing no one would follow him as his mech quickly began to grow invisible. The enemy pilots seemed not to notice, so he made his way around behind them where the ship was still open.

Knowing it was too stupid to go in alone, he began to set up two reinforced metal rods kept in compartments behind his mech's forearms. He clipped them to the bottom lip of the hatch, hoping they would leave a small enough gap to allow James' power module to force it open again when they needed to gain entry.

Midway through this little endeavour he heard a crash, whipping his mech around to see QUESTA hit by one opposing mech. She recovered quickly and paralysed it, urging Fortescue to hurry himself up. As soon as he was done he sped past the other battles, switching a private line on to the QUESTA.

Minerva's placid face popped up above him and he waved pleasantly, twin sabres emerging from Equinox's wrists. Minerva nodded in thanks and carried on with her search for info, safe in the knowledge that Fort was keeping her covered.

Equinox positioned in front of QUESTA, stealth shields still on full. Of course, Fort couldn't be sure what technology these enemies had, but he was prepared for a fight if the need came. He'd equipped Equinox with its gun today, and now one mechanical hand was reaching down to poise itself by the grip.

The shriek of an alarm caused him to tense, turning his mech to see three missiles being launched directly at QUESTA with another enemy unit following close behind. Obviously they had wised up to Minerva's prying and were going through anything to take her out.

Another of the Knight's broke away from the main group, trying to catch up to the perusing enemy mech. Fortescue saw it to be Kari in Hirvi, not sure if they would manage to catch up. He brought the gun around and let his stealth shield go down, allowing more power to be sent to the laser he was about to fire. He aimed--something he was still trying to perfect--at the approaching missiles and fired three shots in quick succession. One of them exploded immediately, but the other two continued, and Fortescue could almost feel Kari's cursing as one shot nicked his mech's shoulder.

Fortescue yelled into his comm for Min to move and saw her face contort as she wrenched on her controls, throwing the QUESTA into a sideways spiral. One of the paralysing appendages shot out at the approaching missiles, effectively knocking them away before they exploded on the mech Kari had just fired on.

Fortescue gulped in needed breaths of manufactured air, quickly switching on his cover again to approach the ship unseen, blatantly ignoring the incoming message from Kari, which would no doubt make fun of Fortescue's incredibly lacking shooting abilities.


[B]OOC: That was a post filled with, literally, nothing. I do apologise, but at least I?ve got Fort in there.[/B][/SIZE]

[Gavin]

[SIZE=1]"[b]SON OF A...[/b]" James' cockpit shuddered slightly at the impact of the alien vessel's weapons, several separate damage read-outs poured over the cockpits HUD along with sensor data and spatial telemetry. He'd kicked the boosters up to maximum in the hope to being able to avoid some of the more powerful blasts, but the Paladin was a power module, and not built for speed.

He unloaded another volley of matter/anti-matter grenades into the incoming wave of enemy mechs, disintegrating about half a dozen on impact, their armaments was significantly less powerful then the ships, according to the data he'd be able to sustain heavy enemy fire for about another twenty or so minutes before the module was in any kind of danger.

The full view of the alien ship came suddenly into startling view, James cursed his lack of awareness, they'd managed to bring him right back into range of it's forward cannons again, three or four direct hits from that and he'd be in serious difficulty. A single phrase echoed through his head at that moment, '[i]Today is a good day to die[/I]', the boy was something of a history fan, and old Earth's media was a particular favourite. He gritted his teeth, arming the forward heavy impact cannons for maximum yield.

"[b]Not today, not without a fight.[/b]"

The magnetic accelerators hurled the two charges out at something close to the speed of light, aside from the eerie green trail left behind them for about a quarter of a second they were next to invisible. The explosion that followed however was far from it, shredding the forward emitters and knocking a sizable hole the vessel.

"[b]Nice shooting James.[/b]" He grinned as Alex's voice came out clear over the cockpit speakers, if the Knights had a de-facto leader, it was probably her. "[b]It's their fault Lexy, if they hadn't started this, we wouldn't need to finish it.[/b]" A typical seventeen year old's response, he almost felt immature... almost.

The sensors spotted a group of enemy mech about four thousand meters away and closing, it seemed they'd taken offence to him, he chuckled, after what he'd done to their ship these guys were either very good, or very stupid, he supposed the latter. Hitting a pair of glowing keys to his left hand side, James watched as the module's forearm released a cylindrical shape about two meters long, grasping it gently with Paladin's free hand, he simply waited for his opponents to get close enough.

"[b]Warning, Paladin will enter enemy weapon's range in approximately five seconds.[/b]" Great warning, he thought sarcastically, he'd need to have a word with the Knight's mechanics about getting that kind of pointless alert removed from the system. He watched bemused as they flew right past the maximum range without unloading a single shot at him, obviously they'd figured out their long range weapons were ineffective, which meant they were going to try things the old fashioned way.

"[b]Computer, retract Paladin forward arm-linked weapon-launchers, we're heading into a melee combat scenario.[/b]"

An acknowledging chirrup from the onboard AI was all he needed to hear. Igniting what he had jokingly dubbed his ?[url=http://ic3.deviantart.com/fs7/i/2005/190/5/3/Lightsaber_v2_by_hellion.jpg][i]Knightsaber[/i][/url]? he ramped up the thrusters to full throttle meeting the first of the six mechs head on, the beam weapon tore through the middle of the unit, dragging trashed components and quickly frozen liquids out into the vacuum. The remaining enemies seemed to think better a fight and broke off their attack run, right into the weapon range of the Ares, he smiled, waiting for the eventual fireworks.

[CENTER]|||||[/CENTER]

Lightsaber art by [url=http://hellion.deviantart.com/]Hellion[/url][/SIZE]

[Albert Flasher]

[FONT=Franklin Gothic Medium][COLOR=Sienna] Kari cursed loudly, lurching the Hirvi to the left as hard as he could to avoid the stream of tracer rounds that flew from the cloud of debris and smoke. The two remaining missiles had slammed into the paralyzed mech, destroying it and providing a place for the mech Kari was targeting to escape, at least for the moment.

Kari studied the cloud intently, wary of any more sneak attacks. His computer displayed mostly-useless information, identified harmless pieces of debris as dangerous enemies, calmly informed him that there was a slight malfunction with the shield projector in the mech?s right shoulder, and generally did everything in its power to be a tremendous annoyance. Kari cursed again.

[B]?Watch it!?[/B] Min?s voice cried over the comm., causing Kari to instinctively throw the Hirvi to the right, narrowly avoiding the trio of missiles that streaked from the dust cloud, followed moments later by the enemy mech, blasting away with its cannon as it flew directly at the Hirvi.

Kari raised his pavise, the bullets thudding into it harmlessly. Kari grinned and raised his missile launcher, the weapon automatically painting the target with its laser. The viewscreen displayed the charging mech inside a flashing green box, with velocity and distance statistics informing Kari that he didn?t have much time. He waited just a second longer, and then fired.

The Hirvi strained against the recoil as five rockets silently exploded from the weapons barrel, heading to the onrushing alien mech at an incredible speed. The target tried to swerve to avoid, managing to avoid the first projectile, but could do nothing as the four remaining missiles impacted devastatingly.

Kari squinted against the blinding white light that filled all his view screens, regretting waiting for the enemy to get this close. He cursed again, but did it with a slight smile of satisfaction. The light began to wane, and Kari?s eyes went from squinted to wide shocked, and he desperately tried to turn the Hirvi out of the path of the still-charging mech. It was missing several appendages and its pilot was likely dead, but the engines were still roaring away behind it, propelling it through the explosions. Kari knew he had no time to raise his shields or get out of the way, and he braced himself instinctively, waiting for the crash too come.

It never did. After another second, Kari tentatively opened his eyes, and saw the grinning face of Fort in his comm. Screen. [B]?Didn?t miss that one![/B]? He boasted proudly as his stealth mech uncloaked itself just above the Hirvi.

Kari grinned and shook his head, laughing slightly. He transmitted a hurried [B]?Thanks!?[/B] before turning his mech and heading back towards the science vessel, where the battle was just getting started.

[B]OOC:[/B] Well, it may not have contributed a whole lot, but now that my first post is out of the way...[/COLOR][/FONT]

[TheResplendent]

[FONT=Tahoma][color=darkslategray]While the other Knight pilots lay waste to the mechs that the main ship sent out, Leon tried to find himself an opening to get inside the assault and damage the source. He teared through enemy mechs with swift slashes, as he seemed almost impressed at how astute the mechs were at protecting their main vessel.

[b]"Hm, if only these units were more amply built and stocked they might actually serve as decent defensive mechs. Though it doesn't really matter, they'll never be able to outrun Altair!"[/b] Leon proclaimed as he tore through 3 units with one slash of his beam sabre. From the view of the other Knight pilots it seemed like only a swift flash of lightning.

Leon saw flares and debris falling from the position of the nearest Knight to him, which was Alex's Ares. He grinned a bit, as he dodges blows from more enemy mechs. As he took them out he opened up a link with Alex.

[b]"Mighty fine shooting there Captain, it's obvious they aren't putting up much of a resistance. What say we take this to the next level?"[/b] Leon said, implying that it would be best to combine their efforts on attacking the deployment sections of the main vessel.

[b]"Min still has to finish, once we find out more about it's capabilities and facilities we will know how to handle it."[/b] Alex answered, turning her vocal focus subtly over to Min as she finished her sentence. Leon and Alex both noticed the QUESTA lagging a bit as the Aibou stayed within it's range to fend off oncoming units.

[b]"Yeah yeah...everything is practically done...just, just a little bit more..."[/b] Min said between huffs.

Leon raised an eyebrow as he noticed Min's vital sign read outs on the panel of Altair where the other Knight Pilot's were displayed. Leon turned Altair toward QUESTA, though from their distance it was difficult to make anything out without the flashes and destructive actions between the drone mechs and Mari's Aibou.

[b]"Min, is everything alright?"[/b] Leon said, in a concerned tone.

[b]"Yes! Everything is fine, just give me another minute or two!"[/b] Min replied, clearly frustrated.

[b]"That's not what I mean!"[/b] Leon continued, before noticing two red flashes approaching the QUESTA from it's seven o'clock. He narrowed his eyes and noticed Mari busy with groups of units coming at her in full force. Aibou seemed to disptach them with ease using strong surges of electricity. Leon took notice to the next closest Knight which was James's Paladin.

[b]"James! To QUESTA's seven, two disruptor bogeys!"[/b]

James seemed to snap to as he quickly turned his attention to the scanners. He almost seemed startled as he dodged away from his own bogey and took it out. James tried to make his way toward the aforementioned position but was stopped by 3 more, as he began to fight them off.

[b]"S..sir! I'm sorry, I'll be there as soon as I get rid of these bums!"[/b] James replied, swinging his trusty Knightsabre infront of him and ripping through one of the units. He could here Fort's voice in his head at that moment going [i]"Stop saying Sir, dammit!"[/i].

Leon gritted his teeth as he activated two extra boosters on Altair's upper back. Another unit came for him but he grabbed it's head with Altair's hand and tossed it aside roughly as he sped off at the quickest speed Altair could reach without going into beserk mode. Min wiped a drop of sweat from her head as the necessary decoding was to finish in another 30 seconds. She turned her head slightly and took notice to her scanners which showed the red blips practically on her tail.

[b]"Crap! Where in the hell did they come from! That's the opposite direction from where the ship is!"[/b] Min said as she tapped her fingers impatiently on her panel waiting for the information to finish.

[b]"Alright! I took care of..."[/b] James began to say as he finished off the last two, but his sentence was stopped as he saw Altair zip by him and with a pair of vicious slashes, take out the two disruptor units meters before they reached QUESTA.

[b]"Damn disruptor units, they were going to try and short circuit QUESTA's systems. Whoever sent them, is definitly smarter then we expected. So much for a sweet and simple mission."[/b] Leon said, as he retracted the boosters.

[b]"Leon...?"[/b] Min said, glancing behind her and then at her scanners, noticing the blips had dissapeared.

[b]"W..whoa! That was awesome! How did you get there so fast!?"[/b] James said, still surprised at how quickly Altair made it from it's pervious position to theirs. James heard a laugh over the intercom, and recognized it.

[b]"You've never seen Altair in action before have you?"[/b] Fort's voice said. James just shook his head, not realizing at the time that without a video feed his gestures could not be seen.

[b]"Wow, the Altair and the Equinox are seriously bad ass."[/b] James said, referring to the mechs he had already seen up close.

[b]"The Paladin has plenty of potential James, it is an excellent mech as well. We all have out areas of expertise, keep training and you'll begin to clearly notice yours."[/b] Alex's voice said, which prompted another "stand at attention" kind of reaction from James.

[b]"Y, yes ma'am! Thank you."[/b] James said, as the silent chorus of heads shaking could be heard from the other Knight pilots. The barrage of mechs seemed to die down slightly as the information QUESTA has been downloading finally finished.

[b]"Menerva, how's that information coming?"[/b] Leon asked, as he stood infront of QUESTA, his beam sabre still on full power.

[b]"Finished...i'll send it over to everyone in a few seconds."[/b] Min said, as she fixed her hair away from her face.

[center]* * * * *[/center][/color]

OOC: Gavin, judging from your sign-up I assumed James was like the "new member" of the Knights so hope I portrayed him properly. [/FONT]

[Redemption]

[size=1][color=Navy]An audible gasp resonated through the intercom that linked all of the Knights together. Menerva looked at her screen in shock, not quite believing what she was seeing.

[b]? What is it Min??[/b] Mari asked, sounding more than a little concerned at Min?s unusual silence. The information about the research vessel and the enemy ship appeared on each of the Knights? screens.

[b]? I feel? somewhat ashamed? to be a computer specialist right now??[/b] Min mumbled as she slowly overcame her shock. [b]? What you see in front of you, ladies and gentlemen, is a perfect example of how NOT to make an administration system.?[/b]

Using her glove, Min brought up on the screens a series of chat logs between each of the Crusader battleships. [b]? If you have a chance, look at this specific chat log between Crusader VII and Crusader IV. Important information was shared between these two battleships when they communicated with each other. A log of their conversation was made and then was carelessly put into the archives without any real protection against hacking. It seems that the enemy was able to penetrate what little defenses there were to get into the archives - through a communication link they established with this research vessel - where they could access most, if not all, chat logs between any of the Crusader battleships, as well as each of the Arks and even our Knight modules. About 30% of these chat logs contain sensitive information that we wouldn?t like our enemies to have.?[/b]

Min could hear several of her fellow Knight pilots curse under their breath, their slurs whispered over the intercom.

[b]? To add more nails to the coffin,?[/b] Min continued, bringing up another series of screens that all the pilots recognized as Crusader VII?s main computer interface, [b]? Our enemy was able to use this ?back door? to gain access to Crusader VII?s main system and gather whatever information they desired.?[/b]

[b]? That?s just terrific,?[/b] Fort breathed in annoyance. [b]? So, what you?re saying, Min, is that the enemy knows all about us, and we know nothing about them??[/b]

[b]? Unfortunately??[/b] Min replied in the affirmative.

The silence of the battle around her was eerie. She half expected to hear explosions and the buzz of engines in the midst of this furious fight, but it was space. Sound didn?t travel in space, contrary to popular thinking. Min rubbed her face, hissing at herself when she touched her blackened eye. Her thoughts chased each other around her head like savage dogs, biting at one another?s heels.

[b]? Then what are we doing here with this research vessel??[/b] James abruptly pointed out between bursts of hand-to-hand combat.

Min sighed. [b]? This particular vessel was doing some research into a nearby planet when they discovered a new metal-type substance.?[/b] She quickly read some of the reports that were filed onto the research vessel?s systems. [b]? The scientists came to the conclusion that this ?substance is highly volatile and should be shipped with the utmost care?. Right. So basically, the enemy turned up and when they realised, in some way or another, that our scientists had found that substance, attacked the ship, hoping to blow them up with it.?[/b]

[b]? Do you have any more information on this mysterious substance??[/b] Doctor Turghun asked.

[b]? If you can bear with me a second??[/b] A warning alarm went off inside QUESTA?s cockpit. [b]? What? What now??[/b]

Numerous error messages came up on QUESTA?s screens. [b]? Ohhh no you don?t!?[/b]

[b]? What is it Menerva??[/b] Alex asked, using Min?s full name with concern.

[b]? They?re trying to upload a virus into our main system!?[/b] Min said in a state of panic. Her hands were a blur as they typed madly on the keyboard. [b]? They really want to do us in! If we get back to the Crusader, I?m going to do a serious overhaul of the computer system.?[/b][/size][/color]

[Disenchanted]

[SIZE=1][B]?Minerva, concentrate on stopping their hack!? [/B]

[B]?Yeah, yeah I?m working on it?? [/B] Minerva mumbled back. Her attention completely taken up by the screen in front of her.

[B]?Knights finish off the remaining attackers then focus all attention on the command vessel.?[/B] Alex tried to keep her voice as emotionless as possible. She had to get her priorities straight, everything seemed just as important as everything else. Minerva and the science ship needed to be protected just as much as the enemy needed to be neutralised. Alex let off a burst from her rifle at an enemy mech out of frustration. The rounds connected with the mechs torso and strafed upwards into the cock-pit. The mech exploded in ball of fire and debris. Alex rubbed her eyes in her few seconds break before she heard loud shouting burst across the open com channel.

[B]?Knights! We got two kamikazes!?[/B] Fort almost screamed. Alex snapped her head up to look at her HUD. Sure enough she could see two rogue enemy mechs hurtling forwards hoping to break their line. Even with Fort?s forewarning nothing could be done to stop them. They rushed passed Mari and headed straight for the science vessel. As soon as they reached the damaged ship they situated themselves either side of it and initiated their self destruct sequence within milliseconds.

Alex watched in a kind of detached slow motion as the two enemy mechs instantaneously exploded. The force of their twin blasts shredding the research ship to pieces in-between them. The resulting explosion was much, much larger then she anticipated it to be. Then Alex remembered the volatile metal-substance the ship was carrying. She felt sick to her stomach when she saw that Mari and Aibou looked as though they would be swallowed by the rapidly expanding fire ball. Seconds later the explosion engulfed Mari?s position.

[B]?Mari do you copy, Mari!??[/B] Alex waited along with the other nights for some sort of sign from her. [I]?Answer, damn it, answer.? [/I] Alex repeated it in her head like a mantra. It seemed like hours had gone by when a voice finally picked up the call.

[B]?I?m here guys.? [/B] ?[I]Thank god? [/I] Alex thought. Cheers and sighs of relief erupted over her speakers. Leon must have gotten her out, he was the only one fast enough, she quietly praised Altair?s speed. The smile on her face was quickly washed away however; no less than five scientists and a pilot were killed on the research ship. Alex?s eyes grew dark as she looked at the large enemy vessel on her HUD.

[B]?Knights, the enemy just took six of our own. Destroy all attack?? [/B] Minerva suddenly burst up over the com.

[B]?They are opening a window!? [/B] the group watched in awe as the massive ship slowly moved into a glowing white gateway. Within seconds the massive structure was gone and the gate closed. It only took them a few minutes to finish off the remaining enemy fighters.

[B]?They retreated, the baster?? [/B]

[B]?Enough.?[/B] Alex interjected the statement; she wasn?t quite sure who it came from. She looked around her position; debris from the battle was everywhere. Alex let out a sigh, releasing her anger when her long range com channel came back into action.

[B]??ghts do you read. Knights come in. Knights please respond.? [/B] The voice was none other than that of the General himself.

[B]?We read you Crusade Seven. All knights present and accounted for.?[/B] Alex reported back. She could hear shouts of triumph in the background form the Opp C.

[B]?We thought we had lost you there for a while. Sit rep?? [/B]

[B]?We?ll brief you on our way home Crusade. We?re out of here guys. Let?s go home.? [/B] Alex moved her engines to full and boosters to max; she waited until everyone had made a start before leaving. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=1][B]ooc: [/B] New chapter soon guys. When we get back to the crusade you can post some sort of landing procedure if you wish. Check your mech for damage, help give it a bit of a fix up if need be. File a mission report and go have some fun.[/SIZE]

[Redemption]

[size=1][color=Navy]Min sighed heavily. What a day so far. First the whole attack on the research vessel, then finding out all that information about the enemy and what the research vessel was doing there. The final straw was the debriefing the Knights received on the way back to Crusade 7. Min had to explain the situation to the General, everyone inputting their own opinions and views as she went along. By the time they had returned to the Crusade, Min was exhausted.

As the cockpit to QUESTA opened, Min yawned and rubbed her eyes. She stumbled out of the pilot's seat and onto the platform QUESTA lands beside whilst in the hanger. Upon looking over her mech, Min realised how much damage was done to QUESTA. The outside armour was blackened from the blast of the research vessel. There were also a few indented spots from the sudden attacks of the enemy that had caught her off guard.

Her blue hair fell over one of her sunken pink eyes. She was beyond tired. It had taken all of her energy to stop the virus getting into QUESTA's computer systems, as well as try and quickly patch up the window in the computer systems that was left when the enemy retreated.

Min turned and trudged her way up to her room where she collapsed into the computer chair. The faint buzzing of the computer screens greeted her.

[b]" Erg.... going to attempt this...."[/b]

Min put her fingers on the keyboard, poised to type when her eyes closed softly. Her head landed with a slight thump on the keyboard, her cheek pressed hard against the keys. A soft snore came from her nose. Min had fallen fast asleep at her desk.[/size][/color]

[Sakura]

[COLOR=Purple][SIZE=1]Mari was slightly behind everyone as they made their way back to Crusade VII, with half of her Knight damaged by the blast from the research ship. She was saddened at the loss of the smaller ship, she had tried to protect it as much as she could, but one small moment of lost concentration had cost them so much. Her thrusters were pushed to maximum but because of the damage they weren't working to their full capacity.

She listened to the report on the way back, adding information when needed since she had been closest to the ship most of the time, and Min talked about the technical side which she had discovered.

[B]"Hey, Leon."[/B] she opened a private link to Altair.

[B]"Mari, you ok?"[/B]

[B]"Yeah, I'm fine. Though Houka's pretty knocked up I think. Thanks for saving me, it was a hell of a risk, you know. You could've been caught up in the explosion too."[/B]

[B]"I know Altair's capabilities, and I knew I could beat that blast."[/B] he said confidently.

[B]"Yeah yeah. Anyways, thankyou."[/B]

[B]"Yeah, you owe me."[/B] The two laughed before closing the link.

Mari was the last to dock, adding short bursts of the thrusters to land safely, shutting off Aibou and getting out. As she got to the ground she walked back and took a look up at her mech, not surprised at the amount of damage. The whole left side of Houka was dented in, black from the flames as she had briefly been in the explosion before Leon had rescued her. The damage on her Knight was worse than the others since she had been closest to the research ship when it exploded, while the others were further distanced, yet were still damaged.

One of the technicians handed her an electric screen (you know, the large touchscreen things that look like clipboards they have in futuristic shows/anime) so she could do a damage report. She studied Aibou and wrote down everything she could see, double checking with Houka's OS for things she missed. The entire left side was unoperational, with everything damaged from the heavy blast. There were also dents, pot marks and slashes/scratches around the rest of the Knight from fighting the enemy mechs. She rubbed her eyes and sighed, handing it back to another techie so they could start work on getting it fixed for the next time it was needed. She let them know she'd be back soon to help after typing up her mission report.

With a sigh she trudged back to her room, changing out of her plugsuit ([URL=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v626/lonely_tsukasa13/Gundam-Seed-Wallpaper.jpg][B]Here[/B][/URL], guy on the right [Kira]) into a creamy beige tanktop and navy blue trackpants with two thin light brown and green stripes running down both sides. She sat at the computer and worked at her mission report, knowing it'd be better to get it over with while the mission was still fresh in her mind. It took a little over an hour before she finished, rubbing her eyes while it printed. She took a manilla folder from the large stack she had and slipped the sheets of paper in. The manilla folders all had her name emblazoned on it as she picked it up.

She pulled on some comfortable joggers and grabbed a bottle of water before she left her room, locking it behind her. She moved through the halls quickly and dropped off the report. As she headed back toward the hangar she sighed at the long job ahead of her. Houka was in a bad condition and it would take a lot of work and time to get it back to perfect order.

She walked up to her Knight and picked up the tool belt that had been left for her for whenever she came back. Strapping it around her waist she called over some technicians and started work, trying to get as much done before she became too tired to do any more.[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[TheResplendent]

[FONT=Tahoma][color=darkslategray]Leon stretched his arms out as far as he could and let out a yawn. He looked up at Altair and let out a significant smile. He was always proud of what he did, and even more proud of Altair. He treated it like a family member more so than a mecha just meant for riding. Many fellow pilots felt that was a large contributor to why he was such an efficient pilot in the first place.

Leon's personal technicians ran in, as they were stopped promptly with an outstretched hand.

[b]"No worries, Altair is fine. Nothing that couldn't be handled."[/b] Leon said, as he walked out of the door to his hangar. The technicians all looked at each other as the door closed behind him. He walked a few steps before a hand flopped onto his shoulder from behind.

[b]"Leon, you shouldn't be so passive in the post-mission maintenance of Altair. I know it wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been for all of us but you were quite active out there."[/b] Alex said, looking up at Leon focusing her eyes on his.

[b]"I know that. Don't worry, I'm no amateur...you know that. There's a few burn out issues with left-rear booster 3 and the beam sabre could use a power charge."[/b] Leon responded, as he waved his arm forward as if offering for Alex to accompany him. She walked out from behind him and the two captains walked down the corridor.

[b]"Ah, I see. Another "personal" job? You really do love that Knight of yours, don't you?"[/b] Alex said, recognizing that Leon wanted to do his own personal tech jobs rather then a group of technicians, no matter how good they were.

[b]"What can I say? We've been through way too much together, I've personalized Altair from head to toe and i'm probably the only one that truly knows it inside and out."[/b] Leon said, as they turned the corner toward the first door leading to the connecting tunnel. The view from the tunnel was incredible if you were really into seeing the stars and space from as close of a POV you could get without being in a Mech, or floating around in it without one.

[b]"I figured as much. What are you doing now?"[/b] Alex asked in a half official half inquisitive voice.

[b]"I thought i'd take a shower and grab something to eat...after I, um...take care of a few other things."[/b] Leon said, glancing over to Alex slightly then turning back as if to check if she was looking at him. Alex just let out a short and subtle giggle, one that could easily mistaken for a sigh. They stopped at a four way intersection.

[b]"Very well then. I'll catch up with you a little later then, I have to give in the paperwork to Commander Lister"[/b] Alex said as she nodded her head to Leon and began to walk off to the left. [b]"Say hi to Min for me."[/b] Alex continued, waving her hand upward.

[b]"Hmph...smart ass."[/b] Leon said quietly to himself as he placed his hand on his hip. Leon kept going straight and turned the next right toward the crew's quarters. Leon didn't want to let on that he noticed Min's injuries through a video link back out in the field, as he knew she would only tear into him about her being fine and to leave her alone in typical "Menerva" fashion. He was genuinely worried about her often though, it might have been due to her lack of real field experience or maybe for some other reason.

Halfway there though, a younger man sped out from one of the two way intersections and turned toward Leon, stopping short after seeing him.

[b]"C..captain Bromin! Wow, hey!"[/b] the young man said, waving his arm back and forth. Leon rolled his eyes in the back of his mind and walked up to the young officer.

[b]"James, please...call me Leon."[/b] Leon said.

[b]"Sorry, still havn't gotten the hang of the whole first name basis thing. But nevermind that, man that was really awesome out there! Fortescue told me that you were one of the original 5 pilots for the Crusade, along with him and Alex. Still though, everytime I see one of you guys in action it's so much greater up close then I can imagine."[/b] James explanined, wanting to express his feelings seemingly in a hurry.

[b]"Heh, I hope you don't get as impressed with the enemy once we get back out there again."[/b] Leon said in a joking tone.

[b]"No way, what's so impressive by getting destroyed by experts like us?"[/b]

Leon laughed to himself a bit and couldn't help himself from grinning.

[b]"Well said. You are a fine pilot yourself James. Is Paladin being properly tended to?"[/b] Leon asked.

[b]"Yeah, no big damage so it shouldn't take more then 10 or 15 minutes to touch this and that up. Oh! crap...I lost track of time. It was great talking to you Cap...I mean, Leon. I gotta get goint though."[/b] James said, as he waved respectfully and took off. Leon stood there with his arms crossed and watched on almost with pride that the Crusade landed themselves a valuble rookie that could grow within their ranks rather then grow into their ranks like all the other pilots had to do.

[b][i]'Hm, I wonder how Cora is...it's been a couple of days since I contacted her last.'[/b][/i] Leon thought to himself, as the subject of her sister was brought up in her head after thinking that James was around the same age as her. Leon continued on and walked over to Menerva's door.
[/FONT][/color]

[Redemption]

[size=1][color=Navy][I]BZZZ![/I]

Leon stood outside of Menerva?s door, waiting to be let in.

[I]BZZZ![/I]

The pilot of Altair took a step backwards, looking at the door suspiciously. Normally Min would have answered it by now. Was something wrong? His eyes glanced at the keypad, wrestling with the thought of letting himself in with the emergency code or not. It was only supposed to be used if fire had broken out inside the ship, or if the life support systems were failing. With a heavy sigh, Leon typed the code into the pad and the door slid open.

The faint buzz of numerous computer screens greeted him upon his entrance. A soft blue glow came from the desk where Leon now saw a black figure sitting at. He tentatively walked over the floor, trying to dodge the crowd of CAILs (Computerised Artificial Intelligent Life) that had come to greet him. Moving to the side of the desk, he looked very closely at what was Min?s sleeping face. His brow furrowed as the captain noticed how puffy her right eye was.

[b]? Oi, wake up,?[/b] Leon said stiffly as he poked Min in the ribs. Min jolted to attention, her arms flailing everywhere in the process.

[b]? Wha wha wha??[/b] She looked up at the shadow that leered over her. [b]? Oh? morning already Leon??[/b]

[b]? Morning? We only just got back from the mission Menerva,?[/b] Leon replied, his tone disapproving as he stood there, looking down at her from his vantage point.

Min scratched the back of her head innocently. [b]? Oh?. damn? I was hoping to sleep a little more.?[/b]

She stood up from the computer chair, stretching her arms with a loud but obscure noise accompanying it. Leon noticed the imprints of the keyboard?s keys on her cheek now that he had enough light to see the female computer technician properly. He had to quickly stifle a rising laugh, trying hard to keep a straight face. Min looked at him strangely. His face was contorted oddly from attempting not to laugh at her, because if he did, the consequences would be disastrous.

[b]? So? ah??[/b] Leon took a deep breath to calm himself. [b]? Are you going to get someone to tend to your eye??[/b]

Min shuffled through her room to look for her glasses, practically ignoring the male captain in the process. [b]? Hm? Oh? no? it?s only a black eye.?[/b]

[b]? Yeah and it?s the size of a kiwifruit.?[/b] [I]If looks could kill,[/I] Leon thought to himself as he noticed the death glare Min gave him. [I]I?m going to regret this?[/I]

With a firm grasp, Leon seized Min?s wrist and started to drag her out of the room and to the main mess hall. The corridor echoed loudly with Min?s obvious objections but Leon just kept walking. A few people passed them, giving them strange looks as they walked by. Some even peeked out of their quarter doors to find out what had disturbed their peace and quiet. Finally, Leon made it to the kitchen in one piece. He walked straight to the freezer, grabbed a bag of peas and pressed it against Min?s right eye firmly. Min flinched at the sudden coolness of the bag before settling down a little, her left eye watching Leon.

[b]? Not too hard champ??[/b] Min mumbled softly. She felt slightly ashamed about having to be dragged all the way to the kitchen. But then, Min admitted to herself, she was a difficult person when it came to injuries.

[b]? I?m used to treating injuries like this,?[/b] Leon replied. [b]? You don?t have much true battle experience. Do you?[/b]

Min looked at him as much as a stern look she could give him with one pink eye. [b]? I?m a computer hacker by nature. What do you think??[/b]

That comment had hit a soft spot.[/size][/color]

[Gavin]

[SIZE=1]James relaxed back against the seat of Paladin's cockpit, the battle hadn't really proven too much of a challenge, the six Knights had collectively destroyed probably three, four dozen enemy mechs, but their carrier had escaped.. He wasn't a computer expert, but from the way Min had reacted to the hack, it seemed to be fairly serious, she'd seemed quite ruffled after the incident.

Without even consulting the onboard A.I. James gently rested his module back into it's designated launch position, the techs would probably want to look over it, but there wasn't much damage aside that wasn't superficial. He smiled, it had been one of his first full contact missions, and it had been more exciting than any simm he'd taken in the Academy.

[b]"Hey Kilburn, you want us to take Paladin in for repairs ?[/b] He knew the voice, a chuckled at the tone. A wiry looking man in his late 50s stuck his head into the cockpit, grinning happily.

Crusade VII's dock master Irvine Draven was any Knights best friend after combat, he considered the modules to be his personal property that James and his fellow pilots merely trained in and borrowed when the time for combat came. Word was he'd helped design and built some of them, he certainly knew his way around them inside and out.

[b]"Just some external damage Irvine, the forward plates took a bit of a pounding, but otherwise I think Paladin is in good order."[/b] Draven's smile grew even wider, if that was possible, his blue eyes seemed to shine with delight at the prospect of being able to tinker around a bit with Paladin's systems.

[b]"Great kid, I'm glad to see you're taking care of the module. I know you're young and there's still some of that edge you've yet to lose, but you're going to be fine."[/b]

James unbuckled his harness and hopped out of the cockpit into the awaiting lift. A brief few seconds later he found himself on the solid, metallic floor of the dock, as much as he enjoyed piloting his module, the ground beneath his boots was always a welcome sensation. He figured there'd be a meeting at some stage in the next few hours, plenty of time to take a shower and get something to eat.

There were at least six different exit lifts to different sections of Crusade VII, as well as one major embarkation platform for emergency purposes. Strolling towards the closest lift, James caught sight of Leon Brommin, and thought he might as well have a bit of a chat with him about the mission. Maybe it was getting another person's perspective that interested him, maybe James just didn't want to feel like "the kid" of the team anymore.

[B]"Hey Captain Brommin, mind if I have a word with you ?"[/B] Leon turned a 180 degree angle to face the younger captain.

[b]"Sure James, what did you want to talk about ?[/b]"

[b]"Well I... I guess I was just wondering if it's always that intense. I'm not complaining, just curious. It was something of an experience when you've only ever been in a simulator or controlled tests.[/b]" His cheeks reddened slightly in admitting his lack of first-hand combat experience.

Leon chuckled, placing a hand on James' shoulder. It was a welcome gesture, like a feeling of acceptance.

[b]"Not always that exhilarating James, but your first actual combat in a module is one of those moments you'll never forget."[/b]

James exhaled, feeling better. Seemed his feelings were natural, given his position.

[b]"Thanks sir... I mean Leon, I'm still getting used to the whole first name basis thing. Oh blast, I've got to get going, I've got an important... arrangement in about twenty minutes."[/b]

Sprinting towards the elevator, James wasn't ever sure if Brommin had replied, he could believe he'd forgotten his date already. And Forte would have something to say if he didn't tell him how it went.

[CENTER]||||||||||[/CENTER]

BK, I probably wasn't clear enough but I'd prefer it is Kilburn's nervousness wasn't over-played for the moment. He's still on a high confidence wise after the battle, so he's probably going to be more comfortable and informal around the others. This ism't a complaint, just a character correction.[/SIZE]

[Disenchanted]

[SIZE=1]Alex continued down the hall way towards Commander Lister?s office after talking with Leon. Her feet felt heavy as she walked, she had just finished fixing Ares when she saw him. She sighed as she stopped to look out at the void of space. Somewhere out there was a home, she was sure of it. Alex?s thoughts could not help but turn to those who had died earlier that morning. How many more would die before they found a permanent home?

Alex shrugged off the thoughts as her attention was turned towards a gathering of personnel down the hall. They all seemed to be jolting one another out of the way in order to get a peek at something on one of the digital notice boards. Alex side stepped a few chatting girls to take a look at the mystery notice. When she saw the pink and red colours of the screen she rolled her eyes in distaste. She listened into a conversation going on behind her.

[CENTER][IMG]http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/4189/lmfao7ni.png[/IMG][/CENTER]

[B]?Oh my god can you believe this years theme! It?s so perfect! And romantic??[/B] A squealing girl practically yelled.

[B]?I know I have just the dress too! I?m going to go ask John right away to see if he will go with me.? [/B] Her probable friend boasted.

[B]?I?ve so got the perfect mask all ready picked out??[/B] another one interjected.

Alex had to desperately try and stop her self from laughing at the ridiculousness of the matter. She had a lot more important things to think about other than if her ?mask matched her dress?. Shaking her head she pushed the buzzer for the Commanders office. The door opened almost immediately, with her papers firmly clutched underneath her arm Alex stepped through the door way.

Commander Lister was standing with her back towards Alex. She appeared to be observing the void of space from a large viewing window behind her desk. Alex snapped to attention and saluted the commander. Commander Lister slowly turned and saluted back before returning to looking back out the window. Alex?s eyes narrowed as she stepped forwards and placed various folders on the commander?s desk.

[B]?There are the mission reports, mech status reports, team health reports and the other data you requested Commander.? [/B] Commander Lister nodded, Alex snapped her heals together in acknowledgement and turned to leave.

[B]?My brother was aboard the research vessel explorer 3 that was?lost today.? [/B] Alex?s back immediately straightened itself.

[B]?I?m sorry for your loss ma?am. We did all that was possible to try and save her and her crew.? [/B]

[B]?Thank you Captain. Thats all I needed to hear, you may go now." [/B]

Alex saluted the Commander once more before leaving. Her consciousness attacked her as she walked back to her quarters. [I]?You lied.? [/I] It repeated over and over.

[/SIZE]