RPG Silver One: Civil War

[GuyYouMetOnline]

[COLOR=darkslateblue]Stealth was the most important consideration. Unlike the relay station in sector 4, security at the sector 2 millitary outpost was tight. There wasn't much firepower in the area, but there didn't need tobe, because the outpost's only value was what it contained. An attack wouldn't do any good, because it was only the data that mattered, and there was no way to access the data from outside the facility. If the facility was going to be taken, the data would be erased to prevent it from falling into enemy hands. And since it was on a self-contained system, accessing the data from outside was impossible. Kiva couldn't even plant a program like she'd done in sector 13.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=darkslateblue]So the only way to get the data was to access the system manually. Which was a problem, because the outpost maintained a permanent staff of just over a hundred personnel, and the data was spread among three different storage systems at the outpost. She could go in by force and get the data from one system, but the personnel would have plenty of time to erase the data from the other two. And even with Specialist equipment, a by-force approach would be very dangerous. No, if Kiva was going to make this work, she needed to find another way. Which would be hard, since she was hign on the Empire's most-wanted list and would be recognized by probably most of the outpost's personnel. So this was going to be tricky.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]Among the data William had provided was a scematic of the target outpost. It was only a scematic of the basic model, not the actual outpost Kiva needed to infiltrate, so it didn't have all the details, but any little bit helped. And Kiva's plan needed to be as good as possible, because she would only get one shot. Fortunately, some details were on the scematic, including the locations of the computer systems she'd need to get access to. This information was crutial, since the only plan she'd been able to come up with wouldn't be possible without it.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]Kiva spent the time en route to the station forming her plan and preparing to excecute it. And her execution would have to be perfect, because there would be no second chances. If she messed up, or if something went wrong, she would lose her chance. Kiva didn't like working without a margin of error, but this time there was no choice. Either the plan worked, or the mission was a failure. So Kiva was making her plan as good as she possibly could, because this mission was too important to fail.[/COLOR]

[Aaryanna]

[COLOR="goldenrod"][FONT="Comic Sans MS"]Valencia had dropped off her passengers upon arriving in sector one. Not really caring one way or the other as to the decision the doctor had finally made. She got what she wanted, payment for her services as always. Once he, along with the kid and the dog, were out of her hair she started making arrangements for her real reason for coming to sector one. Unlike sector eleven, there was no goofing around or ignoring procedure when it came to making arrangements to dock or to transport to different locations.

It was one thing to toy with the New Alliance who were spread to thin to really do anything about it, but here in sector one? Where security was tightest? If not for the profit to be had, she would have never come. Getting the necessary clearance codes to be there hadn't been a problem, bypassing any of the required security checks would be though and she had no desire to end up arrested by the military. Not that she would stay arrested for long, but still, it was a hassle she didn't need.

[B][I]-You really shouldn't be doing this Valencia.-[/I][/B] Cassandra objected once she was docked at one of the space stations orbiting the main world.[B][I] -It's far too dangerous to consider an assignment like this.-[/I][/B]

"[B]You really should quit trying to mother me Cassandra.[/B]" She said with a smile as she put on the tiny pouch for taking her hand held computer, something she rarely carried. But if she was going to take her disruptor pistols with her, she would need the authorization information for having them with her to present if challenged.

A moment to make sure she had the data chip she was to deliver and she was set to head for the underground city where the High Council was located, or rather one of the chambers that connected to it. Permit or not, she was a civilian and therefore would not have the authority to take weapons with her for that particular city.
[B][I]
-Be careful Valencia, if you get into trouble, I won't be able to help you.-[/I][/B]

"[B]I know.[/B]" And then she stepped through the transportation door, smiling politely at the official there who was expecting her arrival. One among many whose only job was to see to the flow of people coming and going in sector one.

"[B]Valencia Sabina.[/B]" He frowned slightly upon realizing who she was. "[B]Your credentials are clear. Enjoy your stay.[/B]"

She just smiled, thanked him and left as quickly as she could without drawing unnecessary attention. Even if she had clearance, that didn't mean others wouldn't find a means to give her grief. And like Cassandra said, once she got out in to the city proper, helping her would be difficult. Unlike other sectors, the cities underground on the main home world, were protected by powerful disruption shields on the surface, making it impossible to transport in or out unless one had the necessary military codes to accomplish such a feat.

Valencia just paid it no heed, heading for the bar where her contact was to meet her and then followed the seedy man as he took her to his employer, the one interested in the data chip. The profit for delivering it was high, just as the potential for betrayal was as well. Though should they take that route, they would regret it. Cassandra would see to it. A moment later as they arrived at a rather expensive dwelling she began to wonder if she was making a mistake. But the tall well dressed man in the office inside seemed pleased to see her.

"[B]Thank you for coming Miss Sabina, I trust you have the merchandise?[/B]" Dark brown hair that lazily covered his silver eyes did little to betray the hidden strength in how he held himself.

Valencia just smiled, reached into her pouch, pulled the data chip and tossed it to him, waiting patiently while he checked the contents. Then while she waited, he made a point of transferring her fee into her personal account, instructing her to check when he was done. Something she did, putting her at ease since doing so indicated there would be no betrayal on his part. If he killed her now, he would never get the money back.

"[B]Before you leave, I was wondering if you'd be interested in taking on new cargo?[/B]" There was something about the way he said cargo that caused her to raise an eyebrow. "[B]I assure you, it wouldn't take up much room.[/B]"

"[B]Depends.[/B]" She grinned. "[B]On the cargo and on the price.[/B]"

He named a figure, making her eyes widen slightly. Just what in the world could this cargo be that he would pay so much for it to be delivered? Especially if it really didn't take up much room as he was claiming. There were very few things that would fetch such a price just for delivery.

"[B]This kind of cargo,[/B]" He switched on the side screen on the far wall, showing what had to be a cell with someone lying on the floor, clearly in bad shape from being beaten repeatedly.

She was rendered a bit speechless, and had to think about it. Not on the thought of delivering a Versilan, but rather on what she had noticed in the image. Even torn and dirty, there was no mistaking the uniform of a Commander or the insignia of the[I] Creator[/I]. That was a mess she didn't need, it was one thing to steal the crystals for a flagship, yet another to deal in trafficking with their officers.[I] Oh hell.[/I]

Valencia wanted to turn and simply leave, instead, she smiled charmingly at her host. "[B]How about we discuss the finer details over dinner? It's been a long trip and I could use a break.[/B]"

He just smiled knowingly, after all, she did have a reputation of being ruthless in getting as much as possible from her clients. "[B]This way then.[/B]"[/FONT][/COLOR]

[Horendithas]

[COLOR="Indigo"][SIZE="1"]Sandra, to be blunt, was in a bad mood. It did not matter to her that the war was going well, that the re-supply and repairs were well in hand. She did not care that things were falling in place better than they had projected. Initially they had expected things to take far more effort and more time. Even the lost of the [I]Intrepid[/I] was not enough to deter how well things were going. If they were quick enough they would be able to head off the New Alliances attempts to secure sectors four and three. And yet, she didn't give a damn.

All she could think about, even though she had tried unsuccessfully to put it out of mind, was what had happened to Darren Anderson and now to Jared Scorer as well since he had gone missing. When he had not returned to duty the other day, she had known something was wrong. Jared did not show up late, [I]ever[/I]. A quick check had shown what he was doing as well as to where he had transported to.

At first she had thought he had fall astray of David Barak, the situation too dangerous when he went to pick him up. But sending a team down to arrest the man had proven that theory wrong when they picked him up without any incident. This only confirmed her suspicion that he had run into something unexpected. Jared had never been stupid enough to go on his own if there was a chance for serious trouble to occur. And to the best of their knowledge, Commodore Nazar was unaware that his aide was being investigated. David Barak had known nothing about Jared as whatever befell him happened before he even got to him.

Which meant some other kind of trouble had found him, only she didn't know what. And considering how many enemies Jared had made over the years, Sandra knew that checking out all of the potential issues, was something that with the war, they just didn't have the resources or the time for. If it had been connected to the Commodore, she could have pulled an Elite Specialist for the task, but since it hadn't... she snarled in frustration when the chime indicating there was an incoming message sounded in her quarters. She frowned even more upon realizing that it was Stevens.

"[B]What did you want?[/B]" She said shortly, not bothering to be polite.

Stevens just raised an eyebrow at her apparent anger, "[B]We need to initiate the attacks immediately.[/B]"

"[B]I know that![/B]" Sandra snapped. "[B]I already pulled up the necessary codes, mine and Jared's[/B]"

After all, personal feelings aside, the war was far more important. They had spent too much time getting everything ready, issuing all the orders through different channels and different officers. All to make sure the New Alliance wouldn't realize what they were up to until it was too late. In just a short time, the last pieces would be in place.

"[B]Sandra...[/B]"

"[B]Don't start Stevens, I never neglect my duties no matter how I may feel about them. No matter how much I wish to do more than is allowed.[/B]" She glared at him, feeling far more angry than she should. After all, it wasn't Steven's fault that she wasn't allowed to do more to investigate what had happened to Jared. There were teams assigned to it, they just weren't enough in her opinion.

"[B]I will be ready at the appointed time, so unless you have other business that we need to discuss....[/B]"

Stevens just sighed a little. "[B]No, I do not. I will contact you shortly. Stevens out.[/B]"

Sandra sighed herself once the connection was closed. She couldn't stay in her quarters for much longer. Unlike Jared, her temporary Commander, Drace, was someone who required a close eye, his lust for power all to evident in her eyes. Unlike Jared, he wanted the position, not that Jared didn't enjoy his work, but he didn't have an eye towards replacing her like Drace did. Though he tried to hide it, without success. But she knew better, she had been around his type all to often.

She checked the time and decided that she could stay put for a little while longer. Sandra moved back to standing and observing the progress with the repairs from her quarters. As well as the different ships and views of the various moons and the home world as could be seen from where the ship was currently stationed. She lost herself in the peacefulness of the view for a while, until finally with a sharp turn, she turned her back on it and left her quarters to head for the bridge of the[I] Creator[/I].[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Blayze]

[SIZE=1]Laser shots and disruptor blasts flew in all directions across the meeting chamber, gouging chips out of the stone walls, sending them flying through the air. Kreid managed to ignore the tiny flecks of shrapnel that were bombarding the side of his head, and kept his aim steady, squeezing off bursts of disruptor energy from his rifle, each shot finding it's target.

He managed to flick his focus off the assassins for a few seconds to see the Commander and Zaidin heading off toward the stairwell. He knew that there were probably more of the soldiers sent by one or more of the Representatives heading there now, and the security detail weren't properly equipped to even think about taking them on. He needed to get down to the lower levels quickly and get to the Commander, so he took a few steps backward, ran and leapt off the balcony, spinning his body round in mid-air and latching his hands onto the balcony below as he fell.

He hauled himself up quickly and quietly, slipping onto the balcony below, and readied his weapon again. He needed to do this as quietly as possible, so he quickly decided against the use of the rifle, placing it quietly on the floor. He headed over to the door, and turned the handle slowly with a gloved hand. He pulled the door open and shifted out into the corridor. As far as he could tell from an immediate observation, there were no more than three or four men in the corridor with him, all of them heavily armed and heading for the stairwell. That was good, it gave him the opportunity to take them by surprise. He kept his back to the wall, made sure he stayed in the shadows, and moved along quietly. A moment later he saw the back of one of the soldiers, and moved closer, never making a sound.

As swiftly as he could, he grabbed the back of the soldier's armoured vest and hauled backwards and sideways, making the man stumble into one of the side-rooms along the corridor. Kreid kept hold of his vest and was pulled through the door with him. He lifted his foot quickly and placed it in the small of the man's back, applying force and letting go of the vest, sending the man toppling over the balcony and down to the floor below, where Kreid heard a sickening crunch, and knew that if not dead, at least his opponent was incapacitated.

He moved back out into the corridor and continued along, past a number of doors, until he came to the back of the second man. He darted across the hall and slipped into the nearest room to the soldier, and knocked smartly three times on the inside of the door. He heard the man turn and move towards the door, and as soon as he saw the nose of his gun barrel poke through the crack, he slammed the weight of both his hands down on it, sending the man toppling into the room.

[B]"You son of a..." [/B]the man never finished his curse, as Kreid slammed the heel of his palm into the man's nose. He felt a crunch of cartilage, and felt warm, sticky blood cascade down his wrist, then slammed his boot into the man's sternum. He went down, hard, and Kreid brutally stamped on his face, knocking him unconscious in another spray of blood.

Kreid then drew both his pistols and stepped back out into the corridor. He knew his actions would have drawn the attention of the other soldiers, and he was exactly right. As he moved out of the small room, there were two soldiers standing in front of him, their rifles raised, but he squeezed off a volley of shots which knocked them both to the floor before they could even think about opening fire.

Kreid leant down and took the rifle off the nearest soldier, then raised it and headed into the stairwell. As he moved slowly and cautiously down the stairs, a shot rang out, and Kreid was knocked to the floor.

[B]"Oh my God," [/B]came the voice of the Commander, [B]"Kreid, I'm so sorry, I thought you were one of them."

"Don't worry, Commander," [/B]wheezed Kreid as he sat up, [B]"The dispersal mesh saved me there, but that shot sure knocked the wind out of me."

"Is it clear?"

"Far from it. I've just taken out four on my way here, but there's definitely a lot more where they came from."

"They were sent here by one of the Representatives...Flynt, I think his name was. He stationed men here to assassinate me."

"Then it's a good job I'm here to stop them, sir," [/B]said Kreid, lifting the rifle, [B]"Now, this stairwell is far from secure. We'll need to get out of the building before the planet's law enforcement officers show up and make the whole thing a lot worse. Follow me." [/B]Kreid levelled the rifle, resting it in the crook of his arm, and headed out of the stairwell, back into the main meeting chamber.

The room was barely recognisable. Scorch marks and places where stone had been chipped out of the walls decorated it, as well as blood splatters, and bodies were lying slumped on the floor, some of them Alliance soldiers, others those of Representative Flynt's assassins.

[B]"This is barbaric," [/B]said the Commander quietly, but with no sign of weakness in his voice. He sounded more angry than upset, but no rage showed on his face.

[B]"This is war, Commander," [/B]said Kreid, [B]"We made our bed, now we have to lie in it," [/B]then, seeing the Commander's face, he added, [B]"We'll get who was responsible for this. We'll make sure they face justice, and get the punishment they deserve. But right now we've got to get out of here." [/B]The Commander nodded, and Kreid led the way towards the exit.

Just then, an explosion, big enough to knock Kreid off his feet, but not big enough to bring the building down, erupted ahead of them, bringing rubble and plaster dust cascading down, blocking the exit...
[/SIZE]

[Rachmaninoff]

Kerstin was feeling rather useless at the moment, it was a feeling she had been struggling with for quite some time. Even doing the sketches for the meeting she had been a part of for sector eight had felt like a useless gesture. The whole war on some level to her felt pointless. Why couldn't they have just reached a compromise? Why did the stupid killing have to continue? So many questions and no answers that she was comfortable with.

It didn't help that she couldn't just return to her original life of an artist. It seemed rather ironic and sad that only now did she really understand why Darren had been so frustrated by what had happened to him. Looking at things from the outside, she could only see what seemed like an amazing opportunity. Getting the job of Shipping Expert, something that was highly coveted and sought after, along with the chance to make a real difference, it had all seemed exciting to her.

It was a thought that made her laugh now, a dark bitter laugh that did nothing to alleviate the feelings of entrapment she felt. And that too made Kerstin want to laugh, being on board one of the flag ships, a position that so many would pay anything for and yet all she could see was how much the [I]Conqueror[/I] felt like a prison. It was stifling and maddening all in one.

[I]I need to get out of here. [/I]Though where she didn't know. Returning to Reflection to attend university was out of the question. In truth, nearly everything was out of the question. After all, she was too afraid to go on her own, her face too well known. Getting a military escort was limited on account of the war and she did not wish to be targeted yet again on account of her brother. Though that was something she couldn't bring herself to fault him for. After all, she too was pleased to see him make sure some of the more corrupt officials were dealt with.

Kerstin finally decided to put in a request for an escort down to one of the cities close to the main capitol, she did need a few art supplies after all. If she couldn't really go anywhere, the change in scenery might at least make her feel better, if only for a short while. Though as she put the request in, the thought crossed her mind that if she knew where Darren was, she'd leave in a heartbeat. Dangerous or not, she'd leave the sector without a second thought.

[CENTER]------------------------------------------[/CENTER]
His hand pressed to his forehead, Darren was wondering what idiot had kept the older protocols running at the location the original message had been sent from. That more than anything had scrambled the message nearly beyond recognition as well as the person attempting to fit the data into the merchant forms. It was one of the dumbest things he had ever seen anyone do, [I]ever[/I]. It was like they had tried to stuff form after form for one's cargo with some form of information that on some level looked like gibberish to him.

[I]What in the world is this suppose to be?[/I] Though considering that the illegal mental modifications had been done in sector fourteen, he imagined that it was data for another illegal project of some kind. But then he got another surprise when he realized that whoever sent the message had tried to be even more clever in hiding the information. The original protocols had been somehow stripped, half of the data indicating how things were to be processed gone, replaced with more of the same type of gibberish. Though he imagined someone who understood genetics might understand it, that is, if it hadn't been scrambled.

It was easy to see how the newer protocols had made things worse. Without the recognition code and sequences, it had tried, unsuccessfully, to restructure the data for transmission. Which of course had only messed things up even further. The sloppy manner in which it was done was most likely a result of whoever sent it doing so in a hurry, after all, Stevens had said that one of the head researchers there sent an emergency transmission via the shipping protocols since all other routes of communication were jammed.

Stevens was mistaken in thinking that the interference scrambled the message though, no that was caused by the sender stripping out chunks of the older protocols to make room for the data being sent. And now, it was hopelessly mixed up on account of the new protocols. It didn't help that there was now a lot of redundancy in there as well, in the form of the standard duplicates made for verification and record keeping processes. A good third of the data was duplicated and needed to be trimmed out to get to the original message.

[I]This is going to take a while.[/I] Darren took a deep breath before leaning over, folding his arms on the terminal in front of him and then placing his head on his arms, breathing out. [I]Gods, this really is going to take forever. I'm going to have to request equipment for this and I can't imagine that they'll want to give me a decent hand held computer. [/I]Though if they really wanted it done in a timely manner, he was going to need it.

Darren sat back up, looking around at the small cargo room on the ship he was on, where the equipment was set up. Even though the blond Versilan who had brought him here was no where to be seen, the two guarding the exit were still staying put. He took another deep breath to steady himself and got up to approach them. [I]I should find out what that guys name is[/I], he thought as he realized that not once had he ever volunteered what his name was. [I]Who the hell is he anyway?[/I] Not that he really cared, it just seemed silly to refer to him by appearance only.

[GuyYouMetOnline]

[COLOR=darkslateblue][I]And... done.[/I][/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]Kiva was in an environmental suit, outside of the facility where her target was located. She'd gotten into sector 2 just fine, using the [I]Phoenix[/I]'s codes to get past patrols. Then she'd approached the target facility, which was located on a moon in an uninhabited system. The facility had basic sensor equipment, but none of it saw the [I]Catalyst[/I]. Kiva had exited hyperspace well outside of detection range and approached the moon under low power with all stealth systems online. Landing had been tricky, as she'd had to land under emergency power only, all she could use so close to the facility without being detected. This had necessitated a manual landing, which wasn't easy under such low power, but Kiva'd managed to do it. She'd landed far away from the facility, suited up, and made her way to the facility on foot, since a transport door, or at least the end at the facility, would have been detected.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]Kiva's plan relyed on the structual breach reaction policies that were standard in any facility on a moon or some other place without atmosphere. A structural breach could be disasterous with air blowing out and people dying from a lack of air. SO any breach was immediately sealed off, allowing only a very brief time for anyone in the area to get out. Anyone still in the area when it was sealed off was dead unless they got into environmental suits, as the area wouldn't be unsealed until the breach was repaired. For major structural breaches, or significant structural damage of any kind, additional measures were taken, and everyone in the facility was to move as quickly as possible to the nearest 'safety bunker', self-contained structures with sufficient provisions to last for weeks, including a suficient air supply. But it was the immediate reaction that Kiva was counting on, as the facillty had three seperate structures. Breaches occuring in all three would be suspicious, but since everyone would move immediately to the safety bunkers, nobody would see the readings from the other structures. Which would give Kiva the window she needed.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]Kiva had planted explosives on all three structures, and now she detonated them simultaniously. Then she waited. She'd estimated how long it would take for everyone to get to a bunker using the schematics she'd been provided with, and she waited for only that amount of time before making her move. She needed to move quickly, as her window was brief. Although the bunkers closes to the blasts would remain sealed for a while, all others would be open after a few minutes, and Kiva had to be in and out before then, as damage control would be all over the place and anything she was doing would undoubtedly be noticed. It wasn't enough time to get the data she needed, and only just enough time to do what she was going to do.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]What Kiva needed to do was set up a remote data transfer, but she first needed to connect transmitters to the computer systems, as they were standalone and had no broadcast capability of their own. The transmitters were fitted with small explosives, enough to destroy them without harming anything else. Kiva would detonate them when the data transfer was complete, removing the evidence of what she'd done. Somebody would still notice something, undoubtedly, but not enough to figure out what had happened. And the odds that someone would notice the transmitters while they were transmitting was extremely small, as the staff would be busy focusing on the damage to the structures. But Kiva herself would be noticed, so she needed to get in, connect the transmitters, and start the data transfer quickly. Fortunately, with nobody watching the sensors, she could use transport doors without anyone knowing.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]Kiva signaled the [I]Catalyst[/I] using her handheld. The ship responded to her remote command, opening a transport door to the room of the first facilitiy's computer system. Kiva connected a transmitter to it, then repeated the process with the other two facilities. The she transported back to the [I]Catalyst[/I] and monitered the transfer. As soon as it was complete, Kiva detonated the transmitters and began the takeoff procedure.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]The transfer had taken long enough that there were undoubtedly people monitoring the sensor equipment again, so takeoff would have to be done under emergency power, just like the landing. This was actually easier, since the rough terrain of the moon wasn't a concern once the [I]Catalyst [/I]was off the ground. Leaving the system was a lot slower, as Kiva could only use emergency power for acceleration, whereas she'd been able to accelerate before entering sensor range on her way in, but she made it out of sensor range eventually. She waited a bit longer, just to be certain, then made the jump to hyperspace.[/COLOR]

[SunfallE]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"]Celestia had been right about the person she had warned not leaving the [I]Creator[/I]. Warning or not, someone like that would not leave without a good reason. She was only glad that they couldn?t know who had sent the warning, that would have been unbearably awkward. Still when she had seen them earlier that day, she had been careful to avoid looking at them. It made her wonder how someone could even do such a thing though, pretending to be something they were not, in constant danger of being exposed. It was something she wasn?t sure she could do. It had been hard enough living with the stress of being found before her and Jason had been captured.

[I]I wish they had heeded my warning and left.[/I] It hadn?t been easy to track down what Kenath had given them, after all, some of them could be agents for the New Alliance as well. Celestia had at least been able to carefully remove traces for not only the message she had sent but others she had found sent by the person she had warned. It had been easy enough to do on account of her knowing who they were. It had been nerve wracking though, as she was constantly worried about being caught at it. But the others her and Jason were looking into? She had no choice but to hand over the information. And having some of the members of the crew who worked in the lab taken away had made her feel as if she was dying inside somehow.

It didn?t help that her and Jason also now lacked what little protection they would get from Jared as it seemed that he had vanished, the rumors flying all over the ship. It was hard to ignore as all the speculation as to what could have happened was currently on quite a few crewmembers minds. Just as there was plenty of gossip going around about their new Commander, Drace. Though for now that was temporary and would not be official until an investigation into Jared?s disappearance was completed. [I]I can?t believe I?m actually wishing Jared was still on board.[/I] She could only shake her head at the thought, the memory of running into him so many weeks ago still in her mind. [I]I must be going crazy.[/I]

It didn?t change the fact that Celestia almost wished she and Jason were assigned to assist with tracking Jared down. Not because she ever wanted to see him again, but because unlike Drace, Jared never, [I]ever[/I] countered the High Council?s orders unless he had a good solid reason. Which meant that their orders that the two of them stay together was something he would not counter. Where Drace on some level was incapable of seeing her and Jason as nothing more than slaves to do with as he pleased. With a tiny sigh she tried to get her mind back to finishing up the work they had been assigned. And off of how much she hated it. Even working on improving their programs was preferable to helping them track down potential New Alliance agents.

[I]The longer I?m here?[/I] With a shake of her head, a tiny smile at Jason who gave her a concerned look; she turned back to her terminal to finish checking the information that had been obtained about the unauthorized messages that had been deleted. They were almost done and she couldn?t help but wonder as to what they would be doing next. [/FONT][/COLOR]

[Horendithas]

[COLOR="Indigo"][SIZE="1"]Jared was unfazed by the punishment and the repeat beatings he was subjected to, his laugh and grin upon the treatment merely serving to irritate those who were holding him prisoner. He could have made the effort to appear suitably subdued but the whole thing just made him laugh inwardly. Compared to Commander Alan and himself, those who had captured him were amateurs. And their expressions of near rage over having to restrain themselves least they kill him was supremely amusing.

Just as their obvious fear of him was as well, the way they cautiously made sure to half stun him before doing anything was highly entertaining. They were such cowards really, and if he got the chance, he would enjoy taking each and every one of them apart, piece by piece. Jared sighed slightly when the door to the tiny cell opened and he was once again hit with a light stun blast. This time though, he was surprised by being dragged out of the cell and placed in a type of long narrow container.

Even in his half stunned state he recognized what they were putting him in before closing the lid, the locks snapping into place with an audible hum. It was something used by smugglers who trafficked in illegal slavery, inside it had what was needed to keep him from suffocating along with the necessary shielding to keep any checkpoints from realizing what was really inside. They were often used to fool standard checks and the fact that they hadn?t bothered to drug him meant his destination couldn?t be that far off. Probably a ship in orbit around the main world in sector one. It did make him wonder why they were going to such lengths to move him though.

[I]Just what in the world was Commodore Nazar up to?[/I] It made no sense in his mind as his initial investigation was not something that would have been known. He had only begun, and heading down to pick up David Barak had been his first move. Had he stumbled into something else? After all, he did have quite a few enemies. Had someone seen him and simply taken advantage of the opportunity? It was a question that was foremost on his mind since he was certain that if Commodore Nazar had indeed allowed the [I]Intrepid [/I]to go down, then killing him would have been a better option. He would not have bothered to capture him.

Jared did not bother to attempt to break free of the compartment he was in. He had done enough investigations to know that any attempt on his part would be a waste of time. He simply didn?t have the means to break free and he doubted that it would be faulty. Whoever was in charge would have made sure that it was checked before they even came to get him. He would have to simply wait for when he was finally released, even if it would mostly likely be to the inside of another cell in a ship. It was a pity he had no means to send out a signal to anyone.

It felt like an eternity before the container was put in an up right position and the sound of the locks being released could be heard. The lid swung open and harsh light flooded the space, causing him to close his eyes tightly and then stumble to his knees. Before he could react the sound of a disruptor going off was heard and he was once again stunned lightly, falling to the floor on his face, barely conscious. It still had him snickering a bit, to see how afraid of him they were. But he could not have predicted what he would hear next over the sounds of the container being dragged away.

?[B]Would you stop that!?[/B]? It was a woman?s voice, her tone one of irritation. ?[B]I swear, you?re so damn trigger happy. He can?t even stand so why the hell did you stun him?[/B]?

?[B]You do know who this is right?[/B]? This time it was a man?s voice, one he recognized as being from the group who had captured him to begin with.

?[B]Oh good grief you [I]idiotic morons![/I] Of course we know what our cargo is![/B]? This voice though female sounded odd and Jared couldn?t quite place what was wrong with it. It just sounded odd to him.

?[B]Would you get these cretins off of my ship already?![/B]? The voice demanded, sounding angry and exasperated all in one. Oddly, Jared found himself actually liking whoever they were, he tried to shift so he could see but found that he couldn?t move yet.

?[B]You heard her, you?re done fools.[/B]? It was the first woman?s voice again and then over the sound of footsteps as they all left, he caught just a little more before the door to his new cell closed behind the woman as she sighed.

?[B]Now I just need to figure out what to do with our other visitor.[/B]?

?[B]Well duh,[/B]? the other one laughed. ?[B]I can?t imagine Stevens would be pleased.[/B]?

And then the door was shut and he could hear nothing else. With a bit of an inward sigh, he tried to focus on shaking off the effects of the light stun he had gotten so he could see where the hell he was, even if it was likely to tell him nothing. In a way, he was curious to find why he had been snatched in the first place. If he was going to die, that was the one thing he wanted to know first, who was behind it and why.[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Aaryanna_Mom]

Daniel resisted the urge to cough through all the dust settling in the room and instead reached over; extending his hand to Kried who took it, letting go once Daniel had helped him regain his footing. [I]So much for getting out that way.[/I] He looked to the group that was with him, most of them other than Zaidin and Kried had been taken out. If they didn?t get out of there and soon? He shook his head slightly, there was no changing his decision. He had made it and he could not second guess it, not at this point and he was still positive that Representative Flynt was acting on his own.

Other than a glance to make sure that the others had things under control, Daniel pulled out his hand held computer to quickly check to see if he could get a signal to the [I]Liberator[/I], but Flynt had been smarter than that, the area was being jammed. Though that worked in his favor as well, making it harder for them to coordinate their attempts to take him down. They had a tiny brief window until the area would be swarmed again now that their escape route had been cut off.

Though it was unlikely it would do any good, Daniel set the distress signal on automatic and then put his computer back in it's pouch. He had to get them out of the room and all the stairwells leading out would have more assassins waiting for them, the only route that was feasible was the same way the Representatives had gone. But that way would be well guarded or rather the security on the doors would be tight as it was meant as a safety feature.

"[B]This way,[/B]" Daniel motioned to the group as he moved towards the exit behind where the Representatives sat during a session. They had a short window before the others moved in and if they were to get out that way, it would be now or never, but if he was wrong... it was out in the open and they'd be mowed down before they could get back under cover.

"[B]What are you doing sir?[/B]" Tarika Zaidin was aghast. "[B]We don't have the security code and it's too exposed![/B]"

Kreid caught him by the shoulder, "[B]I agree sir, we need to find another way out.[/B]"

[B]"I'll take care of the security code, you two need to focus on protecting my back while I do so.[/B]" He pulled free. "[B]We don't have the time to discuss it.[/B]"

"[B]But sir![/B]" Zaidin was saying, but Daniel was already moving for the doors. She turned to give Kried a look of exasperation but he and the others were already following Commander Landers. Cursing slightly she moved to follow, keeping her sights set on the surrounding area, looking for movement that would indicate that the next wave was there, Kreid and the others doing the same.

"[B]I hope your information is correct William.[/B]" Daniel muttered under his breath as he entered the code that he had been given.

"[B]William sir?[/B]"

Daniel spared a quick glance towards Kried who had a slightly puzzled look on his face. He grinned faintly and turned back to what he was doing. "[B]We didn't get this far by being led by an idiot Kreid.[/B]" Daniel said cryptically, he just hoped that the override code William had gotten for him in case he should need it worked. [I]I'm going to feel like a fool if it doesn't. [/I]

With an audible hiss, the door slide open and not a moment too soon as shots rang out indicating that the next group had arrived. The party quickly made their way into the next room, the door shutting behind them, a few shots impacting harmlessly on the closing door.

"[B]The door Kried.[/B]" Daniel started to explain but Kried was already ahead of him as he blasted the controls to the door, short circuiting it to prevent the groups from following them.

They were turning to make their way further into the building when a powerful explosion caused the entire building to shudder, and then another followed up by yet another one. Only one thing could be causing that, the only question in Daniel's mind was how had Spencer found out? He was moving to retrieve his hand held computer to contact the [I]Liberator[/I] when they were caught in a transport door and deposited on the bridge of the [I]Liberator. [/I]

"[B]What's the situation Spencer?[/B]" Daniel asked immediately.

"[B]We picked up the explosion from the surface and when our attempts to contact you were met with jamming, I took the liberty of destroying the generators for the Representative Center.[/B]" He paused meaningfully. "[B]Once the jamming and the shields were down, we picked up your distress signal. We locked on to it and I had you transported here.[/B]"

"[B]Good work Spencer.[/B]"

"[B]What happened sir?[/B]"

"[B]Representative Flynt attempted to have me assassinated. You're to move in and secure the area immediately. I want them taken alive though since it is my belief that Flynt was acting alone.[/B]"

"[B]Right, I've already sent groups in to secure the area.[/B]" He turned briefly to issue the order.

Daniel turned to address the security still standing there. "[B]Good work Kried and Zaidin, go and get cleaned up, I'll call you if I need to head to the surface again.[/B]" He acknowledged their salutes with a nod, watching them and the others until they had left. Then he turned his attention back to the current operation.

It didn't take long for the groups to seize the Representatives Meeting Chambers. And thankfully, once the mess had been dealt with, the rest of the surrender and take over was handled without further incident.

[SunfallE]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"][CENTER][IMG]http://img476.imageshack.us/img476/5842/civilwar02el1.jpg[/IMG]
[SIZE=1]Banner by [URL=http://www.otakuboards.com/member.php?userid=19869][COLOR=RoyalBlue][U]Aaryanna[/U][/COLOR][/URL][/SIZE][/CENTER]
Things were finally back on track for the New Alliance with the successful take over of sector four. With the arrest of Representative Flynt and Representative Koles, sector three had also finally broken off from the Versilan Empire. Cutting their ties to the High Council and incidentally revitalizing the war efforts. Even now the news that two of the core systems had joined was spreading like wildfire, creating chaos and disbelief among the other systems still loyal to the High Council. After all, it was one thing for the sectors that were home to the conquered races to break off, but for two of the six main sectors to willingly join? It was a major shock to the other four and just made William smile as he busied himself with all the reports coming in.

Not only that, the progress being made by Darren Anderson with the messed up transmission was coming along nicely. It had required authorizing the use of a small hand held computer, but he had felt it worth the risk. His information indicated that Darren lacked the expertise to even do anything with it to send a message and it was a simple matter for him to make sure he couldn't. The only thing irritating Darren, besides being forced to sort the data, was how he wanted to know who William was and there was no reason to tell him. William made sure the crew knew as well. Once the data was sorted, then if he knew he didn't care.

He pulled his attention back to the reports and to the plans for their next move. At the moment Commander Landers was heading for sector three to help with the switch over and to get their defenses in place for when the main fleet in sector one moved to put an end to the sectors breaking off. Things were going to get tricky from now on. Timing was going to be crucial if they were to have a hope of winning. He was still sitting on the details of the forbidden research from the third project that had been running in sector fourteen before they destroyed the research facilities there.

William wanted to release it as soon as possible since he was certain it would cause enough of an uproar that other sectors might even break off too. The citizens, even those who were still loyal, were tired of the secrets and lies from the High Council. [I]If we time this right, releasing it could possibly end the war.[/I] And even if it didn't, the data he was hoping Kiva had gotten would make a difference too. By learning who was working for the Empire, they could at least start dealing with that particular problem. He sighed as he turned back to the plans for which sector would be next once Commander Landers was done.

"[B]Sir! We've got reports coming in that all sectors are under attack![/B]"

[I]What the...?[/I] Startled William looked up from what he was doing. [I]All sectors? That can't be right.[/I] There was no way they could have managed to get into all of the sectors. But the moment that thought crossed his mind, one of the newly arrived supply ships in orbit slammed into one of the other ships before exploding. [I]Damn![/I]

"[B]Go to Amber Alert! Find out what the hell is going on![/B]" He snapped out as he pulled up the emergency battle screens as the fleet there scrambled to battle readiness as he attempted to find out what the hell had gone wrong. He winced as another supply ship did the same as the other one had, slamming into a ship before it too exploded. [I]Is that... [/I]

"[B]Pull clear of all supply ships at once! Order all transport ships to power down immediately, any ship that does not comply immediately is to be destroyed![/B]"

"[B]Sir?[/B]"

"[B]Just do it! Send the order out to all sectors immediately![/B]" He didn't know how the hell they had managed it, but somehow they had to have sneaked in some suicidal crews, or had they? He wasn't sure just what was going on, but his instinct was telling him it had to be the High Council. The only question on his mind was how the hell had they managed to trick the system? You couldn't just pack a ship with explosives and send it on it's way, it just didn't work.

William knew from experience that the changes Darren had implemented since he became the Shipping Expert that it wasn't that easy to get around going through the protocols. It had forced him change how he got around as a fake merchant. He shoved the thought aside, once they got it under control, he was going to have a little chat with Darren, but for now, he had to find all of the ships that were not what they appeared to be.

He winced again as another ship was destroyed, the fleet not managing to get to it before it took out a civilian passenger ship. [I]Oh hell! They're targeting whatever ship is closest![/I] That changed everything and would make getting rid of the rigged ships even more difficult. [I]I hope to hell we don't get an attack right now,[/I] he thought. If that were to happen, it would be a total disaster. [/FONT][/COLOR]

[GuyYouMetOnline]

[COLOR=darkslateblue]Someone had undoubtable guessed by now what had happened at the facility, but it no longer mattered, as Kiva was out of Empire-controlled space. In fact, she was about to exit hyperspace in sector 9. She didn't care if anyone knew what she'd done now; all that mattered was that they'd been in the dark long enough for Kiva to get away. And the data she'd aquired was extremely valuable. William would doubtlessly be eager to receive it.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]The [I]Catalyst[/I] exited hyperspace, and Kiva proceeded in-system normally. But then she saw one ship ram another and explode, and realized that things weren't as calm as she'd expected. [I]What the hell?[/I][/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]Kiva sent a priority transmission requesting to speak to William, then tried to make sense out of what was happening. [I]Those are all transport ships! This isn't a normal attack; those are kamikazies! And-[/I] one of them collided with what was clearly a civilian ship- [I]they're not discriminating targets. They aren't hitting each other, but they're hitting whatever else is closest.[/I][/COLOR]
[I][/I]
[COLOR=#483d8b]As soon as William was put on, Kiva spoke. "William, what the hell is this?"[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"I don't know. They're suiciding into whatever they can reach, and-"[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"These have to be automated," Kiva said. "No human crew would make the targeting decisions these ships have. Their pattern clearly indicates these are operating under computer control."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"Maybe, but this is still a nasty move."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]Another civilian ship was hit. "And a dumb one," Kiva said. "Something like this can only contribute to unrest. I wouldn't be surprised if the Empire loses another sector to us because of something like this. Be careful, William. There has to be something more going on here."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"I can't wory about that now," William said. "I've got my hands full with this mess."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"Then we need to take care of this as quickly as possible. I'm taking the [I]Catalyst[/I] in to assist. I'll get the sector 2 data to you once this is over. Kiva out."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]Kiva ended the transmission, brought the [I]Catalyst[/I] to full combat readiness, and headed forward into the fray.[/COLOR]

[Aaryanna]

[COLOR="DarkGreen"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]Valencia was wondering how the hell she had ended up with her current cargo. It wasn?t something she had planned on and she really didn?t want it in the first place. If she could, she would have simply dropped both of them off and left the sector immediately. But it just wasn?t possible, not without causing ripples that would have done more harm than even getting caught by the military with the pair in tow. Though she would be hard pressed to get out of having the Commander of the[I] Creator[/I] onboard. It wouldn?t matter that she had accepted the assignment because she had recognized him, and leaving after saying no would have been too dangerous.

It was the other one that had her seeing red the most though, an irritating woman who when she had been going back through the check point to make use of a transport door, had latched herself onto Valencia as she was literally walking through the door to her ship. And what made it worse, the other passenger was yet another one that both the Commodore of the[I] Creator[/I], Sandra T Luciana and the Fleet Admiral Stevens of the [I]Conqueror[/I] would be displeased about.

Sometimes, Valencia really hated all the dual dealings she had between the two parties. The leader of the Resistance and now co-leader of the New Alliance William and Fleet Admiral Stevens, though the first time she had met him he had not been the Fleet Admiral nor a member of the High Council, only a Candidate. It was in her mind, only a matter of time before her luck ran out, and if there was ever a time for it, the crazy Civil War going on would be it. Valencia kept finding herself with dealings she normally would have never touched.

[B][I]-You?re such an idiot Valencia.-[/I][/B] Cassandra said for what had to be the hundredth time since she had gotten back from her meeting with Fleet Admiral Stevens. They were half way to their intended destination of sector three and yet she was still admonishing Valencia.

?[B]Would you shut up already? I heard you the first time![/B]? Valencia pressed a hand to her forehead as she slumped back in her command chair on the bridge. ?[B]It?s not the first time we?ve had an assignment we?d rather forgo and it won?t be the last, so stop your bellyaching already![/B]?

[B][I]-I don?t understand why you took the assignments though. I mean I can understand the Commander, after all refusing that could have resulted in those fools killing you but the woman?-[/I][/B] Cassandra snorted.[I][B] -You should have dragged her through the transport door and given her to Stevens when you went for your meeting with him.-[/B][/I]

Valencia let go of her forehead and sat up straight, as much as it pained her to admit it, Cassandra had a point. There had been no good reason for her to even accept the woman?s desperate plea for passage to sector nine. In a way it annoyed her that the woman had simply recognized her and seized the chance to force her way onboard. She was oddly comforted by how much she had scared the hell out of her by threatening to jettison her into space for such a stunt. But unless absolutely necessary, Valencia never engaged in such tactics. Rumors were more than enough to do the job for her.

?[B]It?s done and over with, so there?s no point in second guessing it. If it makes anyone mad, they should know by now I do whatever the hell I want.[/B]? Though she had gotten an ugly moment when Stevens had confronted her over stealing the Crystals for Flagships. He had been furious, only slightly mollified by her obtaining the information he had wanted.

?[B]As soon as this stupid war is over Cassandra, remind me to retire and never take another assignment again.[/B]?

[I][B]-You?ll get no argument from me. Though I?d rather do that now instead of later. It?s not like you need the money after all.-[/B][/I]

Valencia just shrugged since money wasn?t her motivation anyway. She had her reasons for doing what she did, reasons that were her own and no one else?s. Not even Cassandra knew the whole truth, odd personality or not, she couldn?t trust in Cassandra?s security to keep someone from hacking into her core system. Though she?d be surprised if anyone could, out of curiosity she?d had it checked by some of the best at what they do and none of them had been able to get in.

With a sigh Valencia pulled up the display of the cell for the Commander. Now that he wasn?t being beaten and stunned left and right, he?d finally managed to heal up a bit. With the bruises mostly gone, he looked more like the pictures in his service files. It was a pity that he was utterly ruthless and cruel, something beautiful had no right to be cruel in Valencia?s opinion. [I] I?ll be glad to hand that one over to my contact. [/I]She was eager to get him off of her ship and out of her hair so to speak.

?[B]I don?t know why you bother to talk to that one.[/B]? She commented to Cassandra who for some odd reason would bother the Commander when he was awake. Not that she really cared, it was just surprising that Cassandra would ignore their other guest and talk to him.

[I][B]-I?m not sure either.-[/B][/I] If she had been human, Cassandra would have shrugged. [I][B]-I just find him interesting, his responses do not match the rumors running around about him. I want to know why.-[/B][/I]

Valencia just laughed and then hushed at the sound of the doors to the bridge opening. She turned, her chair swiveling as she faced their other guest. Suppressing a sigh she addressed her. ?[B]Is there anything I can do for you?[/B]? Though if she had her way, she?d just make her stay in her quarters until they arrived. And if the woman kept coming to talk to her like she had done since they left sector one, she was going to end up doing that. But for now she just smiled that dazzling fake smile of hers. [/FONT][/COLOR]

[GuyYouMetOnline]

[COLOR=darkslateblue]"[I]Striker[/I] is down!" Kiva said over the comm. "[I]Knife[/I], divert to replace [I]Striker[/I]. I'll cover [I]Caravan[/I]."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]Kiva may not have officially been part of the fleet, but she'd more or less found herself in command of the defense. And there was a good reason; only the [I]Catalyst[/I] had the sensor equipment to detect which ships were the explosive-carrying kamikazies. Nothing else in-system could do so; only the [I]Catalyst[/I]'s more advanced sensor equipment was able to. So since only Kiva's ship could tell which ships to target, she'd ended up coordinating the system's defense.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]The entire situation was a mess. Several ships had already been hit and destroyed, including both millitary and civilian ships. To make things worse, the civilian passenger liner [I]Caravan[/I] had suffered an engine failure upon exiting hyperspace. It was drifting in-system on momentum, but not very quickly. Tugs were on the way to tow it in for repairs, but until they arrived, [I]Caravan[/I] was just drifting on momentum. Which hadn't been a problem until the kamikazies showed up. They were targeting the nearest ships, and [I]Caravan[/I] was stuck in the outer system, unable to get to safety. Which meant that it had been targeted by multiple attackers. And the [I]Caravan[/I] had a full passenger load. If it was hit, a hell of a lot of people would die.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b][I]Knife [/I]had been covering [I]Caravan[/I], but Kiva sent the ship to replace the destroyed [I]Striker[/I] while she moved the [I]Catalyst[/I] over to cover [I]Caravan[/I]. It was a superior ship, better able to do the job. Not that the job would be too hard, as things were winding down. Only a few kamikazies remained, and it didn't take long to get rid of them.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"Okay," Kiva said, "looks like we're clear. Excellent work, everyone. Return to your stations; this one's over."[/COLOR]


[COLOR=#483d8b]"...and the millitary ship [I]Striker[/I] was the last casualty," Kiva said to William over the comm.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"I see," William said. "Well, you showed up just in time, Kiva. Things would've been much worse if you hadn't made it in time. Anyways, what about your mission in sector 2?"[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"Successful. I got in and out without a problem, and I got the data. I'm sending it to you now."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"Excellent. This will be very useful. Now, I know this is all happening fast, but I have another assignment for you, and this one's important."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"Another big one? What is it?"[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"Nothing too difficult this time," William said, "or at least it shouldn't be. However, none of this was planned; it came out of nowhere, and honestly, I'm not sure how this is going to work out. So I'm not taking any chances."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"What's the job?"[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"You'll be heading to sector 3 [/COLOR][COLOR=darkslateblue]to [/COLOR][COLOR=black][FONT=Tahoma][COLOR=darkslateblue]rendezvous with the [I]Stykera[/I], a ship under the command of a woman named Valencia. I''m sending you the coordinates for the rendezvous point now. Valencia will be transferring a prisoner to you. Once you've secured him, return here as quickly as possible."[/COLOR][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][FONT=Tahoma][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][FONT=Tahoma][COLOR=#483d8b]"Understood," Kiva said. "Who's the prisoner?"[/COLOR][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][FONT=Tahoma][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][FONT=Tahoma][COLOR=#483d8b]"Jared Scorer."[/COLOR][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][FONT=Tahoma][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][FONT=Tahoma][COLOR=#483d8b]"[I]What?![/I]" Kiva didn't know what she'd been expecting, but that wasn't it. "Jared? We've captured Jared?"[/COLOR][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][FONT=Tahoma][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][FONT=Tahoma][COLOR=#483d8b]"Apparently," William said. "I'm not entirely certain what happened, but he was captured, and now Valencia has him on board the [I]Stykera[/I]. Your job is to retrieve him."[/COLOR][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][FONT=Tahoma][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][FONT=Tahoma][COLOR=#483d8b]"Okay. Yeah, this could get interesting. All right, I'll take care of it."[/COLOR][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][FONT=Tahoma][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][FONT=Tahoma][COLOR=#483d8b]"Good. And be careful with Valencia. She's not fond of Elite Specialists, and you used to be one. And even though she's on our side, I don't want you taking any chances with her. Not when you're there to get someone like Jared."[/COLOR][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][FONT=Tahoma][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][FONT=Tahoma][COLOR=#483d8b]"Understood. Kiva out."[/COLOR][/FONT][/COLOR]

[Rachmaninoff]

It wasn’t going as quickly as Darren would have liked, but being allowed to use a small hand held computer did help quite a bit. It was a shame that he didn’t have the same equipment or access that he had on the [I]Conqueror[/I] though. He hadn’t really thought about the difference until he no longer had it. It was still coming along but he wondered why he even cared about getting finished, he had nothing to look forward to once he was done. They weren’t going to release him and just let him go back to what he had been doing. No, they’d stuff him back into some cell and there was no telling how long he’d be stuck there.

He hadn’t been at it for long when Darren was surprised by the door opening to the bay where the equipment was set up; a security squad coming in to get him. [I]What the?[/I] The group of four didn’t even bother to explain where they were taking him, their expressions grim. As they took him through the ship there was an unmistakable aura of anger and something he couldn’t quite place. The glances sent in his direction were hard to miss though and he wondered what had happened for them to be giving him such odd looks.

A moment later he forgot about the stares as he realized where they were taking him and he instinctively pulled up short, a shiver running down his spine. [I]Why would they…[/I] His thought was interrupted by the security simply grabbing his arms and forcibly getting him started again, taking him through the doors and into the interrogation room. Unlike when he had been brought there before, this time they were not gentle as he was forced to sit in the chair. His heart began to race as a feeling of fear came over him, even though he had not been strapped in.

[I]What the hell is going on here? [/I] The thought had barely crossed Darren's mind when the doors opened again to admit the blond Versilan that he still did not have a name for. Like the others his expression was almost grim, but not quite. It was more impassive, a mask of almost indifference that Darren found unsettling. And though he wasn't positive if he was seeing things or not, it seemed as if there was a hint of real anger in his gaze. Darren was considering speaking when he beat him to it.

"[B]I'll get straight to the point Darren,[/B]" His voice and expression became cold and Darren couldn't help but wince a bit.

"[B]This morning we were attacked by suicidal ships carrying explosives instead of shipping supplies. Now considering the safeguards built into the protocols, how do you suppose something like that could happen? They should not have been able to slip past the security checks.[/B]"

Darren stiffened in a combination of both surprise and recognition, something that the other picked up on immediately.

"[B]I thought so,[/B]" He stated flatly. "[B]You do know what's going on.[/B]" He moved over until he was no more than a few feet away, looking down at Darren who was speechless.

"[B]I don't know what game you're playing, but I do want to know why the hell you kept that to yourself.[/B]" His expression broke into one of cold fury. "[B]Those little traps targeted civilian ships, killing a lot of innocent people. Make no mistake Darren, if didn't need you to get the data sorted, I'd execute you in a heartbeat for that cowardly stunt.[/B]"

[I]But... [/I]He didn't know what to say, because even if he hadn't been the one to make the preparations and send the ships into New Alliance territory. He had altered the protocols at Stevens request. Darren had known just what that could mean and yet he had done it anyway.[I] I should have never done it.[/I] He looked down, unable to meet the man's gaze, his voice barely above a whisper.

"[B]I altered the protocols as ordered. Specifically for explosives made from the plants that are grown in sector seven.[/B]" He continued to look down. "[B]All systems when scanning a freighter or exchanging data use the protocols to tell them what's onboard. In this case it was altered to something similar to the explosives.[/B]"

"[B]So our systems were told it was something else, even when directly scanned, creating a window of verification requests and thus enough time for the ships to attack.[/B]" The man shook his head in disgust. "[B]Unless there is a serious conflict, if it's within acceptable parameters, the shipping feed is considered accurate.[/B]"

Darren finally looked back up and nodded. "[B]Yes.[/B]"

"[B]Why? Why did you say nothing?[/B]"

"[B]That was done months ago,[/B]" He did not try to excuse it but he was surprised that Stevens had waited so long to actually use it. "[B]I was not allowed outside contact or news about the war's progress.[/B]"

Darren doubted he'd believe him, but there was nothing he could do about that. "[B]I didn't tell you because it's been so long since I made the modification, I thought it had already been used against the New Alliance.[/B]"

[Horendithas]

[COLOR="Indigo"][SIZE="1"]Sandra did not approve of allowing the rigged ships to target whatever was closest, protesting vehemently when the decision was made and the preparations finished. But like many of her objections to how the war was being handled, it had gone unheeded. There were a lot of decisions being made lately that she did not agree with. It was all to easy for her to see the sentiment that she was too young, too inexperienced to be a member of the Council. It was maddening in the sense that she was positive that they were refusing to see that such a tactic would only backfire on them, making a lot of people unhappy.

They couldn?t afford such a division, not when two of the six core systems had broken off. Taking them back was going to be a terrible shock, one that in itself was going to be hard enough to control. [I]Those fools?[/I] she thought bitterly. [I]At this rate, the end of the war will not end the formation of resistance factions.[/I] No, it was likely they?d have an even greater problem, one that could lead to the entire Versilan Empire collapsing. They had already lost most of what little faith the people had left in trusting in their rule. Of that she was certain.

So here there were, on their way to retake sector four, to follow up on the chaos that would be created by the suicidal attacks. Which lead to another point of disapproval, one that she would have to address though she?d rather not. Sandra kept her expression neutral as she surveyed the bridge of the [I]Creator,[/I] deliberately ignoring how her newest Commander, Drace, was keeping on eye on her. It infuriated her that they had been unable to locate Jared, she had chosen him for a reason where Drace was merely an unpleasant necessity. A power-hungry one that she would have sooner jettisoned into space than allow to serve under her.

He wasn?t nearly as clever as he seemed to think he was with his barely concealed disdain for her. Nor did she miss how he made a point of doing things to earn the loyalty of those serving on the [I]Creator.[/I] Sandra had dealt with his type before, and having to do so again only served to remind her of Jared?s absence. It was possible that he too was power-hungry, but she doubted it. She sighed inwardly, putting it out of mind, refusing to dwell on the reality that it was likely that he was dead. They would be arriving soon and she didn?t have the time to dwell on it.

[CENTER]-------------------------[/CENTER]
Jared still had no clue where he was, though he suspected that he was being transported somewhere. That much was certain from when he had first been brought to his new cell, the bit of conversation he had overheard making it clear. Just as it was also obvious that whoever had him was the middle person. The total lack of real contact was standard practice. Plus the first female voice he had heard never returned, there was no need really when most cells were designed to care for a prisoner automatically.

The second voice, the one that had been off was a puzzle though. He hadn?t been onboard for long when that one started talking to him when he was awake, something that in his experience made no sense at all. At first he had thought it was some form of trick, a means to attempt to get information out of him. One that he had attempted to take advantage of by careful probing on his part.

But whoever she was, she was every bit as skilled at not giving away information as he was, and just as patient in obtaining it. Spending hours and even days engaging in conversation even if the information gained was only a tidbit or hint of the whole picture. It had been a long time since he had dealt with someone that intelligent and though it irritated him that he was still in the dark, he did find himself oddly looking forward to the banter. It gave him a second thing that he wanted to know, besides who had captured him and why. And that was, to know who[I] she[/I] was. [/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Aaryanna_Mom]

The fleet was due to arrive in sector three shortly to help with the switch over and set up the defenses to accommodate being a part of the New Alliance. Daniel was currently in the side observation room just off the bridge with Tarika Zaidin, going over the status of her current investigation into Greydon Kreid?s past. He finished reading what she had on him so far, which was to be frank, pretty much nothing.

?[B]As you can see sir,[/B]? she was saying. ?[B]It?s like he doesn?t exist. I?ve pulled information from every possible and known channel and yet no one has even heard of this Greydon Kreid.[/B]?

?[B]True,[/B]? Daniel agreed. ?[B]However, the same can be said of quite a few members of the Versilan military who have elected to join the New Alliance.[/B]?

?[B]Sir, in addition to standard channels, William accessed another one onboard the [I]Creator[/I], one that even with their access found nothing on this guy.[/B]? Zaidin leaned forward from her position of sitting in a chair across from the massive desk in the observation room, placing her folded arms on the edge of the desk.

?[B]I realize that he?s proven time and time again that he?s dedicated to his duties, but I must point out that even so, there are others who though less experienced, are at least less questionable in terms of security.[/B]? She sighed and leaned back, her tiny frame dwarfed by the chair she was sitting in.

?[B]It is my professional opinion that he be replaced with someone else and shifted to other duties. I see it as an unnecessary risk sir and my report to Williams will reflect that recommendation.[/B]?

Daniel closed the report she had prepared for him. ?[B]I would expect nothing less from you Ms. Zaidin and I assure you, William and I will give your report the attention it deserves.[/B]? Their meeting was interrupted by a chime demanding Daniel?s attention, something that after checking briefly to see what it was, he stood up.

?[B]We?ll discuss this later, once we finish with the switch over and once I?ve had a chance to talk to William.?[/B] He headed for the bridge with Zaidin right behind him, his thoughts moving from her report to the details of handling the switch over.

Discussing Greydon Kreid would have to wait until after other more pressing matters were attended to. The doors leaving the observation room and leading into the bridge opened automatically upon their approach, closing once the pair was through. Kreid was waiting next to Daniel?s seat as expected since he would be helping to oversee the security changes in sector three. Daniel just gave him a brief smile before sitting down and giving the drop out of hyperspace his full attention.

He had been expecting things to be calm, not to be hit with distress calls within minutes of their arrival. [I]What in the world is going on?[/I] It was utter chaos in sector three as explosions were being picked up among the ships going about their business while others were fleeing in all directions. There were no signs of an Imperial fleet but Daniel ordered the fleet to full battle readiness just the same. To their confusion, what seemed to be a shipping freighter rammed into a passenger ship before exploding, destroying both ships.

?[B]Find out what?s going on![/B]? He ordered even as he himself looked up the data feed, but it made no sense, how could a ship carrying raw plant materials explode?

?[B]Sir, orders from sector nine have arrived![/B]? The communications officer?s voice broke from nervousness as he turned to face Daniel. ?[B]We?re to order all transport ships to power down and destroy any that do not comply![/B]?

Those orders made Daniel stop and think.[I] What in the world?[/I] He didn?t have time to question it since the verification came straight from William. Instead, he had the orders followed, wincing every time a ship slipped through and managed to hit something before it could be stopped. [I]There has to be a way to determine which ships are rigged![/I] But the scans coming back were of no use.

?[B]They?re keyed to attack anything that gets too close.[/B]? Greydon Kreid spoke up, startling Daniel who on some level had forgotten that he was even there; he turned to face Kreid who was looking at him.

?[B]Let me take the fighters out, we can use their greater maneuverability to help determine which ones are designed to attack the other ships.[/B]?

Daniel started to object and then changed his mind. Kreid was right; the fighters would have the best chance of getting in close to transport ships and then pulling free to allow the fleet to deal with the ship.

?[B]Alright, I?ll issue the order to launch.[/B]?

Kreid didn?t waste a moment, taking off for the hanger bay before Daniel had even pulled up the list of those trained to pilot the ships. Within ten minutes of the order being issued, the fighters had been launched, Kreid flawlessly taking over as if he had been expecting to do so from the very beginning. Daniel focused on coordinating with him as they concentrated on flushing out the ships that were rigged. Half an hour later and minus a handful of fighters who had not managed to get free in time and the threat was over.

?[B]Good work everyone, stand down for now.[/B]? He stood up to head for the observation room once again as he needed to talk to William. ?[B]Organize the clean up and assist any stragglers Spencer.[/B]?

?[B]Understood sir.[/B]?

Daniel took himself off and into the observation room just off the bridge, it was imperative that he talk to William immediately. [I]What is the High Council thinking? Why did they target civilians? [/I] Not only was the attack unexpected, but they had been unable to determine which ships were affected, something that if another one was to show up, would be even more of a disaster than the first one. He needed some answers and he needed them quick.

[Aaryanna]

[COLOR="DarkGreen"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]Waiting in sector three for her contact was anything but fun and Valencia was less than thrilled at being required to wait on the outskirts of the internal systems. Dropping out of hyperspace only to find her presence immediately confronted by the military had been a bit surprising since she was unaware of the attacks. She didn?t mind keeping her distance while waiting for her contact to arrive; it was a little annoying that she couldn?t head planet side while waiting though.

[B][I]-So? they?re sending [U]that[/U] ship to pick up the Commander.-[/I][/B] Cassandra sounded less than thrilled as she brought it up yet again.

?[B]It?s not like I get to choose who my contact is,[/B]? Valencia explained. Though she too had been surprised to arrive in sector three and get the confirmation message with the information for who she would be handing the Commander over to. She would have much rather handed him over to Commander Landers since the [I]Liberator[/I] was also present in that sector, but he was not her contact and she never broke from her agreement, as much as she would have loved to.

[I]Damn stupid Elite Specialists. I don?t care if this Kiva Salqarian is really an agent for the New Alliance, if I?d known they were sending her, I would have insisted on delivering the Commander directly to William.[/I] Valencia sighed and leaned back in her chair on the bridge, there was no point in getting upset over it, just as there was no point in saying anything to Cassandra either. In just a short while, once the Commander had been handed over she could leave for sector nine to get rid of her other passenger too. [I]Maybe I will take a break after this assignment, I could always? [/I]she shook her head, knowing that she would not, there were too many other things she wanted to take care of.

It made no sense to her that the New Alliance would bother to go to such lengths to capture the Commander though. He was fairly high up in the Versilan military?s chain of command but still, using the resources needed to get to him and the risk of such an undertaking? She was more inclined to believe that it was unexpected instead an actual mission to capture him. Wasting the resources on such a task was something she was sure the New Alliance couldn?t afford to do.

[B][I]-I know you don?t get to pick who your contact is Valencia,- [/I][/B]Cassandra sounded a bit contrite.[B][I] ?I just have to wonder what the hell William was thinking, after all it?s not like we couldn?t hand him over to Commander Landers.-[/I][/B]

?[B]Oh come now Cassandra, the arrangement was made before the [I]Liberator[/I] came to this sector and you know perfectly well that moving an entire fleet just to pick up a contact is a silly waste of one?s time.[/B]?

[B][I]-I know that!-[/I][/B]

?[B]Just take it easy, we?ll hand him over and then head to sector nine to get rid of our other passenger[/B].? She soothed her. ?[B]One would think you were a Versilan instead of a computer with the way you carry on.[/B]?

Cassandra just snorted before switching gears to report new data coming in as a ship dropped out of hyperspace. [B][I]?Speak of the devil.-[/I][/B]

?[B]Yeah, I know.[/B]? Valencia was already checking the readout herself, the point was now moot as the [I]Catalyst[/I] had just arrived. Right on time too, something that did not surprise her. Valencia waited patiently for her to finally contact her ship. It didn?t take long and as expected, the clearance code to verify that the pilot of the [I]Catalyst[/I] was her contact was sent immediately to her ship. Valencia sighed and opened up a channel.

?[B][I]Catalyst[/I], your code has been verified, what manner of transfer do you require for the cargo?[/B]? She waited for Kiva to respond.

?[B]I require visual confirmation of the cargo in person.[/B]?

Valencia hid the inevitable sigh. ?[B]Understood, I?ll make the arrangements and transmit the coordinates in five minutes, [I]Stykera[/I] out.[/B]?

[B][I]-You should have denied the request.- [/I][/B]Cassandra complained as Valencia got up to head for the cell where the Commander was being held.

?[B]Why? That sort of confirmation is not unusual nor is it unreasonable either. Stop whining Cassandra, the sooner we do this the sooner it will be over with.[/B]? She left the bridge after taking a moment to make sure her other passenger was still in her quarters where she belonged. Though considering that Cassandra had locked the door, it would have surprised her if the woman was wandering around; still it was better to be sure.

Upon arriving at the outside to the Commander?s cell Valencia took a moment to bring up the display on the outside. The Commander was awake, sitting on the tiny bed in his cell. [I]Good riddance[/I], she thought as she closed the link back down.

?[B]Alright, open up a channel Cassandra,[/B]? She ordered, only waiting for a moment before addressing the [I]Catalyst[/I]. ?[B][I]Catalyst[/I], the coordinates are being sent now, you may transport over when ready.[/B]?

?[B]Understood.[/B]?

Valencia waited patiently for the transport door to open, trusting that Cassandra would have lowered the shield as well as sent the coordinates as required. After all, unlike regular computers, it wasn?t necessary for her to issue orders for every single detail to Cassandra; she would know what to do. Sure enough, a short while later the transport door opened in front of her and Kiva stepped through. [/FONT][/COLOR]

[GuyYouMetOnline]

[COLOR=darkslateblue]Kiva stepped through the transport door onto Valencia's ship, the [I]Stykera[/I]. "You must be Valencia," she said. "I, of course, am Kiva."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"Yes," Valencia said. "I've been expecting you. Shall we get down to business?"[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"Not quite yet. There's something I should warn you about first. As you may have been expecting, I have taken certain precautions to ensure nothing... unfortunate happens. Specifically, I am equipped with a deadman switch. I assume you're familiar with that type of device."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"As long as you're alive, it transmits a signal to, I'm assuming, the [I]Catalyst[/I]. Nothing happens while the signal is being received. If you die, however, the signal stops. If the signal is no longer being received, a predefined action occurs. That means blocking the signal triggers the predefined action, as well."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"In this case," Kiva said, "the action would be the [I]Catalyst[/I] firing on and destroying this ship. So I wouldn't advise trying anything."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"I have no intention of trying anything," Valencia said. "I just want to transfer Jared and be on my way."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"Then let's get this done," Kiva said. "I can see him on the monitor there, but I'd like to make personal visual confirmation of his identity. Open the cell door, please."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"No need. It'll open as you approach it."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b][I]Automated, then, [/I]Kiva thought. [I]I suppose there's no reason not to, when you're the only crew the ship has. It's not like there's anyone else to consider, after all.[/I][/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]Kiva stepped through the cell door as it opened. Jared looked up, then stopped. "Hello, Jared," Kiva said. "I didn't think we'd meet again, but here we are."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"You," Jared said.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"Me. Surely this isn't much of a surprise. Who else would be sent to pick up a prisoner as important as you? But I don't have anything to say to you."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"Verifying my identity, then."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]Kiva nodded. "Exactly. And I'm satisfied." With that, she walked out of the cell. "I'm satisfied," she told Valencia. "I'm going to transfer him to a cell on the [I]Catalyst[/I]."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"Go ahead," Valencia said. Kiva nodded and took out her handheld. She sent a command to the [I]Catalyst[/I], and the ship picked up Jared with a transport door and put him into a cell.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"Well, that's that," Kiva said, putting her handheld away. "Unless you have any other business with me, that is."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"I don't," Valencia said.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"Then I'll-"[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]Kiva's handheld sounded a loud signal, and she grabbed it immediately, as it was sounding the alert signal. She read the alert, and her eyes went wide, but she didn't hesitate. She immediately sent a command to the Catalyst, then trained her weapon, her preferred ML-SS.7 gun, on Valencia. "Explain yourself."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]Valencia seemedtaken aback. "I- what- what the hell are you doing?"[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"Responding," Kiva said. "You didn't really think your little attempt would succeed, did you?"[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"A- attempt?"[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"Feigning ignorance, then. Don't bother, Valencia. The signal was detected and has been cut off. Now, who's the one who tried it?"[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"Wait, what?"[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"There's someone else on board this ship, and that person just tried to hack into the [I]Catalyst[/I]'s systems. Who is it?"[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"I didn't- I only have one other passenger, and she's in her quarters."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"That means nothing," Kiva said.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"Yeah, but she wouldn't know how to do something like that, anyways?"[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"Well, someone sure as hell tried it. You don't expect me to believe you automated it, do you?"[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]Kiva saw the the shocked realization on Valencia's face as the other woman spoke. "I- Cassandra?"[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"Who's Cassandra?" Kiva said.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"Cassandra is my ship's computer system," Valencia said.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"Bullshit. Cassandra didn't just try to hack the [I]Catalyst[/I]; she actually penetrated the first security layer before she was detected. No automated routine could do that. So tell me the truth. Cassandra's obviously the 'passenger' you mentioned."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"No," Valencia said, "she's not."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"Then you have two things to tell me. Who's your passenger, and who's Cassandra? Start talking, or this will end badly for you."[/COLOR]

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

OOC: Your turn, Aaryanna.

[Aaryanna]

[COLOR="DarkGreen"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]Valencia at first had no idea what Kiva Salqarian was talking about. It took her little time to realize what had to have happened though. [I]Oh my hell, that stupid little fool! What was she thinking?[/I] It couldn?t possibly be her passenger, for the simple reason she had no such equipment with her and there was no access in her quarters. Plus, Cassandra would have cut off any attempts made by passengers if such a thing had happened. No, the only one capable of such a feat was Cassandra, but the question was, why? She hadn?t given her any orders to attempt to hack the [I]Catalyst[/I].

She tried to explain it to Kiva but she didn?t believe her and really, why should she? As far as Valencia knew, Cassandra was one of a kind. In all her time as a pirate, she had never come across anything to indicate there were other computer systems like her. Careful probing on her part had turned up nothing for over seventy years. As she stared back at Kiva after being ordered to start talking, she wondered how the hell she was going to talk her way out of this one. Considering what the [I]Catalyst[/I] was, the newest prototype for the Messenger Ships; that was something that even Stevens would have not overlooked. [I]Great, this is just great. [/I]

?[B]I need to do something first,[/B]? Valencia explained. ?[B]I need to tell Cassandra to stand down.[/B]?

[B][I]-Why should I?-[/I][/B] Cassandra?s voice came over the closest speaker before Kiva could speak. [B][I]?If I follow that order, what?s to stop her from just killing you and destroying the ship anyway?-[/I][/B]

?[B]Shut up, you stupid idiotic little fool![/B]? Valencia snapped, mindful of the fact that Kiva still had her weapon trained on her as she kept herself as still as possible. ?[B]We wouldn?t be in this mess if you hadn?t attempted to hack the [I]Catalyst.[/I][/B]?

[B][I]-Fine!- [/I][/B]Cassandra snapped in response. [B][I]?I?ll stand down.-[/I][/B]

Valencia took a deep breath and then let it out. ?[B]You do that, and so help me, if you don?t follow my orders and cooperate with Ms. Salqarian, I?ll jettison your core into space myself.[/B]?

[B][I]-That was unnecessary.- [/I][/B]Cassandra complained.

?[B]Just as hacking into the [I]Catalyst[/I] was you fool.[/B]? Valencia winced at Kiva?s look, she had seen it far too often, if she didn?t explain and soon, her promise that things would end badly would be followed up on. ?[B]Now, you wanted an explanation.[/B]?

?[B]Correct.[/B]?

?[B]My passenger is Kerstin Anderson,[/B]? it seemed to Valencia that Kiva recognized the name, but the tiny hint was gone so quickly from her expression that she wasn?t sure. ?[B]She requested passage from sector one to sector nine. Ms. Anderson believes that her brother Darren Anderson is being held by the New Alliance and she wishes to petition the Representatives in order to find out if this is true.[/B]?

?[B]Go on.[/B]?

?[B]There?s nothing else to tell, once I was done here I was going to head to sector nine to drop her off. Now as for Cassandra, I can?t tell you what she is because I don?t know.[/B]?

Kiva?s expression hardened. ?[B]That?s not good enough.[/B]?

Valencia frowned as she wondered how to explain it. ?[B]This ship, the [I]Stykera[/I] was given to me almost a hundred years ago, Cassandra was already installed. By the time I realized she was more than a simple computer system, it was too late to back track the person I got the ship from.[/B]?

She paused briefly wondering how much she should tell her, opting for being up front as she got the feeling that withholding information would not be tolerated. ?[B]I?ve since then hunted for information to see if she was some sort of prototype computer system since she behaves more like she?s sentient or at the very least has the memories from perhaps her creator. But in over seventy years I?ve found nothing and Cassandra can?t disable her own security to let me or anyone into her core systems.[/B]?

?[B]Anything can be hacked.[/B]? Kiva pointed out.

?[B]Normally I?d agree with you, but I?ve tried, I?ve gotten experts to look at the system and attempt to get in, no one has succeeded.[/B]? She sighed, ?[B]It?s the truth, I don?t know what she is and I can?t get inside to find out. I don?t even know why she chooses to work with me and follow my orders. Just as I don?t know why she decides to do things on her own, this isn?t the first time she?s done something like this.[/B]?

?[B]You?re going to have to do better than that.[/B]? Kiva was still unconvinced.

Cassandra snorted.[B][I] ?What more do you want Ms. Salqarian? Can you physically open up your head to let someone look at your brain? Even if Valencia has ordered me to cooperate with you, I can?t do it, I can?t just drop my security to let you in, believe me, I?ve tried.-[/I][/B]

[I]We?re at a stalemate,[/I] Valencia thought.[I] And trying to hack in to the Catalyst is something Kiva Salqarian won?t be able to overlook. I have no choice, I?ll have to? [/I]She shook her head in disgust.

?[B]I surrender.[/B]?

?[B]Excuse me?[/B]?

?[B]I can?t prove my claims and I?m unwilling to risk the destruction of the [I]Stykera,[/I] therefore, I surrender.[/B]? Valencia explained. ?[B]To prove I am serious I?ll give you my access codes.[/B]? She rattled off her passwords that would give Kiva access to everything but Cassandra?s internal system; she had no code for that.

?[B]Do what you must; all I request is that my ship is unharmed.[/B]?[/FONT][/COLOR]

[CENTER]------------------------------[/CENTER]
[SIZE="1"][B]OOC:[/B] Your turn GuyYouMetOnline[/SIZE]

[GuyYouMetOnline]

[COLOR=darkslateblue]?Do what you must; all I request is that my ship is unharmed.?[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"I will not harm your ship," Kiva said, "but you seem to realize that I can't just let you go after this. Cassandra can't override the codes you just gave me?"[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"She can't," Valencia confirmed.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"Very well, then. I will be taking the [I]Stykera[/I] with me to sector nine. Your ship's systems will be slaved to the [I]Catalyst[/I]'s. You will be detained aboard the [I]Catalyst[/I] for the trip, and in a way, Cassandra will be detained as well, as I will lock her out of all sysems. Normally, I'd be content with just locking 'her' out of the communications, propulsion, and weapons systems, but given the... unusual circumstances here, I'm not taking any chances."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]Valencia sighed. "All right. What about Ms. Anderson?"[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"Kerstin will, of course, be coming along as well. Since she was bound for sector nine anyways, this won't really affect her all that much, although I think I'll bring her aboard the [I]Catalyst[/I] as well. As for you and Cassandra, it'll be up to William to decide what to do."[/COLOR]


[COLOR=#483d8b]The [I]Stykera[/I]'s systems were slaved to the [I]Catalyst[/I]'s and access from all other sources was locked, preventing Cassandra from accessing anything. Valencia was in a cell on the [I]Catalyst[/I]. The only thing left was Kerstin.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]Kerstin looked up as the door to her quarters opened, staring in shock as Kiva stepped through. "Well, this is quite the coincidence," Kiva said. "Hello, Kerstin."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"Kiva? What- what the hell are you doing here?"[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"Before delivering you to sector nine, Valencia had a... cargo transfer to make. I was sent to receive this cargo. I was expecting a routine transfer, but... unexpected events led to me siezing this ship. Valencia is now detained aboard the [I]Catalyst[/I], and the [I]Stykera[/I]'s systems are slaved to it. I will be taking this ship with me."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"But- no, you can't-"[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"Don't worry," Kiva said. "Sector nine happens to be my destination as well as yours. I'll transport you in Valencia's place. However, I will be taking you on board the [I]Catalyst[/I]. I won't put you in a cell, but I'd rather have you on my ship than on this one."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"I- I mean, what's- all right, fine."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]Kiva took out her handheld and signaled the [I]Catalyst[/I] to open a transport door. "After you," she said, and Kerstin stepped through the door. She ended up in what had been Daego's quarters, and Kiva opened another transport door for herself, which deposited her on the [I]catalyst[/I]'s bridge. She set a course for sector 9, and both the [I]Catalyst[/I] and the [I]Stykera[/I] jumped into hyperspace.[/COLOR]

[SunfallE]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"]It was official; Vallon Drace was now the new Commander for the [I]Creator[/I]. The investigation into what had happened to Jared was not finished, but the fleet had left for sector four, making it necessary for him to be promoted to take Jared?s place. It would still be considered semi-permanent in that it would still be open for things to return to how they were should Jared show up again and have a valid reason for his absence. But for all intents and purposes it was final as far as Jason and Celestia were concerned.

In all honesty, she was of two minds about it. Pleased that it was possible that her and Jason would never see Jared again, frustrated that Drace was now in charge. The only good thing about it was he considered dealing with them beneath his new status and left all of that up to the new Sub-Commander. Though that one, he was no better either since he too was unbelievably arrogant just like Drace was. Celestia pushed it out of her mind as her and Jason made their way to their usual check up with Dr. Matheson.

If not for their current situation, she would have found the massive sick bay impressive, with its huge inner room with corridors leading off to the various sections. Each one clearly marked with directions telling would be patients where to go. They had never seen all of it, but both of them had seen the schematics for the layout as well as for what it was capable of handling. However, it was mainly being used to help facilitate the current war and that only served to make Celestia detest the place.

?[B]I?m beginning to wonder why they bother with these checkups.[/B]? Jason observed once the medical assistant who had taken them to their assigned room left; after getting scans of the two first. ?[B]If they really want your stress levels to?[/B]?

Both of them turned to face the door opening to admit Dr. Matheson, who before she could even get more than a word out was cut off by Celestia.

?[B]Save me the same tired speech of how to reduce my stress levels Doctor.[/B]? She sighed. ?[B]I can recite it from memory since it?s always the same. So do me a favor and just make any adjustments, if needed, to the damn medicine I?m on and send us on our way.[/B]?

?[B]Celestia? please don't.[/B]? Jason urged her like he always did when she got upset.

?[B]Oh come on Jason! It?s a lie, a pretense. The only thing that will fix my so-called [I]stress[/I] problem is for the stupid High Council to end this foolish war and stop enslaving other races.[/B]?

Dr. Matheson just raised an eyebrow at the outburst, showing little to no emotion at all. ?[B]You?re rather hostile today.[/B]?

?[B]Well now, that?s just ever so precious and cute.[/B]? Celestia quipped sharply. ?[B]The aggressor telling the captive that they?re hostile.[/B]?

?[B]That?s enough Celestia,[/B]? Jason said firmly, grasping her shoulders, forcing her to look at him. But she shrugged him off.

?[B]You really should listen to Jason,[/B]? Dr. Matheson said quietly. ?[B]It helps nothing and only serves to reinforce the sentiment that we are being too lenient with the enslaved races. It will be seen as a need to put you through corrective measures instead of one of cruelty on our part.[/B]?

?[B]Naturally.[/B]? Celestia couldn?t keep the bitterness out of her voice.

?[B]There?s another thing to consider as well, with Jared being gone and Commodore Luciana being occupied with preparations to re-take sector four. If either Drace or the new Sub-Commander decides to send both of you for corrective measures; it?s likely the mistake won?t be corrected until after it?s already begun.[/B]?

Celestia froze in place and then looked away. ?[B]Just finish please,[/B]? she said in a quiet voice. ?[B]We still have the modifications for the hyper drive system to finish working on.[/B]?

?[B]I?m sorry.[/B]?

Celestia was sure that at least Dr. Matheson meant it, but still. [I] I never seem to be able to keep my mouth shut. All I do is keep getting me and Jason into trouble again and again.[/I] And if she followed up on what she was thinking? the consequences if they discovered it would be more than simple corrective behavior. But she couldn?t quit thinking about it, about doing something,[I] anything[/I] to help put an end to the war.

Celestia wanted to help stop things, even if that action was something that would have serious repercussions for her and Jason. She said nothing else as the Doctor finished up and sent them on their way. The only question on her mind was could she do what she was thinking of? Could she live with the possibility of being permanently separated from Jason? [/FONT][/COLOR]

[GuyYouMetOnline]

[COLOR=darkslateblue]William contacted Kiva soon after her arrival in sector 9, just as she'd anticipated. After all, she'd been expected to return alone. "Hello there, William," she said. "I've verified the prisoner's identity, and I have him aboard."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"Yes, good," William said. "Now, could you please tell me what you're doing with that ship?"[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"You mean the [I]Stykera[/I], I assume. Well, I did get the prisoner transferred, but not without incident."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"Come on, Kiva. What happened?"[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"Someone on board the [I]Stykera[/I] attempted to hack into the [I]Catalyst[/I]. Not only that, but whoever it was managed to penetrate the first security layer. I know it wasn't Valencia, because I was with her at the time. Valencia did have a passenger on board, but said passenger didn't do it."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"You're sure?"[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]Kiva nodded. "I am. In fact, I happen to be aquainted with the individual in question. It seems Kerstin Anderson has concluded that we have her brother, and got Valencia to agree to bring her here."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"Um," William said. "Well, that can wait for later. Who hacked you, then?"[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"Valencia called the individual 'Cassandra'. She claims that Cassandra is her ship's computer system."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"Wait, are you saying she used an automated routine?"[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"No, there's no way anything like that would've gotten as far as this Cassandra did. And I spoke with Cassandra, but just over the [I]Stykera[/I]'s internal intercomm. I never saw Cassandra, though, but I find it hard to believe that she's a computer system. And even if 'she' is, Valencia denies knowing anything about her. She claims that even after seventy years, she has no clue what Cassandra really is, and she has yet to manage entrance into Cassandra's core systems. Cassandra claims that her core security is automatic, and that not even she can override it. Although that part does make sense; I would expect core security on an AI to be restricted in that manner."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"On an- is this 'Cassandra' an artificial intelligence?"[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"I don't know," Kiva said. "However, if Cassandra is the [I]Stykera[/I]'s computer system, I see no other explanation than that 'she' is some form of AI. I did a complete sweep of the [I]Stykera[/I], but aside from Valencia, Kerstin, and Jared, there was nobody on board. Anyways, I obviously was not prepared to accept Valencia's claim of ignorance after 'Cassandra' attempted to hack the [I]Catalyst[/I]. Valencia claimed that she had told me all she knew, and that since I was not prepared to accept it, she felt she had no choice but to surrender. She gave me the [I]Stykera[/I]'s access codes, giving me access to the ship. I slaved it to the [I]Catalyst[/I] and locked out all other access, took Valencia aboard the [I]Catalyst[/I] as a prisoner, and transferred Kerstin to my ship as a passenger. I then proceeded to return here with the [I]Stykera[/I] in tow."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"I... see," William said. "Well, I can't say I'm entirely pleased with the situation, but what happened happened."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]Kiva nodded. "Indeed. All right, I will transfer Jared to you as planned. I'll let you handle Kerstin as well, although please do keep in mind that she is not a captive, and should not be treated as one. As for the [I]Stykera[/I], I recommend turning it over to the shipyards for examination. In particular, you should make sure a good electronics team is assigned to the job, since if Cassandra truly is an AI, any knowledge about 'her' would be extremely valuable. I can lend my assistance if you don't have any other assignments. Oh, and one more thing. I know we don't torture, but as you were prepared to do with Darren, I recommend that an exception be made in Jared's case, as he is certain to posess extremely valuable information."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"Noted," William said. "Anything else?"[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#483d8b]"No. Kiva out."[/COLOR]

[Horendithas]

[COLOR="Indigo"][SIZE="1"]Jared had gotten the answer to his question, the one of who and why; but it was not what he had expected. Everything had pointed to an independent party being responsible for his abduction in sector one and he certainly had more than enough enemies who wanted him dead for one reason or another. He had been fairly certain that he was being transported to whoever was responsible, or rather so they could have the satisfaction of killing him themselves. Or even just that tiny bit of reassurance that would come from knowing he really was dead by virtue of being present.

He wasn’t terribly surprised to see Kiva Salqarian, at least not in the context of being the one sent to retrieve him. No, he was more surprised that it had turned out to be the New Alliance who had caught him. Those who had captured him to begin with did not behave like true undercover operatives but more like freelancers. This in turn led to him wondering if it had been more of a coincidence than anything else, an issue of seizing the opportunity to catch someone who would be seen as valuable. It certainly explained why they did not kill him. If the New Alliance wanted information, he was useless if he was dead.

It changed nothing in his mind, unlike others; he knew perfectly well how to deal with interrogations and the methods one would use. [I]I seriously doubt the New Alliance will be above using torture to attempt to get the information I posses.[/I] The thought brought forth a smile; it would be oddly entertaining to see just how serious or just how far they would be willing to go.[I] This will actually be fun.[/I] His only regret was that he still didn’t know who the woman was that had spent most of his trip, before he was handed over to Kiva, bantering with him. Once he had been transported by Kiva to her ship, the conversations had stopped.

Once again he was left with no contact at all, something that did not surprise him since he imagined that Kiva would not be the one to see to his interrogation. A fact that held more weight when without warning he was transported to yet another cell, telling him that she had arrived at her destination. Considering the amount of time that had passed, so long as he had it correctly, it was possible that he was in sector nine. It had certainly been long enough for them to have taken him that far away. Jared just smirked and took a seat on the bed in his new cell and waited. If he was right, before long they would come for him, and then the real fun would begin.

[hr=indigo]100[/hr]
Every time he turned around, the timing was wrong for putting his mission in motion, leaving Greydon Kreid in the unfortunate position of needing to wait yet again. He had carefully worked his way into Commander Landers confidence and inner circle, but it was a fine line that could break at any time. Especially with the new security personnel Tarika Zaidin recommending that he should be shuffled to duties away from the Commander. It had been both a shock and irritation to finally manage to hack into her personal files only to come across a report indicating that her sole purpose onboard the [I]Liberator[/I] was to investigate him; along with a copy of her current report in regards to him.

He had felt that she would be a problem, but he had not expected this. His only saving grace had been her inability to find anything on him. Something that was true for many who had left the Versilan military to join the New Alliance. But it was clear that flushing out those who were loyal to the Versilan Empire was a top priority when the order had come from the Representatives in sector nine to relieve close to ten percent of their personnel from active duty, placing them under arrest. He had spent most of the past couple of days helping to round up the individuals listed, placing them on a ship designated for shipping them to a high security facility elsewhere.

The only way the New Alliance could have obtained the list was to have somehow obtained the military records from the databases in sector two. It was a good thing that the records for those in the Elite Specialists & Task Forces were kept in sector one. Otherwise, it was possible that even his records might have been found. Though seeing that he was one of their special covert operatives, even that was highly unlikely. At the moment, other than a select few, no one had a record of his existence. He couldn’t rely on that protection though; it wouldn’t save him from possibly being assigned elsewhere.

As much as he would have rather waited, the time to act, if he was to have a chance of succeeding was now. The number of crew on board the [I]Liberator[/I] was reduced by not only those who were planet side assisting with the switch over to New Alliance rule, but also by the personnel that had been arrested and shipped off. It was far from a skeleton crew, but it was probably the best he was going to get. Decided he sent the order for all security to meet in the main security rooms, where most of the weapons were kept carefully locked up. The message indicated that he would be arriving shortly with an important and critical update, but instead he headed for the Commanders quarters.

The two responsible for guarding him were still in place at their stations, something that almost made him smile as he approached. He had not sent the message about a meeting to the pair since doing so would have made the next part of his plan an issue and the timing was crucial to what he had in mind. The pair was due to be replaced by the next shift, only they had gotten the message along with an additional note that the current group would wait until the meeting was over for them to come and replace them.

The two saluted once Kreid was within range. “[B]At ease. Both of you. I need to have a word with the Commander so you can go, I’ll stick around until the next shift arrives.[/B]”

“[B]Understood sir.[/B]” The pair took off immediately, having no reason to doubt Kreid’s word or orders.

Once they were gone he pressed the panel to let the Commander know someone was there to see him, a moment later and the door opened.

“[B]Did you need something Kreid?[/B]”

“[B]I’m sorry to trouble you sir, but there is a small security matter that I need to discuss with you. It will only take a few minutes.[/B]”

“[B]Come in then.[/B]” Landers motioned for him to enter, turning around to walk back into his quarters, only turning around to face Kreid once he had entered far enough for both of them to be inside his quarters. Once the door was shut he looked to Kreid to see just what it was he needed to talk about.

“[B]It has to do with this report here sir.[/B]” Kreid pulled up the program to first check the visual to see if the security personnel had gathered as ordered and then the one to set off the charges he had rigged the entire section with. He suppressed the urge to smile as the visual confirmed that the fools had gathered in the section as ordered. Without hesitation he sent the signal to detonate the explosives as he pulled up the command for the next location he had carefully rigged.

He and the Commander were too far away to feel the vibration the explosion would have caused, but within mere minutes the internal monitoring system sounded an alert, something that before Landers could even say anything was cut off when Kreid immediately triggered the next set of explosives, blowing the main power grid to the[I] Liberator[/I]. The alarm along with the lights cut off for a few seconds until the emergency power kicked in. By the time the emergency lights came on Kreid had one of his KRS-200 series laser pistols trained on the Commander.

Kreid had almost expected some stupid comment asking why, but instead the Commander after staring at him for a long moment merely stated the obvious. Something that though he despised the coward for joining the New Alliance, at least proved he wasn’t a total idiot.

“[B]So you’re the mole that we’ve been looking for,[/B]” Landers was clearly struggling to keep his voice calm. “[B]And to think I actually trusted you.[/B]”

“[B]I don’t give a damn about that,[/B]” Kreid dropped the pretense of actually liking the Commander, his voice biting and cold. “[B]What I do give a damn about is you doing exactly as I tell you. I’ve just destroyed the lockers where the weapons are kept and the main power grid to the[I] Liberator[/I].[/B]”

He left out the detail that he had ordered most of the security personnel into the area for a meeting, effectively killing all of them in the blast. “[B]The next set of charges if you fail to cooperate will take out the medical bay.[/B]” Kreid paused briefly for the heated declaration from Landers that he wouldn’t cooperate but instead of saying anything the Commander merely clenched his fists in anger, saying nothing.

“[B]Either you come with me to the docking bay or I’ll destroy the medical bay and simply stun you and carry you there. So[I] Commander… [/I]It’s your choice. You can cooperate and come with me, or you can refuse and everyone in the medical bay will die and you’ll [I]still[/I] be coming with me.[/B]”

Landers just stared at him and then finally spoke, “[B]Stun me then, I fully expect you to destroy the medical bay whether I cooperate or not.[/B]”

“[B]True,[/B]” Kreid squeezed the trigger, hitting the Commander with a light stun blast before moving to kneel besides Landers who had fallen to his hands and knees. He pulled out a small syringe he had prepared in advance, swiftly administering what was in it. The paralyzing agent wouldn’t last more than half an hour and it wouldn’t totally make him unable to move, it would merely impair him enough that to anyone else the Commander would look dazed.

“[B]Logically, I should have just stunned you from the beginning, or even tried to manufacture a reason for you to need to come with me to where the [I]Transcendence[/I] is docked. But it’s amazing how many operatives blow their cover by making stupid mistakes like that, people [I]always[/I] notice odd or out of place behavior like that.[/B]” He said conversationally as he tossed the syringe aside and then proceeded to make a small cut above Landers’ left temple, back in the hair line, hiding the fact that the cut was intentional and not a result of something striking him.

He sighed, “[B]I really hate using the more obvious ploy of helping someone who is hurt as well. Though it’s not as obvious as carrying someone who is unconscious.[/B]” He hauled the Commander to his feet, placing his right arm across his shoulders as he started to make for the door, ignoring the blood flowing down the side of the Commander’s face, even to the untrained eye it was obvious that the blood flow was not serious.

Kreid just smiled inwardly as the Commander attempted to push him away. With the drug running through his system, it would look like he was either trying to hang on or attempting to move under his own power. All he had to do was get to the lift at the end of the corridor, he already had it programmed to take them straight to the docking bay where the [I]Transcendence[/I] was being kept. He was almost to the lift when the doors opened and Tarika Zaidin stepped out, clearly on her way to the Commanders quarters.

Her eyes widened at the sight of the pair and then hardened immediately as she reached for her disruptor, instantly rolling to the side and coming back up to fire in one fluid motion. Kreid didn’t give her a chance, his shot catching her in the right shoulder instead of her head as Landers struggled to stop him, throwing his aim off slightly. The results were the same as the force of the blast sent her sprawling. He ignored her in favor of taking out the other crew members who were starting to react to the unexpected situation.

Tarika Zaidin was starting to move but Kreid ignored her and shoved the Commander into the lift, letting him drop to the floor as he turned and entered the code to send the lift to their destination. Once it was on its way he turned his attention back to Landers who was attempting to sit up without success.

“[B]You’ll never manage to get into the [I]Transcendence[/I].[/B]” Landers stammered, clearly struggling to fight the drug.

“[B]I already have.[/B]”

“[B]You’re an Elite Specialist.[/B]” Landers accused as the realization of how that would have been possible hit, just as it explained how Kreid had managed to stay hidden so well.

Kreid just ignored him as he left the lift and headed for the ship immediately, pausing only briefly to set Landers down while he opened up the ship. He wasn’t going to tell Landers that getting into the [I]Transcendence[/I] had been the hardest part to arrange. He had requested and gotten emergency override codes before he had been required to maintain strict communication silence, but someone had overridden it and replaced it with a new code.

It was likely that the traitor Kiva Salqarian was responsible, if not her, then someone else. It had taken him over three months to carefully hack it to get the code and thus access to the ship. With a hiss the hatch opened and Kreid quickly picked up the Commander and entered, shutting it behind them. By his calculations he still had another fifteen minutes before the drug would wear off, so instead of bothering to waste the time to immediately shove the Commander in a cell, he instead made for the bridge which was much closer.

He dumped Landers unceremoniously onto the floor of the bridge and then took the command seat, his hands swiftly flying over the controls as he brought the [I]Transcendence’s [/I]systems to full power from the normal standby meant to maintain the anti transport shields active. Kreid ignored the queries from the [I]Liberator[/I] and instead, once the shields were at full strength, blew the doors keeping the ship separate from the rest of the ships currently docked.

The ship moved forward, slipping through the now open path, Kreid just smiled as the outer doors were slammed shut in an attempt to stop his escape. This time he fired the more powerful missiles onboard, ignoring the shockwaves that rocked the ship a bit as the massive fireball engulfed the bay, destroying the other ships and crewmembers that had not gotten clear in time.

“[B]Stop it.[/B]”

His eyes flickered briefly to the Commander who was still trying to fight off the effects of the drug and then he fired a second volley to take out the second and final set of doors; opening up the bay and incidentally other parts of the ship to outer space. As emergency bulkheads slammed into place he took the ship out, keeping close to the [I]Liberator[/I] as the alert went out.

Demands to surrender started to filter in but Kreid ignored it as he targeted the [I]Liberator’s[/I] engines with the remaining missiles onboard, firing them at nearly point blank range before taking off at top speed. It was easy to outrun the other ships long enough for him to make the jump to hyper speed. The ship suffered a few direct hits, but nothing serious enough to prevent his escape. He certainly wasn’t going to miss working with those New Alliance scum. Kreid set the ship on auto pilot and turned his attention to the Commander who was finally managing to struggle to his feet, a look of terrible anger on his face.

“[B]Don’t bother with any speeches,[/B]” Kreid stood up his laser already trained on Landers. “[B]I’ve heard enough of your idealistic garbage to last a life time.[/B]” He motioned towards the door leading off the bridge, waiting patiently for Landers to comply. Even if the drug was wearing off it was clear he was still struggling to walk. Then once he had secured him in one of the cells, Kreid took a quick moment to check everything before heading for the nearest quarters to get cleaned up and rest. [/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Rachmaninoff]

After explaining how to reverse the alterations to the shipping protocols, Darren had gone back to working on sorting the messed up data transmission. It had taken quite a bit of time but he was finally finished, though a part of him was reluctant to say so. After the fiasco with the suicidal shipping transports, the Versilan who was in charge of monitoring his progress had been far from friendly. It wasn?t so much in anything he said as he continued to be as to the point and polite as he had been before. It was more of the cold indifference he seemed to hold for him whenever they were required to talk to one another.

He didn?t know what the data meant since Darren was not a genetic researcher, but he did know that it was as close to the original message as one could get. [I]Once I hand this over, they?ll have no need for me here. I can?t go back, not after doing this. Plus I can be held accountable for what happened with the protocols. I have nowhere to go.[/I] Darren finished saving the completed work on the small hand held computer he had been given and set it down on the console that was hooked up to the equipment from the relay station in sector four. [I]I can?t keep pretending I?m working either, if I do that and they find out I was lying...[/I]

A quick glance to the right showed the pair of security guards still standing there, keeping watch like they always did. [I]No point in putting this off,[/I] he thought. Reluctantly he swiveled his chair around until he was facing them.

?[B]I need to talk to the Commander, it?s important.[/B]? He did not bother to explain just as they did not bother to answer. Other than to find out that whoever the man was, he commanded the ship he was being held on; Darren still had no idea what his name was. All attempts to find out had been ignored and after a while, he quit asking. One of the security contacted someone, presumably the person in question, Darren didn?t care; not anymore.

Instead he just waited for him to show up, turning his back on the security, thinking about what would happen next. It felt like an eternity since he had been brought to this place and he found himself wondering how the others were doing, Kerstin and even Sandra, though why he was thinking about her made no sense. She hadn?t done anything to stop the rest of the High Council members from using the altered protocols to attack the New Alliance. The sound of the door to the area opening broke into his thoughts and he turned around to see that the blonde Versilan had arrived. He wasted no time, coming over to where Darren was immediately.

?[B]I understand you have something important to tell me?[/B]?

Darren picked up the hand held computer and held it out, prompting the man to take it. ?[B]I?m done. I don?t know what the message is supposed to mean since it looks like some form of medical genetics data, but that should be close to the original message.[/B]?

?[B]Why do you say close? Was some of the data lost?[/B]?

He shook his head. ?[B]No, I say close since I have no way of knowing if something is missing from a message like that. You need someone familiar with genetics to take a look. I can?t do anymore.[/B]?

The man raised his right hand, signaling to the two security guards who promptly came over, ?[B]I?ll do that then. Once I have confirmation on what?s in the data, you and I will have a talk about your future here.[/B]?

Darren said nothing, choosing to look down instead, nor did he say anything else when the man ordered the guards to put him back in his cell. The only question on his mind once the man had left and the guards were taking him back to his cell; was what would happen next.

[SunfallE]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"]William ended the transmission with Kiva, he had no immediate assignment for her just yet as he was waiting on some information he needed first. Considering all that she had done he figured she could do with a tiny bit of downtime before being sent elsewhere. What was more important was having the genetics researcher Tessa take a look at the message that Darren Anderson had finally pieced back together. He only hoped the wait for what was in that was worth it, otherwise, delaying the release of the contents of the third project in sector fourteen could backfire.

?[B]Sir,[/B]? William gave his attention to his second in command. ?[B]The transfer of the prisoner Commander Jared Scorer is complete, he?s in holding cell number three. Should I have him prepped for interrogation?[/B]?

?[B]No, leave him where he is until further notice.[/B]?

?[B]Yes sir.[/B]? William could hear the confusion in his voice and ignored it. He had already made preparations upon first hearing that Jared had been captured. Or rather he had called someone else in to take care of it. The decision had not been an easy one to make and though it had been agreed upon, it would still take them time to arrive in sector nine.

There was no point in wasting his time and energy attempting to force the information out of Jared. It was no secret that part of what made Jared such an excellent interrogator was that he himself had spent years being at the receiving end of such treatment. Instead of breaking as others would have, he had instead patiently waited for the moment to turn the tables on his tormentor, killing him.

William would not do it, for someone to have such resolve as a child? Normal methods would be pointless and he could not afford to spend so much time away from overseeing the current war in a futile endeavor. He would wait for the one he had called in to arrive, if anyone possessed the ability to force Jared to surrender what information he knew, it would be the person he had called in just for the job.

It was more important to decide what to do about Valencia and Cassandra. That was an interesting mess that he needed to deal with, but at the same time the question was how to do so without creating an unnecessary stir. [I]One of these days, things are going to go smoothly without any mix-ups.[/I] William wasn?t going to hold his breath in anticipation of such a rare event though.

[CENTER]-----------------------------------------[/CENTER]
Celestia had done it; the hyperspace program had been altered and was set to trigger the collapse of the distortion shields keeping the powerful crystals running the [I]Creator[/I] from reacting with those that were kept in storage onboard. All of the special shields on the ship would go down at the same time, something that if the timing was right would drag the fleet out of hyperspace and possibly result in permanent damage to the crystals themselves.

If not for the computer exploit she had found earlier it would not have been possible, her access to such sensitive programs was restricted and she could only hope that in the confusion they would not think to look in her direction. If they did, it would take very little to get it out of her; she had no illusions over her ability to resist interrogation. Unlike true Versilan?s she lacked the ability to resist the truth drugs that they would use. Celestia had said nothing to Jason, carefully working out what was needed in her head, slipping in bits of the program at stolen intervals when no one was watching.

Without the ability to test the program, it was possible that it would fail and nothing would happen at all. She would try just the same.[I] It can?t fail, it just can?t! [/I]It would be her only chance to do something meaningful for the war effort. She wouldn?t get another one, not after this, even if by some miracle they didn?t suspect her, the heightened security would make it impossible.

Celestia carefully watched the time, waiting for the moment when the program would work or not, trying to stay calm and work on what she and Jason were supposed to be doing. It was one of the hardest things she had ever done, even more so when the newest Commander, Drace showed up as he often did, checking on the different sections of the [I]Creator[/I]. It felt like an eternity as the Commander along with his nervous assistant Pheonia Roth stayed in the area.

[I]Why are they sticking around? If he?s here when the program runs? [/I]It took every bit of willpower Celestia possessed to not panic. But the closer the time came, the more nervous she became until finally, she did the only thing she could think of. Swiftly she pulled up the exploit and forged an order, sending it out and then exiting the program immediately. Only moments later she heard the sound of the Commander walking among the terminals, taking in what the various technicians were up to. [I]Don?t look,[/I] she thought frantically.[I] Act as if he?s not there! [/I][/FONT][/COLOR]