RPG Silver One: Civil War

[Aaryanna_Mom]

?[B]It?s been a long time Daniel,[/B]? James stood up and walked around the desk until Daniel was forced to look up from where he was sitting. It was a shame really, to see what he had become; he had had high hopes for him at one point.

?[B]Not long enough.[/B]? Daniel shot back grimly.

James leaned back, sitting on the edge of his desk. ?[B]I had hoped you?d be reasonable about this. I can?t change your sentence but I can make the process easier if you allow me to do so.[/B]?

Daniel snorted. ?[B]Just get it over with and spare me the hypocritical nonsense.[/B]?

?[B]Think about this carefully before you decide. If you refuse to cooperate, you won?t be the only one affected.[/B]? That was a decision he personally disagreed with, but it wasn?t up to him to decide.

?[B]Don?t you think it?s a bit late for that?[/B]? Daniel leaned forward as much as he could without triggering a response from the two versilan?s escorting him. ?[B]No matter how you dress it up, I know perfectly well that you?ll use any and all means to get what you want.[/B]?

?[B]I can at least make sure you don?t have to deal with certain individuals.[/B]? James pointed out. ?[B]I would have thought that would appeal to you.[/B]? But Daniel just smirked in response.

?[B]Well now, that would be interesting and I might even consider it,[/B]? he paused for effect, ?[B]if only the person I?d rather not see was actually around.[/B]?

[I]So they do have him... [/I]That took care of one question that James had for Daniel, to confirm whether or not the New Alliance had Commander Scorer or not. Their own intelligence on that matter had been rather sketchy and unreliable. It was but one of many things they would get out of Daniel Landers before they were done. And though he hated to do it?

?[B]What about people you do want to see?[/B]?

Daniel stiffened and went silent for a brief moment. James just waited to see if he would respond or not. He didn?t need to say who he was referring to. It was unlikely that anything would happen to the pair but using their presence would have the desired psychological effect.

?[B]I told you to just get it over with.[/B]? Daniel finally replied, his expression so stiff that it was almost unreadable. ?[B]I find your attempts to play the so called nice and caring party laughable.[/B]?

?[B]Oh I make no claims to being nice.[/B]? James stood up. ?[B]Offering leniency extends only to the methods used, and does not include opting out of the follow up drugs used to verify the accuracy of your statements.[/B]? He nodded to the two guards.

?[B]Prepare him.[/B]? He watched as they pulled him to his feet and then left the room. James sat back down at his desk; it would take them a little time to set things up. Just enough time for him to see if anything needed his attention before he got started.

[Aaryanna]

[COLOR="DarkGreen"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]?[B]So why did they chose you to escort them to the capitol Commander? It?s not like you need an escort for a body or slaves after all.[/B]?

Crystal looked up from her handheld computer, [B]?True. However, traitor or not, it?s still procedure for any member of the High Council to be accompanied to the capitol for burial.[/B]?

[B]?If that wasn?t the case, would you still be coming along though?[/B]?

[I]That?s right,[/I] she thought.[I] No one wants to see beyond the notion that they?re merely slaves, property of the Empire to be used at whim.[/I] Her lips curled in disgust as she stared at the Commander of the battleship, her eyes narrowing. ?[B]Why would they bother to use a battleship for such a menial task then?[/B]? She waited for him to think about that.

?[B]Alright, why?[/B]? He finally asked after thinking about it for a few minutes.

?[B]Wouldn?t that make it obvious that they?re important? Otherwise, they would have been sent on one of the regular transports for such things.[/B]? Crystal turned her computer off. ?[B]I choose to come along since people are still stuck in the mindset that no slave is valuable beyond a mere resource.[/B]?

The Commander snorted. ?[B]There[I] is [/I]no value beyond that. They?re incapable of doing anything else.[/B]? He sneered, ?[B]You?re starting to sound like one of those slave rights fanatics.[/B]?

?[B]Perhaps,[/B]? Crystal conceded. ?[B]But I?ve been saying for decades that we needed to change how we treat the lesser races. I think the current war proves my point.[/B]?

?[B]Only that people are sentimental fools.[/B]? He countered.

?[B]No, that people are realizing things should change, and that includes understanding that the mistaken perception that the other races aren?t intelligent is a problem.[/B]? She started drumming her right fingers on the sidearm of her chair in irritation. [I]This pigheaded stubbornness among the military and people is rapidly becoming tiring. [/I]

?[B]I could easily prove my point with the very slaves onboard that you consider so worthless, but if the High Council?s decision to grant them privileges no slave has ever had isn?t enough to convince you of that, then nothing will.[/B]? She stood up.

?[B]The days of being considered superior are over. Even if we win this pointless war, sticking our heads back into the sand won?t change anything.[/B]?

Crystal took a deep breath and let it out. ?[B]We may not agree Commander, but at the very least you should be smart enough to actually read the files on the slaves you?ve been ordered to transport to the Capitol. I find your lack of knowledge on your sworn duty disturbing.[/B]?

He sat up straight, schooling his face into an impassive mask at the rebuke. ?[B]Of course Commander, I?ll rectify that situation immediately.[/B]?

?[B]See that you do.[/B]? She said coldly before turning and exiting the bridge. At this rate, she?d end up spending the trip in her quarters. Snipping and arguing over policy and whether or not the slaves or current war was justified? was something she was in no mood to discuss. At all. [/FONT][/COLOR]

[Rachmaninoff]

Darren had turned down the offer to see Kerstin. He had been told that it was possible he wouldn?t have that option again for quite some time and yet he still turned it down, opting to write up a message for her instead. He didn?t know if they actually delivered it or not, he just knew that she didn?t need to see him so long as he was required to wear the disruptor restraints. After that mess with Blaine Uratak, she didn?t need that kind of reminder. It would be hard enough as it was.

Ironically, his new situation reminded him of when he had first been pulled over by the battleship Crimson. He had been given the choice of working for the military or facing the consequences. Darren didn?t know who he hated the most, the High Council or the New Alliance. The only good thing this time was he did not have to deal with Jared or Stevens. Not that he liked dealing with the Commander of this ship he was stuck on any better.

He still didn?t know who the hell he was since absolutely no one called the man by anything but ?sir? or his rank of Commander. Darren tried paying attention to what the others were saying since he?d been handed over to someone in the computer labs, but even when he caught what was being said in hushed tones, no one had yet to actually use a name. All he had caught was a tiny bit of confusion over why the Commander as they put it was even bothering to keep him around instead of having him sent to one of the camps for prisoners.

?[B]Stop spacing and get back to work.[/B]? A sharp voice called out, causing Darren to jump.

His head whipped around to see the Versilan he had been assigned to coming his way. He groaned. It wasn?t like his attention had wandered on purpose.[I] I should have refused to cooperate.[/I] It was an empty thought though, and he knew it.

?[B]Yes sir.[/B]? He started to turn back.

?[B]It?s about time you stop sulking and focus on what you?re supposed to be doing.[/B]?

?[B]I decided to do as I was told; I never agreed to actually[I] like[/I] it.[/B]? Darren pointed out.

?[B]For one who has led a privileged life, you?re pretty damn ignorant.[/B]? He towered over Darren. ?[B]If it were up to me, you would have been sent off like the others.[/B]?

[I]I was privileged? Since when? [/I]The condescending and arrogant scowl directed at him just had him seeing red and he snapped before he could think better of it.

?[B]For one who is supposedly qualified to serve the New Alliance, you?re pretty damn ignorant.[/B]? Darren tossed his words back into his face. ?[B]My ?privileged life? as you so colorfully put it was courtesy of your own leader William hacking my clearance and directing my ship into a restricted sector.[/B]?

Darren stood up, ?[B]You [I]do[/I] know what the penalty is for being caught in a restricted sector is right?[/B]? The man started to answer but Darren answered for him, cutting him off. ?[B]It?s death, unless the military decides they have a use for you.[/B]? He let that set in, ignoring how the officer was getting angry.

?[B]That?s absurd,[/B]? the man finally said. ?[B]It sounds like you?re blaming the Resistance for your own stupidity.[/B]?

He shook his head and sat down, looking away, ?[B]Believe what you want, I?ve seen the shipping records and tracked William?s movements. I?ve seen the military records as well.[/B]? Darren sighed. ?[B]I don?t care anymore; all I ever wanted was to live my life in peace.[/B]?

?[B]Don?t you think that?s what everyone wants?[/B]?

Puzzled, he looked back up, confused by the complete change in his voice, stance and expression.

?[B]Slave, prisoner, citizen, no matter who they are, everyone has the right to live their lives in peace as they see fit.?[/B] He explained sadly before turning to head back to what he had been doing before reprimanding him.

[Allamorph]

[size=3]A pair of officers from the science division parted to let Sub-commander Tourney brush past on his way to the [i]Bastion[/i]. Sauvage had summoned him to the deck that Engineering had apparently been busy renovating for the past two weeks, just below the seldom-used bridge. From what his subordinates had told him, Engineering had had another, much bigger project that had had taken most of their time, and the on-board work had been started and completed in the last three days.

Tourney stopped eight paces past a corridor and sighed. Two and a half weeks way and already he was forgetting the layout. He backtracked and strode through the doorway that, while it took him to the [i]Zenith[/i], was a shorter path than the trek to the [i]Chevalier�s[/i] direct connection would have been. More turns, less walking. When Sauvage called, there had better be no long way around.

The summons had come during Tourney�s lunch break, only three or four hours after his ship had arrived. Tourney had hoped for a longer rest than that, and wasn�t exactly looking forward to another project so soon.

He also wondered about L�Arachel. As soon as the prisoner had been offloaded, she had disappeared�first to settle Scorer, she�d said, and then to bury herself in paperwork. Always with paperwork now, or else rushing between ships and deftly avoiding collisions with other crew-members. Tourney wondered how she did it. He�d almost collided with an officer as he�d exited the [i]Zenith�s[/i] lift, and bumped into another two while crossing to the [i]Bastion[/i]. He couldn�t remember a time when he�d stepped into a corridor to go somewhere, even four doors down, and not struck someone.

He pursed his lips as he walked. He remembered seeing a lot more of L�Arachel before she�d been promoted to Sauvage�s aide.

Sauvage was waiting just inside the doors to the refurbished deck, which now appeared to be a modest control room with several stations arranged facing a large viewscreen. Two of the stations were occupied by crewmen, neither of whom looked up when Tourney entered. The man closest to Tourney remained bent over his console, focusing intently on his monitor and tweaking a dial now and again; the other, more towards the center of the room, seemed to be concentrating alternately on the viewscreen and the multiple displays in front of him while speaking quietly into a headset.

[b]�I�d heard you were curious about our new pool,�[/b] Sauvage was saying. He gestured to the viewscreen. [b] �I thought you might like to see it.�[/b]

On the screen was displayed a gargantuan tank filled with a light-green liquid. The tank was easily twice the size of the mess hall; Tourney estimated it to be about eighty meters wide. A long hose, hanging ostensibly from the out-of-view ceiling, sank into the center of the tank, down to a small dark shape obscured by the fluid. Two similar forms seemed to float beside the first as it drifted, seeming to stay close, but not too close.

[b]�That�s big,�[/b] said Tourney.

Sauvage nodded.

[b]�It�s one of our main research facilities for when we have larger projects that the Bastion can�t accommodate. Or in this case,�[/b] he noted, [b]�when it�s better if the project was handled elsewhere.�[/b]

Tourney blinked. [b]�This is the interrogation chamber?�[/b]

[b]�It is,�[/b] said Sauvage. [b]�Initially I�d wanted to house the tank on the ship itself, but the Chief Engineer and I decided that eliminating the presence of any ship noises would be best.�[/b]

[b]�So where else can you put it?�[/b]

Sauvage indicated the screen. [b]�The asteroid.�[/b]

[b]�I�m not surprised you�re unfamiliar with it,�[/b] he continued. [b]�We rarely use it directly. Most of the time we send orders to it and a few others like it, and switch out personnel when we get the chance to stop by. This one is set in the interior of the asteroid straight off the bow; we hollowed it quite some time ago.�[/b]

[b]�What are we using it for right now?�[/b] Tourney asked.

[b]�Isolation.�[/b]

[b]�I�m sorry?�[/b]

Sauvage cleared his throat. [b]�As I�m sure you know already,�[/b] he explained, [b]�our subject is highly resistant to essentially all conventional forms of interrogation and coercion. The problem isn�t that we can�t yet find the right method. The problem is that all the methods currently in practice are external.�[/b]

[b]�External?�[/b]

[b]�Yes, getting at the mind through the body. The theory is that if the body is subjected to enough stress, the mind will eventually crack in an effort to protect its house. And it is an effective practice in most cases. But our subject is capable of withstanding far more stress than is normal, or even considered healthy, because of his unique background. So another option was necessary, and we were the only people who seemed willing to use it.

�Our method is considerably more archaic�or at least it�s fallen out of common knowledge. But I think it would be better if our expert explained it to you.�[/b]

Sauvage tapped the closest crewman on the shoulder. The man looked up, noticed Tourney, visibly perked up, and stood.

[b]�Sub-commander!�[/b] he exulted. [b] �Welcome, welcome. How do you like the facility?�[/b] He extended his hand abruptly and licked his lips.

[b]�It�s . . . very nice,�[/b] said Tourney, taking the proffered hand. He glanced at Sauvage, who coughed.

[b]�Major Sewall, I was just telling the sub-commander about the procedure....�[/b]

[b]�Oh!� [/b] Sewall seemed to be excited by the statement. [b] �Oh yes. Well, what we�re doing here is removing all external stimuli from Mr. Scorer.� [/b] He made sweeping gesticulations as he spoke. [b]�Instead of attempting to play the senses, and subjecting the prisoner to more and more in an effort to break through any defenses, we will be taking it all away. Mr. Scorer can see nothing. He can hear nothing, smell nothing, and taste nothing. He can [i]feel [/i]nothing.�[/b]

[b]�How?�[/b]

[b]�Mr. Scorer has been placed in a special wetsuit that forms so well to the body that any sensations that would normally stimulate our body hairs cause no sensation at all,�[/b] explained Sewall. [b]�And since we oiled him quite thoroughly before putting the suit on him, he can't feel it, either.�[/b]

[b]�But how does that help us get information out of him?�[/b] asked Tourney.

[b]�Oh, no-no-[i]no[/i],�[/b] said Sewall, shaking a finger at him. [b]�No, we won�t be asking Mr. Scorer any questions for quite some time. In fact, he�s going to tell us most of what we want to know all by himself.�[/b]

Tourney was stunned. [b] �How?�[/b]

[b]�This method deals directly with the mind,�[/b] interjected Sauvage. [b]�All sentient beings, Versilan or otherwise, are at the core social creatures. We must have company to thrive; alone, we wither. And despite many years of genetic modification and acclimation to long periods of space-travel, the mind can only tolerate so much solitude before it begins to break down.�[/b]

[b]�Yes, yes!�[/b] Sewall continued. [b]�And when we reach a certain point, our minds become very open to suggestion.�[/b] He frowned. [b]�Since Mr. Scorer is Versilan, and also still quite resiliant, I�m afraid this process could take a few days.�[/b]

[b]�And that�s a bad thing?�[/b] asked Tourney.

[b]�Well, no, not really. But if he were human, why, we�d have him out of there in eighteen hours, or even sooner!�[/b]

Tourney blanched.

[b]�That�s . . . that�s��[/b]

[b]�Amazing, isn�t it?�[/b] Sewall bobbed his head. He seemed to drift off for a second, and then his eyes brightened as a thought occurred to him.

[b]�Oh, Mr. Sauvage, sir! I have some information you might like to send to our Mr. William.�[/b] He produced a data pad seemingly from thin air. [b]�Please send this to him; I�m certain he�ll be interested in the, er, options presented.� [/b] He grinned as he spoke; Tourney began to feel distinctly nervous about the man.

[b]�Thank you, Major,�[/b] said Sauvage as he took the pad. He turned to Tourney. [b]�Sub-commander, I would like you to oversee this project for me and keep me informed. Since the [i]Chevalier [/i]is currently being overhauled, I don�t think this is too much to ask, and I trust you�ll keep me adequately informed?�[/b]

[b]�Oh, yes sir. Of course, sir.�[/b]

[b]�Excellent. I�ll leave you to it.�[/b] Sauvage turned to leave. [b]�Major Sewall will fill you in on what you need to know.�[/b]

Tourney watched the doors hiss shut after the commander. This new project promised to be a very interesting ride.

[b]�Let�s start with the drug mixture,�[/b] Sewall was saying. [b]�We want Mr. Scorer to stay awake for a while, since the mind can use rest as a defense mechanism, and we want to slightly dull his senses, so we're using the air line you can see on the screen to filter down a mixture of....�[/b][/size] Edited March 25, 2012 by Allamorph

[SunfallE]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"]?[B]You?ve become uncharacteristically quiet Celestia.[/B]?

Celestia ignored the observation, after the fuss back on the [I]Creator[/I], she had been too afraid to say anything. Now, she didn?t know where they were taking her and lately, she just didn?t care anymore.

?[B]I don?t see anything wrong with your scans,[/B]? Doctor Matheson continued before she turned the scanner off and pocketed it. ?[B]But this continual silence on your part is not normal.[/B]?

?[B]Don?t you think you should leave it alone Doctor?[/B]? Jason spoke on her behalf. ?[B]Nothing we ever say makes a difference. Unless the New Alliance wins this war, we have nothing but centuries of slavery to look forward to.[/B]?

?[B]Are you no longer interested in what happens to the two of you?[/B]?

?[B]Of course we are.[/B]? Jason shot back. ?[B]But as you already know, it?s really just you people telling us where we will go, what we will do and so on. You may as well just hand us a list instead of pretending to care.[/B]?

He sighed before placing his arm across Celestia?s shoulders. ?[B]If you have something to say, just say it and send us back to our quarters or whatever.[/B]?

Doctor Matheson leaned back against the wall. ?[B]We?re taking you back to the capitol; you?re being reassigned to work under James again.[/B]?

?[B]And your point is?[/B]? Jason prompted. The Doctor gave him a peculiar look.

?[B]You?ll find out soon enough.[/B]? She finally answered before calling for the security to escort them back to their quarters.

?[B]I don?t understand,[/B]? Celestia finally spoke up once they were alone again. ?[B]Why did she make a fuss just to tell us who we?re being assigned to?[/B]?

She sat down on the tiny sofa in their room. ?[B]Why do I get the feeling that she wanted to say more and didn?t?[/B]?

Jason shrugged. ?[B]I don?t get it either. Honestly, I feel like all we do is go in circles here. It feels like nothing will ever change.[/B]?

Celestia nodded and said nothing. What he said was true, there was nothing new to talk about, nothing new to discus. All they ever did was see the same pointless duties being taken care of again and again.

It was like her will to live was being taken; the specter of being stuck in the same never-ending cycle for the next couple of centuries had her wishing she didn?t exist. She didn?t know how to fight the emptiness she felt so she did the only thing she could. She simply said nothing at all.

[CENTER]-----------------------------------[/CENTER]
William was paying little attention to the duties of his crew as he reviewed the current batch of messages he had received. One in particular had his attention completely. It was by far, one of the most startling things he had read in quite some time. He had been certain that the party given this assignment would find a means to complete it. The actual method was a bit unusual though and the implications and opening for him to do something that was completely unethical?

He shook his head at the thought and re-read the message again to make sure he was reading it correctly. Surely there had to be some mistake. How could it be possible to do what was being suggested in the message? What would he actually include in the 'programming' if he did give the go ahead.

He put it aside and worked on other things, he definitely agreed with the second option since it saved them the trouble of hanging on to a problem they didn?t need. Doing it in the manner suggested would have the dual benefit of keeping the knowledge of what they had gained in the dark.

It was true that they hadn?t gotten anything just yet, but he would be surprised if it didn?t happen. And though he put it aside for the moment, in the back of his mind, he knew he?d end up giving the go ahead. They had come this far, as much as he knew he?d regret the decision later, he had a feeling he would regret doing nothing even more.

Decided, he worked on something else, once he was done; he would make his decision as to what would be done and send the order off. It would be his decision and his alone. Sauvage might be the one to carry it out, but as a leader, the responsiblity for giving the order in the first place was completely his.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[Aaryanna_Mom]

James wasn?t looking forward to his meeting with a couple of the Council members. It had been the right thing to do, to hand control back over to the Council, but damn if he didn?t have times that he wanted to strangle some of them. With their self important agendas and inability to see that the pointless civil war was doing far more harm than good.

He agreed that the demands given by the other side were to unrealistic, but they had been unwilling to even talk to the others, to try and hash out a compromise. It didn?t matter if the slaves were inferior or not, what did matter is that their own people were leaning towards abolishing that practice.

He ignored the glances in his direction as he strolled through the Council building, his steps unnaturally loud since so many of the social functions that were normally held had been canceled. It was almost eerie to see the building so empty when it should have been busy with the day to day traffic of events, meetings and research.

Even the tours from other sectors, where parents and schools brought the children to see the capitol had ceased. It felt strangely odd that there were no longer any children around at all. Not even from local schools and citizens since all activities like that had been put on hold until further notice.

James paused at the huge massive doors leading into one of the smaller meeting chambers. He took a deep breath and then approached, the doors opening immediately. He didn?t wait for them to close as he moved to the end of the circular table and waited for the trio sitting there to motion for him to take a seat.

?[B]Thank you for coming Commander, we know your time is limited.[/B]?

James just waited for them to continue, saying nothing. The meeting was just a formality really; sometimes he wondered why they bothered when their decisions were unlikely to change, no matter what he said.

?[B]We?ve read your reports and wonder if you could explain to us how Daniel Landers is managing to effectively resist interrogation. Based on previous records, this shouldn?t be happening.[/B]?

James smiled. ?[B]I would have thought that was obvious, unlike last time, he is not being interrogated by Scorer, and this time he really has nothing to lose.[/B]?

?[B]You are aware of who is coming to be reassigned to you correct?[/B]? One of them pointed out.

?[B]Of course I am, just as I?m also aware that your own orders would prohibit me from using them in that manner.[/B]? James kept his face emotionless. ?[B]I have had those two under my command before and I?m also aware of the delicate nature of securing their cooperation. I?ve already explained that it?s a method I do not intend to use.[/B]?

?[B]And if ordered to do so.[/B]?

?[B]I would ask you to consider which is more important, keeping a valuable resource intact or potentially destroying it for information that may not exist.[/B]? He sighed slightly. ?[B]It is true that Landers is one of the only members who we know has worked extensively with their elusive leader William, but that doesn?t mean the information he has is of any value.[/B]?

He waited patiently for the rebuttal that any information was of use, sure enough it came. Though not quite what he was expecting.

?[B]Then perhaps you could explain to us why you think we should continue shielding those two from standard procedure.[/B]?

James leaned back, ?[B]If you really want to do that, then you should be talking to Commander Matheson since she?s more qualified to determine if they would be able to handle the stress without snapping.

Or perhaps you should be questioning the other Council members who ordered that they be sent back to the capitol for their own protection.

Even if one of them is half Versilan, it doesn?t change the fact that genetically, those of the lesser races are more fragile.?[/B]

He leaned forward a bit. ?[B]I?m more concerned with your apparent dismissal of the concerns that I have gotten from my agents. There is quite a bit of unrest and general distaste for how this war is dragging out. Worrying over how I carry out this interrogation is a waste of time. What I have in mind is a little less direct, but it will have the desired results.[/B]?

Why are they unwilling to see it? Why were they worrying over the interrogation instead of the more important reports that indicated a serious level of unrest among the general population? He would get the information out of Landers, he just wasn?t going to directly involve Lander?s daughter since letting him see she was there was more than enough.

?[B]Very well, you have one month to wrap things up before the case is handed over to someone else.[/B]?

James inclined his head respectfully. ?[B]Thank you. You won?t be disappointed. One other thing, once I am done, I wish to keep Landers alive instead of executing him.[/B]?

?[B]What purpose would that serve?[/B]?

James smiled, ?[B]I would have thought that was obvious. With the way Commander Scorer vanished, it?s clear we have Resistance Cells here. Keeping him alive as bait will potentially help us to eliminate those cells.

It will also serve as an incentive for the two slaves being sent here and should negotiations ever be opened up with the New Alliance, he would be a valuable bargaining tool.[/B]?

Their look of distaste over that was obvious and James moved to head it off.

?[B]Don?t let your personal feelings over his treason get in the way.[/B]? He said coldly. ?[B]If you look at it objectively, you know I?m right. He?s far more valuable alive.[/B]?

There was a heavy silence and then he waited while they whispered among themselves for a moment. ?[B]Very well, that too is acceptable. You?re dismissed.[/B]?

James stood up and bowed deeply before turning and leaving. It was a bit disappointing that they had simply brushed over his concerns about the growing unrest among the people, but at least he had gotten what he wanted for the rest. He just hoped that their refusal to address the other didn?t end up blowing up in their faces.

[Aaryanna]

[FONT="Tahoma"][COLOR="Sienna"]Valencia really hated crawling into the different service conduits to perform repairs on her ship the [I]Stykera[/I]; especially when the damage was on account of fighting. She hated fighting. There was always the danger that something would happen to Cassandra. It didn?t matter that she was supposedly just a computer program. She didn?t want to lose her.

The only good thing this time was that the environmental controls hadn?t been affected. It was a thousand times worse when the temperature wasn?t regulated and you either froze or roasted. At least this time, the metal wasn?t cold as she rested on her stomach while she reached through the panel to work on some wiring. Her communicator beeped and she set the tools she was using down to see what Cassandra wanted.

?[B]What is it?[/B]? They weren?t due to arrive at the communications relay for another twelve hours.

[B][I]-You need to get up here immediately.-[/I][/B]

?[B]Why? What?s wrong?[/B]?

[B][I]-I?m afraid the damage to our sensors was more extensive than I originally thought.-[/I][/B]

She?s hedging, Cassandra never did that unless? ?[B]Out with it Cassandra.[/B]?

[B][I]-It?s the Imperial fleet, the one under Steven?s command. They just dropped out of hyperspace and are headed in this direction.-[/I][/B]

?[B]What?[/B]? Valencia banged her head painfully on the low ceiling of the conduit when she got up too quickly. She cursed colorfully before quickly putting the panel back in place and then snatched up the tools she was using.

?[B]How the hell did you miss the fact that they?re in this sector![/B]? She snapped as she twisted around to crawl back out as quickly as possible.

[B][I]-I just told you that the sensors were more damaged than we thought.- [/I][/B]Cassandra shot back.[B][I] ?I brought them back online and recalibrated them after you repaired that last section. When I did that?-[/I][/B]

?[B]Alright, alright,[/B]? Valencia cut her off. ?[B]I get it already. Are they in hailing range yet?[/B]?

[B][I]-They are, but no message has been sent. I have detected active scans so? ah, never mind. They just came to a halt and are now hailing us.-[/I][/B]

?[B]Bring the ship to a halt and send the standard query that indicates I?m on my way to the bridge. And then make sure you?ve taken care of any clean up that may have been missed.[/B]? She ordered.

Cassandra snorted. [B][I]?I always take care of that kind of stuff immediately, you know that.-[/I][/B]

Valencia just sighed and kept scrambling as fast as she could to get out of the conduit. She couldn?t help but worry, if Cassandra missed anything from when Scorer and Anderson had been onboard, she would be in a lot of trouble if Stevens found out.

She finally got to the opening and scrambled out. She didn?t even bother to put the tools up, letting them drop to the floor as she made for the bridge at a dead run. She was all dirty and scruffy from spending hours doing repairs, but that didn?t matter either. When she got to the bridge, other than to push any stray hairs out of her eyes she didn?t bother to clean up.

She sat down, took a deep breath and answered the hail, to her surprise it was Stevens. ?[B]To what do I owe this honor?[/B]? She said formally, doing her best to keep her expression even. ?[B]To the best of my knowledge, I have no business with the Imperial fleet.[/B]?

?[B]Considering the shape your ship is in, I would have thought you?d be pleased to see us. In your current state it?s possible that you won?t even make it to the closest space dock.[/B]?

[I]And if I end up on your ship, I might never leave it again,[/I] she thought. ?[B]There are plenty of merchants and others who?[/B]?

?[B]Don?t be silly Valencia,[/B]? Stevens cut her off. ?[B]After all you?ve done I can?t possibly leave you stranded like that.[/B]?

?[B]With all due respect sir, I don?t?[/B]?

?[B]Valencia,[/B]? Stevens said sternly. ?[B]With all the illegal military equipment on your ship, you know full well the consequences should I choose to press it.[/B]?

?[B]Of course, I?m well aware of that [I]particular[/I] detail.[/B]? It took every bit of willpower she had to not snap in return.

?[B]Good and since I have something I wish to discuss, you will lower your defenses immediately and prepare to dock on the [I]Conqueror[/I].[/B]? He paused for a moment and then continued. ?[B]Failure to comply will not be tolerated Ms Sabina.[/B]?

Valencia leaned back after Stevens ended the communication. [I]Great just great.[/I] Another message came in containing coordinates for a flight path into one of the bays of the massive flagship.

?[B]You heard him, disable the defenses and follow their directions Cassandra.[/B]?

[B][I]-What do you think he wants?- [/I][/B]She asked.

Valencia waved her hand dismissively in the air. ?[B]I have no idea. I?d like to think he?s only interested in information since we did just come across the border, but I can?t imagine Stevens wasting the time to bother us over that.[/B]?

She stood up; there was just enough time for her to quickly clean up. ?[B]Do me a favor Cassandra; don?t attempt to hack into the [I]Conqueror[/I] like you did with the [I]Transcendence[/I].[/B]?

Cassandra snorted again. [B][I]?Just hurry and get ready.-[/I][/B][/COLOR][/FONT]

[Horendithas]

[COLOR="Indigo"][SIZE="1"]This couldn’t be right could it? Jared had no means to measure time, but it felt like he had been floating in this unknown darkness for days. How that was possible? It couldn’t be. To think otherwise was absurd. It seemed as if his mind was too alert for a dream and yet if he really was awake, how could he go for days without feeling hungry, thirsty or tired? And the biggest problem of all was that he still couldn’t seem to move.

This endless floating that never went anywhere was starting to get old. One didn’t have dreams that you couldn’t wake up from. One didn’t ‘float’ for days without feeling hunger or something other the same damn relaxed state. And his inability to figure out what the hell was going on was starting to infuriate him. Underneath that, though he didn’t want to admit it, was a growing feeling of fear. That was bugging him more than anything. He hadn’t been afraid of something since… He quickly crushed that line of thought.

He didn’t want to listen to them; the whispers in the back of his mind were something he didn’t want to hear. They made no sense after all. The New Alliance wouldn’t bother to go to the trouble to transport him to wherever he was only to kill him after all. And if he really was dead, why would he be aware of it? The idea of an afterlife was nothing more than idealistic nonsense the slaves made up to somehow make themselves feel better.

Jared tried to force his mind off the thought, but he couldn’t seem to get it to leave. [I]What’s the matter with me?[/I] Since when had he been unable to school his own thoughts? [I]Since when was I somehow stuck in some limbo that I can’t change?[/I] He shoved that aside and focused on how he could feel his heart beating; at least he thought he could. And if he put every bit of effort into it, he could bite the side of his tongue and taste blood, but he couldn’t see or feel anything else at all.

[I]What the hell is going on![/I] Was this some new drug designed to make him think he was dead? Were they doing something to him and he was stuck in this place until they were done? All sorts of bizarre theories ran through his mind, each one more absurd than the last until he managed to muster enough will to crush them. He could tell that it wasn’t going to be so easy this time around, he was barely managing to keep the feeling of being out of control at bay.

It was with great irritation that he realized that he was almost hyperventilating, his breathes coming in quick harsh pants. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t seem to control it. What if they had put him under only for it to go wrong? What if he really [I]was[/I] dead or close to it? The thought ran through him like a powerful jolt of electricity, painful and cutting. Jared yelled in protest, as loud as he could. He heard nothing, not even a faint echo.

[I]It's not true! It can't be![/I] He thought frantically.

But since he couldn’t even hear his own voice, didn't that make it real? Because if it really [I]was[/I] true, the thought that he was either dead or dying, he wouldn't be able to talk anyway. This time the feelings of panic and fear that he had been pushing away for so long refused to lie still and his mind spun in circles that he couldn’t stop. [/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Allamorph]

[font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][size=3][align=justify]Aldric Sauvage sighed at his reflection and brushed aimlessly at the errant strands of hair that insisted on falling down his forehead. No matter how hard he tried to tame the rest of his thick, ragged mane, nor how much he slicked it back, those few hairs refused to join their black brethren.

It was just as well, since his hair never laid down all that obediently anyway. His thick black eyebrows were equally unruly, sticking out every which way as if trying to compete with his eyelashes; altogether, he tended to look like a wild man in the mornings, before he could fight his hair into protesting submission.

The general effect of the ensemble was that his silver eyes positively gleamed from underneath his brow. And combined with his chiseled features�including a grim slash of a mouth�and a powerful frame that towered imposingly over most of his crewmen, Sauvage never came across initially as a friendly person. Those used to him knew he was an amiable, if stern, individual, but most of his fresh crewmen shied away from him until they were essentially forced to work alongside him.

Which was fine, Sauvage had decided long before taking command of the covert unit. If nothing else, it was a good way to naturally gain respect, and that made for an efficient force. Nothing to be ashamed of at all.

It had been a full day since he had sent his message to William for review, and so far there had been no answer. He could understand the man�s reluctance; Sauvage�s report had contained not only the initial success of the transport array�along with a caveat about further testing�but a suggestion which bordered on the perverse. He knew William might have a difficult choice to make, but even though he understood the situation�s gravity, he had a schedule to maintain. Accordingly, he had told William that if he heard nothing for two days, which would be tomorrow evening, he would assume the answer to be no.

The thought of reports reminded him of the prisoner being held several thousand kilometers forward. Sauvage allowed himself a slight smile; he was certain Scorer would have appreciated the use of an asteroid as essentially a maximum-security prison.

[i]�Hell of a place to leave someone,[/i] he thought. He paused. [i]�Then again, that�s not a bad idea....[/i]

He pushed the intercom for the [i]Bastion[/i] control room.

[b]�Sauvage to Tourney. How�re we doing?�[/b][/size][/font]

[center][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][size=3]-----------------------[/size][/font][/center]
[font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][size=3]Gillam strode to the intercom and pressed the respond sensor.

[b]�So far so good,�[/b] he said, [b]�as far as I can tell from Major Sewall. We�re about twenty-seven hours in, sir, and Jared has just started to crest the first panic stage.�[/b] He glanced at the monitor, on which the submerged prisoner was thrashing and apparently roaring, though the sound was temporarily muted. On either side of Jared, two divers were maneuvering delicately around him, keeping him from becoming tangled in his air hose as he twisted like a gyroscope in slow motion. It seemed being so far down in the liquid had completely removed Jared�s sense of direction as well; the night shift crew had said he�d spent half of last night upside down.

Gillam shook himself.

[b]�Apparently Sewall wasn�t expecting the first stage to hit until later this afternoon.� [/b]He darted a look at the eager-eyed scientist across the room. [b]�He is . . . definitely pleased.�[/b]

[b]�Actually,�[/b] answered Sauvage, [b]�I�m not all that surprised.�[/b]

[b]�Sir?�[/b]

[b]�The actual isolation process has already had a good bit of assistance from sources outside our control. In the first place, his initial captors were afraid of him, so while they were attempting to pry information out of him they allowed their fear to translate into brute force, which as we know doesn�t work. After that, he was transported in essentially a coffin, then stuck in a holding cell until we got hold of him, and finally stuck in a single room for two weeks with no contact with anyone.

�The last meaningful interaction Scorer had was with my aide. So right now the effects of the prolonged isolation before he arrived and the confusion over being suddenly handled as if he was no longer feared are stacking against him. None of what I mentioned was under our control at all, except for the two-week journey here, but all of it is working in our favor.�[/b]

[b]�So what you�re saying is that we�ve inadvertently shortened the process?� [/b]asked Gillam.

[b]�Yes. And given that he�s already gong through the first panic stage, from what Sewall and I have discussed, I would be surprised if he breaks the fifty hour mark.�[/b]

Gillam nodded. [b] �Barring anymore circumstances out of our control, you mean,�[/b] he added.

[b]�Yes, that�s right. Thank you, sub-commander. I�ll check back in this evening.�[/b]

[b]�I�ll be expecting it, sir.�[/b]

[b]�Oh, and be sure to let me know when Scorer gets through the second stage. I have something for my aide to take care of.�[/b]

[b]�Of course, sir. Tourney out.�[/b]

Gillam shook his head as he stepped away from the intercom panel. Fifty hours. That was barely more than two days. The officer returned his gaze to the screen and tried not to imagine the kind of hell a man could put himself through that would tear him apart in such a short time.[/align][/size][/font] Edited March 25, 2012 by Allamorph

[Horendithas]

[COLOR="Indigo"][SIZE="1"]It felt like it took days for him to finally regain some semblance of control over his thoughts. They were still more chaotic than he would like and Jared refused to believe that it had been that long, accepting that would mean he really was dead and he wasn?t ready to give up and acknowledge that. He wasn?t as calm as he would like but he forced himself to run through everything he could think of again.

He still couldn?t find the solution and now he could feel ugly thoughts he?d rather not have lurking near the surface. He tried to push the feeling down but he could tell it wasn?t successful. Jared knew he had to get out of there, staying in this place? just the thought of being stuck in it was something that sickened him, even though he didn?t fully understand the feeling.

He didn?t know when it happened, but somewhere along the process of trying to escape it felt as if even the sensation of breathing was gone. The feeling of drifting became more pronounced and though he could see nothing, it felt as if he was somehow separated from his body. Momentarily distracted by it he realized that it seemed as if there was something further out, it reached and beckoned to him.

Without hesitation he stumbled towards it, striving mentally to get there. For what seemed like hours he chased it but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn?t seem to catch it. At first it didn?t matter but then a feeling of dread started to take over. [I]You can?t escape[/I] the feeling seemed to be saying.[I] You know why you?re here. There?s no way out. It?s your fault that you?re here.[/I]

[I]NO! [/I]

He hadn?t done anything to cause this! [I]Haven?t you?[/I] The feeling seemed to say. He started to protest and then choked back a scream as memories of what he had done started to surface. All the years spent working as an interrogator for the military seemed to fly before his eyes. Only this time it was as if he was watching from the outside. With perfect clarity he saw it all. The pain he had inflicted on others. The misery, the injustice and sadistic methods he had used to break anyone who got in his way. [I]You don?t understand[/I] he howled at the feeling.

[I]Don?t I? Do you really think they deserved it? [/I]

Jared faltered... [I]They did, didn?t they? [/I]The memories continued, ignoring his protests, his pleas for them to stop. Somehow he knew that what was next was infinitely worse. He had to stop it, but it was as if he was being washed away by a powerful wave. He could no more stop it than end the weeping that followed. It was his own actions that had brought him here, everything he was seeing, he had done. It [I]was[/I] his fault.

They hounded him endlessly and pulled him back. They wouldn?t let him go, he was dead and he would be stuck here forever. He didn?t want to accept it, but Jared knew he was finally being punished for what he had done. It didn?t matter that he had finally realized it, it was too late, and there was no going back. He couldn?t undo what had been done.

Jared tried to say he was sorry, but no matter how many times he said it, he heard nothing, not even his own crying. He was stuck in this eternal darkness. He shook with the effort to suppress it, to deny what was happening. It didn?t matter what he had done in the past he told himself. It was over. He couldn't change the past. It seemed to work as the feelings of panic started to ebb, though his victory felt hollow and he was still stuck in the darkness. [/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Rachmaninoff]

He would have preferred to work in his quarters, but he wasn?t given that option. Probably because even though his knowledge of computers wasn?t sufficient for hacking the system in order to send an unauthorized message out, they weren?t going to take any chances. They weren?t going to allow him to have access except in the computer labs where it was set up for him.

So when the chime at his door indicated his escort was outside waiting, he simply went without a fuss. Darren didn?t want to give them a reason to stuff him in a cell instead. Illusion or not, tiny quarters were still better than a stark empty cell.

?[B]Here,[/B]? the Versilan said shortly as he handed over the hand held computer he was allowed to work with during his shift.

Darren took it without comment, smirking inwardly that they were worried he might somehow alter it to send a transmission if they let him keep it with him when he rested. Their caution was admirable, but at times, tiring.

?[B]You need to hurry up and finish that last report, the Commander is waiting.[/B]?

He rushed to keep up since the other was walking so quickly down the various corridors of the ship that he was almost running. ?[B]If you want it sooner, you should stop being so paranoid and let me keep the files and the hand held so I can work on it a bit after dinner.[/B]?

?[B]I?ve told you before Mr. Anderson, you need to stop slacking and do the job assigned to you. I don?t know how you managed to fool the High Council or the Commander but you take[I] forever[/I] to get anything done.[/B]?

He took the lead and moved to open the double doors to the computer lab. Not bothering to look and see if Darren was following him or not. The man came to a halt and turned around when he realized that Darren had stopped.

?[B]What are you waiting for? Get in here.[/B]? He sneered.

[I]Just do it.[/I] Darren told himself. [I]Nothing good will come from getting upset. [/I]He made himself take measured steps until he was able to sit down at his assigned terminal.[I] Just remember,[/I] he reminded himself,[I] the moron doesn?t have a clue what he?s talking about. [/I]

Darren knew he didn?t understand what he?d been asked to do. Analyzing shipments in order to predict where the next ones would go was fairly easy, unless you were trying to predict where stuff for special operatives was being funneled.

He may have been working with shipping for the High Council before, but other than the stuff needed to help track down the Resistance, he had not been given access to the more sensitive stuff unless absolutely necessary. If he was going to hand over a report of possible movements, he needed to be though in his examination of the data he had been given.

?[B]Jeez,[/B]? the Versilan reached over his shoulder and turned the terminal on. ?[B]This is what I?m talking about. This day dreaming of yours needs to stop.[/B]?

?[B]Would you just shut up already?[/B]? Darren said softly. ?[B]Just because I don?t appear to be busy, doesn?t mean I?m not working things out in my mind.[/B]? He turned around and looked up. ?[B]If you really think I?m doing such a poor job then go and bitch to that Commander of yours.[/B]?

[I]So much for not saying anything? [/I]he winced when a glare was sent in his direction.[I] How did this idiot end up working for the Resistance? [/I] All the man did was complain non-stop over his impression that Darren didn't know how to do his job.

They stared at each other for a long moment before he nodded grimly, ?[B]Perhaps I will.[/B]? He finally said.

?[B]Good,[/B]? Darren couldn?t resist. ?[B]In the mean time? Get lost.[/B]? He turned back to the terminal and started working where he had left off. He'd deal with in repercussions over that later. At least it was having the desired effect of getting him to shut up.

[SunfallE]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"]William groaned. If there was one thing he got tired of, it was the never-ending stream of reports. There were so many details to keep track of that he often wondered how Erica managed to keep everything straight. All it would take was one mistake and it would be over. It wasn?t often that he had time to sneak in a little light reading so when he had a free moment, he always took advantage of it. This particular book that he had was one of those rare ones that was actually entertaining.

He was well into it when the chime indicating someone was outside his quarters sounded. Reluctantly he put down the book down and sat up before he issued the command to open the door and let them in. It was his second in command who was looking slightly out of sorts. He already knew what was going on, rumors spread quickly on a tiny ship like this.

?[B]Take a seat.[/B]? He indicated the seat across from the sofa and then waited for his second to settle down. ?[B]So, what couldn?t wait until the meeting?[/B]?

?[B]It?s about our newest passenger sir.[/B]?

?[B]Let me guess,[/B]? William leaned back a bit, resting his left arm across the back of the sofa. ?[B]He?s lazy, doesn?t do his job, and other things along those lines. Am I right?[/B]?

?[B]That is what the computer specialist says sir but.[/B]? The officer reached into his pocket and pulled out a data chip, tossing it to William. ?[B]I?m no expert when it comes to his kind of work, but putting an end to profiteering by three major companies as well as limiting our own movements isn?t done by someone who?s lazy or can?t do their job.[/B]?

William picked up his handheld and inserted the chip. He glanced over the material briefly; it looked like it had what he was looking for. ?[B]How long until we drop out of hyperspace?[/B]?

?[B]Sir?[/B]? He sounded slightly confused by the sudden topic switch and only continued when William didn?t answer. ?[B]In about three hour?s sir.[/B]?

?[B]Let the specialist fuss, the problem will be taken care of then.[/B]? He set his handheld down and looked up. ?[B]Was there anything else?[/B]?

?[B]Not really sir, the rest can be covered in the meeting.[/B]? He stood up and then paused as something occurred to him. ?[B]Any word on Scorer sir?[/B]?

William stood up. ?[B]It?s going well.[/B]?

?[B]I see. Sorry sir, I shouldn?t pry.[/B]? Disconcerted, he looked down at the floor, refusing to meet William?s gaze.

William couldn?t help but chuckle a bit over that. Everyone was curious about what had happened to Scorer. Other than to know that he had been handed over to someone else, no one knew where he was. Even he didn?t know where Sauvage was. It was safer that way.

William changed the subject. ?[B]What about Landers? What's the latest news?[/B]?

He had already seen the report though. William merely nodded at the right places when his second apologetically explained how the latest intelligence indicated that Landers had broken under interrogation. He was not surprised, even if they hadn?t moved Celestia and Jason to the capitol to use as leverage, it would have happened just the same.

Someone like Scorer, who could resist it, was the exception to the rule, though it seemed that he too would break soon enough. And oddly, William found himself morbidly curious about whether or not Scorer would notice certain changes that would be made. The thought crossed his mind to countermand the order he had sent to Sauvage to go ahead, but he dismissed it and let his mind drift back to what would be covered in the meeting.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[Allamorph]

[size=3][align=justify]The man in the [i]Adept[/i]�s command chair uncrossed and recrossed his legs and checked his chrono, resting his head on his other fist. Twenty minutes longer and his shift would be over, giving him seven free hours until he reported to oversee operations on his own ship. He�d heard the mess was serving ham, beans, and potatoes. Hopefully the kitchen hadn�t garnished the ham with pineapples today. He hated that.

Stifling a yawn, he brushed absently at his commander�s stripes and wished he hadn�t looked at the time. Those twenty minutes would now seem like hours until his release.

As he turned back around he caught sight of one of the navigation officers leaning forward over their console. The officer appeared to make a few adjustments to the readout; the CO straightened.

[b]�You have something, Gregson?�[/b]

[b]�I . . . I think so, sir.� [/b] The lieutenant made another adjustment. [b]�Unknown contact on passive sensors, bearing oh-two-seven mark oh-one-four. Course appears to be parallel to fleet current heading, and contact is holding cruising speed.�[/b]

[b]�How long until the contact enters active sensor range?�[/b]

[b]�Three minutes, sir.�[/b]

The commander nodded and leaned back in his chair. [b]�Tactical, go to yellow alert.�[/b] He depressed the chair�s comm switch. [b]�Attention all hands, this is the [i]Adept[/i]. Commander Sauvage, report to the [i]Adept [/i]bridge. We have a possible unauthorized vessel inbound and will be entering confirmation range in three minutes. All ships prepare for emergency flight protocol and await rendezvous point transmission. This is not a drill. Repeat, all ships prepare for emergency flight protocol. Initiating intership comm blackout now.�[/b]

The commander swiveled the chair around.

[b]�Ops,�[/b] he continued, [b]�keep me apprised of fleet connection status. Tactical, get the Hub working on routes to the beta asteroid field. Helm, begin transfer of helm control back to the other ships. We have ninety seconds.�[/b]

A chorus of sirs sounded and the Adept bridge erupted into furious activity.[/size]

[center][size=3]-----------------------[/size][/center]
[size=3]As soon as the announcement finished, Gillam was at the mic to the isolation chamber.

[b]�Asteroid, [i]Bastion[/i]. We are under inbound warning, two minutes to contact. Divers, prep for extraction on my mark.�[/b] On the screen, two officers, who had been standing by in wetsuits, rushed to the edge of the pool nearest Scorer�s location, hurriedly donning masks, flippers, and a temporary breather.

Sewall stood over the shoulder of the officer monitoring the gas mixture.

[b]�Filtering mixture now,�[/b] said the officer. [b]�Vital signs are dropping. Subject is entering subconscious in . . . four, three, two, one.�[/b]

[b]�Divers, go,�[/b] barked Gillam. As the divers broke the liquid�s surface, the display shifted to a submerged view, where the two divers monitoring Scorer had grasped the prisoner�s arms and begun lifting him towards the surface. The standby pair met them halfway and took possession of the prisoner, lifting him the rest of the way. Once out of the pool, the second pair tossed aside their gear and masks and hurried Scorer to a waiting gurney while the pair on duty stripped from their tanks and other cumbersome equipment. The four officers rushed the gurney to the room�s exit.[/size]

[center][size=3]-----------------------[/size][/center]
[size=3][b]�Ops, status,� [/b]called the commander as Sauvage strode through the bridge doors.

[b]�Fleet has full autonomy. [i]Chevalier[/i], [i]Melisande[/i], [i]Squall[/i], and [i]Zenith [/i]are clear. Still waiting on [i]Bastion[/i].�[/b]

[b]�Helm!�[/b]

[b]�Twenty seconds to active range, sir.�[/b]

[b]�[i]Bastion [/i]is coming about. Transport doors still active.�[/b]

[b]�Fifteen seconds to intercept.�[/b]

The commander glanced at Sauvage, but the man looked no more intense than usual.

[b]�Ten seconds.�[/b]

[b]�Five bodies through port bow door. [i]Bastion [/i]is clear. All ships clear.�[/b]

[b]�Five seconds.�[/b]

[b]�All ships confirm rendezvous navigation procedures.�[/b]

[b]�Three. Two. One. Contact.�[/b]

The bridge fell silent. The commander felt compelled to pace, but Sauvage�s impassive stance held him in his chair. The seconds dragged on.

The nav officer leaned back.

[b]�Contact is maintaining course and speed. No indication they�ve detected us.�[/b]

Sauvage nodded.

[b]�Reform the group,�[/b] he ordered. [b]�Order the [i]Melisande [/i]to shadow the vessel until we�re certain it hasn�t seen anything, and find out what it was doing out here. Cooper, you�re relieved.�[/b]

[b]�Thank you, sir,� [/b]responded the commander. [b]�You have the bridge.�[/b][/align][/size] Edited March 25, 2012 by Allamorph

[Aaryanna]

[FONT="Tahoma"][COLOR="Sienna"]Crystal had gotten what she wanted and yet she hadn?t. She had finished her duty by escorting Erica Kendrick?s remains to the capitol, and she had handed over the two slaves Celestia and Jason to Commander James as ordered. She had argued for some form of ceremony for Erica though she knew the request would be ignored. The High Council wouldn?t look past the fact that she had led the Resistance for all those years. Crystal had expected it, but she still couldn?t help but feel disappointed.

She felt the same about what had happened to Commander Landers. Crystal couldn?t vouch for what happened to other prisoners taken by the New Alliance, but she herself had never been mistreated or had her own kin used as leverage. Though saying she had kin was a bit of a stretch. She had alienated all of them long ago with her push to improve living and medical conditions for the slaves.

If something were to happen to her, they wouldn?t care. There were very few people who did care. And only one that she was certain would actually do anything for her. Crystal tried to push the thought away. She didn?t want to think about it, doing so only brought up uncomfortable feelings of loss. [I]I wonder if I?m the only person who even cares that Jared is missing.[/I] She imagined that Commodore Luciana did, but no one else. He had made too many enemies over the years.

[I]Stop thinking about it![/I] She admonished herself, but it wasn?t enough and she couldn?t seem to get her attention back to all the reports she was reviewing for the research being done on Pharus. Crystal had requested that she be assigned to something else since she didn?t want to return to the [I]Creator.[/I] Commander Drace had been released and somehow she knew that if she were to return, he?d find a way to pay her back for shooting him. It wouldn?t matter that he was guilty of violating direct orders from the High Council. Her few encounters with him had clearly shown that he did what he wanted and only behaved enough to keep his rank and to gain more.

Commodore Luciana outranked him, but he had flagrantly disregarded her orders before and she didn?t want to be around when he did so again. Why they were allowing that failure to continue as a Commander was beyond her. She sighed. [I]This isn?t working.[/I] Crystal stood up and turned the terminal at her desk off. She walked over to the balcony overlooking one of the inside gardens for the Council Center and sighed again.

She had gotten what she wanted; she had been reassigned upon request. But now she was stuck in one of the stuffy offices in the Council center as she managed the research being done on Pharus. She didn?t agree with the research because it had been outlawed over a thousand years ago. The fools had nearly lost control of the Empire over the mental alterations and research being done to apply that to the slaves, and yet they still continued with the other in spite of that.

Crystal turned and left the balcony, heading for the door to her office. Standing around moping over things wasn?t helping anything. Perhaps a walk before dinner would help. There was just enough time for her to make use of one of the larger gardens. She was not going to sit around and entertain thoughts that were heading down the dangerous path of wanting to do things that would cost her dearly. [/COLOR][/FONT]

[Horendithas]

[COLOR="Indigo"][SIZE="1"]For one brief moment it felt like he finally got the peace that he was seeking. It didn?t last. Jared couldn?t tell if he was crying or not and didn?t care. At that moment he would have given anything to leave this place. The feelings of panic and fear were returning and this time he knew they wouldn?t leave. He tried to move to escape but no matter how hard he tried, he simply couldn?t move.

Terror gripped him when he felt memories that he didn?t want to see start to surface. Like a dark black wave they flooded his mind. He couldn?t stop seeing what had happened shortly after his parents died or the following events, and this time, he was the one who was being? For the first time since that moment in his life, he screamed.

Desperately he tried to escape, but there was no way out. He was dead. He was stuck here in this hell for all eternity. Condemned to relive what he had done along with what he himself had endured. He was dead and there was no return. It didn?t matter that he was sorry and finally understood. Jared continued until he had no strength left and his cries were nothing more than a whisper, a whisper that he still couldn?t hear.

[I]???Jared. [/I]

He didn?t hear the soft voice as it called to him at first. He was too caught up in his own despair. [I]I?m imagining things[/I] he thought even though he heard it again and again as if searching for him. There was no one searching for him. There was no one who cared. He had [U]no[/U] [U]one[/U].

[I]......Jared. [/I]

It was stronger that time. Was he not imagining things? He wanted to believe it was real, but he had been stuck here for what seemed like forever. He wondered how it could it be real? no one could float in darkness for this long and live.

Why was it toying with him? No one cared and the only one who might was still alive. The voice calling to him wasn?t her. This voice filled him with dread and more than anything he wanted to run from it, even though he didn?t understand why he was afraid of it.

?[B]Leave me alone,[/B]? He begged when it didn?t go away.

[I]?oh, Jared.[/I]

He could hear the concern and he tried to pull away in vain. ?[B]Please, just leave me alone.[/B]? He didn?t want this voice to know his secrets and yet at the same time he knew he couldn?t hide from it. There was no escape and he knew it. Had it heard him? He thought he was talking but he couldn?t hear his own voice.

[I]What did they [U]do[/U] to you, Jared?[/I]

The voice knew, just as he had known it would. Jared wanted to just cease to exist, the thought of being stuck in this place forever was more than he could stand. What did it matter if the voice knew?

?[B]You don?t understand,[/B]? He cried as he tried to explain.

[I]Why didn?t you tell us? Why didn?t you say something, Jared?[/I]

?[B]No one cares, no one cares![/B]? He screamed back. He found himself moving back to what had happened after that, to when he had started to do wrong.

[I]Oh no, No, no, what have you done?[/I]

The disappointment in her voice was more than he could stand and he couldn?t stop himself from trying to explain. Yes he had but he was sorry, couldn?t she see that? Her voice was becoming fainter and he strove to follow it.

[I]????Can?t you see? Jared, can?t you see what you?ve done?[/I]

?[B]I can see![/B]? He screamed into the darkness. He waited for what seemed like hours... but there was no reply and he wondered if she had heard him at all.

?[B]Don?t leave me here,[/B]? He sobbed, ?[B]Please, don?t leave me here.[/B]?

Anything was better than being in this place, [I]anything.[/I] Horrible fear seized him, worse than anything he had ever experienced.

"[B]I'm sorry,[/B]" He cried over and over as he begged the voice to come back. [/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Aaryanna_Mom]

?[B]All defense points are coming back as ready sir.[/B]? Tarika Zaidin?s voice carried over the bridge of the [I]Liberator[/I].

?[B]The Imperial fleet is due to cross the border into sector four in ten minutes.[/B]?

?[B]Understood, go to Amber Alert.[/B]? Commander Spencer ordered.

He pulled up the reports on the small monitor built into his chair. They had installed automatic defenses along the border, including some newly developed stations. If they weren?t enough to force the Imperial Fleet to withdraw, they could lose the sector.

[I]I hope the new decoy mine system works like they predicted it will.[/I] If it didn?t, they?d have no choice but to withdraw. They lacked the power to take on two flagships.

?[B]The Imperial fleet has been pulled out of hyperspace.[/B]?

Spencer smiled. The first part had worked. The new systems were designed to fire on anyone who didn?t have the proper access codes. But stopping two flagships wouldn?t be that easy. If they were lucky, they wouldn?t detect the trap until it was too late. He didn?t think they?d be that lucky though.

He watched as the stations launched the mines at the incoming forces. Quite a few of them were decoys meant to give the true mines a better chance at hitting it?s intended target.

?[B]What?s the status on the decoys?[/B]?

?[B]We?ve lost 40 percent of them.[/B]? Zaidin replied.

Spencer grimaced as he looked at the readout; they weren?t quite in the best location yet for activating the mines. But if they waited too much longer? They?d lose the chance to use them period. And if the Imperial fleet got through?

?[B]Activate the mines.[/B]?

?[B]Mines activated. Impact in 20 seconds? Sir! They?re pulling back.[/B]?

?[B]Try to boost the speed.[/B]? Spencer resisted the urge to bang his fist on the panel. If they managed to elude the mines... [I]Come on? hit![/I] He urged the dots on the screen representing the mines.

One by one the retreating ships took out the approaching mines and decoys. Some were not so lucky as the incoming mines hit their target, destroying a number of the smaller battle ships. Not nearly enough damage was done when the wave was finished. [I]Why are they still retreating?[/I]

?[B]Less than 25% of the mines hit their target sir.[/B]? Zaidin pulled back a bit. ?[B]They?re still retreating.[/B]? She couldn?t hide the surprise from her voice.

?[B]Hyperspace jump detected.[/B]? She swiveled in her chair to face the Commander. ?[B]They actually left.[/B]?

?[B]What?s their destination?[/B]?

She turned back, ?[B]Unless they change course, they?re headed for the military base in sector five.[/B]?

?[B]Excellent, begin damage assessment and replacement of the mines and decoys. I doubt they?ll come back to the same spot, but we can?t count on that.[/B]?

?[B]Right.[/B]?

Spencer leaned back as he reviewed the battle data again. [I]Why did they retreat so easily?[/I] They hadn?t done anywhere near enough damage to warrant a withdrawal. Had they managed to get a lucky hit on one of the flagships? Though knowing Stevens, he was pretty sure that wouldn?t deter him.

[Allamorph]

[size=3][b]�Sub-commander, hold!�[/b]

Gillam Tourney drew up short at his commander�s familiar voice, looking back down the corridor to wait. When Sauvage reached him, he fell quickly into stride.

[b]�You did very well on your last assignment,�[/b] Sauvage said, shifting to his other hand the data pad he had been scanning a moment before. [b]�Sewall tells me we gleaned a good deal of useful intel, even with the time delay.�[/b]

[b]�Thank you, sir,�[/b] said Gillam. [b] �To be honest, though, I�m the most surprised of all of us at the results. I mean, the Imperial was almost gushing information. Our audio analyst said he�d need at least another day for his team to extract everything from the recording and encode it in a more usable format.�[/b]

Sauvage nodded. [b]�Plans for his transportation are being finalized now. Scorer should be out of our hands in the next week.�[/b]

Gillam looked up.

[b]�We�re releasing him, sir?�[/b]

[b]�It�s really our only course of action,�[/b] replied Sauvage, nodding. [b] �Killing the man would not be in anyone�s best interests, and long-term confinement is not feasible by any decent standards. And of course I feel William wouldn�t approve of either,�[/b] he added.

[b]�And yet we done nothing less questionable here,�[/b] Gillam murmured. Sauvage gave him a quizzical glance.

[b]�Permission to speak freely, Sub-commander,�[/b] he prompted.

Gillam sighed and clasped his hands behind his back. [b]�Frankly, sir,� [/b]he began after a moment, [b]�this assignment was one of the most morally shaky I�ve had in my entire career. I do not question orders regularly, sir�or else I wouldn�t be in this unit. But what I was witness to . . . what we put that man through was wrong.�[/b] Gillam shook his head. [b]�It�s not something I�m going to forget easily.�[/b]

Sauvage nodded again. [b]�But you see nothing wrong with conventional interrogation techniques.�[/b]

When Gillam didn�t answer, Sauvage continued.

[b]�This is war, Sub-commander. Both sides are fighting because they believe what they believe is right. Both sides are going to make sacrifices to achieve victory, and those sacrifices are staggering. Some will make physical sacrifices, even including their lives. Some will make emotional, others spiritual.

�Those of us at the top of the chain must make moral sacrifices. We don�t always wholly agree with what we decide to do, but we decide to do it because it must be done. You are reacting to seeing a man tear himself apart, but how many other men have been torn apartt forcibly to achieve the same end?

�War is ugly, Sub-commander, and in the end the side that loses will be charged with war-crimes for all the sacrifices they were willing to make, while the side that wins will hide theirs away because their victory justified their crimes. It�s the same no matter how far back in history you go.�[/b]

[b]�I guess,�[/b] said Gillam. [b] �Doesn�t make me feel any better about it, though.�[/b]

[b]�Me neither,� [/b]Sauvage reassured. [b] �But these are my quarters; I�ll expect a full report from you shortly.�[/b]

[b]�Yes, sir,�[/b] said Gillam, excusing himself.

Sauvage stepped through the door to his room, and when it hissed shut behind him he brushed the panel for privacy. Touching two fingers to the side of his chrono, he let out a deep sigh; his outline began to shimmer, his appearance dissolving into pixels on the air as he pulled at the buttons of his uniform coat with one hand, the other reaching up behind his head. The coat was tossed haphazardly onto the room�s chair, and L�Arachel Salier shook her hair free of the constraining bun and collapsed backwards on the bed.

Gillam had been right; the results of Scorer�s trial [i]had [/i]been amazing. Scorer had been placed in a secure room after being removed from the isolation tank, and she had been sitting beside him, watching him, when he first regained consciousness. It had taken a huge force of will to remind herself that the man who, for sheer joy at seeing another human being, had almost bowled her over by his violent embrace and who had wept uncontrollably on her shoulder for almost a quarter of an hour was the same man whose reputation was spread across the galaxy as the most sadistic interrogator in the Empire�s history.

And it was slightly fitting, she supposed, that a man who had been made by being put through hell would need another hell to unmake him again. Whether or not he had deserved it was a call she would have to leave to William. L�Arachel couldn�t afford to waste time debating the ethics of her actions. Her sacrifice had already been made. She was two people.

She remembered actually serving under Aldric. He had been well-acquainted with the original head of the Resistance, and the Black Ops division was his brainchild and his legacy. As his second aide, she had worked arduously to gain his trust, and was rewarded after a fashion by being placed in charge of several of his touchier projects�and by being the only person he came to with news of his impending death, aside from the CMO, who had been able to find no cure for the rare disease and whom he had also sworn to secrecy.

She and Aldric had agreed that it was best for the unit if his face continued to lead them for a time, and it had been the CMO�s idea to use scans of Aldric�s body from the medical database and incorporate them into a portable holographic projector for L�Arachel. So Aldric Sauvage no longer numbered among the living, and two people in the entire galaxy knew of his passing.

The only difficulty was that L�Arachel still had a life to maintain herself. Her initial assumption of Black Ops leadership had been extremely touch and go, and even though she now had a decent system to keep herself separated visually from Sauvage, her days often left her incredibly drained. Things would settle down in a little while, since the unit was splitting up on assignments until perhaps a month after Scorer�s delivery, so her artfulness would be restricted to a single ship until then. And of course Gillam would be taking the [i]Chevalier [/i]in a separate direction.

L�Arachel rose and prepared for a quick shower before relaxing any further, but she couldn�t help feeling a small twinge at that last thought. Gillam had been another of her sacrifices.[/size] Edited March 25, 2012 by Allamorph

[Aaryanna]

[COLOR="DarkGreen"][FONT="Tahoma"][I]How did I end up here again? [/I]

Commander Matheson knew the answer, there was considerable unrest among the people since many felt the war should end. And naturally the High Council was not interested in hearing what she had to say. Their answer to her recommendation to drop the research on Pharus had been to return her to active duty and send her patrolling the outer edges of sectors thirteen and fourteen.

They didn?t want to listen to her warning that news of the forbidden research could result in another rift among the people. If riots were to occur now, they could undermine the war effort, handing victory to the New Alliance. And though Crystal did agree with some of their goals, but she knew better than to think handing over control would really make a difference. She did believe that perhaps the members of the Resistance would be sincere, but the others, Crystal knew it was a political ploy to seize power and prevent them from being ousted for sharing the same genetics as some of the slaves.

Only a small percentage of the families tied to the High Council were in favor of doing away with slavery, and those who were, did so for their own gain, not out of any real desire to right things. And even then, those who did were far outweighed those who did not. If not for the Resistance backing them, the war would have ended already.

[I]And why am I still dwelling on this? [/I]

Crystal forced her attention back to the main viewer of the bridge. It was a shame that they didn?t put her back in charge of the [I]Tempest[/I]. This newer ship, the [I]Vesole[/I] felt fake to her. She didn?t know the crew since there hadn?t been an opportunity for her to pick any of her senior staff. They had been together for all of two weeks and she felt like she had barely managed to scratch the surface since checking the duty roster for a larger battleship was time consuming.

She could see it in the eyes of her crew, the question of why a genetics specialist and doctor was in command. It had been the same with the [I]Tempest[/I] until they had gotten to know one another better.[I] I suppose this is better than working on the research back in sector one. [/I]And it was undeniably better than being returned to duty as the chief doctor of the [I]Creator[/I]. [I]I should be glad they didn?t put me back with Commander Drace, even if I?d rather fade into the background somewhere. [/I]

She was considering returning to her quarters when the softest of chimes indicated that her second in command had received updates from the various outposts in the area. [I]What new ghost shall we chase down today?[/I] She wondered. Crystal had done nothing but that since she had arrived. Picking up drifting debris from when the New Alliance had attempted to free Earth. Halting smugglers and merchants attempting to sneak things into the sector?

That was all she had done since she arrived. It was menial babysitting work designed to keep her out of the picture. The problem was that she didn?t know what she really wanted to do, other than to perhaps whack people upside the heads and get them to behave.

?[B]Commander?[/B]? her second in command spoke up and then hesitated. He turned to look at her, his expression one of surprise.

?[B]What is it?[/B]? She prompted.

?[B]We?ve received reports of a ship drifting in Imperial space.[/B]?

She stared at him, her eyebrow going up when he didn?t elaborate. ?[B]Anything else?[/B]?

He started, ?[B]Sorry sir, it?s just that the report from the scanners on the automated outposts indicate that there?s only one person on board.[/B]?

?[B]I see,[/B]? she said. ?[B]Who is on board and what is the ship's distance from our current location?[/B]?

?[B]The identification request has gone unanswered; I?m requesting a secondary scan.[/B]? He explained. ?[B]The ship is approximately six hours away at top speed sir.[/B]?

?[B]Set a course immediately.[/B]?

?[B]At once sir.[/B]?

Just her luck, it was probably another idiotic merchant or trader looking for valuable junk to salvage. There was a lot to be gained by that kind of work, but if something went wrong, it also meant you were stranded. Still what kind of idiot was dredging this area of space? Looking at the charts, there wasn?t anything to be found where the ship was drifting.

They had barely entered hyperspace when yet another soft chime sounded, most likely the reply to the request for further information. He leaned over a tad to read it and then jerked back, stiffening in surprise.

?[B]Was the system able to identify who is onboard?[/B]? Though she was certain it had, his startled expression of disbelief gave it away.

?[B]Out with it.[/B]? She barked when he just stared at her, saying nothing.

?[B]It says that the person on board is Commander Scorer.[/B]? He finally managed, his eyes searching hers, looking for some sort of explanation. She had none.

Stunned Crystal just stared at him. She couldn?t think of what to say. She knew that he had vanished but?[I] How did Jared end up on a ship drifting on the edge of known Imperial territory? I thought the New Alliance had captured him.[/I] She continued to stare at her sub-commander. [I]What is going on? [/I][/FONT][/COLOR]

[Horendithas]

[COLOR="Indigo"][SIZE="1"]Jared finished his daily stretches in his cell, [I]again[/I]. He sat back down on the tiny bed, resisting the urge to sigh out loud. If they weren?t going to bother to even attempt to interrogate him what was the point in keeping him at all? They may as well transfer him to a real prison and be done with it. At least there he would have some small contact that would let him better gauge the passing of time.

This constant isolation made it difficult to keep track of anything at all, let alone how much time had passed. He knew he had been a prisoner for at least two months but it felt much longer. At this rate, they were going to lose out on quite a bit of information, not that he was going to tell them anything. He knew he shouldn?t be surprised by the incompetence of the New Alliance, but all things considered, he [I]had[/I] expected better.

The door opened and his[I] it?s about time[/I] remark died before he even uttered it, his jaw dropping open in surprise as several people entered the room. He just stared at the trio, too startled to think. [I]How did Crystal??[/I] He closed his mouth and started to rise.

?[B]Stay put Jared.[/B]? She ordered, as she aimed her medical scanner at him.

?[B]Crystal.[/B]? He sat back down, glancing at the two with her. They were keeping a close watch as if they were expecting him to do something. But that didn?t make any sense and how had they managed to even find him? He hadn?t heard or felt anything to indicate a battle.

It didn?t fit; he thought he was being transported somewhere via ship. No wait. Kiva Salqarian had sent him through a transport door into what he had believed was another ship. Had he been wrong after all? Something didn?t feel right, but he couldn?t place it.

?[B]What is going on? How??[/B]? Crystal raised one hand and he hushed.

She looked at the scanner and then tucked it back into her pocket. She reached up to her right ear, touching the headset she was wearing. ?[B]Open a transport door to treatment room one immediately.[/B]?

?[B]Yes sir. Opening door now.[/B]?

[I]Treatment?[/I] He stared as a transport door opened inside the cell. Uncertain, he waited for Crystal to tell him what to do. The whole thing just seemed too surreal. How had they found him? Where was he? How was the war? He had so many questions to ask her and it took all of his patience to simply wait.

?[B]Finish checking the ship.[/B]? Crystal ordered the two with her.

?[B]But sir?[/B]?

?[B]You have your orders,[/B]? Crystal said sharply.

The two saluted. ?[B]At once Commander.[/B]? She waited for them to leave before turning back to Jared. She sighed and then motioned for him to get up. Crystal stared at him and then finally grinned before pulling him into a fierce hug, startled he hesitantly hugged her back.

?[B]You idiot![/B]? She chastised him when she finally let go. ?[B]I thought you were dead.[/B]? She looked like she was holding back tears.

Jared grinned in return. ?[B]I?m not that easy to kill.[/B]?

?[B]You?ve been missing for over three months Jared.[/B]? She replied grimly. ?[B]We knew you had been captured, but we didn?t know if you were still alive or not.[/B]? She frowned darkly, ?[B]At least if they knew, no one bothered to tell me.[/B]?

Jared started. [I]Three months?[/I] His brow furrowed, he could have sworn it hadn?t been longer than two and a half at the most. He recalled being drugged when he had first been captured, but it hadn?t seemed like he was out for very long, had he been wrong about that too?

Crystal sighed. ?[B]Let?s get going before they think something?s wrong.[/B]?

Jared nodded. He turned and went through the transport door, Crystal close behind. [/SIZE][/COLOR]