(DS)

    Back on the dark scout, G'bril quickly and silently makes his way to the bridge of the ship.  He has the advantage of having the internal sensors to let him know where everyone is at so he can use the normal hallways rather then the crawl spaces for most of his trip.  Checking the sensors one last time from a wall panel, he verifies that no one is on the bridge before he enters.  Once there, he quickly and cautiously looks around at all of the modifications that have been made.  With a slight frown he walks over to the cloaking control panel and finds out it has been repaired, but not reconnected.  Knowing where to go, he moves some equipment out of the way to get to the cloaking control system and intentionally cuts his way through several of the wires to make sure it will stay off line.  Satisfied with those results, he opens up the panel and places high explosives just inside rigged with a motion sensor in full view of the opening.  He closes the panel back up, and damages the latch to make sure that whoever tries to open it will have to pry it open or yank it off.  Once that's finished he walks back over to the the door of the bridge and checks the internal sensors once again.  Still seeing that almost everyone is still in the engine room, he presses and holds down a button on his remote until he hears a faint beep come from the cloaking control system panel.  He smiles and begins his trip back to their hiding place.

    An hour passes as repairs are finally completed on the antimatter generator.  The techs all return to their assigned stations to continue running more tests on the sensor package.
    "Has anyone found that cloaking control system yet?" Todd asks.
    Several no's return to him.
    "Well, start looking around for it.  We're not going to get any better readings on these sensors until we find it." Todd orders.
    Most of the techs make their way to the bridge of the dark scout and start running diagnostics on each system and compare their results to known data.  A few anomalies are expected and found.  Eventually, a tech checking the wiring makes his way back to the booby trapped panel.
    "Did anyone work on this control panel yet?" he asks.
    "I think wires were pulled to it." another answers.
    "Yeah, I can see that much was done, but the casing under it looks messed up." the first tech states.
    "Mr. Degroff said not to worry about the looks, just get the panels working again." a third tech comments.
    "Okay...  Well, I guess I'll get to fixing this one up.  The handle got broke off, anyone have a pry bar?" the first tech asks.
    "Yeah.  Over here." the second tech says while sliding the bar across the ground.
    "Thanks." the first tech says as he picks it up and shoves the flat end into the gap between the panel cover and the terminal case.  He wiggles it in as far as he can and then begins to put his weight behind it while sliding it to the side in an attempt to get the panel to pop off of its hinges.  After a few seconds, he achieves success.  Dropping the pry bar, he kneels down and rips the panel from it's resting place.  Before he has the chance to put the panel down, he hears three soft beeps that draws his attention to inside the terminal.  Several lights flash on the device before it explodes.  The shock wave and fireball rips through the entire bridge of the craft killing everyone in the area as well as blowing out it's front observation window sending what's left of their bodies floating into space.  The loss of pressure activates the emergency bulkhead doors sealing off the bridge completely.  Alarms sound throughout the ship.
    On board the Zlatoust, the sensors pick up the explosion and sound alarms of their own.  Colonel Plumer rushes over to the main holovid projector to see what the problem is.
    "Bring up the scout." he orders as his normal station personnel reclaims their places around command.
    "Up in a second, sir." the sensor operator states as she brings the image up for him.
    A quick scan identifies the location of the explosion.
    "What's going on over there?" Colonel Plumer asks over the comms.
    "Unknown." one of the techs answers.  "We've been cut off from all command and control."
    "Do what you can to get it back.  I'm sending over emergency teams." Colonel Plumer states.
    "Yes, sir, thank you." the tech says before he disconnects.
    Todd and Casey rush back into command to get updated on the alarms that they're hearing sounding throughout the star base.
    "What happened?" Todd asks.
    "There was an explosion on the scout.  They've lost control of the ship." Colonel Plumer states.
    "It seems like it's in a stable position right now." Casey states after examining some data on one of the sensor screens.
    "Well, for now, have a couple of your tugs on standby in case we need to keep it from hitting anything." Todd says.
    "Okay." Casey acknowledges before moving over to a comm terminal to pass along some instructions.
    "Okay, let me bring up some info." Todd says while accessing the controls for the main holovid.  Bringing up the detail logs about the scout he pulls up info right before the explosion and starts looking at where everyone was at and what they were supposed to be doing.  He brings up audio for the bridge just before the explosion and listens in on the conversation.  He hears a high pitched squeal of electronic interference that begs for his attention.  "Hang on a second..." he says as he accesses his own files to pinpoint the source of the interference.
    After several minutes, the computer ID's the sound as an ultra high frequency sonic pulse generator common to many types of explosives that use reflected sound waves to detect movement near them.
    "Proximity mine, huh?" Colonel Plumer asks.
    "I guess so.  Just wish I could figure out where exactly it was at."  Todd states.
    "I'll have a crew sweep the rest of the ship to make sure we don't have any more of those lying around." Colonel Plumer states.
    "I'd appreciate working in a safe environment." Todd jokes.
    "I try." Colonel Plumer says with a laugh.

    Feeling the scout shiver from the blast, T'rask accesses the sensors to see if he can locate G'bril.  Not seeing his position being reported, T'rask knows one of two things.  Either he dies in the explosion or he is safely back in the crawlspaces.  An evil grin crosses his face when he accesses the RFT network and reads the information being provided internally on what just happened.  Moment's later, G'bril enters the room through an access panel.  He merely looks up and grins at his commanding officer.
    "A job well done." T'rask states.  "They are reporting at least three dead, several more injured, and control of this ship is lost."
    "I am honored by your praise." G'bril answers.  "I used our strongest explosive and planted it directly inside the cloaking control system...  They should not be able to repair any of it even if they do repair the bridge."
    "They will never have that chance as long as any of us are still alive." T'rask orders.
    Q'teck and G'bril both nod acknowledging their order.
    "Sir, they are sending over more personnel." Q'teck states.
    "Monitor their activities when they arrive.  I want to know what they are up to." T'rask states.
    Q'teck returns his attention to his screen.  G'bril starts reading the updated reports on the scout, while T'rask begins to formulate his next move and does some research about the system.  He notes important events such as the trade station being destroyed, the RFT fleet being nearly wiped out, the rapid growth of the region, the recovered damaged artifact from the Mercavica System, the insurgency on the first planet, and most importantly, the recently called trade conference.  He chuckles at several of his thoughts about what to do next.

    "Damn it, if it's not one thing it's another with this scout..." Todd says in frustration.
    "What, you expect the enemy to just give us one of their ships to tear apart?" Casey states mocking him.
    "No, but, it's still ridiculous that..." Todd stops mid sentence.
    "Ridiculous what?" she asks.
    "Hang on." Todd says as he tries to access the scouts systems remotely.
    "Yeah, I'm no technical expert, but that's not going to work with there not being a bridge anymore..." Casey states.
    "Hmmm..." Todd muses for a second.  Thinking of something else to try, he starts digging around in his files only to get booted from the RFT network.
    "What the hell?!" he says as he checks for why he just got booted.
    The computer brings up a display that states it's detected his access to sensitive network files from more then one physical location.
    "How am I logged in at more then one place?" he asks aloud before punching in a command to show his access logs.  The log shows him logged in at the Zlatoust as well as the Dark Scout.
    "Huh..." Todd states while retracing his steps mentally.  "Damn.  Must've left my data pad hooked up over there.  "Hey, anyone over on the scout, could you do me a big favor and go to the captain's quarters and retrieve my data pad for me?" he says over the general comms to everyone over on the scout.
    "I'll get it boss." one of the techs answers.

    T'rask receives the same notice Todd received only a few seconds ago.  All three of their screens get locked out of the RFT network returning them to the limits of the scout's internal system.
    "Have we been detected?" G'bril asks.
    T'rask looks to Q'teck who answers, "No, it appears to be an automated safeguard built into their system.
    "In the future we will have to be more careful with stolen access." T'rask notes.  "But if in the unlikely event they are aware of our presence, we should start making preparations to leave this craft."
    The other two nod as Todd makes the request for his device to be recovered over the general comms.
    "I will return this to the captain's quarters." T'rask states.  "When I get back I want to hear some options."
    G'bril and Q'teck nod again sending T'rask to complete his next assignment.

    Several minutes pass before T'rask reaches the captain's quarters only to find someone already in there tossing the entire room looking for the device.  the tech comes back on the comms.  "I'm sorry sir.  I looked everywhere in the captain's quarters and couldn't find it.  Is it possible you left it somewhere else?"
    "No.  I only used it in there.  Thanks, someone else must have grabbed it."  Todd answers before sitting down at one of the data terminals to start redoing his access codes.
    Holding his anger in check, he returns to their hiding place with renewed interest in not making another mistake and getting off of the ship undetected.
    "We've come up with a plan that should work as you want it." Q'teck states having heard the radio traffic and knowing his superior just failed his own assignment.
    With no answer from T'rask, G'bril continues Q'teck's comment. "One of us remains here to monitor the humans and rewrite the safety protocols for the self destruct sequence to auto eject all escape pods moments before the ship explodes.  Another one of us makes their way to the secondary self destruct controls to verify they are in working condition and to force them to accept the new protocols.  The remaining one of us does the same only at one of the escape pod terminals."
    "Our tampering will be detected." T'rask interrupts.
    "Not if we are quick." Q'teck states.  There is now a significant delay between our ship's system and theirs.  If we program the self destruct to happen before their system updates with our changes, they shouldn't receive them."
    "Good plan.  I will make one alteration to ensure our privacy." T'rask states with a small hint of pride.  "Q'teck, you remain here and work on reprogramming the safety protocols and monitor the humans.  G'bril, you secure an escape pod and ready the system for it's new commands.  Once that task is completed, exit the ship and plant a remotely detonated explosive on the communications array and return to the escape pod and maintain it's availability without being detected.  I will make my way to the back up self destruct controls and stand by for your notice that you are back inside the ship.  I will then access the self destruct system and force them to accept the new commands.  Q'teck, on my word, you will then reprogram both systems and immediately head for the escape pod.  Once I see the system is ready, I will manually trigger the sequence and make my way to the escape pod.  When I trigger the sequence, G'bril, you destroy the array.  At this point, the only thing they should be aware of is that communications is now no longer possible.  Shooting your way to the escape pod is authorized since they won't be able to communicate with their star base.  The system should eject all pods at the same time, giving them just enough time to clear the ship before it explodes clouding up their sensors with too much interference to detect our presence in the pod.  The escape pods should all be entering the atmosphere before the interference dies down.  We will plan our next actions once we have found a safe hiding spot."
    G'bril and Q'teck nod in approval of the details of the plan.
    "Get to it." T'rask states while exiting their hidden room for the last time.

Thenos Garr strode into the secure comms room of the Revenge. Thick doors sealed behind him, enclosing him in a psychic dead-zone similar to a meditation chamber. Such rooms were reserved for only the highest-priority transmissions. Whatever Viceroy Algana had to say would be of great concern to the well-being of the Flames of Vengeance, and simultaneously something that shouldn't be heard by hostile ears.

"The room is secure?" rang a withered yet commanding voice through the small room.

"Perfectly. You may speak," Thenos replied. The only other figures in the room were two drones who would provide personal protection in event of emergency, ranging from killing intruders, to forcing the doors of the chamber open to allow escape for the room's occupant.

"As much as it pains us to do so, the Seer Council must request your aid," Thenos smiled wryly. He was still addressed as one outside the Seer Council, "it has come to our attention that a major Advent faction intends to approach Roesh and attend his trade summit."

"The Unity's Fists?"

"No, the Silent Pilgrims," the speaker paused, allowing the gravity of the situation to sink in, "we don't know what they are planning, but we want an official representative at the meeting to monitor, control, and counter their movements."

"Understood."

"If through business with those at the meeting the Silent Pilgrims can get any advantage over us, be it economic or military, they will surely use it to remove us from our position in Distant Stars. Do not allow this to occur. We are sending you a full briefing now."

On cue, a single bleep was heard from one of the few electronic devices in the room, a simple datapad printer. It recorded the transmitted briefing onto a datapad, which Thenos took.

"We expect only that you match the offer of our opponents," Algana said, "try and accomplish at least that much."

The link terminated. Thenos glanced at the briefing pad. Match their offer? Thenos smiled. He'd just been given free reign to throw the Flames into any trade agreement he wanted. It would also mean that he would have time to help clear up the mess caused by the recent uprising. The Flames had already lost too many soldiers in a war that had nothing to do with them. Teldin and Gander were with the section of soldiers, many of whom were injured, but the rest of the platoon hadn't been able to pick them up due to the legal tape thrown up after what was being labelled an "Advent terrorist bombing." However, before that could happen, Thenos had his own private message to make. The High Psintegrat should probably be consulted on how she stood on all of this. However, Thenos was sure that her opinions on the trade issue would align with his.

(DS RP)


//stardate: 2.75 years from last jump point. Location Phase Space
Captains Log:
    On our way to the Astrysius System we recieved the following comunication -

^^^
The Roesh Free Traders are holding a Trade Conference in the Finley System, Distant Stars Region.  All interested parties are encouraged to open the attached data packet, review the information, and send confirmation of their intent to attend.  Attendees will receive information on a new sensor package developed in response to a new threat emerging in the region.  We look forward to your visit.

-=Roesh=-
^^^


The included data packet contains details on the location, methods of entry into the DS region, and a standard message of only civilian ships will be allowed to enter the system, warships must remain at the star or another location if civilities cannot be maintained.

Prince Si'V looked over at Nai'Deen, then told the chief communications officer, "Open up a communication to our main base on Enoch.  Get Lord Naphtali, General Nimrod and Lord Vi'kirga."
"Yes, prince."

"This is Enoch command, what can we do for you, Prince?" came the response.
"Is Lord Naphtali, General Nimrod and Lord Vi'kirga available?  We have an impending opportunity that we must discuss."
"I will contact them, Sir.  One moment..."
      Lord Naphtali was the first to respond back.
"How goes the diplomacy, Si'V?"
"Not so well with the Monta Clan, my friend" Si'V sighed.  "They will not support us without proof of victory against the Darkness."
"Well then I'll let Vi'kirga update you to that development," replied Naphtali.
"Has that old scientist finally figured it out?"
Naphtali chuckled, "I'll let him tell you."
    Almost on cue, Lord Vi'kirga connected. "Ah, Prince Si'V.  I have some wonderful news!"
"Tell me you have found a weakness in the creature..."
"Well, yes and no" replied Vi'kirga,  "I have found that the creature is very susceptible to turbulent solar winds, namely the ones found in the heliosheath around individual star systems."
"How susceptible?" inquired Si'V, "does it make the creatures vulnerable to attack?"
"I would say yes, but only to high temperature attacks, not kinetic or energy based damage."
"Well this IS good news, well done Lord Vi'kirga!  Maybe we can rid ourselves of this mistake and take our rightful place in the universe"  mused Lord Si'V.
      "Am I late?"  General Nimrod asked, as he joined the 4 way holoteleconferance.
"Not at all, General" Si'V remarked, "It looks like you will be getting a workout here soon, according to our recent discovery."
"Yes, Prince.  The engineers and I have been working on a way to mimic this heliosheath condition in order to weaponize it.  It will function much like an area of effect bomb, saturating the area with turbulent solar winds.  Our only problem is a workable delivery system."
"Delivery system?" asked Si'V, "What is the problem with delivery, we have very high tech missile systems."
"Well that IS the problem," Nimrod grumbled. "our missiles use phase space, and these warheads will not work in phase space.  They degrade and explode on any alteration in phase space.  It also makes it impossible to transport them through phase space."
Si'V frowned, "Well that's perfect!"  Hissing he turned back to Chief Scientist Vi'kirga, "I trust you will find a solution to this problem?"
"We are working on it, my Prince" Lord Vi'kirga reassured, "We will have a solution soon.  There is more advances that you need to know about..."
"Just relay them to me" Si'V abruptly said, still visibly upset.  "I don't have time to review them now, but I will soon.  Now on to what I called us all to..."
      Si'V sent the TEC data packet to the other three, "We received a general broadcast from a human faction.  These, 'Roesh Free Traders' appear to be trying to set up a neutral truce with all the other races here in the Distant Stars Sector in preparation for a threat.  Nai'Deen, my diplomacy adviser thinks that this conference is a call to arms, disguised as a friendly expansion in trade pacts.  I am inclined to believe him.  What do you think General Nimrod?"
"We received this communication and compared it to our long range scans and tracking we've been conducting on the sector.  The Roesh Traders are on par with the local Advent factions and other human factions.  The Vasari Clans here are also on equal footing, which I believe is why they have not yet taken over this Sector."  Nimrod Paused, looking over his datapad for a moment,  "It appears this threat may have something to do with this..."  Nimrod patched the datapad into the dock and sent over rough footage of a covert attack on the Finley system.
"After carefully watching the phase lanes, multiple Vasari class scouts went into this space, and didn't leave.  These are the only unaccounted ships that we have tracked in and out of this system.  These ships are possibly equipped with stealth technology, similar to what the professor is working on."
"So the threat may be Vasari in nature?" Si'V asks no one in particular.  "Well this may put a twist on our plans then."

"Sir," the captain interrupts, "We are about to arrive at the Astrysius System."
"Very well," Si'V acknowledges.  "We will continue with this in a little while.  Lord Naphtali, work with Nimrod and get me some options on what we shall do with this trade conference.  I was hoping we could come forward from hiding and network with all the local factions to expedite our trip home.  I will look over the science you sent me Lord Vi'kirga and notate anything that needs it."
"Very well Sir, hopefully these Advent will join with us," High Lord Naphtali acknowledges.
"I hope so, we are outnumbered here if the alliances are what we have determined from phase space monitoring.  Make sure to bolster the fleet, Nimrod."
"Of course, my Lord," Nimrod grins.  "Does that include the Ebony protocol?"
Si'V thinks for a second, "Sure, we will need to expand our cloning operations and get the Soner Khal'd operational again.  If we can get the flagship operational, I would like to take it to the conference, as I have not seen anything of equal size in this sector yet."

OOC:

I am thinking of bringing the flagship to the trade conference, in order to introduce it into the lore.  sound good?

(DS RP)

Location: Starbase Dahak, Tripoli (Terran planet), Ethea system

Z watched the pile of paperwork labeled ‘important’ with ill concealed dread and sighed. It seemed that he would have to starve for a few more hours. He leaned back, stretched his back and got started.

After an hour he managed to cut through half the pile but after 15 minutes of reading the same report on the production of auxiliary generators for life pods the numbers seemed blend together, so he decided it was time for a holo-screen break.

There was only one problem, where was the remote?

After a minute of near frantic searching, Z remembered that Bella taken and hidden it to prevent any temptation of him watching the holo-screen when he should have been working.

Muttering something along the lines of “damn that woman” he forcefully pulled himself out of his chair – his dormant muscles screaming in protest – and walked the 40 feet – it was a large office, him being head honcho – to the holo-screen and opened it manually.

Z walked back to his chair as the projectors started, lighting up the entire wall. As he sat back down his eyes were greeted by a children’s toy commercial. As he searched for the remote he remembered it wasn’t there.

No, just no, I’m not walking back to change the channel, Z thought to himself. Sure it was petty of him but no one was watching so who cared?

A program about mentally ill people in insane asylums replaced the commercial. Z immediately broke his mental vow, got up again and walked, muttering venomous profanity combined with “what market analysis genius thought this up?”

Manually changing the channel to the 24-hour news network he started back and then stopped himself; he was not going take another trip so he sat himself on the ground and stretched out his legs.

It made for an odd sight, a high-ranking TEC officer stretched out like a child watching the holo-screen. Thankfully no one could come into his office without sending a message through the com link first.

The news bulletin began with the attractive bimbo – he had met the woman at a function so he knew – staring at something to right of the camera for a moment and then turned to the audience.

“Good evening to all those on Tripoli and starbase Dahak, our top story tonight; holo-vid actress Deboria Urzink has admitted herself into a hospital thinking it was a rehab clinic-”

Z groaned as several of his brain cells committed suicide.

Luckily for him he was rescued half way through the story.

-“Breaking news, it seems both sides of the recent budget crisis have agreed on a compromise after 36 hours of intense negotiations”-

Finally!, thought Z, those old men have agreed on something, am I glad I’m not a politician. He had considered intervening in the political crisis but thought against opening that can of worms. So he just locked both sides into the congress chamber and told them no one was leaving until they worked something out, not that the public was going to find out – he managed to sneak it into a sub clause of the constitution.

-“3 congressmen had to be admitted into hospital, 2 for dehydration and one for eating stationery”- the picture changed into the three older men being chatted up by the very attractive but obviously not bright holo-vid actress.

Oh well, at least those men are in a better place than I am, thought Z sorrowfully.

-“Meanwhile the Senate has been debating the recent offensive into Egibis-” the picture changed into a middle-aged man with the caption ‘Job Truniht’ finishing off a speech saying- “we shouldn’t be having military adventures”. The picture shifted to a middle-aged woman with the caption ‘Isabel Windsor’ – “We are at war, so why shouldn’t we take the fight to the enemy after they attacked us? Our lives were at risk so we should be thankful to the Renaissance Eagles for striking back at the white-eyed witches!”

Ah, there’s nothing like evoking xenophobia, thought Z, or is that racism? Are the Advent still human? Oh well, that’s a creative name, must congratulate Isabel.

The government of the Ethea system worked on the principle of separation of military and state. Democratically elected representatives governed on a planetary level while the military controlled all affairs related to space.

A voice through the com link interrupted Z’s musings, “Admiral Zaroday, could I have a word with you?”

Z hurriedly turned off the holo-screen and scurried back to his desk.

“Sure thing, come on in Way”

Commodore Wayakm Yadst strode into Z’s office. His had cap in his hand and his posture was respectful, but his facial expression suggested there was something up.

“Is something wrong?” said Z carefully.

“Well-ah, I trust you’ve heard about the conference?”

“What conference?”

“Um, the conference at Finley, its below the report on auxiliary generators for life pods”

“Oh…” Z cursed himself for his laziness, “right, that one, what about it?”

“There was a bombing of a trade station, it could be related to Unity’s Hand…”

“Do we know it was them?”

“Ah no, Roesh’s people are being very tight lipped about it”

“Then I might as well go at the head of the delegation”.

“But it’s about trade…”

“Oh but I’m sure that’s just a pretext for something, might as well stay on the good side of our neighbors and free tech's always nice.

“Um…” Wayakm looked embarrassed.

“Why do I get the feeling my safety isn’t the reason you chose to come talk to me?”

“Well…” now the commodore looked positively shame-faced, “its your ah- companion…”

“Bella?”

“Yes, is there um… something wrong with her?” he said delicately.

Z’s face was expressionless, “what happened?”

“She acts strangely for a um… paramour”  

Zaroday’s face tightened for a moment and then relaxed. “I have not been forthcoming with the details so it’s natural for you to assume things”.

Way carefully nodded his understanding.

“She isn’t my lover, far from it, she’s acts strange sometimes because her mind wanders sporadically”.

“So why-”

“That’s a personal story I would rather keep to myself”, said Z in a frosty tone that ended discussion.

“Okay, okay”, said Way lifting both hands in a placating gesture, “I just wanted to make sure you didn’t hold me responsible for anything she says”.

“What did she do?” Z asked irately.

“A few hours ago I found her reading an ebook in the cockpit of a strike fighter”.

“What? How did she get in there?!” 

“No one dared to interrupt her until I ordered her out and confined her to her quarters”.

Z sighed in resignation, “there was nothing wrong with your actions Way”.

The commodore was quick to change the subject, “did you hear how Lina convinced that recalcitrant stadium owner to loan his venue?”

“How?” asked Z, appreciating the change in topic.

“She had lunch with his wife, who then nagged the poor man into submission.”

Z chuckled in amusement, “but its still going to take months before the first events can begin”. They talked for a few more minutes until Way left Z to his paperwork.

Z looked at Roesh’s message, the more he considered it the more it intrigued him, the trip to Finley might be interesting…

He remembered subject Wayakm was bumbling on about, pain and anguish washed over him at memories he’d rather forget. Why? Why did it have to happen that way? But he could not change the past no matter what he did.

As a way out of his gloominess, he chuckled at Way’s, and pretty much everyone’s misconception of Bella’s status.

Z’s traitorous mind abruptly veered off into a tangent, he suddenly found himself lamenting his non-existent love life. He was the military head of an entire Trader star system and yet workload combined with tenuous personal attachments made liaisons with the opposite sex impossible.

This mental tangent started going into downright strange/treasonous/erotic avenues, where Z was wondering if his situation would be different if he an advent man, would he be male concubine for a high ranking advent women. Or maybe that was just hearing too much TEC propaganda? A disloyal part of him reminded him that his hypothetical Advent mistress was just as likely to be a crone… or Sethis.

Zaroday’s shuddering was interrupted by a com link call. The voice of his spymaster, Felix interrupted his superior’s fantasies.

“Admiral?”

“Yes Felix?”

“Do you remember how you ordered me to keep tabs on Bella woman?”

“Oh I heard about the strikecraft incident”.

“No… its not that”, said the anxious spymaster.

Z had a bad feeling about this, “what is it?”

“My agent has lost track of her”

“What?” Z said flatly.

“Well”, Felix sounded uncomfortable; “my agent was following her around a corner of a corridor when she vanished”.

“How did she-”, Z stopped himself, “never mind, I keep a tracking device on her bracelet just for occasions like this”.

The admiral pulled out a rectangular device from a drawer in his desk and turned it on; to his disbelief the tracking device reported that Bella was 30 miles away moving at a constant velocity. It also reported that she was alive and well which was unusual since it was in a vacuum.

“How did she get out of the airlock?” Z shouted frantically. He’d have take her to Finley for the conference and not let her out of sight since very few people knew her condition.

“I’m not sure, the security guards would have noticed anyone coming or leaving the starbase without authorisation”, Felix appeared to be as worried as Zaroday.

“It doesn’t matter, scramble a shuttle immediately!”

******

On board life pod No. 36, Bella leaned back on the utility seat and fingered the shiny bracelet Z gave her for her birthday.

There would be no stuffy officers or creepy stalkers to bother her here. Now she could relax and read her ebook without interruption. 

(DS RP)

In an affluent suburb of Narhan, capital of Mysore, a masked ball is being held in the penthouse of one of the many skyscrapers courtesy of a business magnate. The furnishings are rich and ostentatious but not to the point of distaste. The very best artifacts, artworks and baubles from many Trader worlds indicate the class and wealth on display. The people, the upper-crust of this world are dressed in their finest tonight. The lighting is as bright as the atmosphere for their host; Johann Fenestre has announced further development of local infrastructure.

In a small conference room set apart from the main festivities, secure from the most advanced electronic surveillance, guarded by trusted agents disguised as polite servants ready to escort any wanderers back to the main event, several people gather around an ornate conference table. Some are masked guests from the party, some are dressed as staff, a few are dressed as naval officers, and last but not least is Johann Fenestre.

The lighting here is also bright, however this in contrast to the content of discussion.

“We will begin the plan soon, eighteen hours after Zaroday has left the system”, said Fenestre.

“Are you sure?” said one of ‘servants’, “We haven’t finished construction of the-”

“That is just a backup, in case the initial moves fail”, interrupted Fenestre.

“I’m just concerned about the timing, is everything in place?” said the same person.

“Yes”, said Fenestre, suppressing a sigh, “most of the plan is ready”.

One of the fleet officers spoke, the bars on his shoulder indicating he was a lieutenant commander, “can we rely on the pirates? That part of the plan worries me.”

“That’s because you couldn’t subvert anyone above the rank of Captain!” hissed one of the guests.

“Yes”, cut in Fenestre before an argument could develop “that part also concerns me, but Miss L here assures me the pirates will abide by their contract”.

“How certain is this surety?” asked a worried merchant.

The ice-cold voice of the masked woman beside Fenestre spoke, “the Black Company are professionals, they’ll follow their contract to the letter, no more, no less”.

“How many ships have we managed to build or subvert?” said someone.

“Around 250 TRE ships have been infiltrated with those loyal to us, we will have command of 9 capital ships”, said the naval officer.

“We’ve also built another 450 non-capital ships from the secret orbital shipyards on Kulgoa and Surat, but none of have been shaken down and their crews will either be mercenaries or merchantmen,” said a second ‘servant’.

“Why haven’t they been shaken down?” said one of the lower ranked conspirators.

“They’re brand new, haven’t even had their engines turned on, we’re hiding them in secret hangers on the asteroids”. It was a testament to power of the power of the conspirators that no one on Tripoli noticed that many ships being constructed.

“So with the pirates included we’ll have over 1000 ships, but only 21 capital ships,” said Fenestre.

“What’s the disposition of the loyalists?” asked someone.

“Our estimates indicate around 600 ships, in addition to 39 capital ships”, answered the fleet officer.

“Which will be significantly less once our bioweapons are finished with them”, said one of the conspirators malevolently.

“Speaking of that, how are things on the intelligence front?” Fenestre asked one the ‘servants’.

“It’s been difficult getting things done under the nose of Felix Bonaventura, but our agents are in the most optimal positions and the virus is ready for activation.”         

“Why can’t we just skip the subtleties and bomb the crap out of Tripoli?” asked one of the Mysore ultra-nationalists.

This time Fenestre didn’t bother to suppress the sigh, there’d always been rivalries between Mysore and Tripoli; it went back pre-colonization as the Ethea colonists had come from two different star systems who’d been sworn enemies. Old hatreds died hard, but in this case it provided Fenestre with a ripe recruiting ground once Tripoli had been elevated to the premier planet of the Ethea system. The TRE policy of self-government only made things easier. “Because we want to keep their industrial base intact, in case someone else wants to snap us up”.

“Moving on”, said one of the officers quickly changing the subject, “how are we planning to deal with Rizung?”

“What’s so important about him?” asked a guest who was in charge of logistics.

“With all due respect to our people,” L broke in, “with Zaroday out of the system Rizung’s the best naval commander the loyalists have got after Wayakm”,

“But he’s spent his time cooped up on that rock, Sylfaen,” protested one of the civilian conspirators.

“And what was he doing before that I wonder?” asked L rhetorically with equal parts of sarcasm and frostiness, “Oh yes, crushing the militia”.

There were several uncomfortable looks around the table; some of the conspirators had been high-ranking members of the militia organizations who’d gone into hiding after Rizung crushed them.

L continued, “I’ve seen Rizung and Zaroday in action back in Trader Space and let me tell you-” here she broad, expansive gesture with her hands and tilted her head to glare at the doubters, in doing so she displaced part her mask revealing horrendous burns –“they are both cut from the same cloth, only the former is more callous”.

Some of the conspirators who’d never seen her directly gasped at the burns. Fenestre used the silence to continue on, “His security is too tight to infiltrate, but apparently he likes hunting so we’ve prepared a present for him, however chances of success are low”. 

“We’ll send a small detachment through the wormhole to delay that bastard for as long as possible”, said a naval officer who’s brother had been executed for being a militiaman, “he’s only got one cap ship but the delay won’t be long since its only one jump from Tripoli”.

“Yes, speed is of the essence”, continued Fenestre, “It’s vital that we take the star well and keep the enemy on the back foot until we can fully crew all our new ships. Then, when they counterattack we’ll meet them with our full force destroying their main fleet”.

“What if they decide to attack Mysore through the wormhole?” asked a nervous Mysorian.

“We’ll have prior warning through the psidar and scouts that’ll have been picketed on both ends of the wormhole”, Fenestre answered calmly. He didn’t mention that instead of returning to defend Mysore, the rebel fleet would then proceed to attack an under-defended Tripoli. 

There was a moment of murmuring as the conspirators conferred with each other over various minor details.

“Alright,” continued Fenestre, “I think that’s just about everything, may we have good fortune smile on us in the coming days”. With that, the conspirators prepared to leave.

L gazed at the various disparate groups; former militia disgruntled by the regime change, ultranationalists eager to shed blood over an imagined slight, various malcontents from all over Ethea who had a bone to pick with TRE, and a business magnate named Johann Fenestre who’d lost a fortune when trade ships were required by law to travel in convoys. Her lips crinkled into a thin smile. Soon it would come burning down; the man who had betrayed her would feel the full effect of her vengeance. You should have finished me off when you had the chance Zaroday. Now I’ll make you pay for your crimes by destroying everything you’ve built.

Rotskull sat with his crew at his favorite bar in Pirate Station 5739xb.  With half his crew surprisingly conscious, he waited with Kendra for a meeting he had been hoping to have for a very long time.  The watered down booze and cloud of smoke made waiting a little easier for one such as himself.

Across the bar, the pirate lord Ching Shih entered the bar with five of her men and looked around for a moment.  Rotskull peered over at her and rose to feet with a brief wave in her direction.  As the two walked over towards each other, Rotskull said, "It is an honor to finally meet the amazing tits I've heard so much about."

As Ching reached him, she rose up a leg and kicked Rotskull in the chest to bring him to the floor.  With her foot pressed against his chest, she said, "Don't say another disrespectful word unless you want to die."

As Rotskull let out a few coughs through his smile, Kendra stood up and said, "I'm sorry, Ching Shih.  Rotskull is a bit... socially awkward... to put it lightly.  That's actually a great compliment and honor considering how he normally is.  By the way, I'm Kendra, his 'favorite pet' which I think means second in command."

Ching kept her foot on Rotskull, who wasn't even struggling at that point.  "If that's the case, perhaps I should just talk to you.  Wouldn't want to hear anything insulting."

Finally, Rotskull managed to say, "I think I can handle a little chitter chatter now.  Not often I hear words from someone worthy of leading their pets."

Reluctantly, Ching stepped off of Rotskull and allowed him to stand.  Ching said, "I hope this means you're going to talk with respect.  I have a contract for you involving a strike against the Advent.  This is going to help a corporate ally, so I expect your best.  Frankly, I heard you have a reputation for insane tactics and and crazy odds, even if they're young."

"Yes, I do have a madness to my methods," Rotskull replied.  "Better to kill and be insane than to be sane and not have fun.  Black Five is good for replacing my pets anyway."

Kendra couldn't help but step in.  "What are the mission details?  The Advent aren't exactly a simple task and we might not be comfortable with taking on too many."

"The Advent are strong and numerous, which is why I'll be there with my fleet to back you up," Ching explained.  "They do have higher tech than we first thought, and exact details are unknown.  But the rewards will be vast.  I just need your fleet to go to Itacor Asteroid belt so we can devastate them enough for Lord Ryat and leave."

Rotskull held out one hand and said, "For this I might need some creds up front.  Gonna want to get a few more pet cages and outfit them with some of Hell's shadows from my current and past smart pets."

Ching handed Rotskull a disc, "These are the coordinates to head to.  You'll get paid when you reach the rest of the fleet in Itacor Asteroid belt."

Rotskull chuckles and hands the disc off to Kendra.  "Make sure spot plugs it into the Bone-Rot."

Ching nods before turning to leave.  As her and her men walk out, one of them asks her, "Are you sure dealing with him is wise?"

She quietly responds with, "It's better he dies making things easier on us than living to annoy everyone.  He'll die pointlessly anyway after selling exploding reactors to the other pirate groups."

With Ching out of the room, Rotskull stomps a foot and declares, "I need a wench in my room, NOW!  And you are all going to bear tooth and claw from this point on!"

(DS RP)

Captain's Log:  Jason Retsof: ACE Cobalt 12. (10 days stranded)

Well, it has been a very strange week, to say the least.  I guess I'll start with the frigate.

It was eerie when we got in, not a sound but the creaking bulkheads.  I took a couple men and headed for the bridge, while Cal took the other three to help him with the reactor.  It wasn't long before we found the first body.  Her face was charred, feedback from the neural interface that would have hung in front of her.  We passed a few more like that, before we came to the first life sign.  He was unconscious, which was lucky for him.  It looked like a conduit in the wall had burst, burning half of his body.  We put an inhibitor over his head and move on.

We found a few more like that, in varying degrees of heath.  But they were all out cold.  When we got to the bridge, it wasn't a pretty sight.  The crew here had far more extensive interfaces, and most were nearly decapitated by the backblast.  Then something moved.

She must have been the one that called out to us, she was the only one I'd seen so far that was conscious.  She was on her hands and knees, struggling to stand.  My men trained their weapons on her, but followed orders, and didn't fire.  She levered herself up on a console and looked at us, at me.  She had somehow avoided the worst of the burns that her fellows had.  She didn't speak, merely held out her hands and waited for our move.

We brought back all the survivors, all fitted with inhibitors of course, 16 total.  We took the worst to what was left of our med-bay, though or medic was wary of treating them.  Most of them were terrified when they awoke, but the calmed quickly when they realized we hadn't shot them yet.

It turns out it was a good thing we didn't.  I've been able to piece together a pretty disturbing story here.  Apparently most of these were civilians.  Some psycho broke into their minds and took them over.  Kept them locked away in their own heads while she commanded their bodies.  I'm sure I'll learn more.  We aren't going anywhere for a while.

Cal and his team managed to shut down the Advent reactor.  They've been taking it apart to get it out, and are storing it in our largest hold, which should be big enough for the whole thing once it is reassembled.  But it is going to take a while.  At leas we won't starve.  We had enough supplies to feed the whole colony for about a day, to relieve some space from the Aurora.

The Aurora, I think it's finally starting to sink in.  I never knew any of them, save the representative that hired me, but still.  An entire colony, just gone like that.

I need some time... End log.

(DS Personal)

    Prince Yaremka strolls throughout the convention center taking in all of the sights and familiarizing himself with his surroundings until he runs into Henry.
    "Ah, Henry.  There you are!" he states quite loudly while extending his hand gaining Henry's attention.
    "Prince Yaremka Kaftal." Henry says with a bow before shaking the prince's hand.
    "Ever the diplomat.  Where is the scoundrel half of this operation hiding himself at?"
    "He just left.  We've been having issues with invaders lately.  We've got a sudden increase in fleet.  Another project of ours has just seen some loss of life..."
    "I heard about the trade port incident as well as the recent violence on the primary planet here...  All of us in Yitobav are deeply saddened by your losses and are willing to support you in any way we can."
    "Thank you prince, it means a lot." Henry says while shaking Yaremka's hand again.
    "Henry, you guys are like family to us.  We look out for our own.  New ships, supplemental ship crews, educators, hospital staff, civil service workers...  Just name it."
    "If you wouldn't mind, we are rolling out dozens of capital ships that will need staffing, and we probably could use the help in the civil services area, not to mention staffing for the star bases that should be coming on line just in time for the conference in a couple of days." Henry says testing the prince's resolve.
    "Done." Prince Yaremka says while nodding to one of his aides.  "I'll tell Tim he can be expecting some of our best crews when I talk to that old sewer rat, and you can tell whom ever you have running the show on your planets to let me know what is needed and I will personally see that all of the necessary people are brought here."
    "Just like that huh?" Henry asks.
    "Do you remember when I was only a small child and my life was in turmoil and all I could do was be a burden on those around me?"
    "That was around the time your eldest brother Najeeb invited us to come to Yitobav and discuss our eventual partnership."
    "Yes.  I was young and foolish, wealthy and had less morals then I have now."
    "Roesh and I enjoyed watching the nightly news about you."
    "So I've been told.  But shortly before the partnership was created, Roesh caught up with me after being released from my usual overnight stay in the grey bar hotel after a long night of drinking and fighting and told me that the best thing I could do was get away from everything.  Get away from my family.  Leave my family's name and money behind.  Start a new life where my every action wasn't detailed out and scrutinized.  Have a chance to be a nameless face in the crowd and someone who's actions would be of no consequence to anyone but themselves."
    "I assume this is why the stipulation was added that members of the royal family may serve as captains and first mates of our ships, as well as acquisition officers on the supply side."
    Yaremka smiles widely.  "Ah, you do remember.  This brings me great joy.  The trade ship part was my demand after Roesh had talked to me."
    "Which is why he signed off on it without even bothering to read it or talk to me about it." Henry notes.
    "The point is that I used that clause of the partnership to get on a trade ship under Captain Yukito Hikaru.  A very wise and very strict man I soon found out."
    "I recall he was rather upset that we took his first mate away from him."
    "More like pissed off.  Captain Hikaru wouldn't talk to me for the first few weeks, save for calling me spoiled and unworthy, even ordered the crew to address me as 'Inu', which I later learned meant dog.  After a few weeks his vocabulary expanded to include several other words no one would have dared to call me back home."
    "Sounds like he knew you quite well for having never met you before that." Henry notes with a smile.
    "I was a popular newsworthy figure." the prince adds with a smile of his own.  "Eventually he came around though.  At first I was thinking I had made yet another bad decision, but being so far away from home and not knowing how I would get back if I did walk off the ship, I was pretty much forced to take the abuse until we returned to Yitobav.  That was the longest three months of my life.  When I got back, I couldn't wait to see my friends and socialize with the people and swap stories of what's been going on since I had left.  Of course the media reporters were all over me and back to the old game of watching me go to a party and having some drinks and then reporting that I was back to being a boozer and prowling the night life scene for loose women and call girls."
    Henry chuckles.
    Yaremka continues, "After a couple of days I began to really understand what Roesh had done for me.  I began to miss the days of Captain Hikaru berating me and ordering me to clean toilets and scrub catwalks.  Crazy as it sounds, I missed being treated like I was as insignificant as mule crap.  So that night I returned to the ship.  It was a day ahead of schedule and Captain Hikaru only said 'Orokana baka.' or something like that.  I assumed he had been watching the news...  So I had to go back to my duties of scrubbing toilets and catwalks, and because I was soon to be the first mate on my second voyage, kitchen cleaning and boot polishing was added to my required tasks to perform list.  I don't know what people walked in to get their footwear so dirty and foul smelling, but I can tell you it was probably under captain's orders, and I can tell you what it takes to get them shining again."
    Henry falls back against a wall laughing.  "At what point did you realize these weren't jobs fitting of a first mate?"
    "I always knew, but when the captain can tell his crew to lock you in an airlock and open the outer door if you so much as sigh in disapproval, and you know they will do it without question, what do you do?  Ask to serve on another ship and go through all of the same crap from another pissed off captain?  Not go back and have the media brand you as a quitter on top of everything else?  I believe Roesh put me there for a reason and made sure I had no choice but to just deal with it.  What I was learning was that I was going to be treated like a bottom feeder until I had proved myself worthy of my position, and the best part was, if I made a mistake, nobody cared...  They actually somewhat expected it because I was an unworthy bottom feeder in their eyes.  That honestly was the most pleasurable part of the whole arrangement.  No stupid cameras, no idiot tabloid spin doctors, no ass kissers or leaches...  Just people who worked hard and were proud of that.  So the next day we set off on another three month cycle and I spent my on duty hours being a slave to the ship, and my off duty hours trying to gain everyone's respect.  I can honestly say I learned more in that second cycle then in all the years of receiving the best education a born prince could get.  When we returned home again, I stayed on the ship.  Everyone who wanted to see me had to come to the ship and of course, Captain's Rules, thirty minutes and they had to leave."
    "Of course." Henry says.
    "I stayed on for a third cycle.  To my surprise Captain Hikaru rescinded his call me 'Inu' policy and started adding true first mate duties to my list."
    "Still kept the old duties?"
    "Still kept the old duties, but I at least got to confirm daily duty rosters and give orders to the kitchen staff, and be seen by guests travelling with us between ports when I wasn't on duty.  Still didn't get to be in charge of the second watch or anything important, but at least it was an increase in responsibilities rather then manual labor."
    "So when did you finally get to be a full fledged first mate?"
    "Never happened.  I signed on for three more full cycles, spending a year and a half trying to prove myself to them and never got to do anything more then be a bridge communications officer."
    "Ouch." Henry says in a slightly mocking manner.
    "It didn't matter.  When I informed Captain Hikaru that I was not returning for a seventh trip he actually shook my hand.  Called me Inu again, but a handshake was something that I've never seen him do before then.  I take it as a sign of respect."
    "Could be that he was happy you finally decided to leave and he could get his real first mate back."
    "I take it as a sign of respect." the prince says louder causing Henry to chuckle again.
    "You know, I've always wondered what happened.  One day you're making headlines for being a little social butterfly, then you disappear for a few years and come back with degrees in political science and interstellar commerce and forcing us to give you a job once again." Henry notes.
    "Yes, I exercised the clause in our partnership to get a job in the acquisitions department and eventually worked my way up enough to be transferred over to the sales side, eventually quitting after being offered a job on one of our smaller planets to work for one of my cousins as a civil planner and again eventually moved up to handling the contracts between the planet and you guys and earlier this year when you sold everything off, I took over as the minister of interstellar commerce putting both of my degrees to use."
    "You've done well for yourself."
    "And I owe it all to Roesh sitting me down for a quick chat and putting an idea in my head."
    "Don't be telling him that, he already suffers from delusions of grandeur, I don't need to be worrying about this company any more then I already do.  Besides, you should be attributing your success to the fact that you've put in a lot of hard work to get where you are."
    "Maybe so, but the work is patterned after you guys and everything you do, and because of that I owe you everything I now have.  So if you need something to help you out, I'm willing to give you everything I can spare...  As a gesture of my deepest gratitude."
    "You're not kidding about the personnel are you?" Henry questions with slight disbelief.
    "Not one bit." the prince reassures him.  "My aide is already off calling in reinforcements.  All I need are numbers."
    "For that you should really talk to Tim."
    "And about the civil servants?"
    "For now, a young lady by the name of Molly Pierce.  She's been a great help to me thus far, taking care of most of the planetary improvement projects on her own.  I'll have to arrange a meeting."
    "And who do I talk to about getting a tour of the whole system?"
    "The person who would know the most about everything would be Ms. Pierce.  At this point she would know more then me."
    "Then I will have to meet her as soon as possible.  There are things about this system that I'd like to know before the conference begins."  After a short pause, the prince continues, "And I can assure you, I will be on my best behavior."
    Henry smiles at the obvious joke, "I'll track her down for you right now.  Be expecting her to contact you soon.  For now though, I guess you can continue your self guided tour of these facilities."
    "I will, and thank you Henry."
    "If you deliver on the speech and the personnel, it's us who will be thanking you." Henry says while walking away.

(DS RP)

The fleet of Lions unites in orbit of Finley I, each ship drifting into its respective space to fill out a phalanx formation facing the star. On board the DLS David, Alexander slips his dress jacket over his shoulder and begins buttoning up. The door makes a beep and Alexander calls out, "It's open."

The door opens and Captain Levin takes a step into the room, the door remaining open in his proximity, "The other captains are ready and waiting in hangar bay 1."

"Captain Siegel?"

Levin nods, "He's walking with a cane for the moment, but he's waiting along with the others. He's been fairly quiet as of late."

"I know," Alexander says before brushing off the shoulder of his jacket and passing before Levin to leave the room. "Whatever he encountered on the surface left him a little despondent. I've talked with him and he should be able to hold together for the conference."

"Understood. There's also the matter of our upcoming plans."

"Is there a problem?"

"That depends on what you mean. Aside from having limited numbers, we also don't know what this conference is about."

"Trade, Walter."

"Yes, but trade comes with alliances. Depending on how those alliances shape up, we might find our hands tied."

"No such thing."

"Alex..."

The Admiral stops in the hall and turns to face Captain Levin. Levin takes a deep breath, "I know we're not in an ideal position, but burning bridges won't help the matter."

"I understand your concerns. I'm not out to burn bridges. I'm out to do my job."

"Just try to remember that the crickets are the enemy, not the TEC."

Alexander narrows his eyes for a moment before turning back to continue on his previous course. The two are silent for a moment before Alexander speaks up.

"I'm sure Captain Ermler can manage the fleet in our absence, but let the Free Traders know he and the ships are at their disposal as long as they remain in-system."

"Yes, sir."

With that, the two turn a corner and step through a large door that places them on the hangar floor where two transports wait with the other captains and accompanying marines.

    Lord Ryat sat down at the head of the conference table in the confrence room aboard his new Flagship. His trade committee sat down after him and began quietly consulting their data boards.
    "Okay people," Lord Ryat began, "We will be showing up a little late for the conference but I see that as a way to make a grand entrance." A little chuckle went through the delegates as Lord Ryat was known for his grand entrances. "So a little review to keep our goals in mind."
    "Renault," He said as he turned towards man that seemed to be built like a bull, "You have the Vasari to deal with. Now, we don't have much to trade with them. Yet. But I would like you to sound out each group to find out which are most likely to follow Lord J'rah and stay and work things out or who will simply strive to steal what they can't get by bargianing and keep running."
    "Yes my lord," Renault responded, "We have most of the groups worked by already known allies, enemies and ones on the fence. We will focus mainly on the ones that are on the fence but we will strive to change some minds as well and solidify any and all allies amoungst the Vasari."
    "Now Janice," Ryat said as he turned to the blonde at the opposite end of the table from him, "You have the, most interesting job."
    "Yes, the Advent," Janice said with a grimace, "There are few Advent delegations and we are assuming that they will be the ones that are more willing to work with others. That being said we have our meds with us to prevent anything beyond a simple emotional surface read being performed upon us."
    "Excellent," Ryat said in commendation. "And you Ruby will have the TEC," he continued as he turned to a beautiful red head to his right.
    "Yes I do my lord," she replied. "Intel is taking a bit longer to sort who is an ally and who is an enemy but they should have to us by voyages end. But I do have one concern." Ryat motioned for her to go on. "Is the use of the blueprints for this ship as trade a good idea?" she asked.
    "We don't really have much of a choice," Ryat said, "Our funds are low. The Kyrene system will still take some time to kick in fully into our economy. Until then we are vunerable to other attacks and we need a fleet now. Flip side, such a powerful warship as this requires a powerful tech base. Most won't be able to build it though they will want it for when they may be able to. Those that can build it will find that due to many of it specialized components that fielding more then one is impractial." Ryat shruggs, "Its a gamble, but we need the funds. So don't sell it short."
    "And I will speak with Roesh," Lord Ryat said as he leaned back in his chair.

A transport descends into the atmosphere, delivering a small group of captains, their admiral, and their marine escort to the surface of the Finley III. The flight is average in length and uneventful, in spite of the buzz of communications in the wake of other activities and moving fleets. Upon landing, the transport runs through the usual docking regulations and the passengers are allowed to unload. When the marines are sighted by the docking crew, the new arrivals are immediately addressed.

"Sirs, I'm afraid weapons aren't allowed in the conference area. They can be left in storage here, if you would like," one of the employees announces.

"Understood, but I would much prefer to leave the weapons with my own men," Alexander replies.

"Arrange it as you wish. If the marines need to move to a landing zone closer to the city, they may upon completion of customs inspection."

"No problem," Alexander states before looking to Corporal Nelson, "Corporal, you and your men will remain nearby. Permit your men to move about the city as you see fit. We have the audio systems on us, so keep radio chatter to a minimum in case anything arises. Same goes for fleet contact over the Psiband."

"Yes, sir," Nelson replies while giving a salute.

The four commanding officers remove their sidearms and hand them over to the marines before parting ways through the port. Draakjacht, Levin, Borovsky and Siegel make their way through the customs and security arrangements before filing out into full sight of the city before them. A ground transport is made available to them and they load up, taking off momentarily for the conference. The three captains take in the spectacle as they approach. Alexander takes notice, but rather than awe at the marvel, he thinks on the city of Bet Yam Khawdash, a vibrant city on a southern coast. Much like this one, it buzzes with newer architecture and a lively entertainment industry, producing a visual appeal to those unfamiliar with such environments. Although Alexander had been to a similar city on New Jerusalem, he knew full well that the others had never been. In many ways, this makes the city an excellent choice for the conference. The surroundings give new and wondrous eyes to the visitors, the conference aiming to then focus this fresh outlook on the politics carved by old battlegrounds.

Back at the transport, the marines chat away as the transport is surveyed for fitness to enter the city. Nelson stands off to one side, playing with his earpiece to get it adjusted.

"I would have considered it, but I seriously think that guy would kill me," one marine says.

"Yeah, something about it being his daughter probably means he wouldn't take it well," another replies.

"Yeah, but she was something, you know?"

"Hey, guys," Corporal Nelson calls out, "Can you cut it out for a moment? I'm trying to get my receiver working and we're on radio silence for a reason."

"Yeah, but we're not talking on the radios," comes the reply.

"Yeah, but if my earpiece isn't coming through clearly and I have to be able to hear anything that comes through, I can't have you idiots keeping me from catching it."

One of the men laughs, "Wow, look who's all worried about following orders?"

"Hey, I follow orders," Nelson responds.

"Really? Last I checked, you blew something up without orders and it meant you got to meet the Fleet Admiral. Then you go and get into a drunken fight alongside a senior captain. How is that following orders?"

"First, I wasn't told I couldn't blow anything up. Second, the fight was on my free time."

The men laugh at his response. When the laughter dies down, one of the men asks, "So what's the Admiral like? He doesn't get to know many of us grunts."

Nelson shrugs, "Didn't really get to know him. Just got debriefed and delivered mission materials."

"Okay, but what about the captain?" another asks. "Didn't you go drinking with a senior captain?"

"Yeah," Nelson nods, "Captain Borovsky. Nice guy. Can really hold his liquor. Takes a mean punch too."

Laughter rises again. "That must have been a sight. Can't imagine a fleet guy dishing it on the ground."

"I think he's the exception to the rule," Nelson says. "When those rebels hit, he was in the fray with everyone else. Knew when to hold and everything. If he was a marine officer, he would kick some real ass."

One of the marines shakes his head, "Okay, new rule: We all have to start doing stupid stuff if we want to meet the higher ups."

Laughter ensues until one of the Free Traders calls out with approval for the men to load into the transport and take it farther in.

As they pile in, Nelson orders, "Marines, we get to explore the city, but stay together and keep your ears open for a call. Understood?"

"Yes, sir," the marines cry out at they pass the threshold, the door drawing to a close behind them.

*NOTE* EDITED FOR CONTENT

(DS)

    *1 Hour Before The Conference*

    Roesh wakes up and checks the logs for what's been happening since he got to Adler.  The most important thing he notes is the presence of the large ship at the star.  He brings up holovid feeds of the vessel and admires the technical data the star bases have been able to dig up through research and various scans.  He first attempts to get a hold of Tim, but once he figures out that he's off duty and probably catching some shut eye himself, he contacts General Briggs.
    "What the hell is that?" Roesh asks as soon as the link is established.
    "It's the command ship for the Siverthium Foray, it's commanding officer goes by the name Si'V.  His title is apparently, Prince.  So it looks like we've had our first contact with Vasari royalty." Clint replies.
    "Should we be honored?"
    "Don't know.  They seem a little confused on how things work around here."
    "I can see they arrived in force."
    "Yes, and it prompted a fairly reasonable panic response from our other guests."
    "Any shooting?"
    "None yet sir, and they've remained rather quiet in the time since."
    "Have we learned anything not in the official logs yet?"
    "Yes.  The long range holovid images have captured most of the markings on the side of the vessel.  We've translated the name on the side.  It's called the Sonar Kal'd.  Considering its commanded by a Vasari prince, I believe we should be classifying it as their flagship."
    "Okay.  Make the necesary updates and additions to the logs."
    "Yes, sir." Clint says prompting Roesh to cut the link.
    Roesh leaves his temporary quarters and heads to the conference center.  Along the way he contacts Todd.
    "What's up boss?" Todd asks.
    "There's something that is of interest to you at the star."
    "Oh yeah?  Do tell."
    "We're classifying it as a flagship class ship.  One of our Vasari guests brought it along."
    "I do love show and tell.  What do we know about it?" Todd begs.
    "It's big, it's mean, it's energy signature is off the charts, and it's commanded by a prince."
    "A Vasari prince huh?  Never seen one of their ships before."
    "During this conference, I want you to work your usual magic and get whatever technical info we can get on that beast."
    "Done and done, boss."
    "How soon until you're at the conference?"
    "Headed there now."
    "Good." Roesh says and cuts the link.
    Immediately it reconnects with Henry.  "I assume you know about that ship?" he asks.
    "I do.  Just got done talking with Todd and Clint about it.  Tim's probably asleep otherwise I would have expected a message from him."
    "He probably is.  Are you on your way?"
    "Yes, I'll be there in a couple minutes."
    "I'm just arriving now.  Seems we have a full crowd wandering around.  A lot of our own people mixing and mingling with the guests."
    "That's good.  Everyone is making themselves at home.  Should get a more favorable response from the attendees."
    "That's what I'm hoping." Henry agrees.  "I'm going to find Yaremka where ever he ran off to and get him set up to deliver the opening speech."
    "I already have Todd on a mission to work the crowd for information on that Vasari ship.  I'll busy myself with something."
    "Knowing you, that's not good.  By tomorrow I'm going to have to deal with a lawsuit or two..."
    Roesh chuckles.  "Never a dull day with me around."
    "No...  No there aren't." Henry says before cutting the link.

    Roesh arrives and begins to wander around a little bit himself while ultimately heading for the main stage.  He happens upon a fairly loud discussion between a group of people all dressed in blacks and dark reds and another group all dressed in whites and light blues.  As he approaches he figures that the more ominous looking group is from the Trade Order, and by the looks of the skin of the other group, they are long time members of the Unity.  He hangs back to hear what's being said.

    "That's a downright lie!" a female in white says.
    "Oh please.  Like you've never sent sent ships to any of our planets." A man in black with red accents states in a semi sarcastic manner.
    "Only in response to you sending ships to ours." A man in light blue robes retorts.
    "Stop this all of you!  I just want my sister back!" A female in red cries out.
    "Your sister has decided to end her villainous ways and serve a greater good." another female in white comments.
    "More like you kidnapped her in your last raid, you thieving bastards!" the man in black and red argues.
    "Thieving?!  You stink of bile and evil and when we return home, our leaders are going to wipe your stain from this galaxy, starting with that bitch that bore you from her acidic womb." the first female in white replies.
    The man in black and red lunges forward and punches the woman who just spoke as hard as he could, knocking her to the ground.  To respond in kind, two of the Advent males rush the man while one of the females begins a psionic attack on his mind clouding his sight and crippling him with pain.  One of the other Advent females steps closer to the group in black and red and places both of her hands on her head as if she was warning them that she's ready to fight off anyone else willing to rush in.  All of these actions send the crowd of bystanders running off in a panic.
    Roesh triggers a security alert from a panel nearby before rushing over to the group himself.  One of the women in red pulls out a small gun of sorts and points it at the Advent challenging them.  Roesh reaches out and grabs her arm, but the startling sound of the alarm and the crippling pain that starts to affect her mind causes her to squeeze the trigger sending a small ball of energy into the body of her attacker.
    Roesh tackles the gun wielder and pins her to the ground as the other woman's body drops to the floor more out of shock then from her injury.  A couple of security officers appear from around the corner and rush the struggling group trying to figure out what's going on as they approach.  They see Roesh reaching for a weapon on the ground and also see a couple of others diving for it.  A second man in black and red wins the race for the weapon and is rewarded with a blast from a rifle in the shoulder from one of the security officers causing him to drop the gun.  The other person reaching for the weapon stops and stares at the guards while Roesh finally secures the weapon for himself.  Pulling out his own side arm, he puts one gun on the back of the head of the female he's holding down and points the other at the injured man.
    Another pair of security guards arrive from the other direction running as fast as they can to get involved not noticing the pair of darkly dressed people, one of whom is being forcefully pulled away from the scuffle.  The first pair turn their attention to the Advent trio still mixing it up with the man on the ground crying out in pain from the mental attack.  One of the guards cracks the Advent woman over her head with the butt of his rifle causing her to lose her focus end her attack.  In the brief couple of seconds he knows he has to act, he pulls a collar from his belt and slaps it around her neck rendering her useless in this fight.  Noticing the rifle from the second security guard pointed at them, the Advent males consider attacking him, but then think better of their situation when the other two guards finally arrive and point their guns at them as well.  The original guard there throws his rifle over his shoulder and grabs both collars from his belt and attaches it to both men.  He grabs his partner's last collar and places it around the neck of the wounded Advent female still lying on the ground.
    Several more guards begin to flood the immediate area and regain control of the panicked and retreating crowd while Roesh and the four involved in the fray separate everyone and attach collars to the last three Advent present to neutralize them.  A team of fully armored soldiers arrive via a shuttle and land nearby.  They immediately lock down the area and close it off to the public.
    "Corpsman!" Roesh yells gaining the attention of one of the newly arrived soldiers.  "Medical emergency." he states while pointing to the shot Advent woman still lying on the ground where she dropped.
    The corpsman rushes over to her and begins to assess her situation.
    "What about me!?!"  Cries out the man with the shoulder wound.
    "Deal with it." says one of the guards as he drags him over to a wall causing the man to cry out in pain while he's being handled.
    "Nothing like a little gun play in the morning to wake you up." Roesh comments getting a little bit of a chuckle from a couple of the soldiers near by.
    As one of the Advent women is thrown against the wall, a yell comes from down the hall. "Don't hurt my sister!"
    Roesh looks over and recognizes the two as part of the group that is now being detained.  "Grab those two!" he yells, sending a couple of the guards near them into action.
    The concerned one remains in place allowing herself to be captured and cuffed easily while the other one tries to run only to find himself staring down the barrel of a rifle from a guard approaching from behind.  He puts his hands in the air to signal that he's giving up.  One of the other guards walks up from behind and grabs his hand and pulls them down behind him and cuffs them together.  The pair are then walked back to the rest of the group.
    "That one and that one." Roesh says pointing out the main instigators on both sides.  "Lock them up on the Tver, I don't want them anywhere near here if they're going to be starting fights.  These three..." Roesh says pointing out the wounded, "Take them to a hospital and get them checked out, keep guards with them at all times.  When they're cleared, they can join these two..." Roesh says while pointing out another pair, "Behind bars for using or attempting to use weapons.  The others, just take them to separate rooms and lock them in with a guard until we've had a chance to figure this all out."
    Several of the guards and soldiers nod or salute in acknowledgement and get to work in carrying out Roesh's orders.  A couple extra shuttles arrive and the two instigators are loaded onto one of them yelling and screaming at each other before they're whisked off into orbit.  The wounded are placed on gurneys and strapped down so they can't cause any more problems.  The other two combatants are loaded into the last shuttle and sent off to a nearby holding facility.  The remainder of the group are quickly escorted to various unused rooms around the complex and locked in under armed supervision.  Several custodians arrive and begin to clean up the area.  Mopping up and disinfecting the floor that was covered by blood, sweeping up and re-righting several potted plants and chairs that were knocked over, picking up personal effects that were dropped in the panic and sending them off to lost and found.  Roesh begins to walk away when the floor buffer is brought out knowing that the last little bit of cleanup is under way.
    He stops near the senior most security official, "Hey, sergeant, reopen the area as soon as the custodians say it can be opened.  I want you to start interviewing those we're keeping locked up here and find out what the hell is going on between these two groups.  I'll check back in with you in a couple of hours."
    "Yes, sir." the guard says.
    "Never a dull day with me around." Roesh mutters to himself as he continues on the most direct way to meet up with Henry and Yaremka.

(DS)

    Prince Yaremka steps up to the central podium and clears his throat.  Patiently watching a clock displaying the time, as soon as the time is mid day, he presses a button on the podium that sends out a soft tri note tone to alert everyone nearby that he's about to begin.  Holovids and monitors all over the complex activate and begin to display his image.
    "On behalf of my good friends Henry Stolvey and Roesh, I'd like to welcome everyone here.  My name is Yaremka Kaftal, third prince in the House of Yitobav, and I hope that this day finds you all well.  Roesh asked me to give the opening address because of my intimate knowledge of their trade empire."
    "Did you now...?" Henry asks leaning over to Roesh.
    "Intimate as in inside knowledge, not from the very beginning." Roesh replies.
    "...since they arrived at my home.  I worked as a dog on one of their very nondescript trade ships.  I learned the many joys of trading with other empires.  The wondrous sights, the amazing cuisines, the fantastic little toys and trinkets I could bring home to my younger family members that my people would have never even dreamed of.  These are nothing but simple joys brought to me because of trade.  When I returned home on a more permanent basis, I attended schooling on interplanetary economics.  I followed that up with several jobs in the family dealing with this very subject, but it wasn't until I left for some education from older empires."
    "Left home?  I thought he had been working in Yitobav since we left." Henry notes.
    "I uh...  Encouraged him to pursue a higher degree of education...  You know...  To help out with the overall affairs of the family." Roesh replies.
    "You knew about this?" Henry prods.
    "I paid for it." Roesh says matter of factly and starts to walk through the gathered crowd to get to the podium.
    "...blossoming into a wonderful franchise that spreads through several stars and a dozen empires.  There have been some hardships but nothing in life is trouble free.  In the end, our economies are thriving.  Not because of war, though that has helped fuel growth across many sectors, but more so to the fact that we have developed a mutual understanding of each other, and are able to supply the demands of our neighbors, and they are able to supply our demands.  This symbiotic relationship not only strengthens our economies, but also our bonds with each other.  We have grown closer to our neighbors, we have learned to understand them, and this deeper knowledge has lead to a greater peace between us all.  A peace that has allowed us to get away from worrying about war, and spending our precious resources on machines and guns that we only end up committing to the void of space when they are inevitably destroyed...  Instead we work on ourselves.  New manufacturing processes, greater technologies, new wonders of engineering that bring in people from all over the galaxy.  It's these very things that Roesh and Henry wish to bring to the table over the next few days."
    "He hasn't mentioned me yet." Todd whispers to Henry.
    "Maybe he doesn't like you." Henry quips.
    "Maybe.  His sister likes me though."
    "She the one with the nose piercings?"
    "Those aren't her only piercings..." Todd says walking away leaving Henry to ponder those words alone.
    "...are upon us.  So without any further delay, it is my great honor and pleasure to declare that this conference has begun.  Our gracious host." Yaremka concludes holding his arms outstretched to welcome Roesh to the central stand with applauding from the audience.
    Roesh walks up to the podium and shakes Yaremka's hand.  Stepping aside he allows Yaremka to pass so that he can address the crowd himself.  "Welcome everyone.  I am Roesh of the Free Traders.  As the prince said, it's a pleasure and an honor to have this trade conference here and now.  I'm pleased to see that there is so much interest in forging partnerships between factions.  Our goal is to provide a foundation to establish peace and prosperity in this region, much like the days of the trade order before the wars started.  To be an example for all others, that we can and will get past this bump in the road.  There will be several lectures given in the various halls around the complex over the coming days by various intellectuals and experienced traders alike.  Holovid feeds are accessible publicly in any of the private rooms should the halls not have enough seats to accommodate all interested persons.  Rooms are available to all attendees on a first come first served basis should any parties here wish to conduct private negotiations.  So please, enjoy all of what we have to offer, enjoy our premier city, Adler, our pride and joy, and most importantly, make a new trading partner or two."
    Roesh steps back from the podium which prompts another round of applause.  As he walks away the crowd begins to break up and head off to other parts of the complex to participate in the many open forum discussions on a wide variety of subjects.  The holovid and monitor screens change to display lots of useful information...  Locations of important events and maps of the complex, various locations around the city and the rest of the system.

    Prince Yaremka, Roesh, Henry, and Todd gather together near a small stand with a vendor handing out refreshments.  Henry grabs a drink for each of them and passes them out.
    "So I haven't had a chance to talk to either of you yet about your system." Yaremka says.
    "We're all here now, what's up?" Roesh asks.
    "I just wanted to say that I like it.  Lots of foresight and planning went into it.  Your Ms. Pierce was very insisting that she had very little to do with the overall plan, but I like to think I know you both better then that."  Yaremka answers.
    "She's a very humble person it would seem.  We were right to pick her." Henry says with pride.
    "So how come you keep talking as if I'm not here, not even an honorable mention in the speech?" Todd asks of Yaremka.
    "Is there any chance I could bug you both for more detailed information?  Such as planning procedures, pre development funding, maybe any damage control you guys had to do while building up the previously unused planetary real estate?" Yaremka asks ignoring Todd.
    Roesh chuckles. "Come on, look at him, he's about to start begging."
    Yaremka appears confused. "Look at who?"
    Roesh laughs seeing Todd's face.
    "Are you referring to that little brigand who refused to join you until you gave him a piece of your company?  That lecherous fiend who tried to seduce my sister?  That accursed miscreant who has no business being anywhere near a ship's design board, much less fixing it's toilets?"
    Henry joins Roesh in laughing.
    "Yeah, that sounds about right." Roesh says after regaining a small amount of composure.
    "I knew he was mad at you." Henry jokes.
    "Fuck you all." Todd says as he turns around and storms off.
    "Was it something I said?" Yaremka asks causing Roesh and Henry to almost fall over laughing.  "If I had known he was going to take it so personally I would have said it was okay for him to work on ship toilets...  And where is the lovely as always Casey hiding at this fine day?"
    Henry fixes his suit after calming down, "She could be anywhere right now."
    "Except Finley 1." Roesh adds.
    "Because of that thing?" Yaremka asks.
    "Right." Roesh answers.
    "Well, I suppose I should at least send her a message before I get wrapped up in any more good humored fun." Yaremka states.
    "You do that.  I need to head on over to Hall B and do one last review of my visual aides." Henry notes.
    "I will, save a front row seat for me." Yaremka says as he walks away.
    "I've got some things to go check on." Roesh says.  "I reserved the Decla in it's entirety, so make some friends and invite them to dinner."
    "Is that why I see their advertisements everywhere?" Henry asks.
    "What?  They make good food..." Roesh admits.
    "I agree, but they're still pretty new in town."
    "Everything is pretty new in town.  Might as well start getting some press while everyone is here."
    "Point taken."
    The two walk away from each other, Henry on his way to Meeting Hall B, and Roesh to a security station to find that sergeant who was supposed to be questioning their newest set of unruly guests.