When Quigley left, the Venceance started to move to New Rome hoping to find Terranova and capture Froan back... New Rome was beatiful system, it was with very good visability, wich made it a threat to cruiser. Crew decided to risk and go to the systems only nebulae, as was expected it was full of all kindsa criminals.

Denson: Well sitting here wont do us any good. Maybe we should send out searching tems?
O'Connor: Not a bad idea. We'll go to New Rome and vatican planets, maybe we will ind something about them.
Lutz: I can't wait to get my hands on him!
Michel: Me neither!
Johnson: So lets search him.
O'Connor: Denson, you will stay behinde and let us know if you pick anything on your radars, while we plant the beacons.

The plan was to plant a beacon in everhy "Corner" of the system so we can see evertything that goes on in the middle.

Lutz: First lets check the planets.
O'Connor: Well you do wahtever you want, I'm going to put he beacon in northen side of this sector.

*Luts, Michael nad Arragoni went to search Terranova on planet. While Roger, Johnson and Cooper would go and plant the beacons. Everyone went their own way. Soon after departure Roger discovred that his lifepod has been jammed.*

*Little later*

Lutz: So that rat wasnt on Vatican...
Michael: We will get him this time.
Arrigoni: Everybody! Behinde that outpost!

*As they went behinde an police outpost, they saw a Rheinlad gunboat with escort passing through the trade lane.*

Michael: What do Rheinlanders do here?
Arragoni: Probably scouting or searching something... *Everybody thought of Terranova*

*Meantime Roger had his own trouble. A Xeno fighter wing went past Roger, but then they turned around and started chasing him. Roger didn't realise what was going on but he had to put that beacon in place and those Xenos weren'ät helping him much also.*

Xeno: Stand down or be shot down.
O'Connor: To shoot me you have to catch me!

*he said that when he boostd to cruise speed, Roger realise that hes odds were even lesser takin into the fact that his life bod was disabled. Finally he made it to drop off point. Roger thought that now when his mission is over he can get some rest. But at that time xenos came and there were 20 of them...*

O'connor: ok ok, I'll surender.

(OOC: tomorrow I will continiue so please don't move me character until I have posted)

----------------------------------------
Knight who wears White

www.thestuffnetworks.com
\ Demi God /
--Agree With ARCON Week--!

Quigley set the fighter down on the deck and proceeded to run through shut-down procedures. Quigley was in the middle of shutting down the reversal hypermagnetoes when someone began jostling his ejection seat violently.

Quigley: Riggly, you weasel, you'd better calm down.

Quigley craned his head around his seat. Paul Riggly, the traitor, was trussed up in the jury-rigged seat. Quigley finished his procedures and hopped out of the fighter. He closed the canopy so Riggly's antics would cause less notice.

This was the first time Quigley had returned to West Point ever since he had been washed-out. It was all so familiar. He watched the flurry of activity. If weren't for the Valkyrie and a bound traitor in his hold, he would have thought he'd never left. Quigley watched the Defenders' that escorted him land nearby. The pilots went through shut-down and descended from their fighters. They immediately went into a huddle, no doubt discussing the events of the last flight.

A young man strode across the flight deck, his step measured, purposeful. He stopped twenty feet from the pilot's huddle.

Man: Cadet Lyta, report.

Quigley was surprised he knew a cadet by that name. Then the cadet separated from the huddle. Rachel! It is her. he thought. Rachel had been Quigley's wing mate. She was the most beautiful creature ever, in Quigley's opinion, but you couldn't tell that by looking at her at the moment. Her heavenly face was obscured by her flight helmet, and her body was hidden by a Liberty flight suit that must have been designed by a eunuch.

Quigley watched as Rachel made her report to the young man. They finished with a salute, and the young man turned to walk away. Rachel turned to go back to her pilots. Quigley saw his opportunity and walked towards her.

Quigley: Rachel, wait.

Rachel spun on her heel and looked at Quigley, scarcely believing.

Rachel: Matthew, it's been so long. Where have you been?

Quigley: I've been wandering the galaxy. I've been to so many places. Including all four Houses. You wouldn't believe what I got myself into...

The young man had obvious forgotten something and turned around to ask Rachel.

Man: Cadet Lyta, oh hello. I'm sorry if I'm interrupting.

Rachel: Matthew, I'd like you to meet my cadet commander, Cadet Ryan Penn. Cadet Penn, this is Matthew Quigley. He used to be my...

Penn: Quigley? Lyta, you're dismissed to your quarters.

Lyta froze shocked at her cadet commander's reaction to Quigley.

Quigley: Hey, that was uncalled for.

Penn: Yes, it was Mr. Quigley. You know the unwritten rule of wash-outs. You wash-out of West Point, you don't exist. Cadet Lyta, you are dismissed.

Confused and angry, Rachel retreated out of the flight deck.

Quigley: I never supported that rule. That rule is supported by arrogant elitists to make themselves feel better.

Penn: What your opinion is has no bearing here. You, Quigley, are a wash-out. You don't exist to us. You're lucky we even talk to you.

Quigley: That suits me fine. I didn't some half way across Siruis to talk to you. I came to talk to Admiral Evans.

Penn: The Commandant? Like I said before West Point doesn't have time for you. Now get off my deck.

Quigley leaned in close, which didn't help much because Penn was quite a bit taller than him.

Quigley: Get this, Penn. You are not yet actually a Liberty officer, just a lowly Navy wannabe. As such, you have absolutely no authority, so why don't you get out my way be before you get some demerits.

Penn's tall frame quivered with anger. His muscles tensed, and Quigley readied himself for trouble. Penn's actions were stopped by someone clearing his throat behind them. They both looked at the intruder. Penn snapped to attention.

Penn: Admiral, I didn't see you, sir.

Admiral Walter Evans stood before the two opponets. His form radiated authority. The Admiral was the commandant of West Point, and also a respected naval hero. He commanded the battleship Rio Grande on its famous campaign against the Xenos.

Evans: Cadet Penn, of course you didn't. You were too busy reading yourself to tear Mr. Quigley apart. You are lucky I intervened when I did. The Naval regs on fighting with civilians are crystal clear. You are dismissed.

Penn quickly saluted and spun on his heel and headed for the nearest exit. The Admiral turned to Quigley.

Evans: And you, Mr. Quigley, were once a cadet. I wouldn't have thought you would have lost all discipline you learned in your term here.

Quigley: I am sorry, sir. I didn't some here to cause trouble. I came here to talk to you.

Evans: You did? To who do I thank, for sending you here.

Quigley leaned in close and lowered his voice to a whisper.

Quigley: The Blade guns, a traitor, and Rheinland.

Admiral Evans recoiled in surprise and alarm.

Evans: Not one more word. Come with me to my office.

Quigley: I have an "expert" on this topic in my cockpit.

Evans raised an eyebrow and keyed his comlink.

Evans: Captain, find Coordinator Wade. Yes, the LSF spook. Order two of his agents to retrieve a prisoner from the Valkyrie in Bay eight. Ask him to come to my office.

Evans turned and nearly jogged out of the bay. Quigley had struggle to catch up. Quigley reviewed the story in his head and prepared to tell everything once he got to Evans's office.

OOC: Another installment. I'll write more later. I can only go so long. You know another benefit of writing in installments? I can skip time and boring sequences.

jedierrant

"You're clever than you look, Q" ~007
"It's better than looking clever than you are, 007."~Q



Edited by - jedierrant on 09-08-2003 00:29:19

Edited by - jedierrant on 09-08-2003 06:54:53

Admiral Evans paced in front of the two-way mirror, watching the interrogation going on the other side. LSF Coordinator Wade and two of his agents circled Riggly, the traitor, like vultures. Everyonce and a while one LSF agents, or spooks, would thrust his face right into Riggly's. The man had been in constant fear since Arrigoni had plucked him off the Arizona .

Coordinator Wade signaled something to the two other agents, and they left the room. Wade eyed Riggly once more and left. Now alone, Riggly was visually relieved but still nervous. He kept glancing over at the mirror.

Wade opened the door to the observation room.

Evans: Well, what happened?

Wade: He spilled everything. Everything. The story, Mr. Quigley told you, is completely true. Riggly want on to tell more.

Evans: More? What do you mean "more?"

Wade regaled him with Riggly's life story. Riggly had been an awarded marine on the Yukon . That was the reason he'd been recruited for the Avarice program. When a person became involved in a secret government program, they were generally were seperated from most outside contact. Foriegn governments train agents to look for these tell-tale signs. That was how Rhienland found Riggly.

First, they dug up some embarrassing details about some criminal connections Riggly had. They blackmailed him into telling him about the Avarice program. Due to the close involvement of the Avarice and Blade programs, Riggly was able to give them more information than the Rhienlanders could have hoped for. They began paying Riggly for his cooperation.

Wade assured them that blackmail and then payment was a common recruitment practice among intelligence services. Money garned loyalty and better cooperation because a blackmailed turncoat was liable to get selfrighteous and betray his controllers. As a side benefit of the money, It also made the spy more involved in the plot because greed was a more guilty motive than pure fear.

Riggly became a conduit for the Rhienlanders to corrupt more members of the weapons program including Andy Smith. Smith was the man who framed Lutz for the failure of the Fireblade. If the failure of the Fireblade was to get out in the open, a investigation might be mounted by the brass. That investigation would discover that Lutz's cannon had been stripped of its real parts and replaced with inferior look-alikes.

Riggly had funneled parts, informations, and even whole Sentiel fighters to New Berlin. He even told them about the Arizona . It had been decomissioned, moth balled, and placed in Pittsburg Dust Cloud. Quigley felt the need to interrupt.

Quigley: Wait. Is the Navy in the habit of hiding usuable battleships in dust cloads inhabited by criminals?

Wade: We could put them in the Texas dark matter clouds, but we feared we might need the old girl again. It would be two hard to get it out of there. Don't worry, we have control of the Arizona .

Quigley: Wait. How did you find it that quickly it was in a scrap field. It blends in.

Exans: We followed you.

Quigley looked over at the Admiral, shocked.

Evans: There was a tracking beacon placed aboard your ship.

Quigley: You what?

Wade: We've been following you ever since you left West Point. You must understand after the Rhienlanders zapped the convoy and framed your brother, we thought you might be a sleeper agent.

Quigley: So you humiliated me and tossed me out. Then followed my movements around the galaxy, hoping I lead you to my "collaborators." Is that what you're trying to tell me?

Wade looked at the floor. Admiral Evans broke the silience.

Evans: I can understand the way you feel, but there are more pressing matters. With Mr. Riggly's confession, we have proved our greatest fears and suspicions.

Quigley looked confused, begging an explanation.

Evans: There's been no obvious signs of military movement or build-up. But there have been certain... anomolies. As you know Rhienland is full of dissident groups trying to overthrow the government or the corporations that control it. Well, recently, we have reports of lessening raids on our convoys. Not an ebb in activity, no activity what-so-ever. Like they had been totally wiped out.

Evans: We sent in operatives to find out what happened to them. We found a lot of criminal connections all left hanging. One of our deep cover agents with the Unioners was returning to Dawson Base in Hudson. What he found was total destruction. Dawson Base was inside an asteroid and it was reduced to dust.

Quigley: That sounds like the signature of the Fireblade.

Wade: We didn't know what it was. One of our biggest questions was if Rhienland was building a new navy, where were they getting the resources and money. That was the question until we found out about a new system they had discovered.

Quigley: New system?

Wade: They call it Gelegenheit, Opportunity. What had leaked to us indicates that the system contains massive deposits of vaulable minerals and metal. They have the natural resources to build a fleet but not the best technology. That's where Samura comes in.

Evans: In exchange for superior Kusari optronics and dirty cheap H-fuel, Samura recieved certain services from Rhienland. Not long after we detected the first transfer between Samura and Rhienland, Anui Depot disappeared.

Quigley was horrified.

Evans: Quigley, I'm sorry you had to find out this way. We know you worked for the GC taking out Samura's criminal cronies, the Farmer's Alliance and Hogosha. We even know about your relationship with a handmaiden to the GC's empress in training.

Quigley was all over the emotional spectrum. Shocked. Horrified. Indignant. The handmaiden's name was Nazomi. Thoughts of her only brought him grief. He'd responded to her distress call after she had been ambushed by six Hogosha fighters. Quigley swooped in and saved the day. He towed Nazomi's ship back to Anui, and for his heroism he was treated with utmost respect by the amazon group. He fell in love with Nazomi and stayed at Anui, hoping he'd found his roots after being cast from West Pint Quigley did freelance for them against the FA and Hogosha. Until one day he returned to find a calligraphied letter lying on his bed. The letter was from the young emperess herself. It told of Nazomi's death at the hands of the Kusari Police. The emperess expressed her grief at losing a valued handmaiden and friend. He was offered a place in the GC as recognition of his actions. He refused and left to wander to stars again.

Quigley looked up at the Admiral, trying to blink back tears.

Quigley: Why are you telling me this? I"m just a civilian.

Evans: Mostly because we like the sound of our own voices. Partialy because I'm overturning the verdict of your wash-out.

Quigley: You're doing what?!

Evans: Clearly, I acted on false information. As such, I am not one to just injustice stand. Mr. Matthew Quigley, I am reactivating your enrollment at this academy. Taking into account your years away from West Point and your combat experience, you have met all requirements to graduate from West Point Academy. You will recieve the rank of Lieutenant, and that may change after I make my report on this powder keg. You are our best authority on the use and characteristics of these superlasers in combat and have combat kills against Rhienland forces. Good bye, Lieutenant Quigley.

Quigley immediately stood up and returned salute and kept it as Coordinator Wade left. The room seemed to be spinning or was it his head? Things were happening really fast, and Quigley wasn't really sure what he had just gotten himself into. Quigley sighed.

Quigley: I wanted to join the Navy. Instead I get shanghaied.

OOC: Getting somewhere now. I wanted to expland Quigley's past more. Also, I am heading on a tangent that will rejoin me with the others.

After the Vengeance had dropped them of in the New Rome System, Michael, Lutz and Arrigoni headed straight for the nearest station to look for Terranova, or at least any information on where he might be.

Michael looked at his navmap. Vatican station was the nearest. It funtioned as a relay station for trading vessals that didn't want to go all the way to the New Florance system. maybe the bartender had seen Terranova. Or perhaps he knew something about him.
Michael wasn't sure what was going to happen when they would find Terranova, but it would involve a big fight. He was sure of that.

Arrigoni: Where are we going guys?
Michael: I thought of Vatican Station. It's the nearest. After that we will go to New Rome.
Arrigoni: So, what are we going to do when we find him then? I don't suppose we can expect him to just come along quitely.
Lutz: It's very simple, we knock him out and strap him up in to your cargohold, bring him to the Vengeance , mount his particle gun to one of our ships, and kick the hell out of those f*cking Rheinland Battleships. And then we all go home.

Nobody spoke. Lutz sounded angry and had a good reason too.
But he raised a second topic wich was ever so sensitive. The Rheinlanders had 18 almost indistructable Battleships and thus had the capability to defeat the Liberty navy. A war seemed inevitable. unless they could distroy those Battleships first.
They had the means. The Particle cannon, the Stormblade and that awsome weapon mounted to the Vengeance were enough to takeout a battleship. But only one at a time, the Vengeance could only hold on for so long and after the battle with those cruisers, it had sustained some serious damage. And that were only cruisers.
They were simply outnumbered if they had to take on more then one battleship.

But that was for later. First to find Terranova.
Personally, Michael would be very surprised if Terranova was indeed on Vatican Station. But it was woth a try.

They came up on Vatican station. Michael targeted the station and send a docking request.

Vatican Station Control: This is Vatican Station to Freelancer Omega 3-5, we have received your request and you are cleared to land via dock 6.
Michael: Confirmed Vatican Station. *to the others* ok people, you heard it, dock 6 it is.

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

The station was an old one, but still in fine shape compared to the rusty wrecks in the New Harlem system. The New Italian Congress took pride in keeping up appearences and invested most of their money in maintanance. They should invest more in security, Michael thought. On their way to the station they met only one wing of police. In Liberty for instance, you couldn't get out of a tradelane or jumpgate, without being cargoscanned by the police or navy. But then again, their stations didn't look as flashy as the New Italian ones.

Michael turned to the others.

Michael: Care for a drink guys?
Lutz: Why not, some thing to cool my head.

They entered the bar. Here and there, men sat at tables in small groupes or alone. Some with a big plate with something that resembled a Titan Liver steak, but it was most likely a Synth Food product.
Michael shivered at the thought of eating that plastic. He was raised with natural food, back in the days where Synth Paste was exclusively for the miners and the constrution engineers who worked in the borderworlds and the independend systems, because of the cheap prices.
Nowadays, you couldn't seem to get anything else but Synth Paste.

Terranova wasn't among the guests.

They walked up to the bartender.

Bartender (bt): Always good to see new faces. What shall it be, my friends?
Michael: A beer, for me and my friends here. And some information, if that's posible?
Bt: I can get you the beer, but I'm not sure about that info. What are you looking for?

Michael showed him a picture of Terranova he had gotten out of the Vengeance's mainframe.
The bartender shook his head.

Bt: No, i'm sorry. I haven't seen him here. What did he do?
Michael: He took something that belongs to us.
Bt: A thief eh? You might want to try with Antonio Gagneti, he's a police investigator. He might know something about your man. he's currently stationed at planet New Rome police headquarters. Tell him I send you, he'll help you.

Michael payed the bartender and turned to his friends.

Lutz: And, is he here, the little slimeball?
Michael: I don't think so. The bartender didn't recognise him, but he sugested we might try at planet New Rome. he gave me the name of a police officer who might be able to help us out.
Lutz: Well, let's not waste anymore time than we allready did. Lets go.

Lutz almost ran to his ship, leaving Michael and Arrigoni behind. They looked at each other and grinned.

Arrigoni: You think he's in a hury?
Michael: Nah, why would he?
Lutz, from out of the landing bay: Come on! What are you waiting for?!

Lutz took care of the take-off procedures and they were away.

Lutz: So that rat wasn't on Vatican...
Michael: Don't worry Lutz, we will get him.
Arrigoni: Mind your scanners guys, I'm showing a Rheinland gunboat with escort comming out of the tradelane from the Sigma 19 jumpgate.

They took cover behind Vatican Station and waited as the gunboat enetered the tradelane to the New Florance jumpgate.

Michael: That was close. What is the Rheinland navy doing here?
Arrigoni: Beats me. Maybe they're searching for something, or someone.
Michael: You think they're after us?
Lutz: Could be. During the fight in Colorado they had more than enough time to scan us and transmit our discriptions. But maybe they're after Terranova.
Arrigoni: Well, as long as they don't stumble across the Vengeance . It sits in the Venice Icecloud just west of the tradelane they just entered.
Michael: Might be best to inform them.

Michael: Denson, this is Michael. A Rheinland gunboat with escort just passed us on their way to the New Florance jumpgate and I beleve you are awfully close to that jumpgate.
Denson: I hear you Michael. Our scanners picked them up just a few moments ago, but it seems the took the jumpgate because they just disapeared from our scanner. Lets hope they didn't notice us sitting here.
Michael: Just in case Denson, you might want to return to Alpha Draconis to lay low.
Denson: Negative Michael, we need to wait here for O'Connor, Johnson and Cooper to return as ordered.
Michael: ok, than wait. But as soon as things get hot out there I want you to get out of there, no matter what, understood? We need the Vengeance in one piece, we can't risk loosing it to the Rheinlanders.
Denson: Very well, as soon as we got the others on board we leave for Alpha Draconis, wait a sec...

Michael heared some talking in the background, something about O'Connor it seemed.
Densons voice was shaky as he returned to Michael.

Denson: Ehm, we got a distress signal from what looks like O'Connors ship.
Lutz: What code?
Denson: code 2-15

An awfull silence as everyone hold their breaths. Code 2-15 meant capture. Roger O'Connor was captured or was in the prosess of being captured.
They could only hope he wasn't being captured by Liberty, or worse, by Rheinland.

Lutz: Denson, do you have a coördinate on that signal?
Denson: Yes, I'm transmitting it now.
Lutz: Michael, care to check it out?
Michael: I'm on it Lutz. You and Arrigoni get to New Rome and look for a police officer called Antonio Gagneti, he's the one that the bartender send us to.
Denson: Michael, do you need any help?
Michael: No, it takes to much time to wait for it and you might need them yourself. I'll be allright.
Denson: Ok, good luck, Denson out.
Lutz: Ok Arrigoni, lets get going. Michael, just check it out ok? Don't be a hero, we need you alive.
Michael: Don't worry, I'll see you on New Rome.

Lutz and Arrigoni entered the tradelane to New Rome and Michael looked at his scanner.
The coördinates showed up as a red X on the far side of the system. No tradelane connection to that point, so Michael set his cruise engines, wich were repaired. He was pleased to see that the mechanics on the Vengeance had upgraded his cruise to a comfortable speed of 500Kps.
He soon noticed the beacon that O'Connor must have managed to place before he was captured. It was allmost at the same location of the distress signal.

He came within 5k of the beacon when the scanner showed about 20 Xenos and Echo 3 , most likely to be O'Connor. He stopped.

*Thinks* This thing is getting stranger and stranger by the minute, Xeno's in New Italy? I thought they were at war with the Raiders."

The Raiders are a fanatic group of pilotes who left the New Italian police and navy because of their unhappyness with the way the Congress took care of the Pirate problem.
Just 3 months ago they declared to drive the Xeno's from their homesystems.

One of the Xeno's must have noticed Michael sitting there, because he approached him.

Xeno: We sugest that you leave freelancer, you have no business here.
Michael: Not without my friend who you have treated so gently. O'Connor, are you allright?
O'Connor: Yeah, I'm fine, but they disabled my engines.
Xeno: Negative Freelancer, we're taking him with us.
Michael: No, you don't have the right!
Xeno: Alright, you leave us no other choice. All Fighters, atack my target!

Suddenly from all around xeno's atacked him and Michael had to pull every trick he knew to dodge the incomming missiles and gunfire.
He managed to take down two fighters, but there were just to much.

Michael: This is Freelancer Omega 3-5 to all fighters in the vicinity, I'm being attacked by multiple Xeno's, I need assistance fast!
Raiders: This is Raiders gold 1, we are on an intercept course, just hold on for another minute.
Michael: Make it fast, They got my shield down and i'm out of shieldbats.
Raiders: Don't worry, we're here. All fighters engage the Xeno's.

Four Raiders confirmed and in a few minutes the fight was over. 15 Xeno's were distroyed or disabled and the remaining fighters ran away.

Michael: Thanks, I thought I was gonna die out here.
Raider: Anytime Freelancer. concider it a favour, we try to keep the system Xeno free.
O'Connor: Yeah great, but meanwhile I'm stuck here with a busted engine.
Raider: Don't worry, our base is near, you can get whatever you need there.
Michael: How about it O'Connor? Or do you want me to tow you back to our base?

OOC: I hope you guys don't mind, but I'd like Johnson to deal with the traitor aboard the Vengeance . I'll use it as a way to prove Johnson's fidelity to the ship.

Johnson had finished deploying the beacon. He stayed a little bit to see if it was working. He switched to the private channel used for communicating with the Vengeance .

Johnson: This is Echo 2 to Vengeance , is the package working?
Denson: Affirmative Echo 2, return to base.

He kicked into cruise mode and laid back in his chair. Curious to see what was going on in the outside world. He connected into this Neural Net and accessed the local news. It was about the Arizona and how it was involved in a huge battle with unidentified forces. It wasn't acting on orders because it was so far away from it's station. It's commanding officer was shot dead. Three battleships were destroyed by and unknown weapon on an unknown cruiser. Alot of unknowns, he thought. The news mentioned also that the fifth vessel, an old prototype Liberty Cruiser, had been sighted before in the New Harlem system. He didn't know about this. No one had filled him in on what was going on. It was time to ask some questions.

Johnson: Echo 2 to Vengeance dock control, permission to dock requested.
Dock Operator: Permission granted.

Johnson flew in Echo 2 into the docking bay, where he set it down in the corner.

The bay was completely empty when he landed, just as he had expected. Since he was a mechanic aboard this cruiser, it was his responsibility to fill up and repair any ships that came in. So, he took filled up his ship on H-fuel and made way for the bar.

Inside he saw Harrison, and sat by him. He ordered a drink

Johnson: Anything new going on on the ship?
Harrison: Well yeah. The traitor that we don't know who is struck again.
Johnson: Really? Where?
Harrison: He tried to open the airlock to the ship, but he was unsuccessful. When we found out what was going on we sent a team down there to catch him, but we didn't find anything.
Johnson: It doesn't seem like this guy really knows what he's doing.
Harrison: You're right, but he's still a threat.
What a moron, Johnson thought. What I'd do is go plant a MOX bomb in the fusion reactor, causing a humongous explosion and vaporization of all living things on this ship. It seems more like this guy wants attention more than anything.
Johnson: I'd keep constant gaurd on the fusion reactor and monitor all MOX packages coming in.
Harrison: We do that already.
Johnson: This guy might be pulling your attention away from the reactor so he can catch you off gaurd and blow this cruiser up.
Harrison: Humm, I hadn't thought about that.
Johnson: Keep a good eye on the reactor or any other ship component that would threaten the ship's safety, like the oxygen reserves or the scanner.
Harrison: Will do.
Johnson: Anyone with a suspicious past?
Harrison: Well, you.
Johnson: Anybody else?
Harrison: No.
Johnson: So besides me, you can trust everybody here.
Harrison: Yes.
Johnson: How can I earn your trust.
Harrison: Find and take care of this traitor.
Johnson: I'll see what I can do. *Johnson finished his drink* I think I'll be going now.
Harrison: See you around, Rogue boy.
Johnson disliked that name. He walked out of the bar.

O'Connor: No need I'll just go with Raiders.. You get back at your assignement.
Michael: Ok, I'll go then

*Michael cruised away heading new Rome*

O'Connor: So where is this base of yours?
Raider: Just a few clicks away...
Denson: Roger are you okay?
O'Connor: Yes, I'm fine.
Denson: Get back here, we spotted rheinland forces on radar.
O'Connor: Rheinland? wow, they are really trying to take over the universe. I can't my engines are disabled, but I'm in good hands. Have other beacons been placed?
Denson: Yes, you are the only one behinde. And if Terranova moves his ship in this system then we will know about it. Too bad that theese sensors can only read moving objects.
O'Connor: Then head for Alpha Draconis I'll meet up with other somewhere. And do let us know when you see him on scanners.
Denson: Yes, sir.
Raider: Here we are.
O'Connor: This? This is just a peice of folded rock... Oh its one of those clever aseroid bases.
Raider: Yes, feel yourself like home.

*Ships docked*

O'Connor: God, this is huge... It looke so small from outside...

*He was in a fighter bay that could have mounted about 15 heavy fighters. And that didn't seem to be the end of it*

Raider: I'll order mechanics to repair your ships engine. Meantime you will come with me to our leader.
O'Connor: Guess I have no other choice.

*They walked up to controll room, where was the leaders office.*

Raider Leader: Welcome!
O'Connor: Yeah
Raider Leader: I have searched and found that I can have a nice bounty off your head.
O'Connor: Bounty? From who? I haven't done anything!
Raider Leader: Well, how about Destroying a Battleship?
O'Connor: What do you know about it?
Raider Leader: People talk. And ofcourse we cannot forget about stealing a Cruiser from Libertys most guarded hangar on Planet LA.
O'Connor: How do..
Raider Leader: I have worked in Liberty Navy too, my friend.
O'Connor: You mean that you were there?
Raider Leader: Yes, I was the officer that got all the blame for it...
O'Connor: I'm sorry for you. because I actually would had to have the blame.
Raider Leader: No need they didn't fire me, they just made me a usual pilot. Then I heard about The Raiders and eversince I have working my way up to here. but you couldn't take the blame.
O'Connor: Why not?
Raider Leader: Well, do you really think that Liberty will let public know that one man got through the finest security line in Liberty space and stole a Cruiser from Liberty?
O'Connor: Well no...
Raider Leader: so there you go.
O'Connor: But why did you tell me about the bounty on my head for stealing a cruiser?
Raider Leader: I had my own revenge then, now I have gotten older and wiser, by the way is that Dnson guy still ith you?
O'Connor: Yes, he is my cheaf mechanic.
Raider Leader: He deserver that spot a long time ago. Well, I'm not keeping you anymore. You are free to go.
O'Connor: Thanks.
Raider: Leader: If you need any help then swich to our secure channel, I'll let people to upload the number to you neural net.
O'Connor: ok, thanks again. But I really must go.

*As roger left controll room he noticed that his fighter has also been placed 2 gatling guns, 1 on each wing. And rustle in the bay. When he saw that a Xeno was broken out of a lifepod and was running directly to his way, Roger stepped behinde a corner and cought the xeno.

O'Connor: Cought you bastard!
Xeno: No, not yet!

*Xeno pushed Roger away from her and started running. As Roger saw this woman running away with her long blonde hair flashing he remebered Helen and what Xenos had done to her.*

O'Connor: Helen! *And ran tworwards the Xeno, who had stopped wached Roger get close and then she recognised Roger aswell.*
Helen: O my god, it you! *Just then Raiders shot Helen, but luckly Roger got his hand in front of the bullet(1). Roger felt a little sick and then he collapse on Helen.*
Raider Leader: Whats this going on in here?
Raider: This xeno broke loose and the guy w saived from them protected her.
Raider Leader: I know this guy, he must of had a good reason, put him in medical!
Raider: Yes, sir!
Raider Leader: (to himself) I bet I have seen this girl(2) somewhere before...

OOC: (1) What kinda thingys do they shoot anyway? (2) The man is 20 years older than Helen.

----------------------------------------
Knight who wears White

www.thestuffnetworks.com
\ Demi God /
--Agree With ARCON Week--

Edited by - White Knight on 11-08-2003 14:44:22

Johnson liked to know everything about the place he was staying at. Much like he had when he looked at the historical records and walked the spaces of the LPI Sugarland, as well as Houston, as well as Hamburg, as well as his home, Dawson Base. Right now, Johnson was making his way to the scanner to see how it functioned. Later he would get to the historical records of this ship, if there was any. He figured something was odd about this ship.

He felt a shift in momentum, and figured that the Vengeance was making way for safer space, in Alpha Draconis. He was almost at the scanner when he felt something vibrate in his pocket. It was his personal communicator.

Denson: ---to Harrison, do you copy? Over.
Harrison: I copy. Over.
Denson: Someone is fiddling with the scanner. Over.

Good thing Johnson had messed with his communicator. He normally wouldn't be able to pick this up at all.

Harrison: Sending team to the site. Over.

Johnson wanted to earn the ship's trust, and he had agreed to deal with this traitor to earn it.

Johnson: This is Johnson. Making my way to the scanner. Over.

Johnson turned off his communicator then because he knew he would be told otherwise. Johnson thought about this traitor. Normally, the scanner was off limits except for those who had security clearance. This guy was either a mechanic or a security officer. Given this guy's lack of skill in sabotage, he figured this guy was a security officer.

Johnson swiped his card down the keypad. Access denied. He pulled out his Agiera pistol and shot the dang thing. Shooting seemed to be the universal solution to everything. The door shot up. He saw the traitor. He was a security officer.

The officer pulled out his gun and shot at Johnson. If Johnson hadn't moved away from the door, the beam would've hit Johnson right in the eye. We've got a dang sharpshooter on our hands, thought Johnson. Johnson pulled his other pistol into his hand. He heard the officer working on something, which he assumed to be a small explosive. He heard the timer being set back, he heard it being put into place, etc. etc. Johnson began coming up with a plan. The scanner was too fragile to have a gunfight against, and there wasn't any cover
in the scanner room, so the best thing that he figured was to charge in, find a position where he wasn't going to hit the scanner and shoot him as many times as he could.

Johnson: Here goes nothing....

He turned towards the door, guns pointed at the officer and he strafed to the right. The officer shot several shots, but Johnson narrowly missed them. Then he reached prime position.... He managed to get three shots off at the officer before getting shot in the shoulder, and he fell flat on his back. He heard the officer leaving, but he didn't see if he had been hit. The security team arrived just then, and they disarmed the bomb. A member of the team came to Johnson.

Johnson: Make sure to lockdown the ship until you've found him.

Johnson slipped into unconciousness.

When Roger woke up he still had hard time beliving that he found Helen

O'Connor: Wow, that was helluva dream. I really got to take back on those sleeping pills. Denson! Harrison! Anybody, why the hell am I here?

*silence*

O'Connor: And where the hell am I?

*Some weird guy with huge glasses comes in*

Doctor: How are you feeling?
O'Connor: Little weird... where am I?
Doctor: You are on Raiders outpost. The painkiller I enjected to you take away your memeory for short time only, expect to be remebering every single code you have ever entered anywhere in about 15 minutes.
O'Connor: Remeber every single code?
Doctor: Yes, it works as memory enchanter, but ffirst it knocks people out, so thats why we use them as painkillers.
O'Connor: Great... Whoah! I think this is beginning to work!
Doctor: Good then I'll leave you alone.
O'Connor: Alone, with who?

*Doctor just walked out without a reply*

Helen: With me lil' bro.
O'Connor: Ah, yes. You always scared the living daylights out of me.
Helen: Hehee, yes that I did. But I heard that now you have your own cruiser.
O'Connor: Stolen, you wouldn't think that navy was stupid enough to give me one did you?
Helen: Ofcourse not. I have heard every singe thing about it, and how you wasted so much of your life seeking out Xenos and destroying them.
O'Connor: How did you know? And didn't you try to kill me earlier also?
Helen: Raiders told me, and whats about killing you then we didn't know that it was you.
O'Connor: Ok ok Enough of this. Help me put this dar...

*Roger stopped when he saw his arm*

O'Connor: Holy ****! What have they done to my arm??
Helen: They did the best they could. I heard that it had incresed arms strenght.
O'Connor: Well, I can't fell it at all! How do you know all this?
Helen: I'm not only a good pilot, but I know my way around with scalpel.
O'Connor: You as a doctor! No way! You were always the one trying to kill people!
Helen: Times chenge, people change.
O'Connor: Hmm, at least you are alive... Now lets get off this darn piece of rock.

*They went to fighter bay, where Jeffrey the raider leader waite for them*

Jeffrey: Finally you came. I've ordered to repair your ship Roger and one Xeno ship. They are waiting.
Roger: Thanks but I'm not sure I can fly with my busted hand.
Jeffrey: Hehee, you were a Ace! I bet you could fly this baby with you teeth.
Roger: What? Me? I'm no good pilot.
Jeffrey: Yes you are, don't you remeber?
Roger: No.
Jeffrey: Well then I'm mistaking you with somebody else.
Roger: Yeah. But I think I will fly anyway.
Jeffrey: Good, practising makes you better. But if you are in Kursai space contact a man called Shao Yoraminto.
Roger: Shao what?
Jeffery: Shao Yoraminto. And give him this package. Well you better go now.
Roger: I.. We will thanks.

*Roger takes off in his Echo 3 and Helen in her Piraniah. Not a xeno ship but taken as a trophy from a bounty hunter.

Roger: Ok I will go to hlp my friends on New Rome, you go to Alpha Draconis and meet cruiser Vengeance . I'll upload the data on your neural net.
Helen: Oki bro, see ya there.

*Ships depart and go their own way*

Roger: Damn its hard to fly with left hand... Denson, do you copy?
Denson: Yes, I'm here.
O'Connor: You sound a little nervous. Whats going on?
Denson: We discovered the traitor, but he fled. We have loced the ship down.
O'Connor: Good move.
Denson: Thats not all.
O'Connor: What else?
Denson: Well the new greasemonkey... Johnson, has been shot in the shoulder, but it looks bad.
O'Connor: What a coincidence...
Denson: What do you mean?
O'Connor: A Piraniah will come to your location. A Doctor is on board. Its Helen.
Denson: You found her, after all those years of searching! How much was it then? 11?
O'Connor: 12. Well I'll go after Micheal and guys. You make sure Johnson survives! I'm just beginning to like him.
Denson: We'll try, sir.

----------------------------------------
Knight who wears White

www.thestuffnetworks.com
\ Demi God /
--Agree With ARCON Week--!

Daniel learned all that he could about tradelanes and jumpgates from his mother, who worked at Ageria. Although mildly interested in the physics of the things, he had been much more interested in the mechanics of the tradelanes and jumpgates themselves. Each trade ring or jumpgate stored the USI information about each passing ship logged passing through the apparatus. It was the jumpgate between the New Rome System and Texas that Psawhn was scanning now.

Micheal: Anything, Psawhn?

The reception was crisp and clear as if they were right next to each other. In reality, half of the New Rome system separated them. It turns out that modifying the scanners for comms use had some advantages. Reconfiguring them with the communications array allowed for tightbeam communication across long distances. Micheal, with his improved scanners, was the perfect candidate for the other end. Of course, it meant Psawhn could not talk to the rest of the search party unless they were in normal comms range.

Psawhn: Nope. IC had done their wipe only a few hours ago, so there's no trace of him.
Micheal: Wipe?
Psawhn: Every twenty-four hours IC downloads the records stored on the tradelanes and jumpgates and to their regional base, like Newark Station.
Micheal: So you can't find Terranova at all.
Psawhn: Negative, unless he's decided to pop through this system in the past few hours.
Micheal: We're at Vatican station now. We'll try to contact you when we undock.

Psawhn looked at his navmap. He was planning to head to the Sigma-13 jumpgate. It was on the exact opposite side of the Medium Yellow in the center of the system, however. Signals do not pass well through a star's corona, and through the core.

Psawhn: Well, I'll be at the Sigma-13 jumpgate, so I doubt you'll be able to reach me. I'll meet you guys on New Rome.
Micheal: Roger that.

*****

The Sigma-13 -> New Rome jumpgate showed no results, either. Not that Psawhn expected it to, of course. He entered the tradelane that would take him to the Sigma-19.

Because of his location, he was unable to recieve the report of O'Connor's distress call.

Psawhn watched the tradelanes fly by at their massive speed. After learning so much about them, the tradelanes held only a minor interest for him now.

After a few minutes, he emerged near the jumpgate, and started searching through the few hours of ship logs. Not much, only about a dozen convoys had passed.
Universal convoy Iota-4; Samura convoy Hoshi-6... The short list continued on, until the most recent log caught his eye. Classified Rheinland Military Patrol - Classified Designation.
This was bad news. After the Eighty-years war with the GMG, Rheinland was restricted to not enter the Sigma systems. If a Military convoy could pass through the reputedly excellent GMG forces unharmed...

Psawhn immediately set himself to enter the tradelane to New Rome. He had to tell the rest of the news. Just two tradelanes, and he'd be there.

Edited by - Whasp Commander on 12-08-2003 09:19:39

OOC: Since no one else is....

Johnson woke up from his unconsciousness. He didn't move his head or say anything. He just looked from his solitary position. But everything was all blurry and he could barely open his eyes. Something was poking into his shoulder but it didn't hurt, so he didn't care. There was some beeping noise that he figured was just some guy playing with a whistle or something. He could make out people standing on the walls, looking at him from their odd post, but he couldn't tell how many of them were there.

Wait a minute, he thought. People don't usually walk on walls. Whatever, I'm too tired to think about this kind of stuff.

He fell back asleep, and had a dream about the girl he loved.

OOC: Booo! It was weird that he was suddenly left in New Harlem.. THis way it works a bit better..

Roger flied to New Rome when sudenly he heard music. "Music? In middle of nowhere?" he thought. He tured his ship in the direction where music was coming from... A Blue-White ship was flying in his direction at high speed.

O'Connor: Lets see what this new scanning system can do... *When he said that he started scanning incoming ship* A Drake with Tizona del Cids? This world is going weird...
Drake pilot: You were saing?
O'Connor: Oh darn... I left my comm open. I didn't say anything.
Drake Pilot: Yes you did. Anyway have you seen a Liberty cruiser nearby?
O'Connor: A... Cru.. Cruiser?
Drake Pilot: Yes, you know, it a big thing made out of metal and kill s other metal things vey fast.
O'Connor: Oh yeah, I know what a cruiser is.
Drake Pilot: But have you seen one, reacently?
O'Connor: Maybe, but why are you after it?
Drake Pilot: I need the credits, plus I might get a date with New Harlems landing operator. So have you seen any cruisers latley?
*Roger realised that this man might have seen Vengeance in New Hralem*
O'Connor: No, but I'd check more inside liberty space, I doubt they are any here.
Drake Pilot: Nope, I chcked there nothing has entered or exited.
*Roger thought it might be better when he keeps an eye on this fellow - he seems dangerous enough.*
O'Connor: I started to like your idea, i'd like to help you on your search - like I've got anything better to do. Hehee! Lets dock on New Rome and talk this over with a glass of something liquid.
Drake Pilot: Ok. I've bad on my luck anyway.
*Both ships activate their cruise engines*
O'Connor: Where is that music coming from?
Drake Pilot: It my unique MOD-player.
O'Connor: MOD-Player?
Drake Pilot: Mini Optical Disk.
O'Connor: Oh, by the way name's O'Connor.
Drake Pilot: Nice to meet you, I'm Segara.
O'Connor: *Swices to secure channel* Lads, I think I won't make it at all. I'm gonna dock on New Rome and find out about someguy who claim to seen Vengeance .
Lutz: Roger that, did you heard about the traitor?
O'Connor: Yes, Denson let me know, seems as Johnson, the new greasemonkey has been seriosly hurt.
New Rome Docking operator: Echo-Foxtrot 3 and Tango 3-5 you are cleared to land.
Segara: Thanks

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

Helen had just landed when Denson came running

Denson: You Helen?
Helen: Yes
Denson: Nice to meet you as our reason to brak off Liberty, but come with me someone need you!
Helen: What? Okay, coming
*They ran to medlab*
Denson: Here he is...
Helen: Hmm, seems that this injury is quite small, but it peirced some ateries.
Denson: What can you do?
Helen: Well first I gotta check how resistant patient is..
*Helen took something from shlf and poured it on the wound. Johnson woke up for a while.*
Connor: He woke up.... for a while.
Helen: Yea, thats the point. If i got the right tools the his gonna be back in couple of hours.
Denson: Our doctors did what they could but said that he could start working after 2 weeks.
Connor: Though this wound isn't very big..
Helen: What do they know? When yar workin with pirates then ya learn some tricks... Now could ya please leave?
Connor: Ok okI'm leaving... come on Denson.
*Helen was only one who left in medlab with Johnson*
Denson: I don't think she can do anything better.
Connor: Let her try, it can't hurt, much.

----------------------------------------
Knight who wears White

www.thestuffnetworks.com
\ Greater God /
--Agree With ARCON Week--
Edit: I'm sucker with names

Edited by - White Knight on 17-08-2003 23:46:14

OOC: I guess it's my obligation to post, since no one else has.

Helen worked long and hard trying to fix Johnson's shoulder injury. She spent hours upon end working in the infirmary, with few breaks. She finally finished late in the night.

She came out of the infirmary, and much to her surprise, Denson and Cooper (OOC: Just wondering, but who's Cooper?) were waiting outside.

Denson: Well?
Helen: He should be good within a few days, but he is not to do anything for at least a week.
Denson: Does that include working on ships?
Helen: I'm not sure.... It'll be his choice on that.
Cooper: Is it okay if we run pictures of all the crew by him to find out who the traitor is?
Helen: He's conscious, but not to his full capacity yet. The affects of the anasthesia have not worn off yet.
Denson: Will he recognize faces and remember things?
Helen: He should....
Denson: Allright, Cooper, come on.
Cooper: Yippee....
_____________________________________
Denson: Is this him?

Denson placed a picture of one of the crew in front of Johnson.

Johnson: No.
Denson: Is this him?
Johnson: No.

This continued for quite a while.

Denson: Is this him?
Johnson: No.... Wait. Hmmm.... I ... think that's him.
Denson: Are you sure?
Johnson: It's all coming back now. Yeah, that's him.

Denson looked at Cooper. Cooper understood and left.

Denson: Thank you for your generous contribution to this ship. You now have my trust.
Johnson: Thank you.
___________________________________
The traitor was sitting in a chair in the interrogation. The only light was shining on him.

Voice one: WHO ARE YOU??
Traitor: That's a stupid question.
Voice one: ANSWER.
Traitor: Jeremy Truman, diphead.
Voice two: WHY HAVE YOU BETRAYED THIS SHIP?
Truman: I haven't!
Voice one: WE HAVE RELIABLE SOURCES THAT SAY OTHERWISE. SO, TELL US, WHY DID YOU BETRAY THIS SHIP?
Truman: Why would I tell you? You'd probably kill me anyway.
Voice two: ANSWER.
Truman: No thank you.
Voice one: ADMINISTER THE TRUTH SERUM.

A security gaurd hiding in the shadows came into the light and injected truth serum into the traitor.

Voice two: NOW ANSWER.
Truman *half dazed*: Ah politely refuuuse.
Voice one *quiet*: This guy's good.
Vocie two *quiet*: He's trained by the best.
Voice one: PERHAPS YOU NEED A LITTLE COERCION.

*A different security gaurd came out and zapped the traitor with a tazor*

Truman: OWWWW!
Voice two: ANSWER THE QUESTION NOW.
Truman: Some guy paid me to do it....
Voice one: WHO?
Truman: He didn't give his name, but he was big and scary. It might've been Terravona or something. I really didn't care.
Voice two: WHAT WERE THE TERMS OF YOUR 'AGREEMENT'?
Truman: If ever this ship came into Italian space, I was to sabatoge it. 500,000 credits down, 500,000 if I completed the task.
Voice one *quiet*: That spoiled brat is at it again.
Voice two *quiet*: This isn't good.
Voice one: TAKE HIM TO THE BRIG AND LOCK HIM THERE UNTIL THE CAPTAIN COMES BACK AND DECIDES HIS FATE.

The gaurds did as they were told.
_______________________________
Denson and Cooper walked out of the observation room, where they did the interrogation.

Denson: I don't think the captain will be pleased to here that Terranova has paid off people on the ship to do his bidding.
Cooper: He does have a lot of money. Lutz told me something about it and he said that 400,000 credits to Terranova was pocket change.
Denson: He is a spoiled brat.
Cooper: You had any doubt about it?
Denson: Yeah, whatever. But we've gotta tell the good and bad news to the captain as soon as possible.
Cooper: He flew onto New Rome to talk to someguy who claimed to see the Vengeance .
Denson: So we'll have to wait until he gets off; our signals will be picked up extremely easily if we send there.
Cooper: So we wait and reflect upon this new development.
Denson: I guess so. Maybe we should check on Johnson; make sure he's feeling allright.
Cooper: My thoughts exactly.

They walked off.

Edited by - Jim Groovester on 16-08-2003 19:10:57

OOC:Guys, I've got to stop writing in script. It's driving me nuts. I'm going to write dialogue in literature form.

Admiral Evans had transmitted Riggly's interrogation and Quigley's story back to High Command on Manhattan. This would take time, so Evans had advised the newly reinstated Lt. Quigley to get some rest.

Quigley had to readjust to the scedule and formality of Naval service that had been absent from his life for the last two years. West Point's quartermaster had provided with every stitch of uniform he needed. Quigley zipped himself into a new Liberty flight suit with a bit of glee. Admiring himself in the mirror, he cut a good figure. Dropping himself into an Errol Flynn pose, He thought he looked something like a model for a recruitment poster.

Quigley looked around his quarters. As a naval lieutenant, he was award a small but private room. The room was spartan. The only funiture being a sleeping pallet, closet, and desk. There was no private restroom. They were communal to conserve space aboard the station. On his pallet lay one of the few reminders of his past, his old flight suit. It was torn and decoration-free. It was a sign of hummilation after his wash-out. Most wash-outs threw away there uniforms, but Quigley had kept it. As a Freelancer, it was a reminder of his principals and who he fought to protect. Quigley picked it up and looked it over. Folding it, he put it in the closet.

Quigley looked around. All of his things had been stowed except for his sidearm, the Daumann needler pistol. He picked it up and looked it over, sighting down the barrel. Liberty officer usually requisitioned a Detroit Munitions Garner blaster. But the first time Quigley had heard the Daumann rep's talk, "guaranteed to perforate you target more than necessary," he knew he needed one. He slipped it his shoulder holster and put the tie across the grip.

Quigley was starting to feel hungry and was about to leave for the mess when he saw the incoming message alert flashing on his viewscreen.

"Computer, play message." Quigley ordered. The cumputer beeped, and Admiral Evan's torso appeared on screen.

"Lieutenant, come to my office ASAP. High Command has your orders."

"A day, sir? That's pretty quick."

"They seem to attach a lot of importance to your information, son. Get moving."

The Admiral hung up, and the screen went black. Then the computer reminded him of a message awaiting transmission. That was the sealed message Lutz had given him to send to his wife Alys. Quigley had no idea what the message said, but he knew it would mean a lot to Alys. "Computer, send message in Wait Box."

Quigley quickly left the room and walked as fast as he could toward the Admiral's office. As he went he enjoyed one of the benefits of his rank as cadets backed up to the wall and stood at attention as he passed. He went up two decks before coming to Evans's office. The Yeoman at the desk outside buzzed him in and Quigley straightened his suit and walked in.

Quigley closed the door behind him and stood at attention.

"At ease, Quigley. Have a seat." Evans ordered.

Quigley sat and looked across the desk at the Admiral. Admiral Evans looked over the file in front of him, then looked up.

"Well, Lieutenant, you are a popular man back at LibCom." LibCom was the codename for Liberty Command, the headquarters for the Liberty Navy. "They had heard rumors about Rhienland's build up. The evidence you brought confirmed their best estimates and worst fears. As a result, the Navy has to find out more about the Rhienlanders plans and we have to move ships to defend Liberty space. All of this has to be down secretly. High Command has ordered the battleship Yukon and her battle group to Texas. They will be there under the guise of doning dark matter cloud training. Now about the intellignce portion of their orders. That's where you come in." the Admiral explained.

"Sir?" Quigley said shocked at the scope of events and his coming part in them.

"High Command has assigned you to a mission to help us find more about the Rheinland presence in the Independent Worlds. A flight of fighters will be assigned to you. Your duty will be to investigate the dissapearence of Dawson Base and make contact with the Xenos at Barrow Base. LibCom is giving a lot of lea way in your orders, so do what you need to get the job done. You will be commanding Mu flight. Your pilots are graduates from Tau training squardon. I suspect they'll been in the bar celebrating their graduation. Your flight's ships are being prep for launch. Go get read, Lieutenant... I mean Captain."

Quigley's jaw dropped at his jump in rank.

The Admiral smiled, "It's a temporary promotion at the moment. You'll need to command a flight. Oh, one more thing." The Admiral opened a door and pulled a packet of datacards. " These are messages for you friends on the Vengence . Don't look so surprised. The LSF has lots of sources. I think your friends will be pleasantly surprised. Captain, you are dismissed."

jedierrant

"You're clever than you look, Q" ~007
"It's better than looking clever than you are, 007."~Q

(OOC: Ok, this is it for now. I'll try to upload soon.)

Michael got out of his Falcon and walked to the bar.
New Rome was crowded this time of year. A lot of tourists came all the way from Brittionia, mostly to see the Pyramids of the Ancient.
They were huge, with a square base of more than a half a mile wide, all made out of large stone blocks placed together with such precicion, that you couldn't squeeze a piece of paper in between two blocks.
Yet no evidence of the use of modern tools were found, implicating they made them all with their bare hands.
Michael remembered reading something in the Manhattan State Libary about similar pyramids found on the planet where the founders of Sirius had lived, more that 800 years ago.
A movement on the other side of the landing pad drawed his attention. It were Lutz and Arrigoni, they greeted him. Michael, geeted back and walked up to them. He wondered if they discovered anything about Terranova.

Michael: Hey, good to to see you, guys.
Lutz: Good to see you to, Michael. Where's O'Connor?

Michael told them about the attack by the Xeno's and the Raiders that saved them.

Lutz: So he's on his way back to the Vengeance now? I wonder what the Xeno's are up to.
Arrigoni: First things first Lutz, tell him what we found out.
Michael: You got something?
Lutz: Well, we still don't know where Terranova is, but we do know that he was here on New Rome. A couple of hours ago, he landed here to get suplies.
Michael: Suplies, here?
Lutz: That's what the security log tells us. We got access to the logs after we talked to Antonio Gagneti, he was most helpfull after we told him we talked to that bartender.
Michael: But why on a planet. Why not on Vatican, or somewhere in the Sigma's? He must know we were coming here to search him. He's not stupid.
Arrigoni: This is the only place in the vaccinity where you can get access to an administrator mainframe. The people are easy to bribe on this planet, they seem to do anything for some credits.
Lutz: And that's something Terranova has enough of.
Michael: What does he want with an administrator mainframe?
Lutz: He probably send an untracable message to the Vengeance . The message-logs are empty, ofcourse, but we know that the traitor aboard the Vengeance got a message from Terranova to sabotage it.
Michael: That explaines a lot. I assume they have capturerd the saboteur?
Lutz: Yes, that new guy could identify him. He saw him working at the scanners or something.
Michael: Well, if Terranova was here and you guys had access to the all logs, than you probably know wich way he went.
Lutz: Yes we do. Have you heard of the Raiders?
Michael: Yes, they saved my butt, remember. They are in war with the Xeno's.
Lutz: Yes, they are. They also have their main base in the Florance system. Can you guess where Terranova went to test his weapon?
Michael: Oh my god...You mean, he...
Lutz: Yes. He's already been sighted in Florance.
Michael: Well, what are we waiting for then. We know where he is, lets get him.
Arrigoni: We were just on our way out. If you need any suplies, get them quick. We'll be outside.
Michael: I only need some bats and bots, it wont be long.

As Michael got his ship resupplied, he realised that they missed Terranova by just a few hours. He was slippery as an eal, but it was just a matter of time before they would find him.
Those poor Raiders, they would never stand a chance against someone like Terranova. Michael doubted that Terranova was still in Florance. He was probably allready in one of the Sigma's, or even further away.
He felt stupid, they were following Terranova's path through all of Sirius if this continued. And following him would only increase the chance of being detected and would draw all of their attention away from the Rheinlanders, who were still in possesion of a war fleet wich could distroy any other fleet without any effort. He hoped Quigley was able to alert Liberty in time.

Michael left New Rome and joined formation with the others.

Lutz: Good, lets go.
O'Connor: O'Connor here, this is a call over the secure channel to all Freelancer pilotes, I'm unharmed and on my way to New Rome. I'm with a guy called Segara. He's looking for the Vengeance , I thought of sticking around him to see what he's up to.
Lutz: Roger that. Did you heard about the traitor?
O'Connor: Yes, Denson let me know, seems that Johnson, the new greasemonkey, has been seriously hurt.
Lutz: Well Michael, there you have it. Ok, O'Connor, keep us updated, Where heading to the New Florance system. We have reason to beleve Terranova is there.
O'Connor: I will, good luck guys. O'Connor out.

O'Connor disappeared from Michaels scanners, just as the popped out of the tradelane near the New Florance jumpgate.

Michael: Denson, This is Michael, we're heading to New Florance.
Denson: Ok. Wait a minute guys, I just received a message from West Point.
Lutz: That should be Quigley, what's it say?

Lutz was obviously hoping for a word about his wife, but it was something completely different.

Denson: Wow, this is unexpected to say the least.
Arrigoni: Well, what is it?
Denson: Lutz, Arrigoni, Michael you have all been granted with full pardons by the Liberty gouvernment.
Michael: Why?
Denson: Doesn't say, but perhaps they require your assistance.
Lutz: Oh, now they need me. I don't know if I want to.
Arrigoni: Come on Lutz, this is probably only temporarely, until this thing is over
Lutz: I know, that's what worries me. People tend to mysteriously disappear after Liberty doesn't have any use for them anymore.
Michael: Well, we just have to make sure that won't happen then, right?
Lutz: if it only were so easy.
Denson: So, are you comming back to the Vengeance ?
Arrigoni: That may take a while, since we have to catch Terranova first.
Denson: Ok, you better get going then. Good luck and be carefull.
Michael: thanks Denson, see you later. Ok, lets hurry, this has taken to much time allready.
Lutz: My thoughts exactly.

*Lutz, Michael and Arrigoni jump to the New Florance system*

Edited by - Nickless on 25-08-2003 12:29:46