After the second encounter with Damien, Hahukum Konn was very happy he hadn’t had anything to eat with his tea. Seeing a bloody phantom materialize whenever he wanted was a little disturbing.

Rob said, "I swear, that kid loves popping up all over the place, doesn't he?"

"I heard that!" Damien's ethereal voice wafted through the air.

The three fell silent for a few seconds, and then looked around to make sure nobody was paying attention. Luckily, the bar was almost empty.

Travis said, "You know, it's a shame Damien didn't say just who got the bounty on you, Rob. That'd have been damn handy. Guess he didn't want to make it too easy on us, huh?" He smirked ironically.

Konn said, “Maybe we should adjourn to more private surroundings. I think we need to pool everything we’ve got. Rob left me something to look at last night and I’m still having trouble putting it into a meaningful context, even though I understand what these ‘Nomads’ are now.”

Rob and Travis murmured agreement, and Rob rummaged in his pockets, and smiled as he pulled out a code key. The trio ended up at a very luxuriously appointed room, and Hahukum was certainly very impressed at the bathroom. He decided business came first, and said, “Are we proof against bugging?”

Rob activated a device, and said, “We are now. That’s my bug jammer. And lemme tell ya something, I’ve seen a hell of a lot in my time, too, entity or no entity.” Rob’s eyes held a haunted look, speaking volumes. He slipped his shaded glasses on, apparently a bit discomforted by Konn’s inquisitive look.

“Good. The first thing is, I got this last night from you, Rob, but I’m not sure what to make of it. Is Mason still our key target, or is there something even bigger than him? Or someone bigger than him? Although in my opinion one megalomaniac in Sirius is quite enough.”

Konn pulled out the palmtop, datadisk still inside, and replayed the recording he’d seen twice before. The bizarre nature of the presentation left Travis and Rob somewhat unsettled, if their faces were any guide.

He spoke again. “What I gather from this is that Mason is manipulating a religious cult into generating augmented human beings whose powers would make them extremely dangerous when put in contact with ‘normal’ human beings. I find this extremely disturbing.”

Rob said, “You’re right. I pulled that on my first preliminary scan, and saw only a little bit. I thought I’d have you look at it first and take your mind off… other things.

“But we should put that aside for now. I’ve got a chip here bursting at the seams with the raw dumps from Cali, and we need to make some sense of it. I’ve made copies for you both. Travis, see if they have anything on Tanya or a guy named Nikolai. It could prove useful either for our own purposes, or if their records tie in with the experiments this cult is doing.

“Konn, you’re the trader. Any shipping records you see, try and make sense out of them. Any unusual materials they’ve been buying could tell us what they’re doing next.

“As for me, I need to find out where the missing Bretonian fleet is. So let’s get to work.”

First things first, thought Hahukum. “I don’t know about you gentlemen, but I insist on a shower first. I feel rather abominable.” Rob grinned and said, “Don’t enjoy it too much. That shower’s better than some planetside ones I’ve used.”

Konn just stepped into the bathroom, and started the shower.

---

Summary: Getting into the nitty-gritty of the Cali data to find out what's been happening. Cue anticipatory music.

OOC: Wilde, if you don't like Damien's cameo here, I'll chop it.

Edited by - Hahukum Konn on 6/23/2005 4:20:21 PM

Rob wasted no time diving further into the data he had pulled off the Cali computer. The Outcasts had hardly expected anyone to steal data from one of their own bases, so none of it was encrypted. Some files were buried beneath layers of passwords and ID checks, but Rob managed to bypass most, and blast through those that proved to be more stubborn.

Eventually, though he didn't know it at the time, Rob stumbled upon the information he was looking for. "Project Farseer: Operation Disconcerted Empires," he mumbled when he encountered the title, "wonder what it's all about."

"I'm sorry, did you say something?" Konn asked. He had finished in the shower a few minutes earlier and was busy poring over his data.

"Hm?" Rob looked up for a second. "Oh, nothing important. Not yet, at least. I think I might have found something though. Hold on." He went back to reviewing the files. A few minutes later, when one Commander Price began to appear at regular intervals, Rob knew he was onto something. Sure enough, he had finally managed to track down the Bretonian fleet.

"Oh... god..." Rob's eyes widened behind his shades and he felt a bit sick to his stomach. "He sold them out. All of them. There must have been thousands of people on those ships and he sold them all to their deaths."

Needless to say, Konn and Travis were over in a flash. "What's going on?" Konn asked, hurriedly.

"Commander Price. The leader of the Bretonian contingent to Sigma-19. He was on Mason's payroll." Rob explained. "It looks like Mason is planning on yet more subterfuge.

"From what I can tell, the Bretonians were fed some lie by Price about the Corsairs allying with the Nomads or something. They were told that the Outcasts were going to help, but needed the extra firepower from the Bretonian ships."

"Then what happened?" Konn asked.

"Well, it looks like the Outcasts stormed the ships and took over. According to this, they didn't kill most of the BAF guys though. I think they tried to take prisoners for those experiments Mason was involved in; the report refers quite often to 'test-subjects'."

"Oh my." Konn said. "Better had they just died, I think."

"Maybe." Rob said. "Anyway, once the ships were cleared out, the Outcasts moved in and began to fiddle around. You know, learn the systems, reconfigure the ships to their taste, that sort of thing. One thing I noticed was that they were going to install an addition to the ships' air circulation system, one which will infuse the onboard air with Cardamine. We'll need to keep that in mind for future reference."

"What's their plan?" Travis asked.

"Um, let's see…" Rob skimmed over a few paragraphs he hadn't yet read. "Ah, here. Um, they're going to… goddamn! They're going to attack Kusari! It doesn't say where the ships are now – least ways, I can't find any mention – but in, um," Rob checked his watch, "three days, they're going to move through the Sigmas and hit Honshu. And it'll hurt Kusari too. Two battleships, five cruisers and 12 gunboats. That's some serious firepower right there."

"Sigmas? Honshu?" Konn was puzzled. "But that's the Kusari-Rheinland border. Shouldn't they be attacking Kyushu?"

"I know. It seems odd to me. I guess they want people to think that somehow Rheinlanders are involved in this as well. But I think they've taken it a bit too far, myself. The idea the Bretonia would invade Kusari is odd enough as it is, there's no reason to make it even more farfetched by having them appear on the other end of space. Whatever. That's what the data say, and our opinions of their ideas aren't important. We need to find those ships and stop them. I'm going to get in touch with my primary BAF contact, Commodore Harry Pearce. Konn, if you know of anyone who might be able to help us, pull your strings."

"Understood." Konn said. "I always thought the Price was a greedy, sodding kiss-up, but I never thought he'd go this far. If I so much as see him again, I'll rip his bloody head off with my bare hands." Konn's voice had become hard, cold. Rob and Travis were both taken a bit by surprise.

Recovering quickly Rob said, "They teach you that at BAF academy, do they? Sounds like I should have joined up. Seriously though, I know where you're coming from. But, for now, lets see if we can't just minimize the damage."

"Right." Konn said. "I'll get on the horn with my old CO, Captain Downing, and you talk to Commodore Pearce. I only know him by reputation, but I'm not surprised you and he have a working relationship."

"And me?" Travis asked. He felt a bit left out.

"Oh," Rob said, "Uh, you keep looking through the data. We need to know where the ships are now. I mean, fine, we know where they will be, but by the time they get there, it'll be too late. And we can't really warn the Kusari Shogunate either, I think. I don't have any real trustworthy contacts there and I'd wager you don't either. Mason has to be stopped the old fashioned way. And that means we hit him first."

"Okay. I'll get on it." Travis said and began to sift through the remaining information.

Konn went over to a small desk and sat down, his computer displaying all the relevant data. Rob sat in an armchair by the door and pinged Commodore Pearce's Neural Net.

"Harry, you there? It's Rob. I've got some news." He said.

A second later, Harry answered. "Oh, hello Rob. Nice to finally hear from you. I hope you'll also apologize for the troops you sent to medical."

"Oh. Right." Rob remembered his rescue of Carshalton from Southampton. I wonder what he's up to now. His ship should be fixed up. I'll get him to come out here once I'm done. "Sorry about that. I needed the guy though, and couldn't do anything officially. I'm sorry."

"Well, if your information is good enough, I may consider forgiving you." Commodore Pearce said.

"Okay," said Rob, "here's the deal, as far as I can tell. This Price guy, he was on the payroll of one Jack Mason, a Liberty Governor."

"I know that man. Like a snake, he is."

"Tell me about it." Rob said. "Anyway, Price was paid to bring as many Bretonian ships as possible to a rendezvous point – we don't yet know where exactly though – and give them over to the Outcasts. Now, the crews were not aware of this relationship; they were told some story about Corsairs and stuff, but that's not so important right now.

"The Outcasts stormed the ships and took over. They're planning to use them to invade Kusari space. Three days from now they're going to push through the Sigmas and hit Honshu."

"Oh. Bugger." Harry said. "And you say there's no mention of where the ships are now?"

"Well, I wsn't able to find anything." Rob replied. "But I have a man working on it now. We'll find those ships and get them before the time runs out."

"I hope so, friend. I hope so. When you do learn the location of the craft, do let me know. I'll see if I can't second some boys from Special Branch to you. They're very good, you know."

"I do." Rob said. "And I'd be more than happy to have their help. I get the feeling retaking the ships won't be easy."

"Indeed. Well, unless you have anything else to tell me, I must be off. You've certainly given me a lot to report." Pearce was about to cut the conection when Rob stopped him.

"One more thing." He said, "The Outcasts have modified the ducting systems to deliver Cardamine mist. Make sure the Special Branch boys bring masks. I won't have them go nuts on my watch."

"Right. Thank you, my boy." Harry said, and signed off.

Rob turned to look at Travis, "Any luck so far?"

"Nope." Travis replied, not looking up. "I'm having a rough time getting through all the securty checks and everything."

"Ah, well, let me see if I can help." Rob said. "Oh, first, Konn?"

"Yes?" the trader turned around.

"What happened with your CO?"

Summary: Rob discovers the plans for the Bretonian fleet. Mason plans to have the ships launch an assault on Honshu in three days time. Rob contacts Commodore Pearce to give him the news.

OOC:Before you read,just want to tell you that it is just a Colony News Service update.

IC: *Screen pans to a tall Libertian man sitting in a chair*

"Disturbing news tonight to the citizens of Rheinland and employyes to Daumann"

"It has been confirmed that the minning tation Leipzig,in Dresden,has been taken over by Red Hessians"

"There is rumors of a Millitary Blockade in the system"

"Even more disturbing is that a head figure of Daumann was supposely in the system at the time"

"We have an interview with Col. Stefan Von Hindlezan,supposed leader of the blockade"

----------------
"I am sorry to say we are not confirming anything nor disapproving"

"Then what of the the Daumann ship that didnt use the tradelane and snuck by the Millitary Valkyries,the DTS Copenhagen"

"I am sorry but that is classified information"

"No more question please"
And then the Col. turned off the Vid-Cam.

OOC: I hope this isn't going overboard with the idea; if it is, I'm sure Codename will beat me sufficiently

Also--small problem ST. You had three bombs dropped outside your base. While that would undoubtably wipe out the guards surrounding the base, it would also destroy Vogtland itself.
________________________________

Damien stared in horror at his own hands. A rotting corpse, crumpled and broken, lay at his feet. It had only five seconds ago been a living man...

In the cold, rock halls of Kyoto, a pirate had approached his ghostly form, taking it to be a wounded spy. The pirate had threatened him, blaster outstretched, and Damien had only meant to scare the man away. But the tip of his phantom finger had touched the Blood Dragon's forehead...
And the man's skin had writhed, rotting away before his very eyes. His eyes burned up in their sockets. His breath became ragged and harsh, and then stopped. The corpse crumpled to the ground where it now lay, turning into dust.

He called out through the vast stretches of space to Rob, who was surprisingly unfazed at hearing a phantom's voice in his head.

"What's the matter, my ghostly friend?"

"I need to know the location of the Mason's experiment victims. I....can't seem to find it. By any means."

"...I'll get to working on it, when I have time. Why?"

"I must destroy them. Quickly."

Rob's voice was filled with surprise. "No moral qualms about killing them, Damien?"

"It is absolutely vital that he not breed an army of these things. Vital to the survival of humanity."

Edited by - Wilde on 6/24/2005 2:26:30 PM

OOC: My only problem - and I'm not the only one with this concern either - is that Damien might become too much of a deus ex machina figure. He's really powerful right now; he can't die, kills people by touching them and can move throughout all space at whim. He's a god, is what he is. He needs a weakness. Or two. Or ten. Make it so that each time he interacts with the physical world, he is weakened. Eventually he will have to either stop, or risk dissolving into nothingness.

OOC:So would 1 be the correct amount?

Codename--I was waiting for you to suggest something, considering that you would be better thinking of a weakness for my character than I would.

ST--the problem is not the quantity of bombs dropped, but the fact that you're dropping bombs virtually on top of a base. Sorry, that just seems... a bit irrational (pretty rich coming from me, but still.)

OOC:Hey,it Fan Fiction.Dosent need to be completly correct.

Occ: Stormtrooper No comment. :/
Codename I wanted to meet up in the nice fashion because last time I looked Dev not only got a knife in his hand but got knocked out as well and because Leion and Dev look similar, Rob could jump to conculsions meaning Leion could end up with a foot coming out of his head or somthing else. Unless Amy kicks Rob's butt. :p

IC: "No don't hurt him!"

Leion was spread eagle over a dining table his hands and feet tied with rope which led to the tables legs. He was pinned.

"What did he ever do to you"

Leion couldn't move his head. He had tryed to free himself and almost managed to get out the front door but a Librety Rogue was waiting for and bought him back inside, then killed is Father.

Leion wasn't going to escape again if his mother was going to get killed for it. No he was going to take what ever these rouges were going to dish out to him.

A rogue came into Leion's veiw and put a strarage device over his eye. Leion tryed to close his eyes but was unable to. He was frozon still, unable move

If you see what your not suspose to see then we will make sure you won't ever do so again
It was picth black and leion could not see a thing.
Then his Eyes begain to burn like the suns sigma.

Hahukum Konn was stunned at the continuing series of revelations. In the last few weeks he'd gone from unassuming freelance trader to assistant to a gadget-wielding beau of a woman he'd accidentally become entangled with thanks to some Blood Dragons. And on the way, Nomads, religious fanatics, and a power-crazy "Governor" plotting to take over Sirius. It was enough to make one reconsider one's sanity.

But Downing. Konn didn't know where he'd been assigned at this point by the BAF, so he called BAF HQ on New London.

The cultured voice at the other end said "Yes?"

"I am capable of visual contact. I am trying to reach Captain Tom Downing."

The screen snapped to focus and showed a young woman. She said, "One moment." She looked off to one side, and after a few moments, she smiled and said, "Captain Downing is currently on New London, as a matter of fact. My records show that he has just got out of debriefing after the incident in Sigma-19. I'll give you his communications code now."

With that, Hahukum signed off and initiated a connection to Downing.

Again just a voice. Stupid thing defaults to voice-only transmission, it seems. I'll have a word with the management about these communications consoles. "Downing speaking."

"Captain Downing? It's your old wingman, Hahukum Konn."

"Konn?! I'll be blasted into meteor dust. Can you transmit visual?"

"Yes. The receiver here's equipped for it, but won't automatically switch to that mode. Hold on." He found the right switch and hit it. Downing's face snapped onto the screen, and he had a few more grey hairs but otherwise hadn't changed.

"Well, Lieutenant. Seems you've not changed at all, although you look like you could use a little sleep. What can I do for you? If it's about that smash-up in Sigma-19 I really know very little. My Crusader was crippled in one of the first attacks by these strange blue blobby ships, and I was knocked out. I came to in one of the battle cruisers as we headed back to New London."

"You just got out of debriefing only now? I thought they would have got through you all by now."

"Oh, the buggers have been debriefing everyone . Seems half the fleet or more got directed off somewhere and nobody has a clue as to what's happened to it. So we've been getting the.. what do you Liberty people say?"

Konn laughed. "The third degree, Captain."

"Yes, that's it. The third degree. Well, it certainly felt like it after my session."

"So you can't tell me anything about where that missing fleet is? I've sort of thrown in with a fellow here who's been asked, unofficially, by the BAF, to find out exactly where they've gone. I can't say much on a communications line that isn't secure but believe me when I say the future of Sirius could be at stake here."

"Sounds bad. You've never let me down yet, so I'll tell you right now, if you need help I can rustle up a few blokes and be 'most anywhere in the time it takes the Queen to wave her sceptre at the House of Commons."

"That would be appreciated. Very much so, Captain. I thank you for your offer."

"Pleasure's all mine, Lieutenant. While I've got you on the comm, I need to ask you something I didn't want to ask about while we served together. It wasn't entirely a secret, you and that other bloke... did anything ever come of it?"

"Derek. He died while in a BAF patrol just a few days ago in Tau-23. I only just met up with him again after not seeing him for three years when I was at Holman Outpost."

Downing looked abashed. "Of all the rotten bloody luck. We heard Cali Base got completely thrashed just around that time, too. I don't suppose you know anything about that?"

"Let's just say I had a very up-close-and-personal view of what happened."

Downing laughed. "I guess I'll hear all about it someday. Call me anytime. I've got some leave accumulated, and I'll take it for as long as the BAF will let me, which I guess will be until they sort out what to do about this missing fleet business."

"Take care, Captain."

With that, Hahukum signed off and turned to Rob, who was asking, "What happened with your CO?"

"Well, Captain Downing didn't have a whole lot of help for me other than to say he could provide warm bodies and ships if we need assistance. He was one of the first casualties in Sigma-19, and had the good luck to be picked up by one of the ships going back to New London."

Rob said, "I don't have much info either. Commodore Pearce basically said he could provide warm bodies from the Special Branch if needed, but had no information on where the missing ships went, either."

"Well, we're stuck. But Special Branch! That'll be something to see." Konn's eyes danced at the thought of seeing them in action. They were reported to be very good at what they did.

---

Summary: Konn's own attempt to glean information didn't pan out, but he has the promise of help from his old CO. Onwards to victory!

Here we go then. A Code-HK joint-venture for your reading pleasure.

-----------

Travis broke the logjam by saying, “Rob, do you have anything that can search for a star system in this mess of data?”

“Yes. Why?”

“Look. We know part of the Bretonian fleet left Sigma-19 and that there’s an attack planned near Kusari. We also know which systems are immediately accessible to it by jump holes. So what I’ll do here is take my data, and query it for any references to… let’s see here, Sigma-17 and Omicron Beta.”

Rob handed over a portable computer, and pulled up a program that could run search queries for any textual references in any dataset. Travis stuck his datadisc into the portable computer, and tapped out a query for anything relating to Sigma-17 or Omicron Beta.

Unfortunately for Travis, Omicron Beta references were numerous. Shipments to Ruiz, shipments from Ruiz, a planet in the system, and so on. Travis set himself to some hours of poring over that data, while Konn and Rob decided to prep the Humpback.

That reminded Travis. “Hey, Konn. I swiped one of your credit sticks to get the repairs done on the Humpback.” At the latter’s shocked expression, he laughed and said, “Don’t worry. Once they found out we knocked over Cali they gave us cut-rate repairs.”

Konn sighed in relief and said, “Well, about bloody time I paid for something around here, eh? Just not an expensive something.” He grinned.

Rob said, “Travis, I’m going to return the code key for this room. Make sure you have everything with you when you leave, because I won’t be able to get this room open afterwards.”

“You got it, mister Rob sir.” Travis grinned and went back to staring at the screenful of Omicron Beta references while Rob grabbed everything of his and proceeded for the door, Konn following.

* * *

At the Humpback, Rob whistled as he saw the ship’s renewed condition. Everything that had been scraped or damaged had been replaced, and unless one knew where to look, he felt he could convince himself the ship was still brand-new. For Konn’s part, he was running the preflight checks and making sure everything worked.

Rob excused himself and went back to medical to check on Tanya. She was still in the intensive care unit. When the medtech on duty saw Rob approach, she finished her checks and hurried from the room, partly out of respect for the freelancer, and partly because she remembered how Rob had pressed his gun to one of her colleague's temples when he had felt Tanya wasn't receiving the care she needed.

Rob walked over to the bed where Tanya lay. He gazed at her face for a moment. The wounds were beginning to heal; redness had faded from the burns, bruises had shrank and the cuts were sealed. Of course those had only been superficial anyway. The deeper wounds, both internal and psychological would take longer to mend.

Tanya had been stripped out of her tattered clothes and now wore a loose-fitting shift. Her hair, no longer slick with sweat, flowed out behind her and framed her head. It shone like a halo in the harsh white light of the medical bay. Her face wore a peaceful expression, and Rob knew from just looking at it that Damien was both right and wrong. Tanya would be back, and soon, but she would remain the same woman Rob had fallen in love with.

Rob reached forward, carefully so as not to disturb the myriad wires and tubes keeping Tanya alive and monitoring her vitals, and held one of Tanya's hands in his own.

“Hey,” he said, though he knew she could not hear him. “I, um, I wanted to see you again. To make sure that you're being taken care of. These BMM people are really good. They'll have you up and about in no time. I know it.

“I'm going to have to leave for a while though. Mason's put a bounty on my head and it's too dangerous for the both of us to be together now. I'll leave Travis here, and get Carshalton to come back. They'll watch over you.

“But I'll be back. Don't worry. The data we got off the Cali computer has been very useful. We know what Mason's planning and we've almost got enough info to stop him. Travis is searching for the last pieces of the puzzle now. Once we've put it all together, we'll drop the hammer on that bastard. Make him pay for the pain he's caused.

“So you just heal up, okay? 'Cause I've been thinking. I'm not the most well-dressed guy out there,” Rob plucked his plain black shirt. “Maybe you can help me. I've heard good things about the shopping on New London. Or maybe Baden-Baden. Up to you. But yeah, I'll get us a valet or two or ten and you can pamper the both of us. It'll be my treat.

“All you have to do now is get better. Please, just get better.”

Rob stood there, holding Tanya's limp hand in his. Time passed, and Rob still stood there. He didn't want to leave. He had left too often in the past. Had needed to go on just one more mission. And one mission turned to two, and two to three, and so on, until he lost his chance. Over and over the cycle repeated itself.

But not this time. Rob vowed silently. I'll be back.

“Tanya,” he said. “I have to go now. But I'll come back. I promise. Wait for me, please.”

Gently, Rob lowered Tanya's hand back onto the bed. He looked at the sleeping beauty and, bending at the waist, kissed Tanya lightly on the forehead.

* * *

When Rob got back, Travis was excitedly waving his hands around and Konn was almost smiling, but not quite. He looked skeptical.

“What is it, Travis?”

“Oh, hi, Rob. I didn’t see you come in! Listen. There’s one reference here to an unnamed base somewhere in Omicron Beta galactic east of Ruiz. Now why would they mention this shipment of… let’s see, engine components, niobium, some MOX, and whatever else here that our trader buddy here would love to know about, to some base other than Ruiz?”

Rob nodded and said, “I’m game. This is the only lead we’ve got and we might as well make the most of it. Konn, load this baby up with nanobots and shield batteries. We need to pit stop somewhere and get pharmaceuticals, too. Parts of that system have some nasty radiation zones and we won’t be able to go anywhere for repairs or medical treatment.

“Travis, thanks for the good work. I lost track of time at Tanya’s bed. How long have you been at it?”

“About an hour, Rob.”

An hour. Geez.

Konn piped up. “By the way, gentlemen, the cargo bay will be a bit.. crowded.” He grinned.

“You didn’t.”

“I’m a trader. We can cover the expense of the trip and the pharmaceuticals with the Beryllium I picked up here. Daumann will take it at The Ring in New Berlin for 1200 credits a pop. That’s a profit of 900 credits times 240 – I left a hold or three open for you blokes – which is over 200 thousand. Not bad for a few days’ cramped space.”

“Actually, Travis won’t be coming.”

Travis, surprised, said, “I’m not? And why not, mister?”

“Tanya needs bodyguards, and we have a mission to complete.”

Travis said an unprintable word or two, and then said, “Just like it to stick me with all the boring jobs.” His face was red with frustration, and Rob sympathized. A little.

Rob said, “I’ll send Carshalton over to help you guard Tanya. That’ll help, anyway.”

“Bleh, thanks. Because we both know he's going to be great company.” Travis’s face screwed up as though he’d just had to drink a Liberty Light Beer. All the fizz, none of the fun.

Rob’s voice became serious, and he said, “Travis, it’s about Tanya. She needs to be kept safe while we go after Mason. We know he’s out for blood. I'd stay with her myself, space knows I want to, but now he’s got a hit out on me and the two of us together would have the hunters descending in droves. She'll be safest with you and Carshalton. Watch over her for both of us, will you?”

Sirius only knows she’ll be up and about in a while, and will probably bug him to take her shopping, thought Rob.

Travis stood by the docking bay entrance, while Konn and Rob sat in the cockpit. The Humpback took off, and soared out into the inky blackness.

* * *

Out in space, Rob remembered something. “Hey. Just why are we going by New Berlin, anyway? Kusari would be faster, wouldn’t it?”

Konn replied, “Even with that blanked rep card I don’t feel comfortable being in Blood Dragon territory. Plus, we need to go by New London anyhow. I plan to ask Captain Downing to accompany us to Omicron Beta, and we have ten holds free, so we can get some of our pharmaceuticals there to cut the cost down.”

Rob nodded. “Excellent idea. While we’re there I’ll see if I can get Commodore Pearce to send along some Special Branch people, as well.”

“And I also thought you might like to pop in on Harris.” Konn said.

“Yeah. I'd definitely like that. As much fun as I've been having not flying, it'll be nice to get my hands on my old ship.” Rob grinned lopsidedly. “And I'll be able to send Carshalton out to meet up with Travis on the construction site as well.”

“Excellent.” Konn said. “Here, we're approaching the jumpgate.”

* * *

The trip through Tau-31 was, well, boring. Konn and Rob traded idle banter of no consequence; a military story from the trader here, and a tale of subterfuge and intrigue from Rob there. Soon enough though they found themselves approaching the dull orange globe of Harris.

“Planet Harris, this is Freelancer Beta-dash-three. Request permission to land.” Konn said over the comm.

“Roger that.” Came the reply, “You are cleared to land.” The Humpback eased through the docking ring, was grabbed by the microcables, and slowly descended into the atmosphere.

“Now, where did we leave those ships?” Konn wondered aloud.

“Um, hold on,” Rob leaned over and inputted some coordinates into the ship's computer. “There. Just head to the waypoint.”

“Thank you.”

Konn set his ship down in the midst of the ships which had been left behind before the Cali invasion. Rob couldn't get out of the Humpback fast enough. The exit hatch hadn't even fully opened when Rob barreled out of the freighter and towards his nimble Falcon. Konn couldn't help but chuckle at the man's exuberance.

“You have no idea how good this is going to feel!” Rob called out as he bounced into the cockpit of his avian fighter.

“I think I just might.” Konn shot back with a grin.

“I'm going to go find Carshalton.” Rob called out. “Going to tag along?”

“No, thanks.” Konn replied. “I'd just get in the way. Say hi to the Marshal for me though. And thank him for his help with those Gaians.”

“Will do.” Rob said as his cockpit hissed shut. He powered his fighter's systems up, moving carefully and deliberately despite his excitement to be finally flying again. Once everything was “in the green” Rob boosted the power to his engines and rocketed into the sky. He put the Falcon through a series of maneuvers – just to get back into the swing of things – and blasted towards the main Planetform outpost.

* * *

Carshalton sat at the bar, feeling completely and utterly useless. He wasn't happy that he missed out on the Cali action. A few miners had been speaking in hushed tones about what had happened, but no concrete reports had yet emerged. And where the hell was Rob? Carshalton wondered why the freelancer hadn't contacted him yet.

Just then a familiar voice rang out, “Carshalton!”

Carshalton leapt from his seat and saw Rob walking up the hall towards the bar. “Goddamnit, boy!” the bounty hunter yelled back, “I've been waiting here on this space-forsaken planet for too long! Where the hell have you been?”

“Sorry man,” Rob said and put his hand on the hunter's shoulder. “It's been a busy time.”

“Uh-huh?” Carshalton raised an eyebrow. “You'd better tell me all about it. Now. Especially the Cali business. I've been hearing that it's out of commission.”

“No can do, I'm afraid. I just don't have the time. I will say that Konn sends his greetings and thanks for the assist with the Gaians, but that's all for now.” Rob said. “I've got a major lead on Mason and need to chase it down now.”

“Great!” Carshalton's eyes lit up at the prospects of finally getting some action. “When do we leave?”

Rob winced. “I really hate to have to do this to you...”

“Aw, sh*t. Not again.” Carshalton was too let-down to be really angry.

“Look, you're needed elsewhere. It's... it's Tanya.” Rob removed his glasses and looked into Carshalton's eyes. “She took a nasty beating on Cali.”

Carshalton's eyes widened at the news and his face lost a bit of color. “She's okay though, right? She'll pull through?”

Rob swallowed. “I think so. I hope so. But you need to keep her safe. She's healing up on the BMM base in Tau-23. Travis is watching over her now, but Mason's sure to start looking for revenge soon. One guard just won't be enough. I'd stay with her myself but there's a bounty on me now – 1 million credits – so that would just put her in more danger.

“Please, do me this favor.” Rob pleaded.

“Oh, alright.” Carshalton said. “But you didn't have to say all that. Don't ask me why, but I'd give my life for that girl.”

“So would I.” Rob said. “So would a lot of people.”

“Well, I best get going.” Carshalton said and stood. “I'll see you soon, Rob.”

“Yeah, see you soon.” Rob said. Carshalton began to walk away. “Oh, Carshalton?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks.”

* * *

“All done?” Konn asked over the comm when his scanners registered Rob's Falcon inbound.

“Yeah. Carshalton should be on his way now.” Rob answered. “Let's get going.”

“Roger.” Konn said. He fed full power to his engines and took off, trailing Rob's fighter as it sped towards space.

Summary: Travis works out a way to get a better idea where the missing ships are. Rob speaks to an unconscious Tanya, reveals (to us, not her) why his previous romances have not worked. The missing ships are (hopefully) discovered. Travis is left to guard Tanya. Konn and Rob leave the BMM base. They stop on Harris so Rob can pick up his own ship and send Carshalton to link up with Travis. Next up, New London.

Edited by - Codename on 6/26/2005 10:29:08 PM

OOC:

If yer swinging by new berlin drop Dev a line, he's in the area

Anyhoo turns out this place im at in NY has internet so im able to chime in.

Hahukum Konn found it a bit strange to be the only one in the Humpback. Since he was going to be piloting it for a while, he decided to start personalizing it. The first thing he did was to give the Captain's chair a complete workout, fiddling with every adjustable control on it until it was just right for his position next to the consoles.

The actual trip through Leeds to New London was time-consuming, but uneventful. Outcast activity had diminished quite a lot, and the Mollys no longer harassed him thanks to the blanked rep. The Gaians still occasionally took pot shots at the pair, but Rob's Sunblasts warned them off very swiftly, or made short work of any who were foolhardy enough to risk battle.

On New London, they landed, and Hahukum told Rob he'd stay at one of the cheaper hotels in the area, probably the Landis. Rob said, "I'll catch up with you later, then. I'll call Pearce and see about those Special Branch guys."

Konn headed off to the Commodities Trader and arranged to have five cargo bays filled with Pharmaceuticals. After that, he checked out a room at the Landis and got settled in.

An hour after landing on New London, Konn was on the comm panel talking to Captain Downing again.

"Hello, Captain. I'd bet you didn't expect to hear from me so soon."

A chuckle. "You're right, but I'm guessing things are breaking fast and you need some help, is that it?"

"Yes, sir, that's it. Can you find some experienced pilots who have some leave and won't get in trouble with the BAF for working on their own time?"

"Shouldn't be a problem. Can we meet you in, say, an hour or so, at the bar near the spaceport?"

"Will do, Captain."

* * *

At the bar, Hahukum sipped a small (small , he reminded himself) glass of Cambridge Red while letting memories of Bretonia flow over him as he sat in a far corner from where he could see the entrance. He'd left a message with the hotel saying to have Rob go over to the bar if the latter called, and then headed out.

He perked up as he saw Captain Downing enter with three other men, all apparently in their early thirties and who all looked quite similar, so that it was hard to make out any features that made one stand out from the others.

The Captain was grinning as he approached the table, and stuck his hand out for a hearty handshake. "Good to see you in person finally, Lieutenant. These three gentlemen are Lieutenants under my command with whom I've had the pleasure of serving for the last three years now. They're excellent pilots and, frankly, want some action. They were knocked out of commission pretty quickly in Sigma-19, just like I was, so they feel a bit cheated."

All five sat down at the table, and the men introduced themselves. They were Lieutenants Eric Riley, Daniel Warburton, and Ted Straybeck. After the round of introductions was complete and some mild drinks ordered, Hahukum began.

"First, let me explain about myself. I was born in Liberty, but wanted to enlist in the BAF. After some initial trouble, I was accepted and served for five years, after which I was honorably discharged and became a freelance trader. So that's why I probably sound like a cross between a Libertonian and Bretonian.

"Second, I'll start with the Cali business. I was part of the invasion team."

The expressions of disbelief were quickly countered when Konn held up some hard-copy printouts of the data which could only have come from Cali. "I can't let you keep these, gentlemen, but if you've heard anything at all from your intelligence briefings on the Outcasts you'll know this data is for real. We've analyzed what we could, and gotten a possible lead.

"The 'we' part is that I'm working with someone else who was originally asked by the BAF, unofficially, to search for the missing part of the Bretonian fleet. We're going to go to Omicron Beta and start looking.

"So. Are you still of a mind to go?"

The only answer was the four raised glasses, upon which Konn grinned and clinked his to the other four.

----

Summary: Some warm bodies are gathered for the fight.

OOC: Captivating

Edited to add OOC, not following my own rules.

*spank*

Edited by - athena on 6/28/2005 2:52:35 AM