Rob groaned as he hauled himself out of the circular, diagonally climbing ventilation shaft and onto the pyramid's dull purple surface. He was glad he and Tanya had come across it when they did, as there was not chance either would have been able to continue their vertical ascent much longer. Even though he and Tanya had lightened their packs as much as they had dared, the added weight had turned the climb from an ordeal to outright torture. The shaft terminated, fortunately, at one of the evenly spaced ledges that gave the pyramid a slightly scalloped appearance from afar. He momentarily regretted not taking Tanya's proffered hand, but his recollection of the worn look on her face and the wooden way she held her arm, along with no small amount of pride, reassured the freelancer that his choice had been correct. Tanya didn't seem to hold it against him either.

"What now?" Tanya asked as Rob leaned back against the sloping surface of the pyramid. His bad shoulder throbbed painfully. But then, so did his "good" one. His arms felt like jelly and his legs burned from the exertion of all the climbing.

Rob took a deep breath. "Need to do something about that artifact." He grunted. "Can't just leave it there."

Tanya stood up, wincing slightly as her tired legs protested having to once again bear her weight. "What can we do though? Burying it won't keep Mason from getting it, moving it might just kill us, same for destroying it."

"If it can be destroyed." Rob said. He didn't feel like getting up just yet.

"There is one place we might be able to find that out." Tanya said.

"Hm? Oh, you don't want to go there, do you?" Rob was in no rush to pick through the Hammer base what with all those hungry monkeys around.

"Listen, Rob." Tanya stood in front of Rob with her hands on her hips. Rob swallowed, his throat suddenly felt very dry. "If there's anyone who would have had the information we need, it's those Hammer scientists. We need to at least take a look."

"Fine." Rob said, hauling himself to his feet. "But we need to get down from here first. And," Rob looked over the edge of the ledge, at the 500 meter drop, "I don't really fancy a slide right now."

"Actually, we'd be better off staying up here. For now." Tanya corrected him.

"How do you figure?" Rob asked.

"We're safe here." Tanya explained. "No monkeys in or on the pyramid. And as long as we're here, we have a better vantage point."

"Right." Rob said. "Okay, so we'll head around to the Hammer base, and scout it out as best we can. But I still don't know how you plan to get us down."

"Me neither." Tanya admitted. "One step at a time."

"Okay. We can think about it on the way." Rob said. "Now, left or right?"

Tanya thought for a second. "Right," she said. "Going left will take us back to your ship."

"That may not be such a bad idea, you know." Rob thought aloud. "We'll be able to clear the area more easily of any lingering monkeys. And we won't have to walk all the way back to it whenever we finish there."

Tanya considered this for a second, turned to her left and began walking. Rob adjusted the strap of his supply pack and followed.

- - - -

The suns of Primus continued to climb, pulling the temperature up as well. As Rob and Tanya approached what was roughly the halfway point of their journey, the massive corner of the ruins, Tanya stopped abruptly. She dropped into a crouch and her hand fell to the gun holstered at her hip. Rob immediately crouched himself and hurried over to where Tanya had stopped.

Dropping down beside Tanya, Rob thought he could hear voices coming from around the bend. The language was not one he recognized though. He unholstered one of his energy pistols, now dangerously low on power, and whispered, "I'm going to take a look."

Slowly peeking around the corner, Rob was shocked to see a not insignificant depression in the side of the pyramid. Nestled inside was a small cluster of fairly modern-looking buildings, all constructed from the same material as the ruins. And, milling about were some 100 ape-men. They were not the same creatures that had been seen on the ground though. No, these apes wore clothes, for one. They also stood up straight and acted human.

"I think I've gone insane." Rob hissed as he turned to look back at Tanya. "I thought I saw a monkey village."

Tanya's eyes widened at this and she leaned around the corner to look for herself. "Well I'll be a Corsair's sister."

"What do we do now?" Rob wondered aloud, once Tanya had finished taking in the spectacle.

"They're different from the ones who attacked us." Tanya said. "Maybe they're friendly."

"You really want to take that chance?" Rob asked.

"I don't see how we have a choice." Tanya said. She stood and holstered her weapon. Rob muttered something not entirely intelligible and followed suit. The two freelancers walked towards the village, side by side. They held their hands a good few inches away from their sides, palms out in an attempt to communicate their desire to avoid violence.

"Hey," Rob said out of the corner of his mouth; he didn't want to take his eyes off the apes. "How are we going to talk to them?"

"We'll figure something out." Tanya said. Rob hardly felt confident.

When the duo were about 50 meters away, one of the apes spotted them. He froze for a second and began to yell in the incomprehensible language Rob and Tanya had heard earlier. One thing puzzled Rob though. He was fairly sure he had heard the ape say "Henry" a few times.

Some apes ran to see the unexpected visitors, while others ran towards the large building in the center of the village. Tanya and Rob just stood still, waiting to see what would happen. The lack of any attack was promising but, despite their outwardly non-threatening postures, Rob and Tanya were ready to strike if they needed to.

About a minute after contact, the apes who had run into the central building emerged once more. They had someone with them. A man, by the looks of things.

He carried a cane, though it seemed to Rob that it was more for show than support. His hair was white and cut short, and he had a carefully trimmed beard. His skin was dark from what Rob suspected was hours of labour under the hot Primus suns, and beneath the three-piece suit he wore, Rob could tell that the man was well muscled for his age. Based on his lined face, Rob estimated the man to be in his late sixties or early seventies.

The old man, and his ape escorts, stopped short about a foot away from where Tanya and Rob stood. He scrutinized the two adventurers briefly, and smiled warmly.

"Welcome!" He said. Rob recognized the distinctive burr of one who had grown up in Edinburgh. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Henry."

Rob felt at a loss for words. He was about to open his mouth and introduce himself with a decidedly inelegant "um", when Tanya spoke.

"I'm Tanya, my partner is Rob." She said with a smile. "A pleasure to meet you, Henry."

"Oh no, my lady." Henry replied, his smile widening. "Let me assure you, the pleasure is mine." He extended his hand to her, palm up. Tanya laughed delicately and placed her fingers against Henry's. The elder man kissed the back of Tanya's hand softly. Straightening, Henry extended his hand to Rob, not for a kiss, but a firm handshake. Rob couldn't help but smile at this warmer-than-expected welcome. Still, he was on his guard. Things were just a bit too strange for him not to be.

"Now, tell me." Henry began. "What brings a couple like you this far out? Until recently, there's not been a human soul nearby, and you two are the first humans I've spoken to since I crashed here all those many years ago."

"We've come to stop the artifact from falling into the wrong hands." Tanya said.

"Ah." Henry's face suddenly became serious. "Come with me. You will want to speak to The Elder."

Rob and Tanya looked at each other and nodded.

"Lead on." Rob said.

As Rob and Tanya followed Henry through the small town, Rob marveled at the sophistication of the apes' set-up. While not quite on-par with standard Sirian technology, it was still remarkable that creatures who looked so similar to the primitive, ground-dwelling monkeys, could innovate to such a degree. Rob noted a number of specialized buildings; there was a small pub of sorts, what looked like a repair shop, and a series of greenhouses where Rob assumed food was grown.

Henry had been telling Tanya the story of how he came to be on Primus, and how he first met these advanced apes. Rob half-listened to the tale. The gist of it, near as he could tell, was that Henry had been grave-robbing some Corsairs, when a squad of Nomads attacked his Sabre. He had escaped through the jump hole to this system, but was set upon again almost immediately. After an intense chase, he crash-landed on Primus. Fortunately for the ex-Bretonian freelancer, he was discovered by the advanced apes before their more primitive counterparts reached him. The apes had nursed him back to health and, in return, Henry taught them his language and gave them whatever technology he could salvage from his wrecked fighter.

The party stopped at the entrance to the central building. Henry turned to the apes who had been following and said, "You may go now, thank you." He opened the door and motioned for Tanya and Rob to enter.

Rob followed Tanya inside, Henry close behind.

Henry gestured towards a stairway in the middle of the foyer. "Please, this way." He walked towards the stairs and began to climb.

Rob took in the structure of the building, mentally noting any potential escape routes, just in case. He was sure from the way Tanya scanned the area that she was doing the same. Henry stood under a lintel to the right of the stairs. "In here," he said.

Rob and Tanya stepped into the room and came face-to-face with Henry's ape counterpart. The ape sat cross-legged in a low, wide chair. His once jet-black fur was now streaked with gray. He too had a cane, and wore a three-piece suit. Though he knew the apes spoke English, Rob was still taken a bit by surprise when the ape opened his mouth and began to speak.

"Please, sit." He gestured towards two seats opposite the one where he was sitting. "Henry tells me you are Tanya and Rob. You may call me Elder."

"O-kay." Rob said as he sat. "Elder. Did Henry also tell you why we're here?"

"He did." The Elder nodded. "I regret that we cannot help you. We know of this artifact, yes. But we do not hold the key to its secrets."

"Damn." Rob said. "There's nothing you can tell us?"

"I am truly sorry." The Elder said.

"Are there any other communities like yours?" Tanya asked. "Could there be anyone with the information we seek."

"No." The Elder replied. "We are the only of our kind."

"I guess that means we're going to Hammer after all." Rob's shoulders drooped.

"Those are the men killed by our... wayward brethren?" The Elder asked.

"Yes." Rob said. "If you know of any way we can avoid their fate, please let us know."

The Elder thought for a second. "There is one way... but it will be most uncomfortable."

"Better than dying, I'll bet." Rob said. "Out with it."

"As you have probably noticed by now, our planet gets hot during the day. The height of midday is still a few hours off. By then temperatures will have soared. We stay inside until it cools down. The primitives find whatever shade they can and shelter there. As long as they are under cover, they will not harm you.

"The heat, however, will. If you do not have enough water, you will surely die." The Elder warned. "We can supply you, should you need assistance."

"That would be most appreciated, Elder." Tanya said.

"Very well. Henry?"

"Yes, Elder?"

"Please supply our guests with whatever we can spare them." The Elder said. "Rob, Tanya, I wish you luck on your quest. I sense that you are honorable, and deserve to succeed."

"Thank you." Tanya and Rob said together and stood. Not knowing exactly what the appropriate gesture was, they bowed slightly.

"Follow me." Henry said.

The old man led Rob and Tanya to the greenhouses. Behind each was a large cistern, full of crystal clear water. Henry helped the freelancers refill their depleted water stocks.

"This won't be enough." Henry mused.

"No?" Rob said.

"No. Hold on." Henry put two fingers in his mouth and whistled loudly. A few seconds later, two farmers – at least, Rob assumed they were farmers based on their dress – came running up. "I need four water skins."

The apes nodded and ran off. Less than a minute later they returned, bearing four large leather bladders.

"Now," Henry said as he began to fill the first. "Don't drink from these. You should have enough for that in your own bottles. But when you start to feel hot, dump some of this water over yourself. Sweating won't help much here."

"Got it." Tanya said. Rob nodded.

Once Rob and Tanya were outfitted with as much water at they could carry, they set off. Just as they were about to be sent off by The Elder and Henry, Tanya's curiosity overcame her. "Tell me," she said. "Why aren't all the apes like you?"

The Elder smiled. "I fear that is a story for when time is no longer of the essence. Suffice it to say, you stand on the reason for all that has happened to our once lush planet."

"I see." Tanya said. "I would like very much to come back and hear your story, Elder. Yours too, Henry."

"I look forward to that day." The Elder said.

"You will always be most welcome here, my dear." Henry said.

"Thank you for your help." Tanya said.

"Yeah, thanks for everything." Rob said. "Now, let's get going."

- - - -

Not long after Tanya and Rob had set out from the ape village, the temperature began to climb in earnest. It became increasingly difficult to properly ration the water. Rob was actually somewhat thankful for his tattered shirt, as it let his skin breathe a bit more. For her part, Tanya dealt with the heat much the same way as she had done in Konn's hold during the trip to Cali.

Despite all the water he carried, Rob's mouth was perpetually dry as he trailed not far behind the beautiful woman.

- - - -

"There it is!" Tanya said excitedly, pointing off towards the horizon.

Rob looked in the direction she was pointing and, sure enough, saw his Falcon sitting just where he had left it. There was no damage visible from where he stood, though Rob knew that didn't mean much. "I see it, too. Now. How do we get there?"

"I have some rope," Tanya said. "We could rappel down, but first we need a hook of some sort."

"And something to hook onto." Rob added. "I guess we can try to blow a chunk out."

"That should work," agreed Tanya. She pulled out her pistol and aimed it at the pyramid's surface.

"Hey. Hold on." Rob said, raising his hand. "Let's wait until we're a bit closer."

Tanya nodded and kept walking. She and Rob both doused themselves with water once, emptying the first of their first leather bladders, before they reached the point almost directly perpendicular to the location of Rob's ship. Rob had been thinking about how best to fashion a hook from, or with, his knife.

The idea came to him as he was about to discard the empty water container. He pulled his knife out and used it to cut a small hole in the leather, just big enough to fit the barrel of Tanya's pistol. "Tanya, I have an idea..."

The plan worked well. The bullet gouged a deep enough hole, and the empty bladder trapped enough dust and pebbles, that Rob was able to bury his knife to the hilt in the small crater. A few short blasts from his pistols cemented it. No matter how hard either of them pulled, it didn't budge.

Once Tanya and Rob were satisfied with the load-bearing capacity of their impromptu hook, Tanya tied the rope around it. She tied her empty water bag to the other end as an "anchor" of sorts, and threw it off the edge. Neither Rob nor Tanya heard it hit the surface below, though they did see a small dust plume.

"You want to go first?" Rob asked.

"No, you go. I can cover you better from here." Tanya responded.

Rob just shrugged, grabbed the rope, gave it a good tug, and went over the edge.

The system worked perfectly and, a few minutes later, Rob and Tanya were on the ground again.

"Looks like that Elder guy knew his stuff. No monkeys." Rob commented as he and Tanya trekked towards the Falcon.

Once or twice Rob thought he saw some movement close to the ground, but if there were any apes nearby, they didn't come out from their hiding places. The trip to the Falcon was unremarkable, but for the heat.

Despite themselves and their better judgments, Rob and Tanya burst into a sprint when they were approximately 100 meters from Rob's ship. Rob gleefully threw his pack into the Falcon's hold and flew into the climate-controlled comfort of his fighter's cockpit. Somehow, Tanya was already there. She had cranked the temperature settings way down and Rob could see goosebumps all over her arms. He settled into his comfortable pilot's seat and sighed as the heat bled from his body. It wasn't a shower, but it still felt damn good.

"No rest for the weary." Rob muttered as he strapped himself in. "Come on, Tanya. We're going."

"Hold on, let me strap in." Tanya said. Rob heard the rustle of fabric as she slipped her lithe arms into their sleeves and the click-snap of the safety belt fastening.

"Ready?" Rob asked as he began to power up his ship's main systems.

"Ready." Tanya confirmed.

Rob finished the preflight checks and engaged the Falcon's main engines. The bird-like fighter rose into the sky slowly and gracefully. He hit his thrusters and the fighter rushed towards the giant purple pyramid. The ruins loomed larger and larger until they filled the entire forward view. Just as a collision seemed inevitable, Rob pulled back on the controls and skimmed over the sloping surface of the pyramid.

"I figured you might want to go the fun way." Rob said, grinning from ear to ear. Tanya laughed.

As the Falcon approached the summit, and antenna that it supported, Rob let his fighter drift slightly to the left in order to avoid the giant metal spire. As soon as the pyramid disappeared from underneath the ship, Rob pushed its nose down and shot down the other side. He could see the Hammer outpost and headed straight for it.

"Any reason not to land nearby?" Rob asked.

"None that I can think of." Tanya answered.

Rob pulled out of the dive 100 meters off the ground and slowly circled the trashed outpost, looking for signs of life. "See anything?"

"Nope."

"Me neither." Rob said, and cut power to the engines. The fighter slowly settled to the ground as he dialed the anti-grav settings to zero.

When he opened the cockpit, the first thing that Rob noticed was the smell of nearly 100 bodies roasting under the heat of Primus' twin suns. It wasn't pleasant at all. That, and the unrelenting heat, made Rob very tempted to just sit in the cockpit, and damn the artifact.

"Ugh." Tanya said. "Let's do this quickly."

"Right. I'll take the east side, you take the west." Rob said. "Grab any datadisks or palmtops you find. Download whatever you can from terminals. We can browse later. Somewhere more comfortable."

Tanya vaulted out of the cockpit with feline grace and was about to sprint off when Rob called out, "Tanya!"

She spun on her heel and watched as Rob dropped to the ground. "Yes?"

Rob pulled one of his blasters out of its holster. "Here," he said. "Take this. Just in case. You don't have many shots left in yours, I know."

Tanya took the gun from Rob's hand. "Thanks," she said. "If anything goes wrong, let's rendezvous at that large warehouse over on the other side."

"Good plan." Rob said. "Otherwise, back here in half an hour?"

"It's a date." Tanya replied with a wink.

- - - -

Rob's search hadn't exactly been fruitful. The apes had done a proper number on just about anything that could be smashed, bent, snapped or otherwise mangled. No terminals were salvageable and he hadn't yet come across a working palmtop either. All there had been was a single, solitary intact datadisk.

I hope Tanya's had more luck. Rob thought. As he continued to pick through the wreckage, Rob's mind wandered. He began to recall the times he and Tanya had spent together. The times they had fought side by side. The times they had laughed together. Those precious few times they had kissed.

Rob sighed, and immediately wished that he hadn't. The stench of rotting bodies became a taste, and Rob's stomach churned uncomfortably. The freelancer fumbled for his last canteen and took a long pull, hoping to wash away the foul flavour.

Just then, the unmistakable sound of spacecraft engines filtered into Rob's ears. Oh, this can't be good.

As the noise grew louder, Rob peeked out from under the tent he was exploring, just in time to see three armored transports and an escort comprised of six Sabres land beside his Falcon. He dropped down onto his chest and watched in horror as dangerous-looking troops began to pour out of the transports. Rob checked the power level on his remaining pistol. Things did not look good.

Slowly, Rob pulled himself back inside the tent. He sprung to his feet and ran out the other side, where he hoped no-one would be able to see him. Staying behind cover, Rob wove his way towards the best place to make a stand – the warehouse. The voices of the newly arrived troops grew louder as they swept through the camp, looking for the uninvited guests.

Rob skidded to a halt behind one half, collapsed tent. The warehouse wasn't far, but there was a twenty meter stretch of open ground he'd need to cover if he hoped to make it. Rob briefly considered using his integrated flashbang device, but ultimately rejected the idea. It was meant for use inside, not out. The blast would be too diffuse, even on maximum settings, to be effective. And then there was the damage Rob's shirt had taken. It was possible the device wouldn't work at all.

The voices continued to grow louder. Rob tried not to consider the odds of surviving a mad dash to the warehouse. They certainly wouldn't be good. Just then Tanya rounded a corner across the way from Rob. She stopped when she saw him and shrugged her shoulders as if to ask why he wasn't moving.

Rob indicated that he had no more cover. A quick look, and Tanya agreed. She motioned for Rob to make a break and that she would cover him. After considering that option for a second, Rob shook his head. He motioned for Tanya to first take cover in the warehouse, then he'd join her. Tanya nodded once and disappeared again behind another tent.

Rob clutched his energy pistol in one hand, and lightly fingered one of his two remaining grenades with the other. Somehow, even over the sound of his pounding heart, the voices of the troops grew louder. Is this it? He wondered. If it came to that, he hoped he could at least take down enough of the bastards to save Tanya.

The sound of a pistol firing snapped Rob to attention. Tanya was in the warehouse and providing what cover fire she could. A series of energy blasts and plasma bolts shot past Rob's position as the troops returned fire. Rob pulled the grenade free, primed it and launched it towards where he thought the hostiles would be. Rob heard a few startled yelps and then a bang as the grenade went off. He leapt from behind his cover and, keeping low so Tanya could shoot over him, made a break for the warehouse.

The air all around Rob filled with energy as Tanya traded fire with the enemies, whoever they were. Plasma and energy blasts burned past Rob as he bobbed and weaved towards the warehouse and – temporarily, at least – safety. Rob winced and bit back a cry when a near-miss from one of the hostiles' plasma rifles burned through his sleeve and seared his arm.

"Close the doors!" Rob shouted as he barrelled towards the warehouse. Tanya must have heard him because the hydraulics which held the doors open disengaged and they began to slowly swing shut. Rob mustered all the strength he possibly could and slipped between the doors just in time. He collapsed, gasping for breath, as the doors slammed shut and the massive deadbolts slid into place.

Tanya smashed the door controls with the butt of her pistol. The panel sparked and crackled.

"It won't hold them for long." Rob said between gasps.

"You're hurt." Tanya said, kneeling beside Rob; a note of concern in her voice.

"Ah, it's nothing." Rob insisted as he rolled to his feet. "Wonderful chemical, that adrenaline."

A sudden, loud crash against the doors startled the duo. "We need cover. Those boxes at the back might do it." Tanya said.

"You have much ammo left?" Rob asked.

Tanya's answer made him regret ever asking. "One bullet. Maybe two or three shots left on the blaster."

"Sh*t." Rob had more, and a grenade, but it wouldn't be enough to hold off all the enemy troops.

"Come on!" Tanya said as she dropped a box on the ground and went for another. "Help me with these!"

The crashes started to come more often, and with greater intensity. Rob looked over his shoulder. The massive doors bore a number of visible dents. Rob began to feel the whole exercise was pointless.

Why here? Why now? He railed silently at the cruelty of fate as he stacked crates in what he now was sure was an exercise in futility. The door had become so warped Rob knew it wouldn't last a minute longer

"That should be good." Tanya said, crouching behind their makeshift fortifications. "Get ready."

Rob just grunted and slumped to the ground. Why bother? He felt terrible. Not only was he sure he was going to die, but he hadn't managed to do anything about that artifact either. He had failed. Failed himself. Failed Sirius. Failed Tanya.

Tanya.

Rob looked to the side at the young woman he so admired, respected, and loved. She hadn't given up.

If nothing else, fight for her.

"Tanya?"

"Yes, Ro – mmmph!" The end of her response was cut off as Rob cupped her face in his hands and kissed her passionately. Tanya's eyes widened momentarily at this unexpected show of affection but her surprise quickly faded. She moaned softly and returned Rob's kiss with equal fervency.

The incessant crashes against the doors forced Rob and Tanya apart, albeit reluctantly.

"Mind explaining what that was about?" Tanya asked. She didn't look upset, but rather wore an expression that was equal parts amusement, confusion and happiness.

Rob grinned lopsidedly. "I needed to remind myself of something." He pulled his gun from its holster and prepped his final grenade. "Ready?"

"Ready." Tanya nodded.

There was another crash, louder than those before it, coupled with the shriek of tearing metal. Rob took a deep breath. Make every shot count. He waited, crouched behind the crates, for the doors to give way completely.

Just then the hammering at the door stopped, and in its place Rob once again heard the roar of spacecraft engines.

AIRSTRIKE!!! Rob twisted and jumped at Tanya, tackling her to the ground. He hoped to shield her from the explosion with his body.

Nothing happened. No explosion. No crashing against the door. Just silence.

"What has gotten into you, Rob?" Tanya asked. "And would you mind getting off of me?"

Rob's face fell and he pushed off the ground. "I'm sorry. I just thought - "

He didn't finish. A powerful overpressure wave, moving at over twice the speed of sound slammed into the warehouse. It forced the doors open in an instant and sent the crates flying. One struck Rob's side, a glancing blow that nevertheless cracked a few ribs and forced the air out of his lungs. Rob saw spots. His arms buckled and he collapsed onto Tanya's chest.

"Airstrike." Rob said weakly as soon as he was able. He tried to roll over, but his chest screamed bloody murder.

"Don't move." Tanya instructed him. She slipped her arm carefully under Rob's on his injured side. "Now, this is going to hurt. Ready?"

"Yes." No!

"On three," Tanya said. "One, two, three!"

Rob winced as Tanya rolled him, as carefully as she could from her somewhat awkward position, onto his back. Oh yeah. I'll be feeling that come morning.

"I guess you thought right." Tanya said, kneeling beside Rob. "Thanks."

Rob smiled. "No probl – ow."

"Stay here." Tanya instructed. "I'm going to see what's going on outside."

Rob raised the hand that still clutched his energy pistol. "Here. This one has more juice."

Tanya reached down to take the gun and froze.

"Those won't be necessary." A new voice, cold as the vacuum of space, said.

Rob turned his head to see what was going on. He saw three figures, large men, standing about ten meters away. They wore black uniforms with a yellow insignia Rob didn't recognize, and held powerful pulse rifles across their chests.

"Help me up." Rob whispered to Tanya.

"Is that a good – "

"Help. Me. Up." Rob said as forcefully as he could. "Please."

Tanya sighed and grabbed Rob's hand. With her help Rob was able to pull himself to his feet, grimacing all the way. The three new figures just watched impassively as Rob and Tanya turned to face them.

"Why have you come here?" The man in the middle asked.

"I could ask you the very same question." Rob said. "Not to mention why you felt it necessary to have my ribs broken by that bomb of yours."

"We saved your lives." The man said. "You should be grateful."

Rob snorted. "I'll be grateful when I'm sure you really saved our lives."

"We aren't shooting at you."

"Yet."

Tanya shot Rob a dangerous look that said, Do you want them to? Rob decided he should probably shut up.

"We came for the artifact." Tanya said. "To keep it from falling into the wrong hands."

The three newcomers adopted thoughtful expressions. They looked at each other as though they were communicating. Rob considered the possibility that they were sub-vocalizing, but couldn't make out the subtle jaw movements indicative of that form of communication.

"And you believe that your adversaries were such wrong hands?"

"Yes." Tanya answered.

"Then I believe our goals are compatible."

Rob couldn't keep silent any more. "What goals? Who are you?"

"Our goals are peace and harmony. We are the Ta'Gue'Led."

Summary: The further adventures of Rob and Tanya on Primus. They leave the pyramid's interior and decide to investigate the Hammer outpost for any information on the artifact. On the way, they encounter a village comprised mostly of intelligent apes. The spend a bit of time there, and learn that midday is when the crazy apes are quiet. The trip to the Hammer base is uneventful. Once they arrive, R&T begin to look for clues, but are interrupted by the arrival of some hostile troops (Covenant forces). Rob and Tanya get pinned down in a warehouse but are "saved" by the arrival of a Ta'Gue'Led scout force.

OOC: Fabulous!

At last we see the introduction of the TGL

Rob and Tanya looked at each other. The who?

"Few have ever heard of us." The man said. "We prefer to remain hidden."

"Hold on," said Rob. "Tell me again, what do you call yourselves?"

"Ta'Gue'Led."

Rob racked his brain for any memory of this strange name. He tried to find a linguistic connection to any factions he was aware of. He glanced over at Tanya. It seemed she was having no more luck.

"Now, please." The three men raised their rifles. "Come with us."

Tanya sighed. "We don't have much choice, do we?"

The man in the middle smiled coldly. "No." The two other men circled around behind the freelancers, keeping them covered at all times.

"This way." The man said. He turned and strode through the wrecked doors of the warehouse.

If the Hammer outpost had been in rough shape earlier, it was utterly devastated after the bombardment. None of the tents were still standing. Most had been reduced to twisted metal and the odd scrap of charred cloth. The ground was blackened and, in some places, glassy. The air reeked of burnt flesh and molten plastic though there was little left of the forces who had attacked Rob and Tanya. Must have used Cannonballs, thought Rob. Them or torpedoes. These guys are well equipped. Who's their backer, I wonder?

As the Ta'Gue'Led forces and their two captives walked through the ravaged remains of the base, Rob considered his predicament. Certainly things could be worse. He could be dead, for one. Of course, being prisoner of a faction he knew nothing about – hell I probably can't even get their name right – wasn't much better. And he was in no condition to attempt an escape either. Still, maybe I can distract them long enough that Tanya can get away. If she can make it to my Falcon…

Rob's train of thought was abruptly derailed when he looked up and past the man who had taken point. Straight head lay the still smoldering wreckage of three armored transports, six Sabres, and – F*ck. – one Falcon. Rob was not happy.

"That was my Falcon, you worthless, trigger-happy Liberty Rogue rejects! My goddamn Falcon! You'd better be able to replace it - Ow! Sh*t!" Rob's ribs throbbed painfully and he lapsed into a string of muttered curses.

"Shut up." One of the goons prodded Rob in the back with the barrel of his rifle, causing even more pain to lance through Rob's chest. Rob cursed louder.

"I said shut up!" Rob was about to turn and confront the goon when he heard Tanya yell, "Watch out!"

Rob saw her spring into action, her body becoming a blur in his peripheral vision.

When the barrel of the pulse rifle connected with the base of Rob's skull the world exploded in light and color. And then was dark.

Summary: Rob and Tanya are escorted out of the warehouse by the TGL guys. Rob is grumpy, and he shows it. He gets clobbered with a rifle for his troubles and is knocked right out. Those TGL folks can be real bastards sometimes.

Edited by - Codename on 8/17/2005 4:57:22 PM

Hans was staring out of a window,into the unknown.

There were swerling red's and still blue nebulaes.It was beuty in a dark hour.

The past reports were that Freital had been destroyed.Hans began to cry,some of his best friends lived there."Why,damn'it,why? " He was interrupted by a scanner in his nueral net,it was escape pods-three of them.

He immediatly called Vinny,telling him to tractor them in.The pods were of the kind used on bases.Hans ran to the hangar bay where there were sure enough,three escape pods.They opened up,and each had twelve Hessians in it.


He ran over and gave his surviving friend's hugs.He mourned over the loss of the less fortunate.


Then,Hans planned for his revenge.

OOC: Here it is, my long awaited update! Enjoy
_____________________________________________________

Nikolai looked sceptically at the trader. “I really should warn you, I’m bloody incompetent at space flight. And I still have somewhat of a hangover to sleep off. You’d be better off hiring someone else.”

Konn shook his head. “I can’t trust someone else. Plus, I’m not leaving you here to get drunk without me.” He sat down beside Nikolai, the latter’s head falling down on Konn’s lap. “You won’t have to fly anything, just be the turret gunner.”

“Hmm.” The Rhinelander’s eyes slid in and out of focus, and closed. “You make a very good pillow, you know?” He began to drift off to sleep.

Nikolai felt something thwack the side of his head. He opened his eyes again. “No sleep for you!” a grinning Konn whispered at him, his fist raised.

“Ugh. Fine, fine.” He rose, walked over to the bathroom. “I’m going to take a quick shower. I’ll meet you in the hangar.”


Nikolai climbed into the cockpit, yawning. His head had started pounding again. This ride was not going to be fun. At least he had managed to smuggle a bottle of whisky along with him. The cockpit he found to be cramped and cold, but fortunately clean and the seat was at least somewhat comfortable.

“Initiating pre-flight checks” came a voice behind him. Konn had climbed into the driver’s seat.

“So what do you think about that Urran character?”

Konn shrugged. “Seem decent enough to me. A bit of an odd look.”

Nikolai chuckled. “Heh.”

The man had actually been preying on his mind ever since he walked into the apartment. He was bloody gorgeous, true enough…the blonde braid extremely sexy…Nikolai smiled. He seemed to have a weakness for men with long hair. But there was something else about him, some aura that was suspicious, dangerous even…

The ship launched suddenly, with a **** that sent Nikolai flying forward. “Bloody hell!”

“Don’t fall asleep!”

The flight to Omega 5 was without incident, and on the whole, quite tedious. They rendezvoused with Urran, Warren, and his team of five crusaders outside the New London docking ring, then headed to Cambridge and the Omega 5 jumphole. Not piloting and without any attacking ships, Nikolai found himself bored out of his mind and ended up amusing himself by singing quietly and off-key into the intercom and imagining Urran in more revealing positions.

Nikolai breathed deeply as Konn’s ship plunged through the jumphole. The rumbling, shaking, and the flashing lights of the space travel did not go easily on his turning stomach and pounding head. Within seconds they catapulted out of the tumultuous wormhole, into a barren, asteroid-ridden wasteland.

Bloody hell. What madman would want to live in this system?

“Careful. The entire system’s crawling with Junkers,” Urran warned.

“Very well. Proceed to the wreckage of Ronneburg base. The Hessians have less to loot, we might find something there.” The Major responded quietly, orderly, with undeniable authority. Nikolai furrowed his brow; Damien had sometimes sounded like that, when he had served the Bundschuh.

God, what is with me? Everything reminds me of him…

Contrary to Urran’s word, the system was strangely Junker-free. Not a single CSV crossed their path, and long range scans showed nothing.

“It looks like they’ve already drained the entire system of anything salvageable,” Konn said into the intercom.

“Well, proceed. We may still find something.”

Only 5 kilometres away lay what was once Ronneburg, the rock and steel of the base now scattered throughout the surrounding fields of dust and asteroid.

The humpback roamed over the field of ash. Nikolai squinted his eyes at what he saw. “The way the debris is scattered…look. A larger ship couldn’t have done this. The base was destroyed by fighters.”

“Fighters destroy a base?” The Major sounded sceptical.

“Improbable, but not impossible,” Urran responded. “Several waves of strong enough fighters could easily take it out—found something!”

“What is it?”

“A…Black Box. In-flight recording. Completely intact, I think. It might be helpful.”

“Good find,” Konn said into his comm. outlet. “But we’re going to need more than that—”

Suddenly, a group of five CSVs appeared, darting through the wreckage, fox-like and suspicious in their movements. The Major’s ships moved quickly to encircle them. “Junker Beta three-dash-nine, this is Major Nick Warren of the Bretonia Armed Forces. Stand down and drop your cargo!”

“Move behind them, Konn”, Nikolai whispered. “Keep the turrets facing the one in the centre.” Though Konn raised an eyebrow at him, the ship began to move slowly, unnoticeably, behind the looters, weaving behind the asteroids to avoid detection. They locked into position steadily. Nikolai flicked on the turrets, and readied his hands on his guns…

A pilot’s gruff voice echoed out over the intercom: “The BAF has no authority in the Omegas. Get the hell out of—“ Silence reigned as the Junker’s ship exploded under the torrent of fighter from the humpback, strange objects flying from its cargo hold. Konn quickly hit the tractor button.

“He said , give up the cargo! B*tch!” Nikolai shouted into the intercom.

“Break and attack!” One of the Junkers called out—but the BAF ships were already weaving through their lines, gunning them down. Konn shot forward and out of the way, sending Nikolai flying a second time into the metal before his head. Not pausing to complain, he pressed the guns down once again, firing all turrets at the head of an oncoming CSV, whose shields integrity wavered for a moment and shot to nothing. Konn spun the ship around suddenly, launching a volley of three catapult missiles at the ship’s hull, pulling up rapidly as the dying pilot attempted to ram the humpback.

In less than thirty seconds, it was over.

“My compliments, Major. Your boys fly well,” Urran’s deep voice rang out.

“Thanks. Did we get anything they were carrying?”

“I picked up a gun…of some sort. Nothing my neural net recognizes, though.”

“One missile launcher, sir.”

Konn responded: “We have a gun here, too…and a chunk of armour. Odd, my neural net doesn’t recognize either of them.”

“Looks like we might have found something, then. And I’ve got a video recording of this all, that’ll be helpful. Head to the BAF base on Planet Sprague; that’s closest.”

The exploring party took off, heading for the Omega 3 jumphole. Nikolai breathed a sigh of relief; being in a dead system was more than a little eerie.

Summary: Warren, Urran, Konn, and Nikolai (mmm. Odd names.) head off to Omega 5. Kill some junkers, pick up strange weapons, chunks of armour, a black box, and head off to Sprague. Fun, fun, fun.

Ah,the wonders of the TLR censor.

ass
****=J-E-R-K

Rob came to, and instantly regretted it. It felt as though someone had driven a spike through the back of his skull and out his left eye. He instinctively reached around to feel where the rifle had hit and was not surprised to find the flesh tender and sore. Dried blood left his hair stuck together in clumps.

If there was one thing Rob was thankful for, it was the fact that those Tagooey bastards at least put him in a nice, dark room; there was no obvious source of light as far as Rob could see, but there was enough to see by. Rob was seated – not bound though, he discovered quickly – in a simple plastic chair. An empty metal table sat before him and, on the other side, two chairs which Rob assumed were much like his own. The walls appeared to be a dull grey, except one which was mirrored.

One way glass. Rob thought. I've got myself an audience, it seems. Best give them what they're looking for. He let his shoulders droop, and hung his head in what looked like defeat. He sighed softly. Briefly, Rob toyed with the idea of rubbing his face, but decided against it. He didn't want to lay it on too thick.

Rob knew full well that he'd be "left to stew" a bit before his interrogator would show up. He considered his options. Fighting was out. His aching head and still sore ribs – I really need a doc to look at those – put him at a serious disadvantage. He had also been relieved of his weapons and other gadgets while unconscious. There was always the option of trying to buy his way out, but Rob had other plans for the money, and there were no guarantees his captors wouldn't simply drain his accounts and kill him. That left talking. Time to turn on the charm, Rob thought wryly.

A few minutes later Rob heard a soft sucking noise. He looked up and saw in the reflection of the mirrored glass the outline of a circular doorway begin to take form in the rear wall. It irised open with a hiss to admit a woman. Light shone in from the hallway, and Rob could only see her silhouette. She had an athletic build not unlike Tanya's and appeared to be bald, as was the fashion in some circles.

The door shut behind her and disappeared once more into the wall. As the woman walked across the room her shoes clicked against the floor in just the right way to drive spikes of pain through Rob's skull with every step she took. Rob held back a sigh of relief when she stopped beside one of the chairs and slid it out. He stared at the woman intently, trying to size her up as she surely had been doing moments before.

Everything about her was severe; from her high, prominent cheekbones, to her sharp nose, to her clean-shaven pate. Her eyes were pale blue, and cold as liquid nitrogen.

"Right," she said in a voice so devoid of emotion it might have been a computer speaking. "Why were you trying to get the artifact?"

Rob sat up as straight as he could and looked his interrogator in the eye. "I'll answer all your questions, in full. But only once I've seen a doc. Your goons did a real number on me, and I still hurt in places I didn't even know I had."

The woman looked at Rob with an air of disdain. "We had a medical officer examine you upon arrival. You will heal well enough in time. Now, why did you and your partner want the artifact?"

"Take me to a doctor."

"Your injuries are not severe."

"I want to speak to a doctor." Rob insisted. "You want answers. I got 'em. But until I see a doctor, I'm not saying anything." He folded his arms over his chest and stared at the bald woman defiantly.

The woman appeared to consider Rob's ultimatum briefly and then nodded. "Fine." Not a second later, the door once again materialized and spun open. Rob could see another woman, conspicuously armed, waiting outside.

"Get up." The interrogator said.

"We going to a doctor?" Rob asked.

"You'll find out soon enough, won't you?" The bald woman smiled thinly.

Rob did as he was told, standing up slowly and gripping the back of his chair for balance. The pain in his chest increased momentarily from the change in position, but quickly subsided. He heard the woman stand and the click-click-click of her heels across the floor. The noise did not offend him so much as before.

Rob followed his interrogator out of the chamber, squinting and wincing as he crossed from the dim room into a bright hallway. It was a short walk to the medical bay. When they arrived a young and very bored-looking doctor looked up from the viewscreen he was studying, and motioned halfheartedly for Rob to sit on one of the examination beds. "I'll be with you in a moment."

Rob sat down and waited. The interrogator stood a few feet away and the guard posted herself just inside the doorway, her gun always trained on Rob's head. At this point, I doubt it's set to "stun".

The doctor walked over, took one look at Rob and said, "Didn't I already examine you?"

"I dunno. Did you?" Rob asked.

"Yeah." The doctor said. "They brought you in about an hour ago. You were unconscious. I took some scans and everything checked out okay. You'll be a bit sore for the next while – you have two cracked ribs and some internal bruising – but if you don't do anything too stupid you should heal up just fine."

"I don't suppose I can see those scans you took?"

"Uh, hold on." The doctor said. He went back to his terminal and pressed a few buttons. The screen and the foot of Rob's bed lit up. "You know how to read one of these?"

"Yeah." Rob said. He shifted his body so he had a better view of the readouts. Sure enough, the doctor was telling the truth.

"Are we finished here?" The interrogator asked.

"I'm satisfied." Rob said. "Well, as much as a guy with two broken ribs and a blown up ship can be."

"I'll escort you back to your room then. I believe you said you have some information."

"One quick thing first. The woman who was with me, where is she?"

Rob's interrogator glared at him and said through clenched teeth. "She is being held for questioning, as you are. Now, if you will please come with me..."

"You know, if it's all the same to you, I'm pretty comfortable here. Could we just stick around and do the interrogation here?" Rob asked.

The bald woman sighed. "Fine. Start talking."

"What do you want to know?" Rob asked.

"Why were you trying to get the artifact?"

"Well," Rob said. "It's not so much that we were trying to get it, as we just didn't want those other folks to get it."

"And who were they?"

"I'm not entirely sure." Rob said.

"If you aren't sure, why were you fighting - ?"

"Can I finish, please?" Rob asked, putting an edge into his voice. "I'm not entirely sure who they were, but I'm almost certain they were working for a man named Jack Mason. Have you heard of him?"

The woman didn't answer.

"Well, he's a Liberty governor with delusions of grandeur. Apparently he's part of some cult known as The Covenant. Heard of them?"

The woman didn't answer.

"My partner and I have been on Mason's tail for quite some time now. We've been doing our best to keep him from bringing whatever plans he has had to fruition. When we found out that there was a dig going on on Primus, we knew that we had to take a look."

"Who gave you the location of the artifact?"

"An old friend of mine is a xeno-archaeologist. He and his colleagues were contacted by an unknown group to participate in a dig. He refused, but passed the information along to me."

"Where is this friend of yours now?" The woman leaned forward, looking at Rob intently.

"I don't know." Rob replied. "I told him to go into hiding for a while. He's with another friend of mine, but there's something in this system that's totally buggered up my Neural Net. I haven't been able to contact anyone since I got here."

"So nobody will be coming to... retrieve you?" The interrogator asked. There was a look about her that Rob found mildly disconcerting.

"I wouldn't say that." Rob lied. "A few of my other partners in this endeavour know we're here, and they'll swing by in about a day if they don't hear anything from us."

"I see." The interrogator sat back. "Now, this Governor Mason, what has he been doing that he should be considered such a threat?"

"Well, the fact that he's after artifacts should give you a hint." Rob said.

"Humor me," said the interrogator.

"He and The Covenant are working to reintroduce the Nomads into Sirius. As far as I can tell, they plan on using them and their technology as tools in their quest for domination."

"It would appear that they must be stopped then."

"Yeah." Rob said. "I was sort of trying to do that until you lot decided it would be a laugh of you broke my goddamn ribs, blew up my fighter, and smashed my head with a rifle."

The interrogator wasn't swayed. "You are still alive; we could have killed you along with your foes."

"Good thing you didn't," Rob shot back. "You think I'm pissed now, you should have seen what happened the last time somebody killed me."

The bald woman puzzled over Rob's response for a second before resuming her questions. "What do you know of the artifact's purpose?"

"Nothing." Rob said. "I'm not interested in using it. All I want is to stop Mason from getting his hands on it."

"You have no desire to use it?"

"None."

"Not even to save the life of your partner?"

Rob's face darkened. "That had better be a f*cking hypothetical."

"Would you use it?" The interrogator pressed.

"Goddamnit, I don't know!" Rob spat. "I don't even know what it does! Where's Tanya? I want to see her. Now!" He made a move to stand.

"I would advise against that." The guard said, speaking for the first time. She had a voice altogether too pleasant for her position. Had he not been unarmed and staring down the barrel of a gun that would disintegrate him in a second, Rob probably would have laughed at the threat. Instead he froze, cursing silently.

"So you care for this woman, Tanya." The interrogator stated.

"Of course I do!" Rob said. "She's my partner!" Don't say anything else. Don't say anything else. Don't say anything else. Don't say…

"But that's not all, is it?" The interrogator asked.

Rob said nothing as he glared back at his captor, stony-faced.

"Let's go back a bit though." The bald woman said. "How can we be sure you aren't the ones who want to do all those things you attributed to Governor Mason?"

Rob sighed. "Look at what we are and look at what they were. There are two of us. We came in one ship – my Falcon. We were picking through the debris of somebody else's base to find information about the artifact.

"Now look at the other guys. They sent two teams to Primus, under heavy guard. They set up a large encampment for support. Tell me, of the two, who strikes you as being more likely to want to take and use your precious artifact for their own purposes?" Rob was beginning to get irritated, and he didn't like it. The interrogator had played him on Tanya, despite his best efforts to put her off-balance.

"It certainly appears as though you are who you claim to be – "

"Great." Rob said. "Can I go now?"

"But we need more concrete proof of your honesty," the bald woman finished.

Rob rolled his eyes and said, "Right, what do you want me to do?"

"The Council will decide that."

"Wonderful." Rob said. "Wonder-f*cking-ful. You know, while you're dithering here, Mason's going to be mounting another expedition to get that artifact."

"It is under guard." The bald woman said. "And our technicians are working to retrieve it."

Rob's eyes widened at that. "Sh*t," he murrmured. Now what? For all I know, these guys could be even worse than Mason.

"In the mean time, you will return to your cell while the Council deliberates on your and your partner's information."

"I want to see my partner." Rob said simply.

"I don't think – "

"Look, I don't care what you have to do. Bind my hands and feet, put me in a straightjacket, stun me, break my other ribs, bust my head again. I don't care. I want to see Tanya."

The bald woman considered this for a moment, turned to look at the guards and looked back at Rob. "Very well. We will take you to your partner's cell. But your hands will have to be bound, and your feet shackled."

"Fine." Rob said.

Just then, and with a speed Rob was beginning to find unnerving, another guard - an older man this time - showed up with hand and leg cuffs. Rob stood and cooperated as first his feet were restrained, and then his hands secured.

"Follow me." The bald woman said. Rob obliged, shuffling off behind her, the two guards watching him carefully.

As Rob was led down the hall he began to get the feeling that something was wrong.

Oh, sh*t, no. Not agai –

- - - -

The two guards hauled Rob's unconscious, bleeding body the last few yards to Tanya's cell. The door hissed open and they dumped him unceremoniously inside.

Summary: The interrogation. Rob explains why he was where he was. He gives some basic background on Mason and why he and Tanya have been working to thwart the Governor's plans. In the end, Rob gets another blow to the head for his troubles. Ouch.

OOC: I know the TGL seem rather... brutal here. However, I don't think it's unrealistic. While we know that T&R should be allied with the TGL, they don't. All the TGL know is that R&T were tring to get the artifact. That alone makes them a threat. Also, there have been a number of studies which have proven that people such as prison guards tend to abuse their power. Finally, Rob wasn't realy cooperative and, to a degree, brought the assaults upon himself.

Anyway, FA, if you're uncomfortable with this, let me know. I'll change things up so Rob does somthing really stupid to deserve the thumping.

Edited by - Codename on 8/22/2005 4:09:31 PM

OOC: Well I'll give it a try. See if anyone likes it.

***

Stefan sat in the chair staring at small plants he had on the diskshelf, admiring the beauty of life, thinking of what other of these ecological wonders might exist. Life is wonderful, he thought. It has it's bad sides but it's absolutely wonderful . He went back to admiring the plants. And this must be one of the good sides of life

A minute later the optronic beeped, signalling that the download was ready. Within a second the computer initiated it's shutdown. When that was done he pulled out the wire from the socket that connected him with the computer. He pulled it out from the socket on his arm and closed the lid to dust and other small things from gathering in the 'armsocket', and put the wire in his pocket.

It hit him that he hasn't watched the news for nearly two weeks now. He quickly went to a sofa in the middle of the room, activated the TV and went to the news channel. There a picture of a farm on Stuttgart was viewed, then faded out and the news-announcers young picture was viewed.

''It has been a week since the manslaughtering terrorist know only as 'Dev' committed suicide at the window of his hotel room. The butcher put a side arm towards his head and fired while grinning. But the people still question the government on why the Police was so innef-''

- YES! Stefan shouted. ''The butcher is dead! The plague has ended!''. He went back to normal and began to feel some pressure in the ''down under''. He went for the bathroom and relieved himself of the pressure.

***

When he came out ten minutes later he heard loud voices from the kitchen. As he made his way to the room he knew what was going on. ''And this has to be one of the bad sides of live'', he said with a sigh. He went in and saw that Jim (Henderson) and Benno (Krüger) were yelling at each other over the table. About as petty things as Liberty politics.

- Quiet! He yelled then calmed down, ''you make such a noise that could be heard all the way to Potsdam! Now I know that your political opinions differ, but you don't have to go around yelling about it. This is not the bloody Rheinland Reichstag. Jim'', he turned to the freelancer, didn't you have a mission to fly?

-Well yes but-

-The go an do it instead of sitting here and losing your prey.'' He then turned to the Zoner, and you said you were just coming over for a short visit. Well it seems it weren’t that short at all aye?

-Yeah, I'll just be heading back to Freeport 2 now.

-Right. And no more of these petty squabbles ok?

-Sure Vater, they both said simultaneously. Then went to their ships.

He sighed and walked back to the sofa and relaxed. ''Det ser ut som om dem fortfarande har en bit kvar'' (Seems like they still have a bit to go).

Just then he recieved a message on his inbuilt neural net. He answered within a second. Walther had called him from Freiburg and wanted them to meet on planet Stuttgart.

He went to the kitchen and warmed a portion of cabbage pasta. He ate it quickly and went to walk into the town where his ship was stored. He locked the door of his house wich looked more like an underground storehouse. He took the path through the forest (wich is the only way to town from his house). Well nobody has died of a little forest walk.

***

He opened the garage doors and entered that little pile of junk, he opened his little hatch and stuck in the wire in his armsocket and an open socket in the ship. Then he took off. The ships name ''Rebirth'' gleamed as the dusk suns rays shone upon the ships hull. The sky was clear with a few clouds here and there.

The giant gates of the docking ring swung open as he exited the atmosphere. ''Zoners zeta 9 dash 4 this is Planet New Berlin, planetary exit successful, good luck out there.''

-Understood, Stefan responded and activated his cruise engine. He looked back at the beautiful white-blue-yellow coloured world and entered the trade lane to Brandenburg Border Station. Enjoying the ''plump'' sound as he called it. He sat back and chuckled. When people bother themselves with turning their lever here and there and reaching around just to press a little button all I have to do is to sit back and relax. Live is just wonderful.

He exited the trade lane and received a call from the border station.

-This is Brandenburg Border Station to Unknown Ship please identify yourself.

-This is Zoners zeta 4 dash 9 sending the data know. I'm on route from Planet New Berlin and heading towards the Stuttgart System. He answered and continued towards the trade lane.

-Roger that Zoners zeta 4 dash 9, your clear to proceed. But before the robot had time to respond, he was already on his way to Bonn Station.

He exited the trade lane and was already entering the one leading to the Stuttgart Jumpgate. Strange, ain't there any pirate activity here? Do they have a day off or what? , he wondered. Normally the trade lane was always disrupted at this place, but not today. Well at least I'll don't have to bother talking to some greedy Hessian this time.

He came to the Stuttgart gate and to his surprise there was no activity there. It was dead. Not even a pirate. He went forth to the gate initiating the docking sequence. Then he pulled out his wire and put it back in his pocket. The sheep speeded towards the jump tunnel and Stefan was pressed back a little. Then he was blinded by the light that always comes with jump travel.

Tanya leapt forwards in a blur of movement, batting the rifle aside moments after it slammed into Rob's head and spun on her heel in the same movement. Her fist swept around in a tight arc and connected with the soldier's head issuing a resounding crack. The stunned soldier dropped the rifle and she flicked up back up into the air grabbing it deftly. The young woman aimed the pulse rifle first at one soldier, than the other, then back to the first.

The man she struck moaned softly and tried to rise, but without taking her eyes off the remaining two soldiers who had also trained their weapons on her she brought the edge of her foot down sharply and kicked the fallen man in the head. He slumped forwards motionless.

"That's for Rob," she said coldly. "And one of you might survive. But I promise you, the other certainly won't," Tanya added. She wasn't sure of just how powerful this energy weapon was but remained confident she could shoot one, perhaps dodge a mortal blow from the other and return fire.

The men seemed to hesitate, finally one spoke.

"The soldier wasn't authorised to strike him. Our orders are to apprehend you. Alive. Drop your weapon and you'll be unharmed."

Tanya frowned. The man spoke in common Sirian but was heavily accented in a way she'd never heard before, it was musical in lilt.

"How do I know you won't kill us if I give you the weapon?" she asked.

"We had the opportunity to level the surface of this planet if we wanted to do that," replied the same soldier. He seemed more tense now.

Tanya watched him closely.

"Where are you going to take us? And if I don't like your answer, I'm going to shoot anyway. I have nothing to lose," she said tersely. Except my life. And Rob's she thought.

"We take you for questioning. There is a cruiser in orbit above us. The answers you give will determine how The Council decide your fates," came the reply.

"Who is the Council?" asked Tanya, her green eyes blazed. "Is this the Covenant?"

The two men looked at each other, and this was all Tanya needed. She fired the rifle once, dropped to her right and fired it again. Both pulses sizzled into the barrels of the rifles each man carried and they were forced to drop them as the weapons became superhot. They stood back and rubbed their hands whilst glaring at the determined woman ahead of them.

"Looks like I have all the aces," she said. The men watched her slightly confused. "Never mind, where is the ship you landed in?"

One of the men pointed to a hill and indicated beyond it. Tanya nodded.

"You move, you die. Now, sit on your hands."

The two men obeyed and reluctantly sat down on their hands, the enmity from their glares obvious. Tanya reached down and grabbed the unconscious Rob using one arm around his waist. She heaved him up and blew out her breath in a moment of exertion.

"You need to lose some weight, darling," she murmured under her breath.

She half dragged, half carried the prone man a hundred yards, occasionally checking over her shoulder to see if the men were still sat on the ground. They hadn't moved. This pleased, yet annoyed her. Tanya reached the top of the hill and saw the dropship just fifty yards away below the crest of the hill. Minutes later, she reached the ship and unceremoniously dumped Rob on the ground to catch her breath. The dropship was the size of a Rhino freighter. She climbed up into the cockpit, searched around for a moment and found the loading bay controls, opening the doors.

Tanya jumped down, dragged Rob inside and strapped him into a chair. She shut the bay doors and climbed back up into the cockpit, taking some time to familiarise herself with the controls.

Moments later, the dropship lifted off and she felt the pull of gravity and acceleration as the freighter's thrusters powered it's way into the planet's upper atmosphere.

She smiled as she set co-ordinates for the closest jumphole. The debris floating in space almost seemed welcoming, after the torrid time spent buried underground in the artifact's chamber. There would be no way into that area now, the heavy bombing destroyed the main tunnel leaving it a melted mess. Rob and Tanya were the only ones to know of the twin shafts, besides the apes, and none of those people would share that information either.

Suddenly her smile faded, the controls on her ship ceased responding and to her horror, the navmap co-ordinates reset themselves. The ship turned without her influence and began tracking back to the planet they just left, but in an arc circumventing the planet itself. Sweat began to bead on her brow and her stomach churned.

"What's going on?" she yelled aloud. As the dropship rounded the planet, she understood. The dropship had an automated flight sequence that had activated once it had flown too far from the cruiser it was assigned to. Without knowing how to turn it off, they were totally in the Ta Gua Led's control. Moments after reaching this conclusion, a wing of fighters appeared on the radar and were closing fast.

Tanya sighed, relaxed and sat back in the chair, as the sight of a huge, dark menacing cruiser loomed ahead in the distance covered by the planet's dark side.


***


As soon as her dropship landed on the deck of the main hangar bay, a squad of dark armoured men swept into the cockpit. They moved swiftly and efficiently, clearly knowing every inch of their own vessel as they covered her with pulse rifles. She raised her hands and a hood was put over her head. She felt a moment of panic threaten to overwhelm her but quelled the feeling viciously. So long as she remained calm, they had a chance. Tanya heard Rob being unstrapped from the chair and wondered where he would be taken.

She was led off the dropship onto the hangar bay deck and then forced to lie down, presumably on a stretcher. She instinctively struggled as her legs and arms were tied down but gave up shortly. Tanya felt a sharp pain, as something was jabbed into her arm, darkness, darker than what the hood gave her soon embraced her.


***


The cell she was placed in was spartan at best. Bereft of anything and everything except two chairs placed opposite each other and a table, all were sealed to the floor so they were unmoveable. The cold, windowless, smooth metallic walls reminded her of her captivity aboard the space station near Cambridge, when Travis and his bounty hunters had captured her the first time.

"The only time," she said to herself. The clothes she wore were still her own. There was a plate of some kind of porridge and a plastic cup with water on the table.

She ate some, no point not keeping your strength up, Tanya thought. She sipped at the water, not knowing how long the next refreshments would be in coming.

Minutes later, the door opened and Tanya marvelled at the technology. The door was literally a part of the wall and when it closed left no visible lines. It swept up, and a hard-looking man entered. He was tall, taller than Rob and built heavily. The uniform he wore was pitch black, zips running across his chest from shoulder to hip. A silver belt was buckled at his waist and his boots were solid grey. The only thing that set the caucasian man apart from a regular Liberty Sirian was the odd bulbous object on the back of his neck. It was the size of a fist, and as Tanya observed, seemed to pulse. Like a heartbeat. The organism was attached to the man's neck, unnervingly he smiled when he saw Tanya notice it.

She switched her attention back to him and stared malevolently, her green eyes unwavering as they held to the man's own stone-grey pupils.

He sat down opposite Tanya and had the slightest hint of a smile. It was infuriating to Tanya. He had all the power. She bit her lip and said nothing, for a while the pair merely watched each other, studying each other's face, the imperfections, the faint lines and other features. Minutes passed, Tanya grew more annoyed but resisted the urge to yell at him furiously.

Instead, she smiled too. Then the smile became a grin and eventually she couldn't help but laugh. The man watched her throw her head back in morbid curiosity, then scowled to Tanya's delight.

"You might as well laugh," he said through gritted teeth. "You're not going anywhere. Not until we get what we want out of you."

"Ah. I thought all the apes were left down on the planet below us," said Tanya teasingly. Her head lowered until her eyes became slits. The man growled.

"If I were in your position I would be careful," threatened the man. Tanya nodded, this was something she knew how to deal with.

"What will you use to hurt me? Bad language? Rip up the chair? That would be interesting to see," her words came out like stinging venom, rapid and unerring. "Or will you rip off that lump of flesh behind your neck and beat me to death with it?" Tanya hissed, leaning forwards in her chair.

The man roared and stood up sharply, rounding the table to stand within inches of Tanya who still sat calmly, now looking at her nails. The woman looked up at him and smiled.

"Don't ever think to threaten me. If your superiors had wanted us dead, or merely wanted information out of us both Rob and I would be strapped into some kind of machine capable of probing our senses."

The man grinned in reply, he still stood over Tanya, his shadow looming over her.

"How do you know we haven't already?" he asked.

"Because, you ape, if you had then you would have gained all the data you need already and this conversation wouldn't be taking place," remarked the woman. The man's face paled. "Why don't you sit down and start again? Without the attitude?" asked Tanya, her face serious now.

The man considered this, grunted once, then returned to his chair.

"You're very cool," he said once sat down. "I'm told you have great control over your emotions. I see this is true," he said with an even tone. A test? Tanya thought. No, she was sure he was rattled.

"I am Tanya. I will refer to you as Ape, unless you say otherwise," she began. The man didn't move, but spoke after a while.

"We know you are. Both you and your companion have been fully scanned. We checked your neural nets. All data pertaining to you both is known to us. What we do not know, is why you were on Primus."

She frowned.

"This isn't going to work. If I keep answering your questions we won't get anywhere, will we? How about this, you ask me a question then I ask a question."

The man sat silently. Tanya laughed again, then stood up making the man freeze watching her.

"Helloo?" she yelled about the room. "Anyone out there? If this ape isn't superior enough to answer my questions, send someone in who is!" she demanded. "Hellooo?"

"Sit down," ordered the man. Tanya ignored him, and walked around the room tapping the wall using her knuckles every so often.

"Hello? Anyone there?" she bellowed again.

"Alright!" said the man. "Fine. Ask your question. But I want your answer afterwards."

Tanya smiled, then sat down.

"Why was the artifact important to you?" she asked. The man noticeably cringed, though he tried to hide it, but only nodded in reply. Tanya sighed. "We were investigating a xeno-archaelogical expedition known as the Hammer group, an independent company hired by Sirian corporations to hunt down ancient alien artifacts. Now your turn."

The man sat silently again, then replied, his voice low and rumbling like thunder.

"The artifact is important to us. That's all you need to know," he replied. Tanya gasped audibly.

"Are you an idiot?" she asked. The man reddened "I know that already. What does it do? How do you control it? Are there more?" she pressed.

The man said nothing. Suddenly the door opened and a shorter, thinner man dressed in grey robes entered the room. He appeared to be in his mid-fifties, his hair was grey and he wore a pair of spectacles in a light frame. He smiled benevolently.

"It appears as though we were wrong in our deductions on how best to elicit information from you, Tanya. My name is Garibald. This is Chambers. His real name would be unpronounceable to you,"

"Ook?" interrupted Tanya.

Garibald laughed.

"Ah, humour. A wonderfully human trait. Come Chambers. Leave us. You did your best," he said to the large man sat in the chair. He glared at Tanya once more, then stood and stalked out of the room.

"Ook!" chirped Tanya as he left. The robed man sat down in the chair and placed both hands on the table. Tanya noticed he too possessed an organism on the back of his neck. "That must chafe," she said softly nodding at the object.

Garibald smiled.

"Yes. It does I imagine, though I never feel it."

"Never? Or can't?" asked the woman.

"A bit of both, perhaps," came the reply. "It seems that we should have treated you somewhat differently," began the older man. "Tell me. In order for us to peacefully learn all that you know, what do you need from us?"

Tanya looked thoughtful.

"I know you are the," she paused. "Ta'Gau'Led. I have no idea what that means. What is your interest in the artifact below us? Why did you destroy the Covenant forces yet keep us alive? And more of all, where is Rob?" Tanya's face hardened as she mentioned the freelancer's name. Strange how even saying his name would elicit such a force from within, but it kept her focused. She still had no idea where they were imprisoned, nor how she could get off this ship.

"Rob is fine. And we will release you both soon," said Garibald almost reading her mind.

Perhaps he did , she thought.

"Why are the Covenant your enemies?" asked Garibald.

"To be honest, I don't rightly know. We've only encountered them remotely, they seem to be some kind of religious group affiliated with a man named Governor Jack Mason."

Garibald sat still absorbing the information.

"What does this Mason want with the artifact then? Do the Covenant work for him, or he for them?"

"I'm not sure," admitted Tanya. "There's also someone else, known as The Abbott. I think he is in overall control." She paused. "What do the artifacts do?" asked Tanya.

"Well, they -"

"So there's more than one?"

Garibald smiled.

"Yes. There are five in total. They each represent an element of the universe. Fire, earth, air, water and the energy that courses throughout all that binds it together. You humans had a name for it once, chi , I believe."

Tanya sat for a moment.

"Life-energy," she said softly. "You keep saying 'you humans'. Are you not you human yourself?" Tanya asked.

Garibald smiled.

"Yes. And no," he said nodding. "We share a physical form similar to you, but that is where our similarities end. Our..partners," he said motioning towards the organism pulsing on the back of his neck, "give us greater strength, reflexes, memory capacity and longer life. Some of the oldest and more learned of us have learnt to harness the symbiotic energies in other ways too, giving us powers beyond what I have already mentioned." His eyes flared yellow for a moment, startling Tanya, then they faded back to their original stone grey.

Tanya shook her head in disbelief.

"I think you were humans once. But you have been changed," she said.

"Perhaps. Evolved is a more appropriate term, however. Do not fear, we only enhance willing subjects. They are most grateful. We, together, are the Ta'Gua'Led. It is a sharing of forms, let us say."

The woman only stared at the pulsing organism. It seemed grotesque, but the way Garibald was speaking, it seemed to be more than a partner, perhaps they shared vital life functions now. She wondered how the human form was chosen as the vehicle, but that would be a conversation for another day.

"Did it hurt when your," she paused. "Partner was implanted?" Tanya asked.

"Oh no!" exclaimed Garibald. "Not at all. In fact, within a few weeks the physical form will shrink, lose mass and eventually fall away. At that point, our synergy is impossible to reverse. We have become one creature in full," he said smiling. Garibald stood up and walked away from the table a little.

"I know you have many questions, Tanya. But I can tell you this. The artifacts are most powerful, even independently they can be used to generate massive force. But they must never be brought together. When the artifacts were originally forged eons ago, their creators designed them so they would never cease to function. They have survived the births and deaths of many universes, and each time the keepers of their existence leave behind fingerprints so they can be found and used to develop life again. Only the most powerful, advanced and learned of beings can hope to harness their energies, those beings are now in ancient memory. We, Ta'Gua'Led have only the faintest of hints and clues to find, and thus protect those artifacts that remain. There are others like them, but these are the most powerful and important."

Tanya listened enthralled. Garibald continued.

"They must never be touched or used by the races that exist in the universe now. Even our kind have refrained from going near them. Our role in life is to protect them. And the fewest other races know of us, or the artifacts the safer our universe will be. It is therefore vital that this Covenant, or Mason you speak of never encounter the artifacts. They are not to be used ever. Only, left alone to exist by those who created them."

The woman blinked quite spellbound, unsure of what she'd heard.

"We need to find the others. Then remove all trace of their existence," said Garibald finally. "You and your companion Rob will help us. I leave it to you how you speak of what you know to him. His mind is focused on other matters, no doubt he will be a useful ally in future times. You will need all the allies you can muster. We will be watching and helping where we can. But keeping our existence unknown where possible, is just as vital as finding the remaining artifacts."

Tanya couldn't believe how close they came to near total destruction. Althought she doubted her ability to even dent the spinning artifact. Perhaps the object knew that anyway , she thought.

"All the artifacts are located in Sirius?" she asked.

Garibald frowned for the first time.

"Yes. Not quite the far-flung reaches of the universe. In fact, the Nomads were developed as guardians of the artifacts. They appear only when the artifacts themselves are threatened with discovery. Summoned if you will. There are other means of summoning the Nomads too, we were dispatched to learn why the Nomads re-surfaced in a system not far from here."

Tanya swallowed.

"I can tell you something of that," she said.

And she did.


***


An hour later, Tanya and Garibald had shared everything they knew. Tanya had become to like the old man. He seemed benevolent, if a little detached and removed.

"It is time for me to leave," said Garibald. "I wish you luck with your endeavours. We have prepared a ship for you, it is in the form of a Sabre, though we have upgraded the armour, shielding, sensors and weapons slightly. You will be pleased with the results, I suspect. The last thing for you to know, is one of our agents was dispatched to Sirius some while ago. We do not know how he is progessing, but his name is Gabriel. You will know if you encounter him."

Tanya smiled and shook Garibald's extended hand.

"A curious manner of salutation and farewell, is it not?" he replied looking down at his hand after he had shaken Tanya's. "Ah, your companion will arrive shortly. It has been a pleasant meeting. Good luck, Tanya."

He nodded once, stood up and backed out of the door which hissed open, then closed. A moment later, two rough looking men unceremoniously dumped Rob's prone body on the floor of the room. Tanya ran over to him.

"Oh no, what have they done to you, Rob!?" she shouted. She was about to ask the two men but they quickly stepped out into the corridor and the door hissed close again.

Tanya pulled him inside and sat with her back against the wall. Rob's head was cradled in her lap and she unconsciously stroked his hair, for how long she didn't know. Tanya was turning over the information in her mind, when she realised Rob was awake.

"Hey. How long have you been awake?" she demanded. Rob murmured a reply. She stood up sharply letting Rob's head crash to the floor.

"Ow!"

"You rogue!" she said. Rob got up and grinned looking boyish for a moment. Tanya's anger melted.

"I couldn't help it. It was just so comfortable," teased Rob. Tanya hugged him, and he returned it fiercely. Their hearts leapt in their chests for moment and they kissed for a long while.

"Damn you're a sight for sore eyes," said Rob in a low tone that made Tanya's heart skip a beat.

"You just look sore, Rob," she said with a smile.

They felt the cruiser shudder to a halt and Tanya broke away from the clinch.

"I have a lot to tell you," she said. "And I don't know if it's good or bad news.."


***

ttfn

x





Edited by - athena on 8/24/2005 1:45:56 AM

Edited by - athena on 8/26/2005 2:09:56 AM

OOC: Everyone takes a shot at Dev...

I never did.... =D


did I?

Hhehehe probably not...

But he's so lovable...

Rob's mind drifted back to consciousness slowly. First came the pain, as Rob would have expected. Then, surprisingly, comfort. His head was nestled in something soft and warm, and Rob felt fingers running gently through his hair. As quickly as it had come, the pain faded away. He kept his eyes closed and remained still, enjoying a few moments of peace.

The binders on his wrists and ankles weighed heavily on Rob. Shouldn't be too hard to deal with though. Letting his right eye open a crack, Rob hazarded a glance up at Tanya. Her thoughts seemed elsewhere as she stroked Rob's head absentmindedly.

Ahhh. Good.

Rob immediately set to work. He studied his wrist-cuffs carefully. They didn't appear to be any model he was familiar with, but he was still able to isolate the locking mechanism without too much trouble. It looked to be electronic, with a mechanical backup mechanism. This won't be easy, he thought.

With his left index finger Rob pressed down hard on his left thumbnail. The polymer-based adhesive broke silently and the false-keratin sheath slid away to reveal a razor-sharp blade. In four deft movements Rob had cut away the synthetic skin of his right palm. Underneath were a number of tiny, specialized tools. They had been preserved and kept soft by a special formula trapped between the layers of skin.

The liquid evaporated quickly and odourlessly, and the tools hardened almost instantly in Rob's hand. He picked through them, selecting those he might need. The rest he let spill from his hand; their biological components would degrade quickly, leaving no useful trace.

First, Rob disabled the mechanical lock. It was easy enough to do while it remained disengaged. He broke off a piece of multi-use material and used a small pin to jam the sliding-bolt mechanism.

The electronic lock proved to be somewhat more difficult. First, Rob needed to find the circuit board. This required him to carefully examine the entire surface area of the cuffs with a special electrosensitive rod. It began to shake powerfully, indicating to Rob that he had found what he was looking for. Another few quick movements from his left thumb and he intricate optronics were revealed.

For all its complexity, actually disrupting the lock was easy. Rob carefully inserted a microscopic prism into the beam of light which held the lock shut. The beam diffracted and the lock slid open.

Rob looked up at Tanya again. She was still lost in her own thoughts. She hadn't stopped stroking Rob's head though, and Rob wasn't about to give her reason to. Quietly, he slipped his wrists out of their binders.

Rob lay on his back, gazing up at the beautiful young woman who had captured his heart so.

Suddenly, Tanya looked down, surprised to find Rob conscious. "Hey. How long have you been awake?" she demanded.

"Dunno. Doesn't matter." Rob mumbled.

Tanya jumped up and Rob's head hit the floor. "Ow!"

"You rogue!" Tanya admonished, though it seemed to Rob that she wasn't really angry.

Rob grinned as he stood, despite the aches and pains that came flooding back. "I couldn't help it. It was just so comfortable."

Any lingering anger Tanya may have felt melted away and she hugged Rob tenderly. Rob wrapped his arms around Tanya's slender, toned body and pulled her to him. Their faces met, cheek caressing cheek. They touched for a moment before slipping into a long kiss.

When they pulled apart – too soon for Rob – he gazed longingly at Tanya's gorgeous face, "Damn you're a sight for sore eyes."

Tanya's eyes widened momentarily before she smiled. "You just look sore, Rob."

Suddenly the floor under Rob's feet shook and he felt the familiar sensation of deceleration. We're on a ship? Rob thought. That'll make escape tougher.

Tanya released Rob and stepped back. "I have a lot to tell you," she said. "And I don't know if it's good or bad news..."

"Hm." Rob said. "Can't say I learned anything of use. Other than it's a bad idea to get hit in the head too often. Let me sit down and get out of these shackles. Then you can tell me what you know."

Rob shuffled over to the nearest chair and set to work picking his was out of the ankle-cuffs. While he was busy, Tanya took the seat opposite him and waited. Rob was able to finish quickly, having full use of both his hands.

"Now, what is it you managed to learn?"

Tanya opened her mouth and was just about to begin speaking when Rob suddenly raised his hand. He stood and walked around the table, stopping to kneel beside the young woman. Tanya looked at Rob, first in puzzlement, and then, as he brought his face to hers, worry, disappointment and even a bit of anger.

"Rob! Now isn't the time! We have things – "

She stopped speaking abruptly when Rob whispered, "Bugs."

Tanya nodded almost imperceptibly. She and Rob had become so used to simply using Rob's favoured gadgets that they had almost forgotten to consider that they were being taped.

Tanya turned her head and brought her lips to Rob's ear. She said, "Why don't we just subvocalize?"

The sound of Tanya's whispered words and the feeling of her warm breath on his skin sent a shiver down Rob's spine. He couldn't help but imagine hearing some decidedly less prosaic phrases from the sometimes mischievous and often playful Tanya.

Rob swallowed and said, "Won't work. They'll either be blocking or recording all comm traffic here. Most likely the former, and - assuming they aren't - even if we use maximal encryption, they'll still be able to crack the transmissions. We're stuck whispering."

"Oh, I'm sure you're devastated." Tanya said, her voice taking a sultry note.

Rob coughed, taking care not to bark in Tanya's ear. "Just tell me what you know."

"Hold on. We'll be more comfortable if we're both on the floor for this," Tanya said. She pulled her face away from Rob's.

Rob nodded and sat, cross-legged, two feet away from Tanya's chair. Tanya stood and walked around the chair. She settled to the floor gracefully and leaned forward, Rob mirroring her action.

"First things first. Where are we, and how did we get here?" Rob whispered, cupping his hand around his mouth to muffle his speech and to make lip-reading impossible.

"We're on a carrier of some sort," Tanya answered. "I almost managed to escape after you were knocked out, but the transport I stole had some pre-programmed routines I couldn't deal with."

Rob was more than a little impressed. Alone and unarmed, Tanya had somehow managed to take out three soldiers. Rob wished he could have seen her in action. "What happened then?"

"When we landed, we were boarded. I was tranquilized and brought here. You were taken to your cell, I assume."

"They didn't do anything... did they?" Rob asked, his concern coming through loud and clear. Instinctively, he wrapped his free arm around Tanya.

"Other than scanning out Neural Nets and taking our things? No. We'd know if they did anything else." Tanya said, reassuringly. She patted Rob on the back.

"And your interrogation? How did that go?" Rob asked.

Tanya told Rob everything, from Chambers' arrival to Garibald's departure. Much of what she said seemed too fanciful to be real. The "nodes" screamed Nomad involvement, and keeping his arm around Tanya, Rob reached back and felt for any lumps on the back of his neck. Rob was worried that he and Tanya would be turned into unwitting pawns for some other group's plan for domination. Not on my watch, he promised himself silently.

Rob could help but chuckle at Tanya's recounting of her dealings with "Ook". Garibald was a more menacing figure though. Rob got the sense that Tanya had not been given the whole story, that Garibald knew more than he was letting on. The unspecified "powers beyond" gave Rob the chills. And it the notion that the Ta'Gue'Led considered themselves more "evolved" was disturbing as well. Rob knew well enough that a superiority complex was the first step down the road to evil.

Tanya told Rob of the artifacts, and their immeasurable power. He hoped that some might be well beyond Mason's reach, but Tanya soon put an end to that wish. Tanya explained that the Ta'Gue'Led wished to remove all traces of the artifacts from Sirius, that others such as Mason could not abuse their power. Rob was disquieted by the lack of any mention of what his captors planned to do once they possessed the artifacts. He tried to think up his own methods of dealing with them. With only the information passed on to him by Tanya, Rob couldn't think of much short of launching the artifacts into a star. That, of course, came with a rather significant risk to both Rob and any denizens of that particular system. It was hard to tell if the risk would be worthwhile.

"...and that just about covers everything." Tanya finished. Rob turned over the information in his head. It was a lot to take in.

"What's our next move?" Rob asked.

"I thought about that myself while you were 'enjoying the view'." Tanya said, pinching Rob's ear teasingly. "I think we should work with them. But keep on our guard."

"I was thinking the same thing." Rob said. "Have they offered anything concrete?"

"Yes. They've offered us a ship and will help however possible."

"What sort of ship?" Rob asked, hoping for something fun to fly.

"A Sabre." Tanya answered. Rob grunted; he wasn't entirely pleased. "They say it's been modified slightly."

"Did that Garibald guy give you any specific instructions? Where to go? What to look for? Things like that."

"No. I think he wanted to wait and make sure you would 'cooperate'." Tanya said.

"Yeah, I'll play along." Rob said. "I guess now we just have to wait."

"They may be a while..." Tanya whispered.

"I can think of a few ways to pass the time." Rob kissed Tanya's neck softly.

"They might be watching."

"Good."

- - - -

Rob didn't know for how long he and Tanya had been kissing when he heard the distinctive suck-hiss of the door opening, and the sound of a person entering. Reluctantly Tanya and Rob disentangled their intertwined limbs and stood to face the newcomer, a beet-red Chambers.

Rob attempted to straighten his tattered, rumpled shirt before remembering what lousy shape it was in, and how pointless his efforts were. Tanya immediately recognized the man before her and welcomed him with a gleeful "Ook!"

Chambers' face went from red to purple and Rob fought hard to suppress his laughter.

"I've come to bring you to Larius." Chambers said, staring resolutely at his grey combat boots.

It was then that Rob first noticed the pulsating protrusion on the back of the man's neck, just as Tanya had described it. It pulsated in a manner that seemed rather sinister to Rob. "Who's Larius?" He asked.

"He is head of the Council, and leader of the Ta'Gue'Led." Chambers answered. "Do not keep him waiting."

Rob and Tanya looked at each other and nodded.

"Ook ook!" Tanya said.

"I think that means 'lead on'," Rob translated, a goofy grin plastered on his face.

Chambers scowled, spun on his heel and marched out of the cell. Tanya and Rob followed not far behind. When they stepped out of their cell they were flanked by a contingent of guards. Tanya had shown that she was not to be underestimated, and the Ta'Gue'Led were taking no more chances.

They wound their way through the ship. A slight increase in deck vibration gave Rob the feeling that they were moving aft, towards the engines. He and Tanya were ushered into a lift and were whisked upwards. They emerged from the lift seconds later. The room they stepped into was dark. It was lit only by the diffuse light of space filtering through the large window which dominated the room.

Rob could see a table before him, and seven figures seated behind it, shrouded in darkness. Light began to emanate from behind the central figure – presumably Larius - surrounding him in an almost eerie yellow glow. The rest of the figures remained in darkness.

The man spoke, his voice was soft and warm, paternal. "Hello Tanya. Hello Rob. I am Larius."

Rob and Tanya waited for him to continue.

"Let me begin by apologizing to you, Rob, for your mistreatment." Larius said. "There are those amongst us who take our superiority as license to overstep their bounds. Rest assured, the offenders will be reprimanded."

"Good to know." Rob said. Again with the goddamn complex, he thought. These people are dangerous.

"Do you know why I have brought you here?" Larius asked.

"You want to help us," Tanya said. "And you want us to help you."

"Yes." Larius nodded. "Are you willing to work with us?"

"Sure." Rob said easily. "You scratch our back, we'll scratch yours."

"Excellent." Larius clapped his hands together. It sounded to Rob like the man was smiling. "I want you to go to the planet you have named 'Los Angeles'. There is an artifact there – that which governs 'water'."

"Los Angeles is a big planet," Rob said. "Do you know exactly where the artifact is?"

"Yes," Larius answered. "All mission data has been uploaded into your Sabre. You must move quickly, we do not have time to waste in briefings now that Mason and his Covenant have discovered the artifacts' existence. You can review everything at your leisure while you travel. Also, we have loaded your personal effects into the Sabre, along with some special equipment."

"We'll leave now." Tanya said.

"Good, I wish you the best of luck." The light behind Larius faded, and the room was dark once more.

- - - -

Rob and Tanya emerged onto the flight deck. Rob froze for a moment and marveled at the spacecraft that sat before him. The Ta'Gue'Led fighters were almost like nothing he had ever seen before. Upon closer inspection, Rob saw that they bore some similarities to Nomad fighters, cementing Tanya's information and causing Rob's worry to grow.

They were quite a bit larger than Nomad fighters, however, with two large engine pods – each almost the size of a Nomad fighter - slung below a small cockpit. The entire body of the ship glowed yellow.

The transport craft were equally exotic. They bore four engine pods, similar to those on the fighters. The main fuselage was long and rounded, with a large, semicircular cockpit at front.

In amongst these exotic craft there sat a number of fighters of Sirian manufacture. Rob saw some Kusari Dragons, a number of Banshee Rheinland Light Fighters, and all Civilian ships from the diminutive Starflier, to the powerful, imposing Eagle. Rob gazed longingly at the smooth, sleek lines of the few Falcons that sat in the bay, but walked towards the Sabre he and Tanya had been given.

"I don't like Sabres," he grumbled.

"Then you won't mind if I fly?" Tanya asked brightly.

"I'd mind if you didn't." Rob said.

"If you're going to be like this all the way to LA..." Tanya said, a hint of exasperation in her voice.

"Sorry." Rob said. "I just don't like these people very much."

"Well don't take it out on me." Tanya shot back.

"Okay." Rob said, raising his hands. "I won't. Here, you get the ship ready for launch. I'll go see if I can't vent my frustrations. Do a full sweep of all systems. If these guys are watching us, of have any cards up their sleeves, I want to at least know about it."

"Got it," Tanya said. Rob peeled away from her as she loped towards the Border Worlds Very Heavy Fighter.

Stopping in the middle of the hangar, Rob scanned the area for the biggest, meanest-looking person he could find. After about a minute, he had settled on three potential candidates. He studied each for a moment before recognizing the third as one who had been part of the group which had captured him.

Rob took a deep breath, and strode purposefully up to the man.

"Excuse me," he said, tapping the soldier on the shoulder. "I was wondering if I can get you to help me with something?"

"What?" The Ta' trooper turned to face Rob.

And met Rob's flying fist, head on. The force of impact resounded in the cavernous hangar as the soldier was lifted clean off his feet by Rob's surprise punch. He crumpled onto the deck.

Rob immediately broke into a run towards the Sabre, grinning like the idiot he was. He tore through the hangar bay and up the ladder, giggling furiously as he landed in the seat behind Tanya.

"I take it you feel better?" Tanya said, not looking up from the last of her checks.

"Yes, yes. Now, let's go!" Rob said. "Quickly!"

Tanya turned around as the Sabre exited the hangar. "What did you do?"

Rob just snickered.

Summary: Rob and Tanya are reunited. Tanya fills Rob in on what Garibald said. They discuss what they will do next, agreeing to at least play along with the Ta's, if not allying with them outright. T&R are taken to meet Larius, who gives them the basic outline of their misson. R&T leave, but not before Rob gets some well-deserved revenge for the beatings he suffered.

OOC: A couple things...

First off, I'd just like to say a few words about the second kissing scene. Rob's motivations aren't necessarily as simple as you might think. Sure, there's the obvious reason, but there's a slightly more subtle one as well. You see, humans are voyeuristic to a degree. This isn't something we're often proud of though, and we try to suppress our instinct to watch people doing intimate things, especially when we aren't alone. Now, I figure whoever's watching/listening to Tanya and Rob's (rom)antics in the cell isn't alone. At the very least, they're sharing thoughts with a symbiote. So it'll be very uncomfortable for them. Rob knows this, and figures that he'll be able to get out of the cell quicker because of it. That's also why he says "good" when Tanya reminds him of the watchers; not because he's some sort of closet exhibitionist.

Second, I'd just like to throw out a few ideas for what might happen next. We'll say that Tanya didn't pick up any overt signs of modification to the Sabre, other than those Garibald already told her about. Rob will still want to take a look though, so he and Tanya will set down somewhere (doesn't really matter where) and have a friend of one of them (I'm thinking Tanya) tear the ship apart and look over it piece by piece. Maybe T&R will even switch ships, leaving the Sabre behind while it's being analyzed. Oh, and the special equipment includes flame-throwers to deal with the water guardian that R&T will encounter.

Edited by - Codename on 8/26/2005 8:30:29 AM

Fabulous update.

I think I'll pause here before writing another update, because I'm keen to see whether the other story arcs will develop opportunities to merge with this one..?

ttfn

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