The attendant's feet were placed on the desk, his shoes smudging the touchscreen that were spread over the morgues front desk. His heel inadvertently activated the dispenser unit down the hall, and a single dribble of coffee was dripping onto the floor. The attendant reached languidly over to the touchscreen and thumbed the off button. The screen stopped bleeping. The coffee kept dribbling thought.
The attendant flipped a page in his data slate, pressing his thumb on the upper right corner, then sliding it over to the upper left corner. This switched to the next page in the trashy romance novel he was reading. Light streamed through the door, and if he didn't know better, the light would actually be sunlight. A shadow darkened the door, the light interrupted by a slim, female form. The attendant snapped his data slate shut, powering it down, then compressed it another level by folding it again. Then he slipped it slowly into his back pocket.
├óÔé¼┼ôHello, can I help you?├óÔé¼┬Ø the attendant asked, sitting up. His chair was bolted to the floor, as the light gravity of Vulcan would make furniture bounce around dangerously if someone got out of them too quickly. ├óÔé¼┼ôIs this the morgue?├óÔé¼┬Ø the woman asked, her face unrecognizable as the light made her look like a cut out of blackness against it. ├óÔé¼┼ôYeah├óÔé¼┬Ø the attendant said, trying to place her voice. It was a Vulcan accent, and he seemed to remember that voice from a while ago.
├óÔé¼┼ôCan I help you?├óÔé¼┬Ø he asked. ├óÔé¼┼ôDon't tell me you've forgotten me already, Julian├óÔé¼┬Ø the woman said, stepping into the rooms darkness. ├óÔé¼┼ôLiz?├óÔé¼┬Ø Julian said, incredulous. His high school girl friend looked surprisingly similar as she had back when he was only seventeen. Her hair was raven black, her face smooth and olive skinned. She wore a heavy cloak about her self, witch was odd as Vulcan's temperature was roughly similar to a tropical rain forest.
├óÔé¼┼ôYes but don't say it too loud├óÔé¼┬Ø Liz said. ├óÔé¼┼ôI thought you had more skin dye's on├óÔé¼┬Ø Julian said, still a little broadsided by this sudden return. ├óÔé¼┼ôIt was a little conspicuous├óÔé¼┬Ø she said. ├óÔé¼┼ôi thought that was the point├óÔé¼┬Ø Julian said, leaning forward and resting his hands on the desk. ├óÔé¼┼ôWell├óÔé¼┬Ø Liz sobered ├óÔé¼┼ôI'm here...for...├óÔé¼┬Ø she trailed off, unable to continue.
├óÔé¼┼ôYou heard, didn't you?├óÔé¼┬Ø Julian sighed ├óÔé¼┼ôIt was old age├óÔé¼┬Ø. ├óÔé¼┼ôOld age?├óÔé¼┬Ø Liz asked ├óÔé¼┼ôShe was only eighty!├óÔé¼┬Ø. ├óÔé¼┼ôI know├óÔé¼┬Ø Julian said, pressing the close door button on his desk. The door slid shut, and the room darkened considerably. ├óÔé¼┼ôWell, I suppose you want the ashes├óÔé¼┬Ø Julian said, pressing his thumb down on the touchscreen. The wall behind him made soft clicking noises before a small slot opened and the urn slid out of it.
├óÔé¼┼ôHere├óÔé¼┬Ø Julian said, subdued. ├óÔé¼┼ôThanks├óÔé¼┬Ø Liz said, taking the small urn in her hands. She slid it into a small bag concealed under her cloak. The urn clicked softly against her laser pistol and Liz turned to leave the morgue. ├óÔé¼┼ôLiz, wait├óÔé¼┬Ø Julian said ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat are you going to do now?├óÔé¼┬Ø. Liz looked over her should at him and grinned lopsidedly ├óÔé¼┼ôGrand Theft Starcraft, manslaughter, and murder first degree├óÔé¼┬Ø.
With that she left Julian looking flummoxed.
├óÔé¼┼ôWhat!├óÔé¼┬Ø The Marshall snapped, looking at his counterpart. The other Marshall's face was as impassive as his counterpart. But their voice's where agitated enough to blister paint off of a main battle tank. ├óÔé¼┼ôIt's true├óÔé¼┬Ø the Marshall said, shaking his head slowly ├óÔé¼┼ôSkiff 9121 opened fire on a ship known to be operated by Marco├óÔé¼┬Ø. They both continued to walk down the pure white corridor.
The other Marshall's eyebrows scrunched up ├óÔé¼┼ôThis is the worst time for this to happen├óÔé¼┬Ø he said ├óÔé¼┼ôThe political situation is already tense├óÔé¼┬Ø. ├óÔé¼┼ôThere might be a way to turn this to our advantage├óÔé¼┬Ø the Marshall said ├óÔé¼┼ôWe can punish the pilot and try to play the UN and the Federals off each other till the time is right├óÔé¼┬Ø. ├óÔé¼┼ôWe need to keep this a cold war├óÔé¼┬Ø the other Marshall said, his gloved hand reaching for the door at the end of the hallway.
The door opened and the two Marshall's walked into the room. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhen do you think we can cope with Owen's...loss├óÔé¼┬Ø the other Marshall said as the door closed behind them. ├óÔé¼┼ôWe need a new node in the Beta sector, before we can even think of proceeding├óÔé¼┬Ø the Marshall responded. ├óÔé¼┼ôThat will take over a day to long├óÔé¼┬Ø the other Marshall snapped back.
The room they were in was small and narrow, its celling reaching up and up and up until it vanished into darkness. It was a holographic effect, made for the President and his aids whenever they decided to visit and check on the Athena project. The two Marshall walked down the long room and reached the end, where the output console stood there, just waiting to be tapped. A low hum resonated outward from the console, causing the two Marshall to sway slightly as the vibration went through them.
The other Marshall typed into the console the code word. Darkside. The console opened majestically, splitting down an invisible seam. The two Marshall stood slightly straighter and walked into the next chamber. The console slid shut with a low rumble as the two Marshalls entered Oblivion.
Amber and Olivia had found out that the small asteroid they had taken shelter in was not exactly the best choice. ├óÔé¼┼ôSo, uh, girls'├óÔé¼┬Ø Fat Pete said, rubbing his bony hands together ├óÔé¼┼ôThis is my asteroid├óÔé¼┬Ø. ├óÔé¼┼ôWe noticed├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber said, looking at the man. He was practically a skeleton and Amber could not understand the way he could have been called 'Fat'. ├óÔé¼┼ôYeah well├óÔé¼┬Ø he said, looking left and right. The bar was empty, and Amber and Olivia where alone in the entire place. Other then Fat Pete of course.
├óÔé¼┼ôYou see, girls, you can stay here for free...if you do me a favor├óÔé¼┬Ø Fat Pete said ├óÔé¼┼ôAnd, well, i sell everything that is....not├óÔé¼┬Ø he looked left and right, as if worried someone was watching him ├óÔé¼┼ôrespectable├óÔé¼┬Ø. ├óÔé¼┼ôWe aren't whores├óÔé¼┬Ø Olivia said flatly. Fat Pete looked shocked ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat! What?├óÔé¼┬Ø he looked genuinely shocked ├óÔé¼┼ôThats not what i wanted to ask├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôOh├óÔé¼┬Ø Olivia said, also looking genuinely shocked. ├óÔé¼┼ôSee I sell drugs, plug-ins and cybernetic supplies. And...movies├óÔé¼┬Ø Fat Pete grinned. ├óÔé¼┼ôI need├óÔé¼┬Ø he said, gaining more steam ├óÔé¼┼ôAnd I need two females actors for a...male centered act├óÔé¼┬Ø. ├óÔé¼┼ôPut it plainly, or├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber said, losing patience ├óÔé¼┼ôI shoot you├óÔé¼┬Ø. Fat Pete gulped ├óÔé¼┼ôIts a lesbi-├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber pulled out her pistol ├óÔé¼┼ôNever mind├óÔé¼┬Ø. ├óÔé¼┼ôHow much for the night?├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber asked, smiling softly. ├óÔé¼┼ôI'll get my check book├óÔé¼┬Ø Fat Pete said, looking completely faint.
The asteroid that Fat Pete's hotel was nestled in looped around and around the Asteroid Belt and when it got close enough, the patrons would hail a cab. The cab was literally two drones with hand holds. The users would wear there own space suits. ├óÔé¼┼ôWe need to buy some suits├óÔé¼┬Ø Olivia said to Fat Pete. ├óÔé¼┼ôSorry, i only have mine and a spare├óÔé¼┬Ø the man said ├óÔé¼┼ôAnd you'll need to do me a slight favor for the suits├óÔé¼┬Ø
Amber fired a shot into the wall. ├óÔé¼┼ôNow you listen, you smut peddler├óÔé¼┬Ø she started to say. Fat Pete snapped ├óÔé¼┼ôNo, YOU LISTEN!├óÔé¼┬Ø he shouted back, ignoring the hole in the back of his bar ├óÔé¼┼ôI work hard and build this asteroid, and I supple entertainment to billions of men across the solar system!├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber looked a bit blind sided, so he continued ├óÔé¼┼ôDo I FORCE people into my movies? No. I pay them accordingly├óÔé¼┬Ø.
├óÔé¼┼ôListen├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber said, enforcing each word harshly ├óÔé¼┼ôWe -will-pay-you-for-the-suits!├óÔé¼┬Ø. ├óÔé¼┼ôI'm not parting with my suits├óÔé¼┬Ø Fat Pete said ├óÔé¼┼ôSee this movie needs to be on the web in two days, and my two lead women have been bought up by my competitor, Fat Larry├óÔé¼┬Ø. ├óÔé¼┼ôFat Larry?├óÔé¼┬Ø Olivia asked, her eye brows arching ├óÔé¼┼ôYeah, my brother├óÔé¼┬Ø Fat Larry said ├óÔé¼┼ôNow i have a luxurious shower, and i just need the opener before i can slide in some stalk footage├óÔé¼┬Ø.
├óÔé¼┼ôNo├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber said.
├óÔé¼┼ôIts just some kissing├óÔé¼┬Ø Fat Pete wheedled.
├óÔé¼┼ôNo├óÔé¼┬Ø Olivia said.
├óÔé¼┼ôYou don't need to actually SLEEP with her├óÔé¼┬Ø Fat Pete said to Olivia.
├óÔé¼┼ôYou really don't know when to quit, do you?├óÔé¼┬Ø Olivia asked.
├óÔé¼┼ôListen, it will take ten minute and then it'll be over├óÔé¼┬Ø Fat Pete said. Amber aimed the pistol at his face. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat, are you going to shoot me?├óÔé¼┬Ø Fat Peter said. ├óÔé¼┼ôMabey, if you don't give us the fucking suits├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber said evenly. ├óÔé¼┼ôNo├óÔé¼┬Ø Fat Pete said ├óÔé¼┼ôI would rather be dead then to lose to Fat Larry├óÔé¼┬Ø. He crossed his arms. Amber looked down the pistol sight.
Amber walked stiffly through the space port, trying to stay close to Olivia and not touch her. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat next├óÔé¼┬Ø the other woman said. ├óÔé¼┼ôWe find Liz├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber said ├óÔé¼┼ôAnd tell no one about what happened├óÔé¼┬Ø. Olivia nodded ├óÔé¼┼ôI'm beginning to wish you had shot that bastard├óÔé¼┬Ø.
The Banshee slipped through the Asteroid belt with no encounters with anything. Liz had burying her mother, firing the urn into the sun. She had said the traditional words that her mother had said on her fathers burial. Peter had kept his distance, wondering whether it was a good idea to say anything. The ship was muted, and Peter and Liz where quiet and avoid each other.
The Banshee went in the massive distances between the Asteroid belt and Pluto, not even getting close to the two giants, or even the two small gas planets. Just empty. Peter found it cloying. The ship was quiet, and it was only going so fast, as they had burned a little too much fuel on the way in. So now they where burning a little too fuel on the way out.
So he played music, trying to ward off the silence. He listened to more of the great classical composers. Snoopdog, Vanhalen, Greenday. The dribbles of music that had survived WWIII had become wildly popular in the here and now, and the styles set up by those bands and the others whose musics survived the war made up the most popular music of the modern age.
But even the rhythms and beats of bygone music only held of the silence so much. After a week of drifting at rather slow speeds, Peter was beginning to have odd thoughts. He started staring into the stars and noticed how they made shapes. Liz noticed he hadn't left his cabin when he failed to show up for food in a day and a half. ├óÔé¼┼ôPeter├óÔé¼┬Ø she said, opening the door.
Peter looked around and her, then looked back at the window. ├óÔé¼┼ôOh crap├óÔé¼┬Ø Liz moaned ├óÔé¼┼ôDon't do that├óÔé¼┬Ø. Peter looked over his shoulder inquisitively as Liz snapped his window close. ├óÔé¼┼ôHey├óÔé¼┬Ø he moaned. Liz grabbed Peters face and stared into his eyes. ├óÔé¼┼ôDon't do that├óÔé¼┬Ø she said. Peter was beginning to get worried. He couldn't remember the last few hours. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat just happened?├óÔé¼┬Ø he asked, trying to look away. Liz kept his face faceting towards her.
├óÔé¼┼ôIts called Star Gazing. You look into space for too long, on a long voyage and you start to go crazy. Its weird├óÔé¼┬Ø She let go of his face. Peter kept looking at her face. ├óÔé¼┼ôYou okay?├óÔé¼┬Ø she asked. ├óÔé¼┼ôYeah, fine├óÔé¼┬Ø Peter said, shanking himself a bit. ├óÔé¼┼ôI'm hungry├óÔé¼┬Ø he said, noticing it for the first time in a while. ├óÔé¼┼ôYou've been staring into space for a day and a half├óÔé¼┬Ø Liz said, getting up and walking out of the room ├óÔé¼┼ôYou can have food, but I need a shower├óÔé¼┬Ø Liz said. ├óÔé¼┼ôI'll join you├óÔé¼┬Ø Peter said distractedly.
Darkside
Moderator: Moderators
I'm testing this hear whatist line thingy so Malstrom stops complaning about teh transitions consarnate!
But in the end he didn't. Time stretched as Peter looked at the walls of the Banshee, feeling trapped in a cage. Then, after two more days of cloying listlessness, something happened. The ship suddenly rocked slightly, and quite suddenly gravity stopped. Peter was in the bathroom, and continently forgot the number of times he swore at people who didn't flush the toilet and pulled the tube out and rushed out of the room, forgetting to empty the tank.
├óÔé¼┼ôWhats going on?├óÔé¼┬Ø he asked, sliding up the ladders to the center of the ship. Liz looked over her shoulder. She was next to one of the view screens in the pivot, and was typing swiftly into a keyboard next to the viewer. ├óÔé¼┼ôA ships shadowing us├óÔé¼┬Ø Liz said ├óÔé¼┼ôIt might be a police cruiser├óÔé¼┬Ø. ├óÔé¼┼ôThats bad, right?├óÔé¼┬Ø Peter asked. ├óÔé¼┼ôIf it was a police cruiser, it could blow us out of the sky without us noticing it├óÔé¼┬Ø Liz responded.
├óÔé¼┼ôHow?├óÔé¼┬Ø Peter asked, beginning to think that it might be a good idea to strap in. ├óÔé¼┼ôrailgun├óÔé¼┬Ø Liz said ├óÔé¼┼ôFires solid hydrogen slug, compressed and forced into the cannon. When it hits us the hydrogen explodes violently. But when something is going a few kilometers every second, it doesn't really need to be explosive├óÔé¼┬Ø. Peter gulped and strapped himself into one of the acceleration chairs located in the area below the pivot.
Liz typed more commands into the console, then floated down the ladder and into the same area Peter was. She strapped her self in ├óÔé¼┼ôI set the A.I to be voice activate. Usually i don't do that, because its getting a little to easy to replicate someone voice with a computer├óÔé¼┬Ø. ├óÔé¼┼ôDon't want that happening├óÔé¼┬Ø Peter said, looking at the walls and wondering when death would come. If death would come.
A minuet passed. Then two. Then a half hour. Peter started getting impatient ├óÔé¼┼ôWhats happening?├óÔé¼┬Ø he asked. ├óÔé¼┼ôGood question├óÔé¼┬Ø Liz said ├óÔé¼┼ôWhats happening?├óÔé¼┬Ø she asked the A.I. ├óÔé¼┼ôThe radar still says the ship is right at the edge of our detection radius├óÔé¼┬Ø the A.I said, its voice the same sexless, bassless voice that it always had. ├óÔé¼┼ôI forgot to flush the toilet├óÔé¼┬Ø Peter said to the air ├óÔé¼┼ôI hate it when people don't flush the toilet├óÔé¼┬Ø. ├óÔé¼┼ôYou could probably live to get up├óÔé¼┬Ø Liz said ├óÔé¼┼ôIts not like your knee's going to hurt in zero gravity├óÔé¼┬Ø.
├óÔé¼┼ôThats true├óÔé¼┬Ø Peter said. He had to wear a leg brace for a few days, but thanks to the medication that Liz kept on the Banshee, his knee was healing ahead of schedule. But it was still painful to put too much weight on it, and to bend it certain ways. Peter unstrapped and floated across the room. He grabbed the ladder and pushed off of it, heading down to the main chambers. He got to the bathroom, moving more like a Launcher then ever.
He flushed the toilet, sending the waste into space. Then the ship accelerated, hard. He was at the wrong angle to land on his feet, so he clucked against the wall on his side. He thought, for a second that it was good he did as his knee probably couldn't take the weight. But could the rest his body? Then the gravity lessened and set down to a light 1.4, 1.6 gees at most. Peter staggered to his feet, grabbing onto the toilet tube to pull himself up.
├óÔé¼┼ôPeter get up here!├óÔé¼┬Ø Liz shouted. The gravity lessened even more and Peter tried to run, stopped when his knee complained. He struggled up the stairs, the gravity switching sickeningly from 2 to 0 to, for one horrible moment, something around 10. His knee almost popped out of position, then the gravity was down again. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat the fucking hell is going on!├óÔé¼┬Ø he shouted, climbing into the pivot. Liz was placing guns on the ground, pulling them out of a wall stash.
├óÔé¼┼ôWhats this?├óÔé¼┬Ø Peter asked, sitting down so the gravity changes where less pronounced. ├óÔé¼┼ôWe are being boarded├óÔé¼┬Ø Liz said, pulling out another gun out of the wall ├óÔé¼┼ôWe can't dodge them├óÔé¼┬Ø the gravity increased ├óÔé¼┼ôforever├óÔé¼┬Ø she said. Then a resounding clunk went through the ship, reverberating over a long period of time. ├óÔé¼┼ôThey've docked├óÔé¼┬Ø Liz said ├óÔé¼┼ôget a gun and get ready├óÔé¼┬Ø.
├óÔé¼┼ôIs it the police?├óÔé¼┬Ø Peter asked. ├óÔé¼┼ôI don't know├óÔé¼┬Ø Liz said ├óÔé¼┼ôThe ship certainly had really good stealthing├óÔé¼┬Ø The ship clunked again and they heard a door open ponderously. ├óÔé¼┼ôGet ready├óÔé¼┬Ø Liz said. Peter looked up, at the other entrance to the pivot. For a second Peter wondered why there was gravity. Then Amber dropped into the pivot. ├óÔé¼┼ôSurprise!├óÔé¼┬Ø she said, grinning broadly.
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Amberly and Olivia had a big problem. They need a ship, and soon. But first they needed to know where they where. The asteroid that Fat Pete's bar zipped past was a large, regular one. The celling and floor was dotted with lights that shone onto the greenery and grass that covered the interior. Buildings, like a earth city, poked up through the artificial forests. The forests got rid of the CO2 that spewed from humanity's many mouthes. The industrial section of the asteroid city was probably on the outside of the asteroid, to take advantage of microgravity.
Olivia spotted the nearest building next to the air lock. It was sprouting out of the side of the airlock shack, a winding maze of wires and tubing. Smog or some gas belched out of several openings in it. The entire thing looked like a finger sticking out of the shack. A door sat on the bottom, open to the air, and a woman leaned against the door way, her leg up on the opposite side as she flipped through a small novel. It was paper.
├óÔé¼┼ôPaper?├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber asked, looking at the novel. ├óÔé¼┼ôLooks like├óÔé¼┬Ø Olivia said as they walked to the door. ├óÔé¼┼ôCan i help you?├óÔé¼┬Ø the woman asked, not looking up from her novel. Tales of the Known Universe: By Larry Niven was its title. ├óÔé¼┼ôGood book?├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber asked. ├óÔé¼┼ôYeah├óÔé¼┬Ø the woman said, still reading. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat is this building?├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber asked, looking at the bizarre construction. ├óÔé¼┼ôIt doesn't work├óÔé¼┬Ø the woman said. ├óÔé¼┼ôWell├óÔé¼┬Ø Olivia said, looking cross, ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat was it SUPPOSED to do?├óÔé¼┬Ø. ├óÔé¼┼ôConvert C02 into pure O2├óÔé¼┬Ø the woman said ├óÔé¼┼ôBut now it just pumps out pure chlorine├óÔé¼┬Ø. Amber gasped, shoving her shirt up over her face. Olivia did like wise, but tried to breath less.
├óÔé¼┼ôDamn, are you two always this gullible?├óÔé¼┬Ø the woman asked, finally looking up from her book. Amber dropped the shirt ├óÔé¼┼ôDamn it├óÔé¼┬Ø She muttered ├óÔé¼┼ôI'm usually not├óÔé¼┬Ø. Olivia kept her shirt up for a few more moments, then dropped it slowly. ├óÔé¼┼ôIts the weather factory├óÔé¼┬Ø the woman said, dog earing the page of her book before closing it. ├óÔé¼┼ôDamn it, don't do that├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber moaned. ├óÔé¼┼ôDo what?├óÔé¼┬Ø the woman asked, then she looked at her book ├óÔé¼┼ôPapers cheap round here├óÔé¼┬Ø she said wearily, as if she had this conversation too many times to think off.
├óÔé¼┼ôCheap?├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber asked ├óÔé¼┼ôThat book really belongs in a museum├óÔé¼┬Ø. ├óÔé¼┼ôNo├óÔé¼┬Ø the woman said, pocketing the book ├óÔé¼┼ôIts a reprint├óÔé¼┬Ø. Amber relaxed slightly ├óÔé¼┼ôWhy is paper so cheap around here?├óÔé¼┬Ø she asked. ├óÔé¼┼ôThis is Forest├óÔé¼┬Ø the woman said, gesturing to the forest ├óÔé¼┼ôThe most complete ecosystem in SOL, including Homeworld. And my name, if you are wondering, is Cynthia but you can call me Cyndie├óÔé¼┬Ø.
Olivia cocked her eyebrow. ├óÔé¼┼ôThe damn nickname stuck after i dumped my ex├óÔé¼┬Ø Cyndie said, gesturing them into the building ├óÔé¼┼ôCome in├óÔé¼┬Ø. The inside of the weather factory, which created the weather for the forest by adding water and ice partials, and generally mixing and matching the atmosphere to Homeworld's pattern, was cramped. That is Amber had to duck slightly to avoid her head from getting smacked by a tube that ran over the table. Cyndie sat on the other side of the table, her head away from any low hanging pipes. Olivia was, being a more stubby build then Amber's light frame, perfectly fine.
The reason the table was almost directly under three pipes and a low handing chandler was because the rest of the room was filled with file cabinets. Most were so jam packed with files that paper stuck out of the sides, and at least one file smoldered on top of its cabinet, burning slowly as its heat resistant paper crumpled under the flame. Amber felt a pang, thinking of how on her home, Vulcan, it was criminal to destroy paper, let alone BURN it.
A single desk was shoved in between two file cabinets, and a single computer rested on it. A keyboard with glowing pink back lights, coupled with the monitor that was also colored bright pink, made the entire computer stick out garishly from the gray and white of paper and file cabinets. ├óÔé¼┼ôSo├óÔé¼┬Ø Cyndie said, leaning back in her chair and putting her feet up on the tables ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat brings you to old Forest?├óÔé¼┬Ø.
├óÔé¼┼ôOur ship had a...├óÔé¼┬Ø Olivia said, looking around and trying to think of a good enough story ├óÔé¼┼ôMalfunction├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber chimed in ├óÔé¼┼ôOur fuel store exploded and we only barely got to the escape pods. They we where picked up by this sleaze bag named├óÔé¼┬Ø. Cyndie cut her off ├óÔé¼┼ôFat Pete├óÔé¼┬Ø she said ├óÔé¼┼ôI know him. Oh and by the way, whats is your names?├óÔé¼┬Ø. ├óÔé¼┼ôI'm Amberly├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber said. ├óÔé¼┼ôNot...THE Amberly├óÔé¼┬Ø Cyndie said, grinning. ├óÔé¼┼ôNo├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber lied. ├óÔé¼┼ôI'm Olivia├óÔé¼┬Ø Olivia said, grinning slightly.
├óÔé¼┼ôWell, I'm glad you stopped by├óÔé¼┬Ø Cyndie said ├óÔé¼┼ôAnd if you ever run into Fat Pete again...shoot him├óÔé¼┬Ø. Olivia cocked her eyebrow again. ├óÔé¼┼ôI've run into him before├óÔé¼┬Ø Cyndie said flatly. Amber and Olivia left the weather factory, feeling a little more grounded. ├óÔé¼┼ôSo, lets hit the space port├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber said. Olivia nodded. They set off through the forest.
├óÔé¼┼ôRichy?├óÔé¼┬Ø Ron said, looking left and right nervously ├óÔé¼┼ôI don't think this is a good idea├óÔé¼┬Ø. ├óÔé¼┼ôShut the fuck up asshole!├óÔé¼┬Ø Richy snapped back. He had been on a hairs edge after their run in with old Peter. ├óÔé¼┼ôDon't tell me i didn't warn you├óÔé¼┬Ø Ron said as Richy pulled out his pistol. The rich man had chosen the wrong night to head for space.
Later that night Richy and Ron boarded a shuttle, heading for space. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhy are we doing this?├óÔé¼┬Ø Ron asked, looking as Homeworld slowly fell away from them as they entered space. ├óÔé¼┼ôBecause├óÔé¼┬Ø Richy said ├óÔé¼┼ôNo one...NO ONE├óÔé¼┬Ø he turned cocked his pistol ├óÔé¼┼ôholds a grudge like Richard Callahan!├óÔé¼┬Ø. ├óÔé¼┼ôRichy you are on dumb fucker├óÔé¼┬Ø Ron said, looking as the Homeworld fell even farther away, feeling decidedly queasy. ├óÔé¼┼ôShut the hell up├óÔé¼┬Ø Richy snapped back as the shuttle started to dock with their flight.
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├óÔé¼┼ôSo...├óÔé¼┬Ø the President said, looking over his desk at Tom ├óÔé¼┼ôAre you sure you don't want to reconsider?├óÔé¼┬Ø he asked. ├óÔé¼┼ôNo├óÔé¼┬Ø Tom said. The President had known Tomas for over twenty years. He had been strong, brave, and loyal. But he had never been beaten. Right now his eyes looked haggard and tired, and he looked as if he hadn't shaved in a month. ├óÔé¼┼ôThis is about Oblivion, isn't it├óÔé¼┬Ø The President said slowly.
Tom nodded, his eyes not meeting the President. ├óÔé¼┼ôDamn it!├óÔé¼┬Ø the President snapped ├óÔé¼┼ôWhy can't you just TELL ME what it is!├óÔé¼┬Ø. He had been digging into Oblivion for the last few days, and was frustrated by the complete lack of progress. He had sent five agents, and they had come up with nothing. Twelve A.I's oversaw a interweb search, and yet again they had come up with nothing. Then he had sent Tom, sure that Tom would be able to find something. Anything.
But then he came back, no less then two days latter, looking as if he had gone through hell and back again. Several times. ├óÔé¼┼ôYou don't want to know├óÔé¼┬Ø Tom said, looking as if he was about to cry ├óÔé¼┼ôbelieve me, you don't want to know├óÔé¼┬Ø. Something in his tone struck a cord in the Presidents mind ├óÔé¼┼ôFine├óÔé¼┬Ø he said ├óÔé¼┼ôTake a...extended leave of absence├óÔé¼┬Ø. Tom looked only marginally brighter. He stood up and walked out of the room. The President leaned back in his chair, and looked at the celling.
Tom walked into the bathroom, twenty three years of SSA duty teaching him exactly what to put where to get a gun through even the best security. He pulled out the pistol and checked the chambers. Then he placed the speaker onto the counter top of the bathroom. He closed his eyes, shoved the gun into his mouth. He felt, for a second that doing this was giving into them. Letting them win.
He pulled the trigger.
The President looked at the body. It had been covered up by a sheet, all but for the head, and even so it looked unblemished. The bullet hole was huge on the back of the head, but Tom almost looked peaceful. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhy, damn it...├óÔé¼┬Ø the President said ├óÔé¼┼ôWhy did you do it?├óÔé¼┬Ø. Tom's eyes, rolled back into his head, stared back. Silently. A SSA officer closed his eye lids with his fingers. ├óÔé¼┼ôSir├óÔé¼┬Ø another SSA officer said, handing a small recorder to the President ├óÔé¼┼ôWe found this on the counter├óÔé¼┬Ø. ├óÔé¼┼ôThank you├óÔé¼┬Ø the President said, walking out of the room.
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The Marshall was ecstatic. He would of grinned, if he could. ├óÔé¼┼ôIt worked├óÔé¼┬Ø he said to the other Marshall. ├óÔé¼┼ôHe found out?├óÔé¼┬Ø the other Marshall asked. ├óÔé¼┼ôOh Yes├óÔé¼┬Ø the Marshall said ├óÔé¼┼ôand he did exactly what Athena predicted├óÔé¼┬Ø. He looked at the tube that housed Athena. Cold radiated from the tube, and its glass sides were frosted. Inside they could barely make out the shape of Athena. ├óÔé¼┼ôNow what do we do?├óÔé¼┬Ø the other Marshall asked. ├óÔé¼┼ôWe just need to find a way to blame the Launchers for this...incident with Tomas Magruder├óÔé¼┬Ø
But in the end he didn't. Time stretched as Peter looked at the walls of the Banshee, feeling trapped in a cage. Then, after two more days of cloying listlessness, something happened. The ship suddenly rocked slightly, and quite suddenly gravity stopped. Peter was in the bathroom, and continently forgot the number of times he swore at people who didn't flush the toilet and pulled the tube out and rushed out of the room, forgetting to empty the tank.
├óÔé¼┼ôWhats going on?├óÔé¼┬Ø he asked, sliding up the ladders to the center of the ship. Liz looked over her shoulder. She was next to one of the view screens in the pivot, and was typing swiftly into a keyboard next to the viewer. ├óÔé¼┼ôA ships shadowing us├óÔé¼┬Ø Liz said ├óÔé¼┼ôIt might be a police cruiser├óÔé¼┬Ø. ├óÔé¼┼ôThats bad, right?├óÔé¼┬Ø Peter asked. ├óÔé¼┼ôIf it was a police cruiser, it could blow us out of the sky without us noticing it├óÔé¼┬Ø Liz responded.
├óÔé¼┼ôHow?├óÔé¼┬Ø Peter asked, beginning to think that it might be a good idea to strap in. ├óÔé¼┼ôrailgun├óÔé¼┬Ø Liz said ├óÔé¼┼ôFires solid hydrogen slug, compressed and forced into the cannon. When it hits us the hydrogen explodes violently. But when something is going a few kilometers every second, it doesn't really need to be explosive├óÔé¼┬Ø. Peter gulped and strapped himself into one of the acceleration chairs located in the area below the pivot.
Liz typed more commands into the console, then floated down the ladder and into the same area Peter was. She strapped her self in ├óÔé¼┼ôI set the A.I to be voice activate. Usually i don't do that, because its getting a little to easy to replicate someone voice with a computer├óÔé¼┬Ø. ├óÔé¼┼ôDon't want that happening├óÔé¼┬Ø Peter said, looking at the walls and wondering when death would come. If death would come.
A minuet passed. Then two. Then a half hour. Peter started getting impatient ├óÔé¼┼ôWhats happening?├óÔé¼┬Ø he asked. ├óÔé¼┼ôGood question├óÔé¼┬Ø Liz said ├óÔé¼┼ôWhats happening?├óÔé¼┬Ø she asked the A.I. ├óÔé¼┼ôThe radar still says the ship is right at the edge of our detection radius├óÔé¼┬Ø the A.I said, its voice the same sexless, bassless voice that it always had. ├óÔé¼┼ôI forgot to flush the toilet├óÔé¼┬Ø Peter said to the air ├óÔé¼┼ôI hate it when people don't flush the toilet├óÔé¼┬Ø. ├óÔé¼┼ôYou could probably live to get up├óÔé¼┬Ø Liz said ├óÔé¼┼ôIts not like your knee's going to hurt in zero gravity├óÔé¼┬Ø.
├óÔé¼┼ôThats true├óÔé¼┬Ø Peter said. He had to wear a leg brace for a few days, but thanks to the medication that Liz kept on the Banshee, his knee was healing ahead of schedule. But it was still painful to put too much weight on it, and to bend it certain ways. Peter unstrapped and floated across the room. He grabbed the ladder and pushed off of it, heading down to the main chambers. He got to the bathroom, moving more like a Launcher then ever.
He flushed the toilet, sending the waste into space. Then the ship accelerated, hard. He was at the wrong angle to land on his feet, so he clucked against the wall on his side. He thought, for a second that it was good he did as his knee probably couldn't take the weight. But could the rest his body? Then the gravity lessened and set down to a light 1.4, 1.6 gees at most. Peter staggered to his feet, grabbing onto the toilet tube to pull himself up.
├óÔé¼┼ôPeter get up here!├óÔé¼┬Ø Liz shouted. The gravity lessened even more and Peter tried to run, stopped when his knee complained. He struggled up the stairs, the gravity switching sickeningly from 2 to 0 to, for one horrible moment, something around 10. His knee almost popped out of position, then the gravity was down again. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat the fucking hell is going on!├óÔé¼┬Ø he shouted, climbing into the pivot. Liz was placing guns on the ground, pulling them out of a wall stash.
├óÔé¼┼ôWhats this?├óÔé¼┬Ø Peter asked, sitting down so the gravity changes where less pronounced. ├óÔé¼┼ôWe are being boarded├óÔé¼┬Ø Liz said, pulling out another gun out of the wall ├óÔé¼┼ôWe can't dodge them├óÔé¼┬Ø the gravity increased ├óÔé¼┼ôforever├óÔé¼┬Ø she said. Then a resounding clunk went through the ship, reverberating over a long period of time. ├óÔé¼┼ôThey've docked├óÔé¼┬Ø Liz said ├óÔé¼┼ôget a gun and get ready├óÔé¼┬Ø.
├óÔé¼┼ôIs it the police?├óÔé¼┬Ø Peter asked. ├óÔé¼┼ôI don't know├óÔé¼┬Ø Liz said ├óÔé¼┼ôThe ship certainly had really good stealthing├óÔé¼┬Ø The ship clunked again and they heard a door open ponderously. ├óÔé¼┼ôGet ready├óÔé¼┬Ø Liz said. Peter looked up, at the other entrance to the pivot. For a second Peter wondered why there was gravity. Then Amber dropped into the pivot. ├óÔé¼┼ôSurprise!├óÔé¼┬Ø she said, grinning broadly.
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Amberly and Olivia had a big problem. They need a ship, and soon. But first they needed to know where they where. The asteroid that Fat Pete's bar zipped past was a large, regular one. The celling and floor was dotted with lights that shone onto the greenery and grass that covered the interior. Buildings, like a earth city, poked up through the artificial forests. The forests got rid of the CO2 that spewed from humanity's many mouthes. The industrial section of the asteroid city was probably on the outside of the asteroid, to take advantage of microgravity.
Olivia spotted the nearest building next to the air lock. It was sprouting out of the side of the airlock shack, a winding maze of wires and tubing. Smog or some gas belched out of several openings in it. The entire thing looked like a finger sticking out of the shack. A door sat on the bottom, open to the air, and a woman leaned against the door way, her leg up on the opposite side as she flipped through a small novel. It was paper.
├óÔé¼┼ôPaper?├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber asked, looking at the novel. ├óÔé¼┼ôLooks like├óÔé¼┬Ø Olivia said as they walked to the door. ├óÔé¼┼ôCan i help you?├óÔé¼┬Ø the woman asked, not looking up from her novel. Tales of the Known Universe: By Larry Niven was its title. ├óÔé¼┼ôGood book?├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber asked. ├óÔé¼┼ôYeah├óÔé¼┬Ø the woman said, still reading. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat is this building?├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber asked, looking at the bizarre construction. ├óÔé¼┼ôIt doesn't work├óÔé¼┬Ø the woman said. ├óÔé¼┼ôWell├óÔé¼┬Ø Olivia said, looking cross, ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat was it SUPPOSED to do?├óÔé¼┬Ø. ├óÔé¼┼ôConvert C02 into pure O2├óÔé¼┬Ø the woman said ├óÔé¼┼ôBut now it just pumps out pure chlorine├óÔé¼┬Ø. Amber gasped, shoving her shirt up over her face. Olivia did like wise, but tried to breath less.
├óÔé¼┼ôDamn, are you two always this gullible?├óÔé¼┬Ø the woman asked, finally looking up from her book. Amber dropped the shirt ├óÔé¼┼ôDamn it├óÔé¼┬Ø She muttered ├óÔé¼┼ôI'm usually not├óÔé¼┬Ø. Olivia kept her shirt up for a few more moments, then dropped it slowly. ├óÔé¼┼ôIts the weather factory├óÔé¼┬Ø the woman said, dog earing the page of her book before closing it. ├óÔé¼┼ôDamn it, don't do that├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber moaned. ├óÔé¼┼ôDo what?├óÔé¼┬Ø the woman asked, then she looked at her book ├óÔé¼┼ôPapers cheap round here├óÔé¼┬Ø she said wearily, as if she had this conversation too many times to think off.
├óÔé¼┼ôCheap?├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber asked ├óÔé¼┼ôThat book really belongs in a museum├óÔé¼┬Ø. ├óÔé¼┼ôNo├óÔé¼┬Ø the woman said, pocketing the book ├óÔé¼┼ôIts a reprint├óÔé¼┬Ø. Amber relaxed slightly ├óÔé¼┼ôWhy is paper so cheap around here?├óÔé¼┬Ø she asked. ├óÔé¼┼ôThis is Forest├óÔé¼┬Ø the woman said, gesturing to the forest ├óÔé¼┼ôThe most complete ecosystem in SOL, including Homeworld. And my name, if you are wondering, is Cynthia but you can call me Cyndie├óÔé¼┬Ø.
Olivia cocked her eyebrow. ├óÔé¼┼ôThe damn nickname stuck after i dumped my ex├óÔé¼┬Ø Cyndie said, gesturing them into the building ├óÔé¼┼ôCome in├óÔé¼┬Ø. The inside of the weather factory, which created the weather for the forest by adding water and ice partials, and generally mixing and matching the atmosphere to Homeworld's pattern, was cramped. That is Amber had to duck slightly to avoid her head from getting smacked by a tube that ran over the table. Cyndie sat on the other side of the table, her head away from any low hanging pipes. Olivia was, being a more stubby build then Amber's light frame, perfectly fine.
The reason the table was almost directly under three pipes and a low handing chandler was because the rest of the room was filled with file cabinets. Most were so jam packed with files that paper stuck out of the sides, and at least one file smoldered on top of its cabinet, burning slowly as its heat resistant paper crumpled under the flame. Amber felt a pang, thinking of how on her home, Vulcan, it was criminal to destroy paper, let alone BURN it.
A single desk was shoved in between two file cabinets, and a single computer rested on it. A keyboard with glowing pink back lights, coupled with the monitor that was also colored bright pink, made the entire computer stick out garishly from the gray and white of paper and file cabinets. ├óÔé¼┼ôSo├óÔé¼┬Ø Cyndie said, leaning back in her chair and putting her feet up on the tables ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat brings you to old Forest?├óÔé¼┬Ø.
├óÔé¼┼ôOur ship had a...├óÔé¼┬Ø Olivia said, looking around and trying to think of a good enough story ├óÔé¼┼ôMalfunction├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber chimed in ├óÔé¼┼ôOur fuel store exploded and we only barely got to the escape pods. They we where picked up by this sleaze bag named├óÔé¼┬Ø. Cyndie cut her off ├óÔé¼┼ôFat Pete├óÔé¼┬Ø she said ├óÔé¼┼ôI know him. Oh and by the way, whats is your names?├óÔé¼┬Ø. ├óÔé¼┼ôI'm Amberly├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber said. ├óÔé¼┼ôNot...THE Amberly├óÔé¼┬Ø Cyndie said, grinning. ├óÔé¼┼ôNo├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber lied. ├óÔé¼┼ôI'm Olivia├óÔé¼┬Ø Olivia said, grinning slightly.
├óÔé¼┼ôWell, I'm glad you stopped by├óÔé¼┬Ø Cyndie said ├óÔé¼┼ôAnd if you ever run into Fat Pete again...shoot him├óÔé¼┬Ø. Olivia cocked her eyebrow again. ├óÔé¼┼ôI've run into him before├óÔé¼┬Ø Cyndie said flatly. Amber and Olivia left the weather factory, feeling a little more grounded. ├óÔé¼┼ôSo, lets hit the space port├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber said. Olivia nodded. They set off through the forest.
├óÔé¼┼ôRichy?├óÔé¼┬Ø Ron said, looking left and right nervously ├óÔé¼┼ôI don't think this is a good idea├óÔé¼┬Ø. ├óÔé¼┼ôShut the fuck up asshole!├óÔé¼┬Ø Richy snapped back. He had been on a hairs edge after their run in with old Peter. ├óÔé¼┼ôDon't tell me i didn't warn you├óÔé¼┬Ø Ron said as Richy pulled out his pistol. The rich man had chosen the wrong night to head for space.
Later that night Richy and Ron boarded a shuttle, heading for space. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhy are we doing this?├óÔé¼┬Ø Ron asked, looking as Homeworld slowly fell away from them as they entered space. ├óÔé¼┼ôBecause├óÔé¼┬Ø Richy said ├óÔé¼┼ôNo one...NO ONE├óÔé¼┬Ø he turned cocked his pistol ├óÔé¼┼ôholds a grudge like Richard Callahan!├óÔé¼┬Ø. ├óÔé¼┼ôRichy you are on dumb fucker├óÔé¼┬Ø Ron said, looking as the Homeworld fell even farther away, feeling decidedly queasy. ├óÔé¼┼ôShut the hell up├óÔé¼┬Ø Richy snapped back as the shuttle started to dock with their flight.
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├óÔé¼┼ôSo...├óÔé¼┬Ø the President said, looking over his desk at Tom ├óÔé¼┼ôAre you sure you don't want to reconsider?├óÔé¼┬Ø he asked. ├óÔé¼┼ôNo├óÔé¼┬Ø Tom said. The President had known Tomas for over twenty years. He had been strong, brave, and loyal. But he had never been beaten. Right now his eyes looked haggard and tired, and he looked as if he hadn't shaved in a month. ├óÔé¼┼ôThis is about Oblivion, isn't it├óÔé¼┬Ø The President said slowly.
Tom nodded, his eyes not meeting the President. ├óÔé¼┼ôDamn it!├óÔé¼┬Ø the President snapped ├óÔé¼┼ôWhy can't you just TELL ME what it is!├óÔé¼┬Ø. He had been digging into Oblivion for the last few days, and was frustrated by the complete lack of progress. He had sent five agents, and they had come up with nothing. Twelve A.I's oversaw a interweb search, and yet again they had come up with nothing. Then he had sent Tom, sure that Tom would be able to find something. Anything.
But then he came back, no less then two days latter, looking as if he had gone through hell and back again. Several times. ├óÔé¼┼ôYou don't want to know├óÔé¼┬Ø Tom said, looking as if he was about to cry ├óÔé¼┼ôbelieve me, you don't want to know├óÔé¼┬Ø. Something in his tone struck a cord in the Presidents mind ├óÔé¼┼ôFine├óÔé¼┬Ø he said ├óÔé¼┼ôTake a...extended leave of absence├óÔé¼┬Ø. Tom looked only marginally brighter. He stood up and walked out of the room. The President leaned back in his chair, and looked at the celling.
Tom walked into the bathroom, twenty three years of SSA duty teaching him exactly what to put where to get a gun through even the best security. He pulled out the pistol and checked the chambers. Then he placed the speaker onto the counter top of the bathroom. He closed his eyes, shoved the gun into his mouth. He felt, for a second that doing this was giving into them. Letting them win.
He pulled the trigger.
The President looked at the body. It had been covered up by a sheet, all but for the head, and even so it looked unblemished. The bullet hole was huge on the back of the head, but Tom almost looked peaceful. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhy, damn it...├óÔé¼┬Ø the President said ├óÔé¼┼ôWhy did you do it?├óÔé¼┬Ø. Tom's eyes, rolled back into his head, stared back. Silently. A SSA officer closed his eye lids with his fingers. ├óÔé¼┼ôSir├óÔé¼┬Ø another SSA officer said, handing a small recorder to the President ├óÔé¼┼ôWe found this on the counter├óÔé¼┬Ø. ├óÔé¼┼ôThank you├óÔé¼┬Ø the President said, walking out of the room.
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The Marshall was ecstatic. He would of grinned, if he could. ├óÔé¼┼ôIt worked├óÔé¼┬Ø he said to the other Marshall. ├óÔé¼┼ôHe found out?├óÔé¼┬Ø the other Marshall asked. ├óÔé¼┼ôOh Yes├óÔé¼┬Ø the Marshall said ├óÔé¼┼ôand he did exactly what Athena predicted├óÔé¼┬Ø. He looked at the tube that housed Athena. Cold radiated from the tube, and its glass sides were frosted. Inside they could barely make out the shape of Athena. ├óÔé¼┼ôNow what do we do?├óÔé¼┬Ø the other Marshall asked. ├óÔé¼┼ôWe just need to find a way to blame the Launchers for this...incident with Tomas Magruder├óÔé¼┬Ø
Whats so good about the outside of the asteroid for Micrgravity? If the asteroid is spinning to give the inside 'gravity', then the outside would have more 'gravity' than the inside...The industrial section of the asteroid city was probably on the outside of the asteroid, to take advantage of microgravity.
And yay about the gaps! Make it so much easier to read.
If you have a scaffold outside of the asteroid, that is NOT TOUCHING IT, then you can do all sorts of cool things. You can make ultra pure metals, you can build really large structures easily and your just generally not bothered by the nuisance of gravity!
Just think! You could have heavy lifting material floating at the farthest point of construction. If you where building on the ground the material would have to be taken up, against gravity, from the ground floor. Also when the asteroids CROWNING achievement is a perfectly recreated forest ecosystem, then why would they gum it up by putting an industry in it?
Now some industry's do need gravity, and those asteroids are very different from Forest. Like Vulcan, for example. I like giving names that say exactly what the place does or is.
Just think! You could have heavy lifting material floating at the farthest point of construction. If you where building on the ground the material would have to be taken up, against gravity, from the ground floor. Also when the asteroids CROWNING achievement is a perfectly recreated forest ecosystem, then why would they gum it up by putting an industry in it?
Now some industry's do need gravity, and those asteroids are very different from Forest. Like Vulcan, for example. I like giving names that say exactly what the place does or is.
Olivia turned the page. The book tore slightly, as she was unused to the machinations of turning a page. ├óÔé¼┼ôBe careful├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber snapped, also looking in a book. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhy don't these morons use data slates like everyone else├óÔé¼┬Ø Olivia demanded, slamming the ship catalog on the table. ├óÔé¼┼ôNone of these ships are any good├óÔé¼┬Ø Olivia snapped, jabbing her finger at some pictures.
├óÔé¼┼ôCrap├óÔé¼┬Ø she said, pointing at a mid range scow. It looked like a collection of box's, with a wireframe supporting several struts for add on modeuals ├óÔé¼┼ôWorthless├óÔé¼┬Ø she said, jabbing her finger at a ship that was designed to look like a 21st century hover car, and less like an efficient space ship. ├óÔé¼┼ôAnd don't get me started on this one├óÔé¼┬Ø she said, and was about to point at the Ferrari. Amber giggled, and she slowly lowered the newspaper.
The attendant at the Coffey shop they where situated in looked at the two women who were making so much noise. Amber lowered her voice, and said ├óÔé¼┼ôI think we have found exactly what we are looking for. She pointed at the second headline, below the large proclamation ├óÔé¼┼ôPresidents Aid Assassinated by renegade space faction├óÔé¼┬Ø. Olivia begin to giggle. ├óÔé¼┼ôThat is so insane it just...might work├óÔé¼┬Ø.
Cyndie typed into her keyboard, posting a new speculation on the interweb. Intersetller travel made the old Internet of the Homeworld into what was now called the interweb. Every parcel of information was sent to the 'hub' of the local area, whether its on Homeworld or on a remote asteroid, then every 12 hours the 'hub' would snap a laser light message to the central hub, the International Space Station located in the Asteroid belt. The ISS was the largest space station known to man, spanning over twenty kilometers of winding metal girders, plastic rooms and diamond domes. The bustling hub of SOL's space dwellers, the ISS was a sight to behold.
At least Cyndie hoped so, as she had only seen pictures she had found on the interweb. But for now, she discussed several philosophical points on several interstellar forums. She had to learn to speak Russian, Chinese and several different dialects of English along with Federal just to understand what some of these people were talking about. ├óÔé¼┼ôNo way├óÔé¼┬Ø she muttered ├óÔé¼┼ôThis guy is way out of line├óÔé¼┬Ø her eyes darted over the screen. She was interrupted from writing a scathing rebuttal when she heard a knock on the door.
It was those two women she had met early that day...Olivia and Amber. ├óÔé¼┼ôWe where wondering├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber said ├óÔé¼┼ôIf that air lock opens both ways?├óÔé¼┬Ø. ├óÔé¼┼ôWell you can only go out of theirs a space ship├óÔé¼┬Ø Cyndie said, looking at them suspiciously. Something about them hadn't seemed quite on the level. Then she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. Her computer was still on the forum she had been on, Conspiracy Theory's and Criminal Cover ups. The discussion had been on the Banshee's and their possible connection with the recent Beta Sector incident.
A clear picture of Amberly Wishbourn and Elizabeth Montoya was right above the last persons response. And she looked very, very similar to the woman in the door frame. ├óÔé¼┼ôYour Amberly Montoya├óÔé¼┬Ø Cyndie said. Then immideatly regretted it. These were hardened criminals. They would probably shoot her now. Cyndie would of smacked herself, if she wasn't about to die. But nothing happened. Amber simply looked somewhat resigned ├óÔé¼┼ôDamn it├óÔé¼┬Ø she said ├óÔé¼┼ôWe could really of used your help├óÔé¼┬Ø.
Then she punched Cyndie in the face. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat are we going to do with her?├óÔé¼┬Ø Olivia asked, looking at the woman, who on closer inspection was little more then an overgrown teenager ├óÔé¼┼ôWell├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber said ├óÔé¼┼ôShe's the local conspiracy theorist and she might of actually know something about what the hell is going on├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber looked over the woman, and found no weapons. ├óÔé¼┼ôLets wait till the ship docks, then get our suits back on├óÔé¼┬Ø
Cmd. Lee frowned. The new police attack vessel, Persephone, was supposed to be a state secret. Until three days ago when he had received orders to parade in through the Alpha Sector and the ISS. He assumed the press managed to get into the shipyard...again and the Federal government had decided to go with it and turn the entire thing into a press extravaganza. Lee gritted his teeth as Persephone's graceful curves slipped through space, stealth field on max. They would...surprise the next stop, some backwoods asteroid that prided itself on its ecosystem.
The stealth field is one of the solar systems greatest modern invention. Through a combination of radar jamming, chameleon material that used cameras and computers to match the background almost exactly, and lastly, cooling devices that displaced the heat that would normal bleed into space into...somewhere else. Lee was not too clear on where that other place was. His technicians looked nervous when he asked, and most mumbled something about causality. Lee did know that the stealth field generator scared the crap out of him.
It looked normal enough, a small black box with thousands of spindly needles sticking out of the top and several knobs of unknown purpose along the side. But when it turned on. Lee shivered, looking at the holographic representation of his ship and the surrounding area. There were no windows on board. It was a combat vessel, not a damn cruise liner. The bride was empty at this point, most of the crew in the mess hall and sleeping chambers. The ship ran itself for the majority of the time. Sometimes Lee wondered what his point was, if the ship ran itself 99% of the time.
├óÔé¼┼ôSir├óÔé¼┬Ø the intercom said. Lee recognized the voice as his major technician, Berkly. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat is it Berkly├óÔé¼┬Ø Lee asked wearily, pressing the respond button on the intercom. ├óÔé¼┼ôShould be shut down the stealth field?├óÔé¼┬Ø Berkly asked. ├óÔé¼┼ôYeah, i think they would notice a large battle cruiser materializing practically next door├óÔé¼┬Ø Lee said, grinning. ├óÔé¼┼ôYes sir├óÔé¼┬Ø Berkly said, and the intercom snapped off.
The stealth field shut down, and the feeling that Lee had been feeling for the last few hours vanished. It happened every time they turned off the stealth field. It was the feeling that something horribly, irrevocably wrong was occurring. Lee couldn't quite place what it was. But he knew that when the stealth field went down, the feeling vanished. Lee's hands relaxed, leaving five indents in his palm. He hadn't noticed he was clenching them.
Amber noticed the ship when it suddenly materialized in open space. ├óÔé¼┼ôQuick├óÔé¼┬Ø She said to Olivia ├óÔé¼┼ôI think the newspaper understated when they said 'stealth ship'├óÔé¼┬Ø. Olivia, who was also perched on the edge of Forest, her back stuck to the asteroids barren surface by a hook. The reason they weren't just standing on it was because the asteroid was spinning, and would send them flying into space. So they settled with feeling like they where being hung from meat hooks for a few hours.
├óÔé¼┼ôReady?├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber asked. ├óÔé¼┼ôReady├óÔé¼┬Ø Olivia said ├óÔé¼┼ôI trained most of my life for situations like this├óÔé¼┬Ø she reminded Amber, grinning. ├óÔé¼┼ôRight, right├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber replied, and unhooked herself from the asteroid at exactly the right moment. The two women zipped through space, and almost over shot the stealth ship. Amber hit it, skidded and caught on the side with a magnetic clamp she had...borrowed from Cyanide's house. Olivia shot over the side of the ship, but her hand snaked out and caught the side of the ship. It slid and skidded until her gloved fingertips caught a seam.
├óÔé¼┼ôGotcha├óÔé¼┬Ø Olivia said, her voice betraying no exertion. She levered her self expertly so she flipped over and around and landed gently next to the air lock. ├óÔé¼┼ôOpen it├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber said, skidding along the side. Olivia slapped a laser drill on the side. On every asteroid people need tools. Laser drills to cut holes in broken bulkheads, reaction pistols to maneuver in zero gee, extra O2 bottles. And Cyndie seemed to have two of each.
The laser drill was a laser, ironically enough, on a small platform. You placed the platform in the middle of what you wanted to cut through, and the laser would cut a hole around the platform. This laser drill worked flawlessly.
Lee walked down the hall, looking at his uniform and making sure it was neat for the press release, when the air lock blew open. He would have been at the fore front of the battle, leading his ten crew men against the enemy. Unfortunately Olivia smashed him in both temples, sending him dropping to the floor. Amber and Olivia went through the ship, and managed to steal it because the only fighting men on board the ship that would have been able to actually hold their own against Amber, let alone Olivia, was Cmd. Lee. Everyone else was a technician or navy officer.
Amber punched a technician in the solar plexus and he doubled over, gasping. She moved on as two more people, completely blindsided, walked around the bend. She kick one in the crotch, a old one but still a good one, and smashed the other in the face. Olivia was more stylish, using karate chops and several different forms of kick. In the end the eleven crew members were subdued. Amber and Olivia dragged them into the escape pods. ├óÔé¼┼ôSee you later├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber said to the enraged Cmd. Lee, who was smashing his fists against the window.
The pod jettisoned. ├óÔé¼┼ôLets figure out how to fly this damn thing├óÔé¼┬Ø Olivia said, looking at Amber. Amber nodded ├óÔé¼┼ôYou take the nav systems, I'll check out the guns├óÔé¼┬Ø. Olivia snapped off a salute, and they both got to work. An hour, five million kilometers and a lot of reading later, Olivia and Amber sat in the bridge. ├óÔé¼┼ôSo what did you find?├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber asked.
├óÔé¼┼ôThis ship has a standard navigational software├óÔé¼┬Ø Olivia started ├óÔé¼┼ôThe security countermeasures are down, good for us, because they obviously didn't expect to be attacked in friendly space. So its just a standard go where you want, but├óÔé¼┬Ø Olivia looked at her data slate, which held the information she had been collecting ├óÔé¼┼ôthe ship has four state of the art fusion engines, located in the nacelles├óÔé¼┬Ø. ├óÔé¼┼ôNacelles?├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber asked ├óÔé¼┼ôThey are tucked in when your not accelerating, like now├óÔé¼┬Ø Olivia said, letting go of the slate and letting it float around in the zero gee environment ├óÔé¼┼ôBut when your accelerating, they will provide up to... over 100 Gee's├óÔé¼┬Ø
Amber wisted ├óÔé¼┼ô100?├óÔé¼┬Ø she asked, incredulously. ├óÔé¼┼ôThats what the acceleration tanks are for├óÔé¼┬Ø Olivia said ├óÔé¼┼ôBut even then, its only for short term acceleration├óÔé¼┬Ø. ├óÔé¼┼ôFuel?├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber asked. ├óÔé¼┼ôEnough to sustain full burn for...├óÔé¼┬Ø Olivia grabbed the data slate out of the air ├óÔé¼┼ôThree and a half months...now, onto guns├óÔé¼┬Ø. Amber had memorized her data ├óÔé¼┼ôThis ship, the Persephone, had forty three drone fighters, three rail guns with fifty two solid hydrogen rounds per gun. Five missile launchers, with several nukes, and last but not lease├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber paused dramatically.
├óÔé¼┼ôWhat?├óÔé¼┬Ø Olivia asked. ├óÔé¼┼ôThe...IT├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber said, showing Olivia the picture of the IT on the data slate. All information on IT was classified, but Amber had found some bizarre references to a Stealth field. ├óÔé¼┼ôI think its some kind of...invisibility device├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber said ├óÔé¼┼ôBut i have no idea how to turn the damn thing on....├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôCrap├óÔé¼┬Ø she said, pointing at a mid range scow. It looked like a collection of box's, with a wireframe supporting several struts for add on modeuals ├óÔé¼┼ôWorthless├óÔé¼┬Ø she said, jabbing her finger at a ship that was designed to look like a 21st century hover car, and less like an efficient space ship. ├óÔé¼┼ôAnd don't get me started on this one├óÔé¼┬Ø she said, and was about to point at the Ferrari. Amber giggled, and she slowly lowered the newspaper.
The attendant at the Coffey shop they where situated in looked at the two women who were making so much noise. Amber lowered her voice, and said ├óÔé¼┼ôI think we have found exactly what we are looking for. She pointed at the second headline, below the large proclamation ├óÔé¼┼ôPresidents Aid Assassinated by renegade space faction├óÔé¼┬Ø. Olivia begin to giggle. ├óÔé¼┼ôThat is so insane it just...might work├óÔé¼┬Ø.
Cyndie typed into her keyboard, posting a new speculation on the interweb. Intersetller travel made the old Internet of the Homeworld into what was now called the interweb. Every parcel of information was sent to the 'hub' of the local area, whether its on Homeworld or on a remote asteroid, then every 12 hours the 'hub' would snap a laser light message to the central hub, the International Space Station located in the Asteroid belt. The ISS was the largest space station known to man, spanning over twenty kilometers of winding metal girders, plastic rooms and diamond domes. The bustling hub of SOL's space dwellers, the ISS was a sight to behold.
At least Cyndie hoped so, as she had only seen pictures she had found on the interweb. But for now, she discussed several philosophical points on several interstellar forums. She had to learn to speak Russian, Chinese and several different dialects of English along with Federal just to understand what some of these people were talking about. ├óÔé¼┼ôNo way├óÔé¼┬Ø she muttered ├óÔé¼┼ôThis guy is way out of line├óÔé¼┬Ø her eyes darted over the screen. She was interrupted from writing a scathing rebuttal when she heard a knock on the door.
It was those two women she had met early that day...Olivia and Amber. ├óÔé¼┼ôWe where wondering├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber said ├óÔé¼┼ôIf that air lock opens both ways?├óÔé¼┬Ø. ├óÔé¼┼ôWell you can only go out of theirs a space ship├óÔé¼┬Ø Cyndie said, looking at them suspiciously. Something about them hadn't seemed quite on the level. Then she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. Her computer was still on the forum she had been on, Conspiracy Theory's and Criminal Cover ups. The discussion had been on the Banshee's and their possible connection with the recent Beta Sector incident.
A clear picture of Amberly Wishbourn and Elizabeth Montoya was right above the last persons response. And she looked very, very similar to the woman in the door frame. ├óÔé¼┼ôYour Amberly Montoya├óÔé¼┬Ø Cyndie said. Then immideatly regretted it. These were hardened criminals. They would probably shoot her now. Cyndie would of smacked herself, if she wasn't about to die. But nothing happened. Amber simply looked somewhat resigned ├óÔé¼┼ôDamn it├óÔé¼┬Ø she said ├óÔé¼┼ôWe could really of used your help├óÔé¼┬Ø.
Then she punched Cyndie in the face. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat are we going to do with her?├óÔé¼┬Ø Olivia asked, looking at the woman, who on closer inspection was little more then an overgrown teenager ├óÔé¼┼ôWell├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber said ├óÔé¼┼ôShe's the local conspiracy theorist and she might of actually know something about what the hell is going on├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber looked over the woman, and found no weapons. ├óÔé¼┼ôLets wait till the ship docks, then get our suits back on├óÔé¼┬Ø
Cmd. Lee frowned. The new police attack vessel, Persephone, was supposed to be a state secret. Until three days ago when he had received orders to parade in through the Alpha Sector and the ISS. He assumed the press managed to get into the shipyard...again and the Federal government had decided to go with it and turn the entire thing into a press extravaganza. Lee gritted his teeth as Persephone's graceful curves slipped through space, stealth field on max. They would...surprise the next stop, some backwoods asteroid that prided itself on its ecosystem.
The stealth field is one of the solar systems greatest modern invention. Through a combination of radar jamming, chameleon material that used cameras and computers to match the background almost exactly, and lastly, cooling devices that displaced the heat that would normal bleed into space into...somewhere else. Lee was not too clear on where that other place was. His technicians looked nervous when he asked, and most mumbled something about causality. Lee did know that the stealth field generator scared the crap out of him.
It looked normal enough, a small black box with thousands of spindly needles sticking out of the top and several knobs of unknown purpose along the side. But when it turned on. Lee shivered, looking at the holographic representation of his ship and the surrounding area. There were no windows on board. It was a combat vessel, not a damn cruise liner. The bride was empty at this point, most of the crew in the mess hall and sleeping chambers. The ship ran itself for the majority of the time. Sometimes Lee wondered what his point was, if the ship ran itself 99% of the time.
├óÔé¼┼ôSir├óÔé¼┬Ø the intercom said. Lee recognized the voice as his major technician, Berkly. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat is it Berkly├óÔé¼┬Ø Lee asked wearily, pressing the respond button on the intercom. ├óÔé¼┼ôShould be shut down the stealth field?├óÔé¼┬Ø Berkly asked. ├óÔé¼┼ôYeah, i think they would notice a large battle cruiser materializing practically next door├óÔé¼┬Ø Lee said, grinning. ├óÔé¼┼ôYes sir├óÔé¼┬Ø Berkly said, and the intercom snapped off.
The stealth field shut down, and the feeling that Lee had been feeling for the last few hours vanished. It happened every time they turned off the stealth field. It was the feeling that something horribly, irrevocably wrong was occurring. Lee couldn't quite place what it was. But he knew that when the stealth field went down, the feeling vanished. Lee's hands relaxed, leaving five indents in his palm. He hadn't noticed he was clenching them.
Amber noticed the ship when it suddenly materialized in open space. ├óÔé¼┼ôQuick├óÔé¼┬Ø She said to Olivia ├óÔé¼┼ôI think the newspaper understated when they said 'stealth ship'├óÔé¼┬Ø. Olivia, who was also perched on the edge of Forest, her back stuck to the asteroids barren surface by a hook. The reason they weren't just standing on it was because the asteroid was spinning, and would send them flying into space. So they settled with feeling like they where being hung from meat hooks for a few hours.
├óÔé¼┼ôReady?├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber asked. ├óÔé¼┼ôReady├óÔé¼┬Ø Olivia said ├óÔé¼┼ôI trained most of my life for situations like this├óÔé¼┬Ø she reminded Amber, grinning. ├óÔé¼┼ôRight, right├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber replied, and unhooked herself from the asteroid at exactly the right moment. The two women zipped through space, and almost over shot the stealth ship. Amber hit it, skidded and caught on the side with a magnetic clamp she had...borrowed from Cyanide's house. Olivia shot over the side of the ship, but her hand snaked out and caught the side of the ship. It slid and skidded until her gloved fingertips caught a seam.
├óÔé¼┼ôGotcha├óÔé¼┬Ø Olivia said, her voice betraying no exertion. She levered her self expertly so she flipped over and around and landed gently next to the air lock. ├óÔé¼┼ôOpen it├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber said, skidding along the side. Olivia slapped a laser drill on the side. On every asteroid people need tools. Laser drills to cut holes in broken bulkheads, reaction pistols to maneuver in zero gee, extra O2 bottles. And Cyndie seemed to have two of each.
The laser drill was a laser, ironically enough, on a small platform. You placed the platform in the middle of what you wanted to cut through, and the laser would cut a hole around the platform. This laser drill worked flawlessly.
Lee walked down the hall, looking at his uniform and making sure it was neat for the press release, when the air lock blew open. He would have been at the fore front of the battle, leading his ten crew men against the enemy. Unfortunately Olivia smashed him in both temples, sending him dropping to the floor. Amber and Olivia went through the ship, and managed to steal it because the only fighting men on board the ship that would have been able to actually hold their own against Amber, let alone Olivia, was Cmd. Lee. Everyone else was a technician or navy officer.
Amber punched a technician in the solar plexus and he doubled over, gasping. She moved on as two more people, completely blindsided, walked around the bend. She kick one in the crotch, a old one but still a good one, and smashed the other in the face. Olivia was more stylish, using karate chops and several different forms of kick. In the end the eleven crew members were subdued. Amber and Olivia dragged them into the escape pods. ├óÔé¼┼ôSee you later├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber said to the enraged Cmd. Lee, who was smashing his fists against the window.
The pod jettisoned. ├óÔé¼┼ôLets figure out how to fly this damn thing├óÔé¼┬Ø Olivia said, looking at Amber. Amber nodded ├óÔé¼┼ôYou take the nav systems, I'll check out the guns├óÔé¼┬Ø. Olivia snapped off a salute, and they both got to work. An hour, five million kilometers and a lot of reading later, Olivia and Amber sat in the bridge. ├óÔé¼┼ôSo what did you find?├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber asked.
├óÔé¼┼ôThis ship has a standard navigational software├óÔé¼┬Ø Olivia started ├óÔé¼┼ôThe security countermeasures are down, good for us, because they obviously didn't expect to be attacked in friendly space. So its just a standard go where you want, but├óÔé¼┬Ø Olivia looked at her data slate, which held the information she had been collecting ├óÔé¼┼ôthe ship has four state of the art fusion engines, located in the nacelles├óÔé¼┬Ø. ├óÔé¼┼ôNacelles?├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber asked ├óÔé¼┼ôThey are tucked in when your not accelerating, like now├óÔé¼┬Ø Olivia said, letting go of the slate and letting it float around in the zero gee environment ├óÔé¼┼ôBut when your accelerating, they will provide up to... over 100 Gee's├óÔé¼┬Ø
Amber wisted ├óÔé¼┼ô100?├óÔé¼┬Ø she asked, incredulously. ├óÔé¼┼ôThats what the acceleration tanks are for├óÔé¼┬Ø Olivia said ├óÔé¼┼ôBut even then, its only for short term acceleration├óÔé¼┬Ø. ├óÔé¼┼ôFuel?├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber asked. ├óÔé¼┼ôEnough to sustain full burn for...├óÔé¼┬Ø Olivia grabbed the data slate out of the air ├óÔé¼┼ôThree and a half months...now, onto guns├óÔé¼┬Ø. Amber had memorized her data ├óÔé¼┼ôThis ship, the Persephone, had forty three drone fighters, three rail guns with fifty two solid hydrogen rounds per gun. Five missile launchers, with several nukes, and last but not lease├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber paused dramatically.
├óÔé¼┼ôWhat?├óÔé¼┬Ø Olivia asked. ├óÔé¼┼ôThe...IT├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber said, showing Olivia the picture of the IT on the data slate. All information on IT was classified, but Amber had found some bizarre references to a Stealth field. ├óÔé¼┼ôI think its some kind of...invisibility device├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber said ├óÔé¼┼ôBut i have no idea how to turn the damn thing on....├óÔé¼┬Ø
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maverick256
- Posts: 115
- Joined: 21 Sep 2004, 19:41
Can't wait for more.-
Archangel of Death
- Posts: 854
- Joined: 28 Jan 2005, 18:15
.The Marshall fitted his shit, trying to get it to look nice. The Federal government required anyone of his rank to be at least semi-present at social gatherings, or else people start asking penetrating questions. His gloves tightened and ripped slightly as his hands tightened on his lapels, anger coursing through his body. Damn the petty fools and their machinations.
He dropped a medal he was about to pin to his shirt. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat?├óÔé¼┬Ø he asked the air. ├óÔé¼┼ôDidn't i tell you to never use this channel?├óÔé¼┬Ø. Silence. ├óÔé¼┼ôIts too easy to track. What if-├óÔé¼┬Ø. Silence. ├óÔé¼┼ôThey might break the encryption and...what? No i cant subvocilize yet. The damn meat bags have found ways to pick up on it and...they WHAT!├óÔé¼┬Ø. The Marshall broke into a run, and sped out the door.
├óÔé¼┼ôAre you going to be at the inspection?├óÔé¼┬Ø the Marshall's second in command asked him as he ran down the hall way of the White House. ├óÔé¼┼ôNo, get the crew together├óÔé¼┬Ø the Marshall said ├óÔé¼┼ôSomeone has taken the Persephone, and the reports show that its most likely one of those damn Banshee's├óÔé¼┬Ø. His second saluted. The Marshall past him and walked to the nearest phone. He had been stonewalled by the Launcher friendly arms of the government, who still wanted to keep those damn Banshee's out of the firing squad, for too long.
├óÔé¼┼ôWe need Amber and Elizabeth NOW├óÔé¼┬Ø the Marshall barked into his phone ├óÔé¼┼ôDon't be subtle├óÔé¼┬Ø he responded ├óÔé¼┼ôMobilize the dreadnoughts, mobilize the skiffs, cruisers, and gunships. I WANT THOSE WOMEN FOUND!├óÔé¼┬Ø he roared into the phone. The reply was somewhat stunned.
The laser message from CPC was sent out in a matter of minuets. Then it was sent to multiple hubs, then flashed to every ship that had reported to those hubs. Then those ships started to converge on the Persephone's last know position. Then the Dreadnoughts where activated and launched from there top secret locations, to secondary and tertiary back up positions. The fleet was mobilized.
├óÔé¼┼ôDid you mobilize the entire CP fleet?├óÔé¼┬Ø the Senator Kim, representing Alpha sector of the asteroid belt. The Marshall grabbed the womans hair ├óÔé¼┼ôYou wont keep me away from those criminals├óÔé¼┬Ø he said, lifting the woman into the air. ├óÔé¼┼ôYou...you can't get away with this├óÔé¼┬Ø the woman said, gasping in pain. ├óÔé¼┼ôYour right├óÔé¼┬Ø the Marshall said ├óÔé¼┼ôI considered that for 1.00021 nanoseconds. But in the end it doesn't matter if I'm still in the government├óÔé¼┬Ø.
The Senator gaped at his faceless face. The Marshall had always loved the way his face creeped the politicians out. But he was sure he had never caused gibbering terror, like this woman was displaying. He let her go, and she fell. ├óÔé¼┼ôNow...i have a scientist to recover├óÔé¼┬Ø he said, and walked down the hall, out of the building and into his space ship.
---
Blackness...complete blackness. Owen's mind had been trained to live through this bleak existence. Lack of sensory perception. Touch, sound, tastes. Itch's. The thing he missed most was itching, oddly enough. He longed to...wait...
A sudden light below him. Seeming of form. Owen's mind suddenly saw his body again. He immideatly reached to scratch his back, the mentally slapped himself. That wasn't a dignified way to be born again...
Owen's received data. Information. He was on a ship. A woman sat in a I/O terminal, looking at him. He would have to bluff his way past this...he would need some time to think.
---
├óÔé¼┼ôHOW...DO...YOU...├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber shouted, grabbing the side of the console. Olivia was strapped in, but this was just a test. Supposedly. Amber's arms were bone tired. You try holding onto a box of metal for fifteen minutes under three gee's acceleration. It felt like she had been holding on for hours more. ├óÔé¼┼ôTURN THE FUCKING THING├óÔé¼┬Ø. Olivia, who had been studying a data slate, pressed a button on the massively complex, almost black console, and suddenly the acceleration stopped.
Amber stood shakily, her arms feeling like noodles ├óÔé¼┼ôDamn it├óÔé¼┬Ø She muttered ├óÔé¼┼ôWhy did you take it so long to find the off switch. ├óÔé¼┼ôI didn't turn the engines off├óÔé¼┬Ø Olivia said ├óÔé¼┼ôThey simply rotated, re extended and generally moved around on their nacelles until they face down├óÔé¼┬Ø. ├óÔé¼┼ôAh├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber said ├óÔé¼┼ôThanks...can you turn down the gravity too?├óÔé¼┬Ø she asked. Olivia grinned ├óÔé¼┼ôI'd like it a bit higher, but├óÔé¼┬Ø.
Amber shook her head violently. Olivia grinned ├óÔé¼┼ôWatch this├óÔé¼┬Ø she said, and thumbed a large red button on the control panel. Fifteen separate ovals of blackness dripped, for thats the best description available, out of the wall and formed into fifteen cameras that almost blended into the blackness of the wall. It was unsettling. The cameras lit up and created a hologram of the ship, with its hard points indicated and its status red out on the side. Amber thumbed the button again.
The hologram flickered from the normal greenish hue that the hologram was displayed in too a infrared description. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhoa├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber breathed. The infrared read out was incredibly low. The engines were also off the charts, in engine terms. They would still blister the crust off of the planet when focused and aimed, and could destroy Homeworld after a few months of continual use, burning the atmosphere into ash.
But in terms of engines, they were whisper quiet on the detection angle. They created next to no neutrinos, the biggest give away as neutrinos could fly through a block of lead a light year wide with only a fifty percent chance of being stopped by a stray lead atom, they also shunted the normal radiation of engines in razer thin lines. You'd have to pas almost right behind the ship before you'd think it was there.
├óÔé¼┼ôThis is high military├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber whistled ├óÔé¼┼ôOnly another military ship could see those heat sigs├óÔé¼┬Ø. ├óÔé¼┼ôYeah├óÔé¼┬Ø Olivia said, slowly turning to look at Amber ├óÔé¼┼ôBut why was it being showed off to a bunch of civys in Alpha Sector?├óÔé¼┬Ø. ├óÔé¼┼ôOh fuck├óÔé¼┬Ø they both said simultaneously. ├óÔé¼┼ôTurn the radar on and scan for everything and anything. This is a military ship...use it as required├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber said. Olivia's fingers danced over the console and the hologram snapped into several different blobs, each showing the different scan.
Twenty four dots flickered around there location. ├óÔé¼┼ôevasive!├óÔé¼┬Ø Olivia shouted, standing ├óÔé¼┼ôI gave the computer full control for five hours. It can use ever weapon. Lets get into the tanks├óÔé¼┬Ø. They both ran full tilt down the corridor and got to the acceleration tanks. They actually were tanks. Three lines of blue fluid, sunk into the floor. Amber jumped into one of the pools. It splashed sluggishly, not wanting to move. Amber sank into its incompressible, barely moving liquid and felt automatic tubes slid into two more orifices then she would of liked.
What happened next was painful for the tow passengers, but down right deadly for the twenty five police cutters that had been mobilized. The Persephone's engines reoriented and blasted at half power. The ship zipped through a formation of five ships. Those ships tried firing at it, but was unable to lock onto it before it was past them. But the Persephone had already launched projectiles from rail guns that popped out of the Persephone's sleek hull armor.
The projectiles were about...the size of a fist. But even if they where spit balls they would still have vaporised the skiffs when they hit them. Anything going ten to the twenty fifth power kilometers per hour, or whatever ungodly speed the projectiles were clocking, wouldn't stand a chance. The five skiff's turned into expanding debris fields. Very small debris, though. The Persephone flipped around, its engines flaring for a brief second running at full temperature. Then it launched five drone missiles, fired three lasers, and fired its engines to put it in an elliptical sweep through the enemy formations.
As it zipped past skiff after skiff, spinning to make itself a hard target, the Persephone fired shots from its rail guns and drone missiles. The drones confused the point defense systems of the skiff's, firing chaff and flares and generally trying to muddle the enemy. The Persephone wasn't even scratched. It hadn't even been touched by anything. Every shot, every laser and every missile didn't even come close. The Persephone finally settled in the center of a ring of debris, its engines glowing red hot against the background of the ship and space.
Amber had felt the crushing pressure through the tank. Unlike on Olivia's star ship, witch had been accelerating at only eight gravitys and she had barely felt a tick. Now though, she felt like she was between a vice. A crushing weight on her stomach made her think of monsters and other horrible things. But finally the intrusive tubes slid out and the crushing weight relaxed. Amber could barely keep herself from throwing herself out of the tank.
She got out, wondering why she hadn't taken the time to get undressed. Her clothes had been holed in two spots, embarrassingly in the pants area, and the rest of it was simply soaked with the strange chemical. Olivia exited soon after, much more gracefully and they both went to other rooms to change. Amber found a uniform, a slim, tight fitting black suit. She thought it pushed her breasts up too much, but didn't exactly have too much of a choice. Olivia wore the same thing, as it was a military ship.
├óÔé¼┼ôLets see what the hell just happened├óÔé¼┬Ø Olivia said, typing at the control panel in the bridge. They watched the play back hologram and Amber grinned ├óÔé¼┼ôI knew we had a good idea, stealing this ship├óÔé¼┬Ø she patted the console. ├óÔé¼┼ôDon't smudge it├óÔé¼┬Ø Olivia said, looking at the shiny metal. ├óÔé¼┼ôright... set course for Leviathan, scan for the Banshee├óÔé¼┬Ø she said to Olivia and turned around to go to bed. ├óÔé¼┼ôHey├óÔé¼┬Ø Olivia said ├óÔé¼┼ôYour not the captain, and I'm not your subordinate├óÔé¼┬Ø.
├óÔé¼┼ôSorry├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber said ├óÔé¼┼ôPLEASE set course for Leviathan and PLEASE look out of the Banshee├óÔé¼┬Ø. Olivia nodded ├óÔé¼┼ôRight├óÔé¼┬Ø. Amber turned around and went to bed. She found a room with the label Commander Lee on it, opened the door and plopped into the bed. A window, or more accurately a view screen simulating what the window would be showing, sat next to the window.
The Persephone came on the Banshee quite expectedly. The Banshee's engines where pain fully loud, in comparison to the Persephone. ├óÔé¼┼ôI've figured it out├óÔé¼┬Ø Olivia said, looking at the control panel. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat?├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber looked around from the hologram that showed their progress towards the Banshee. ├óÔé¼┼ôthe Stealth field├óÔé¼┬Ø Olivia said. The ship bumped a little, whisper smooth by any other ships standers, and started boarding procedures for the Banshee.
---------------------------------
├óÔé¼┼ôAmber?├óÔé¼┬Ø Liz asked, looking at the other woman. ├óÔé¼┼ôThe one and only├óÔé¼┬Ø she said ├óÔé¼┼ôbut we can't have any chit chat├óÔé¼┬Ø. Amber pulled out a com link, which looked like a black, sleek prod that she shoved in her ear, ├óÔé¼┼ôOlivia fry the computer├óÔé¼┬Ø. Olivia, back on the Persephone readied the emp gun that the Persephone had for disabling boarded vessels.
├óÔé¼┼ôNO!├óÔé¼┬Ø
Olivia stayed her hand, jerking her head back as the loud screeching voice snapped through her head set. Amber slapped her hands to her ears. Peter winced, dropping his gun. Liz shouted a swear into the air, droned out by the high pitched, computerized voice. The noise subsided, and everyone stared at the nearest monitor. A rather pudgy man, with greasy hair and a nervous air about him. ├óÔé¼┼ôWho the hell are you?├óÔé¼┬Ø Liz asked.
├óÔé¼┼ôUhh...right├óÔé¼┬Ø the man said, grinning weakly. Olivia, who was also getting the man's face splayed on the main hologram of the Persephone , typed at the key's and tried to track were the man was broadcasting from. ├óÔé¼┼ôThats not possible├óÔé¼┬Ø she whispered, looking at the screen. ├óÔé¼┼ôI...uh...er... well├óÔé¼┬Ø the man licked his lips and scratched his head. He seemed at a loss for words. ├óÔé¼┼ôWho the hell are you?├óÔé¼┬Ø Liz asked again.
├óÔé¼┼ôRight├óÔé¼┬Ø the man said ├óÔé¼┼ôIntroductions...├óÔé¼┬Ø he looked off into space. The background from the room he was broadcasting from was pure white and completely featureless. The wall behind him could have been right behind him, or a thousand miles in the distance. ├óÔé¼┼ôMy name is Owens Williams├óÔé¼┬Ø Owens said, grinning watery again ├óÔé¼┼ôAnd i worked at the Europa Research Facility├óÔé¼┬Ø. ├óÔé¼┼ôThe ERF?├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber asked. Olivia typed up info the Persephone had on the ERF. It was several thousand page's long.
├óÔé¼┼ôAt the ERF I studied with a v...very fearsome man...well I'm not sure if you could call him a man, after all he had no face├óÔé¼┬Ø Owens continued ├óÔé¼┼ôHe was called the Marshall, worked for the police. Very nasty man. Always pushing us to go faster. Well, anyway, i worked at the ERF in computer science's and├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôguys├óÔé¼┬Ø Olivia said ├óÔé¼┼ôWe've got a lode of ships inbound├óÔé¼┬Ø. Amber waved her hand to stop Owen's rambling speech. ├óÔé¼┼ôTell us, Owen, where are you broadcasting from so we can talk this out in person?├óÔé¼┬Ø Liz asked. ├óÔé¼┼ôBroadcasting?├óÔé¼┬Ø Owens looked surprised ├óÔé¼┼ôI thought you had realized this by now. I'm the A.I├óÔé¼┬Ø
He dropped a medal he was about to pin to his shirt. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat?├óÔé¼┬Ø he asked the air. ├óÔé¼┼ôDidn't i tell you to never use this channel?├óÔé¼┬Ø. Silence. ├óÔé¼┼ôIts too easy to track. What if-├óÔé¼┬Ø. Silence. ├óÔé¼┼ôThey might break the encryption and...what? No i cant subvocilize yet. The damn meat bags have found ways to pick up on it and...they WHAT!├óÔé¼┬Ø. The Marshall broke into a run, and sped out the door.
├óÔé¼┼ôAre you going to be at the inspection?├óÔé¼┬Ø the Marshall's second in command asked him as he ran down the hall way of the White House. ├óÔé¼┼ôNo, get the crew together├óÔé¼┬Ø the Marshall said ├óÔé¼┼ôSomeone has taken the Persephone, and the reports show that its most likely one of those damn Banshee's├óÔé¼┬Ø. His second saluted. The Marshall past him and walked to the nearest phone. He had been stonewalled by the Launcher friendly arms of the government, who still wanted to keep those damn Banshee's out of the firing squad, for too long.
├óÔé¼┼ôWe need Amber and Elizabeth NOW├óÔé¼┬Ø the Marshall barked into his phone ├óÔé¼┼ôDon't be subtle├óÔé¼┬Ø he responded ├óÔé¼┼ôMobilize the dreadnoughts, mobilize the skiffs, cruisers, and gunships. I WANT THOSE WOMEN FOUND!├óÔé¼┬Ø he roared into the phone. The reply was somewhat stunned.
The laser message from CPC was sent out in a matter of minuets. Then it was sent to multiple hubs, then flashed to every ship that had reported to those hubs. Then those ships started to converge on the Persephone's last know position. Then the Dreadnoughts where activated and launched from there top secret locations, to secondary and tertiary back up positions. The fleet was mobilized.
├óÔé¼┼ôDid you mobilize the entire CP fleet?├óÔé¼┬Ø the Senator Kim, representing Alpha sector of the asteroid belt. The Marshall grabbed the womans hair ├óÔé¼┼ôYou wont keep me away from those criminals├óÔé¼┬Ø he said, lifting the woman into the air. ├óÔé¼┼ôYou...you can't get away with this├óÔé¼┬Ø the woman said, gasping in pain. ├óÔé¼┼ôYour right├óÔé¼┬Ø the Marshall said ├óÔé¼┼ôI considered that for 1.00021 nanoseconds. But in the end it doesn't matter if I'm still in the government├óÔé¼┬Ø.
The Senator gaped at his faceless face. The Marshall had always loved the way his face creeped the politicians out. But he was sure he had never caused gibbering terror, like this woman was displaying. He let her go, and she fell. ├óÔé¼┼ôNow...i have a scientist to recover├óÔé¼┬Ø he said, and walked down the hall, out of the building and into his space ship.
---
Blackness...complete blackness. Owen's mind had been trained to live through this bleak existence. Lack of sensory perception. Touch, sound, tastes. Itch's. The thing he missed most was itching, oddly enough. He longed to...wait...
A sudden light below him. Seeming of form. Owen's mind suddenly saw his body again. He immideatly reached to scratch his back, the mentally slapped himself. That wasn't a dignified way to be born again...
Owen's received data. Information. He was on a ship. A woman sat in a I/O terminal, looking at him. He would have to bluff his way past this...he would need some time to think.
---
├óÔé¼┼ôHOW...DO...YOU...├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber shouted, grabbing the side of the console. Olivia was strapped in, but this was just a test. Supposedly. Amber's arms were bone tired. You try holding onto a box of metal for fifteen minutes under three gee's acceleration. It felt like she had been holding on for hours more. ├óÔé¼┼ôTURN THE FUCKING THING├óÔé¼┬Ø. Olivia, who had been studying a data slate, pressed a button on the massively complex, almost black console, and suddenly the acceleration stopped.
Amber stood shakily, her arms feeling like noodles ├óÔé¼┼ôDamn it├óÔé¼┬Ø She muttered ├óÔé¼┼ôWhy did you take it so long to find the off switch. ├óÔé¼┼ôI didn't turn the engines off├óÔé¼┬Ø Olivia said ├óÔé¼┼ôThey simply rotated, re extended and generally moved around on their nacelles until they face down├óÔé¼┬Ø. ├óÔé¼┼ôAh├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber said ├óÔé¼┼ôThanks...can you turn down the gravity too?├óÔé¼┬Ø she asked. Olivia grinned ├óÔé¼┼ôI'd like it a bit higher, but├óÔé¼┬Ø.
Amber shook her head violently. Olivia grinned ├óÔé¼┼ôWatch this├óÔé¼┬Ø she said, and thumbed a large red button on the control panel. Fifteen separate ovals of blackness dripped, for thats the best description available, out of the wall and formed into fifteen cameras that almost blended into the blackness of the wall. It was unsettling. The cameras lit up and created a hologram of the ship, with its hard points indicated and its status red out on the side. Amber thumbed the button again.
The hologram flickered from the normal greenish hue that the hologram was displayed in too a infrared description. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhoa├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber breathed. The infrared read out was incredibly low. The engines were also off the charts, in engine terms. They would still blister the crust off of the planet when focused and aimed, and could destroy Homeworld after a few months of continual use, burning the atmosphere into ash.
But in terms of engines, they were whisper quiet on the detection angle. They created next to no neutrinos, the biggest give away as neutrinos could fly through a block of lead a light year wide with only a fifty percent chance of being stopped by a stray lead atom, they also shunted the normal radiation of engines in razer thin lines. You'd have to pas almost right behind the ship before you'd think it was there.
├óÔé¼┼ôThis is high military├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber whistled ├óÔé¼┼ôOnly another military ship could see those heat sigs├óÔé¼┬Ø. ├óÔé¼┼ôYeah├óÔé¼┬Ø Olivia said, slowly turning to look at Amber ├óÔé¼┼ôBut why was it being showed off to a bunch of civys in Alpha Sector?├óÔé¼┬Ø. ├óÔé¼┼ôOh fuck├óÔé¼┬Ø they both said simultaneously. ├óÔé¼┼ôTurn the radar on and scan for everything and anything. This is a military ship...use it as required├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber said. Olivia's fingers danced over the console and the hologram snapped into several different blobs, each showing the different scan.
Twenty four dots flickered around there location. ├óÔé¼┼ôevasive!├óÔé¼┬Ø Olivia shouted, standing ├óÔé¼┼ôI gave the computer full control for five hours. It can use ever weapon. Lets get into the tanks├óÔé¼┬Ø. They both ran full tilt down the corridor and got to the acceleration tanks. They actually were tanks. Three lines of blue fluid, sunk into the floor. Amber jumped into one of the pools. It splashed sluggishly, not wanting to move. Amber sank into its incompressible, barely moving liquid and felt automatic tubes slid into two more orifices then she would of liked.
What happened next was painful for the tow passengers, but down right deadly for the twenty five police cutters that had been mobilized. The Persephone's engines reoriented and blasted at half power. The ship zipped through a formation of five ships. Those ships tried firing at it, but was unable to lock onto it before it was past them. But the Persephone had already launched projectiles from rail guns that popped out of the Persephone's sleek hull armor.
The projectiles were about...the size of a fist. But even if they where spit balls they would still have vaporised the skiffs when they hit them. Anything going ten to the twenty fifth power kilometers per hour, or whatever ungodly speed the projectiles were clocking, wouldn't stand a chance. The five skiff's turned into expanding debris fields. Very small debris, though. The Persephone flipped around, its engines flaring for a brief second running at full temperature. Then it launched five drone missiles, fired three lasers, and fired its engines to put it in an elliptical sweep through the enemy formations.
As it zipped past skiff after skiff, spinning to make itself a hard target, the Persephone fired shots from its rail guns and drone missiles. The drones confused the point defense systems of the skiff's, firing chaff and flares and generally trying to muddle the enemy. The Persephone wasn't even scratched. It hadn't even been touched by anything. Every shot, every laser and every missile didn't even come close. The Persephone finally settled in the center of a ring of debris, its engines glowing red hot against the background of the ship and space.
Amber had felt the crushing pressure through the tank. Unlike on Olivia's star ship, witch had been accelerating at only eight gravitys and she had barely felt a tick. Now though, she felt like she was between a vice. A crushing weight on her stomach made her think of monsters and other horrible things. But finally the intrusive tubes slid out and the crushing weight relaxed. Amber could barely keep herself from throwing herself out of the tank.
She got out, wondering why she hadn't taken the time to get undressed. Her clothes had been holed in two spots, embarrassingly in the pants area, and the rest of it was simply soaked with the strange chemical. Olivia exited soon after, much more gracefully and they both went to other rooms to change. Amber found a uniform, a slim, tight fitting black suit. She thought it pushed her breasts up too much, but didn't exactly have too much of a choice. Olivia wore the same thing, as it was a military ship.
├óÔé¼┼ôLets see what the hell just happened├óÔé¼┬Ø Olivia said, typing at the control panel in the bridge. They watched the play back hologram and Amber grinned ├óÔé¼┼ôI knew we had a good idea, stealing this ship├óÔé¼┬Ø she patted the console. ├óÔé¼┼ôDon't smudge it├óÔé¼┬Ø Olivia said, looking at the shiny metal. ├óÔé¼┼ôright... set course for Leviathan, scan for the Banshee├óÔé¼┬Ø she said to Olivia and turned around to go to bed. ├óÔé¼┼ôHey├óÔé¼┬Ø Olivia said ├óÔé¼┼ôYour not the captain, and I'm not your subordinate├óÔé¼┬Ø.
├óÔé¼┼ôSorry├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber said ├óÔé¼┼ôPLEASE set course for Leviathan and PLEASE look out of the Banshee├óÔé¼┬Ø. Olivia nodded ├óÔé¼┼ôRight├óÔé¼┬Ø. Amber turned around and went to bed. She found a room with the label Commander Lee on it, opened the door and plopped into the bed. A window, or more accurately a view screen simulating what the window would be showing, sat next to the window.
The Persephone came on the Banshee quite expectedly. The Banshee's engines where pain fully loud, in comparison to the Persephone. ├óÔé¼┼ôI've figured it out├óÔé¼┬Ø Olivia said, looking at the control panel. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat?├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber looked around from the hologram that showed their progress towards the Banshee. ├óÔé¼┼ôthe Stealth field├óÔé¼┬Ø Olivia said. The ship bumped a little, whisper smooth by any other ships standers, and started boarding procedures for the Banshee.
---------------------------------
├óÔé¼┼ôAmber?├óÔé¼┬Ø Liz asked, looking at the other woman. ├óÔé¼┼ôThe one and only├óÔé¼┬Ø she said ├óÔé¼┼ôbut we can't have any chit chat├óÔé¼┬Ø. Amber pulled out a com link, which looked like a black, sleek prod that she shoved in her ear, ├óÔé¼┼ôOlivia fry the computer├óÔé¼┬Ø. Olivia, back on the Persephone readied the emp gun that the Persephone had for disabling boarded vessels.
├óÔé¼┼ôNO!├óÔé¼┬Ø
Olivia stayed her hand, jerking her head back as the loud screeching voice snapped through her head set. Amber slapped her hands to her ears. Peter winced, dropping his gun. Liz shouted a swear into the air, droned out by the high pitched, computerized voice. The noise subsided, and everyone stared at the nearest monitor. A rather pudgy man, with greasy hair and a nervous air about him. ├óÔé¼┼ôWho the hell are you?├óÔé¼┬Ø Liz asked.
├óÔé¼┼ôUhh...right├óÔé¼┬Ø the man said, grinning weakly. Olivia, who was also getting the man's face splayed on the main hologram of the Persephone , typed at the key's and tried to track were the man was broadcasting from. ├óÔé¼┼ôThats not possible├óÔé¼┬Ø she whispered, looking at the screen. ├óÔé¼┼ôI...uh...er... well├óÔé¼┬Ø the man licked his lips and scratched his head. He seemed at a loss for words. ├óÔé¼┼ôWho the hell are you?├óÔé¼┬Ø Liz asked again.
├óÔé¼┼ôRight├óÔé¼┬Ø the man said ├óÔé¼┼ôIntroductions...├óÔé¼┬Ø he looked off into space. The background from the room he was broadcasting from was pure white and completely featureless. The wall behind him could have been right behind him, or a thousand miles in the distance. ├óÔé¼┼ôMy name is Owens Williams├óÔé¼┬Ø Owens said, grinning watery again ├óÔé¼┼ôAnd i worked at the Europa Research Facility├óÔé¼┬Ø. ├óÔé¼┼ôThe ERF?├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber asked. Olivia typed up info the Persephone had on the ERF. It was several thousand page's long.
├óÔé¼┼ôAt the ERF I studied with a v...very fearsome man...well I'm not sure if you could call him a man, after all he had no face├óÔé¼┬Ø Owens continued ├óÔé¼┼ôHe was called the Marshall, worked for the police. Very nasty man. Always pushing us to go faster. Well, anyway, i worked at the ERF in computer science's and├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôguys├óÔé¼┬Ø Olivia said ├óÔé¼┼ôWe've got a lode of ships inbound├óÔé¼┬Ø. Amber waved her hand to stop Owen's rambling speech. ├óÔé¼┼ôTell us, Owen, where are you broadcasting from so we can talk this out in person?├óÔé¼┬Ø Liz asked. ├óÔé¼┼ôBroadcasting?├óÔé¼┬Ø Owens looked surprised ├óÔé¼┼ôI thought you had realized this by now. I'm the A.I├óÔé¼┬Ø
Wow...ninehundred views...
Now if by the end of this i get up to 4000 views i will feel happy about myself, as Rings has only 3500 views...now go...READ RINGS AND DARKSIDE!
├óÔé¼┼ôHa!├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber said, pointing at the monitor, ├óÔé¼┼ôI knew it!├óÔé¼┬Ø. ├óÔé¼┼ôYeah, uh, why were you trying to kill me anyway?├óÔé¼┬Ø Owen's asked looking downright perplexed. ├óÔé¼┼ôI feel uncomfortable about my ride being controlled by a computer├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber said. ├óÔé¼┼ôGuys!├óÔé¼┬Ø Olivia said, piping through Ambers head set. ├óÔé¼┼ôWait one second├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber said, turning away slightly to talk into the head set. ├óÔé¼┼ôSo...how long have you been my computer?├óÔé¼┬Ø Liz asked. ├óÔé¼┼ôSince you put in the data slate├óÔé¼┬Ø Owen's said, still looking perplexed ├óÔé¼┼ôDidn't you guess?├óÔé¼┬Ø. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat?├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber asked, talking quietly into the headset. ├óÔé¼┼ôYou've got to get out of the ship in about two minuets├óÔé¼┬Ø Olivia said ├óÔé¼┼ôWe've got in bound nukes├óÔé¼┬Ø
--------------------------------------------------------
The Marshall stood at the bridge of the ship, wishing he had called his real crew together. But there hadn't been enough time. After the skiff's had been destroyed, in full view of several news broadcasting vessels, his fleet had approached. They were military vessels, not just police skiff's, and they had a fool prof plan to get rid of the data slate, the Banshee's and the Persephone at the same time. They detected the Banshee, the ship, and the faint readings that showed the Persephone probable location.
├óÔé¼┼ôMissiles away├óÔé¼┬Ø his subordinate said. Fifteen bright flares shot past the window of the war cruisers bridge, faster then a human eye could follow. The missiles exhaust spread outward as a rapidly expanding cloud of gas, and made a glittering smear of color over space. It was beautiful in its way, The Marshall thought. ├óÔé¼┼ôSir├óÔé¼┬Ø his subordinate said, looking up from his console ├óÔé¼┼ôThe missiles will impact in three minuets, five seconds├óÔé¼┬Ø.
================================
Amber, Liz and Peter shoved into the air lock at once. It started to cycle. ├óÔé¼┼ôShit shit shit├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber muttered as the air lock went through its motions. When the door finally popped into the sleek, streamlined corridors. ├óÔé¼┼ôWere in├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber said ├óÔé¼┼ôDisengage and...turn IT on├óÔé¼┬Ø. Olivia gulped. She had been reading the logs of the officers, and what they said about IT gave her the creeps. And it took quite a bit to give her the creeps. She pulled out the activation key.
They had found the activation key in the officers room, locked in a safe. They had blasted the safe open with three well aimed shots from Amber's gun, and then pulled the key out. The key looked like a liquid looking milk crystal. That is the color was milk, and slowly swirled inside of the clear edges of the crystal. You slid it into the main console on the bridge, then...stick your hand into a odd device that slid up from the dash board and hovered in the air, unsupported by any visible...anything.
At least thats what the logs made them thing. Olivia slid the key in and it clicked softly as the key engaged. It glowed brightly as energy crackled through it. Olivia jerked her hand away from the thing as it started to throb slowly, pulsing softly. Then a small globe rose from the dash board, looking like a open maw stuck in a basket ball. Olivia gingerly stuck her hand in and felt...something touch her.
Then in the middle of the ship the stealth field generator started to turn on.
Amber felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up. Then she noticed the feeling that had suddenly dawned on her. It is a little hard to describe. Imagine that there is a person standing right behind you, close enough for you to feel. Then take that person and multiply them a thousand fold and have them standing, patiently in a line behind you. Amber slowly looked over he shoulder, but the feeling persisted, the formless and yet well defined people staying behind her head.
├óÔé¼┼ôDo you guy's feel that?├óÔé¼┬Ø Liz asked, scratching the back of her neck. ├óÔé¼┼ôI think i know what you mean├óÔé¼┬Ø Peter responded, glancing around the room. Amber nodded ├óÔé¼┼ôIs this the effect of the stealth field?├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber asked. ├óÔé¼┼ôNo├óÔé¼┬Ø Olivia said over her head set ├óÔé¼┼ôThe thing is still warming up├óÔé¼┬Ø. The feeling intensified as Amber, Peter and Liz strode down the corridors of the Persephone, until Amber swore that she could feel breath on the back of her neck.
In the middle of the ship...the stealth field turned on, its boxy shape suddenly expanding into a geodesic sphere. The spikes on the top moved from the top and spread over the entire sphere, and the entire ship began to throb. The Persephone detached from the Banshee and its engines activated at the same time as the stealth field. The gravity suddenly increased to a manageable two gees. The missiles streaked past the Persephone's shape without even noticing a change in the local temperature.
Inside the Persephone the feeling of people standing behind Amber vanished suddenly, and the universe...snapped. Thats the best way to explain it. A pressure on Amber's temples vanished, and the hair on the back of her neck vanished. The people behind her, however, simply faded into the background. And it was still creepy as hell. The gravity though, lessened as the acceleration went down. ├óÔé¼┼ôWe are at a safe distance├óÔé¼┬Ø Olivia said over the P.A.
The missiles impacted on the Banshee and vaporised it, the computer system and everything in a couple of hundred feet. There wasn't even enough shrapnel to scratch the pain on the Persephone. However the shock wave of fifteen nuclear weapons transmitted surprisingly far, even in the vacuum of space, enough to rock the hull of the Persephone slightly. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat was that?├óÔé¼┬Ø Liz asked, looking around at the walls. ├óÔé¼┼ôI think it was the missiles hitting the Banshee's├óÔé¼┬Ø
Liz felt cold ├óÔé¼┼ôYou mean...its destroyed?├óÔé¼┬Ø.
├óÔé¼┼ôGood god├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber said, looking at the hunk of plastic that Liz had called her about ├óÔé¼┼ôThat is what you want to buy├óÔé¼┬Ø. It looked like a lopsided sphere, with one side sticking outwards into space. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat the hell?├óÔé¼┬Ø Liz said ├óÔé¼┼ôIt didn't look like that when i selected it├óÔé¼┬Ø. ├óÔé¼┼ôWell mabey you got had├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber pointed out. They had gotten rich through just three drug deals, seeing as how many people underestimated the 'young ladies' and had not been ready for Amber and Liz to give them the hardest bargain in years.
├óÔé¼┼ôOh├óÔé¼┬Ø Liz said ├óÔé¼┼ôI know what's wrong...half of the rotational struts are stucking out, let me fix that├óÔé¼┬Ø she ran up to the ship, and climbed in. Amber rolled her eyes. Sometimes Liz could be so-
Half the ship collapsed into the center, making the entire thing click into a perfectly round sphere. ├óÔé¼┼ôOh wow├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber said, her mouth handing open. Liz dropped out of the air lock ├óÔé¼┼ôSo once we get this thing in space, we can make a killing in...well anything. Smuggling, piracy and info-theft...you know, good honorable trades├óÔé¼┬Ø Liz grinned. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat do you mean, get in space?├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber asked. ├óÔé¼┼ôwell first there is the quibbling little things...like engines├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôThere ends the Banshee, and the Banshee's├óÔé¼┬Ø the Marshal said, clapping his hands together. ├óÔé¼┼ôSir?├óÔé¼┬Ø his subordinate asked quizzically. ├óÔé¼┼ôNever mind├óÔé¼┬Ø the Marshal said ├óÔé¼┼ôAnd get out more often├óÔé¼┬Ø. The nuke's light faded slowly. But it left no retinal after image on the Marshal's eyes. He walked away into the center of his ship as it slowly spun round and accelerated back to Homeworld at a constant one gee. ├óÔé¼┼ôDamed slow├óÔé¼┬Ø he muttered as the ship began to fall towards Homeworld.
Liz felt sad, but not grief stricken. She told her self that it was just a ship. A ship she had built with Amber over two years, and used for five more. They got to the bridge, and Olivia showed them around. Once the police and military fleet that had destroyed the Banshee had gone, there engines facing towards the Persephone and there fore unable to detect the ship, they turned off the stealth field and the feeling of wrongness vanished. Liz relaxed immideatly, suddenly realizing how on edge she had felt.
They fired off a quick burst of speed towards Leviathan, then to conserve fuel as the Persephone used a special fuel produced by the military and unavailable to the majority of SOL, so they went slow. After Olivia showed them the last part of the ship so any of them could pilot it in a pinch, Liz announced that she was going to have a bath, assuming there was on on the ship. Amber said that there was only two showers, one communal and one for the commander.
├óÔé¼┼ôI'll take that one├óÔé¼┬Ø Liz said, standing and stretching slowly. ├óÔé¼┼ôRight├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber said. ├óÔé¼┼ôWell i am going to chose a room├óÔé¼┬Ø Peter said ├óÔé¼┼ôHow long will it take us to get back to Leviathan?├óÔé¼┬Ø he asked Olivia. ├óÔé¼┼ôFour days, unless we spend more fuel. And i want to avoid that for now├óÔé¼┬Ø. Peter nodded, yawning ├óÔé¼┼ôI'm going to sleep when I find a room├óÔé¼┬Ø He said. ├óÔé¼┼ôThanks for the information├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber replied, feeling a bit snappy too.
As Peter left, trailing behind Liz, Amber looked at Olivia ├óÔé¼┼ôThat stealth field takes it out of you, doesn't it?├óÔé¼┬Ø. Olivia nodded ├óÔé¼┼ôlets not use it from now on, unless we have too├óÔé¼┬Ø. Amber stood ├óÔé¼┼ôI'm going to my room and try to relax├óÔé¼┬Ø she was still feeling tense, on edge. Olivia, who was feeling the most relaxed and generally happy, leaned back in the chair, put her feet up and called up a simulation of the Persephone and smiled, mesmerized by the graceful curves.
Liz stood in the shower, feeling the water run down her body and felt the tension leave her body. She rubbed her back and wished there was some soap. But for actual cleaning you use a sonic scrubber, a small device that used focused sound waves to break the dirt and sweat off your body and the water washed it away. So she simply tried to relax. She was feeling pretty good when...
├óÔé¼┼ôNice body├óÔé¼┬Ø Owens said. Liz jumped, her arms immideatly rushing up to cover her chest. Owen's pudgy face was on the computer screen that was sitting across the room from the shower. ├óÔé¼┼ôYou fuck!├óÔé¼┬Ø Liz shouted. ├óÔé¼┼ôHey I'm just a computer program├óÔé¼┬Ø Owens said, but he looked afraid for all his bravado. ├óÔé¼┼ôI thought you blew up with the Banshee├óÔé¼┬Ø Liz said, her relaxation leaving much faster then it had come.
├óÔé¼┼ôSorry, but i think Amber and Olivia still don't trust me├óÔé¼┬Ø Owens said. ├óÔé¼┼ôI don't trust you├óÔé¼┬Ø Liz said, removing one arm and exposing more skin to grab a towel. She was just luck Owen's line of sight was more centered on her upper body. Made this easier. ├óÔé¼┼ôYou're lucky you don't have a body├óÔé¼┬Ø Liz said ├óÔé¼┼ôOr i would cut you dick off├óÔé¼┬Ø. Owens blanched ├óÔé¼┼ôI did have a body├óÔé¼┬Ø He said. Liz turned the shower off, ├óÔé¼┼ôWell you'd better hope I don't find it├óÔé¼┬Ø Liz said, wrapping the town around her body and stepping out of the shower.
├óÔé¼┼ôYou won't├óÔé¼┬Ø Owens said ├óÔé¼┼ôIts been disintegrated├óÔé¼┬Ø he looked a little forlorn. Liz walked over to the view screen, wishing the towel wasn't so sheer. Owens saw what she was about to do and said ├óÔé¼┼ôNow wai-├óÔé¼┬Ø. She turned off the view screen and sighed. They she started to get dressed. She was pulling on pants when the screen came back on ├óÔé¼┼ôCould you please lis├óÔé¼┬Ø Owens started, but Liz smashed her fist into the off button. She was dressed and leaving when the view screen came back on ├óÔé¼┼ôPlease sto├óÔé¼┬Ø Owens said, but the door closed and cut off his words.
├óÔé¼┼ôWe have a bug├óÔé¼┬Ø Liz said, walking into the bridge. Olivia looked over her shoulder at Liz. ├óÔé¼┼ôBug?├óÔé¼┬Ø she asked. The hologram in the middle of the room snapped out was was replaced by Owens, the rest of his body as flabby as his face. ├óÔé¼┼ôThat bug├óÔé¼┬Ø Liz said.
Now if by the end of this i get up to 4000 views i will feel happy about myself, as Rings has only 3500 views...now go...READ RINGS AND DARKSIDE!
├óÔé¼┼ôHa!├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber said, pointing at the monitor, ├óÔé¼┼ôI knew it!├óÔé¼┬Ø. ├óÔé¼┼ôYeah, uh, why were you trying to kill me anyway?├óÔé¼┬Ø Owen's asked looking downright perplexed. ├óÔé¼┼ôI feel uncomfortable about my ride being controlled by a computer├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber said. ├óÔé¼┼ôGuys!├óÔé¼┬Ø Olivia said, piping through Ambers head set. ├óÔé¼┼ôWait one second├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber said, turning away slightly to talk into the head set. ├óÔé¼┼ôSo...how long have you been my computer?├óÔé¼┬Ø Liz asked. ├óÔé¼┼ôSince you put in the data slate├óÔé¼┬Ø Owen's said, still looking perplexed ├óÔé¼┼ôDidn't you guess?├óÔé¼┬Ø. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat?├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber asked, talking quietly into the headset. ├óÔé¼┼ôYou've got to get out of the ship in about two minuets├óÔé¼┬Ø Olivia said ├óÔé¼┼ôWe've got in bound nukes├óÔé¼┬Ø
--------------------------------------------------------
The Marshall stood at the bridge of the ship, wishing he had called his real crew together. But there hadn't been enough time. After the skiff's had been destroyed, in full view of several news broadcasting vessels, his fleet had approached. They were military vessels, not just police skiff's, and they had a fool prof plan to get rid of the data slate, the Banshee's and the Persephone at the same time. They detected the Banshee, the ship, and the faint readings that showed the Persephone probable location.
├óÔé¼┼ôMissiles away├óÔé¼┬Ø his subordinate said. Fifteen bright flares shot past the window of the war cruisers bridge, faster then a human eye could follow. The missiles exhaust spread outward as a rapidly expanding cloud of gas, and made a glittering smear of color over space. It was beautiful in its way, The Marshall thought. ├óÔé¼┼ôSir├óÔé¼┬Ø his subordinate said, looking up from his console ├óÔé¼┼ôThe missiles will impact in three minuets, five seconds├óÔé¼┬Ø.
================================
Amber, Liz and Peter shoved into the air lock at once. It started to cycle. ├óÔé¼┼ôShit shit shit├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber muttered as the air lock went through its motions. When the door finally popped into the sleek, streamlined corridors. ├óÔé¼┼ôWere in├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber said ├óÔé¼┼ôDisengage and...turn IT on├óÔé¼┬Ø. Olivia gulped. She had been reading the logs of the officers, and what they said about IT gave her the creeps. And it took quite a bit to give her the creeps. She pulled out the activation key.
They had found the activation key in the officers room, locked in a safe. They had blasted the safe open with three well aimed shots from Amber's gun, and then pulled the key out. The key looked like a liquid looking milk crystal. That is the color was milk, and slowly swirled inside of the clear edges of the crystal. You slid it into the main console on the bridge, then...stick your hand into a odd device that slid up from the dash board and hovered in the air, unsupported by any visible...anything.
At least thats what the logs made them thing. Olivia slid the key in and it clicked softly as the key engaged. It glowed brightly as energy crackled through it. Olivia jerked her hand away from the thing as it started to throb slowly, pulsing softly. Then a small globe rose from the dash board, looking like a open maw stuck in a basket ball. Olivia gingerly stuck her hand in and felt...something touch her.
Then in the middle of the ship the stealth field generator started to turn on.
Amber felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up. Then she noticed the feeling that had suddenly dawned on her. It is a little hard to describe. Imagine that there is a person standing right behind you, close enough for you to feel. Then take that person and multiply them a thousand fold and have them standing, patiently in a line behind you. Amber slowly looked over he shoulder, but the feeling persisted, the formless and yet well defined people staying behind her head.
├óÔé¼┼ôDo you guy's feel that?├óÔé¼┬Ø Liz asked, scratching the back of her neck. ├óÔé¼┼ôI think i know what you mean├óÔé¼┬Ø Peter responded, glancing around the room. Amber nodded ├óÔé¼┼ôIs this the effect of the stealth field?├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber asked. ├óÔé¼┼ôNo├óÔé¼┬Ø Olivia said over her head set ├óÔé¼┼ôThe thing is still warming up├óÔé¼┬Ø. The feeling intensified as Amber, Peter and Liz strode down the corridors of the Persephone, until Amber swore that she could feel breath on the back of her neck.
In the middle of the ship...the stealth field turned on, its boxy shape suddenly expanding into a geodesic sphere. The spikes on the top moved from the top and spread over the entire sphere, and the entire ship began to throb. The Persephone detached from the Banshee and its engines activated at the same time as the stealth field. The gravity suddenly increased to a manageable two gees. The missiles streaked past the Persephone's shape without even noticing a change in the local temperature.
Inside the Persephone the feeling of people standing behind Amber vanished suddenly, and the universe...snapped. Thats the best way to explain it. A pressure on Amber's temples vanished, and the hair on the back of her neck vanished. The people behind her, however, simply faded into the background. And it was still creepy as hell. The gravity though, lessened as the acceleration went down. ├óÔé¼┼ôWe are at a safe distance├óÔé¼┬Ø Olivia said over the P.A.
The missiles impacted on the Banshee and vaporised it, the computer system and everything in a couple of hundred feet. There wasn't even enough shrapnel to scratch the pain on the Persephone. However the shock wave of fifteen nuclear weapons transmitted surprisingly far, even in the vacuum of space, enough to rock the hull of the Persephone slightly. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat was that?├óÔé¼┬Ø Liz asked, looking around at the walls. ├óÔé¼┼ôI think it was the missiles hitting the Banshee's├óÔé¼┬Ø
Liz felt cold ├óÔé¼┼ôYou mean...its destroyed?├óÔé¼┬Ø.
├óÔé¼┼ôGood god├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber said, looking at the hunk of plastic that Liz had called her about ├óÔé¼┼ôThat is what you want to buy├óÔé¼┬Ø. It looked like a lopsided sphere, with one side sticking outwards into space. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat the hell?├óÔé¼┬Ø Liz said ├óÔé¼┼ôIt didn't look like that when i selected it├óÔé¼┬Ø. ├óÔé¼┼ôWell mabey you got had├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber pointed out. They had gotten rich through just three drug deals, seeing as how many people underestimated the 'young ladies' and had not been ready for Amber and Liz to give them the hardest bargain in years.
├óÔé¼┼ôOh├óÔé¼┬Ø Liz said ├óÔé¼┼ôI know what's wrong...half of the rotational struts are stucking out, let me fix that├óÔé¼┬Ø she ran up to the ship, and climbed in. Amber rolled her eyes. Sometimes Liz could be so-
Half the ship collapsed into the center, making the entire thing click into a perfectly round sphere. ├óÔé¼┼ôOh wow├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber said, her mouth handing open. Liz dropped out of the air lock ├óÔé¼┼ôSo once we get this thing in space, we can make a killing in...well anything. Smuggling, piracy and info-theft...you know, good honorable trades├óÔé¼┬Ø Liz grinned. ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat do you mean, get in space?├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber asked. ├óÔé¼┼ôwell first there is the quibbling little things...like engines├óÔé¼┬Ø
├óÔé¼┼ôThere ends the Banshee, and the Banshee's├óÔé¼┬Ø the Marshal said, clapping his hands together. ├óÔé¼┼ôSir?├óÔé¼┬Ø his subordinate asked quizzically. ├óÔé¼┼ôNever mind├óÔé¼┬Ø the Marshal said ├óÔé¼┼ôAnd get out more often├óÔé¼┬Ø. The nuke's light faded slowly. But it left no retinal after image on the Marshal's eyes. He walked away into the center of his ship as it slowly spun round and accelerated back to Homeworld at a constant one gee. ├óÔé¼┼ôDamed slow├óÔé¼┬Ø he muttered as the ship began to fall towards Homeworld.
Liz felt sad, but not grief stricken. She told her self that it was just a ship. A ship she had built with Amber over two years, and used for five more. They got to the bridge, and Olivia showed them around. Once the police and military fleet that had destroyed the Banshee had gone, there engines facing towards the Persephone and there fore unable to detect the ship, they turned off the stealth field and the feeling of wrongness vanished. Liz relaxed immideatly, suddenly realizing how on edge she had felt.
They fired off a quick burst of speed towards Leviathan, then to conserve fuel as the Persephone used a special fuel produced by the military and unavailable to the majority of SOL, so they went slow. After Olivia showed them the last part of the ship so any of them could pilot it in a pinch, Liz announced that she was going to have a bath, assuming there was on on the ship. Amber said that there was only two showers, one communal and one for the commander.
├óÔé¼┼ôI'll take that one├óÔé¼┬Ø Liz said, standing and stretching slowly. ├óÔé¼┼ôRight├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber said. ├óÔé¼┼ôWell i am going to chose a room├óÔé¼┬Ø Peter said ├óÔé¼┼ôHow long will it take us to get back to Leviathan?├óÔé¼┬Ø he asked Olivia. ├óÔé¼┼ôFour days, unless we spend more fuel. And i want to avoid that for now├óÔé¼┬Ø. Peter nodded, yawning ├óÔé¼┼ôI'm going to sleep when I find a room├óÔé¼┬Ø He said. ├óÔé¼┼ôThanks for the information├óÔé¼┬Ø Amber replied, feeling a bit snappy too.
As Peter left, trailing behind Liz, Amber looked at Olivia ├óÔé¼┼ôThat stealth field takes it out of you, doesn't it?├óÔé¼┬Ø. Olivia nodded ├óÔé¼┼ôlets not use it from now on, unless we have too├óÔé¼┬Ø. Amber stood ├óÔé¼┼ôI'm going to my room and try to relax├óÔé¼┬Ø she was still feeling tense, on edge. Olivia, who was feeling the most relaxed and generally happy, leaned back in the chair, put her feet up and called up a simulation of the Persephone and smiled, mesmerized by the graceful curves.
Liz stood in the shower, feeling the water run down her body and felt the tension leave her body. She rubbed her back and wished there was some soap. But for actual cleaning you use a sonic scrubber, a small device that used focused sound waves to break the dirt and sweat off your body and the water washed it away. So she simply tried to relax. She was feeling pretty good when...
├óÔé¼┼ôNice body├óÔé¼┬Ø Owens said. Liz jumped, her arms immideatly rushing up to cover her chest. Owen's pudgy face was on the computer screen that was sitting across the room from the shower. ├óÔé¼┼ôYou fuck!├óÔé¼┬Ø Liz shouted. ├óÔé¼┼ôHey I'm just a computer program├óÔé¼┬Ø Owens said, but he looked afraid for all his bravado. ├óÔé¼┼ôI thought you blew up with the Banshee├óÔé¼┬Ø Liz said, her relaxation leaving much faster then it had come.
├óÔé¼┼ôSorry, but i think Amber and Olivia still don't trust me├óÔé¼┬Ø Owens said. ├óÔé¼┼ôI don't trust you├óÔé¼┬Ø Liz said, removing one arm and exposing more skin to grab a towel. She was just luck Owen's line of sight was more centered on her upper body. Made this easier. ├óÔé¼┼ôYou're lucky you don't have a body├óÔé¼┬Ø Liz said ├óÔé¼┼ôOr i would cut you dick off├óÔé¼┬Ø. Owens blanched ├óÔé¼┼ôI did have a body├óÔé¼┬Ø He said. Liz turned the shower off, ├óÔé¼┼ôWell you'd better hope I don't find it├óÔé¼┬Ø Liz said, wrapping the town around her body and stepping out of the shower.
├óÔé¼┼ôYou won't├óÔé¼┬Ø Owens said ├óÔé¼┼ôIts been disintegrated├óÔé¼┬Ø he looked a little forlorn. Liz walked over to the view screen, wishing the towel wasn't so sheer. Owens saw what she was about to do and said ├óÔé¼┼ôNow wai-├óÔé¼┬Ø. She turned off the view screen and sighed. They she started to get dressed. She was pulling on pants when the screen came back on ├óÔé¼┼ôCould you please lis├óÔé¼┬Ø Owens started, but Liz smashed her fist into the off button. She was dressed and leaving when the view screen came back on ├óÔé¼┼ôPlease sto├óÔé¼┬Ø Owens said, but the door closed and cut off his words.
├óÔé¼┼ôWe have a bug├óÔé¼┬Ø Liz said, walking into the bridge. Olivia looked over her shoulder at Liz. ├óÔé¼┼ôBug?├óÔé¼┬Ø she asked. The hologram in the middle of the room snapped out was was replaced by Owens, the rest of his body as flabby as his face. ├óÔé¼┼ôThat bug├óÔé¼┬Ø Liz said.
