NationStates Jolt Archive

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xS8SV2uOa4A

For several years now, the world of D'Hara was looking to become more independent from the rest of the Abh Empire. It was a small world that was completely self-sufficient complete with its own trade goods, government structure, and strong ground military. The only failing for D'Hara was that the Empire had a vested interest in the system with its mineral worlds, ship yard, and the fact that the rulers of D'Hara and a few of its people were matters of interest to a few of the higher ups in Imperial circles.

The Empire had successfully managed to keep D'Hara in its place by appointing Richard Rahl to positions of authority within Star Forces and his wife, Kahlan Amnell, was elected as a Consul member to the Galactic Federation. In so doing, D'Hara was locked where it belonged in the Empire.

But there was still one glimmer of hope for the people of D'Hara. The home of the Rangers had been placed on D'Haran soil which gave the world an intergalactic marking where a number of nations had committed to the idea that, ironically enough, Abriel Dusanyu once started long ago. In time, the Rangers were even given a ship that was totally their own. Now thanks to the constant negotiations and arguing by one Ranger Marcus, Lakfakallae had agreed to allow the Rangers the use of the dormant ship yard. Albeit Imperial personnel would oversee all operations and impose any limitations that the Emperor saw fit.

Deciding to keep the momentum going, Marcus had asked if Star Forces would be willing to loan some technology to the Ranger cause which was promptly shot down. Taking the ship yard as enough of a victory, Marcus left the Abh capital to return to Richard Rahl with the good news.

Always willing to adapt to the situation handed to him, Lord Rahl sent to D'Hara to work. Proud of their world striving for something more, the people of D'Hara showed their ingenuity by coming together and bringing the yard back to life in quick order. The first squadron of Normandy Class (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h255/Abh_Empire/Normandy1.jpg)vessels after the prototype were built after a month of full service.

However, Richard Rahl had been serving in Star Forces as the rank of admiral for some time and knew that more went into an adequate fleet than one fleet. Eventually they would encounter a battle, there was always something at the edge looking to destroy order and all of humanity, and they would need something with a little more firepower. It took the best scientific minds of D'Hara to draw up the plans for several space craft that would fit their means.

It had taken considerable doing but the first three prototypes were about finished and ready for inspection. Richard decided to take a few of the Rangers to the shipyard to inspect the new models for themselves. So it was Nick and Marcus that accompanied the Lord Rahl onto the D'Haran shipyard.

Richard lead them down a spartan hallway and through a number of airlocks before reaching the observatory deck. Through the transparisteel, the Rangers could see three ships still in dry dock. Lord Rahl crossed his arms over his chest as he looked down at them, sparks still flying from their hull.

"Well there you have them. I'd like to introduce the new Ranger Frigate (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h255/Abh_Empire/Halo/Aegis_Fate_FFG_307.jpg), Cruiser (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h255/Abh_Empire/Halo/600px-PoA.jpg), and Carrier (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h255/Abh_Empire/Halo/sof_800.jpg). The weapon systems should be familiar to all the Rangers since they are similar to those on the Normandy Class ships, just bigger. Electromagnetic rifles, MAC cannons, flak defense turrets, missile silos, and they can carry sizeable ground force along with fighter squadrons. The interior of each ship is designed like a honeycomb type structure. The supporting rings allow the ships to absorb a tremendous amount of abuse and still continue fighting."

Marcus cleared his throat at the last part of Richard's statement about the fighters. "That's the problem we're having Lord Rahl. We don't have any fighters yet. I do have a solution though. When Admiral Cain visited D'Hara, she did leave behind quite a few planes and we just so happen to have an expert on Colonial fighters."

The idea of turning one of the Rangers into a deck hand did not really appeal to him but that was the problem, not the solution. Only by focusing on the solution could a problem truly be solved. Richard turned to face Nick while thinking for a moment. "I'm not going to send him back to the job that he left so he could something more of his life. But the Rangers do need your help. None of my people know how to build your fighters, let alone repair them. Would it be possible for you to spend some time going over what you know with some of our dock workers?

If not, I can always try contacting Admiral Adama and request some information on Vipers and Raptors so we can begin constructing our own."

He turned to Marcus. "Who do we have for pilots?"

"Just one my Lord. Skramiel Safugnoff Crysanthea."

Richard raised an eyebrow slightly. "The Abh? Well if we keep Crysti around too much longer, we might have to turn her into a Ranger as well."

"Doubtful my Lord. She is quite loyal to Star Forces."

Lord Rahl grunted. "Have the Vipers and Raptors brought up from the planet and set aside a closed hangar for them. Give us the crew chiefs along with spare parts and let's see if we can't get these fighters flying again. Well Ranger Nick, will you help us?"

What has happened before, will happen again. Nick always thought those were just words, the article of faith that talked about the cycle of time. Little did he know how true those words were, until the last two weeks.

He looked down at the torch, as he light it up. With a quick spark, the torch came to life, shooting a flame out of it’s end. Gently pulling down his mask, he watched as he began to weld.

Two weeks, twenty hours a day, the Ranger was far from piecing the old fleet of the Isis back together. In between teaching the nuggets, he worked first hand on one particular viper. Piece by piece, ripped from Vipers that were too far gone to repair were placed into other more salvageable planes, like a bizarre Frankenstein project.

Nick was alone in the flight deck, as he welded the new exhaust manifold onto engine number three.

“Hey.” A voice shouted at him. “Nick.”

Nick slowly pulled the torch back, and pulled back his wielder’s mask. Nick looked up at the man, in the orange suit. “Boy, you working on a marathon or somethin’?” the older man said as he pulled out a cigarette.

“No, I just need this plane done and done right.” Nick said as he began to turn around.

“Hey, Ranger. You need to take a break son.” The older man said as he popped the top off his beer. “What in the hell is the damn rush?”

Nick looked down, and began to put the hot flame back to the metal. “This one is special, alright.” He said tired. “This one has to be perfect.”

“You sure as hell aren’t going to get it perfect if you keep running yourself like a dog. What in the hell is so important about this plane?”

Nick didn’t say a word as the sparks flew into the air, popping and burning out quickly like the light of a sun. “What’s so important?”

Nick sighed, as he turned around. “This is Blue’s plane. She’ll be here in two days, and I don’t want some nugget touching this plane alright.” He said to the old mechanic. “No offense, but not going to put her life in the hands of some rooks I am trying to train to do what I have been doing my whole life.”

The man leaned against the hull of the viper and took a sip of the beer. “Yeah but if your exhausted, then your going to frak up worse than a nugget. Hey man, just take a break, ten minutes. Grab a beer with me.”

Nick shook his head. “I am not tired.” He said, sharply.

“When is the last time you had a day off?”

These questions and insistence was beginning to grow on his nerves. He placed his welder’s helmet on the table. “What are you my mother? I don’t remember.”

“If you don’t remember, then you need to take one now, Ranger.” The old man shook his head, as he knew the ranger before him was too stubborn to stop, and do what any person should do. He decided to try a new tactic, one to play his one love against the other

“Well why don’t you tell me about the new ships of the line?”

Nick pulled back and smiled. “They are beautiful girls.” He said, his voice becoming more enthusiastic. Reaching down, he pulled out a cigarette, then light it with the blow torch. “Grand and elegant. Each a beauty in their own right. Although they are still on the line, so I gotta get them working the way I like. You know how an engineer doesn’t know his ass from a monkey wrench.”

The man laughed as he handed Nick a beer. “So which one do you like the best?”

Nick shook his head as he looked down and took a drag of a smoke. “None of them compare to my old gal, and you know me bro. Why pick and choose, when you can have all three. Besides if you saw the systems and guns they had. They are huge.”

The man laughed as he held his hand out to Nick, waiving for a drag of the smoke. Nick handed it to him. The old mechanic took a drag of the smoke and then handed it back to Nick. “Good stuff.” He said as he patted Nick on the back. “You really need to get some rest before you start seeing things.

Nick looked down and put out the smoke. “I told you I am not…” Nick looked up, and the man was gone. There were no sounds of feet walking, no sight of the old man. Nick reached down and turned the gas off the torch. “Maybe I should take a break.” Nick muttered to himself, as the flame slowly shrank then vanished.

The Dornalians involved in the Rangers had been taught, eagerly and with some halting care, by their Colonial teacher. Many had joined the Rangers since the incident on Hajarra, which, in a sort of strange silver lining only the Dornalians could appreciate to the bizarre, dangerous ordeal involving killer robots, homicidal psychic gun bunnies and a crazed Japanese pop star who decided on a hell of a comeback tour, had actually boosted recruitment offers.

Many had played the video game. Now, they wanted the real adventure, and just as Beau Geste (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beau_Geste) joined the French Foreign Legion for a new start and a life of adventure, so did these young men and women who liked the idea of facing down epic challenges that once existed in fantasy novels and video games.

Of course, Chris had to help get them up to speed of the realities here. As many of them inevitably would discover, it wasn't all play--it was all work. Chris became their sort of mentor and go-to guy for advice, as they found themselves doing a variety of jobs, some boring, some necessary, and some absolutely hilarious. One of which was helping Nick to repair Vipers, and which some had volunteered for, eager to work on the machines.

Chris, having gotten through holding his "office hours" and fixing the old Black Maria--no matter how many times they told him to use the newfangled weapons, he consistently refused and relied on the old shotgun--decided to pay Nick a visit to check on his old buddy.

One of the new Dornalians from his "office hours" walked up next to him, and said, "Hey, can I join you?" A relatively skinny woman, Chinese and tall, and fit for her small build wearing a blue coverall suit moved to follow Chris, and she smiled, holding a John's Guide to Military Fighters and boasting a cheery smile as wide as Texas.

"Well, office hours are over--I'm going to visit a buddy of mine in the hangar." Chris said, as he kept walking.

"The one fixing the planes?" the woman said.

Chris sighed, and said, "Yeah. Poor kid. Marcus and Rahl have him working overtime with a bunch of new guys. I'm thinking about volunteering some people, just to ease the burden a bit." Turning and wagging his finger like a father would, he said, "He's a good guy, Nicky. Just a little on the rough side, and he's got that Colonial sentimentality. Gets the ladies going, so it's not so bad. But he's a damn good man to have in a firefight."

"Mhm. I understand."

The woman said this with a simple nod. Unbeknownst to Chris, the woman knew Nick from a long time...well....let's call it in the future for now. And, she knew Chris as well, from scattered records. Pulling out a cigarette from a carton marked, "Lucky Star Brand--now with Trilithium Resin and Cobalt Diselinide, for FLAVOR!" she merely smoked it, hiding her thoughts as she calculated if this was the Nick she knew....

Carry on My Wayward Son (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMdLwX-jvQ0)

His body was past the point of exhaustion, as Nick began to sort the tools back where they belonged. It was an old lesson he learned, one that caused him to be on the receiving end of many ass whippings on Galactica. You always put the tools back where you got them, so the next man would be able to find them.

He remembered these lessons well, as the smell of hydraulic fluids covered the air around him. He took a deep breath, as he yawned slightly. As he placed the last wrench into it’s place, Nick slowly began to understand what it was like to be his father.

So many of these people on the hanger were now under his command. Each of these planes were his responsibility. One frak up, a single one, and the pilot on board would be nothing more than a puddle of goo, or charred flesh. He shook his head as he thought of the horrors that Blue could face, if her plane wasn’t in the best of condition.

Turning back, he looked at the center viper. She was becoming a fine woman. The blast marks on her hull were gone, the torn wing replaced. He smiled with pride as he looked at the plane that Blue would fly. This would be the best gift he ever gave her, and she couldn’t complain about the cost. Vipers were expensive ships.

He walked back over to her, as he gently touched the nose of the viper. Tomorrow he would finish the exhaust manifold, and double check the systems. With any luck, he would have her name painted on the side, along with her call sign.

It was more than just pride, at transforming a wreck into something that looked like it came off the show room floor. This plane became a part of him. His blood, sweat poured into it. It was like it was a part of him, and soon it would be hers.

“Night.” he told the Viper as he gently smacked the side of the fighter.

As he walked away, it was strange. Nick joined the rangers, to leave this line of work. He didn’t want to spend the rest of his life, with his hand stuck inside an engine. Yet now, the way things turned, the seventeen year old Colonial smiled at his work, his accomplishments, his responsibilities. This was one of the most important things he could be doing right now, and for the first time in his life, he began to think this is what he was meant to do.

Picking up his bag, he slung it over his shoulder, as he walked towards the exit. Twenty one hours of work, with few breaks, all he wanted was a long shower and a good night sleep.

Walking towards the door, he saw Chris exiting. Nick smiled, as he walked towards his old buddy. “Hey bro.” he shouted, “You come down here to see how the grunts are holding up.” he said his face covered in oils and grease. Then she came in.

Nick’s jaw nearly dropped as he watched the Chinese woman walk into the room. The way she looked, her stance, her form, it was all too.... not human...

His demeanor instantly changed.

Nick was always known for smiling around women, giving light flirts that would never go anywhere, at least in his mind. It was his way of being friendly, but in this case, all such actions ceased.

His eyes narrowed as he looked at the woman at Chris’s side. “Frak me.” he said shocked, and nearly ignoring Chris being there. “Alright. You are not Hera. So who in the hell are you, and what model birthed your ass.” Nick said in a moment of total hostility towards the new ranger recruit.

As Chris was about to wince and go, "What the hell?" the woman held her hand out. Puffing on the cigarette, she said, taking an unusually serious and authoritative tone, "I need a moment with this man, Ranger."

Chris was about to object, but the look on the woman's face said this was something for her to clean up. He coughed and said, "I just remembered, it's Fuzz's birthday. She's gonna kill me if I'm late, and I need to deliver her gifts." Dashing off, the woman was left alone with Nick, as Chris, who had inklings of Nick's origins but really didn't care or bother to ask, needed to acquire some video games and car parts for more of Fuzzy's proclivities.

Extinguishing her first cigarette, she promptly whipped out another one, and lit it up, saying in a snappy diction that screamed "g-man," "Suffice it to say, I come from a place where it's not polite to stare." Puffing on the cigarette, she said simply, "Let's move to a more secure area, I want this conversation as secure as possible."

Nick would then feel a grip like a vise on his wrist as she dragged him into a side closet. Shutting the door and placing a strange device that created a Cone of Silence, keeping their conversation private, the woman then said, looking around, "Mr. Tyrol, what I am about to tell you does not leave this room. If it does, severe consequences will follow. The name is Victoria Liang. Mr. Tyrol, I'm not at liberty to divulge the information on my exact lineage, or as to how I arrived here in this present era, as divulging it will alter the course of present events in unexpected, counterproductive ways. I can say that you are correct. I am a hybrid. A hybrid from a bleak future looking to ameliorate or even halt the creation of said decidedly bleak future course of events."

Looking around again, she said, "And, a hybrid currently employed with some very powerful benefactors in a certain government under an assumed alias. Your friend used to pay taxes to it, still does. For security reasons, I cannot divulge the exact nature of my activities. I can say that due to my expertise about the Cylons I have been empowered to begin a program to monitor those that pose a threat to said government and to develop methods to combat said threats. I interpret my mandate broadly, of course, though my benefactors probably hold differing opinions."

Puffing her cigarette, she said, smiling, "Reassuredly, Nick, you and Hera and the other hybrids and those Cylons who choose to see sense and not harm humanity are not on the threat list. My experience with the aforementioned bleak future has persuaded me you are no danger, and she is no danger either. However, I will need your cooperation, to ensure the overall success of the effort."

She then held out a pack of the Lucky Star Cigarettes, to try and seal the deal, adding, "They're quite good. Despite the rumors about flaming cigarettes, they're not explosive at all. Just a bit on the strong side."

The story was one of the most unbelievable things he had ever heard. He shook his head with total disbelief. Her pack extended, a gesture amongst smokers of friendship, Nick simply said, “No thanks.”

He looked at her and in the surroundings. Alone in a closet, with some sort of strange device he had never seen before he chuckled.

“Look, that is one hell of a story. Frak that is probably the most imaginative pick up line I had ever heard.” He told her, as he moved towards the door. “You telling me that you got the keys to a Delorian, and you came back in time just to work with me. Am I the only one of us that’s sane?” he asked in a loud voice.

"You are a fine looking... woman." Nick told the hybrid before him, "But really, I got a girl. Despite what Crimson or Marcus would say, I'm not the kind to do that to her."

He then moved towards the door. As if to test her, and a testament to quick wit, Nick opened the door. “I don’t know if it was Chris, Marcus or Crimson who put you up to this, and I appreciate secret agents as much as the next guy, but my wife is going to be flying in damn soon, and I will be frakked if she catches me in a closet with another woman.”

“In case you can’t feel it, there aren’t any resurrection ships within range, and Blue would shoot both of us. Now you wanna talk to me, fine. Do it in public, or at least some place that isn’t a damn make out spot. Frak if I want to die cause you had a hard on for a James Bond film.”

Nick turned the door knob and opened the door. “Nothing you gotta tell me you need to hide from anyone here. Now I am going to hit the shower."

Nick walked out of the door and into the empty hanger deck. Looking around he saw that the room was still empty. Reaching down, he picked up his bag and began to walk down the hall, towards the showers.

He turned around and looked at the Chinese girl. "You wanna talk, you can come on, or come by later. Your choice, but I'm not starting rumors about me cheating. If you were really from the future you would know that about me."

“In case you can’t feel it, there aren’t any resurrection ships within range, and Blue would shoot both of us. Now you wanna talk to me, fine. Do it in public, or at least some place that isn’t a damn make out spot. Frak if I want to die cause you had a hard on for a James Bond film.”

Nick turned the door knob and opened the door. “Nothing you gotta tell me you need to hide from anyone here. Now I am going to hit the shower."



Vicky smoked, and then replied simply, keeping her voice as low as possible as she followed him, "Mr. Tyrol, my benefactors know things. My experience in the future knows things." Taking a puff, she then said, frowning, "Like how you, at this time period, are currently merely dating Miss Skramiel Safugnoff Crysanthea, the Star Forces pilot that you are very much in love with and affectionately dub "Blue" after her skin and hair color, and are unfortunately not by marraige tied to her either legally, religiously--not that she would do the latter, being an Abh--or by common-law recognizance.

You are in fact, currently, in this period merely dating her, attempting to woo her with gifts such as a shiny new Viper, handbuilt out of spare parts recovered from the Isis and its unfortunate visit to D'Hara unannounced and unwanted. By the way, there is a film being made about that, I can safely say it will be a hit and a much-discussed work among critics and your descendants for multiple reasons."

Puffing on her cigarette again, she then said, "In fact, Mr. Tyrol, if my memory of things yet to be--which I must stress again cannot be fully revealed due to its potential effects on the timeline--is correct, you will not be married to Madame Crysanthea aka Blue until sometime in the future." This was true indeed, and though Vicky hesitated to tell Nick why this would happen--citizenship and a new bouncing baby girl named Celine--she said it with enough conviction to let Nick know he was lying.

"Mr. Tyrol, feel free to quiz me about things in order to prove my veracity. However, I didn't come here to play Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, I came here to do something vital to international security. Now, are you going to go along with it or not?"

This was becoming a tiresome game, as the woman behind him walked behind Nick towards his room. Twenty one hour shift, and all he wanted was a moment’s break. His body was sore, his hands hurt, and the smell that came off him smelled like that of a diesel factory.

He turned around and looked into Victoria’s eyes. Normally he would be the first to make a pass, hell and probably the last too, if just to play a game that he never had any intention of finishing.

Placing his hand on the door knob, he opened the door to his room. “Well I’ll say one thing for you, you are persistent.” Nick said as he walked in his room, leaving the door open.

“You seem to believe your delusions well enough.” He said, as he reached his arms around his shirt, and pulled it off.

The room was small, like a college dorm, but had so many more luxuries than he could ever have in a battlestar. For starters, his own personal shower, and bed.

To the side of the room was a small circular table with four chairs. In the center was a ash tray, that was nearly full and a half a pack of smokes sitting on the table. In the corner was a flat screen TV, with an Xbox hooked up to it.

He pointed to the Xbox, and the table. “Make yourself at home, Vick.” He told the hybrid as he walked in the back room and turned on the shower. “If you really know me from the future, then you should know where the booze is for a drink.”

He put his head out, as Vicky sat down in one of the college dorm style chairs. “So what exactly does Caprica want with me? I assume that’s where your from, after all there sure as hell isn’t any dornies that care about our kind, or even Dornie hybrids.” He said as he got in the shower, shutting the door to the shower.

As the water ran, his voice carried over, “So what is it that is so important for you to infiltrate the rangers, to talk to me? By the way, Halo Wars 12 is in the Xbox, if you wanna play.” Nick told her.

“And please drop the Agent Smith act. My name is Nick, that is what you can call me. I don’t talk to authority well, so you might wanna start acting like a person.”

He pointed to the Xbox, and the table. “Make yourself at home, Vick.” He told the hybrid as he walked in the back room and turned on the shower. “If you really know me from the future, then you should know where the booze is for a drink.”

Sure enough, Vicky went right to where Nick kept the liquor, and poured out some appropriate shots of ambrosia and bourbon, layering the two to make a favorite drink of hers before closing the storage area and downing it.

He put his head out, as Vicky sat down in one of the college dorm style chairs. “So what exactly does Caprica want with me? I assume that’s where your from, after all there sure as hell isn’t any dornies that care about our kind, or even Dornie hybrids.” He said as he got in the shower, shutting the door to the shower.

As the water ran, his voice carried over, “So what is it that is so important for you to infiltrate the rangers, to talk to me? By the way, Halo Wars 12 is in the Xbox, if you wanna play.” Nick told her.

“And please drop the Agent Smith act. My name is Nick, that is what you can call me. I don’t talk to authority well, so you might wanna start acting like a person.”

Vicky powered up the XBox, and as she did so, she booted up Halo Wars 12, sighing. Her mother never liked Halo. But, the other games were less appealing, and she didn't feel like interfering with Nick's games. So, she got back into the groove of things, thumbing through the tutorials. Before she spoke, she installed the Cone Of Silence around the room, to keep out prying ears.

"M-er, Nick. You'll have to excuse me. My native discipline is special ops, I'm relatively new to the spy business. Hence, the g-man speak.

The important business at hand is simply as I have said. However, since we're under the cover of the Cone of Silence, I'm going to give it to you straight. I would like you to join the program I run for the benefit of my benefactors. Your involvement in the program would consist of registering for a monitoring program, which would attach a handler to you that would, for all intents and purposes, covertly ensure that you do not stray from your current path, and even occasionally request your advice and assistance on certain anti-Cylon matters. Said involvement would be strictly voluntary, and in no way compromise your involvement with the Rangers organization. Frankly, I'd rather have you do what you do best here than be dragged off to God knows where."

Coughing as she struggled with manuevering the units on screen, she said, "Now, I know that you have no love for the Cylon, and my memory from the future assures me that you are unlikely to turn lovedoll on me. However, my benefactors insist that they have an independent handler, if only to verify my claims. You know faceless bureaucrats. They don't want poetry or sympathy, they want data they can put into a calculator. Hence, the need for a handler. Don't worry, I'd be able to get you one that's not a hardass."

More seriously, she said, "And about your first comment.....well, like I say, I can't divulge all the details. But in the undiscovered country called the future, let's just say that a Dornie hybrid exists. I'm her kid. And, said Hybrid is one of the things in that future keeping mankind from dying out, through her sagacity and her possession of the sum total of Earth's knowledge to keep us afloat, with a little bit of grace. That's all I can say."

Her tone was beginning to rake on Nick’s nerves, as she spoke of men coming to take him away. Over the shower, Nick said defiantly, ‘In case your bosses haven’t been paying attention Vick, I am not going anywhere.” He said over the noise in the shower.

“You got a base here, full of people who would gladly kill any son of a bitch you send from Caprica, to try to take me. And those would be the nice ones. You should know that’s true, since your from the future and all.” He said sarcastically, as he began to wash his hair.

“Now, here is the deal I hate the frakkin skin jobs. I hate them more than you ever could. I was there when the bombs fell on Caprica. I have felt my ship shimmer and shake as the cylon nukes slammed against our hull.

I have been there pulling viper pilots out of their cock pits, and having to shove my hands in the machines that we used to kill those mother frakkers. You can tell your boss that. You can also tell him the next time you bother trying to threaten me, I’ll tell Crysti that you were trying to pick me up. You don’t know the shit you are in until you are on the receiving end of an Abh’s wrath.” Nick told her, as he shut off the water.

“Now here’s the deal. You wanna hang out fine. You wanna be nice, play some cards, maybe dance, I’m cool with that. You ever make a reference to a threat to me again, and I promise you, I’ll personally box you.” He said in a surprisingly calm tone of voice.

Steam began to pour out of the room, as Nick opened the door, and walked out in a pair of sweat pants and a t shirt. Looking at Vicky struggling to play the Xbox he shook his head. “Press L1, and move the right joystick to the left to move the units over there.”

He walked over to his fridge and pulled out a bottle of beer. Sitting down on the opposite side of the table he turned on a second controller. “You can tell your bosses what you like, I really don’t give a frak. Now you got two choices. I would never give any aid to the frakkin toasters. If one walked in this base I would shoot the bitch in the head.” He said with a wirily smile as his army began to engage hers. Soon his troops began to over whelm her first division. “Just like I am owning you now.” He told her as the controller vibrated slightly from the laser blast Vicky accidently hit Nick’s Spartan with.

He took his beer and slid it across the table towards Vicky. His troops began to shoot a line of fire at Vicky’s men.

“So you’re a Dornie huh?” he asked her as her troops artillery began to shell down against his marines. “What in the hell do the Dornies care about the cylons? Last time I heard on the wireless, Mac was still buddy, buddy, to the frakkin traitors who took them in like a sick puppy. Plus don’t your people slow love that Toaster of yours, what’s her name…. Gracie?”

His controller shook again, as the blast of her troops began to hit his flank. He looked over and shook his head. “I’ll make you a deal. You drop the job, drop the James Bond deal, and we will be cool. You want to hang out fine, but I am not some subject to be poked and prodded. You want to see me, and check up on me fine, you can buy me a beer while you’re at it.

You send a goon though, and unpleasantness will ensue. I gotta life to live without Earth and Caprica conspiring against me.”

“So you’re a Dornie huh?” he asked her as her troops artillery began to shell down against his marines. “What in the hell do the Dornies care about the cylons? Last time I heard on the wireless, Mac was still buddy, buddy, to the frakkin traitors who took them in like a sick puppy. Plus don’t your people slow love that Toaster of yours, what’s her name…. Gracie?”

His controller shook again, as the blast of her troops began to hit his flank. He looked over and shook his head. “I’ll make you a deal. You drop the job, drop the James Bond deal, and we will be cool. You want to hang out fine, but I am not some subject to be poked and prodded. You want to see me, and check up on me fine, you can buy me a beer while you’re at it.

You send a goon though, and unpleasantness will ensue. I gotta life to live without Earth and Caprica conspiring against me.”

As Vicky began to adapt fast--her training from five centuries in the future led her to begin planning some rather sophisticated manuevers--she replied, "As you wish. Besides, my benefactors would likely find that....more convienient. Don't need any trouble. Besides, I know people. Anything you need...and we can provide."

Coughing as she fell back some due to Nick's counter, she said, "As for the Dornalian Government, well--I'll just drop the pretense. Robby MacIntyre....I've actually had the chance to talk with him. He's not a bad guy. Complicated though, this business with the Cylons has him in a vice grip. He'd rather Danny had not befriended the lovedolls, but he'd rather De Bruyn didn't cut Danny off."

Launching an orbital strike, Vicky said, "Make no mistake though. As much as he's Danny's pen pal, he knows where his chips are--and hence, why he allowed me to pursue this project of mine. Besides, he's gotta worry about twelve other Colonies now, not just party apparatchiks and nosy senators and allies who may or may not be looking at each other funny. So he's definetly seen what the lovedolls can do....and he definetly knows that with the way they roll, he's got no choice but to do something."

She then said, looking around, "Oh, and don't tell anyone I said any of that. Mac swore me to secrecy. He's like a big kid sometimes."

Then, she began a tank rush, stating, "And Gracie...." Wistfully pausing for a moment, she shook her head and went, "We've got hardware and software failsafes. Even without those however, I doubt she'd revolt. She's a sturdy, thinking individual, with fears...cares.....and the soul of a tiger. She seems snippy and sassy, but she knows that people have their good and bad days--and prefers to think that even in the worst of times, they have good days. Call her an optimist, even if she doesn't seem like it--she's built Dornalian from the ground up to never give up, never surrender, and punch history in the balls."

Richard hadn’t been thrilled about delegating Nick the task of repairing a fleet of Vipers and Raptors but it was necessary since no one in D’Hara was qualified to work on Colonial ships. He vowed to himself that Nick would only work on the line just as long as it took for Nick to train the rest of the dock workers. Then he wanted Nick back where he belonged.

Lord Rahl walked through the observatories trying to find a measure of peace while he sifted through his thoughts. The Rangers were at a crucial stage now where they could step out into their own or fall away to nothing. It was a future that was uncertain with an organization that was still fragile. This new line of ships was a step in the right direction. Even now, Marcus was out field testing the frigate in battle exercises.

Whatever he risked, Richard knew he couldn’t let it fall away now. The Lord Rahl stopped in front of panel transparisteel and looked out at the stars. He felt the years creeping up on him and even Cypher was growing older. Richard’s actual age would make most stagger in shock but from his actual rebirth, his age was somewhere in the late 40s. Thanks to his gift, he would live many years longer along with the rest of his family, but Richard had no intention carry on the title of Ranger One forever. He would have to find someone to pass the title onto soon.

A steady beep came from the clyuno wrapped around his wrist. “Yes?”

“Sorry to bother you Lord Rahl but your pilot has arrived.”

Richard smiled. “Alright, I’ll meet Crysti outside the flight deck.”

A few minutes later, Richard met the young Abh pilot dressed in her Star Forces uniform. Crysanthea salute the Lord Rahl most likely acknowledging his rank in the military than for any other reason.

“Admiral Rahl, I’ve been stationed here by order of Head Quarters to act as a test pilot for the new Ranger fighters.”

Richard bade the woman to follow him as he smiled down at her. “Your file said that you volunteered for the position.”

The Abh looked at him with a mute expression of surprise which Richard quickly waved away. “I have my ways of gathering information, don’t worry about that. Besides, Head Quarters does not willingly appoint Abh to the Ranger outpost. Even without my information, I could reason that was most likely the case. Just so you are aware, the controls will be different from anything you are used to. There are no external frochaj for you to use. You will have to relay mostly on the onboard screens.”

Crysti took it all in stride as she walked with Richard. “That will have to be something that is remedied. If I am going to fly for the Rangers, I would like to have every ability available to me at my disposal.”
“That may be but you have to understand that there are no other Abh flying for the Rangers. No human has the ability to use frochaj nor do any of my people know how to build such a system. Head Quarters has not been charitable of its knowledge lately.”

The Abh tapped the crystal on her clyuno and activated a holographic diagram of an onboard ship system. “The basic frochaj system. Designs vary greatly among the ships of Star Forces but the core system is solid and easily adaptable.”

Richard narrowed his eyes at the young woman. “Where did you manage to get that?”

“I borrowed it from the archives.”

The large D’Haran man could hardly keep from laughing though the Abh girl was clearly confused on why the matter seemed to be humorous. Eventually Richard stopped by a pair of dock workers heading out for break. “Have you seen Ranger Nick?”

The pair bowed in respect to their Lord Rahl then shook their heads. “No, my Lord. The last we him he was heading back to his quarters. Some woman was following him I think.”

“Following him?”

“Yes my Lord.” One man replied quickly.

Richard waved for Crysti to quicken her pace and follow him. “It might be nothing but let’s check it out anyways.”

The golden cape attached around Richard’s shoulders snapped out behind him as hurried through the halls. Crysti was still beside him as they both quickened their walk. Gently pushing past workers, they made their way into the living area. Richard walked down the halls, eyes scanning the numbers, looking for the room that had been assigned to the Ranger.

Both stood on opposite sides of the door frame though from the outside it looked unclear what their intentions were. Richard always had the Sword of Truth hanging by his side while Crysti was packing her Star Forces side arm. Instead of it being a scene from Cops, Richard very calmly and politely knocked on the door.

Crysti in the mean time, was very stern faced.

In the Arms of an Angel (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHplJNpjzpE)

Another intrusion, just great, who is it this time, the tax man? Nick thought to himself, as he put down the x box controller and walked towards the door. Being a ranger, and this being D’Hara, Nick didn’t even bother to look out the peep hole to see who was outside.

Time had proven to the ranger, on this planet he had nothing to fear. Everyone was brothers and sisters in arms, a bond that couldn’t be broken, not by money, or by a pretty face.

Nick’s eyes were baggy, as he opened the door. He wore a brown t-shirt, and a pair of gray sweat pants. It was not what he would have worn if he knew who was on the other side of the door.

Opening the door widely, he looked at the pair. Lord Richard was there, the leader of the planet, and so was blue.

His tired eyes, suddenly shined with a light, as his heart began to race. “My gods.” Nick said, as he rushed at Blue, wrapping his arms around her, not realizing for a moment that she was in uniform. A smile creased his lips, as Nick suddenly went from tired to happier than Lord Rahl had ever seen him. He smiled, as he kissed her stern lips.

Wrapping his arms around her waist, he looked into her eyes, simply ignoring Richard’s presence. “I didn’t think it was possible, but you look far more beautiful than the last time I saw you.” He said as he held Blue in his arms for the first time in over a year.

Gently squeezing her body, he looked over at Lord Ralh. “Rich.” Nick said very informally to the leader of the Rangers, and the planet.

Pulling away from Blue slightly, Richard saw Nick beam in a way that he never had before. Even though he made what others called passes, it was easy to see what Nick felt for this woman, as he wrapped one arm around her. “Come on in you two.” He said as he waved Richard in.

As the pair walked in, Vicky was sitting on the chair, and in Nick’s absence had managed to destroy most of his base. “Would you like anything, something to eat, drink? He asked the pair.

Then he noticed Blue staring at Vicky, who sat in the rangers trainee uniform. “Oh sh….” He bit his tongue. “I’m sorry, Lord Rahl, Blue, this is my cousin, Victoria Liang.” He said as if it didn’t really matter. “She’s a new recruit, and is assigned to Chris’s division.” He said. Reaching to the table and lighting up a cigarette his persistent smile that had seemed to die since the last mission suddenly resurrected. He walked over to the fridge and offered Blue a glass of Merlot, and Richard a beer.

Then he noticed Blue staring at Vicky, who sat in the rangers trainee uniform. “Oh sh….” He bit his tongue. “I’m sorry, Lord Rahl, Blue, this is my cousin, Victoria Liang.” He said as if it didn’t really matter. “She’s a new recruit, and is assigned to Chris’s division.” He said. Reaching to the table and lighting up a cigarette his persistent smile that had seemed to die since the last mission suddenly resurrected. He walked over to the fridge and offered Blue a glass of Merlot, and Richard a beer.

Vicky had a sense that something was up when she heard knocks on Nick's door. She had that instinct about her--not Force powered, not by a long shot, but something that was obtained by years of commando raids and guerilla war in dense, urban environs. Unsurprisingly, it was Crysinthia, and Lord Rahl. She knew the former personally, if only fleetingly, and she knew the former from archives and photos. It was an honor to meet him--then again, there were more pressing matters at hand, such as explaining to a clearly irritating Crys why a very attractive Chinese woman was in her man's room.

Fortunately, Nick had taken care of part one. Now, to part two, to establish credibility. Being that Gracie had Vicky with her first husband, a part Chinese part Anglo fellow from San Francisco, she had some physical features that would make the story check out. Getting up, and pausing the game, she bowed and extended her hands to both, saying, "Evenin', Milord, Madame. Just to make things clear, I'm indeed his cousin--I don't look it, but, let's just say one of his relatives married a woman he met while visiting New Monterrey a while back on a Mechanical Engineering scholarship, and had me as the offspring."

Richard didn't mind the slight by Nick. He knew well enough how a man's heart worked when he was near the woman he loved. Richard wouldn't have been that much different if Kahlan was here now. He smiled a sad smile at the pair, missing his own mate.

Crysti was a bit different though. She didn't return the kiss that Nick was easger but merely stared back at him. There were some questions that needed answering and the Abh wanted them now. No amount of sweet talking or affection was going to derail that train of thought.

Lord Rahl knew that the Ranger was in trouble but this was there affair, not his, so he kept quiet. Besides, if an anti-matter bomb was going to go off; he wanted enough room to run. When the explanations started flying, Richard knew something wasn't quite right. Richard was too intelligent to be thrown off the trail with the tale of a some long lost cousin. Not to mention he had the detail reports from Galactica there wasn't any mention of such a cousin.

But Richard didn't detect any malice in the story, and again it wasn't his place to interfere. Blue on the other hand was just too stubborn to listen to anything, including reason. Cousin or no cousin, it didn't excuse the fact that there was another woman in Nick's room that she had never heard of before.

In the midst of an awkward silence, it was Richard that came to the rescue. Probably more to the rescue of Nick and Victoria than anything else. "Well you and your cousin here probably have a lot to catch up on and Crysti had a long flight so we'll excuse ourselves. Pilot Skramiel, I'll show you to your room."

Blue left a lingering glare hanging in the room then saluted Richard. "Yes Admiral. Please."

Richard nodded a fairwell and guided the Abh pilot out the door. He turned his head back over his shoulder. "I'm expecting a Viper ready for flight since our test pilot has just arrived. Don't waste too much time."

With that, the pair left the room with Richard showing Crysti the ordering of the rooms so she wouldn't get lost. Eventually she showed her to a quieter wing on the station and the room that was assigned to her. It was quite similar to that where Nick was housing. Richard pressed the control panel next to the door and the metalic plating slid open.

Richard took Blue's bags and put them on the bed in the middle of the room. "Take a look at the Viper manual to prepare for the flight test. We were able to piece a bit of it together but we'll still be relying on second hand knowledge of our Colonial expert. Get some rest."

"Thank you Admiral."

Richard smiled then closed the door behind him as he left. Walking down the hall, he touched his clyuno to activate the communication link. "Control. Pull up the roster for Chris's division and look under new recruits. I want everything you have on a Victoria."

"Right away Lord Rahl."

OOC: OG I sent you message. I just wanted to check with something. This may need to be edited so I just wanted to check something.

(OOC: Replied to your TG ABh.)

Things could have gone a lot better, as Nick watched Crysanthea walk away. It was the first time they had been together in a year, the first time he had a moment to touch her skin, to smell the flowery smell of her body. The first time his lips touched hers, and in that moment, it was all shattered because of Victoria.

Nick walked in his room, and put his hands through his hair exasperated. He stared at the wall, as he fidgeted around looking for a cigarette. Why did this shit always have to fall on him?

“Jesus Christ.” he said as he looked at the wall, ignoring Vicky’s presence, not even noticing the Dornie phrase he had just used. “What in the frak just happened?”

He didn’t notice Vicky, or her movements, as he just looked dumbfounded at the wall. From the corner of his eye, he watched her stand up. “I think I should go.” she said somberly.

“Yeah, I would say that’s a good idea.” Nick told her without looking at her. “Seems I got eight hours to get the plane ready, and only two days of work now. I’m sure you know the way.” he said very agitated at her.

As she left, Nick walked over to the dresser drawer. Pulling out a little orange bottle of pills prescribed to him due to his long work hours, Nick opened the bottle and pulled out two stems. Popping it in his mouth, he quickly drank it down with the open beer he had on the table.

Wincing, he walked over to his closet. His body was heavy, but he didn’t have a choice. He had to get that manifold down, and the stress test of the parts complete. Crysanthea may be pissed at him for doing absolutely nothing, but he was going to be damned first if he ever was going to let a mistake or a loose screw frak her up.

Putting on his orange suit, he picked up his bag. Two days worth of work, in eight hours, and the deck gang wasn’t scheduled for another four. “Frak.”

He picked up his gear and walked through the hallway, down towards the plane he had just left 40 minutes ago. Reaching grabbing his gear, he went back to work on the exhaust manifold on number three engine. All the while his mind was racing, on what to do next...

Richard smiled then closed the door behind him as he left. Walking down the hall, he touched his clyuno to activate the communication link. "Control. Pull up the roster for Chris's division and look under new recruits. I want everything you have on a Victoria."

"Right away Lord Rahl."

OOC: OG I sent you message. I just wanted to check with something. This may need to be edited so I just wanted to check something.

Fuzzy leaned up against Chris, as he tried to type out yet another message of the day. This one was an inquiry from the some Sensei offering his services to the Rangers...he decided to send a "I'll Call You Back" letter in reply, but it was taking longer than usual thanks to the gata playing "Guess Who?" as he did so.

Chris's reply was simply, "It's you, Fuzz."

"That'a boy." Fuzz sat on the side of the bed, checking out the things in the goody bag Chris got for her birthday.

"Oh, my God. You remembered!"

"Well, knowing you, it was either remember or try out some new Godforsaken game you've invented using household objects. Anywho, open it up."

Fuzz pulled out some books, a movie, a block of the local cheese, and what looked like some video games and a sketchpad and mechanical pencils. Fuzz went, "Aaawww....." and then, not being the subtle type, delivered a surprise bearhug to Chris as he was typing. Tumbling to the floor, the two chuckled, and got back up, just as Control wanted that message.

The reports that would inevitably come from Chris's own files, would simply list the following:

"Your Excellency--

Here is that information you requested. I generally like to interview these people myself; she didn't give me anything to worry about. Something the matter?

Name: Liang, Victoria Greystone
Nationality: New Dornalian, part Colonial heritage
Race: Human
Gender: F
Planet of Origin: Placerton, New Monterrey SSR
Previous Occupation: Marine Commando, service in Nova Louisiana front, Schattenschutze Sicherheitskonzern GMbH, Leipzig.
Experience: Qualified to utilize and maintain all Dornalian weaponry, qualified to matenance vehicles; shows proficiency in Marquis of Queensbury Rules Boxing.
Linguistic proficiency: New Dornalian English, Colonial Greek, limited proficiency in Cantonese Chinese, Spanish (Gata Dialect) and German.
Miscellany: by own admission, Spanish and Chinese proficiences are mostly "cuss words." Subject has a mean left hook, ruthless when tested in the ring.
Clients: (addresses here)-- all checked out when called out of curiosity, they're all ok.
Med Test--a copy of his med records is attached below. She's not a druggie and she has no STDs, not unless you count those dynamite sticks she smokes. Who smokes cigs with trilithium resin in them?"

Sent off to Rahl, Fuzz then asked Chris, "Did you get a cake?"

Chris then walked into the fridge, and revealed a cake with a FishFinder in it.

Gasping, Fuzz giggled as Chris fumed, removing the FishFinder covered in chocolate frosting and sprinkles. "Jesus....somebody put a FishFinder in this. What the hell?"

"Oh come on, Chris. It's a fancy hearin' cake. Make the best of it!" Poking it, it flaked a bit and she said, "Besides, it's a marshmallow squishy...thingy." Fuzz rubbed her hands together and said, "Let's eat."

"Not before the song, dear. Not before the song." Chris then began to sing....

It wasn't difficult for Richard to track Nick down again. Locators placed him in the hangar where he was undoubtedly working on repairing one of the planes. Even without the report, it wouldn't have taken the Lord Rahl very long to find him. After the little encounter in Nick's quarters, Richard could tell that he had been shaken by the cold greeting that Crysti had given him.

Richard went over the report in his mind along with what he had seen in Nick's room. Some things just didn't appear to add up. Whether or not the girl was Nick's sister, was beside the point. Something about it all just felt wrong. In the past, Richard had once struggled with accepting who he was just like Nick had. Richard was much older now and had long since accepted who he was and what he was capable of. Along with that came the trust in his gift and the feelings that he sometimes got.

The Lord Rahl found Nick a few minutes later working on an exhaust. Richard called out to Nick, trying to surprise the kid with his presence. "Not quite the reunion you were hoping for I guess."

He allowed Nick a chance to answer while clasping his hands behind his back and pacing back and forth. Richard watched Nick working for a moment. "Curious that this is the first time your cousin has come to visit you. You've been a Ranger for some time now and the stories of the Rangers in New Dornalia are in no short supply."

Richard continued pacing which was a subtle sign of him beginning an interogation or simply trying to solve a mystery. "The Colonials and Dornalians have known each other for how many years? And your cousin how old?"

Richards voice, scared the hell out of Nick for a moment, as the wrench he was using to tighen one of the hydraulic lines dropped suddenly. A loud clang sounded off, letting Richard know that he heard the leader of the planet.

Nick was under the viper, working on the rear starboard landing gear. Suddenly the fluid, the brown fluid began to spray all over him. “Frak!” he yelled out, as he tried to get the hose, and re-attach it quickly towards the mechanism that retracted the device.

Nick didn’t crawl out of the viper, as he reached with his left hand and grabbed the wrench. “Never, sneak up on someone working in the shop.” Nick told Richard, as he began to tighten the bolt back, “It’s a good way to get someone killed!” Nick told Lord Rahl. There was something in his voice that seemed a little different as he spoke, and it was more than just being annoyed at being sprayed with hydriodic fluid. He almost sounded responsible, like a real NCO...

Under the Viper, he stayed for the moment, “And yeah, you could say I was hoping for something different. Maybe a hi, a hug, or something.” he said as he finally finished working on the landing gear.

Nick pulled himself from under the viper, then sat up. Lord Rahl didn’t look pleased at all, and the way he moved and the questions he asked seemed a lot more like an interrogation than an actual conversation.

“Sir.” Nick replied, showing an unprecedented amount of respect. “I don’t know what is going on to tell you the truth. First of all you know me. Yes I joke about and play around, but you know that I would never do anything to hurt Crysanthea. You should know what that woman means to me.” he told Richard, as he pushed himself upwards.

He then walked over and grabbed a blue towel. Wiping the fluid off his face, and his hands, he reached down and light a cigarette. Hydraulic fluid wasn’t flammable, so it didn’t matter much if he smoked at the moment.

Nick then heard Richard’s line of questioning. How it didn’t make sense, considering when Nick was born, the Colonies never heard of New Dornalia and the location of the thirteenth colony of Kobol was very much a mystery.

Nick shook his head. “You have it all wrong.” Nick was the first to reply. “First of all, she isn’t Colonial. She is half cylon, like I am.” Nick reported in. “How the cylons found earth before the Colonies, and why they didn’t attack, I don’t know. But she is a hybrid like me.” he told Richard.

Nick then took a second puff, “And I didn’t even know she existed before today. This morning I thought Hera and myself were the only two, but it seems there is another. She seems older, probably around twentish, which would put her around Hera’s age. But I know she isn’t Hera. They are both crazy, but Hera is a lot more down to earth than Vicky.” Nick said to Richard.

He then shook his head. “I don’t have a clue what is going on here, I was trying to figure that out, before this storm went down. Frak, if Blue is actually hurt, I am going to murder that bitch.” Nick told Lord Rahl as he dropped his cigarette on the ground and put it out.

Richard had what the information he wanted. It was obvious to him that something was going on though Nick was not fully aware of what it was. Richard suspected this hybrid was the one to put his suspicions on. There was no point in questioning Nick any further.

"Don't worry. I am not angry nor do I suspect anything foul on your part. As for your relationship with the Abh, just remember that they are a little different from most humans."

Lord Rahl walked over to the Viper to admire Nick's handiwork in repairing the downed plane. "Now is not the time for internal problems. The Rangers have gained another ally and our newest member will arrive sometime tomorrow. He is coming all the way from Mythrandir so I would like it if you and Chris were able to show him around and make him feel welcome. Marcus won't be here since he is still on shake down detail so hospitality falls to you two. Finish whatever it was you were working on and get some sleep."

Richard ran a hand over the bare spot by the cockpit where the name plates were usually fastened. "By the way, what have you decided to call her?"

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

Marcus stood on the bridge of the Ranger Frigate class ship. No names had been assigned to the vessel as of yet since that usually fell to who ever the commander of the vessel was. The Ranger looked at his crew as they went through exercises and testing the ship systems. Holographic screens flashed all around him streaming data and detailing space around the ship.

It was all quite impressive to the older man considering that the systems were even more advanced than the Normandy class or also known as the Sanjura. They had destroyed a number of dummy targets to test the weapon systems and tracking arrays. Everything seemed to check out including several new missile warheads.

The hulls had been designed to absorb kinetic and energy strikes for a time allowing the crafts to versify the battleground. Marcus gave one last look around the bridge crew to make sure everything was in the blue.

"Ranger Marcus?"

Marcus turned his head slightly, stealing his gaze from the transparisteel view of the stars. "Yes?"

"We've been detecting a few signals in the next system. We came across them when we tested communications array and splicing equipment."

The older Ranger walked over and placed a hand on the back of the man's chair. "What's our location?"

A number of holographic screens popped up showing star maps and information about the area. Marcus read through it all carefully then stroked his goatee. "That's supposed to be an uninhabited system and it doesn't belong to any nation we know of."

"All tests are completed. Should we head back."

Marcus thought a bit longer before answering. "Not yet. Let's see who has taken an interest to this system. It's only a short jump anyways."

"Making calculations to crash the party. Aye sir."

He didn’t have to hear those words twice, “Get some sleep.” The words were like music to his ears, as he nodded at Lord Rahl. “Yes sir.” he said, as he walked over to a piece of paper and grabbed a pencil. Looking at the paper, he couldn’t’ fathom for the life of him, why in the world they would keep the corners on the paper. It was just strange.

Pulling out his pocket knife, he cut off the corners, then began to write a list of things he wanted done to the Viper for the deck gang to complete by tomorrow. Most of it was routine, check the fluids, load the munitions into the gun mounts, fuel the ship, load the internal and external missiles, and do a pre flight check list.

Once he wrote it, he took a piece of tape and fastened it on the canopy.

Afterwards he asked about the name of the ship. Nick shrugged as he spoke. “Usually vipers just have the name of the pilot, and the call sign.” he said, as Richard reminded him, that he needed to paint that on the ship. “But usually if a ship is named, she should be named by her pilot. It’s bad luck for someone else to name her.” he said, nearly sounding exhausted, as he walked over to the paint shop. Grabbing the sign that was already made, and a couple cans of paint. Nick climbed up the ladder and began to spray it on.

In standard Colonial fashion, the white box underneath was with cut off corners. The paint job took just a moment, but he smiled when he saw it.

Pilot Skramiel Safugnoff Crysanthea
Blue

Under neath the name was two symbols. To the left, the wasp of the Humankind Abh, the other side, was the Ranger logo.

Nick pulled it off and nodded, before he went to work on the other side. When he was done he wiped off his brow and looked at the ship. “She is a fine ship.” he told Lord Rahl, as he smiled at the viper. “She’ll do a good job, assuming she’s treated right.”

He then turned and put his tools, and paint can back. Grabbing his bag for hopefully the last time tonight, he walked past Richard. “Night.”

He then alone walked down the hall. As he did, he got a strange feeling from the other side of the door. He knew that it must be her. He didn’t have long to talk, not with training Crysanthea tomorrow, doing the final check list, and showing the new Ranger around, and of course the celebration of getting the first Viper off the ground. The cost of the kegs alone set Nick back a pretty penny, but he had been riding everyone hard recently. They needed a break, and some good times.

He gently knocked on the door. “Hello, Blue?” he asked. It hadn't been too long, so hopefully she wasn't asleep. If she was, then that would just mean that he will be shot just a little quicker.

“Would like to have breakfast with me down at the cafeteria, tomorrow at 08:30? They have some great eggs and sausages.”

“Goodnight”

Nick turned and walked to his room. Finally able to get some sleep, he walked to his door. In front of it was a package of some kind. Looking at the label, he picked it up. It bore the logo of the United Colonies. Placing it under his arm, he opened his door and went to bed. Finally at long last, one good night sleep. Eight hours.

Richard told the Ranger good night but remained behind on the dock. He spent a time looking at the repaired plane as well as gather his thoughts. Later, he left the dock behind to head back up to the observatory deck to stare down at the world that he held sway over. Strange how small it looked from so many miles away.

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

"Jump successful. Frigate now in system A357-089 and scanners are at full."

Marcus watched the viewing screen. "Anything?"

"Nothing in the immediate area. Increasing scan range."

A silence fell over the crew as they waited for something to turn up. They had picked up on a few transmissions in the area though none of it was decipherable. Now they were looking for signs of space craft as well as life.

"Got it. Closest planet to the sun. I've picked up a few silhouettes though I can pick up much else. They must be using the sun's radiation to try and obscure whatever it is they are doing out here."

Marcus nodded, understanding the reasoning behind it. "Show me."

The images were fuzzy but a distinct outline of massive station started taking shape. It matched no design that Marcus had ever seen and the technology behind it looked alien to him. Then images of ships working around the station and patrolling came on the screen. While the station was hard to recognize, the insect like outline of the ships were not easily forgotten.

"The Geth? What are the Geth doing out here?"

"I don't know. The patterns of their traffic have them moving between the planet and the station. Orders?"

It took Marcus only a minute to decide what to do. A brand new ship against a great many more Geth ships. "Prepare to jump back to D'Hara."

"FTL spinning up."

"We've got incoming!"

Holographic screens flashed up around the Ranger showing several small craft coming in on attack vectors. Marcus found his chair and swivelled around to face the front. "Evasive manuevers. Defense turrets online. Jump as soon as the FTL is ready."

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

Richard managed to find his way back to his own quarters on the station. He unbuckled the cape around his neck and lifted the baldrice that held his sword and rested by the bed post. He plopped down on the mattress and started fumbling with his boots.

A beep came from his clyuno. Richard groaned and picked up the device. "What?"

"Sorry to disturb you Lord Rahl but Ranger Marcus has returned and is requesting to speak with you. He says its an emergency."

Richard ran his fingers through his hair. "Alright. I'll be right there."

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

"Geth? You're sure about that?"

Marcus nodded. "No doubt. They were the same ships as the ones we saw when working that mission with Mythrandir."

Richard rubbed the bridge of his nose. "What could they possiblly be doing out there?"

"I have no idea but I doubt it is anything good. That station was massive and from the looks of it, they were using the sun as an energy source much like Lakfakallae does. And who knows what they were doing on the planet."

Lord Rahl put his hands on the railing and looked out through the viewing ports. "Time schedules never seem to work out like we hope."

"M'Lord." Marcus said with a smile. "What would you like to do?"

"I'll get the ships ready for flight. There is no more time for testing, we'll get them armed and ready to go. Let the others sleep some more. We'll have a new recruit here soon enough. Just be grateful that he already has military experience. Today is not the day for training raw ones. Get him a suit of armor and some weapons set aside."

"Yes m'Lord."

Richard shook his head as Marcus left. It was going to be a long night and one that he would most likely not get any sleep from.

Wind whipped through his stark white hair as he fell from the heavens. Clouds impeded his vision causing him to lose sight of his target. The dark elf folded his arms back and darted through the clouds over Mythrandir. Somewhere in the distance, he heard the final death cries of his wyvern mount after having been cut from neck to tail. There was nothing left to save as the wyvern's intestines spilled out into the open sky and began falling.

In an attempt to save himself or at least kill the one that had so doomed him, the dark elf had jumped from the back of his mount and dove towards the fleeing Tannelorn mechanized unit. Clouds soon cleared providing him a view of his prey. The fool had thought the dark elf done for and had completely ignored the possibility that the fight was still not quite finished yet.

Drizden pulled free his energy lance and extended it to its full length. The blade hissed as it ignited and the dark elf struck out like a human projectile aiming for the back of the unsuspecting Tannelornian. Drizden braced for the impact as he angled his lance tip so that it would catch in the machine and keep the dark elf falling any further.

Metal melted as the energized made contact and sunk all the way to the hilt. Drizden slammed into the side of the metal monster but held firm even as the air was knocked from his lungs. Finding his footing, the dark elf found a hand grip along the side of the monster and shoved his foot in for stability. Drizden removed his lance and took aim at the head of the beast.

In one long swipe of the lance, the head of the mecha was flying free. Only an instant separated him from the nerve center as Drizden sunk the lance back into the side of the metal monster and leaped for the Tannelorn pilot now exposed. The shocked expression on the pilot's face remained etched their as it fell free from his shoulders.

As the mecha began losing altitude, Drizden used the cloth of the corpse to wipe his blade clean of blood and returned it to its sheath. Looking around, the dark elf had no inclination of how to pilot this craft or if it was still capable of flying. No time for flying lessons though as the ground of Mythrandir was quickly coming to meet the dark elf.

Grabbing his energy lance, Drizden cut the joint that connected the wings to the mecha and grabbed on. The metal body fell away as wind caught the wings and lifted the dark elf higher into the air. Drizden grabbed a hold of the front of the wings and angled them for a bank turn.

The dark elf scoured the landscape that was rushing to meet him and looked for a soft area to bring his makeshift craft for a landing. Down below was a river that snaked through the mountain valleys and provided a bit of protection from the raging aerial fight around him. Drizden angled his wings down and prepared for the shock of landing.

Water spewed into the air as Drizden created a wake behind him while trying to come to a stop. The dark elf balanced himself on the wings and allowed the water to soak up his momentum while steering for the closest bank. Drizden hopped off the wings just as they began to sink and didn't even get his feet wet as he touched ground on the shore.

----

That had been years ago though it was still fresh in the dark elf's mind as he sat aboard a civilian transport on his way to a new world. Mythrandir would always be his home but Drizden had wanted to see more of the universe and gaze upon new and strange creatures that might inhabit other worlds. So many years he had lived and he had almost seen everything there was to see on Mythrandir and now he wanted more.

Besides, there was always the desire to test his skills against others. To discover who was a greater warrior and perhaps find a bit of renown in the wider galaxy. He didn't know what to expect from these Rangers but he knew that they handled themselves well when facing down the Geth at least as far as the stories went.

Drizden had stepped forward to volunteer his services to such an organization. While others had families and homes to consider, the dark elf had little to tie him down and carried everything he owned with him on the transport.

When the shuttle docked with the D'Haran station, Drizden stepped out onto the metal walkway clothed in a dark grey cloak and black breaches accompanied by soft soled black boots. Burdening his back was a large leather pack that appeared full though the dark elf carried it with ease.

He looked around to see if anyone was around. Not finding anyone, Drizden decided to go off and inspect the place for himself.

The smell of breakfast filled the air in an intoxicating aroma, especially for the Ranger who could barely remember the last time he ate. Still he felt good, as he rolled up his sleeves on his open button up gray shirt with a black t-shirt underneath.

His plate was quite full, of everything that was good. Sausages, bacon, a south western omelet, with a side of grits, and fried potatoes with onions. He placed his napkin in his lap as he looked out at the door, hoping that she would come.

Last night was right out of a nightmare for the Ranger, as he stared at his food. The steam rose taunting him to eat, but he didn’t, not yet. It would be rude to have asked her to come, and by the time she arrived he was finished. Last thing he wanted was another reason to be shot.

The door opened, as a woman walked through. Her back was straight and proper, as she walked over towards the table. She wore the uniform of an Abh pilot, and her long blue hair gently grazed her shoulder.

Nick smiles as he looked at her. Even seeing her in her current mood, it was still better than being without her, or so he thought. He watched her walk over to the cafeteria line, and grab a bowl of fresh fruits, and a glass of orange juice.

As she came near him, Nick got up. He remembered his training well, from Lord Richard. For his classes in assimilating, Lord Richard spent most of the time trying to teach Nick to be able to act more like a sophisticated upper class man, considering he already had the ruffian ruse down to a T.

Nick stood up, and gently pulled her chair out for her. As she sat, he gently placed it back under her.

Then he sat down across from Crysti. He smiled at her, as he took his fork, and cut into a sausage.

“Sleep alright?” he asked her, as he took a bite into his food.

Her glare was still ice cold, as she took her fork and very properly cut her fruit into tiny bite size bits.

“Quite well, thank you.” she said coldly.

Nick shook it off. He could tell by her tone of voice that she was very pissed off still.

He sighed, then took a bite out of his grits. He would normally smile, maybe make a pass or an innuendo about now, but he could tell that she was in no mood for games.

“Your Viper is coming along nicely.” he said trying to break the ice, as he looked up to the petite Abh pilot. “She is a beautiful ship.”

“Why do you call a space vessel a she?” Blue asked him as she glanced her eyes up to Nick. “A space fighter has no gender.”

Nick smiled at her, “Dunno, just habit or custom I guess. Doesn’t really matter does it?”

“You are a fool.” she said to him as she took a bite out of her orange.

Nick lowered his head, and took a deep breath. “You can say that again.” he said to himself, as he reached over and took a sip of his “Irish” coffee.

“Why would you want me to repeat myself, did you not understand?”

He shook his head, “Yeah I did understand.” he said to her gently placing down the coffee.

“Then why did you tell me to say it again?” she glared at him.

“Just forget it.” Nick said to her as he took a bite out of his omelet.

A small pause occurred as the couple ate, until Blue decided to ask her own question...

“Did you mate with her?” she asked him as she glared at Nick.

Nick’s fork dropped on the plate as he looked up to her.

“Did you mate with Victoria. Please do not lie to me.”

Nick shook his head as he stared at her. “For frak’s sake. No.” he said seemingly annoyed, "That is what this is about? The only damn reason I talked to her is because she is one of my species. There aren’t many of us around.”

Blue glared at him as she placed her fork down. “Do not lie to me Nicholas.” she said to him. “There are billions of descendants of Kobol if you include the Dornalians. This ship alone is filled with people from the United Colonies of Kobol.” she said as she glared at him with her icy blue eyes.

“I am not lying.” Nick said back to her. “That is true, but I am not a Colonial, not fully.”

She waited for him to finish his sentence. He took a deep breath, “Frak it, this is going to come out sometime may as well be now. I am half cylon alright.” he said to her. “That’s right, my ancestors were machines, and so are hers. I didn’t even know a third existed, until yesterday that is the only reason I talked to her. It’s a mistake I am not going to repeat. So you know, Hera is the other one.”

Blue looked down and took a bite of her food. She didn’t seem to care much about the machine part, as she ate a bite of a sliced apple. “So then, you were attempting to mate with her to perpetuate your species?” She asked.

Nick put his hands on the table. “No, Crysanthea.” he said defiantly. “I do not like her, I do not want to mate with her, and I have no interest in attempting to have a child with her, alright.” he said back to her.

He looked her in the eyes. The Abh seemed to be exceptionally straight forward, so Nick thought he would return the favor. “I have not had sex with any woman since I met you. I have not wanted to mate with any woman since I met you. You are the only woman I want to be with.” he told her blatantly.

He then took another bite of his food, and took a long gulp of his Irish coffee. "If I have to have a child, then you are the only person I want to have one with." he said, as the words sounded really strange coming out of his mouth. Internally he cursed Marcus for ever bringing up the topic to begin with.

For some strange reason Blue flashed him a smile which only lasted a second before she regained her composure.

Nick then looked under the table, and grabbed a box. It was not wrapped, and still in it’s packaging. He pulled it out. “I bought this for you, it should help you with learning the controls of the viper easier.” he said, quickly trying to change the subject.

She reached across the table and grabbed the box. Gently she opened it careful not to tear the box. Inside was some sort of apparel, which looked kinda like a tiara that the Abh wore, but it went over the eyes. There was also a scanner, and a small box.

Blue opened the box, and smiled. “A necklace?” she asked him.

Nick shook his head as he stood up and walked around the table. “They are called dog tags. I don’t know why they are called that but they are. It has your name on it, all viper pilots wear them.”

Reaching into the box he pulled out the octagon shaped dog tags bearing her name and rank. Under it was the crest of a sun with thirteen rays. He reached around her neck and clipped it on. “The device is also called the holoband. I wouldn’t recommend you go exploring in there too much, some stuff can be rough.”

Blue stared at him blankly. “I am a Star forces pilot. I can handle anything.” Nick smiled, “You may think so, but Blue. Trust me when I tell you that some things on the holoband you aren’t ready for.”

“Like what?”

Nick smiled, “In do time, dear.” he told her. She then looked at the last thing in the box, it was a yellow book, with the corners cut off. “An Idiots Guide to Abh Culture: Colonial Edition”

Nick reached in and grabbed that. “Sorry that’s for me.” She nodded, as she looked at the title of the book. “Fitting name.”

Nick grinned then his watch began to beep. He sighed, “Damn, time for duty. Catch you later, say at 13:00. I’ll get the holoband hooked up, and we can begin training.”

“You aren’t going to show me the plane?” She asked him.

“How about after dinner?” he asked her.

She nodded. “Ok.”

Nick stood up, and gave her a kiss on the cheek. He then began to walk outside. As he came to the airlock, he looked around for the future ranger he was supposed to meet. Suddenly, he heard, “Hey Nick.”

Turning around, he saw it was Chris. “Hey bro.” Nick said to him. “What’s up.”

Chris shook his head, “Nothing much, a bit hung over from Fuzzy’s party.” Nick smiled, “She work you over hard huh?”

Chris didn’t reply as he looked out the window. “Where is the new recruit?”

Nick shrugged “Frak if I know.” Chris decided to talk over to one of the guards, “Do you know where the new ranger is?”

“Sir,” the guard responded, “He docked about two hours ago, and decided to show himself around.”

“Fuck.” Chris said. “Come on Nicky, let’s find that bastard.” Nick nodded, “Why doesn’t anyone on this ship keep a damn schedule?”

“Doesn’t matter, lets just find the elf.”

Both of them went through the halls searching for the new recruit.

After a few minutes of searching, both rangers finally came upon the new recruit as he walked down the corridors.

"Hey." Nick said as he ran up to the dark elf. "You the new recruit?" he asked the elf. "Name is Nick, this is Chris." he said as he looked at the warrior elf.

The chance for small talk soon ended, as over the speakers the station's cic began to speak. "Ranger Team 1. Report to the briefing room. Ranger Team 1, report to the briefing room."

Chris looked at Nick and the elf. "That's us. Come on." Chris said as he looked at the new recruit.

(If any edits need to happen let me know. Both ND and Abh’s characters were played with their full permission. Also I apologize for the rushed ending, but after 5 pages, I began to grow tired.)

Drizden took in the complexity of the shipyard and was impressed to find that the Rangers were so well supplied. By all earlier accounts, the Rangers were a small organization that relied predominantly on the participating governments to help support the organization. From the looks of industry, there didn't appear to be a need for support.

Uniformed crew members walked pass with curious glances then went about their tasks. The dark elf ignored most of it preferring to focus on his surroundings and the workings of the beast. It was all very effecient with crews working on something of timed shifts. Walking along, he found his way into the mess hall where a variety of uniforms were sitting around tables and eating their meal.

Drizden walked through the food line and snatched a piece of fruit. An apple by appearances. It had been some time since he had eaten anything so his stomach was grateful for the juicy morsels that the dark elf bit into. Growing bored of the place, he headed out and back into the main stream of workers droning through the halls.

Eventually someone spotted the dark elf and called out to him. "Hey." Nick said as he ran up to the dark elf. "You the new recruit?" he asked the elf. "Name is Nick, this is Chris." he said as he looked at the warrior elf.

"Drizden" was the simple reply.

The chance for small talk soon ended, as over the speakers the station's cic began to speak. "Ranger Team 1. Report to the briefing room. Ranger Team 1, report to the briefing room."

Chris looked at Nick and the elf. "That's us. Come on." Chris said as he looked at the new recruit.


The elf made no remarks and simply shouldered his pack again and hurried off after the others. From the announcement and the way these two reacted, it seemed that he was being lead by other Rangers. Though, it seemed like that neither one of them was also in charge. Drizden would simply just have to wait to hand his transcripts over.

OOC: Note: Vicky now effectively has the Rangers under ISB protection. MSN me to figure out why, preferably after 8:00 Pacific Time.

IC:

After the incident, Vicky had simply left the room, and upon returning to hers, shut the door, activated the Cone of Silence and picked up a sattelite phone. Dialing it, she then began to speak.

"Patch me through to Command. Passcode: Pachouli Knowledge."

A short pause, and Vicky then said, "Hey, Raoul. It's me. You know who it fucking is, so shut it. Listen, I checked on the thing--its safe. In fact, do me a reeeal big favor--since I'm your boss, I'm gonna give you an explicit order. Tell the rest of my employees at 803 to stay the fuck away from the Rangers. Tell them to stay the fuck away from D'Hara. Tell them to intervene only if I authorize it....in fact, tell 803 to add D'Hara and the Ranger Compound onto the List of High Priority Areas for Defense and intervene only when it is under threat, otherwise, they are to stay at least 250 light years away from it. Yes, its as important as the City of Los Angeles, Caprica, and Ft. MacAllister.

Look, it is not only safe, but subject XK-GEAR requests that he no longer be bugged by me unless its a social call or anybody under me period. And I respect his privacy, especially since XK-GEAR's significant other hates me. Well, tell the Boss that she can go fuck herself, and that this is my operation and I can decide whose health should be altered at my discretion--and I'm deciding XK-GEAR is to be left alone. Thank you, goodbye."

Hanging up, Vicky then puffed on her Lucky Star cigarette....and then put it out.

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

Chris then began talking, saying, "Well, Drizden, you're about to see how we do things around here."

Then, Chris began to rub his head, and then asked Nick, "Say Nicky....you wouldn't have any aspirins or particularly strong painkillers, would you? Fuzz kept me up last night. Apparently, the cake and bubbly from our little party put her into a very good mood."

He had been there before, many times over, Nick thought to himself, as he pulled a flask out of his pocket.

He turned to Chris and gave his classic smile, ‘You know the secret to never having a hangover?” he asked his partner, “Don’t stop drinking.” He said as he chuckled. Pulling out a bottle of pills, Nick popped the top and pulled out two of them. Handing his flask to Chris, and the two pills he said, ‘This should cure your problems.” He said with a feint smile.

After Chris took the pills down, and a quick drink of the whiskey in the flask, Nick reached his hand out and took the flask back. Pulling out a pack of smokes, he light one for himself, as he offered Chris one. “This will help to bro.”

Then he turned to Drezden, holding a open container of cigarettes. “Want one man?” he asked the dark elf as he walked down the hall towards the briefing room.

“So Fuzzy worked you over hard last night?” Nick asked as he turned back to Chris. “Damn I wish I could have had a night like that. Blue was pissed at me all night.” He told his buddy, as he took a drag off his smoke. “You know, gods do, what I hate the most. The frakkin silent treatment. Crysti barely said a damn word to me last night when she got here. She thought by me playing the x box with another girl that I was trying to screw Vicky.”

As Chris looked at him, Nick immediately shook his head, “Not the way Fuzzy plays it.” He said before Chris could retort. “It was just halo. Although we had breakfast this morning, and I think we worked everything out. Women though, can’t tell if she is cool now, or just waiting to hang this over my head a little longer.”

Then as he spoke he remembered that Drezden was still there. He looked at Drezden and smiled, “So, Drezden. What’s your deal? Gotta story, or something?”

He had been there before, many times over, Nick thought to himself, as he pulled a flask out of his pocket.

He turned to Chris and gave his classic smile, ‘You know the secret to never having a hangover?” he asked his partner, “Don’t stop drinking.” He said as he chuckled. Pulling out a bottle of pills, Nick popped the top and pulled out two of them. Handing his flask to Chris, and the two pills he said, ‘This should cure your problems.” He said with a feint smile.

After Chris took the pills down, and a quick drink of the whiskey in the flask, Nick reached his hand out and took the flask back. Pulling out a pack of smokes, he light one for himself, as he offered Chris one. “This will help to bro.”

Chris waved his hand to signify a distinct "no." "Sorry. I can feel the meds working already....and I don't smoke. Academy habit. Thanks anyway though."

“So Fuzzy worked you over hard last night?” Nick asked as he turned back to Chris. “Damn I wish I could have had a night like that. Blue was pissed at me all night.” He told his buddy, as he took a drag off his smoke. “You know, gods do, what I hate the most. The frakkin silent treatment. Crysti barely said a damn word to me last night when she got here. She thought by me playing the x box with another girl that I was trying to screw Vicky.”

As Chris looked at him, Nick immediately shook his head, “Not the way Fuzzy plays it.” He said before Chris could retort. “It was just halo. Although we had breakfast this morning, and I think we worked everything out. Women though, can’t tell if she is cool now, or just waiting to hang this over my head a little longer.”

Then as he spoke he remembered that Drezden was still there. He looked at Drezden and smiled, “So, Drezden. What’s your deal? Gotta story, or something?”

Chris shrugged, "Oddly enough, she used the controller for what it was supposed to be used for, and didn't wire the car battery up for a 'jump.' I swear...working those underground clubs must have imprinted some decidedly bizarre habits on the poor girl. I mean, we did it, but it was surprisingly sanitary."

Coughing to clear his throat, he continued with, "Nick, women are just plain confusing sometimes. Frankly, I only just recently began to get Fuzz. Trust me, it'll take a bit. Though a good place to start is doing nice things for her and knowing some things she likes, and noting any quirks she has. Clearly, she's very possessive, you may want to remember that. The Viper was a good first step, too. Now, as for knowing....well, that takes good memory, trial and error, and keen observation. Oh, and a bartender's ear."

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

Vicky then left the room, loading up her personal weapons--a Ranger issue assault rifle and her Lascannon--to join the mission. She elected to take an alternate route to approach the meeting area, but had a feeling that since the Rangers were under her self-proclaimed protection.....well, she had to go. Plus, Chris probably would have called for her anyway.

"How much longer until the Frigate is fully repaired?"

The voice on the other end of the clyuno crackled with the sound of robotic arms welding armor and pieces of metal falling to the floor. "She'll need another hour before she's ready for combat again and we still need to replace the spent munitions."

Richard sighed momentarily. "Alright. Try to double your efforts. I need every Ranger ship ready for combat and soon."

"Don't worry Lord Rahl. Will give you triple the effort."

A small smile creased his lips. "I know you will."

Marcus stepped next to Richard as the big D'Haran let his clyuno fall to his side. The Ranger couldn't help but see that Richard was beginning to show some of his age though it was hard to discount the daily pressures of running a planet as well as the Rangers. "Don't worry, Lord Rahl. We'll take care of the Geth just like last time."

Richard nodded then turned to see that the first few Rangers were arriving and with a dark elf in tow. He nodded when they came to a full stop. "Glad you three could make it."

Lord Rahl turned to the dark elf. "You must be the one we were expecting from Mythrandir. Hopefully these two made a good first impression since they will be by your side for the next few hours. Nothing like hitting the ground running."

The dark elf was more of an outsider at the moment so kept a respectful distance from the banter between the two Rangers. He politely shook his head when offered a cigarette and kept up the pace with them as they continued their journey through the expansive station. Only a few remarks barely stole his attention from taking in the surroundings. If the dark elf was going to be staying here for a while, he wanted to learn his way around the station quickly.

"No story. Just volunteered." Drizden was not willing to divulge any more information than that as they continued on.

Finally reaching the meeting, Drizden recognized that one of the pair standing in front of them had to be the leader of the Rangers. It looked as if the tall man with the golden cape, sword, and black clothes commanded the most attention and respect. The dark elf's hunch was confirmed as that same man began speaking to him.

Lord Rahl turned to the dark elf. "You must be the one we were expecting from Mythrandir. Hopefully these two made a good first impression since they will be by your side for the next few hours. Nothing like hitting the ground running."

So there was an urgency about the place. Already Drizden would be thrown into combat. The dark elf was pleased by the idea, not relishing the thought of waiting for the next engagement. Silently, he fished around in his pack and produced a scroll with the wax seal of the rising phoenix sealing the fold.

"My transcripts."

Inside the scroll, War Mistress Shizra had provided all the necessary information that she believed would be adequate in informing the Rangers exactly what sort of recruit they were receiving. She had promptly provided his name, age (though that would be meaningless), gender, weapon specialization, education, and list of campaigns that he had participated in. The later was extensive.

Richard took the scroll and broke the seal then carefully read the information provided. It was all quite impressive though names of battles and places meant little to him since he was not familiar with Mythrandir. Still Lord Rahl had the feeling the addition of the dark elf could only help the Rangers.

"You've been trained in a wide variety of weapons but I see that you excel at stealth and covert actions."

Nodding, Richard went on. "That's good. We could use a little more subtlety on this team."

Marcus cleared his throat. "Hey. Some of us like flashy." The older Ranger took the scroll that Richard handed him with a smile.

"Anyways, you've all been called here for your next mission. Marcus?"

The Ranger stepped up then pressed a few buttons on his clyuno activating a holographic screen in the briefing room. "During the Frigate's testing phase, we detected some light communication traffic and energy surges from a system that was supposed to be uninhabited which is why we were using for our weapons testing.

We jumped further in system to investigate and this is what we found."

The screen began playing the footage taken by the frigate including the large station in orbit close to the sun with a number of Geth ships patrolling close by as well as landing and departing from the nearby planet. The film fastforward to the point where the frigate came under attack by multiple Geth ships. Some were taken down by the ship's weapons while the Geth gave plenty in return resulting in the damage that was now being repared.

Marcus shut the feed off just as the Frigate was able to jump out of system. "It would seem that the Geth are back and are trying to establish a foot hold in our region. What they are doing and what that station is for is unknown. But we did learn some interesting things. The sun itself is surrounded by a photovoltaic gossamer structure that is using the sun directly as an energy source. It is not unlike the power structure that surrounds the artificial sun in the Lakfakallae System. We weren't able to trace the source that was syphoning off so much energy but whatever it is, it must be massive. The station is no where near the size of the Abh city and it is sucking up every ounce of energy.

I'll turn back over to Lord Rahl."

Richard nodded his thanks. "We already know that the Geth cannot be reasoned with. There is nothing for them but death so we are taking a preemptive posture. We do not have enough ships at our command yet to attack outright so we need to do this from the inside."

The screen behind Richard contorted into a map of the system with symbols representing targets of interest. "We'll divide this mission into phases. The first phase will involve getting a small team on the planet to investigate what the Geth are doing planet side. We believe it to be mining operations for resources to continue adding onto the station so you'll need your suits pressurized at all tiems. That close to the sun the temperature is likely to fatal at long exposures not to mention radiation hazards.

Marcus will take the ground team down since he has been studying their language and what history he can uncover. Once on the ground, your objective will be to sneak aboard one of the Geth ships and hitch a ride onto the station.

From there we move into our next phase and that is sabotage. You are to find the source of this power drain and shut it down, whatever it is. At about that time, what Ranger ships we have will jump in system and distract the Geth forces. It is my hope that we will also have a Myth fleet there as well to lend a hand. Hopefully we will draw enough of their energy and resources onto us so that the infiltration team can do its job. I'll be aboard the Carrier commanding the operation from there and giving you live feed and information as you need it.

Final phase is extraction. Once you've completed your mission, we'll jump in and pull you out and head for home. If there aren't any questions, I recommend spending some time getting your gear ready for the mission ahead. You have a few hours before we move so use it for whatever you need."

The plan was sound, but the real question became how to pull it off. Nick cleared his throat, as Richard laid out all the objectives. The idea was good, but how were they to pull it off.

Nick was the first to speak. “Good objectives, but I have a question. How are we supposed to send a team down to the planet to kill the frakkin toasters without being detected?” Nick asked as he looked to Marcus and Lord Rahl.

“Sure the Sojourne has great stealth skills, but near a planet, her silhouette would show up. We will be shot down before we can even get the Mako to safe drop distance.” He added as he looked at the holograms.

“And the other ships, well let’s just say they aren’t exactly built for subtlety.” Nick said as he looked at the others. He looked around the room, and looked at the situation. The frigate’s sensors were quite impressive, as he looked at the terrain at the planet. Nick smiled, “We could use a Raptor.” He chimed in. “We can clear the mako bay, and say within about four light years distance, launch the ship. I should be able to make an atmo jump near the base. If we are quick enough, we should be able to pull it off, and get the bird back home.”

Dropping his cigarette on the floor and putting it out, “I got one nearly operational. Just need to replace the canopy and train a pilot to fly the bird, and we should be able to use it. Just need about, twelve hours, for the repair crews to do a preflight check and parts replacement. We can train a pilot to do the basics in that time as well, with your permission, Rich."

"I've been thinking about that as well." Richard focused the holographs on the planet that the Geth were using and magnified it.

"But let's not leave anything to chance. Jump in on the dark side of the planet and skim the surface. That should keep whatever scanners they have from picking up on your silhouette"

Richard took a moment to pause before turning back to the gathered Rangers. "As for your pilot, I believe you already have one. Better show her the basics in quick order. Oh, and try not to make her mad this time. We didn't just get a new Ranger to replace a dead one."

Highway to the Danger Zone (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_DbvioBySI) (For S&G's. Post written with Abh's permission. If I need to edit please let me know.)

Miracles do happen, that which defies the normal, which defies all logic. Often small and over looked, one such thing happened. Nick was always the smart ass, with some comeback, ranging from witty to the absurd. However, perhaps it was due to how she went nuclear on him earlier, or some hidden truth to Richards words. He looked down, and nodded slightly.

“If you’ll excuse me then.” he said quietly as he turned and walked out of the room. As he walked down the hall Nick could only wonder if she was still upset, or if by some chance she had actually forgiven him. He was nervous, as his chest beat rapidly, and his stomach began to turn a few knots.

He reached into his pocket, and pulled out his trusty flask. Quickly unscrewing the cap, he took down a rather large gulp of the Wild Turkey Bourbon inside. It burned as it went down his throat. With a sigh he winced as the liquor burned into him.

Shaking his head he reached into his pocket and pulled out another smoke. Lighting it, he reached down to his wireless.

“This is Nick, can you put me through to the hanger deck. I need to speak to Mike.”

(Que Crappy elevator music)

“Yeah this is Mike.” A gruff voice said on the other end.

“Hey bud.” Nick said as he talked into the machine. “We need to repair Raptor 357. She is in good condition, but we need the canopy replaced, and a double check of all the bolts and screws, along with a pre-flight.” Nick spoke into the machine.

“Anything else you want?” Mike asked quickly.

“Yeah what is the status of Viper one?”

“We just finished pre-flight and armament. She appears to be in good condition. Why you want your pilot friend to take her up soon?” Miked asked.

“Not yet. Also let the flight deck know that the party is postponed. Seems like Marcus got us into some shit. Need you guys sober for the next few days.” Nick told him.

“You’re kidding right? No offense son, but when is the last time you gave up drinking?”

Nick laughed, “Last night for about eight hours.”

“Sleep don’t count son. Alright we’ll get this in gear. You coming down?”

“Can’t. Rich wants me to get the pilot trained in twelve hours.”

The man on the other end laughed, “Yeah right. Just be sure she doesn’t make you pass out with all the thrusts from her after burn.”

Nick smiled, “Get to work, jackass, or else I will tell Amelia what you really have been doing on all those “extra shifts” I have been given you.”

“Alright. See ya in about five minutes. That is about as long as it should take you to finish landing your plane in her hanger bay. Mike out.”

His mood lightened, as he walked to the door. Something about the flight deck gang, put a smile on his face. Perhaps it was because he spent his life with people like them, or maybe cause around them there was no pretense of anything, but Nick kinda felt at home down there. As he turned the corner he came to her room.

Knocking gently on the door, the door slid open. On the other side was Crysti, who was wearing a white and gray long sleeve shirt, and a pair of white with blue stripped pants. She looked at Nick, as he smiled at her.

“Can I come in?” he asked her, as he took note of her outfit. He has never seen her out of uniform, and the form fitting outfit was very flattering.

“Of course.” she told him, as she moved to the side slightly. Nick soon walked in. As the door shut, he walked over to her, and gave her a quick kiss, and a hug. Her body felt good in his arms, as he held her tightly. She gently rested her head against his shoulder. Nick slowly pulled back.

Blue looked up at him, and suddenly her face became somewhat more stern. Nick took a step back, wondering what in the hell did I do now?

“Aren’t you on duty?” she asked him as her blue eyes pierced his. “You know you can not keep ignoring your duties to come and visit me. If you continue....”

Nick began to laugh slightly.

“What is so funny?” Crysti asked.

“This is my duty assignment Blue.” Nick said to her, as he sat down on the edge of the bed. “Lord Rahl has discovered a large geth base, and has asked me to spend the next twelve hours trying to teach you the best I can how to fly a Raptor.”

“Oh...” she said pausing for a moment. It was probably the closest thing that Nick had seen to her being embarrassed since that night on Mythrandir. “Then if you are on duty, why did you embrace me?” she asked him.

“I like to.” Nick told her plainly, as he smiled at her, and looked at her face. “It feels good, even you gotta admit that.” he said to her.

“Fool.”

Nick laughed, ‘Is that my new name then?”

She walked over, and sat next to him. Looking at Nick she gave him half a smile, then quickly went back to her usual look. “How are you supposed to teach me to fly a Raptor? Last time we flew, you passed out before I could even fire my landing rockets.”

Nick smiled at her, thankful with this new playful attitude she obviously wasn’t that angry at him anymore. Nick turned his attention towards the box he gave her earlier. “That is where this comes in.” he said as he pulled out the box. Inside he pulled out something that looked kinda like a thin sunglass, that goes over the eyes. “We’re going to use a simulator.” he told her.

“So you can’t handle the real thing then?” she asked him. Nick glared at her for a second before a letting out a chuckle. “Oh I can handle it. I just want to make sure before you take the real thing up in the air, that you aren’t going to smash the landing gears. Colonial planes are a lot different than the star forces. I want to make sure you know how to handle the joystick before going up in the air.”

“That isn’t a problem, as long it as it is good quality. Although I have never flown a Colonial Raptor before. So I don’t know how responsive it would be.” she said to him.

“Oh Colonial planes can toss you around pretty good. If you aren’t careful, it can damn near kill you. Hence the need for the holoband.”

“I doubt that.”

Nick shrugged, as he stood up. Offering his hand out to her, she ignored it. “Please stand up, so we can get started. We have about eleven hours til the mission.”

She stood up.

“Now stand still, and hold your arms out slightly.” Nick told her as he reached in the box and pulled out a portable scanner. “This is going to feel a little weird, but it is harmless.”

“What does it do?” she asked him.

“It takes a holographic image of you and converts it to a digital avatar. In the holoband this will be your representation.”

“I see.” she told him.

The process was kinda quick, as he walked around her scanning her from head to tow. Her skin felt strange though as it took her image, like her skin was crawling slightly. When he shut off the device she took her left hand and began to rub her right arm. “Do I have to do that again?” she asked him.

He shook his head, “Not unless you want to update your avatar later on.”

“Good, that wasn’t pleasant.” Blue said to him, as she began to rub her other arm.

“Now, promise me that you won’t go running around in here without me alright?” Nick asked her.

“Why?”

“This is a Colonial device. Some of the stuff, well actually most of the stuff you probably wouldn’t like.”

“Like what?” she asked him.

“Things you probably aren’t ready for, but if you really wanna see I’ll show you after the mission. Let’s just say the holo-band is a lot more hard core than anything you will find on the holo-net. Even the Dornies would be shocked by it, well most of them. Fuzzy would probably dig it.”

A confused look crossed Blue’s face. “Alright I promise.”

Nick smiled as he handed her the glasses. “Alright lets get started. Put this on.” he told her.

As she did, Nick took out the computer sheet. It looked identical to a piece of paper, but as he touched it, a bunch of holographic representations came up. “Now for a starting place.” he said.

Touching gently the piece of paper, suddenly Blue noticed around her the room suddenly change. The air was sweet, as she took a breath in. The noise of children laughing, the smells of hot dogs being grilled. As she looked out, she saw a park. The grass was green and soft beneath her feet. Blue looked up into the blue sky with the occasional wisp of clouds over head.

“Where am I?” she asked.

“You are in the central park in Caprica City.” A familiar voice came from behind her. She turned around, to see Nick standing there, dressed in his usual manner, the brown leather coat, button up shirt that was opened, with a t-shirt underneath, and blue jeans and work boots.

“I came here as a kid once.” he told her as he looked around in the distance. Trees of every kind were surrounding the park, and as he looked up into the sky line of the city, it gave him a sense of peace.

“How did I get here?” Blue asked as she looked at him. “Well technically you haven’t left your room.” Nick said as he placed his hand on her shoulder. “It’s all an illusion. A very real illusion, but an illusion all the same.” he explained to her. Taking her hand he walked over to one of the park benches. As she sat down, she felt the warmth of the bench on this summers day, go through her clothing warming her skin.

“Basically, it downloads the images, and feelings directly into your brain.” he told her as he smiled. “All you have to do is think of things and that is how your body moves. Everything is as real as the modern world.” He told her.

“Why are we here though?” she asked him. “I thought you were going to let me fly a raptor?”

“I am.” Nick said as he smiled. “But it wouldn’t do you any good if you aren’t coordinated in here?”

“That makes sense, coming from a fool.” Blue told him.

“Yeah love ya too. Now come on, lets go to your raptor.”

Blue looked at him strangely as the words came out of his mouth. He didn’t even think twice as he stood up. “It’s easy, just think, walk and you can walk.” he told her.

“I see.” Blue said to him as she smiled. “Ok lets go. Can you target practice in here?” she asked him.

Nick smiled, “No rules, no limits. That is kinda the unofficial creed of the holo-band. You can do anything.”

“Why would anyone want to do things in here that they can’t do in the real world?”

“Cause in the real world there are rules and limits. Not in here. It’s kinda an escape for some. Well you wanna see if you can make me pass out?”

Blue stared at him, “fool.”

Nick smiled, “Well then come on.”

She walked next to him through the city. She could feel the city around her, the various smells and tastes and textures. The concrete felt like concrete, everything seemed utterly real. Until Nick came to a door. Holding out his hand, the door turned blue and then opened.

“Here we are.” he told her.

“That is just a door.” she said. Nick smiled, “Trust me.”

As they walked in, the door changed. Suddenly Blue was in the uniform of a Colonial Raptor pilot, and Nick sat in the co-pilot seat.

The sudden change of scenery again kinda shocked her as she looked around. “Where are we?” she asked Nick.

“The Warstar Isis.” he told her. “It’s a flight simulator.” he said to her. They were sitting on the run way of the mighty warstar, that Blue helped to destroy over D’hara. Nick pointed to a pair of levers that were connected to the base of the panel. This is your main engines. Push that forward to make the engines turn on. Then pointing to the joystick, that controls pitch and yaw, along with relative horizontal and vertical pitches. He said to her.

“Over here is D.I.T.A., Electronic counter measures, and if we had them installed missile salvos.” he said.

He went over each and every piece of equipment in the Raptor. “It takes roughly two people to pilot one of these. One for the draidus and ECM, the other for a pilot. Now according to the mission report of this, Admiral Cain has asked us to scout out a sector of astroids where she believes a cylon baseship is to be hiding. We are to try to find out if it is there, and report back to the Isis immediately.

“But how can the Colonials fly something this primitive?” she asked Nick.

“Primitive?”

“You don’t even have a frochaj port?”

Nick shrugged, “I don’t even know what that is.” he said to her.

She sighed, “it allows the Abh to use our extra sensory organ, the diamond on my forehead, to sense space around it. How am I supposed to fly without it?” she asked him.

Nick shrugged, “Well if you got the designs we can copy one, but problem is we only have eleven hours til mission take off. I don’t know if we can build one and have it installed properly by the time we depart. As marcus would say, you may have to adapt.”

Blue glared at him as she hit the after burner on the Raptor. Nick flew back in his seat, snapping his neck back. “Damn.” he said.

Blue looked over at him. “You should have buckled up.”

“Yeah I guess you are right. Do you have designs for the device you are talking about?”

“I borrowed them from the Star Forces Archives.” Nick smiled at her, “Alright, give me a second then, and I will get them to start making and installing it on the Raptor.”

She nodded, “Thank you.”

“Spin up the FTL, and prepare to jump. On my mark 5... 4...

“I thought you were going to have them begin to work on the design?”

“I already asked them to do so. 3... 2... 1... Jump.”

Suddenly a bright light flashed in front of blue, and her stomach would feel like it was in knots. Within a second they were at the target.

(This training will continue until just before the mission)

With Nick offp preparing for the loose ends of their mission, there was no real reason to keep everyone standing around the briefing room any longer. "Marcus. Why don't you and Chris show Drizden around the station and to his quarters? He'll also need to get geared up so take him by Titania for supplies."

Marcus nodded as he walked by. "Sure thing."

He clasped Drizden on the shoulder to urge him along. "Come on. We'll get you situated."

Marcus lead them down through a series of hallways and pass a few work stations. The older Ranger pointed out the odds and ends of the station as they walked, sort of giving the unofficial tour. He pointed out the quickest halls that would get the dark elf to the destinations he would need in the near future.

Eventually he lead them into residential wing then down the Ranger section. Marcus stopped outside a door that was next to Chris and Nick's rooms. The metal door slid open revealing similar spartan lodgings that the rest of the Ranger shared. "This will be your dig for the rest of the time on the station. There aren't any rules as far as decorations or what you have in here just as long as it is not a danger to the station. There's a computer in the desk that can access a few of our databases and also provide a map of the station if you need it."

"Got any questions so far?"

OOC: ND, feel free to tag along or do your own thing if you wish. Up to you.

OOC: Vicky's rant lovingly ripped off and modified from Taken. Also, the last part comes from a lovely internet meme involving spamming images courtesy of 4chan.

IC:

As the briefing and Drizden's acclimation came about, Chris understood the nature of the task. It was another typical job. Sneak in, blow the joint, and get out. No small matter, although the matter was somewhat shrunken thanks to the fact everybody pretty much knew what the Geth were capable of at this point. The last encounter had certainly left its mark on Chris.

Chris elected to help Drizden get comfy. Tagging along with Marcus, Chris helped fill out some of Marcus's descriptions with anecdotes and what was presumably good advice. Then, as he got close to the rooms, Chris then nodded and said, "Yup. Lemme stop by my room for a few minutes, I need to get my things."

Going to his room, Chris opened it up and went inside. Fuzzy was there, watching the HoloNet feeds. Hong Kong Supercop was on, and she squealed with joy as Inspector Whisky shot down six thugs with a backwards-flying bullet attack, and uttered the line "....My lead is tastier than your fist. I'll pass."

"I see Inspector Whisky is being awesome again."

"Yeah."

As Chris was getting his gear and suiting up, Fuzzy asked, "Another job?"

With a nod, Chris replied, "Wanna come with? I'll explain as we get onboard. Needless to say, it involves the Geth, and we're pulling a Guns of Navarone on one of their installations." as he shouldered the Black Maria (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winchester_Model_1897) and holstered his Ranger Pistol.

Fuzzy let out a "Huh? What's that?" as she went into the bathroom to change into some more suitable wear.

"That movie we saw a couple of weeks ago that got you all excited. Remember?" Chris asked, skeptically as he made sure everything was okay, getting a rucksack to store goods in.

"Oh! That one!" Fuzzy then stuck her head out of the bathroom, and said, "Chris, can you get me the Corregidor? (http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Scoped_Gauss_Rifle)" Pointing to the Gauss Rifle that they had acquired on Hajarra, Chris handed it to Fuzzy who then thanked him and shut the door. A few seconds later, the door opened to reveal a fully suited Catgirl out of some otaku's fantasies, bedecked with BDUs, a gunbelt, and the Gauss Rifle on her shoulder. On her chest were bandoleers to hold the Energy Cells required to power the beast, and the 2mm ammunition it also needed.

"Let's go," Fuzzy said, as the two exited the room. Then, Vicky ran up alongside Chris, saying, "Wait, wait!"

"Oh, Vicky, I've been meaning to tal--"

"No time." Vicky cut off Chris and said, "Take me on this mission. There's no time to explain."

"Well, you're part of my battalion, but I fail to see how you may be necessar-"

At that point, Vicky leaned in close and said, "Let me rephrase my previous statement, Ranger Markham. I need to go on this mission because, according to the briefing, my cousin and his significant other are going, and I need to ensure their safety."

"I appreciate the concern..." Chris gently pushed Vicky back, but firmly, and said, "...but I'm sure Nick can take care of himself. And frankly, from what he told me, last time you two chatted, you left his lady ready to kill him. I'd rather not have matters of the heart interfering with the job."

Vicky leaned in and whispered to Chris, taking him to the side as Fuzzy looked with alarm. After looking about, Vicky then whispered. Chris would find Vicky leaning in, and grabbing him by the scruff of his neck to prove her point.

"What if I told you that I have a very particular set of skills; skills I have acquired over a very long career working for those security outfits I mentioned. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like the Geth. If you let me go on this job, you can see them in action and we can leave it at that. But if you don't, I will bug you and bug you and bug you...until you like it."

Chris sighed and pushed Vicky away from him shaking his head. "Fine. But don't get all creepy, and stay away from Nick and Blue unless they want you there. Seriously, there's a thing called personal space that you clearly don't seem to respect, and Nick is still pissed."

"Aye, sir." Vicky said, saluting. The two then returned to Marcus and Drizden, the conversation and change taking a surprisingly short time. Fuzzy asked Chris, "What was that all about?"

"One helluva sales pitch Fuzz. One helluva sales pitch."

Drizden walked along with the other Rangers as they showed him the layout of the station. The dark elf took in every twist and turn and comitted it to memory. He wanted to become familiar with his surroundings as soon as possible to settle more comfortable, so he was pleased be given the tour so thoroughly.

From studying the layout of the station and how the crew appeared to work diligently, Drizden was impressed with the cohession of different nations working together the way they did here. At least he hadn't volunteered to join a group bogged down in squabbles or hidden agendas. Everyone on board seemed to be here for the common goal that the Ranger edict stood for and not posturizing their nation.

When he was introduced to his quarters, he had little concerns about the decorating. The way the room looked now, would most likely remain the same throughout his stay on the station. The dark elf saw no reason to burden himself with posesions nor were there pictures of family or friends to fill a desk space.

Drizden simply dropped his bag off at the foot of the bed and began removing a few pieces of clothing as well as armaments. He laid shirt of mail out on the bed then removed a long curved sword and sheath from his pack. The dark elf found a resting place at the post of the bed to keep the blade upright.

"I wasn't aware that the Rangers would provide weapons and armor. I don't really need to see your smiths since I brought my own." Drizden pulled a hard metallic case from his bag and laid it by his sword in the corner.

"Is there any reason why I would need require them?"

Chris replied to Drizden's question with a simple, "We got some special items worth thinking about that you won't find anywhere else. Mainly high technology assault rifles and ballistic weapons that can fold ultra-compactly to save space and utilize high-efficency caseless ammo, as well as enhanced armor that can more efficently resist bullets and energy fire along with melee attacks. Not to say that your armor or weapons are bad, we don't have a policy on that, but we do encourage you to try this stuff out."

Scratching his chin, he added, "I'm sure they've got melee items too."

Marcus nodded at Chris's explanation. "True but not only that, a standardized system of weaponry allows us to replace or repair parts as needed. If a weapon of yours from home breaks down, there is little we can do unless we have the parts on hand. You'll be at the mercy of how quickly your government can ship the parts out. And there are few options on the battlefield should something break. We can drop our own supplies as needed but not so much on the foreign goods.

Plus, the armor you'll be issued is not only as protective as Chris mentioned but it is also pressurized. Which is great for the hostile environment we're going into."

Finished filling in the minor holes, Marcus lead the group down to the armory. He wasn't thrilled about Vicky tagging along and remained suspicious of her given what Richard had told him but he would let Lord Rahl deal with that problem in his own way. When they reached the armory, there was a duet of Rangers attending the place. One woman looked to be running the show, fully encased in silver plate armor and fire red hair going just past her shoulders.

"Why are the shotgun mods mixed in with the sniper rifle?" The firey woman glared at a younger lad with dyed blue hair.

The young man didn't back down though. "It was just a mistake. I'm fixing it now. Sheesh. You don't have to be such a crab ass."

That only seemed to tip the woman further. "Listen you, I like keeping the store nice and orderly. If you've got a problem with it, I'll shove you out at the nearest airlock."

Ike whirled around. "Try it old bat. I'll cut those grey hairs out while I'm at it. There won't be any hair left but at least you'll look younger." Ike drew a short sword to accentuate the point.

Titantia quickly drew a retracting halberd and extended it to its full length. "You little brat. Just because your old man was the leader of our group, doesn't mean you get special privileges. I'll just tell the Rangers it was an accident that you fell on your sword and thought the airlock was the medical bay."

Marcus cleared his throat, worried that the newest recruit had seen enough of the ex-mercenairies bickering with one another. Titania and Ike turned around to see that they had a crowd. Both of them tried their best to hide their weapons behind their back and put on pleasant smiles.

Titania spoke up first. "Welcome. How can we help you?"

Shakin his head, Marcus walked the rest on in. "Titania. Ike. I'd like you to meet the newest member in the Rangers. This is Drizden from Mythrandir."

Both bowed their heads respectfully to the dark elf. "Glad to meet you. Welcome to the club. So what can we do for you?"

"Well he needs a suit of armor. Judging from his credentials, something light but still protective. Then whatever additional weapons he may require."

Titania beamed with a smile now dealing in something she enjoyed. "I've got the perfect light suit for him then. Allows plenty of movement, camouflaged and has a built in shield generator to make up for the lack of armor plating."

The woman pushed a button and the walls opened up to reveal a practical store of weaponry. She reached over and grabbed the suit in mind and laid it across the desk. "The suits yours and you may take whatever weapon you like. I'm sure Ranger Marcus can explain it all to you."

The logic was sound in Drizden's mind considering that there were few who could make repairs to the weapons and armor that he brought along with him. Most of the components to each weapon were exotic even in his own land. Perhaps it would be best to take the other Rangers up on their offer and arm himself with a few other weapons especially if what Marcus said was true. The elven mail that he brought along would not do much against adverse atmospheric conditions.

"Very well. You may lead on then."

Following the others' lead, the dark elf shut the door to his room behind him and headed off. Again Drizden made sure he was memorizing the layout of the station so he could find his way around later. When they arrived at the armory, he was greeted by a sight that was often familiar among the dwarves on his world. Two companions had engaged in a debate that seemed to revolve around nothing other than the pure enjoyment of arguing.

Marcus seemed to have some sort of sway over the other Rangers as they straightened at his presence. In all due time, Drizden was issued a new suit of armor and shown a wide display of firearms. The dark elf nodded his thanks as he took the armor then walked along studying the weapons. There was an assortment of all types but the dark elf settled on picking up a pistol to test its weight and balance.

Surprisingly, the weapon was extremely light and it wasn't hard for the dark elf to find the balancing point. He placed that atop the armor and continued down the line until he reached the rifles. Scouring over the lot, he found one that looked to be already set to semi-automatic. Like the pistol, this weapon was light as well and Drizden wondered how well these weapons would actually hold up in battle.

Drizden turned to the pair of dueling Rangers as he gathered up his items. "Thank you for your time."

OOC: Time to speed things along to the actual mission.

IC:

After the two mercenaries, now Rangers, said goodbye to Drizden; Marcus lead the troop back to the living areas. Chris was free to go deal with whatever he needed to before the green light was given for the mission. Marcus in the mean time spent the better half of their free time showing Drizden how the weapons and armor worked. There was not enough time to show the dark elf every little detail about the new weapons but he was able to show Drizden the basics of how the weapons extended and contracted.

Marcus even managed a small physics lesson explaining how the ammunition worked and why it never needed to be reloaded along with offering a bit of caution about overheating. He couldn't explain how to modify the weapon or how the omni-tool worked yet since that would require a day in of itself of explaining so Marcus just left those out of the picture for now.

He moved on to the armor last showing Drizden how to properly secure it and check for any pressure leaks when concerned about swimming through a vacuum or entering a foreign atmosphere. After that there was the demonstration of the helmet's HUD and shield readings along with how to hook his weapons to the armor so they wouldn't make any noise and stay in place. With that all taken care of, Marcus bid Drizden goodbye for now and headed off to his own room.

Several hours later, the call went out over the comm systems. "Ranger Team 1 to the docking bay. Ranger Team 1 to the docking bay."

When the Rangers arrived at their destination, they would be greeted by Richard Rahl who was flanked by two of his closest Mord-siths and General Meiffert of the D'Haran First Phial. Behind them were all the ships available to the Rangers. It was quite the small fleet. In the midst of it all was a dark figure barking out orders to dock hands. Sargent Johnson was in fine spirits as he chewed one dock gang up one side of their ass then down the other. Apparently supplies weren't being loaded fast enough to his liking.

Richard clasped his hands behind his back as the rest of the Rangers filed in. "Just to go over things one last time so there are no mistakes. Max will pilot the Sanjura to the half way point from the target. From there, Crysti and the Ranger team comprised of Marcus, Chris, Nick, and Drizden will disembark on the Raptor and make a jump that will land them inside the planet's atmosphere. The Raptor will not be landing so hopefully you all remember your training.

You sneak in the base, find a means of transportation to the Geth station, set the charges, and throw up the signal for extraction. I'll be right there to come and get you all. Get to your ship and good luck to you all. I'll see you all back here when this is done."

(OOC: Using the permission Abh gave me to play Blue for this post. I hope it hasn’t expired. I will edit if need be)

It was once said, that when an Abh smiled, the Abh was plotting your death. Blue smiled, as she gripped the handle of the raptor. Her right hand, pushed forward on the throttle, bringing the raptor to fire it’s after burners.

“I am going to kill them.” she said, as she pulled the raptor to the right vector, and fired off the ventral thrusters pushing the raptor higher in the dorsal vector, towards the asteroids.

The Raptor began to shake, and Nick looked down at the control pads. “Incoming five new contacts. Bearing 000, Mark 43 Carum 750 and closing. Blue we need to get out of here.” he said, as the Raptor shook again. Out of the cockpit, the tracer fire was surrounding the small colonial ship.

“Not until we complete this mission.” Blue told him, gritting her teeth. Her deep blue eyes focused on it’s target, one of the larger asteroids. “Blue, the mission is over, we know the cylons are using this as a base now.” he said as he turned to look at her. “Our orders were to locate them and jump back to the Warstar.” he said as he looked down at the draidus. “Bogeys are closing.”

“We have not completed the mission, Nicholas.” Blue told him. “Our orders were to locate them, and I do not have a picture or a scan of the base ship.” Blue said as the ship rocked again. Nick looked down at the controls, and shook his head. It wasn’t looking good. “DITA is out.” he told her. “I thought you were supposed to be some hot shot pilot.” he said pushing her buttons slightly.

“It is hard to fly well in such an archaic vessel.” Blue said to him. “Fire off the chaft, at this vector.” Blue told him.

“Yes sir.” Nick reached down, and outside the Raptor, two orange balls flew out towards the asteroid. Blue immediately cut the engines, and vented the atmo inside the ship. Powered down, with no internal heat, it would hopefully look like the raptor crashed into the asteroid.

Nick smiled at his girl. “Good move.” he told her as he watched out the window as the cylon raiders passed right by them.

“Of course it is, I thought of it.” she said to him, looking with a slight smile then immediately going back to her emotionless stare. “So where do you think the target is located.”

Nick shook his head as he looked out the window. “With all this debris, it’s hard to tell on Draidus. It’s nearly useless out here.”

She turned to Nick, “Let us hope then that your deck gang installs the Frojac properly then. It is hard to complete a mission with such basic controls.”

Nick nodded, then suddenly he turned to Blue. “Time’s up Crysti. They are calling for us.”

“Who is? I haven’t gotten anyone on the coms?” she asked. Nick shook his head, “No, I mean the rangers. We have been called into a briefing.”

Blue had almost forgot the last 12 hours she was inside the holoband. She looked at Nick, “How do I get out?” she asked him. Nick smiled, “Take it off.”

Suddenly the world changed once more and she was in her room, sitting on the bed in the same position she was in previously, except a little hungrier, and thirstier, and a strong need to use the rest room.

After about ten minutes, bottle of water in hand, both her and Nick walked into the briefing room, where Richard laid out the plan. Nick had heard the plan before, but it was the first time for Crysti. Everything seemed in order except for the fact Vicky was there. Blue didn’t say a word, but she gave the other hybrid a hard stare, letting Vicky subtly know to keep her distance. Turning back to Lord Rahl, Crysti saluted him.

“Admiral Rahl.” she said to him. “We won’t let you down.”

Nick just smiled at the moment, and turned towards Richard. “Rich.” he said much more informally than his counter part, “One question.” he said looking around the room. With Fuzzy and Vicky in the room he had to ask, “What about Vick and Fuzz?”

Blue shot him a glare as he asked about his cousin, and his bud’s girl. Nick shook his head, as he put his hand on her shoulder. “Please wait a sec before you wanna air lock me.” he said to her. “What are their roles? I mean they wouldn’t be here if they didn’t have some part in the mission, would they?”

She pulled her shoulder away from his hand. “They are not on the Raptor party.” she said most defiantly. “Admiral Rahl would have listed them if they were.” she told him as she leaned in towards Nick’s face, pushing him back. Nick leaned back, looking into her angry eyes. “And you really should show more respect to the Admiral, Nicholas.”

Nick leaned back and placed his hands on her shoulder, “Alright, jeez.” he said. “Rich.... I mean the Admiral.” Nick said looking at him, “Knows I respect him and his decisions. I just had to ask.” he said as he placed his hands on her shoulders trying to get her to back down. “I was just curious that’s all.” Nick said back pedaling.

Blue smiled at him for a moment, as her face was turned away from the group. Satisfied by her ability to get Nick back in line, she turned towards the group. “When do we launch?”

Chris then looked about, and decided to weigh in himself on this sudden change in personnel lineup. Vicky he could understand. She was causing a lot of trouble, and it would be wise to shunt her away from the job. But Fuzz? That didn't seem wise. She was reliable.

Walking forth to within distance of Lord Rahl, he bowed and said, "Your Excellency....I'd like to ask something. I can understand leaving out Ranger Victoria. She's been the cause of some...contention recently." Then, using his thumb to point at Fuzz, he then said, "But Ranger Antonia, commonly referred to as Fuzzy, isn't a problem. She's a known quantity, and she's a quality second, especially with that Sniper Rifle of hers. Permission to allow her on the mission?"

Vicky seemed shocked on the outside--but on the inside, she wasn't surprised. The Treatment didn't always work, and Chris admittedly had a point. Crysti was awfully jealous, and if the future was prologue, she wasn't a person to anger.

Richard took the questions in stride. Despite the humorous debate between Crysti and Nick, Richard's face remained serious. He harbored no ill-feelings towards Fuzzy though she seemed to be a bit of a loose cannon which might not necessarily be a plus on a mission geared for moving about quietly. But Victoria was still an anomaly to him.

"Your team is already equipped with one sharpshooter but I do see the benefits to a second sniper. Ranger Antonia may accompany you on the mission so long as she remembers the parameters of the assignment. This is supposed to be done quietly."

Richard then turned his attention to Victoria. "As for Ranger Victoria, she will be accompanying me aboard the Carrier. Your team is large enough as it is without compromising your ability to remain undetected."

He took a moment to pause for further questions or complaints. "Alright, we launch in five. Everyone to your ships and I'll see you on the other side."

Fuzzy nodded as she listened to the decision rendered by Lord Rahl, and after all was said and done, Chris shrugged and said, "Acknowldged, sir." He then motioned for Fuzzy to follow, as she asked Chris quietly, "Why the hell did you use my real name? You know I hate that name....."

"Fuzz....I don't think His Excellency was in a mood for nicknames. As it was, he seemed nervous about letting you go on this job. Keep silent, and don't do anything stupid," was Chris's reply.

Fuzz merely shot back, as the two sat down in the Raptor, "Christopher Markham. When have you known me to ever do anything stupid?"

Chris sighed and started, "Too many times to remember, or count. Now--"

"I know, I know. Keep silent, and don't disturb the monsters. Got it." Fuzzy sighed and began putting matte black duct tape on anything that shined too much and began rearranging her gear to make it clank a little less, realizing the true gravity of the job.

Vicky, meanwhile stood there, and looked at Lord Rahl. Pointing to the Raptor, she said with a concerned look on her face, "Your Excellency....if this is about Crysinthia, it was a horrible, horrible misunderstanding."

Learn to Fly (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmBAD_GKOsY)

Nick nodded, as he heard the final orders go out, and that Fuzzy would be included on the team. For a stealth mission though, as much as Nick would hate to say it, Richard did make the right call. Smaller is better, in this regard. He looked over to Vicky, almost apologetically as he turned and walked out of the room.

Blue saluted the Admiral and also didn’t say much as she exited the room. She ran up to Nick, who was fumbling in his pocket for a cigarette. “Nick.” she said as she walked up next to him.

Nick looked over to her and smiled, as he finally got one and light it up. “I am going to need you to take the co-pilot seat on this mission.” she said to him as she looked next to him. “At least until we get to the landing coordinates. “I am not that familiar with the jump system yet, so I would like for you to take the second seat.”

Nick smiled at her, “Yeah sure, I’ll ride with you anytime you want.” he said with a slight smile.

She smile for a second as they opened the door to the landing bay, where the raptor was fueled and prepped for their departure. “You know there is something I do not understand.” Blue said as she opened the hatch for the Raptor.

“This team doesn’t make sense for a stealth mission.” She said as she opened the closet and pulled out the pressure suit. Nick reached in and grabbed one also. “It is getting rather large.” Nick said as he put out the cigarette and tossed it out of the raptor.

Crysti shook her head. “No that isn’t what I mean. If it is a stealth mission why are you going? Unless they are bringing duct-tape, you aren’t known for being quiet.” she said with a smile.

Nick’s face grew stern for a second, as he walked behind her and zipped up her flight suit. “Hey I am not the screamer on this ship.” he said tossing a jab back at her.

“No, you usually pass out before we get to that point. It is almost as if you can’t handle the turbulence of a rough ride.” she said to him.

Nick smiled, “Oh I can handle it, I just like to close my eyes before I think we are about to crash.”

“So is that why you launch your fuel tank before we hit the tarmac?”

Nick laughed, then he heard the others at the door. Both him and Crysti straightened up in a more professional manner, locking themselves into the pilot’s seat.

Drizden appreciated the lesson that Ranger Marcus provided. At least these people kept their senses about them to teach him how to use a new weapon. The dark elf asked few questions, preferring to listen to the human speak and learn the weapons' functions through experimenting.

In the end he bid Marcus farewell and was left to his own devices. Drizden didn't know how long he would have until they were called to the line so he spent his time preparing his own weapons and armor. Reaching for the metallic case at the corner of his bed post, the dark elf pulled it up onto his lap and unlatched the locks. Cushioned in felt lining was a disassembled rifle.

Drizden reverently removed one part at a time and laid them out on his bed until he had its full compliment arranged in a skeletal version of how the rifle originally looked. The dark elf grabbed a cloth and some oil and began rubbing down the barrel. Spider web working covered the length of the barrel after having been created by dark elves from the Underdark. Next to him was a can of grease that Drizden applied to grooves to keep the moving mechanisms operating smoothly.

Slowly, the weapon began taking shape as Drizden reassembled the parts. Drizden opened and closed the chamber several times to ensure a smooth transition from the spent casing to the next bullet. After a few more tests, the dark elf applied a little more oil and had the action working properly. All that remained was attaching the strap that ran the length of the stock to the end of the butt that would allow him to carry the weapon across his shoulders.

There was no need for a scope to magnify the distance that Drizden could see since he could already to see leagues further than any human could possibly. Instead, he brought along a scope that was able to peel away layers from obstructions and reveal targets on the other side of walls or natural cover. Drizden lifted the scope from his bed and attached it to the bottom of the rifle.

The hours passed by silently in his room as he tended to his sword by keeping it sharpened and clean. There were also the smaller weapons of choice that allowed him to cause pain in all sorts of unpleasant manners. All preparations had been set just as the call went out for the Rangers to report. Drizden pulled out his mail shirt and pulled it over his head. Despite the gifts from the Rangers, Drizden felt a sense of comfort in wearing armor that had been with him since he was an acolyte at the Warrior's Institute.

The other armor went on just as Marcus had said and he found it to be a comfortable fit with plenty of range of movement. Drizden holstered his pistol at his side, grabbed his sword and sheathed it across his back, the Ranger rifle was retracted and put into its place on his armor, lastly he grabbed his rifle and took a rolled cloth from his bag then headed out the door.

Drizden was able to navigate the corridors himself after the tour from Nick and Chris as well as following Marcus around. The briefing itself was simply reconfirming what he already knew the mission to be. He wasn't exactly sure on what the argument over the women was about but he knew what his own job was. Drizden just hoped, as he walked to the ship, that someone out there would be able to put up a decent fight.

Richard gave each of the Rangers a personal farewell as they passed. There was never any real way of knowing who was going to make it back alive and Richard didn't want to leave to chance that this might be the last time he saw any of them. After they had left and boarded the Sanjura, Richard saw Vicky staring at the craft that was going to be leaving without her.

There was no personal interest in the relationship between Crysti and Nick so long as it never affected the mission. Lover quarrels, were no matter to him. As Vicky protested, Richard calmly stepped in front of her and blocked off the view to the Sanjura where the Raptor was waiting in its docking bay.

"Whatever is going on between the three of you, is of no concern of mine. What is my concern is your intentions with the Rangers. I cannot allow someone I do not trust on a mission that is this important. If you want to be a part of this operation, then you will accompany me to the Carrier and serve me there. It will give me time to learn who you really are and why you are really here."

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

Marcus was the last of the Rangers aboard the Sanjura. While the others filed into the Raptor, the older Ranger headed up to the bridge where Max manned the pilot controls. By the time he reached the bridge, he could already hear Max complaining. Despite being afflicted with a rare disease that made his bones brittle and kept him from walking without crutches, Max was one of the best human pilots who could potentially even out maneuver a seasoned Abh pilot. The fact that he was not the pilot for the more precise jump, was a blow to his pride.

Marcus walked up while Max continued muttering. "Damn it all. I can jump this ship in and out of a warp storm and still land it on a flea's ass. But no, can't give the cripple the important job. Gotta give it to the space elf with perky breasts. This is sexist."

Sighing, Marcus put a hand on Max's shoulder. "It has nothing to do with that. If you piloted the Raptor, who would fly the Sanjura? We need someone with experience behind the controls and who can hold their own in a fight with this ship."

"It's still just a damn babysitting job."

Marcus laughed despite Max's normal cranky mood. "Maybe but at least the destination will be interesting."

Max grumbled as he flipped on the comm system so he could be heard in the Raptor. "Buckle up kiddies. This RV is about to roll out."

Max heated up the propulsion system and moved the Normandy class out the ship yard hangar bay and out into space. Plotting the coordinates for the planned drop off of the Raptor, Max spun up the FTL and got it ready for the short jump. "One RV road trip with the family to a Geth fortified installation, fucking priceless."

The Sanjura contorted and disappeared.

Richard gave each of the Rangers a personal farewell as they passed. There was never any real way of knowing who was going to make it back alive and Richard didn't want to leave to chance that this might be the last time he saw any of them. After they had left and boarded the Sanjura, Richard saw Vicky staring at the craft that was going to be leaving without her.

There was no personal interest in the relationship between Crysti and Nick so long as it never affected the mission. Lover quarrels, were no matter to him. As Vicky protested, Richard calmly stepped in front of her and blocked off the view to the Sanjura where the Raptor was waiting in its docking bay.

"Whatever is going on between the three of you, is of no concern of mine. What is my concern is your intentions with the Rangers. I cannot allow someone I do not trust on a mission that is this important. If you want to be a part of this operation, then you will accompany me to the Carrier and serve me there. It will give me time to learn who you really are and why you are really here."


Vicky chuckled, annoyed at this turn of events. Evidently, submitting all the right information, all the right moves--that wasn't going to cut it against Lord Rahl, who seemed naturally suspicious of her. Her personal mission to assure the safety of Nick Tyrol was fast becoming impossible, stopped by the actions of the leader of the Rangers himself.

Pointing at the departing shuttle, she said, shocked, "You can't be serious. Right?" Walking closer to the Rangers' leader, she then, her voice displaying no small annoyance, said, crossing her arms defensively and leaning a bit closer--although not too close, to avoid incurring the wrath of the Mord-Sith bodyguards--"Look, I don't know what sort of game this is, but I don't like it one bit, Your Excellency. My cousin's life is in danger, and you want to keep me bound up like a Japanese porn star!"

Frowning, Vicky finished with a stern, "Now, I'll board the Carrier. But I need you to tell me what the hell I'm being accused of. As Samuel Johnson once said, 'Where secrecy or mystery begins, vice or roguery is not far off.' Don't make me think you're up to something."

Nick had himself strapped in the Raptor’s second chair, and probably much to the surprise of all was quiet, as he looked over the panels and instruments of his ship. Pushing a few buttons here and there, one could tell he was slightly worried. This Raptor had already been through hell and back, from being blown out of the sky by an Abh pilot, possibly the very one that was flying it now, and then crashing on the planet below.

It was a testament to the Colonial engineers who designed the Raptor that it survived well enough to be rebuilt, even if the spare parts were other crashed Raptors. Still though with the nuggets that helped him work on the ship, he checked and rechecked everything to insure this ship was in mint condition.

Then to break the mundane silence in the Raptor, Max’s words came in clear over the loud speaker. Nick was in the zone for once, too much so to even make a smart ass reply, as he checked out the draidus status.

Then came the voice of his bro, to break the silence in the Raptor. Chris looked at Fuzzy, and smiled, as he put his hand on her leg. “You know, if this is an RV, where is the beer?” he asked, in almost a serious tone.

Nick turned the chair around, “Under your seat, in a cooler.” he said smiling to his bro, as he turned back around.

Blue looked over to Nick and shook her head. “You are kidding right?” she asked him as she gripped the controls.

Nick smiled, “Dear, this is a Colonial ship. Booze is part of the standard equipment.” he said to her playing around.

As per usual though, the Abh sense of humor was dry. “I see, it’s a wonder you ever got into space then.” she told him.

Nick smiled as he looked over to her. “Pre-flight checks out. Spinning up FTL.” he said to her, as he pressed a few buttons on the Raptor. A humming noise broke the mundane quiet, as they prepared for the launch.

“What about Marcus?” Fuzzy asked, as she leaned forward. “He’s suppossed to be coming I thought?”

“Who pop?” Nick asked as he looked in the back to notice he was missing. “Probably forgot his walker.”

“I did no such thing, Nick.” Marcus said as he got in the ship. “I just thought I would say my final prayers. It’s not everyday a parent gets to see his kids grow up enough to be able to fly. I hope you two brought your learner’s permit. I would hate to be pulled over out there because you two are speeding.”
“You mean going above Twenty Miles per hour?” Chris said jabbing at Marcus.

Marcus extended his fighting pike and pointed it at Chris’ direction. “Do I really have to remind you the rules of getting on my lawn sonny?”

Blue never faced the rangers, but as Nick looked over to her, he could see her smiling. Her professional manner would never allow her to join in, on the brink of a mission. Nick laughed as he looked at her smiling. “You have something you wanna add Blue?” he asked her calling her out, hoping to further break the hard professionalism of an Abh pilot on duty.

“Fool.” She said to him.

He smiled. Then Chris chimed in, “Duly noted.”

“Alright boys and girls, we are here.” over the speakers Max chimed in. “Remember now, no staying up late, no partying, and your curfew is 11 pm. Good Hunting.”

Chris muttered, "Hear that Fuzz? Nana wants you home at 11:00. No Super Happy Fun Nights for you.”

Fuzzy in turn, scoffed, "Please. She's not the boss of me--my body, my choice."

Nick pressed a button, and the door to the raptor began to close. “We’re ready.” he said, as Blue jolted the ship forward. It’s engines turned blue as she kicked in the after burners. “Ready to jump?” she asked Nick.

Nick was busy typing in a series of numbers into the jump drive, “Yes, sir.” he said as he input the final coordinates.

“Strap yourselves in, this is going to be a little rough.” Nick yelled out to the group.

Blue just glanced over towards her co-pilot, “Just try to stay awake this time.”

Nick smiled as it seemed Crysti was finally getting the way of life of being a ranger. He looked down at the computer. “Jumping in 3, 2,1....”

A double pained light appeared before the cockpit as the ship entered the low atmosphere. The ship shook and groaned, as it raced down towards the ground.

Nick and Blue both grabbed onto the controls, as they pushed the ventral thrusters on full. Even on full burn, they seemed to be racing towards the surface of the world. Gritting his teeth they pulled up with all their might, until about 50 feet from the surface the raptor straightened out. Nick breathed in, as they flew low to the ground to avoid sensors towards the target objective.

She turned to Nick and smiled, “I am proud of you, you are still awake, and you didn’t turn green.” she said actually somewhat relieved. “It would have been embarrassing if I had to get the smelling salts out.”

Amidst the constant bantering and comradery, Drizden was reserved from the rest of the group. The dark elf sat in silence as the others exchanged jests with one another and showed the close friendship that they shared. It was something born of constant struggle and risking their lives on the battle field that had forged such a union.

Drizden was not privy to such a club of friends.

But that phased him little. Instead of joining in on the conversations, the dark elf went to work preparing for the mission at hand. He unrolled the dark cloth that he had brought on board the Raptor with him. Resting in his palm was a silver chain with a spider pendant dangling at the end.

Unlike most dark elves that ventured to the surface to take part in the society of the humans, the dwarves, and the light elves, Drizden had not thrown away his chaos goddess so quickly. Urshula had remained an important deity to him even to this day. Despite being from a household in the Underdark that was no more, Drizden saw no reason to deny the ruler of natural order.

In his mind, chaos was simply the natural way of the universe. While others in Mythrandir, particularly the Elders, sought to fight against this universal truth; Drizden embraced it. The power of chaos was absolute. One only had to witness war to be enlightened to that understanding.

Drizden threw the chain around his neck and stuff the pendant down his armor. The cloth had its own purpose for the dark elf. His rifle was a thing of beauty with the silver spider webbing enveloping the weapon's black metallic composition. However, for a sharp shooter, the silver webbing could easily give the dark elf's position away. Drizden began wrapping the dark cloth around the barrel and covered it all the way to the butt with the heavy fabric. He took a small sharpened piece of shrapnel from his belt and sliced a line in the fabric so the chamber could cycle spent cartridges.

Finished dulling his weapon, Drizden secured the rifle across his lap and tightened his straps just as the Raptor made its jump. He lurched in his seat from the sudden jump then looked through the viewing windows to see the planet rushing to meet them. The dark elf sat calmly and quietly even as it seemed that there was no stopping the wild craft.

Drizden was slammed back into his seat with the full force of an abrupt stop merely a few feet from the ground. Outside was an alien world with a barren wasteland as far as the eye could see. The dark elf activated his helmet just like Marcus had shown him. The suit pressurized as the helmet clamped down into his neck piece. Oxygen flooded the suit and Drizden took a moment to acclimate himself to the new feel. Grabbing his rifle, the dark elf loaded a clip into his rifle and prepared to make the jump.

Richard stopped his walk to the carrier abruptly at Vicky's remarks. The Mord-sith flicked their agiels into their hands and prepared to pounce on the woman. It wasn't necessarily out of a fear of a threat to Richard's life, it was the simple fact in the manner that she chose to address the Lord Rahl. Richard knew his friends better than anyone though and didn't need to turn around to know that Cara was about one step away from driving her agiel into the base of Vicky's skull and General Meiffert drawing his sword and cutting the woman in half.

The ruler of D'Hara raised a hand to put his fellow countrymen at ease. Soldiers and Mord-sith relaxed slightly but still kept an eye on the presumptuous woman. Richard turned around to look at the woman, his raptor gaze narrowing on her.

"You first insult my intelligence and now you dare question my ability to command?"

Richard pointed towards the closed hangar bay door where the Sanjura had exited. "You honestly believe that I do not know that I am sending those men and women into danger? Part of being a leader is sending men and women out to die. It's not a pleasant aspect of this responsibility and I pray to the spirits every day that they all come back safe. But I am not so naive as to believe that one or all of them may never come back."

The Lord Rahl began circling around the woman as he talked, taking on a more of an interrogation aura as he searched for the truth. It was a site that Nick would have been familiar with. "The only one playing games here, is you. Since I first noticed you, you have been nothing but a source of corruption of character. You couldn't fill a thimble with how much I care about how little you like this.

After your little confrontation with a few of the Rangers, I checked out your story. It turns out that you and your cousin have only recently gotten acquainted with one another. As for your records, they are quite impressive and I see you assumed the title of Ranger. Very interesting considering that as Ranger One, it my responsibility to approve all Rangers that enter this organization. I do not remember seeing your name before so let's assume that you managed to forge my signature.

So far your list of 'honesty' is not blowing sunshine in my face. Now let's also bring into consideration that you are a Cylon hybrid. That itself alone is not sufficient for me to pass verdict on anyone, Nick Tyrol, case in example. But Nick had ignorance in his favor and his sense learned to accept who he is and become his own person. He does not fall to the assumptions of what people who fear the unknown, would expect him to be. Ever since then, he has been a faithful member of this team.

You on the other hand would be a Cylon hybrid from New Dornalia and as far as the official tally on hybrids goes, there are no hybrids from New Dornalia. As the leader of this organization, I am charged with the safety of its integrity. I have long heard about the horrors that the Cylons have caused on the Colonies and still continue to cause simply for the fact that the despise humanity and wish for its extinction. Never will I allow an idea so evil and ideologically close-minded to harm these Rangers.

If I ever discover that you are an agent for the Cylons trying to destroy the Rangers, pray that a Colonial finds you and throws you out an airlock. Because that will be nothing compared to what I'll do to you."

Richard turned and headed for the ramp to the carrier. "If you want to me trust you and believe you are not up to something, then get on the ship and prove to me that you can be trusted. Then maybe, I'll allow you to go on the next mission"

As he walked up the cold metallic ramp, Richard couldn't help but think about Kahlan and how much he missed her. Cara, General Meiffert, and Sargent Johnson all boarded the ship. It was looking like it was going to be a long wait in Hyperspace.

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

Marcus jostled around in the cabin as the ship came to a screeching halt above the ground just like planned. "Damn, next time I drive."

The older Ranger got up and hooked a series of cables inside the ship's frame for the Rangers to use for repelling. "Alright, let's kick the door."

Suited up and ready to go, Marcus slid open the Raptor door and was the first to hit the alien surface. He took up a defensive position behind the rocks, scanning the terrain for any signs of the Geth.

Once all the Rangers were out of the cabin, Blue would be on her way back to the Sanjura and getting ready for the next part of the mission.

Thus it was, that Lord Rahl was followed by Vicky. Fuming still over her treatment, she was beginning to sense that Lord Rahl was not someone who was responsive to spies, the Treatment, or other such methods of persuasion. As much as it pained her, she reminded herself that Rahl was to go on the Protected Individuals List and was a friend. Although she was getting the cold shoulder right now. And for that matter, what insult to intelligence existed?

Well, at least the jig was up now. At some point or another, Vicky would have to tell Lord Rahl she was really the head of the 803rd ELINT Unit. And she did have to admit--the methods she used to get in were pretty sloppy. Then again, the trip was made with the expectation that Chris would have submitted the forms to Lord Rahl, which she assumed he did. Something told her he did not do this. And, the trip was to be short term. How was she supposed to know they were on a job?

Ah well. As she walked onboard, she began to contemplate how to break the news. In this era, there were no hybrids from New Dornalia. How to tell him she was from the future, was beyond her.

The others filed out one by one, clipping on their repel lines, as they fell down towards the alien world. Nick was the last one out, as he quickly plugged away at the FTL Jump drive. It wasn’t that he didn’t think that Blue could jump her way back, but he knew it would take her a lot longer with such unfamiliar systems, and each moment that the raptor sat above the alien world was another moment that they could be detected.

He finished his calculations, and unbuckled himself from the Raptor. He said nothing, except for a gentle touch on Blue’s shoulder as he got to the ropes. Clipping it onto his harness, Nick jumped out of the Raptor down to the alien world.

The ground was very rocky, and it seemed a lot more harsh than the original mission on the geth world near the Mythrindar borders. At least that barren world had a breathable atmosphere. Nick took up a position near Marcus, with his assault rifle at the ready.

Being a stealth recon run, he bade his tongue as he looked towards the other rangers.

As he looked out, he could feel the sudden burst of air, as a huge wind gust around them. The Raptor then vanished in a double flicker of lights, followed by a massive sonic boom. The force was enough to push Nick to the ground for a moment, as large heavy rocks pushed themselves around the landscape like tumble weeds.

“Shit.” he thought to himself, as he pulled himself back to his feet. He had nearly forgotten about the spacial distortion of the space fold drive. He looked around, hoping everyone else was alright.

Drizden hooked up and repelled from the back of the Raptor as instructed. The dark elf hit the rocky terrain with a crunch then unstrapped himself and moved out to make way for the other Rangers. He found Marcus and hurried off to secure another point of the landing zone.

As the Raptor jumped out of the atmosphere, the dark elf felt the pressure against his back and was grateful to be leaning against a rocky outcropping or surely he would have fallen over. Dust settled and Drizden was able to use his elvish eyes to spy the outlying terrain. By a hazy light from the planet's atmosphere, nothing stirred on the horizon.

Marcus picked up a piece of rock and chucked it at Drizden's head. It hit the dark elf's shields and fell harmlessly to the side but it would still cause a bit of an impact. "You're up newbie. Let's see what you can do. You're acting lead scout on this one. The Geth base is supposed to be a few clicks away at the base of a valley."

Drizden didn't know what had hit him at first but then saw the rock rolling on the ground. The dark elf rubbed the side of his head then narrowed his eyes at the senior member of the Rangers. Marcus's smile was disarming and Drizden realized the action was more his way of being kind to others than it was a challenge.

Nodding, the dark elf hoisted himself over the ledge and crawled off. A few feet from the rest of the company, Drizden gained his feet and started moving from rock to rock. He kept his head constantly turning, on the lookout for any patrols that might be in the area. The idea of sending an orb into the air to act as his own reconnaissance crossed the dark elf's mind but there was the concern that these machines might have a way of detecting it.

In the end, Drizden used the camouflage features built into his armor to blend in with the terrain. He was absent from the Rangers for better portion of half the hour until he found the valley that Marcus had described. Nestled in the soft rock of a valley, a metallic structure looked as if it were a cancer on the world. Alien craft moved from its secured walls to the skies high over head. This had to be planetary base that was mentioned in the briefing.

Drizden didn't want to risk sending a communication signal to the others and having these Geth pick up on the transmission. The dark elf crept from his hiding location then hurried back to inform the others that he had found the base.

(Parts done with Abh's permission, support, and input.)

Chris and Fuzzy, for their part, rappelled out of the craft safely with the others, and were little worse for wear. It was a little difficult for Fuzzy at first, but with some help from Chris to untangle a few cords they made it down to the surface. Now, came the challenge of shutting up--in which Chris was successful, and so was Fuzzy, thanks to a whispered threat of "no more super happy fun nights--if we live to see another" from Chris. Trudging carefully across the rocky ground, they attempted to silently make contact.

Inside, Chris thanked himself for trying out that newfangled Holoband device--especially that Vietnam War shooter someone made for it, where he had played Green Beret with Fuzzy many times. Then he remembered that unlike the Holoband, Real Life tended to hurt--so he made sure to keep really silent.

Assembling with Nick, Chris quietly nodded, acknowledging Drizden's info. He motioned for Fuzzy to prepare binoculars, and she did so, peering through them. Fuzzy was hoping to see if any patrols had followed Drizden out--not that they should have, since Drizden had rather adroitly infiltrated and exfiltrated himself from Geth lines. Then again, one never knew.

Chris, meanwhile, skulked over to Marcus, and asked quietly, "What now?"

There was little for Marcus to do except wait like all the other Rangers until Drizden returned. He kept a good look out for any surveillance bots or ships that might be flying over head. Hopefully, the Raptor hadn't been noticed and they managed to get in quick enough to avoid detection.

The dark elf moved so quietly that Marcus didn't even hear him come back until they were practically staring face to face. He nodded at Drizden's report then sunk into the rocky dell. Marcus checked the time and decided they needed to get moving.

Chris, meanwhile, skulked over to Marcus, and asked quietly, "What now?"

"We move out. There should be a ridge some ways away. We'll figure our plan of attack from there."

Marcus hopped out of the hole and trekked over the ground. He didn't want to think about how toxic the atmosphere would be to breathe so Marcus was grateful for the pressurized armor but he couldn't help but feel a bit stifled with the helmet on. Silent complaints aside, the march went quickly with Drizden leading the way back through his own path.

Eventually they came to the ridge and were able to stare down at the Geth base. Marcus scanned the area quickly then hunkered down behind a rock. He sat with his back against a rock and looked at the rest of the Rangers.

"Here's how this is going to work. Nick, Drizden, and myself will scout the outlying area for a way inside the base. Fuzz, you're our sharp shooter in case things go south. Chris, you're her spotter and radio for the calvary in case it comes to that. Last time, you guys managed to find your way in through a waste chute and get the drop on the light bulbs. Let's plan on them being smart and learning from their mistake.

The objective here is to acquire a Geth transport to the station in space and sneak aboard. Remember, we're not here to kill any of them...yet. Firing shots will compromise the mission so hold your fire. Now, if you find a way inside signal the team with one beep through the comm line and we'll rendezvous on your source signal.

Nick, you take the western cliff face to the Geth base. Drizden, you take the east. I'll cover the frontal approach. Keep your heads low fellas and don't try to be a hero."

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

From the D'Haran naval yard, Richard lead the small Ranger fleet out of the docks. The second Normandy class ship along with the frigate, cruiser, and carrier formed up and prepared to jump. Richard walked onto the command deck of the carrier along with Johnson, General Meiffert, Cara, Rikka, and Vicky. Thick transparisteel adorned many of the walls for easier viewing with the helm at the front of the vessel. A table with a holographic battle map stood at the rear of the command deck along with several NAV charts.

The command crew saluted as Richard took the command seat. He smiled at each of them. "D'Hara has always been a unique world in the Empire and that fact has given me some measure of happiness. Today is another day of firsts as this is the only non-Abh operated fleet within the Empire.

However, we do not work for the Empire or any one nation's goals. Our goal is to preserve peace and order in the universe as best we can along with any nation that wishes to join us. Right now we have comrades that are depending on us to be there for them and we shall be. Make ready to jump. Once all hands are secured, jump to hyperspace and hold three kilometers from the exit. We'll hold there and wait for the signal and rendezvous with the Sanjura.

Communications, I need you to relay a message to Mythrandir. We'll be needing their military assets for support. I believe Elder Sebastian is waiting for our call."

Light built up off the bow of the carrier until a rift in the fabric of space was ripped open. The three ships plunged into hyperspace and moved at an easy pace through the constant shifts in gravity fields.

Richard rose from his seat and looked out at the swirling mass of dark colors. "Vicky, if you would like I will have Sargent Johnson show you to some spare quarters where you can rest. When we get the signal though, I'll need you here for when the fighting starts. That is, if you still want to be a part of this organization. You have to show me that I can trust you."

"Here's how this is going to work. Nick, Drizden, and myself will scout the outlying area for a way inside the base. Fuzz, you're our sharp shooter in case things go south. Chris, you're her spotter and radio for the calvary in case it comes to that. Last time, you guys managed to find your way in through a waste chute and get the drop on the light bulbs. Let's plan on them being smart and learning from their mistake.

The objective here is to acquire a Geth transport to the station in space and sneak aboard. Remember, we're not here to kill any of them...yet. Firing shots will compromise the mission so hold your fire. Now, if you find a way inside signal the team with one beep through the comm line and we'll rendezvous on your source signal.

Nick, you take the western cliff face to the Geth base. Drizden, you take the east. I'll cover the frontal approach. Keep your heads low fellas and don't try to be a hero."

Chris and Fuzzy nodded curtly in agreement; Fuzzy herself once more got a gesture from Chris basically telling her to shut up.

Rolling her eyes, Fuzzy proceeded to arm her Gauss Rifle, inserting an energy cell and a new magazine of 2mm EC ammunition. Fortunately, its upgunned scope custom ordered from the D'haran armories ensuring something a bit better than the stock materials from the City of Steel, and would give Fuzzy that edge needed in case the Geth decided to start shooting. Going prone and peering down the scope, Fuzzy crawled slowly to the edge of the ridge, feeling the bumps and piercing annoying pains of the rocks under her. Discomforting yes, but it couldn't interfere with her game. After all, Marcus had made her the Designated Marksman.

As for Chris, he pulled out his binocs, and began observing the squad as it moved out. Fuzzy asked quietly, "Anything?"

"I'll let you know Fuzz. Just keep quiet." As he said that, Chris looked down the binoculars, hoping nothing much would happen.



Richard rose from his seat and looked out at the swirling mass of dark colors. "Vicky, if you would like I will have Sargent Johnson show you to some spare quarters where you can rest. When we get the signal though, I'll need you here for when the fighting starts. That is, if you still want to be a part of this organization. You have to show me that I can trust you."

Vicky listened to the long speech, expounding on the virtues of the independent fleet and how they were going to be the good guys, the cavalry riding in to save the day from the Indians besieging the settlers. All well and good. But, Vicky wished that Richard would get it through his head that she was one of the cav too. Evidently, however, her means of entry persuaded Lord Rahl otherwise. Granted it was her fault, but it was damn annoying that he was making her go through this rigmarole.

Vicky shrugged and said, "Sure. No offense, but I'm not aware of any viable alternatives." Gives me time to think of a confession anyway, she thought.

How much had changed since his last encounter with the geth. It was a wonder, that even Nick at the time would never have guessed. From the much younger lad that he was, nearly pissing himself, shooting at every damn thing that even resembled a house hold appliance, to in just a couple short years into a trained ranger.

Nick thought back to that first mission, where he was greener than a leaf in spring. The same mission that he met his girl, and formed the bonds that seem to be lasting more than any other he had developed. It was even further put into his mind, as Marcus, for the first time, cut Nick’s leash and let him go... alone.

Nick nodded, as he turned to the west. The compound was little more than a click away, and if the sky was of any judge, it would be dark very soon. The Geth used lights at night, so Nick remembered from the last encounter. So he bunkered down for the last remaining hour.

As twilight fell across the land, Nick got up. Using the camouflage, and moving from rock to rock, he watched out for any signs of the geth on this barren rock world. His breath was heavy, as this planet’s gravity was a little more than even he liked it. He could only imagine Blue if she was with him, she would be in such a bad mood. He could hear her complaining already, in the subtle way that she would, the stern gaze, the short temper. It made him smile as he continued to round the perimeter towards the western part of the base.

As he stepped, from place to place, even with his additional strength, even he was tiring. Ducking down to his Omni tool, he pressed a couple of buttons. G = 2.13 Nick grumbled to himself silently. Over head, in the night sky, he saw two giant lights. Ducking down quickly, the ground began to shake, as a flyer screeched over head, it’s two search beams. “Oh Frak.” he thought to himself as he ducked down, hitting the deck. His heart was pounding, as he hit the dusty ground hard. Around him was an illumination of light, as the flyer overhead searched the area. Nick stayed hidden within the shadows of the light, hoping that it would mask him. Only time would tell.

Moments went by which seemed like an eternity, as the light focused on his area. He took in a deep breath from his pressurized suit. His only comfort was if he was spotted, he would never know it. He could see Blue’s face though, in his mind, if he was killed. He could see her going on a rampage against the geth that would make any colonial proud. He could see for a moment, Chris mourning for a moment, and then living on his life. Marcus would internally be upset, but it would add to his tough and cool exterior. And fuzzy, well she would probably learn the truth that she isn’t as much of a chain smoker as her pack of cigarettes often told.

Moments went by and the light suddenly veered off. Nick sighed gently in relief as he stayed hidden for a few minutes. Could be a trick of some sort, and hidden he stayed until the noise of the flyer faded away. Nick got back up and ran quickly to the next set of rocks, until after a few hours he made it to his objective, the cliff. Nick laid low, as he crawled to the position. He pulled out a pair of binoculars as he looked down at the installation below.

Marcus was right. Nick’s first impulse was the waste chute, but the exterior doors were shut, and it was guarded by two geth. Nick glanced around looking for another entrance, of some kind. Around the area of the base, it seemed there was a lot of rubble. Large boulders were pressed against the sides of the walls in the base. It looked almost as if not too long ago, an earthquake happened.

He peered down towards a cargo platform near by. He could see the planes flying in and out. Damn area was very secure, as he watched platoon after platoon of Geth walking in patrols near the crates and chutes.

Nick put his head down against the rocky surface. “Bastards really have stepped up things.” he cussed to himself, as he took a few moments to think.

Something kept bringing his mind back to the earthquake, to the boulders. Nick took out his binoculars and peered at them again. Every entrance was sealed, every possible entrance was guarded heavily. No way in, or out without them knowing.

“Well this is going to be a short mission.” Nick thought to himself as he scanned the walls. “Hopefully the others might find a way in...”

He paused his thoughts as suddenly he noticed it. A crack in the ground, which split the first two feet of the wall. Pressing a button he magnified the area. It wasn’t much, but he could clearly see light coming from the other end of the tear. The rip in the ground was not very wide, but maybe, it was wide enough for them to squeeze into. It sure as hell wasn’t much but it was the best he had to go on.

Reaching down to his coms.... he pressed exactly one beep.

Reaching down to his coms.... he pressed exactly one beep.

The beep was welcome for Chris and Fuzzy. It seemed like an eternity, following Nick through the binoculars and the enhanced scope. It was getting dark now, and indeed, it was hard to see things. Switching to nightsights, they fought off boredom and fatigue to see what was going on. Now, it was time to get moving. Staying low, the duo crawled painstakingly across the terrain, darting from rock to rock and hiding out of sight, in case the heavy Geth patrols got nosy.

Finally, they got close to Nick's position, and skulking up close, keeping out of sight, Fuzzy tapped him on the shoulder, pointing to Chris and herself. They had arrived. Chris prepared his Ranger Assault Rifle, keeping it low and out of sight in case anything happened.

For ages, Drizden could always depend on himself to see whatever orders were relayed to him through to the end. Whether it was death orders from the Matron mothers or commands from the Elders, the dark elf had always managed to walk away unscathed despite serving under his fair share of inexperienced and prideful leaders. He had every intention of believing that he walking into a similar situation.

However, Drizden was pleased to see that the orders given were logical and allowed for some discretion on each scout's part. Freedom within an order was what he savored the most. Drizden gave a curt nod then bounded off into the rocky terrain once again.

As a thief in the night, he moved from shadow to shadow in the failing light. Drizden danced through the search lights and hunkered down behind boulders to elude their roaming gaze. Much of what Nick saw, the dark elf saw as well. The fortress was well guarded and with constant patrols around the perimeter. From the looks of the walls, the armed guards, and the activity from within; it did not appear that stealing aboard a transport was going to be an easy feat.

Drizden was about to move on to another location to try and locate an entrance to this fortress when a telling beep came from his armored suit. It appeared that one of the other scouts had more success than he in locating a way in. The dark elf melted into the darkness and slipped off without a trace.

Through a bit of effort in covering ground to reach the opposite side of the complex, Drizden found himself looking down to where Nick was hiding. He picked his way carefully to the Ranger so as to not draw any attention and give away their location.

The dark elf eased himself down by the human and rested his rifle by his side. "What do you see?"

His body was laying down flat on the rocky barren world, as the rangers approached him from behind. Fuzzy gently tapped him on the shoulder, and pointed to herself and Chris, and not too far behind was Marcus and Drezden.

The scene below was one the other scouts had seen before, heavy guards, seemingly impenetrable without detection. Nick then pointed to the small cluster of rocks.

“Seems to have been an earthquake or something.” He said as he pointed in the general direction of the debris. “There is a crack in the ground that was left, and a slight sliver of light. Looks cramp as Frak, but seems to be the only way in.” Turning to Fuzzy, she could see a smile though his helmet. The Gata had known him for a while now, so she knew something was coming, something to push her buttons. “I just hope we can squeeze Fuzzy through, her hips may be too big.”

He watched the security platoons walking back and forth, even around the area. It was just big enough for one person to slip in at a time, if the Geth didn’t notice them approaching first. It wasn’t ideal by any stretch of the imagination, but it was all that was available. Just another day in the life of the Rangers.

His body was laying down flat on the rocky barren world, as the rangers approached him from behind. Fuzzy gently tapped him on the shoulder, and pointed to herself and Chris, and not too far behind was Marcus and Drezden.

The scene below was one the other scouts had seen before, heavy guards, seemingly impenetrable without detection. Nick then pointed to the small cluster of rocks.

“Seems to have been an earthquake or something.” He said as he pointed in the general direction of the debris. “There is a crack in the ground that was left, and a slight sliver of light. Looks cramp as Frak, but seems to be the only way in.” Turning to Fuzzy, she could see a smile though his helmet. The Gata had known him for a while now, so she knew something was coming, something to push her buttons. “I just hope we can squeeze Fuzzy through, her hips may be too big.”

He watched the security platoons walking back and forth, even around the area. It was just big enough for one person to slip in at a time, if the Geth didn’t notice them approaching first. It wasn’t ideal by any stretch of the imagination, but it was all that was available. Just another day in the life of the Rangers.

Fuzzy glared at Nick, and rolled her eyes. While expected, it was still irritating to hear small talk in the middle of a mission in dangerous territory. She merely put her finger up to her lips--or simulated the motion as best as possible, owing to the helmet, and whispered silently, "You'll have more to worry about than the hips, if you don't shut up." She then looked about, inquisitively, to wonder who was going first.

Chris shrugged, and merely waited for Marcus and Drizden. Hopefully, Drizden would go first, since he seemed to be skinny enough. Or Nick. After all, why not put your money where your mouth was?

Johnson lead Vicky through the halls of the carrier and eventually stopped outside an unadorned metal door in the living quarters. The pressurized door opened and the Sargent lead the way in. The quarters were rather plain with a simple bed and a desk to work at with a computer console.

"Ma'am, these will be your digs for the duration. That computer over there can help you if you need to find your way around the ship for the gym or the showers."

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

Marcus had about as much luck as Drizden in finding a way inside the Geth base. There was the main door that the Geth apparently used but it would have taken the Mako's main cannon and a squadron of fighters to bust through the door and defenses. Not exactly covert.

With some measure of relief, he saw that Nick must have found something and was calling everyone. Marcus crawled from his hiding spot and made his way to Nick's locations. The others were soon assembled as well and Nick pointed at the open fissure near the wall that must have been caused by an earthquake.

"Good work. Now you all stay here for a second."

It was probably insane that Marcus rushed out the cover that they were all in and headed towards the Geth base. True that it was very likely he could end up dead but so could everyone else in the team if they didn't know what they were walking into. Marcus used the rocks near the cliff face as a sort of cover and turned his shields off so as to hopefully avoid any detection that way.

He watched the patrols, patiently and timed his approach so that he would be moving behind them. When he got the gap in the wall, he saw just how tight the fit was going to be. Luckily all this running around had kept them trim or even an above average individual would have to suck it in to fit. Marcus stuck his head through the crack to take a look see. What was inside the base was not at all uplifting.

There were a number of Geth drones walking the walls along with snipers and rocket troopers in the numerous towers inside the base. A few Geth destroyers walked the yard of the base as an internal patrol and a four Geth armatures rested easily in the middle of the base in their pod like form, waiting to be activated. Perhaps the most disconcerting of all was the massive Geth Colossus waiting to be activated.

Marcus continued his scan of the area and saw that they were running a mining operation that appeared to be automated. Mining carts on repulsor lifts moved from a blasted shaft in the cliff face to shuttles on landing pads. Shuttles returned and empty carts dove back into the mine.

That was how it was going to have to be. He wasn't sure what the carts were carrying, but that was going to have to be their way onto the station. Marcus saw all that he needed and hurried back to where the others were waiting.

The Ranger hit the dirt with an exasperated breath. "Well it isn't pretty in there. They've brought enough fire power to make the Abh jealous but I think I have a way for us to get aboard a shuttle undetected. It won't be pleasant but at least we won't get shot at. Make sure you turn your shields in case the Geth are monitoring for any such signatures outside the base.

When you get inside, make your way to the mine but watch for the patrols on the inside. Drizden, you're lead scout and first one through the hole."

Johnson lead Vicky through the halls of the carrier and eventually stopped outside an unadorned metal door in the living quarters. The pressurized door opened and the Sargent lead the way in. The quarters were rather plain with a simple bed and a desk to work at with a computer console.

"Ma'am, these will be your digs for the duration. That computer over there can help you if you need to find your way around the ship for the gym or the showers."


Vicky nodded and said, "Thanks, Sarge. Tell His Excellency his generosity is appreciated." In no mood to dick around, she flopped down on the bed, and closed her eyes, sighing heavily. The room itself wasn't bad--much better than the slit trenches and the apocalypse survival bunkers of the Imperius Era. However, she found the whole affair somewhat demeaning--why the hell wasn't she allowed to have any action?

Then, she thought, "Oh, right. Forgery." The crime that, under Dornalian Law, would get you some nice facetime with Sweet Lady Pickaxe, working on busting rocks near the side of some Godforsaken part of the San Bernardino Valley if you ever tried to do it to get some free cash. As it was, she was glad Rahl hadn't pressed charges, or sent her back to the Colonies to face trial.

Getting back up, she decided to go to the console. Activating it, she began to browse to a word processing program, where she would write out the reason why she forged that document to the irate management. A breach of security? Possibly, but she was the one in charge of 803rd ELINT. And the time traveler who decided to save the universe. If ISB wanted to fire her for revealing who she was, what the course of hsitory would be, they couldn't even if they wanted to--she made herself just that valuable. Barring that, there was always the protection of MacIntyre.

Drizden listened to the information that Marcus provided and took it into consideration for his own scouting. Since he was to be the first one inside the fortress, it would be his duty to find the secure passage to the mine shaft. Without another word, the dark elf gave a nod of his head and moved off for the Geth fortress.

He picked his way carefully among the boulders from the cliff and any other form of cover that would conceal his movements. As Marcus had recommended, Drizden turned the shielding unit of his armor off and crept closer to the metal walls. The dark elf felt the gash in the wall then stuck his head through. A similar scene that Marcus saw now greeted his own eyes. While he was unfamiliar with the species and their classes, he could well see the threat that they represented.

Squeezing his armor suit through, the dark elf crouched low and pressed his back against the metal wall. He studied the patrols of the Geth along the walls and on the grounds. It was heavily fortified but scheduled like clock work. At regular intervals there was a hole in the patrol that provided a clear run for the mine shaft. There was quite a bit of open ground to move through and Drizden didn't like it but there was little to argue about since there was no foreseeable alternative.

Drizden waited for a gap in the patrols then made a dash for the mine shaft. The dark elf slid in and hugged the cool dark wall. He felt the jagged rock face jab his backside but the dark elf melted into the shadows and watched the patrols on the grounds. When he saw another gap, he waved the next Ranger on until they were all inside the mine shaft.

Nick was the next to follow. After all he found the entrance, and as Fuzzy would say, why not put your money where your mouth is. Like the others before him, he followed suit, shutting off the energy armor, and them moving to the timed intervals. It was the problem with machines, they were always programmed to do something at a certain time. No spontaneity, no improvisation, nothing that humans had that could possibly cause a random event that would allow him to be detected.

Moving through the rubble, from cover to cover, like Drezdin before him, he finally got to the hole. Man it was tight. Tighter than a virgin, in a vice grip. Although he wasn’t fat by any stretch of the imagination, he did lack the starving super model body of the elf.

“Last time I eat lunch before a mission.” he said to himself, as he finally squeezed through the hole. Upon exiting, he saw a massive horror, the place was littered with light bulbs. How in the hell were they supposed to get to the crates, that Marcus was looking at was anyone’s guess.

Marcus wanted to make sure that he was the last one through the crack in the wall and into the cave. After the others had gone, he made his own way to the fortress. Thankfully, nothing had changed which might have tipped him off to any of the Geth alerted to the Rangers' presence. All was going well but this was the easy part and Marcus was sure that everyone was going to hate the next stage of mission.

Mining carts flowed freely through the shaft as some entered empty after having been deposited on the station while others left the mine shaft loaded with ore deposits towards waiting shuttles. Yeah, they were going to hate this. Running up to an empty cart, the Ranger gave one final check just to make sure his plan would work.

He made his way back to the other Rangers and lead them a bit deeper into the mine and out of the Geth patrol sensor range. "Alright, you all saw what the Geth brought with them. Walking through the middle of the complex and just boarding a ship really isn't going to work here.

The only way onto one of those shuttles and then onto the station is by riding these mine carts. What you are not going to like is that we have to be in the cart when it is loaded with the ore. Most likely there will be Geth in the mines watching the machinery but we're going to have to risk this.

You're going to have to turn your shields on when you get in the cart so it will absorb the ore being dumped on you. Hate to have a broken bone now before the mission really got started. Make sure there are only one of you per cart. We don't need any make-out sessions while we're on the job.

Don't worry about your head Nick, a mountain could fall on it and it won't affect you any. Not even for the better. Fuzzy, watch your hips."

At that, Fuzzy and Nick raised eyebrows, Fuzzy adding in a soft groan which was quickly silenced by Chris. Nick merely said in jousting jest, "I'll keep that in mind, old man." Leaping into a mine cart and turning on his shield, he added, "Although, I'm sure these rocks might do you some good. After all, your sense of humor needed a good whack to set it straight."

Fuzzy merely lept in and as she did the same, she muttered, "My hips are not that big. I don't eat as much as I used to." It had been tough enough sneaking through the crack, along with Chris.

Chris passed her cart and whispered, "It's a joke, Fuzz. Focus." Patting her on the shoulder, Chris lept into another cart and turned on his shields as well, signaling he was ready.

The dark elf crouched down with the rest of the ground and listened to the new orders. Drizden wasn't entirely sure how this was supposed to work and it was growing incredibly difficult for him to take a human's orders out of trust at every turn. Yet, such would be his fate for some years to come it seemed as he decided to side with the Rangers.

Drizden waited for the next cart then hurried after it to get in on the run. The dark elf pressed his body in flat as he could possible to avoid any detection from onlookers. Once he was situated, he found the controls for his suit shielding system and activated it.

Now there was little else to do but to wait and hope they weren't all killed before they even reached their objective. Such a failure was too humiliating for the elf to even think of.