A dark silhouette appears on the screen. Some kind of holoprojector is being used to distort his face. The hiss of a cardamine breather unit is audible. The man leans forward and speaks with a purposefully deepened and distorted voice.
Hopefully Adder has contacted you by now.
We have your sister.
If you want to see her again, you'll do an assignment for us.
Aelena peeled her eyes open and coffs. The sickness had hit her after she had helped with the wounded after a Corsair attack on Derby. Coughing, she sat up. Maybe she could respond now. She slowly climbed out of bed and stumbled over, tapping a few buttons and disabling video.
>>>INCOM<<<
>>>BAF-ID: Lieutenant Aelena Fate, Secondary Fleet, Serial Number 63884<<<
>>>ENCRYPTION: Beta 4<<<
[>Video Disabled<]
*she coughs* S-sorry this is late. Sickness hit me, and the docs wouldnt let me near anything. Please tell me that y-you didnt hurt Ariel. I-I'll try and be faster.
*she takes a breath and rattles off a cough*
W-whats the job.
>>>END<<<
Aelena stumbled back to bed and fell onto the sheets, crying into her pillow, hoping Ariel was ok.
During the wee hours of the night, a knock on the door resounded through Aelena's room. Upon investigating, a small package is found in front of the door. The corridor is empty. Aelena opens the package and examines the contents.
Along with the severed finger is a datachip. Upon being read, the datachip blanks the monitor and displays the following message:
>>> We do not like to be kept waiting.
>>> Do not let it happen again.
>>> More details will follow.