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* Planet Curacao, Cortez *
* OSC Headquarters *

---

An aged, weather-beaten man sits hunched over a handsome beech desk, several datapads lay strewn across the surface some showing interal revenues, others half read House policies. The man reclines into his high backed chair. rubbing his eyes. Without looking he activates his dictation program and begins to speak.


The man grabs a datapad filled with the latest reports and carries it over to the window looking out towards a crystal blue ocean, a cruise liner drifts away over the horizon as he begins to read the report quickly lowering it again as he recalls answering the latest message not more than 10 minutes ago. He turns back to his desk as an alert chirps on his monitor siginaling a new message.
"Ah Swift" says the man seating himself once more and grinning "lets see what you have to say."

Swift appears on the bridge of his Liner, the man's grin suddenly drops as the message begins to play.

"...Umm...oh God... Pines I dont know ... where to start but there has been a terrible disaster .... I ...I have no idea what happened ... 3000 lives have been lost ... and its my fault ....."

Swift breaks down entirely, cradling his face in his hands he continues speaking with massive effort.

"... The LSF and BDM where there saying something about a Unioners attack ... and then the next thing I knew the MIndoro was outside ....New Berlin with critical system damage and the escape pods jettisoned.... apparently no one made it ... oh god .... Im sorry ... I dont know what to do..."

Pines collapses back utterly horror-struck, his breathing becomes laboured and heavy as the news crashes over him. 3000 lives lost. Swift in peices... Swift.
Taking a moment to collect himself, Pines sends an immediate reply urging him to remain calm and to relax as someone will be there to bring him home shortly. Afterwards he begins to pace behind his desk desperately trying to conjour a way of dealing with the tragedy.
'3000 lives, Swift with no memory of what happened, LSF and BDM, the Unioners?' The thoughts swirled through his mind 'How? Why? The Unioners are pirates, not murderers... What was the LSF doing in New Berlin?' He slammed his fists down in frustration, sending dozens of datapads flying.

"Damn it all!"

Clutching his chest, Pines rests upon the edge of his seat, his heart throbing painfully. He needed to set things in motion, control the situation, then alert the authorities but first get Swift the help he needs and back home before the BDM drag him to goodness knows where.
Steadily a course of action began to form in his mind, get Saguma and the security division down there to figure things out, get Blackwood to liason with the BDM and LSF and he can contact the Rheinland government.
Spurred into action, Pines opens up the message relay.

"Director Saguma this is Chairman Pines,

Captain Swift and the Mindoro have been involved in an incident, 3000 passengers have lost their lives and Simon has no memory of what occured, hes in quite a state. I want you and a security wing at New Berlin ASAP, bring Swift home quickly and work with the Rhienland authorities to find out what the hell happened. Tear the damned ship apart if you must, I want answers.

Take any personnel you need, this is top priority."

Quickly firing off the message he turns to the intercom.

"Penny, find me Blackwood. His talks with the Hellfire will need to wait."

Kiko steps back from her desk after reading the request from Pines.

"....Not again, this better not be another Shetland event."

She clears her head and begins to organize her crew. Grabbing her data pad she gathers all the details Pine's forwarded to her.

"Alright lets see who is around...ah Raymond is near. Raymond this is Director Saguma we have a priority mission I need you to meet me in New Berlin."

She thinks to herself what could of caused this a split second later she has a idea.

"Raymond! I need you to move now to the Mindoro location we need to secure the blackbox event recorder before the authorities or we wont know what happened."

After forwarding the Mindoro location she hastily begins heading to the hangar on Curacao where her ship is moored.

"Im heading out now Raymond...get that box ill see you there."

While heading out to the hangar Kiko forwards a message to all security personnel.

"This is Director Saguma to all Security Officers. Those of you currently not on a mission please report to New Berlin. You will be briefed on arrival. Saguma out."

Closing the data pad she slides the pad in her jacket and grabs her flight suit and helmet and hops into her Sutinga very heavy fighter and flies out of the hangar leaving only a stream of smoke behind her.

---

---

Simon Swift sits in the corner of a lounge on Oder Shipyard, out of the viewing port he surveys the Mindoro. A Renzu class liner, she was a fine vessel of luxury, now nothing more than a shattered hull, her interior visible in places and exposed conduits spark as they short against each other.

"oh...why..*sniff* ..." He slides down the cold metal wall, hands clasped to his face, into a ball. The crushing feeling of survivors guilt coursing through his mind...

"Captain Swift I assume?"

Simon looks up in dazed confusion not quite able to focus on the man through his blurry vision

"Yeah ... that's me"

"I'm Hariman Sterlyn, on duty supervisor of the shipyard, come up off the floor and drink this"

Simon takes the mans hand and unsteadily gets to his feet.

"Quite a beating you took, shes a darn mess, you're lucky to be alive"

"I don't feel lucky"

Simon managed to reply, clutching the warm coffee firmly in his hands.

"I have some good news, I think you need it by the looks of you, firstly OSC is sending a team to come and collect you shortly, and I'm pleased to tell you that even though that ship looks like a sieve our engineers have told me they have located a large group of survivors. It seems her automatic life support systems closed them off from a decompression event, a damn miracle considering the state shes in."

"Survivors? how many? where?"

"I don't know the full details but I'll keep you informed, until your colleagues arrive"

"No I need to go see them..."

Hariman places his hand on Simon's shoulder.

"Steady on sir, I don't think your in a fit state to do much, I understand your concern considering what you have just been through, but be assured they are in safe hands, now i suggest you take a seat over there and finish that drink and wait"

Simon closes his eyes and exhales, calming himself down from the shock news.

"Okay I think that's not a bad idea"

Hariman guides Simon over to a comfy sofa and sits him down. As he begins to walk away Simon calls out to him..

"Thank you, truly"

---

* Planet Curacao, Cortez *
* OSC Headquarters *

---

James was in his office, reviewing various agreements and time tables for the Orbital Fleet. Pinching the bridge of his nose he reached out and was further displeased by the lack of tea in his cup. Sighing explosively and muttering under his breath about inspections and quarantines he rose and crossed his office to his teapot. His intercom crackled to life as he poured sugar into his tea.

"Mr. Blackwood, Mr.Pines would like to see you, it sounds urgent."

James frowned at his newly made cup of tea, no doubt it would be cold by time he got back

"Thank you Penny, I'll be right over."

James left his steaming, freshly made tea on the counter, left his office, traveled down a short hallway before passing into a hidden back door directly into Mr. Pines' office.

"You wanted to see me Henry?"

Jorge was crossing Omega-3 while returning from a routine patrol to Luxury Liner Hawaii, when he got the message from Director Saguma

“Blackbox? Why in earth they want the blackbox to be secured?”
“Something very bad happened to OSC|Mindoro, I hope Simon is OK”

Jorge turns the speech to text on and says:

“Director Saguma, I’m arriving at Freeport-1, I’ll be docking to some fast resupply and I’ll be heading to the designated coordinates to secure the blackbox.
Could you give me some more information in what to expect?
Raymond out”

---

"James, it's really hit the fan" Pines said pacing frantically behind his desk "the Mindoro has been attacked on route to New Berlin, Swift is devasted, all the passengers.... 3,000 lives. Gone." He stopped for a brief moment to sip a rather large brandy "The LSF and the BDM were involved, they claimed it was the Unioners but Swift doesn't remember what happened."

He stops again and looks Blackwood in the eyes "I don't like any of this James, not one damned bit. I want you to talk to the LSF and BDM, find out what the hell they were doing with Swift. Get me some answers."

Somewhere in the New York system.

A message pings on Sagumas holo screen she presses the screen to open the message.

“Director Saguma, I’m arriving at Freeport-1, I’ll be docking to some fast resupply and I’ll be heading to the designated coordinates to secure the blackbox.
Could you give me some more information in what to expect?
Raymond out”

"Raymond, Saguma here as of now we are in the dark till we get that flight box I got word the Mindoro is moored with Oder Shipyard with Simons being taken care of there if the authorities are present you need to stall them until I get there do not let them get that flight box do you copy?"

She leaves the comm link open hoping to hear a swift response.

As Jorge approached Sttugard gate, a Red Hessian Odin flying with Zoner Transponder attacks without any warning

“What the hell?" Screams Jorge

The fight takes place, the strange Zoner Odin ship takes lots of damage, and starts to run for his life.

"Run coward, you no match for the highly trained OSC security pilots" Screams Jorge

Jorge arrives to Oder Shipyard and quickly docks.

“Time to get that freaking blackbox. I wonder what's inside

Jorge reaches the docked Mindoro

"Damn, so much damage"

Entering the Mindoro looked like entering a tomb, chilled, dark, silent.

"Uff i must get the damn thing, ah there it is."

Reaching is ship Jorge quickly reports to Director Saguma

“Director Saguma, I got the Blackbox, it's intact. What are your orders?

Raymond out”

* Planet Curacao, Cortez *
* OSC Headquarters *

---

James stiffened as Henry explained the situation to him

"Agreed, I'm going to go to New Berlin I want to be on location for this."

He stood and proceeded to the door

"I'll report in once I have something to report."

Oder Shipyard, New Berlin

---

After a long trip to New Berlin Kiko finally arrives at Oder Shipyard to a site she wished to never see. The site of the Mindoro, chunks of hull missing from her side. Jorge Raymond one of Director Sagumas trusted officers was on the scene around the Mindoro along with Captain Brian McGree, Officer David Chesterton and Director Blackwood.

"Im glad you all could make it what have gathered so far? Also Jorge here is the master key for that Blackbox. I need everyone to study this information and we will go from there".