To: Alan Jones, you won a free pack of Quanta Cola !!!Read now!!!

[Alley]

!!! CONGRATULATIONS !!!

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DATA CORRUPTED, SUBROUTINE INITIALIZED

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BEGINNING TRANSMISSION...

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SENDER: Commander Catherine Ellington
LOCATION: Battleship Normandie, UNKNOWN


RECIPIENT: Alan Jones
ENCRYPTION TYPE: Phoenix Rising


SUBJECT: SITREP

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Admiral,

Apologies for sending a military grade virus to your personal inbox, however the situation appears to require it given the elements in my possession.

As you will recall, for the past few months the Normandie has been EMCON in the Omicrons to investigate the recent increase in activity of the Nomads. On our way back to Liberty, two weeks earlier than planned, we picked up a distress beacon bearing Navy signatures and proceeded to an emergency FTL exit.

Arriving on scene, we encountered several naval assets belonging to Battlegroup Harmony. After breaking EMCON, we started to receive priority updates from OPS invalidating the credentials of the entire Battlegroup and others. I gave them a chance to explain themselves before resorting to force, and all I can say is the words spoken and evidence provided were quite unbelievable.

They have provided substancial evidence of nomad influence and possible infestation of naval assets, evidence solid enough to have made Princess DeFrance refuse to head back to Liberty and require an immediate return to EMCON. I suspect what she witnessed in Gallia is still deeply engraved in her memory.

The virus has created an encrypted tunnel routing through several navy and civilian satellites in order for this exchange to be untraceable. In exactly eight hours from this message, I will establish a new connection to this tunnel in order to pull a reply of yours.

I need to know what is going on within our own ranks, Admiral.

Respectfully yours,
Cmdr. C. Ellington,
Primary Fleet,
Special Operations.

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Alley was right.