Dervin Malfient

[ryeguy146]

[font=Garamond]Air came in short gasps. The corridors streaked past his watering eyes as Dervin raced to his
personal quarters. "Too close," he laughed breathlessly. He reached the destination and
darted inside the door. His room was dark, and Dervin didn't bother to turn on the lights, his
hurry wasn't over. He pulled on new clothes and washed the sweat from his face before returning
to the halls of Alcatraz. A new destination, but he he didn't need to hurry now. Clif would take at
least some time before visiting the bar. But that visit was inevitable. Dervin planned to be there.

Clif's tall frame ducked into the dank air of the Alcatraz bar. Dervin watched him as he took a
stool and ordered his usual drink. "So predictable," Dervin lamented sarcastically. He wasn't
sure that Clif had seen him leaving the docking bay in that hurry, but there was a possibility. Best
to play it safe and remove any doubt. Dervin planned to meet with his mark here at the bar with
his altered appearance. Sure enough Clif's eyes began to wander the room, and still Dervin watched.
And sure enough, Clif stared into the dark corner in which Dervin sat. The same as when they had
first crossed pathes. "It's time to get this show on the road."

Dervin picked himself up from his chair and took the stool to Clif's right. "You never could keep
them eyes to yourself, could you?" On the approach, he noted that the man was armed. Even if
he expected this to go smoothly, best to be safe. From this angle, he'd be able to disarm his mark
with little risk to himself. "I'd suggest learning before you run into someone less hospitable. How's
she treating you?" He could tell that Dervin didn't recognize him; a good sign.

"She?" Clif asked.

He contented himself to wait it out before growling, "The bird I gave you, ya fracking idiot."

"Dervin!" Clif yelled excitedly. "I thought that you'd left Alcatraz after we last met, what
brings ya back?"

"Not so loud, there's some that'd kill a man by that name." Dervin hissed. Not interested in
his mark's questions, Dervin pushed, "So...? How's she treating you?"

Clif went on for what felt like hours. The man's voice left Dervin grinding his teeth. Very little input
was required of him to keep Clif talking, and he felt comfortable moving the conversation to his
back-burner. Instead, he focused on pretending to quaff his wine. Though he was normally drinker
enough to keep up with most, he had other plans tonight. He sipped his wine sparingly, and watched
Clif drown himself. One unfortunate side effect of not paying attention to a conversation is the
inability to regulate what information you might give out. The seeming stupidity of his mark made
Dervin complacent. He wanted to punch himself after casually mentioning his home at Mactan Base.
That was his safe-house, and here he was just blurting it out to a man he fully intended to kill.

Fortunately, luck was with him.

"You know the hackers?" Dervin tensed, seeing Clif's hand go to his pocket. "Do you think
that they'd be able to help me with a bit of a tech problem?"

"If it's computers that you need help with, then they'd be the one's to get in touch with." Plans
sprang into his mind. He could use this. "Perhaps I could get you in contact with one... what was it
you said you needed?" He pried at Clif's drunken state. He weighed each word in an attempt to
pry useful information from his mark. The conversation was now Dervin's primary focus, but still he
watched the hand in Clif's pocket. Did he have another side arm? Clif began pulling something out,
and Dervin tensed his muscles, ready to spring into action. But he almost laughed aloud when Clif
removed a simple datapad.

"See, it has to do with this video." With as much restraint as he could muster, Dervin watched
the clip as nonchalantly as possible. It was the edited footage that he had left in the camera after
one of his trips into the Behest. Most likely when he had installed the bomb, he reasoned with himself.

"It's empty. You want me to watch Beggar's Behest just sit there? Done that enough when I
owned it, thanks."

"That's just what it looks like, though. I think that it's been edited," Clif noted. Dervin froze. "He
did see me," he thought to himself.

"And what makes you think that?" Dervin asked.

"You should'a seen it. As I brought the Behest down, I saw thish man runnin' outta the bay.
*hic* He, uh- he ran from where I hid my camera!"

"Now that is interesting... very interesting," Dervin responds coldly. "Do you think that they
might have tampered with your ships?"

"I do, but I ain' found nothin' so far. So... ya said ya might be able to find me a hacker that'd help?"

Plans indeed. A sneer spread across his face as he responded. "If you give me a copy of that video,
I'll see what I can do."

Too easy.

[ryeguy146]

[font=Garamond]It had been only a night of working on the video, doctoring it, but Dervin was exhausted to
his core. Hell, he'd killed a man at the bar in the meantime. Well, he wasn't sure if the Rogue
had died, but a stab wound to the stomach was bad enough. He pushed his weariness away
as he strode to that fateful door. The video had been edited to show Wolf Blitzer as the hooded
man planting the bomb in Beggar's Behest. It wasn't a particularly convincing job, but he was
confident that his ignorant target wouldn't notice the tell-tale signs of Dervin's amateur editing.
His footsteps echoed off the frozen halls of Alcatraz.

The door to Clif's dingy apartment resounded each time Dervin rapt his knuckles against it.

"Dervin here. Clif, I've got that tape for you."

Dervin listened to the fumbling inside and was surprised at how quickly his 'friend' opened the door.
He hid the surprise, shoving the optical drive into Clif's hands. Ignoring the man's thanks, he spun on
his heel and hurried away. Let the man deal with his paranoia in private, Dervin had no interests in
sympathizing. Besides, he had more planning to do.

The time had come to deal with Clif and to reclaim his rightful position amongst the Rogues. He could
almost smell it.

[ryeguy146]

[font=Garamond]
Dervin was in his harshly lit apartment on Alcatraz. His walls lined with details of his plot for
the Rogues. This went further than Clif. No, his sights were set on a higher target. He now
sat brewing over the information he had collected about Sylpheed. Guard patrol routes, times,
access codes, anything he could get his hands on. The only thing left to do was to find a chink
in the armour and strike.

There was a knock at the door. It sounded twice under some unwelcome fist. If anyone were
to see the contents of his room, the best laid plans would be ruined, and Dervin scrambled to
cover what he could. Another knock and he switched off the lights and slid the door just wide
enough to admit his passage.

It was Clif.

"Clif?! What do you want?" Dervin snapped. He immediately recognized the tone as a
mistake, and Clif's body language reflected the man's surprise.

"Well, just to say goodbye, I'm headed to Cassini to deal with Wolf." With the sentence,
Clif made a move to push into the room, but Dervin carefully pushed back.

"I think that we're fine out here, is that all?" Dervin asked.

Clif just looked at him stupidly. At least, Dervin thought so, and the man made yet another
attempt on the room. Dervin was becoming increasingly panicked, this wasn't how it was
supposed to happen! He remembered the knife on his hip. Killing Clif now was a possibility.
Messy, but it could be done. He considered the notion and tried fending off Clif again. "I
told you, we're fine in the hallway, Clif, why do you even want in there anyway?"

Without warning, Clif took his arm and whirled him into the far wall. The surprise of Clif
actually resorting to physical violence was easily as jolting as the fall into the wall. He
stood up in time to watch the door to his room close. He threw himself at the door in a
last ditch effort to stop Clif, but heard the locks click into place.

[ryeguy146]

[font=Garamond]His pulse drummed in his ears as Dervin sprinted for the hangar bay. He didn't care what
ship he took, but he needed one fast. The closest unsupervised vessel was a Barghest, and
he immediately began working the controls for the doors. There were means of hacking an
entry code if one had the time and knowledge to crack the pass. Dervin had only the skill
and borrowed time. It would take Clif little time to learn the truth of Dervin's attempts to
kill him. Not only that, but his plans to attack Sylpheed as well. After that, there was only the
possibility of Cassini. Perhaps he could reach Sylpheed before Clif, but the chances were slim.

His thoughts were cut off by a hiss and the scrape of the hatch to the Barghest opening.
Dervin was fortunate to find that the Barghest had no additional security protocols, and used
a little known back door to convince the computer to follow his command. He hoped that the
rest of the Rogues would be so easily wrangled, if he could even salvage this mess.

Engines roared to life and the Barghest shifted from the deck, and then flew from the bay to
the south Californian ice cloud. It wasn't The Behest, but it'd do in a pinch. He plotted his
course up the back way to Cassini; the usual. He reviewed his plans while autopilot took over.

Dervin knew that Sylpheed had been staying aboard the Nonsense Factory in Cassini. A few
drunken guards willing to talk over a pint is all too easy to find. And it took little effort to pin
down the real position of the Crime Boss. Since a Scylla is built to order, not all are the same,
but Dervin took efforts to secure the plans for the correct Destroyer. The Crime Boss would
surely be in the largest and most decadent quarters. Even without the map, Dervin was easily
able to picture the map perfectly in his mind.

He felt the effects of warp as his stolen ship passed from California and through the first jump
hole on the way to his target. Dervin sank into the decrepit command chair of the vessel. If he
kept the ship, he'd have to replace the uncomfortable thing. He switched over to manual flying
and while flying through the Rings of Huron, he caught of a glimpse of several large ships around
Fort Severn. He wouldn't have noticed them if he weren't paying attention, and killed the engines
to avoid detection. He drifted into the nearby debris cloud and considered his options.

"I could turn back and head up through, Colorado, but that's a long trip, I'm almost right
there!" He said it to no one in particular. "Or could I bust through to Alberta and make a
run for it?" Dervin considered the second option, given the importance of early arrival in
Cassini. The stolen Barghest coasted towards the scene, but was still obscured by the debris
field. He could tell they were Navy; even had a prison ship with them. His ship jolted as it ran
afoul of an asteroid and slowed to a crawl. He seriously began considering gunning the thrusters
and making a run for it, but it someone else entirely that made the decision for Dervin.

Another Barghest came up on scanners, making a run towards the Alberta hole. When it passed
within range, the computer marked it as the Beggar's Behest, Clif was in that ship! And Clif
didn't even acknowledge the Liberty Navy until they disrupted him just short of the Alberta jump
hole. Dervin was too far to catch the chatter, but he watched the short and futile struggle and the
subsequent boarding of his ship. Clif was in deep, he could tell that much. An encrypted call went
out from The Behest, requesting any nearby Rogues come to save Clif's sorry ass. Several
responses, but Dervin could tell that they'd never make it in time. He listened to their subsequent
battle near Toronto as Clif was taken aboard the giant prison ship. His way was open, and he cut to
Alberta, leaving the mess behind. He had bigger fish to fry.

[ryeguy146]

[font=Garamond]Dervin's Barghest slid between the asteroids of Cassini with practiced grace. It wasn't his
Beggar's Behest, but Dervin was going to have to get used to it. Clif already lost Behest
to the Navy. Again, Dervin had bigger problems. Because his ship wasn't registered to his own
name, Malfient had no concerns about being seen. He had come ready to bribe anyone asking
too many questions, but the stolen Barghest burned towards The Nonsense Factory without
any challenge.

His docking went unnoticed amidst the usual bawdiness of a Rogue base. Dervin slipped out of his
Barghest and threw up his hood. He had the plans memorized. He'd slip down the corridor from the
docking bay, two turns, and he'd arrive at Sylpheed's private elevator. It used biometric security,
but Malfient knew his way around computer systems. This was no different, and the pit in his stomach
that rose was due in little part to the elevator's quick descent.

The Rogue lid up against the wall of the elevator to hide as the doors slid open. He used the mirror he
had brought to scope the place. While aboard his stolen Barghest, he had hacked the video feeds, but
such things are easy to fake, given foreknowledge. And judging by the vacancy of the reception room.
Sylpheed kept no secretary, but there should at least be guards.

Dervin slunk from his hiding place, blaster pistol in hand. Even the next rooms were empty, but Sylph
had a whole deck to himself, the man could still be aboard. The possibility of a trap felt a certainty, but
it was too late to turn back. He'd be made a fugitive again, something he would not abide. A gambit he
was willing to risk.

Maintaining personal safety and stealth while exploring was slow going, but rushing only led to an early
grave. Patience, he counseled himself, but the nervous sweat that had broken out spoke volumes to his
condition. Dervin plastered himself against a wall upon hearing a noise ahead. A door to the left of the
hall seemed to open into a lit room from which the noises had come. Malfient watched as two grunts
carried what appeared to be the personal effects of the Crime Boss towards the elevator.

This confirmed it, Sylpheed was gone. Clif surely had tipped him off, damn that idiot. "I should have
killed him when I had the chance," He whispered to himself. The footsteps of the Rogue porters
obscured his own as he crept into the room that they had left. Certainly, some of the goods would find
their way to Sylpheed's new residence. Dervin spotted a computer terminal and powered it up. Malfient
knew that he wouldn't have long before the two returned, and his fingers flew across the keyboard.
Conjuring up a trace that would run when the computer had neural net access was a form of magic that
the technically apt Rogue could manage. He shut the computer back down, and slipped into the next room.
He had to be sure that Sylpheed was gone.

[ryeguy146]

[font=Garamond]Dervin waited, pressed against the shadows. His ears stretched out, searching for the footsteps
of the returning Rogues. After they passed, he hurried down the hall to search Sylpheeds lair
more thoroughly. Subsequent rooms revealed little to interest Malfient, and he began his return
to the elevator when a noise caught his attention. The sound of metal on metal made his bones
shiver, even coming from the distance.

Stealth remained paramount, but the possibility of finding a lead was too much to pass up for the
Rogue. He did his best to quiet his footfalls, but sprinted down the hall towards where he thought
the grinding was coming from. The noise had ceased, but he had a good idea where it was coming
from and Dervin made his way into the small office from which it had emanated. The room was
painted and with no metal was showing, causing Dervin to doubt his assumption, but a joined
closet caught his attention. Most everything had been removed already, leaving only a few cleaning
supplies, and some stacks of files, papers. Most likely uninteresting, and he threw them out of the
way. Each wall appeared smooth, with rivets in the corners, but the walls were indeed unfinished
metal. A secret passage perhaps? He wouldn't put it past Sylpheed. The man was a survivor, if
nothing else. But Dervin planned to put an end to that.

He felt each rivet and slid his hands along each corner, searching for some sort of trigger. More
time than Malfient had planned to spend here had passed, and still nothing. Again, he began to
doubt that the noise had come from here, or even if it was his imagination. He itched his neck
and sweat began to bead. But it wasn't anxiety, but he had no cardamine with him. The withdrawal
would cripple him if he didn't work fast, and he knew it. Suddenly, he heard footsteps in the hall,
someone coming. Dervin grabbed the door to the closet and closed it as softly as possible, just
as the two guards checked into the room. He had been making too much noise.

Suddenly, the floor felt like it had given away underneath him and the familiar sound of metal on
metal surrounded him. The 'closet' moved quickly down rails and into a private bay, one used only
by Sylpheed. One that hadn't been on any of Dervin's blueprints. If Sylpheed was to be found, it
would be here. Dervin heard the friction slow, and his descent came to a halt. Using the door as
a shield, he slowly crept forward with his blaster drawn.

He entered a room alone, windows looking out on the last of Sylpheed's personal ships. His personal
ship, The Gunboat Diplomat was gone, its bulk was hard to miss. It was a safe assumption that
Sylpheed had fled this assassination attempt as well, Dervin only hoped that the computer trace would
prove more productive. Rather than returning the way he had come, Malfient moved into the docking
bay and towards the Barghest, Lapse Of Sanity. He stood and admired the Barghest. Though he
would miss his, Sylpheed's ship was sure to be better modified and equipped than his own, and then
there was the status to consider. If he were to fly home in one of the former Crime Boss' ships, his
leadership would all but be assured. A grin spread across his face as he hacked his way into the second
Barghest he'd steal today. Of course, he planned to change the name, but this one he planned to keep.

[ryeguy146]

[font=Garamond]He received a few interested messages as Lapse Of Sanity cruised out of Cassini, though
Dervin neglected to respond to any, "Let the rumors fly," He thought, "Soon, I'll make
everything clear enough." A grin spread across Malfient's face.

Arrival at Alcatraz was similarly interesting. No clearance was needed for the Barghest, given
its notoriety amongst the Rogues. Dervin wasn't surprised to see the usual entourage appear
as he opened the hatch the the Barghest. Bewilderment lit the face of each as none other than
Dervin Malfient emerged, instead of Sylpheed. He walked through the middle of them, and they
followed in his wake. Turning to one, he said plainly, "I want all the Rogues you can gather to
meet in the bar. I'll be making an announcement shortly." He didn't wait for a response.
There was one last chore to complete before he proclaimed his leadership of the Liberty Rogues.

It was to his own room that Dervin went. The dark apartment was disorderly from Clif's search.
Malfient gathered them into an unceremonious bundle, stuffing them into a sack along with any
other evidence of his plot against Syplpheed. Those detailing his tirade against Clif, though, were
to be burned.

The next stop was Clif's old room. The dingy cavern stank of the poor captured Clif. Dervin
reached into his sack and began throwing the papers around the room. Plans for The
Nonsense Factory on his nightstand. Guard schedules of Cassini was thrown into the sad
excuse for a bed. As the papers rained down around him and the sack was emptied, something
caught his attention. It appeared to be a gun of some sort, but like nothing that Malfient had
ever before encountered. He dropped the sack to the floor and picked up the pistol. It sparkled
with a metallic finish. The barrel met up with a revolving part. Dervin flicked a nearby switch
and the cylinder swung out and six cartridges fell bouncing on the floor. He smiled and inhaled
the cardamine that he had brought with him. "A slug thrower, I think I'll keep this." After
replacing the bullets and jamming the gun into his waistband, he left Clif's room and made his
way to the bar. It was time.