### OORP: This is a closed RP between IMG|Melfina.Korzic and IMG|Jack_Henderson. You are welcome to read but you can only participate after having asked us or when you have been invited to join, of course. Have fun! ###
"Why... tell me... why, Melfina. What are you doing. Why me... what for..." Jack was muttering again and again while he heard the automatic docking signals of the Hood so well-known to him. His thoughts were far away, his fingers just doing the docking routines that were required in order not to create a fuss and become the center of unwanted attention.
His thoughts replayed the last hours. A harmless meeting in New York with a fellow IMG pilot. The exchange of some trade items. The nice chat during the flight back to Dublin. Just getting to know the other better, nothing serious, nothing running too deep, yet not completely superficial. The question whether he would join the patrol to the Omegas. The harmless beginning of the patrol, his increasing disturbance about the aim of this mission obviously headed into nowhere. His fear when he realised that she was not just leading him out there to tease or frighten him, but that there was something she wanted to do out here, in the uninhabited fringes of Sirius. Then suddenly her revelation, his futile attempts to argue with her, right up to the moment when she did it. Then void, shock, more nonsensical attempts to find out what she had been doing, why she had been doing it. And then the attack on the BMM vessels, unprovoked and the best thing that could happen to him. He ran. Because she would have killed him. There was no choice for her but to silence him. Forever. They had become enemies in a matter of minutes. And once Jack had realised the full extent of the danger, he knew he had to run in order to survive.
Two minutes after docking he ran towards the elevator, pushing its button 5 times hastily, looking anxiously over his shoulder down the brightly lit corridor. But there was nobody but a maintainance man cleaning the floor.
"Why... did you take me there? Why me?" he repeated the phrase again and again. His lips were moving, but no sound escaped them. He had been asking himself this question hundreds of times on his evasive flight course to Dublin. She had not been able to intercept him, but he was sure she had tried, and she would try again. He was also sure she - or somebody that works for her or her employers - was already here or on their way here.
He decided that his flight had been fast and confusing enough, likely. That his route via Leeds, then north, then back through the asteroid fields to the Dublin Jumphole had opened enough possibilities so that the enemy wasn't already sitting in his room, just waiting to kill him by a point blank shot execution style. Or would they? He was standing in front of his own appartment door, when a station serviceman walked down the corridor.
"Sir, Sir..." Jack summoned him... "My keycard is not working... could you give it a try?" and he stepped to the side of the door, where there was a massive steel wall that could not be breached by something less than a high energy weapon or a large explosive charge. He braced himself for a detonation when the maintainance man opened the door and it swung open. 'If he dies, I can still save many others... I must live.' he had decided already.
"It was dirty... you should get a new one, Sir." replied a smiling caretaker and Jack looked at him in surprise. He had expected him to be reduced to a botch of blood on the opposite wall. But there was nothing, just the music - faint and calm - that greeted him in his appartment.
"Thank you." he answered carelessly, lost in thoughts on what to do now, when he entered the room.
9 minutes later he had everything he needed. His room looked like it had been thoroughly searched by somebody who didn't care about anything in it. Furniture was damaged and all sorts of notes and electronic equipment was scattered on the floor. All contents of the cupboards and wardrobes were littering the floor.
With a look of panic in his face Jack fixed the Bretonian built anti-personel-mine next to the doorframe and set the activation timer on 2 minutes and the detonation delay on 3 seconds to give a skilled marine soldier or a careful police officer a chance to save his or her life. The mine would spray the room with deadly shrapnel, and a ripping thermobaric shockwave that would perfect the chaos and remove much evidence that might point back at him.
Whoever would open this door next would likely be the first casualty in the waiting line in which he had been placed in one of the front rows - without understanding it until the execution squadron was in clear sight. If the first dead was a Bret, it could be blamed on enemy activities inside the Guild. If it was her, she would hopefully die without saying another word. If it was anybody else, they would just be another victim.
'I must live, to save many...' he told himself again. He took the backpack that was surprisingly heavy and showed him that it had been a long time since he had done some physical training and puts it on his back. He holsters the handblaster inside the jacket, exposing the light protection vest for a short second.
He ran for his ship, avoiding the elevators this time and undocking without checking out his ship. Somewhere in the control center a light was flashing and a docking bay control officer was shaking his head: "Jack, you should know better... by now." he sighed and switched the alert off.
"Why did you take me there... Melfina? Why did you tell me about your plans? I could have stopped you... why did you take that risk? Why didn't you silence me out there... blame the sabotage on me?" his eyes were scanning the sensors but no ship was obviously hers. Nobody was approaching his position. He headed for the Jumpholes near Hood and picked one by chance.
7 random jumps and 32 minutes later, he started relaxing a little. The adrenaline started to lose its effect and Jack's hands began shaking and his stomach started to turn. He took some Cryer pills from his pocket, the stuff that pilots used when they couldn't handle ion storms or atmospheric turbulences any more, and swallowed 3 of them at once.
He knew he had escaped death just by a split second.
He knew that he would still end dead if he made a mistake now.
He knew that he could be tried for high treason without a chance to prove he was not guilty.
He knew that he had to react quickly now.
He didn't know where to start.
"Act. Not react... if you want to keep one step ahead of your enemy." he was muttering to himself his own old credo from a time when he was freelancing with his own security company, when he finally stopped the engines in the middle of a huge gas and asteroid cloud that almost ate all sensor efficiency. He opened the note pad and started to speak a message onto it to be broadcasted afterwards, once in reach of the next tradelane to transmit the signal.
Jack stopped all of a sudden as if he had seen a nomad right in front of his cockpit, then abruptly shaking his head at his own thought, then blurting out suddenly: "She wants to be stopped! That's why she took me with her... that's why she confessed all... of that..."
He doesn't believe it. Yet he is prepared to work with the premise. He is not strong enough to accept just now that she is what she is likely in reality: a terrorist against Bretonia. He deletes everything and rewrites all messages again, feeling that he might be wrong and not ready to accept that there are people out there that deserve the death penalty for treason charges, denying but still knowing that he has become complicit in the terrorist act against his beloved mother country Bretonia.
But now he needed to warn his fellow Bretonians first... and then find out who his enemy was. After having sent the Warning Message via S.O.S frequency he starts a request to the IMG databank:
Jack starts out calm .... "I need all information about Ms. Melfina Korzic .... It's urgent. .... No ... it's a matter of life and death. No, I'm not joking .... No, I'm not!! .... Yeah, this is my IMG ID .... no, I don't have the high priority permission .... Yes, I know that .... but if you don't give me anything to work with, I'll be friggin dead tomorrow and you won't even know what has happened ... so I'd advise you take a look at the Bretonian News about the Sabotage and give me what I want, NOW! I'll explain things later... you can't yeah... get me a permission.... I don't care a fudge... No..." and he terminates the transmission in the most angry tone.
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##The.Outlaw.Star, if Jack gets something, you could give me some details about your character, so I know a bit better who I'm dealing with.
In the dark nebula's of the vast depths of space, she finally docks at safe a secure location. Melfina realizes what she has done..."what have i done?" she ask her self hands shaking. She looks down while docked inport hands grasp tightly, "This is wrong so wrong" as her head shakes in nervousness. Melfina quickly contacts some of her "friends" and just notifies them of the Jack subject, just stating that he had some important information that she must have and only Jack himself had. "I want him alive! I mean it don't mess this one up again he is still IMG and still one of us!" she screams.
After catching a drink at the bar Melfina returns to her Shoin-zukuri style home. After a long night she lies her cloud like bed just staring up at the stars. Liying there almost not aware of anything else but dreams.
What happen out there today i didn't need him with me i could have gotten him killed! He knows what i did, he knows what i am, and what I am capable of. I could loose it all, I already have lost it all! Dammit Gene why did you have to leave me? I was never going to harm anyone just stall some operations and this, it turned into too much. I feel in love with you and you leave me... I know you found out about who i was but i can tell you i did fall in Love. I must remember where my true heart lies and that with Kusari for it in my blood and it still runs deep. I am sorry Jack you didn't have to be part of this and nor does the IMG, Yes i work for them, with them, and share their pain as we are all Independents. The IMG is a great place and i have grown quite fond of their love for the people and hope to stay with them through the tough times ahead.
Was this a cover for her operations? one might ask themselves or has this become something more, something that gave real meaning to life and why something or someone was the way they were. What really is this "something"?
Oh Jake *Melfina giggles
I really am sorry my dear, if only you knew how i really felt. This whole thing... it might be too much but you don't think i would take the fall for anything do you? I have been around these things too long and i think its made me a little crazy. Why you, you ask sitting in your apartment as my men are on their way there, because it was easy. It could have been anyone really i wouldn't have thought twice about it until the job was done anyway.
Her head turns to the left, her soft smooth body engulfed by the 500 thread count sheets, and her dark black hair glimmering in the moonlit room. Slowing closing her eyes she just dreams, dreams of becoming a bird and soaring like an eagle, being free, and just going with the wind.
Things had been out of control for the last hours, but now Jack felt better when he touched down on planet Leeds in the Nyx that didn't feel like a piece of evidence that could lead to him being convicted as a criminal...
"Leeds..." he thought with a short smile on his face. In the thousands of refugees it would be hard to find him. It was - with all the chaos surrounding it - a good place to hide.
He payed for a room in a cheap hotel, thinking about what he had done.
Contacting the Hackers, Cleaning Evidence, Creating a Life Insurance
He had met the Lane Hacker, Brutus Clay, who wiped the record from his ship's computers so that - hopefully - not even Bretonian Intelligence or Police could restore the files that might have told them where he was when the attack happened, who he was with... all the data auto records that are stored on a ship even if you don't want the computer to store all that flight data. These logs were all gone now, wiped from the ship.
He smiles while he is laying on the bed, the blaster next to his bed, ready to fire.
"Juliet1... to kill the data and evidence, Juliet2 to activate the life insurance..." he thinks, smiling to himself. "What a nice term for a life insurance..." and he utters a sigh of relief, even though the feeling is only short-lived.
Lying there, listening to the hectic sounds of the streets, he starts planning his next steps. He knows what the IMG leadership told him. He is sure that they might be looking into the general subject of spies in the rows of the IMG... but that won't help him now.
"I must contact her... find a way... find out what she is going to do. Strike a deal?... pay her?... bury the whole incident? ... kill her before she silences me?" his thoughts were running wild, unrestricted by rational thought because he wanted to explore even the weirdest possibilities.
He gets up again, takes a taxi to the other side of the city where he loggs himself onto the neuralnet via an open hub located in a public place access area. Hard, not impossible to locate.
There he sends a short burst of information into the depths of the neuralnet. It's a search bot that will look for any queries that include his name, then try to isolate the IDs and find a way to communicate with Melfina.
If the bot is successful, she will be sent the following message:
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[font=Fixedsys]Melfina, if you read this, I'm out of your reach at the moment. Listen carefully:
I informed Bretonian authorities about the sabotage to keep casualties low. Anonymously.
I informed IMG leadership but kept your name out of it.
I had my ship's conputer wiped so that there is nothing to be found.
I kept some video material of your attacks against BMM in case I need mild leverage against you.
I had the data stored at a place that you will never reach. They are my life insurance.
I can publish or destroy the data at any given moment.
So I guess you might be interesting in finding a solution as much as I do.
My proposal: Meet me. At my terms. My place. My conditions.
So we can sort things out.
Let me be absolutely clear: If you screw it up, you will take the fall just seconds after I do. You don't want that. Me neither. I like my life. I want to keep it. I guess we aren't so different in that point. Whatever you do, killing me will not silence me.
She awakes from her beauty nap after a long day of being a rebel and keeping those wicked BMM on their toes. She turns on her side and hits the snooze on her alarm.
"Late for another IMG training Defense course" she says as if its not needed.
Melfina replays that's day with Jack again and again in her head. Puzzled still why she took him out there but only thinks that is was for some positive purpose. Sitting in the training seminar she starts to drift of into a day dream. Trees of green and sky of pure brilliant blues fill the surroundings and the sounds of birds chirping echo in the emptiness of here feelings. Fire consumes everything, she is there holding hands with Jack in the flames engulfed by their own doings.
"Melfina! wake up and pay attention" The director yells
*A man in an all black suit, black shoes, black tie, and black glasses enters the class.
This cant be good...i don't know who this man is.... If they catch me here i will never escape. I knew i should have skipped glass today! The door is open i can just tell the director i have to use the potty and make a run for my Vessel.
I will never stop, i know this. They have done too much to harm the Families of the ones i love. They have taken the Jobs of the ones i call my friends and my co-workers. Bretonia and BMM must fall they have caused too much pain for those who work too hard. I have gotten to deep into this to turn back now or get caught. My next mission for the Emperor could be my last and i shall go down with Honor.
*Melfina raises her hand
"I have to go to the restroom director sir" she says bashfully.
The director replies irritated "Lady your grown now go if you have to go!"
*Melfina makes a run for Nyx parked right down the hall in bay 4
Melfina returns to here ship only to find two more men in all black standing next to what looks like some sort of Bot. She quickly turns back around the corner! She reaches for he remote control apparatus and quickly auto starts the Nyx. The unknown men draw weapons and start looking for what or who started the craft. Melfina makes it to bay 3 without being seen and controls the Nyx to re-dock into bay 4 with her. Quickly the Nyx touches down and air-locked into the bay just to haul ass out of there in seconds.
I made it out of there safely thank the gods of Sirius. I thought i was caught for sure! Those men who were they and how did they get so close to me? I knew i shouldn't have attacked and killed that BMM today in Dublin in front of the authorities...Now they have my ship flagged. IMG too, once they find out will surely take my rank...or maybe they will understand that BMM is a direct threat to IMG.
A strange jolt to Melfina's ship throws her off guard. Looking outside her cockpit she sees some sort of drone or bot of some sort. Yes the same bot from the training base had tracked her vessel and was trying to deliver a message. Melfina saw a unarmed drone in the middle of nowhere and saw no harm in retrieving the message.
You did What Jack! Why would you do this? I see you truly do love Bretonia and your Queen. I hurts to see you doing this to me...to us as you did come along. you will be held in contempt to aid a terrorist, your cries for justice will only get you into more problems. You think your saving lives? you are just ruining more! Bretonia is a monster eating away at all around them with no respect for balance. I see you have made this message untraceable... we will see about that mister.
*Melfina Hacks the mainframe of the drones on board computer and retrieves a Tracking code.
This will lead me one step closer to silencing you! I didn't want it to come down to this but it looks like i have no choice. As far as this "meeting" I would love to *giggles*. If there is a way out of this were we both can live and carry on our miserable lives then so be it! I will give you one more chance just name the time and place. You better come alone or....
// I interpret the posting to be a transmission that the drone records and replays to Jack. It wouldn't make much sense if there was no possibility to get the message that you transport in the writing.
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Retrieving the information from the Drone is not a problem. It was launched by a Search and Delivery Service located on Planet Leeds, in Edinburgh Lane, Chasterfield. And if the company held data about who paid for the delivery where he lived, etc... it would be very hard for her to find out without professional help. And Leeds is chaos, has been chaos for some months. Kusari agents on Leeds could perhaps track down the leads, given she puts them on the case.
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Jack retrieves the message that was being relayed by the drone while sitting in his room somewhere in the chaos of Leeds. He was cleaning his equipment when the call came in and he hastily jumped up to see what it was. He sighed and shook his head... "Melfina, you really want to play rough, do you?" he concluded and then he answered after having thought about it for some time:
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[font=Fixedsys]Melfina, I think you don't understand your situation. You are in no position to order me to do anything.
If I uncover what you are and what you did, IMG will hunt you down mercilessly because people like you could tear the whole organisation apart and render Kusari or Bretonia hostile. We could lose all our holdings, all influence on resources, etc. You know better than me that IMG would silence you themselves before you could damage the whole Guild.
Bretonia will hunt you, of course, because you will be on the very top position of their wanted terrorist lists. Until now they want to find me - the caller - and only I can lead them to you.
Your former Kusari employers will claim that you are not acting in their interest because your action might have been a PR stunt but not anything more. They might be angry that you've become a useless tool. You know what happens to useless tools that become dangerous to the handler? They will try to silence you themselves. You ceased to be an asset to them by exposing yourself too much.
Now, lean back. Just take a second, think hard and realize that you are alone in this. Completely alone.
I'm alone in this, too.
Your survival is tied to my temporal unwillingness to release the data. And as you might have anticipated, it will be released if there were a tragic accident or just a natural death from heart disease or a trade lane crash. Consequently you want me alive and kicking.
I'm giving you a chance to explain things to me. And this is the one and only chance, so you'd better not screw it, Melfina. And let me clarify one more thing: I won't be alone. I chose to live. I chose to continue my life and I'm looking for a way to achieve my goal. So I will make sure your experience advantage in combat is overcompensated by preparations. And as you are intelligent, you will have anticipated this.
Meeting Point: Magellan, Freeport 4. Proceed to the coordinates you will be given by an associate. Some friends of mine will make sure you are alone. If you try to trick me, I will have disappeared before you can locate me and you will be roasted on a small fire by the groups and for the reasons I mentioned above.
Melfina, let's try and fix this. I don't know how, but let's try. So come up with something good. And don't try to play with me because even if I don't want to do this, I will.
"That's how it all ends..." is Jack's last thought when he feels the impact of the missile right below the cockpit of the Nyx. Shrapnel rips through the armour of the fighter craft, the windshield is blind in three quarters with scratches in a matter of nano-seconds, but the Nyx keeps going, even though hard to steer. Warning lights are flashing everywhere but Jack focuses on the sensors that are still working.
It had all ben flawed from the beginning. She had found him in Leeds. He should have done nothing. Kept quiet. Let time pass. But no... he wanted to meet her. Try to clear things up. Solve the problem. Get back his normal life. He had started from the planet and she had been waiting already. She chased him... then lured him into following her. When he found out that Ian was following, it was already too late. He had known what would be happening, but how could he just step back?
An explosion of blaster fire hitting his Nyx brings him back to his senses, even though the fight is already over.
He can see Ian, blind from rage or controlled by the nomads, turning against Melfina. He can hear him through the comm system, even though it's hard to understand. Blasters light the darkness, seconds later, detonator scanners clearly detect the breaching of a Nyx hull, very near but Jack's dying Nyx is not being shot at.
"He... shot... her...." is Jack's thought, he checks for a pod, doesn't see one, wants to check again with a finer grid parameter, but is stopped by a second urgent scanner detection that flashes on top of his current search task.
The scanner detects fatal hull breach, and he stares at the sensors, thinking it's Melfina's Nyx dying, but realizes just one second too late that it is his. Then there is the explosion which pushes the windshield in.
With a scream, inaudible in the void, the pod is ejected, caught by a secondary explosion of the ship's core which throws the life saving capsule off course. The EMP emitted by the explosion of the nuclear vessel's core damages most unprotected systems in the pod which is catapulted into the indefinite nothing at high speed.
"This is it... but I stopped her... from hurting Bretonia..." is Jack's last thought before the speed of the movement and the uncontrollable turning of the pod knock him out of consciousness in a matter of seconds.
A small life pod in Chester, drifting aimlessly somewhere...