[YSS Jade, Neplesia] Operation Secret Treasure (Pt. 1) Cyber Eye 4/11/04 5:44 [OOC Notes: Wes, obviously, you know way more about Neplesia than I do. So if I make any mistakes here, by all means let me know.] Henry was in the briefing room of the Jade, going over the extraction plan with Shina and some Lamia pilots who have agreed to assist him. Henry really didn't feel that he had to authority to order anyone to go planet-side; to help him retrieve his grandparents, but the nekos readily agreed to help him when he told them that his grandfather might be in danger. Just as Henry had finished going over his plan, a data pad in his pocket suddenly bleeped loudly. Henry took it out and saw that it had switched to video-conferencing mode. The head and upper torso of a Neplesian man in YSA uniform could be seen in the data pad. He was wearing a 2nd fleet Corporal pin. "What is it?" Henry snapped at the man. He was running short on patience and time. "Sorry to disturb you, sir, but Dr. Fabriket insisted..." The man was rudely pushed aside before he could finish. The face of a Russian-looking young man appeared in the data pad. "What's with the attitude, Henry? They gave you a rank pin and it all went your head, is that it?" "Alexander!" Henry replied in surprise. "Err... I'd love to talk to you man, but you caught me at a really bad time... And what the heck are you doing on Neplesia?" "I should ask you the same thing, but since you asked first, I'm actually still in orbit like you. I'm in one of the space stations here while my shuttle refuels. And the reason that I'm here is to visit my family. Now, what's this about a bad time?" "It's my grandfather. I think they finally found him, Alex," replied Henry. The fear was evident in his eyes. "Oh man, that's not good. He's leaving, I presume?" "Correct, but I have to pick him up. I'm one of the few people outside of the complex who knows where it is." "Of course." "Um, how did you know I was here, Alex?" "I saw the Nerimians open the wormhole and a 3rd XF ship pop out. I figured it was either you or some nekos on a joy ride. Either way, I had to check," Alex replied with a mischievous smile. Henry shook his head and smiled for the first time in quite a while. Alex hadn't changed a bit. "It's great to talk to you again, Alex, but I really have a grandfather that I need to get off the planet." "Right, and I'm going with you. I can always visit my family afterward. At least no one in my family has a price on their head, last time I checked." "No! You are not!" Henry almost screamed back. "If the most brilliant physicist on Yamatai gets killed while on some hare-brained rescue mission with me in charge, the Empress would personally cut off my head!" "Stop being so dramatic," replied Alex with a suddenly stern expression, "You'll need the muscle I'm bringing. The Yamatai government assigned to me a shuttle full of Lamia bodyguards, and I just made a ST backup. Furthermore, I consider it a duty to protect a fellow member of the Triple Black Diamonds. End of discussion. My shuttle will be waiting for yours outside your shuttle bay. Fabriket out." And with that, the image on the data pad flickered and disappeared. "May the goddess help me," Henry murmured and shook his head as he placed the data pad back in his pocket. "Ladies," he addressed the Lamia pilots, "please be in the shuttle bay and ready to go in five minutes. Come on, Shina, let's make ST backups before heading planet-side." "Of course, sir," replied Shina as she followed him toward the medical bay. A few minutes later, a shuttle emerged from the shuttle bay of the YSS Jade. It was joined by another, slightly larger shuttle. Both began making their descent to the planet of Neplesia. [Neplesia] Operation Secret Treasure (Pt. 2) Cyber Eye 4/12/04 2:23 It was late afternoon as two shuttles landed on adjacent landing pads in what appeared to be a residential area. In the immediate vicinity, some dilapidated apartment buildings and shops could be seen. Most of the shops were closed or abandoned, although a few defiantly remained open, advertising wares such as alcohol and guns. There were almost no people in the streets, although the occasional bum could be seen loitering around. Five Lamias stepped out of the smaller shuttle, followed by Henry and Shina. Seven Lamias stepped out of the larger shuttle, followed by a Russian-looking young Neplesian man and an un-armoured neko. One could easily tell that it was quite a tight fit for the Lamias inside the shuttles, as the armoured nekos had some trouble exiting from the shuttle. The Lamias' towering frames were quite impressive and intimidating in the afternoon sunlight. "It's good to see you guys again, Alex, Loki," said Henry to the Neplesian man and the neko accompanying him. Shina smiled and waved enthusiastically at them. "Hey guys." She impulsively gave Loki a small hug. Loki simply smiled and nodded back. "Likewise, Henry," replied Alex as he shook Henry's hand. "Now, come here, you," he said as he suddenly got Henry in a headlock and began grinding his knuckles into Henry's hair. Even though Shina knew that Alex would never hurt Henry, she still looked worried as the two boys tussled. Loki just continued to smile quietly. "I don't have time for this, Alex," said an exasperated Henry as he took hold of Alex's muscular arm, which was wrapped around Henry's neck, and applied pressure at just the right spot. "Ow! No fair!" said Alex as he let go of Henry. "I see that you've been brushing up on your pressure points... and got some upgrades..." He pointed at Henry's Terrainium hand. "It's a long story," Henry replied. "Now, can we please go get my grandparents now? The complex is only five blocks away from here." "Huh? I didn't see any large, well-defended buildings in the vicinity as we were landing. I was going to ask you why we landed here..." Alex looked confused. "There's a good explanation for that... Follow me," said Henry as he smiled mysteriously, and began walking down one of the streets. The Lamias scrambled to form a moving protective shell around the un-armoured personnel. As Shina, Alex, and Loki followed Henry down the badly maintained sidewalk, three Lamia armours protected them on each side. [4th fleet] Digging In Tasuki Uso 4/12/04 18:10 ON> Ralfaris The planet was a mess once again. The Helix that was around the planet was halfway turned into floating debris, giving a clear indication of what side the SMX attacked the planet from. Not to mention the damage taken by the moons and other defensive systems of Ralfaris. The surface was also very well damaged. Trash from the SMX ships and damaged Ralfaris planetary defences needed to be cleaned up as the civilians slowly started to trickle out of their shelters. Deep under ground, inside of the military tunnels of QIS, the 4th fleet brass started to plan their next moves. "The losses in both ships and manpower are completely unacceptable..." Sijik said out loud. He was sitting at a round table, surrounded by high-ranking personnel from all branches of the 4th fleet excluding a few QIS subsidiaries. In the centre of the table was a holographic projector displaying all sorts of statistics and image captures from the battle. "We need to refill the fleet and secure the planets we have already taken." A few ideas were exchanged amongst the table, but only one thing was agreed upon at this point. The remaining Helix's were split up into their original grouping of rings. These were then spread out around each planet creating huge spheres of anti-FTL fields that would, in theory, prevent all faster than light travel within about a light year. With the SMX forced to use their sub light drives to reach each planet it would take them a very long time to actually reach the planets, thus keeping them out of the SMX hands for the moment, although a more permanent solution was needed. Having bought some time it was agreed to focus on expanding the fleet once more, of the original 8 helix-based fleets less than 4 were left, leaving another massive debris field around Ralfaris. " How much time is left until the new line of ships is completed and how do we upgrade our shields to compete with the SMX guns?" The room once again was filled with chatter. Someone produced a set of figures for upgrading the current ships with new shields and making sure the shields on the latest ships will hold up. The, now 11, planets that had been reclaimed by QIS were soon being filled with new personnel as QnC started to build tunnel systems and fortresses to use when the SMX came back. They would not have such an easy time taking planets now. [Neplesia] Operation Secret Treasure (Pt. 3) Cyber Eye 4/13/04 4:40 After the group had been walking for about five blocks, Henry made a turn into a dark alley. The alley was a dead end, surrounded on both sides by abandoned buildings. Whatever was on the other side of the alley was sealed off with a brick wall. A dirty dumpster (are there ever any clean ones?) could seen, along with a manhole, covered with a heavy metal lid. A bum was resting in a small shelter composed mostly of cardboard. Upon hearing the sound of approaching footsteps, he simply looked up lazily. Recognition sparked in his eyes as he saw Henry. He suddenly leapt up energetically and gave Henry a polite nod. "So you have returned, Henry," said the dishevelled old man. "Ugh, Henry..." said Alex as he looked at the elderly man with a mixture of disgust and pity. "Don't tell me that's your grandfather... I mean, I know he's in hiding and everything... but still..." Henry chuckled. "Don't be silly, Alex. This is Mr. Norton. He's one of the security guards of the complex. I guess you got the bum shift today, eh?" Mr. Norton smiled and nodded. Henry then walked over to him to introduce everyone. "Mr. Norton, meet Dr. Fabriket, you probably recognize him, and his assistant, Loki. I'm sure you've heard a lot about Shina. And the rest of these lovely ladies," he waved in the general direction of the dozen Lamia armours, "are here to help us get my grandparents out safely." Mr. Norton just smiled and shook his head. "I know who Dr. Fabriket is, and he and his assistant is welcome to visit the complex if they want. But really, Henry, this isn't some tourist attraction. Now I know I'm just an old man whose memory doesn't work that well anymore, but when I signed up for this thing 25 years ago, I was told that we were trying to keep the location of this place a secret... Of course, it doesn't really matter anymore, does it?" "So most of the residents have relocated since the possible leak?" asked Henry. "What else can they do? What else can we do?" Mr. Norton answered with the voice of a man resigned to the cruelties of fate. "Your grandparents are the last residents left. Once they leave, us guards are just gonna blow the whole place up and find someplace else for the government to build another complex for us. Start the whole thing over again." Henry placed a hand on the man's shoulder and nodded. "I feel you, sir. I got a lot of memories in this place too... Now, could you let us in? The sooner I get my grandparents out the better." "Of course, but the power armours will have to stay outside. You are not allowed to carry weapons inside unless you are a guard or a member of a family that lives here. Them's the rules," replied Mr. Norton. Then he turned and spoke into a microphone hidden in his collar, "open the hatch, guys. Henry's back." The manhole cover slowly lifted itself up and shifted over enough to reveal a descending ladder. The path downward was fairly well lit, and the rungs on the ladder were surprisingly clean. Alex went down the manhole first, at Henry's insistence. Then Loki followed after him. Henry went down next. Before Shina entered the manhole, she timidly took out her energy pistol and handed it to Mr. Norton. "Here, sir. Please hold this for me until I get back," she said. Mr. Norton just looked at her and smiled. "Miss Shina, please consider yourself a member of Henry's family. I know I do. So holster that nice pistol and get down there." Shina smiled appreciatively and descended the ladder. She found herself standing in a room made completely out of cement. The room was unadorned save for a huge security gate on one wall. Alex and Loki were waiting patiently while Henry punched in his security code on a pad on the gate. Meanwhile, a security guard on the other side of the gate was punching in the specific code that would allow the gate to recognize Henry's code. In a few seconds, everyone heard a loud "click", and then saw the security gate slowly swing open. "Welcome to the complex," said Henry to his guests with a smile as they entered, before walking inside himself. Meanwhile, the Lamias had formed a security barrier around the alley. One was even perched up on the brick wall to monitor the other side. Mr. Norton was going to ask them not to draw so much attention to themselves, but decided against it. [Neplesia] Operation Secret Treasure (Pt. 4) Cyber Eye 4/19/04 1:00 Behind the security gate, several guards greeted Henry and his guests. Once of the guards wore a cumbersome device over one of his eyes that could detect concealed weapons. He smiled and gestured for the group to proceed after briefly glancing over Alex and Loki. Shina, Alex, and Loki stared in disbelief as Henry led them through the large underground structure. The highest floor was reserved for public areas, such as a cafeteria, a library, a lounge, and even a gym. As they descended the stairs to the lower floors, them came upon many abandoned apartment rooms. From the dishevelled scenes inside most of them, it appeared that the residents left in a hurry. Soon, Henry led them to one of the few apartments that still had its front door closed. He knocked on it politely. "Who is it?" asked a suspicious female voice. "It's me, nai-nai," answered Henry. (Author's Note: "Nai-nai" means "grandmother" in colloquial Mandarin Chinese.) An elderly Chinese woman opened the door. She smiled warmly at Henry, allowed him and his friends inside, and led them to the living room of the small apartment. Henry found his grandfather sitting on a chair in the living room. The ravages of age were evident on the elderly Chinese man's face, yet he seemed to radiate a demeanour that was proud and dignified. On the floor in front of him, sat six large luggage cases, no doubt containing a lifetime of memories as well as the bare necessities of travel. "Grandpa," said Henry as he looked about the room with nostalgia, reluctance, and regret. "Time is short... We should go. I can introduce my friends to you back at the shuttle." "Nonsense..." Grandpa Chen spoke slowly, as if he had all the time in the world. He gestured for his guests to take their seats on the sofa. "I have always wanted to meet you, Dr. Fabriket. Both Henry and the media speak highly of you. And I haven't forgotten about you, Shina. In our correspondence, Henry speaks highly of you as well." Shina smiled and bowed before taking her seat on the sofa, next to Loki and Alex. Alex smiled uncomfortably in his seat, having never gotten used to his celebrity status, and would rather that people not remind him of it all the time. "Well, now that the pleasantries are out of the way, can we get out of here?" asked Henry. He felt increasingly impatient. Something was telling him that he was running out of time. "Actually, Henry, I was hoping that we could have a talk, while we are still in the place where you spent the most of your childhood... It's rather important," said his grandfather. "Well, what is it?" asked Henry. "It's about the jade that your grandmother gave you right before you left Neplesia... So I'll let her tell you," said Grandpa Chen as he smiled at his wife. Henry's grandmother had taken a seat on a chair next to the sofa. She nodded, turned to Henry, and began speaking to him in Chinese, for she had never quite gotten used to Geshrin. Thus, what she said was understood only by Henry and his grandfather. "First things first, Henry," she said. "Do you still carry the jade around with you?" "Of course, grandma," replied Henry in Chinese. He took out the lock-shaped charm out of his pocket and showed it to her, being only vaguely aware that what she said next would change his life forever. Expansion to new worlds Tasuki Uso 4/19/04 20:52 Several flashes of light brought forth hundreds of probes all over the Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies. Each one was targeted towards area's that had high amounts of FTL traffic, increased amounts of hyperspace activity or any other thing that would give away the presence of an advanced civilization. Their broadcast was a repeating message using several methods all the way from radio to hyperspace tap. "Hello?" They all transmitted, in many different languages and vernaculars. A short pause would follow as the probes waited for a response and then rebroadcast their transmissions. The goal was not to hunt for planets that would be suitable for life, but to search for the life itself. As a result the probes would undoubtedly run into all sorts of stellar phenomenon, wars, and perhaps into ships. But the risk was worth taking when weighed against the benefits. The smooth, long, teardrop shaped probes began to orient themselves to the surrounding areas. Beginning low resolution scans of the area and bringing themselves into steady orbits around any large source of gravity they might have run into. The probes came in a variety of colours and locations but they all had one thing in common, the letters QIS printed in bold green letters on the side. The appearance of such probes in a time of peril for the Andromedan Galactic Empire was addressed with a jump. Nearly every probe had a signal sent to it telling it to 'Return home or be destroyed'. The probes were completely unauthorized, but they had easily been traced to their origins. This wanton spying most likely would not be met with open arms. Some of the factions were likely to destroy the probes instantly, as the Rix had done. The Mutagen within their space captured the probes and began to infest them, find out where they were from and what they were for.. Their origins were from a different universe entirely, but even if any of the races possessed the technology to go there they would find that it was completely devoid of almost all energy and matter, just a blank void. The Mutagen, once they had breached the probes outer shell, were met with a rush of compressed gasses. This quickly destroyed all of the equipment inside as the explosive decompression occurred. The probes were seen as expendable and sense they had no way of actually returning from where they came, they remained and continued to broadcast. "Hostilities are regrettable. Will you agree to a exchange of cultural information?" The probes broadcast back in the same manner that the 'Return home or be destroyed' message was sent. This universe was clearly hostile, however there is always profit in conflict. -------elsewhere------- Within five seconds of the initial movement, Re'Hash Sensor Arrays pick up several Unidentified, and unscheduled Objects entering their territory and moving into High Populated Civil Traveling Areas. Three Nimbus Frigates uncloak, Immediately blocking the Probes Path and hailing them. "WARNING: Unidentified Vessels, You are violating the Closed Border Act, Identify yourselves and your purpose for being here. Failure to compromise within ten minutes results in your immediate Removal..." The Three Frigates remained 100km apart and had Anti-Flight (Corvette and down) weapons on; An immediate Live broadcast of the Probes was linked to the Military Headquarters within the next system. A Single Myri II Cruiser now exited Hyperspace above the Three Smaller Vessels below it. The Myri Cruisers was substantially larger than the Frigates, with a wider variety and number of Weapons Batteries Strategically Scattered around the hull, currently concealed, but that could change at any moment. "Well sir I think we got their attention." said one of the comm. officers inside the command bunker for the exploratory units. His CO and a group of other logistics and tech staff started to move about in a flurry of activity. The entire room was busy preparing for a first contact situation on several fronts as this new universe was explored. The probes started to leave the system but all they had were very simple manoeuvring thrusters and no real FTL systems. "We will remove ourselves from this system as soon as possible. Is it possible to establish real time negotiations with your people?" The probes responded Back at the command post for this operation, relevant data and tactics were being generated for the negotiator that would carry out talks if at all possible. Data was also being received and analysed by the probes to generate a military threat index as well as a sketchy Intel on fleet size, distribution, and economic capability. Upon searching, they would find that this race was of the Largest in the Galaxy, Military and Population, though their tech was not as large as their ego was. Immediately the Ships transmit Coordinates for a meeting, and to ignore the Military Presence. The Re'Hash sensed War, and once again were not going to be the ones caught off guard, these new beings could prove to be valuable Allies. "Meet here whenever you like, We have transmitted into your Probes a special encrypted code which you should send to the Border Stations upon your arrival, so you may pass and arrive with little delay." In the background of the Four ships Two large Fleets move slowly from the four ships right to their left, a huge swarm of Fighters around them, even more hidden underneath the gigantic Shadow it produces, eclipsing them from the bright Star off in the distance. Soon, a new ship was dispatched to the area, entering in a bright flash of light. The ship was Kieru class. It had a tear dropped shape that was broken in the centre by a large rectangular storage area that protruded from the sides and bottom of the ship. The ship quickly came into this universe on a trajectory that would take it right to the meeting point. Its sleek, bright blue, form slid through the void at sub light speeds. Upon reaching the boarder stations it broadcast the appropriate encrypted codes and continued onward. It requested permission to dock with whatever ship would be conducting the negotiations. Once it got clearance the single occupant of the ship would board, leaving the kireu alone. No major sensor blocking devices were in place but they apparently weren't to concerned about giving up the secrets of this class of ship as it was fairly outdated and didn't use any real military hardware. ----------within Ixari Space----------- An Ixari vessel lingered within its own bubble of unauthorization. Every single faction of the AGE had been effectively locked out of the vessels vicinity under law, the Ixari ship conducting private Ixari research. Directly before the giant sleek vessel sat a dimensional pocket, within it cleverly trapped one of the probes which had recently entered the area. The probe was shut down, insanely advanced Ixari planckonite droids invading its programming, assimilating and feeding upon the data it had collected, and the data it used to return the information to its origin. The origin of the probe had been a mystery for some time, but now had been traced. It was not as unreachable as the Ixari had believed. An insanely complicated mathematical equation had been created over the past few days and trial tested with small Ixari probes. They had effectively exited the universe and entered the universe in which this new race resided, and then returned. Operating on full capacity, the subspace colliers deep within the shell of the Ixari vessel powered dimensional distortion fields which allowed the ship to slide into alternate dimensional plains. Sucking up vast amounts of energy, the Ixari ship slickly cruised into the dimension where this brash new race resided. Slip drives brought them within their territory, and a message was launched. "We are the Ixari, hailing from the universe you recently invaded with your prying unwelcome probes. We have come to hold talks with you on behalf of our policy, and how displeased we are with your actions. We employed similar ways in the past but have learned such spying is filthy and disgusting, an invasion of a nations privacy. I hope you see our means." What they believed to be the home universe of the Qelnoran Industrial Sector was actually a small pocket universe, virtually devoid of matter and energy, with a single small relay station enclosed inside of it. The highly advanced sensors detected the Ixari ships arrival long before it entered and quickly began switching over to new relay stations to handle the probe communications traffic. By the time their ship had arrived the communications system was scrambled beyond any hope of tracing. "Greetings, My name is Sakura," said a cheery looking girl dressed in a form fitting pajama like uniform, "Your complaint with our scanning hardware has been registered with the public relations department and a representative can be with you shortly if you have any further questions about our services or capabilities. Have a nice day." The relayed communication then stopped and the small relay station burnt out all of its operating systems. ------At the Re'Hash meeting point---------- The Planet Rumbles slightly as scanners would show an increased movement of Fleets and Ultra fortresses around this system. The Re'Hash and QIS officials sat in an elegantly room lit from small openings high above them, almost as if they were floating orbs. "We would like to Personally greet you to Andromeda, in a friendly manner, as our Evil Ixari Neighbours have done not. We advise you to stay clear of them from now on, unless you plan to pound them into a bloody pulp... Now, to start off the meeting we would like to offer hospitality for you and anyone else that might make the journey to our Universe. We have given you the locations of our Allies, the Hethwian, Forsaken, and Bejor Empires. Though we suggest to prevent further conferment you allow us to give word to them in your place, we do not wish any harm to you or anyone else for that matter. Also my Leaders wish to establish a firm Trade Agreement with the QIS, and a Strategic Military Alliance, it is your choice whether you enter this war or not, but just think about the Trillions of people you would be guaranteeing Freedom from the Infected, rotten Ixari scum, who have baffled the Consortium, and caused us to punish them for their actions, and by agreeing to this SMA we can make the Ixari Pay for their Crimes against the Races of Andromeda..." The single girl who sat before the Re'Hash was a lot more than she put on. A high level scan would show that she was communicating with her ship and those communications were being relayed back to a relay station in another universe. "The trade agreement," She said, "Will allow untaxed trade between our peoples until a time in which a tax is agreed upon by both parties. It would also forbid you to trade with other corporations from our home universe without our permission." The girl reached into a side pocket on her uniform and produced a small scroll from it, taking a moment to lay it out on the table. It contained what she had just said in legal documentation. "We would like to enter into a strategic military alliance however QIS can not do so without approval from our government. Instead we will provide you with military advisors and hardware to be used should the need arise," She said, knowing full well the need had arisen, "You would then be obligated to use these forces to come to our aid should we need it. Are these terms acceptable?" She asked. The girl stood, smiled and bowed politely. "We too look forward to working with you. The equipment will be delivered shortly and we will be constructing a customer service facility in the area set aside on Yu'Yeni'Slav." Shortly was a bit of an understatement. Three Anteaus class battleships, The Mitharis, The Reaper, and The Caldorin had Transported themselves into the system along with an escort of 65 Wazu 4 class destroyers, all of which were unscrewed. "I would like to stay as close to your Emperor if at all possible. It would make talks between our peoples easier." [Yu'Yeni'Slav] Build! Tasuki Uso 4/24/04 14:44 A series of Keiru class ships started making their appearance over Yu'Yeni'Slav. A few hours after midnight the first four ships reached the surface of the planet. These modified ships carried the label of 'Qel'noran Construction' printed in large bold green letters against the dark blue background of the ship's hull. The formed a perfect square formation just 15 feet above the ground and 29 yards from each other. Instead of the large cargo bay, these ships carried a large under slung piece of equipment. A force fiend was projected down through the ground and a series of small zero point energy devices were detonated. The ships then broke formation and flew off, leaving a perfect square hole in the ground. As these ships pulled away from the planet another one was already on its way. It took up station where the other ships were and dumped a large amount of Nanomachines into the ground. A second ship flew in right behind it and dropped in a large amount of raw materials. The Nanomachines started to cause the materials to solidify at the bottom of the hole. Another ship then flew in, carrying with it an odd series of metal beams attached to the sides of the ship. These slid off the craft and were guided into the corners of the hole, creating a set of metal supports that extended a good deal above the ground that were held in place by the solidifying Nanomachines. Over the next few hours a series of ships would fly in, each with a load of pre-fabricated walls. These walls clipped into the support beams and slid down, assembling like legos to create a structure. Additional ships would bring in pre fabricated floor units and slide them down into the hole. Before daybreak QnC had built an entire facility inside of the area set aside for them on Yu'Yeni'Slav. [QnL, 4th fleet] Mining Tasuki Uso 4/25/04 20:59 A series of modified QIS ships teleported into existence on the outskirts of an asteroid field. The ten ships spread out over the field and started moving into it while keeping their distance from other ships in the area. With them were two cloaked Wakazashi class frigates, each carrying a full compliment of attack craft. A series of small pods detached from each of the craft bringing up an automated sensor grid in the area that checked asteroid density and composition. The series of ships moved in close to the asteroids and attached a small tag. The entire block of matter was then teleported out of that universe. The ships continued to quick mine the area under the supervision of the two frigates. [Neplesia] Operation Secret Treasure (Pt. 5) Cyber Eye 5/1/04 2:19 Henry's grandmother gently took the jade from Henry's hands, and held it affectionately. "This piece of jade has been in our family for many generations. Have you ever wondered why it is shaped like a lock?" Henry nodded. He had been asking himself that question ever since he received it, twelve long years ago. "It is a marriage token," said Henry's grandmother. She smiled as she saw Henry's puzzled expression. "It used to be such a common Chinese tradition, really, but now I think few families beside us practice it..." "In ancient times, a jade in the shape of a lock is given to each son in the family. When the family has found a suitable match for one of their sons, the girl is given a piece of jade in the shape of a key, as a token of the two family's union. The jades are believed to be good luck charms that protected the boy and the girl until they were of marriageable age, so that they could marry, and continue their families' bloodlines." "Nowadays, the boy is given the jade key when he came of age, so that he could choose for himself who he wishes to marry, and when. And now, Henry..." Henry's grandmother's voice wavered as bittersweet feelings swept through her heart. She could still remember the day she handed the jade key to her eldest son, Henry's father, like it was yesterday. How quickly time passes! Would she still be here to do this for Henry's children? "Grandma, you okay?" Henry's hand was on her arm. His voice sounded very concerned. "I'm fine, Henry," his grandmother managed to smile again as she shook off the dusty webs of memory. "And now, Henry... I hand the key to you. It belongs to you and no one else. Choose for yourself the life that you want to live, and who to live it with. All that your family wants from you is for you to be happy." And with those words, the jade lock slipped back into Henry's hands, along with a piece of jade shaped like a key. "When you wish to propose marriage, Henry," his grandfather continued in an authoritative tone, in Chinese, "just give the lucky girl the jade key... and a ring, if you are into that sort of thing..." "Thanks... Grandma, grandpa... I don't know what to say," stammered Henry in his imperfect Chinese. "I'm not finished," replied his grandfather. "If anything should ever happen to us," Grandpa Chen gestured to himself and his wife, "it will be up to you to continue this family tradition... if you wish, of course. We don't want to force anything on you." Henry nodded slowly, but then smiled and shook his head. "Nothing will happen to you guys. I'm here to make sure of that," he said in Geshrin so that everyone could understand him. Just then, alarms in the complex, along with a data pad in one of Henry's pockets, began bleeping loudly. Henry took out the data pad just in time to hear the audio message. The voice was that of one of the Lamia pilots stationed outside. "We got trouble, sir," said the calm and cool voice as an apparent gunfight raged in the background of the audio. [OOC Cultural Note: People did kept jades as good luck charms in ancient China, but I made up the part about the locks and keys. The inspiration / symbolism came from a very famous Chinese novel called Red Tower Dream.] [Neplesia] Operation Secret Treasure (Pt. 6) Cyber Eye 6/12/04 4:08 "How many of them?" Henry asked Shina, raising his voice over the loud alarm bleeps that were resonating throughout the building. Shina seemed to stare into empty space as she telepathically communicated with the Lamias fighting outside. "Eight of them... armed only with antiquated rifles and submachine guns... We are making quick work of them... Only five left now. I guess they weren't expecting us to be here." "It's a distraction," said Henry's grandfather as he stood up and reached inside his jacket. A small black pistol was soon shining in his hand. Henry shook his head and smiled. Only a former Neplesian policy captain could be so paranoid. That was when he heard a loud "thump" coming from the vent in the ceiling. Every ninja knows that, for old, underground buildings, the giant ventilation ducts were the easiest entry points when one wants to be stealthy. This one, being a very experienced assassin, was no different. What the poor guy did not expect when he tumbled out of the vent and onto the floor, however, was having two very angry nekos staring down upon him. A very impressive-looking martial arts battle ensued. Luckily for the assassin, neither Shina nor Loki had much formal training. Nevertheless, few humans could stand up to two nekos and live to tell the tale, and this one was slowly but surely being overwhelmed. Meanwhile, both Henry and his grandfather had their pistols trained upon the assassin, trying to get a clear shot. Alex escorted Henry's grandmother to another room, but soon returned. "How about a friendly wager, Henry? Over whether my Loki or your Shina would deal the killing blow?" When the reply came in the form of a very stern look, Alex was content to sit down and watch the fight. Finally, Shina dealt a roundhouse kick to the assassin's head, sending him flying. Just before a bullet from Grandpa Chen's pistol would pierce the assassin's skull, however, the assassin let fly a dart-shaped, poison-laced shuriken, hoping to at least do some damage before his inevitable demise. Henry's luck being what it was, the shuriken headed straight for him. Before Henry's brief and pathetically uneventful life could flash before his eyes, however, Shina made a backward leap and caught the dart with her body. If her neko immune system could express human emotions and gestures, it would have pointed and laughed at the poison before neutralizing it. Nevertheless, Shina found herself in Henry's arms, and suffering from a very serious wound to her stomach. Even though the alarm had been turned off some time back, the sight of the dead body of the assassin quickly reminded the group that they had over-stayed their welcome on the planet. Within a few minutes, Henry's grandparents had carried their luggage to the entrance of the complex, with a lot of help from Alex and Loki. There, they found the Lamias and a few security guards from the complex standing over the bodies of several street thugs. The Lamias looked hardly damaged and seemed to be very proud of themselves. The security guards were looking at them with a bit of awe. Meanwhile, Henry had helped Shina to the entrance by gently supporting her with his shoulder as she walked, and was reminded of how Shina had helped him in the same way after that EMP incident. Now that all of the complex's residents have left, the security guards begin placing explosive charges inside the underground structure. They also made a very discreet, heavily coded phone call, after which all data regarding the existence of the complex begin disappearing from the government's computer mainframes. Just as Henry was ready to leave with his grandparents and friends, however, he saw a Neplesian girl coming up to him from across the deserted street, gingerly stepping over the dead bodies of the thugs as she walked. "Weren't you even gonna say goodbye to me, Henry?" [Ralfaris] Planning Tasuki Uso 6/12/04 18:25 Every ship available to QIS (with the exception of a Wakazashi out on training exercise) was now arrayed at Ralfaris's new location or in tactical reserve. The surviving ships would know be known as the Qel'noran Spacy. New objectives for the organization would be created and Ralfaris would prosper once again but for the moment defence was top priority. "Well that nearly concludes the withdraw from that universe" Sijik commented to himself as he paced around the planning room. "But we aren't out of the fire yet," James interjected, "Knowing Yui she won't settle for anything less than total victory. Knowing Irim she will throw everything she has at our front door. We don't have to worry about advanced tactics or special ops, that was wolf's department. As for special tricks" "I know, that is what you did while you were Taisho." Sijik said as he looked over the holographic projections. "So we should prepare for them attacking the planet here?" Sijik asked. "Of course, Irim seems to have just found out that their beloved PANTHEON has no control over Genisis or Seigi and the different properties of this place should give us some natural protection from massed legacy cannon strikes as long as inhibitors are activated." "I don't like it, there can be no victory without an attack," Sijik said. "That part is simple, we can duplicate the same strategy we used on the SMX. Irim is foolish when she commits forces." "We need to disrupt their command on Yamtai." Said Sijik "Well...I don't have anything for that" James said. "Its alright, I know just the thing." Sijik started to show that he wasn't the only man capable of planning 7 steps ahead... On Yamatai, another back up plan started to go into effect. A once chaotic group of freedom fighters now had the power to make a difference, albeit a small one. There were a few Qelnorans that were on this planet when the incident began and even a few nekos who had joined the cause of their own free will. Each released a small vial of silvery material into the atmosphere of the planet. It was virtually undetectable and the results of their actions would probably go undetected for years, or until they were called upon again. Meanwhile the QIS tried to contact the Draconian league, Maybe they were interested in the orders directly from Yui to build ships for the Jaaq'tah... [Neplesia] Operation Secret Treasure (Pt. 7) Cyber Eye 6/15/04 4:44 The sun was slowly setting as the girl approached the group with her hands hidden behind her back. Shina examined her closely. The girl looked to be around Henry's age. She was plain-looking by Nekovalkyrja standards, but a human would have noted that she was, in fact, quite pretty. She wore an expensive-looking Chinese dress, made of fine light green silk and bearing elaborate decorative stitching. Her hair was tied into a ponytail with a jewel-encrusted leather band. Her black combat boots look very out of place with the rest of her clothing, but was understandable considering that she was walking on streets that were in a perpetual state of disrepair. "I would be surprised if the forgetful little brat still remembers you," grunted Henry's grandfather. A quick jab to the ribs from Henry's grandmother prevented him from commenting further. "Of course I still remember her, grandpa. How could I forget a childhood friend? Guys," answered Henry as he turned to Shina, Alex, and Loki, "I'd like to introduce you to Jade. I've known her for as long as I can remember. Jade, I'm sure you've seen Alex and Loki on TV somewhere. Shina here is my... assistant." "Wait a minute. Jade? The Jade?" asked Alex excitedly, "The Jade that..." A quick jab to the ribs from Loki prevented him from commenting further. "You haven't answered my question," said Jade with a smile on her lips. "Of course, and I must apologize," answered Henry, "for I was, and still am, quite pressed for time, and did not plan on visiting you." Jade nodded. "I understand, as I've heard about your grandparents'... predicament. However, there's something that I must speak with you about, in private, it's... important." "Yeah. 'Important' seems to be the word of the day," replied Henry. He then turned to Alex, "Alex, please escort my grandparents and Shina to the shuttles. The Lamias will know the way. Then go and visit your family. Tell them Henry said hi. I must thank you, and apologize. I have gotten you more involved in this than I ever intended to." "Don't worry about it, Henry. Hey, we are family too, in a way," said Alex as he pointed to his cuff links. The design upon them was almost too small to see, but squinting his eyes, Henry saw the crest of the Triple Black Diamonds. Henry nodded gratefully, and then turned to his assistant. "Shina, since we can't all fit into the 'kitty', once you guys reach the shuttle, take off for the ship, and send the shuttle back for me once it gets there." "Aye, sir. I'll leave two Lamias behind to guard you." "How's your stomach?" "I feel fine, sir." "Nevertheless, have Meemeel take a look at your when you get back to the ship." Shina nodded to Henry, and then to Alex. The group began walking toward the shuttles, a couple of blocks away. Henry stayed behind with Jade, along with two Lamias. Meanwhile, the security guards had finished placing the explosives. They were now gathered around the manhole in the alley, rigging up the detonator. A heavily armoured police van had driven up, which would take them back to headquarters once their job here was done. Four gun turrets were on top of the van. "So..." Henry said Jade after watching his friends and grandparents walk away, "What was so important that you had to tell me in person? I know you can handle yourself, but you know as well as I do that this isn't exactly a very safe neighbourhood, even by Neplesian standards." "Let's talk in our native language," replied Jade in Chinese as she stared warily at Henry's Lamia guards. "What I am about to say if for your ears only." [Neplesia] Operation Secret Treasure (Pt. 8) Cyber Eye 6/18/04 2:28 "Okay..." Henry replied with a smile, quite satisfied with himself for having used a phrase that sounds the same in every known language. Jade ignored his smile and simply continued. "Henry, when you called me your 'childhood friend' back there, did you mean it?" "Of course," replied Henry without hesitation. "What makes you think that I didn't?" "Well, it's just that... when we were kids, you and the other boys teased me a lot..." Henry looked away, embarrassed. "Yeah. I guess we did. But we were just stupid little kids back then, Jade. We didn't know any better. You were the only girl our age that we knew, and we were all a bit scared of you, I think." "Did any of you guys... like me?" Henry chuckled nervously. He really didn't want to tell her, but she deserved an answer. "Yeah. Every single one of us has had a crush on you by the time I was 9." "Really?" asked Jade. She was obviously surprised. Henry looked in her eyes and nodded. Through his remaining organic eye, Jade saw the faded signs of a young love that was no longer there, having been completely obliterated by the many crushes Henry has had since he left Neplesia. "Henry, I... I'm engaged to Captain Anderson. We are getting married in six months." "Really? The local police captain? Congratulations. Grandpa speaks highly of him." Jade mentally rallied her resolve before saying what she said next. The whole thing had really gotten out of her control, and she hated it when that happens. "Henry... I think... I think that I still have feelings for you. I mean... I know that you named your ship after me. I... Before I do this, I need to know whether there is still a chance between us..." Henry froze. Somewhere in his psyche, where the most horrific of nightmares, fears, and regrets were filed away, an old memory was awakened: the first and only time he rejected a girl. He has secretly hated himself ever since, for doing something so horrible to another human being, even though he knew in his heart that it had to be done. And now, he had to do it again. "Jade, I..." but he needed not to continue. The look in his eyes said it all. "It's that... that thing, isn't it? I saw the way you looked at her... looked at it." Jade's voice was now cold and vengeful. "Leave Shina out of this..." Henry said with downcast eyes. Jade's hands moved from their position behind her back to reveal what she held. If she could not have him, no one would. When Henry looked up again, he found himself staring down the barrel of a GP-3 9mm heavy ceramic pistol. The Lamias calmly levelled their arm-mounted pulse cannons at her, waiting for the slightest sign of hesitation from her to fire their deadly payloads. The security guards were just about to activate the detonator when they noticed the little situation developing on the sidewalk ten yards away. Their training told them to point their guns at Jade, but not one of them could bring himself to even put his hand on the holster. And Henry knew why. "Lower your weapons, soldiers," said Lieutenant Chen, resplendent in his the green YSA uniform and custom-made black cape, which glowed red from the setting sun. "But sir..." one of the Lamias protested. "Do it. That's a direct order. Do either of you have any idea how many Neplesian females are born for every one thousand Neplesian males? Well? Do you?" Slowly, the Lamias lowered their cannons. "You can't really kill me, you know?" said Henry as his eyes met Jade's. Jade smiled and pulled the trigger, over and over again. [Neplesia, YSS Jade] Operation Secret Treasure (Pt. 9) Cyber Eye 6/22/04 2:32 Henry closed his eyes and waited for the end. Over the deafening sounds of the pistol shots, he heard the bullets scream as they went by his ears. Then, he heard the awkward clicks of an empty gun being fired. Slowly, Henry opened his eyes. He was still staring down the barrel of the GP-3, and Jade was still repeatedly pulling the trigger, only no more bullets fired from the pistol. Eleven spent shell casings were scattered about their feet. Ten bullets were lodged in the wall of the abandoned building behind Henry, each of them having missed Henry's head by less than an inch. Tears were streaming down Jade's eyes, and her face with lit red by both the setting sun and a scorned woman's fury. Henry looked at her once more in the eyes, and smiled awkwardly. He knew that Jade had been a skilled marksman ever since she was a little girl, and that he should have been dead by now, whether he had been one yard or fifty yards away from her. Yes, he would have been dead, if Jade really wished it in her heart. "Damn it!" Jade yelled as she suddenly swung the pistol at Henry's face. Henry instinctively raised his cybernetic right hand to shield his face. The barrel of the pistol deflected harmlessly off of the Terrainium coating of his hand, and the gun went flying out of Jade's hand. It hit the pavement with an ominous cracking sound. The barrel of the gun had been broken in two. As Henry put his hand down again, he saw Jade running away from him, in the direction of the red setting sun. He watched her quietly. "Farewell, Mrs. Anderson. I hope..." A sudden pain flared up in Henry's left shoulder. He looked down to where the pain was, and saw the hole on his shoulder where the eleventh bullet entered, and blood streaming out of it. "Hey! She shot me!" Henry exclaimed as he collapsed. One of the Lamias caught him mid-fall. A first aid kit was quickly brought out of the heavily armoured van. Mr. Norton had, with the help of his co-workers and the Lamias, slowed the bleeding down to a trickle, when two more Lamias and Shina came running up to them. They had turned around when they heard the gunshots. After Henry assured her that he was going to be fine, Shina radioed the shuttles, telling them to go ahead and take off. She then helped Henry to his feet, as he argued with Mr. Norton over whether it would be indiscreet to press charges against the police captain's fiancé. After bidding the security guards farewell, the wounded couple, along with four Lamia guards, began making their way toward the landing pads. They felt the ground beneath them tremble ever so slightly, as the security guards detonated the explosives, making what was once secret complex nothing more than an underground rubble heap. Looking over his shoulders as he walked, Henry was able to catch a glimpse of the armoured van driving away. Two shuttles could be seen flying overhead, one headed for another part of the planet, the other headed for orbit. Half an hour and an uneventful shuttle ride later, Henry was in the Jade's medical bay, where Meemeel quickly downgraded his bullet wound to a barely noticeable spot of discoloration on his shoulder. By this time, Alex had returned from his trip, and had offered to give Henry's grandparents a free ride back to the Chen family's estate on Yamatai. Henry found himself in the Jade's shuttle bay, giving his grandmother one last hug before she would board Alex's shuttle. "She loves you, you know?" Henry's grandmother whispered to Henry as she hugged him. "Huh?" "The girl with the green eyes," she continued to whisper in Chinese as she released him from the hug. "Believe me, I'm old enough to be able to tell these things... Try not to hurt her." "... Yes, nai-nai." "Come on, woman. We don't have all day, you know?" Henry's grandfather grumbled in Geshrin as he poked his head out of Alex's shuttle. But his stern expression softened as his gaze fell upon Henry. "Take care of yourself, Henry, all right?" "Yes, grandpa... Have a safe trip," said Henry, as he silently watched his grandmother, the woman who had cared for him for half of his childhood, board the shuttle. "Bye Henry!" yelled Alex from the pilot's seat. "Okay, woman," he then said to Loki, imitating Grandpa Chen's voice, "set a course for Yamatai." This managed to get an uncharacteristically good-natured chuckle out of Henry's grandfather. Loki, who was at the co-pilot's seat, rolled her eyes as she complied. Henry waved at Alex's shuttle from across the force field as it sailed out of the Jade's shuttle bay and off into the black of space. [OOC Note: Wes, want me to transfer the whole story to the new boards? Anyway, in the future, my story posts would be posted to the new boards.]