Jaaqtaah Alliance
Member
Posts: 1
(2/1/03 10:05 pm)
The scene unfolds, the ignition of an engine flares with illuminesence as the behemoth black hull begins to inch from the docking bay.
"The trials are over, my emperor - the operation was a success."
The young, smooth skinned reptillian just continued to look into the floating graphic display. "My father was a pathetic creature." Two filmy lids slid beneath this exterior skin and blinked slowly, feeding his deep topaz hued eyes as he began to remember the past.
His father, his emperor, had been captured - stolen from his position of greatness and forced into a sentence of weakness, of loss. He had lost all honor with himself and jeapordized the honor that his family had when he uttered the agreement to the cease-fire, filling the society with doubt and anger regardless of his begging of the denizens to believe that he didn't agree to it. He undermined the pride of a great species when he gave into those worthless monkies. And in his begging against conviction, he too realized what he had done and would not shame his family more. It was with the spilling of royal blood that titles changed hand, the only thing that could have been done and sanctified his place in the here-after as well as his son's position on the throne. A new dynasty was created with the first drop of blood from his severed abdomen. And while Xaassla depised his father for the mockery he had erected, he was determined and honor bound to settle the score with those who had touched one of noble blood. Many have died for less.
A smile crept along his maw as his eyes looked at the Slaakanesh Command Ship before him. It would be with these that victory would be his and the heretical draconian league, mocking by their very title, would cease to exist. Turning, he walked away down a lit cooridor - returning to his chambers and allowing his Admirals to play with their toys.
There would be no where to run, nor to hide from the vengence the Sakkras would unleash upon those who had defiled and disrespected not only them but the entire galaxy. He would be patient though, knowing better to wait for the most opportune moment in order to deal them swift justice for their unhonorable methods and unreconcible actions of the past and present.
-Meanwhile-
A portion of what appeared to be a small fragmented asteroid was floating in the north east quadrant of the galaxy - travelling in the velocity and vector from which it would have splintered. Deep into space it had went and deeper still it would go. A very dim blue haze emitted from the minerals in place throughout the meteroid. Little could any expect the true nature, or any nature, of the object. It's closet planet of proximity, in the direction it was heading: Fieras
"Shall I set the coordinates, Captain?"
The Iquanian's neck ruffled a bit as his thin arm rested along the arm-rest of the seat he was in. He allowed himself to contemplate regarding the best time for arrival. "Prepare the coordinates but do not commence in activating the drive engine. We are to wait until everyone here has finished their patrol before the games begin. Besides, the effort will be useless if we are not all primed to destroy if we go now. We'll wait until the time is ready"
The subordinate nodded, shortly disappointed until smirking when he saw the coordinates instantly arrive on the interface in front of him.. He knew these coordinates from the last time and had knew this planet well as he witnessed the orbital bombardment of it's 'precious' inhabitants. "...Fieras..." It warmed his heart significantly to know that he would have the chance to replicate the damage and maybe even this time destroy the entire planet or enslave the population.
Fade
(OOC - I would have seriously written more but at the moment, I am feeling terrible and will continue with intensity tomorrow. -M)
Edited by: Derran Tyler at: 2/21/03 9:14:46 pm
Derran Tyler
CINC-NDI
Posts: 49
(2/2/03 12:08 am)
Act I, Scene 2: A Time for Sacrifice..... "Your war in the Ayenee Prime system was a stunning success, Prime Minister," said the Alkaran diplomat, Kw'tan, dressed in rather flamboyant attire that any human would say was indicative of a homosexual. Kw'tan was a member of the Alkari, a bird-like race hailing from the Earth-like world of Stallaz in the Galactic South. "You shall surely gain re-election to office with this latest victory."
Prime Minister Alexander Edwards nodded to his Alkaran comrade with a smile. Alexander Edwards was the Prime Minister of the Nerimian Confederation, the official government that united all of Humanity under a single banner. He had come into office under perhaps the most dire of circumstances when the previous Prime Minister, Thomas Boyle, was assassinated in 2061. As a member of the right-wing Unification Party, Edwards was a staunch supporter of the Confederation's military, the Nerimian Defense Initiative. While left-wing and moderate members of the Progressive Party accused him of being in the pocket of military megacorporations such as Phoenix Corporation and Argus Macrotechnologies, the subsequent attacks from the Ayenee Space Coalition during the War of 2062 quickly silenced all dissenters. His support for Cameron Blackblade's Titan Programs gained him the label as the NDI's best political ally. Yet, though it all, most considered him a puppet ruler installed by the NDI.
"If it were only that simple," mused Alex in reply. "The people are so used to military victory that it's not even something they consider when voting these days. It's gotten to the point where a victory helps my numbers very little but a defeat would send them to abysmall depths."
"Complacency," replied Kw'tan, shaking his yellow-feathered head slowly. "You Humans are a fascinating race, I must say. In the most dire of circumstances, you seem to rally against impossible odds, but during the best of times, you let your guard down."
Alex knew the Alkaran was indeed correct on that note. Not since the Zentraedi holocaust had Humanity been truly threatened during a war. Even when the Ayenee Space Coalition penetrated into the Sol system, they were so thoroughly crushed by Admiral Fugisawa's 2nd Fleet that the citizens were never under any direct threat. An aura of invincibility had swept over the populace as the economy had experienced an unprecedented boom as the result of expansion into the Cygni Sector.
"My people are prepared for war at any time," replied Alex somewhat defensively. "The NDI is at an unprecedented level of readiness."
"Perhaps you mean arrogance, Mr. Edwards, with all due respect," replied Kw'tan with what appeared to be a smirk. Because the Alkari had little or no facial expression, most body language was seen through the eyes. Kw'tan's brilliant emerald eyes narrowed and focused upon Alex as he spoke. "Your military is certainly powerful, but they won't be able to fight the threats of the future by themselves. Your victories during the Civil War were certainly impressive, but that was in the past. Logistically and physically, your forces are ready, but are they ready mentally? The battles of the Civil War are firmly etched in the minds of the rest of us, but you forget that suffering on the part of your people was nonexistant."
Alex frowned at that comment. "The NDI is ready for war at all levels, Ambassador. Operation: Tourniquet was completed with very few complications. Humanity knows just as much about pain and sacrifice as the rest of you."
Kw'tan chuckled softly, closing his eyes before looking away from the Human leader. "We shall see. We shall see..."
Derran Tyler
CINC-NDI
Posts: 50
(2/2/03 11:39 am)
Act I, Scene 3 - Child of the Phoenix Alicia Clark woke to strange sounds that could only be coming from one thing: cartoons. This had become a Saturday morning ritual. Young Christopher, or Topher, as he was called by most of his peers, was six. The days of him calling for her when he woke up were gone. In a strange way, she missed it. He was always at his best in the morning, affectionate and cuddly. She preferred the extra hour of sleep on Saturdays, but every once in a while, she wouldn't mind having to get out of bed and rub his back and kiss him until he was ready to get out from under the covers. He was too old for that stuff now, he had told her. He had an independent streak that no doubt had come from Clark herself.
She sat up in bed and swung her feet onto the floor. The bedside clock told her it was 7:58. Clark was simple in most regards. Her pajamas for as long as she could remember were either flannel pants or boxers and whatever T-shirt happened to be available. She was thin, maybe too thin. It wasn't intentional; she just wasn't a big eater.
In the bathroom, she turned on the water and pulled her straight brown hair into a ponytail. After scrubbing her face with a washcloth and soap for a good three minutes, she brushed her teeth and went down the hall to find Topher right where she thought he'd be--sitting four eet in front of the TV in his pajamas, completely entranced by the superheroes blowing buildings apart. Instead, she found Billy sitting next to a tall, dark-haired man wearing the dark navy blue uniform of a NDI Spacy officer.
Alicia felt a chill run through her body as she recognized the visage of the man sitting next to her son.
Our son, she corrected herself.
"Cameron?" said Alicia finally, her voice visibly shaken by his sudden appearance. Suddenly Alicia felt cold and hugged herself with her arms in an attempt to warm herself.
Cameron turned to see Alicia standing there in the hallway in her pajamas. A arrogant smirk came across his face as he rubbed Topher's head and hopped to his feet, walking over to Clark with that typical military swagger. "I know I should have knocked, but young Topher said it would be fine."
Cameron stood a good six feet, three inches tall -- far taller than Alicia's 5'4" frame. Alicia felt dwarfed by his towering height, but she kept her composure. Cameron always seemed to be able to rattle the otherwise stone cold Special Forces commander with his presence alone.
"Is that so?" said Alicia in an elevated voice, looking past Cameron and towards Topher who was nosily listening in. Upon hearing his mother's voice, he immediately locked up and pretended he was watching the television. Alicia redirected her attention to Cameron, who had for some reason intruded upon her home. "Why are you here?"
"I thought I'd pay a visit, is that so much of a crime?" he said. "Just a friendly visit, that's all."
Alicia looked at Cameron skeptically. Over the years she had learned to look though his 'friendly visit' excuse. "Yeah, right. I suspected you wanted things to get real friendly..."
"My mind isn't always in the gutter, Alicia," replied Cameron curtly.
Alicia scoffed and motioned for Cameron to follow her to the kitchen. Cameron placed both hands in his pockets and followed the woman into the kitchen where Topher couldn't overhear their every word.
"Cameron, why are you really here?" asked Alicia, expecting a serious answer from Cameron.
Cameron decided to cut through the bullshit for a moment. "...I wanted to see you. I've missed you - a lot."
Alicia looked away from Cameron and folded her arms over her chest. "You're the one that left me, Cameron. To go back to your wife and daughter, remember?"
"I had to try and make it work with them, Alicia," he said defensively. He was prepared to say more but Alicia cut him off abruptly.
"So now that it didn't work, you're running back to me?" replied Alicia with a frown. Caramel-colored eyes practically stared daggers at Cameron. Hell hath no fury...
"No, it's not like that at all," replied Cameron. "I just wanted to see you. I don't want anything else from you."
"Well, you've seen me," replied Alicia sharply.
Cameron decided to shift the focus of the topic slightly. He motioned with his right hand towards the living room. "...The kid..."
"Topher," responded Alicia coldly. "My son."
"So, you found someone else, I see," said Cameron, nodding to himself. Inside, he almost felt mortified that she was with someone else while he was away. On the outside, he maintained a look of indifference.
"No," said Alicia, maintaining that cold stare upon Cameron. "There was nobody else - just you."
"Ex-- Excuse me?" said Cameron, arching his right eyebrow. "What are you trying to get at here? You're saying he's..."
"He's yours, Cameron," snapped Alicia. "I never told you before because I didn't want to interfere with your life anymore than I already had. You didn't help it by evading me like the plague."
Cameron was visibly shaken, looking towards the general direction of Topher and then back to Alicia. "...how many know?"
"Just me," said Alicia, looking away from Cameron and towards the floor. "Don't worry, I'm not going to tell everyone he's yours."
"...I'm sorry....I didn't know...." said Cameron feeling somewhat guilty. "You should've told me..."
"And then what? Create a scandal that'd destroy both of our reputations? It's better this way Cameron. I don't intend on telling Topher that you're his father or even having you involved in his life. I already told him that his father died in the war," replied Alicia.
"What? Why'd you do that? If I'm his father, then I'll be his father," said Cameron almost angrily.
Alicia shook her head. "No, Cameron. Just, why don't you leave?"
Cameron glared at Alicia. "Don't do this, Alicia. I'm sorry I hu--"
"Yeah, whatever, Cameron. It's too early in the morning for this and I don't want to hear it, just get out of my house," replied Alicia, nudging Cameron towards the door.
Cameron reluctantly stepped out the door. "We're going to have to talk about this sooner or later, Alicia."
Alicia shook her had and closed the door after Cameron and sighed. It was indeed too early for this type of drama, but Alicia shook it off and went to get dressed. There was more work to be done elsewhere...
Derran Tyler
CINC-NDI
Posts: 52
(2/2/03 7:37 pm)
Act I, Scene 4: The Watcher is Deployed It was noon, it was fall, it was Saturday, and if you were a native Criusian, it was the best time of the year to be in the Confederation's capital. Spring was nice on Crius, but it brought too many tourists and the dreadful humidity of the planet's massive bodies of water. In the fall, the air was crisp, the colors were vibrant, and in neighborhoods all around Keystone City, the coeds were back and excited about another year away from Mom and Dad. As Gabriel Cross walked hurriedly around the south side of Capital Circle, he thought of none of this. He wished he could be out enjoying the gorgeous Saturday afternoon, but there were more urgent issues at hand.
Cross had been back in Confederate territory for only a few hours, but in the time he was away from friendly space, he had found out some very bothersome information: The Jaaq'tah Alliance had been mobilizing military forces.
Long-range scanners from various allied picket vessels and fixed installations had been keeping a watchful eye upon the territory controlled by the Jaaq'tah Alliance since hostilities ceased in 2059 at the end of the Draconian Civil War. The sensors weren't incredibly detailed, but it was pretty easy to detect the movement of interstellar vessels due to the emissions of their drive engines. Darloks were masters of stealth technology, but the allies had been steadily increasing the power and accuracy of their long-range scanners in order to try and close the gap between stealth and sensor technology.
As a result, the Elerians and Protoss had developed an intricate network of sensors that extended the watchful eye of the Draconian League far inside the borders of the Jaaq'tah Alliance. These sensors were analogous to the psionic energy matrix that the Protoss drew from during combat to help fuel their incredible psionic abilities during combat. The male elders of the Elerian species had incredible clairsentient abilities that allowed them to literally survey every system in the entire galaxy. Long-range Protoss Observer probes were fitted with a device that served as a focal point for the Elerian's incredible abilities, which allowed them to gather even more information about a targeted system due to the probe's proximity. With these relatively small probes forward-deployed (they were no larger than a football in size), it was much easier to keep an eye on the Jaaq'tah's various fleet movements.
Gabriel came to a stop in front of the large fountain inside Capital Circle, placing both hands inside the pockets of his jacket. A few seconds later, a petite woman wearing a charcoal-grey NDI officer's uniform came up beside him. It was none other than Commander Alicia Clark, Commander-in-Chief of NDI Special Forces (CINC-NDISF).
"Fancy meeting you here, Commander,â€
Member
Posts: 1
(2/1/03 10:05 pm)
The scene unfolds, the ignition of an engine flares with illuminesence as the behemoth black hull begins to inch from the docking bay.
"The trials are over, my emperor - the operation was a success."
The young, smooth skinned reptillian just continued to look into the floating graphic display. "My father was a pathetic creature." Two filmy lids slid beneath this exterior skin and blinked slowly, feeding his deep topaz hued eyes as he began to remember the past.
His father, his emperor, had been captured - stolen from his position of greatness and forced into a sentence of weakness, of loss. He had lost all honor with himself and jeapordized the honor that his family had when he uttered the agreement to the cease-fire, filling the society with doubt and anger regardless of his begging of the denizens to believe that he didn't agree to it. He undermined the pride of a great species when he gave into those worthless monkies. And in his begging against conviction, he too realized what he had done and would not shame his family more. It was with the spilling of royal blood that titles changed hand, the only thing that could have been done and sanctified his place in the here-after as well as his son's position on the throne. A new dynasty was created with the first drop of blood from his severed abdomen. And while Xaassla depised his father for the mockery he had erected, he was determined and honor bound to settle the score with those who had touched one of noble blood. Many have died for less.
A smile crept along his maw as his eyes looked at the Slaakanesh Command Ship before him. It would be with these that victory would be his and the heretical draconian league, mocking by their very title, would cease to exist. Turning, he walked away down a lit cooridor - returning to his chambers and allowing his Admirals to play with their toys.
There would be no where to run, nor to hide from the vengence the Sakkras would unleash upon those who had defiled and disrespected not only them but the entire galaxy. He would be patient though, knowing better to wait for the most opportune moment in order to deal them swift justice for their unhonorable methods and unreconcible actions of the past and present.
-Meanwhile-
A portion of what appeared to be a small fragmented asteroid was floating in the north east quadrant of the galaxy - travelling in the velocity and vector from which it would have splintered. Deep into space it had went and deeper still it would go. A very dim blue haze emitted from the minerals in place throughout the meteroid. Little could any expect the true nature, or any nature, of the object. It's closet planet of proximity, in the direction it was heading: Fieras
"Shall I set the coordinates, Captain?"
The Iquanian's neck ruffled a bit as his thin arm rested along the arm-rest of the seat he was in. He allowed himself to contemplate regarding the best time for arrival. "Prepare the coordinates but do not commence in activating the drive engine. We are to wait until everyone here has finished their patrol before the games begin. Besides, the effort will be useless if we are not all primed to destroy if we go now. We'll wait until the time is ready"
The subordinate nodded, shortly disappointed until smirking when he saw the coordinates instantly arrive on the interface in front of him.. He knew these coordinates from the last time and had knew this planet well as he witnessed the orbital bombardment of it's 'precious' inhabitants. "...Fieras..." It warmed his heart significantly to know that he would have the chance to replicate the damage and maybe even this time destroy the entire planet or enslave the population.
Fade
(OOC - I would have seriously written more but at the moment, I am feeling terrible and will continue with intensity tomorrow. -M)
Edited by: Derran Tyler at: 2/21/03 9:14:46 pm
Derran Tyler
CINC-NDI
Posts: 49
(2/2/03 12:08 am)
Act I, Scene 2: A Time for Sacrifice..... "Your war in the Ayenee Prime system was a stunning success, Prime Minister," said the Alkaran diplomat, Kw'tan, dressed in rather flamboyant attire that any human would say was indicative of a homosexual. Kw'tan was a member of the Alkari, a bird-like race hailing from the Earth-like world of Stallaz in the Galactic South. "You shall surely gain re-election to office with this latest victory."
Prime Minister Alexander Edwards nodded to his Alkaran comrade with a smile. Alexander Edwards was the Prime Minister of the Nerimian Confederation, the official government that united all of Humanity under a single banner. He had come into office under perhaps the most dire of circumstances when the previous Prime Minister, Thomas Boyle, was assassinated in 2061. As a member of the right-wing Unification Party, Edwards was a staunch supporter of the Confederation's military, the Nerimian Defense Initiative. While left-wing and moderate members of the Progressive Party accused him of being in the pocket of military megacorporations such as Phoenix Corporation and Argus Macrotechnologies, the subsequent attacks from the Ayenee Space Coalition during the War of 2062 quickly silenced all dissenters. His support for Cameron Blackblade's Titan Programs gained him the label as the NDI's best political ally. Yet, though it all, most considered him a puppet ruler installed by the NDI.
"If it were only that simple," mused Alex in reply. "The people are so used to military victory that it's not even something they consider when voting these days. It's gotten to the point where a victory helps my numbers very little but a defeat would send them to abysmall depths."
"Complacency," replied Kw'tan, shaking his yellow-feathered head slowly. "You Humans are a fascinating race, I must say. In the most dire of circumstances, you seem to rally against impossible odds, but during the best of times, you let your guard down."
Alex knew the Alkaran was indeed correct on that note. Not since the Zentraedi holocaust had Humanity been truly threatened during a war. Even when the Ayenee Space Coalition penetrated into the Sol system, they were so thoroughly crushed by Admiral Fugisawa's 2nd Fleet that the citizens were never under any direct threat. An aura of invincibility had swept over the populace as the economy had experienced an unprecedented boom as the result of expansion into the Cygni Sector.
"My people are prepared for war at any time," replied Alex somewhat defensively. "The NDI is at an unprecedented level of readiness."
"Perhaps you mean arrogance, Mr. Edwards, with all due respect," replied Kw'tan with what appeared to be a smirk. Because the Alkari had little or no facial expression, most body language was seen through the eyes. Kw'tan's brilliant emerald eyes narrowed and focused upon Alex as he spoke. "Your military is certainly powerful, but they won't be able to fight the threats of the future by themselves. Your victories during the Civil War were certainly impressive, but that was in the past. Logistically and physically, your forces are ready, but are they ready mentally? The battles of the Civil War are firmly etched in the minds of the rest of us, but you forget that suffering on the part of your people was nonexistant."
Alex frowned at that comment. "The NDI is ready for war at all levels, Ambassador. Operation: Tourniquet was completed with very few complications. Humanity knows just as much about pain and sacrifice as the rest of you."
Kw'tan chuckled softly, closing his eyes before looking away from the Human leader. "We shall see. We shall see..."
Derran Tyler
CINC-NDI
Posts: 50
(2/2/03 11:39 am)
Act I, Scene 3 - Child of the Phoenix Alicia Clark woke to strange sounds that could only be coming from one thing: cartoons. This had become a Saturday morning ritual. Young Christopher, or Topher, as he was called by most of his peers, was six. The days of him calling for her when he woke up were gone. In a strange way, she missed it. He was always at his best in the morning, affectionate and cuddly. She preferred the extra hour of sleep on Saturdays, but every once in a while, she wouldn't mind having to get out of bed and rub his back and kiss him until he was ready to get out from under the covers. He was too old for that stuff now, he had told her. He had an independent streak that no doubt had come from Clark herself.
She sat up in bed and swung her feet onto the floor. The bedside clock told her it was 7:58. Clark was simple in most regards. Her pajamas for as long as she could remember were either flannel pants or boxers and whatever T-shirt happened to be available. She was thin, maybe too thin. It wasn't intentional; she just wasn't a big eater.
In the bathroom, she turned on the water and pulled her straight brown hair into a ponytail. After scrubbing her face with a washcloth and soap for a good three minutes, she brushed her teeth and went down the hall to find Topher right where she thought he'd be--sitting four eet in front of the TV in his pajamas, completely entranced by the superheroes blowing buildings apart. Instead, she found Billy sitting next to a tall, dark-haired man wearing the dark navy blue uniform of a NDI Spacy officer.
Alicia felt a chill run through her body as she recognized the visage of the man sitting next to her son.
Our son, she corrected herself.
"Cameron?" said Alicia finally, her voice visibly shaken by his sudden appearance. Suddenly Alicia felt cold and hugged herself with her arms in an attempt to warm herself.
Cameron turned to see Alicia standing there in the hallway in her pajamas. A arrogant smirk came across his face as he rubbed Topher's head and hopped to his feet, walking over to Clark with that typical military swagger. "I know I should have knocked, but young Topher said it would be fine."
Cameron stood a good six feet, three inches tall -- far taller than Alicia's 5'4" frame. Alicia felt dwarfed by his towering height, but she kept her composure. Cameron always seemed to be able to rattle the otherwise stone cold Special Forces commander with his presence alone.
"Is that so?" said Alicia in an elevated voice, looking past Cameron and towards Topher who was nosily listening in. Upon hearing his mother's voice, he immediately locked up and pretended he was watching the television. Alicia redirected her attention to Cameron, who had for some reason intruded upon her home. "Why are you here?"
"I thought I'd pay a visit, is that so much of a crime?" he said. "Just a friendly visit, that's all."
Alicia looked at Cameron skeptically. Over the years she had learned to look though his 'friendly visit' excuse. "Yeah, right. I suspected you wanted things to get real friendly..."
"My mind isn't always in the gutter, Alicia," replied Cameron curtly.
Alicia scoffed and motioned for Cameron to follow her to the kitchen. Cameron placed both hands in his pockets and followed the woman into the kitchen where Topher couldn't overhear their every word.
"Cameron, why are you really here?" asked Alicia, expecting a serious answer from Cameron.
Cameron decided to cut through the bullshit for a moment. "...I wanted to see you. I've missed you - a lot."
Alicia looked away from Cameron and folded her arms over her chest. "You're the one that left me, Cameron. To go back to your wife and daughter, remember?"
"I had to try and make it work with them, Alicia," he said defensively. He was prepared to say more but Alicia cut him off abruptly.
"So now that it didn't work, you're running back to me?" replied Alicia with a frown. Caramel-colored eyes practically stared daggers at Cameron. Hell hath no fury...
"No, it's not like that at all," replied Cameron. "I just wanted to see you. I don't want anything else from you."
"Well, you've seen me," replied Alicia sharply.
Cameron decided to shift the focus of the topic slightly. He motioned with his right hand towards the living room. "...The kid..."
"Topher," responded Alicia coldly. "My son."
"So, you found someone else, I see," said Cameron, nodding to himself. Inside, he almost felt mortified that she was with someone else while he was away. On the outside, he maintained a look of indifference.
"No," said Alicia, maintaining that cold stare upon Cameron. "There was nobody else - just you."
"Ex-- Excuse me?" said Cameron, arching his right eyebrow. "What are you trying to get at here? You're saying he's..."
"He's yours, Cameron," snapped Alicia. "I never told you before because I didn't want to interfere with your life anymore than I already had. You didn't help it by evading me like the plague."
Cameron was visibly shaken, looking towards the general direction of Topher and then back to Alicia. "...how many know?"
"Just me," said Alicia, looking away from Cameron and towards the floor. "Don't worry, I'm not going to tell everyone he's yours."
"...I'm sorry....I didn't know...." said Cameron feeling somewhat guilty. "You should've told me..."
"And then what? Create a scandal that'd destroy both of our reputations? It's better this way Cameron. I don't intend on telling Topher that you're his father or even having you involved in his life. I already told him that his father died in the war," replied Alicia.
"What? Why'd you do that? If I'm his father, then I'll be his father," said Cameron almost angrily.
Alicia shook her head. "No, Cameron. Just, why don't you leave?"
Cameron glared at Alicia. "Don't do this, Alicia. I'm sorry I hu--"
"Yeah, whatever, Cameron. It's too early in the morning for this and I don't want to hear it, just get out of my house," replied Alicia, nudging Cameron towards the door.
Cameron reluctantly stepped out the door. "We're going to have to talk about this sooner or later, Alicia."
Alicia shook her had and closed the door after Cameron and sighed. It was indeed too early for this type of drama, but Alicia shook it off and went to get dressed. There was more work to be done elsewhere...
Derran Tyler
CINC-NDI
Posts: 52
(2/2/03 7:37 pm)
Act I, Scene 4: The Watcher is Deployed It was noon, it was fall, it was Saturday, and if you were a native Criusian, it was the best time of the year to be in the Confederation's capital. Spring was nice on Crius, but it brought too many tourists and the dreadful humidity of the planet's massive bodies of water. In the fall, the air was crisp, the colors were vibrant, and in neighborhoods all around Keystone City, the coeds were back and excited about another year away from Mom and Dad. As Gabriel Cross walked hurriedly around the south side of Capital Circle, he thought of none of this. He wished he could be out enjoying the gorgeous Saturday afternoon, but there were more urgent issues at hand.
Cross had been back in Confederate territory for only a few hours, but in the time he was away from friendly space, he had found out some very bothersome information: The Jaaq'tah Alliance had been mobilizing military forces.
Long-range scanners from various allied picket vessels and fixed installations had been keeping a watchful eye upon the territory controlled by the Jaaq'tah Alliance since hostilities ceased in 2059 at the end of the Draconian Civil War. The sensors weren't incredibly detailed, but it was pretty easy to detect the movement of interstellar vessels due to the emissions of their drive engines. Darloks were masters of stealth technology, but the allies had been steadily increasing the power and accuracy of their long-range scanners in order to try and close the gap between stealth and sensor technology.
As a result, the Elerians and Protoss had developed an intricate network of sensors that extended the watchful eye of the Draconian League far inside the borders of the Jaaq'tah Alliance. These sensors were analogous to the psionic energy matrix that the Protoss drew from during combat to help fuel their incredible psionic abilities during combat. The male elders of the Elerian species had incredible clairsentient abilities that allowed them to literally survey every system in the entire galaxy. Long-range Protoss Observer probes were fitted with a device that served as a focal point for the Elerian's incredible abilities, which allowed them to gather even more information about a targeted system due to the probe's proximity. With these relatively small probes forward-deployed (they were no larger than a football in size), it was much easier to keep an eye on the Jaaq'tah's various fleet movements.
Gabriel came to a stop in front of the large fountain inside Capital Circle, placing both hands inside the pockets of his jacket. A few seconds later, a petite woman wearing a charcoal-grey NDI officer's uniform came up beside him. It was none other than Commander Alicia Clark, Commander-in-Chief of NDI Special Forces (CINC-NDISF).
"Fancy meeting you here, Commander,â€
