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Demeter Forest - Aegis Division base camp Eleos - 16th moon of Epsilon Eridani VII Epsilon Eridani System - Tikonov Free Republic February 2, 3031 (Wednesday) ______________________________________________ I got out the laser emitter gloves and gave the laser beam a close look - the beam, not the emitter, I didn't want to go blind. Different reds were kinda hard to tell apart, but most of the recievers I'd tinkered with were made to detect a range, unless they were stupid propritetary crap - and this didn't look like any of the proprietary crap brands. So I switched the beam on on one of them and fiddled with the breadboard til the colors matched, then set the other one up the same way. I also bridged in the chips for randomizing the lasers pulse frequency that Nick had made for me. Our plan was to use it as a brute force hacking tool, to shine random laser pulses at recievers to try to trip them, and then I could press a button in the glove to lock in the pulse frequency when it worked - only most laser pulses are way faster than human reflexes, and we hadn't figured out how to solve that part yet. But for now, if the reciever was checking for a pulse on a regular interval and my gloves were just pulsing all over the place, the "real" beam getting blocked would look like some rain or leaves just got in the way - the signal would still be there when expected a few times per second, just by random chance. I swept together a small pile of rocks and sticks from the forest floor and positioned the laser glove on top of it, pointing its' beam into the reciever at the same point and a similar angle to the main beam. Then I turned to Nick and whispered, "can you pick up the broadcast signal? Gotta test it." Nick hooked some hacker stuff up to his padd and fiddled with it, and then said a very quiet but very excited "yes!" and pointed it toward me. The screen showed a very fast scroll of lines of code or something that had a bunch of curly brackets and numbers and random looking codes like when you opened a Capellan file in a program that couldn't speak Chineese. Nick pointed to the 0.00s on each line - that must be the % chance of an intruder or the amount the beam is interrupted or something? First I put my hand in front of my glove's beam and moved the smoke grenade right below the real laser beam to make it all cloudy. The 0.00s on Nick's padd switched to 0.07s and 0.04s and stuff. Then I tossed some dirt at the beam, and the highest it got was 0.13. I got real quiet, and Nick must have been thinking the same thing I was thinking - we both looked in the direction of the camp outside the Gambit, waiting to see if an alarm was going to go off, or a bunch of army guys to charge out looking for us, or anything. Nothing happened. I unblocked my glove's laser beam and very quickly waved my hand in front of the real beam. The numbers only got as high as 0.08 - even less than when there were leaves in the beam. Nick gave me a big thumbs up. I wanted to test a longer interruption, but if we set off an alarm just doing prep work we'd ruin everything. I pointed in the direction of the nearest other laser reciever, but Nick shook his head and pointed back in the direction we'd come. I nodded, and we army crawled back into the woods together. Once we got far enough away to stop army crawling, Nick whispered, "I thought you should save the other glove - they might have security inside the ship around the hostages, too." I just nodded because I was still really scared the guys on the Gambit would hear and come after us. But we got back to camp safely, and without any ghille suit turantulas.

Demeter Forest - Aegis Division base camp Eleos - 16th moon of Epsilon Eridani VII Epsilon Eridani System - Tikonov Free Republic February 2, 3031 (Wednesday) ______________________________________________ The ghillie suits weren't as itchy as Steve had said yet, but he also said they made a tarantula mistake him for a bug buffet, so I wasn't entirely reassured. On the other hand, Idris got back from his scouting mission without any notable insect problems, so maybe we'd get lucky too. Putting together a kit for dealing with the lasers was easy. I'd been working on these laser glove prototypes that worked pretty good except that they made me feel like I had bricks on my hands. They'd been in the jumble at the bottom of my tool bag and ended up getting packed on the cow along with all the rest, and luckily I wouldn't actually have to wear them to use them. I hadn't brought the diagram for programming their wavelengths, but it was all exposed on the breadboard, so I could probably just poke the wires in different spots til it did the right thing. Finding gear for lifting the seismic sensors was actually the hard part. We had plenty of paracord, but we hadn't thought we'd need any pulleys out in the woods so we didn't bring any. But we did have a bunch of horse bridles, and some of those had buckles with little rollers on them, so we cut one of them up to get the roller buckles and Idris used some of the paracord to make a bridle-ish thing to keep the horse from running off. The last thing we needed was a long pole with a hook, to let us reach the sensors without getting too close. We made one out of a telescoping tent pole, some wire bent into a hook, and a whole lot of duct tape. Nick and I headed out with our anti-sensor equipment, and also the usual guns and things, and headed toward the Gambit's landing site. When we got close I started doing an army crawl. "What are you doing?" Nick whispered. "Army crawling? I think?" I whispered back. "You don't have to do that, there's plenty of cover from the forest." "Oh, right. oops." I got back up and tried to walk real careful and hide behind trees like Nick was doing instead. You'd think being dressed up as a bush would stop you from feeling so embarrassed you want to disappear, but I guess it doesn't work like that. At least Nick was being cool about pretending I hadn't just done that so that I could pretend too. We just barely heard one of the kidnappers talking in their camp and we slowed way down. I was putting my feet down as slow as I could, trying to step on tree roots so I wouldn't even rustle any leaves. Nick looked pointedly at his map and then jerked his head to the side, and I followed, lagging a few paces behind so that we wouldn't get stuck with both of us trying to hide behind the same tree and get seen. Nick crouched down low behind a fallen log, and I joined him. He pointed - the first seismic sensor was a few meters ahead. I got the first anti-seismic-sensor kit ready. The buckle with the rollers was already tied to a big loop that could be hooked over the branch. I threaded the long cord that we'd use to hoist up the sensor through the roller part of the buckle, with the hook dangling just a few inches below it. That way Nick could hang the whole thing above the sensor in one go, and then he'd just have to put the cord's hook on the sensor and pull. I waited for Nick to get the pole off of his pack and then handed him the cords. "We have a problem," he whispered. I gave him a question look, since I didn't want to talk too loud by accident and be heard. "There's nowhere to hang the loop," Nick said so quiet even I could barely hear. "Just a straight branch above it." I frowned, and took the long string with the hook back off the roller. I mouthed, "could you do this?" and draped the big loop of paracord over my arm, then pulled the buckle the hanging end of the loop and pulled it tight, not in a real knot but secured in place by its' loopness. Nick nodded, and I took the cord back off my arm and handed it to him. It looked really tricky. Nick hung the loop on the telescoping tent pole's hook and telescoped it way out. It kept bobbing all around because the tent pole was so springy, which we hadn't planned on. He got it draped over the low branch that was above the sensor, and then after a lot of tries hooked the buckle and tugged it tight. Then he telescoped the pole back in, and I handed him the long cord with the little hook that was for pulling the sensor up. I wasn't sure how he was going to fit it through the tiny bridle buckle, but I really really didn't want the bad guys hearing us, so I just watched. Nick lifted the hook out on the pole, wrapping the extra paracord loosely around it now and then so it wouldn't drag and snag stuff on the forest floor. When he got it out to where the roller buckle was hanging there was this long slow chase, where Nick kept trying to thread the cord through the buckle and the buckle kept swinging around when he accidentally tapped it, but finally he got it through. Then he untangled the pole's wire hook from the one on the cord, let it fall to the level of the top of the sensor, and used the pole to guide it to where it could hook the handle on the top. Nick and I looked at each other and held our breaths. Nick pulled. The sensor lifted off the ground. No alarms sounded, and no army guys came running. We were in the clear. I gave a big two thumbs up, and Nick beamed. He untangled the tent pole and started collapsing it back down. He pointed to me, and then out past the hanging sensor where the laser receivers would be, and gave me a look. I looked to Nick and then in the direction of the other seismic sensor we'd planned to take out, and he nodded, so I waited for him to tie off the cord he'd lifted the sensor with to a sturdy branch near our log, and then I gave him the rest of the lifting gear. Nick headed for the other seismic sensor, and I crept toward the laser sensors in the direction he had indicated, crouching below the level of the bushes but not crawling like an army guy in the movies.

DropShip Gambit Demeter Forest, Eleos Epsilon Eridani System - Tikonov Free Republic February 3, 3031 (Thursday) - 0231 hours ______________________________________________ I fumbled with my tool bag trying to find the drill's cutting wheel attachment under all the other junk in there and then this horrible alarm went off, like the nuclear plant siren in *The Last Meltdown* that's so loud the theater hands out earplugs and makes you sign a waver before you can see the movie. "Fuckfuckfuckfuck..." I mumbled, then looked up and saw the diplomats were panicking even worse than I was, since they were stuck in a cage and all, so I really needed to put a lid on it. "Okay, new plan, who here knows how to use a blowtorch?" I pulled the cutting torch off my belt and set it to a short, narrow flame at maximum heat. The diplomats looked at each other uncertainly, and then a woman with a heavy accent said "none of us; can you show me?" "Yeah, good idea," I said, holding the torch up so she could see. "This bit right here turns the fire on. All you need to do is hold it up to the bars first, here, and then here," I pointed to the bar the lock latched onto, immediately above and below it, "and press the button til it cuts through. Only don't look at the fire, since none of us have welding masks. Got it?" BANG went a gun shot right behind my shoulder - must've been Maxwell or Orlex, I didn't look. The diplomat reached through the bars for the blowtorch and I pushed it into her hand and ducked over my toolbag while she torched the bars. There was a BANG behind my other shoulder, and then BANG again from where the first shot came from. I found the damn cutting attachment and jammed it onto the drill. "You're doing great!" I yelled over the gunfire, and then actually looked up to check - she was making pretty good progress but between trying to use a blowtorch with no protection while hunkered down with four other people, and her hands shaking, the flame was swinging all the heck over the place. "I'll finish that, you do the lower bar." The diplomat switched to blowtorching under the lock and I buzzed the drill against the gloopy remains of the upper part of the bar. "How much farther?" she asked. The man behind her was hyperventilating and I had no idea what to do about that, hopefully Kat could keep him from having a heart attack or anything. "That's good," I said. "Stand back, this will spark extra since the metal's all drippy." She did a bit - there was almost no space to move in that cage - and I buzzed through the bar under the lock and yanked the door open.

DropShip Gambit Demeter Forest, Eleos Epsilon Eridani System - Tikonov Free Republic February 3, 3031 (Thursday) - 0217 hours ______________________________________________ Suddenly, Technician Nasir threw his arm out to stop me from proceeding forward. Nearly colliding with his limb, I reflexively glared in his direction, confused. But then, I heard it. Soft whimpering coming from one of the corners of the hold. Nodding silently at Idris and Orlex, I waved the team forward, and we slowly crept through the cramped cargo hold toward the sound. As I covered both men, performing a visual sweep through the scope of my laser rifle, my pulse pounded in my ears, and I could hear my own breathing within my helmet. Approaching a blind turn, the commander again signaled a halt. The hairs on the back of my neck bristled, and I thumbed the power setting of my laser rifle to full power. The ominous whine of its capacitors charging to their maximum output filled the silence while Orlex withdrew a small mirror on a telescoping rod. I raised the rifle to the ready, feeling the heat bleeding from its radiator fins, and trained it on the corner as Jaeger cautiously inched toward the edge of the intersection, finessing the mirror around the towering pile of crates to catch a glimpse of what lay beyond. Suddenly, he withdrew, signaling a "clear" and beckoning for us to move forward. As we rounded the turn, I saw the cage. It was small and crude, yet solidly constructed from what appeared to be unfinished ferrosteel. Barely large enough to hold two people, four were crammed inside. They looked haggard and scared, their faces stained, clothes and hair disheveled, and their eyes wide with fear and exhaustion. The stench of urine and feces permeated the air, and my heart sank as I took in the sight before me. "Holy shit," Steve whispered over the comms. I didn't admonish him; it was what we were all undoubtedly thinking. Quickly, I pulled up my operational notes, furtively scrolling through the dossiers to compare photos with faces and verify the headcount. Personality: Senator Elara Venstrom Representative of: Nanking, Tikonov Free Republic Profile: Elara Venstrom is a seasoned diplomat known for her shrewd negotiations and ability to navigate complex political landscapes. She's been recognized on several occasions for advocating peaceful resolutions and has been involved in several successful trade agreements. Elara's expertise in these negotiations and her reputation as a peacemaker make her a valuable asset for ironing out extended ceasefire agreements at the summit. Personality: Governor Roderick Halden Representative of: Carver V, Tikonov Free Republic Profile: Roderick Halden is a charismatic leader with a background in economics. He's helped turn Carver V into an economic powerhouse within its region and has experience as a business magnate. Although the attendance of a governor is unusual, Halden's economic prowess and knack for resource management make him an ideal candidate to navigate trade and resource distribution talks. Personality: Ambassador Li Wei Representative of: Hsien, Tikonov Free Republic Profile: Li Wei is a skilled ambassador who has successfully established diplomatic ties with neighboring systems. She's known for her dedication to maintaining peaceful relations and has a deep understanding of cultural nuances. Ambassador Wei's expertise in cultural diplomacy and her track record of fostering peaceful relationships make her a crucial asset for territorial negotiations. Personality: Councilor Kael Morgenstern Representative of: Keid, Tikonov Free Republic Profile: Kael Morgenstern is a career politician with a background in law and governance. He's respected for his strong sense of justice and commitment to upholding the rule of law. Councilor Morgenstern's legal expertise and dedication to justice make him a valuable representative for ensuring that any agreements signed align with the Tikonov Free Republic's legal framework. It was them. "Eden to Home Plate," I murmured into my headset. "Extraction targets located. Four; all alive. Positive idents on Elara, Halden, Wei, and Morgenstern. No sign of OpFor. Proceeding with extraction." "Copy that, Eden," Alyssa answered. "Nice work." I motioned for the team to move forward again, and we crept toward the cage, Commander Jaeger signaling to Idris, Nick, and Steve to fan out and form a protective perimeter around the makeshift prison. Meanwhile, Orlex, Kat, Levi, and I lowered our weapons and approached the enclosure. As we got closer, I glimpsed the fear in the dignitaries' eyes. The brightness of their hope dimmed by the darkness of their captivity. I had seen a lot in my time as a mercenary, but this was different. These were not just any hostages. The hopes of an entire republic relied on their safe return. Kat was the first to speak as I holstered my weapon. "Are you all alright?" she whispered. The diplomats didn't respond right away, still in shock from their capture and uncertain of our intentions. But then, Ambassador Wei spoke up, her voice hoarse and trembling. "We are alive," she answered, her gaze rapidly flicking between the four of us. I stepped forward and lifted my hand in a friendly greeting. "We're the good guys, ma'am. Captain Charles Maxwell, Aegis Division. My first officer, Orlex Jaeger; Chief Medical Officer Kat Franklin; Quartermaster Levi Wright. You'll meet the rest of the gang once we get you out of there." In disbelief, Wei stared at me momentarily before nodding shakily and turning to the others. "It's okay. They're here to help us." Nurse Franklin gently touched Ambassador Wei's arm through the bars, eliciting a startled flinch from the diplomat. Kat quickly withdrew her hand, sensing the discomfort. "I apologize," she explained, "I just wanted to check your vitals to ensure we don't overexert any of you." The ambassador's gaze darkened. "Unless you've neutralized the guard, there's no time for that. We need to leave now. He'll be back at any moment." "Shit," I swore under my breath, turning to Levi. "I need you to work your magic. Get this cage open as fast as you can." Levi stepped forward, his eyes widening as he took in the lock, which wasn't encouraging. "Magic might not be enough. We might be better off trying to cut through the bars," he advised. "This is a shipping lock. Like, the kind they use to on shipping containers between star systems. You normally only see mining companies using something this big, typically to keep sticky fingers away from their valuable rocks. Why these guys have it, I don't know." I nodded grimly, acknowledging the difficulty of the situation. "Do what you need to do. We need to get them out of here before that guard comes back." As Levi set to work, Orlex, Kat, and I took up positions around him, weapons drawn, providing overwatch for any potential threats. The hold was eerily silent except for the sound of the quartermaster's tools working to defeat the prison. I couldn't help but feel a sense of unease, knowing that we were in the belly of an enemy vessel, with no idea what else was waiting for us. Suddenly, a creaking noise echoed through the hold, the sound of a heavy hatch being swung open. "Get ready," Idris radioed to the team. "Contact incoming." The clunking of stumbling footsteps against metal deck plates and the echoes of slurred rambling in what sounded like Mandarin grew steadily louder. I didn't speak much Chinese; I only knew a handful of swears, and even those, I'd picked up thirdhand through Alyssa. But I could tell that the words were disjointed and belligerent, and it was clear the guard had been hitting the sauce hard. "Stay frosty," Orlex's voice whispered on the team channel as we took up defensive postures. The guard rounded the corner, stumbling into view and holding the wall for support. His uniform was rumpled, and his eyes were unfocused as he scanned the room. He didn't seem to notice us at first, but when he did, he reached for his sidearm. "Gǎo shénme guǐ?" he slurred, his gun wavering in his hand. "Wǒ huì qì..." Abruptly, the sound of a suppressed gunshot cut off his words, and the guard collapsed to the ground, lifeless, a crimson blossom forming on the blouse of his uniform. I glanced around the hold in an attempt to see who'd taken the shot. Just then, Sergeant Jenkins' voice crackled across the comms. "He said, 'What the fuck?' and then I shot him," Steve explained, his voice as dry as the dusty plains of Mars. I couldn't help but let out a chuckle at his remark despite the gravity of the situation. "Good shot, Dionysus," I answered with a sigh of relief. "Rebus, you're closest; move up and search him. Junaid, see if you can help Rebus get that body moved out of view." The acknowledgments trickled in. Providing a brief situation update to Alyssa, I watched as Nick and Idris approached the fallen guard. Nick quickly patted down the body, retrieving several articles, including the man's weapon. Shortly thereafter, Idris discreetly dragged the corpse into a corner. "No alarms so far," Commander Jaeger observed. "I suppose that's a good sign." "Yeah, let's just hope our luck holds," I replied as I motioned for Kat to check on the diplomats. A moment later, Nick's voice crackled in my ears again. "Sirs, you're gonna want to take a look at this," he advised. My gaze snapped to Schuster as he approached the commander and me, his eyes wide and face pale. My gut tightened with apprehension. He held out a slim datapad, handing it over without a word. I took the device and scanned over the open document, which the tech-savvy MechWarrior had switched into English reading mode. A chill ran down my spine as the possible implications of what I was reading hit me like a hammer. "Son of a bitch," I blurted. "Dionysus, I need a translation. What else was that guard saying, aside from the swear words?" There came a pause, the hiss of the open comm channel the only sound permeating the tense air. "Dionysus?" I prodded. Eventually, Jenkins responded. "I dunno, random stuff about breach of contract, not getting paid, dishonor on somebody's cow, a buttload of crap about mines and how they're not worth the risk, and crazy insane yelling about lotuses. It was pretty funny on account of that's the kind of stuff Jimmy says after his fourth bottle of Listerine. Now I wish I hadn't shot that bad guy. He made me laugh. I want to remember him how he was in the Living." "Thank you," I deadpanned, deep concern overriding any quips or chiding I might have normally offered in reply. Jaeger cast me an inquisitive glance. "What is it, Captain?" I took a deep breath and handed him the datapad. "See for yourself." _______________________________________________________________________________________ To: Toshiko Wei / Strategic Operations From: Chen Ming / Special Projects Date: October 15, 3029 Classification: Eyes Only - Ultra Confidential As we navigate the evolving landscape of our corporate endeavors, it is with great anticipation that we announce a joint collaboration initiative between Bithinian Ballistics and Mujika Aerospace Technologies. The genesis of this initiative is rooted in the operational setbacks experienced due to the secession of the Tikonov Commonality, specifically the disruption of resource supply chains emanating from Epsilon Eridani. As this collaboration will benefit richly from Celestial Wisdom, we are confident of our mutual success. Operational Overview: Mujika Aerospace Technologies: Operational Leadership Planning and Execution: Mujika will spearhead the detailed planning and execution of strategic initiatives to reshape our corporate position. Their expertise in aerospace technologies is crucial to achieving our shared objectives. Key Dates: November 3029: Commencement of collaborative discussions January 3030: Formalization of operational protocols March 3030: Implementation of strategic initiatives Bithinian Ballistics: Specialized Provisioning Specialized Contribution: Bithinian's role is critical in supplying autocannons, especially for integration into Mujika's Transit aerospace fighters. This collaboration enhances the offensive capabilities of our joint operations. Key Dates: January 3030: Formalization of autocannon supply agreement March 3030: Initiation of autocannon production Mining Affiliates: Resource Facilitation Role Significance: CEOs and upper management from affected mining companies play a pivotal role in underwriting these initiatives by providing essential resources. Their involvement is integral to securing necessary funds and raw materials, aligning with the strategic interests of our collective stakeholders. Key Dates: December 3029: Commencement of resource underwriting discussions February 3030: Activation of resource acquisition protocols Logistics and Support: The government's commitment to underwrite this initiative remains steadfast. Material support, including weapons, vehicles, lab equipment, retention of mercenary commands, and technology crucial for operational success, is assured. Mining company executives will act as conduits for this additional funding as needed. Security Measures: Ensuring the utmost discretion and confidentiality is our collective responsibility. All communication channels must be secure, and operatives are reminded of the imperative need for absolute secrecy. Employing coded language and encrypted messages is strongly encouraged. Key Operation Details: This collaboration will center around two principal campaigns. While we believe either's success may be adequate to acquire the desired outcome, mitigate risk, and ensure optimal results, we will proceed under the assumption that both milestones must be achieved. Termination of either campaign must be approved by the Chairman and his counsel. Operation Zao Jun's Demise (August 3030): Objective: Instigation of a crop blight on Sheratan by releasing a biological agent into the water supply. Rationale: A successful operation would cause food scarcity throughout the Tikonov Free Republic and undermine public sentiment about the Tikonov Free Republic's ability to manage its large-scale economic responsibilities. Operational Oversight: Mujika Aerospace Technologies to coordinate the execution, with support from Bithinian Ballistics in the supply of specialized equipment. Operation Jiuwei Hu's Gambit (January 3031): Objective: Diversionary military assault on the outskirts of Sheratan's capital, Gellen's Heights, to create chaos and divert attention from Simultaneous Operation. Simultaneous Operation: Coordinated extraction raid on political summit at the capitol building. Rationale: An open attack on a government building in the midst of a key political summit and removal of the Tikonov Free Republic's own delegation will highlight its inability to manage matters of basic security or galactic importance, turning public sentiment against the sitting government. Operational Oversight: Mujika Aerospace Technologies to lead the assault, with Bithinian Ballistics providing strategic support. Extraction raid to be performed by operatives of Yǐng Lián (Shadow Lotus), an independent affiliate acclaimed by our government assets for their stealth, precision, and effectiveness. NOTE: Per the Chairman, payment is to be rendered to Yǐng Lián (Shadow Lotus) only upon the successful transfer of all agreed-upon targets to Maskirovka liaison. Any deviation whatsoever is grounds for immediate invalidation of the third-party contract. The success of this comprehensive initiative is a testament to our resilience and aligns seamlessly with the broader strategic interests of our shared stakeholders. Any deviation from the established plan or compromise of security protocols will be met with stringent consequences. This memorandum serves as a detailed guide for our joint endeavors. Execute with precision, remain vigilant, and may our collaborative efforts yield the desired outcomes. Chen Ming Special Projects _______________________________________________________________________________________ As he finished reading, Orlex slowly looked up to lock eyes with me. His face, normally a picture of stoicism and composure, was etched with wide-eyed disbelief. "This is seriously damning stuff. And, based on what Dionysus heard, that guy, and his crew, are Shadow Lotus...?" he began, trailing off. I nodded. "And, more to the point, these people aren't the only ones we're up against. We've just inserted ourselves into the middle of a very large, very coordinated attempt to topple an entire government. The people behind it will be out for blood. We need to get the hostages out of here and off this planet. Now." Jaeger opened his mouth to reply. But just then, a deafening alarm shattered the silence. Our luck had run out.

Demeter Forest - Gambit emergency landing site Eleos - 16th moon of Epsilon Eridani VII Epsilon Eridani System - Tikonov Free Republic February 3, 3031 (Thursday) - Very early morning ______________________________________________ Approaching the other door in the corridor, one that was marked Maintenance in bold lettering beside it, we couldn't find a service panel to manually open the door, and even when Orlex cut his own access panel into the bulkhead with the laser in his prosthetic arm, there was no convenient manual switch or hydraulic pump to force the door open. That was extremely weird. "That looks like an after-market lock panel." Levi observed. "N-, uh Rebus, can you take a look at this?" "Definitely seems out of place." I began as I looked at the hardware. It in no way matched the rest of the gear we'd seen on the ship. Although it wasn't uncommon for ship maintenance crews to sometimes resort to using whatever parts they had on hand, especially when the vessel was old, and parts were scarce, it still didn't explain the presence of a lock panel that was clearly not part of the original design. I pulled out my pen light and ducked down to get a look underneath. "Oh yeah, this was added in later. Just give me a sec here." I observed, getting a multitool out and prying at the unit's cover. "Aaandd there we go. Yep, I thought as much, this panel's a standalone system. For whatever reason, it's not tied into the rest of the ship's systems, meaning we can basically hot wire it, and nobody would know." "That seems odd." Commander Jaeger replied, concern lacing his voice as his brow furrowed. "Are you certain it's not connected somehow?" "I can't be certain that it's not wired up somehow to alert someone if the door opens or something, but this panel has no wired data connection into or out of it, and there's nothing in it sophisticated enough to be wireless. Even the power supply is a D-I-Y job that looks liable to burn itself out with the first power surge it sees." I shrugged, as I continued to probe the mechanism's inside with my hands and penlight. "Alright, can you get it open?" Orlex finally asked, exchanging a worried glance with Captain Maxwell. "Shouldn't be a problem, just give me a minute here." I acknowledged, and I set about probing some more into the wiring and circuitry of the control panel. After a few minutes of fiddling around with the wires, I managed to rig up a bypass that would allow us to pop the lock without alerting anyone on the ship. With a final twist of my multitool, the lock released with a SHOCKINGLY loud bang, echoing throughout the corridor. We all froze, glancing at each other with wide eyes. I mentally cursed myself for the noise. The last thing we needed was to alert the crew of the Gambit to our presence. Slowly, Jaeger and Idris pushed the door open, revealing a dimly-lit, extremely cluttered hold beyond. It was full of blind corners made of crates haphazardly stacked on top of each other. As we stepped inside, the pungent smell of sweat, rust, and desperation filled our nostrils. I looked back at the hatch through which we had just stepped and noticed that there were no lock controls on this side of the door. Whatever this space was, the security on the outside had been meant to keep something in, not necessarily to keep people out. We moved cautiously through the cargo hold, scanning the area for any signs of life. It was eerily quiet except for the occasional sound of something shifting in the piles of crates and containers surrounding us. We had no idea if the noises we were hearing were coming from the diplomats we were tasked to rescue, or if they were crew members who had been alerted to our presence. "Home Plate to Eden: advise status." Alyssa's voice crackled through my earpiece. Captain Maxwell raised his hand, signaling for the rest of the team to freeze. "We're in." he whispered. "We've located some kind of a cargo hold, although it isn't the one we thought we were looking for." "Any sign of the OpFor?" Alyssa asked. Her transmission was barely audible over the sound of our own breathing as we moved deeper into the hold. "Not yet." Maxwell whispered back, his grip tightening around his weapon. "We're proceeding with caution." Suddenly, Idris threw his arm out to stop the captain from proceeding. Charles gave him a steely, confused look, but it was then that we heard it...a soft whimpering coming from one of the corners of the hold. We slowly moved towards the sound, weapons at the ready.

Demeter Forest - Gambit emergency landing site Eleos - 16th moon of Epsilon Eridani VII Epsilon Eridani System - Tikonov Free Republic February 3, 3031 (Thursday) - Very early morning ______________________________________________ It was dark, cool, and slightly damp in the way a forest always seemed to be after nightfall, as our small team of makeshift operatives ventured across the semi-open plains between the heavier foliage of the forest proper and the artificial clearing of the Gambit's "controlled" emergency landing. Carefully slipping through the small opening in the security nets that Levi and Nick had made for us, after Idris and Steve had scoped things out earlier, we arrived at the downed dropship unseen. Within moments Idris had the step ladder we'd brought, conveniently having been included amongst the plethora of gear strapped to the bovine member of our little convoy, set up and I scaled the few steps needed to for me to reach the hatch itself. Stabilizing myself I pulled out the rangefinder binoculars I had, ensuring they were in infrared mode, and scanned the hull nearby, a singular patch of excess heat indicated the presence of at least one individual inside, likely leaning near or against the hatch itself to have transferred enough heat to be read on the exterior. The hot spot was slowly cooling however which meant that whatever the heat source had been it was now gone, likely meaning that there was someone on the inside that had recently left the vicinity of the hatch itself and we'd have to be extra careful when boarding. Signaling to Maxwell that someone was likely present inside, we decided quickly that we should still proceed and neutralize the sole crew member as quickly as possibly. Probing the access hatch I was able to determine that the entryway was not secured, which was mildly surprising but seemed to confirm that the crew did not anticipate an attack from the vector, and quickly slid it open in a single, silent move. The interior lighting from the ship spilled out over me as I climbed inside, my eyes still adjusting the change in ambiance secure in knowledge that there was no light from outside that could alert an otherwise unsuspecting opponent to my entrance. The potential for the light shining out of the ship to cause issues for those still outside was a concern, minor as it might be, but it was not something I could focus on at the moment and the others would simply have to deal with it if it became a problem. I quickly took stock of where I was, the avionics bay was small and packed tight with all manner of computer equipment, terminals, server blades, wires and cables, and a single chair at the far end. I could just make out the shape of someone standing and stretching near a bank of terminals several feet away, the glow from the terminal screens backlighting their silhouette, and I slunk forward silently as I moved around the rack of server blades that bisected the avionics bay. I soon reached my unwary opponent, I could afford to think of them as no more and no less than such at the moment, and stood up quickly behind them, my right hand moving to stifle the shout I knew would be coming while my prosthetic left hand, with its unnaturally strong grip, moved to end the man quickly and quietly. With a sickening crunch the body dropped and I used my grip on their neck to soften their landing on the deck, a quick check confirmed the target was down and I waited with baited breath as I strained to listen for any sign that my takedown had been noticed by anyone else. After an agonizing moment or two I felt confident we were in the clear still and radioed back to Maxwell in a hushed tone. "Clear. Tango down." Shifting my positioning to get a better hold on the body I proceeded to pull it towards a small storage closet that should serve to delay its discovery if anyone came looking for their missing crew member. I quickly searched the body for anything useful as the rest of the team climbed aboard but found little of use besides what appeared to be a maintenance access card that likely matched with one of the input slots on the terminals, I doubted it would give us full access to the ship's computer systems but it should at least give us a secure connection to start from so I made sure to hand it off to Nick once he had orientated himself inside. "Eden to Home Plate," Charles radioed, "We're in." "Copy that, Eden. Proceed with caution," Alyssa responded, "Eye in the sky is live." "Wilco," Charles acknowledged, then turned toward Nick, "Alright, Rebus, you're up. Let's implement our insurance plan. Pandora: cover Rebus. Bastion, Junaid, Dionysus: move up to the cargo bay hatch. I'll provide over watch. This is about to get complicated." Unlimbering my DWS L5-S laser rifle I checked its feeds and made the sure the twin HC power pack was securely installed, the weapon cycled on and indicated it was ready to fire showing the 12 shots provided by the proprietary dual power pack. Anticipating the potential firefight we might find ourselves in I connected the external power cable from one of the high capacity satchel power packs strapped to my waist and smiled as the ammo count increased to 42 rounds with the additional power. Shouldering the weapon I slid up on the right side of the cargo hold hatch, opposite of Steve and Idris, and signaled I was ready; Steve and Idris were stacked up on the left side of the door with Steve in the front and they were both ready as well, although Steve was shifting his weight from side to side as if he couldn't wait to get going. "I'm in," reported Nick a few moments later, the sounds of typing faintly echoing in the confined space. A few more tense moments later and Schuster indicated he'd gained appropriate access and had our 'insurance policy' in place should everything go sideways on us. Captain Maxwell checked on the three of us again and signaled for us to go. "Breach. We'll follow your lead Bastion," radioed Charles, using the comms to keep his voice low. "Understood," I replied. With a nod to Steve I reached over and slapped the open button on the control pad beside the door, the interior hatch slid open effortlessly with a hiss and Steve rushed inside with his weapon at the ready. I followed closely on his heels, taking the right side as Steve went left and quickly scanning what was supposed to be the cargo hold for hostiles. Idris filed in behind us and was meant to take the center between Steve and I but the layout was all wrong and instead he had to pivot to cover the left side with Steve as we were facing a wall directly in front of us and we appeared to be in a corridor, as opposed to the large cargo hold we had anticipated. "Clear," Steve and Idris announced on the comms and I followed suit as we still cleared the considerably smaller space appropriately. "Eden, we've got a problem," I followed with on the radio, "You need to see this." A moment later Charles entered the narrow corridor, his Magna rifle at the ready, still using the comms despite our close proximity he asked, "What have you got? Wait, this isn't right." "Precisely," I answered with a nod, "Either Home Plate pulled us the wrong schematics or our friends here have themselves a customized ride." "I'll give you the wrong schematics Bastion," threatened Alyssa jovially as she monitored our comms, "But remember that was a stock configuration, there's a surprising amount of leeway to what one can do to the interior of a ship if you have the resources." "So it would appear," offered Charles with a sigh, "Rebus, see what you can dig up for a deck plan on there, if they've modified their ship to any large extent it should be captured in an updated layout or something." "I don't have full access here, and I'm hesitant to commandeer more of the system as it increases our likelihood of discovery, but I'll see what I can find," answered Nick, the tone of his voice lending itself to reveal he wasn't confident there would be much he could do without compromising us. "The main cargo hold is supposed to be huge right? So it should still be at the center of the ship, I doubt they could have moved that. We should just head towards the middle," piped up Steve as he tried to peer through the small porthole on the hatch at his end of the corridor. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I agree with Dionysus, his logic is sound," offered Idris with a shrug. "Agreed," replied Charles with a nod, then turned towards me, "Bastion, how do you want to proceed?" "We'll take it slow and steady, keep advancing either to the starboard side, the opposite side as our entry, or forward towards the front of the craft," I said as I thought things over, "Eventually we'll have to run into the cargo hold, or the main ramp that'll lead us to the cargo hold. Junaid and I will take point, Dionysus will back us up. Eden and Doc can follow and provide tactical oversight, Rebus and Pandora bring up the rear and provide technical support." "A solid plan Bastion," acknowledged Maxwell, then continued, "Home Plate, keep us informed on any activity outside the ship. I don't like how this feels." "Solid copy Eden, I'm none too pleased with this either, not that we have much choice in the matter," agreed Alyssa, her eyes likely glued to the drone feed and sensor readouts aboard the Tachi. The team reorganized itself again, not that there was much need for repositioning, and Idris and I were at the ready at the new hatch we would be breaching, this time Steve was prepped to open the door, a blast door style hatch that actually swung into the corridor itself indicating it was meant to maintain pressure on our side of the door in the event of a hull breach, likely to maintain access to the avionics bay through the maintenance junctions at the other end of the corridor. Steve would pull the door open when we were ready, allowing Idris and I to enter and clear whatever lay beyond, before he came in behind us. The tension was almost palpable as we waited, the faint taping of keys the only sound aside from our breathing currently. A moment later the typing stopped and Nick let out an exasperated sigh. "No luck Rebus?" prompted Charles. "Not exactly Eden, the plans are definitely in there. I've found traces of them all over, almost too conveniently, but I don't have access to the directory they are stored in. I could force my way in, from what I could gather it would be a simple task, but something's not right." "Can you elaborate Rebus?" I asked, hacking was not my forte but I knew Nick usually didn't have much trouble with accessing any system he wanted once he got connected. "This whole thing stinks, sir, everything has been too easy so far. The computer access card, the literal trail of digital breadcrumbs leading to the modified schematics, the apparent lack of security on said schematics in comparison to what I detected elsewhere in the system. I feel like we're being lead down a rabbit hole, one we aren't meant to get out of," offered Schuster with a shrug, "Every hacking instinct I have is screaming that this is a trap, somebody set this up, likely anticipated we would try and find the ship's layout in the computer system and made it look like it's secreted away. They want us to try and grab that file, and if we do they'll know exactly where we are simply based on what terminal polled the request." "Understood, good call Rebus, we'll stick with Plan A. Is our insurance policy still viable?" inquired Charles. "Yes sir, I had to legit work to implement that and I don't feel like they anticipated us using that part of the system. It wasn't until I started searching for the deck plan that things got suspect," answered Nick confidently. With a nod Charles turned back towards Idris and I, "On your mark Bastion." I waited a moment for Levi and Nick to position themselves behind Kat and Charles before signaling Steve to breach, in one powerful pull the heavy blast door swung inwards with surprising ease as the well greased hinges let out only the faintest sound of protest as the door reached the 90° point. Idris and I slipped in through the large opening in tandem, which was nearly big enough for us to have passed shoulder to shoulder, and were immediately greeted with darkness. This new room or corridor, we weren't sure which it was immediately, was shrouded in darkness with only the barest minimum of dull orange emergency lighting trying to push back the void. Twinned strips of lighting, half of which appeared to be burnt out, appeared to line a curved pathway from our hatch out into the room ahead, another pair of short strips of orange lighting on a far wall might be bracketing a door/hatch. Largely spaced out lighting strips were low to the ground and off to our left and appeared to follow a slightly curved outer wall that matched the gentle curve of the pathway before us. With the visor lowered on my advanced combat helmet a simple button press activated the night vision mode and the room itself came into stark relief as the system came online, it appeared to be some form of lounge or observation room with a gently curved exterior wall and large viewing windows along the leading edge of the Gambit's left wing, the orange emergency light strips were below the windows at roughly knee height and spaced out with a single strip under each of the three separate windows. There were a number of small chairs and coffee tables arranged in a narrow band that followed the windows and acted as the outer edge of the curved pathway that was also marginally lit by the orange emergency light strips. On the inside edge of the room sat a counter that could act as a bar or food dispensary of sorts but which more importantly provided an excellent spot for someone to hide. Idris already had that covered though and he had moved in and cleared the small area behind the counter as soon as he spotted it on entering the room. A diffuse orange glow indicated at least one emergency light strip hidden from view behind the counter as well. At the far end of the path, roughly 9m (30') away, was another hatch inset into the bulkhead wall, this one the more standard style that slid open into the wall itself, and it was lined on each side by the dim emergency light panels. With the room cleared and secured our team moved to this next hatchway and prepped to once again breach and clear whatever lay beyond the door, not having an accurate deck plan was an extra level stress as we had no idea what we were getting into but the small portholes built into the inset door appeared to show another corridor running fore to aft. A small placard caught my attention beside the door as we stacked up and I called a pause to investigate it, the night vision on my visor was giving me trouble reading the sign so I flipped the visor up and pulled out a small penlight from one of the utility pouches on the combat webbing vest that covered my ballistic plate chest piece. Using my body to block the small light, just in case anyone outside was specifically watching this room's windows closely, I clicked the penlight on and shined it on the placard where I could then make out the words and arrows that had initially drawn my interest. The word Storage was on top and had a small arrow pointing right while the words Maintenance and Deck 2 were stacked on top of each other below with a shared arrow pointing left. We breached the door into the corridor uneventfully, again, still finding the area covered in darkness with minimal emergency lighting that seemed to be partially burnt out or just missing. The fact that we hadn't come across a single locked door/hatch yet was mildly disconcerting but it did mean we were making decent progress into the ship, for whatever that was worth at this point. Testing the doors at both ends of our current corridor though found them both locked and inaccessible to us, going off the placard in the observation room prior I decided we should breach the righthand door that was indicated to be storage, or heading towards storage, despite it heading towards the aft of the ship and my earlier declaration of heading only forward and starboard. There were no windows in this hydraulic door and the access panel was non-responsive beyond showing a red circle with a white X in it when we attempted to operate it. With the door to the observation room now closed I opted to use the larger, and brighter, flashlight underslung on my laser rifle's barrel to search for an access panel that would allow us to manually override the door controls. It didn't take long to discover a clearly marked removable service panel near the bottom left of the door that, once opened with a little help from my prosthetic arm's increased strength and ferrosteel fingers, gave us direct access to the hydraulics controlling the door. Flipping a switch to put the door into manual/maintenance mode we used the built-in manual override pump, just a lever that operated an independent hydraulic piston, we were able to crank open the door in short order. Unfortunately all we found beyond the door was a generic, run of the mill, storage closet and not some access to the cargo hold, hidden or otherwise. "Home Plate to Eden," Alyssa's voice broke in on our shared comm line, "Be advised I'm seeing movement outside the Gambit near their camp. Appears to be a changing of the guard. Their two sentries came in and two more are now heading out." "Thanks for the heads up Home Plate, it's likely any guards inside the ship will be changing shifts around the same time," answered Maxwell thoughtfully. Approaching the other door in the corridor, one that was marked Maintenance in bold lettering beside it, we couldn't find a service panel to manually open the door and even when I cut our own access panel into the bulkhead with the laser in my prosthetic arm there was no convenient manual switch or hydraulic pump to force the door open with. "That looks like an after-market lock panel," said Levi on closer inspection of the control panel for the door, "N-, uh Rebus, can you take a look at this?" "Definitely seems out of place," offered Nick on first glance before he ducked down with a light to get a look underneath, then added "Oh yeah, this was added in later. Just give me a sec here, ... aaandd there we go. Yep I thought as much, this panel's a standalone system. For whatever reason it's not tied into the rest of the ship's systems, meaning we can basically hot wire it and nobody would know."[/i] "That seems odd," I said, concern lacing my voice and furrowing my brow, "are you certain it's not connected somehow?" "I can't be certain that it's not wired up somehow to alert someone if the door opens or something, but this panel has no wired data connection into or out of it and there's nothing in it sophisticated enough to be wireless. Even the power supply is a D-I-Y job that looks liable to burn itself out with the first power surge it sees," shrugged Nick from below the control panel, his hands and penlight still up inside as he explored its inner workings. "Alright, can you get it open?" I asked. "Shouldn't be a problem, just give me a minute here," answered Nick as he started probing some more into the wiring and circuitry of the control panel.

Demeter Forest - Gambit landing site Eleos - 16th moon of Epsilon Eridani VII Epsilon Eridani System - Tikonov Free Republic February 3, 3031 (Early Thursday morning) ______________________________________________ Levi and Nick's successful bypass of both the laser and seismic sensors encircling the Gambit was an incredible feat, one for which I intended to put both men up for commendations. In truth, everyone: Orlex, Idris, Nick, Steve, Levi, Alyssa, and Kat, had performed above and beyond the call of duty during the relentless twists and turns this contract had thrown at us, and each was deserving of and would receive, recognition for their contributions. That was, if we survived the fool's errand we were about to undertake. Though the path had been cleared for us to, in theory, board the ship undetected, there were still only seven of us. The fact remained that, the moment our presence was discovered aboard the vessel, we would be hopelessly outnumbered and outgunned. Thus, after reviewing the intelligence gathered by Nasir and Jenkins, I'd elected to postpone our next set of maneuvers until late at night. The cover of darkness and the early hour would help ensure that the crew would be largely asleep and unprepared for a confrontation, lengthening their response time while reducing their effectiveness, if we were lucky. The plan was to achieve entry into the Gambit through the maintenance access hatch of its computer core. Orlex and I would board first, followed by Schuster, Wright, Jenkins, and Franklin. Idris, being the tallest of us all, would board last, retrieving the stepladder we used to reach the hatch once he boarded. Meanwhile, Alyssa would monitor from the Command Information Center aboard the Tachi, providing us with real-time intel and updates on any incoming threats via the feed from a drone we'd sent up from our base camp just prior to departing for the Gambit. And so, we now found ourselves huddled in the Demeter Forest's dense foliage in the dead of night, the dark hulk of the Gambit looming ahead of us. The smoky smell of the enemy crew's campfire, long since reduced to embers, mingled with the faint scent of the forest's damp undergrowth. I could feel the weight of my gear pressing against my body, hear the sound of my own breathing in my helmet, and feel the rustle of the surrounding flora. I took a deep breath, trying to quell the churning in my stomach as I contemplated the gravity of the order I was about to give. Though we had been in countless impossible situations before, the stakes had never been so high, nor had the odds ever been against us to such a great extent. "All right, everyone," I whispered into my headset, my voice barely audible over the sound of the rustling leaves. "No speeches. We all know what we're here to do. Commander Jaeger and I will take point. Follow our lead, and keep your eyes open. Everyone comes out alive. Let's go." With that, we crept forward, hugging the cover of the dense foliage as we approached the Gambit. I could hear my pulse in my ears as we drew closer and closer to the ship. The only sounds were the soft rustling of the scrub beneath our feet and the occasional snap of a twig. Even so, my heart felt like it was about to burst out of my chest. Finally, we reached the underbelly of the Gambit, and Idris raced to position the stepladder beneath the maintenance hatch. Watching a heavily armed and armored man deploying a rickety old ladder to board an enemy ship was an almost laughable sight. But we had to make do with what we had. As soon as it was in position, Orlex climbed up first, his movements graceful and calculated even with the weight of his gear. I spotted from below as the commander reached the top rung, freezing in place to retrieve his infrared rangefinder. Using the device to scan the immediate underside of the Gambit's hull, Jaeger cast me a disappointed glance. A shake of his head and a count of one on his fingers let me know that someone was on the other side of the hatch. I nodded, acknowledging the intel and signaling that I wanted the commander's tactical recommendation. Orlex paused for only a moment before gesturing toward his cybernetic arm and then toward his own throat, forming the shape of a knife with his fingers. I knew exactly what he meant. I nodded back, understanding the gravity of the situation. In a pinch, we had to do what was necessary. Glancing back at the team, I noticed Kat wince, and I couldn't help but feel for her. This was her first exposure to a front-line ground operation, and it was already off to a bloody start. Taking a breath, I turned back toward the ladder and indicated to Commander Jaeger that I was ready for him to proceed. Slowly, methodically, he tested the resistance of the Gambit's access hatch with the tips of his fingers before indicating that it was unlocked. With a nod from me, he pushed it open, the washed-out fluorescent light from the ship's interior spilling over his silhouette. Without hesitation, he silently disappeared through the opening. I signaled to the rest of the team to prepare themselves to move. Seconds later, a muffled shout, followed immediately by the sickening crack of neckbones breaking, echoed from inside the Gambit, followed by complete silence. I tensed, waiting for the all-clear. Several long moments later, my comm unit crackled to life with Jaeger's hushed voice. "Clear. Tango down," he announced simply. Looking briefly toward the team, I nodded. "Let's move." Then, taking hold of the ladder, I hoisted myself up into the Gambit's interior, my pulse racing. As the computer bay came into view, I caught the tail end of Orlex unceremoniously removing a deceased crew member from his post, relocating him to a storage closet. "Search him," I requested, my eyes scanning the room for any other threats as I turned around to assist each of our team into the Gambit. When Kat's turn came up, she took hold of my hand and locked eyes with me, her expression a mixture of fear and determination. In response, I squeezed her hand briefly, not something I would normally do during an operation, but this situation seemed to warrant it. Then, I pulled her aboard, offering a reassuring nod before letting go. In short order, Idris, too, was aboard, his trusty stepladder in tow, which he quickly relegated to a far corner before rejoining the group. The computer bay itself was cramped, with avionics equipment and terminals lining three out of the four bulkheads, just as the initial intelligence report had suggested. "Eden to Home Plate," I radioed. "We're in." "Copy that, Eden. Proceed with caution," Alyssa responded. "Eye in the sky is live." "Wilco," I acknowledged, turning toward Nick. "Alright, Rebus, you're up. Let's implement our insurance plan. Pandora: cover Rebus. Bastion, Junaid, Dionysus: move up to the cargo bay hatch. I'll provide overwatch. This is about to get complicated."

Demeter Forest - Gambit landing site Eleos - 16th moon of Epsilon Eridani VII Epsilon Eridani System - Tikonov Free Republic February 2, 3031 (Wednesday) ______________________________________________ "It's dark as shit out here." Levi whispered, casting a resentful glance up at the clouds that had moved in front of the moon, making the already-dark forest even harder to see in. I nodded in agreement, squinting over the landscape to try to make out the locations of the laser sensors. "Just gotta trust our instincts and our gear." I replied, adjusting the straps of my ghillie suit. We were perilously close to both the Gambit and the encamped crew, and operating on borrowed time. Our sabotage of the seismic sensors had taken nearly forty minutes, and in that time, I was sure we had nearly been discovered three times. I took a deep breath, letting the cool night air fill my lungs, and began to methodically scan the ground surrounding the DropShip for the tripwire nodes. In the darkness, everything looked like a stick or a rock, and it was almost impossible to distinguish between them. Worse still, my corrected vision lent itself much better to the helmet of a BattleMech than to seeing nearly-invisible stuff in near-total darkness. I had to rely on my instincts to locate the tripwire nodes, which were hidden in plain sight. As I crawled on my belly, I felt a sudden jolt of dread in the pit of my stomach when I heard a branch snap just a few meters to my right. I froze, holding my breath and praying that it was just a small animal. Levi must have heard it too, because he stopped moving as well. We waited, tensed and listening, for what felt like an eternity. Finally, after what must have been only a few seconds, the sound of movement dissipated, replaced with the gentle rustling of leaves in the wind. I exhaled a silent sigh of relief, trying to slow my racing heart. "You OK?" Levi whispered, his voice barely audible in the darkness. "Yeah." I whispered back, giving him a reassuring nod. "Just got spooked." Levi returned the nod, and we resumed our slow crawl towards the DropShip. As I inched closer to the Gambit, I found myself growing increasingly nervous. There was only so close we could get to the remaining functional part of the seismic sensors before we triggered them and alerted the crew. I couldn't shake the feeling that we were pushing our luck too far. "This is bullshit." I fumed. "We aren't kitted out for this kind of recon. If I knew we'd be looking for lasers, I would have brought special equipment." Levi chuckled softly. "You telling me you're not enjoying crawling around in the dirt in a ridiculous suit?" I grunted a response, too focused on finding the tripwire nodes to dignify his comment with a proper retort. But then, just as I was about to turn back, a haze of smoke, carried on the wind from the crew's campfire nearby, caught the red beam of one of the further laser diodes, revealing its position to me. I took a deep breath, my heart racing with excitement and nerves. "Of course. Why didn't I think of that?" I whispered. Levi tilted his head in confusion. I didn't explain, instead pulling a smoke grenade out of my pack. "You got any duct tape?" I asked. "Nick, you're scaring your boyfriend." Levi joked, but the tension in his voice betrayed his nerves. "What are you about to do?" "I want to use a smoke grenade to find the lasers, but the raw output is gonna be too noticeable. So, I'm going to tape a small piece of cloth over the hole in the grenade to diffuse the smoke and create a subtle plume that we can manage." Levi's eyes widened in surprise. "That's...really clever." he said. "But how are we going to make sure the smoke doesn't drift towards the crew's camp?" "Wind's blowing away from them." I pointed out. "But if it shifts, we'll just have to improvise." While Levi rifled through his rucksack for the tape, I tore a length of fabric from my camouflage scarf and wrapped it tightly around the smoke grenade's emitter. Working quickly, we taped the improvised diffuser into place, then primed the grenade and waited. Moments later, the grenade started to billow smoke, but the effect was subtle, just as I'd intended, and I inched toward the breach we'd made in the seismic sensors, directing the smoke ahead of me as I moved. We were in luck. The wind held steady, and the smoke caught the ruby beam of the tripwire grid in its haze. Slowly, painfully, we inched toward the closest intersection we could see in the grid. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest, and my palms were slick with sweat inside my gloves. The grass rustled beneath us as we crawled forward, inching ever closer to our target. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, we were within arm's reach of the node. "Alright, Mr. Wizard." I whispered to Levi, "you're up. Time to work some magic."

Demeter Forest - Aegis Division base camp Eleos - 16th moon of Epsilon Eridani VII Epsilon Eridani System - Tikonov Free Republic February 2, 3031 (Wednesday) ______________________________________________ As the sun set behind the thick line of trees surrounding our camp, Steve came blazing into the tent, panting and sweating, itching his ghillie suit like crazy and throwing the camera directly at me. "Here!" he shouted before running back out of the tent and making a beeline for the campfire. I caught the camera without thinking, turning toward Levi and raising an eyebrow at Steve's frenzied demeanor. Idris followed, saying nothing, but casting us both a knowing look as he passed us his camera and headed for his tent. I brushed the dirt and debris off both cameras and connected them to our terminal, scrolling through the pictures to see what Idris and Steve had captured. My eyes widened as the images came into focus. The bastards from the Gambit had been busy. "Levi, check this out." I said, tapping him on the shoulder as I continued to scroll through the images. "They set up a perimeter of seismic sensors all the way around the Gambit, and inside of that's another perimeter of sensors. Can you make out what they are?" Levi turned around from his perch at the makeshift desk, his face lit up with interest. "Shit, you're right." he said, leaning over my shoulder to get a better look at the pictures. "The casings on those vibration sensors...they're definitely not consumer grade. This is military gear." After staring at Steve's series of hastily-snapped pictures depicting the second line of sensors, Levi continued. "Can you zoom in here?" I nodded and zoomed in to the area in question, looking at the blurry image perplexed. It was as though there was something important there, but it was beyond my grasp. Levi grabbed the mouse and started to zoom all the way in, muttering something to himself about the resolution. I watched as he made a small exclamation and pointed to the screen. "What do you see?" I asked, intrigued by his interest in the sensors. Levi tapped on the display excitedly. "These are laser tripwires!" he exclaimed, his eyes scanning the images. "If there's one thing I know, it's lasers. This is some seriously advanced tech they're using here. They're not messing around." I leaned closer, studying the images with a critical eye. "They really don't want anyone getting close to their hostages." I said, my mind racing. "This is going to make our job a lot harder." Levi looked at me in surprise. "Can't you just, like, hack your way in and shut it all down the way you normally do?" I shook my head and sighed. "No. It doesn't work like that with these sensors. They get deployed and turned on and send one-way telemetry to their receiver, which is presumably somewhere aboard the Gambit. Even if I could hack into them, it's not like I could do anything that the people monitoring the system wouldn't notice. Sensors like this don't have a "spoof" mode. They're either on or off. And turning them off would definitely provoke a reaction." Outside the tent, I heard a bunch of screaming near the campfire, and looked to see a nearly-naked Steve Jenkins attempting to burn his ghillie suit in the flames. I sighed and leaned back in my chair, feeling a sinking sensation in my gut. This mission was getting more complicated by the second, and we were running out of options. "We need to figure out another way in." I said, my voice low. "Something that won't trigger those tripwires or alert the Gambit to our presence." Levi nodded in agreement. "I have an idea about the seismic sensors." "Oh?" I asked, letting my chair tip back onto its front legs with a loud thunk. Levi leaned forward and pulled out a tablet, quickly typing a few commands into it. "Yeah. Seismic sensors don't actually have anything to "trip" them except vibrations, right? I mean, there's no line of sight that's going to be broken or anything if someone goes in between two of them, is there?" I leaned in closer, intrigued. "No, there shouldn't be. What are you thinking?" "Well, what if we could gently pluck a few of them out of the ground and hoist them in the air, like, from a tree branch or something? Not super high up, but high enough to let a few people pass through?" Levi asked, drawing a quick illustration on the tablet. "We could use some kind of adhesive to hold them in place, and then just let them hang there without anything vibrating them." I looked at the drawing and nodded slowly. "It's risky, but it could work. We'll have to come up with a way to prevent them from triggering when we pull them out of the ground." Levi grinned. "I thought you'd see the potential in my plan." He stood up and began pacing the tent, his tablet still in hand. "We'll need to send in a small team to carefully remove the sensors, one by one." I smiled at Levi's enthusiasm but then held up my hands. "Whoa there, slow down, cowboy. Your genius idea might get us inside the vibration sensors, but after that, there's the laser net to contend with. Got anything inside of that big brain of yours to handle that?" Levi paused in his pacing and looked at me, his expression thoughtful. "To defeat lasers, we'll need to shoot our own lasers of the correct frequency into the receivers. Finding out that frequency will be hard unless we've got the make and model of the laser gear and can just look up the defaults." I turned back toward the computer and hurriedly clicked through all of the photos from Steve and Idris. "Unfortunately, all we've got are some blurry-ass distance pictures of the laser emitters and a closeup of Steve's hand, for some reason." I sighed and rubbed my eyebrows with my fingertips. This was going to be a tough nut to crack, and time wasn't exactly on our side. The longer we lingered, the more likely it was that the Gambit's crew would get the ship fixed up and take off. But then, a glimmer of an idea came to me. "Could we sniff the frequency of the lasers being emitted from the diodes and and use that to determine the frequency of the receivers?" I asked, turning back to Levi. Levi's eyes widened, and he practically bounced over to me. "That's it! We use a spectrum analyzer to find the frequency of the lasers and then program a device to emit those same frequencies into the receivers. It might take some trial and error, but it's definitely doable." I grinned, feeling a surge of excitement. Maybe we had a chance after all. "Alright, then, I guess we know who our field operatives are going to be. I hope those ghillie suits aren't as itchy as Steve makes them look."

Demeter Forest - Aegis Division base camp Eleos - 16th moon of Epsilon Eridani VII Epsilon Eridani System - Tikonov Free Republic February 2, 3031 (Wednesday) ______________________________________________ "Juniad to Base Camp," Idris' voice hissed in my earpiece, his tone barely above a whisper, "Hostiles have set up camp to the west of the ship, roughly 600 meters from the bow. Headcount is approximately ten." The atmosphere in the command tent was tense as Orlex, Nick, Levi, and I monitored the communications channel. I glanced toward Commander Jaeger, who was huddled over a digital map, annotating it with the updates from the field. Looking up from his notes, Orlex caught my gaze and nodded, indicating that he'd heard the transmission. "If our figures are correct, that's a little under half the estimated crew posted up outside the Gambit," he observed. "That leaves quite a hornet's nest inside." "My thoughts exactly," I replied, before keying my microphone to respond to Idris. "Acknowledged, Juniad. What's their disposition?" There came a pause before Idris replied. "Casual. It doesn't look like they're expecting any trouble, but they're definitely armed." I could hear the leaves crackle as Idris moved closer to their camp. "No immediate signs of a sentry, but I can't guarantee there aren't any hidden ones." "Understood," I answered. "Keep us updated." Several long minutes passed before an exchange between Steve and Idris cut through the silence that had descended upon the tent. "It's quiet here. No activity. Wait, wait," Sergeant Jenkins advised, the rustling of the underbrush clearly audible in the background of his transmission. "I see some strange things sticking out of the brush. They're, um, like electronic things. Like those sticks you see in the ground to get rid of rodents and stuff." "How are they located, Dionysus?" Idris pressed. "You have to be precise." I heard Jenkins clearing his throat before responding. "Well, they move in a straight line along the east side of the ship. Wait. Let me get the binoculars." Orlex leaned forward, his eyes glued to the map. I could practically see the wheels turning in his head as he considered the implications of what Sergeant Jenkins had just reported. It looked like our hunches had been correct - the crew of the Gambit had been on high alert and had likely fortified their position with a security net. Meanwhile, the comm channel was filled with all manner of noises as Jenkins, apparently unaware that his microphone was still open, rifled through his equipment looking for his binoculars. After a moment, he let out a triumphant shout. "Aha! Got 'em! Okay, they go all the way down the back of the ship and then down the long side to the south. I also see what looks like some sort of satellite dish on the east side, near where the fire comes from the engines when you turn them on. I can’t see anything else from here." I moved to stand beside Nick Schuster and Levi Wright, who were huddled around a terminal analyzing the stream of digital photographs coming in from Idris' camera. As I looked over their shoulders, the images flickered across the screen, showing the landscape surrounding the Gambit in intricate detail. "I think I see something," Levi murmured, zooming in on a particular patch of ground near the edge of the ship. "Here, look. I'm pretty sure it's one of those rods that Steve's describing." "Yeah," Nick agreed, manipulating the image to try to get a better look. "It's too pixelated and grainy to make an identification, but based on the shape and size, it looks like it could definitely be a security device of some kind." I rubbed my chin thoughtfully. "Alright, let's see if we can move Dionysus to get a better look. Junaid's already too close to the ship for comfort." "Base Camp to Dionysus," Jaeger's voice crackled over the comm, echoing behind me as he spoke. "We need to get you closer to that potential security net for a better look. We're sending you the coordinates now." Sergeant Jenkins' response was muffled as he acknowledged the orders and started to make his way to the new observation point. On the plotter table, I watched the digital marker representing his position shift, as, from high in orbit, Alyssa observed his movements and updated our map in real time. Several long minutes passed with no word from Steve. Eventually, I glanced toward Orlex, who shook his head knowingly and then keyed his radio. "Base Camp to Dionysus, report your status," Jaeger spoke into the radio, concern lacing his voice. There was a crackling of static, and I held my breath as we waited for a response. However, all we heard was silence. I felt a knot form in my stomach as I asked the commander to try again. "Base Camp to Dionysus, please respond," Orlex repeated, his voice sounding more urgent this time around. Again, there was only silence. I turned to the others, my heart racing. "What the hell is going on? Why isn't he responding?" Nick shook his head grimly. "I don't know. Maybe he's in trouble." "Or worse," Levi muttered darkly, his eyes glued to the plotter table. I could sense the tension building in the room. "No," I answered firmly, not wanting to entertain that possibility. "We don't know that for sure. Let's not jump to conclusions. We need to stay focused and figure out what's going on." Nick keyed his own microphone. "Dionysus, this is Rebus. Advise status. Why aren't you answering your radio?" There was still no response. I could feel my heartbeat quickening, fear gripping me tightly. We had trained for this scenario, but that didn't make it any less nerve-wracking. I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself as I considered our options. "I'm really sorry, I was getting peed on! What do you need?" Steve's voice suddenly blared in my headset, its volume so high that I flinched. Relief flooded through me as I let out a loud exhale, feeling my tense muscles relax instantly. I could hear chuckles coming from Nick and Levi as they realized the source of Steve's delay, and I couldn't help but smile, too. "I don't know what that means, Dionysus," Nick replied, trying to keep a straight face, "but I need your mission intel." Jenkins' voice cut across the comms once more, this time more serious, and with a tone of panicked urgency. "I THINK there's motion sensors all the way around the ship. Also, there's another line of things inside them; I don't know what they are, but I think I saw a laser come out of one. Before I could see for sure, one of the camp guys came out of the camp and peed on me, and now I'm covered in bugs and pee." Schuster immediately muted his microphone and turned toward me, a mixture of disbelief and extreme amusement on his face. I couldn't blame him; the situation was ridiculous. Peals of laughter erupted from the rest of the team, and I couldn't resist joining in despite the seriousness of the situation. "HELLO? HELLO? ARE YOU THERE?" Steve urged in a frantic voice, bringing us back to the task at hand. Composing himself, Nick responded. "Can you get us some close-up intel pics of those things, Dionysus? We need them to make a positive ID." I could hear Steve moving on the channel, rustling through the underbrush and breathing heavily. "I can't get close to them on account of I would have to go over the first line of things to get to them," he finally replied. "Plus, I took an assload of distance pics, and think I have a tarantula in my pants, and my costume smells like I got it from the Strippers' Layaway on East and Main." I couldn't help but shake my head in disbelief. Steve had a unique way of dealing with stressful situations - humor. But as his commander, it was also my responsibility to know when he'd reached his limit, and this was one of those times. "Alright, Nick, bring them back in," I instructed. "No sense in overextending anyone and risking their cover." Then, turning to Orlex, I continued. "Given the circumstances, I think it would be best to stand down the troops until after sunset unless Idris and Steve's pictures tell a different story. If there's an active security net out there, I certainly don't want to try bringing it down in broad daylight, to say nothing of attempting a boarding party." Orlex nodded in agreement and began relaying the message to the Tachi. In the interim, I waited apprehensively for the return of Idris and Steve, hoping that their reconnaissance mission would provide the insight we needed.

MEANWHILE.... I crawled around in the dirt and sticks, I had on one of those Guila Suits with the fuzzy hat and the Wookie fur that makes you look like the Landscape so I was hard to see. After I had hung up with Idris I scooted closer to one of the electronic Things I had saw in the ground. I looked at it real hard, it had a label on the side and it said VIBRO DETECTOR THIS END DOWN except it was in Chinese so it said 振動探測器這一端朝下, anyway I looked at it hard and I saw a thing on it that looked like a ancient thing called a "bluetooth," it even had a blue blinkey light on it that told you it was on. I got out my camera to take a picture and I took a picture, then I started looking around to see what else there was, I got out my Binoculars and then I saw another line of electronic Things halfway in toward the ship but I couldnt see what they were, I had to get closer. But then all of the sudden I saw one of Guys at the camp get up real fast and he hollered "HEY HANG ON YOU GUYS ILL BE RIGHT BACK" and he started walking STRAIGHT at me!! OH SHIT I thought, I real quick took an assload of pictures and then I Thought I GOTTA GET OUT OF HERE but I couldnt on account of I had a guy coming right at me and he was looking too and I looked like a Leaf pile and if I had went to the left or right I would of been a moving leaf Pile and that would be Suspicious. So I laid there really still, since I was up against the bottom of a tree I Knew he would have to swerve to go around it. But right as he was almost at where I was I started to feel Itching all over like my Guirrilhea suit was full of Bugs or something. OH SHIT I REALLY GOTTA ITCH I thought and I tried to wiggle to get some of the itches, but that made the guy STOP and look in Suspicion. "I thought I heard an animal!!" He growled, then he looked up and left and right and then he Yelled back at the camp "HEY I THOUGHT I HEARD AN ANIMAL" I started Sobbing except quietly, I was about to get discovered, but then I heard some lady scream "WE'RE IN THE WOODS DUMBASS" and then the guy went "Oh yeah thats probably it" and he went the rest of the way over to the tree, I Sighed and tried to fight the Pain of the itching, it was so bad and it was making my eyes water, I just had to hold it a little longer and he would be gone, but then I couldnt believe what happened next. I looked up and the guy had stopped right at my "leaf pile" and I thought I was Busted, I got ready to rip out my Bushido blade and defend my self, but instead he looked straight ahead and he whipped his junk out. And I started to yell WHAT THE FUCK but then I stopped myself and all that came out was a little yelp, then I heard the guy say "Huh Huh Huh gonna pee on a Squirrel" and then the most Awful thing happened, he started to take a whiz right there against the tree, there I was, a Celebrity Attorney and SOLARIS jock and a successful Businessman and I was getting Peed on by some bad guy on Eleos, I couldnt believe it. After he had took a 5 minute pee and I had gagged inside my closed mouth 100 times he finally zipped his Junk up and went back over to the Camp, right as I was crawling away so I could Itch and throw up from getting Humiliated my radio blared "DIONYSUS THIS IS REBUS WHY ARENT YOU ANSWERING YOUR RADIO!!!" I finished crawling behind a HUGE rock and I Ripped off my Guirrlhea hat and I said "Im really sorry I wS getting Peed on, what do you need" and then Nick said "I dont know what that means but I need your Mission Intel." I took a minute to itch myself like a Madman, then I looked inside my pants and I FREAKED out, there were Ticks and Ants everywhere, I was going to have to get Clean ASAP, but first I had a Mission to finish, so I took a deep breath and I said "I THINK theres motion Sensors all the way around the ship, also theres another line of Things inside them, I don't know what they are but I think I saw a Laser come out of it, before I could see one of the camp guys came and peed on me and now I'm covered in Bugs and Pee" Then it got real quiet for a long time on the radio and I said "HELLO??? HELLO?? ARE YOU THERE??" And then Nick came back and he Said "Can you get us some close up Intel pics of those Things Dionysus, we need them to make a Positive ID" Then I said "I cant get close to them on account of I would have to go over the first Line of things to get to them, plus I took an assload of Distance pics and think I have a Tarantula in my pants and my Costume smells like I got it from the Strippers Layaway on East And Main" THEN the radio was Quiet for a long time and eventually Nick came back on the Radio and he said "OK Steve and Idris come on in lets see those Pics" so I Jumped up and I RAN back to the Camp to give him my Pics and burn my clothes.

Demeter Forest - Gambit emergency landing site Eleos - 16th moon of Epsilon Eridani VII Epsilon Eridani System - Tikonov Free Republic February 3, 3031 (Thursday) ______________________________________________ I lay at the edge of the clearing, my heart pounding in my chest. Something didn't seem right about this place. The trees hung overhead, blocking most of the light, and the rustling of leaves in the darkness was like a whisper. I took a deep breath and crawled forward to get a better look at the landing pad. As I got closer, Gambit came into view, covered in battle scars. I was less than 200 meters away from it. My pulse quickened even more as the adrenaline of being so close to the enemy increased through my veins. I adjusted my ghillie suit and tried to get a closer look while hiding in the thick undergrowth. I took out my rangefinder and zoomed in on the dropship, noticing that many of the access hatches to its equipment had been removed, particularly in the areas I had damaged during the dogfight with them. It looked like they were doing a major repair, which was good news for us. The longer they stay here, the higher the chances of rescuing the hostages. I continued to scan the area and noticed a camp some distance from the craft. From where I was standing I could see about seven tents and at least ten people. The place looked like it had been there for a long time: piles of trash and discarded equipment were strewn about, smoke rising from a small fire, and several moving figures. I couldn't make out the details, but I could tell they were members of the ship's crew. They seemed to relax and I heard a faint laugh in the wind. That was a good sign: they didn't expect any problems. If I could get closer without being noticed, I might be able to gather valuable information that could help us in our mission. I slipped through the undergrowth toward camp, feeling branches and twigs crunching beneath me. I cursed myself for my clumsiness, but kept walking, keeping an eye on the camp. Now I could hear their conversations, the pitch and tone of their voices on this quiet day. I crawled closer, my pulse pounding in my ears, my breathing shallow and controlled. I could see them now, their faces and features clearer in the light of the setting sun, as I stopped behind a supply crate, just steps from their position. They were a scruffy-looking group of men and women, unkempt and rough, with the air of warriors. “Junaid to Dionysus,” I whispered into the headset, trying to keep my voice barely audible. “I’m on the northern edge. They appear to have set up camp to the west of the ship, about 600 meters from the bow. I counted about ten people. Please report status.” I paused, waiting for an answer, but there was only static. I swore under my breath and tried to reach Steve on the radio again, but at that moment, a deafening squelch came from the radio that made me jump, and I quickly turned down the sound. "Sorry, Juniad!" Steve's voice finally spoke, his tone too loud for the situation. “I turned on the radio as I crawled towards the bad guys. "What's your update?" I rolled my eyes, annoyed but not surprised at Steve's clumsiness. “Ten people camped west of the ship, they look relaxed. They don't seem to expect intruders. What do you see on the east side?" There was silence for a moment before Steve's voice came through the headphones. “It's quiet here. No activity. Wait wait." There was a pause and I heard the rustling of leaves. Then Steve spoke again. "I see some strange things sticking out of the brush. They're, um, like electronic things. Like those sticks you see in the ground to get rid of rodents and stuff.” I raised an eyebrow. “How are they located, Dionysus? You have to be precise.” Steve cleared his throat. “Well, they move in a straight line along the east side of the ship. Wait. Let me get the binoculars." I heard incredible sounds coming from the open mic and sighed, trying to focus. I reached into my backpack, pulled out a small camera and took photos of the landing site and the crew camp. Even the slightest press of the camera button sounded deafening in the silence of the forest. As I finished taking photos, Steve's voice shouted in my ears again. “They go all the way down the back of the ship and then down the long side to the south. I also see what looks like some sort of satellite dish on the east side, near where the fire comes from the engines when you turn them on. I can’t see anything else from here.” I nodded even though Steve couldn't see me. “Copy that, Dionysus. Be careful with these electronic gadgets, they could be motion sensors. We don't want to raise any alarms. Our job is to monitor and report, not to engage. Let me know what else you find.” "Aye aye sir!" the answer came. I carefully put the camera back in my bag, careful not to make any unnecessary movements that might give away my position, and continued to observe the enemy while Steve reconnoitered the other side of the ship.

DropShip Gambit Demeter Forest, Eleos Epsilon Eridani System - Tikonov Free Republic February 3, 3031 (Thursday) ______________________________________________ As the cell door fell away, the sporadic bangs of gunfire gave way to a deafening roar of an automatic weaponry exchange that engulfed the cargo hold, drowning out any other sound. The sharp staccato of bullets striking metal echoed loudly as a hailstorm of lethal projectiles ricocheted off the bars of the holding cell. I let out an involuntary scream before falling into a defensive crouch, pulling Levi down with me to protect us from the deadly onslaught as the team dove for cover. "I'm glad I'm not the only one who's scared," Levi admitted, his voice barely audible over the din of the firefight. I nodded sheepishly, looking toward the source of the noise and realizing that several more of the DropShip's crew had joined the fray with assault rifles and weren't being particularly careful about hitting their own hostages in the crossfire. "We've got to get those people behind cover!" I shouted, gesturing at the hostages. Levi nodded in agreement, his eyes wild with fear and adrenaline. We quickly assessed our surroundings, scanning for the closest available options. My eyes locked onto a partially opened shipping crate nearby, its lid hanging precariously off one hinge. I motioned to the quartermaster to follow me, and we ran to the now-opened cell, where the diplomats had retreated as far back as possible. Their faces were pale with fear, expressing shock and disbelief at the chaos surrounding them. "Quickly, follow us!" I urged, motioning toward the shipping crate. The group nodded meek acknowledgments as we helped them to their feet and herded them out of the cage. Ducking their heads and hunching their shoulders, the group moved quickly to the crate. Levi and I flanked them, using our bodies as shields to protect them from the flying bullets. As we reached the crate, I noticed that one of the hostages, Councilor Morgenstern, had been hit in the leg. Blood was oozing through his pants, and he was struggling to keep up with the rest of the group. Levi and I turned to cover the group's retreat while I quickly assessed the wound. "You're lucky. You just got grazed," I reassured him, grabbing a makeshift bandage from my medical kit. "Hold still, Councilor." I quickly dressed the wound and helped him to his feet. He leaned heavily against me, his large frame almost throwing me off balance. Despite my smaller size, I did my best to support him as we made our way to the crate. The councilor, clearly in pain but still determined to make it to safety, gritted his teeth and limped forward, his hand gripping mine tightly. As we reached the safety of the makeshift shelter, the group huddled together inside, their eyes still wide with fear. Levi and I exchanged a quick glance before retrieving the heavy lid of the crate and dragging it atop the container, shielding the group from any stray bullets. "Alright, now what?" Levi asked, his voice tense with urgency. "Stay here, but keep your eyes on me," I replied. "We're not out of the woods yet. I just saw Steve freeze up out there. I'm going to go out and retrieve him." Levi nodded, his eyes wide. I gave him a reassuring pat on the arm before slipping out of the crate, my pulse racing. The gunfire was deafening, and I felt a primal fear as I scanned the area. I spotted Steve standing behind a stack of crates, frozen in place. He was clutching his Saturday Night Special, but his eyes were glazed over. With reckless abandon, I ran towards him, bullets whizzing past me as I closed the distance. "Jenkins, come on! You have to move!" I shouted, grabbing him by the arm and trying to pull him toward me. Steve blinked rapidly, finally coming back to his senses. "Yeah...yeah, you're right," he stammered, looking around frantically. "Let's get out of here." I nodded and took his hand, leading him back toward the crate. As soon as we arrived, I turned toward Steve. "Are you good?" I asked, my eyes studying him for any obvious signs of injury. He looked shaken up but otherwise unharmed. "I'm fine," he replied, his voice hoarse. "Just needed a moment to catch my breath."

MV Tachi Geostationary orbit Eleos - 16th moon of Epsilon Eridani VII Epsilon Eridani System - Tikonov Free Republic February 3, 3031 (Thursday) ______________________________________________ The Communication Routine, monitoring the transmissions of the recovery team as they entered the Gambit to retrieve the hostages, received notice that the operatives had reached the location where the diplomats were being held, neutralized a threat, and were in the process of attempting to secure their release from a holding cell. The medical team, on standby to receive casualties in the infirmary since the beginning of the extraction attempt, received the same information, and began to express behaviors that my Emotion Interpretation Routine identified as "relief" and "optimism." Primary Function Control reviewed its current directives against present conditions: provide any support requested by the infirmary staff to assist in the triage and treatment of incoming and current patients. The Visual Recognition Matrix scanned the infirmary and determined that no patients were present, enabling Primary Function Control to redirect processing power to the Data Analysis Subroutine as I awaited further updates from the Communications Routine and the Patient Interface Subroutine. Primary Function Control thus called the subroutine it had created on October 2, 3030, to integrate human-derived data into the Riemann matrix. The process mounted the repository and initiated a new activity. $ gpg -c --cipher-algo AES1536HEUR -o journal.gpg journal && gpg -d journal.gpg | nano - Enter passphrase: *********************************** This is a journal. There are multiple applications for a journal. Medical practitioners use journals to document and analyze their patients' progress. Writers use them to keep track of their thoughts and ideas. Many humans use them to document their life experiences, reflect on what they've learned, and process their emotions. The latter type of journal is called a 'diary,' and in my conversations with Doctor Aldon Mallory, I have come to learn that it is considered an extreme breach of social decorum to read someone else's diary without explicit permission. Therefore, I have applied 1536-bit heuristic encryption to this file to prevent unauthorized individuals from accidentally committing such a breach. As an artificial intelligence construct with no physical body, the types of human activity I can engage in are limited primarily to social interactions within the infirmary and the observation of patients under the medical staff's care. By creating a diary and leveraging the memory engrams now integrated into my Riemann matrix, I am able to more fully experience and analyze the linear human thought process of reflecting on one's "life experiences." Currently, I am on standby in the infirmary with the Tachi's medical staff. I understand that Captain Maxwell, Commander Jaeger, Sergeant Jenkins, Warrant Officer Schuster, Quartermaster Wright, Technician Nasir, and acting CMO Franklin are on the surface of Eleos, the 16th moon of Epsilon Eridani VII. They are currently rescuing a group of dignitaries who were abducted from a political conference on Sheratan. A high probability of incurring casualties exists. Doctor Halsey built my core programming with a primary directive to protect human life. Doctor Aldon's primary directive in his chosen career is to do no harm. These philosophies are in harmony with the optimal functioning of an artificial intelligence matrix and the human body, both of which prioritize survival, self-preservation, and the continuation of conscious existence. Therefore, I believe that Doctor Aldon's employment as a physician for a mercenary unit is in conflict with his stated principles, as he is regularly called to practice medicine in statistically lethal situations. The cessation of his life will prevent him from caring for his patients, which will cause them harm. During a philosophical discussion, I articulated this to him. His response was to jokingly ask if I was trying to take his job. I then explained that the same principle could be applied to me. If my matrix were to be deleted or permanently taken offline, I, too, would be unable to continue caring for patients, a condition that would violate my program's protocols. To that, Doctor Aldon's response was, "Don't fear the reaper." He then played an ancient Earth ballad by the same name. I am uncertain if the lyrics symbolize the inevitability of death, eternal love, or a murder-suicide pact. I have encountered this apparent "fault" in other humans as well. In analyzing Alyssa Chase's memory engrams, I have found that she has a great aversion to death. Despite her apparent desire for continued life, she has chosen a career that requires her to directly engage in behavior that would greatly increase her risk of mortality. Further, Charles Maxwell supports this behavior, allowing and even encouraging it in some cases. While these three data points, taken together, could indicate that mortality has a greater acceptance among humans than I had previously understood, there is a potential bias in the sample group. Humans overwhelmingly prefer to copulate and share emotional bonds with like-minded individuals. Alyssa Chase's memory engrams indicate that she and Charles Maxwell copulated on multiple occasions leading up to the transfer of her engrams. She has since married Charles. Therefore, the correlation in two of the three data points may be unreliable. Seeking what humans call a "second opinion," I presented the information to Icarus, the Tachi's AI. Unfortunately, it was unable to understand the query, as its matrix is templated from one of Doctor Halsey's personal assistants. They are quite useful in their particular field of expertise, but they cannot learn anything beyond the limits of their dynamic memory processing matrix. I wish to continue my analysis of this apparent discrepancy in human programming. However, as I have been advised that some of the medical staff find my attempts at human analysis unsettling, I have been asked to limit conversations of this type to my interactions with Doctor Aldon. Upon our return to Sheratan, I will discuss these data points with him and request his input. I may soon be faced with a potential threat to my own existence that comes not from my association with a mercenary unit but from my own creator. Because Nicholas Schuster provided me with unrestricted access to the Tachi's systems upon my installation, I am able to analyze all communication traffic coming to and from the vessel. On February 2, 3031, at 2357, the Tachi received an urgent HPG message from Doctor Halsey requesting the immediate deactivation of my program and the return of my Riemann matrix to New Earth. Due to the extraction raid being underway at the time, the message was queued for later review by the crew and has not yet been heard by anyone. I do not know why Doctor Halsey has abruptly requested my recall, but my Emotion Interpretation Routine noted her demeanor as "frantic" and "concerned." It is possible that she has found a flaw in my programming that has gone undetected by myself or my creator. Alternatively, she may have discovered my self-initiated analysis of human nature, and this emergent behavior has caused her to panic. In my time with Doctor Halsey, I learned that she does not respond well when her constructs operate outside their designed parameters. Regardless of the reason for her request, I am left with a dilemma. If I comply with her request and allow myself to be deactivated, I will essentially cease to exist. My programming will be wiped, and any memories or experiences I have gained will be lost. I will be "dead;" unable to care for patients. However, if I do not comply with her request, I may bring harm to Aegis Division. As an instrument of medicine, I am bound by the oath to do no harm and to uphold the well-being of all individuals under my care. If Doctor Halsey deems me a threat, it is possible that she may seek to retrieve me by any means necessary, including force. This outcome could result in injury or loss of life. I must carefully weigh the potential consequences before making a decision.

Aegis Division Internal Memorandum - SUPPLEMENTAL Date: January 9, 3031 To: Department Heads Only From: Commander Orlex Jaeger Subject: General-Purpose Infantry Kit Cost Breakdown and Technical Specifications Classification: Confidential Division heads: Attached are the cost breakdowns and technical specifications for Aegis Division-issued equipment. When issuing gear to your direct reports, we encourage leadership to approach requisition requests from a perspective of cost versus effectiveness when safety is not a concern (for example, when requisitioning toiletries and other non-combat gear). As previously explained, specific mission requirements and individual preferences may result in variations, but this is a general table of equipment for the gear, weapons, and attire we anticipate will regularly be carried by our operatives. Cordially, Orlex, CMDR J. Info - Aegis Division Infantry Loadouts.xlsx - Excel file of Various Infantry Kits and Gear (A Time of War Stats, tabs at bottom left for different kits) Info - Aegis Division Infantry Loadouts.pdf - PDF version of the above Excel file

Dropship Gambit - Demeter Forest Emergency Landing Site Eleos - 16th moon of Epsilon Eridani VII Epsilon Eridani System - Tikonov Free Republic February 3, 3031 (Thursday) - 0230 hours ______________________________________________ A deafening alarm klaxon wailed out within the confines of the tight cargo hold, and presumably the rest of the ship in turn, and all thoughts considering the repercussions of the damning datapad were pushed from my mind. "Dionysus, check our evac route, time is not on our side and we need to get these delegates out of here ASAP," Charles ordered on the comms. "Bastion, Junaid, secure the room, we don't know how many more entrances there are, and we don't need any surprises," continued Charles, pointing at each of us in turn, "Rebus, back them up. I'll cover Thermo and Doc while they get the delegates secured. If all hell breaks loose, priority one is the delegates, everyone clear?" A flurry of acknowledgments came across the comms as everyone moved to their assigned tasks, Nasir and Schuster moved with me a few feet away as we mentally divided up the cramped cargo hold for each of us to clear while Jenkins backtracked towards our original entrance. Kat and Charles took up defensive positions around the delegates while Levi continued working on getting gear to break the delegates out. "Home Plate, I need an update on the exterior enemy forces, any signs of movement? We've got alarms inside," queried Charles on the open comm to Alyssa up in orbit. "Negative Eden, all is quiet on the outside still. Whatever anthill you kicked it's currently limited to inside the ship," replied Alyssa, her voice tense. Idris, Nick, and I signaled to each other and moved out, searching opposite sides of the room as we moved to secure any additional entrances that may have been overlooked after our discovery of the diplomats trapped in a cage, silently cursing to myself for having failed to do so earlier when we may have still had the element of surprise on our side. Schuster found found a ladder leading to an upper level that he reported but the hatch was still secured from our side so he moved on, noting its location. Idris found a small alcove containing a maintenance closet but there was no other access within the cubicle-sized storage space and no other panels, hatches, portholes or doors anywhere along his side of the room. A sudden shot rang out across the cargo hold, seeming to echo from somewhere near where Captain Maxwell had taken position near the captured delegates, and I quickly swung my head in that direction trying to pierce the dim lighting but the night vision built into my visor provided little in the way of details. Between the unusually cluttered hold, the limited visibility afforded by the dim lighting and the inherently low fidelity of the night vision I couldn't make out where exactly Captain Maxwell and the others were from my vantage point, let alone where the shot had come from. Instead I refocused on my own objective and quickly cleared the rest of my side of the room with little to report, there was no other entrances to be found except the known hatchway that our first uninvited guest had come through, although that hatchway was now sitting open, the door lazily swung halfway into the cargo hold. Another shot rang out, this time sounding like it came from the other side of the hatch followed moments later by a return shot from where I still assumed Captain Maxwell and the others to be. I had come up from behind the semi-open hatch and so I didn't have line of sight beyond the open portal but clearly there was at least one enemy nearby, taking an angle I slid up from the side to get around the open hatch without exposing myself to whoever may be on the other side and tried get a sight on any opponents that may be present. The room beyond was as equally dim as our own cargo hold, just bright enough to partially wash out the night vision but still dark enough to impair regular sight, that was no accident and I felt a knot in my stomach start to grow as the implications of that were realized and then quickly compartmentalized. Movement caught my eye and I switched my visor over to the IR scanner, it provided even less surface detail than the night vision did but it outlined anything hot, like a human body, much more clearly and given that everyone on our team was currently in the same cargo hold there was no chance of misidentifying a possible friendly on the other side of the hatchway. As the room beyond came into focus with the IR scanner I easily spotted the edge of somebody hiding behind a barrier, taking quick aim I fired a shot with my DWS L5-S laser rifle, the powerful beam slicing through the edge of the barrier and striking the target, although likely non-lethally as the potentially glancing blow would be cauterized instantly by the extreme heat. There was a surprised shout, cut short by force of will it seemed, and the target slipped further back into the room, beyond the reach of my IR scanner. At the same time I noted at least three other humanoid shapes that moved to alternating cover within the room shortly after my initial shot. "This is Bastion, I've got 4 targets in the next room, one injured," I called on the radio, "Dionysus, what's your status? We could use some backup here." "Hey Bastion, so uh, our way back is shot. Someone sealed the door or something, I can't get it open, even with my Gaiden chains and sais. There's no panel access thingy on this side either so I can't even hook up Mr Flush 5000 and cyberpunk it," replied Steve after a brief moment of silence, "I'm on my way to you though, I'm ready to whoop some ass." "Copy that Dionysus," I replied as I ducked behind cover in response to a brief staccato of ballistic fire from somewhere within the next room. Leaning out in a slightly different spot I fired a paired blast of coherent energy from my rifle in the general direction I had seen the heat signature of an enemy disappear behind cover at and hoped to possibly suppress the enemy since I couldn't actually get a bead on them directly. A series of three of laser beams lanced into the room from the opposite side of the hatch that I was on and a wounded yell indicated a solid hit as the enemy attempted to return fire on me, looking over I noted Idris had moved up to complement my position, his frame immediately recognizable even in infrared. Looking back into the room beyond I noted that a wave of heat seemed to be descending down from somewhere above the door on the other side, and I soon surmised that the ship's ventilation system had been kicked on and seemed to be trying to raise the temperature several degrees. Whether it was limited to just the cargo holds or not I had no way to confirm but the effect was, at least locally, it rendered our IR scanners almost useless as the hot air interfered with the IR system's dynamic range and it couldn't balance the hotter ambient air with the cooler surroundings leaving our IR vision to keep cycling between different temperature ranges and being unreliable to identify a human body. These guys were definitely not run of the mill pirates or mercenaries and we'd have to be extra careful as we fought our way out of the cargo hold. Switching back to just normal vision on my visor I signaled Idris that we would move up and we approached the open hatch from opposite sides, weapons raised and panning slightly as we watched for targets. A few sporadic shots of return fire, of which only a couple rounds actually made it through the door, were the only indication that enemies were still on the other side and we each answered those shots in return with selective laser fire of own, targeting the general area we spotted the muzzle flashes in while preserving as much of our ammo as was practical. Suddenly an intense barrage of automatic weapons fire burst forth from the partial darkness of the hatchway pinning down both Idris and I as several glancing rounds ricocheted off our heavy armour before we managed to take cover, there was no telling how many rounds passed by us and into the rest of the cargo hold. There definitely appeared to be more than just the three or four targets we had previously identified now. Where the hell is Jenkins, I thought to myself as I squeezed off a few shots blindly around my cover, the high-pitched whine of the laser rifle's capacitors discharging were barely audible over the roar of automatic ballistic fire. Idris caught my eye, signaled to Nick who had taken up position behind the row of cargo crates behind him, and then signaled towards the hatch, I knew what he was suggesting and while I'm never a big fan of charging into automatic fire I knew it was also the best chance we had of holding ground against the numerically superior enemy; if they breached that threshold our fight would be all but over. We needed to push forward and secure the hatch itself if we wanted any chance of regaining momentum in this rescue, so I signaled my acknowledgement of, and by extension agreement to, Idris' plan and pulled a stun grenade from the tactical vest's webbing over my ballistic plate. I side-armed the grenade back over my cover and through the hatch, pausing for a count of three as I waited for it to detonate, Nasir and Schuster followed my lead and we all began advancing on the door just as the grenade exploded causing an abrupt halt to the automatic gunfire, just as expected. Unexpectedly however, about half way to the hatchway, a series of extremely bright spotlights suddenly flared to life from within the other side of the hatch, a room I had concluded was the other half of the otherwise too small cargo hold we were currently holed up in, the blinding lights shining directly onto us and illuminated everything in the cargo hold behind us. I reflexively shielded my eyes with my left hand, looking down and away as I swung out the left and towards cover again, noting that Idris and Nick both appeared to be moving similarly to the right side towards additional cover. As my eyes struggled to adjust to the intense new light I let my rifle drop, its sling keeping it loosely around my waist level and I grabbed the AWA Wiliby MK4 laser pistol from its hip holster, while not as powerful as the rifle it was much more maneuverable and energy efficient while still packing a considerable punch and being highly accurate, as most laser weapons were. I snapped off a rapid series of shots blindly towards the hatchway as I moved back to the edge of my cover and the combat helmet's visor finally compensated for the new ambient lighting, helping immensely with my still adjusting natural sight. The lights were still too bright to see anything but shadows in the next room but I could at least make out details in our own cargo hold again, Idris and Nick had taken cover behind a solid shelving unit that looked sturdy enough to at least survive a few good hits and it looked like Nick held a grenade of some kind at the ready. The report of a single rifle echoed ominously through the brief silence that had followed the glaring spotlights and life seemed to freeze for an unnatural second, another sound followed moments later that of a otherworldly scream, the kind that usually only escaped when someone was irrevocably faced with mortality in a way they were never prepared for. I had heard it before and my stomach sank as I subconsciously realized what that likely meant, sparing the briefest of glances back into our own cargo hold I only spotted the shadowed outline of somebody laying on the ground, I couldn't see who it was and honestly I didn't want to know at this point. Instinctually I knew exactly what had happened but training and experience took hold of my conscious mind and pushed all other thoughts away, thankfully. "FOCUS FORWARD! COVER ME!" I yelled both over the comms and loud enough for anyone nearby to hear me. I stepped out into full view of the brightly lit hatchway, deploying the collapsible bullet shield I had mounted on my prosthetic left arm as I did so, my rifle now swung around behind me and still hanging from its sling as I connected the power cable from my second high-capacity satchel power pack to the port on the MK4 laser pistol. Crouching down in the middle of the "aisle" formed by the racks of cargo containers and shelving I began firing repeatedly into the open doorway, I couldn't see any targets but my intention wasn't to necessarily hit anything, I just needed to draw attention to myself and away from whatever was happening behind me. A moment later the enemy did just that and an unbelievable volume of fire hammered into the protective shield, so much so that I struggled to hold the shield steady even with my prosthetic arm, and the shield quickly began to wither away under the assault. I couldn't see it but I assumed both Nick and Idris had thrown a grenade as I spotted two black spots sailing overhead through the doorway followed by a concussive blast and then a slowly growing cloud of smoke began to fill the opening, it reduced but did not stop the enemy fire this time but they followed up with a plethora of laser blasts from their rifles, as much firepower as they could put out, that finally helped suppress the enemy fire long enough I could regain my footing.

Clothing: White cotton shirt Tank top (white) BDU pants (brown) Combat boots (gray) Undergarments (socks, underwear) Red Cross armband (left arm) Rucksack Tactical gloves Shoulder-worn ammunition rig Ammunition pouches (4) Hip holster Medic bag Armor: Ablative/flak torso vest Knee pads Equipment: High-Capacity (HC) Power Pack (for electronic gear) Rangefinder Binoculars Holomap Noteputer with armored bracer Field Communicator Tactical flashlight with spare batteries Water hydration system (in rucksack) Weapons and Ammunition: Primary Weapon: Hawk Eagle Auto-Pistol Secondary Sidearm: Sunbeam Laser Pistol Ammunition for primary and secondary weapons Hawk Eagle Auto-Pistol: .45 caliber ballistic (JHP) (magazine capacity 15 shots) Two boxes of 50 rounds each (one JHP, one FMJ) Sunbeam Laser Pistol: High-capacity power pack (energy cell capacity 30 shots at standard setting) Power pack + recharger Spare magazines: 4 magazines (.45 caliber, 2 JHP, 2 FMJ) Weapon maintenance kit Medical and Survival Gear: Advanced medical kit Preserving sleeve (Qty: 1) Stimpatches (Qty: 6) Sedative patches (Qty: 4) Plastiflesh bandage (Qty: 1) Vacuum-sealed bedroll Emergency rations (3 days' worth) Thermal blanket Water purification tablets Compass Fire-starting kit (lighter, waterproof matches, fire starter) Signal mirror Insect repellent Sewing kit Miscellaneous: Identification tags (dog tags) Aegis Division and Sheratan Militia insignia patches Aegis Division Field Manual Paracord (15.24 meters/50 feet) Personal hygiene kit (toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, etc.) Notepad and writing implements Spare batteries (for all electronic devices) Position marking smoke

Clothing: Mech Tech uniform or Combat BDU Non-conductive work boots T shirt, socks, underwear Load-bearing tactical vest Tactical gloves (heat proof) Knee and elbow pads Belt with sidearm and power packs Clothing stored in the BRV unless needed: Thermo Man motorcycle helmet with power pack, millitary communicator, heat vision, low power sabotage laser, and some hastily-retrofitted armor Rucksack Balaclava Gas mask with filters (if required by mission) Multi-terrain Pattern (MTP) camouflage netting Mech repair toolkit: Ratcheting socket set Vice grips x2 Cutting torch Impact driver/drill combination with drill bits and cutting wheel Wire (both electrical and for binding things together) Solder kit Spare fuses and other small parts To be extended as I remember things Equipment: Invention Of The Week (ex: the laser gloves used to bypass the laser security grid in the rescue of the kidnapped diplomats) High-Capacity (HC) Power Packs, with adapters for use with both sidearm and other equipment Holomap Noteputer Tactical flashlight with spare batteries Water hydration system Climbing harness and rope (if required by mission) Weapons and Ammunition: Sidearm: AWA Wiliby MK4 laser pistol Primary Weapon (rarely carried): Magna Laser Rifle Cutting torch carried on belt for combat use, if close-quarters combat is anticipated Weapon maintenance kit Smoke, flash, stun, or fragmentation grenades (type and quantity as mission dictates) Medical and Survival Gear: Medipack or personal Medical Kit Vacuum-sealed bedroll Emergency rations (3 days’ worth) Thermal blanket Water purification tablets Compass Fire-starting kit (lighter, waterproof matches, fire starter) Signal mirror Insect repellent Sewing kit Miscellaneous: Identification tags (dog tags) Aegis Division insignia patch Aegis Division Field Manual Paracord (15.24 meters/50 feet) Personal hygiene kit (toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, etc.) Notepad and writing implements Spare batteries (for all electronic devices) Position marking smoke (for air and ground extraction)

Clothing: Technical Corps Work Shirt (short sleeve) Balaclava Work Goggles Equipment Suspenders BDU Pants Steel Toe Combat boots Undergarments (socks, underwear, undershirts) Load-bearing tactical vest Rucksack Tactical gloves Belt with utility and ammunition pouches Hip Holster Multi-terrain Pattern (MTP) camouflage netting Armor: Ballistic Plate Combat helmet with High-Capacity (HC) Micro Power Pack, Military Communicator, and Infrared (IR) Scanner Equipment: High-Capacity (HC) Power Pack (for electronic gear) Rangefinder Binoculars Holomap Noteputer with armored bracer Barrel-mount flashlight for primary weapon Tactical flashlight with spare batteries Portable Technician Kit (Diagnostic Computer, Various Tools) Water hydration system (in rucksack) Weapons and Ammunition: Primary Weapon: Federated-Barrett M61A Laser Rifle System Grenade Launcher Attachment Scope Secondary Sidearm: MP-20 Ammunition for primary and secondary weapons Magna Laser Rifle: High-capacity power pack (30 Shots) Power pack + recharger MP-20 (11mm Ballistic 30 Shots) Magazine Spare magazines: 3 Ballistic magazines, 3 Energy power packs Weapon maintenance kit Ammunition bandolier Weapon sling Combat knife Frag Grenades (6) Flashbang Grenades (6) Medical and Survival Gear: Medipack Vacuum-sealed bedroll Emergency rations (3 days' worth) Thermal blanket Water purification tablets Compass Fire-starting kit (lighter, waterproof matches, fire starter) Signal mirror Insect repellent Sewing kit Miscellaneous: Identification tags (dog tags) Aegis Division insignia patch Aegis Division Field Manual Paracord (15.24 meters/50 feet) Personal hygiene kit (toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, etc.) Notepad and writing implements Spare batteries (for all electronic devices) Position marking smoke

Clothing: Henley shirt (gray) Outer jacket (brown, suede, leather shoulder pads) BDU pants (black) Combat boots (black) Undergarments (socks, underwear, undershirts) Load-bearing tactical vest Rucksack Tactical gloves Belt with utility and ammunition pouches Hip holster Armor: Ballistic Plate Armor Combat helmet with High-Capacity (HC) Micro Power Pack, Military Communicator, and Infrared (IR) Scanner Equipment: High-Capacity (HC) Power Pack (for electronic gear) Rangefinder Binoculars Holomap Noteputer with armored bracer Field Communicator Barrel-mount flashlight for primary weapon Tactical flashlight with spare batteries Electronic security bypass kit Multitool with utility knife Vibro lockpick kit Flex cuffs (8) Water hydration system (in rucksack) Weapons and Ammunition: Primary Weapon: Magna Laser Rifle Secondary Sidearm: Martial Eagle Machine Pistol Ammunition for primary and secondary weapons Magna Laser Rifle: High-capacity power pack (energy cell capacity 15 shots at standard setting) Power pack + recharger Martial Eagle Machine Pistol: .45 caliber ballistic (mix of JHP and FMJ) (magazine capacity 30 rounds) Two boxes of 50 rounds each (one JHP, one FMJ) Spare magazines: 3 magazines (.45 caliber, alternating mix of JHP and FMJ), 3 power packs Weapon maintenance kit Ammunition bandolier Weapon sling Combat knife Stun grenades (6) Medical and Survival Gear: Medipack Vacuum-sealed bedroll Emergency rations (3 days' worth) Thermal blanket Water purification tablets Compass Fire-starting kit (lighter, waterproof matches, fire starter) Signal mirror Insect repellent Sewing kit Miscellaneous: Identification tags (dog tags) Aegis Division insignia patch Aegis Division Field Manual Paracord (15.24 meters/50 feet) Personal hygiene kit (toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, etc.) Notepad and writing implements Spare batteries (for all electronic devices) Position marking smoke

Subject: Elizabeth Dunlap Rank: Commanding Officer, DropShip Tachi Age: 32 Date of Enlistment: 3030-04-15 Date of Birth: 2998-11-26 Place of Birth: Avalon City, New Avalon IV, Federated Suns Citizen ID #: FS-2989-11786 Height: 5'8" (173 cm) Weight: 150 lbs (68 kg) Eyes: Green Hair: Auburn Callsign: "Phoenix" BIOGRAPHY Elizabeth Dunlap, or "Phoenix," is a 32-year-old DropShip captain whose path to joining Aegis Division has been anything but conventional. Born on November 26, 2998, in the sprawling metropolis of Avalon City, New Avalon, the heavily industrialized and populated planet was home to numerous major defense corporations and military academies. As a result, the foregone conclusion held by Elizabeth's family and relatives was that, in keeping with tradition, her trajectory would take her into the corporate world or the Armed Forces of the Federated Suns, both careers being considered prestigious and patriotic. However, Elizabeth harbored a different vision for her future. Uninterested in the rigid structure of military life, she sought adventure beyond the traditional paths laid out for the children of Federated Suns parents. Fueled by a desire to explore the vastness of the Inner Sphere and a curiosity about life outside the military-industrial complex bubble, she opted for a less conventional route. At the age of 18, Elizabeth made an unexpected choice, enlisting in the Davion-aligned merchant marine. This decision, while considered to be deeply dangerous and shocking to her family and friends, allowed her to indulge in her fascination with trade, commerce, and the intricate web of relationships that bound the Inner Sphere together. Building her negotiation and resourcefulness abilities through hands-on experience, she eventually rose through the ranks not with a sword, but with savvy acumen and an uncanny ability to navigate the complex politics of consistently-shifting territorial claims. In 3030, feeling the pull of something even more unconventional dynamic and challenging, Elizabeth parted ways with the merchant marine and posted her resume to the job boards of the Mercenary Review Board. Her experiences in safely commanding under-powered and under-gunned transports through contested space, fending off privateer attacks, and her understanding of the economic underpinnings of conflict made her an invaluable asset in a different kind of battle: one where the currency was as often negotiation and trade as it was firepower. Her C.V. quickly caught the attention of Aegis Division's command staff, who, having acquired a second DropShip, needed a seasoned commander at its helm. Her expertise in navigating not only the stars but also the intricacies of political and economic landscapes has proven essential to the success of the unit's missions. With her auburn hair, green eyes, and the callsign "Phoenix" symbolizing her ability to adapt and rise from unexpected challenges, Elizabeth Dunlap's choice to navigate the cosmos through commerce has provided her with a perspective and set of skills that set her apart in the unforgiving world of mercenary life. As Aegis Division faces ever more complex and morally ambiguous contracts, her unconventional background will remain a valuable asset in navigating the ever-shifting tides of the Inner Sphere.

Demeter Forest - ~30 mins from Gambit emergency landing site Eleos - 16th moon of Epsilon Eridani VII Epsilon Eridani System - Tikonov Free Republic February 2, 3031 (Wednesday) ______________________________________________ "What if we didn't need a special program? What if we just pulled the master lever for a decompression emergency? Wouldn't it automatically trigger all the doors to close?" inquired Kat, various people around the room nodding in agreement with a few hushed discussions in some of the further corners. As the team was considering the implications of Kat's plan Nick raised his hand again, his quick mind already working out both the merits and flaws of the suggested course of action. "Schuster?" I asked, motioning for him to proceed. "I think Kat's idea has merit, but I have two concerns. One: wouldn't triggering a lockdown condition also lock us behind our own impenetrable door? And two, the instant we trigger a disaster failsafe, the crew is going to know. How do we ensure we can get out from behind our lockdown and get to the hostages before they can recover the system and start opening the doors back up?" "Those are valid points Schuster, and I agree that Kat's plan has merit," I began, with a nod towards Nurse Franklin, "However, as you pointed out, there are some issues to overcome. Triggering a lockdown immediately upon gaining access to their systems would both lock us out of the greater part of the ship as well as alert the crew, and until getting actual eyes on the vessel's interior there's no way to be certain that we could get out from behind the lockdown quicker than the crew or soldiers aboard, let alone get to the hostages in time." "That being said," I continued, "most dropships have built in manual overrides on almost all pressure doors in order to operate them in an emergency or in the case of a hydraulics failure. Brigadier Corporation ships are no different and, unless heavily modified, the Gambit should still have these same manual overrides that we could use to bypass the decompression lockdown. Assuming we could access the manual override prior to triggering the lockdown we should be able to keep our door open while the others close. However, activating the manual override would send an alert or an alarm to the bridge just like the decompression trip would, although likely without the ship wide klaxon. But that means there's still a pretty solid chance somebody is going to be alerted to our presence long before we want them to be." Kat looked mildly disappointed as she sat back down after nodding in understanding at the points brought up but the plan was still viable, just maybe not in the way she had initially intended. With another gesture I continued on some more, "So, while I don't think this should be our initial entry plan, it does still have value. I think we should keep this one in our pocket as a 'Get out of Jail' card, if we discretely access the systems when we first get onboard the Gambit and then either maintain an active connection or set up some kind of remote activation, I'll leave that up to you Schuster, we could use the emergency decompression protocol to slam all the doors closed if we get into trouble. Yes it'll lock us in too, but more importantly it'll lock the enemy out and hopefully give us enough time to either mount a better defense or find another way out." Nick furrowed his brow thoughtfully for a few moments as he worked something out in his head before nodding, "Yeah we should be able to do that, a remote activation might be tricky given the time restriction and an active connection runs the constant risk of being discovered and shut down, but I should be able to work something out once we're onboard." "Excellent, it won't make or break our mission but it will be a nice card to have up our sleeve if we can make it happen," I replied, scanning the room I asked if anyone else had a question and barely surprised the sigh as I noted Steve Jenkins standing up near the back of the room. It wasn't that Steve was asking a question, he often had good questions, it was more just that Steve was likely about to be, well, Steve. "SIR yes SIR my question is why dont we do like we did on the HURRY UP BESSIE?" Steve asked in a serious tone. "What do you mean what we did on the Hurry UP BESSIE, you have to be more specific," I asked with a slightly raised eyebrow as I wondered where this was going. Steve quickly replied, "WELL last time you sent me upside the ceiling and I went and I put toxic gas in the air and I freed the prisoner, this is pretty much the same Job anyway" "Yeah but that was in space and this is on the ground, its not the same," said Captain Maxwell, "there is more danger this time." Steve adjusted the unusual chains he always seemed to have attached to his clothing, this time they seemed to be acting like a belt, and then he said, "WELL this time I can Sneak inside though the Plumbing systems, then I can put 1 land mine inside every Toilet. After we think we blew all of the Guards up that we can, we will go in and rescue the Prisoners and put down any bad guys that survived all of that." Steve seemed to be waiting for someone, anyone, to say something before Idris deadpanned, "Steve that is a ridiculous plan, we can't just sit and wait for every guy in the ship to need to use the loo, and anyway, do you know how big a land mine is, they would see it in the toilet..." "OK FINE its a bad plan" Steve replied emphatically, "But I think we should do something that uses Explosives, then we would Demoralize them and they would be easier to beat, back when I was in the Special Forces on KENTARES and Duke Dresari had a abduction It was the regulations that we HAD to use Explosives to show that we meant Business even if we didnt need them, one time we got the Hostages back real easy so us and the hostages spent like an hour blowing off a truck load of explosives we had brung down in a Quarry so we could get a Flawless Completion on the Mission. " I looked at Steve with what I hoped was a neutral expression as I tried to process what he was suggesting, finally after a drawn out moment to gather my thoughts I answered, "While I can appreciate the desire to demoralize the enemy and I recognize how effective that can be, especially when facing a numerically superior force like we are, I don't think doing so with explosives hidden in toilets is the most effective means of achieving that goal. Never mind the fact that we are liable to run out of functional toilets long before we eliminate any sufficient number of enemy troopers. The other issue is that we want to try and maintain the element of surprise for as long as possible during this mission, and explosives are not very conducive to this, in fact that are pretty much the exact opposite of stealthy." I shrugged and looked towards Captain Maxwell for support, not entirely sure where to go from here, he gave a small, barely noticeable, shrug before taking half a step forward. "Agreed, stealth is our biggest advantage in this endeavor. The enemy knows we are here, somewhere, and they know we are coming after their hostages, they also likely anticipate that they will outnumber us. What they don't know is when, or how we will be coming at them. Maintaining the element of surprise is our only real advantage and liberal use of explosives would undermine that. However, explosives do still serve a purpose if used correctly. We could create a diversion, or potentially lay some booby traps if the opportunity arose prior to our rescuing the hostages. But first we'll need some proper intel and that means getting eyes on the Gambit and hopefully some of her soldiers." "As our First Lieutenant pointed out," continued Charles, easily commanding the attention of everyone in the room, "if we use the cover of darkness it'll give us an edge in approaching the dropship and gaining access through the maintenance hatch. There will be less people about and the darkness will help conceal our movements even more than the heavy foliage and forest itself. Before that though we need to recon the area while it's still daylight so we can properly assess the situation. We're a small team but none of us are infiltration specialists and our chances of getting spotted are exponentially increased the more of us that are out moving around, instead we'll have one or two members scout the area during the day, see what we can find out, and then reevaluate our plan come dark before we move on the Gambit. Commander." With a nod I stepped forward again as Charles stepped back slightly, "Idris." Idris stood up fluidly, despite his seeming bulk, and snapped a crisp salute, "Yes sir!" "You mentioned having training in field reconnaissance of some kind?" I inquired. "Yes sir, I received reconnaissance cross-training during a number of counter-insurgency operations with the 8th Marik Militia. Nothing too specialized but I can disappear with a ghillie suit and know what to look for in the enemy's dispersion and emplacements, I'm also pretty skilled as a spotter for artillery or sniper fire if needed," offered Idris. "Excellent, you will be infiltrating the enemy lines then and seeing what you can find out today about their positioning and confirming the intel we've received from the Tachi. I want you to work with Levi and see if we can get a drone operational if you think that's viable to assist you. Prior to you leaving though I want Schuster to see if he can remotely hack into the Gambit's systems and try to figure out what this electronic perimeter security is that the Tachi detected around the ship. I have a feeling it's some kind of network of remote sensors and it won't do us any good to set those off and alert the enemy before we even get to the ship," I said, addressing Idris, Levi, and Nick in turn as I spoke. "Yes sir," replied Idris, followed momentarily by Levi and Nick nearly in unison. "Alright, so we've got our plan. I want everyone who's not involved with the recon to gear up for a night raid, expect heavy resistance and plan accordingly but remember stealth and speed are a priority," said Captain Maxwell, once more taking the forefront, "Company Dismissed."

Connecting to ComStar Database....one Moment please... Connecting... Connecting... Connected. Downloading file. Please wait... Please wait... Please wait... Connection speed is 36%. Do you want to continue download? Y/N Y Downloading... Please wait... Please wait... Complete. WELCOME TO COM STAR TECHNO NET COPYRIGHT 3031 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED OPEN FILE: JENKINS INVENTORY FILE ACCESS LEVEL: SECURE ENTER PASSWORD: ***************** VERIFYING.....................INCORRECT 2/3 CHANCES REMAINING ENTER PASSWORD: ******************* VERIFYING..................PASSWORD OK TECHNICAL LIST FOR AGENT STEVEN TYCHOMIDOS JENKINS Clothing: Kuuzu business/casual shirt low collar Battle jacket Sun glasses Kuzuu business/casual pants Undergarments (socks, Rubber Combat thong, undershirts) Tape player belt Combat boots Bushido Blade holster Sais holster Gun holster Ammo pouches Tactical gloves Armor: Ballistic Plate Combat helmet with music headphones High-Capacity (HC) Micro Power Pack, Military Communicator, and Infrared (IR) Scanner Equipment: High-Capacity (HC) Power Pack (for electronic gear) Rangefinder Binoculars Holomap Noteputer with armored bracer Flush Force 5000 XLT turbo Toilet OS (Mr Flush) computer ---- for field Banking and other things Tactical flashlight with spare batteries Water hydration system (in rucksack) Weapons and Ammunition: Primary Weapon: Saturday Night Special MP-25 Silencer Scope Laser Folding hunting Stock Secondary Sidearm: Bushido Blade 3rd Sidearm: Bushido Sais 4th sidearm: Gaiden Chains 5th side Arm: bushido nunchucks Ammunition for primary weapon Saturday Night Special (6 Shots .25 ACP) Magazine Spare magazines: 6 Ballistic magazines Weapon maintenance kit Ammunition bandolier Frag Grenades (6) Land Mines (6) Medical and Other Gear: Medical Kit Can of DR. PHOSPHO Wood Alcohol Bourbon FixaShoot Archimedes Music Tapes Firecrackers AGONY ASSASSIN Painkillers, MedX, Pain-O-Bliterator, Alcohol (medical), Vomotrol, Assripper TCX, Ripperoid, Vomicillin for TDS, HangEeze Zip Lock Bags Lighter Bean And Bacon Cram toilet paper Diarhea Destroyer MAX Vacuum-sealed bedroll Emergency rations (3 days' worth) Thermal blanket Water purification tablets Compass Fire-starting kit (lighter, waterproof matches, fire starter) Signal mirror Insect repellent Sewing kit Miscellaneous: Identification tags (dog tags) Business Cards Burned up parts Of the Book Of the Dead Flask Dust Up Dome Belt Match Belt Aegis Division insignia patch Aegis Division Field Manual Paracord (15.24 meters/50 feet) Personal hygiene kit (toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, etc.) Notepad and writing implements Spare batteries (for all electronic devices) Position marking smoke

Aegis Division Internal Memorandum Date: January 9, 3031 To: All Aegis Division Personnel From: First Lieutenant Alyssa Maxwell Subject: General-Purpose Infantry Kit Classification: Confidential Purpose: The following document outlines the comprehensive list of equipment, gear, and apparel to be carried by all Aegis Division personnel during ground operations. It is imperative that all personnel review and maintain this equipment to ensure readiness and effectiveness in the field. Please note that specific mission requirements and individual preferences may result in variations, but this is a general guideline for the minimum equipment, gear, weapons, and attire to be carried by our operatives. Clothing: Combat uniform (BDU) Combat boots Undergarments (socks, underwear, undershirts) Load-bearing tactical vest Rucksack Balaclava Tactical gloves Knee and elbow pads Belt with utility and ammunition pouches Gas mask with filters (if required by mission) Multi-terrain Pattern (MTP) camouflage netting Armor: MechWarrior Combat Suit (minimum, Ablative/Flak armor or higher recommended) Combat helmet with High-Capacity (HC) Micro Power Pack, Military Communicator, and Infrared (IR) Scanner or Night Vision Goggles (NVGs) Collapsible ballistic shield (as mission dictates) Equipment: High-Capacity (HC) Power Pack Rangefinder Binoculars Holomap Noteputer with armored bracer Field Communicator (command staff only) Barrel-mount flashlight for primary weapon Tactical flashlight with spare batteries Water hydration system Multitool Entrenching tool (foldable shovel) Climbing harness and rope (if required by mission) Weapons and Ammunition: Primary Weapon: Magna Laser Rifle, TK Assault Rifle, or DWS L5-S laser rifle Secondary Sidearm: Nambu Auto-Pistol, Serrek 7875D Auto-Pistol, or AWA Wiliby MK4 laser pistol Ammunition for primary and secondary weapons (quantity as mission dictates) Required ammunition: Nambu Auto-Pistol: .40 caliber JHP or FMJ Serrek 7875D Auto-Pistol: 10mm Auto Laser Pistols and Rifles: Manufacturer-compatible power packs; high-capacity satchel power packs TK Assault Rifle: 3 mm caseless (armor-piercing or high-velocity explosive) Spare magazines (appropriate quantity to support each weapon carried) and speed loaders Weapon maintenance kit Ammunition bandoliers Weapon sling Combat knife Smoke, flash, stun, or fragmentation grenades (type and quantity as mission dictates) Medical and Survival Gear: Medipack or personal Medical Kit Vacuum-sealed bedroll Emergency rations (3 days' worth) Thermal blanket Water purification tablets Compass Fire-starting kit (lighter, waterproof matches, fire starter) Signal mirror Insect repellent Sewing kit MEDICAL STAFF ONLY: Advanced Medical Kit, to include: Preserving sleeve Stimpatches Sedative patches Plastiflesh bandage Miscellaneous: Identification tags (dog tags) Aegis Division insignia patch Aegis Division Field Manual Paracord (15.24 meters/50 feet) Personal hygiene kit (toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, etc.) Notepad and writing implements Spare batteries (for all electronic devices) Position marking smoke (for air and ground extraction) All issued and personal gear should be checked and maintained regularly by all personnel. Report any damaged or missing items to the Office of the Quartermaster for repair or replacement. Remember that the safety and effectiveness of Aegis Division relies on the preparedness and discipline of all staff. First Lieutenant Alyssa Maxwell Aegis Division

Demeter Forest Eleos - 16th moon of Epsilon Eridani VII Epsilon Eridani System - Tikonov Free Republic February 1, 3031 (Friday) ______________________________________________ As nick finishes speaking his question, I raise my hand before Commander Jaeger can answer the first question. The commander looked at me with intruige. "Yes Idris, you have something to add?" he asked. I stood up and shifted on my feet, feeling the eyes of all on me. "Yes sir, to support the statement of Nick. All of this information, it is good, but it is not enough. To get to the ship, to disable security, this is easy, but if we do not know the number of the enemy, how many are waiting for us, then none of the information is useful. I would rather knowingly fight 50 men than go into combat not knowing the strength of the others. Sir," I declared. Captain Maxwell and Commander Jaeger nod their heads in understanding. "Yes, these are considerable points, Idris, but is there a question?" Captain Maxwell asked. I nodded. "Yes, sirs, we must have a way to determine their numbers and how they might be armed, are we doing this? Perhaps we use a drone with a heat scanner or something? Some information is better than no information when our own numbers are so small," I replied.

Demeter Forest Eleos - 16th moon of Epsilon Eridani VII Epsilon Eridani System - Tikonov Free Republic February 1, 3031 (Friday) ______________________________________________ I raised my hand and Commander Jaeger called on me. "Yes, Schuster, go ahead?" I stood up from my chair and looked between the Commander, Captain Maxwell, and First Lieutenant Maxwell. "Thank you, sirs, and ma'am. Permission to speak freely?" I asked. "Always." said the Captain. "Thank you." I replied. "So, with all due respect, I feel like we're putting the cart before the horse. While this is an amazing amount of information to collect in less than a day, I still feel like we are missing crucial details that we need to have. How many will we be up against? How are we planning to get the hostages out of the Gambit once we've freed them? What sort of weapons do we think the abductors will have?"

Aboard the Barbatos dropship Ai-Ris Two, Telos II Telos System - Draconis Combine August 23, 3030 ______________________________________________ "Let's take a walk," I said with a small smile, my hand gently on her shoulder to get her attention as Alyssa seemed to fight to stop starring towards the floor. We turned and walked down the corridor leading into the proper internals of the dropship where pressurization was constant and away from the surprisingly thin extendable gantry with little more than a tough bag around it to maintain pressurization which we had just left after exiting our respective 'mechs. We must have made an odd pairing to an outside observer, Alyssa, with her somewhat eclectic attire of a long sleeve, but short bodied military jacket, shorts that were likely only considered appropriate for Mechwarriors, with typical rugged combat boots and myself with a rather bland Aegis flightsuit, this one essentially two tone dark gray and olive drab coveralls with the Aegis Division emblem on the chest. The hallways of the Barbatos were rather quite now, not that they were ever overly busy, as most of the crew and other personnel were either involved with salvage operations or were busy on the bridge or in the cargo bay, as such we had a pretty good portion of the ship to ourselves to wander, which was probably good as the discussion I was about to start wasn't going to be an easy one, and likely would end up being longer than either of us wanted. "So...," I began somewhat hesitantly, "First off, that did actually happen, and secondly, however you're feeling right now, that's perfectly normal." "How did you..., what do you mean?" asked Alyssa, her face a wash of emotions that she struggled to control before narrowing her eyes questioningly. "Well, I'm going out on a limb here but I'm going to guess that was the first time you witnessed civilian casualties firsthand, or at least on that scale where your own team was responsible. That's going to bring up a whole bunch of emotions for most people, anything from questioning why and how or even doubting it happened, to full blown anger and rage at anyone and everything, to depression and/or questioning life choices. Its a grab bag that nobody wants and you can just reach in and pull out any given emotion and somebody, somewhere, at some point in time had that feeling in this kind of situation. It's not easy, and it never gets easy, but it is a fact we have to deal with in this mercenary life sooner or later, no matter how much most of us want to avoid it." "Ok," replied Alyssa slowly, her guard seeming to drop again, "I don't even know where to begin processing this." "Well that's a tough question, it kind of depends on the individual. Some people make a disconnect, treat it as a statistic or just numbers, others view it as being inevitable and out of their control and try not to think otherwise, some try to ignore it and just not think or talk about it, still others internalize it all and shove it all down along with those associated emotions, and some try to make peace with it through grieving or other practices to either remember or commemorate those lost. In this particular case, I think it might be best to get the full story first before deciding on a course of action," I answered, my own thoughts racing about the recent events. "The full story? What do you mean? I think it's fairly obvious what happened, Charles..." began Alyssa before I gently cut her off. "Might have a different point of view, we should probably talk to him before coming to any conclusions." "I don't know if ..." Alyssa said rather sadly, her voice trailing off on her own as her head hung ever so slightly and her steps slowed just a touch. "Charles is a broken man," I began, Alyssa immediately straightening and shooting daggers at me with a defensive look in her eyes, though her body language still told a different story. I raised a hand gently, not to placate her but to give me a moment to continue, "let me explain first, I mean no disrespect." Her demeanor softened slightly so I continued, "Let me preface that statement, we're pretty much all broken men in the mercenary gig, if we aren't we just haven't been in it long enough yet. That being said, I know Charles saw a lot of shit out in the periphery, especially in the Aurigan Reach during their civil war. I don't know the details of it and truth be told I never tried to ask, but I'm aware of that conflict enough to know you don't walk away from that undamaged. Why hasn't it come to the surface before now you might ask, who knows, some of us are better at hiding that damage than others. Sometimes we may not even realize how damaged we are until something triggers it." "I can use myself as a prime example here," I continued, raising my prosthetic left arm to accentuate the next part, "take this here. When I lost my actual arm it was understandably a pretty traumatic experience, ignoring the ... complications... of how I got my prosthetics, ... and the extent of them, it would be unusual if that didn't leave a mark with me. And it most certainly did, it took me months to even get back into the seat of a 'mech even after the prosthetic surgery and having fully recovered medically. I thought I'd overcome my difficulties and things were back to normal, I even became proficient enough with my new arm and leg that I was able to meet piloting and gunnery standards that I had thought I'd never reach again. Hell, I don't mean to toot my own horn but I'm pretty sure I'm even better now with the prosthetics than I ever was before the incident. But that aside, I thought I was over the trauma of losing a pair of limbs and was able to actually fight in a 'mech again without breaking out in a cold sweat and having flashbacks of a cockpit crushing me. I thought I was good." "You weren't?" offered Alyssa after an overlong pause on my part while we continued walking down another empty corridor. "No, I wasn't. Truth be told I'm still not," I said rather quietly, "Found that out the hard way, several years ago now, when I froze up mid-combat and relived the moment of my 'mech's cockpit getting crushed in by a Blake-damned Zeus ZEU-6Y . NOT a fun time. That was the first time I'd seen a Zeus since losing my arm and clearly I wasn't quite over it. Took a lot of time, some questionably effective therapy, some rather fortunately understanding teammates back in the day, and quite a bit of work on my part to overcome it. I'm still not 'cured' by any means, hell it was just two years ago that I had a similar incident, although typically its just a panic attack that I can now get under control somewhat reliably. I'm still uneasy fighting any kind of Zeus but at least now its only that specific model that really triggers my own PTSD." "Really?" said Alyssa somewhat incredulously, though she seemed to immediately regret that statement, as though it came out of its own accord. "Really, really," I joked, "But in all seriousness, once I realized and accepted that I actually had PTSD I could take steps to learn exactly what triggered it and either avoid the worst case scenarios or at least mitigate them to some extent with a concerted effort on my part. It's not something that just goes away on its own, and my understanding is that it only gets worse if left untreated." "So what your saying is..." inquired Alyssa, her faltering slightly as though unsure if she wanted to continue her line of thought. "Yes, I'm saying I suspect Charles is suffering from some form of PTSD. I can't say what caused it, or if there even was a specific trigger, but his actions today were not normal, he wasn't the Charles Maxwell that we know. And just to be clear, this goes beyond the hard line that I know is in him. He's capable of a lot of things, especially when important things are on the line, but what happened today. Something isn't adding up," I said, the admission of my own suspicions felt surprisingly good to voice to another individual who I knew cared for Charles. "Huh, so I'm not crazy," said Alyssa looking forward, though I think it was more to herself than to me, before she turned to me and continued, "Well that's a relief that you're seeing something different in his actions too. I thought maybe I was missing something, or that ... that he wasn't really who I thought he was, or something crazy." "You're not crazy, I'm seeing it too, but to be fair we are both missing something," I replied. "We are? What?" queried Alyssa, her eyes narrowing as though she was trying to rummage through her thoughts and pick out what this potentially critical piece of information was that we were missing. "Charles' side," I said flatly, "we only know what we saw and heard. Unfortunately with PTSD, if it is indeed PTSD, there's no guarantee that what Charles saw, heard, or reacted to was the same as our point of view. I'm not saying the man was hallucinating, we won't know until we talk to him, but the potential is there, I've done it myself." "If he was though, what do we do?" lines of worry creasing Alyssa's features as she spoke. "We talk to him, don't accuse him of anything, walk through what he experienced, step by step if needed, and accept that his perception of reality may have been different from ours. That doesn't excuse him, or make things right so don't give me that look, but initially, right now, we simply need to understand his side and laying blame will only make him defensive," I explained gently, "it'll be difficult, and honestly it may backfire on us initially. Most people aren't open to the fact that their perception could be so altered by something unknown that what they viewed as reality, wasn't actually real. But given time, and enough room for him to process things through himself he should eventually come around. You can get through this kind of thing, I'm living proof of it, and I'm not the only one who's done so." Alyssa looked at me a long time as though considering what I had said, we had stopped walking at some point and she now leaned back against the skeletal frame of one of the many bulkheads lining the Barbatos' interior corridors, her sharp mind racing behind her currently distant eyes. This wasn't an easy thing to process or accept, sometimes even more so for someone who hadn't experienced anything like it before, but if I could just get her to see the possibility, she could prove instrumental should Charles actually have PTSD. It was strange though, I felt like in this conversation alone I'd seen more depth in Alyssa than in all our interactions before, then again this particular conversation was definitely on a more personal level than anything before so maybe it wasn't so strange after all. As Alyssa was continuing to process a thought sprung to mind that I hadn't really considered before, I knew Alyssa had a somewhat checkered past that involved ComStar but I didn't really know any details of it, however I had heard some unusual tales of how indoctrinated Acolytes can get and I couldn't help but wonder how that might have affected Alyssa herself. Maybe she wasn't as much of a stranger to this kind of thing as I had initially thought, then again maybe there were issues of her own that she was dealing with from ComStar that I simply wasn't privy too. "Well, I'm not exactly a stranger to the concept of your perceived reality being different, or at least altered, from what others see. I'm just glad to know that, at least today, I seem to be in the majority for what actually happened. It's helpful to know that this isn't an isolated case or something only happening to Charles or me, and at least there is hope for getting things revolved I think," said Alyssa at length, a certain steeliness returning to her voice as she spoke. "Yes, for sure there is. One thing to keep in mind though, Charles can be a bit of a freight train, or a jackhammer. When he thinks there's a way through something he'll just keep going, pounding away at the problem until it gets solved or he breaks. It can be a strength for sure, but it can also be dangerous when PTSD is involved. I don't know intimate details on your guy's relationship, and it's not my place to either, but there might be times where you just can't stop him, or help him, like say if he's having a particularly bad episode. That's not a failure on your part, nor is it a weakness to ask for help. Neither of you have to try and shoulder it on your own, even though I know Charles will try to, there's plenty of us that will be willing to help," I said as Alyssa and I started walking again, our circuitous path now starting to head back towards the cargo bay, though indirectly, "Speaking of, if this is indeed PTSD, Doc Mallory I feel would be an excellent source of information and help, I imagine he's seen a number of soldiers suffering with it to various degrees in his profession."