MARS: 8 - Echoes - TITAN Contractors
27 May 2022Aurora Adair (Radiumio)
NOTE: This story contains themes of violence and strong language.
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DATE: 18th of May, 3308 [18:19 UGT]
LOCATION: CCV Katana, Unknown SystemSGT. Rocco Locke
"Well... that's not good."
Captain Faust's voice was the last sound before the tight, dark room fell into silence. Nine figures stood around the dim blue holographic table, inside the briefing room of the CCV Katana. Since their arrival in the bubble a little over a week ago, SOF Tethys had begun their investigation and attempts to locate the Crimson Venators and Commander Aurora Adair.
Unfortunately, it felt as if they had started out with little to no intel. Every attempt made just led to another dead end, or one more unanswered question. There were too many unknowns, and little they could do about it. Even when technician teams had spent days tirelessly trying to make sense of what they had, they had nothing...
Until they made one discovery, that had now changed the entire scope of the operation.
Locke stood there, and remembered when they cracked open that mainframe aboard that communications outpost. How he stood there and watched as the towering framework of databases, electronics and computers flared to life, filling the room with the brilliant dance of flashing LEDs, spooling up storage drives and network routers...
But he recalled how most of it was destroyed. Drives that had completely crashed or corrupted. Network routers wiped completely, or in some cases even physically removed. Whoever had used that orbital installation before wanted to stay hidden - naturally. And they almost had... were it not for the decision made by Tethys Command to investigate pre-war sites.
The technicians - some of CSF's best - had managed to crack through a particularly dense encryption, recovering parts of the installation that were previously thought to be fragmented beyond repair. The retrieved data had shown that the site was last used on the 29th of April - two days before Commander Adair's true identity was revealed. This comms post had been the relay in which that data had been sent to the squadron, and Commanders had decrypted it.
Now... the squadron had been thrown into the midst of something they didn't understand. That same installation, that same relay, was apart of Paladin Interstellar's darknet - an enemy of the squadron that had since been destroyed in conflict against TITAN. The same darknet was nigh undetectable, but had been found eventually with most of its network scattered. Some of the posts were decommissioned, while others were claimed by Federal authorities.
But some things didn't add up. This post, which CSF had been given access to by Federal authorities, was supposed to be defunct. Yet here they were... squad leaders and captains from Tethys staring at the holo table ahead, the data there in front of them. Paladin Interstellar had not been annihilated. They were back, and they had potentially transmitted that same data that incriminated Commander Adair.
Captain Asper raised a hand, leaning forward onto the holo table as her black visor caught the blue light, glinting in the dark room.
"... Okay. Listen up. Let's go through it again."
"Obviously, you all know why we are here. Our objectives are to neutralize the Crimson Venators, and to apprehend - not kill - Commander Aurora Adair, our previous leader. While I'll avoid reiterating our first briefing when we set off on this op, let's go over some quick facts. Wanna make sure everyone's on the same page..."
"Paladin Interstellar - as we can see mentioned here - was a large mercenary organization hostile to us. I say 'was', because our forces were supposed to have destroyed the organization back in November last year. All of you here will remember that attack... since it was the largest attack on the Solaris to date."
"The organisation itself was founded in 3305, and became well-known for its effective operations against the Federation. Assassinations, strikes, you name it. Most of it was... 'low-level', if we can call it that. Paladin never made it high up the chain before the Feds kicked them back down again."
"That effectively forced them back into the shadows, which seems to have made matters worse. Paladin got good at hiding, and with its Federal roots, it got very good at it. It grew from a few dozen members to hundreds, all of which wanted to pursue their hidden task of 'correcting corruption' within the Federation."
"You might say that draws a lot of parallels to what the Crimson Venators were doing, and you'd be correct. We have evidence to suggest that the Venators played a large part in founding the organization. All of these elements had been working towards 'something greater'... which makes sense now in the context of things."
"However, Paladin and the Venators stretch back even further, before then. 'Hivemind', and 'EMBER', were both groups pitted against the squadron. The former was a Thargoid supporter cult, which we believe happened to get caught up in this mess thanks to Paladin's proxy work, but 'EMBER' remains somewhat of a wildcard."
"We know that they were small, as only a few crew members joined forces with some unidentified mercenaries and acted against the squadron, but OMNIPOL was never able to feed us back useful information from the operatives they arrested. Those individuals are now facing life imprisonment for a task they were never fully aware of."
"We understand that both 'Hivemind' and 'EMBER' were manipulated by Paladin... and while I know this is a lot of names to remember, allow us to remember that this currently all circles back towards Paladin Interstellar. After the November assault against the Solaris, Paladin had been entirely decimated, or so we thought."
"We knew at the time that their core team responsible for founding the organization escaped, but very few of their lesser-prepared mercenaries made it out. Their manpower remained in complete disarray, and we were able to declare victory against an enemy for the first time. The problem, however, arises now."
"Thanks to the extensive proxy conflict we have seen performed against us, even now, it is my theory that there is something much, much bigger than Paladin Interstellar out there, bigger than us even. We know there is an unknown enemy fleet carrier somewhere out there, however that only remains a mention with no actual confirmation just yet."
"... So, my conclusion? Our failure to push in completely and destroy Paladin has allowed their so-called 'core team' to escape and regroup their forces... or maybe that was their plan all along. Maybe their plan was to weaken the squadron by any means necessary, so they could steal something from us - a datapad."
Tapping on the holotable, Captain Asper brought up a new hologram, the projection flickering and shifting as it began to display a rotating model of a datapad, spitting out information about the device and its owner, with large amounts of the data missing. The soldiers around the room looked at it, their reflective visors being the only thing distinguishing them from the dark environment.
"It is my belief that this single datapad is responsible for the attacks against the squadron... and is also the sole reason why it is absolutely imperative that we locate Commander Adair as soon as possible."
"This datapad, for those of you who somehow don't know, belongs to Commander Quinton Marshall. He was the first leader of TITAN, our founder. When he was supposedly killed on the 11th of July, he left behind a will on this datapad, which promoted Specialist Aurora Adair to the position we all came to respect her in - Squadron Commander."
"However, unbeknownst to all of us at the time, this datapad had much more to it than that. Bear with me here, because this is where details get foggy. Unfortunately, I'm sure there is much we are yet to understand about the exact chain of events. So, I'll tell you what we know so far."
"When Mantis specialists decrypted the will with the help of Commanders, the datapad was thought to be heavily corrupted as it had lost a large fragment of its data partition. This was not the case, as the possibility of it being encrypted was completely overlooked. We now believe that this possibly encrypted fragment on that datapad was related to the exact same thing that is consistently mentioned, and may be responsible for this entire mess - a 'corruption plot' within the Federation."
"The data was being collected by a Federal Admiral who knew about this plot - Isaiah Adair, Aurora's father. At the time of her promotion, we never quite knew why Aurora, out of all people, was appointed as our SC, but with this context, it makes perfect sense. Aurora Adair was placed into the squadron as a plant."
"It appears as if both Commander Marshall and Admiral Adair knew each other, and when they decided to work towards their common goal, Isaiah ultimately appointed his daughter as their backup plan. Should someone find out about the existence of the datapad and the information they were collecting, Aurora would be their plan B."
"This occurred when Commander Marshall faked his death on the 11th of July, using it to slip away into the shadows, handing over the datapad into Aurora's custody and escaping certain death from the opposition, who were close to discovering who had been leaking the information."
"Effectively, this placed Commander Adair into the line of fire, seemingly without her even knowing what she was supposed to do. Had any of us known about what was truly on that datapad, maybe we would still have it today. However, since it was stolen, we have failed to recover it, and it is unclear whether the Venators had fully decrypted it or not."
"Since then, Admiral Adair was assassinated, and any extra information he had likely died with him. Commander Marshall has disappeared into the shadows, and our only true leader has been forced to abandon her home because of her past. And now, thanks to our new discoveries, it seems to only get worse from here."
"Paladin may still be out there, and the current resurgence in cyberattacks and threats against the squadron may be the true enemy starting to bare its teeth, and this time, they might not hold back."
Switching the holotable off, Captain Asper stepped back, allowing the normal lights of the room to fade back in, illuminating the cold, black metal floors as she looked around the table, glancing at the various armoured figures watching her.
"Tethys. It is our duty to uncover the facts here. Thanks to that, our goals have changed. Since Commander Adair is the only link left in this chain, it is vital that we locate her as soon as we can. Once that is done, we must uncover what the squadron is up against, before it is too late."
Taking in a breath, Captain Asper sighed softly, holding her hands behind her back at ease as she glanced around at her subordinates one more time.
"Right. Any questions?"
... and every hand in the room raised.
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DATE: 21st of May, 3308 [20:23 UGT]
LOCATION: CCV Katana, Unknown SystemSGT. Rocco Locke
"Hey. Hey, Locke."
Twirling his helmet in his hands, Locke paused, staring into his visor as the figure approached. He was sat on a step somewhere in one of the numerous corridors aboard the CCV Katana, the Anaconda-class vessel used by SOF Tethys as their command center. He couldn't quite remember where he was - just that he wanted to be alone... and it was starting to get to the point where he wished Helvet would stop trying to follow him.
"Helvet..."
"Yeah, yeah. I know. 'Leave me aloneee'. Whatever. Just thought I'd come check on you."
"I appreciate the gesture bu-..."
"But you don't care. I know the whole story, Locke."
Looking up at the man who came to a stop in front of him, Locke met Helvet's brown eyes, frowning slightly. He always gave Helvet a rough time, but... this was different. Everything was. He felt different. After almost losing Kira, facing an enemy none of them understood, and finding out that Commander Adair was not exactly the crooked war criminal he thought her to be, or maybe she was, Locke had felt like everything was a lie. That nothing was ever meant to be. Not in this galaxy.
"Locke...?"
"Yeah. What?"
"You got this weird... faraway look."
"What do you want, Helvet?"
Sighing, Helvet walked over to Locke and sat down on the step next to him, looking down the corridor with a shrug of his shoulders.
"Can't I check in on my favorite squad leader?"
"Fuck off."
"Locke. Seriously... you're isolating yourself from everyone else constantly."
"Yeah, and? Adeline doesn't even talk to me since..."
"No. Since 'nothing'. Look... I don't know what was up with you back then, but if you say it wasn't you... then I trust that. Shit's weird, man. And Lionel?"
"He hasn't spoken to me either, since we left. Heard he's hanging out with Tanto mostly."
"Right... well, maybe he fancies their squad leader. Ha!"
Helvet chuckled to himself, placing his helmet down on his lap as they both fell into silence, sitting there and staring ahead. Eventually, Helvet shifted a bit, turning to face Locke as he crossed his legs, sitting back on the palms of his hands.
"... You know, Locke... you might be our leader, but that doesn't mean you have to constantly act like the tough guy. Problem shared is a problem halved, huh?"
"Where does that ever help?"
"Well... it might not fix the issue... but at the very least, you could maybe get some advice or... can just be comfortable in the fact that you're not alone."
Locke went quiet, sighing as he hung his head and looked down at his lap. Scratching his forehead, he shook his head and soon looked over at Helvet.
"Fine. Just worried... about Kira. If I'll ever get to tell her. And... also with everything going on. I mean... if this 'new enemy' is as big as we think it is, how are we gonna stand a chance? Even if we had all the support from the Solaris, how is this ever gonna work? And then... everything about Commander Adair. Maybe I was wrong about her... but... I feel like she owes an explanation, doesn't she?"
"Ah... Yeah. Well... I suppose not. I mean... it was a past she tried to hide, right? That why she never tell anyone? And I mean... you and I have been around for a while, hm? I've never seen everyone so... so motivated after that assault. After she got injured. Almost died. The sacrifice she made to try protect us. That's gotta mean something, right? Even if she's a... y'know... war criminal."
"Yeah. Just... uh... guess part of me wants to blame her for all of this. But I know that's wrong... hell, she's younger than most of us. And I certainly wouldn't want to step up and take control over an entire squadron like she has. Guess you're right. Can't imagine the toll that takes."
"Mm... no wonder she ran away. That kind of thing is probably hard to keep quiet about, I bet. And then we see the kinda hit it has when it all comes out."
Locke went quiet, looking down the corridor again as he sighed, resting his arms over his knees.
"... How's that girl doing? Violet, right?"
"Yeah. She's still aboard Jason's ship. Nobody has found out so far, so she's still hidden well. Still thinking of off-loading her the moment you get the chance?"
"Helvet, we can't just drag a kid along with us. This is dangero-..."
"... dangerous, yeah. She knows. And... believe me... if you'd talk to her, you'd hear the 'kid' has quite the story. And, she knows Commander Adair and Levine just as well. She could be some help to us, Locke. Don't shut the idea down. I mean... she's smart. Even said that it's probably best if she tags with us, in case we find them and they think we're there to take them down."
"I'm not going to be responsible for putting a teenager in danger, alright? If she gets hurt - or worse - I'm not going to take the blame. I warned you."
"Then... we just don't get ourselves into danger. Easy peasy. Come on, if she's on Jason's ship, who's going to get to her anyway? We could use her help, Locke."
"... Ugh... Fine. But if Captain Asper or anyone else finds out, you're taking the blame."
"Well, usually I do..."
Scoffing slightly, Locke shook his head and looked over at Helvet, narrowing his eyes a bit as he thought for a few moments, before nodding a bit.
"Right. Sorry for... giving you a hard time. Thanks for talking to me. Helps a bit with all of this... I suppose."
Feigning a surprised gasp, Helvet looked over at Locke quizzically, starting to smirk.
"Woaaahhh... did you just apologize to me? Who are you and what have you done with Locke?"
"Fuck oooff..."
With a chuckle from the both of them, Helvet got to his feet with a slight stretch, picking his helmet up as he looked down at Locke.
"Don't be a stranger, hm? Maybe you should come talk to Violet if you want to know more about Commander Adair. She was closer than most of us were."
"Yeah. Maybe."
"Right... I'll get out of your hair... or... well... you don't have-..."
"Don't even bother finishing that sentence. Get out of here, Helvet."
With a smug look on his face, Helvet swiftly turned and walked off, heading down the corridor as he left Locke alone, still sitting on that step.
Glancing down at his helmet, Locke sighed softly, staring at his reflection in the visor. Helvet was right in the end, and although Locke gave him a hard time... he was glad to have him as a friend. All of them were. It felt more than just just a team. It was family - the squadron was, and it was worth fighting for. Maybe he had judged it all wrong. Maybe he judged Commander Adair wrong too. With what Captain Asper said, maybe there was more to the truth than they thought. If she truly had bad intentions... then why pour so much into trying to keep the squadron alive when she had total control over everything?
Tucking his helmet under his arm, Locke turned and began to walk down the corridor where Helvet had departed. He thought to himself - as he usually did - about everything. Whether or not they could stop any of this. Whether or not they would be able to shut down the Venators, protect Commander Adair and the squadron. Maybe things weren't meant to be that way. Maybe it was all just meant to turn into echoes.
But they had to try.
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DATE: 27th of May, 3308 [01:03 UGT]
LOCATION: 'Templar' TR-03X, SolAurora Adair
COVAS: "Shields Offline. Silent Running."
With a flash of light, the golden Krait Phantom burst out from supercruise, thrusters flaring with their output drastically lowered, only the glint of solar light catching on its withered paint job being any indicator of its existence. Hung in the sky beyond, the Li Qing Jao starport sat, orbiting the large blue marble, the birthplace of humanity: Earth.
Heat vents closed as the ship vectored for approach to the station, lining itself up with the mailslot as the ship's thrusters made minor corrections, keeping it on course. Requesting docking via anonymous access protocols, the ship ignored the guidance and warnings issued by the ATC as its transponder shut off, going completely dark.
Weaving through traffic and security ships, the dark silhouette of the Phantom evaded scans, the ship slipping through the station's access corridor. Lights illuminated its golden, scratched hull, but no nameplates or identification codes were visible, having all been erased by the extensive paint damage to the ship.
COVAS: "Warning. Temperature Critical."
The reactor of the ship began to hum, the interior temperature increasing as the thruster's full output returned, pushing the ship towards its designated landing pad, its landing gear gradually deploying. Reverse thrusters fired, echoing throughout the docking bay as the ship ever so gently touched down onto its pad, the gear locking down with a metallic thud.
Entering the hangar as the landing pad began to descend, the ship's thrusters whined and crackled as they powered off, the heat vents opening and pumping some heat into the surrounding atmosphere. Spinning around, the landing pad hissed as it fully retracted into the bay, coming to a rest. Inside the Phantom, the bridge began to calm down, the HUD flashing warnings and blaring heat alarms as the distant voice of the starport ATC added to the chaos with their own warnings... but the pilot paid no mind to it.
COVAS: "Thermal Signature Restored. Shields Online."
Getting up from her chair with an anxious sigh, Aurora powered off the ship controls and the dashboard, stepping back to look at her partner sitting atop the Phantom's co-pilot seat. Although both were in their own suits, helmets obscuring their faces, she could feel the tense atmosphere, taking the small steps up to level with Isabella as she extended her hand, taking in a breath.
"You okay?"
"Yeah. Just got a little intense there... hah. How much time do we have?"
"Not much after what I just pulled, I think. Well... I don't really know. They'll probably send a sentry to take a look... that's if they haven't identified my ship yet. Isa, I... uh... I'm sorry, but... I need you to stay here. Please. In case I get caught... I need to know you can e-..."
Isabella shook her head, getting to her feet as she took Aurora's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze as they looked at each other from behind their visors.
"Nope. Nuh-uh. No way, hun. We're in this together, okay? Not gonna just let them take you away."
Aurora knew there was no point in arguing about this again. Isa had decided on her stance firmly... and so she would be coming with regardless of what Aurora said. In some ways, she was glad that she had somebody by her side... but in others she was worried for the safety of her lover.
"Okay, fine. Whatever. Just... we can't kill anyone. Leave your gun behind. I need to grab that... 'thing' I put together, so we can buy us some time. We'll knock out the sentry if we need to, loop the security footage, and-..."
"Babe. Relax. You went through the plan with me. Let's do this, alright?"
Releasing Isa's hand as she nervously nodded, Aurora stepped away towards one of the bridge doors, rubbing her gloved hands together as she reached over and opened the door, swiftly walking through with Isa in tow. Breaking into a jog, Aurora made her way to the rear airlock of the ship quickly, entering the ready room before the airlock. Grabbing her suit pack, she slid it on, her HUD powering up and her suit coming online fully as she turned to one of the racks, picking up a bulky device. It was roughly the size of her palm, covered in a mess of wires, with a few adapters and ports to plug a variety of cables into. It was a... 'special tool' she spent the last week preparing, all connected to a small, central computer that linked to her PDA.
It took a lot of cannibalizing ship electronics and parts that she hoped weren't necessary to critical functions of the Templar, and an extremely hacky software solution. There was no time to even test if it would work... but with a combination of her past expertise, some illegal e-breach technology, and a frankly horrific amount of wires and hacks to keep the whole thing together, Aurora had an improvised, multi-use hacking router in her hands, something she was taught back in her Navy days. She loathed the idea of ever having to use that knowledge again, especially for what they were about to do, but it was their only way to pull this off... probably.
Whether or not it would actually work or not was another thing.
"Hey. Aurora? Honeyyy... you there?"
Looking up quickly at Isa who had followed her into the room, Aurora watched her slot her own backpack on, before looking down at the device in her hands again.
"Oh. Yeah. Just... uh... thinking. I really hope this works..."
"Aurora... we don't have time. You said it yourself when we went over this, we only have a short window to pull this off. Come on, hun. You can do this."
"Ha... yeah. Yeah. Thanks. Well... time to break the security of one of the Federation's high security starports. No big deal, right?"
Aurora looked up at Isa, smiling anxiously... not that either of them could see each other's faces right now, thanks to the helmets. She wished she could. Part of her was certain this might be the last time she'd ever see Isabella. That she'd mess up and they'd arrest her. She wouldn't survive the prisons, not if this went as deep as she thought it did. She almost wanted to turn and run, and leave everything behind with Isa by her side. But her thoughts returned to the squadron, and how they might fare. No. No, they had to do this.
"Just in case things don't go great, Isa... I... uh... y'know... I really lov-..."
"Auroraaa... hun, I love you too but we need to go. We can't stall."
"O-... okay, okay."
Shaking her head as she quickly double-checked that she had everything, Aurora turned to the hermetic door right next to them, opening it as she stepped into the airlock. With Isa following right behind her, she quickly pressed on another console inside, opening the exterior door as the two of them stepped out onto the lift. From here, she could see the hangar lifts. Maybe they still had time to cut the security element off.
Descending on the rear lift of her Krait Phantom, Aurora vaulted over the safety railing when they were close enough to the pad, breaking into a sprint as she ran for the hangar lobby. In the slightly lower gravity of the bay, she felt like each step allowed her to glide across the pad, dashing into the lobby as she approached a screen. Her heart was pounding, nervously glancing at the lifts she could see as she plugged her hacking router into a port in the screen.
Switching on her PDA, she glanced down at her right forearm on which it was mounted, taking a knee below the screen as she connected to the router. Isa had knelt down next to her as well, placing a gentle hand on Aurora's shoulder as she kept an eye out. Letting her nerves settle for a moment, Aurora took in a breath and looked at her PDA screen, glancing at the pre-prepared commands she had coded in for the hacking router. She was connected. If this didn't work... the entire starport would bear down on them and it'd be over.
"P-please work, please work..."
Initiating the hacking router, Aurora squeezed her hands closed as she nervously watched the commands transmit, the router beeping as the starport screen went off, injecting the specialized hack into the network. She watched the screen readout desperately, her breathing unconsciously picking up as Isa squeezed her shoulder, looking over and watching the screen too.
The starport display flickered slightly.
Her PDA went blank.
Time just seemed to stop. Did it work? Did she trigger the security measures?
Did she just fuck up?
Was it ov-...
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. . . ㋡ a u t h o r i z a t i o n b y p a s s e d ㋡ . . .
. . . ㋡ f e d e r a l k e y c h e c k p a s s e d ㋡ . . .
. . . ? ? ? ? E - B R E A C H E D ? ? ? ? . . .
\/\/\/\>>> =ACCESS GRANTED= <<</\/\/\/
USER: FSP#dxGFUctYGu2eBHm6... [show more]
AUTH [4]
. . . More Options . . .
\/ \/ \/ \/ \/ \/
\\\\\\\\\\//////////Aurora breathed a sigh of relief, steadying a shaky hand as she tabbed into the numerous options, starting off by isolating the hangar they were in and disabling the lifts. It wasn't full access, and they wouldn't have long until starport authority figured out what was going on, and locked them out. But for now, they had their opportunity, without any security breathing down their neck.
Next up was isolating the camera footage to loop an image of the Templar sitting in the bay, with no movement whatsoever. That would, hopefully, buy them some time and confuse the starport controllers. A lot of this was riding on the hope that the Federation would be complacent enough to not expect a small-scale covert operation on possibly the most secure starport in the Solar System. No big deal... right?
"Did it work?"
"Y-yeah... the main lifts are off and the cameras are looping. We can't take the hangar lifts, so we'll... find a... uh... maintenance turbolift. Those should connect to the whole maintenance network, so we can take one straight to the executive deck."
Isabella gently took Aurora's hand, giving it a squeeze as they both got to their feet and looked at each other.
"You got this, babe. Really. We're going to take that lift, get to your family's place, explain everything... and then we'll see if your father kept anything that could help us. Okay?"
"Okay... y-yeah. Sorry. Just... scared to mess this up right now... haven't had to do this whole... infiltration thing for real in a while..."
"Relax. Breathe, Aurora. You won't mess this up."
"Mhm~..."
Exhaling slowly, Aurora gave Isa's hand one last squeeze before she stepped past her lover, leaving the router connected to the screen behind. She hoped the signal would be strong enough even when they got to the executive deck... but time would tell. Jogging back onto the pad, Aurora glanced down at her PDA, tapping an option to bring up a local 3D map of the starport around her.
As suspected, there was a turbolift apart of the maintenance network connected to this hangar, just like all the others. And when she looked around slowly, glancing at the map... it had to be...
There. One of the maintenance platforms close to the landing pad itself. Past a few crates on the platform was a bulkhead door, and that turbolift should be right behind it.
"This way, Isa."
Starting her jog across the pad as the both of them headed over to the safety railing, Aurora vaulted over it carefully, leaping across the gap between the pad and the maintenance platform. Landing firmly as her magnetic boots accommodated for the low gravity, she turned back around and extended a hand, helping Isa across before they both proceeded towards the bulkhead door.
"Should just..."
Tapping her PDA against the bulkhead console, Aurora allowed it to register her new, stolen authorization, unlocking the console controls and allowing the door to unlock, large motors humming as the doors began to part.
"... open."
Glancing back at Isa, Aurora soon stepped forward, passing through the open bulkhead. Switching on her suit light as it was rather dark inside, Aurora soon spotted the turbolift ahead, rubbing her hands together nervously as they began to approach. Dim, red maintenance lights illuminated the pathway of the corridor, guiding the both of them towards the lift door, where Aurora swiped her PDA once more.
With a ding, the lift doors opened swiftly, allowing the both of them to step inside. Turning to the console, Aurora glanced at her PDA, checking the layout and the notes she had made, before inputting the exact deck number that would take them to the executive habitation units her family stayed at. The doors closed, and the elevator began to hum, the interior filling with soft background music.
Aurora sighed, turning around to face Isa as she leant back against the lift wall, supported by her suit pack. Isabella took a step towards her, gently taking her hand against as she interlaced their fingers, standing next to Aurora as the lift continued on, taking them through the station.
"It's gonna be okay, hun."
Aurora looked over at Isa, smiling softly behind her visor. She nodded a bit, shrugging her shoulders as she exhaled, squeezing Isa's hand softly.
"... Yeahhh... uh... thank you for... for supporting me. For helping me get through this, Isa. I don't know what I'd be doing right now if you... weren't by my side... Don't know what I'm going to even say to my parents but-..."
"Let's... not worry about that right now, okay? We'll cross that bridge when we get there. Just... tell them the truth, okay? If they really care, they'll understand, Aurora."
"You're right, it's just... u-ughhh..."
Starting to feel her emotions rise up inside of her, Aurora shook her head and looked down at the lift floor, thinking for a bit. About how her father died. How she never spoke to her family after that. How they had a funeral service without even telling her. It crushed her, but only solidified her want to stay away and never look back. Yet... here she was. Looking back.
"Auroraaa... hey honey. I know it's... difficult. But I know you can do this. Just... whatever happens, it'll be okay. I love you, Aurora. I'll always be by your side. Whoever the fuck is behind all of this, we'll figure out what's going on, and expose them. Just one step at a time, hun."
Clearing her throat a tad, Aurora turned and pulled Isa into a gentle hug, albeit a bit of an awkward one thanks to their suits. She sighed a bit, shaking her head a tad with a sniffle.
"... I love you so much..."
"I love you too, babe. We'll make it through this..."
With both exchanging a gentle squeeze, Aurora stepped back, looking at the lift door as she started to psych herself up a bit, rubbing her hands together. Taking in a few slow breaths as the lift continued on, she took the time to steady herself. A quick glance at her PDA confirmed that the lift was almost there... and that they'd arrive at a ventilation access connecting to the executive deck. They were almost there.
With a ding, the lift door opened, and Aurora immediately took a step out, lowering her profile as she looked ahead, stepping into the cold, dim ventilation room. Large life support systems hummed away, scrubbers and processors linked together to help keep the interior atmosphere of certain decks habitable. Looking around the room, Aurora spotted a door that allowed direct access into the room, but that wasn't what they needed.
Glancing at the map schematic on her PDA again, it appeared as if the door didn't go to the deck they needed to go directly. To reach her family's room without going through reception where they'd likely be detected... they'd have to take one of the ventilation ducts.
"Great..."
"What?"
"Well... seems like we'll have to go crawling through a vent..."
Looking around the room again, Aurora glanced at her PDA occasionally, eventually matching the layout to one specific vent above an atmo-processor that would take them where they needed to go, pointing at it.
"That one."
Walking over to the machine as she carefully lifted herself up onto it, Aurora grunted softly, crouching down low on top of the processor as she ran her hand over the thin metal vent, examining it for a moment. Soon, Aurora reached back to her belt, opening the largest pouch and drawing her cutting tool from it. Unfolding it and switching the tool on, she simply pointed it at the vent, squeezing the trigger as the blue beam began to slice a square into the vent.
Both Isa and Aurora remained quiet as the room filled with the whine of the tool, listening out for anyone but nothing came. Soon, Aurora had detached the vent, gently grabbing it as she discarded it aside, placing it on top of the processor.
"Okay... looks like we'll only fit through if we leave our packs behind. No point in bringing them with, I suppose."
Reaching back to detach her suit pack, Aurora placed it next to the vent nearby, looking back at Isa, before focusing her attention back on the open vent, sighing slightly.
"Here goes..."
Getting down onto her hands and knees, Aurora slid forward into the vent as she laid flat, crawling into the dark duct. She heard Isa climb up on the processor behind her, but found it too tight to look back. The only way from here was forwards.
Pulling herself along inside the metal vent as quietly as she could, despite being fully clad in her armor, Aurora continued. The vent didn't seem particularly long, light seeping through the slats ahead. According to her PDA, they'd end up directly in the hallway they needed to be in... but without her suit pack, her tools wouldn't work, and thus getting the next vent cover off might be noisy. All she could do at this point was cross her fingers that nobody was around... and that was relying on an awful amount of luck.
Crawling to the end of the claustrophobic duct, Aurora slowed down, examining the cover internally. With the little light she had, it appeared as if the cover hadn't even been screwed on properly. Her heart stopped. The executive decks were one of the most secure places on stations like this, meant for the richest of the rich, or those who had earned the privilege to live in such an environment.
Without the hacking router she'd implemented, they would have never made it this far, and even that was a temporary measure that she had no clue on how long it would last. But as she thought through it... it seemed like even the usual security sensors that would be installed in vents like these were off. Why?
"Uh... little problem..."
Glancing back slightly despite the restrictive space they were in, Aurora heard her partner stop behind her, a soft sigh coming from within her helmet.
"What is it, hun?"
"The vent... is already open... and all the... security sensors? They're off... and I didn't do that..."
Isa went quiet. Aurora could've sworn she heard her curse under her breath, but regardless, she looked forward. Maybe this was a trap... but they had come too far now to just turn back. Maybe the vent was open and offline for maintenance? That was what she hoped for, at least...
Reaching forward as she gripped the cover, Aurora gently pushed on it, popping it out of its slot. Scooting a bit more forward, Aurora moved the cover aside and quickly scanned the hallway, before letting the duct cover drop to the floor. With a soft thud as it landed on the carpeted, dark blue floor of the hallway, Aurora pulled herself out of the vent, allowing herself to roll forward out and onto her knees, dropping ever so silently.
They were now in the luxurious, geometric corridors of the executive deck. A blue, soft carpeted floor contrasted to the grey-white, sleek walls, but the glass ceiling was the most standout feature - having a real-time view of the stars and the Earth projected digitally onto the glass. Aurora remembered walking through this particular hallway way back when it was her mother's 53rd birthday. When she visited after not seeing her whole family for four years. It was surreal... and they hardly spoke much. In some ways, she felt like they never really reconnected.
Her father revealed that he was a triple Elite Commander, and Alexis was with her back then. How things had changed so much. That she found out how she was essentially being used in the end by everyone. How she met her friends, found her new family, but yet it all fell to pieces when her past came out. All she had left was the one thing that mattered to her anymore. The only thing she ever truly loved.
"Hey, hun? Little... help?"
Turning back to the vent, Aurora looked up at Isa, watching her dangle out of the vent. Stifling a giggle, Aurora quickly reached up and grabbed her lover underneath her arms, gently helping her slide the rest of the way out of the vent, until she landed on her feet softly. Although she knew Isa couldn't see it, Aurora smiled warmly, despite all the memories that were flooding back. She had no clue where she might be if she'd never met Isa... if they'd never shared that first kiss. Isa meant the world to her... more than anything. It felt meant to be.
"Sorry... didn't... realize you were... stuck, haha~..."
"Hmm, all good, hun~... Maybe we should keep it down, though. Where is everyone?"
Turning back to look down the hallway, Aurora took a closer look at her surroundings, and found that Isa was right. All the doors were closed. There were no guards - of course - otherwise they would have never made it through that vent... but there were no people either. Nobody walking around, no talking, nothing. The deck was silent.
"... I don't know. I really don't like this."
"What's the room number?"
"23, I think. Let's go take a look..."
Starting to advance down the hallway, Aurora looked around carefully. There were cameras in the hallway, but they seemed to be offline. Something was off about this all...
Turning her attention to the doors as they walked by, Aurora and Isa continued down the hallway, passing various numbered rooms, one by one.
19. 20. 21. 22.
"Here. 23..."
Stopping in front of the clearly labelled door, Aurora took in a breath, glancing at Isa nervously. With a reassuring nod from her partner, Aurora looked back at the console, and exhaled slowly, switching her PDA on as she hovered it next to the console. With a beep, it unlocked, her PDA's authorization bypassing the security code on the door.
Hesitating a bit, she shook her head slowly and pressed on the door console, the sleek modern door parting in two as it revealed the home beyond. Taking a careful step through the door, Aurora stepped into the entrance hall of her family's home, the hallway filling with the sound of her careful footsteps treading along the ornate wooden floor.
Isa followed Aurora in, closing the door behind them as they both took a look around. It was quiet, eerily quiet. Various paintings and pictures hung on white walls, an elegant table at the end of the hallway. Small, potted plants decorated the hallway, making for a cozy, warm ambience as Aurora reached up, gently removing her helmet as she tucked it under her arm.
"... Uhh... anyone home? Hellooo~...?"
As Isa looked around, Aurora continued forward to the table at the end of the hallway. Everything seemed as it was when she had visited the last time. Family pictures sat atop the table in standing frames, and there were still those pictures. Pictures of her. That soft round face, gentle curls, her deep blue eyes from a much younger, simpler time. A massive mountain in the back drop of the image.
"Wow, your family has... quite the place..."
Placing her helmet down on the table, Aurora didn't respond to Isa, gently picking up one of the frames from the table. It was a picture of her, and her mother. The two of them smiling. Her mother's long, curly hair untied and reaching down to just below her shoulders. Aurora remembered it, albeit vaguely. She was 9 or 10 years old then, and just couldn't stop begging her parents to take her to some theme park.
But instead... they went to a nature reserve. Aurora got to explore, and spend time with her family. It was those times, those moments that she never understood the value of until it was too late. Things had changed so much. But yet, they had kept all the pictures. All of them smiling. Her brother and sister hugging and holding her. Her father with that eager grin of his when they went exploring at her favourite spot. Now... it was all gone.
A gentle hand came down on her shoulder, giving it a gentle, comforting squeeze. Tears rolled down Aurora's face as she quickly put the frame back down, bringing a hand up to wipe her cheeks before she looked back at Isa, clearing her throat. Her partner's helmet was off now too, her chestnut hair tied back as caring hazel eyes studied Aurora's face.
"S-sorry... just-..."
"It's okay, hun. Take your time. Doesn't... look like anyone is around."
She sniffled softly, meeting Isa's eyes as she wiped her tears away again, trying not to break down into sobs. Everything in this house was a reminder for her.
"Y-yeahhh... yeah... they... my mum usually stayed h-here... at home since she was... r-retired and everything... but it's s-so early... why aren't they here?"
"Aurora. Hey. Let's not think about it, okay? Not right now. Let's check the house... did your father have an office or something? We could start there...?"
"O-okay... sure..."
Sighing, Aurora looked around the hallway. As it split off into two rooms, she remembered the layout. Through the kitchen was the stairs that led up to the second deck of their 'house'. Although these could be considered apartments, each room was - in some cases - custom-made for the owner. With the size considered, the executive deck was effectively an internal house inside the starport, even containing a simulated patio with a large digital window that allowed the illusion of stargazing outside while in the safety of the starport's interior.
Stepping past Isa as she picked her helmet up, Aurora started to walk towards the kitchen, not paying much mind to the room as she quickly scanned it, before proceeding up the stairs quickly. Ascending to the second floor, she slowed down at the top, looking around. Maybe her family was still asleep, with how early it was in the morning? That was her hope... but that faltered when she peeked into the main bedroom. No one was inside...
"W-where are they...? Mom?"
Starting to get anxious, Aurora panicked internally as she called out, swiftly cut off by Isa as she tried to run for the rooms belonging to her siblings.
"Hey-hey-hey. Aurora... relax. Look at me. I'm sure they're okay, but right now you need to focus, babe. We don't have much time before your router gets locked out, right? You said that."
"M-mhm, yeah... ughhh... f-fuck Isa, this is so..."
"Honey, maybe they went out early. We don't kn-..."
"What if they didn't?! What if they... the... the vent was open, the s-sensors were off, what if they're not okay? Where is e-... everyone?"
"I don't know, Aurora. But you need to focus. Please."
"I'm t-... trying... I'm trying..."
Taking in a shaky breath, Aurora bit her lip and stifled a soft whimper, trying to bury her negative thoughts. What if her past had dragged everyone into this? First the squadron, then Isa, and now her family? What if everyone was at risk just because she was alive? What if she couldn't make things right again?
Forcing herself to continue, Aurora sniffled and wiped her tears away, starting to walk towards the room which she remembered to be her father's office. Grabbing the handle of the door, she hesitated a bit before sliding the door open, stepping into the dark room. Flicking a light on, she examined the now lit-up room, taking in the grey carpet and overall dark aesthetic of the room. A varnished, wooden table sat in the center of the room, a rugged computer built into it and angled slightly towards the office chair on the opposite side.
There were shelves of books and files, models and trophies. Things she never really took note of before... but now here she was. It was as if nothing changed. As if he was still... alive. Tearing up, Aurora looked down at her feet, fidgeting with her hands as she desperately wanted to turn and run... or just curl up into a corner and cry.
"... I-Isaa I... I can't do t-this..."
"You can, hun. I know it... hurts... but... you can do this. Breathe, honey."
Looking back into the room, Aurora rubbed her face again with her hand, wiping her tears away as she walked further into the office, looking around. Isa was right. It hurt... but Aurora didn't have time to be sentimental. Not right now.
Walking around the room, she examined the trophies, models, files, everything. If there was anything they could use here, it wouldn't be in plain sight, would it? The room seemed completely untouched, left as it was before. No one was here, but it seemed like no one had been here anyway.
Brushing both of her hands back through her curls, Aurora sighed, trying to think as she paced around the room, sliding the office chair back as she looked at the desk. The computer was off, but likely password-locked and separate to the authorization she had. There were no drives or external devices plugged into it either. Where should they even start looking?
Stepping behind the desk, Aurora sat down onto the office chair with a sigh, placing her helmet down on the table in front of her. Sitting back in the chair, she sniffled and wiped her face, slowly looking around the room from where she was. Isa stood there by the door, silent as she let Aurora try figure it out. It felt like there was too much to look at. Too many memories...
Until she saw that small, wooden box on one of the shelves. Getting up, Aurora walked over and reached up to grab the box, taking it down from the shelf as she held it in the palm of her hand. Popping the lid open ever so gently, she wiped her face with her forearm, looking at the three golden Elite badges inside... and the license of Commander Isaiah Adair. This was the last thing he ever showed her before he...
Aurora walked back to the desk and placed the box down, taking the badges out. To her, they were beautiful... and she wondered why her father never told her until that one day in October. Why did he never tell her when she served? When she wanted to become a Commander and they shut that idea down? Why did he keep these badges hidden away in some box?
She sat down onto the chair again with a sigh, holding the badges in the palms of her hands as she sat there and just... thought. They didn't exactly have the liberty of time, but Aurora couldn't understand why he was so secretive about it. Did anyone else in the family know about this?
"Aurora?"
"Y-yeah, sorry. I'm thinking..."
"No, uh... look."
Looking up at Isa, Aurora turned her focus to the shelf she was standing next to. Her partner pointed at a gap she had made in the books... exposing an oddly-shaped 'slot' in the backing of the shelf. Getting up from the chair, Aurora walked over and frowned slightly, pushing books aside to make it clearer. The shape was very irregular... but... symmetrical...
Just like a...
"Hun... it looks like one of the badges you have. The shape."
Looking down at her hands, Aurora lifted the badges up, comparing them to the slot. Isa was right. That slot matched the exact shape of her father's exploration badge. Grabbing it, she flipped it to face them and gently pushed it into the slot. With a click, it locked in...
"... H-huhhh... maybe... maybe the other shelf?"
The both of them turned and walked across the room to the other bookshelf. It was starting to fit together... both shelves were exactly opposite of each other. In almost every aspect, the room was symmetrical. Pushing books and files aside, there was another slot, promptly fitting the trade badge of her father's with a satisfying click.
Aurora turned and looked around the room, biting her lip as she thought. All she had in her hands now was the combat badge. If the room was symmetrical... and the slots were too...
Aurora walked over to the wall in front of the desk, near the door they came in from. Running her hand over the large, smooth acoustic panels that blended in with the walls, Aurora thought for a bit, before suddenly turning and walking back to the desk. Crouching down near the chair as she peered under the desk... there it was.
The third slot.
Placing the combat badge into the third slot, Aurora allowed it to lock in, before the room filled with a loud 'thunk'. Something else had unlocked when she did that.
Standing up, she exhaled slowly and took a look around the room once again. What had changed...?
Looking down into the box, Aurora grabbed her father's license and began to pace around the room again, scrutinizing shelves and walls until she reached those same acoustic panels she had just examined. Running her hands along the panels, she pushed and tested them, until one panel budged under the touch of her glove.
"Here... this one..."
Gripping the edge of the panel as she squeezed her fingers into the gap between, prying it back was easy, the wall swinging open to reveal a walk-in closet. Her heart was racing. Just how secretive was her father?
Stepping through the gap in the wall, Aurora walked into the small, tight room, her hand brushing over the wall as she flicked on a light-switch. She wasn't sure what to expect... but it wasn't this.
"... oh... wow..."
Racks of weapons and suits filled the room, contained in sealed wall displays, cabinets and lockers. Everything looked like it was all from every different corner of the galaxy. Federal armor, Imperial suits, mercenary outfits. Countless weapons and tools covered the walls - all souvenirs as they had clearly been disabled and rendered non-functional. Who was her father?
Aurora walked around the small room, not knowing which emotion to pick. Anger? Sadness? Confusion? It felt like all three hit her at once. She knew it would be overwhelming, but this...? This was something else entirely.
Walking over to the lockers at the end of the room, Aurora started to open them. There was just so... much. Munitions, trinkets, artefacts, dogtags, souvenirs, rocks, medals. Some of the stuff she even recognized from their little excursions on Earth, when her father would take her exploring. Some of it was stupid little things like volcanic rock that they picked up during their hikes. She was too young then to remember much, but they had memories in them.
So many memories. So many echoes.
"Babe..."
Isa gently wrapped her arms around Aurora from behind, giving her a gentle hug as she rested her head on her shoulder, watching Aurora fiddle with the ash-black rock in her hand. She broke down into sobs, sniffling and whimpering as she closed her eyes and just stood there, swaying in her partner's arms.
"It's okay, hun... it's okay."
Aurora couldn't even make out the words as she placed the rock back into the locker, turning around to face her lover as they enveloped each other in a warm, tight hug. She just stood there and cried, Isa gently rubbing her back as she kissed her on the cheek, a hand brushing back through her curls.
"... w-w.... why did h... he have to di... die...? H-he kept... everything~..."
"It's okay, Aurora... Look. Maybe he wasn't the greatest at showing it - kinda... like my father - but... I know he cared about you. Maybe... he really wanted the squadron to be a new start for you. That he wasn't just trying to just use you. I don't think it was... meant to happen this way."
"... i-it's j... just so... much..."
"I know, honey. I know. But you can do this. I guess your family doesn't really... hate you like you think they do. Things are just... fucked up. But look at all the pictures and... all the things he kept. And... if I do say so myself, you were super cute in all of those pictures."
Aurora shook her head a bit, struggling a weak chuckle as she tightened her hold around Isa, trying to calm herself. After a few moments, the two leant back, meeting each other's eyes as Isa's hand gently fixed Aurora's curls, wiping tears from her cheeks. That constant, reassuring look melted her heart, as she tried to contain her sobs, clearing her throat as she shook her head.
"I'm sor-..."
"Auroraaa... shush. Stop apologizing..."
Aurora went quiet as she was cut off, gazing into Isa's hazel eyes. She nodded slowly, eyes trailing off for a moment until they focused back onto Isa again. Without another word, she leant in and gave her lover a quick, sweet kiss, hugging her tightly before she stepped away, managing a soft, warm smile at her partner.
"... T-thank you... I love you..."
"Hmm... you remind me every second. Love you too, hun. Now, let's do this... okay?"
"Y-..."
Her PDA buzzed. Aurora looked down at the screen.
Her heart stopped.
//////////\\\\\\\\\\
. . . R O U T E R L O C K O U T . . .
. . . N O C O N N E C T I O N . . .
/\/\/\/<<< =ACCESS DENIED= >>>\/\/\/\
USER: FSP#dxGFUctYGu2eBHm6... [show more]
AUTH [0]
\\\\\\\\\\//////////"Ohh... oh no... no-no-no..."
"What?"
"The r-router... they..."
"Aurora. The lockers. Quickly."
Turning back to the lockers she was standing nearby, Aurora quickly started to dig through them, searching rapidly through the items her father had stored. She didn't want to mess this all up, but... they needed to find something. Her father had to have kept something, right?
She'd practically turned the lockers upside down at this point, desperately trying to find something. Anything. They just needed...
"Aurora. Aurora, look."
Isa stepped to Aurora's side, pointing into one of the lockers. Following Isa's hand, Aurora's eyes fell upon a dark slit carved into the back wall of the locker, just barely visible under one of the shelves. A tiny, red light marked the reader. She glanced down at the license she had in her hands. Seeing her father's face printed onto it for the last time.
She brought the card to the reader, and slotted it in.
With a beep, the backwall of the locker beneath the reader slid open. There was a small hardcase inside. Pushing items on the shelves aside, Aurora quickly reached in, and grabbed the black hardcase. It was only just the size of her hand, but felt fairly heavy...
Popping the lid open, tears rolled down her cheeks as she laid her eyes on the contents within - a plaque and frame under the lid, and a rugged databank slotted into the case itself.
 |
|
============<<<>>> PLAQUE <<<>>>============ Finis Vitae, Sed Non Amoris "The End of Life, But Not Of Love" |
Aurora simply burst into tears, overwhelmed with emotions as she hunched over, holding onto the box tightly. A gentle hand rubbed her shoulder smoothly, as Isa looked down at the box. She didn't say a word, the room filling with Aurora's cries as she got to her knees, closing the lid of the box as tears streamed down her face.
"... f-fuck thisss.... o-oh g... god... w-whyyy..."
"Auroraaa... Aurora, we need to go. I'm sorry... It's going to be okay, hun. Come on, let's go."
Holding the box tightly, Aurora clumsily opened an empty pouch on her belt, stuffing the box into it as she wiped her face. Yanking her father's license from the reader in the locker, she quickly exited the room with Isa, closing the acoustic panel behind her. Grabbing her helmet from the desk nearby, she sniffled and sobbed, taking in a shaky breath as she quickly slid her helmet over her head, sealing it to her suit. Glancing back at the office one last time, she turned to the door... and paused.
Quickly turning back, she quickly moved around the room, retrieving each of the badges and grabbing the same box they were stored in, fumbling to stuff them all into their rightful storage once more. Pocketing the ornate box into a pouch, Aurora turned to the door, and... stopped. Isa was blocking the doorway. Why was...
"Ladies. Hope I'm not intruding..."
"Don't come any fucking closer. I won't let you touch her."
Peering over Isa's shoulder as she clenched her fists, Aurora spotted a man standing in the hallway. A cloak hung from his waist as a bandolier crossed the chest of his suit. His face was obscured by a helmet, the X-shaped visor glowing and just hidden beneath the brim of his hat. He looked up at the both of them, and although he was armed... he didn't seem to be on the offensive. He stood there, hands relaxed by his sides.
"I wouldn't dream of it, sweetheart. Actually, I'm here to help yo-..."
"Bullshit."
"Not... bullshit... in fact, I was contracted by someone to kill that woman behind you, but with the two or three opportunities I've had so far today, not counting other times, we can clearly see that's no longer the case. So... maybe it's asking a lot, but it's either you both take a leap of faith with me... or it's the Federation figuring out who's aboard their starport in about 16 minutes. Trust is earned, Commanders, and... I trust you. I know who you are. We share a goal, do we not? My client is not who they say they are... and I want to know why they're after you. You want to know how they know about your past... an-..."
"Screw that. Get the fuck out of our way or I'll fucking kill you right here."
"I-Isa..."
Aurora glanced at Isa nervously and held her shoulder, but the man remained where he was. They didn't have weapons... but he did. A confrontation right now wouldn't be a good idea.
"Now, that's... very, very impolite. Commander Levine, was it? If I wanted the both of you dead, I would've done it a long time ago. But, I don't. I've seen enough in my career to know that there's a bigger monster behind all of this, bigger than any of us combined. Commander Aurora Adair, is it? I know your past now. Hell, I saw the file even. Nobody can change what you did. Nobody can change your past, or turn back time, or make the regret and pain you have hurt any less. But nobody should have to suffer and die for the Federation's sins. Especially not someone like you, who changed their ways and tried to start a new life."
"H-how do you..."
"How do I know? Simple, really. You're an open, emotional bundle of stress and upset, Commander. Your squadron has extensive public records and articles mentioning the sacrifices you've made. Not to mention you're all over local Federal news. It's simple research. Doesn't take an idiot to understand that the squadron might've disavowed you for their own protection, but even they know that there is so much more to this."
The man took a step closer, prompting Isa to tense up. He raised a gentle hand, slowly approaching as he kept his hands away from his holsters.
"And the Federation? They couldn't care less. Not about you, not about the rest of the Venators, not about your squadron. Typical, really. Seems like they want to cover up a little trade secret of theirs, and they'll do anything to do that. Or maybe... it's not them. Maybe we're being all manipulated like pawns in the sandbox of an enemy that knows no borders and no limits. Gotta admit... that's a likely proposition even I'm scared of."
"So, Commanders. I offer again. In 14 minutes, the Federation will find that little router of yours and figure out what's going on. 14 minutes, and this entire starport comes down on you. Agree to work with me, and I'll make sure you make it out of this alive. You won't get a better option than this, believe me."
Extending his hand as he stopped a few metres in front of Isa and Aurora, he waited, holding out a small digital card in his palm. Squeezing past Isa, Aurora took a look at him, and then at the card. She sighed. What other choice did they have? It was either going to prison and likely dying, or making an unexpected ally that could help them... or so she hoped.
Hesitantly reaching over, Aurora took the card from the man's hand carefully, stepping back a bit as he lowered his hand.
"Great. Now... you can go back the same way you entered in from. I have the perfect distraction just itching to slow down some OMNIPOL officers. Be snappy, or you won't make it."
Starting to walk down the stairs as Aurora and Isa followed him from a distance, the man glanced back, stepping into the kitchen as they followed him down to the same level. Aurora started to walk past, but she froze, turning around to face him.
"D-... do you know what... happened to my family...?"
"I know your father's... gone, unfortunately. Sorry for your loss. But... while I don't have time to explain how I found all of this, and how I knew you were coming here, I arrived a few days earlier and the rest of your family wasn't here. They haven't returned either, during those few days."
"H-how... how do you know all this? How did you know their r-room number? Did you open that vent a-..."
"Slooowww down there. Lots of questions we have no time for. Allow me to answer them some other time. That card? It's a comms ident. We'll be in touch. Now... I would run if I were you. You have... 12 minutes, it seems."
Aurora went to turn away, but froze again, looking back at him. Isa grabbed her arm, but she remained planted, just staring at the armoured figure in the kitchen.
"Wait. Who... who are you?"
The man chuckled.
"Well..."
Folding his arms, he met Aurora's gaze from behind her visor, considering his answer before it finally came, a smug smile behind his words.
"... Name's Predator. And be glad, Commander... that you just ain't my kinda prey."
========================================================
Credit:
This story is only possible thanks to our squadron and community. Join TITAN Contractors, a diverse and talented squadron, and experience our custom lore and events. This logbook/short story as well as other associated images and story is property of TITAN Contractors, CMDR Radiumio. A massive thank you to CMDR Isabella Levine for letting me include their character extensively in this story. Thank you so much for reading!
INARA page here.