Dark Void: Dawn of Eternity

[An Enemy Spy]

[Hector Alrost]

The chamber you are in is dark, with only the light of Fenris, Loki's largest moon, shining through the window to give you anything to see. There are four of you: Allutian prisoners captured on various battlefields across the stars. You were in a prison before, a dank dark hellhole teeming with venomous rats and fire roaches, in overcrowded cells filled with the filth of the prisoners. It was a nightmare, with no room to lay down to sleep and the brutality of the guards. The only part of the day anyone looked forward to was the feeding time, being served insufficient amounts of the watered down slop even the rats wouldn't eat. If you were to weak to fight for your share, you died. This was how the prison kept it's population under control, for there were always more POWs coming in from the front of a losing war. Of course, that was if you were lucky and didn't have to go to the labor camps.

Sometimes however, the warden decided to bring in some extra money by having people come for his "sporting events". You have never witnessed one of these, but whenever a group of prisoners was sent off to one of these events, none ever returned.
But here you are, ready to go out into the colosseum, you can hear the crowd cheering outside. They are ready for blood.

[Evicia]
You have spent several days in the women's prison. It is identical to the men's side, only here there is the constant danger of the guards, their animal like lust and their willingness to take what they want. It has been horrible.
And now you are being taken to one of the labor camps. You have heard about these places, though you have never laid eyes on one. The prisoners here simply worked until they dropped dead. There is no other way out. You are chained to a train of a hundred or so other women, being marched down into the dark valley of the camp. Most of the women around you are so weak they can barely stand. Every now and then one will fall. The guards will stop the procession and check her for vitals. If they are alive, they will be loaded onto a truck headed for a different camp, where a far more horrible fate awaits them. Most however are simply left in the dust behind you, their bodies will be grinded into food for the prisoners and for the fierce spike-hounds the guards use.

[whoiam]

[Evicia]

Prison had been harder for the cyborg than it would have been for most. Her first 'visit' from the guards had been ended by the production of a small cutting tool, and she had felt things would be manageable from there on in.

She was wrong.

Showing defiance simply made you a target, and a small retractable cutting tool the guards could not confiscate simply meant that when they came into your cell, they came in armed and they came in as a group.

What is worse is the rapid discovery that her tools were also useless for escaping her cell - true, she did have cutting tools, but nothing anywhere near large enough to get her through a door, or past an armed guard.

The work detail, though... that held promise. Depended how closely they were watched, really. Certainly, that little laser could handle the chain... No use in a fight, but then that was not her plan. No, the plan was to cut the largest section of chain she could, allowing a whole bunch of the other prisoners to make a break for it at once. That would give her a chance to find an exit, unmolested... Maybe unlock the others first.

That some, or possibly even many, of the others she would be freeing would be actual criminals had crossed her mind, but she reasoned there was little she could do about that. She did not know which prisoners were which, and it was unlikely they would accurately report their own crimes even if she had the opportunity to ask...

No, she would let them all out and hope it worked. Now all she had to do is wait for the right moment...

[alexeduardo]

Hector Alrost
damn...this was it. He was going to die here...butchered in a colisseum for the amusement of some brutes. If only I knew exactly who captured me...I'm certain that either Freyan or Allutian commands would intimidate them.
Well, I was in a cell with Allutians...seems a safe bet...

As soon as he goes out he stands upright and shouts:
In the name of the almighty Freyan Emperor, and the glory for which he stands, I command thee, loyal sufferers, to stop this carnage, AND LIBERATE ME AT ONCE!

[An Enemy Spy]

Evicia
You are marched for miles through the dusty wasteland. By the time you arrive at the first gate of the road leading into the camp, almost half the original party of prisoners is gone, succumbing either to the heat or the exhaustion, some even snatched and carried off by the giant birds of prey that inhabit the area.
A guard at the gate orders the procession to stop. As he approaches the captain of the guards leading you, you catch him looking right at you, giving you a meaningful look.
He exchanges a few words to the captain and suddenly in the blink of an eye, he has drawn a combat knife and plunged it into the captain's neck. At that moment, the guards on the tower open fire on the soldiers leading the prisoners.

Hector
Everyone in the room ignores your rambling, they are too absorbed in their own fear and misery to care about the ramblings of a man who has clearly snapped under the pressure.
As if on cue, the massive iron doors on the side of the chamber slowly open, casting bright sunlight into the room. Beyond the doorway is a long corridor of sandstone leading out into the arena. All along it's walls are swords, axes, maces, spears and all manner of other ancient weaponry for you to choose from. The other prisoners nervously walk down the corridor, taking weapons off the wall as they go.
OOC: btw, Freya has an Empress

[whoiam]

Evicia

Perfect!

The chains linking her to the person directly in front of her were the first to go, then the person behind, and then those binding her wrists together. Mentally, a coin went up as to whether she'd free the other women, or just make a run for it herself... and she ran for it. Freeing the other prisoners when there were guards watching was a good idea - since it would have given too many escapees for the guards to control at once - but right now, with the guards already distracted, the others would simply get in her way.

A more empathetic person would probably have tried to rescue some anyway... but Evicia wasn't really in the right mindset for empathy. She was in the right mindset for getting the hell out of there...

...which did, of course, lead to a problem. Namely, where would she escape to? But her mind suggested that the best start was to be far enough away from the column of prisoners that she could evade recapture if the guards survived the ambush, so she started with a run along a line perpendicular to the line of prisoners. Not so far she couldn't watch the ambush's progress, but far enough to give her a headstart...

[roll0]

[An Enemy Spy]

Evicia
A stun mine designed to keep prisoners from escaping goes off, throwing you to the ground. You are unable to control your limbs and thrash about like a fish for a few minutes. By the time you regain control of your body, a woman in a soldier's uniform is running toward you.

[whoiam]

Evicia
Well, that's just great. Of all the things they could have decided not to give me, why did they have to pick a mine detector? Well, that and weapons. Here comes a soldier and I'm not armed!

...Play dead. Yess... She'll probably believe I'm still stunned if I stay still enough, and what I need most right now is a chance to get a drop on her...

Thankfully, playing dead as you recover from a stun mine is pretty easy...

[An Enemy Spy]

Evicia
The woman comes over to your postrate body, and gives you a kick. "What are you running for? Can't you tell when you're being rescued?"

[whoiam]

Evicia

Eyes open, Evicia glances up at the woman. Her eyes don't match - the left eye's an implant, and they never bothered adding an iris to it. "...Apparently not. I did think you made a good diversion, however."

Well, if I needed the element of surprise to take her out... there it went.

[An Enemy Spy]

She unholsters her pistol and hands it to you."You're going to need this." She pints off in the distance. "There's a chopper hidden a few miles from here. If we hurry, we might make it out of here alive. Name's Dess by the way."
By this time a group of four men and another woman have joined you.
Dess takes your hand and pulls you to your feet.

[whoiam]

Evicia

"Now if only there was a targetting program in my system, this would be perfect!"

If only there was a targetting program in my system, they'd have never captured me in the first place.

Still, she took the pistol, and she'd follow her rescuer. Better than staying here, after all.

With any luck, I'll be able to get into the chopper's guidance system...

[An Enemy Spy]

One of your rescuers, a giant dark skinned man, pulls a pair of cuffs out. "Put these on. We need you to look like a captive."

[whoiam]

Evicia
Evicia glances once at the handcuffs. Then glances down at the pistol. Then back at the handcuffs.

Even I can spot the problem here. Do I refuse the cuffs or keep the pistol?

"I think you may need to take this back, if I'm to pass myself off as a prisoner." Holding the gun out first, and once its taken she'll place her hands in the cuffs.

No contest, really. I can laser my way out of cuffs, but I couldn't shoot to save my freedom.

[An Enemy Spy]

Evicia
Evicia glances once at the handcuffs. Then glances down at the pistol. Then back at the handcuffs.

Even I can spot the problem here. Do I refuse the cuffs or keep the pistol?

"I think you may need to take this back, if I'm to pass myself off as a prisoner." Holding the gun out first, and once its taken she'll place her hands in the cuffs.

No contest, really. I can laser my way out of cuffs, but I couldn't shoot to save my freedom.

OOC: Sorry bout that. Total brainfart on my part.
He looks at you like you are a complete moron. "What? You've never hidden a gun on yourself before?"
He slaps an adhesive pad on the gun puts it under your shirt. Then he puts the cuffs on you.
"The guards should still be trying to round up the other prisoners right now. With any luck that'll keep them busy long enough for us to escape." Dess says

[whoiam]

Evicia

"No" came the probably truthful reply. "To the best of my knowledge, this is the first gun I've ever held."

Literally true. Of course, I was probably a soldier before... Or something embaressing.

"I do not have any cutaway panels or the like in which I could hide such a bulky weapon. Prison Garb is not made to be so loose and flowing as to allow easy concealment of a weapon. If my assessment of the situation is in error, please input corrected operating instructions."

Sometimes things just come out a little more robotic than I intended them to...

The adhesive pad came next, and cut Evicia off in mid-rant. Her originally intended ending was replaced with a more reasonable, "Ah. I understand." Followed by a quiet following of her 'guards'.

[An Enemy Spy]

You make your way through the barren wasteland for some time without incident. Every now and then, a patrol of guards will pass by looking for the other women trying to escape, but they buy Dess's story that you are a particularly feisty captive being taken to the torture pit. Dess informs you that the other people in the group are named Finlay, Myles, Troy and Katungi (the men) and Adriana (figure it out).
After over an hour of marching, you notice a series of streaks in the air far off in the distance. Dess stops and watches them for a second. A look of horror and anger come over her face. "Oh no, not now! Why now?!"

[An Enemy Spy]

Blaine
When you open your eyes, you see sunlight pouring in through the open window. A warm tropical breeze blows in, causing the thin drapes to flutter. You are lying in one of the softest beds you have ever encountered, with silk sheets and a pillow stuffed with down. Lying next to you, Noelani stirs. She smiles at you, her beautiful eyes lighting up (figuratively of course) when she sees you awake.
"It's early." She says, her voice soft and sweet. "Don't leave yet."

[mrpitchfork]

Blaine

"Not yet." muttered Blaine. He shifted and lay closer to Noelani. "Hi. How are you?" He touched her hand and shifted again. He does not feel lonely and he likes Noelani.

He remembered the message he got from his Freyan consort earlier in the week. He knew that they were probably suspicious of him, and even if they weren't he had to act as if there were no reason to be suspicious of him. There were some things he knew that he absolutely couldn't let them know he knew, even though most of them were relatively trivial. It was their triviality that made them difficult to conceal.

He remembered he couldn't share anything with Noelani, because, even though she's smart enough to handle it and even to help, this would compromise her safety and it would be unnecessary. But if she found out she would get mad at him for not telling her. He doesn't want to lie and he has a hard time with that but still concealing the true nature of his work. He says he 'works for the government' which is true but still deceptive. He doesn't want to hurt her.

He remembered he has to keep jumping through stupid annoying hoops to make sure people remember the name "Mr Pitchfork" and keep taking it seriously. He hopes Noelani isn't concerned enough to figure out what the details of his profession are.

[An Enemy Spy]

She kisses you tenderly. She wraps her arms around you and positions her lithe slender body on top of yours. Several minutes later she asks you the same question.

[alexeduardo]

Hector
Everyone in the room ignores your rambling, they are too absorbed in their own fear and misery to care about the ramblings of a man who has clearly snapped under the pressure.
As if on cue, the massive iron doors on the side of the chamber slowly open, casting bright sunlight into the room. Beyond the doorway is a long corridor of sandstone leading out into the arena. All along it's walls are swords, axes, maces, spears and all manner of other ancient weaponry for you to choose from. The other prisoners nervously walk down the corridor, taking weapons off the wall as they go.
OOC: btw, Freya has an Empress

Hector takes a short sword and approaches the other prisoners.
Look, I know I seem crazy, but that was just a trick to throw them off balance! If we work together, we'll make it out alive. I've seen combat, so you just stay together near me and everything will be alright, ok?

[whoiam]

Evicia

"What is the problem?"

Either it's some form of monster, or some form of airforce. If it's the air force...

"We would suggest that if it is an insurmountable one, we should move inside the city. Disguises are questioned less when you are not somewhere where noone is supposed to be."

[mrpitchfork]

Blaine

Have I been expressing discomfort or frustration? Does she suspect me of hiding something? No, whatever, I'm just being paranoid. My poker face is impeccable. There's no way she's seen something, let alone enough to figure out what I do.

"Thinking about work. Recently, they've had me dealing with relations with the Freyan Empire. They're terrible diplomats."

That's all true. The Anasazi Empire does want me to do relations with the Freyan Empire, but it's almost certainly an effort to get me to mess up and reveal that I'm a double-agent between them. The Freyan Empire wants to do something similar, but they're bad at diplomacy and they're better communicators in-person. Communicating solely through text or an audio feed with a monotone voice makes it difficult for them to read you, and calling yourself Boss when dealing with the most ferocious nation is ballsy, if not arrogant. They're learning to take me seriously even if they do suspect me of being a double-agent.

"What do you want for breakfast?"

[An Enemy Spy]

Hector
They don't even seem to register your existance. As you go down the long corridor, the roar of the crowd gets louder and louder. It opens up into a giant circular arena, with high sandstone walls and banners depicting the Serpent and Hammer of Freya proudly flying all around. The ground is covered in sand and stained with the blood of the men who were in it before you. The crowd numbers in the thousands, all screaming for your deaths.
In a large balcony up at the top of the colloseum, a man steps up he slowly raises his arm and clenches his fist. The cheering stops.
"Loyal citizens of the Freyan Empire!" He says, his voice filling the building "We are gathered here today to witness the deaths of our enemies, the evil Allutians." An enormous screen behind him activates, showing footage of Freyan ships destroying Allutian ones, Freyan soldiers charging heroically at the enemy, a shot of a soldier planting a flag on a hill as jets soar past. "Every day, our ships and soldiers take more and more land from the enemy. We are winning this war. A massive cheer goes up from the crowd. "We have for your enjoyment, four Allutian spies captured from all over the Empire. Their goal, was to destroy us from the inside, to burn our cities to ground and to kill our men and to take our women. But thanks to our brave men and women in uniform, we have beat them at their own game.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I am honored to announce that today, you shall all be introduced to a creature unlike that which you have never seen. Beyond the far reaches of our great Empire, we have discovered a loathesome beast, a monster so terrifying that a full squad of soldiers was required to subdue it. These Allutians will battle the deadly beast for your enjoyment.
And now, without further ado, LET THE GAME BEGIN!!!"
The crowd goes absolutely wild, the moment they have waited for is finally here.
Slowly, an iron door on the far wall of the arena opens. Many in the crowd gasp. For out of the doorway steps an alien creature, 7 feet tall and covered with chitinous armor. It has four arms, two with enormous clawed hands and the other two sporting deadly scythes of bone. It's muscular leags are clearly designed for long jumps. On top of it's head is a large bony plate (like a triceratops). It lets out a loud high pitched scream and charges at the four of you.

Evicia
"There are no cities around here. It's an Allutian lighting raid, I'd hoped we would be able to get out of here before it arrived so the Freyans would be too preocupied about the attack to search for a lost prisoner. We have to get out of here now."
Myles, takes out a knife, and hits a button on it. The whole blade crackles with energy. He cuts your manacles off with it. The whole group takes off at a run.

Blaine
"I'll go make us some eggs." Noelani gets up, wrapping a sheet around her body, and leaves the room. Seconds later your hear her start to scream, and be cut off almost immediately.

[An Enemy Spy]

Robert
Explosions fill the black void, eerily silent. All around, ships are firing crimson red pulse cannons and launching missiles, filling space with thin trails of smoke. The ship you are on, the Caleuche is fleeing from a massive Freyan fleet, filled with battleships and carriers. Most of your fleet has been destroyed. You sit in a ball turret at the back. All around, enemy fighters dart at high speed firng on your ship. A freyan destroyer is closing in in the distance.

[mrpitchfork]

Blaine

Damnit! I've been found!

Blaine slips quietly out of bed. He puts on his bathrobe and unlocks his desk drawer and grabs his gun. He also grabs his knife, in case there was going to be a melee, where guns would be useless. He hides both in his sleeves and walks quietly to the doorway and tries to glance around the corner. He hadn't set up a surveillance system or any inconspicuous mirrors around the house for this, because Noelani would inevitably notice them.

She might not be dead. If she's not dead, they might not know I'm here. If she is dead, they'll know I'm here and I'm most certainly next. If she's alive and they know I'm here, then they want to negotiate. Chances are, they know I'm here... No, wait. Maybe it's some surprise party thrown by Noelani's friends. But I told her not to let people in my house. She wouldn't ignore that kind of request. They must have found out, or they suspect me enough to bring me in for questioning.

"Alright. Tell me who you are and why you're here. Leave her alone."

[An Enemy Spy]

"Good morning Mr. Pitchfork. Or should I call you Blaine. I assure you that the girl has not been harmed, though if you do not come around that corner with empty hands in four seconds, her safety cannot be guarunteed." A voice says. It sounds like a man, somewhere between middle aged and old.

[mrpitchfork]

How well can I conceal my gun? I know I can conceal the knife very well. It's not worth it to keep the gun concealed. If I want any chance of gaining this guy's trust later, I should comply with his demands and not try to trick him or let him know I've tricked him. He hasn't contacted me conventionally. He doesn't think I'll comply with his demands, whatever they are. He'll probably take me captive. I can't stop him if he tries to gas me, but he may try to club me. I should keep my back to the wall when I reveal myself.

I have to dispose of the gun and make it seem like it's the only thing I'm carrying. If I drop it loudly that might be too obvious that I'm trying to call attention to it. I could drop it normally and kick it out to him. He might be lying. I'll keep the knife in my sleeve.

Blaine drops the gun very obviously, so it's obvious to the man that he wants the drop to be seen. Then he comes around the corner, back to the wall, hands up. "Answer my question please."

[An Enemy Spy]

A thin reedy white haired man sits in a chair with his hands folded in his lap. Noelani is gripped by her arms by a large thuggish looking man. Two more thugs are in the room, one pointing a pulse pistol at Noelani, the other pointing one at you.
"I'm so glad you didn't feel you had to resort to violence Mr. Pitchfork. I would hate to end the life of such an exquisitely beautiful specimen. And the woman too.
But now Mr. Pitchfork, I would love to engage in lively conversation, but I am a very busy man, and business is the reason I have paid a visit to your lovely home. You see Mr. Pitchfork, war is a very profitable business, and the longer it is allowed to continue, the more lucrative it becomes. Unfortunately, the war between the Freyans and the Allutians that have made such a great deal of people quite wealthy indeed, is beginning to end. Oh, I know what you must be thinking, Mr. Pitchfork, 'why, the war is still going quite strong, how could there be and end in sight?' Well, Mr. Pitchfork, as cynical and jaded as I like to think of myself as being, I must acknowledge the fact that heroism in fact does exist in war, and that one single commander could change the fate of the known galaxy."
He pulls a small holoprojector out of his pocket and turns it on. In the air floats an image of a young man wearing a long black leather overcoat. In the air floats the word Cpt. Desmond I.F.S. Pale Horse along with a list of medals and honors he has accomplished.
"You see Mr. Pitchfork, this young man here is responsible for the success of nearly every campaign the Freyans have launched against the Allutians. It could be that he is in possession of a keen tactical mind and a willingness to take risks. Personally, I believe him to a mediocre captain at best who is merely in possession of an extremely powerful warship. One of the only Freyan battlecruisers in existance in fact. Though as a government triple agent, I'm sure you are already aware of this. Besides, I did not come here to discuss the merits of this fine young man.
I came here to give you a mission, unlike any you have ever had before. My employer is the one who gave me the mission, but he left it up to me to decide who shall carry it out. Do you know why I chose you Mr. Pitchfork? I have read your entire record. Oh, don't give that look, of course it's top secret. But no secret is safe from anyone is it Mr. Pitchfork. You of all people should know this.
Your job is to join onto the Pale Horse's crew and capture the captain. If at all possible, you are to capture his second and third in commands as well."
He pushes another button on the projector and to more people show up on it, a man named Com. Michael Torres and a woman named Lt Com. Celine.
" When you have accomplished this task, I will send you a message. In the meantime, to make sure that you continue to be a good little worker for us, my associate here," He motions to the thug holding Noelani, "will stay with your little beauty here. Do not attempt to contact us, and do not alert the authorities of our presence, or we shall melt away into the shadows and never be seen again. I'm afraid we'll have to take the woman with us. I hear a dear sweet little butterfly like her could sell for a fetching price on the slave market. If you have any questions, Mr. Pitchfork, now is the time to ask."

[mrpitchfork]

OOC:Double-agent.

Well now.

"Hahaha. That's it? You guys could have just come to my door." Blaine puts his hands down and reclines against the wall, breaking eye contact with everyone. He had to communicate that he was unimpressed, very nonchalant, and that he had seen better. The guns were just for show.

"So, old guy. Tell these guys to listen to me. Don't worry, I'm way more civil and reasonable about things than you are. I just want them to escort Noelani to the kitchen, where she can make eggs and tea and put on music for everyone. Supervised. And she will treat them nicely, because she's a very hospitable host and she's very nice to people." He looks at Noelani reassuringly. Then he looks to the thugs menacing Noelani and asks them, sincerely and friendly, "Hello, people. What are your names?" He addresses both thugs menacing Noelani but keeps eye contact with the one holding her. He wants to disrupt the tree of authority here by downsizing the old man and making the thugs feel respected by him but not by the old man. This is both an effort to intimidate and impress the man by showing that he himself is not at all impressed and to display his powers of manipulation.

[whoiam]

Evicia
With a quick nod, Evicia joins the group in sprinting for what, presumeably, is the helicopter.

How much do they know about me? Well, I may as well go for the obvious.

"Why were you sent to retrieve me, specifically?"

If they know it's because I'm... altered... then I can do what I like to get out of here. IFF tricks, I think.

[An Enemy Spy]

Blaine
The man snaps his fingers at the thugs. "Do it. But first, allow the lady of the house to get dressed. Poor girl, surrounded by such upstanding citizens as ourselves with only a sheet to keep her modesty. Make sure she wears something nice, after all, she is entertaining guests."
The thug leads Noelani into the bedroom.
"I personally do not approve of such brutish techniques to hire a new employee. The whole thing is rather distasteful. But my employer is a different sort of animal altogether, and as long as the jhinarri comes from him, we do things his way. Strictly business, nothing personal.
And now for your second request, Mr. Pitchfork. My colleagues do not have names that are any of your concern and neither do I. I would advise that you do not attempt to identify us again"


Evicia
"I don't know. We're just here 'cus the one who wants you out of here pays well."
By this time you can clearly see the jets. Soldiers are jumping out of them in dropsuits and gliding toward the ground.
A squadron of fast-strike bombers zoom past.

[mrpitchfork]

Blaine

"Thank you. Now." Blaine stands lax, hands in pockets, and starts walking slowly to the old man, making no eye contact.

"She's going to be treated nicely. She's going to get a job as a newscaster. I am going to see her, safe, happy, on the television every day. She's going to take an assumed name. When I come back, she's going to be here and she's going to truthfully report her safe treatment." He stopped two arms' length from the man. "If you don't comply, I will make things difficult for you, personally."

He turns and slumps over on a chair.

"Now, I assume I'm going to be accompanied by a competent team. I can't exactly capture three people on my own without a serious time commitment. I'll need people in each division of the ship, and it would be great if you could land me at least one higherup, and it would be great if I could get some way to communicate with them. Probably an old archaic wireless communications system. I also need to know how much I'm being monitored; I'll need some way to contact you once the job is completed. How do you plan on me entering?"

[whoiam]

Evicia
"Well, I could just go talk to them? I'm an Allutian, after all. I doubt they'd mind me gettng out of a Freyan prison."

For that matter, they might have been sent to retrieve me. Who knows? I really should have checked how expensive I was before I ran.

"Besides, I know Allutian codes very well. Much better than I do Freyan ones. If I had to choose one side to blend in with, it would be the Allutians."

[d3vil]

Bob

Whilst holding of the hostile fighters, Robert contacts the bridge through the Caleuche's internal com-system.

"Captain, this is Kane. There's just too many fighters out there, Sir. Oh, and did your sensors pick up that Destroyer heading straight to us? Uhm, Sir!"

Bob had seen many battles, but this one was surely the most futile one. Actually, it was the first time, he even considered the possibility of dying in battle.

Desperately, he continued to defend his ship.

[An Enemy Spy]

Blaine
"I assure you that as long as you cooperate with us, the girl will come to no harm. She will be treated like a queen, with everything provided for her. As for a career in newscasting, I'm afraid something that high profile simply will not do. However, if you wish to remain in contact with her you may write letters to this location." He hands you a paper with the adress of a mail station that picks up messages from space."She will be able to write back, though of course we will make sure that nothing that compromises our location will get out. If however, we suspect that she has given you our whereabouts, rest assured that we will simply relocate, and the letters will cease. I do not think I need to mention that life will become very ugly for her. Ah, here comes our beautiful hostess now."
Noelani enters the room, bein pulled roughly by the arm by the thug. Her heavily made up face is a mix of terror and humiliation. She is wearing a gown she once wore to a party you both attended years ago. It is a bright red floorlength affair with a long train dragging behind her. Her dark hair is done up on top of her head with a net of pearls around it. A pair of sparkling chandelier earings dangle almost to her shoulders, and a silver necklace hangs around her neck. On her arms are bright red gloves, matching the dress, that go past her elbows. What looked elegant and perfect on her before now looked horrendous, like she was being put on as a show.
"As for the crew you requested, they are already in place onboard the ship. Do not look for them, they will come to you."
He hands you two packets. "One of these packets is the personal information of your new identity. Your childhood, your career in the Freyan Starfleet, and many other things. You are to memorize these and then destroy them. The other packet is your official papers. Do not lose these. We have already made sure you have been officially transferred to the Pale Horse. You are to board it when the ship makes port above the planet Sif. If you would like a moment with your woman, this is your last chance. You leave immediately.

Evicia
Dess shakes her head. "That might work, but the Allutians are here to liberate prisoners. If they took you back with them, then our employer wouldn't be able to get you."
A pair of Allutian hoverbikes appear seemingly out of nowhere, raking your position with machine gun fire. Myles and Finlay are hit, spraying the ground with their insides.

Robert
"Our sensors already picked that one up. Hold the fighters off for another minute Kane, we're about to make an emergency jump."
A trio of fighters rocket over you position heading straight for the bridge.

[whoiam]

Evicia

"I did not intend to... too late."

What to do... what to do. Well, only one thing, really. Stand up, hop up and down on the spot, and wave at the bikes. After all, I'm still in a prison uniform.

So Evicia stood her ground, bounced up and down on the spot, and waved at her second pack of 'rescuers'.

Out of the corner of her mouth, she gave her first pack of rescuers some instructions. "Do be a good pack of guards and play dead until they're close, wouldn't you?"

[An Enemy Spy]

Dess and the others fall down as if they had been hit. Quite convincingly in fact. The two Allutians come close and step off their bikes. They come up to you with their pistols drawn. "Hold still, we're just going to check you for your identity." He holds a scanner up to your eye.

[mrpitchfork]

Blaine

Bastard. He's lying and he's making it perfectly clear.

"I'm convinced that, if I ruin your mission for you, it can only end badly for us. With this in mind, I'm going to speak with Noelani in private, and you can trust me that I won't escape. Guard the exits if you want. We'll be in the kitchen in the center of the house."

Blaine requests that the guard holding Noelani give him her arm.

[whoiam]

"That will not work" Evicia points out, correctly.

Artificial eyes. I don't scan as a lifeform. I am, you just wouldn't know by scanning my irises.

Instead, she holds out her hand to them. "Give me the scanner and I will authenticate myself."

Give me the scanner and one of you will be unconscious the moment I hand it back. Then I'm only liable to be shot by one person.

[An Enemy Spy]

Blaine
"Believe me Mr. Pitchfork, the exits are already guarded. But I believe you are a man of your word. You won't try to run."
You lead Noelani into the kitchen. "Blaine, who are these people? Why is he calling you Mr. Pitchfork?"

Evicia
"That won't be necessary, ma'am." He holds the scanner up to your eye. After a moment a look of surprise and confusion come over his face. "What the hell?"

[whoiam]

Evicia

"Implants. Occular scanning never works. I do have an ID chip to authenticate with."

Her hand remains out, waiting for the scanner.

[An Enemy Spy]

Before the soldier can answer, a bullet goes through his head. Dess, Katungi, Troy and Adriana are are pointing their guns at the other soldier. "I'm afraid I can't let you do that." Dess says.

[whoiam]

Evicia

"I *was* lying, you know. None of my implants can authenticate me via an optical scanner."

A little shrug preceeded Evicia's leisurely amble in the direction of one of the hoverbikes.

Thankfully, my implants can authenticate me to military IFF systems. Handy when you want to convince a hoverbike you happen to be its owner. But, most important of all, it gives me an excuse not to watch that soldier bleeding. Eugh, blood.

[mrpitchfork]

Blaine

Blaine closes all the doors to the kitchen and muffles the cracks under them. He guides Noelani to the center of the room and examines her for bugs. "Did they plant any microphones on your earrings or in your hair?" He looks at her and makes sure she isn't lying for her own safety.

[An Enemy Spy]

Evicia
Dess points her gun at the other Allutian. He throws down his weapon.
"Don't shoot! Oh gods please don't shoot! I'll do anything, anything you want."
Dess jerks her head toward Myles and Finlay, laying dead in the sand. "Find a way to bring them back and we'll talk." She fires a round into his head.
"Alright, there's five of us and two bikes. Somebody's going to have to hold on very tight."

Blaine
Noelani's hands instinctively go up to her hair. No. I... I don't think so. Blaine, what's going on?"

[whoiam]

Evicia

It only takes a handful of seconds at each bike before Evicia's proudly proclaiming "They're ready!". Mainly because... well, the soldiers riding them hadn't taken the time to lock them. Just a quick check that the saddles and controls weren't set to scan the rider to take an ID check (and they weren't - if the bikes held such systems the soldiers hadn't had a chance to turn them on before they died) was enough. And now she could bask in the glow of her own reflected glory, despite having essentially done nothing more than check the keys were, indeed, in the ignition.

[alexeduardo]

Hector
They don't even seem to register your existance. As you go down the long corridor, the roar of the crowd gets louder and louder. It opens up into a giant circular arena, with high sandstone walls and banners depicting the Serpent and Hammer of Freya proudly flying all around. The ground is covered in sand and stained with the blood of the men who were in it before you. The crowd numbers in the thousands, all screaming for your deaths.
In a large balcony up at the top of the colloseum, a man steps up he slowly raises his arm and clenches his fist. The cheering stops.
"Loyal citizens of the Freyan Empire!" He says, his voice filling the building "We are gathered here today to witness the deaths of our enemies, the evil Allutians." An enormous screen behind him activates, showing footage of Freyan ships destroying Allutian ones, Freyan soldiers charging heroically at the enemy, a shot of a soldier planting a flag on a hill as jets soar past. "Every day, our ships and soldiers take more and more land from the enemy. We are winning this war. A massive cheer goes up from the crowd. "We have for your enjoyment, four Allutian spies captured from all over the Empire. Their goal, was to destroy us from the inside, to burn our cities to ground and to kill our men and to take our women. But thanks to our brave men and women in uniform, we have beat them at their own game.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I am honored to announce that today, you shall all be introduced to a creature unlike that which you have never seen. Beyond the far reaches of our great Empire, we have discovered a loathesome beast, a monster so terrifying that a full squad of soldiers was required to subdue it. These Allutians will battle the deadly beast for your enjoyment.
And now, without further ado, LET THE GAME BEGIN!!!"
The crowd goes absolutely wild, the moment they have waited for is finally here.
Slowly, an iron door on the far wall of the arena opens. Many in the crowd gasp. For out of the doorway steps an alien creature, 7 feet tall and covered with chitinous armor. It has four arms, two with enormous clawed hands and the other two sporting deadly scythes of bone. It's muscular leags are clearly designed for long jumps. On top of it's head is a large bony plate (like a triceratops). It lets out a loud high pitched scream and charges at the four of you.


Well, these mother****ers are going to get themselves killed...poor idiots. They don't make them spies like they used to...wait! Old! the old farmers at that desert moon I once heard of! yes, I do remember them...they used to force-mount huge steeds and die after failing...well, some of them did...still...this creature is either a slow and tame and huge hervibore, or a small and fast carnivore from a really huge world...let's hope the former...


Hector, ever the planner, runs to the banners and strarts climbing, trying not to look back as his partners are being trampled...

OOC:
I promise I'll eventually read all of it. But has anything happenned that I should know about?

[An Enemy Spy]

Evicia
Ater a short period of deliberation. It's agreed that You, Dess and Adriana will ride one bike, as you each take up less space than the men, while Troy and Katungi will ride the other one. Even so, it is a very tight fit. With Dess driving, Adriana in the back, barely staying on the seat and you squeezed right between them. The two bikes take off. They move at extremely high speeds, but since they avoid bumping on the ground, it's a very smooth ride.

Hector
As you climb the banner, you hear the announcer yell, "Looks like we've got a climber, folks!"
You run into an invisible field of electricity and fall back to the ground, landing with a thud. The crowd laughs hysterically.
There is an allutian lightning raid goin on in the general vicinity, give or take a hundred miles. Could be important.

[alexeduardo]

Hector is in apin for a second, then gets back up to his feet and starts climbing again, then stops just before reaching the spot where he fell.
He looks at he biggest-looking balcony he can spot and bellows: You Barbarian! This is not what the empress wants! What kind of Freyan are you, enjoying the butchering of defenseless foes? Where's the damned honor in that?

[An Enemy Spy]

Hector
Your impassioned speech is cut short when the alien rips down the banner and you fall to it's feet.

[alexeduardo]

Well, shoot.

Hector gets up and tries to run to the beast's back, looking for something to latch on to.

[An Enemy Spy]

As you try to get around the beast, it's long arm manages to snag you. The beast lift you up toward its mouth.

[alexeduardo]

As you try to get around the beast, it's long arm manages to snag you. The beast lift you up toward its mouth.

No! Don't!

what are you doing? the beast don't speak, now does it?

Suddenly less scared (but not by much), Hector decides to try and slip from its grasp. If that fails he plans on going for its eyes or nostrils.

[An Enemy Spy]

Btw. Since this is freeform, there aren't actually any rules for fighting. You could narrate entire fights if you wanted to. Freindly reminder: You still have the shortsword.

[whoiam]

Evicia

"Your helicopter exit - if the Allutians could be persuaded to ignore you, would you still be able to use it?"

Originally, I planned to reprogram the helicopter's IFF transponder to give a valid Allutian code. But now I need not bother - just switch it off, if it is not so already, and bring one of the hoverbikes on board to make us show up as Allutian. Then, as soon as they withdraw, dump the bike and leave.

[alexeduardo]

Haha! The Sword! Of course!
all part of the plan...

Hector takes out his sowrd and stabs the animal in its eye. It screams and shakes as blood gushes out of its now messy socket. Hector is thrown off and takes a lot of damage. As he struggles to get up, he decides that the only winning move is not to play. He runs (well, limps), to a banner and hides behind it.

[mrpitchfork]

Blaine

Blaine undoes Noelani's hair to check for bugs and explains the situation. "I'm a double-agent between the Freyan and Anasazi Empires. Mr Pitchfork is my alias. They've found me somehow and complying with them is the only way to keep you safe." If he finds any bugs, he removes them. Just to be safe, he keeps stroking her hair in case he missed anything so any bugs would pick that up instead of his voice.

Then he starts whispering close to her, "We can communicate with letters. Try not to send me any secret messages in the text. I want you to pull out a strand of hair and stick it to the letter where it won't be seen easily, or scratch the paper with a fingernail along one side so I have to tilt the paper to see it, or something like that. I want one mark or strand of hair if you're safe, two if you are not safe or if you're being treated badly. Keep everything inconspicuous." And for this, he spoke even more quietly, "Don't ever use your own handwriting. And... if you feel you really need to, you can take your life and I won't be hurt, I promise."

From here on, he speaks normally. "Be strong. Never act emotionally. You'll compromise both our safety if you are not always very careful. Can you do this for me?"

[An Enemy Spy]

Evicia
"We're using an Allutian chopper." Adriana answers. "The Freyans will be busy fighting to care about it and the Allutians won't shoot at it."
In the distance, columns of fast moving tanks and APCs are heading toward the enemy camp. From the sky, massive red bolts blast through the clouds and hit the ground, incinerating everything they hit.
"That would be the boss-man right now." Dess yells over the wind.

Hector
The monster howls in agony and rips the sword out of its socket. One of the others in the arena charges at the beast's back, hoping to kill it while it's distracted. The alien swings one of its scythe arms around and seperates the man's head from his shoulders. The crowd loves it.

Blaine
"Yes...I...I think I..." A sudden moment of realization crosses her face.
"All this time, you've been a spy and you never told me?"

[mrpitchfork]

"Yes, to keep you safe. This isn't important. What's important is that you're safe and happy. I need you to relax and I need you to always keep in mind what I told you. This is also for your safety. Do you understand?" says Blaine, offering to hug her for comfort.

[whoiam]

Evicia

Ooh, they were ahead of me. I'm impressed. The Allutian Police weren't.

"Well, you seem to have thought your escape attempt through more than I had mine. I shall place my trust in you!"

[An Enemy Spy]

Blaine
"I think I can. Blaine, there's something I need to tell you. It's about..."
Suddenly a hidden speaker turns on.
"And I think our touching moment has gone on long enough, don't you Mr. Pitchfork. And by the way, the bug wasn't in her hair. It was in the kitchen the whole time."

Evicia
You speed along, without meeting too much resistance. A few choppers fly over you but they pay no attention. After a while, you reach an Allutian looking chopper hidden in a small grove of scraggly trees.

[whoiam]

Evicia

Well, they've worked this far...

Quickly (since she's the one dressed up as a prisoner and wants to be out of sight of any of the other craft in the area), Evicia slips off the hoverbike and into the helicopter. Sensibly, she takes a seat in the back instead of the front - partly so she's easier to hide, partly so her 'guards' are less likely to mistake it for an attempt to ditch them, and react by shooting her.

You can never be too careful with your nefarious rescuers...

[mrpitchfork]

Blaine whispers to Noelani one last time, "Think of something else if they're not bluffing. I'll figure it out."

Blaine gently leads Noelani back to the front room and motions for her to take a seat. He grabs the papers the mysterious stranger gave to him and skims over the important details of his new identity before asking when it's time to leave.

[An Enemy Spy]

Evicia
The pilots are already inside the chopper when you arrive. Your rescuers all pile into the aircraft. Though it is called a chopper, that is actually an antiquated name. Repulsor technology has long rendered the need for spinning blades obselete.
The chopper lifts up into the air and flies up and away over the brown craggy wasteland. Distant explosions light the sky over in the east. The chopper flies for a while until you see a much larger aircraft bearing down on your position. It is a Freyan assault shuttle, one of the few ships capable of both air and space flight. The chopper flies into the shuttle's open hanger and lands. Behind you, the hanger doors shut.

Blaine
"This moment, Mr. Pitchfork. Sif is a long ways away and you must be on that ship. We have a skimmer waiting outside."

[mrpitchfork]

Blaine

"Alright." He replaces the papers in their original order and looks at the door out, then back to his love.

"Noelani. See you later."

[whoiam]

Evicia

Calmly, Evicia removes her harness and steps out of the Helicopter-ish-craft. While looking around, she announces to the room in general "Nice, nice ship you've got here. Got any of the shipwright's blueprints lying around?"

I still don't know who or why I was rescued... So I'm not going to be grateful just yet. While whatever they've got in store is likely to be more fun than being gang-raped by prison guards, it's also more likely to kill me.

Wait a minute... it could *be* gang-rape. Better head that off for a start.

Evicia turns back to her 'rescuers' as they presumeably leave their little craft as well. "If you've just freed me to add me to some kind of interplanetary brothel, I am initiating a reactor core overload, however long it takes me. Just so you know where we stand."

[An Enemy Spy]

Evicia
Dess laughs at that. "As if we risk our lives to get a prostitute. There's much easier places to kidnap women than a prison camp."

Blaine
The door closes. Two men lead into a blue skimmer outside. They sit on either side of you in the dim interior as it begins to move.

[mrpitchfork]

Dropping his guilt from dropping his concern for Noelani, Blaine clears his mind and then fills it right back up again.

How long is the whole trip? Will I have time to read all of this identity? It's hot in here and I can't take off my robe; that would be impolite and immodest. They haven't noticed my knife yet. Should I reveal that I've been hiding it? If I act too impressively or out-of-line they might treat me worse instead of better. I never got breakfast. These guys are jerks. I want an icewater with lime in it. Crap, I can't think. I can't concentrate. Calm.

Blaine looks to the guy to the left of him. "'Scuse me, how long 'till I get to the starport, and how long does the flight last?"

[An Enemy Spy]

Dropping his guilt from dropping his concern for Noelani, Blaine clears his mind and then fills it right back up again.

How long is the flight? Will I have time to read all of this identity? It's hot in here and I can't take off my robe; that would be impolite and immodest. They haven't noticed my knife yet. Should I reveal that I've been hiding it? If I act too impressively or out-of-line they might treat me worse instead of better. I never got breakfast. These guys are jerks. I want an icewater with lime in it. Crap, I can't think. I can't concentrate. Calm.

Blaine looks to the guy to the left of him. "'Scuse me, how long does this flight last?"

fyi. I probably should have been more clear on this. Skimmers are kinda like cars, rather than planes. They're just driving you to the starport.

[whoiam]

Evicia

"But where else would you get one with the authentic 'abused' look to them? People love that sort of thing, I hear. But I heard it from the people who beat me, so they may be suspect."

The depressing thought is that whatever they wanted me for is likely more dangerous than the life I just escaped. Yay.

"So, can you tell me who wanted me and why yet? Or, failing that, point me to someone who can?"

[An Enemy Spy]

Blaine
The man only grunts at you. Obviously he was chosen more for brawn than brains. The skimmer reaches the starport eventually. After going through the routine security checkpoints, you arrive at a ship leaving for Sif.
"Get on the ship." one of your escorts instruct. "Any luggage you'll need is already on board."

Evicia
"Oh, you'll find out soon enough. Look out the window."
The shuttle has already reached Loki's upper atmosphere. Through the window you can see an enormous black shadow standing against the starry background. You can just make out its shape. The ship is a Freyan battlecruiser, one the largest ships in existance. You have never seen this vessel before, but any Allutian would be able to recognize it. The Pale Horse, terror of the Freyan military machine. Easily capable of destroying entire fleets of Allutian ships as the stories go. The black vessel is over four miles in length. It's long sharklike shape gives it a look to match its reputation.
"The man who wants you is the captain of that bohemoth."

[whoiam]

Evicia

"...That just raises more questions. Initially, why would the captain of a Freyan ship require force to have me released from a Freyan prison?"

Actually, it raises the question of how the Freyans found out about the project that created me. I *know* they didn't get it from scans the guards took of my body. Not unless Freyans are in the habit of installing orgasm-activated scanning equipment in their prison guard's genitalia.

No, this isn't the right time to invent genitalia-mounted scanning equipment.

"I suppose a second question would be: Why would a Freyan allow an Allutian, whether or not you believe me to be a defector, on board your largest ship?"

[An Enemy Spy]

"Beats me, honey. I'm just here for the silver."

[whoiam]

Evicia

A light shrug, and Evicia lapses into silence. There didn't seem much to say - so she went into the closest equivalent she had to a snooze mode to wait out the docking procedure.

[mrpitchfork]

Blaine

Blaine reads the identity given to him in full. Alaric Caesar. Exiled from his home due to unfortunate circumstances. Lived in a slums until he was old enough to join the Freyan military. Enjoys boardgames. This is pretty impressively detailed. Not everything I would cover is covered, but the craftsmanship here is very nice and there are many production techniques here I'd never thought of using. Should I make friends with this organization or should I conquer it? I'll think about this later.

He reads the identity and memorizes it completely, practices speech patterns in his head, and becomes comfortable being Alaric. Afterwards he conceals the papers, goes to the ship's restroom, and destroys the identity with tearing and wetting the shreds. When he gets back he asks for a meal and prepares himself more for being Alaric. After getting bored and impatient, he puts himself in stasis for the rest of the flight.

[An Enemy Spy]

Evicia
"Morning, sunshine!" You wake up to the sight of Dess standing over you. "We're here."
You get off the shuttle and step into the expansive hangar bay. The place is filled with other shuttles of various designs and even a few heavy bombers.
"Come on, we're going to the interrogation chamber."
Dess leads you out of the hangar and into the corridors of the ship. This is you're first time onboard a Freyan starship and it looks nothing like the ones you are used to.
The corridor, though of normal size, feels claustrophobic, as if the walls were pressing down around you. Everything is painted black, and the only illumination comes from small lights shining dimly in the ceiling. Air rushes through the corridor around you, making a weak whooshing noise. The whole place has a malovent air, like a hallway out of some dark dream rather than a military starship.
Dess eventually leads you to a large iron set of doors. On the sides of the doorway, two gargoyles leer at you.
The inside of the room is a stark grey. A small metal table sits in between two chairs, a small uncomfortable looking metal chair that had had the back taken off of it and a large guilded thing that would be more at home in an ancient king's throneroom than in a cramped interrogation chamber. The entire thing is covered in gold, covered in ornate images of people dying in horrible fashions with a large winged figure watching over. Dess directs you toward the first chair.
Not long after you have taken a seat, a young man wearing the grey uniform of a Freyan ship commander walks in. He looks distastefully at the golden throne and remains standing beside it rather than on it.
"Greetings. I am Commander Torres of the I.F.S. Pale Horse. I will be in charge of informing you as to why you have been brought here."
He looks at Dess, as if noticing her for the first time.
"You are free to leave, mercenary."
Dess walks out of the room.
"Answer me these simple questions. Is your name Evicia and if so, is that your full name? And have you at any time in your life been augmented by the addition of drone parts?"

[whoiam]

Evicia

"Yes, Unknown, Yes. Next?"

After all, what reason do I have to lie to him? About as little reason as I have to put actual effort into the answers. It's not as though I care enough about the Allutians to carry their secrets to the grave if there's an alternative available...

[An Enemy Spy]

"Excellent. I'm glad we've come to an understanding. Now, I'm sure you are wondering-"
The doors open and a man strides into the room wearing the uniform of a captain. His chest is brimming with medals, several of which look purely for decoration. On his head is a high peaked cap, and although such a thing is not part of any uniform you have ever seen, he wears a long cape around his shoulders. He is followed by a woman wearing a rather innocuous light grey uniform with no markings on it save for the symbol of a lieutenant. Her hair is long, well beyond military regulations. Commander Torres rolls his eyes and curses inaudibly.
"Ah, hello Michael. Fancy meeting you down here." The captain says in voice of false cheerfulness. He looks at you as if he didn't notice you there before."Oh. Greetings," He looks at his hand. "Evicia. What a pleasure it is to have you aboard our fine vessel." He looks at Torres. "Are you still here?"
"You did order me to interrogate the prisoner sir."
"Your orders have been changed. Get to the command deck and do whatever it is you do when I'm not up there."
Torres gives a very reluctant salute. "Yes sir."
Torres leaves the room. As he walks out, his eyes linger on the woman.
The captain takes a seat in the gaudy throne. The woman jumps into his lap and puts her arms around his neck.
"I don't think we've been properly introduced. My name is Desmond and I am the skipper of this little battlecruiser. And this is Celine. If you have any questions, now is the time to ask them. Don't be shy now."

[whoiam]

What makes him think I would be shy? Amnesiac, yes, weird, definitely. Shy? I'm pretty certain I'm not shy.

I just have a lot of thoughts that aren't intended for public consumption.

Still... he did ask for questions...

"Do you wish me to look away while you complete your mating ritual?"

...Noone ever said I couldn't mock him with them

For all the difference it makes, Evicia had slipped her eyes down into the infra-red setting. For the sake of modesty.

[An Enemy Spy]

Celine laughs out loud at this. She and Desmond then engage in a long, drawn out, and extremely passionate kiss.
"Is that what you meant?" She says.

[whoiam]

Evicia
A light shrug was offered in reply. "I do not know - I would assume so, however, based on the fact that the two of you appear to be the experts on the subject."

I've made insults that worked better, I'll admit. Possibly they don't think playing with each other in front of me is a bad thing.

Shame they're out of welding laser range. Plus the whole 'killed by their crew in revenge' thing I'd face if I managed it.

[An Enemy Spy]

"Tell me Evicia. You're a drone(robot, cyborg, android, whatever) right? What exactly are your capabilities?"

[whoiam]

Evicia

"I cannot gun down a room of enemy soldiers while striking a fancy pose and tossing off one-liners, if this is what you were expecting? I suppose the science team responsible thought that giving a potentially unstable prototype combat skills would be a bad idea. You have to admit, it was a sensible choice from the point of view of anyone other than myself."

So, do they want to hear about the stuff I actually *can* do? I suppose so. They did ask.

"I was equipped and outfitted for more technical endeavors. Computer interfaces. Wireless antenna. Computer assisted memory. Supercomputer-level processing capability. Expanded senses. Some engineering tools. Nothing that a competent staff and a well-equipped laboratory could not do."

[An Enemy Spy]

"Perfect. You've passed the interrogation. Celine, shake her hand."
She does.
Desmond pulls a flask out of his pocket and takes a long drink. "Whiskey? You can drink, right?" He tosses it to you. It's empty.

[whoiam]

Evicia
A couple of moments pass as she examines the bottle, before replying "Why would I want to drink it?"

Evicia, with no childhood and severely reduced cultural contexts to draw on, only knows the facts about alcohol, not the image or the ritual or the taste. And the facts make it sound rather unappealing.

[An Enemy Spy]

Desmond ingores the question and states. "I'm going to need a full report on any special needs you may have. To be honest, you are the first hybrid I've ever encountered. Do you eat, sleep and breathe? Are there any special mantainance requirements? Things like that."

[whoiam]

Evicia
"Yes, Yes, Yes, Only if damaged."

Yay, more easy questions!

"Was there anything else?"

Actually, this raises an interesting question. How bad must the average piece of Freyan Military Technology be that their immediately response to meeting a new piece of Allutian tech is 'How many hoops must we jump through to keep you running?'? That certainly speaks of a lack of faith in the products of their own scientists. Or possibly a bias against their Allutian counterparts.

[An Enemy Spy]

Evicia
"Yes, Yes, Yes, Only if damaged."

Yay, more easy questions!

"Was there anything else?"

Actually, this raises an interesting question. How bad must the average piece of Freyan Military Technology be that their immediately response to meeting a new piece of Allutian tech is 'How many hoops must we jump through to keep you running?'? That certainly speaks of a lack of faith in the products of their own scientists. Or possibly a bias against their Allutian counterparts.

Was that OOC or thinking?

[whoiam]

Was that OOC or thinking?

OOC: It was Evicia's thoughts. Considering the relative speeds of her mind and her mouth, she should normally be thinking several times more than she's saying.

My Key:
Post Title
"Speech"
Thought
Scene/Action
OOC: Out of Character Information

[An Enemy Spy]

"Yes. Do you enjoy roasted boghen?"

[whoiam]

Evicia
That question was followed with a surprised blink. "I do not know," comes back the truthful reply. "I cannot recall what it is."

I would assume food of some kind. Although I'm sure there was some rumour about Freyans liking to set people on fire... or was it immersion in burning chemicals? Something nasty and flamey like that...

OOC: Perhaps I should wait for the other characters to catch up? I seem to have finished my solo intro adventure faster than they have...

[An Enemy Spy]

Evicia
That question was followed with a surprised blink. "I do not know," comes back the truthful reply. "I cannot recall what it is."

I would assume food of some kind. Although I'm sure there was some rumour about Freyans liking to set people on fire... or was it immersion in burning chemicals? Something nasty and flamey like that...

OOC: Perhaps I should wait for the other characters to catch up? I seem to have finished my solo intro adventure faster than they have...

D3vil and alexduardo I think we can forget about. The only times they've posted have been when I've specifically asked them to.

[An Enemy Spy]

Evicia
"It's an extremely ugly and unpleasant animal that lives in horrible stinking swamps all across Baldur. Some of the best meat you'll ever taste. Meet me in my quarters for dinner in three hours."
He hits a button on the throne, causing the floor to open up under it. The throne dissapears into the hole as Celine gives a surprised shriek scrambles off of it.
"I hate when he does that."
She takes a moment to compose herself and says, "Right. Now that he's gone, let's talk about something important, like where you will be staying onboard."

[whoiam]

Evicia
"Somewhere small, out of the way, and equipped with a bed and a terminal." You're never alone with a computer terminal. Especially when you rip it out the wall and plug in directly in its place.


OOC: Leaving just me and Mr Pitchfork?

[An Enemy Spy]

Evicia
"Somewhere small, out of the way, and equipped with a bed and a terminal." You're never alone with a computer terminal. Especially when you rip it out the wall and plug in directly in its place.


OOC: Leaving just me and Mr Pitchfork?

"We already have a place like that set up. Unfortunately it happens to be in my quarters. At least for the very short future. Captain wants me to keep an eye on you. I didn't realize the extent he meant when I agreed to it."

Blaine
The stasis field turns off. Your legs, having been motionless for over two weeks, give out and you stumble into the glass wall. It slides up into the ceiling and you fall onto the padded floor under you. The world is swimming around you. You see quadruple, then triple, then double, then finally everything comes into focus. You and several other passengers, both male and female, are in a circular room with stasis tanks lining the wall. Two bags with your new name on the labels sit in the center along with all the other passenger's luggage. You collect your things and make your way off the ship. Among the throng of people in the orbital starport is a short woman in black holding a sign with your name on it.
OOC: If you want to pass as a Freyan you'll need a last name.

[whoiam]

Evicia
"So long as you do not mind loose cabling, we should get along fine. Please, lead on."

Noone said I have to connect to their network covertly. After all... they're the ones who wanted me on this ship...

[mrpitchfork]

Hi. Woah. Um, should I act different? That was just really unpleasant. You know what, just act like normal. It'll sort itself out or something.

"Hello. I'm that guy, Alaric Caesar."

[An Enemy Spy]

Evicia
Celine leads you back through the dark, and let's say it, evil looking ship to the officer's quarters. When you get to her door, you notice that it simply reads, "Lt. Celine". There is no last name. The door opens and immediately you are hit with a barrage of red.
Everything in this room is a dark crimson, from the painted walls to the carpeted floors to the large heart-shaped bed in the center and it's red velvet sheets. Clearly, military standards are somewhat lax on this ship, at least as far as decorating is concerned. There is a small grey sleeping pad on the floor. Presumably this is for you.

Blaine
"You're late." She says, as if it were somehow you're fault. She leads you through the throng and to a shuttle headed for the planet's surface. She immediately begins talking without introducing herself.
"You will stay in the Redwater Hotel for three days, after which you will recieve a call from the Freyan Starfleet ordering you to report to the Sif orbital starport and board the I.F.S. Pale Horse. You will do this immediately. From there, our contacts already on board will assist you."

[whoiam]

Evicia
Evicia's head pans around, slowly, as she takes in the room. "Very red" was her judgement on the subject of the decoration.

You have to admit, she has a point.

"Are you sure you wish to have me share with you?" Evicia asked, as she made her way over to the terminal. "I notice that many people are conflicted on the subject of having cameras present when they, for instance, step out of the shower. Or happen to be entertaining one or more members of the opposite, or occasionally same, sex."

Plus I'm not too thrilled about having someone glancing over my shoulder either...

Still, the objections she tried to convince Celine she had aside, Evicia was now examining the terminal, as preparation for pulling it apart...

[An Enemy Spy]

"Captain's orders, honey. I didn't exactly ask for this. And don't worry about the cameras. They're all watched by an AI who only alerts anyone when it finds something suspicious."

[mrpitchfork]

Blaine

"But--" he objects, but before he can finish she begins her briefing.

Uh, okay. "Uh, okay. Um, will I have a curfew? Am I disallowed from talking with people?"

[An Enemy Spy]

"I am not your mother, Mr. Ceasar. You can do what you like in the intervening time. However, if you act in anyway at all in a manner not befitting of Mr. Alaric Ceasar, you may consider your agreement with us terminated. I do not think I need to elaborate on what will happen after that."

[whoiam]

Evicia
"Who said I was worried? If your boss knew who and what I was, then this will come as no surprise to anyone."

'this' being her ripping the terminal out of the wall. Sure, it looks impressive, but close examination would reveal she'd used her cutting laser to break the fastenings that held it in place beforehand. Just a little bit of showmanship on Evicia's part.

"Do you need anything from the ship's computer whilst I am connected?" Evicia offered, as she sorted through the revealed wires for the ones that hummed with data rather than impending electrocution...

[mrpitchfork]

"Sure thing."

Ugh, this is part of the reason I stayed so alone. People can be great, but there's always an awkward silence. I wonder if she can read my mind. Hey lady! Mentalgram! Hmm, even if she could there would probably be no visible response. I'm sure she's trained not to act emotionally to anything. Alaric Caesar is a bit inflammatory at times. Let's try this out.

"So, what tool are you? I can tell none of you guys are big brains here. I mean, you're just an escort, and that old guy is probably only good at breaking in to houses."

I'd love to hear something like "That man is my father" or something. Or even an angry look in her eye when I insult her. Anything.

[An Enemy Spy]

Evicia
Celine is not impressed by your terminal ripping prowess. Instead she simply frowns.
"Before you leave this room, that terminal is going back into the wall."She lays back on the heart-shaped bed. "Let me ask you a question. Do you remember anything before you became a drone?"

Blaine
"Bravo, Mr. Ceasar. You're cunning skills of deduction have served you well." She says this, entirely without any emotion of any kind. (think Lilith from Cheers/Frasier). "No. I am not the 'big brains' here. And no, I do not have mind reading powers, but I am flattered that you would think that."

[whoiam]

Evicia

The declaration about the terminal appeared to wash right over Evicia, who was busy unentangling the cable she wanted from the mess behind the terminal.

"From before? Yes, some things. Skills. Muscle memory. Lots of words. I cannot remember my life before, though. I am not entirely convinced I had one."

[mrpitchfork]

Well there's obviously no need to say any real words. This also puts a damper on my ability to defend myself. Drat darn.

"So when did y'all implant the mind-reading chip? Or have I just been accidentally saying everything out loud?"

[An Enemy Spy]

Evicia
"Wiped your memory clean, did they? Stole your whole life. That's not an easy thing to do you know. And there's always the possibilitiy that something will trigger your memory."

Blaine
"Facial expressions, Mr. Caesar. Body language. They give you away more easily than any mind reading device ever could. I would have thought a diplomat would know how to hide such things.

[whoiam]

Evicia

"I read many of my project notes before I left. Their official version of the story is that my memory loss was accidental - a side effect of memory enhancing implants that really needed more testing before deployment. I think I believe the records. My earliest memories were of the examiners appearing to be... in a panic, basically. I do think they screwed up shortly before my earliest remaining memory, which is presumeably when my old ones were wiped."

[An Enemy Spy]

"Sounds like there's more to that story than the records let on. Most people who have procedures like this are military test subjects, and you don't look military to me. More like a civilian prettygirl. At least before you went to the death camp. Now you look like a corpse."
Desmond's voice comes over a PA in the room. "Leiutenant, please escort our new guest to my dining chamber."
"Well, that's our cue to leave."
Celine takes you out of the room and to a door further down the corridor. She palms the door control and takes you inside. The room you are in is completely white. It is impossible to even tell where the wall meets the floor and the cieling, giving it the illusion of an endless white expanse. A table covered in food sits in what you assume is the center of the room.
The door closes behind Celine and she stands behind you motionlessly.
After several minutes of waiting, a black circle appears in the floor and the captain rises through it on a circlular white platform. It closes the hole and any indication of an opening there disappears.
Without any indication that he even notices you, Desmond sits down and begins to eat.

[mrpitchfork]

Craaaaap there's something super weird going on here.

"Hey lady, are you a robot?"

This would make sense; she'd be able to fairly easily scan for nanoexpressions that I'd never have been able to learn to hide, and process most information without it displaying on her face. I'll have to practice masking this somehow. I wonder what technology is used; 3D imaging technology or high-resolution bitmaps? If 3D, is the imaging formed via sonar or radiation? And, most importantly, are there more who can do this or is it just her, and is it consistent across all of them?

[whoiam]

Evicia
As is standard practice (for her), she immediately examines the room for exposed jacks or terminals. Finding none - it was, after all, a dining room - she finds a nice patch of wall to lean against and drop down into a wait state.

But a memory surfaces. She spends a moment peering at Desmond's food, before commenting "I think I remember how to cook. How curious that it would surface now."

If anything, I would have expected this sight to remind me how to eat...

OOC: Any image sensor ever made can be used to produce a 3d image. The trick is that you need a pair of them, slightly offset. You know... the way eyes are. And I should know. Evicia's eyes aren't natural and *she* sees in 3d;)

[An Enemy Spy]

Blaine
"No. I am simply very observant."
The shuttle reaches the planet's surface and you are led to a black car. The strange woman orders you into the back seat and she takes the front. You sit all alone in the back with a black barrier keeping you from seeing into the front. After several uneventful minutes the door opens. You step out in front of an ugly grey building. This apparently is the Redwater Hotel. The woman leans out the front window.
"You are to stay in room 13473. We will be watching, so don't get any ideas."
The car drives off.

Evicia
Desmond doesn't answer you at all. He finishes his food, and when he sees you are not going to eat your's, he starts on it as well.

[mrpitchfork]

"But I have to get ideas! It's my job!" he says as the car leaves his view.

He turns around and faces the hotel, shielding his eyes from the sun as he sizes it up and judges the quality of the architecture. Terrible, he concludes.

He enters the hotel, checks in, goes to his room, and immediately accesses a terminal to try and find maps and floor plans of the building, and at the very least detailed sattelite images of every side of the building. A thing of habit more than anything, as knowing where abandoned areas of the hotel are and where the right exit points may be is always useful.

As he searches, he contacts room service and requests a hard drink and a couple wireless monitors or a hologram projector or two.

[An Enemy Spy]

Blaine
The inside of the the Redwater Hotel is is about as aesthetically pleasing as the outside. That is to say, not at all. You work your way down the grey identical hallways until you find where your room is. As you round the corner, you see two men standing at your door about to open it. They are carrying pistols. One of them spots you and cries out. They open fire.

Evicia
Desmond finishes your food. At last he acknowledges your existance. "Tell me Evicia, do you know the history of our galaxy?"

[mrpitchfork]

Blaine

Oh damnit.

He immediately turns around and turns the corner again and starts running for the front desk, and makes a vain attempt at vaulting over it. He clumsily stumbles over and pulls the receptionist down to the floor.

"GIVE ME A GUN, NOW, NOW, GOSH."

[An Enemy Spy]

The receptionist, not having seen the gunmen yet, stands up to hit the security alarm, presumably to report the crazed man who just demanded a firearm. Her head is immediately relieved of the burden of carrying a brain around inside of it as a bullet passes through it. blood, brains and bone fragments splatter on you. Clearly, the gunmen are using large calibur bullets.
A general panic grips the lobby and everybody begins to run, creating a screen of people between you and your mysterious assailants.

[whoiam]

Evicia
"No. I suspect I was intended to help uncover some of the finer points of it. From a purely technical standpoint, I would appear to be inefficient if intended solely for aquiring information held by the living. Bribery would have worked much better..."

[mrpitchfork]

Blaine

Okay, um, I need to get out of here. Uh, she's got to have some staff badge or something, or some keys... Is there a phone? Can I contact security? Are there any guns here? Should I hide in the building or should I leave? Okay, okay, breathe, your muscles need alot of oxygen right now and your shallow breathing isn't helping.

Blaine rifles through the dead receptionist's pockets reluctantly, bloodying his clothes further, searching for anything he can get to get into the staff-only places of the building. He keeps whatever he finds, and searches for a way to contact security or anybody to get directions. In the meantime he looks around for weapons, a change of clothes, or some drugs to ease the stress.

[An Enemy Spy]

The gunmen fire a few rounds into the crowd, dropping two people. Everyone drops to the ground, seeking cover or just plain whimpering in the fetal position. Curiously, there don't seem to be any securtiy officials trying to stop the two murderers.