The Disruption (IC)

Barborin, clearly not happy with what the General was saying. He closed his eyes in thought, and then, after a few seconds, open them again.

"I understand, though it is necessary that I question your motives. Muthara is a colony world of the Ryun-Wreae Federation. This mineral is technically our property, and our resource. Without further evidence it seems foolish to let a previously unknown empire drill down into our planet and take something that is rightfully ours right after an attempted assassin of several key political and military figures." Barborin stated. "We do not know what mineral you speak of, nor what purpose it will serve. For all I know, you're going to use it in an attempt to wage war against the Confederacy. It would be in the best interest of the Federation, and most likely the Samian Prevalence, for me to speak with your emperor. If you do not allow this, I'm afraid I cannot let this continue without further convincing. However, if you let me speak with your leader, and they allow me further information, I will have our ships escort you past the shield and allow the operation to continue." After saying this, Barborin neurologically used his HUD to send a message to the fleets to prepare the weaponry and shield defenses should this go wrong. He also sent an order to have the Grand Councilor escorted off of the planet, and for all civilians to stay in shelters.

Vey nodded grimly. "I know what you mean. We've taken every precaution we could possibly think of. You've seen the guards at the front door, of course. We've also got half a dozen different security systems installed, and the walls of this room are coated with materials and energy shielding that block transport beams and shield the room from scanning. We also have reserve stations that are disguised as additional power-stations. However, I would greatly appreciate any additional input you could give." He frowned. "We've already had one Dark Energy Convertor stolen from us," he added, almost to himself, "and we never succeeded in recovering it."

"Firstly," Said the Executive, "we'll be asking you some simple questions just to get proper confirmation."

"Your name is Fedrett Hozzle, you are a rebel of your people's main empire, and you arrived aboard one of our ships with the intent to seek help, not to harm?" The Executive announced the questions.

Ravage looked around the room, frowning. "I agree with concealing the energy signature of the convertor, but no matter how many security systems there are, hackers are becoming more and more skilled at their craft. Sometimes the best way to beat a thief is to give them something that they can't re-program. Guards are good, but they are still mortal, they can make mistakes, and if attacked, they can be killed. No security system is perfect, but at the moment, one idea seems to stand out. If a conspirator decoy was already seen at this plant, then they already know the location of the Dark Matter convertor. Therefore, we need to slow them down a bit." She said, as she examined the technology. She turned back to Prince Vey, "First of all, I would suggest that if there is any audio or video feed in this room, that you completely disconnect them, don't just turn them off, make it so that a hacker can't use them at all. Make this room a dead zone, nobody knows what happens in here. They can see the halls and everything else, but strip this room alone. Keep it so they don't know what's in here with the convertor." She blinked her clear eyelids once, "I have a greater plan to go along with this, but unless we are in a place where there is absolutely no technology at all, I won't say it. I am not going to have a plan given away because we were watched by someone who isn't supposed to know. I made that mistake with the decoy, the conspirators somehow managed to observe our conversation, I won't make the same mistake twice." She then looked at the door they had entered through, "Until we get to a less advanced location, however, I will for now ask that you do a security check on all guards, both computerized, and in regular paperwork. Computers can be fooled, papers in a file cannot. Leave no room for error, either computerized or organic."

Fedrett nodded. "Yes, Sir. That is correct."

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Vey scratched his chin for a moment. "Agreed," he said at last. Going to the door, he summoned a guard, and quietly passed some instructions to him. Just then, another smaller door opened, and Mott Gatiir came in.

"Oh, hello you two. I was just . . ." Then he noticed Xenos. "What the. . . What's that thing doing in here?" he said looking rather alarmed.

"Don't worry, Mott, he's here by permission. I was just going over security protocols with Ravage to see if she could provide any input"

"Hmph. Thanks for telling me," snorted Mott. "So, Ravage, did he show you what's in there?" He tapped the cylinder. "My best work yet, to date," he said with obvious pride and very little humility.

Ravage kept an indifferent look on her face, though she did give a tiny nod, "It truly is a good invention, Mott, but currently there is high risk of it being stolen, so forgive me if I don't feel like showing admiration. From what I know, it is powering much if not all of Vathoris, and if you don't have some other energy plan in place, if you lose it, the planet is going to lose power, and that would leave it vulnerable to invasion. I've already seen one planet blown up by invading forces, I don't need to see a second." Although she had attempted to keep a polite tone, the words came out slightly harsher than she meant for them to be. Serious as always, she spared no pleasantries that might distract her from the main point. She had already seen these conspirators kill an innocent man, and so had Prince Vey, whatever his take on this was. Seeing someone die right before your eyes, regardless if you felt anything for them or not, did not put you in the most cheerful of moods. She sighed, and shook her head, "I apologize for my tone, Mott, I'm sorry, but today is not the best of days. We just recently saw conspirators kill an innocent man they were using as their decoy right before our very eyes. I find myself incapable of viewing anything in a positive light, at the moment. I want to keep Vathoris safe, but the more that I see what these conspirators are capable of, the more difficult it seems."

The Thelan folded his arms and got an angry expression. Dravin had the same look though it was more obvious he was angry.

"Your resilience to our request is perplexing Admiral. Our Emperor is a very busy person. But if you insist on being so cooperative, I will contact him for you."

He looked at one of the techs. "Contact the Main Address!" he shouted. It took about ten minutes, maybe longer but finally the call was answered and a huge red hologram appeared in the center of the room. It was on a large circular holotable between Dravin and the Thelan and Barborin and his crew.

The hologram was a large red Samian with a bit of armor on and a long cape that trailed behind him signalling his royalty.

"What is it NOW Dravin?" asked the emperor. His voice was very deep and almost dark sounding, and was even more eerie from the mask of the electronic effects of the transmition. Both Dravin and the Thelan stood up and took respectful bows. Afterwards the Thelan stood with his face looking at the ground, doing his best not to look at the emperor. Dravin stepped forward.

"My lord, Emperor Syprus. I have with me Admiral Barborin of the Wreae Federation. We have tracked the resource down to a final location which unfortunately is already claimed" Dravin said giving a nasty eye to the aliens.

"Barborin here will not allow us to pass into his territory without knowledge of the resource we are looking for..."

The hologram turned to Barborin and by assumption knew which of the aliens it was since Barborin was near the front. "Well, Admiral. I assure you it is nothing you need to worry about. It benefits our species and is not used as a weapon or a defense that could be used against you. I will release a bit more, but I will not at all give you the full extent. I cannot trust aliens with such precious information..." he went on.

"The mineral we are looking for is found not so deep under the crust of your planet. It is very rare. And it is called the Kytono Crystal which is found within Kytono rock capsules. We need only a very small supply of Kytono to satisfy our needs. Once we have extracted a bit from your planet, we will leave without further delay. Is this alright?"

"Good." Said the Executive. "Please, tell us all you know." He stared at the Mondarian with a glare that said Go on.

Emperor Xonoc leaned back in his seat slightly but didn't slouch.

Some three hundred miles away from the Mondarian invasion fleet the space suddenly wrinkled violently, twisting around and collapsing upon itself. As the folds started to smoothen out again, a spaceship appeared from the middle of theses disruptions. It quickly “inflated”, and as its wavy figure finally took a solid and permanent form, the ship revealed to be quite a leviathan. It was about one third longer than regular UFIAI dreadnoughts.

Two thirds from the front of the ship was taken by a long rectangular part with heavy armouring. Aft-most part of the ship was separated from the front by a slightly thinner structure. The aft consisted of the large engines and hangars of the ship. There were also four bridge-like structures connected to the aft-most part of the rectangle, each running length-wise, towards the front, slightly outwards from the hull, a bit resembling an angular booming flower. Each of these structures held two enormous turrets.

After a minute or so the space started to wrinkle again around the enormous ship. Suddenly the space seemed to explode and implode at the same time, turning around and twisting around itself. Ships started to arrive around the leviathan, some dropping from slip-space, another dimension or warp-drive or utilizing some other clever way to cheat the limitations of Einstein’s theories.

The patterns of the ship were even more numerous than the means they arrived. The Fleet was bizarre even in UFIAI standards, containing more salvaged ships than UFIAI manufactured ones. Even the gigantic flag ship was salvaged.

When the space had calmed, a fleet of over thirty-hundred ships had appeared next to the Mondarian fleet. The leviathan contacted the Mondarian fleet: “Flagship Limos calling for Mondarian fleet. This is AI Warmind, and I contact on behalf of the UFIAI.” A heavily stylized blue hologram of a head of Jorro’kil accompanied the voice, which also closely resembled one of a male Jorro’kil. “With whom I might have the honor to lay waste to the planet of Vathoris?”

Barborin nodded, acknowledging both the Emperor's remarks and the General's clear anger. "That is acceptable. My apologies, Emperor. Our planet has just been attacked - It would be a bit odd if I had let members of a previously unknown empire extract an unknown material from said planet right after the battle has subsided. I will allow this operation to continue, though it is necessary to escort the miners down the surface due to Muthara's current state as a shield world." The Grand Admiral signaled for the troops to leave, and as he was exiting the bridge turned back to the aliens. "Also, if you would like to start any negotiations in terms of trading or military, do not hesitate. This is a dangerous galaxy. May you stay clear of harm's way." He then sent official COMM links to the ship's systems. Soon, the Federation's drop ship detached from the vessel and sped towards the Dreadnought.

Upon arriving to the Wrath, Barborin was greeted by the Grand Councilor, who had also just arrived on the massive warship. "Well, Barborin?" Zaroas asked, obviously exhausted from the events of the day.

Barborin shook his head in anger, hissing through his teeth - A sound with similar meaning to a sigh in Ryun-Wreae culture. "They have the nerve to show up right after an attempted assassination and try to extract minerals from Muthara, expecting us to ask no questions, while threatening to 'incinerate' half the planet." He growled. "Their General, Dravin, seems to be a fool. He needs perspective and conviction. I'm willing to negotiate with this Samian Prevalence, but if they're going to act like this, it's a waste of time." Barborin then walked over to a communications system and requested that a couple ships standby to escort the Samians to the surface. He also put in a request to extract numerous Kytono crystals from the same area after the Samian Prevalence had left in order to study their properties.

"Dead? Who's dead? What decoy?" said the confused and alarmed Mott.

"The person who was sneaking around the perimeter this afternoon, Mott," replied Vey. "He was somehow murdered when we tried to interrogate him."

Mott's eyes opened wide for a moment. Then he frowned. "Are you having the body autopsied?I suppose you probably are." He scratched his chin thoughtfully. There was suddenly some clicking sounds from the walls and roofs.

"That would be the cameras and audio devices shutting off," said Vey. He turned to Ravage. "So what is the next part of your plan?"

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Fedrett dithered a moment. He felt a little intimidated by the the executive's manner, and he wasn't entirely sure how to answer this question.

"Well," he said, "I know that Jiiran wants your orbs, and I believe he is also hoping to get his hands on some device, or more than one, that's found on a world called Vathoris. Me and my fellow resistance members haven't yet determined quite what his plans are, but we suspect he intends to use these things as a power supply. What exactly he intends to power is not known to us. However," he added, "if the orbs and devices pack as much juice as I've heard, then I'd say whatever he wants them for is probably quite big."

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Onboard the leviathin ship of the UFIAI, a hologram appeared. The figure was seated in a command chair, and entirely clad in black armor, so that none of his features, aside from his basic form, could be made out. However, it was obvious that he was no Mondarian. He was far taller than any Mondarian, and different in build and form. And he was frightening. Everything about him seemed to give off an aura of menace, from his appearance to the flat, emotionless voice that came through the audio.

"I am Jiiran. I am the leader of the Imperial Despot."

The hologram began to display a map next to Jiiran's image.

"The weapon is housed in this building. The stratagem that I have devised is this: Our fleets shall bombard the planet, while simultaneously dealing with any resistance that the enemy sends in the form of battleships. Meanwhile, a large ground force shall shall attack the building where the weapon is housed; however, the main purpose of this ground force will be to distract the enemy soldiers. Meanwhile, I myself shall slip in behind the enemy lines, and infiltrate the building, where I will disarm and destroy the weapon, as only I know how it can be done safely. Is this acceptable to you?"

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Admiral Lirr called a halt to the fleet. He personally made a quick check; all twenty-eight thousand Markovan vessels were present and accounted for, not counting fighters.

"Why are we stopping, Sir?" asked the helmsman.

"This is the Confederacy's territory which we are about to cross," replied Lirr. "Going through it would be the quickest way for us to arrive at Vathoris on time; however, we mustn't risk provoking the Confederacy, so we must request their permission to cross."

A transmission was quickly sent out. "This is Admiral Lirriva din Asmacar of the Markovan Empire requesting permission to cross Confederacy territory with my fleet. We are on an urgent mission, and respectfully request a speedy answer."

"Hm. This is...helpful." Said the Executive. The orbs? He knew they existed but little else other than that. Emperor Xonoc muttered a "Du'rakk" and got up and left the room.

"This...Vathoris, do you know the coordinates?" Asked the Executive. "We certainly must treat whatever this 'Jiiran' wants as a possible threat."

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Jorro'kil FleetCOM received the Markovan's message, and swiftly sent a reply.

"Yes, Admiral, this is Confederacy FleetCOM. Please allow escort from Confederacy ships, and passage will be granted." A male Jorro'kil voice said.

Ravage nodded, "You see, now that nobody knows what is in this one room, there is a way for us to trick the conspirators, maybe. The trick, is to pull the art of misdirection on them. Make them think that we're carrying the convertor to one of the other plants, when really, we are not transporting it at all. How it is done, is relatively simple. We bring in one canister, making sure that it vanishes into this room. Then, how much time it takes to move the convertor, we wait, before taking the canister back out. We transport the empty canister as though it contained the convertor, all the guards, nothing less regarding the routine, make sure even the guards are fooled into thinking the decoy is real. Then, if possible, transport two other decoys, as well, mix them up, make sure nobody is positive which one is real." She frowned, "The real trick, is making it so that one of the decoys gives off hints that it's real. Is there another safe power source we can transport in one of the decoys, so that it gives off trace amounts of energy?" She turned to Mott, directing the question at him, "In order for this to work, we have to make it look like we are determined to protect one of the decoys, and make it as though the canister leaked energy, indicating we were guarding the real one. We want them to think we are trying to trick them, it would be too suspicious if we didn't, but if we show special attention to a more realistic decoy, then they might not notice how much we are really faking."

She nodded at the canister in the room containing the convertor, "The convertor must stay here, but in order to sell your trick, you must distribute the guards as though they were not protecting anything, and increase guards in the three plants to which you send decoys. If you do not feel comfortable doing that, we can leave the plant, and I can come back camouflaged later, so that nobody sees me enter this room to guard the real one. I have fought many kinds of soldiers, I can quickly dispatch anyone that enters without permission, and they will not even see me here."

Warmind examined the hologram of Jiiran, and noticed the menacing armour and all the details further improving the grim and powerful image. This was a person that really wanted to show who's the leader. Warmind noted that even the briefing Jiirian gave had the sound of a threat.

Warmind's hologram wrinkled its brows in suspicion. "I wasn't expecting a landing operation at all, given the nature of our mission" Warmind said with a heavily suspicious voice. Warmind was silent for one second, just enough to give the words the required power, before continuing: "But I am flexible, and therefore there will be no problem. This also gives the possibility to exploit the planets targets of opportunity for me. Also, do you have specific plans for the planet afterwards? Should we destroy it entirely, or do you plan to capture it?

In addition to the illogical planet fall Warmind noticed other details that were somewhat out-of-place or unexplained, including the seemingly overcompensating fleet; the enemy was an independent planet after all. Warmind let this pass for now, but made a note keep an close eye on what was going to happen on that more or less doomed planet during the assault.

Huge black and pinkish ships detached from the Defiler. Each ship was a mile long in diameter and was slightly star shaped. Their cores would unfold into plasma drillers once landed. The Drill Stars were also equipped with armor and weaponry in case of hostility.

"The ships are awaiting your permission to enter" said Dravin through a transmitter.

Fedrett's heart began to sink. He longed desperately to tell these people everything about his world, of Mondar, the once beautiful place, now under a yoke of slavery. He wanted to tell them of the suffering of his race, the cruelty of the Despot. But it seemed this was not to be.

With a small sigh, he gave the executive the general coordinates. "I'm afraid I don't know enough to give you something more precise."

__________________________________________

Admiral Lirr answered the Jorro'kil. "My thanks, we await the escort."

_______________________________________________

Mott grinned. "Not bad. As for whipping up some decoys, it would be the easiest thing in the world. All I'd have to do is devices that emit a similar signature to the Dark Energy Convertor, and we'd be all set. They wouldn't even have to be a real power source of any kind." He turned to Vey. "I'm no military tactician, I admit it, but this plan sounds good to me. You certainly could rig something up with the guards no doubt, right?"

However, the look on Vey's face showed he was not so sure. "There's one thing we're forgetting," he said grimly. "Jiiran. He most certainly at the bottom of whatever is going on in this plot. He lived here for two years, and we held nothing back from him. He knows exactly where the device is. And he is cunning and brilliant as well. I have a feeling that if he noticed guards spread out in such a fashion, he would instantly suspect a fraud."

"And there's something else," he continued. "You see, Ravage, this isn't the only Dark Energy Convertor. Originally, Mott designed three of them. One was stolen almost immediately by an enemy of ours, and we have not seen it since. Before you ask, I'll show you where the third is."

Vey bent down and pulled his finlics forward so that the back of his head was exposed. There, right at the base of his head, a device was positioned, running into and under his skin, it seemed, right into the back of his head. Attached right in the center of this device was a small object that would have fit in the palm of a Vatarri's hand. The light on this one was nowhere near as bright as the other, indeed, so faint it was that it almost was not shining at all. However, there was no mistaking it for what it was: A Dark Energy Convertor.

_____________________________________________

"The best thing to do is to destroy it," replied Jiiran. "Allow me to explain the purpose of the ground force operation. This weapon utilizes a highly unstable power source. If not deactivated and disposed of properly, it would explode with enough force to wipe out, not only the planet, but all ships within the area, including our own. Once I have deactivated and destroyed it, it will be safe to commence a full bombardment of the planet."

Ravage stared for a moment at the convertor that seemed to have been wired into Vey's skull, but surprisingly did not show nearly as much shock as one would expect. Instead, she sighed and shook her head, "If one convertor has been stolen, and Jiiran is truly as cunning as you say, then there is no trick I can devise that will effectively fool him." She admitted, aware that she was unlikely to think of any tactic that was more effective than what she had just imagined. "We can only be cautious, and protect the two still in our possession, it is possible that Jiiran may be behind the theft of the first convertor, and may wish to possess all three, in which case you are in danger as well, Prince Vey." She retained her professional bearing. "I fear that this conspiracy is not the only thing we may be facing. If Jiiran has an army at his disposal, then there is a chance that Vathoris may be under the threat of a full-scale invasion. He is clearly not above using force to get what he wants, he killed his decoy when he thought that I was too precise." She flicked her tail, her clear eyelids closing so that her eyes appeared milky. She seemed to do this whenever she was stressed by a situation, and if she got into a fight, this was no doubt what she did to protect her eyes. It was done unconsciously, Ravage often didn't know when she did it, and it made her look somewhat unnerving, as it could easily be seen as a kind of guarded barrier.

"I suppose the best we can do is remain alert while whatever Jiiran's plan is gets set in motion. If we cannot trick him, then we will wait for him to make a mistake of his own, and use that opportunity to strike offensively." She said, "I cannot help any more than I already have, and we can only try to ensure Jiiran never gets his hands on all three convertors at once." She looked at Vey, her pupils barely visible past the white cast of her third eyelids, although it was obvious they had contracted to thin slits, "Of all the skills I possess, one of the most dangerous abilities in combat that I have has not been shown to anyone, but I might as well tell you now. You have shown me one of the greatest secrets on this planet, so I will show you mine. But just as you have asked me about if I can keep the secret of these convertors, I want your word that neither you nor Mott will speak a word of what my own abilities are."

"Your plan was a good one, Ravage, and it may still be possible to use some aspect of it. As for the stolen Dark Energy Convertor, that happened long before Jiiran lived amongst us, so he couldn't possibly have anything to do with that (fates forbid if he did manage to get his hands on it)."

Vey's eyes misted for a moment as he remembered things past. "There is a long story behind how the Convertor was stolen, connected to the one of how I cam to be wearing this." He felt the device on the back of his head. "Still, you have nothing to fear. Mott and I shall not reveal this secret of yours." He cast a glance at Mott.

"What?" said Mott. His eyes widened a moment. "You didn't seriously think I'd. . .? Sheesh, how long have we known each other?"

"I know you won't Mott," replied Vey. "What is it you wish to reveal to us," he said, turning to Ravage.

Ravage nodded, "You see, I have told you that when in battle, I have dispatched many kinds of enemies, even if they were fully-clad in extremely advanced armor. You are aware that I do not use rifles, or any sort of gun to do so, and I specialize in melee-style combat. However, you have not seen me wield any sort of weapon during my stay on Vathoris, even though I am armed regardless of my location." It was pretty obvious that there was something rather odd, when Ravage outright mentioned it. If she was armed regardless of where she was, then it would have been easily noticed, her armor was not made with any sort of pocket or cloak to hide a weapon. However, it was highly unlikely that she could best an armed opponent with her bare hands, even though a Chimerosu often surpassed most races in regards to physical abilities. She gave them a moment to ponder the strangeness of it all, before continuing, "There is a simple reason as to why I am always armed, and that lies in the nature of my mutations, as I am clearly not a normal Chimerosu." She wasn't going to deny she was a mutant, there was madness in doing that.

She crossed her arms, and straightened her wrists, a metallic sound ringing out as she unsheathed her claws. Dramatically long, the only place they could truly remain hidden was among the bones in her forearms, and when Ravage unsheathed her claws, she had to straighten her wrists to do so, because the blades had to pass completely into her hands in order to be properly used. Razor-sharp and dangerous, the claws projected right through the covered openings in her gloves, the ones that didn't seem to have any apparent purpose until now. It was clear the gloves were meant to protect her hands, while still permitting her to use her claws without cutting the material. She uncrossed her arms, and allowed Vey and Mott to examine them.

"These claws are made from a special material that resulted from years of research and work done by the greatest Chimerosu minds to exist." She said. "Originally they were built into gloves, and were a weapon that could be worn by any soldier deemed worthy of having them. This is the only set to exist, as it took years to craft the metal they are made from." She sighed, and shook her head, lowering her arms, "During the Karthla's invasion of Krylon, I took them from the facility where they were being kept. I was not their intended bearer, but I was badly injured in a fire, and I had to protect myself if I were to escape without dying, or being turned into a Karthla myself. I was normal, at the time, and a year later, I was left covered in scars, with a voice that sounded like broken glass." Now, of course, Ravage didn't have a single scar on her person, and her voice was harmonious like a songbird's.

She frowned, and shook her head, "That was the year I received my mutations, I wound up crashing into another ship, and became part of a mission to retrieve something from the planet Skorge. I was forced to retreat mid-way through the mission back to my Stealth Strider, because a soldier shot me with a syringe dart containing some sort of mutagen. I immediately started to become dizzy and disoriented, and had to stumble through the jungle back to where I started. Then, I passed out in my ship, and a change took place. When I awoke, I found myself being forced to break free from a chrysalis, and discovered that I had developed mutations, though the most dramatic of all, was that my claws somehow fused with my being, the inner part of the chrysalis dissolving the fabric. I had the gloves I wear now specially crafted sometime later."

She straightened her wrists and sheathed her claws. "You see, my claws do not have technology linked to them, but the material that they were made from is exceedingly special. The material had to be crafted into the shape of the blades, because nothing can cut or break it, once it has been made. In many ways, the metal is indestructible, nobody has yet to find the amount of force and pressure needed to snap them, and they either resist or deflect any sort of plasma or beam of energy. My claws are not magnetic, they don't conduct electricity, despite being metal, and no acid can corrode them. There is not any armor I have dealt with that they could not pierce through."

Ravage was surprisingly not getting a splitting headache talking about this, normally she did. For once, she was remaining calm, "My mutations turned me into an ultimate soldier, but also did something to my mind. I am for the most part fine, because I have learned to muster control, but I became prone to fits of madness in which I was likely to attack anything that dared get too close. That is why I rarely permit people to enter my ship, why I do not eat meat in the presence of others, and why I typically avoid any place where someone will ask me questions, or ask that I be examined by scientists or doctors. Questions, I have learned, always lead to problems, which is why I will only tell secrets when I wish to do so. I have decided I can trust you two, because during my time here, you have not bothered to ask me any questions linked to my past. I could tell you many more stories, but I do not think this power plant is an appropriate place."

Warmind reflected on the answer and decided to accept it for now. "I see. Well, my fleet is ready to go. Give me the approximate arrival time and approach parameters and I will synchronize to them."

Vey raised his eyebrows and frowned a little as Ravage unsheathed her claws and told the story. "You certainly have an interesting and potentially useful ability," he replied. "I can understand why you would keep these claws a secret, seeing as to the nature of what they are made from."

Mott scratched his chin, and then. "I figured you must have something like this up your sleeve or bones in you case. When you came into the dining room last night, I noticed those scars on your hands. Pretty clever, though I must say that looks potentially painful."

Vey smiled a little. "Leave it to you, Mott, to notice an obscure little detail like that and draw deductions from it." He turned to Ravage. "This secret is safe with us, though I may, if you don't mind, disclose this with Aarin. I assure you he is perfectly trustworthy in this matter."

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Jiiran transmitted the requested information to Warmind. "My fleet will be traveling under cloak. We shall see you there."

Silently, the Mondarian fleet cloaked. In a minute, not a trace of them was to be seen.

The invasion was underway.

Ravage nodded, "Aarin can be told, I know him enough to believe he is trustworthy." She then turned to Mott, "It is not potentially painful, Mott, it is painful. Every time I unsheathe my claws, I do not have some sort of pocket they are stored in. They have to cut through the tissue each time, and I will not tell you that I don't feel anything when that happens. I heal rapidly and effectively, though, so no damage caused is ever permanent. It used to be difficult to get up the nerve to use them, but you get used to the pain, eventually, to the point that you can ignore it for the most part. I have had them for over a decade, and this healing factor also appears to slow the aging process, as well. I am actually in my mid-thirties, Krylon time." Ravage appeared to be in her early twenties, by Chimerosu standards, but she was actually ten years older than what one would guess.

She flicked her tail, "Regardless, we should probably go, I see nothing else we can do here."

"Agreed," replied Vey. "I think it's about time we check on the poor man's autopsy and see if anything turned up."

The three of them left the room.

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Not far away, the agent of Jiiran closed a comm link. He turned to two other Vatarri standing with him.

"Well, my friends, it seems that the time to move is now." He nodded to one Vatarri who was outfitted as a guard. "You know what to do."

The Vatarri left the room. The remaining Vatarri turned to Jiiran's agent. "Now what do we do?"

"We wait."

As they traveled over to the morgue to get the results for the decoy's autopsy, something nagged at Ravage constantly. It wasn't Xenos, already she was starting to grow used to the Spiromander's presence, and in fact, she somewhat enjoyed it. It was not that she had revealed one of her darkest secrets to two, soon to be three, different people. It was a terrible sense of dread, one she felt instinctively in her gut. After years of work such as hers, many different species, regardless of what race, started to develop a sort of sixth sense regarding danger. It wasn't always specific, sometimes it was wrong, but it was typically more right than wrong. Ravage felt some sort of tension building inside. Something horrible would soon occur, she just didn't know what. She found herself constantly scanning the area around her, Mott, and the Prince. Her feathers ruffled, but she had no idea why. She should best be careful, though regarding what, she could not be sure.

"Well," said the medic, "the first thing I can tell you is that he died from electrocution. I searched him twice to find out how. I was about to give up, when I found this." He drew Vey, Mott, and Ravage's attention to a small tray. A magnifier was placed over it. Sitting on the tray was a small shriveled black object. "I must confess, I can only tell you that this thing is composed of metal."

"Let me see," said Mott. Increasing the magnification, he gazed closely at it. "Did you do any kind of scans on it?" he asked.

"Yes," replied the medic. "It does seem to have a complex internal structure.

Mott very carefully picked the grain-sized object up and placed inside a small bag. "I think I'd best analyze this thing myself. I have a feeling this is a more complex and technologically oriented thing than it might appear."

"Yes, you should probably look at it, Mott," said Vey. Tirri poked her head in.

"Prince Vey?" she said. "The Admiral wanted me to give you the results of his checks on the troops and militia." She handed him a data pad. Vey frowned.

"All clean, it would seem," he said. He sighed. "Whoever is collaborating with Jiiran is indeed cunning. I must admit I cannot see what they are up to exactly."
___________________________________________

The fake guard waited, and was soon rewarded. The change of the guard was passing by. The imposter quickly stepped out in front of him, firing a gun at his head at point blank range. He swiftly took the guards I.D. pass and hid the body in an alley. He then proceeded to the back door of the power plant.

Dazzin Jun was on guard there. He was a younger, newer recruit who had not quite found his feet yet in his new job. He felt nervous today, with everything that had been going on. His first reaction at the sight of the relief was to be relieved. Then he paused. This person didn't look familiar.

The relief stepped up. "Time for me to take over," he said briskly. "You certainly look like you could use some rest."

"I'm sorry," said Dazzin carefully, "but I don't think I've seen you here before."

The other Vatarri winked. "I'm the new guy, as they say," he replied. "My first time on the job."

"I see," said Dazzin, but he was alarmed: to his memory, new guards were assigned here only after a year of service. "Well," he said, to avoid suspicion, "I'll leave you to it then."

He left his post and walked, until he turned a corner; then, he broke into a run. He had to find someone and tell them about this.

The imposter took his post and waited.