Mal looked to the LC and said,
"I guess I'm dismissed...
Right?

I should have paid more attention to this stuff as a civie....

Hey Roy!
Where's the best place to have a drink around here?

I'm all space lagged and a belt or two might help.. Need to sleep and set up a lab and stuff later.

It be cool to talk with you some time. I like your ideas man... err Scout.. Infantry.. What the heck do I call you again Roy?"

Roy shrugged.  "Since you seem partial to first names, you can call me Roy.  Everyone else tends to call me Sergeant, or Sarge.  Just don't call me 'sir'.  That's his name..." and he pointed over at Hack, with a grin.

"As for the best place to get a drink?  Right now, I'd recommend the Officers Club..."  Even though they allowed all personnel in the place, such watering holes had been part of military establishments for so long that the traditional name had stuck.  "I don't know any of the bars on Olympus...it's my first time here, as well.  And depending on what public reaction is to Gruless' death, being aboard Olympus in a Hermes uniform could be problematic."

A small skeleton of a profile sprung to life in the digital space of the Hermes' computer network. The most basic facts known about this Grueless person. Prometheus had learned this trick for improving his abilities to comprehend data while sorting through millions of potential terrorists. It had been highly effective, with a success rate ten times that of any other method. As well as success could be measured in that field anyways. As they said, the only ones that counted were the ones you missed. And the AI never missed.

The profile was coming together. He took news reports and other media and jumbled it together. Things that got more than two hits went into the profile. He pulled records from dozens of government agencies. Two or more hits, and it was added. The lieutenant traced Grueless' history back to his childhood, and marked dates, times, and locations.

A mental progress bar at the back of Prometheus' mind filled. The life support system had completely reset. The air filters shut down all at once, for a brief moment. Then they were on again. Idly downloading the new software for the life support from the now much more efficient comm arrays, the AI continued to watch the profile of Grueless grow to immense proportions. As he did so, something in it caught his attention. Investigating further, he discovered another one of Spencer's 'friends' involved.

Thirty seconds after being told to investigate Grueless' background, the AI reported back to the Commander.

Sir. I have constructed a profile on Grueless, using multiple government databases, among other things. There are some interesting facts I think you should know about contained within.

Grueless was a dock worker at Moonbase, before being hired by Olympus to give them a "shutdown" corner. It appears his skills as a dock worker didn't go beyond his strength, however. He was not a very bright fellow, frequently getting into fights or otherwise attracting trouble. Grueless was also heavily involved with the criminal Underworld. Though the SFL does not ban players  from betting, the only bet they can make for their own team is to win, to prevent players from shaving points. I believe he may have been involved in a gambling ring, which payed him off or otherwise coerced him into causing the Olympus team's performance to suffer. Perhaps he was killed because of his performance in that capacity.

Oddly enough, before MoonBase Colony, Grueless was on Titan Colony as, guess what, a dockworker. A day after leaving Titan, there was an explosion at one of the scanning towers. While the tower was down, a Demon Destroyer attacked the Sanri Merchant ship carrying the Ambassador. The man with the packet, which I now suspect to be a weapon of some sort, was on the passenger list of that very ship.

Sir, I think we're dealing with some kind of Demon saboteur group. This station may be under threat from the group very soon. Perhaps within the next 24 hours.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:22, Tue 19 Apr 2011.

 Commnader Hack's  face  showed a bit of discomfort,..very..very good Promo....I should think he wasn't  to throw the game..it would have cost him alot of money in sponser creds..he  did, it seems , at very least, disappoint someone....they could not just blame himfor loss..hell he only played a half...

  The LC looked up,..Kray?..I mean..Lt, Shadow?


 The Commander's eyes narrowed  a bit,what?  gruless failed to tke out Shadow? So they iced him..it that is true  there would be  no DBs  left in theleague!

  Si  smiled  slightly, Do you not , think, that hitting  a player who isalmost off the field at the two minute warning...isn't  just a little desperate?

  he sighs,..OK...Promo..my head hurts here...see if you can find  anything that would make  it seem like  gruless had  a contract on Shadow.

  Roy, Stoly. Mal..Go..get some rest,,or enjoy  the last....he looks at the clock 8 hours  we have here...when we go to the Mission room, i will inform you of anything we have  on this...and what effects it might have...and...let me know..someone..letme know..when Shadow gets  back...

"Yessir."  Roy already had something...some things...that he wanted to get taken care of before they got underway.  At least one of them was relatively urgent...if he was going to capitalize on the LC's open requisition list.  He snapped another salute and spun on his heel, heading back onto the bridge.

-->to Off Duty

The AI thought for a brief moment. A contract for the murder of a human being. It reminded him of the long nights spent planning Black Operations. He was sure he could use some of his training in that capacity as a counter-terrorist. The most obvious method would be to interrogate one of the men who had gone to visit Grueless. They'd have information on his involvement, and were already wanted for their own involvement anyways. It would be a simple matter to stick them in the spare room that the lieutenant would have used were he not an artificial intelligence. And when they were in, he could use the sound units in the room to render them more cooperative. The Commander might not approve however. And he needed to capture them first.

Commander, if it is possible, I would like authorization to send a group to find the two men who visited Grueless. It is likely they known of his involvement in any illegal activities on the station.

Connecting to the street in front of the hospital, and tapping into the traffic cameras, Prometheus began attempting to locate the pair from the footage and find the route they took.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:05, Tue 19 Apr 2011.

  The Commander leaned over the  dexk Comm and thought  for a moment, his eyes  went to the Clock, Alight Promo..you  can send 3 Hermes Security  folks out there..but they have to be back at the ship in 3 hours...rodger that? I am sending  a the ok down to security, just tap into  thier comes to tell them where to go...the clock starts..now...

Mal nodded after the Commander said go and then headed out. He headed straight for the area called the Officer's club. Did you need to be an officer?
Well he guessed he was one so it would be okay.

To Off Duty/Officer's Club
This message was last edited by the player at 20:34, Tue 19 Apr 2011.

  The  Comml lit  up. Hack answered, Commander?  We have the Ambassador and his  wife..and...30 of his own guards coming aboard..

  Beth? Thank  the gods...tell him he can have 10, the rest will have to  find  another way...

 Aye sir...

Being dismissed, Stoly stood and saluted the Commander.  He turned, not quite so crisply as Spencer, and left the commander's Quarters.  He had eight hours to kill.

>>>( to Off Duty )>>>

To LC in not from Mal:
"Find included the list of items requested by my 'team'.

I will need ten more lab people and four, not one technician if we are to run and secure the Lab 24/7/365.

With each of us doing shifts we're looking at rotating eight hours, never on at the same time, and no time off. This will soon lead to fatigue, mistakes, and poor science.

Until such staff is available it will be difficult if not impossible to set up the lab and I request it be secured by security and have a meeting room made available for my staff and myself.

This is so we can work on how to set up the lab, secure specimens, and set a workable schedule.

Lt. Roberts aka Mal...

Roy paused outside the doors for just a moment, collecting his thoughts, before he pinged the alarm that would let anyone inside know someone was waiting at the door.  Even if Hack was waiting on him, it wasn't his place to barge in...

  The door Hisses  open, and  Commander  Hack  is there, In front  of him is  a screen with  the Map of the compound on, to the  left is  another screen with a Largran ship. Capt Roles is there  and loks to see who has  come in,wWell Commander...Your  secruity man is here..I'm gonna  take  a look at the bars on your ship...send a comm though if you need me...

  He passes  Roy  with  a nod  and a grin  and goes out through the doors.

  The Commander waves  Roy over,alright Sgt? What do you need?

Roy took his cue from the Commander's casual style and went to a loose parade-rest.  "Well, Commander, I'm wondering just how much a part of 'the team' Lyri's supposed to be.  While I could come up with ways to work around it, it would be easier to familiarize her with the Barretts if she was cleared to get into that secret hangar deck.  That's not a requirement for the mission...nothing says we have to use them.  We have plenty of munitions on board that would make that shot, although not all of them may be reliably accurate at a half-mile.  Yet."

He shrugged.  "You know her better'n I do, Sir.  I know she's got skills that would lend themselves well to our operations, and she can back me up better than anybody else on this boat.  But you're the only one that can answer as to whether or not she can be trusted with the whole story on the mission."  He fell silent, waiting for Hack's response.

 he turned  and listened  to Roy, when  finished,  Hack popinted to the  map of  the Compound ...this  planet is a lynch pin in this system...we control the  outermost planest, even to the Point of  colonies...the Middle  planet has  had  fighting  on it  for the past 4 years...this Planet...has skirmished  daily..and the  damn Mulls  couldn't care less...as long  as credits are flowing...The LArgran has to die...to upend the apple  cart in this  system..If the Mull announces  they are going to allie with the LArgrans..we have to take out the Mull...there  are a learge number of Clans on this planet that support the AP...and  if  we take the head off the LArgran collaborators..we  can win this planet, and the Middle  will fall on its own...we lose this plamet, some serveral Million colonists will die..and  at least half of them are humans.

   I selected   most of the  folks on baord, the rest  were pushed through the draft or VolunTary "ups"..Lyri was  a sniper  One MArs right before I left..she has  8 kills to her credit, of sanctioned targets..that doesn't  count targets of opportunity...I truts her..now you?  Have to tell me  if you think..YOU...trust her. I am a Pilot..a Commander...you are the one who has to crawel through the bush  and  make the shot..that's  why i have you in charge of  that part of  the mission...so?..You think she fits?..Just tell me..and i will clear her.

That set Roy back a bit in his thinking.  He'd been under the impression that Lyri had been one of Hack's personal choices, and for some reason, she just hadn't struck the right chord yet.  The fact that Hack didn't know her all that well hadn't really dawned on him, at all.

His mental wheels spun for a moment, then suddenly caught a purchase and started the gears going in his mind.  "Well...I trust her, on a gut level...but I have nothing to base that trust on, beyond how well she worked with me during that boarding action on the Demon ship."  He paused, pensive, working through some options in his thoughts before speaking up again.

"Let's make this one the shake-down for her.  I'll tell her what's going on...since it's a 'got to happen' scenario, I'll take the Largran ambassador, and leave the Mull for her.  We can also tell Stoly to keep an extra eye on her, see if he notices anything out of sorts about her during the mission.  Then, after she's proven herself, we can do a more accurate assessment of her qualities.  Running around a ship's interior with someone--and half a regiment of people behind them--is totally different that working your way through the hard bush for a shot."  He shrugged, and added, "Does that sound like a workable plan to you, Sir?"

  Watching Roy as he spoke, when he finished, he thought  a moment  and nodded,well..we  had a Spec  ops  wash out on us...LLyri's  the only other out here..we have enough folks  who would try and do  the job...but she has the skills..so..we go with that plan...if she works out..great...if  she is a Plant?..well..we  will be short another  crewmen..Like Owens...

Roy nodded.  He'd heard muttered references to someone named Owens...the context always implied something unpleasant, so he didn't bother asking.  "Do you happen to know Lyri's whereabouts?" he asked.  "I figure we just as well save me the time it would take to chase her down, and get on with the mission planning."

 Hack raised his  finger  a moment, then hit t he Comm,..Beth..Where is Chief Mullin right now?

   Commnader?  She is off Duty, and appears to be down at the range...

  Thank you Ensign... There you Go Sgt..down at the range...Let me know  what you come up with...time is getting  thin.

Roy snapped off a salute.  "Yes, sir."  Regarding himself as dismissed, he spun sharply on a heel and exited.

(-->Off-Duty)

>>>>>> from Hanger Dec  after    PG debrief......

   The  pair  make it  to Admiral's  Quarters. Si leaves  orders  for Miller to take the  CON until  She or the Admiral return to duty.

   The Admiral   sat down as soon as they Got In the door, But   Si, grabbed his a arm   and  Pulled him towards the bath room.

  What the 9 hells  are you doing!

 ...first...we're going to take a shower... then..we are going to sleep... and then, if   I think you have to, we are going to call Stefi up here  with her Bag...

 ..Nil... I'm.....

 ...if you say you are fine.... I'll call her  now... Shadow noticed it  right away...but he's had  experience....  You want others to know.....do you?

  The Admiral Gave in, whether he was just too tired to argue, or  when he  just folded the cards... none would Know. a long  shower...  and bed...

<<<<<<<  from Hanger Dec  have battling Black Fleet

  The  group is  lead through the  Bridge, to the Admiral's  quarters. some orderlies are passing out   food and drink..there is a small side board  with ..more  filling..food.

  Hack Greets them all  with a Hand shake  and introduces every one to the Occui. Except  for Commander Si , the Sanri board member and the Occui Board Member..every one was sporting   fresh patches  or slings. The Admiral was walking a bit stiff legged.. Even Evert has  some touch up on her left arm  and   her forehead.

 I am Hopign Capt Nilsson would  come?..but i will understand if he doesn't.. we will have   Voice COM to all the Captains and Everest , in a moment... i am letting folks  wind  down, after the battle..help your self to drinks or ask one of my  people..there  is pasta,  steak and hot sides, if you prefer that to finger food.

Sarah positions herself beside the Occui Captain as they follow the SEC SGT to the Commander's Quarters. Sarah notes her delegation much like Occui and Sanri Ambassadors weren't sporting any injuries, she made a mental note about how it looks that her people didn't sustain any casualties but is grateful they didn't sustain casualties and pulled off their mission without a hitch. She finds a seat taking a polite portion of food.

  People move around and talk, some sit down to eat the 'bigger' meals, some happy to walk around  with the finger  food, or  'makeshift' steak sandwiches.

Drinks  vary from  hard stuff, to Coffee or Tea. Sarah is quick to note there is a carafe with a  label on that says  ' hot chocolate'.

 Preg, The Mulls rep was talking to Bale, they seemed to be deep into conversation of  trading laws and such.

  Maj Fiez talked with Dr Vix..the other  two Occui   nibbles  foods  and watched the  groups

 Leqe, the Sanri was   laughing  along  with Hennings  as   Evert spoke  with the two, about  the  ships that were sent to aid  the Verians.

 Si watched  the other s  as she  sipped at Lt Blue  drink.. Hack hobbled over    to sarah, sitting  down  to eat about of steak and  some sides,..  From what little  i saw of the Vids... i assume that all things  went well?... I know  from the result, that the attack was almost, flawless?

Sarah nodded, "if by almost flawless you mean we were picked up by the hounds after it was too late for them, and stuck around long enough to add insult to injury by punching them as we were on our way out, than yessir. It was nearly flawless, in fact I don't think they even managed to get a shot off at us the entire time, at the very least they couldn't land a single one. Though I worry that my folks will be looked at unfavorably being that we escaped unscathed whereas the rest of the fleet all took casualties." She allows herself a slight chuckle, "though I suppose that's the punishment for being extremely successful in executing a well planned and supported mission." she adds helping herself to the hot chocolate, pouring a generous glass. "Hot Chocolate, sir?" she asks offering.