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Trinity Universe: Holo Lives


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Holo Lives

The intense looking man in the rumpled blue suit entering the briefing room is tall and well built with short, neat hair, most of which has gone completely white. Given that and the deeply etched worry lines running across his features you might guess that he is in his late fifties, although he obviously hasn’t ever surrendered to middle age spread - and there is a definite air of military purpose in the way he moves directly up to the mylex podium.

For a few moments he looks up at the group scattered about the briefing room’s tiered seating with apparent disapproval. Finally he begins to speak – his voice is deep, matter-of-fact and somehow seems to comprise a blend of accents that defies attempts to place his country of origin.

“Good morning everyone. I hope that you’ve had a chance to relax after bioSigning all those non-disclosure agreements.“

He pauses – apparently for laughs.

“Alright… I’ll get right down to it. You are here because your records say that you are intelligent, reliable, trustworthy and frankly, capable of kicking some arse. All of you have applied to be in various Aeon special ops teams. Well, request denied. You’re going to be in mine.”

“If you don’t like that, you have thirty seconds to leave the room and return to your regular regiments. Anyone who remains behind will be in this for the duration. Unfortunately that is how it has to be.”

He looks at his watch….

Thirty Seconds later…

“Alright. I’m sure I don’t have to remind any of you of the consequences of breaking your NDIs. I’ll tell you what this is all about – and you can call me ‘Oswald’ by the way.”

“I’m sure that each of you has asked the question, ‘where did the Prometheus Chambers come from?’ Indeed, that is exactly the sort of question that this group is tasked with answering. Obviously, in that instance we might be better off in getting some of our Neptune personnel to simply ask the proxies – but all cases are not that simple, and seldom are the answers as simple as the cases might seem. This group’s unofficial remit is Psionic anomaly Investigation and Xeno related Investigation – or PIXI if you like. Officially, this group does not exist.”

“Although each of you is a Proteus operative, and to all outside eyes and on all records you will continue to be on the Proteus’s payroll, you are now working for Triton InSurv and S&F. Traditionally we train our own operatives, but in this case we felt that a certain amount of battle hardening might be more appropriate than our traditional intelligence training. The reason for that is grounded in your first mission.”

Oswald taps part of the podium’s touch sensitive display. A still image of a tightly restrained chromatic from the recent attack appears on the screen behind him. The chromatic is in a small, well lit, white-walled cell and appears to be attached to some sort of blue probably bioplastic restraint collar with extensions that secure its claws and hobble its powerful hind legs. The chromatic’s skin is a rich reddish brown, but appears to have been worn away by friction in several places leaving raw, suppurating abrasions.

”During the recent Chromatic attack, we managed to capture a very small number of these aliens. This one has revealed that certain members of their race, they call them the ‘Witnesses’, have encountered ‘luminous beings’ who apparently gave them ‘wisdom and gifts’ – finding us being amongst them. As you might know, the UN is currently mobilising a retaliatory strike against the Chromatic home world. We have arranged for you to accompany that force. Your mission will be to acquire one of these Witnesses and bring it back to Luna for further interrogation. Equipment and vehicles are being prepared for you as we speak. So get your kit – you ship out in the morning.”

---

[Characters.

Anyone who wants to play please send me a character. PCs to be starting Psions + 70xp or starting Latents +85xp or starting Baselines +100xp. Characters will get Cipher 4 for free, but must have Intelligence of 3 at least and must have allegiance Aeon having served in some part of Proteus (not Athena) and Order or other security forces before joining Proteus.

I envisage the game to have elements of Aliens, Men In Black and X-Files/Milennium type of thing.]

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Sitting near the back of the room is a darkly dressed man. His face is perfectly calm throughout the speech, an unsmiling mask. He is oriental-looking at first glance, in both the slender subtlety of his face and his thick, jet-black hair, but a second look confirms a hint of European texture in his facial structure and, the most shocking feature of his face, tender, smiling blue eyes. Such a sympathetic feature is somewhat disruptive to the general theme of his other characteristics.

He is wearing a long, dark coat, and has one or two empty holsters visible as he leans back in his seat. He is slightly taller than average, but looks somewhat heavier than his height would imply.

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Near the middle of the seating is a Caucasian man who appears to be in his mid-thirties. He's about six feet in height, & appears reasonably well-built, although not imposing at all - not the sort who'd stand-out in a crowd. His short brown hair is a little unkempt &, added to his oval steel-rimmed glasses & tweed suit, gives him the general air of a 'career academic' type. He glances up from the notes he's jotting with a stylus on a datapad, raises his hand, & asks in a distinctly upper-class English accent,

"Oswald - Robert Hastings. What would you say, on a scale of one to ten, are our chances of returning from this one alive? Also - is there even the remote possibility that there won't be some huge & 'unexpected' FUBAR awaiting us on the Chromatic homeworld? Any chance you'll be giving us all the vital information we need now, or will we be learning the hard way because it's all 'need to know'?"

His face twists into a humourless crooked smile ::sly ,

"I'd just prefer to be prepared for the worst, that's all."

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"Oswald - Robert Hastings. What would you say, on a scale of one to ten, are our chances of returning from this one alive? Also - is there even the remote possibility that there won't be some huge & 'unexpected' FUBAR awaiting us on the Chromatic homeworld? Any chance you'll be giving us all the vital information we need now, or will we be learning the hard way because it's all 'need to know'?"

Oswald looks down at Robert humorlessly.

"I know who you are, Special Agent Hastings... As to your question, let me put it to you this way; capturing one of these aliens is viewed as extremely important by the directors - important enough that Directors Pappagallos and Renton briefed me themselves."

"The facility in which several of these 'witnesses' are reported to be is on the surface. The plan, as it stands, is to insert this team into the target facility whilst it is under diversionary attack by Seventh Legion VARG cavalry supported by air power. Additionally there will be several teams of Seventh Legionnaires who will land shortly after your insertion. These squads will Keyhole their way into the facility and block possible underground exits. Your insertion and exit will be by means of a teleportation by a trustworthy teleporter. She is more than eager to assist in this matter - for reasons which I am, unfortunately, not at liberty to discuss. A contingency extraction by E-19 stealth transport is also planned. Your job is simple - in theory at least. You jump in, find a witness, hit it with chromatic tranquilisers that we've prepared and jump out again. We have a set of restraint harnesses as well as the latest chromatic translators and recording equipment ready for your ride home. You will have ample time to familiarise yourself with these pieces of equipment on the outbound journey."

He sighs.

"Your major difficulty will be to identify the correct chromatic as being a witness in the first place. Our linguists are still having some difficulty with the language. We are absolutely sure that witnesses are easily identified - to other chromatics at least. Additionally, we know that they aren't warriors, but are rather 'preachers' and 'guides'. "

"This difficulty is the reason that the Trinity decided to insert a team of its own people rather than getting the Seventh to do the job. Let me just intercept any outbursts now. Our linguists are still working on the translations. You will be kept up to date up until the moment you jump with the latest intel on the outward appearance of these 'witnesses'. Additionally, you will certainly have command authority on the exact insertion and extraction of this team within certain parameters. You will find everything I just told you on these disks."

He places a set of disks on the podium.

Oswald's lip twitches for a second.

"Now, to answer your question, all I will say is that this overall operation is under the auspices of the UN Military command. Be prepared."

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The man to the right of Hastings seems to be of Indian (Hindi) decent and in his early to mid thirties. He dons a permanent smirk on his face, the type which'd make most people want to hit the guy on sight. His hair is jet black with eyes that match. His accent betrays his (indeed indian) origin as he speaks

"So Osi, what kindt of facility are we going into? A scientific facility? A church for de "witness" priests? And is there any-ting we should know about de chromies before we go? Will one of teese linguists be coming wit us?"- He leans over to Hastings offering his hand - You may call me Talvin by de way, Talvin Sawhney."

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"And another thing..."

The voice belongs to the youngest man in the room. The approximately twenty year old kid looks south american, his face a relatively fair-skinned mix of latin and african features, but there is no hint of an accent in his american english.

His clothes is the typical Proteus:Mars grunt's off-duty jumpsuit, worn in a loose fashion any drill sergeant would instinctively disapprove of. He's sitting leaned up against the right wall of the briefing room, his eyes for the moment moving from Talvin to Oswald.

"...Who's gonna be in charge?"

His question asked, he turns briefly to scan the room again, looking for the most likely team leader among the ones present.

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Listening to Oswald's reply, Hastings rolls his eyes ::rolleyes ,

"So we're going into a place as it's being bombed by the Legions to find the proverbial bit of hay in a huge stack of needles, without the ability to differentiate between said hay & needles, & have to do all this on the QT, armed with our trusty dart guns? That's just dandy - & here I was thinking it might have been difficult..." ::sarcasm

He leans over to Hastings offering his hand - You may call me Talvin by de way, Talvin Sawhney."

Hastings shakes the offered hand,

"Robert Hastings. Say, are you related to the Islington Sawhneys? I went to school with a chap by that name - damn good wicket-keeper if I recall correctly - never did get on with the old rugger though, lost a couple of teeth in a botched tackle - never did smile the same again after that..."

"And another thing... Who's gonna be in charge?"

Hastings nudges Talvin, glances towards the young man in the jumpsuit, & whispers,

"Just marvelous - spot the military mindset." ::rolleyes

Out loud he suggests,

"Couldn't we all just try to get along like civilised folk, instead of a military unit, for a change?"

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"So Osi, what kindt of facility are we going into? A scientific facility? A church for de "witness" priests? And is there any-ting we should know about de chromies before we go? Will one of teese linguists be coming wit us?"

"You shall. Mr Harker is widely respected as a linguist and has had substantial exposure to the language over the last few days. As to the nature of the facility, we believe that it is a 'holy place', although admittedly we are not entirely certain what exactly that means from a Chromatic perspective."

"...Who's gonna be in charge?"

"Actually, " Oswald says with something approaching dryness, "Special Agent Hastings and Special Agent Rochester have roughly equal seniority. Frankly, I don't care who leads the team - so long as you succeed in the task put before you. From the looks of things, Agent Hastings will be your moral officer."

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"Couldn't we all just try to get along like civilised folk, instead of a military unit, for a change?"

The man in black speaks for the first time, in a rolling, soft, low tenor and an English accent. "The team leader will hopefully only have to fall back on authority if a group decision can't be made due to disagreement or lack of time."

"Special Agent Hastings and Special Agent Rochester have roughly equal seniority."

The man raises his hand. "I am Taka Rochester, by the way."

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"And by process of elimination, that must make you-" he raises a chiseled eyebrow at the young Sudamerican "- Mr. Harker. Yes?"

Someone in the corner raises his hand. "Er, no...actually, that'd be me."

Dressed neatly in expensive gray slacks and a black turtleneck, Roosevelt Harker leans casually against the wall. A moderately attractive man in his early 30's, his slim build and slightly fuzzy beard mark him as someone normally far removed from military operations. Soft-spoken, and with an easy smile, he introduces himself. "My name's Roosevelt Harker. I'm the linguist, so I'll be the one primarily responsible for trying to make sure we capture the right kind of Chromatic. No pressure, of course." ::rolleyes

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"And I'm Andrew Thomas. I'm an Elecrokinetic and I'm... trained to handle the restraint harness... and the translation wetware." says the short, solidly built man in the front row who has been fiddling with something for the entire lecture.

Andrew in his late twenties / early thirties and is extremely soft spoken, but sounds as if he might be Australian. His hair is his most prominant feature - bright red and extremely spikey over crown of his round head. Andrew is wearing a dark blue, many pocketed coverall that has several mysterious (and apparently quite fresh) stains down the front.

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"My name's Roosevelt Harker. I'm the linguist, so I'll be the one primarily responsible for trying to make sure we capture the right kind of Chromatic. No pressure, of course."

"Oh, excuse my error, Mr. Harker. I'm sure you'll perform admirably."

"And I'm Andrew Thomas. I'm an Elecrokinetic and I'm... trained to handle the restraint harness... and the translation wetware."

"Good." Taka bows to both of them.

"I am a psionically neutral weapons and close combat specialist."

He turns to the gentlemen in the front, awaiting their introductions.

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"Robert Hastings. Say, are you related to the Islington Sawhneys? I went to school with a chap by that name - damn good wicket-keeper if I recall correctly - never did get on with the old rugger though, lost a couple of teeth in a botched tackle - never did smile the same again after that..."

"Not Islington's, no, but I do have cousins in.."

Talvin's small talk is cut off by

"And another thing..."
As to the nature of the facility, we believe that it is a 'holy place', although admittedly we are not entirely certain what exactly that means from a Chromatic perspective."

"If de chromies are any-ting like home, dey are nut going to like us taking der priests. Fanatic response to the death..."

The man in black speaks for the first time, in a rolling, soft, low tenor and an English accent. "The team leader will hopefully only have to fall back on authority if a group decision can't be made due to disagreement or lack of time."

"I like de boss already"

"Good." Taka bows to both of them.

"I am a psionically neutral weapons and close combat specialist."

Talvin looks back and nods

"Is, was, will be, 'tis all de same to me...almost ::sly You could say that I am a problem solver...especially when de problem is on de run."

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Hastings nudges Talvin, glances towards the young man in the jumpsuit, & whispers,

"Just marvelous - spot the military mindset." ::rolleyes

Out loud he suggests,

"Couldn't we all just try to get along like civilised folk, instead of a military unit, for a change?"

"Actually, " Oswald says with something approaching dryness, "Special Agent Hastings and Special Agent Rochester have roughly equal seniority. Frankly, I don't care who leads the team - so long as you succeed in the task put before you. From the looks of things, Agent Hastings will be your moral officer."

With a shrug and a hint of challenge in his eyes the young man turns briefly to Hastings

"I just like to know who has the right to be an arrogant bastard, and who doesn't..." ::sly

"But civilized works fine for me..." ::cool

Hearing the introductions of the other men, the young man is all ears until their eyes are turned in his direction. Then he smiles and says

"I'm Tiger. Intrusion and security. And yes I prefer a military structure, cause then I know who's covering my back when I stick my neck out for the team... Recon, man... gettin your head blown off so your buddies know where the enemy is." ::rolleyes

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"If de chromies are any-ting like home, dey are nut going to like us taking der priests. Fanatic response to the death..."

"As opposed to their usual cheery demeanor?.." ::rolleyes

"I just like to know who has the right to be an arrogant bastard, and who doesn't..."

Hastings laughs & grins,

"I'm British, friend, we've had that right for centuries..." ::sly

Turning in his seat to look back at Taka, he calls,

"So - do you want to take the blame for this one when it all goes Pete Tong, or should I?"

Nudging Talvin again, the Englishman nods towards 'Tiger', & whispers,

"I say we blame the kid when it all goes tits-up, agreed?" ::wink

Calling over to Harker, he asks,

"So - linguist chappie - you a telepath, or do you work for a living?"

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Oswald, seeing that everyone is getting along famously already, passes the small plastic disks marked ''Mission Profile: Hermes' - Epsilon and Mission Personnel Only' to Andrew, who takes one and passes the rest back. "A hybrid will be waiting for you at launch pad L5 at 0600. Be there with any special gear that you want to take along. Standard weapons, armour and battlesuits will be available on board your jump ship."

"If that's all, gentlemen, I'll let you get to know one another. My OpNet and Call addresses on the disk."

Oswald starts toward the door.

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Hastings smiles,

"Me? Like Oswald says - I'm the moral officer..." ::sly

"Splendid!!" Tiger's voice has taken on an impeccable British accent as he breaks out in a wide grin. ::biggrin

"Drinks are on you, then, Hastings, old chap? Jolly good. Always good for morale, drinks..." ::wink

"Seriously, though...", he continues in his normal American accent. "It's better getting to know each other over a glass or two, don't you think? I guess we'll get plenty of time to actually train together on the trip, but still..."

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"Drinks are on you, then, Hastings, old chap? Jolly good. Always good for morale, drinks..."

Hastings grins,

"Love to, old bean, but tradition clearly states that the first chap to mention drinks gets the first round in...", he looks the younger man up & down, "... if you're old enough to drink that is, lad." ::tongue ::wink

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"Good thing we're not all that hung up on tradition, then.", the younger man says as he gets up and stretches. "Anybody else thirsty? There are a couple of good bars that even allow old people just down the street from here."

"By the way, Hastings...", he adds as he moves towards the door. "If being responsible for morale doesn't mean buying drinks, what does it mean...?"

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"By the way, Hastings...", he adds as he moves towards the door. "If being responsible for morale doesn't mean buying drinks, what does it mean...?"

"As far as I'm aware, young man, that should have been 'By the way, Sir'. Rank has it's privilages, after all - one of which being I don't have to tell you squat." ::wink

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A ghost of a smile is visible on Taka's lips as he replies mildly, "If they were on the run, they wouldn't be a problem."

Talvin furrows his brows

"An enemy unwilling to fight can be much more dangerous den one standing in your sights..."

"As opposed to their usual cheery demeanor?.." 

Talvin's smirk twists into a grin

"That is a good point..."

I say we blame the kid when it all goes tits-up, agreed?"

"Is that an order?" ::rolleyes ::bigsmile

"Anybody else thirsty? There are a couple of good bars that even allow old people just down the street from here."

"I would like to check out whats on this disk first but I may find you later"

Talvin grabs his disk and leaves the room.

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Harker pulls himself out of his slouch against the wall, then starts walking towards the door, winking at Hastings. "Tell you what, 'Tiger'...if your fake I.D. gets you past the front door, I'll buy your drinks."

"Which one...?" ::sly

"Er.... I mean... Fake I.D.? Me? I'd never do anything like that..." ::halo

"As far as I'm aware, young man, that should have been 'By the way, Sir'. Rank has it's privilages, after all - one of which being I don't have to tell you squat."

"Too bad you can't have it both ways, ain't it? If you wanna do this the 'civilized' way, you can kiss my ass with the 'Sir'-sh!t."

Who knows... maybe Tiger scouted the local bars out before the meeting to find one that would let him in, maybe he actually is old enough to drink, or maybe he has a very good fake I.D. Regardless, he leads the way to a not too noisy bar where it's possible to talk in peace. The music is probably not perfect for anyone Tiger would define as 'old' (which doesn't really include guys in their mid-thirties ::wink ), but not too bad.

Once inside and seated at a semi-private table he looks at Harker (after drinks have arrived, naturally...) and says

"So... Are you gonna talk to them? Or do you just half understand what they're saying? Can you teach us to swear in their language?" ::wink

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"So... Are you gonna talk to them? Or do you just half understand what they're saying? Can you teach us to swear in their language?"

Harker blinks. "Er...sort of, yes, and no." He looks around the room, then back at the others at the table. "I'm not really sure we should discuss this here. I'd rather avoid mission-specific data for now...there's plenty of time for that later."

Sipping his water, he leans back and closes his eyes, then asks, "So, anyone here play chess?"

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"Well...", Tiger shrugs, "...there was nothing 'mission-specific' about that question before you mentioned those words..." ::rolleyes

Taking a sip of his drink, he adds "Chess? Naah... never had the patience for it. I prefer a combination of physical and mental challenge, and sitting on my ass staring at a board for hours isn't much of a challenge. Besides, I haven't had much time for it, anyway. Been in and out of training facilities and missions ever since I joined..."

"Hey, have any of you ever been in space? Further away than Luna, I mean..?"

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Being in the Chicago Cube means that options of pubs, clubs and places to drink and be bombarded by advertising abound. Even within the sprawling AEon headquarters there are at least four pubs, each named for a founder member and sporting related memorabilia. Tiger's efforts do however lead everyone 'outside' the HQ "GO ANYWHERE!, DO ANYTHING! ORGOTEK". "Because, we know you want to!" to a place called the 'The beer and Mit' which, at one point must have been a 'sports bar', but now gets by by having a lax door policy. It still isn't that crowded however, and the music is just loud enough to provide some privacy to your booth.

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"Too bad you can't have it both ways, ain't it? If you wanna do this the 'civilized' way, you can kiss my ass with the 'Sir'-sh!t."

"The prospect of having the authority to 'order you to get your head blown off' has rather tipped my opinions on the subject towards the military approach, Tigger, old chap. Plus - it's obvious that 'civilised' can only be used in the loosest possible terms with some people..." ::sly

Hasting doesn't join the others at whatever sordid little dive they end up in, but instead meets them at the transport at the alloted time. He takes his copy of the files, naturally.

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Taka turns out the lights and closes the door behind the others as they head out, then slips up behind Tiger to say discreetly, "I'm fairly sure Mr. Hastings was pulling your leg. If there's such a thing as a morale officer I've never heard of it".

"So, anyone here play chess?"

Taka nods. "I'm game." He pulls up chairs to one of the tables with a chessboard printed on it, as Harker goes to the bar to ask for the pieces. The pieces are soon set up, and the game commences.

Taka opens with

1: d4 ...

::halo

"What about the rest of you?"

Taka shakes his head. "Only time I left Nippon up to a few years ago.. five or six years, actually.. was on occasional bodyguard duty for some diplomat, so I've never even been offplanet."

Taka sips his drink. Though there were other beers availalbe, even the occasional Oriental-looking one, he seems to have specifically selected an American one for the sole purpose of grimacing (on his unexpressive face, only a slight but noticable tightening around the eyes) and giving it unapproving looks.

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Taka turns out the lights and closes the door behind the others as they head out, then slips up behind Tiger to say discreetly, "I'm fairly sure Mr. Hastings was pulling your leg. If there's such a thing as a morale officer I've never heard of it".

"Yeah, I know. And I also know that I'm not helping my case by saying 'he started it'. But he did. And he can be as British as he wants: If he insists on being an arrogant bastard, he better expect to take as good as he gives. What the hell, it doesn't matter. I guess there's a good reason why he's in on this too..." ::tongue

As the other two start playing chess, Tiger first tries to keep the conversation going, but (at least if they are very focused chessplayers) soon grows too restless. Emptying his drink, he smiles and says "I think I'm gonna go somewhere a little... quieter, if I can find it. You guys are way too wild for me." ::sarcasm ::wink

In a lower voice, he adds "I don't know about you two, but if I'm gonna go to a faraway star and get my head bitten off on some englishman's orders, I'm at least gonna get laid before we ship out. See you tomorrow!" ::cool

[The UN retaliation strike against the chromatics is public knowledge, right? In that case it should be easy enough for a reasonably handsome and heroic young man to get lucky on his last night planetside...]

Regardless of what happens he'll be at pad L5 at 0600, fresh out of the shower and dressed much like the night before. With the obligatory sunglasses, of course. ::cool With him is the all time classic military bag.

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"I don't know about you two, but if I'm gonna go to a faraway star and get my head bitten off on some englishman's orders, I'm at least gonna get laid before we ship out. See you tomorrow!"

Taka's eyebrow moves northward. "Not bitten off. Incinerated. Don't exaggerate."

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Regardless of what happens he'll be at pad L5 at 0600, fresh out of the shower and dressed much like the night before. With the obligatory sunglasses, of course.  With him is the all time classic military bag.

When Tiger arrives he sees that Hastings is already waiting. The Englishman has a couple of distinctly non-military suitcases with him - one of which he's sitting on, reading something from a datapad. This morning he's dressed in a dark blue suit, with literal 'old school tie', a tan overcoat, thin leather gloves, & expensive, but well-worn, looking shoes. He glances up as the younger man approaches, adjusting his glasses slightly, & inquires,

"So, Tigger, old bean - purged your system of all those youthful urges & ready to die, I hope?" ::sly

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"I think I'm gonna go somewhere a little... quieter, if I can find it. You guys are way too wild for me."

Absorbed in the game, Harker just mumbles. "Wha..? Oh, yeah, uh, see you later."

Awhile later, Harker and Taka step outside. "Good game. Well, I've got some packing to do...see you at the launchpad tomorrow."

With that, Harker walks off into the night, whistling tunelessly.

The next morning, as Hastings makes his hellos to Tiger, Harker strolls up to the pair. "Morning, gents! Once my ship's ready, we can take off." At this point, both of them suddenly realize that Harker is wearing a pilot's coveralls and flight jacket...he grins at them, waiting for their reaction.

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"Good game. Well, I've got some packing to do...see you at the launchpad tomorrow."

Taka laughs softly. "An excellent game. Perhaps on the trip I'll have the opportunity to demand a rematch."

He nods and walks off, his coat swirling at his heels as he heads back to his flat.

The next morning, the others are surprised that Taka does not show up, at least not on time. Within about 15 minutes of the time they agreed, he appears rounding a corner (and setting one hell of a cracking pace, too), his black coat snapping behind him. The others almost expect to see someone in hot pursuit, but there is none. He catches up, and sets down a medium sized tote bag and a hard, black case. He appears not to be out of breath, and apologizes for his lateness. "I was otherwise occupied and lost track of time. It won't happen again."

He looks at Harker, apparently unsurprised or not willing to show it. "How long until liftoff?"

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"So, Tigger, old bean - purged your system of all those youthful urges & ready to die, I hope?" ::sly

"Hell, no!" , Tiger grins. "That's what keeps me alive. The day I'm 'ready to die' I might as well take a long walk off a short pier... Of course, being prepared for it is another thing." ::cool

He pauses, and takes a look around the launch pad, before he continues in a slightly more serious tone.

"Trust me on this, Hastings: When i mentioned sticking my neck out for the team, I know what I'm talking about. The day I die it will probably be because i never saw it coming..."

"By the way... It's Tiger, not Tigger. What is that, som kind of british accent?"

The next morning, as Hastings makes his hellos to Tiger, Harker strolls up to the pair. "Morning, gents! Once my ship's ready, we can take off." At this point, both of them suddenly realize that Harker is wearing a pilot's coveralls and flight jacket...he grins at them, waiting for their reaction.

"Er.... You're the pilot? All the way, or just up-well to our transport...?"

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"Er.... You're the pilot? All the way, or just up-well to our transport...?"

Harker laughs. "No, I'll just be taking us up to Luna. Unfortunately, they won't let me take my ship along for the mission, so I'll be docking it for storage and taking the U.N.'s transports with the rest of you."

"How long until liftoff?"

"As soon as the flight crew chief gives me the ok."

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Talvin gets in his room reminiscing about what he learned at the briefing. Talvin was bombarded with currents of images from all those present, but his inner calm held as he concentrated only on the flow:

Oswald... he is a neutral - Talvin gets some sense of him... the word 'uncompromising' springs to mind immediately.

Tiger Vaugn... Youthful Energy and Hard Anger swirl about him. He senses a potential of a kind about him though he is Psionically neutral.

Taka Rochester... is strange, Psi energy swirls about him and from him very strongly in most of the usual ways, but yet is weak in others. Talvin is certain that he is not a Psion, but he may be a latent...still too confusing to draw conclusions from.

Andrew Thomas... a moderately gifted Electokinetic, and a thinker. The man is a solid - a tue rock - but the word 'Unoriginal' slowly forms in Talvin's mind as he focuses on his energy. He was using some sort of weak effect- Talvin realises that he has been for the entire meeting.

Rooseveld Harker... looks briefly (and probably unconsciously for the moment) in Talvins direction as he took it all in. Talvin realises that he is a Clairsentient. His intellect and enthusiastic curiosity are clear as day to him.

Talvin sits cross-legged on the floor of his room and focuses on the disk. Talvin sees Oswald, and a shapely redheaded technician handing the disk to him... the vision becomes blurry and weak, but he perseveres... Something comes to him unbidden. He sees Oswald raise a large, glinting-black slugthrower to his own temple. His face is perfectly serene. "It is necessary" he says with only the slightest of grimaces....BANG! Talvin's eyes flick open - crippling pain searing through his mind.

Some time later.

Slowly descending into a dreamstate, Talvin feels... anticipation... threads and possibilities are gathering about this group... A tunnel opens ahead of him... Lights flicker enticingly at the far end... but the tunnel is moving, shaking - He is inside a pipe that someone is shaking about... A bright searing light! Andrew lies dead... his secrets and passions lie scattered about him in pools of rancid grease.

There is something watching him.

Talvin wakes feeling ill.

A quick glimpse at the time shows 0530, he's late! Urgent things to be done before leaving...Talvin calls Oswald's callsign to ask for a "bug armor" (and check if he's still alive...) to be delivered to the ship. He further requests to be put into contact with an intelligence officer, Talvin will probably be acting Intel for the team. He checks the disk quickly to see if a map of the drop point is available, how did they choose it?

0555!

Talvin runs off towards the launchpad...

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