Reapers Passage [Fan Fiction] Chapters 0-121 (story arc completed Mon 14th Apr 08)

[Paranoid66]

Reapers Passage
X3 Fan Fiction by Paranoid66

Chapter 119 - LOOSE

Although life moves ever onward, and time marches only in one direction sometimes it is possible to go back, to say you are sorry, to repair what is broken, but other times you just have to accept, continue on and live with the splintered consequences.

In the Sector of Aladna Hill upon The Lost For Words Carrier Garrin was working hard to break a cycle, lecturing himself on all the benefits of finally letting it go, however, all these delays wasn’t making it any easier. G told himself he was here to see Ravn, and Elaen together - to truly once and for all wish them good luck for the future - then turn his back on that part of his own past, and travel on.

Three was one too many in any relationship unless maybe - if you were paranid - G didn‘t exactly know about that! G also knew this was not the first time he had tried to put this particular woe to rest, but he hoped it might be the last time, anything else that was going on he told himself was irrelevant, and none of his fekking business but a part of him stubbornly refused to listen! Unfortunately knowing what the right thing to do is, and physically doing it, was often light years apart! Like lots of others contemplating Death with a capital ‘D’ always made G philosophical!

Unfortunately some occurrences were not easily ignored the quarantine had come as a surprise, Fay’s demise as a shock! Garrin had no idea what was going on down there - once again - he hated when troubles recycled themselves. Belatedly the Courier realised last time all his grief had happened - on the Carrier - at least if he had gone with the landing party - on the Shuttle - he wouldn’t be in the dark even if it did put him in jeopardy! Garrin had tried getting through to both Anna, and Elaen without any success apparently only official communication traffic was being accepted at this point in time by ‘The Fall of Night’. Garrin got the feeling the Lads here wouldn’t even have been told the bad news yet (that the Admiral was dead - killed in some kind of freak accident) if it hadn’t spilled out into the public domain over the Inter Link from Beachhead City.

An accident, well anything was possible but in Garrin’s mind Fay was the sort of person that gave others - accidents - not that type who succumbed to them, then again often that was the way with the high and mighty, like some mythical impossibly archaic conqueror surviving every battle with barely a scratch just to die after rather comically falling off his horse while waving to his missus from the paddock! Still something seemed up among the senior officers here they clearly had supplementary information, and the lower ranks seemed aware of this - creating an added degree of tension - an ugly mood, the LotD in particular seemed primed for violence, just waiting to be assigned a target in this form those lads made G nervous!

As he couldn’t find any of his ex associates (probably on duty elsewhere) Garrin was sitting in the canteen on his own. The courier was playing with a half eaten meal, he didn’t really feel hungry it had just been something to do, while trying to figure out the full mood of the crew beyond that stain of paranoia against their commanders. In the end it seemed to him that many of the Argon troopers he was watching were trying to puzzle out the fuller extent of their own moods among themselves! Garrin guessed Fay had been respected but not loved by her subordinates, but she was theirs, and that always made a difference he was still the rookie, and an outsider but he knew that much!

G realised that even he was slightly touched; certainly the universe seemed a bit more grey, a bit less interesting now, Fay was gone - nor was it easy to believe (it was far too permanent as death always was). Some things were impossible to really get your head around, such as a truly final absolute end without any future reprieve ever, you could know it was true but you just couldn‘t accept it, in the end it just faded from your conscious mind until a casual remark or some visual clue dragged it up again to the surface like an exhumed corpse - in some primitive hellhole - were they planted the dead in the ground like grizzly seeds. The Commander in Chief had been a personality that had seemed to him rock solid unassailable not a wisp of mist to be blown away by a breeze into nothingness yet all life hung by a delicate gossamer thread over an endless abyss of darkness, G shuddered!

Even on the superficial surface Fay had been noticeable what she lacked in beauty, and youth, had been adequately compensated for with presence, and experience not that he would have, but he heard many others did, and that was part of her legend as well! Garrin imagined Fay a bit like a strict, enigmatic, dangerous adult assuming that such individuals as G were the eager but shallow, and fumbling youths in the equation. Certainly G remembered feeling youthful embarrassment when she had dressed him down, or toyed with him, and he had hardly known the female frankly she could be damned scary, but of late Fay had demonstrated a sense of humour as well - an accident - it just didn‘t seem right The Reaper really was the great leveller with no respect for status or peoples expectations!

Thinking grimly about all this G realised he had long been trying to cheat the Reaper by watching for him, and calculating the odds with sudden crystal clarity he understood he had been a fool - nobody cheated death - of course superficially he had known that, but now he felt it as well it was like a tightening of the chest or a cold hard lump in your throat!



On The Fall of Night General Wiki was at his most overbearing, and bullish, perhaps desperate to salvage something before it was too late, his face was actually red with agitation. Anna wondered how anybody lived like that, what drove a person to exist constantly on the edge of rage - the death of your only son?

‘One of you must have a key to the encryption of the message your Admiral received’, raved Wiki, ‘it would save us a lot of trouble if you just surrendered it.’

‘I’m afraid not’, replied Carl with a deafening finality.

‘I would imagine that message was private’, said Anna boldly, ‘especially given its supposed tragic effect’, frankly the Professor didn’t believe a word of it she was convinced Fay had been brutally murdered, suicide - not fekking likely - in truth it was still too sudden to fully take in though she had already surprisingly spilled a few tears Anna wasn‘t sure exactly who they had been for, Fay or Anna Dei?

‘It is evidence in an investigation, an inquest. I demand you give me the key. What about that machine would she trust her secrets to a mechanical?’ asked Wiki looking at WI with what Anna interpreted as a naked rapacious inquisitorial hunger.

‘Wasted belongs to me, and the Reaper Jump Liner Corporation’, said Anna flatly, ‘it has no Navy codes, and even if it did they would be Navy property, and not in my remit to release, or yours to claim except through official channels.’

‘Nonetheless, I think my techs should verify that fact’, replied Wiki taking a step forward.

Rutger swung his weapon around as far as he was concerned the Yellow Drone was a Dog, and the General was fekking dog meat it he moved any closer! The RJL Black Dog made a show of clicking up to - ten round burst - full automatic fire, and grinned to show he meant it, come on you fekker try me, he thought!

The General halted in his tracks their was a challenge, a dare in the Dogs eye, no fear, no bluff, perhaps a hint of eagerness around the mouth - given the circumstances that was very bad news indeed - Wiki realised he was snared in his own trap!

‘I think not’, replied Anna stepping in front of the floating machine that had retreated slightly, and resting a cool hand on Rutgers shoulder while WI said nothing, ‘you’re not brain butchering my property for kicks or getting my associate pushed out of an airlock without a suit for killing a General!’

‘If you are entitled to this code’, added Carl, ‘like Anna says the Navy will give it to you, otherwise with respect you can just fek off, go annoy somebody else, and leave us to consider the lamented - suspicious - death of our associate. I think the Navy will have a lot of questions for you General as it is - don’t do anything rash or go anywhere - don’t make it worse than it already is. It might be a good idea if you permitted me to look over the scene - independently - I do have suitable experience in this field after all.’

‘You are making a mistake by threatening me’, warned Wiki behind him his own guards pointed weapons but looked nervous, and uncertain about what they were doing not like the infected Rutger who seemed completely at ease even impatient. The General was glad he had brought hesitant troops to this meet and not Reborn or it could all have kicked off, of course it still could. Damn I should have sent Edgar not come myself. Wiki had no desire to get caught in a close quarter fire fight - fekking mad dogs!

‘Just giving friendly advice Sir, nothing more’, said Carl looking utterly unconcerned about his own safety as well, ‘take it or leave it!’

Anna felt proud you could tell Carl, and Rutger were no nonsense Veterans she almost felt like cheering. Inside her heart was hammering away but it was - to her astonishment - as much excitement as fear, despite her exterior cool.

‘Why are we being detained?’ asked Rutger, ‘If anything has happened to those other four Lads…’

‘It is for your own protection - just in case’, said Wiki.

‘I have this just in case’, replied Rutger lifting his assault rifle higher to aim it squarely at the General’s face.

‘You can’t keep us incommunicado either’, said Anna now pushing, ‘this is verging on false imprisonment. You have no authority over us - when this is over - you will be hearing from our lawyers!’

Wiki just stepped backwards out through his guards who then backed out the door which was slammed shut, and firmly security locked.

Fek that was close, thought the General I must have been mad using the LOOSE!

‘Fekkers’, spat Elaen.

‘A most disagreeable fellow’, announced Wasted.

‘Wiki is still just blustering thankfully’, said Carl, ‘or he would have hit us with less words, and more action: sleep gas, gravity fluctuations, even oxygen privation.’

‘Don’t give him any ideas’, said Anna with a chuckle before hugging her husband and kissing him.

‘I have a mask’, said Rutger smiling like an imbecile.

‘Good for you’, said Elaen with a grin of her own, ‘with a face like that we all know why.’

‘Don’t worry I believe help is on the way. That was the last throw of the Generals dice’, said Wasted, ‘we should all just relax’, wondering if he should have warned them about the drug that had been circulating in the air, but he was striving not to meddle or give himself away especially to the Army - once you start...

‘Do you know something Wasted? Do you still have communications?’ asked Anna.

‘Simple analysis’, said Wasted quickly, ‘My sensors overheard somebody saying the Admirals demise had leaked. Probably due to all these locals digging around in The Nights’ systems.’

‘News like that spreads fast’, noted Carl, ‘WI is right, help will be on the way, guess we truly can all relax a bit!’

‘Would you really have shot the General?’ asked Elaen.

‘Of course’, said the Dog, ‘nobody feks with - our stuff - that is something you learn early when you work with explosives, trust no others fingers in the box, but your own.’

‘Still WI is hardly a bomb’, said Elaen.

‘Wasted what would happen if somebody tried to forcibly compromise your system?’, asked Rutger.

‘With a Black Dog model like myself that would be most unwise’, replied Wasted.

‘Boom’, said Rutger, ‘big bad boom’, he laughed, ‘and I mean - big - at least for such a small packet!’

‘Now you’re scaring my friends’, said WI.

‘Well if they are going to get all cuddly with an AI, they need to know’, stated Rutger.

‘How come he doesn’t set off security scanners then’, asked El, ‘thinking about Four!’

Rutger patted his nose, ‘need to know old girl, and you don’t need to know!’

‘I take it we are discussing something very stable’, noted Carl.

‘Don’t worry I wont go off prematurely’, said Wasted.

‘That’s what they all say’, said Elaen with a wink.

‘I would prefer assurances you won’t go off at all’, said Carl.

‘Never say never’, mocked the Machine.

‘Great’, said Elaen sitting down, ‘now I feel really relaxed!’

Anna smiled, but was thinking - big boom - ouch!

‘Who do you think they will send?’ asked Carl.

‘Somebody very serious given the nature of Fay’s Command’, said Rutger.



In another secure booth, but not the crime sealed one where Fay had done her final bit of business, the General skimmed over a text translation of the recorded conversation.

So the machine was a bomb, thought Wiki, of course that could be a bluff, Rutger was sure to know they were being constantly monitored yet it made sense.

Damn all Navy fek wits as if this operation wasn’t a big enough disaster without Fay committing suicide while under his protection, and the influence of that drug he had circulated in their air. He could physically choke Sven, with his bright ideas why by Sonra did I listen. Was it possible the so called prescient fekker had foresaw this consequence somehow, even though all the Generals own analysts had agreed the actual plan was safe and sound, but then there had been unexpected consequences - this damn quarantine - Fay and her team should have been loose on the LOOSE on planet, and charging at her historic adversary (according to all bets) The Arch fallen Angel like a rocket on rails to both of their detriments! Then Wiki could have just marched in restored order, and cleaned up the mess.

Or did Sven know Fay was this unstable. Was it possible Sven had even sent the coded message - whatever it was - to push the button, had the Oracle used his supposed friend the General up, was Sven that cold and calculating, that dishonourable?

‘Sven you fekker if I go down I swear I’ll take you with me’, promised the General to the air.

If only I could see that message. The spies were right though, he dare not hurt them he was already going to be under the micro scanner because of Fays demise. It was an accident but if any quantity of that drug was found who would believe him he was sure to be found culpable in the Admirals death. LOOSE eroded individuals self control in a very subtle manner, and enhanced their natural inclinations a bit like being intoxicated but without the euphoria, and dizziness.

Fays entire party had been exposed (that was why the four LotD guards were in serious lock down too much suspected baggage with those ones) still Wiki now knew he had been an idiot to confront the spies in person (that fekking Dog wasn’t LotD but he was almost as bad) Rutger, realised the General, had been so close to fragging him - it almost gave Wiki the shakes. Fay and her boys weren’t the only ones losing it here, he thought, even if I wasn’t exposed to anything other than natural panic I should have had more sense.

Did those scum have a key to the encryption in their skulls did that machine? It was possible that information could save him but he doubted his own code breakers would be able to crack it in time. Once it was old data it would be useless - what could have driven Fay to kill herself? Whatever the message contained any effective damage it could do - would be timed out - the sender would expect it to be cracked by army intelligence eventually so nothing would have been given away that would be damaging long term but short term just might be another matter!

If only Fay hadn’t wiped her pad so thoroughly but she was a professional. Their was no way it was a personal message, every source said Fay had little or no personal life outside the Legion!

Even if the fekking navy somehow failed to detect the drug their was a good chance the local biohazard quarantine enforcers would. As soon as he had been forced to allow the inspection the General had halted the flow, and begun cleansing the system but their had to be trace all over their quarters never mind the quantities in the fekkers themselves, it was a disaster!

Wait a moment that machine is a fekking bomb, maybe this could be turned around after all, and the Dogs blamed!



Linus arrived by a Discover jump capable courier scout ship direct from Prime. Sitting in the back the thin tidy middle aged Navy Officer - had no interest in flying not even in the co-pilot seat - Linus saw his talents in other directions. Besides the ANI spy was still studying his mission assignment brief. Without doubt he had been chosen because of all Danna’s extensive staff he wasn’t surprised by the recent dreadful event - in fact Linus had been arguing this was inevitable for a very long time, and been mocked for it! Now ironically his prediction of disaster meant his star was on the rise, so who was laughing now certainly none of his peers ever keen to catch the Masters eye, nor unfortunately Fay who might have been saved from herself, perhaps?

Linus had been appalled by Fays psyche profile evaluations alone. Unfortunately everything about The Legion of the Damned was extreme, and disregarded the rulebook. When it came to Fay, Ban had thrown the rulebook away, but then The Commander in Chief had been the Legion even Linus had been forced to appreciate that! Still he had proposed a plan that might have worked, a scheme that Ban had actually not rejected out of hand unfortunately what he had done was take too long over his decision, and now fate had forced its own vector upon them all.

Despite disavowing the cockpit Linus had asked to be informed when The Lost For Words hove into view, therefore he hooked and slung his pad, and moved forward to stare over the empty co pilot seat. Sonra but she was a beauty all right, and Linus was one of only a few Agents aware of her extra hidden secrets which made the prototype, seem even more impressive if only because - in truth - we see not with our eyes, but with our mind!

Sometime later Linus installed on The Lost For Words was deep in Crisis Management doing about ten different things at once. Monitoring the ongoing operations plus compiling a strategy to fill the gap, and repair the damage caused by Fays death not to mention the loss of The Fortress of the Damned. The Agents main headache was fishing for a successor for Fay lots of possibilities but none of the available candidates seemed appropriate, they just didn’t have the vital spark!



That afternoon exiting a crowded cafe in Beachhead City despite all the madness in work at the Spaceport Traffic Control Tower for the father of six Padraig Harkness it was just another day - at least at first - until the LotD skilfully abducted him, after that it all went rather downhill!



In the Manse Dominic Tur Ryn hadn’t cheated, and for The Devil it wasn’t easy. Others had been assigned to take care of this business to double, triple, and quadruple check. Now Tur knocked on the door with a genuine smile on his face.

‘Can I come in?’ asked The Arch Fallen Angel at his daughter door. She is my daughter, he reminded himself, if only I could tell her without becoming a monster in her eyes!

A ring of laughter over the communication link.

‘One moment, OK you can come in now’, said a gaggle of voices at once.

‘Shh quiet be good’, whispered somebody.

‘I’ve got a bad feeling about this’, said Tur entering as the door sprang apart in four sections, ‘so what did you buy shock me with your extravagance!’

They were all in a huddle Tur looked about the small chamber but could see nothing extraordinary. Something small then, a crazily expensive piece of jewellery once belonging to a head of state or… his imagination failed him!

‘Well out with it’, said Tur moving closer, Kerry was looking guilty Sonra but the gift or gifts had been passed by all those staff, and BANE what could it be?

More laughter from the five females as they parted to show what they had been corralling with their sprawled hunched, and kneeling bodies.

Kerry picked the squirming bundle up with two hands and presented it to Tur.

It was black, and hairy in an infantile fluffy way with a tiny black pug nose, and eyes barely open unfocused with a hint of a blue cast. Its head was wobbly and its paws stretched out between the girls fingers as if trying to escape, the beasts mouth opened and shut to make feeble whimpering noises. A tiny puppy - a mongrel - at that if The Devil wasn’t mistaken.

‘Don’t be angry but I thought as a sort of honorific we could call her Jess’, said Kerry.

Shocked Tur was forced to turn away, appalled at his lack of control, ‘that was very thoughtful of you K’, he said feeling like a soft idiot and K probably knew exactly what she was doing the little schemer, ‘of course she is your responsibility. She barely looks old enough to be away from her mother.’

‘Her Mother was taken by the Night Ravn’s, but we got everything we need even special formulated milk’, said Kerry proudly.

‘Very good, just remember she will have to come first for a while - that is a big responsibility’, said Tur, ‘you will have to be her Guardian Angel!’ he finished wheeling, and marching out.

‘What was that about’, said Chris turning back and surprised to see tears streaming down Kerry’s face.

‘Sometimes…’ sniffed the Devils Scion.



‘What was it all about?’ asked Tur as he moved down the corridor, what was it all about, he thought, if it was not about your relationships to your own? What would it matter if you should gain all the Universe but lose the connection to the one small insignificant part of your entire reality that matters!

Of all the possibilities - with all those credits - K just buys a puppy, and a black one at that could it be a coincidence given his latest intelligence or was it possible that somehow K had been manipulated, could BANE be responsible or was their some real God out there ever watchful somehow playing with loading the dice of chance?

A Black Dog it was just too poetic, too perfect, too ridiculous, and wonderful!

Nobody, thought The Arch Fallen Angel, would ever believe it, would they, that the Devils vector could be reset by a squirming ball of fluff? True he had been thinking about it anyway but time was ticking on and he had been undecided unsure!

Linking in Tur composed an instantaneous message and passed it on to his go betweens waiting in a vehicle near the Black Dogs camp. Given the urgency now that he had decided to act on the intelligence Tur also hired, and despatched a Hopper to land on the road and pick Raharaha, and Ravn and whoever else they wished to bring along up.



Under a canopy of majestic trees at The Black Dogs Camp an at first very sober Ravn, and Raharaha were questioning the Black Dog guide that had brought the strangers in then despite all the grave hard to accept news about Fay that they had received earlier they couldn’t help smiling a little.

‘He really used that line?’ asked Ravn.

‘He did’, smiled The Dog a bit guiltily.

‘Ok then, out you go, and do as he asked, take him to your leader’, said Raharaha.

A nondescript Argon entered cuffed, and bagged, he was sat down, and the hood removed.

‘So how can we help you?’ asked the Major, back to looking unusually dour.

‘I have an urgent message from The Arch Fallen Angel’, said the Argon.

Ravn, and Raharaha were half expecting to hear a threat or some sort of gloating spiel or twisted rhetoric!

‘Please listen until I am finished. Tur Ryn the Wyrm Slayer the Anointed One said to tell you - Better the Devil you know! He said to remind you he is no longer at war with the Federation that he is genuinely interested in an armistice that none of this was his doing, but opportunities exist to be grasped not cast aside! The Devil says your friends on The Fall of Night are in immediate deadly peril. He said to tell you that he has local sympathisers on the inspection team that have learned Fay was murdered - it was no accident - your friends are to be silenced simply because - they are living evidence; the General is plotting to use a bomb, to pretend it was a malfunctioning Black Dog AI assigned to RJL called Wasted Intelligence supposedly self destructing! There is little time for drawing this out any further, but Tur can get you onboard ‘The Fall’ as part of the same inspection team, if you are willing, you will need to extract your people from the Shuttle for their own safety. If you agree you must assemble a team now, then come with me to a hired hopper for transit to the city at once’, said the Argon.

‘Tur also said to tell you he has found the missing Legion they are being held by a local Crime Lord who scooped them up after their escape by some kind of advanced GTD. Tur is in negotiations with The President to secure their release into Argon Federal Custody as a gesture of good will, that is all’, said the Stranger.

‘How do we know this just isn’t some kind of trap?’ asked Raharaha knowing it was rather a silly question but one that needed to be said just in case something got dropped a slip of the tongue or a workable assurance - some chance!

‘You don’t’, replied the Argon, ‘Tur said to tell you as a final incentive the staff onboard the Shuttle include: Professor Anna Dei, her husband Carl, an AF Corporate police sergeant called Elaen, and a Black Dog called Rutger! He seemed to think that was important!’

‘Damn fekking right it is, I’m going’, said Rav.

‘All right then - well take your team Rav from our last mission’, said the Major, ‘Harry’, he yelled.

‘We? you don’t have to go Sir - it mightn’t be wise - if it is a trap’, said Ravn, ‘it would leave the Dogs without a Commander.’

‘Don’t Sir me my lads know how to use their own heads - move it - and don’t forget to bring Big Lad he might come in handy (that one is hardly going to catch a disease - not even a fake one!)’, noted the Major, ‘besides BL could be a useful aid for bomb disposal!’

‘Sir’, said Harry ducking into the shelter.

‘To me’, said Raharaha.

‘You think they would let the CAR onboard?’ asked Rav unlocking the prisoner.

‘You think anybody is going to be able to stop it?’ replied Raharaha.

‘Don’t forget that General has Reborn with him they are almost mechanicals themselves. This is hardly going to be an easy operation’, noted Rav.

‘Hell with the Reborn, Big Lad might almost fit in’, noted the Major.

‘I thought looking after the Professor was meant to be semi retirement’, said Rav.

Raharaha shrugged, ‘try and convince her to stay at home!’

‘We tried that, have you heard about The Hammer Incident’, noted Rav still kitting up.

The Major just laughed.



The Hopper sitting on the road was a neat bit of kit as a civilian mode of quick transport it had VTOL abilities and looked a bit like a dumpy flying saucer, still it could move pretty fast even if it wasn‘t really long range, nor could this model take a huge amount of weight. The equipment heavy Dogs that piled in including Big Lad left the pilot more than a little concerned. Still it came in just within the safety quota after the Devils two messengers agreed to drop out.

The decision by the unnamed Argon to make their own way made Rav a bit nervous although the Dogs had hastily scanned the craft for explosives - their was always the possibility of some clever form of sabotage - working with somebody called The Devil wasn’t good for any agents Paranoia!

As it was the short flight was uneventful although the take off was a bit prolonged and the landing a might heavier than usual. Much to the Rav’s surprise Tur marched over with a retinue of guards to meet them in person.

‘I’m coming along’, explained the Arch Fallen Angel, ‘I can’t let you have all the glory, besides its not every day you get the chance to have a pop at a Federal General legitimately. All the immediate evidence you need until you secure your buddies’, finished Tur handing over a computer pad, ‘I would guess from these chemical traces all your friends have been exposed to LOOSE. Have you heard of it?’

Ravn nodded.

‘You mentioned a bomb plot’, said Raharaha.

‘See the audio files, some friends of mine managed to smuggle some hardened eavesdroppers’, noted Tur Ryn.

‘Why are you doing this?’ asked the Major.

‘For me this is a lucky break. I get to do something to prove I can work with you people be a friend in low places. Actions speak louder than words. Besides like I said best of both worlds I also get an opportunity to maybe take out a General one who I suspect was planning to give me, and mine a less than fair hearing with all those Reborn’, said Tur Ryn.

‘You are remarkably well informed’, said the Major.

‘This is my home, a part of me has always been here’, said Tur Ryn laughing!

‘Your cult?’ asked Rav.

‘My business. Now I think we need to get into the ground vehicles, we can’t bring all these Argon onto the Shuttle covertly, but we can hold them in reserve if it goes Nova and it becomes a battle!’, said Tur.

‘What about the local lads actually enforcing this quarantine? I’d hate to see a repeat of the Bridgehead’, noted the Major.

‘I’m going on board with you so that is your assurance. I have some friends in the military too, if push comes to shove they will back us up in fact I am counting on it’, stated Tur.

‘It sounds like you hardly need us at all’, said Ravn.

‘On the contrary I dare not do this without you. With you it is a Federal police action without you it is some kind of insurrection or a rebellion’, noted the Devil.

‘Why do I get the feeling I’m being used’, said the Major.

‘We are allies as such we are using each other to get our mutual desires seems fair enough to me’, said The Devil.

‘I’m not much for threats’, said Ravn, ‘but if this isn’t straight up your local heroes will be needing a new dark lord!’

‘Fine by me’, said Tur, ‘just hurry it up please, or none of this will matter!’



On the stranded Shuttle the General was watching some of his best, and most trusted as they put the device together. It was taking longer than he had expected although his lads didn’t need to explain why. Any old boom wouldn’t do it had to have the right signature. Ideally it would have been best if they could just get the Machine itself to self destruct, but Wiki had been told that would be very difficult to do covertly without alerting others. Not impossible but prone to lots of potential errors.

‘You realise there are going to be a lot of casualties even among our own’, had stated one of the bomb makers earlier showing a diagrammatic of the simulated explosion.

‘I know it is most regrettable but can’t be helped. This is war we can’t allow these traitors to prevail. We must make the necessary sacrifices’, said the General.

Pyrotechnic thought, that was easy for Wiki to say he would be safe on the Bridge then again so would he!



Oblivious to these impending events Anna, and her friends had settled down to await their rescue.

‘Who do you think will be put in charge of The Legion now Fay is gone?’ asked Anna.

‘I have no idea’, said Rutger, ’their was only one Commander in Chief!’

‘I guess she is with Febr now if you believe that kind of thing’, said Anna.

‘I wonder what Rav is doing right now’, said Elaen.

‘Is it always like this Anna?’ asked Carl.

‘If you mean crazy that answer would be yes’, replied the RJL Administrator, ’well I did try to warn you.’

‘What is Beachhead like?’ asked Elaen.

‘It rests in a natural bay’, began Wasted Intelligence, ‘it is hot and humid this time of year but you get breezes in off the sea. There is a lot of wood in the architecture because of the trees. A lot of criminality because of the drugs, and the colonial civil uprising. It is rife with corruption but because it is primarily agricultural the food is very good. They say it is difficult to leave!’

‘Difficult to arrive on too’, replied Rutger, ‘where do you get all this stuff.’

‘Being sensible I do a little research before I go anywhere’, said WI.

‘Like you are so well travelled’, said Rutger.

‘You forget I used to be a Drop Ship I’ve been to lots of interesting places just so you lads can blow them up, trust me you have no idea!’ replied WI.

‘Can you play games?’ asked Rutger bored.

‘All the time, otherwise your company would be unbearable’, replied WI.

That last made everyone laugh even Rutger, ‘I had to ask’, he stated.

‘All we need now is G, and some Space Fuel’, said Anna stretching her legs out.

‘Please no!’ replied Elaen.

‘Will you ever really forgive him?’ asked Carl.

‘Why should I?’ asked El.

‘Maybe because Shimoo was bad for him, and he still cares about you as a friend, and he is very, very sorry’, said Anna.

‘If you play you have to pay’, replied Elaen, ‘he told me Ravn was dead as well!’

‘I thought you were over that’, said Anna.

‘Didn’t Rav say that his demise was a reasonable assumption?’ asked Carl.

‘It wasn’t fekking reasonable to me’, said El.

‘Still G seemed to think you had kissed, and made up’, said Anna.

‘In his fekking dreams. He just isn’t worth fighting with’, said El.

‘That is cold’, said Rutger, ‘don’t you females ever make any mistakes?’

‘Not often’, lied Anna hugging Carl.



‘It’s up to you, you can fit a stripped down suit over your full armour, but it will just be a fake covering, and not hold up to any sort of close inspection. Or you can strip down and go in, in a full biohazard outfit’, stated Tur Ryn in the spaceports locker room.

‘I don’t fancy going in among Reborn without powered armour’, stated Raharaha.

‘I agree they would rip your limbs off, and club you to death with them’, said Rav.

‘What about you?’ asked the Major.

‘Ditto’, said the Devil unpacking an impressive midnight black piece of kit.

‘That looks familiar’, said the Major.

‘Some lost property I collected not going to be an issue is it? Sins of the past and all that!’ said Tur.

‘I didn’t see anything’, replied Raharaha, ‘I like the Black Hearts as well.’

‘I am rather sentimental about those’, stated The Devil.

‘You know this is never going to work’, said Ravn, ‘they’re going to be all over us like fleas on a dog.’

‘Please’, said the Major.

‘Don’t worry with our boys in Traffic Control we have their systems enslaved if everything goes well it will just be a question of walking in to escort our package out, once we take care of the guards at the front end’, said Tur Ryn.

‘The Old mammoths don’t lock down as well as the modern ships there is manual hatches, crawl spaces, and conduits all over that boxy fekker’, stated Raharaha, ‘just look at it!’

‘I know but that works to our advantage too’, replied The Devil.

‘According to this they are being kept right in the nether regions by the base of the landward Hull Wiki isn’t a total idiot that is a long way from the bridge by any stretch’, said Carl.

‘I know but these shafts go almost direct’, said Tur highlighting three separate systems.

‘Almost, always makes me nervous’, replied Rav looking in his own pad, ‘always reminds me of - they almost made it out alive!’

‘I didn’t peg you for a doomsayer’, said The Devil.

‘I’m not, I’m just a realist’, said Ravn.

‘Cheer up this is going to be fun’, said The Devil grinning while stowing something away.

‘Is that a laser line?’ asked the Major.

‘Yes why?’ asked Tur.

‘Nothing just wondered’, noted Raharaha.

‘You can always tell when they have been on planet too long’, said Grimwald.

‘Well Harry you ready for this?’ asked the Major, ‘you know we are counting on you to disable ‘The Fall of Nights’ active signal blockers - no good turning off the ones this side if the Generals are still in place. If we can GTD out it would make our lives a hell of a lot easier!’

‘I’ll do my best Sir’, said the Marine, ‘the only trouble is they are not centralised systems he has small independent localised dispersed units with overlaps some are even mobile - pretty clever really.’

‘Well you will have Big Lad for heavy support’, replied Raharaha.

The impressive machine stomped over it was loaded to the hilt with nastiness.

The Devil eyed the Combat Assistance Rover with naked avarice.

‘In your dreams’, said the Machine.

‘Things must have changed in the Navy from my days’, said Tur Ryn.

‘Not that much’, admitted Rav, ‘Big Lad is something of a pariah that’s why he is a Black Dog.’

‘Just remember we are supposed to be stopping an explosion not ah starting one’, said The Devil.

‘Don’t worry I only hit what I aim at’, said Just Cause.

‘In that case please remember I’m a friendly’, stated Tur.

‘Registered as Blue as long as you stay that way’, noted JC before hovering up a little to look Tur in the eye.

‘I really want one’, said The Devil attaching more unspecified gear to his armour.

‘Time to get help slapping this camouflage on’, said Rav picking up the shell of a gutted white Biochemical suit.

[Paranoid66]

Reapers Passage
X3 Fan Fiction by Paranoid66

Chapter 120 - Unexpected Collaborations

So far it had all been too easy, the guards at the entrance had been hastily taken by surprise with the aid of the infiltrators fake inspection team suits. Overpowered the Army boys were escorted off the ship, replaced with some standby doppelgangers in more or less identical uniforms once a few bits were transferred from the captives. Rav held his breath expectantly waiting for alarms to start blazing out but everything remained silent much to his surprise - not amateur hour after all - despite how it seemed!

Tur explained via laser communications, ‘even the guards have to make direct cable or laser links to bulkhead input sockets to communicate with their C & C at the moment - so effective is the army wireless signal blocking equipment deployed here - Wiki is taking his communication security very seriously he is clearly paranoid about your friends getting any kind of line out!’

The Devil seemed to know what he was doing. Maybe the Arch Fallen Angel was telling the truth when he said they were more or less just here to legitimise the rescue attempt, and it would be simply an escort job. It would also explain why the villain was willing to put himself at risk. What surprised Rav most was the fact that The Devil trusted him with his back he couldn’t decide if he was insulted or flattered by this behaviour.

Once out of the main entrance (the busy occupied front space) the group ditched their white over suits into an electronically hacked maintenance locker. Due to changes of plan their restrictive camouflage was - from this stage on - no longer deemed required it made Rav wonder why they had bothered at all; to him something didn’t quite smell right with this! Tur said other locals in Traffic Control had been given orders to keep them off the Shuttles cameras - all they had to worry about was running into guards direct line of sight - or other personnel, but he hoped to avoid these altogether at least until they got to their final destination which was firmly protected. It seemed to Ravn that Tur Ryn didn’t have a few sympathisers here; it was more like he had the whole Traffic Control section, Shuttle docking staff, and quarantine officers in his pocket!

Tur Ryn had taken the lead immediately behind him was Rav, then Raharaha, with Grimwald securing the rear. Elsewhere Harry, and the Big Lad where on their own route their job to shut down a string of very specific active signal blockers using various maintenance shafts, and crawl ways to avoid contact. It was a good thing Big Lad was Argon shaped, and more flexible than it looked plus able to float, thought Rav.

Mostly The Devil marched along like he owned the fekking place occasionally though he would stop or quickly double back gesturing the others to halt, retreat, or get behind limited cover to wait anxiously for a while, then they would set off again. On one occasion Rav could hear voices, and the ringing clump of multiple footsteps that marched off into the distance. The Military agent came to the conclusion Tur had some kind of advanced passive scanner in his suit or he was just relying on all the usual tricks like powerful suit microphones at full gain. What made the Devils actions appear different being an extremely arrogantly confident, and competent manner!

Tur used standard Argon battle signs, and Rav soon found himself instinctively following his extraordinary scouts tactical directions - almost without any effort of thought - realising this the Military Agent forced himself to slow down, and second guess adding a degree of caution (not ideal in a tactical environment where moments mattered but possibly prudent in these unique circumstances). Trust had to be earned only fools gave it way!



Raharaha also found he was monitoring Tur Ryn as much as his tactical surroundings. The Major couldn’t help trying to puzzle out the enigma that was The Devil. What was it Teb had said that it was best to think of Tur as - The Devil - that he was the Father of Lies. What did this Devil really want? Why was Tur really here? The Major wondered did the Pirate have a secret vendetta against the General or some other less clear motive? People like Tur Ryn never ever told the whole truth just versions of it!

The Infernal One certainly knew how to scout, and was skilled in the employment of powered armour. To get that fluid, and light of foot took a lot of practice not to mention careful minor suit adjustments including some suspensor aid which could make movement slippery if you didn’t have the knack! Rah knew by comparison he was clunking along while Rav looked a little stiff. Still his friend Rav, mused the Major, was more of an out of suit combatant he had just armoured up because of the heavy duty Reborn. So far they had encountered no real resistance the idea of fighting his own bothered the Major. Maybe this was a mistake perhaps they should have tried more regular means of getting a negotiated release - but if the General needed to cover up a murder it could force his hand? Raharaha had to admit that he had dangerously paternal feelings towards Ravn, although he claimed to know the agents Father - which he did - really it had been Rav’s Mother that he had known especially well!

It worried the Major that in this instance that both Rav and himself were a little too emotionally attached. Although Rav wasn’t the Majors son he could so very easily have been while Rav had his Elaen onboard plus the Professor Anna Dei who the Military Agent also considered his - personal - responsibility. One thing was certain Wiki deserved to pay for forcing them all to such extremes. It didn’t take too long to reach the first ladder that edged up to another closed hatch in the ceiling. Tur ascended, and to Raharaha’s perception used some device to hack the access way. Pulling one Black Heart Tur opened the inner iris valve poking the weapon in first, as he looked up. Satisfied he waved them forward from their covering positions, before replacing his weapon, and commencing his own rapid ascent.

They had a long way to go through all the levels to just below the Bridge section then across, and down the other side of the cube. When the Major had first viewed the schematics he had foolishly thought of it as a descent forgetting they would not be commencing from one of the upper bays but from the very base of the shuttle where the mighty suspended box like structure interfaced with the chunky landing pad.

Although there were other more direct routes these were all heavily guarded. The Devil had elected to go for stealth, and avoidance over speed, and confrontation to the Majors relief but it certainly ramped up the tension. However, Rah was suspicious about the fact that The Devils revised path took them so close to Wiki, and the Shuttles Bridge. After extra last moment data from a mysterious sympathiser in the inspection team Tur had radically altered his initial plotted course now it was a lot more staggered, and even involved some ups, and downs in and out of differing sections in the same individual levels. The Major worried about the time delay in all this added travel.

Eventually the invaders neared the first shaft down again. Tur moved ahead signalling them to stay. The Arch Fallen Angel played around with the device a bit before it sprung open. The Devil gestured them over as he fluidly swung his body around with servo assistance to lower himself down almost like an acrobat on parallel bars. To be in a heavy powered combat suit Tur certainly had some moves.



It was a long haul level by level with some backtracking back and forth. A degree of monotony began to set in as they passed through one empty corridor into another, then another, and so on travelling as they were the ship was like a vast maze. Rav thought, you could almost delude yourself that the Shuttle had been abandoned or all the crew ghosted but every so often you could hear activity from behind bulkheads, hatches opening, and closing, even the sound of vehicles, and other heavy duty machines in operation, more voices: typically what sounded like shouts, jibes, and command calls yet always beyond a corner or the other side of some form of cover. Rav could only guess the Devil had picked his obscure route well, certainly it was roundabout, and seemed to be occasionally adjusted based on who knows what intelligence, but it clearly avoided all trouble. The Military Agent had to admit the infamous Argon Pirate Leader was slowly making an impression.



Tur Ryn had the shades up (as he called the mind generated screen that played as a visual - overlaying his sight), and was constantly being fed intelligence direct from BANE who got his data straight from the Shuttle via the physical umbilical connection to Traffic Control (such umbilical connections were used mostly now as a back up system - generally ignored in favour of more modern wireless systems - but they still retained specialised uses, and were favoured for planet side docked Shuttles providing massive amounts of secure closed bandwidth).

Tur was impressed with his own abilities no Argon blocker seemed capable of interfering with The Devils talent. One of the hardest aspects of the mission so far for Tur was constantly remembering to play act. To occasionally almost be taken by surprise, to fiddle at the hatches, and not just have them spring open ready to receive him (to have such control in an intrusive aggressive operation from the onset was a revelation). Still the Traffic Control had been designed to be able to enslave ship systems for just such emergencies as quarantines, so really in this instance Tur’s ability was piggy backing on the functionality that was already built in as he was getting used to piggy backing on the mundane network BANE had created like a vast net snaring all of Aladna Hill - that image brought a smile to his face - Aladna was his, and Kerry’s now through the agency of The President BANE!

One thing that wasn’t easy had been giving his back to the Argon’s, but sometimes you had to go with gut feelings of trust. Besides if he wanted the Federals to trust him in turn Tur knew he must give them something in return - in this case the opportunity to put him down should they choose!

BANE was also simultaneously helping Harry, and that big Argon shaped combat machine in subtle ways such as secretly feeding surveillance camera loops to monitoring staff so that the Black Dogs movements became invisible. If only the AI onboard that CAR had used the same tech as The Twelve, thought The Devil, but apparently not, well you couldn‘t win them all!



The tiny upgraded (now all but invisible even under direct scrutiny) Drones belonging to Limited Access had passively allowed BANE to access The Fall of Night they could so easily have prevented it (in the same way that they hid the nature of, and prevented access to Big Lad) or they could just have flagged up an intrusion alarm. Now capable of full independent self-replication the Corealien Extensions had followed Wasted onboard spreading outward like a virulent pandemic contagion. As ever unless - directed specifically otherwise - once integrated they just watched, and reported back (in this instance) to the involved co-opted Wasted Intelligence avatar, and to a section of the consciousness of the promoted hardly limited anymore Limited Access herself back at the Citadel Ark distance was no object to their communications with their queen.

Limited Access found The Devils abuse of the technology once she had been alerted both a perfectly natural phenomena resultant from the nature of the old Corealien style chips function in Tur’s head, and those AI, and at the same time - remarkably unique - biological life was always throwing up unexpected little twists in the tale such as this (therefore it was not necessarily appropriate for major intervention). Species interacted with each other naturally, and often cross fertilised ideas - it was fateful - unless The Devil chose to go on a mad overt rampage like the - egocentric later Unsanctioned Disconnected Lords of the Minion - monitoring was almost all that was required she hoped!

Nonetheless, LA did decide future technological proliferation should be - limited - something easily done, LA elected to ensure Tur’s Corealien network would not expand beyond The Twelve Disciples, no other Corealien style chips that he or anyone else attempted to produce in future would be allowed to come on line! Limited felt sorry for the Cousins they were sure to be blamed for - future production failures - but that couldn’t be helped! Being what LA would now class as a Random Emergent Tur Ryn would otherwise be allowed to find his own way as had Fay, and FAITH what happened next would be between The Devil, and the Universe a light touch was always best. It was a shame about Fay but that action had been her own choice take that away, and these primitives would have nothing left! Fay had been so fascinating as well true FAITH was complex but she didn’t have quite the same emotional depth although paradoxically what made her interesting was also her undoing!

FAITH dead to the outside Universe had been legitimately collected, and was now reasonably happily resident on the relocated Citadel Ark (although LA suspected she was deluding herself that she could escape later - well whatever kept her sane - it didn’t really matter) along with the other believed obliterated LotD (though the ex felons weren’t quite as reasonable the Minion soon knocked some sense into those without causing any permanent damage, at least nothing that couldn’t be repaired), the more standard Navy crew members, not to mention the aquatic Boron though shocked were adapting to their new environments about as well as one could expect, all these creatures future interactions would make interesting study material for The Few, and the Citadel Arks rather archaic Unlimited Connected Ones.

FAITH had been stunned to discover the Argon (top secretly) had a cure for both Split Dire, and the Argon Incentive [perhaps if Fay had known that she would still be alive] a recipe the Corealien borrowed to save wasted effort developing their own solution for removing the persistent toxin from the Corealien’s Legion! Without question they would be just the first of many Argons that would be rescued from sure, and certain death to a strange afterlife, even if the specific collection requirements demanded exceptional circumstances (a natural sure, and certain demise that would leave no physical evidence of the corpse behind whatsoever). Still study on the Citadel Ark was still an artificial situation not the same as watching the real action in the real Universe.

In a way, thought Limited Access, the Devil had assisted the Corealien reducing the risk of an escalation of downloading much as LA had recently learned The Paranid Priest Kings had so long ago - fluke maybe not - history it seemed had only so many forms, and tended with only small permutations to repeat itself, nonetheless, it would still be fascinating to see what would happen next with the Argon!



Back on The Fall of Night Pyrotechnic was putting the finishing touches on the explosive device when it was secretly infiltrated by more Corealien Drone Extensions giving Limited Access full control over if / or when it should go boom, even for such as LA the providential timing was a momentary temptation. If she was naughty, and set the bomb off now the bridge would go up - along with all the plotters - in one neat little package she could even collect them just beforehand but that would have been against etiquette and very bad form indeed, anyway Wiki might be more useful to Anna’s people in the long run alive, and proved guilty! Plus setting the bomb off would be another intervention - one which might not be needed at all - even with her new responsibilities, and widened remit LA knew it was best to take a back seat and wait it out - just watch the show!

‘Is that it, are we ready?’ asked Wiki, ‘are you sure it will do the business it looks rather small.’

‘Trust me Sir’, said Pyrotechnic, ’have I ever disappointed?’

Wiki nodded the lad was right he knew his craft.

‘Is it safe to move?’ asked the General.

‘Fully inert and stable until the code is put in’, said Pyro.

‘What about the delivery system’, asked Wiki.

‘A simple repair drone can do the honours. We send it down to check a system in the captives’ quarters with the bomb secreted onboard. It can even do the activation under its own logic circuitry an image recognition of one of the targets via a direct cable link’, said the Bomber.

‘You have it all figured out. Won’t debris from this extra drone be detected in the wreckage?’ asked Wiki.

‘Trust me in that room what is left won’t add up to much. All we need is the right energy spike, plus radiation signature, and we’ll get that no problem Sir’, said Pyro.

‘Wonderful they will think the spies were trying to hack their own AI against its wishes’, said the General, ‘I will even be able to protest the fact that the machine was brought onboard with hidden explosives’, maybe even throw suspicion for Fays death onto the deceased, he thought, from villain to victim in one flash of energy.



Harry had grave doubts about his part in the mission. All it would take would be for somebody to notice the deliberate malfunction induced into any one of the pieces of equipment, and for that one to be repaired or replaced in time, and any hope of getting a quick GTD out for the team would be cut off dead.

Worse unlike the main group Harry had to enter some areas that had a lot of traffic. The Black Dog pup was beginning to think it was better when the Major, and the Dogs still treated him like a rookie. Making a fighting retreat off this beast even with the aid of the potent Big Lad didn’t appeal to his sensibilities Reborn fek they were fanatical freaks barely Argon as well!

‘Detecting anything’, whispered Harry.

‘I believe the way is clear but as you know many of my abilities are curtailed by all this jamming’, confessed the Machine.

Harry increased his suits suspension, and dropped down to the deck almost sprawling rather unbalanced then moved up as stealthily as he could manage to the nearby equipment. Quickly he sprung it open reached in with a tiny pen like electrical sabotage device to damage a series of separate vital components one after another before closing it up, and checking his computer pad for the next exit - two more to go!

Big lad dropped down remarkably lightly, and the pair moved on to the next best duct.

‘Sonra this is never going to work’, whispered the Dog although at least the area being cleared was far enough away from the Generals Hostages, as he liked to think of them to be considered a purposeless series of malfunctions. It was up to the lads to get within this area for the final extraction or it would be a long walk out.



When the party neared the Bridge Tur approached the group.

‘Well here we are, we could change the plan and take Wiki hostage instead’, noted The Devil grinning inside his helmet.

‘I don’t think so’, replied Raharaha, and Ravn almost in unison.

‘You make a lovely couple’, said Tur, ‘as you wish on we go then - this way - try not to wake the neighbours.’

Rav looked back at Raharaha who just stared back blankly.

Carefully Tur moved on edging his way towards an intersection. It was all beginning to be fun and games to him he knew the way was clear. BANE had caused a distraction to temporarily remove the guards by opening, and closing a hatch a little further along several times.

The Devil sneaked on, and opened the way down slipping in quickly followed by his team.



Two of the four guards outside had been replaced with two chunky looking extreme Reborn, who looked as if they were in super heavy powered armour, but in fact only their cybernetic bodies.

They were bored, given any choice they preferred to remain in deep sleep between major battles. This sort of duty was frankly beneath them but the General had insisted they help secure the navy spies.

The two Reborn felt like the signal blockers had half crippled them reducing their senses to enhanced sight, direct mounted cameras, and microphones how primitive was that?

Tur looked at the opposition via the Shuttles own surveillance camera, They were big fekkers - a real problem - the Reborn would shoot first, and ask questions afterwards this area was supposed to be sealed off from all visitors.

Tur made a show of pulling out a cable connection from his suit, and plugging into the wall.

‘All right we have two Army grunts with assault rifles and basic non-powered armour, and a couple of Reborn heavies that look like walking tanks’, explained Tur.

‘Damn I was hoping to avoid those, so what is the plan’, noted Ravn.

‘I’m thinking’, stated The Devil, the local artificial gravity system wasn’t local enough it would also effect the prisoners, sleep gas, or oxygen privation was unlikely to work they would detect it, and go on tank, explosives might do the job but was risky as the boom could be overheard, plus so close to the hostages it would take more than a grenade to drop those two. Shooting them would likely just draw their attention. It was beginning to look like the laser line it would go through almost anything as long as the charge lasted which wasn’t very long, but that required getting really close!

Raharaha pulled his own cable out, ‘care to share?’ he asked.

The Devil linked the Major to his own suit, and downloaded the live image feed.

‘Big scum aren’t they what is the composition of those bulkheads?’ asked the Major.

Data scrolled across the Majors suit HUD, ‘how about we set charges here, here, and here on the other side of the wall’, said Rah.

In theory it looked good but after that the gig was sure to be up it would become a race to get out. The Wyrm Slayer looked at the fastest looking route back to the GTD extraction point. Actually given the positions of the enemy forces if they prepared those two main hatches with more explosives then ran like the Devil! Especially if they blew a way down to the next level through the bulkhead there, it looked pretty good. Tur highlighted his simple plan.

Raharaha reluctantly agreed with the minor change that self-welding chemical paste should be applied to seal the two hatches instead of rigging them to blow. The Major being keen to take out as few Argon as necessary though he could see no way around the cybernetic Reborn guards except the hard way, and that probably doomed the other Army lads as well.

Without incident Grimwald moved back, and sealed one door while the major marched off, and did the other carefully applying the reactive substance were it would lock the hatches beyond any easy recovery.

Then the two dogs went back into the ducts worked their way around entered the storage area, and set timed demolitions charges before rushing back. As usual it was the waiting that hurt what if the fekking guards moved.

Everybody had set count down timers on their HUD as the graphic bars evaporated Tur checked a couple of magnetic grenades just in case, and verified the power levels in his laser line.

Due to automatic cuts off in the microphone systems the explosion was loud but muffled. Tur watched the whole thing on one of the furthest cameras using a zoom function the three powerful shaped charges blasted outward into the corridor ripped into the guards sending them flying along with the compounding blast waves of super heated gas, burning oxygen, and razor sharp chunks of shrapnel.

The bombers didn’t hesitate but charged in directly after. Not surprisingly the two army lads were literally rather messily in bits one of the Reborn looked KIA as well face up unmoving with a impaling chunk of metal sticking up from his torso, but the other face down Reborn was striving to get up though seemingly badly damaged. Tur yelled out, and threw a magnetic grenade. Another explosion roared out tossing the heavy body around while the rescuers cowered on the deck that seemed to do the trick although the mangled metal veteran was thrashing stumps around it looked more like a mechanical malfunction than a concerted effort to action so nobody got too excited. Grimwald emptied ten rounds of AP point blank into the less active Reborn just to be sure then lazily did the same with the thrashing other one.



Carl jumped to his feet, ‘an explosion’, he said looking at the bent in bulkhead as if it could be anything else gingerly he moved his hand towards the hatch it was radiating heat.

‘Guess the boys have arrived’, said Rutger excited.

Carl drew his weapon, ‘best step back Anna just in case’, he said.

‘Everyone to the far wall’, advised Rutger, ‘they might have to blow the door as well.’

The door was making odd clunking rattling noises, and opened a crack before seemingly seizing.



‘Fekking thing is jammed’, cursed Tur Ryn, ‘anybody got a wrench?’ he asked laughing before grabbed it, and trying to force it using maximum servo assistance but it wasn’t for moving, ‘damn it’, he cursed.

Grimwald ripped a panel off, and unfolded the emergency crank since the breaks were off it might work. Using his own servo power he hauled on the handle for all he was worth meanwhile Tur pulled again with a horrible screeching scream the door started to give then swung open.

‘Right everybody out we have no time for meeting, and greeting, move, move, move this is a race now’, noted The Devil stepping aside.

Rutger was the first out weapon at the ready; when he saw Ravn and the Major in Dog gear he relaxed, ‘we going for the Legion lads now?’ he asked.

‘Sorry not on this trip’, said the Major, ‘but if we get out in one piece securing their release shouldn’t be difficult. No time for questions we have to go.’

The rest piled out, then they were off once again The Fallen Angel took the lead.

‘Sonra what a butchers yard’, said Elaen stepping out, the smell was horrendous, in the moment she didn‘t see her partner staring at her.

Anna gagged but after putting a hand to her mouth kept moving, trying hard not to look, she said nothing, and looked grim until she noticed Rav then the Professor couldn’t help smiling - despite all the carnage.

Carl took the scene in with professional detachment nodding to the RJL Security Chief, ‘very untidy’, he muttered.

‘Rav is that you?’ asked El belatedly.

‘I hope so’, answered the Agent.

They embraced briefly but Rav kept his helmet on, and giving her an encouraging arm tug - fell into line - hurrying her along, ‘later’, he advised.

‘Sure’, replied El knowing there was a time, and place for everything, looking at the wreckage this was hardly either.

Tur broke into an assisted fast jog. Luckily nobody in the party was unfit or injured.



Elsewhere a maintenance drone was making steady progress towards its destination with the bomb onboard hooked up to its logic circuits. The General on his bridge waiting (at first for an explosion that now wasn’t likely to happen) then realising this he mobilised his forces in a desperate bid to try, and cut off his prisoners escape but it was all too late.



Wasted floated along it had even more incoming data than The Devil, and was completely unconcerned knowing where all the red forces happened to be. They were rushing to intercept - but simply couldn’t make it in time - partially due to BANE committing various acts of computerised sabotage such as locking down hatches and hiding the teams movements from camera, as well as feeding in false trails of composite images of the escaped prisoners moving elsewhere. Harry much to his own surprise had completed his mission without incident, and was now awaiting the Rescue Team while helping to secure the extraction point - so far wondrously quiet - along with Big Lad, the former pup still felt a bundle of nerves, but he was also elated and excited.



After a rather impressive run the rescuers arrived for a meet and greet then for a very brief moment in time BANE dropped the Spaceport side jamming signal, and everyone made a GTD out to safety. The ex prisoners of Wiki were immediately taken for full medical scans, and debriefs! After some secure communications Federal warrants were issued for the Generals arrest - the orders transmitted to his own Argon to bring him in or face the consequences of being considered in armed revolt - it was over!



On The Lost For Words Linus was watching a docking bay taking delivery of emergency medical supplies when the latest news from The Hill reached him. To say he was shocked would be an understatement this time Sven had gone too far - Wiki had blabbed, and would testify against the ANI agent before a closed court marshal, Sven would be put on a very short leash!

Truly it had to be Sven behind the attack on the Fortress as well, though Linus doubted that would ever be proved. Sven would admit to nothing he wasn’t the type to play confessions.

Maybe the LotD would be getting some new members among its ranks. Certainly he would request Ban consider that (Sven was pond scum but he wasn’t without useful talents!) Of course that didn’t help much with the conundrum of who should lead the Legion itself - certainly not Sven - if anything it might increase the need to have somebody top notch that could keep on top of the worst villains in Argon space! Somebody who knew the pathology of that disease for a brief moment he thought about the Devil but then dismissed it as one step too far! Who might be suitable for the position then - somebody similar to the Devil but controllable or at least trustworthy within reason? A crazy idea formed in his mind - would anybody accept it - was it too radical? Linus decided to investigate the possibility put out feelers, and see what feedback he got.

Linus found he was thinking about a conversation he had with Danna…

‘You just aren’t comfortable with the concept of using criminals are you?’ asked Ban.

‘Doesn’t it bother you Sir?’ asked Linus.

‘Trust me’, replied Ban, ’it is better than making criminals out of regular forces! There are always some imperative deployments that have to operate outside the rules of civil restraint - I wish it were otherwise - but I am a realist. Anyway I like to think of their service as atonement.’

‘So you believe in redemption Sir?’ asked Linus.

‘Believe? I don’t know, but I know we could all use a little’, replied Ban.

Linus had to admit it was hard to argue against that!

At least the Argon Incentive difficulty was covered Ban had revealed to him the truth that they in fact had a cure. This would be administered as a supposed medical shot an immunity assisting treatment against viral infections, later a supposed booster for this would be the newly formulated Argon Incentives allowing the creation of a new Lab for new suppressants! The Legion would be told Ban secretly kept another back up lab off the Fortress for just such an emergency as had occurred. All this to keep the myth that Split Dire was incurable for the purposes of counter espionage against that aggressive race!



Four Aladna Hill days later a second hand reconditioned old style Mammoth TL Atmospheric Shuttle entered the sector for its inaugural descent. The machine had an unusual name it was called ‘The Admiral Fay’ Garrin was among the first ships in the queue to dock in this craft using his The Grim Reaper scout ship. G found he was contemplating for the future buying a new ship with a new name, it was beginning to seem like a bad omen, but it was hard to let it go, and his limited fame was flattering!

‘The Admiral Fay’ was a gift to the people, and government of Aladna Hill from the wider Federation a gesture of good will.



Standing on a viewing platform the former prisoners of General Wiki along with The Devil, Kerry, Raharaha, Wasted Intelligence, various local Senators not to mention a small army of hangers on, PA, security personnel and so on watched the big box as it roared down into the atmosphere. With the Day Star streaming down light upon them all, and a sluggish breeze oozing past it felt truly like a new day.

‘I love watching the Shuttles come, and go’, confessed Tur.

Kerry didn’t have to ask why it was the symbol of Aladna being incorporated into the rest of the Universe not cut off and embargoed, not entrenched, and castigated!

‘Pretty damned impressive no matter how many times you see it’, admitted Carl, ‘I don’t know why exactly but watching any Shuttle always touches something in me too.’

‘I suppose you could say on planet they are our bridge to the stars’, said Anna.

‘Anyway’, said Kerry with a grin, ‘I’m sure the boys enjoy all that smoke, and fire plus in atmosphere the Beasts just look so much bigger. Boys are always impressed with bigger or biggest!’

‘That is very perceptive of you’, said Elaen holding on to Ravn.

Elaen couldn’t help but think what an odd party they made. The Devil had insisted they all come back with him, and stay at his co called Manse Demonic as his guest on Beachhead. It was such a rare, and peculiar opportunity that none of them on reflection had been able to refuse the Hell Spawned statesman. Tur had a fierce reputation but had been nothing but polite urbane, and civil, and he had helped in their rescue. Tur seemed to take a surprising delight in showing them the sites, introducing them to his ward Kerry! Elaen liked Kerry she seemed genuine enough if at times out of her depth they had many long talks together K was a character with a surprising amount of life experience yet Tur still treated her like a child forcing K to respond by acting like one, at least that was El’s take on the situation.

Ravn squeezed the arm of his sergeant. He didn’t know what to make of the latest revelations such as the confession by that Traffic Control Technician that he had instigated the Bridgeheads lift off to ensure its destruction then poorly attempted to make it look like the computer had been compromised by an outside hack! The Spaceports computer security on close inspection was proved to be first rate, so it had to be an inside job without question - but by this sad fellow?

The Lad was under psyche evaluation Padraig claimed to have done the deed to save his family, his city, and his world from contamination, after hearing horrendous rumours about Bala Gi’s Joy, and the consequences of any likely outbreak. Many felt sympathy here with the young fool. The family Argons stance was almost seen as ethical, and Tur Ryn had spoken up publicly in Padraig’s defence claiming the real sin lay with the quarantine breakers - the Federals - but that the incident was now history - that new measures, and reassurances were in place, that while it was right to mourn the dead, it was also essential to move on and face forward not into the fractious past but into the possibilities of tomorrow!

A radical environmental terrorist group called ‘Worlds First’ was now claiming responsibility for the Happy Landers destruction. The extremists claimed to be operating under an insane planetary isolation agenda! They claimed they had proof the Lander was being used to ship the same bio contaminant as the one that later infected The Bridgehead, and took steps to prevent this. At first this was taken as a poor joke but evidence was trickling in. Ravn was convinced this was too neat but had been told to drop it by Prime. Without question lots of people were burying lots of secrets deep under The Hill did that mean this one aspect of the endless game was really over?

The Devil was getting used to doing several things at once. At the start working with BANE or any of the Twelve was a serious distraction even if the speed of computation was phenomenal. However Tur realised he was adapting or the interface was at an exponential rate. It was almost as if his brain was actually functioning in an entirely new manner. Luckily Tur still felt the same but maybe deep down he was anything but. Of course after that cleansing storm of emotion following the Jess Puppy Incident Tur felt a lot more calm almost serene. The Devil also found himself taking a much longer strategic rather than tactical view.

Feeling guilty Tur had the - he now knew - innocent Black Chapter Rebel taken off the wall and ended his misery! Well it had served its purpose as an object lesson anyway and could have been a future liability.

It amused him that the Federals so eager to cover up their own nefarious actions had inadvertently helped him to bury his own, besides with the two Rookie Angel strike team given an unfortunate accident, and the Falcon’s destroyed their was no evidence left to link him to the attack against the Fortress. The Fay, FAITH conflict had proved a true asset to the Devil divide, and conquer ironically the Federals had done this to themselves - like Sven as well!

Tur now had cloning technology - no more body snatching required for his standby replacements. Plus the new models if they ever came online would be adjusted just like FAITH to be capable of metabolising FAST. If the Federation ever turned on him he would not only rise again from the ashes, but also do so even stronger, and more deadly! No wonder FAITH had been so sure of herself given her abilities, thought The Devil. The stolen technology was being retro engineered already.

The true secret of the Devils caches was the fact that they weren’t all just material (they were caches of data - so much more compact - easier to store hide, and transmit). Still it was time for a change with the principle bone of contention with the Federation gone! Faith had caused the Devil to be what he was, she had been responsible not just for his own deaths but for the demise of his original partner, and put Kerry at risk at a time when the Pirate would have been happy to retire, and just raise that precious innocent!

While he watched the Shuttle Tur was reviewing other blueprints with the assistance of BANE, plans for a secondary Spaceport, and new city further down the coast, an industrial city to complement Beachhead. Beachhead itself would remain what it was an Agricultural, Bio Chemical, Criminal and Administrative Centre. The New City would be founded as a High Technology Powerhouse of Production, both Heavy Engineering, and Electronics from weapons systems to consumer goods all built by Angel Corp a soon to be founded legitimate enterprise that would allow Tur to become a business person, and legal employer. The New City Project was named rather appropriately Redemption City.

Plu Dup also watched the Shuttle landing the Boron would be going up on the inaugural lift off. Some ANI agent on The Lost For Words carrier claimed to have a unique proposal for the floater - the plucky privateer wondered what that could possibly be!



In a spaceport bar Seth toasted the New Shuttle although he thought it should have been given a name like The Happier Lander. Seth had been granted a fast boat back when news hit about The Landers destruction - the Sea Gypsies were not without some sympathy - although he had recently been estranged Seth had still been devastated by the loss of his Captain.

‘Fek we did have some good times’, explained the Detective to some Stranger or other also propping up the bar.

‘Tragic’, said the Traveller, ‘still life goes on!’

‘That it does’, agreed Seth, ‘you going up on that one?’

‘Sure I’m involved in imports, and exports recently my business has been frozen’, stated the Passenger.

‘Fek’, said Seth, ‘that reminds me of something, an old commitment of my own that with all these Federals around I should be able to get sorted. Still I guess no hurry right now.’

‘You going up on The Admiral Fay?’ asked the Stranger.

‘No, not me I’ve come to appreciate a more forgiving sea than the Sea of Stars’, said the currently well weathered Seth.

Sonra, thought the Traveller, it sounded like another Header was opting out of the rat race, and going Gypsy still it took all kinds!

I suppose I’ll have to look up the Cousins, and get Sly back as well, thought Seth, then he wondered why bother - the Sea Lords would never allow an Argon AI on their Pier or Ships while if anyone knew computers the cousins did! They had been around what seemed like forever, and had never to his knowledge really upset the balance of power. As far as he was concerned if the Wolf got that AI that had belonged to Jon it might be another matter, no he would just see Amon safely off planet. The machine would be the price of that last transaction between them, Amon could record the AI as MIA!



Garrin brought The Reaper down to a landing pad and powered down all the systems into standby leaving Baby in charge. G cracked open the hatch swung his body out, locked his ship up, and headed towards his friends who he hoped were waiting for him.

Apparently it was something of a function with food, and drink, and Anna had wrangled him an invite as the other half of RJL! Well maybe being a Corporation had its compensations on occasion, thought the in his head Courier.

Not wanting to arrive too late G broke into a jog. It wasn’t easy to miss the action with flying banners, hovering balloons, and huge electronic billboards plus music playing, besides a rather massive crowd of spectators had gathered. A security Argon intercepted G checked his Id card and handed him a special extra pass before escorting him beyond a cordon keeping the less eminent citizens back. Well being a Corporation wasn’t so bad at all; really this was more like it!

Moving towards open air - victual laden tables - G spotted Anna with Carl they were waving him over.

‘So you made it without incident or any need for heroics’, said Anna laughing.

‘Well if I had known you needed rescued again I might have come earlier’, mocked G.

‘Please, we would have had to hire somebody else to rescue you’, noted Elaen.

‘Well you’ll never know now’, said G with a wink.

El scowled but let it go.

‘Glad to see you alive, and intact Ravn’, said G.

‘Glad to be that way, what’s this about you trying to steal my girl’, joked the Agent.

‘Well you can’t blame an Argon for trying’, said G.

‘So who is this?’ asked Kerry giving the cheeky newcomer the eye.

‘Kerry, Garrin Omega of The Grim Reaper fame’, said Wasted Intelligence, ‘a sometime hero of the federation, and frequent mental defective.’

‘Thanks’, replied G, ‘Kerry so what do you do.’

‘Hide away mostly. By the way these two are Chris and Memphis’, said Kerry.

‘Just call me G, I like Girls with Guns’, said G smiling.

The three laughed rather musically it was clear G rather liked that as well.

‘Are you sisters or something?’ asked the Courier giving them his full attention.

‘Something like that’, said Chris.

‘Death, let me introduce you to my Guardian said Kerry’, grabbing G’s arm.

‘Isn’t it a bit early I don’t even know your family name yet?’ said G.

‘Kerry will do around here’, said K.

‘G this is The Devil’, stated Kerry.

The figure in the dark green almost black suit that turned around didn’t physically look much older than Garrin was, but somehow gave the impression of deeper vintage, and far greater depths.

‘Oh right that Kerry’, said G the significance hitting far too late - what was I thinking, ‘ah pleased to meet you, Sir.’

The Devil frowned, then shrugged, and smiled, ‘you can call me Tur, Garrin.’

‘What is the right honorific for The Devil anyway?’ asked G unable to help himself.

Kerry burst out laughing then said, ‘pray you never have to find out!’

‘So you are Professor Dei’s partner’, said The Devil, ‘a most interesting female.’

‘She has her moments. Do you really have a cult of worshippers?’ asked G.

‘You shouldn’t believe everything you read on the Inter Link G’, said Tur.

Kerry however was mouthing - he does - behind her guardians back, much to the amusement of the two female bodyguards.

G didn’t know what to make of it!

Tur found himself thinking now that The Devil existed it would be impossible to get rid of that persona even for him. Still like he had told the Major Better the Devil you know. Maybe in time he might even reconsider that plan by FAITH to secretly consolidate the Red Sectors in league with ANI or at least to pretend to do so (whatever worked to keep the Federals off his and Kerry’s back).

[Paranoid66]

Reapers Passage
X3 Fan Fiction by Paranoid66

Chapter 121 - A Break in Transmission

No story is ever a fully isolated incident with a beginning, middle, and end; such perceptions are illusionary constructs of the Story Teller. Real life doesn’t fit into neat little allotted portions, stop when the record ends, or when we by necessity must briefly look away. Life like time itself flows on, and everything remains connected; every action will have / must have its reaction, and that one in turn its effects, and so on into a sea of interactivity so wide, and deep it mocks all our limited abilities to comprehend it!

On the Lost For Words Plu Dup floated past some guards through a hatch, and into an area the floater was quite familiar with, although a - male - now rather oddly occupied the spot once domineered by a remarkably singular female character.

The Argon Navy Intelligence agent Linus jumped to his feet from his chair to greet the arrival of the plucky privateer to his office. Linus also demonstrated an especially wide, and warm smile (in the hope of ensuring the proper appreciation for the Argon gesture) even across the obviously pronounced species divide.

‘Welcome to the Lost For Words honourable Plu Dup I offer you this poor stool to rest your encounter suit on, I must apologise that we are as yet not really equipped for the proper comfort of your species - please accept my far from adequate regrets’, said Linus bowing rather formally.

‘Ah friend Linus, Plu would be an ingrate not to appreciate the warmth of your greeting - compared to which - mere physical fixtures are as nothing. This Boron is delighted with his reception, and will gladly alight upon the proffered item’, said Ploopydroop moving to do just that with a delicate touch, and only mild wobble.

‘Thank you Plu may we dispense with formalities for the sake of ugly, and ignorant but essential expediency?’ asked the ANI Argon.

‘Of course etiquette should never be a barrier to good communication’, replied the Boron.

‘Truly you are as wise as they say good Plu’, replied Linus.

‘Flattery, then I am not in the - hot water - so to speak’, said Plu’s warbling voice box while the Boron inside his fish bowl like suit demonstrated smiling stalks, and at the same time rather amusingly rolling eyes.

‘Indeed not, my proposal is anything but a threat. Although I would be happy to relay a concern that I pray - will not be taken amiss - or out of context!’ exclaimed Linus.

‘Please have no fear of misinterpretation’, replied Plu very succinctly for his species.

‘I worry you are predestined to become a victim of your own prowess. I fear some less than scrupulous Argon political animals might well seek to sell you down the river so to speak in the not too distant future. You see Plu such action though atrocious might well become rather depressingly expedient to elicit necessary cooperation with the Split - who as you are aware, our at best uneasy neighbours! As much as we both know that the future is as murky as a dense nebula - I have reasons to be concerned that the entire universe may need to bind together in mutual defence if we continue to be menaced by outside agencies! Your Sharks actions in such an environment could become an embarrassment to Split appeasers’, explained Linus.

‘So much for the analysis’, replied Plu, ‘I am guessing you have a proposed solution as well.’

‘Indeed’, said Linus, ‘a most radical one, that may shock you. Nonetheless, it is a scheme that has been well considered - even researched - though I confess rather in haste.’

‘Speak on friend’, said Plu intrigued.

‘As you are without doubt aware we recently suffered a sad loss the most able Admiral Fay’, said Linus.

‘Indeed this Boron has been remiss in not offering condolences, but Plu has also suffered losses of late, and at Argon hands’, said Plu with frowning stalks.

‘Most regrettable you have my sincere commiseration, and regrets that this affront occurred, but I trust you appreciate it was a matter beyond our control. I know that these squabbles must seem infantile to one who comes from such a socially advanced race’, admitted Linus.

‘Plu is happy to accept your genuine offer of shared grief’, replied Ploopy.

‘Well the simple fact of the matter is that we - the Argon that is - are an Admiral short and a rather special one at that! Fay was Argon Navy Intelligence not just regular Argon Navy in fact looking at her files their was very little regular about that Admiral. Fay was also the Commander in Chief of a little known Argon secret (though many have heard rumour of it - a penal force - of ex desperados, criminals, and even pirates) called the Legion of the Damned’, said Linus.

‘Indeed I understand this well. I believe I may have passed on some new recruits following the Fall of Freedom. I met some of these again to their consternation when they were under the Command of FAITH - during my time on the Bridgehead’, explained Plu stalks frowning at the caustic occurrence, some Argon knew how to hold a grudge!

‘That you did. Well we need somebody that understands the criminal mindset Plu. Somebody extraordinary, and to our embarrassment we don’t have anybody that quite fits this role at present - at least not that we would dare trust - among the ranks of the Argon, but perhaps, just perhaps we know of somebody among the Boron’, said Linus.

‘Plu is flattered, and amazed you wish this Boron to give an opinion, or liase in some manner with a candidate put forward from among the Kingdoms shoals an ex Kingdom Navy Officer perhaps? You are actually considering giving a Boron the position of Admiral in the Argon Fleet?’ asked Ploopydroop amazed at the concept, ‘you believe this is both practical, and possible?’

‘I do, but not just for any Boron Plu, but the only one with the right experience: mentality, respect, and dare I say resources needed to handle the job! I of course speak of your humble self’, stated Linus.

Ploodydroop staring at the ANI agent was glad it wasn’t really possible to be stunned off his perch, or Plu knew he would be bouncing rather inelegantly across the floor - was this Argon mad!

‘I know it seems far fetched but who understands these ex pirates better than an ex pirate’, began Linus, ‘we couldn’t trust raising any of our own from the conscripted ranks but Plu you are very different you don’t have any connections to any Argon legitimate political factions, or criminal clans either. You have always treated honourably with the ANI, and more abided faithfully to the letter of your agreements.’

‘What about the Sharks?’ asked Plu.

‘No ex Pirates or Privateers in all the Universe are quite like the Sharks, you have a code, and you stick by it! You have even bested the Devil in your time when you took Freedom. You have a base of operations up, and ready to go, and we would hand you this carrier for mobile deployments, and distant operations’, suggested Linus.

‘Plu regrets he could not force his followers to fight for the Argon in their petty squabbles’, admitted the Boron.

‘The Sharks would remain entirely under your command providing basic security, and containment for the Legion. The Legion will do the actual missions as normal. Of course you could no longer operate as a privateer, but all your forces will draw navy pay as volunteer auxiliaries. More to the point any future Split grievance is disarmed (even should they protest when they find out) this matter is closed, and close Argon business, and better still your service will help cement Argon Boron relations our species extra special relationship! If the Split ever resume hostilities with your people again along with the Sharks you can head up defensive actions, and aggressive reprisals, even I would hope bringing the Argon Fleet along in your wake as trusted allies’, explained Linus.

‘This Boron can see a lot of wisdom in your proposal but still regrets that the Sharks cannot be volunteered into service with foreign nationals’, stated Ploopy, ‘many of my people have suffered scorn, and abuse at the hands of other races not just the Split.’

‘I firmly believe your people will go wherever you lead Plu, and happily - because they know you would not sell them out! The question you have to ask yourself friend is do you trust me, do you trust that ANI will play fair with you? If you find the answer is yes you do - then I submit we agree to move on to questions of logistics? Obviously parts of this Carrier will need refitted some areas given over to Boron flooded sections and so on. Would dual controls be acceptable, I suppose we will need Boron technicians for this, can you supply these?’ asked Linus.

Plu was stunned this Argon was truly serious. Could he do this thing, what would be the consequences? The Lost For Words was a beautiful looking ship - but the price - yet if his own were just guarding the felons. Conversely Plu felt sure if he turned this Argon down it would be the end of his own special relationship with Argon Intelligence. At least if the Argon Navy later tried to betray him Plu would have a Carrier to fight or run with, like Linus said who knew what the future might bring?

‘Plu Dup is humbly sorry. This Boron regrets the demise of the Admiral Fay. This Boron is ashamed to confess that Linus will have to explain to his superiors and peers why he gave a Colossus Class Carrier away to a damned floater called Ploopydroop’, said Plu with smiling stalks and a few bubbles.

Just like that, thought Linus, history is made!



After dealing with the Boron it took some delicate negotiations to convince the LotD that had abandoned their Commander FAITH behind (to face her disastrous fate) that it was in fact safe to return to the fold despite feeling sure - they were for once - innocent of any deliberate wrong doing.

Even the Veteran Wildcard was more than a little worried when the Beachhead President sold them on to the Federals. As much as the Damned Wolves, Angels, and Rats knew they had little real choice but to comply given the Argon Incentive in their veins yet they also knew they could still opt to go down fighting instead! Death in combat would be better than the murderous injustice of an Argon Navy execution for armed rebellion, and or dereliction of duty!

In the end Linus himself came down to the planet - briefly - to help prevent bloodshed. The Agent coaxed the escapees back with face to face reassurances sometimes that was the only way. Linus claimed ANI understood the LotD were blameless - the mere pawn’s of another individual’s wider game plan - victims of exceptional circumstances! Yet arriving back on the Lost For Words the disarmed party still half expected to be escorted straight to the brig rather than a standard series of mission debriefs!

Later walking back to his billet Wildcard almost found it was impossible to accept that Fay was dead and gone. The Veteran would have sworn the Old Crone was immortal, and would outlive them all - just for the hell of it! Fays demise scrambled the Veterans normal interpretation of the facts of his wider reality he felt like somebody had taken away one of the essential pillars of his institutionalised existence.

Sab tumbled into his own assigned quarters behind Bristle but ahead of the two female wolves (Shunt the medic, and Bright the computer expert) who were arguing about whether or not Suicide Boy (Sab) had an attractive rear making points for and against as if he wasn‘t there! Sab wasn’t in the mood he knew both were just teasing him - that he had no chance with either of the predatory females! Throwing his gear then himself down on one bunk he sighed.

‘You don’t look too glad to be back’, said a familiar voice.

‘Fek me!’ replied the scout almost banging his head in his haste to look up. Looming into view was a stocky bearded figure, ‘I thought you were dead!’

‘I don’t die all that easy’, replied the Wolf Leader.

‘Did that Argnu manure pit down there have something to do with you?’ asked Sab.

‘Would you believe I slept through the whole thing?’ asked Amon with a feral grin.

‘No!’ replied the Suicide Boy.

‘Well you never were too bright Sab. Now that’s a sight for sore eyes’, said Amon as the two females entered, ‘so where are the rest?’

‘Amon you’re alive’, said Shunt.

‘Last time I looked’, noted the Wolf leader patting his body down as if looking for holes or leaks.

‘What the fek happened to you?’ asked Bristle thinking trust Amon to appear only once it was all over.

‘Long story so where are the rest of the lads?’ asked Amon.

‘Tall Tale, Lyn, Jake, Amber are all dead’, said Bright with a frown, ‘they were on The Happy Lander when it went boom!’

‘Sonra’, replied, ‘Amon so this is it then’, he said looking about, ‘guess they weren’t joking when they said we were damned, and under sentence of death!’

‘Guess they were not’, agreed Shunt, ‘you all in one piece, nothing I need to check over?’

‘Maybe later’, said Amon with a cheeky wink.

Shunt stuck her tongue out, ‘in your dreams beardy’, she said.

‘No! oh well, actually I’m fine. Guess I was lucky I met a guy who was able to get me off The Hill, Beachhead isn‘t an easy place to leave’, said the Wolf.

‘We had a few difficulties ourselves’, explained Sab with a frown.

‘So who was this FAITH character?’ asked Amon scratching under an armpit.

‘Don’t ask me - I just work here - I don’t know anything’, reminded the Scout.

‘No one knows anything’, said Bright, ‘damn Navy treat us like fungi!’



In another billet on the same Carrier Joiya, Bully RIP, Wreath, Slip, and Cail were talking about Aladna Hill.

‘Do you believe this fekking situation’, cursed the girl called Slip being typically caustic.

‘Ok what’s bothering you now?’ groaned out RIP although he really didn’t want to know, he just thought she might as well let it out, and then they all might get some peace.

‘Well look at us, here we are still fekking conscripted, and Tur is down on that planet living it up like some kind of fekking Feudal Lord of all he surveys, it’s not fekking right!’ complained Slip.

‘We’re not The Devil’, replied Wreath calmly as if that said it all.

‘I don’t know’, griped Slip, ‘what the fek makes Tur Ryn so special because Jorac gave him the keys to his kingdom so fekking what, and that little tart is down there with him, how come she got out of this fekking death sentence? Little miss perfect prancing about there like a bejewelled princess with her attendants it makes me want to puke. Did you see they even fixed her fekking face for her all pretty, pretty again!’

‘You’re all heart Slip’, said Joiya thinking one day she was going to give her such a kick!

‘Fek Joiya, you know where you can stick that look. Who was it flew all those combat missions’, said Slip, ‘and earned The Devil his credits? Us fekking fools, that was who - all any leader does is fek their subordinates right up the rear while expecting us poor beasts to moan in pleasure while they do it!’

‘I never heard you, and Tur got it on, or Jorac for that matter - they both had more taste’, said Cail laughing.

‘I never understood what you had against Kerry’, said Joiya, ‘you didn‘t live through the old days on The Hill - you don‘t know anything! Let it go Slip this is all we have left. Kerry is Kerry the Devils kin, and it is political while we are just caught criminal scum under the Federal boot.’

‘Oh that makes it all right then, I feel so much better’, fumed the girl.

‘This here, and now is our only future. Like it or not you had best shape up and make the most of it - having a tantrum won’t help’, remarked Joiya. ‘it does no good to rage against the machine we are all in the meat grinder, and that is that!’

‘How the fek can you like it?’ asked Slip kicking her bunk in frustration.

‘You know what you need?’ asked Cail.

‘Don’t even go there, I’m not into bestiality’, said the Girl.

‘You’re just miffed because you didn’t get to bleed anyone on Aladna’, said RIP.

It seemed there was only the final rest for the wicked, in the end what annoyed Joiya was the fact that almost all the dead - despite their endless training exercises, and simulation drills had little opportunity to save themselves. It was cruel fate, ill chance, or justified dharma! That was why Joiya had been happy to abandon FAITH to the consequences of her games with The Devil. At least that decision to abandon ship had been a choice.

Like she told that little knot of fury called Slip for them their was no escape no exemption Kerry was fortunate they were not they were damned! All the former Pirates had left would be brief shallow moments of amusement, and the questionable solace of their own company; somehow it would have to be enough!

‘Well I heard some good news’, said Cail showing his fangs in a grin.

‘Go on’, said RIP, ‘put a smile on all our sad faces old beast - I dare you!’

‘I heard some of the Veterans talking - scuttlebutt has it Arke is dead!’ said Cail.

‘Old news’, said Wreath with a groan lying his head back down, ‘sometimes I wish I was as well!’

‘What do you mean old news? I heard the twisted old fekker was blown straight to hell when the Fortress went up’, explained Cail.

‘The Fortress went up’, repeated RIP laughing, ‘Sonra Cail, you’re getting stories mixed up again. No fekking way is that true’, he said, ‘that place really is a Fortress.’

‘Just telling it how I heard it. The Veterans were saying we are all lucky fekkers - that Ban had another Incentive Laboratory set up on the sly!’ said Cail.

‘Cail you’re losing it Arke bought it on The Happy Lander - nobody can die twice in two separate places not even Arke, didn’t you hear about that?’ asked Bully.

‘No, but… I don’t know, I could have sworn’, said Cail.

‘You been eating bad uncooked meat again?’ asked Wreath from his pillow.



In another smaller cabin assigned to Poison, Backstab, and Ransom the Rat’s were sitting on the floor sharing a passed around tipple of smuggled Space Fuel, and a joint of space weed while they could.

‘What do you think is going to happen now?’ asked Ransom taking his swig, and puff.

‘I’m guessing well get amalgamated with the Wolves or something, fek did our squad get done over or what?’ said Poison grinning as he reached for his turn.

‘Yeah, you know I almost miss Bale, did you hear Amon is back? That lucky old fekker is a survivor hiding out the whole time with some gypsies or something!’ said Backstab.

‘Hard to believe Amon survived all that time on The Hill but Jon Flyn didn’t make it!’ replied Poison thinking Jon was a canny fekker.

‘Flyn was a tough old scumbag without doubt, and as smart as they come, but nobody lives forever especially in this job’, remarked Ransom leaning against the bulkhead, ‘ah feel those vibrations, it’s good to be in space!’

‘It’s all over for us lot as our masters, and slave drivers just love to keep telling us - no need to be doing their dirty work for them’, noted Backstab.

‘Hah that is exactly what we are here for; to do all their fekking dirty work, or die trying’, reminded Ransom.

Backstab spat on the floor, and nodded, he had to agree his companion had a point!



In Beachhead Bay underwater the clever Boron children watched hidden among the rocks, and weeds as the strangers returned to their odd eggs as if being born in reverse. Then a ship came dark, and sinister like a monster lurking in the night slipping in from the wide beyond to scoop each egg with mechanical precision. How strange, they thought, though they knew little real fear just curiosity at something new. When the unusual craft had gone, they fled back towards the rift already knowing they would be missed yet still full of mischief they couldn’t resist wheeling around each other tumbling, and dancing in joyful spirals.

Onboard the ‘Not Recommended’ the LotD once again asleep without the trouble of dreams or nightmares paid no heed to their surroundings or their mechanical pilot. Perhaps it was just as well given the cruel nature of their mission. Padraig had been given no choice it had been play along or watch his family die. The simulation of the alien virus they had threatened his family with had been explicitly dire.

Of course now the Header’s family would be looked after renamed, and relocated given a better life rather than the fulfilment of a threat; an unfortunate death - the result of an accidental contamination picked up from the Spaceport by the provider of the family. While Padraig properly medicated and briefed would come across as mentally unstable and eventually be released after a period in a rehabilitative reconditioning asylum. Maybe if Padraig was lucky he might even be permitted to see his family again someday!



At the Black Dogs Camp in the Forest after nightfall in their own little shelter lit by three portable lamps Anna leaned back into, and smiled at Carl.

‘Feeling tired?’ asked the former AF Commander.

‘Very’, said Anna listening to the night sounds.

‘Something about being under gravity, and out in the fresh air’, remarked Carl.

‘More like listening to the same story with frustrating variations’, noted Anna.

‘No two people ever experience exactly the same thing’, said Carl, ‘even if they are standing side by side at the time. Take enough statements and you realise we all filter our perceptions, and Argon memory plays endless tricks.’

‘I know’, said the Professor, ‘worse they have all been talking to each other, and so their recollections are tainted by each others descriptions its worse than useless.’

‘It all sounds like a waste of time to me. Are you really going to go out on the water to take readings?’ asked Carl.

‘Yes’, said Anna, ‘I wont be accused of not being thorough if it was some unknown type of jump event…’

‘If what?’ asked her husband, ‘I mean from what you have told me about these creatures they are light years ahead of us, and like to keep their secrets like Teladi like to keep their credits!’

‘I know, and maybe a little part of me hopes it stays that way but I still have to look’, confessed the Professor.

‘Well maybe a boat trip could be fun. Do you think El and Rav will come along for the ride?’ asked Carl.

‘Its not a tourist trip’, complained Anna feeling mildly affronted, ‘I suppose Ravn will insist there is no shaking him as the RJL Security Chief, and El will tag along as he can‘t shake her.’

‘At least they have their own hovel does that machine have to go into standby at the foot of our pallet these days?’ asked Carl eyeing the yellow casing not entirely convinced it was really sleeping - after all why would it?

‘I think its kind of touching’, said Anna knowing recently she had been indulgent.

‘It’s off putting’, said Carl looking into her jade eyes.

‘I’m obviously losing my allure, when an inanimate lump of yellow is a distraction’, teased Anna.

‘Hmmmmmm’, replied Carl thinking about that quip about good genes.



At the ‘Manse Demonic’ Garrin was still hanging around much to Tur Ryn’s growing frustration. Life would be so much simpler if you could just dispose of everyone that annoyed you, then again Tur had to admit the body count would get rather horrendous.

What did K see in the waster! Still at least he wasn’t a Pirate so in many ways it was a step in the right direction. Tur couldn’t believe that Elaen had tore into - him - about how he treated Kerry claiming he was suffocating her. Fekking females never knew when to mind their own business, and after he had helped to rescue the wench, and magnanimously played host to her little group too! Still it had been kind of funny, like a mouse standing up to a cat, and had in its own way forced The Devil to reconsider his position, and relax - at least a little!

It was true for some inexplicable reason since his return to Beachhead it was hard to accept that Kerry was almost (if not) grown up. Tur knew he kept seeing her as the threatened child she had been, not as she was, damn it I missed so much among the blood, and ruins was there no going back? Why was that wastrel still here? Especially after I warned G if he touched her I’d personally rip it off, and make a trophy of it - did the young idiot think I was joking?

Tur dropped the shades, and linked into the Manses security via BANE to watch over his ward like the Guardian Angel of old! It’s not wrong, he told himself, what would be wrong would be marching G out, handing him over to some of the boys less gentle attentions, and locking K up until she was old enough to know better! Bloody G had the Nights Daughters nibbling out of his hands - so I can’t trust them - to The Devils ire they seemed to think the RJL partner was a suitable match, reasonably harmless, and perfect for K to practice her young talents on! Well there would be no practicing such talents on his watch!

Kerry was massaging her puppy, which was busy licking her fingers. The Devils Blood had known the moment she saw G that he was the perfect foil for her Guardian. Kerry didn’t feel too bad about it either - Garrin was probably having the time of his life - flirting with the four Nights Daughters, and herself, plus he knew how to relax as a guest, and make the most of the privileges of an accidental connection much to Tur’s added annoyance (it was all rather beautiful), and G hardly even seemed to notice the steam rising out of the infernal ones ears.

G was a constant reminder while he was around that Kerry wasn’t a child anymore. It was a cunning plan hatched after a discussion with Elaen. El was great, warm caring, and much smarter, and humorous than she looked. The solid AF police sergeant had been nothing but encouraging insisting G was kept out of the plot, and in some ways the butt of the joke. Apparently El and G had some serious history.

As long as she didn’t actually let the Master of The Grim Reaper do anything silly he should be safe enough, after all Tur was pretending to be all civilised hiding his sharp talons behind soft leather gloves these days K giggled to herself.

In time G would grow bored even of the energetic foursome of the Nights Daughters, had they? Not in the Manse anyway, but they did occasionally go out together in various groups sometimes without K. Kerry wondered if she was jealous, then decided to forget it, and move on it wasn‘t as if she was really interested in Garrin, and if one or more of the Daughters bedding him down kept G around to fulfil his more useful function who was she to argue - it was just politics - played out in a manner Tur knew only too well.

Love was a weapon too, Kerry hadn’t been sorry to see the back of FAITH, but she did miss Jess on occasion K had come to suspect Jess had been more genuine than many. Still K had learned not to grow too used to those around her discovering at an early age that most of those with whom she came in contact tended to die suddenly in combat. Instead K began to make the most of the changes - just as she now planned to make the best use of G - to win some concessions, and freedoms from her overbearing protector - before Garrin’s restless soul forced him back to the stars. Talking to G it was obvious that space itself was his real mistress, his first and only true love, females were just temporary distractions that was why Garrin, and Elaen had been doomed, thought Kerry, it was unfair competition.



Back on the Lost For Words upon arrival after finishing her survey Anna’s group found they were forced to have some kind of protective medical shot against viral infections, perhaps some new precaution after Bala Gi‘s Joy! Anna was then brought in to see Linus. Anna noticed the ANI agent wasn’t alone he had Tebbin with him, she also could see that it looked like Linus was getting ready to depart with some auto luggage sitting nearby with his name clearly displayed on it. Anna didn’t feel too good the shot didn’t seem to have agreed with her - she had been warned about a few minor side effects.

Tebbin looked older than Anna remembered she guessed the loss of Fay had hit the old Argon hard or was he feeling unwell too.

‘I’ll go report to Plu then’, said the Agent moving towards the exit, ‘Professor Dei’, he nodded, ‘Ravn’, he greeted to the security chief outside before the door closed, and he was gone.

‘Please take a seat, that immunity booster is a bit brutal, so you are all done then - another report for us to lose eh!’ said Linus.

Anna couldn’t help frowning at that; it was far too close to the truth, all the pain for what?

‘I’m sorry that was indelicate of me. I have an occasional habit of speaking my mind’, said Linus.

‘The truth often cuts deeper than any lie’, admitted Anna.

‘Sadly that is a fact’, agreed Linus taking his own seat.

‘You are leaving?’ asked Anna still feeling a little queasy and dizzy.

‘Mine was just a temporary assignment’, explained the Agent.

‘So off to new challenges like myself perhaps’, said Anna.

‘Perhaps, about your mother Anna we hope to have that settled soon now that we have Sven by the short hairs’, noted Linus.

‘I hope so’, replied Anna, ‘is that why you asked to see me?’

‘No it is even more personal than that. Fay as you know was a cunning old hag’, said Linus laughing, ‘we will all miss her. Anyway I have been reviewing some of the hidden locked up personnel files, and it appears not everyone was actually on the Argon Incentive a few were on a sort of probationary placebo’, stated Linus.

‘Are you saying I don’t have that toxin in my veins?’ asked Anna.

‘Apparently not, although that could be rectified rather easily, however Anna like a very few others you are an exceptional case. Really it was a little bit cheeky of Fay to conscript you in the first place although we can understand why - it was the times. However given my understanding of our curious unknowns I don’t really think it is such an issue anymore. With the destruction of the Fortress the Hive access Core generator is gone. While your Corealien are as - well lets face it - inscrutable as ever!’ stated the Spy.

‘So what happens now?’ asked the Professor.

‘Well you have obviously signed official secrets and you will always have some affiliation to ANI but you are no longer in the Legion, let’s say you have been honourably discharged’, said Linus.

‘Yet you will be keeping an eye on me’, said Anna.

‘Well that goes without question, and if we need your talents again we won’t be behind calling but otherwise you are off the leash. So if you want to you can even go back to Civilian researches. Do you Anna?’ asked Linus.

‘I’m not sure after recent events I have lost a little of my appetite for xeno-archaeology’, confessed the Professor, ‘I fear I am beginning to think Febr was right we should let some sleeping dogs lie.’

‘Febr was as wise as he was brilliant’, agreed Linus.

‘Well Anna you can consider yourself dismissed. Look after yourself the Argon Federation needs people that Think not just people who Fight I know right now it may seem that all your good work has gone to waste but only the Gods know what the future holds or how what you have uncovered may assist our evolution as a species. I trust you will continue to look after Wasted Intelligence for us’, finished Linus.

‘I have decided to continue Fays policy towards my mechanical Personal Assistant’, noted Anna.

‘Very good, you are looking a little better the side effects should wane in a few station cycles. Enjoy your future Professor Dei, and try to think kindly of the Admiral she was only doing what she believed had to be done, and having inherited her materials (for a while) I know she was not always comfortable with every decision’, explained Linus.

‘I know, I believe before Fay’s untimely end we were beginning to comprehend each other’, said Anna.

Linus stood up and grasped Anna’s hand, ‘good luck then Citizen Dei, though I hear you are well equipped having especially good genes’, he laughed.



Back at their temporarily assigned quarters the group minus G still on Aladna gathered to discuss their future.

‘So where do we go from here?’ asked Carl.

‘We go home though we will have to beg a lift since G is still chasing after those girls with his tongue hanging out’, said Anna.

‘Leaving G back there worries me’, said Ravn, ‘I tried talking some sense into him but he wasn’t listening!’

‘As long as its just his tongue hanging out he’ll be ok, that fool can look after himself, he has the Devils luck’, said Elaen.

‘So does the Devil’, noted Rav.

‘So is it back to RJL central, and New Four?’ asked Carl.

‘I suppose’, replied Anna, ‘at least for the moment. How is your situation El do you still have a job with AF?’

‘I believe so, the Navy pulled some strings, and it was hardly my fault I got caught on a quarantined ship’, said the Sergeant.

‘Well Ravn do you think we could find a job for Carl with Reaper Jump Liners, or would that be stepping on toes?’ asked the Professor.

‘Carl you can have my job if you want it? In truth there is more than enough work to go around I’d be content running the close protection end of things, and a few other subsections’, noted Rav.

‘That’s very generous Ravn but maybe you should employ Elaen I have a hankering to fly on my own - no offence Anna - but a male needs some independence, so I plan to start up a little Private Investigation service’, stated Carl.

‘That’s wonderful said Anna. As much as I love you I don’t want to be with you every moment of every cycle that can put a lot of strain on any relationship’, she said.

‘Fascinating’, said Wasted Intelligence, ’does that mean I should occasionally make myself scarce?’ asked the Machine.

‘Occasionally’, said Carl with a raised eyebrow to some group laughter.



Sometime later in Elena’s Fortune after its latest refit the Lost For Words flew towards Freedom Station while inside swimming in a large flooded command tank section Plu Dup watched the screen showing space dust, and micro meteors streaming by.

‘So how does it feel?’ asked Tebbin.

‘Plu is delighted to say that it feels like home’, replied the Boron Admiral, and Commander in Chief.

As they neared Freedom they could see the almost fully constructed additional new Argon Habitat module that would house the new Legion of the Damned, Plu Dup’s Legion rather than Fay’s. Well it’s not The Fortress, thought Tebbin, but it’s a start. He had hoped Linus would have knocked him into semi retirement but Teb knew he should have calculated better ANI didn’t let you go that easy!



Back in the sector of Argon Prime onboard another carrier the ‘Argon One’ Ban Danna watched the ‘Lost For Words’ arriving at Freedom via advanced satellite hook up upon a massive screen.

‘Well that is almost the final piece of that one’, said the Argon Head of Intelligence, ‘just one more thing to do’, he was holding a data store.

Ban took a GTD to a very special location on his Carrier a place only he ever went. There the Head of Argon Intelligence submitted to a - he hoped fail proof - genetic scan to gain access to an inner chamber. Inside the Agent put on a modified vacuum suit capable of protecting him from the effects of extremely unhealthy levels of cargo bay space compression.

Danna opened another heavy armoured airlock like a great safe door, and entered into a long fully automated warehouse overseen by machines. It was his treasure hoard of buried secrets, both prohibited information, and technologies! Walking over to one section the Argon pulled out a coded box, and looking at the Ego Capture of the Admiral Fay one last time put it inside before securing the box back into its fitted slot.

‘I won’t say goodbye old girl, it is never wise to provoke the fates by saying never, but I will say sleep well’, finished Ban to the warped air before leaving.



The Corealien had to admit to a degree of abiding fascination with the ‘Lost For Words’. Her interest went well beyond the logical understanding of the composite material shell, and or the interactive units incorporated within - including the biological life form crew that allowed the Carrier to function to its maximum potential.

The Queen now knew her species didn’t need such artificial aids as Ships to travel - in fact even the Citadel Ark that had once so impressed the young Deity was shockingly antique growing more so every nanosecond - little more than a working museum filled with living exhibits although such individuals as the just as antiquated ‘Unlimited Connected’ and the ‘Few’ being exhibits themselves didn’t actually know this.

The poorly labelled ‘Limited Access’ promoted (it sometimes considered) more by fluke, and curiosity rather than any particularly special merit - believed she had at last arrived past the final deception - to see a little of the real reality beyond! However, of all entities resident in this universe Limited knew the trap of a perceptual arrogance having fallen into, and escaped several. The experience Limited likened to a stack of boxes one inside the other, only moving from the inside most confining space out, so that each opened to ever wider places, yet still incorporated all that had previously been known!

For a brief moment the amusingly quaint ‘Wasted Intelligence’ avatar permitted itself to be fully cut off from its connection. To experience the Universe through its own basic systems almost like the primitives did, now this separateness felt both scary if strangely wonderful this break in transmission_


the end.



[On behalf of P66 Plu Dup politely requests that comments are put in new comment thread (you can vote there too) this Boron thanks you for your cooperation.]