ADMIN: I edited this together from what was originally three posts to preserve continuity, as well as cleaning up the grammar somewhat and doing a couple of miniscule rewrites to make it read better. From B7P7 () From dshaffer@andromeda.rutgers.edu (Donald A Shaffer) Subject: [Hive][Cain]: Urgent warnings... Date: Tue, 27 Apr 1993 01:59:51 GMT Date: 27 Apr 93 17:23:01 GMT Date: Wed, 28 Apr 1993 02:13:41 GMT Cain was standing with the others outside the lab, waiting to see what would happen next. The team Burke had called was on its way, and the others were still asking questions of Burke and PW. Cain had decided to let Dr. Foxx and Burke do the talking--he was all out of questions for now. Suddenly, a shrill beeping noise was heard. Burke looked like he was about to jump out of skin as he whirled to find its source, then sighed with relief as he saw it was only Cain's communicator, which the black clad merc was quickly fishing out of his belt pouch. "What the hell..." Cain began, then was startled into silence when he heard the strained voice of his friend Troy Daniels come screeching through. "Cain! Captain Cain. Soulstar Cain." Cain pressed the send button and began to answer, but was cut off by a terrible feedback whine. "Damnit Cain. Answer . Kilrahh One . Blips here, Cain. . Cain swore and looked ready to throw his comm unit on the ground. "Burke! This damn building of yours is interfering. What the hell is it made of, anyways?" Cain didn't wait for the scientist to answer, but quickly continued as he looked both ways down the corridor. "Where's the nearest uplink, Burke. I need to get this message through. You have a comm link nearby?" "Y-yeah, down that way." He pointed down the corridor to the left. "Just around the corner. What is this all about, Cain?" The black haired man turned to run in the direction Burke had indicated, and shot back over his shoulder as he did, "It's about big trouble, Burke. The Soulstar's back early. Too damn early." Cain sprinted down the hall, nearly knocking a guard over as he rounded the corner. He didn't even slow, but closed the last fifty feet to the uplink comm station resting in the wall ahead. As he reached it, he pulled another device from his belt pouch, which he plugged into his comm unit, then into the uplink console. He frantically pushed a few buttons, then began to speak. "Cain here. What the hell are you doing back, Blips?! You aren't due for another six weeks! What the hell went wrong?" He waited. "Blips? You still with me? BLIPS! Shit!" Cain punched the console as he realized that the link was lost. Putting his comm unit back in his pouch, he sprinted back to where the group was waiting outside the lab. Even as Dr. Foxx began to ask him something, Cain turned quickly to PW and spoke, desperation in his voice. "PW, I need to ask something of you. Can I take your fastest transport? I _must_ get back to my ship. Something's gone terribly wrong, and my landing craft is in the desert on the far side of the complex. Please, I don't have much time. My crew's in grave danger if they aborted their mission and came running back this soon. I've got to get back into space." The look in Cain's eyes was so foreign from any that had been in them previously that day. The laughter was gone, and so was the coldness. Now they held just worry--and deep concern. "I'll be back as soon as I can, PW. I'm still in on this, but I've got to go to the Soulstar now." "Well, I guess so." A look of thought crossed one of PW's faces. "We can discuss usage fees later." PW's bear part did something with his tongue and then said, "Ground control? Come in ground control. This is PW here. Listen closely, I need a transport here at the Irece labs fast, and make it a quick one..." He paused, cocked his head, listening to a voice that none of the others were able to receive. When he next spoke, his voice was a good deal more agitated. "What?! A CHIMERA Team! Oh F*CK! AND a space battle? Hmmm." PW stared stared at Cain, "Some destroyers and fighter types eh? I think I know who one of them might belong to. Right expect part of me there quick and SEND that transport. I want it here as soon as possible. Got that? Good!" PW clicked off his communication and turned to Cain. "Cain, you have some explaining to do. Expect a transport here soon. And I hope you have some form of reimbursement also." One of PW's hawk members flew off out of a nearby skylight. PW turned to the rest of the 'expedition.' "Well gentleman, pardon the interruption. Now if there are no further interruptions...and Cain, part of me is going with you." A look of momentary relief came across Cain's face as he followed one of PW's wolf parts along the corridor. "Thanks a lot, PW. I really appreciate it. Now I don't have to steal anything from you to go on my own." At the sharp look he received, Cain laughed, and it became apparent that he was only joking. Or was he, PW wondered. "And don't worry, you will be completely reimbursed for any damages or costs that I incurr you. Well, as long as the Soulstar survives. Otherwise I'll have to work for you for free to pay the debt off." PW nodded, but pointed out the thing that Cain didn't answer. "I still want an explanation Cain." "I'm not sure that I can give you one. I was cut off before a stable link was established. I didn't think that I would be needing my communicator, so I didn't bring its accessories along. It doesn't surprise me in the least that you have this institute protected from foreign broadcasts. In fact, I'd be dissapointed in you if that precaution wasn't taken." "Get to the point, Cain," PW growled. "What is it that your ship has done to start up a battle in my space." "I really don't know, PW. There are some things I carry that are of extreme value. Hell, the ship itself is. They should have been gone for another six weeks. Something went drastically wrong for them to come back so early." "And where would they be coming back from. What exactly was their mission, my friend." "No offense, PW, but I reserve the right under the New Geneva Convention on Military Actions, charter A1209-Z3p, not to disclose classified information unless it threatens the safety of your zone. What my crew were doing could not have sparked this. It was something else. I'm not sure, but I'd hazard a guess that it's TARN. But what they would be doing there..." Cain shook his head. "TARN? What's TARN? You don't mean the TerraIV Navy, do you?" PW asked with surprise. "What would they want with a mercenary when they have that bloody war going on?" "The very same PW. I'm surprised you know about it. Not many from TerraIV have ever come into the Riftspace. I may be a mercenary now, but I used to fly for the 'Navy. So did my whole crew. We were working deep covert in the TAAF, when we were double crossed by our own High Command. They weren't too happy when we survived. Of course, there's been a coverup, and I doubt that High General Firakk heard anything different than a group of agents went rogue and stole the new prototype ship. Needless to say, they want it back. But I'm not so sure that it's them." "As for the CHIMERA team, I have no idea what they are doing here. It has nothing to do with me, I assure you. I have contacts with the IGA, but I don't work for them. I've only ever had minor dealings with any CHIMERA opperatives. No, they're here for somebody else." Cain followed PW outside to wait for the transport.