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Post by Astraea on Mar 11, 2005 20:38:42 GMT -6
Astraea had been thoroughly enjoying the tray of cold chopped steak, runny mashed potatoes with thick gelled gravy and extraordinarily spicy green beans while she listened to the IFB reports. She would have turned her nose up at the unappealing spread yahrens before, but after existing on Cylon fair, it was a gourmet meal to her now.
She had been moved to an even smaller room than she was in previously with nothing more than a table and chair, but the addition of the fleet monitor made the confined quarters bearable. She turned on the news station and listened to repeated reports of the condition of various ships, the concern for fuel as well as other normal topics while she savored every bite.
“And coming up next,” the newswoman reported, “an update on the conviction of Major Brie in the deaths of Captains Lazant and Amy from the Battlestar Callisto.”
Astraea started choking on her food and barely forced it down before her stomach could revolt so that she could breath. She stared up at the monitor in stunned disbelief. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” she said to the monitor as the reporter gave a brief recap of Brie’s tribunal and the surprising outcome.
There had been a time when she hated the then Captain Brie for assigning her to the mission which ended in her capture, but that had eventually passed. She knew no one was to blame other than the Cylons and she still wondered whether the ancient craft had been a ploy to lure the Callisto into a trap, but all that didn’t matter. The stunning news that Brie had been convicted of the erroneous deaths confused her even more when she learned that the Chief Protector had no intention of filing for a reversal.
“What is going on?” Astraea whispered then listened intently to the details. Boleman was a name that she knew well. She had spoken with the protector on several occasions and had sat in on a few of his tribunals. He was always kind to her and would try to spare a micron whenever she had any questions about proceedings. Even though she knew very little about the workings of the courts, she had been impressed with Boleman on a whole and she couldn’t imagine someone of his caliber losing such an obvious farce to Major Pierce.
She had met the major on several occasions as well and he made her skin crawl. There had been something suggestively sexual in the way that he spoke to her although he never said anything out rightly inappropriate. Still, she limited any contact with him and generally went through his staff when she was collecting details for her history scans.
“In an unusual turn of events,” the reporter continued, “after the conviction Captains Lazant and Amy were discovered alive although there is some question as to whether Captain Amy will survive her injuries. Many had speculated that there would be a second tribunal and that Major Brie would be cleared of all charges, but Chief Protector Boleman informed this station that Brie has admitted to her mistakes and willingly accepts the sentence given to her by the tribunal panel.”
“What?” Astraea barked out. “That’s the dumbest thing I ever heard!” She had to force herself to concentrate on the IFB report. Her mind was already sifting through the information to get to the real truth behind what she was hearing.
“We learned a few centons ago that Boleman himself issued a ship-wide plea to all available personnel onboard the Battlestar Callisto to report to the Commanders Briefing Room. We have since confirmed that the Callisto IS being searched, but core command is unavailable for comment. Sources onboard the Callisto have informed this reporter that they are, in fact, searching for Major Brie who has escaped from the brig.”
Astraea drew in a sharp breath. “There is something going on,” she whispered. Her eyes danced as she stared at the blank wall in front of her. She hadn’t known Brie for long, but she knew that Brie was a woman of her word. If she had really accepted her incarceration, she wouldn’t have tried to escape.
“As of this broadcast, we have been unable to locate Major Pierce for comment, but we suspect that the Chief Opposer will want to…”
“Excuse me…excuse me Yalen,” the news anchor interrupted. “We have a report coming in.” He paused for a moment as he pressed his earpiece and nodded. The anchorman looked directly into the camera, his expression grave. “I have just been informed that we have picked up a distress signal from the Livestock Ship. It is unknown at this time the nature of the distress signal, but we will keep you updated as the information becomes available.”
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Post by Astraea on Mar 23, 2005 2:45:43 GMT -6
“One more correction before we move on with this story,” the reporter stated as she glanced at her notes. “It wasn’t Protector Boleman who made that call to all available men onboard the Battlestar Callisto, but Chief Security Officer Buellah.”
Astraea glared at the monitor as she scratched off Boleman’s name and absently jotted Buellah in its place. That had been the fifth retraction in the last centar and she was getting frustrated keeping up with her scattered notes. “This is why I never watched the news reports,” she grumbled. “They never get their facts straight.”
“Sources are now telling me that the search for the escaped former Major Brie has been expanded from the Battlestar Callisto. An inside source tells this reporter that Brie may have actually slipped onto a shuttle that was on route to the Galactica, but was diverted to the Agro Ship. Since then, the Agro Ship has been put on alert and we presume that it is in an effort to find Major Br…excuse me, former Major Brie, but we can not establish communication with the Agro Ship.” The reporter gave a dramatic pause to let her words sink in. “Instead, we have this automated message.”
“The Agro Ship is on mandatory full alert. All landings and departures have been delayed until further notice. This is a recording.”
“There seems to be a lot of drama building,” the anchorman responded to his reporter. “Has there been any word from Commander Sheba or Colonel Charybdis on the search for former Major Brie?”
“None as yet,” the reporter returned. “The command center has been deemed off limits to the press and neither has issued a statement.”
“Is there any speculation as to why Major Brie would attempt to go to the Galactica?”
The reporter gave half a smile as she shook her head. “Speculation has run amuck where Brie is concerned. Some think that she hopes for some intervention by Commander Apollo. Some say she was actually trying to get to the Agro Ship and hijacked the shuttle.”
The anchor shook his perfectly groomed head. “Why would Brie want to go to the Agro Ship?”
“Some seem to think that Brie was so bereaved over what happened to Captain Amy that she went to the Agro Ship in an attempt to speak with Captain Amy’s mother.”
“What?” Astraea spit out as she stared at the monitor. “That makes no sense. Why would Brie risk her life just to see Amy’s mother?”
Astraea glanced over the table scattered with notes. She had to hound the guards for some sort of notepad and ended up with one of their log books. It was ridiculously small and Astraea had to tear out the pages to keep them in order as correction after correction needed to be made. The IFB had rehashed Brie’s tribunal and Astraea had jotted furious notes, but nothing made sense to her.
“Something’s going on,” she stated with certainty. There were too many factors involved in Brie’s tribunal that weren’t adding up. Protector Boleman being at the top of her list. “Where was her defense?” she asked as she stared at Boleman’s name. She had a great deal of respect for that man. “What were you thinking?” She shook her head as she tried to put herself in Boleman’s place. “I know you hated to lose to Pierce. You always did. So why would you hand a tribunal to him on a silver platter?”
“Let’s go Lieutenant.”
Astraea stared at the guard in the doorway blankly for a long moment before she snapped out of her daze. She glanced up at the monitor which had a still shot of Major Brie in the corner while the commentary continued. “Go where?” she asked as she absently gathered up her notes.
“You’ve got a date with the doc,” he replied as he purposefully rapped his stun rod against the palm of his hand.
Astraea ignored the intimidating move as she stared up at the monitor. The anchorman was once again interrupting the ongoing story. “This just in.” He pressed his earpiece with his index finger and nodded. “We are receiving word of an uprising on the livestock ship. Details are sketchy. It is unknown whether it is a problem with the animals or if this is some sort of human protest.”
The co-host of the news show drew in a dramatic breath as the camera focused on both anchors. “In either case, having the Livestock Ship and the Agro Ship on alert should have the attention of the entire fleet. Where’s Commander Apollo in all of this?” the man taunted. “Where’s Commander Sheba?”
“Wait…there….” Astraea stuttered as she jostled her pen and papers to add to her notes while her guards took her by the arms and lead her out of the room. She craned her neck back to catch as much of the IFB broadcast as she could before the doors closed behind them.
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Post by Col. Charybdis on Mar 23, 2005 12:13:33 GMT -6
It was all happening so fast. No one could keep up.
Brie had escaped. Amy was still in med lab. Astraea had returned alive. Elmer committed suicide in my own turboflush. And now reports of the Agro ship and the livestock ship? I had gotten a couple of reporters wanting to know something about that.
Who knew what the frack was going on?
I barged onto the bridge. "What the frack is going on? Report?"
I waited until someone could give me the full rundown...
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Post by Brie on Mar 23, 2005 13:14:28 GMT -6
Note: I'm posting this here, and under Major Buellah's Day Off. ** Major Buellah saw that Colonial Charybdis had returned to the bridge, and knew that there would be questions to answer. He stepped out of the Ready Room long enough to hear the colonial say “What the frack is going on? Report?”
“Colonial,” Buellah called, “in here. “I’ll try to answer all your questions.” Buellah sat down again and Charybdis took a seat, eyeing the CQ’s commanding officer suspiciously. “Let me tell you right off that I’m heading this investigation under Commander Sheba’s complete authority. She knows what’s going on, as does Commander Apollo. In fact Boleman and I just spoke with him.” Buellah realized that it probably seemed strange that Boleman, a civilian, was involved with a military matter. If only Charybdis knew the whole story.
“So what’s going on?” Charybdis repeated.
“A couple of centars ago,” Buellah started, “an alarm went off in the brig. I responded immediately, and discovered that Brie had escaped. She obviously had help, the guards were drugged. I traced her to the Laundry Room but lost her trail after that. We had already grounded all ships except for a Black Squadron patrol, whose vipers were searched before taking off. We discovered that the timeline might have been off, she might have escaped earlier and snuck onto a shuttle bound for the Galactica. The shuttle had technical problems and landed on the Agro Ship. They’ve since been shut down as well, but fifteen ships had already departed. Brie could be anywhere in the fleet. That’s pretty much the whole story.” Major Buellah knew that there was a LOT more to the story, but until given clearance he was under orders to tell no one, not ever a superior officer.
“And what about the Livestock Ship?” Charybdis asked.
“I don’t know anything about that,” Buellah replied truthfully. “I asked Commander Apollo when I spoke with him, and he told us not to worry about it.” Buellah glance at Boleman out of the corner of his eye and hoped that Charybdis wouldn’t ask any more questions.
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Post by Astraea on Mar 28, 2005 9:19:47 GMT -6
“Holy frack!” the med-tech exclaimed drawing the attention of everyone in the Life Station when he saw the initial scans of Astraea’s extremities. “You’re loaded with more Cylon spare parts than I’ve ever seen!”
Astraea was surprised by the heat that she felt flushing her cheeks. She had been through far more humiliating experiences over the past several yahren, but the med-tech’s avid interest in her physique was making her decidedly uncomfortable. He asked her a series of technical questions some of which seemed to be more to satisfy his own curiosity rather than necessary for the exam, but she answered them the best she could.
“How in the world did you crush your left arm and leg, but not the right?” He double checked his scans then grabbed both of her legs to see if he could feel the difference between bone and metal beneath her skin.
“I was shoved out of the way when a storage canister fell, but I was chained to another person.” His eyes darted up to hers as he waited for her to expound. “The prisoner under the two ton canister,” she added.
He grabbed both of her hands and turned them over. “Your left hand feels warmer than your right,” he remarked. “I almost expected it to be colder with metal under the skin.”
She gave a nod. “It stays that way. Something about the metal absorbing the body heat to maintain function. I didn’t quite understand all the specifics.”
“Remove your shirt.”
Astraea noticed that her two male guards standing near the door perked up at the suggestion. “I’d rather not.”
“I just want to see the scarring from the surgery.”
“There isn’t any scarring,” she informed him which lead to another series of questions. Astraea was leery of saying too much. She would give a full report to command, but she didn’t feel the need to inform the med-tech of the far superior medical equipment used by the Cylons.
The tech’s excitement grew when he discovered the implant behind Astraea’s right ear that was used to control her hallucinations and to subconsciously link her with other prisoners. She gave him only sketchy information about the implant as her eyes darted around the room.
She felt like she was on display in the Life Station. Techs and patients alike were finding a reason to move closer to her exam table and then they would eye her up and down. Fugitive glances were shot in her direction as people leaned in to whisper to each other.
Astraea sighed heavily. “And so it begins,” she whispered when the med-tech finally moved away to download his scans into the main computer. Even though she had longed for home, she had known for some time that her life would never be the same onboard the Callisto. After being in Cylon captivity for so long, she was expecting to be treated like an infiltrator rather than a colonist, but she had hoped to keep her extensive physical reconstruction under wraps.
She slid off of the exam table and reached for her jacket. More than ever she was looking forward to resuming her position as fleet historian. Being holed up in a room with nothing but her computer would be an oasis from all the stares and whispers, but she knew that she would have to undergo even more questions and judgmental looks before should could disappear. She was not looking forward to the review board. She just didn’t see how she could be reinstated as a warrior when everyone in the fleet would be watching their backs every time she was around. She had changed from a nobody to liability. Or worse…an oddity for all to ogle.
Several of her notes dropped out of her pocket as she shrugged into her jacket and she bent down to retrieve them. She could practically feel the eyes on her and the phrase “Cylon spy” drifted to her ear, but she ignored it. Astraea was entranced by what she saw. She had jotted down the name Boleman on one of the note papers and it landed atop a second sheet with just two words visible. “…through tribunal.”
Astraea drew in a startled gasp. “Boleman threw the tribunal,” she whispered. Her mind was back to sorting through what she had learned off of the IFB as she absently stuffed the papers back into her pocket. “But why?”
As she stood, she noticed the small room at the back of the Life Station and the single occupant. It was the first time she had seen Captain Amy since she had helped to put her in stasis on the Cylon cruiser. Astraea started heading in that direction when she caught sight of the two men guarding her suddenly springing to life. “Relax guys,” she insisted as she tossed them a wave. “I’m just going to visit with an old friend.”
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Post by Astraea on Apr 1, 2005 10:03:38 GMT -6
Astraea’s eyes darted around the Life Station as she walked back to the tiny room to see Amy. There were nineteen people in the med-lab including patients, staff and security with two doors out of the facility. Her escort stood at one door, but the other was being haphazardly watched by a blackshirt more interested in flirting with one of the med-techs than watching his station. That was her way out.
Astraea stopped in the doorway to Captain Amy’s room. She felt a bit of a chill crawl over her skin at the way Amy was laid out. It was almost as if she was being prepared for interment rather than receiving medical treatment.
“I see you’ve gotten better accommodations,” Astraea said lightly as she glanced around the room. Only the bare essentials were surrounding them most of which were machines hooked up to monitor the captain.
She walked around to the opposite side of the bed so that she could see out into the Life Station. “You clean up pretty well,” she commented for the ears she knew were straining to hear what a Cylon spy would have to say to a comatose hero. She gently moved aside a lock of hair where Amy had cut her scalp. “I’d say you’re pretty lucky getting to sleep off that beaut of a headache I’m sure you have. Maybe we can get someone in here to fix up your hair to cover that scar a bit.”
She glanced at the monitors even though she didn’t have a clue how to read them, but the angle gave her a discreet view of a couple of people eyeing her curiously. “It’s good to see that they got you patched up, but you really need to say something to your tailor. This med-chic is so yesterday. Maybe we can find a few accessories to perk you up.”
Astraea lowered her head and peered up through her lashes. The two men shook their heads at the typical female conversation before walking off to continue their duties. She gave half a smile as she looked at Amy. “Hair, clothes and shoes,” she said softly. “A sure fire way to drive off the male gender.”
Her smile slowly faded as she took in Amy’s pale features. She looked so young, so frail. Astraea wondered for a moment if Amy had any family or friends. The IFB had mentioned Amy’s mother, but she was no where to be seen. Astraea looked out into the med-lab with new eyes. There weren’t any pacing friends or weeping parents hovering over Amy’s bed. She had returned from a suicide mission and should be celebrating with her ship mates and yet she was placed on display, alone.
Astraea suddenly had to swallow passed a lump in her throat and she turned back to Amy with a look of sympathy. She put her hand on Amy’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “Not to worry my friend,” she said in a light tone. “I’ll be back to see you again.” She glanced out at the bustling Life Station. Interest in her had seemed to have waned. “If I don’t land in the brig first,” she whispered.
She knew that she was being impulsive, but she just couldn’t understand why someone as distinguished as Protector Boleman would deliberately throw a tribunal and she wanted to get some answers. One of the bridge crew had come by the Life Station microns ago complaining about Boleman being on the bridge so she knew just where to look. She only hoped that she could slip in and out without notice.
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Post by Astraea on Apr 1, 2005 13:04:14 GMT -6
The klaxon sounding had been the perfect distraction for Astraea. Everyone loitering in the Life Station disappeared as they returned to their duty stations with renewed energy. She had slipped out of the med-lab undetected and made her way to the bridge with barely a passing glance from bustling crewmen. She swiped a data pad from one of the outer stations then paused to twist her hair up into a bun before sneaking a peak onto the bridge.
The few people that she could see from the side entrance weren’t familiar to her so she dared to step inside. She feigned intense interest in her data pad as she discreetly scanned the bridge from a better vantage point. Her head rose slightly when she saw Boleman standing over one of the techs in the communications center of the bridge. She could tell from the expression on his face that he was worried.
Astraea darted another glance around before heading to the communications pit. She kept her head bowed as she strode across the uppermost section then down the short flight of steps. She let out an involuntary squeak when Charybdis suddenly appeared next to her and she covered her face with the data pad, but his attention was focused on the command tower and he mounted the steps without giving her a passing glance.
She let out a relieved sigh and hurried through the assortment of bridge crew before finally reaching Boleman. She didn’t bother to stop, just whispered as she passed behind him. “I need to speak with you urgently.”
Boleman turned one way and then the other at the strange voice behind him until he caught sight of a female warrior walking away from him toward a side exit. She obviously didn’t want to be seen with him which was the general response he had received from the warriors on the Callisto since Brie’s conviction. His eyes narrowed when she paused at the exit and turned toward him. She was only vaguely familiar to him at first then he drew in a startled breath. “It can’t be.”
“Sir?” the communication officer questioned tentatively as she looked up at him.
Boleman shook his head as he turned back to the officer. “Tell them to actually send someone down to the mess hall,” he ordered. “My wife won’t answer a hail if she’s busy.”
“Yes sir.”
He glanced around the bridge then quickly followed the unlikely ghost from his past. Boleman stepped out into the hallway then hesitated when it was completely vacant. He was scratching at his head wondering if he should look further or simply chalk up the vision to stress when a door slid open near him. He snuck a peek inside and could tell from the smell alone that it was a cleaning supply closet. “Hello?”
“Close the door and I’ll turn on the lights,” Astraea whispered. She couldn’t believe her luck in passing through the bridge and she wasn’t taking any more chances.
“Astraea?” he said in disbelief as he hesitantly put one foot in the door. She shushed him and he felt a shiver run up his spine. “It’s not possible,” he muttered, but slowly moved the rest of the way in so the door would slide closed. When she flipped on the lights, his mouth dropped open. “By the lords…” he breathed.
“It’s good to see you again Protector,” she said with a genuine smile.
“Are you…” he said as he reached out to poke her with his index finger “real?”
Astraea crooked an eyebrow. “I can assure you, with some certainty, that I’m not a hallucination.” She rubbed at the back of her neck subconsciously for the telltale sign of warmth from the Cylon implant.
He shook his head, his look still dumbfounded. “It’s a miracle and we could sure use some around here about now.”
“Because of Major Brie or because of the alert on the agro and livestock ships?”
His lips moved in response, but he remained silent. He was still trying to wrap his mind around the fact that she was standing there in front of him. “Where did you come from? How did you get here?”
“I flew in with Captains Lazant and Amy. I was one of the prisoners on the basestar where they had to make a pit stop.”
“That’s incredible. And you’ve been on a basestar all this time?”
She shrugged her shoulders as she nodded. Her time was limited and this was not the conversation that she wanted to have. “One or another.”
“Does Colonel Charybdis know that you’re alive?” He had expected the two of them to take the seal at one time if Astraea hadn’t been presumed dead. He could still remember the devastated look on the colonel’s face at Astraea’s memorial.
She couldn’t stop the corners of her mouth from turning up at the mention of his name. “We’ve spoken a couple of times,” she said softly.
“He must be ecstatic,” he blurted then a light dawned. The colonel had moved on after Astraea’s death and, at his own admittance during the tribunal, he was involved with Captain Amy. He wondered for a micron if Astraea knew.
“Stunned would be a better word,” she corrected. “We haven’t had much of a chance to talk, but with everything going on, the colonel has been busy.”
He rubbed his hand over his head. “That’s an understatement,” he muttered.
Astraea had spent enough time with the protector to know there was a lot behind that comment. She had a feeling that there was more for her to discover. “Care to fill me in on what’s really going on?”
Boleman chuckled at the familiar question. She had asked him that same thing on any number of occasions while researching for her history scans. “I’ve actually missed hearing that even though you digging around went beyond annoying on occasion.”
She gave him half a smile. “I seem to recall a time or two when my digging actually helped you out.”
He smiled as well. “Yeah, you do have a knack for finding obscure facts.”
“Well, all I’m trying to do right now is understand what has happened in the fleet. Starting with Major Brie.”
He straightened then gave her a dispassionate look. “Now Astraea, you know better than anyone that I can’t discuss a case that I’m working on.”
Her eyebrow rose. “Working on? I thought that the case was close once the person was convicted.” There was only a slight flicker in his expression, but Astraea caught it. He was attempting to use his practiced tribunal persona, but she could see right through him. Brie’s case wasn’t closed at all.
“There’s always the chance of retrial should Captain Amy survive,” he stated calmly.
“But didn’t Major Brie already forfeit that right by signing some sort of confession?” Astraea countered.
He shifted slightly as if he was going back out the door. “You know, I almost wish that I was talking to a ghost right now. At least then you might pass on some words of wisdom about the great beyond instead of chaffing my butt.”
Astraea’s mouth dropped open and her eyes grew wide. That was a completely uncharacteristic statement for Boleman to make and she nearly laughed. “What’s the matter Protector? Am I sniffing around in the wrong place? Or am I right in assuming that you wouldn’t throw a tribunal without a bigger purpose in mind?”
He shook his head at her. The last thing that he needed at the moment was Astraea hounding him for information that he simply couldn’t give her. There were too many lives at risk. “Wait a micron. I do seem to recall a prisoner being brought back with Captains Lazant and Amy.” His eyes narrowed as he leaned closer to her. “Aren’t you supposed to be under guard?”
The corner of her mouth twitched up. “Touché.”
“Look, I’m not going to report this as long as you get back to where you’re supposed to be. There’s far too much going on for me to get into a debate with you including trying to track down my wife.”
“Trula’s missing?”
“She’s not missing,” he denied automatically. “She’s just…in transit and I haven’t been able to catch up with her yet.”
Astraea wanted to press, but she could tell that Boleman was getting aggravated and he only spouted policies when he got into that mood. “Well, when you do, tell her that I said hello and that I’ve been dreaming about her honey sponge soufflé.”
His anger dissipated somewhat. “I will,” he promised. “It is good to see you again Astraea.”
She drew back slightly when he reached out to give her an awkward hug, but she lightly wrapped her arms around his middle for the brief contact. “You too.”
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Post by Astraea on Apr 3, 2005 14:19:13 GMT -6
“Where would she go?” Sergeant Almack of fleet security said as they continued to search for Astraea on their way back to the holding area. “It’s not like she had this long list of friends.”
Sergeant Naggis let out a puff of air. “Yeah, it’s pretty sad when the only people listed to notify in case of death are in your chain of command. Do you think we should contact Colonel Charybdis?”
Almack’s eyes grew wide. “Are you out of your mind? The lieutenant is going to ream us as it is. What do you think the colonel would say about us letting a Cylon spy loose around the Callisto?” He took a couple of steps further than his partner then stopped when Naggis looked down a garbage chute. “What are you doing?”
“Looking for clues,” he returned matter-of-factly.
“What clues? She didn’t kill someone. She walked out of the med-lab. We need to find her not clues.”
“You never know. She might have shoved her uniform down the chute or something.”
“What for?” he asked in an aggravated tone. “She would blend in better in uniform than running around naked.” A smile rose on both of their faces as they pictured Astraea doing just that. In the silence, Almack heard a faint sound and shook himself out of his daydream. “What’s that noise?”
Naggis rubbed at his midriff. “Oh, just my stomach. I haven’t had lunch yet.”
“Not that, you idiot. Listen,” he insisted and they could just make out a rapped tap. Almack turned around to face the door behind him. It was the same room that Astraea was originally being held. “Sounds like it’s coming from inside.” He took out his security key and opened the door to find Astraea sitting at the computer terminal. “What in Hades…? How did you get in here?”
Astraea turned at the interruption and frowned. “The other two blackshirts brought me back here from the Life Station. I thought you two were off duty.”
“What other two black…” he shook his head at the derogatory nickname. “What other security personnel? What were there names?”
Astraea gave them a distasteful look. “How would I know? I don’t know your names and you’ve been with me for centars.” The two men muttered between themselves for several microns before closing the door.
Astraea turned back to her monitor with a sly smile. It had been easy to break into the room once she made her way back to holding. She figured that would be the last place that her two guards would look for her and it gave her enough time to attach the cables she had stolen to the computer monitor. She downsized her reports and pulled up the site for past IFB broadcasts. Linking into the library had been a snap for her once the cables were attached thanks to everyone overlooking her private password after her death.
“Now let’s see if we can figure out what’s really going on,” she whispered.
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Post by Astraea on Apr 9, 2005 12:18:32 GMT -6
“But why was Pierce heading the prosecution?” Astraea mumbled to herself as she searched the archives. “He hasn’t been in on a tribunal in yahrens.” She clicked through a few more files. “Maybe a check of his office communications will shed some light on all this.”
“Excuse me. Sorry Cereus, but we must interrupt your report for breaking news from the Agro Ship.”
Astraea heard the IFB anchorman breaking into the regular report and she downsized all of her other windows to view the tiny live feed she established on the computer. She glanced over at the door, but knew she wouldn’t get interrupted. She hadn’t heard a sound from her guards in some time.
“I’ve just been in contact with one of the hostages on the Agro Ship,” the reporter announced.
“Hostages?” the anchorman repeated. “So someone has tried to take over the Agro Ship?”
“It would appear so,” the reporter returned, “and the culprit is none other than the former Major Brie. I have one of the hostages on the line. Bangees is a horticultural specialist on board the Agro Ship. Bangees? Can you hear me?”
There was a garbled voice over the line with mounting static. “Can’t t….moving…not…”
“Bangees? Are you there?” he reiterated, but was answered with more static. “We appear to have lost the connection so I will simply repeat what Bangees already passed onto me. Bangees was working in the fields when several armed personnel came into one of the domes and ordered everyone to drop their farming implements. One of the workers tried to disarm an armed man and was killed in the process. The rest of the workers were confined in the Rec Room area onboard the Agro Ship where they were eventually rescued by other workers. That is when Bangees contacted the IFB to tell us, and I quote, ‘Major Brie has taken over the Agro Ship with a dog named Roy’.”
“A dog named Roy?” the anchor repeated. “What’s a dog?”
The reporter shook his head. “Our research team hasn’t been able to come up with an answer for that one….”
“A dog is an antiquated term for a daggit you nimrods,” Astraea told the computer screen. “If your staff paid any attention to the history logs, you would know that and how ridiculous that statement is.”
Astraea sighed heavily as she shook her head. She just couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “What in Hades have I come back to?”
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Post by Col. Charybdis on May 25, 2005 12:42:01 GMT -6
I left Amy's bedside after seeing Brie come out of surgery. The doctor said she would probably be OK, but had a lot of convalesent time ahead of her.
I headed for the one person I needed to see. Someone from my past who could still talk to me.
I went to the security section and beeped in to see Astraea...
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