Perception, being watched
As if waiting to be asked... I'd usually go for something sweet... well, everything sweet!
But, Rudo has been on me for eating healthier. Small frame, small mass, diet should be optimized, high protein, blah, blah... you know how he gets when he's on his soap-box.
Oren dug into a heap of eggs and bacon and was saving a short stack for dessert - yes, butter and syrup!
Sipping her cappuccino from an over-sized cup, she looked over it's rim to the doctor. It's actually not bad, but it's the company that counts.
Where'd you go off to? You seemed far off for a bit. Everything alright?
[dice=Perception, being watched]1d20+10
"Oh, just some old memories. When you get to be my age, damn near anywhere can feel nostalgic. Particularly when it comes to Terra, you humans are always moving at such a rapid pace." She largely deflects, before refocusing.
"Mm, Rudo. You and him are always going on about each other, aren't you?" She asks with an almost teasing tone of voice.
Lt. Krema and Legion-12, having completed their workload, sit in the prepped shuttle, heading back to Space Force Command in New York for one more meeting before the crew started returning to Guangzhou. Krema notes Legion pilots the vehicle quite adeptly.
En Route, the comm signals an incoming call from planetside (either PC may answer).
Legion shakes their head, "Worry not for my sake. It is true that these things are illegal, yet it is also true that when certain darker elements of a government engage in said actions, it it exists beyond the reach of law. Were there recourse to be taken, I would have done so already."
Legion-12 answers the call, "Commander Legion-12 speaking, accompanied by Lt. Reginald-Zretaden."
Well, of course... things change so much as you said. Since we fought off those D'Naki and saved that busload of kids, we've been the stability in each the other's... lives I guess.
I never had a brother, I think he lost his sister when he was younger.
Why do you ask, is it weird? Finishing up the eggs and bacon... Oren moves on to the blueberry buckwheat pancakes and doesn't spare any butter or syrup.
Looking up she smiles, Quick metabolism... a girl's gotta eat.
She returns it, "Of course."
It takes Ilrani longer to go through her own food, her species was quite the opposite compared to Oren's. "No, it's not weird in the least. I was merely wondering if there was something 'more' to your situation."
Legion-12 answers the call, "Commander Legion-12 speaking, accompanied by Lt. Reginald-Zretaden."
"One of your crew has sent you a private communication through the Command Encryption service. It's...highly irregular. A Petty Officer. Normally that channel is used mostly by covert ops teams. Any reason your crew should be communicating with you in such a clandestine manner?"
You mean... romantic or intimate? Not that's come up, no. She seems to think about it some more then shrugs, taking another sip.
Take your time with the meal, this non-hectic thing is nice...
"No idea. Send it through anyway. I want to see what this is about."
A momentary click while the call is put through, then a no-image audio feed begins. Legion recognizes the voice immediately.
"Legion, er, Commander, you gotta help me. I'm being set up for something big. The Terran Security Agency's been looking for me, and not in a good way. Something about material assistance to terrorists. I'm holed up in the old New York Space Port, you know, the one that's a big vacation spot now? Anyway. I'm sitting at a cafe at 8 in the morning wearing dark glasses. If you can think of anything to help me out of this, please get back with me."
"Mm, there's nothing wrong with having strong platonic companionship, perhaps I've merely misread the signals between you two." She pauses to take in some of her coffee, unsweetened and without milk. "Unless, of course, you want there to be something more."
Legion pinches the bridge of their nose, the nanite patterns on their skin glowing brightly in lieu of a deep breath of frustration.
The android thinks for a moment, ”Dammit Adelstein, what did you get yourself mixed up in? If it’s terrorists…well, better hope they’re good ones at least. Some sort of…Liberation Front or People’s Army, ideally.”
They turn to Krema, ”And there you have the…well, the unforeseen exigencies of command. need to deal with this. You’re welcome to come along as well as you’re willing to keep things off the official radar until I get whatever the hell is going on sorted out. Adelstein’s a valuable member of the crew, unlikely to be truly working with terrorists. While I rarely make use of it, his talent for cooking is a cornerstone of ship morale.”
With that, they turn the shuttle towards the theme park where they intend to give Adelstein a thorough chewing out before doing everything they can to help the man. A commander has to do what a commander has to do.
As Dr Yusil and Oren continue their conversation, Oren swears she could see one of Guanzhou's shuttles flying low enough overhead for her to read the call sign on the wing. It must be landing nearby.
What's up, Doc? She points to the craft. Literally, Guanzhou's shuttle. What do you suppose that means?
She taps on her personal comm. Ensign Knightgale to Guanzhou, do you copy?
Ensign Knightgale receives a pre-recorded message:
"Guangzhou is in space dock, undergoing upgrades and repairs. The vessel's next departure time is not yet recorded. If you'd like to be forwarded to Space Force Command, say 'Command' now. If you'd like to be forwarded to Guangzhou command staff, say 'Staff'".
Choosing the second option, Oren is forwarded to Commander Legion in the shuttle.
The Dokkaran frowns at having her talks interrupted, it seems her little bit of fun was at an end. With a potential situation on the way, she doubled her efforts in finishing breakfast in a timely manner.
Commander Legion... Knightgale, here. I spotted a shuttle landing in our vicinity. It was... unexpected.
"Unexpected seeing you here. I'm en route to a situation that Adelstein has gotten himself into. If you want to help him out and are willing to work, let me say, somewhat off the record for the time being, you're welcome to join me."
"It's certainly improper for a fellow member of the Force to not submit to the local authorities, and wait to go through the proper channels. It is what I would do... however it would be more irresponsible to fail to reply to a cry of distress from an active service member. I cannot promise that I will not file a report, sovereign promises are dangerous, and the situation may call for it." The Vesk smiles. "But there's no need to bog down the command center with frivolous reporting, wouldn't you agree Legion-12?"
There are no military landing pads on NYSP, so Legion-12 must front the landing fee for private parking. Space Force will reimburse .
The public landing area is about 1/4 mile from where Oren communicated with them. Assuming Oren and Dr. Yusil join them, it will take a few minutes for them to get there.
Vacations are for civilians... What do you say, Doc? Coming with?
"The work never rests. Alright, let's get moving." She agrees in the end.
I owe you a relaxing breakfast in Paradise.
Oren opens the comm channel again, Commander Legion. I'm with Doctor Yusil. You have two friendlies, inbound.
Legion and Lt. Krema meet Dr. Yusil and Oren on the street immediately outside the landing area. Oren and Yusil are surprised to see their new Engineer with Legion.
Legion has only the vaguest hints as to where Adelstein actually is; you could message him back on the Command Encryption Service, or you could search the cafes in the area (there is no shortage of them).
Legion gives a crisp but casual salute, "Knightgale, Doctor, good to see you both. I mentioned it to Knightgale, but Adelstein has found himself in trouble. I would like to keep this off the radar for as long as we can to properly ascertain all the details of the situation. I hope that will not be a problem?"
With that, they explain the approximate location that Adelstein gave them and get to searching. Sending another message ran the risk of raising eyebrows with central command, something they did not want to happen.
Oren returns the salute in kind and gives the Vesk a once over. She had no choice but to trust in his discretion. As far as I know, we're meeting the man for fun and rides.
What do we know?
"Well, he claims he's being set up for material assistance to terrorists. Terran Security Agency's after him. Beyond that, nothing. He was vague in his message to me, hence by desire to find him as quickly as possible."
Any way to get him a message? I'd think he'd have seen the shuttle landing... maybe he's making his way to us?
Searching around the general area, the group notes a couple cafes in the immediate vicinity. It's a relatively simple matter to check the lobby of those, and within a half hour or so, the team spots a familiar looking head of thick brown hair hiding at a table in a back corner wearing shades.
"Commander! Doctor, Oren," David greets you as you approach.
"Am I glad to see you guys. I've been at this cafe for almost a whole day trying to figure out what to do. Can't go back to my apartment." At that point, he seems to notice Lt. Krema for the first time.
"Who's this?" he asks nervously.
"My name is Krema," says the Vesk in the classic "I'm not an undercover cop" voice. "I'm just a... friend of Legion-12's, who has a great deal of respect for their skills and judgement. Happy to help."
Legion-12 takes a seat next to David, "Well, Adelstein, I think you'll find I'm both the worst person and the best person on the crew you could've called. Let's start with the worst. There is no way I will sugarcoat things, treat you with kid gloves. So I'll say that if you really were treating with terrorists here on Earth, you were an idiot, plain and simple. Now for the best. I might be the most willing on the crew, or at least within command, to work off the record and do whatever needs to be done to get you out of this situation. My duty as a commander to keep those within my jurisdiction safe extends beyond the confines of duty. So, before we proceed, I need you to lay out exactly what you know about what you got yourself involved with."
Adelstein motions for the group to sit, and speaks in hushed tones in the back of the cafe, pausing whenever anyone walks nearby or enters the building.
"That's just it. I've got no idea where they're getting this stuff. I come home one day after visiting my old neighborhood in Chicago. I walk into the lobby and the manager pulls me aside, hands me a business card. That says 'Agent Morlese, Terran Security Agency.'"
" 'These guys came here looking for you. Figured it was something to do with Space Force, so I sent them on up,' he tells me."
"Now, I never heard of Terran Security delivering orders for Space Force, so I'm thinking I'd like more information before I talk with these people. Call me careful. So I head to the stairs instead of the elevator, and I turn on my camera link on my datapad." At this point, Adelstein takes out his datapad, and begins playing a video, timestamped yesterday morning.
The video plays, and Legion and the others watch as two men in suits enter his apartment. The rear one has his hand close to his hip in a not so subtle preparation to draw a weapon if need be.
Agent 1:'We need to case the place, double check that our tip is correct before Adelstein gets here.'
Agent 2:'We've got pretty solid evidence it was him. Providing material aid to the ARM.'
Legion-12 started at the mention of ARM. The Android Rights Movement. Despite the enlightened sound of the name, the ARM was a group that had been known to execute small-scale violent events in an effort to further the cause of Android equality in the Concord.
A few minutes later in the video...
Agent 1:'Got him. I've got v-mails here on his personal node. Proof enough to put this guy away.'
"I have no idea what v-mail messages they're talking about. I've certainly never been in touch with terrorists, not knowingly, and even accidentally, I can't see how anything I've said in v-mail could be taken as evidence of material aid. Someone must have spoofed some messages onto my personal node or something."
"Hm. If your story is true, there could be some form of conspiracy taking place. It's possible you were targeted specifically, or maybe you were just the closest officer at the time." She reasoned, watching the CPO's facial movements.
Legion nods slowly.
”ARM. Android Rights Movement. Noble goals, but muddied by a lack of clarity.”
They collect their thoughts for a moment, ”They say they got a tip from someone. My guess is, it’s not the government setting you up, but someone with an outside agenda and some substantial resources. What that agenda could be, I have no idea. Now, I see a few possible paths forward. First, we try to sort out who could have it out for you enough to want to send you away for colluding with radicals.”
Legion pauses again, adjusting their outfit slightly. ”Another option, certainly riskier but not necessarily mutually exclusive with the first, we try to get in contact with ARM, see if they know who you are. Best case they do and are willing to spill who it is. Worst case…well, we see how far they’ve fallen from the freedom fighters they used to be.”
"Pardon me," Krema interjects, "But might you have your personal node on you? Or if not, a root access password? I might be able to find evidence of tampering, and if we're very lucky, even who was behind it." Krema taps the side of his head. [b]"Amongst other things, I'm a fair bit more electronically plugged in than your average individual."[b]
Dr. Yusil ponders. Still to many unknowns; both options are possible. However, Legion-12 make a good point. It is likely whoever provided the "tip" to Terran Security has some agenda, and revenge is as likely as anything.
"Pardon me," Krema interjects, "But might you have your personal node on you? Or if not, a root access password? I might be able to find evidence of tampering, and if we're very lucky, even who was behind it."
"I did; they closed off access after hacking into it. But this datapad had access previously." Adelstein opens the network portal app and passes the datapad over to the Vesk.
"Let's see here..." Krema says, closing his eyes and remotely accessing the datapad through his exocortex. He found that removing material world visual stimuli improved his ability to focus on the visual interfaces and the underpinning binary that was being streamed straight into his brain.
Krema has is able to get past the system protections as easily as the TSA Agent was, which is really no surprise to him. It is, after all, a commercial level product, not a military server.
He has no trouble locating the v-mail files in question. Virtual Mail is an odd variation on electronic mail that takes the writer and viewer into a virtual world, where their avatars both interact but not in real time.
Getting to this point takes a while. During that time, Oren is able to confirm with sources inside Space Force Intelligence that there is a BOLO for Adelstein put in place by the TSA, and that the TSA was contacted by a single source regarding David's supposed baleful activities. However, her contacts are either unable or unwilling to confirm who that source was.
At this point, you've been at the cafe about an hour.
”We might do well to get moving. Having more of us here together might draw some undue suspicion.”
While not fully satisficed with her uncertain suspicions, she moves along to the bat of Legion's drum. Matters such as these were not exactly covered in any of her medical degrees. There didn't seem to be much she could actually do to help, but perhaps there was at least one. "If you need somewhere to lay low, I might have a place you can stay. It's out of the way, and I've not been there in some time. If people are looking for you, somewhere they won't expect would be ideal."
Let's go... We'll talk as we move. Oren looks this way and that, becoming suddenly aware she's not armed.
"If you need somewhere to lay low, I might have a place you can stay. It's out of the way, and I've not been there in some time. If people are looking for you, somewhere they won't expect would be ideal."
"Thanks. lead the way doc."
"If you need somewhere to lay low, I might have a place you can stay. It's out of the way, and I've not been there in some time. If people are looking for you, somewhere they won't expect would be ideal."
You have access to the shuttle if needed for transportation, and there's basic equipment in there as well, should you need it.
Once everyone is loaded into the shuttle The Dokkaran takes the reigns of piloting for a change. She's nothing exceptional when it comes to speed or tequnigue, but what she has here is a more intimate knowledge of the area being traveled too. Of which the journey which might've been a day trip to humans of the 22nd century is maybe an hour or less.
The Appalachian Mountains have seen their fair share of both development and reforestation over the years, with the location she takes everyone too being somewhere near the heart of what used to be West Virginia, a modernized cabin nestled within one of the many sloping valleys. The driveway is covered in loose dirt and rocks which kick up as the shuttle touches down, the area as a whole being somewhat overgrown.
"I don't keep the key on my person, but I think I know where the spare was kept." She speaks, unbuckling herself.
Krema continues to tinker with the datapad while they fly, seeing what additional information he can pull out of it. He puts his exocortex in charge of handling menial responses for him, and looks for both the incriminating v-mail, and any trace of tampering.