2
Chapter Two-Hacking
Torina really wasn't supposed to be hacking into the General's private files. But Ghor said she needed the practice and besides, General Daniel Ulysses Hoggard creeped her out with that strange twist on English. Ghor called it Shakespearean.
Torina bit her lip, the screen still loading; she hoping it would give her access…
With a soft ping, her hand held computer finished loading the General's files. Exhaling heavily, Torina scrolled through the list: Report… Report… Report… Report… Report… Report… Report… Report… Report… Report… Report…Reply… Report… Report…
Hang a tick… Torina scrolled back up and clicked on the file marked "reply." Up popped a recording of a Space Pirate. To a normal person, it would've sounded like swearing. To Torina, it sounded like screaming.
"Ulysses, the price for your request has gone up. The person in question has left these regions and it will require great amounts of energy to hunt her down."
The door burst open and Torina dropped her hand-held computer.
"Torina, baby, it's only us." Samus said closing the door behind her and Gandrayda.
"You look like you just got caught stealing candy." Gandrayda bounced down on her bunk, feeling underneath her pillow. "Speaking of which, where's my candy bag?"
Reaching behind her, Torina pulled out a little plastic bag and tossed it across the room. "I only ate the Fireballs."
"Snitch."
But Torina ignored her and instead turned to Samus. "If someone on the Olympus got a message from a Space Pirate, what would you do?"
"Shoot him." Gandrayda interrupted promptly, popping a Lemonhead into her mouth.
"Turn him in. Why?" Samus asked as she sat down on Torina's bunk.
"Well, what if the person you were turning him into was the one talking Pirate?"
Samus and Gandrayda stared blankly at her and Torina hurriedly began to explain.
"I was practicing hacking and General Hoggard had this in his files." She pressed play on her computer. ""Ulysses, the price for your request…"
"The General had this in his database?" Samus asked, accepting the computer.
"Well, good for him. This means we get Admiral Dane back, who speaks proper English, and can actually play Uno." Gandrayda said before Torina could respond.
"Admiral Dane will be back soon. But this means that we have someone who knows the other staff members-"
"Making them a target for assassination attempts" Torina realized suddenly.
"And it explains how they hack so easily into the Aurora Units security system" Samus continued patiently.
"And plant the virus!" Gandrayda spat.
"What does the message say?" Samus asked Torina, giving back the computer.
"It's about how Ulysses wants somebody gone. The Space Pirate was talking about how somebody couldn't be caught because they just left the area."
"Why didn't you say so before?" Gandrayda said crossly, lying back down again.
"But who is he looking for?" Torina persisted, feeling a little foolish.
"We may be heading in the wrong direction. It may be that the General is aiding a group of rebel Space Pirates." Samus interrupted.
"Oh." Torina said dumbly.
"It's not likely though." Gandrayda said brightly, "If that was true, why wouldn't they tell us soldiers about it?"
"We're not soldiers. " Torina reminded her.
"Right."
"What we need is General Hoggard's trash." Samus interrupted again.
"Where is that?" Torina asked.
"Wherever it is, Ghor will find it." Gandrayda boasted.
"Going into the General's office to get some things out of his trash basket-hic- is not how I want to spend my day."
"You know very well that what we want is on the computer." Samus said watching Ghor gulp down his drink.
"Sorry, guys-hic-I mean girls. I'm not hack-hic-ing today."
"Move aside Sammy." Gandrayda planted herself right across from Ghor. "Ghor, have you been drinking?"
"Noooooooooooooooooooo…hic."
"Ghor, what have you done with the drink?" Gandrayda demanded.
"You know what, Gandrayda? The wine got up-hic-and walked away." Ghor slumped forward, Gandrayda looking at him in disgust.
"You moron!"
Samus took a deep breath. "O.k. Torina, do you think you could find it?"
"Nope."
"Hey, why are we asking everybody else?" Gandrayda snapped out of her staring contest with Ghor's head. "You're the most tech-savvy person I know! Why don't you-" Gandrayda stopped yelling to take in all the Galactic Troopers in the cafeteria staring at their table. "-fix it yourself." She finished quietly.
"I don't build stuff," Samus responded as nonchalantly as she could.
Slowly all the chatter returned and Samus gripped Gandrayda by the shoulder. "What would I do without you?"
"Here's my computer," Torina said handing the little device over just in time to avoid a fight.
"Give me a couple minutes." Samus took the computer and bit her lip.
"Hey guys." Rundas panted as he sat down.
"And where have you been?" Gandrayda said real flirtingly.
"Working out." Rundas grabbed Ghor's glass of wine.
"Rundas!" Samus hissed just as he brought it up to his mouth. "Put that down!"
He looked at Samus typing away and slowly put the cup down.
"Rundas, why were you working out?" Torina asked to avoid an awkward silence.
"Yeah, well..Uh…"
Torina raised her eyebrows.
"Well, look. I'm a dude! We do that." He blustered
"Yeah, after about two months of flexing to yourself." Torina said peeking over Samus's shoulder.
"Yes!" Samus drew her fist in like a little victory celebration.
"Found it?" Gandrayda leaned in as well.
"Found what?" Rundas asked.
"Um-hm. And it looks like Torina might be right. He sent a message to the Space Pirates first and they sent a couple back. But I don't know what they're saying and I don't think we should play it here."
"Play what here?" Rundas tried again.
"Some messages that General Ho-" Gandrayda looked around, then lowered her voice. "General Hoggard sent to the Space Pirates."
"Why would he do that?"
The three girls looked at him with "really?" looks on their faces.
"Oh, right. Gotchya."
"I'm going to send this to your message box, Torina, o.k.?" Samus continued.
"Cool. Sure."
"Didn't I tell you Samus was a technological genius?" Gandrayda slapped Samus on the back, receiving a few glares in return.
"What are those?" Torina pointed to some more messages on the screen.
Taping the screen, Samus read aloud: "General, we have been holed up by Space Pirates for months. We are running out of food and medical equipment. Escape is impossible. We must have reinforcements or this base will fall to our enemies. Colonel Staltwart signing off." The four friends sat aghast, any defense of the General had left.
"That is crushing." Gandrayda said softly.
"Where did that message come from?" Torina asked a new edge to her voice.
"A new base on Norion, southeast of the main one."
"How is it we don't know anything anymore?" Gandrayda demanded eagerly. "It's getting unsettling."
"I suppose we're going to go help them?" Rundas asked hopefully. "I mean, after all we aren't really under the Federation's control."
"But we still have to follow orders as long as our contracts are in effect, especially when it concerns G.F.T.'s. Besides, this could start a lot of hostility, especially if people think we're doing Federation business without their permission."
"Aw, come on Sam. Do you really think people are going to be mad at us for discovering a traitor?" Torina folded her arms.
"Yes, Torina! This isn't Ta`lla, you can't just predict what people are going to do or say."
"But the fundemetles are the same, Sam! If there is someone stealing from all the aunts and uncles, everyone who is anyone would like him dealt with!"
"I'm with Tory here Sammy. She has a point!" Gandrayda argued. "Right Rundas?"
Rundas looked taken aback at having his opinion asked. "Uh, well…"
"Torina, Gandrayda, look: we aren't just dealing with a young, upstart sergeant. We're dealing with a General. Somebody who has a lot of respect just for his rank. Turning the tables and getting everybody to hate him because he's a traitor is going to take a while. And we'll need a show to convince everybody. This isn't the time where you can just pull out your gun and shoot. You have to wait for your target and aim."
"Maybe you have to wait, but I can move in close."