Chapter 1: Dirty little Secret
Stationed on the far outer regions of the Koprulu System, Captain Amelia Tarus was a Senior Medic assigned to the base's Medical Academy on Ilis Vyctor. She was just finishing up one of her lectures. "Now as you finish this course many of you will actually be sent out. And once you're out in the field it's nothing like class or basic. Nothing!" slamming her hand on her desk. "We have all been assigned by the Confederation to stop this so called rebellion or as they refer to themselves as the Sons of Korhal. These marines will show no restraint, not even for a Medic. So ladies there is no bating your eye lashes and gentlemen, well your just screwed all together" the class gave a soft chuckled. One of the students raised his hand "Yes, First Class Kylie" she huffed
"Captin Tarus was it true you where shot on the first day you where on the field?" Amelia huffed again at his fatuous comment
"No Kylie and where in the world did you hear that?"
"First Sergeant Berkins, Mam."
Amelia rolled her eyes in annoyance "Well you're very misinformed I was on the battlefield for at least a year and half and I was shot in the stomach. Now the test is in a week and I better see good marks or I will personally make sure it's a living hell for you all in the simulation runs, you got it".
"Yes Mam!" the classed echoed and shuffled out of the classroom.
Amelia gathered her stuff and followed the class out into the dimly lite hallway. Turning away from the echo of the students she headed toward her office. As she struggled with her office door, the stack of papers she was trying so hard not to drop plummeted to the floor.
"That was smart" Amelia pulled her gun from her holster aiming at the dark figure of a tall muscular man sitting behind her desk.
"Hold it there captain Tarus, It's just me" replied a silky deep voice.
Amelia put her gun away and turned on the light switch. "What the hell are you doing here?" Before her was none other than Arcturus Mengsk. He was in his early thirties, already with a few grey's begging to peek through his dark brown hair. Normally a man of his age would look much younger but the wrinkles around his dark grey eyes reveled his harsh past of being a soldier.
"Good to see you too" Arcturus smirked back
"There are a lot of rumors about you now and most of them are about you siding with the rebellion, especially after the attack on Korhal." He sat leaning back in the chair staring at Amelia, gazing at her naturally thick body. She was of average height and had slightly thick thighs that where quite toned as her arms were. Her dirty blond hair was tied up in a tight bun. As she slightly moved, her hair look as if it could almost be a light brown but as the light reflected off her hair it had streaks of honey blond. Her baby face made her look very young. If she wasn't in uniform many people would have guessed she was only sixteen but her bright greenish blue eyes said differently. "So are you just going to sit there in my chair or are you going to tell me what the frak you are you doing here." Amelia now slightly annoyed from being ignored turned her attention to the papers still decorating the floor.
"I have heard of the rumors going around and I'm taking some precautions".
"Well then if you know that, then why are you here on Ilis Vyctor? If they see that you've been coming here often enough it will give the confederation a good reason to look into things. Once that happens they will be on our asses in a heartbeat and what the rebellion has been working on for the last two years will have been for nothing."
"That's why I chose you to be one of my commanding officers and placed you in control of the operations here; you get what needs to be done, done. But I needed to check on something first before I could allow us to proceed onward". Arcturus rose to full height and slowly sauntered right up to her.
Holding tighter onto the pile of papers in her hands, Amelia pulled her shoulders back and striated up to whatever inch she could get from her 5'5 frame. "And it is. I have made sure everything that you've asked, I've made sure was done but I will say it only one more time. The base is almost at eighty percent Rebellion armed forces and within another three months the rest of the confederate troops will be rotated out. Then this base will be in complete control by the Rebellion without the confederation ever having any idea what happened."
"You're an interesting woman Amelia" Arcturus slowly leaned over her, placing his hand on the doorframe. "So interesting in fact that I even did a little more investigating and you know what I found out about you Amelia… or should I say Ghost M-14?" Amelia eyes flashed with fear and Arctursu only grinned. He knew he found what he was looking for. "You haven't really been telling me the truth, well at least the whole truth, anyway".
" I've told you everything."
"Really, did you tell me that you where accepted into the Ghost Academy with a nine on the Psi Index, and was accepted in at a very early age. If I'm not mistaken at the age of eight which is quite rare, many kids that are gifted get processed normally at the age of twelve or eleven." His face was now so close to hers that his gotte was brushing up against her ear. "However you where later categorized as a two at the age of twelve for being a misplaced child and then quickly released from the program".
"I don't have any idea what you're talking about; I was never a nine on the Psi Index." Amelia barked
"Ow I wouldn't be so sure Amelia, It took me a while because it seems your nonexistent past was covered up very well by your late adopted father, Senator Tarus of the Confederation Noble" Amelia was almost shaking. He walked around Amelia cornering her to the door fame. "I had a hunch about you, since the day I save your life, over two years ago, do you remember that day." She was now looking at the ground avoiding his eyes.
"Yes" She said in a whisper
"After your little obsession to find your family's killer went south, you were left for dead by the confederates, gravely wounded. I saved you from death and also saving you from being taken to the confederates by a lowly Tech." Amelia flung her eyes into his; her mouth slightly opened "Ow, yes, you where unconscious for that. So I guess I too haven't been very truthful as well" Arcturus was now grinning slightly. "Now, now I wouldn't think of giving you up to the confederates just yet, just be sent back to the ghost program but if you don't cooperate with me, I might have to think about it. So now you're probably thinking why I would bother with a released Ghost Medic anyway. Well I truly believe you never lost your gift. You don't just score a nine then out of nowhere get categorized as not gifted." Arturus backed away from Amelia leaving her almost paralyzed on the door frame.
"I believe that you've just surpass the average ghost in the ability to manipulate thoughts so perfectly that many will think that the thought you implanted in their minds are actually their own, allowing you to inhibit detection from other ghost. You tricked the institute in believing that you were simply were poorly tested child. What truly gave you away was your hand to hand combat and shooting record in medic training almost four years ago, confirming my hunch to your harsh ghost training at the institute."
Amelia finally began to composer herself and concentrated on Arcturus but nothing came, no thoughts flowed through her mind, just silence. Amelia had always been able to receive his abrupt thoughts just as normal as anyone breathed but now it was as if she was physically drowning in nothing, suffocating in the silence. Arcturus turned his head revealing a small ear piece "You can't hide anymore Amelia technology has finally caught up to the level nine ghosts. Normally you've been able to penetrate through meager technology and still reach the terrian mind but this little device can finally block your empathic ability."
Amelia glared at Arcturus in anger. "After everything. After all I've done for you, what do you really want from me?"
He was now standing at full height with a stern look on his face. "All I need is your special set skills to do one small assignment. There's a secret military facility located on Ilis Vyctor located by the empty warehouse on the outskirts of the base. I have some Intel that there doing experiments on ghost DNA to enhance their abilities. I need you to find out what they are doing down there and bring back the information to me".
"Why, would you think I would help you now, after all your threats?" she was now almost an inch from him.
"As I've said before technology has caught up and with knowing this do you really want to go back and become a confederate doll, having no free will?" He began to walk down the hallway. "One more thing Amelia I can get you what you want more than the world but only if you finish the job." His footsteps echoed down the hallway till nothing but silence was left.