July 27, 11,958 CE
Terrorist Hideout, Dragon City, Westeros III, Westeros System, Midgard Sector, Arcturus Stream…
Organization ? Templar Knight, Agent K-K5 (also known as "Kory") blasted down the fortified door with an intense blast from her magic staff.
As soon as the door came down, gunfire poured out from within. K-K5's kinetic barriers absorbed most of the impacts, and her magic wards took the rest.
She waved her hand, causing one of the Androids that was shooting at her to be knocked flying with a blast of blue energy. Then she aimed with her magic staff, and blasted aside a hole through another Android terrorist.
She entered the room, where two Androids were crouched behind a table. "Come out with your hands up!" She warned menacingly. "I'm not much of a mood for prisoners, but I would like to take someone alive! So, surrender now, terrorist scum, and I just might let you live!"
"Fuck you!" One of the crouching Androids leaped and fired her assault rifle at Kory.
"I was hoping for something better than that," Kory sighed as bullets peppered her kinetic barriers and magic wards. She waved her staff, and golden tendrils leapt into existence, nailing the female Android to the wall.
"And you?" She turned to the last Android crouching behind a table?"
"I- I surrender- !" The last Android raised his hands clearly.
"Don't be a coward! Or a fool!" The female Android pinned to the wall shouted to her cowering companion, as she wrenched herself free of the magic tendrils, falling to the ground.
"Stand down!" K-K5 demanded authoritatively.
"Never!" A female Android struggled to get to her feet, but failing due to a damaged leg, she fell back down. She grabbed her weapon and fired on K-K5, to little effect.
K-K5 grumbled and ducked behind an overturned table.
"All my friends, my beloved, were cut down by Machines! There can never be peace with Machines! I will never surrender, until all the Machines, and this stupid Union, are destroyed!
K-K5 sighed. She knew a broken fanatic when she heard one. With that, K-K5 kicked the table hard, launching it across the room, slamming it into the terrorist.
Then she stood up and looked down at the fallen terrorist, who was trying to pry herself free.
"You don't- know- what it's like-"
"No, I suppose I don't," K-K5 muttered, drawing a conventional sidearm and shooting the terrorist right through the head, executing her.
Hearing some whimpering, K-K5 walked over to the last remaining Android terrorist, who was now pinned beneath debris, cowering in fear.
"N-no… even Elizabeth too…" He muttered, clutching his head.
K-K5 leveled her staff at his head. "And you are going to tell me everything I need to know."
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July 27, 11,958 CE
Organization ? Gunboat, Kory's Revenge, in interstellar space, Midgard Sector, Arcturus Stream…
Kory waited patiently as her high-encryption polyphasic transmission transmitted to
"Agent Kory- I mean, K-K5!" Manah exclaimed. "Where have you been?! I've been looking all over for-"
"Deputy Director, I busted up the terrorist cell on Westeros-"
"WHAT?! Did I not explicitly order you not to hit them?"
"Boss, they were about to skip town- I couldn't let them get off scot-free!"
"I never said we were going to let them go!" Deputy Director Manah retorted. "But we needed to tail them, figure out who else is involved! You're going to spook all the other terrorist cells!" She paused as she typed something on her computer. "Fine, fine… I ordered the immediate arrest of all known Sunshine members. The Director has sent me files on the Sunshine group and their previous dealings with the Organization, and we'll arrest all we can. They were always a bit of a rabid dog- but nothing suggested a sophisticated plan like this one. What were you able to learn?"
"I captured one prisoner- he's in the cargo hold- he confessed they were a Sunshine cell and it was Agent Savimbi who supplied them the Odysseus virus, just like we thought. I'm bringing him back to New Midgard for more questioning."
"Understood, Agent. Does Public Security on Westeros know about this?"
"No, I bugged out before they could come check on things."
"I see. Watch out for yourself, alright? Savimbi, or whoever their co-conspirators are, may well come after you."
"I doubt they can do much to a Templar, but I'll stay on guard. K-K5 out."
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August 2, 11,958 CE
Organization ? Headquarters at Svalbard, former Kingdom of Norway, Earth, Sol System, Earth Sector, Earth Cluster…
Manah sat down in the meeting hall, where a number of Organization Agents were gathered, some in person, and others remotely by hologram. "Agent Sihanouk?"
"Project Stomper is also entering mass production," Sihanouk reported. "Projects Pickaxe and Tsushima are proceeding on schedule when I last checked on them last week."
"Excellent," Manah scanned through the rather extensive list of projects the Organization was involved in. "Governor Slobodan already reported to me about the Project Hegel... Project Polyphemus is going well, we just need to bury them in deep underground facilities before they're complete..."
"There's also Project Goddess and Spore," Michaelangelo reminded. "Currently under research."
"And finally… the elephant in the room..." Gallico started.
Manah sighed. "I guess we have to address it... Go ahead, Gallico."
"The Organization has finished combing through the debris of Stolbovo Station... which wasn't easy, mind you... the remnants rained on a track thousands of kilometers long. But we couldn't find any trace of the Nojose's Crystal Folly... so we deduce the ship was not, in fact, destroyed with the Station."
"Furthermore, Agent Savimbi remains at large," Agent P-E added. "And all his data is gone, scrubbed from the servers. It seems likely that he did this to prevent us from trying to copy him, to gain any insight into how he thinks, secrets he may have hidden from us."
"We weren't able to learn much more from the terrorist cell Agent Kory busted," Agent Leah added. "I had the privilege of interrogating the prisoner, but I have no reason to believe he is hiding anything else."
"What a mess," Legasov shook his head. "Kory shouldn't have done something so hot-headed! She may have ruined one of the few leads we have! Now, how are we supposed to get to the bottom of this..."
"We can at least draw one lesson from this," Manah pointed out. "Our current advances in cybersecurity are insufficient. Savimbi is still out there- or whoever he might be working for, be it Sunshine or some other group- and they may well try again. And what happens when we meet an alien civilization with even more advanced malware and viruses? So, Legasov and Gallico, I'm putting you in charge of the new Project Styx… if you're up for it. Stop something like the Mor virus from happening again."
"Uhh… how, exactly?" Legasov raised an eyebrow.
"Do what the Mor virus- Odysseus- did, but the other way around. Fight fire with fire. Encrypt Android and Machine coding with polyphasic waveform encryption. Heck, develop VIs, simple, low-level AIs, whose sole purpose is to detect, block and purge any malware- almost like a Human immune system."
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After wrapping up the Organization meeting, once Manah was alone, she quickly activated her QEC. "Come on," she whispered. "Come on, pick up..."
"So, Manah, what did you call me for?"
"Director!" Manah exclaimed. "Something has happened on one of our colonies, the Machine colony-"
"Yes, I know about the Mor virus," The Director sighed.
"You... knew about it?" Manah gaped. "How much... do you know? Did you know something like this would happen?" She demanded.
"No, not exactly," The Director sighed dramatically. "But most of the time, something like this ends up happening- one way or another."
"One way or another? What the heck do you mean?"
"Someday, Manah. Someday you'll learn... this universe has more secrets than you care to know."
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August 5, 11,958 CE
Somewhere in deep space, in the Miridem Sector, Exodus Cluster...
The pirate corvette Makoto Niijima reverted to sublight speed, finding itself in uncharted space. The ship's commander, Warlord Megumin Suharto of the pirate Red Fleet, turned to her subordinate, Captain Sonia Tegmark. "Captain! Where's the rest of our fleet? Did anyone else join me?"
"No- no signals, ma'am…" Captain Tegemark began hesitantly. "I- I don't think anyone else made it."
"Damn it!" Warlord Suharto pounded her fist into the side of her chair. "We have to regroup our forces, make these Druid bastards pay for their treachery in blood! Captain, find some way to make contact with them!"
"I-I'm afraid they're g-gone, ma'am- we- we never expected the Red Druids and Black Druids to team up like that against us!" Captain Tegemark rattled off nervously. "E-Even if a few made it o-out...they must be scattered to the w-wind. We can't- AAAAAHHH!"
"Wrong answer! We will reclaim our turf, no matter what!" Warlord Suharto demanded, petulantly hitting a button that sent a painful electric charge through the shock collar around the Captain's neck, before turning to the communications officer. "Lieutenant Arthus, what about you?"
"Um, uh…" The Lieutenant began, only to be interrupted.
"Great Warlord, unidentified ship- frigate-class- about a hundred kilometers to starboard!" The sensors officer, Lieutenant Kars, spoke up with alarm.
"WHAT?! Navigation, bring our ship around, weapons, prepare missile bays!"
As the ship began to maneuver, Lieutenant Arthus reported, "Transmission incoming from the unknown ship!"
"Put it through!"
The comm screen revealed a male Android. "Greetings, Warlord Suharto! I mean you no harm!"
"Who the hell are you?!" The pirate Warlord demanded. "I have Archer missiles trained on you, so you better speak up quickly!"
"My name is Michelangelo… or Mike if you like. Current commander of the Nemesis. I work for a certain group that has… interest in your activities. I've come to make you a deal you may well like. In exchange for your cooperation, we'll help you regroup your forces, give your new ships and supplies as you please."
"What the hell do you want? I am no one's slave!" Warlord Suharto shouted with bravado. "I won't work for the Union, I don't work for the Republic, I don't work for the Druids, I don't work for anyone! That is why I became a Warlord- for glory and adventure!"
"And you will have plenty of that and more," Mike gestured broadly. "And you won't be working for our Organization in any capacity! I just want to relocate- no, resettle you somewhere else where you can keep on pillaging and raiding. But the price is that you can't come back here. Not to the Exodus Cluster, not to Arcturus, not to the Earth Cluster, not to Artemisian Space."
"The hell, you think you can tell me what I can or can't do?!"
"I'm not telling you, you just won't be able to. Where I'm sending you, well… it's beyond FTL drives, beyond the reach of Mass Relays. Beyond the Union. Where you can pillage and raid to your heart's desire. Whole planets for you to claim as your own. Adventure beyond anything you've ever seen."
"Is there… really such a place?" Warlord Suharto narrowed her eyes. "I must admit… that sounds… intriguing."
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Appendiceal Information
Characters:
-Agent K-K5 "Kory"- Organization ? Templar Knight
-Arthus- Pirate lieutenant, communications officer on the corvette Makoto Niijima, member of the Red Fleet pirate group
-Elizabeth- Android Terrorist killed by Agent K-K5
-Kars- Pirate lieutenant, sensors officer on the corvette Makoto Niijima, member of the Red Fleet pirate group
-Megumin Suharto- Pirate leader, Warlord of the Red Fleet pirate group
-Sonia Tegemark- Pirate captain of the corvette Makoto Niijima, member of the Red Fleet pirate group
Ships:
-Kory's Revenge- Organization ? Gunboat
-Makoto Niijima- Pirate Corvette, flagship of the Red Fleet under Warlord Megumin Suharto
-Nemesis- Organization ? Frigate