As a child, Dargo once confided to his mother that he would be a great man someday. His mother told him not to aim too high in life, for they were but a freebirth family living in the shadow of one of the most powerful Clans in existence and that the most that a freeborn could aspire to was to serve the interests of the Clan not as a leader, but as a loyal follower.
But Dargo and his older brother Remul were ambitious, and traditions would not stop them from attaining their dreams of becoming legends that would earn a passage in the Clan Remembrance. They would be spoken of in generations to come, each brother said. Despite their freeborn status, they would be known and remembered forever. As both brothers grew strong, both would pray nightly to the shrine of Turkina in the anteroom of the family's abode. Each brother swore an oath never to be relegated to second place.
Alas, tragedy struck. Within a few years after attaining his seventeenth birthday, Remul was killed in a training exercise for warrior caste selection. From then on, Dargo's parents forbade their last remaining child from following in his older brother's footsteps. So Dargo was withdrawn from his training sibko and relegated to the lower castes, destined never to be a warrior. It was a dishonor that the younger child could not bare. When his parents were away, the young boy tried to slit his own throat in front of the shrine of Turkina as penance for his shame. As he lay bleeding in front of the altar, Dargo experienced what many loremasters would call a vision. His recollection of that omen signified a new beginning for the boy, as he was able to patch up his bleeding throat in order to begin life anew. From then on, Dargo threw his energies into other pursuits, if he could not gain recognition as a warrior, then perhaps as a tech or even a scientist?
As the years passed, Dargo was able to gain admittance to the scientist caste. Although not as glorious as a warrior, scientists were an integral part of Clan society; they would create the technologies that would enable the warrior caste to conquer worlds. Thus, in some ways Dargo had fulfilled his ambitions for he became a renowned scientist for Clan Jade Falcon.
Dargo's specialty wasn't the creation of new weapons for the Clan; rather it was the study of microbiology that he excelled in. He got so good at it that scientists from other Clans would regularly confer with him as to his latest findings in order to treat diseases that would continuously plague the inhabitants of the Clan homeworlds. Dargo in fact became so valuable that while he was stationed in the Jade Falcon medical center in Ironhold, the Steel Vipers landed an entire cluster and attempted a Trial of Possession in order to bring him into their fold. After a hard fought battle, the Falcon garrison prevailed and kept Dargo as a scientist for their Clan. It was rare that an actual raid by a rival Clan just to get at someone who was not of the warrior caste and so therefore, the Falcons knew that Dargo had to be protected well. It was indeed ironic in a Clan where warriors remained at the apex of power that a scientist of such low stature was considered to be so important that warriors would be willing to die in order to keep him.
Rubbing the childhood scar around his neck as he walked, Dargo could not help but sense a feeling of satisfaction at his most recent work. The papers that he was carrying contained a full report of the incident that occurred with the Dark Wing Cluster.
Less than a month before, a Jade Falcon naval patrol had intercepted what looked like a Clan Wolf merchant jumpship that had strayed into Falcon space. The jumpship crew tried to resist but their vessel was disabled by the Falcon dropship. Then a strange thing happened, as the Falcon warriors boarded the jumpship, they were instantly stricken by an unknown chemical or biological agent that physically disabled them seconds after boarding. The contagion spread aboard the Falcon vessel but not before the remaining crew was able to destroy the Wolf merchant ship before it got away. The last thing that the Falcon crew did was to send out a warning not to board their ship without protection from chemical weapons.
The dead ship drifted for days until it was picked up by a troopship belonging to the Dark Wing Cluster, a solahma unit made up of old and freebirth warriors. Apparently, the commander of the troopship had failed to heed the automated warnings not to be boarded and the entire vessel was also stricken. Within hours, all of the crew as well as the bulk of the warriors that had belonged to the cluster were dead. Rescue vessels that had picked up the troopship's distress call came in cautiously and special teams of scientists equipped with hostile environment suits made the perilous journey into the heart of the dead troopship. What they found was a grisly sight; dead bodies were bloated as yellow puss seeped from their orifices; blackened limbs and blood drenched eyes cried out in silent agony. This was no ordinary disease.
As Dargo rounded a corner, he could not help but to try to take his mind off the grisly details of what he had uncovered and instead tried to focus on the report he was going to make to Star Colonel Helmer.
Walking along the underground corridors of the ancient castle brians, Dargo could not help but think about the history of Apollo, the world that he was in. Apollo was once the homeworld of the dreaded Rim Worlds Republic, the seat of power for House Amaris. It was also one of the first worlds targeted in the Jade Falcon advance towards Terra during the Clan invasion. Most of its inhabitants were shipped off to toil as slaves, befitting a people that were so despised by the Clans.
Apollo however, had a highly advanced infrastructure that included old Star League bunkers that the Falcons were now using as scientific laboratories as a substitute for their facilities in the Clan homeworlds. It made much more sense due to the fact that Apollo was closer to the Inner-Sphere front than Clan space was.
As Dargo got to the end of the corridor, he came upon a massive steel door that was flanked by two fully armed Jade Falcon warriors. From their massive frames he could tell that they were of the Elemental genotype; although the guards were not wearing their trademark power armor, they were still immensely formidable. Dargo winced slightly as the guards searched him thoroughly. Despite being one of the most preeminent scientists among all the Clans, he was still treated only slightly better than a serf.
Once the guards were satisfied that he carried no weapon, they opened the massive doors and escorted him through. As Dargo walked into a high-ceilinged room, he noticed that it was bare save for a massive oak table in which two figures sat. Both wore the jade green field uniforms of Falcon warriors. One was a young male of about twenty years of age with nondescript features and was inputting figures in a noteputer while the other was a woman that despite her advancing age; projected an aura of great intelligence, cunning and power. Although he did not recognize the man, every Jade Falcon and practically every Clanner knew who the woman was.
Dargo instantly bowed in supplication. "Khan Marthe Pryde. This is an unexpected honor."
"You may rise." The supreme leader of the Jade Falcons gestured with her hand.
"Thank you my Khan." Dargo rose and stood at attention.
"I know you were expecting a conference with Star Colonel Helmer and his staff as to your findings so I hope I have not disappointed you."
"Not at all my Khan. In fact, it is a great honor for me to receive one so revered and for just a very minor report." Dargo smiled but instantly went rigid at attention when his Khan did not return the gesture.
"I'm afraid this is not just a minor report, Dargo. When an entire cluster of my warriors are killed off by some sort of virus, even a solahma unit, it would naturally attract my personal attention, quiaff?"
"Aff my Khan. You are correct, as always."
"Let us dispense with the sycophantism and get to business shall we?" Khan Marthe Pryde intoned.
"Indeed my Khan. I have good news to report, the virus has been isolated and we have identified its characteristics. It is apparently a modified strain of bubonic plague but that is a very basic definition; the virus in fact, exhibits multiple mutations upon contact with a host."
"Have you come up with a vaccine yet?" Khan Pryde asked.
"Neg my Khan. The virus' very nature is making the process of creating a vaccine difficult at this time. We need to do further research in order to identify and isolate the mutagens that enable the virus to mutate rapidly. We may need another two years to do that." Dargo explained.
"That is unacceptable Dargo." Khan Pryde stated. "Whoever engineered this virus may have plans to deliver it and strike at our worlds. By our calculations, unless we find a vaccine within three months time, the entire Clan may be decimated."
"I shall double our efforts Khan Pryde. We will not fail the followers of the great Turkina."
"This virus, it seems unique; something tailor-fitted specifically to take on the Clans." The Khan of the Falcons mused. "Any clue as to its origins?"
"There is a possibility my Khan, from my researches on the nature of this pestilence that the virus may have originated from the Clan homeworlds." Dargo answered.
"What? Explain."
"Many years ago, in my studies as an apprentice to a preeminent scientist, I made some research on animal diseases as my thesis. A virus with similar characteristics seemed to have infected a number of swamp frogs in Dagda at that time. The similarities were the symptoms themselves; the virus would attack the respiratory, circulatory and brain functions all at the same time, mutating rapidly so as to cause maximum havoc to the amphibian's bodies. But that memory hadn't crossed my mind until now because that virus seemed unique to the frogs and was harmless to humans." Dargo explicated.
Khan Marthe Pryde seemed lost in thought for a moment, then she rapidly went back to her query mode. "Was there anyone who helped you in your research? Any fledgling scientist from another Clan perhaps?"
"Why come to think of it, yes. My former best friend Thucil of Clan Goliath Scorpion. He was an apprentice like myself at that time. We ultimately became good friends even though our Clans were different. We traded many information on microbiology on the Clan chatterweb." Dargo answered.
"Your former best friend? Why aren't you friends anymore?"
"It was because he disappeared several years ago, my Khan. He was onboard a merchant vessel that disappeared en route to the Pentagon worlds. The Scorpions tried to search for him because he was one of the preeminent scientists in microbiology but it was in vain. The merchant vessel was never found. Everyone assumed that it had been attacked and destroyed by the Dark Caste, we know they were active at that area during time when the Burrocks were dealing with them."
"Interesting." Khan Pryde seemed lost in thought again before she spoke. "That will be all for now Dargo. Your efforts have been noted and we await further word on your research."
"Thank you my Khan." Drago turned and headed out the door with the Elemental guards in tow.
"One last thing Dargo." Khan Pryde said to the departing scientist. "If you come up with a vaccine, your name and deeds will be added to the Remembrance. I can assure you."
As the scientist departed with a smile on his face, Khan Marthe Pryde turned to the man who sat beside her. "Conclusions, Ixtil?" She asked.
The man whose name was Ixtil was fast becoming a legend among Khan Pryde's command staff. It was said that this warrior was a prodigy when it came to military tactics and strategy. Many in the staff even believed that Ixtil had photographic memory. His callsign was Mentat, the name used for human computers in some ancient novel from Earth's past.
"No definite conclusions as of yet Khan, but I have formulated a number of interesting theories." Ixtil answered his superior.
"Lets hear them. Do you think any of the other Clans might be behind this biological weapon?" Khan Pryde asked.
"Highly unlikely my Khan. Despite the fact that the Jade Falcons have many enemies, the warrior castes of the other Clans would not go to these extremely dishonorable lengths to destroy us." Ixtil explained.
"I'll accept that for now. Do you have any theories as to who is behind this and as to where we may find them?"
"A number of theories I have my Khan, but no definite answers. Based on the forensic examinations and black box records of the infected patrol vessel we can deduce where the merchant ship may have come from."
"Where?"
"My theory is that the intercepted merchant ship came from the Dark Nebula." Ixtil answered.
Marthe Pryde raised an eyebrow. "The Dark Nebula? Camelot Command?"
"Aff my Khan. The merchant vessel did not have sufficient range to traverse the deep Periphery nor would it have the fuel to get past our patrols to the Inner-Sphere front. Only in the Dark Nebula could it have come from. Camelot Command has got the facilities to refuel jumpships that are not Jade Falcon as well as the possibility of having a biological research laboratory that cannot be detected by our intelligence units." Ixtil stated.
"If my memory serves me right, I do believe that the mercenary unit Snord's Irregulars abandoned the station at the start of the Federated Commonwealth Civil War. Also, records in our astronomical survey charts were apparently destroyed at around the same time." Khan Pryde mused.
"Aff. My conclusions are that the Irregulars used a very nondescript computer virus to destroy the exact location of Camelot Command on our records. The virus only attacked a miniscule portion of our astronomical database that consequently was undetected until the damage was done. In fact, by the time we did detect it, the virus had already infected the other Clans and large portions of the Inner-Sphere via HPG and the chatterweb." The young warrior explained.
"How very convenient. So this means that the key to everything may very well lie within the Dark Nebula. But since we have no way of finding the exact location of Camelot Command, it may take years for us to pinpoint it. By then it may very well be too late." Khan Pryde fumed.
"Not necessarily my Khan. I have been working on the problem and we may in fact be able to track incoming vessels into the Dark Nebula. If there is a functioning base there, it will need constant re-supply. If we are to monitor every known merchant ship in the vicinity, then we may have a chance to find it. Already I have amassed travel records from hundreds of merchant ships traveling in that sector. With your permission, I would like to post more patrols and tell our naval ships to be on the lookout for suspicious civilian activity; anything out of the ordinary." Ixtil requested.
"Aff. Do that. We may yet get to the bottom of this problem in time." Khan Pryde said to her protégé. "You have done phenomenally well, young warrior. I hope you will soon be able to participate in the Bloodname trials; they are scheduled for next month. I shall nominate you myself if you so wish."
"Thank you my Khan." Ixtil could not help but be pleasantly surprised.
"That will be all for now then. I have a meeting with Star Colonel Helmer and his staff in five minutes." Khan Pryde rose from her seat and was about to leave the room before she turned to face the young prodigy. "By the way, The Dark Wing Cluster needs to be reconstituted. I know you also have an uncanny eye for spotting talent, Ixtil. Who do you suggest for its commander?"
Ixtil didn't bat an eye. "I was expecting you to ask me this question, my Khan. I suggest Star Captain Joanna. She is head instructor for our warrior sibkos in Ironhold at the moment."
"Star Captain Joanna? Excellent choice Ixtil." Khan Marthe Pryde smiled. "Joanna was formerly with Aidan Pryde and the Falcon Guards. She is a most accomplished warrior. Very good. I will see to it that she gets transferred back to the Falcon Occupation Zone immediately. Aside from her obvious talents, is there any other reason why you would choose her?"
"Aff my Khan. Credible rumors on the chatterweb have stated that Natasha Kerensky is alive and is leading a unit called the Black Widows. Having the killer of the Black Widow on our side would be an excellent contingency should this so-called reincarnation ever challenge us." Ixtil answered.
Khan Marthe Pryde was clearly impressed. This lad was very, very good.