Chapter 9- Breakthough

Bruce came toward the lights, the mask making him as Penthor, off. He bowed to the crowd and raised his hand as the audience came down towards the stage. Asu took this as a necessity, and went right up to Bruce. He was with eight others, Ash was among them, and so were the men from sickbay and the short black haired woman. The only people she didn't recognize was a young man, cubby to the point of fat, but otherwise he looked like a younger, taller Bruce and a lanky man with semi-long blond hair back in a loose ponytail and a light, scruffy looking beard. They all wore the same uniform, how Bruce could change that fast amazed her, but the color red was the most common followed by blue, with only one wearing the tan-gold kaki that was all round them. As she came towards them the man with the chin-beard look at her then spoke in Bruce's ear. He turned and looked her right in the eyes again with that piercing gaze.

"Ah, Miss Kimeno, I hope you like the performance."

"I really didn't see much of it."

"Too bad, my brother says it was good, and with him, that's saying a lot.

"If I said anything else you'd have me scrubbing the base's exhaust system for weeks," said the one with just the chin beard.

"Oh, come on, you think that he'd do that?" said the one who looked like Bruce.

"Ian, you being the only one here who I can boss around, shut up."

"As High Guards, you can't do that."

"Ian, I'm gonna have to back Ryan up on this one, you have the very annoying habit of speaking out of turn. Besides, I believe that the regs actually back him up since I'm actually off duty for another two minutes. Anyway, what can I do for you Kimeno?"

"I was just wondering what I should do?"

"Should? No, could, well theirs a lot of hollowdeck programs, I like the fields of Alderaann for relaxing and theirs also the unarmed combat sim, just keep it at level 1 for now…." He was interrupted by a voice,

"Ops to Bruce."

"This is Bruce, go ahead."

"Sir, we're reading a breach in you section."

He let out a sigh, "third time this week. You're sure it's not a power flow problem with the secondary grid?"

"Sir, we're reading a constant signal. It's impossible for any failure to make this sort of signal."

"This coming from a Rouge tech," he muttered. "Run a another diagnostic, evac level 4."

"Sir, something just got put onto the bulkhead behind you."

Bruce looked at the others. "Evac level 2, yellow alert. You should get out of here." He had just enough time to tell her that before wall behind him blow up, sending shards of heated and twisted metal out as the crowd stampeded for the door, leaving only Bruce's group and Asu in the room, as a transporter beam put a large metal pack on the man with the ponytail's back the rest either drew or expended their weapons as a laugh came from the site of the explosion

"Number 19, since then Bruce, and I must say I out did myself this time." The dust cleared to show a man with curly black hair and yellow eyes holding two swords like Bruce with dozens of half-men half-machine in black cloaks behind him his skin was very pale, and looked greasy.

"I doubt you expected me to come so soon after our last meeting."