My school work is in line, my work load has decreased, my room is clean and now my newest chapter is complete! And it only took three drafts to find one I truly felt comfortable with.
A few mandatory plugs before we proceed. To read the original source story, check out DinoJake's The Last Spartan. A new chapter will be up for that story within the week and certain small details in this chapter, specifically the Codex entry, may tie into elements of his story!
Also, whether you are a fan of Telltale's The Walking Dead Game or not, check out my other fanfic A Life of Service. A new chapter is still in the works and will hopefully be published soon.
Also, some readers may notice changes happening to the chapters already published over the next few weeks. I am finally doing my drastic edit of the story to clean up grammar and excessive word use. The actual story and events of each chapter will remain the same though.
Finally, I have an occasionally updated Tumblr page, Zgamer Presents, that you can check out for updates on my fanfictions as well as other fun posts. I'm currently doing a month of music recommendations from film, television and gaming.
And with that, let's get this bad boy in gear. We last left our heroes finishing their attack on the Klensal base for the mission A Hostile Takeover. Engelbrektsson is unconscious, some people are still recoiling from the events and everyone is trying their best to keep the mission going. What will happen now?
Well, let's look into Engelbrektsson's mind first to see how she's doing...
…
0702 Hours, February 27th, 2683
SSV Tokyo
Traveling to Hades Gamma Cluster Mass Relay
…
"Engelbrektsson! Why have you not pushed that Warthog with your biotics?"
"It's too big, sir."
"What was that?"
"It's too b-"
"I heard what you said. Tell me Private: what branch of the Alliance did you volunteer for?"
"…"
"I asked you a question, maggot."
"ODST, sir…"
"I can't hear you!"
"I volunteered for the Orbital Drop Shock Troopers, sir!"
"Damn straight. Everyone, Make a note on what Private Engelbrektsson said. She just remembered that she joined the strongest military force in the galaxy, not some pussy whipped Unggoy combat unit."
"…"
"And we're not just regular soldiers. We are biotics: the ODST's backbone and shield. We are the offense and defense your average Alliance soldier can never be. When the brass say jump, we jump. When they say block, we block. And if we fall, they fall. There will be no room for incompetence or failure. And there is certainly NOTHING too big to push. Now who here thinks they can move this?"
"I can, sir."
"Me, sir."
"Let me at it, sir."
"Good boys, but I don't want you to. Because none of us are leaving until Engelbrektsson flings this bitch onto the target."
"But-"
"THAT…IS…AN…ORDER! You think the puss sucking scum of the galaxy will be any lighter? They're big, they're mobile and they will kill you long before you can complain about their heavy asses. It's a short trip to the morgue, maggot."
"…"
"Do you understand me?"
"Y…yes, sir."
"Good. Now push that Warthog before I have one of these fine men mount its turret and raise the stakes."
"…"
"I SAID PUSH THAT GODDAMN PIG NOW!"
Engelbrektsson's eyes shot open and she sat up sharply, only to be greeted by surging pain running down her spine. The world tilted and wobbled as light flooded her vision. The edges around her sight blurred and her head felt like it was going to swell up. Closing her eyes, she started to mentally recall Chopin's Nocturne op. 9 No. 2. Music was always a useful tool for when she had headaches, even back in the Grunt Hole. Once she made it through a couple measures, she opened her eyes again to see the world stabilizing around her. She smirked to herself. It still worked after all these years.
She continued letting her vision clear up while observing her surroundings. It felt cold here, but that was more from her now being out of armor than the room being legitimately cold. The walls and scenery became clearer, with that unmistakable Alliance logo plastered all around. The low hum of electricity and working machinery echoed in her ears before tuning out. And she was lying on a moderately comfortable medical bed, though to be fair any medical bed outside of the Citadel's Huerta Memorial would be less comfortable. She definitely wasn't on Klensal anymore, so this had to be the Tokyo's medbay…or at least a convincing reconstruction. She preferred to believe the former.
She kept a skeptical eye on the medical equipment monitoring her condition as she felt something unusually hot behind her neck. Reaching her hand back, she came across a cord stuck to where her biotic implants were installed. Great…she overexerted her amp again. Dr. Shattuck must have put an inhibitor on to keep her biotics in check, though she could feel the excess energy coursing through her veins. Being out of sync with biotics at her level was dangerous, so she understood the precautions. She still had the right to say it sucked though!
She gently laid down with a sigh, mentally piecing together what happened on Klensal. The fight with the mercenaries. The Storm appearing out of nowhere. Dargus' office. The lieutenant shouting at her. The explosion…
…and not being able to block it. She groaned. Those explosives weren't even that high grade and she still couldn't match their intensity. Was she being careless? She thought she had taken the lieutenant's warning seriously. Now she was stuck here doing nothing.
Could she possibly feel worse?
"The beast awaketh…" a familiar voice teased.
…yup…
She turned to see La Rosa sitting on the other bed next to her. He was also out of armor and admiring the two arena combat champion rings looped through his dog tags. They were definitely pretty, but the number of times he had shown them off before diminished the effect. He diverted his attention from the rings enough to smile snidely at her.
"Oh, come on now. You know you're happy to see me," he teased as he put his dog tags under his uniform's collar.
"Thrilled…" she replied miffed. "How long was I out for?"
"Psh…I don't know. A few hours?"
"Geez…"
"Yeah. The lieutenant had planned your funeral and everything. Resolme was going to give a great eulogy too. Looks like we've disappointed a lot of guests," he joked.
'Asshole…"she mumbled to herself.
The medbay entrance hissed open as another familiar person entered. This was a more welcomed presence though.
"Oh good, you're awake," Dr. Wendy Shattuck said before looking up to a speaker. "Harmony."
"Yes, doctor," a synthesized and stiff sounding female V.I. voice replied back.
"Transmit relevant medical data for all patients within the last hour."
"Yes, doctor," the V.I. said again as several automated pieces of medical equipment scanned across Engelbrektsson and La Rosa's bodies. Engelbrektsson tried to sit up to see all the data projecting on the doctor's omni-tool, but felt a sharp pain go through her lower back and legs.
"There's no need for further injuries, Sergeant," Dr. Shattuck said seeing her. "Relax."
Engelbrektsson sighed laying back down. "Tell me straight, doc."
"Very well," Dr. Shattuck said approaching Engelbrektsson's side while reading her data. "Blocking the military grade explosives overloaded your amp with excessive biotic feedback. The lack of burns on your skin means your barrier held long enough, but we need to run further tests to check for neural damage. Otherwise, your brain seems to be in one piece."
Ok…so that was slightly comforting. "Are my biotics ok then?"
"I'm afraid not," Dr. Shattuck continued as Engelbrektsson noticed a machine watching her every movement, which was totally not creepy at all. "The inhibitor is keeping your biotic nodules in check, but without a replacement amp, you'll be out of commission until further notice."
And that was not so comforting."…what?"
"I'm sorry, but we will need a new amp from the Alliance's Citadel office to meet your requirements. When this will happen is uncertain."
The doctor's omni-tool beeped and she skimmed over the new information provided. "Your physical injuries are more manageable though. Colliding into that table caused intense bruising around your legs and lower back, as well as several cracks on both femurs. The medigel will take care of that, but we will need a couple days of healing before we can discuss combat readiness."
Engelbrektsson was not happy hearing this. She attempted to channel some frustration out towards La Rosa. "And what's the celebrity's problem?"
"Minor back injuries, bruising and head trauma," the doctor replied without missing a beat.
"Yeah…" La Rosa said rubbing his temples. "That Sangheili bastard kicked like a mule!"
"So is he going to be unavailable for combat too?" Engelbrektsson asked.
The doctor shook her head. "Not as long. The corporal's helmet took most of the blow, though I'll review Harmony's data for concussive symptoms before making a definitive statement. Other than that, he should be on his feet as soon as possible."
La Rosa crossed his fingers. "Here's hoping whatever she said hasn't messed up my aim."
"It was still shit anyway," Engelbrektsson replied.
"And when was the last time you made a headshot?" He shot back. "The greenhorn just did his first without even trying."
Engelbrektsson grumbled glaring back at him.
The doctor continued on with her business, tuning out their conversation, before closing her omni-tool. "I'll need both of you to stick around a little longer before I decide what to do next. The others need more of my attention at the moment." And with that, she left the two ODST alone.
Engelbrektsson was not happy about being cooped up in a medbay for the next few days. It would throw off her usual biotic training and make her rusty, which wouldn't be good for anyone. And she'd miss out on nailing the guys that put her here. Not like they knew where those pricks were hiding anyway…
"What a mess…" La Rosa muttered out loud.
She didn't plan to respond, but he was speaking her thoughts. "Yeah, tell me about it."
"Wasn't planning to," La Rosa said looking at the ceiling as he reclined back on his bed. "Damn Alliance and their intel…"
"You knew what you signed up for," Engelbrektsson replied. "The arena is long behind you, hero."
La Rosa stared annoyed at her and pointed over her shoulder. "You see that?"
Engelbrektsson turned to see Dr. Shattuck tending to the other two wounded marines from the mission. However terrible her injuries felt, those guys had it worse. Both wore extensive braces and bindings around their limbs amongst the tubes and machines monitoring their vitals. Falling off a railing and being hit by a crate would that, even with medigel to help.
"That could have been avoided if the goddamn intel warned us about the Storm," La Rosa said.
Engelbrektsson looked back to him. "It's not like we have psychics, hombre."
"It's the 27th century," He said frustrated. "All our advances in technology and we still have to expect surprises like that? I'm not asking for psychics. I'm asking for some goddamn competence!"
He seethed some more before exhaling and rubbing his face with his hands. This was…uncharacteristic of him. He was usually chill with whatever happened, but his current expression was one of confusion, frustration and…nervousness? Did that kick to the head knock some sense loose?
"Did you think you were going to die back there?" Engelbrektsson asked half teasing and half curious.
He hesitated. "I…I don't know…Did you?"
She took a moment to think about it. To be fair, she hadn't intended to answer her own question. "Well…I was out for a while…"
The conversation paused for a minute as neither felt confident admitting what they already knew.
"Do you ever wonder…you know…?" La Rosa mumbled.
She turned back to him. "You're going to have to finish your sentences if you want an answer."
He sat up more fully. "I was getting to it," he said clearing his throat. "I'm saying…do you think anyone would really care if we died?"
That question sucked the air out of the room. And here Engelbrektsson thought she would just be resting and listening to music. Now they were waxing existential.
"I don't think about it much," La Rosa continued. "We never had to worry about that in the arena. All that safety shit made death next to impossible." He slumped his hands onto his thighs. "Now it's live fire and real world danger. It's fun the first few times…and then it starts to suck."
She leaned forward more, or as much as her wounds would let her. "So why do you keep fighting?"
"I dunno," he clearly lied with a shrug. "Sheer stupidity."
"You wouldn't be the first," she replied half-jokingly. She didn't feel like calling out his lie right then. "So was it the head kicking that made you think that?"
He shook his head. "No...but that didn't help."
That peaked her curiosity. "What then?"
He sighed, clearly choosing his words carefully. "It was after the explosion…when you didn't wake up."
She raised her eyebrows in shock…
…which he must have expected that. "Don't expect me to pour out any feelings for you here, because there aren't any," he replied coyly. "But…after we crashed into the table, I was pretty sure I broke my spine. If I wasn't dead, then maybe crippled." He rubbed his back, probably unconsciously triggering a pain reaction. "Then I woke up. I was only out for a second, but you weren't. It made me think about…you know, what if you had actually died? Or what if it was me? What if I was already dead and I was futilely trying to pull you away from some other side?"
"You don't believe in a god or afterlife."
"I know, which only made it weirder..." he said unable to finish the thought.
She tried lightening the mood. "You know that we would miss you if you died."
"Liar…"
"And you have your fans who would miss you."
"For how long though? I mean, yeah I might get my name on the Citadel Sports Network headlines for a few days, but then what? They'll just move on to the next big player or game and then I'm done. No friends, no family, no nothing to remember me. All because I might have been one day short of doing something significant…"
He let out a big sigh...and then said something else that caught her off guard. "And...before I forget…well…thank you."
She didn't quite know what he was apologizing for, as she was still being impressed he had registered this much depth already. "…for what?" She asked.
He rolled his eyes, more annoyed at himself than her. "If you hadn't put up your barrier…yeah, you know."
A smirk crept on Engelbrektsson's mouth. "Are you seriously thanking me for saving your life…after everything else I've done to save your ass?"
"Those other times weren't big deals," he said slowly reverting to his cocky demeanor. "And don't get used to it. Consider it a catch all 'thank you' for any I won't say in the future."
She groaned inside. And she was just starting to respect the thoughtful La Rosa too.
He stretched his arms out and gave a mock yawn. "Well…I'm bushed. Some of us need our beauty sleep," he said rolling to the side facing away from her. "Wake me if there's a fire…" And with that, he tuned everything out to try and sleep.
Engelbrektsson sat there for a few more awkward seconds reflecting on what happened. La Rosa apologizing? Talking about death in a serious light? Not cracking jokes back to back? The others wouldn't believe her even if she tried explaining it.
Still, what he said did linger in her mind. She wondered how her family would react if she had died. She would have a proper funeral. There would be wailing and gnashing of teeth. She would have a nice eulogy from her uncle and cousins. Her absence wouldn't be unfelt.
La Rosa was different though. Yeah he was a celebrity, but he wasn't kidding about the 'no family' thing. He didn't talk about it much and she didn't blame him. The lieutenant had filled her in on some of the details a while back and they weren't pretty. Maybe this break from his usual 'jock talk' was a good thing in the long run. She figured every solder should have their introspective moment at some point. Maybe this was La Rosa's…
…but it wasn't hers! She opened her omni-tool and opened her music player, while keeping a channel open for any incoming messages. The soothing sounds of 23rd century synth rock pumped into her ears as she rested on her pillow. Maybe this is why she was so into music. Talking to other ODST when they felt down was weird…
Beckett strolled down the corridor alone spotting her destination. It had been a while since Kyle disappeared after the Tokyo left Klensal. Hell, she hadn't seen anyone from the squad lately. Engelbrektsson and La Rosa were in the medbay, Tangilanu was on the bridge decrypting some recovered files and Resolme had slinked off to some unknown corner of the ship. It wasn't good for them to be split up this long, especially when they were still on duty. However, she had a good idea where to find Kyle at least.
With a quick turn, she entered their section of the crew quarters. In the back of the room, she spotted Kyle sitting at the center table tinkering with something. As she got closer, she saw a familiar small tool kit on the chair to his left. His damaged hand and its severed fingers were on the chair to his right while he attached the replacement hand he kept in his footlocker. It was larger than his usual version, but it performed all the same functions. His struggle to attach it showed how long it had been since he last made repairs
Beckett groaned and slumped her shoulders. He should ask the technicians for help. They would have finished faster.
He finally acknowledged her presence with a casual glance before continuing his work. "Take a holo. It'll last longer," he said as he disconnected a misplaced wire.
Beckett crossed her arms, holding back her irritation. "Having trouble?"
"I've done it before," he replied finishing one last screw and putting on his glove. "You know I can take care of my own damn problems." He then sat up and tested the appendages.
"You're not a technician," Beckett said.
"Hasn't stopped me yet," he said finishing his inspection. With everything looking good, he placed the damaged hand, fingers and tool kit in his footlocker. He then met Beckett's glare and sighed. "I'll give it to them later, ok? He said rolling his eyes. "Hell, you can cut diamond with those eyes..."
"I'll take that as a compliment," she said uncrossing her arms. She didn't like talking to him like this, but he needed it. Every man had his faults, but it didn't justify being a grouch. "Heard anything from Tangilanu?"
"If you haven't, I haven't," he replied moving to the door. "We should find out."
Well at least they were getting back to work. She followed him as they headed to the bridge, passing by other soldiers talking and going about business. Everything on Klensal had made everyone extra busy. Not finding Carter or 'Seva was a bummer and the involvement of the Storm only complicated things. Now they were all scrambling to find a new lead and if Tangilanu couldn't trace the data they scavenged, it would be a bitch to find the other base.
And on top of that, recent news of the Geth invading Eden Prime only made things worse. It wasn't every day that a sentient race of A.I.'s unseen for over three hundred years nearly decimate one of Humanity's most prosperous colonies!
As they walked, Beckett noticed Kyle rubbing his hand again. This caught his attention too and he tried hiding it out of view while avoiding eye contact. She knew he was thinking about THAT particular memory again.
"Kyle..." She said trying to start a conversation. "Do you want to ta-"
"No," he quickly interrupted.
Ok...the nice approach wouldn't work this time. She popped a kink in her shoulder as she remembered something on Klensal.
"Synthetic hands don't hurt when they lose fingers," she said. He didn't respond, but she had his attention. Good! "You know, when the Storm soldier attacked."
"I remember..." He said annoyed.
"Well then stop remembering," she said more sternly. "It's only hurting you."
He breathed hard out his nose as he kept rubbing his hand. "We didn't catch them," he said referring to Parker and 'Seva.
"No, we didn't," Beckett said. "But we hit them hard. And none of our men died."
"Engelbrektsson and La Rosa-"
"Are fine. They're ODST. It takes more than that to bring us down." Out of the corner of her eye, she could see him stop rubbing his hand, but he still kept it hidden. She continued. "And the other marines will live too. Besides, if it was anyone else leading them, we wouldn't have even made it this far."
"Did we already reach the flattery part of this talk?" He said.
"Do you always shoot down genuine compliments?" she replied. The fact he kept silent meant she was good to keep going. "We're alive...Whatever you take from that is up to you, but I'm grateful for another day of living. Means I can get back up and hunt those bitches down wherever they're hiding," she said partly for him but also for herself. "Plus, I think a little Law of Moses can be enacted for your loss."
She could see him chuckle as he lowered his hands back to his sides. She was getting better at this. He had too much responsibility to be bothered by pestering thoughts. It's not like she was a therapist, but being around soldiers like him long enough meant she knew how they ticked.
Before they entered the bridge, Kyle added one more point. "We're not alive because of me," he said. This confused her a little before he clarified. "If you hadn't stabbed that Sangheili..." He fumbled thinking of the right thing to say.
"You're welcome, big guy," she answered with a smile and patting his shoulder.
"I'm still saying 'thank you,'" he said as the bridge door opened. "But I'm never challenging you to an energy sword duel now. Even if you paid me!"
She laughed as they entered the bridge. "You wouldn't have stood a chance anyway, quitter."
The bridge bustled with activity as various people worked on multiple terminals. Most of it was general communications and maintenance work, but there were several people specifically analyzing files from the Klensal hard drives. Behind them, the Galaxy Map was on display with two engineers mapping out coordinates on different systems.
Beckett spotted Tangilanu discussing several open files with two other engineers and they joined their conversation.
"Anything good to report?" Kyle asked him.
Tangilanu shook his head. "Nothing conclusive, sir," he said pointing at a few details on the terminal as the other engineers continued their work. "Harmony and the other techs are doing their best, but these guys covered their tracks thoroughly. Triple encrypted extranet IP addresses, vague code names, multiple password algorithms. It's almost Shadow Broker level shit."
Algorithms? That was definitely over Beckett's head.
Kyle crossed his arms as he looked over the files, clearly not understanding them better than she did. "That's giving them too much credit."
"That's why I said 'almost'," Tangilanu noted.
"Why would they put that much protection on their data?" Beckett asked.
"Amateurs wanting to play the big leagues," Tangilanu replied. "And they're not doing a bad job. Must be a pro hacker working for them."
"Or a competent cyber warfare technician," Kyle added.
"Or a retired slash rogue STG operative," Beckett also added.
"Even so," Tangilanu said as they walked to the Galaxy Map. "The point is that we have a few trails to pick up on, but without more specific information it's just a wild goose chase."
"What kind of trails?" Kyle asked.
"Just some stray message destinations," Tangilanu replied looking to the Galaxy Map. "Harmony, show the message trails."
"Yes, sir," the V.I. replied projecting a screen zooming onto a cluster of planets with small arrows pointing out from them to other galactic regions.
"We tracked a few to their extranet distribution buoys," Tangilanu said pointing the trails out.
"You said the IP's were encrypted," Beckett said.
"Yes, but that's for the specific server and recipient," he said as he nodded to the engineers at the Galaxy Map's terminal. "We were able to feel out the data bundles they were sent through to before they were redirected."
"Which was like finding a needle in an Elcor sized haystack," one of the Galaxy Map technicians noted.
"Exactly," Tangilanu said as the technicians added some data to the terminal. "And how many galactic clusters did we trace the messages to?"
The second technician finished crunching his numbers and red dots shot out over the right side of the map. Amongst the systems they landed on were the Attican Beta, the Maroon Sea, the Gemini Sigma, Voyager, Sentry Omega and Kepler Verge clusters.
"About six," the second technician said. "And that's not including the systems within them."
Beckett understood now. With so many messages trafficked in and out on a minute-by-minute basis, their leads could disappear faster than it would take to start searching. "Has Harmony been able to communicate with the buoys for help?" She asked.
"That's outside her computation power," Tangilanu said. "V.I.'s...you know."
Kyle nodded as Beckett saw him thinking over something. "It still doesn't make sense," he said.
"What? Harmony's limits?" Tangilanu asked.
"No...well, yes, but no," he replied not wanting to go down that rabbit hole. He eyed the Hades Gamma cluster on the Galaxy Map. "What did these bastards hope to achieve by getting everyone killed? Dargus had to know it was a losing fight."
"You should know a suicide mission better than anyone," a voice behind them said.
Everyone turned to see Captain Ralston enter the bridge, prompting a group salute.
"At ease," Ralston said waving off their salutes and approaching the Galaxy Map.
"Suicide mission, sir?" Beckett asked.
"Absolutely," Ralston said. "Everything in your report points to it, but I doubt everyone at the base knew that was the case."
"So Dargus expected everyone to die rather than surrender?" Tangilanu asked.
"No, I think he was hung out to dry and refused to die in a jail cell," Ralston replied glancing to Beckett. "Why would he try executing her after the battle was lost?"
"Because he's an idiot," Kyle replied. Beckett felt good hearing that.
"Maybe so, but even idiots would strive for self-preservation. Resolme acted rashly in killing him, but Dargus set it up too easily," Ralston said thinking it over. "No, I think he knew his plan before we arrived."
Beckett thought about that, seeing the Captain's point. "He was stranded on a backwater planet with no means of help. If he told his bosses we were coming..."
"...they probably told him how boned he was," Tangilanu added.
"So how come the others surrendered?"
"Because they're not crazy," Ralston said. "Most of the hired muscle were locals to their system. I doubt any of them had even heard the big bosses talk, let alone seen their faces. Dargus had a lot of dirt though, so it'd be a shitty legal situation even without what his bosses dumped on him."
"So Dalamar was one of the unlucky ones?" Kyle asked.
"Yup," Ralston said as he leaned against the Galaxy Map railing. "Which leads to our current situation. The other people we detained wouldn't know the first thing about Parker and 'Seva's whereabouts. If we want to save a lot of trouble, we need to make Dalamar talk." He looked to Kyle. "What do you think would work?"
"Is that an actual question or an invitation to find out?" Kyle asked.
"Take it how you will, but I'm glad you can read between the lines."
Beckett raised an eyebrow. Ralston was going to have Kyle interrogate Dalamar? He could do it, but she had to wonder why Ralston wouldn't do it himself.
"What are my parameters?" Kyle asked.
"What's legal," Ralston replied. "Get in his head, use your facts wisely, intimidate, but watch your step. The last thing we need is red tape slowing us down."
Beckett saw Kyle think over the situation. This wasn't a Spectre operation, so they still had to play by Alliance and Council rules. One slip up could get them clamped down by ONI or some other internal investigation.
After a few moments, Kyle nodded. "Alright...give us a room and I'll do it."
Ralston stood up and gave a firm pat to Kyle's shoulder. "I know you will," he said as he looked to Beckett. "Beckett and I will be waiting outside if anything happens." He pointed to Tangilanu and the technician. "Keep a channel prepped. Whatever ship is in the system Dalamar names, I want them hailed immediately."
That order surprised Kyle and Beckett. "Huh?" Kyle asked.
"We're not going alone this time," Ralston replied. "We're short three soldiers, we have Geth on our doorstep and you can bet we'll face stiffer resistance this time around. I've already talked to Command and it's final."
Beckett understood and nodded. "Right, sir."
"I want you two down at the interrogation room in five minutes," Ralston said to her and Kyle. "And Kyle..." He added looking directly at him. "Make this quick."
"Faster than Slipspace, sir," Kyle said affirmatively.
"Good. Dismissed," Ralston said as he talked into his earpiece heading to the ship's elevator.
So, they were going through with the interrogation. Dalamar wouldn't be very eager to talk to them, but Beckett hoped this would get resolved soon. There were bigger things to focus on than drug traffickers...
Kyle popped his shoulders and rolled his neck as he rode down the elevator. It had been a while since he had interrogated someone...years even. It wasn't usually his job, since they would usually transfer prisoners to ONI or some other Alliance official to be processed. They were on a time crunch though, so the sooner they dealt with this, the sooner they could crush this syndicate.
He closed his eyes and tried putting himself in a focused state. He was still...a bit steamed about the Sangheili chopping his fingers off, but he knew Asha would guilt him again if he didn't calm down. That woman was more concerned about dealing with his problems than he was. Didn't she have a father on death's door weighing on her mind?
Ok, he realized that was out of line. Whatever the case, being upset wouldn't help the interrogation.
Yet he couldn't help but recall buried memories the more he tried dodging around Klensal. And these memories would always bring him back to Shanxi. It felt like everything brought him back to Shanxi…
The elevator chimed and the doors slid open. Well, he would have to postpone his deep introspective thoughts for another day.
He exited the elevator and spotted Beckett, who closed her omni-tool to talk. "Ralston's waiting in the next hall," she said pointing to the nearest door. "You ready?"
"I could think I'm ready all I want," Kyle said as he approached the door. "Doubt I'll ever actually 'be' ready."
"Just answer the question," She asked sternly.
He sighed. "Yes…"
"Good. See, that wasn't so hard."
Kyle looked to her eyes. "You don't have to keep watching out for me."
"Somebody has to," she replied crossing her arms. "'It's better to be watched by a friend's eyes than an enemy's scope.'"
He was pretty sure that was his quote. Glad to know someone was paying attention to those! He opened the doors and turned to her with a smirk. "Thanks…"
She smiled back as she followed him. "Anytime, big guy."
They made their way down the hall to see Ralston waiting outside a room with two guards.
"You reviewed the data I sent?" Ralston asked Kyle as he lowered a data pad he was carrying and moved away from the now opening door.
"As much as I could," Kyle replied.
"Alright then. You know the drill. Do what it takes to make him talk, but be quick about it," Ralston said handing him the data pad. "The longer we wait, the more time those dick holes have to do more damage."
"Yes sir," Kyle said as he walked in the room and the door slid shut.
The room was dimly lit inside, more for aesthetic purposes than a fault with the lights. In the middle was a table with two chairs. Sitting in the chair opposite from the door was Salim Dalamar, with his hands restrained onto the surface with tight cuffs. He wore a sour scowl that masked regret and intense frustration, none of which were surprising.
It was strange seeing the man out of his armor though. His skin was a much darker black than Kyle expected and he was very thin. His lips didn't close all the way when at rest, revealing his top row of slightly yellow teeth. His balding head reflected the light almost at Kyle's eyes, possibly to distract from his slightly larger than usual forehead. He was a deceptively intimidating individual.
Not enough for Kyle though. He made his way to his chair, using the brief time in the shadows to take one more relaxing breath. Show time!
"Salim Dalamar?" Kyle asked for protocol's sake.
Salim refused to answer as he looked out into the darkness.
"Alright, let's try something else," Kyle said as he lifted Ralston's data pad. "Do you know why you're in this room?"
Salim still didn't answer.
Kyle pulled up an arrest record on the data pad, placed it on the table and projected it so Salim could see. "As it stands, we're looking at drug trafficking, slave trading, extortion, counts of murder and other charges you may or may not be directly tied to. Depending on your testimony, you may be able to lower the charges from first to third degree. Maybe even an accessory charge…"
Salim continued to remain silent.
"I can imagine how you feel. A few hours ago, you were wallowing in that pit doing whatever people like you do when you're not hocking drugs and flesh. Now you have a rather unpleasant future facing you." Kyle was feeling more confident the more he spoke. Memories of his own interrogation and counter-interrogation training kicked in, fueling his words. He leaned forward and continued. "It sucks…it really does. How much it will suck, however, depends on you."
"I'm not telling you anything," Salim finally said, still not looking at Kyle.
"Famous first words," Kyle replied. "I feel you may reconsider."
"And why is that?"
"Because you'll hear what I have to say and accept that I'm here to help you."
"No…you're not…" Salim said turning to Kyle directly with that same harsh scowl. "You're going to murder. Murder, destroy and ruin the lives of other people, just so your bosses can continue dominating the galaxy."
Kyle was amused by this response. "This from a man who helped dope up and sell people to the Batarians."
Salim leaned forward to Kyle, still unable to move his restrained hands. "Do you know business, soldier man?"
Kyle shook his head. "I know how to spend money and not go into debt. That's about it."
"Yeah…just a stupid jarhead like everyone else," Salim sneered. "You know what people do to make good business? Trick stupid people." He tried moving his hands to illustrate his point, but to no avail. "Everyone is looking to escape a problem. They don't have this. They need this. They want to leave this. Sometimes they need a little extra help. It's not always legal, but they'll do what it takes because they need it now. They know what they're dealing with. Anything else that happens afterwards is their own fault."
Kyle held back his surprise from this boldness. "So you're ok subjecting them to whatever the Batarians wish to do?"
"Like I said, they know what they're dealing with. They think we're stupid, like we won't find them if they can't pay us back. We're not. We take back what they owe us, one way or another. Whatever the Batarians do then is fair game."
Kyle leaned back in his chair. "So is this a formal confession?"
Salim looked down to the table. "It doesn't matter. You'll make one up anyway."
"That's not true."
Salim slowly shot back his glare. "No. I know how you government people work. It's a blame game. You don't want to fix your problems, so you dump them on everyone else. You use all the same dirty tricks, but you call them 'sanctioned.' Meanwhile, people making an honest living get squashed by your shit because it stinks too much for you to handle."
Kyle sighed with amusement. "If what you're saying was true, which it isn't, what problems do you think 'we're' shitting on your shoulders?"
"That you're all corrupt! You seek peace for the galaxy, but you suppress the innocent and weak to do it. You bully the other races to do your bidding without giving anything back. You put taxes, tariffs and limitations where none are needed. You let people die in your own ranks without a second thought. And you're all damn liars! The galaxy would be better off without the Alliance and you know it!"
"Empty words from a hypocrite."
"And an empty defense from a murderer!"
Salim's argument was certainly weak enough to poke holes into, but the way he said 'murderer' opened a more useful weak point. He crossed his arms and cocked a curious eyebrow. "What was your friend's name?"
Salim hesitated but didn't answer.
"The one on Klensal? Who did we kill that you were so close to?"
There was still no answer, but Kyle could see the agitation rising.
He opened a new file on the datapad. "I can go through every person we identified until you tell me…or you can cut out the middle man. It'd be a lot easier for both of us."
Salim's fingers scraped against the table and his lips closed into a sharp frown. Kyle needed to hammer this home. He scrolled down the list to a specific name that was highlighted.
"Well, because we live in this century and we can monitor your comm., I already know who it is," he said as he started reading the file. "Let's see...Hama Mohammed Fahrin. Born July 14, 2659 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to Omar and Kefaya Al Shammari. Changed his name in 2675 when he started working for various crime rings operating in and around Omega. He had two brothers and three sisters, two of which died during the Elysium Blitz with military honors. Graduated in military—"
"You don't know my friend!" Salim barked at Kyle with balled up fists. A vein on his forehead throbbed as his scowl intensified and he breathed hard, venomous breaths. Neither of them talked for a minute as Salim's breathing slowed down. Kyle continued to be amused, but he knew that a nerve was hit. Good!
"So…that's why," Kyle said to break the silence.
Salim looked away again. "Don't pretend you care, asshole," he mumbled. "How many people have you killed because your bosses said so?"
Kyle wasn't about to get sucked into this rabbit hole, so he shifted gears. "You're right…I could give two shits about the people I killed down there. That's part of the job. But you wouldn't have given two shits about killing my men either, so I'd say our potential for being bastards is evenly matched."
As Salim continued stewing with his internal anger, Kyle opened a special file. Now it was time to redirect this rage. "Of course, it wouldn't have ended that way if your bosses didn't abandon you."
Salim hesitated for a moment but he didn't relent his anger. "You caught us off guard. What could have 'my bosses' done?"
"Well, they could have warned you that we were coming…or more particularly…" Kyle paused, savoring the reveal as he opened up the file. "Dargus could have told you they weren't going to help."
"What do you mean?" Salim said confused.
The bait was taken!
"Sorry, I should stop being so vague," Kyle said with a smirk as he scrolled through the file to a series of linked messages. "We found a lot of messages on Klensal, most of which Dargus tried to destroy. However, there was a conversation we found on his personal account that was…interesting." He slid the data pad to Salim. "Care to take a look?"
Salim glanced down to the data pad and back to Kyle a few more times before succumbing to his curiosity. He leaned forward, straightening the pad with his cuffed hands, and scrolled down the linked messages. The more Salim read, the more his anger faded. In its place were concern, confusion and frustration. He glanced back up to Kyle as he most likely reached the final message. "This is a fake."
"Afraid not," Kyle said assuredly, "We verified the sending address and it's most certainly Dargus's. It's all directly taken from the source we downloaded from."
Salim glanced back down at the message, then back up again quickly. "I…I don't…" He stammered as he searched for something to say.
Kyle lifted a hand to stop him. "There's nothing to say. Your bosses knew someone was coming. It might have been us. It might have been this…'third party' they alluded to. Whatever the case, I believe your bosses said something like this." He lifted a middle finger to illustrate his point. "I assume that's the universal translation for 'You're on your own,' unless I misread that part of the message."
Salim was still confused, but the denial continued to kick in. "Liar! This is a fake!"
Kyle shook his head. "There's no fake here. Just pure, unfiltered communication." He put his hands together on the table and leaned forward. "Which reminds me of something. Tell me again…why didn't Dargus let you back inside the base when you asked him on Klensal?"
"He…" Salim said thinking it over. "He wanted us wanted us to keep watch."
"But you told him the cameras could keep track of that."
"Yeah…" Salim stopped as he saw Kyle lift an eyebrow. He then shook his head. "No…no!" His lip quivered as he continued shaking his head. This was where the realization was kicking in.
So Kyle decided to hammer it further. "The truth? Dargus threw you guys out as a distraction. It gave him a chance to prepare everyone inside for a fight. You were cannon fodder. You…Hama…those other guys." He brushed his hands. "Nothing…"
Salim slumped in his chair, processing what he learned. "No…no. He…I'm the second…was the second-in-command. The number two."
"A number two he locked outside when the wolves came sniffing around." Kyle could see Salim had nothing else to say yet, so he continued. "What if you knew? What if Dargus trusted his 'number two' enough to warn you we were coming? Maybe you still would have fought and died, but maybe…just maybe…Hama would be sitting here next to you. As murderous as you think we are, we did keep you alive. And several people surrendered too."
"Why aren't you pestering them?" Salim mumbled.
"Because they don't know where Parker and 'Seva are. And they don't have a reason to get angry at them," Kyle said balling a fist for show. "But you do…"
Salim exhaled deeply. He needed a bit more work.
"You and Dargus didn't get along very well, huh?" Kyle asked.
"He's a bastard..."
"Yes, they are." Kyle noticed Salim's confused reaction to his statement and realized what he said. "Y-yes, he was," he corrected himself.
"You killed him?"
"Yes."
"Good…"
Kyle held back a smile as he continued. "Your syndicate is still being run by bastards though; bastards who wrote off your entire base as expendable. Dargus knew this and let everyone die rather than find an alternate solution. If he, or you, had surrender, maybe things wouldn't have turned out so badly." Salim clearly didn't buy it, but Kyle didn't expect him too.
He took the data pad back from Salim. "Because without Dargus or your bosses in our custody, most of their charges will be dropped on your ass and you don't have the support or representation to escape them. So as I see it, you have two options. Option one: you don't talk." He shrugged his shoulders. "Ok, that's your choice. We never find their base, they continue to hock their product and slavery expands throughout the local systems. You hold your honor and go to jail for a very….VERY long time."
He leaned back in his chair. "Then there's option two: you tell me where they are hiding…right now. You tell us how many people are at the base, what their defenses are like and any other useful information. We'll go in, capture them and end this sorry mess. Sadly…you'll still go to jail, but aside from any good feelings you'll feel for helping us, you may find that your sentence will be…hm, lighter than expected."
"Is that a bribe?" Salim said.
"Nope, it's the legal system. You sing like a canary, we'll argue your case and reduce your sentence. I'd say that's a fair deal for whatever it's worth."
Salim exhaled hard as he narrowed his stare. "All this time you spent talking, you could have beaten my ass for the information."
Kyle smirked. "I haven't ruled that out as an option," he said eyeing every corner of the room for Salim to notice. "You see any cameras in here?"
That caught Salim off guard for a moment before Kyle continued. "It wouldn't be the first time and it wouldn't be the last. So I could…but I'm going to tell you why you'll talk instead; because you don't owe those jackasses anything. There won't be a funeral held in Hama's honor. There won't be a special place in their hearts because you refused to talk. All of that hard work and loyalty will be forgotten. And all you'll be able to think about when you sit in that jail cell is the sinking feeling that you're better than that. But hey, that's how businessmen like Parker and 'Seva work. And you and Hama both knew what you got yourselves into when you joined."
Salim was not happy at Kyle's attempt to use his own words against him. Probably because he knew Kyle was right!
"It's your choice though…and we've pussy footed for too long," Kyle said as he sat back up. "The ball's in your court."
Salim didn't not speak for a whole two minutes. Kyle couldn't tell if he was actually thinking it over or just wasting time. The man simply stared down at his feet, with only shallow breaths and the hum of the lights filling the void.
After another minute of silence, Kyle stood up. "So be it," he muttered moving to the door.
Before he could open it though, he heard Salim mumble something. It was too faint to make out, but it stopped Kyle in his tracks.
He turned back to Salim. "What?" Salim didn't repeat himself. He walked back and leaned over to Salim with both hands on the table. "If you have something to say…speak up."
Salim slowly lifted his head to face him. It looked like the man aged another two years with how sullen he looked, but he finally decided to repeat himself.
"…Mavigon…"
Mavigon! That was a planet Kyle recognized.
"Are you sure?" He asked firmly.
"Western hemisphere...northern region...two auto-turrets guarding the main door...thirty-five men inside...yeah, I'm sure," Salim mumbled angrily.
They stared down each other for a short while as Kyle judged the validity of his confession. The man looked resentful, but it felt genuine.
"…alright," Kyle said standing back up to leave. Before he did though, he offered one last thought to Salim. "You might have saved a lot of innocent people today."
"Go away…" Salim said sulking into his chair.
Kyle respected the man's wishes and left the room, with Ralston, Beckett and the other soldiers outside waiting for his response. He let the door close behind him before speaking to Ralston. He already did enough to make Salim feel worthless, so it was best not to rub more salt into the wounds.
"Mavigon, in the northern region of the western hemisphere," Kyle said reiterating Salim's words.
Ralston put his hand to his comm. "Did you get that, Tu'uta?"
"Loud and clear, sir," Tangilanu said on the other line. "Searching for the nearest ship in the Han system now."
"Roger. Immediately relay connection to their commanding officer once they've been hailed. Ralston out." Ralston lowered his hand and nodded to Kyle. "Good work, lieutenant."
Before Kyle could reply, Ralston left the hall and went to the elevators. He could hear the Captain contact the bridge for immediate departure to the Gemini Sigma cluster.
Beckett watched Ralston as well before turning back to Kyle. "Think he told the truth?"
"We're going to find out one way or another," Kyle said as he motioned her to follow. "Let's hope for his sake he did..."
Resolme held his pistol in his hand as he sat in a solidary room he had found for himself. The Captain had notified everyone through the comm. system that they were heading for the Gemini Sigma cluster, yet he still didn't feel like returning to his post yet. All he could do right now was skulk and replay the events of Klensal in his mind. It was stupid, but he couldn't help it.
He felt guilty for causing this much of a delay. He hadn't intended to kill Dargus. He seriously meant it when he said it was supposed to be a disabling shot. It turns out he wasn't as good with trick shots like the lieutenant was. The blood splatter from the headshot sprayed across his vision and he kept picturing the scene repeating in different angles like some kind of movie flashback.
There was more to his worry than just guilt for compromising the mission though. This was his first kill. It was hard to believe, but he had never made a proper kill up to this point. Most of his shots had been absorbed by kinetic barriers or just missed their mark altogether. It was one thing simulating a kill in training, but an actual kill…that was something he wasn't prepared for. As his hand continued to grip his pistol, he mentally felt Dargus' blood seeping through his glove down his wrist.
He leaned his head to his knees and slumped his hands next to his sides. The pistol slid from his fingers and he grit his teeth. He knew better than to feel this way. He was a trained ODST. They were conditioned for violence, shock and tragedy. He should be a better soldier. He should be as good as Noah was….but he wasn't.
"Private?" A voice said from in front of him.
Resolme's head shot up to see Captain Ralston himself standing at the room's doorway. He hadn't even heard the Captain come in, but apparently his little hiding spot wasn't so hidden after all. He knew he should get up and salute or apologize or return to his post or something….but he couldn't. The feeling wasn't registering in his body.
"Why aren't you at your post?" The Captain asked him sternly.
Resolme exhaled slowly. "I'm…I'm sorry. I just…needed to decompress, sir."
The Captain's eyes sized up Resolme as he continued to stand where he was. This confused Resolme a bit, but he kept his mouth shut.
"Was that your first time killing someone?" He clarified.
Resolme didn't know there was a look to someone who had made their first kill, but he guessed he must have had it. He nodded apologetically. "…yeah…but I didn't-"
The Captain flicked his hand upwards to have Resolme stand up, which he did promptly. This was the part he expected where the Captain rebuked him for not being at his post for such a stupid reason. He took a breath and anticipated the verbal lumps.
"How long have you been on active duty, Private?"
This was the set-up. That, or an interview. To be fair, neither of them knew each other very well. Resolme tried to think of the right answer. "Um…a few months…yeah, a few months, sir."
Ralston nodded. "Your own choice?"
"…yes, sir."
"Any family ties to the Alliance?"
That seemed particularly pointed to ask. "Um…two older brothers and an older sister…sir."
"All active duty?"
Resolme hesitated. "Yes…um, m-my brother Tomasi and my sister Lavania are technicians on other ships. Noah…Noah was killed in action, sir."
"ODST?"
"Yes, sir."
"How recently?"
Resolme looked to the Captain, who held an interrogating glare as he waited for his answer. It was still hard thinking about it. "…several months ago…sir," He finally answered.
Ralston nodded, looked down to his feet with his hands on his hips and then looked back to Resolme. "I'm only saying this once," the Capatin started as Resolme braced himself. "That kill caused a hell of a lot of trouble. It made our search longer than needed and it may have caused damage we may never truly know. It was a brash action to make…"
He then paused and cleared his throat. "…but it was the right one and I'm grateful for it."
That wasn't what Resolme expected. "But I—"
"You saved Beckett's life," Ralston interrupted. "She owes you for that."
If this was some way for the Captain to confuse him, then it was working splendidly. "But…but, I didn't mean…I…I just tried to disable—"
"Stop," Ralston said firmly. Resolme's mouth closed shut as the Captain pointed to him. "No excuses…ever. The lives of my men and women are worth ten of that feckless Turian jackass's hide. When he tries killing my soldiers, I don't care if he knows the location to the fountain of youth or the greatest super weapon the galaxy has ever seen. He's going down with a bullet in his eye…just like you gave him."
Resolme continued to force his mouth shut to prevent any interruptions.
Ralston lowered his pointed hand to his side. "Now you learn this immediately. Killing is going to sting, no matter if it's your first or your seventieth. You think the pain will go away over time…but it won't."
Resolme's legs shook from stress as the Captain crossed his arms. "Let it sting. Let it fuel your desire for justice. Remember that when you are working for the ODST, the Alliance or any other branch, every kill you make is saving a life. You know it, your brother knew it and every soldier under my command knows it. We take the lethal wounds. We commit the unpleasant acts. We swing death's scythe so billions of people never have to. And at the end of the day, maybe the sting of murder will be supplanted by the overwhelming pride in knowing that you made a difference."
Every word the Captain spoke was hypnotizing in a way Resolme had never heard before. This must be that soldier side he had long since retired to become a leader.
"Don't become the others," Ralston said glancing out the door. "I've seen what happens to some people when the body count rises. When you leave this door and get back to work, don't give in to cynicism. We ARE heroes and we ARE protecting the galaxy one planet at a time. No kill is too big or too small if it brings peace. Keep that in mind and you will never regret the sting again."
The Captain softened his features following that remark, allowing Resolme a chance to finally breathe. "Do you understand?" He asked.
After a couple moments to process his words, Resolme nodded.
"Good, because we're not having this conversation again."
The Captain turned to leave, but Resolme had one last question to ask.
"Sir…"
The Captain stopped without turning back as he listened.
"If it's not too much to ask…what…um, who was your first?"
The Captain just stood there, barely moving a muscle. Then he replied.
"…a young girl," he said. "Couldn't have been older than sixteen. With the wounds she had, it was the right thing to do." He turned his head slightly to look Resolme in the eyes, showing only the slightest hint of regret at the memory. "Every kill we make brings peace…one way or another."
With that, he exited the room and left Resolme by himself again.
This had been a lot for Resolme to process. Maybe Ralston was right. Maybe killing Dargus was necessary. Still…he'd have to think about that whole 'killing to bring peace' thing. It was the reason he joined, but this was the first time it had ever been tested. Everything should be easy to comprehend. The lieutenant and the others made it look so easy. Maybe that was the point though: to make it 'look' easy.
Taking another moment to collect his nerves, he walked out of the room and went to return to his post. It would be a couple minutes to get back…
…so he decided to his omni-tool and playback the conversation he just had just recorded. Unbeknownst to the Captain, Resolme had pressed record on his mini-camera the moment he stood up. He wouldn't have any video to work off of, but he could at least hear the Captain's words again. Ever since the Forward Unto Dawn, he wasn't going to miss out on anything that would be important for learning or posterity. Noah had always told him to pay attention and he was going to take that advice any way he could…
Codex Entry (Alliance): Artificial Intelligence - History
The development of artificial intelligence in human culture can be traced back to the 21st century, though archaeological discoveries have shown races as old as the Forerunners also using similar constructs. Originally created to assist in computations outside of human limitations, the nature and purpose of A.I.'s expanded over many centuries to become integral components of human society, from wide scale colonial expansion to infrastructure maintenance.
Human A.I. models were broken into two categories: 'Dumb' A.I.'s, sometimes interchangeably referred to as V.I.'s, with limited performance functions and 'Smart' A.I.'s capable of simulating active human intelligence. Smart A.I.'s in particular proved valuable in humanity's colonization past the Forerunner Cluster, aiding in settlement maintenance and coordinating necessary communication between worlds. They also proved to be the backbone of Humanity's campaign against the Covenant forces, assisting both intergalactic and ground warfare strategy along with cyber warfare tactics. The heroic efforts of A.I.'s like the Spirit of Fire's Selina, the Harvest A.I. Sif, the Halsey A.I. Cortana and many others have helped save countless human lives.
A.I. development went through drastic changes, however, once contact with the Council races was made. Already wary of sentient intelligence from the Geth rebellion, the Council feared that prolific use of Smart A.I.'s within the Forerunner Cluster races could prove catastrophic should a glitch or error arise. Tensions only worsened when the incidents concerning rampancy, irrational and dangerous behavior caused near the end of an A.I.'s seven-year lifespan came into discussion. The Council issued a preemptive warning to Alliance, the Sangheili Empire and the other Forerunner Cluster races that should they desire further discourse with the galactic community, drastic reduction of Smart A.I. use was required.
After many long negotiations, acceptable terms were finally agreed upon. All Smart A.I.'s in Alliance space were offered a 'retirement' either on Reach's mega server or various Alliance sponsored hubs to live out their remaining lifespan in peace. Despite several rebellious Smart A.I.'.s fleeing Alliance jurisdiction to the Attican Traverse, the remaining A.I.'s were cooperative and supportive to the terms. Mini-memorials have been placed at these hubs to commemorate the work these constructs provided.
In exchange for such drastic actions, plans were set in motion to construct Human and Sangheili government embassies on the Citadel. Additionally, efforts have been made by the Council to ensure cooperative operations as Citadel V.I.'s and Alliance Dumb A.I.'s continue to develop alongside each other.
By 2683, A.I. and V.I. production for all races had been narrowed down to four major cross-species corporations, including Synthetic Insights, Ltd. Illegal Smart A.I.'s continue to arise within the Attican Traverse and Terminus Systems, though their numbers are relatively small and they remain unaffiliated with any Council race governments.
For further history on Human A.I. history and development, consult your local extranet server. Non ONI-classified A.I. details are also available on Alliance databases.
And there is our chapter for now. Tune in soon for the next chapter also currently in the works. For those who know how this mission works, you can expect a greater deal of action and gun play to come.
However, there will be a cameo from TLS to look forward to as well. Who could it be? Well, you'll have to find out next chapter!
In the meantime, feel free to check the plugs above and leave your thoughts on this chapter through a review, PM or a post on my Tumblr account. Hope everyone is doing well this year!
And because it still depresses the heck out of me, R.I.P. Phillip Seymour Hoffman.