The Griffin – Bridge
3:53 PM – Shipboard Time
The Nighthawks were still escorting the Haven Colonists through space as they put as much distance between them and Haven itself on their sublight drives. Morales's medivac had docked with the Griffin and was now stored inside the cargo bay. Nova and Graven entered the bridge where Ace, Reigel, Hana, and Morales were waiting.
"I just spoke to the Magistrate of Mar Sara. He's sending a Battlecruiser to pick up the refugees and he's alerted the Dominion to the Haven situation." Nova reported as Reigel turned to Hana.
"Corporal, have a destination set for the warp drive for when that Battlecruiser arrives." Reigel said as Hana gave a salute from her station.
"I'm on it." She replied as Reigel turned back to Nova.
"Some of the Colonists are requesting permission to join the Nighthawks. They're mighty pissed about what happened and they want payback. Can't say as I blame them." Ace reported as Nova gave a nod.
"Screen them and welcome them aboard. We can always use a few extra guns." Nova said before turning towards Morales.
"If you wanted to stay and help the colonists, I'd understand, Lieutenant." Nova said but Morales shook her head.
"No way, Commander. If you're going after the Angels, then you're going to need someone to keep you and the rest of the Nighthawks stapled together. After seeing what they did on Haven, willingly Infesting innocent people, they're officially at the top of my guano list." Morales said as Nova gave her a light smile and a nod.
"Welcome aboard then, Lieutenant." Nova said as Morales cleared her throat.
"With your permission, I'd like to put in a few calls to some old UED friends of mine, see if we can't lend some support. I know I can probably get the guys from Spartan Company with their Goliaths to join up…that's if we can field a Factory and I can probably get some of the Overmedics to join us too." Morales explained as Hana arched a confused eyebrow.
"Overmedics?" she asked.
"They're the UED Elite Medics that were tasked with keeping the Second Overmind pacified during the Brood War. After the war, the survivors, like Lieutenant Morales here, became mercenaries for the most part." Reigel explained.
"We could use both Spartan Company and the Overmedics if we're going to take on the Angels. But at the moment, we can't field a Factory without an engineer and if the Overmedics bring any Medivacs, we won't be able to field many of them without a Starport, and we can't field one because we have neither an engineer or a CAG to manage them." Nova said as Morales gave an understanding nod.
"I'll talk to them anyway. At the very least, have them standing by to help so that we can deploy them when we're able to." Morales said as Nova gave a nod.
"Do it. And I'd like to see you in the med-lab when you get a moment, Lieutenant." Nova said as Morales gave a nod before saluting and walking off the bridge.
"So we've got a CMO and possibly some dedicated field medics with the potential promise of some heavy weaponry. Which brings up the subject of finding ourselves an engineer, someone who knows how to keep the equipment up and running." Nova said as she looked at the team.
"Best engineer I know is Rory Swann but I highly doubt he'd be willing to just up and leave his post on the Hyperion to come work for us." Ace said as Nova glanced at Graven.
"I'm working on a possible lead for a mechanic. Might need to come up with some funds to pay for them." Graven said as Nova grimaced.
"Which we don't have. We need to focus on the Angels, stop them from executing Operation: Horseman One. But we can't do that until we can field a force formidable enough to do so. Luckily, the Magistrate of Mar Sara passed along some useful information. The Dominion recently posted a bounty for credible leads on possible Angel of Tarsonis bases or activities." Nova said as Graven smirked.
"The Raiders had a shell account set up to trick the Dominion for similar tipoffs regarding the Zerg or the Raiders themselves." Graven said as Ace chuckled.
"Yeah, I remember that. We'd set up a trap, tell the Dominion about it, blow 'em away when they arrived. Then we'd get paid for killing off their own guys. It was a good scam." Ace said, smirking fondly at the memory.
"Only we don't have reason to kill the Dominion's people. We're on the same side." Reigel said as Ace looked at him.
"Of course we don't now, but back then, we did." Ace replied.
"It might prove useful. Reigel, can you set up that account? I've got a few leads from that Marine I interrogated on Haven that might be worth the Dominion checking out. We might also benefit from investigating them too." Nova said as Reigel gave a nod.
"I'll get right on it." He replied, turning towards the main console.
"In the meantime, we need to plot out our next move. Until Graven can come through with an engineer for us, we're at an impasse." Nova said before feeling her stomach rumble.
"Come on Nova, let's get some grub." Ace said as Nova gave a nod.
"Sure." She replied, not thinking anything of it. As the two walked out of the bridge, Nova glanced up at him.
"You're not trying to woo me are you?" Nova asked but Ace chuckled.
"No ma'am. Not that you're not attractive, but I just…well, it's like they say: True love comes only once." Ace replied soberly.
"You lost family on Tarsonis?" Nova asked, sympathetically.
"I lost everyone on Tarsonis. My family, my wife…I know what those colonists are going through. It's the same thing that happened to me after Tarsonis, except they didn't get stuck in this tin can for life." Ace grumbled.
"Yet here you are. You're still here after nine years, so clearly you've not given up." Nova said as Ace gave a nod.
"I came very close on several occasions, Nova. Almost pulled my own plug a few times. I kept going because I didn't want to die like a coward." Ace said as they entered the elevator.
"And now that you're here? You don't seem so suicidal anymore." Nova said as Ace gave a nod.
"To be completely honest, Nova, it's because of you. You're a familiar face from the old days. You may not remember me, and that's fine, but to me it means more than you could possibly imagine." Ace said as Nova looked away from him in contemplation. He then chuckled.
"Almost forgot I was talking to a telepath. You probably could read my mind." Ace said but Nova looked at him. As usual she couldn't read his mind for some unknown reason.
"I could…but I won't. Despite popular belief, we telepaths don't like diving into other people's thoughts." Nova said as the elevator doors opened, Nova walking out, leaving Ace behind looking at her suspiciously.
"That's news to me." He muttered.
…
Dominion Imperial Palace
Korhal
A few minutes later…
Emperor Valerian Mengsk was stood in his office, looking out the windows at the city below him. He had the phonograph nearby playing a record of a more recent recording of the Brood War Aria. As he stood in contemplation, he heard the electronic hiss of a cloaking field behind him.
"Admiral Horner?" Mengsk asked the decloaking Imperial Spectre behind him. The Spectre's armor was aesthetically the same but had a white helmet, gauntlets, shoulder guards, breastplate, and boots instead of the gold colored ones. This particular spectre was a female as evidenced by her femininely shaped armor and a long ponytail of auburn hair sticking out the back of the helmet.
"Yes, milord." The Spectre replied as Valerian gave a quiet wave, motioning towards him. The Spectre recognized the gesture and bowed before turning and opening the door to the office, allowing Admiral Matthew Horner to enter, his hands behind his back as he entered. He then turned and stood at attention, saluting the Emperor.
"Your majesty." Matt greeted as Valerian glanced towards him over his shoulder.
"What is the latest news on the Angels of Tarsonis, Admiral?" Valerian asked.
"Not good. We just received the intel packet from Athena." Matt replied as Valerian turned towards him, resting his hand on his sheathed sword as usual.
"I thought the team sent to Athena didn't survive." Valerian said but Matt nodded.
"They didn't but the packet was recovered by an old friend. Ex-agent X41822N, sir." Matt said as Valerian smiled a little, looking wistfully out the window for a moment.
"Nova Terra. She continues to impress me. She is a wanted fugitive and yet she still continues to support the very Dominion that issued the warrant for her arrest." Valerian said, the Spectre shifting her feet slightly at the mention of the ex-Ghost. Valerian then looked back at Matt.
"What did the packet contain?" Valerian asked.
"Apparently our suspicions about the Angels of Tarsonis were correct. They're receiving funding from the same groups as the Defenders of Man. The same O.B.H. group." Matt said as Valerian turned towards him.
"And we still don't know who this O.B.H. group is, do we?" Valerian asked.
"No sir. None of the Defenders of Man personnel we have incarcerated from last year have said anything, nor have our psychic interrogators have been able to extract anything." Matt said as Valerian glanced at the Spectre who instantly stood at attention. He then looked away as he rubbed his chin in thought.
"And what is the latest reports on Nova's Nighthawks?" Valerian asked. Matt seemed hesitant to answer this one.
"Mira Han reports that Nova seems to be going after the Angels or at least looking into them." Matt replied as Valerian glanced towards the Spectre again.
"Let's keep an eye on the Nighthawks for now. We otherwise continue as before." Valerian said as Matt saluted.
"Yes, sir. One more thing, sir. I just received a report from the Magistrate at Mar Sara. They just received a number of refugees from Haven Colony. They say the Colony has been destroyed." Matt said as Valerian looked at him, visibly disturbed by the report.
"Lead with that next time, Admiral." He said as Matt lowered his head slightly.
"I apologize sir. I only just found out." Matt said as Valerian pondered.
"Haven…they're near Protoss space, aren't they?" Valerian asked.
"Yes sir but according to the survivors, it was the Zerg that destroyed the colony. Magistrate Hanson is believed to have been killed in the attack." Matt said as Valerian grimaced.
"I'm sorry to hear that, Admiral. I understand that she was an old friend of the Raiders back in the day. Sadly, it would seem that the planet is as good as purified then. The Protoss won't allow an infestation so close to their borders. Make no attempt to interfere." Valerian said as Matt gave a nod.
"Do you think Overqueen Zagara knows about this?" Matt asked but Valerian took a breath.
"Contact her and find out, but be diplomatic about it. The Zerg are still fractured to some extent. Zagara may have the loyalty of many of the different broods but there are some Queens and…other leaders…that refuse to join under her banner and there are still just as many feral broods out there. We need to be sure before we accuse them." Valerian said.
"We'll look into it at once. Shall I also make sure the refugees are looked after, sir?" Matt asked as Valerian smiled at him, reaching over and turning off the phonograph.
"I will see to that, Admiral. As Emperor, some things require a personal touch. You can, however, arrange for the Bucephalus and Alpha Squadron to be ready for deployment as soon as possible. I'll be traveling personally to Mar Sara to check up on the survivors." Valerian said as he started for the door, the Spectre following after him as Matt saluted.
"Yes sir." Matt replied as he fell in and followed the Emperor and his Spectre escort out of the office.
…
The Griffin – Med-Lab
Sometime later…
The Nighthawks had passed off the survivors from Haven to a Dominion Battlecruiser from Mar Sara and jumped to warp with one of the Hercules Transports close behind. The transport was full of ex-Haven Militia members that had joined up with the Nighthawks.
On the Griffin, Nova walked into the Med-Lab to speak with Morales. The Med-Lab, as Nova had stated, was state-of-the-art with advanced scanning and medical devices as well as a cabinet with a strong lock for various medicines and chemicals. In one corner near a door to the CMO's bunkroom, was a place where Morales's Medic Armor was propped up on its own. Morales herself had exited her armor and now wore an old black uniform coat with silver trim, matching trousers, and black military boots. She had short brown hair that was kept in a sort of bell-like style. The uniform was the one she had worn during her days in the UED. She was busily putting up a poster on one wall of a scantily clad Terran woman with bronzed skin, short brown hair, and wearing only a white bikini top and bottoms along with the boots, eyepiece, gauntlet and A-10 Grenade Launcher of the Terran Medic armor, grinning seductively at the camera. Nova looked at this poster curiously.
"Who's that?" Nova asked as Morales smirked at her over her shoulder.
"You don't see the resemblance?" Morales asked. Nova quickly noticed that Morales and the girl in the poster were one and the same.
"Not bad." Nova complimented as Morales chuckled.
"Thanks. A little leftover from my wild internship in Medical School on Earth. Needed money for books and the modeling gig was a nice paycheck. UED used it as a recruiting poster for the Directorate Medical Corps. I find having this poster up makes hernia checks a little more interesting and makes the male patients more cooperative. But that's old news. You said you wanted to see me?" Morales asked as Nova gave a nod.
"I did. I wanted to go over a few things. Have you gotten a response from the Overmedics and Spartan Company?" Nova asked.
"The Overmedics are onboard and just need rendezvous coordinates to link up with us. They'll bring the medivacs over as soon as we can field a starport. Spartan Company are a little harder sell. I think Graven's doing some sweet talking with them right now. I can already tell you that they're going to need us to be able to field a factory before they join us. They rely on the parts manufactured in the factories of their employers to keep operating." Morales reported.
"Graven's not come through with an engineer for us. As soon as we can get one, we'll be able to field our factories and hire the Spartan Company. About Haven though, is there anything about the virus that you can tell us?" Nova asked as Morales motioned to a nearby computer console.
"During the attack, we had an incident at our south gate. There were several infected civilians that were trying to get in. I was still scanning them when they started to mutate and my scanner recorded their transformation. I'm reviewing the information right now but it's simply insidious. A few years ago, the concept of using the Zerg against civilians using Psi-Emitters was believed to be the most unspeakable human atrocity against other humans since the holocaust on Earth. Well, this just took first place in my book." Morales said as Nova nodded in agreement.
"Be thorough, Doctor. If you can find a cure for this or some way to prevent the infestation from occurring, then let us know, but there's something else I need you to do first." Nova said as Morales looked at her curiously.
"What is it?" she asked. Nova took an apprehensive breath before walking to the door and locking it, turning back to the Lieutenant.
"I need you to give me a physical with emphasis on the brain." Nova said as Morales arched an eyebrow.
"Well this is a twist. Only one of my prior C.O.s ever came to me to get a physical without my having to send security after them. But be honest with me, is it really a physical you need or a brain scan?" Morales asked as Nova glanced away.
"Doctor patient confidentiality?" Nova asked, Morales physically crossing her heart.
"On my life." Morales replied with a serious expression. Nova sighed and sat down on a stool near one of the counters.
"I'm afraid I might have suffered some kind of brain damage. Last year I used a device to restore memories of mine that had been hidden via a mind wipe. To do so, I used controlled doses of Terrazine. I hadn't felt any adverse effects until just recently." Nova said as Morales picked up a piece of headgear that was connected at the top to a computer.
"What sort of effects have you been experiencing?" Morales asked, calibrating the device.
"I can't read the minds of specific people and…and I'm having visions or hallucinations of a person I vividly remember killing over four years ago. And I'm talking very real hallucinations, like feeling their breath on my skin kind of hallucinations." Nova explained as Morales placed the device on Nova's head, the ex-Ghost not resisting it at all.
"That's unusual. I know Terrazine has hallucinogenic effects. How long have you used it?" Morales asked.
"Only a few times within a short window last year. I haven't touched it since." Nova replied as Morales stepped over to the computer.
"Hmm, it shouldn't have caused anything like that. Oh, just for the calibration, what's your Psi-index?" Morales asked.
"Ten." Nova replied as Morales laughed.
"No seriously." She said but Nova glared at her.
"I am serious. Don't believe me? Check the medical files. You're the CMO, you have access to them." Nova replied as Morales looked up the file and her eyes widened.
"Ho~ly…I've never seen a Terran with a Psi-Index of ten. I knew Kerrigan was an eleven plus but I thought that was because of the Zerg infestation." Morales said as Nova shrugged, irritated by the mention of the ex-Queen of Blades.
"Kerrigan was a ten too. That's why the Zerg took an interest in her. But back to me, doc?" Nova asked as Morales nodded, entering information into the computer, the scanner on Nova's head starting up. Nova winced a little as she felt the scanner activating, causing a light tingling in her brain.
"So far, your brain looks healthy. I'm not seeing any abnormalities, mutations, scarring…everything appears clean." Morales said as Nova shivered slightly.
"That's not reassuring, Lieutenant." Nova muttered as Morales removed the scanner.
"Which means it could be psychological. Does anyone else know about this?" Morales asked as Nova nodded.
"Reigel does. I've already given him the orders that, if it looks like I'm losing it, to put me down." Nova said as Morales gave a nod.
"Good call. But I wonder if, perhaps, there's another possibility. What if you're perceiving things that other psionics can't?" Morales asked as Nova shrugged.
"It's possible. I'm the only one onboard with any real level of psionic ability. Or there's a third possibility. I'm being influenced by another psionic." Nova said as Morales seemed contemplative.
"It's possible. But given how Ghosts are trained to resist such attacks, it would seem strange for a PI Ten to fall under an attack like that." Morales said as Nova looked up, a suspicious look on her face.
"Hmm, I wonder…" she said, standing up and heading for the door. She paused at the door though.
"Remember, not a word of this." Nova said as Morales saluted.
"On my life." Morales replied as Nova headed out the door.
…
Nova headed straight for Reigel's lab, walking in to find her Second-in-command at a console. He looked up at her curiously as she entered.
"Nova, what's wrong?" he asked as Nova closed the door.
"Ace's psi-index test. Did you run it?" she asked as Reigel nodded.
"I did. It's right here." Reigel said, pulling it up and backing away from the console. Nova quickly moved to look at the monitor but when she did her eyes widened in confusion.
"W-What? This can't be right. Are you sure?" Nova asked.
"Ran it twice. He has a psi-index of two. He's an ordinary human. No psionic abilities at all." He replied as Nova turned towards him.
"And you're sure he doesn't have any psi-screens attached to his armor?" she asked.
"None whatsoever." Reigel replied as Nova put a hand to her forehead.
"Then why can't I read his mind? Why can't I get even so much as a glimpse?" she whispered.
"Perhaps that is something to ask Ace himself." Reigel said as Nova sighed.
"That's not a conversation to be had. Most telepaths don't just walk up and say 'hey can I read your mind.' We just do it. I read yours all the time when you don't realize it…no offence." Nova said but Reigel chuckled.
"None taken. I seem to recall that we had a similar conversation a few months ago. You mentioned that you cannot help but hear the thoughts of others. You can focus it but not block it completely. For that you need a psi-screen. But Nova, this is something you should be concerned about. Being unable to read the mind of a specific individual, may be a bad sign." Reigel said as Nova took a deep breath.
"That's what I'm afraid of." She replied, heading for the door.
End Chapter 5