Titania:
Hidden Underground Compound.
In one of the compound's modest prefab structures, four tense figures gathered around a display screen, and watched the scene unfold.
"There's still more to Contingency Five..." Connor Griffon's haggard image ranted from the display screen. For all intents and purposes, it was a direct feed from Alastar's eyes and ears to the viewers.
Viewing this feed and hearing Connor's desperate, angry words were Rachelle Cooney, Gillian Morrow, Cadan Olsen, and Richard Cooney. Rick though wasn't so much 'viewing' the image as interacting with it directly. He had a plain-looking but nonetheless peculiar device strapped to his head, which allowed Rick limited access and use of Alastar Korvyn's senses and motor functions through his neural interface: the neural relay. In short, the relay allowed Rick to have a long-distance, face-to-face conversation by borrowing another person's face.
"Venom begins a preemptive strike on Corneria immediately, before the new intelligence can be processed or a defense prepared," Connor continued.
At this declaration, Agent Morrow gave a disgusted squinting grimace, as if deeply insulted by the very thought.
The relay also provided a data feed from Alastar's interface, showing the mercenary's vital signs, and keeping track of the foreign nanites in his system among other options and tasks. Rachelle Cooney and Cadan Olsen were monitoring the incoming data stream on a separate monitor off to one side, but still listened in on the troubling conversation Rick was having .
"Rick, Venom's attack fleets are moving out right now! All Lylat is going to war, and there's nothing even you can do to stop it!"
Those watching the feed only stared and waited, unsure what to make of Connor's words. Then with a fumbling, trembling hand, Richard Cooney pulled the neural relay from his forehead, killing the signal to the display in front of them. For an uncomfortable measure of time, no one said or did anything, and simply allowed the silence between them to grow and fester...
At long last, it was Agent Gillian Morrow who finally let out an indignant huff, and swept the ugly silence aside.
"That's... utterly impossible," the canid agent insisted, shaking her head. "There's no feasible way Venom's current fleet strength can overpower Cornerian forces and the planetary defense grid, even with the element of surprise. It'd be a futile, suicidal vanity campaign. Andross is nothing if not meticulous in his stratagem, and a direct attack on Corneria is completely out of character."
"Then perhaps Andross knows something you don't," Olsen suggested, clicking his beak with agitation, "and whatever it is, it'll catch Corneria completely off guard."
"Not if Griffon is just bluffing," Morrow retorted, confident in her analysis. "In the past, that bird would bluff and lie his way out off tight situations during Icerain, made an infuriating game of it. He even managed to fool a few highly adept Cerinian mentalists; no easy task to be sure."
"But what good does a bluff like that do him now?" Rachelle questioned, turning away from the data feed. "We have the Enigma autopiloting its way right here, and if you did your part in all this, we should have the ship's crew at least subdued too."
"Kellam is a loyal asset, he'll come through for us," Morrow assured with utter certainty.
In all this exchange, Richard Cooney simply stared forward into nothing, not replying, not chiming in, not even really listening. From what he could tell, having seen him face-to-face, Connor Griffon believed what he's said, told the truth as he knew it. With Venom's forces now on the move, it didn't much matter how it played out from here in the grand scheme of things. The very worst had come to pass.
All Lylat was going to war, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.
\
/
Comments,
"Anonymous" Richard Cooney, former member of Lylat Central Intelligence.
I watched my family fall apart when I was young, powerless to ease my parents' pain.
I saw the Intelligence agency that took me in back then –my new family– later crumble into ruin, in utter failure of its vision.
I've sent so many great people, every last one of them heroes in my book, to bitter and ignominious ends they never deserved.
I've watched an entire world, and the countless many people who once called it home, suffer and die before my eyes.
And now, I've surmounted my grand legacy of catastrophe, having set in motion events that directly ignited the Great Lylat War.
\
A Legacy of Catastrophe
/
"Hold on a moment, Alastar's life signs just pinged..." Olsen piped up with a twinge of worry, which quickly escalated to dread. "He's unconscious, dying, from asphyxiation."
"It's those damned nanites he was injected with, isn't it?" Morrow chided, looking down her muzzle at Rachelle and Olsen. "I thought you had this matter under control."
Shocked from his stupor by this more immediate panic, Rick hastily strapped the neural relay back on and demanded, "Put me back in, now! I gotta see what's happening to him!"
"No good. You wouldn't 'see' anything now that he's lost consciousness," Rachelle explained as she examined her monitor with Dr. Olsen. "We're still getting data from his interface though. Lets see what we got..."
"It doesn't look promising," the elder owl said with an uncomfortable grimace. "It's a far more aggressive strain of nanites than I had for myself. The immune boosters and purge protocols we've loaded in him should hold the foreign nanites back a bit, but we'll need to get in there to reprogram and relieve his system before it gets overwhelmed."
"How long until we can do that?" Rick asked hastily as he tossed the relay aside in frustration.
"If the autopilot data is accurate, the Enigma should be right on top of us, coming in for landing now," Rachelle informed the group, and started packing her gear. "We'll need to work fast."
"I'll get my field kit ready for the procedure," Dr. Olsen uttered with a grim professionalism. "This might be a bit... messy."
The group quickly gathered items they felt they needed, and stepped out of the small, prefabricated building where they were presented with an intriguing scene.
A deep, rumbling roar from the Enigma's engines and G-diffuser systems resonated all throughout the underground cavern complex as it descended, but the vessel itself wasn't seen at all due to its cloaking field, not even a telltale distortion to reveal its location. This nearly deafening noise without a source set off a flurry of activity through the compound, some of it distant across the underground lake, and some of it on the central island right in front of the group. Near the crumpled shipwreck on the far side of the island, the large plasma cannon thrummed to life, swiveling on its mount while its operator looked around for the unseen target. Immediately in front of the group, several loyal Titanian caravaners –all of them armed and geared up for a fight– gathered near the prefab building where the group just exited, eager for direction...
In a shimmer and flicker of static overhead, the impressive, sleek cigar shape of the Enigma revealed itself, slowly descending to an open area of the central island.
Whatever sweeping strategic decisions Andross or others in high places of power may have made, whatever perilous state the Lylat system was being thrown into at the moment, that was all in the background for now. This operation was front and center, this heist of heists was center-stage, playing for an eager audience...
The show must go on.
"Quite an impressive cloak," Morrow said as she viewed the vessel come in for landing, like she was appraising an item at a shop. "It'll do nicely."
Resisting the urge to roll his eyes at the smug comment, Rick stepped forward, put on the facade of a brave face as he'd done so many times before, and played his part.
"Set a perimeter around the landing zone! Find cover if you can!" the older raccoon ordered to the ragtag caravaners, bellowing over the sound of the Enigma as it touched down. "Watch out for the concealed Point-Defense gun hardpoints and hidden exterior hatches we showed you all on the schematics! The ship's internal systems may be under our control for now, but there's no telling how those aboard are reacting! Don't be caught off-guard!"
In response, the caravaners gave a scattered chorus of affirmatives, and scurried into position to receive the Enigma, and whoever may emerge from it. Once the vessel settled on the ground, its main door on the side of the ship's hull clanked and slid open with a groan of motors, and a rudimentary boarding ramp extended down to the ground. What unsettled Rick though was how nobody stepped out, leaving a conspicuously empty entrance.
"Were I on the opposite side," Agent Morrow commented dryly, "this is precisely the point where I'd stage an ambush."
"So what if it is an ambush? We don't have time to just sit here," Rick grumbled as he quickly strode forward, directing the others to follow and issuing one more order to the caravaners, "cover our approach!"
Morrow kept pace with Rick as he went ahead, while Rachelle and Olsen came up behind with their gear in tow. The nearby caravaners took up positions with weapons ready, anticipating the opposition.
Sure enough, the ambush was waiting for them.
"Stop right there!" a deep voice boomed from the Enigma's entrance. "That's close enough!"
At the same time, four stalwart sets of infantry assault weapons snapped out from the edges of the Enigma's main door, each taking aim at the group.
The group did indeed stop in their tracks as directed, but the caravaners at their side all brought their own weapons up in response, taking aim at the open door.
"Stand down!" Morrow replied in defiance. "We have you outnumbered and outgunned!"
The four figures a the Enigma's entrance –those holding weapons to the group– were difficult to perceive at this distance, especially behind their cover. A fifth figure however stepped forward from the open door, undeterred by the well-armed welcoming committee waiting outside. This was a broad-chested gorilla, wearing the uniform and utter self-confidence of a senior military officer.
"And we have a superior defensive position," the opposing gorilla officer shot back, "with cover from a sniper who has a clear shot at you!"
"A sniper you say?" Morrow asked with snide sarcasm, "I don't see any marksman anywhere–"
"Hunt, ping this bitch please," the officer interrupted, speaking into a small comm earpiece, "let her know we mean business."
In an instant, a red laser dot appeared on Agent Morrow's chest, making her to wince and grimace at the situation. Through she search across the ship's hull for a potential sniper's position, she couldn't find the source of the laser dot.
"You or anyone else makes one wrong move," the gorilla warned, holding up a powerful index finger, "and my sniper blows your smug head clean off your shoulders."
"Fine, I suppose that makes us about even for now," Morrow admitted with an annoyed sigh. "Macbeth Special Operations General Halfdan Silver, I presume?"
"CSB Special Agent Gillian Morrow, I should've known," General Silver growled in response. "This whole mess reeks of your handiwork."
Unimpressed by his insults, the canid agent simply asked, "where is Connor Griffon?"
"Not available," the gorilla answered gruffly, crossing his thick arms over his chest.
"Very well then," Morrow said in a small huff, and stepped forward, "on behalf of the Planetary Nation of Corneria, I'm taking custody of this vessel and her crew. Stand down, General."
"Like hell you are!" General Silver bellowed back, fire in his eyes, "I will not give up this position! Not while my troops and I are still active!"
Then one of the hidden figures behind the cover of the Enigma's door lowered their weapon, and stepped out. It was none other than Sasha Zura. She still wore the dusty, battered civilian clothes she was last seen in, with the addition of some body armor strapped on top.
She faced the imposing primate officer, saying, "General–"
"Not now, Captain!" the gorilla interrupted, glaring down at the younger husky as he pulled rank.
"Connor is dying!" Sasha insisted, having absolutely none of it as she motioned to the Enigma's interior. "They're both dying, poisoned by an aggressive nanite infection."
"And how would you know that, I wonder?" General Silver questioned, giving the junior officer a suspicious glare.
"I've seen it before, sir. While I was with Cooney, Dr. Olsen was poisoned by a similar dose of nanites, and he's still alive now," Sasha informed, pointing out the pale avian among the group. "They have a means to cure it, but we'll have to act fast if we want to save Agent Griffon."
"Ship's doctor can manage it just fine," the primate general declared. "We will defend this position against that despicable harlot and the fools curled around her crooked finger."
"That would be a grave mistake," Morrow replied with venom in her words, then she spoke into her comm earpiece loud enough for all to hear, "gunner, take aim!"
On the far side of the island, the plasma cannon near the other shipwreck let out a powerful, ground-rumbling thrum, increasing in pitch and volume as it charged a shot that would devastate the Enigma if it were fired.
"Stop this! Everybody stop!" Cadan Olsen shouted as he frantically rushed between the two parties. "Put those blasted weapons away for just a moment! I have something to say!"
For a moment, if only by the surprise of Dr. Olsen's sudden intervention, a bewildered silence rang out between the two opposed parties. The other armed figures hidden behind the Enigma's entrance –Fletcher, Vance and Xavier– each cautiously peered out from their cover.
"Out with it then," General Silver grunted, half annoyed, half intrigued.
"I'm terribly sorry, General, but Red Dust was specifically programmed to resist and bypass conventional medical treatments," the avian doctor explained. "Unless the ship's doctor is aware that the infection is Red Dust nanites, and has a specific treatment prepared right now, Agent Griffon will die. I can help–"
"I will not allow the enemy behind my line!" the gorilla roared, flashing his teeth at the aging avian.
"This is absolutely infantile!" Morrow huffed, turning her nose up.
"General, far too many lives have been lost on my behalf already, let me make sure there's at least one less," Dr. Olsen pleaded, "Let me do what I do best: let me treat the ill."
An awkward, intense silence grew out of this moment...
\
/
Comments,
"Anonymous" Richard Cooney, former member of Lylat Central Intelligence.
We were enemies on the precipice, skirting the edge of far larger and far more desperate events that were entirely out of our control. Each party was bound in their own dutiful way to keep the opposition at a disadvantage, to find out what the other knew, to gain leverage over them and, if necessary, destroy them. But crisis creates dilemma, and dilemma creates confusion.
Does one stick with the allegiances they've sworn to higher authorities, even at their own expense and the expense of those in their charge? Or instead, does one try to address the problems right in front of them, even if it was never apart of the plan at the start, even if it means working with and for the benefit of those who were supposed to be your enemy?
As an old spy, for whom the terms 'ally' and 'enemy' never mean much in the first place, I often forget that for most people, especially military folk in dangerous situations, it's a much harder choice than I give it credit for. Also at that time, it was a choice I was in no position to make. All I saw was the big ugly picture burning in the background, and how little I could do to make that big mess better.
Sometimes, it takes a shock to the system to kick our asses into gear, to remind us to at least try to clean the small messes that we can actually reach. Solve one problem at a time, one step at a time.
\
/
"I have a proposal!" Sasha Zura announced in a commanding voice, stepping forward onto the Enigma's boarding ramp.
"You are out of line, Captain!" General Silver chastised.
"We don't have time for this posturing bullshit, sir!" the husky scolded right back. "Agent Griffon is going to die in the next few minutes, and so might everybody here if a stray shot goes off!"
"Well, I'm interested to know what she has to say, General," Morrow commented, amused by her counterpart's unenviable position. "I suggest you let her speak."
With no other acceptable recourse, the gorilla relented, grunting, "alright, fine. Let's hear it, Captain Zura."
"Thank you, sir," Sasha said curtly before giving her explanation, "I propose that Doctor Olsen come aboard the Enigma and treat Griffon. Agent Morrow, plus Richard and Rachelle Cooney, will also come aboard, all of them unarmed and without support. We'll monitor them at all times: consider them hostages if you like, sir."
General Silver stroked his chin for a moment, looking over the other party while he considered the idea before asking, "What do you think, Agent Morrow? Are these terms acceptable?"
"If we're to be your 'hostages' aboard the Enigma, then consider the entire vessel and everyone inside it our 'hostages'," Morrow replied, motioning toward the armed and primed plasma cannon nearby. "If we don't survive, or if the situation goes horribly awry, no one else aboard the Enigma survives either."
"I'll need Rachelle Cooney with me to assist with treatment," Olsen chimed in quickly, motioning toward the raccoon woman.
"Agreed," the gorilla said, then added, "we'll have some matters to discuss once you're all aboard."
"Funny, I was thinking the exact same thing," Morrow said with dry amusement as she climbed the Enigma's boarding ramp like she owned the place.
Unimpressed by her bravado, General Silver gave the soldiers at his side their orders, "Xavier, Vance, Take Dr. Olsen and Ms. Cooney straight to the medical center. The rest of us will take the other two to the brig, and we'll meet up at the bridge conference room afterward."
"Aye sir!" came a near-unison response from the squad, and they set about executing their orders.
Once the squad were busy with their tasks, and the party on their way to their destinations aboard, the gorilla took Sasha aside, stating quietly, "for the record, Captain, I firmly believe this is a bad idea."
"Then why go along with it?" the husky asked.
"Frankly, even a bad idea is better than no idea at all," General Silver answered with a reluctant shrug. "And who knows? We may get some use out of it."
\
/
Enigma:
Ship's Medical center
Xavier, Vance, Olsen and Rachelle Cooney soon arrived in the Enigma's medical facility to a flurry of activity. The small compliment of ship's medical staff had their hands full attending a pair of Intensive Care setups. One setup tended to Alastar Korvyn, and the other to Connor Griffon.
"Doc!" Corporal Xavier announced as he barged into the busy medical suite. "We brought you some help!"
On hearing this, one of the busy figures stepped away from the small throng to receive the new arrivals. He was a short but stout badger, wearing a white lab coat over the black-and-gray uniform typical of the Enigma's crew; the ship's chief medical officer.
"What's all this?!" the doctor demanded of the group, with nothing but contempt in his words. "Who are you?!"
"I'm Doctor Cadan Olsen, medical nanotechnology specialist, here to save your dying patients," the elder avian replied quickly as he stepped up.
"It's not proper procedure–"
"Do you even know what's wrong with them?" Olsen cutting off the other indignant doctor.
"This canid fellow has some awfully advanced cybernetics and augmented systems in play," the gruff badger answered, looking over Alastar's limp form. "I haven't had time to analyze it all."
"I installed those systems myself, doctor." Rachelle cordially informed, and set her kit on the bed next to Alastar as she immediately went to work. "I'll take over from here, and let you know what I need."
"As for Griffon himself, where do I even start?" the ship's doctor stated with frustration as he turned to the other bed where Connor Griffon was laid out. "There's extensive internal bleeding of the lungs, acute asphyxia, heart palpitations, widespread sepsis–"
"Those are just the end result, not the cause," Olsen said, cutting him off again. "Griffon's respiratory and cardiopulmonary systems are being torn apart by an aggressive nanite infection intent on killing him as fast and as completely as possible. Korvyn –that canid fellow– has the same infection, but also has systems implanted which are designed to resist and combat it. Korvyn may well survive with a little attention, but Griffon is utterly defenseless against it. I have a treatment method that can stop it. Now do you want to get hung up on procedure, or do you want your patients to survive?"
The stout badger doctor scowled back at Olsen for only a second, then said in short order, "tell me what you need."
"External Defibrillator. The settings will need to be adjusted to overload and destroy the nanites' in his body," Olsen instructed while he prepared his specialized field kit. "Next step will be to keep Griffon alive. For that, we'll also need blood oxidizer, compatible transfusion, and a cardiopulmonary bypass pump."
"And after that?" the medical officer asked.
"We can worry about 'after that' once Griffon is stabilized," the older avian answered.
\
/
Enigma:
Brig
General Silver led Agent Morrow and Richard Cooney into the Enigma's drab brig facilities, where Kell Zura and a few of his soldiers waited for them. The gorilla had previously ordered Sasha Zura, Fletcher and Hunt to wait in the bridge conference room, since he suspected Cooney and Morrow may attempt some form of persuasion or influence on Captain Zura as she'd been in their custody for some time. Given the circumstances, the General felt it safe to minimize contact between them, at least until he had a more complete understanding of the situation.
Looking around the barren brig with an indignant sneer, Agent morrow asked, "is this really necessary?"
"I have no intention of locking you in a cell," General Silver assured halfheartedly, adding, "not unless you give me reason to."
"Please, let me talk with Connor," Rick pleaded with desperation. "I need to know what's going on."
"If he survives Olsen's treatment, I'll pass the word along," the gorilla said as he turned to leave.
"Never mind that, General. There's far more important items to discuss," Morrow insisted, glowering at the General's back before he could exit. "Major events are unfolding: Venom is making their move as we speak."
"Yes, I know," General Silver said over his shoulder in a grim affirmation. "Venom is preparing a major offensive, among other grisly housekeeping tasks."
It was precisely this line of inquiry that the General hoped to insulate Captain Zura and her squad from. Though it was only a small comfort in the moment, at least he wouldn't be forced to have this conversation with the enemy and his own soldiers at the same time.
"Then in light of these events and our place in them, I believe you need to seriously reconsider your position," Gillian Morrow proposed. "You know this is a futile campaign. Venom's military strength isn't anywhere near enough to–"
This unthinkable suggestion damn near made the gorilla lose what little patience he still had. He spun right back around and marched toward the canid agent, emphasizing just how much taller and broader he was compared to her.
"Venom's military capabilities are precisely as 'weak' as we want your commanders to believe," General Silver growled in a deep rumbling tone, making full use of his imposing figure and booming voice. "Do you truly think that Doctor Andross –a so-called 'Emperor' by some– with the vast scientific knowledge and cutting-edge technology at his disposal, would prosecute a war merely with fleets and armies alone?"
"I'm not intimidated by Venom's lofty science-fair projects if that's what you're referring to," Morrow shot back in defiance, undaunted by the General's primal display.
"For someone who's supposed to work in 'Intelligence', you've clearly had a few egregious lapses in it," the gorilla scoffed, and turned to exit the Enigma's brig once more. With a satisfying dose of irony, he also added, "perhaps you need to seriously reconsider your position, Agent Morrow."
And with that, General Silver left the two spies in the brig, under the watchful eye of Commander Kell Zura and a few of his troops.
With the General out of the room, the gruff husky commander stepped forward out of the background, eyeing Cooney and especially Morrow with a familiar, tired disdain. Kell's attending soldiers followed close behind, until he stopped halfway to give them orders.
"Guard the door outside," Kell commanded, glancing over his shoulder.
"But–"
"Do it, son!" the husky barked, shutting down the voice of protest.
"Yes, sir," the troop said in a reluctant grunt, before heading outside as ordered.
Kell Zura gave a grumbling sigh and shook his head as his command was carried out, leaving him alone in the brig with Richard Cooney and Gillian Morrow.
"Thank goodness that's over," Morrow huffed. "Silver is such an insufferable oaf."
At this, Kell glanced back to the door, and shrugged a bit.
"We'll need a plan of action to seize control of this vessel," Morrow dictated. She may have been 'held hostage' in a brig, but she was also prepared to execute her grand ambitions. "What have you got for us, Kellam?"
"It's just not gonna be that simple, Gil," the husky commander informed, his voice tired and weary.
"Your men are Cornerian, aren't they?" the wolf spy asked.
"Oh yeah, my boys are Cornerian alright, all red-blooded patriots to the bone, who see people like you and your boss Soreno as exactly what's wrong with Corneria today," Kell answered with an ironic chuckle. "Shit, they're so damn Cornerian, they're willing to fight for the other side if it means sticking it to the likes of you."
"To hell what they think of me, Kellam!" Morrow snapped back. "Their home –our home– is under imminent, direct threat. Surely that will motivate them."
"They barely even recognize Corneria as their home anymore," the husky commander explained though his frustration. "You can't just plant the Cornerian flag here and expect them all to fall in line. They'll need a damn good reason to follow you again."
\
/
Enigma:
Bridge Conference Room
Sasha Zura stood in the Enigma's bridge conference room with her squad, plus the ship's Executive Officer who she was introduced to: a nerve-wracked raven named Arimoto Karasu. The few minutes they all had to themselves were mostly spent recapping the latest events, getting everyone on the same page: regrouping in a sense. For Sasha especially, it allowed her to take a moment to sort out how current events lined up or slotted into the major players' plans, see the pieces on the board as it related to each players' intentions. At the very least, she had to try to keep it all straight in her head, since things didn't seem to be going according to anyone's plans...
Alastar Korvyn was, for lack of a better analogy, on-hold. His party trick went off, the Enigma's systems were hacked and brought under outside control. Him and Connor collapsing unconscious in dire condition was a bit of sideways blow to all parties. It was barely beyond a guess that it was Red Dust like Olsen had, and she wasn't sure if it was actually true, but it got everyone aboard. Much of what to do next depended on how their respective treatments went. Both of them surviving and recovering would be the smoothest, and the least painful to endure, but it had to wait. It had to play out on its own terms in its own time, and there was little else Sasha herself could do to help or hinder it.
With Connor Griffon incapacitated, Arimoto Karasu was saddled as the de-facto Acting Captain of the ship, but he seemed to struggle with it. The raven didn't appreciate the situation his ship and crew was in one bit, and wasn't too keen on General Silver throwing his weight around, pushing his own of authority on everyone else. The Enigma was Karasu's turf, and the raven officer saw Silver as an intruding bully, strutting around as if the ship were supposed to be under his command.
General Silver himself was furious, but he fancied himself a problem solver, or at the very least, he was determined to delegate the problem to someone he could trust. He was reacting to the recent upheavals as was natural for him: taking control and exerting his authority. The General was out of his element though, cut off from a proper chain of command with only a handful of subordinates who were officially obliged to do as he directed. Even now, the gorilla's boisterous passion on which he relied was starting to run out of steam, and it would only be a matter of time before what little authority he still had began to erode away.
Sasha had only seen Richard Cooney for a few fleeting moments as he boarded the ship, but he seemed uncharacteristically passive, at a loss, like he'd learned some horrible news and was still trying to come to grips with it. That was odd, and more than a little troubling for someone who always seemed to have the answers. Sasha made sure to keep that anomaly in mind.
Gillian Morrow was more-or-less exactly where she intended to be: aboard the Enigma, lying in wait, ready to seize the reigns of the deteriorating situation like an opportunistic scavenger. However, the older wolf would be in for a fairly nasty shock once she finally realized just how far off the rails her perfect plan had veered. Of special note, her 'ace in the hole' Kellam Zura, on which so much of her gambit hinged, would turn out to have never been in her hand to begin with.
Though Kell was now aware of the mission that Morrow intended for him, he had no means nor any intention of executing it. As it turned out, the memory recall simply revealed the conversations he'd been forced to forget. It didn't change his mind, nor did it rekindle some dogmatic sense of loyalty that Morrow seemed to believe she'd get. He was still just as disillusioned with Cornerian leadership as when he was discharged. Remembering the hidden details didn't change that. If anything, remembering what Morrow had done to him seemed to make Kell that much more cynical of her intentions. For that at least, Sasha was grateful.
It seemed Cadan Olsen surprised everyone with his selflessness and courage, to step between two sides that were one mistake away from obliterating each other. The old owl didn't care which faction benefited, or who might come out on top. All he wanted to do was what he did best: 'treat the ill' as he said.
Then there was Maya and Tess: the two people Sasha least expected to see in this context, and the two people she least wanted to be here. From the few words they'd exchanged, Sasha's best guess was that Connor maneuvered Maya and Tess aboard as either bargaining chips, hostages, insurance, incentive, or most likely some malleable combination of them all. It made her absolutely sick to have them here, at the forefront of such ugliness. It was almost worse than if Connor had put a gun to their heads, worse than a criminal thug threatening, 'it'd be shame if something were to happen'. No, they were here 'to be kept them safe from the enemy', and they seemed to sincerely believe it. What a callous piece of work that was.
Whatever Griffon's reasons for dragging Maya and Tess into this unsightly mess, it almost didn't matter now that everyone's little plans were falling apart. Their perilous, unstable situation remained the same. As long as Maya and Tess were in danger, there was absolutely no question where Sasha's loyalty lay.
Lingering behind all this, there was still something that didn't add up, one fairly significant piece on the board that remained ambiguous...
In short order, General Silver rejoined the group in the bridge conference room, with his frustration etched on his bulky simian features.
"General, sir," Sasha said before anyone else could start, "what exactly is 'Contingency Five'?"
The gorilla froze in place on hearing the question, trying his best to not appear uncomfortable in front of his troops. Everyone in the room looked to Silver with expectant, demanding eyes, all but cornering him.
"Karasu already filled me in on what happened on the bridge," Sasha continued, motioning toward the raven. "You immediately recognized it when the transmission was intercepted. So if it has even the slightest bearing on our current situation, we need to know what it is, and where we stand."
While the husky spoke, General Silver walked slowly to the main table in the middle of the room, while everyone else continued watching, waiting, silently demanding the answers they craved. After a painfully long time, he sat down in a chair at one end of the conference table, and finally spoke.
"You could be court-marshaled just for inquiring about it," the gorilla stated in a tone strained by the tension.
"Really? And by what military tribunal, sir?" Sasha asked, growing more impatient and more irritated. "We are far outside the usual chain of command here, caught up in a delicate, dangerous, messed-up situation."
Karasu started walking around the conference table, filled with a similar restless agitation.
"You told me you were going to get control of this ship back: your words, General," the raven officer said, shaking his head. "Currently, we are grounded, underground, and surrounded by an assortment of hodgepodge gunmen. Agent Griffon is confined to the infirmary in critical condition, I still don't have control over this ship's systems, and there is a heavy plasma cannon sitting out there with enough firepower jammed down our throats to annihilate us all!"
"It's not in your interest to know–"
Karasu slammed the table next to the gorilla, cutting him off as he shouted, "I am not in the mood to hear 'it's classified' or 'it's not in my interest' or whatever other excuse you have!"
By reflex, Major Hunt and the rest of Sasha's squadmates tensed up at the raven's sudden loss of patience, and started to raise their weapons.
Seeing the soldiers around him nearly snap into action, Karasu eased off. He subdued his tone somewhat, but was no less annoyed as he said, "with everything that's gone off the walls just now, the very least you owe us is some answers. So, General, are you going to let us in on the big secret of 'Contingency Five', or should I just ask someone more cooperative, maybe one of your 'hostages'?"
"Don't misunderstand my intentions," General Silver said, making eye-contact with everyone the room one by one. "I'm only trying to protect you."
"You can't protect us from something that's crashing down all around us," Sasha said quietly as she came alongside the gorilla. "Whatever this is, whatever peril we're in, we need to know about it."
"I'm afraid it's far more perilous than you realize," General Silver said as he stood up, and gestured widely around the conference room as he continued, "all this sticky business that's on us right here: it is insignificant compared to the catastrophe that's now unraveling beyond our own little drama."
"Then let's hear it, sir," the husky encouraged. She laid a hand on his large shoulder, fingers brushing across the General's rank epaulet.
The gorilla stepped back from the table and stood firm, hands clasped behind his back as he assumed a formal, official demeanor.
"Venom Coalition Strategic Contingency number Five," the General began. "In the event that Corneria will obtain actionable intelligence on crucial covert operations, and if that intelligence can be used to justify major military action against Venom, then those deemed responsible are blacklisted, marked for elimination, and records erased. Related assets are seized or destroyed, affiliated personnel are detained, disavowed, or terminated based on assessed threat..."
"Sounds like a 'Clean Slate' protocol." Karasu said as an aside to the group. "You eliminate all those involved, and you can spin any story about it you want."
"In addition," Silver continued, "Martial Law is enacted across all Venom Coalition member states, their Military and Intelligence organizations are subsumed into the Greater Venomian hierarchy, and a surgical preemptive strike on Corneria begins. According to the contingency plan, I would now answer to Andross, and to those higher than I on the chain of command beneath him." Then he added with quiet dread, "make no mistake: war, on a colossal scale heretofore unseen, is upon all Lylat."
"Then where does that leave us?" Karasu asked, matching Silver's tone of muted horror. "Is it your intention to take command of the Enigma?"
"I'm... still assessing the situation," the gorilla admitted.
"Let's break this down," the raven officer suggested. "The 'actionable intelligence' in this case is Cadan Olsen and his knowledge of Venom's more ambitious projects. Agent Griffon is no doubt the one 'deemed responsible' for its loss, which would make this vessel and its crew 'related assets' and 'affiliated personnel'..."
A chilling silence crept across the conference room. The soldiers, the general, and acting captain Karasu all exchanged concerned looks of gradually increasing distress as they began to seriously consider the possibility...
"General," Sasha finally said, stepping toward the gorilla. "Prior to this mission, were you briefed on what to do if this 'Contingency Five' were put in effect? Were you given orders? Were you given some means to be informed when and if the plan were enacted?"
"I... was not," General Silver confessed. "I only learned of it when it was intercepted."
"We were cut out of the loop," Major Hunt observed, still eerily calm despite the horrific news.
"So what? Are we considered 'related assets' to Connor Griffon?" Sergeant Fletcher asked, outraged. "Are we 'marked for elimination'?"
"We aren't part of the plan, that's for damn sure," Corporal Xavier spat bitterly.
"We're now targets, or at least pieces that Andross is perfectly willing to sacrifice in this play," Sasha said, putting it all together. "Think about it: Andross is cleaning house, tying up loose ends, leaving nothing to chance. If he wipes out the Enigma and all of us, the 'loss' can be attributed to Cornerian interference, used as propaganda material for the war, and making martyrs of us all."
"Then he's throwing out potent resources of exceptional value over this mess!" General Silver roared, throwing his arms up in a fit of rage. "I refuse to believe Andross would so callously discard my expertise and the expertise of such exceptional soldiers as yourselves over some supposed guilt-by-association nonsense! It's completely asinine!"
"Viewing the situation objectively, in the cold calculus of military intelligence," Major Salazar Hunt mused, still characteristically calm about it all, "one fire team and one senior officer is a very minor sacrifice for the strategic security that complete annihilation of Connor Griffon, the Enigma, and all his assets would bring. Taking down Gillian Morrow and Olsen in the process would be seen as a welcome bonus, in fact. It's a bit too 'scorched-earth-tactics' for my taste, but it is also, I regret to say, the choice I would make if I were in Andross' position."
"Damn you for putting us in this position!" Silver bellowed, shaking his fist as he raged, "Damn you for thinking so little of us!"
With 'Contingency Five' unveiled and its context clear, the last piece fell into place. They were betrayed, discarded, cast aside. Just as Gillian Morrow destroyed the lives of Kell and his family for a deep-cover operation, Andross would destroy them all for a little extra security, and as a 'necessary sacrifice' for the grim business of war.
"Gentlemen," Sasha spoke up, fueled by a righteous but controlled outrage, "it seems we find ourselves faced with orders we can no longer follow, on a mission we can't complete in clear conscious, in service to commanders who don't give half a damn about what we plainly see, about how it's all gone to pieces, and how we're left holding the bag," she declared in a grim echo of Alastar's words from before...
The ship's stout doctor barged in, panting and out of breath, preventing the moment from sinking in.
"I assume this is about Griffon's condition," Karasu guessed.
"He's awake," the curmudgeonly badger informed, "asked for you, and for General Silver."
Most of the group exchanged a series of bewildered, perplexed looks, filled with uncertainty and anxiety. Two of them didn't: General Silver, and Sasha Zura. They simply locked eyes, and shared a determined certainty.
"Captain Zura, fetch our guests from the brig and bring them to the infirmary at once," General Silver instructed, "I suspect we'll have a lot to discuss.
\
/
Author Notes:
This is probably one of the more difficult chapters I've put together. There's not much 'action', but there's talking: discussions, information exchanged, emotions flaring, unpleasant news delivered, and hard decisions made. It's by-and-large a character piece, featuring powerful key figures reacting to catastrophic news, and gradually realizing that everything they were working so hard on was now crumbling in their hands.
As I really got into the meat of writing this chapter, I was reminded a lot of spy dramas, especially those set in the Cold-War. I was reminded how so much of those plots were at the periphery of the great superpower standoff, how they tended to feature one operation that more than likely wouldn't effect the bigger political picture. I was also reminded how there's so often this dance on the edge, of each side jockeying for advantage, trying to get the most out of their situation, sending the other side a message in the process. A lot of how I ended up approaching this chapter amounted to asking "how would these scenarios play out if, suddenly, the parties involved learned that full-scale war had erupted?"
In short, it kind of follows the structure of a 'standard spy drama', but a 'war story' slams into it at the crossroads. This story, especially this later part, is the resulting wreck, and how those involved react to it.
Thank you for your patience with my sporadic, scattered, and unfairly inconsistent writing schedule. As Always, your feedback is most welcome.
