| Logs |
2004 March 02
| These Shattered Stars |
| Realms |
Retired
| Reality Fault |
General Info
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| Realms: These Shattered Stars Logs |
Chapter Nine, Part Seven
Zero has little trouble finding a quiet moment to slip away, and the hotel is happy to shuttle him to the spaceport. The Platinum Eclipse is waiting in the hangar just where she should be, apparently unmolested.
Zero ahs softly. Quiet here; such a rare commodity recently. Out of habit he ghosts from room to room, checking up on things here and there: plants still living, no bulkheads awry, and rooms as they were left. Having put this last distraction out of his head, he moves on to his quarters, picking up his security kit and his tools as he goes, before bundling out to the ship's computer to sit down and examine the comlink properly.
The com-link is a cylinder about ten centimeters long, with a diameter of about three centimeters. It is slightly wider at one end than the other, and has a black, rubberized section in the middle. A couple of jacks allow the connection of other devices and/or a headset.
Zero turns the little cylinder over and over in his hands, thinking for a few minutes. Finally he sets about carefully removing the case and examining the transmission method. Reading the frequencies from the crystal set inside, he has a rough idea of where to begin. Bypassing the encryption thusly reveals how it accesses the planetary network... well, we'll just have to start with that, and see where we go from there...
Zero watches the network monitor silently for a time, thinking, watching the first "hop" out into the HoloNet. It wouldn't do at this point to tip his hand to the enemy just yet... but perhaps he needn't follow it all the way... just close enough. If he can trace the connection to within the comlink's direct-connection range, they should be able to bring the ship into orbit around whatever planet the prey is hiding on, let it connect directly, and trace it immediately from there. Now if he can just keep his presence quiet long enough to accomplish that, without giving them good reason to turn their hiding-place into an ambush...
Zero sets to work, thinking, and beginning to make a few passes at a low level against systems more and more remote from Tanaab, only ever touching them in the most oblique ways, cloaking his intentions in the form of maintenance protocols or misrouted traffic, probing for a blind spot...
Many hours later Zero sits at the terminal, having shed his over-robe and leaning somewhat bleary-eyed against the desk with one hand. Finally a response-packet arrives that matches the comlink's network path; he sits up with interest and waits for the destination planetary network's name to resolve as the ship's computer checks it against the HoloNet's authoritative lists.
He rubs his eyes gently. This was an incredibly hard trail to hold down, and the level of expertise in obscuring it, unheard of. The prey -- whoever they might be -- has hired the very best slicer (or slicers) available. Finally the terminal spells out: QUERY:STATUS/NOERROR -- ID 34676788/AUTHORITY 5: QUESTION- reply-path:0332zeta ANSWER- GARQI-SATNET-BETA.
Zero grins just a little as the reply spools on and on with more technical data of less relevance... so, the prey is on Garqi, near Dantooine. Well-played, whoever you are. We'll see who's the better slicer when we get to Garqi... if they greet us with orbital fire, I guess you beat me after all. He stands and stretches, powering down the terminal, then rolls his shoulders and neck. "Mmm. Well... it's progress," he muses to no one in particular.
Zero sits down against one of the couches in the cabin, rubbing his eyes and thinking. He throws his long braid over one shoulder; the plait curls itself around his neck once. So... Kalatis, most certainly. He hasn't changed his standard cover identities; then again, why change what works? And the systems routing his comm traffic are registered to a number of his front companies. So perhaps he isn't hurting for talent after all... perhaps he blew all his black-work budget on an amazing slicer or four.
Zero pauses, realizing that there is a HoloNet message waiting on him. "Gods below -- they couldn't have tracked me so fast..." He keys the playback with some trepidation. He was certain he'd covered his tracks better than that...
The message's headers are long and garbled. They've been truncated at least once, and reset by a change from one very different system to another. It may very well be impossible to find where this message came from. It has nothing to do with Garqi -- at least, not what is visible.
Zero scratches his head absently. Either someone trying to cover their tracks well, or else someone with a lot of very conflicting equipment in between there and here.
There is a long leader on the message filled with noise and static. A badly imaged picture slowly forms, details coming slowly. It's a female Wookiee wreathed in transmission interference. It takes a long moment for the image to clear enough for Zero to identify Adept Merroukah. Zero tchs and tries to bring up some sort of noise filter. This must be important to take such a risk upon... I won't be thwarted by signal-to-noise at this stage!
The Wookiee on-screen waits patiently, apparently for word from someone out of the pickup range. As the audio channel clears, the interference draining off to a mildly annoying hissing in the background, she says in Shyriiwook, "Hello, student. I believe you and yours are well, and in this we rejoice."
The message continues through a ripple of noise, "If our information is correct, you have reached an important goal and you must now make a choice in your path. You have two Orders offering you their hand, but you may only choose one, and only you know which one is the proper choice for you to make."
Zero narrows his eyes a bit. This is... perhaps not unexpected, but strangely phrased. He tilts his head... what could his second Master be trying to say with such a message?
The Wookiee continues, "If you choose to renounce us and to take their Test, then we will know and be saddened. However, if you choose to renounce them and are able to complete the Task which I will give to you now, you will bring hope to many who have worked for generations to keep the Silver Light from being extinguished."
Zero sighs a little. He finds himself a bit disappointed to hear this phrased so... divisively. Still, it's obvious what is necessary, both for himself -- the Order would never accept him and his strange technique -- and for the triat. He has to grow in the Silver Path's technique, just as the others will grow in their own paths of Light and Dark, and be there to balance them... he just hopes this Task doesn't involve doing something ill to either. He isn't going to betray his principles now over something as venal politics.
As if she understood this, the Wookiee says, "It may sound terrible to have to choose between one and the other, but that is the only way you will be able to truly learn and absorb the teachings of that Order. Trying to become both will only confuse and disappoint you. We would rather see you leave us and be successful, than fail at both."
Zero sits down again on the couch some feet away, looking at the hologram, the only source of light in the cabin. "Well, Adept," he says, knowing well this is a recording and he is speaking only to the empty air, "We know what I am going to do, I think. What is it I have to do?"
The Wookiee Adept continues, "If you choose to remain with us, you must perform a Task to show you are ready to stand on your own. You may have help from anyone you meet or know, including those who are so close to you. We would not ask you not to have their assistance with this or any task. The Task is simple to describe, but will likely be hard to do. You must see Atarangi Rewara destroyed before it can wreak unspeakable damage upon the world again."
Zero blinks once. "Well," he says, "Don't ask for anything too small, Adept." He sits back, and has to laugh softly. "Oh, well... we were going to do that anyway, weren't we?"
A burst of signal interference masks some of the concern shown by the Wookiee as she says, "As you make your decision, be very careful. We worry the other Order may be jealous. I should hardly have to tell you this, but tell you I shall, as I could never forgive myself if I did not and it were a warning you needed -- but watch your back."
Zero smiles a little at that. "I don't know how to do otherwise," he grins lopsidedly. "It is just who I am."
On-screen, Merroukah says, "I give you my best wishes for success in whatever endeavor you choose. I hope I may look forward to your joining our Order, and meeting you again someday when I will be able to learn from your wisdom." She smiles and says simply, "Goodbye." The poor signal fails completely, and all that's left is interference and noise.
Zero is silent, sitting there as the hologram fades, leaving him alone in the darkened cabin. "That will teach you to call yourself Silver Knight without asking, won't it, Zero?" He has to laugh, one hand on his forehead. "Just a little thing... simply destroy your deadly weapon's more deadly relative; nothing at all, student." He stands and grins broadly enough to light up the room all by himself. "Well... agent of the Force's sense of humor or not... we'll see who the real Devil is."
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