Episode Five - The Enemy Within

[Jason Conway]

1945
Stargate Room
Meropis

He was Brigadier General Jason Conway, and today he was three million light years from Earth yet representing them in every way as they came into contact with an alien race. The creature from the planet Ueda that had called himself a Meowtian, Aear Charter, had been staying with them on Meropis for just over a week now. He'd been relatively compliant in letting Conway's expedition prod and poke him and he'd even allowed a fascinated science department to take a good look at some of his abilities from the safety of the firing range. The latter part had to be controlled, Conway had become aware that Aear was still very weak and needed more time to recover, he was careful not to allow Aear to over-exert himself. The encounter with the other Meowtian, the bounty hunter, had almost killed him in more ways than the obvious. The General was satisfied with the alien's explanation after a lengthy conversation. It had transpired that Aear was an escaped prisoner of war and that his race, spread out over three planets, had quite a fragile internal conflict ongoing with several factions involved. The person who had been trying to kill Aear had been sent after him following his lucky escape from captivity. The General also got the sense that the entire thing had affected him psychologically, he'd ordered Doctor Harrison to keep an eye on the refugee, not just for the fact that he'd admitted he was raised as a weapon.

Jason Conway thought of himself as a believer in silver linings. The lining in this case being Aear's relations within the seemingly fairly advanced alien race he came from. The General had allowed him to use their equipment and dial the Stargate, the end result being a meeting had been arranged with a Meowtian diplomat from a faction called the Brave Phoenix. A remarkable achievement he considered, as this race was said to take pride in their ability to remain hidden from the rest of the galaxy. He straightened his uniform as he made his way down the grand stairs onto the 'gate room floor. The General had ironed and pressed his finest dress uniform, hoping that first impressions was a universal etiquette kind of thing. He glanced over to one of the adjoining corridors and spotted Captain Kelly Miller and Chief Warrant Officer Michael Hurley making their way toward him. Miller seemed to be carrying some sort of paperwork and Hurley looked equally as smart as Conway. He sighed internally whilst smiling outwardly. Whilst he understood the need for home world command to be over cautious and assign him various adviser and legal aids, he still preferred to make at least a few decisions for himself and didn't need his hand held all the time. At least he'd had a say in who they sent over to fulfill those roles, as far as he could tell Miller and Hurley were the best of the best, and he valued their input.

As the pair approached the General and turned to face the 'gate, he checked his watch, just a few moments to go until the agreed time. Aear was in the labs with Maccafferty still, he seemed quite happy to let Conway conduct this meeting without him while he used the time to recover and delight in the ancient technology they had allowed him access to. Conway turned to Miller and Hurley,
"Big day for Meropis huh?"

<Tag Michael Hurley and Capt. Kelly Miller>

[Michael Hurley]

1945
Stargate Room
Meropis

Attired in his midnight blue service uniform (example), minus his cover which military regulation dictated that it not be wore indoors, Hurley covered the embarkation room toward the awaiting General. Occasions to wear his full uniform were few and far between out here in the Triangulum Galaxy, and as a career SEAL, he was much more comfortable in his service utilities. Regardless, the impending arrival of a diplomatic envoy called for such protocol to be followed.

So far, the CWOs experience with the Meowtians had been far from positive. When two base personnel teams had encountered Aear and the bounty hunter who pursued him, Hurley had been watching the incident unfold via live video feed. Not being directly involved in the encounter gave him a degree of distance which allowed him to impartially study the event. The violent and deceptive native of the feline-like alien did not sit well with him. Aear’s later incident in the chief’s presence, in which he had fired a ‘magic’ round into a wall during a pre-mission to briefing just to make a point hadn’t improved his perception of the species.

“Not everyday we get to meet a group of magical aliens, sir,” Hurley replied to the General with a hint of sarcasm. While the mandate of the expedition was to acquire alien technology, which was significantly easier when you had allies, the CWO was yet to be convinced that the Meowtians were people they should be dealing with. Their powers, especially their ‘magic’, couldn’t be denied. It was their attitude that concerned him.

Michael cast his eyes around the room. While it was decorated with flags and bunting worthy of a diplomat, armed security personnel had been placed strategically around the room, just out of sight. While the General and Captain Miller would be running point for the negotiations, the safety of the base would be firmly on Hurley’s shoulders.

“Sir, ma’am, it mightn’t be too late to move this to a neutral planet.” Michael offered. He didn't at all like the idea of the base’s location being known to those he didn’t trust.

< Tag Jason Conway & Capt. Kelly Miller >

[Capt. Kelly Miller]

1945
Stargate Room
Meropis

Kelly appeared as ordered, ready to go. She was dressed in her Alpah uniform, of itchy green wool. Her auburn hair was cropped close, and she wore her makeup lightly. Her Gig line was straight and she was well-turned out. Her cover remained under her left arm-USMC, via the Navy's, regs did not require her to be under cover indoors, but if she were out, she wore it simply because it sheilded her eyes from the alien sun. She was adjusting to space, though it was still new.

She waited for the General to sit before she did-not only was it proper protocol, it was also simply polite. She handed the men each a Manila folder and sighed. She wished for an easier answer to the condrum they faced-the UCMJ didn't exactly spell out how to deal with possibly-hostile alien beings. And she had a sneaking suspicion that a call to HQ about it would land her in Bethesda with a one-way ticket to Psych. So she was going to fake it.

She looked at the NCO; he was dressed properly. Kelly didn't mind TOO much-she wasn't a stickler for the rules, so long as you weren't in obvious violation and you did your job, you were golden. She did a short stint as a DI, and hadn't had the stomach for it. She was much happier as a Fleet Marine-making sure the Squids didn't embarass themselves TOO badly. She was having a bit more trouble with the Air Force and Army ranks, as well as the foregin service people. She had gated over in the midst of some sort of scandal, and hadn't been totally brought up to speed. She spoke then.

I've talked to the General, as well as Drs. Harrison and Kells. Finally, I interviewed Col. Riley. They have all informed me about the Meowtain, as well as the other two female Aliens amongst us-Miss Paisley Gregg, and Ahrima. I haven't yet met any of them, but the young redhead scientist...Dr. Maccafferty, is it?, speaks highly of the Meowtain, at least as Dr. Harrison reports.... She was simply giving information at the moment, answering the General's question.

Then, Hurley spoke.

Not everyday we get to meet a group of magical aliens, sir, ma'am... Kelly nodded.

That is true. And since there's nothing in the UCMJ that addresses either magic nor aliens, I suggest treading lightly, but firmly. The diplomat will require the same treatment. She tugged lightly at her dress blues. It was the twenty-first century, and female soliders were STILL forced to wear skirts when bigwigs were in town. Should I arrange a formal inspection of the...fleet? She used the Navy/Marine word for the gathering of troops in their best uniforms, to parade for the higher ups to view and approve. It was mostly pagentry...the Marines usually did a armed salute replete with swords and rifles. It could be fun...

Hurley continued. He would be a valuable asset to her, and she made a mental note to pull his personnel file.

“Sir, ma’am, it mightn’t be too late to move this to a neutral planet. Miller blinked once. He HAD just said "planet." She looked to the General.

I am confident that your team is capable of keeping us safe, Officer Hurley. But it IS something to consider. I assume that I will be needed for the actual negotiations, and might I suggest a third, neutral party? If the Meowtain trusts the scientists, as he seems to, perhaps one of them, or else Dr. Harrison. Having his ability to read people might be useful," she suggested. Kelly moved her gaze from Hurley to Conway. The thing about Kelly was that she was one of those leaders who put great stock in those under her-she valued the experience they brought to things...maybe because she was brought up from the Field herself. She didn't have the usual chip on her shoulder that the Academy fly-boys had-she tried to be as fair and sincere as possible, without letting the fact that she was, first and foremost, a Marine, get lost in translation. Oh, sure, she was calm, level-headed and nice, but cross her, and she would drop you flat, and then make you run miles with a rifle over your head and a full sea pack.

tag:Jason Conway, Michael Hurley

[Jason Conway]

1947
Stargate Room
Meropis

The three members of the senior command team looked very smart indeed as they awaited their new arrival. "I've talked to the General, as well as Drs. Harrison and Kells. Finally, I interviewed Col. Riley. They have all informed me about the Meowtian, as well as the other two female Aliens amongst us-Miss Paisley Gregg, and Ahrima. I haven't yet met any of them, but the young redhead scientist...Dr. Maccafferty, is it? Speaks highly of the Meowtian, at least as Dr. Harrison reports." Said Kelly Miller. Conway agreed and he felt that Meowtians and Aear in particular could be a very valuable asset to the expedition. Still, he couldn't help but feel that twitch of being uncomfortable and a little out of his depth, even on friendly turf. He glanced up and noticed the marine sniper perched up on the balcony, tucked away from view of the Stargate by a hanging Australian Flag.
“Sir, ma’am, it mightn’t be too late to move this to a neutral planet.” Said Hurley.
Miller replied immediately, "I am confident that your team is capable of keeping us safe, Officer Hurley. But it IS something to consider. I assume that I will be needed for the actual negotiations, and might I suggest a third, neutral party? If the Meowtain trusts the scientists, as he seems to, perhaps one of them, or else Dr. Harrison. Having his ability to read people might be useful," Kelly and Michael's gaze rested on the General for a decision.
"We're staying here." He said, looking resolutely straight forward at the 'gate, "I agree with your idea though Kelly. I've got Maccafferty, the newly promoted Alien Liaison Officer on standby once we've one our part... As for our location, well, I think that these... Meowtians..." He still hated the word and much preferred Uedaens, "They already know we're here. There are some questions that need to be answered this evening as to how Mr. Charter ended up here. Allegedly, he doesn't know himself."

Those questions were about to be answered. There was a collective intake of breath as the Stargate began to dial. Grover, one of the current duty technicians in 'gate ops, announced the scheduled off-world activation across the city-wide communications system as per the standard protocol. Conway's eyes rested on the various symbols aligning themselves one by one as the previously stagnant golden ring lit up and filled the room with it's eerie glow. The unstable vortex burst out from the circle as the wormhole formed. Conway could practically feel the weapons of his finest team being trained on the opening as the shield was lowered. A gentle ripple heralded the arrival of a lone figure shortly before the wormhole collapsed and the 'gate shut down. Their guest had arrived.

<Tag Francessca Luks>

[Capt. Kelly Miller]

1947
Stargate Room
Meropis

Kelly waited for the men to get settled as the General spoke to them. 

We're staying here...I agree with your idea though Kelly. I've got Maccafferty, the newly promoted Alien Liaison Officer on standby once we've one our part... As for our location, well, I think that these... Meowtians...They already know we're here. There are some questions that need to be answered this evening as to how Mr. Charter ended up here. Allegedly, he doesn't know himself." Kelly nodded. 

Well. Maybe he DOESN'T...wasn't he comatose when he arrived? Kelly had gated over later; her final paperwork and orders needed securing, as well straightening out her retirement. The Stargate assignment would be her last, she was pretty sure. Besides, when I was in infantry, I once was ambushed, and trust me...I had NO idea. Of course, that's why it was an ambush, but that was neither here nor there. She finished up. As for the questions...maybe we should just ASK? As she said this, the Gate began to wake, and a moment later, a young woman was standing there, plain as day. The normally-calm JAG officer was a little ruffled-did it often happen that random strangers just APPEARED on the work site?! 

Tag:Jason Conway, Michael Hurley, Francessca Luks

[Francessca Luks]

2647 Sanada Local Time - 1947 Meropis Time
BP HQ
Gate Transfer

Francessca stifled a yawn, it was late, REALLY late. There were less then 9 hours left in the day and she was being shipped out as some sort of diplomat/ambassador. Why? Because once upon a time she'd served with probably the most annoying Meowtian she'd ever met. Of course the only reason that made a blind bit of difference was because he'd apparently been stranded on the planet they intended to negotiate with. She was a Gunner, not a diplomat. But she knew better then to question orders, unlike a certain Meowtian.

Dial complete. Standby for transfer. I wont be able to hold it for long, she's using a huge amount of energy for some reason. You'd think she was connecting to another galaxy or something.

Francessca simply nodded at the voice of the gate's AI system over the intercom. They'd had taken every precaution with this unknown technology. They'd strapped their stargate to the outside of their space station pointing out to deep space. Rather then actually walking through the even horizon they used a magical transfer to get people to the other side. Normally they would transfer in a few drones first to make sure the area was safe, apparently as they were trying to be friendly Francessca didn't get such a luxury, she was going in blind. Iko In just a moment of her affirmation a magic circle appeared beneath her feet and the vision of the HQ disappeared/

The next moment Francessca found herself in the Meropis gateroom where a magic circle had appeared just a moment before. Her wolf like tail wagged slightly from the excitement as she sniffed, listened and looked around. Aside from the armed guards she could see, she could smell someone up on the balcony just out of sight. She moved her gaze in an attempt to be unnoticed to the unknown she could sense, uncoupling her own ballistic weapon from herself and holding it sideways in front of her as she moved forwards. She was military and insisted on not going in unarmed. Francessca put on her best smile as her weapon was taken figuring she'd better introduce herself. Second Lieutenant Francessca Luks, acting ambassador from Brave Phoenix.

Message from gate: Please inform the diplomats of offered gift. It was a mechanical, computerised voice that came from a small pendant around her neck.

Tag: Jason Conway, Michael Hurley, Capt. Kelly Miller

[Jason Conway]

1948
Stargate Room
Meropis

The Stargate shut off and the room's lighting returned to it's normal levels. The General tilted his head slightly, the event horizon HAD rippled but their guest had somehow materialized a few feet in front of it, a small glowing circle briefly appearing at her feet and fading away just as quickly as she had appeared. He smiled to himself, the universe was a wonderful thing and they really did have so much more to learn. Jason Conway eyed the Uedean envoy up and down, she certainly resembled Aear Charter more than anybody else on this base but there was something else about her. It was hard to describe, but it was almost like she was more Wolf like where Aear could be pinned as a 'big cat' kind of humanoid. Conway shook the feeling off and stepped forward to greet her.

"Second Lieutenant Francessca Luks, acting ambassador from Brave Phoenix." Luks said as Conway extended his hand in greeting.
"Brigadier Gen-" Conway began but was interrupted by a small device around the ambassador's neck.
"Please inform the diplomats of offered gift." He paused my stride, hand hanging in the air loosely as Luks simply stared at him. Conway withdrew his hand hoping nobody had noticed and tried again.
"Brigadier General Jason Conway of Earth. Leader of this expedition. May I be the first to say, welcome to Meropis. It is a pleasure to have you here." He smiled, trying his absolute best to put on his 'friendly' body language, hoping that it would be a universal style of communication. He side stepped slightly to gesture toward the others.
"This is Chief Warrant Officer Michael Hurley. My err..." He paused to find an appropriate translation to their roles that might make a little more sense to the Meowtian, "My strategic advisor. And she is Captain Kelly Miller, who handles our negotiations and other legal affairs in situations like this." The other two briefly made their introductions before Conway spoke again,
"I've had a lunch prepared for us if you're hungry. A lovely bird-like creature from the forests around here. It tastes just like something we farm back on Earth called Chicken. I think you may enjoy it." He stared at her blank and un-moving expression, "Or.. We could get started with the tour and the negotiations right away?"

<Tag Francessca Luks Michael Hurley and Capt. Kelly Miller>

[Michael Hurley]

1948
Stargate Room
Meropis

With the expected fanfare, the Stargate dialled and established a wormhole to the home world of the alien dignitaries. For a moment the event horizon was undisturbed, until without warning a humanoid figure appear in front of the Stargate, rather than passing through it. The unexpected arrival of their visitor caused Hurley to tense for a moment, with the security personnel around the room likewise responding. Luckily for the diplomat, she remained motionless for a moment before stepping forward to greet the General. Any sudden movement on her part would have been her last.

The Meowtian representative stepped forward. Broadly she was humanoid in appearance, differentiated from humans by slightly canine features and a tail which resembled that of a wolf. She introduced herself as Second Lieutenant Luks of ‘Brave Phoenix’, which the chief was led to believe was some sort of Meowtian splinter group or freedom fighter faction. Sending a junior officer to a meeting of this calibre was an interesting choice, but perhaps represented the current state of Brave Phoenix given recent events on their home world.

General Conway introduced himself, Captain Miller and Michael. The CCWO remained tight lipped, offering only a slight nod in response to Luks’ greeting. His eyes ran up and down the diplomat, trying to catch a glimpse of any concealed weapons or devices that she might be carrying. In the spirit of good diplomacy - and against Hurley’s wishes - they had elected against subjecting Luks to an X-ray or body scan. As such it fell on the chief and his security team to ensure the safety of the delegation.

The necklace around her neck chimed, and announced that a gift had been made available for the General. The expedition’s technicians had demonstrated their ability to disrupt the operation of Meowtian technology during the ‘incident’ with Aear and his pursuing bounty hunter in Lilith’s laboratory. Michael made a mental note to organise for similar jamming technology to be at the ready should it be needed.

< Tag Jason Conway, Capt. Kelly Miller & Francessca Luks >

[Francessca Luks]

1948
Gateroom
Meropis

Francessca nodded to each person in turn as they were introduced. All of them she presumed were now technically her direct superiors, seeing as her standing orders were to stay with them and act as a go between, as well as aiding them in defence if necessary. She didn't really want to be here, there were plenty of more qualified personal and she was just a Gunner, a damn good Gunner but she was nothing without a good Wizard.

She was going to open her mouth to respond when her AIMNW interrupted her this time. [Captain Nuruma requests status of gift acceptance.] Francessca resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Alright Chi." Francessaca put a hand to her pendant and a magical terminal appeared in front of her displaying the stats and details of the Meowtian Lynx Class fighter. "My apologies but the higher ups insist that I offer you a Lynx Class fighter as a gift of goodwill." Francessca didn't like the idea of shoving a gift down their throats. She was supposed to be a diplomat and whilst she didn't have the training she was aware that it was more or less the same as a relationship and she would have preferred to 'wine and dine'.

Tag: Jason Conway, Capt. Kelly Miller, Michael Hurley

[Capt. Kelly Miller]

1948
Gateroom
Meropis

Kelly nodded when the General introduced her.

And she is Captain Kelly Miller, who handles our negotiations and other legal affairs in situations like this. She then smiled. Hopefully, she wouldn't have to use the "legal affairs" part for now. Her gaze flickered in interest when the General spoke again. I've had a lunch prepared for us if you're hungry. A lovely bird-like creature from the forests around here. It tastes just like something we farm back on Earth called Chicken. I think you may enjoy it...Or.. We could get started with the tour and the negotiations right away? Food. Kelly liked food. But, yes, the task at hand. At that, Mac shuffled some files.

She was interrupted by a voice.

Message from gate: Please inform the diplomats of offered gift...[Captain Nuruma requests status of gift acceptance.] Kelly looked on with a raised eyebrow as the woman removed her necklace and offered it to the General.

My apologies but the higher ups insist that I offer you a Lynx Class fighter as a gift of goodwill. Kelly, ever the concious female, took control then. She smiled big, and spoke, mostly to the General.

Thank you. Sir, if I may, She presented a small, blank, legal sized envelope,We should save this, maybe display it. We'll pass it on to the proper teammembers; perhaps Dr. Black would know how to mount it. She closed the envelope, and slipped it away into her briefcase; she'd make sure the General, or Dr. Black, recieved it immediately. Then, she continued.

Yes, negotiations. Please, miss...what shall we call you? Kelly was used to this; she did it often in her work as a JAG. Lawyers were sometimes like car salesmen-if you couldn't sell ice cubes to Eskimos, then you were pretty much SOL.

Tag:Jason Conway, Michael Hurley, Francessca Luks

[Jason Conway]

1950
Gateroom
Meropis

"My apologies but the higher ups insist that I offer you a Lynx Class fighter as a gift of goodwill." Luks said reaching for the item hung around her neck that had just chimed off. He noticed Hurley's slight twitch out of the corner of his eye. Conway held his breath as Luks activated the device to display a Meowtian Lynx Class Fighter slowly revolving in a holographic image projection. A beautiful single-pilot ship of a curvaceous design. He forgot to speak as he simply stared at it and internally celebrated how much of a jackpot he had hit here in terms of fulfilling the mission's primary objective, technologies to aid in the defense of Earth. It was too good to be true, surely?

Thankfully, Captain Miller was on hand to speak for him.
"Thank you. Sir, if I may..." She said, carefully taking the item and dropping it into an envelope, "We should save this, maybe display it. We'll pass it on to the proper teammembers; perhaps Dr. Black would know how to mount it. Yes, negotiations. Please, miss... What shall we call you?"
The expedition's leader finally remember his role in all this,
"Yes, it seems that 'Second Lieutenant Francessca Luks, acting ambassador from Brave Phoenix' is a little long winded. Do you prefer anything shorter?" He said as he started to lead the group away from the gate and over toward the grand stairs at a slow pace.
"Oh, and where are my manners. Thank you so very much for your gift. I only hope that what we can offer in return, our services and continued support, will prove valuable to the Brave Phoenix faction."

<Tag Francessca Luks>

[Michael Hurley]

1950
Stargate Room
Meropis

Hurley stood by patiently as the General and Captain Miller exchanged pleasantries with the Meowtian representative. He continued to examine her, standing by ready for sudden movements or signs of hostility. He had already witnessed Meowtian disposition to quickly anger in Aear. He wasn’t alone in this task - around the room overt and convert security personnel were likewise monitoring the situation. Their standing orders were simple - at the first sign of danger and General was to be rushed to safety and the threat eliminated.

Prompted by a computerised voice, Luks presented a small hologram to the expedition delegation which depicted a vessel of her species’ design. It was unclear to Hurley if they were being presented with the schematics for a ship that they would need to build, or if a ship was to be delivered and assembled for them. Either way it was a security nightmare. If the hologram was a storage device it would need to be thoroughly scanned for viruses or security flaws. If an actual ship was coming, it would need to be all but pulled apart and examined before anyone was allowed near it.

“Sir, ma’am, perhaps it’s time we moved this elsewhere,” Michael suggested with a forced smile. SM-4 wasn’t due back for another half an hour, but as anyone who had worked in the SGC knew, teams could need to suddenly retreat from hostile situations with little notice. A an appropriately appointed conference room adjacent to the Gateroom had been made available for the continuation of the talks.

< Tag Jason Conway, Capt. Kelly Miller & Francessca Luks >

[Francessca Luks]

1951
Gateroom
Meropis

Kelly had barely put the envelope into her briefcase when Francessca's device decided to teleport back to hanging around her neck. Needless to say it was not something Francessca was happy about, she felt the entire room almost flinch the second her device had spoken. Clearly Aear had not left as good an impression as they would have liked. "Chi! What are you doing?" Clearly these people were not happy with having magic open to be used as and when a mage liked. So perhaps Francessca wasn't much of a threat being only a C ranked mage but that wasn't the point. They were supposed to be diplomats and offending the other side was going great so far. Francessca once again took her device from around her neck and held it up in front of her growling at the device. "Aufhören" Francessca handed the device to Kelly once again hoping that Chi would follow orders this time. Honestly, sometimes it was really easy to see who had built her device.

"Yes, it seems that 'Second Lieutenant Francessca Luks, acting ambassador from Brave Phoenix' is a little long winded. Do you prefer anything shorter?"

Francessca cleared her throat. "Sorry about that. As a Gunner my callsign is Lucky. You can use that if you'd like." Francessca gave the General something of an awkward smile, her canine features showing through more then she would have liked. Meowtians smiled at each other like humans did however in the Lumix Tribe it was seen as a threat. She'd spent half her life with the Meowtians though and she'd picked up a few things. It wasn't like she didn't see it as a threat anymore, she just knew that the other side didn't always mean it like that. "If you show me where you'd like the fighter put I can transmit co-ordinates back to HQ for the next dial." Those were her standing orders regarding the gift. Whilst she was sure the higher ups planned it to be nothing more then a gift she wasn't sure the people of... Meropis she believed this place to be called, would be able to let the security concerns of such an idea just slip by.

Tag; Jason Conway, Capt. Kelly Miller, Michael Hurley

[Jason Conway]

1952
Gateroom
Meropis

Perhaps he was getting old and comfortable in his office role, but the General was wondering whether he'd lowered his guard on this one. Should they have conducted this meeting on a neutral planet and thoroughly assessed Lucky for any threats? He dismissed the thoughts immediately. Trust. This was all about trust. They had to be seen to have open arms and, he sniffed the air, cooked chicken! Right on cue Hurley urged the group away from the Stargate,
“Sir, ma’am, perhaps it’s time we moved this elsewhere." Conway was aware that the newly commissioned SM-4 would be back soon having carried out their research mission to the abandoned lab that the Satedan warrior had been spotted at. Hopefully they'd bring back some dead ancient tech to keep the science department occupied.

The General's head turned in shock,
"Chi! What are you doing?" Came the gasp. The device Lucky had given the delegation had somehow appeared back around her neck. The hairs on the back of Conway's stood on end, he felt the tension in the room sky rocket. What other surprises did their guest have for them? He had to admire the technology though, the potential to actually be able to teleport sounded very attractive.
"Aufhören" said the Meowtian as she handed the device to Kelly again, "Sorry about that. As a Gunner my callsign is Lucky. You can use that if you'd like."
Well, that certainly made things easier. Her next question, however, wasn't so easy.
"If you show me where you'd like the fighter put I can transmit co-ordinates back to HQ for the next dial."
Conway paused mid-stride, ascending the stairs toward the conference room. Uncertainly, he glanced at Hurley before replying,
"Lucky I err... If it's all the same to you, hold on to that thought for now. We need to make arrangements to properly receive your gift. We are most grateful." He paused to find a quick practical compromise, "Perhaps when our own deep space carrier returns, we can arrange a meeting point. I am sure it will fit into our ship's spare fighter bay." He said, returning a warm smile. He was starting to like Lucky, despite the apparent unease of the rest of the base around her.


1955

Hurley, Miller, Conway and Lucky had just stepped into the conference room. The food had been served a moment before and a steaming plate of meat, a bowl of fruit and jugs of water and fruit juice were all presented before them. Turning to the group with a smile, it began,
"Now, let's get this show on the-" The lights went out. The conference room doors slid shut with an audible soft hiss. The emergency lighting flickered on, casting the group in a dim glow.
"... road."

<Tag Capt. Kelly Miller Michael Hurley and Francessca Luks>

[Francessca Luks]

1952 - 1955
Gateroom - Conference Room C
Meropis

"Lucky I err... If it's all the same to you, hold on to that thought for now. We need to make arrangements to properly receive your gift. We are most grateful... Perhaps when our own deep space carrier returns, we can arrange a meeting point. I am sure it will fit into our ship's spare fighter bay."

Francessca paused for a moment and considered the proposal. As expected the Meropians, was that right? They weren't too happy about having an alien ship transferred into their home base. Francessca didn't blame them and she'd brought it up with her superiors to deaf ears. However a compromise was a compromise. "When your finished with Chi i'll have her send the proposal back to HQ. I imagine they'll suggest a deep space location for a meeting point." Brave Phoenix were used to ambushes, if it wasn't the Kitsune in the Uedan Sea then it was those rather large organic ships in the Pegasus Sea. They'd even had a few scrapes with the Empire itself. In deep space there were no planets or stations to launch an attack from.

As Francessca entered the conference room the smell of freshly cooked poultry hit her nose. It had been a long time since she'd had real meat, Meowtians synthesized theirs, and it was making her rather peckish. Her tail wagged happily as the rest of the feast caught her eyes. She'd wait patiently till she was told to sit but the food in front of her was going to test her discipline. The thought of food however was shoved out of her mind when the lights went out. Francessca reacted immediately almost leaping towards the door but not quite making it in time. The familiar hiss of a vacuum seal emanated from the door for a few moments but in Francessca's eyes she didn't have time to think about it. All she knew was the other side had sprung their trap.

"Chi!" Holding out her hand as she barked her command her device once again teleported to her. Not waiting for it's next order the device acted on the perceived threat. [Stand by. Set up.] Francessca glowed bright blue for a few moments as her uniform was replaced by her Barrier Jacket and the pendant grew and morphed into what could only be described as a boomerang. She held a defensive position pointing her weapon at the group, growling at them with her tail tucked between her legs. Granted her magic wasn't going to break her out of here like a Meowtians might but she'd at least be able to fend of the few members of Meropis military she was now trapped with.

Tag: Jason Conway, Capt. Kelly Miller, Michael Hurley