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They aren’t mine. Don’t even pretend they’re mine.
I haven’t made, and will not make money from this.
Thank You Henson, O’Bannon and Kemper
Time Frame:
Some time after “A Clockwork Nebari” up to some time before “Fractures”
Part 1
The numbers were beginning to swim in front of his eyes, the fact that he had been three solar days without any sleep was the blame. It wasn't that he didn't have the chance to sleep. What he decided next would affect people's lives, people who were in allegiance with HIM, people who knew they could be found out and that death was not the worst thing that could happen to them.
A familiar tall frame appeared in the doorway. "Nerri!"
The excited voice snapped him back from his thoughts. It had been over half a cycle since he'd heard Meelak's voice but never had it contained the energy it now showed. Meelak trained for cycles to emulate the calm deliberate tones of the Nebari Establishment puppets. That training has let him move well into their ranks, high enough to be sent on a mission to retrieve 'the Sister'.
Nerri knew the source of the excitement in Meelak's voice but was unsure of the nature of the news. So with anxiety and hesitation that surprised even him, he answered, "What news do you bring me?" The possibilities were many and the wounds on Meelak's face were not a good omen.
Meelak gave him a mutually understood look. Nerri nodded in answer to the unvoiced question. They could talk freely. "Chiana is fine" he sighed loudly. The words were spit out of his mouth like precious stones that had been smuggled under his tongue and were starting to irritate. Meelak sat down "When her Life-disk stopped working she feared for the worst. She really thought you were dead until I gave her the holo-chip." Meelak still couldn’t relax completely even though that was over.
"And what of the other issue?" Nerri asked not wanting to change the subject but that answer would do for now. The real issue was how the Establishment was getting so much PK information. Nerri had become especially interested after the two issues were married when the PK channels revealed that a Nebari named Chiana was on the Royal Planet for the Wedding of Princess Katralla. The Establishment wasted no time putting together a retrieval detail to find her.
Meelak's face suddenly got serious. "This information came direct from Nebari Prime. Over a hundred cycles ago a Host Vessel engaged a PK ship, they 'found' the captain, a Solto Durka and after 'mind frelling' him he gave them all the PK codes they wanted. Most were old and useless but some paid off for them. The news from the Royal Planet was their best return."
"So Chiana was really there." Oh how he wished he could see her even if only for a short while. Just to be certain she was OK. "But how?"
"Nerri this is where I have first hand information. She has been taken in by a group of escaped prisoners in a stolen Leviathan. Varla was able to get to Chiana on a commerce planet. She summoned me to the stolen Leviathan where she lost control and I had to eliminate her. I didn't have time to record much but I did bear witness to the most interesting thing. There is one among them, John Crichton, who after being temporarily cleansed showed no signs of it within an arn. I think he is Sebacean."
"He negated the Temporary Cleansing? How certain are you of this?" Nerri asked with a bit of disbelief in his voice.
"Very certain. One more thing... this Crichton.. he.. risked his life for Chiana's" Meelak said slowly, remembering his own hesitations and how close he came to having a very different conversation with his friend. That complete story could wait.
"Well it seems she's safe and in good, capable hands." Nerri's voice seemed to relax on hearing this information.
"I wouldn't say safe Nerri. Scorpius is after THEM, but I couldn't find out why."
He knew Scorpius's name came up many times in the report from the PK information, but Nerri thought it was due to the Scarran presence on the Royal Planet. Meelak didn't finish the debriefing until an arn later. Nerri seemed almost doubtful listening to the stories about a Peacekeeper, a Luxan, a Delvian and the overthrown Dominar of Hyneria.
And Meelak was just as surprised when he found out that Nerri had sabotaged the image banks of the Establishment's Ident Camera's. For now all known Resistance agents could walk the travelways, markets and common areas without getting idented by the cameras. But this window of opportunity would close soon.
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Kimmic found herself dozing off at her workstation, she was reaching the ends of extreme fatigue from working most of each day with only a few arns sleep each night, and the morning stimulant was wearing off, that didn't matter since she wouldn't be here much longer.
Kimmic worked in one of the most important BioLabs of the Nebari Establishment. They were placed on a separate planet from Nebari Prime for safety precautions. No one wanted an errant virus getting to the highest-ranking officials of the Establishment.
Her mind drifted once more, she remembered Nerri saying ‘It will take two weekens to get there I won’t tell you any more than that’, she still couldn't stop thinking about where she might end up. She did however know what her duties were to be. She had been working all these long hours to get ready for this mission. Preparing all the extra antibody treatments for the contagion without the Administrators knowing had taken its toll on her. But she still anxiously pressed on; she had never been on a mission before.
Between nodding off, her mind flashed back again, this time to Nerri's painful reaction to the anti-contagion. She wasn't looking forward to seeing that again a thousand times over. She cared for Nerri more than any other person in her small circle of friends, which is why this mission scared her even more, Nerri was taking bigger risks.
She nodded off only to be startled out of sleep when her head hit the console of her station. "I need some sleep" she said out loud though she knew there was no one around to hear her. She continued to work anyway.
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The arguments were tossing around in his own head, *Attacking freight convoys was one thing but hi-jacking a Host Vessel was borderline fahrbot. But there was no other way; the Resistance needed this ship.* Nerri had people in place. People that he trusted. People that would look after Kimmic.
Nerri looked over the reports again. The total number cured from each system where the Resistance had presence was over five million now. But after almost twenty cycles of spreading this contagion the numbers were difficult to estimate. Finding the right people for this kind of duty was approaching impossible. Nerri rubbed his temples, he had already lost eighteen recon teams and he thought about the choice each would have to make if caught. He thought about Kimmic and how she came up with the idea for the suicide implant. But would she really be able to use it herself. She had been a researcher in the Establishment's Contagion campaign. When she found out what they were doing she decided to do something and offered her services to the resistance.
He smiled and almost laughed remembering his first reaction to the suicide implant. "You're gonna put it where?!?!"
Kimmic replied in a very professional manner, "Just at the bottom of your spine. In the top of the crevi ..."
"I get it. I get it. But why?!?"
"If you are handcuffed you will still be able to reach the sub-dermal buttons." her smugness was obvious through her smile at him. "Just push left left wait 10 microts then right right. A lethal dose of energy will travel your spine to your brain."
He never thought he would have to insert one in her spine. She was too valuable to lose but she was also taking the biggest risk by working at the labs, and if she was caught she could give them all the information they needed to stop the Resistance.
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Kimmic fingered the incision in the small of her back, there was still some discomfort, but she knew it would pass. But her fear of losing Nerri wouldn't. She couldn't help but think that his fate was sealed. She would be on a shuttle to her destination soon, *If only Nerri would tell me where!* she thought. She knew the first shuttle’s number and that was it. But the less she knew the better the mission was protected.
She finished her work and carefully smuggled it out under her clothing. Two hundred tiny pockets lined her long coat, it took three weekens to finish that handy-work. As she exited the labs she gave the guardians a wink like she always did. She never felt guilty about leading them on. She thought they stared a little too long at her when she walked away. But this would be the last time they looked her over.
“Kimmy!" shouted the familiar voice.
She turned quickly though she knew the voice already, "Hubero!? What are you doing here so late?"
"I've been racking up pass-time, I've got six weekens as of tonight." She started to hesitate nervously, "I've arranged to be on the same shuttle as you!" She sounded excited but her face betrayed the anticipation of rejection.
"Well that is a . surprise.. Uh .. when did you submit the application for a travel voucher?"
Hubero felt cornered, "Well I called in some favors with some higher-ups. Won't this be a kick?"
"Hubero, I am glad that you want to come with me but…" Kimmic said trying not to sound mad.
"Y-you have other plans?" Hubero asked almost sounding hurt.
"NO NO…" anything she said might give her away so she just went with it. "I am pleased you're coming." Kimmic let her exhaustion show.
"I can see that you’re tired. So tomorrow then, Transport 1029, one arn after rising? You ready for the Tarsus system?" Hubero asked waiving her papers as evidence of her plans.
"Tarsus yeah right." Kimmic tried not to sound surprised. Tarsus? Why had Nerri kept that a secret?
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Nerri ended the conversation quickly, noticing it was still three arns till rising. The news was worth the early waking. It seems the PK's had sent a retrieval squad to find a hybrid Leviathan. Nerri pondered why this Leviathan was so important but only for a few microts, for his mind was preoccupied with the next day's events. Everything was in place for the Host Vessel Mission. He had arranged that over half of the crew be with the resistance. This was a big risk but he knew this had to be done. He tried but couldn't sleep.
He remembered the day he was given the anti-contagion and the person that initiated him into the Resistance. Brizah was the highest member of the Establishment Nerri had ever met, he had told him that the set time for the contagion to act was only several cycles away, and they still had so much to do. That was the last time they had talked, before Brizah disappeared. It was that move that made the Establishment sit up and take notice. In their arrogance they thought that the Resistance was only a handful of militant nonconformists and that is where it ended, but with their 3rd in Command missing and under suspicion things got interesting. That's when the Resistance started hitting the Cargo Vessels and other important commerce ships. They always tried to limit casualties but sometimes that was unavoidable. Nerri still wondered the fate of Brizah. Had the Establishment found him and killed him silently or worse, was he in a Cleansing chamber. Nerri willfully pushed that thought from his mind.
Nerri still wasn't sure what exactly the contagion would do. Kimmic knew more about that, all he remembered was that it would render the host incapable of resisting the cleansing process, and they would have the suggestive susceptibility of a child of only a few cycles. Nerri focused on his mission, so much was riding on this plan working perfectly.
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While sitting in the transport terminal Kimmic remembered the day she left Nebari Prime to come here to work in the BioLabs. Had she known what it was she was working on she would have declined the promotion, but since she had no children there wasn't a legitimate reason to decline. Fate brought her here. Fate brought Nerri to her. Kimmic almost hoped that Hubero wouldn't find her, but she was wishing that someone else would.
She scanned the crowd like Nerri had taught her, and there he was, she knew better than to rush over to see him. She stood to get a better view. She noticed his hands giving her the subtle signals that they had practiced long ago; *it seems like cycles ago* she thought.
-Mission is ON-
-No changes-
-I love you-
An irrepressible smile was the reaction Nerri saw and his eyes reflected the same.
Nerri noticed them before Kimmic did. The first was a grunt from the Labs where Kimmic worked. She had large black eyes and was fairly attractive, her build reminded him of Chiana. Nerri had to wonder *Why was she going on this trip with Kimmic? Could she be an Establishment plant?* But the one that followed her made him more nervous. His walk betrayed the training of an Establishment agent and his slight build would easily be underestimated. Nerri was relieved at the sight of Meelak who was sent along as protection for Kimmic.
Hubero went straight to Kimmic who struggled to concentrate on her friend. As Kimmic pushed Nerri from her mind, she missed the agent that followed them aboard. Hubero was mentioning that they hadn't gone anywhere together since the Science Academy.
Nerri had to move on; any action he took now would jeopardize many people's lives. He put his trust in Meelak.
He thought about Kimmic and how her life was about to change. Living on the fringes, away from ordered society. He knew his life was about to change as well but Nerri had no idea just how drastically.
