Year: 3254

Admiral Black listened carefully to the two officers that he had great respect for. They spoke their minds, which was something that he admired about them. "I understand that you wish to have better equipment, which I will give permission for. You will get 1,000 MM-103A2, which I will show you what they are. For the DB-SM 01A, I apologize, I can't give that permission." Admiral Black said as he opened up a folder with the request and stamped APPROVED and signed the letter. He knew that with such a drastic mission, they needed the equipment, but he also had to be careful for anyone that could be listening. He then slid the request over and laid a pen on it. "Your signature is required on the letter. As for the crew, the new machine and pilot, that will be their decision as well. One thing I ask is that you do not tell him that I am here, nor about his parents. I will let him know." Admiral Black explained.

The older officer thought for a moment and looked to the commander. "Commander Atreides, do you volunteer for this mission as well?"[/i] Admiral Black asked. He then looked at his notes some more. "Captain, it's been estimated that the Phalanx will take 78 to 84 hours to repair. I am giving the crew of the Phalanx, the entire crew, a 72 hour liberty, at which in 75 hours, I want the crew at the ceremonial room on the deck 42. Is there any more questions you have?" Admiral Black added.

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Admiral Marks waited carefully as the escorts she sent to the Catania to bring Zwei and Arba to her, so that she can give them new orders.

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Chase continued to rest, having been extremely tired. As he rested, another ship, a mech carrier, docked at an outside airlock of the Neller. It was another UHO vessel. After the vessel docked, a Lieutenant Commander and four MP's marched out, and began their way to the Phalanx.

Paul

Atreides rubbed his chin over for a few seconds as he contemplated what this would mean for his career. On one hand he would be on a better track to fight the way and on the other he would be pulled away from his men to a certain extent. Men & women that has spent the last five to seven years training and protecting.

But as he mulled the idea over, the same phantom feeling of his actual arm reminded him that his fight was far from over and it would be a long time with hard actions before it got that far. He gripped his cybernetic limb in his left hand and gave it a small twisting rub as he looked on at Admiral Black before answering.

"Alright Admiral.. I'm in."

He gave a light nod to indicate that he was actually on board for the whole thing.

Admiral Black nodded in Commander Atreides' decision. He lifted a remote and hit some buttons. "Gentlemen, if you turn your attention to the screen behind you, i'll explain the mission." Admiral Black offered, as a screen lit up. He pressed play to start the presentation. "The fleet will meet up outside the Hybird's sensor of the Delta Charlie homeworld. Before entering their sensor range, every ship is going to activate a communication and sensor jammer. What this will do is cause the fleet to be invisible to sensors. Their sensors will work as if nothing is wrong, just not pick up any of the ships. It will also jam their comms so that when the attack begins, they can't call for reinforcments. At the same time, three other fleets will attack on the other side, at their Prime Bravo homeworld. Once you take their defenses out, the carriers will come in, and send troops down to the planet's surface and finish the attack. Once control of the planet, you'll move to the next planet. It's a planet hoping mission." The Admiral explained.

Lev nodded at Atreides once he made it clear he was in for the mission. Not that Lev had expected anything less. Atreides was a brave man by any standard and to Lev he had never seemed like the kind of man who would abandon his ship in favour of a ‘safer’ posting. Even so, Lev felt a sense of pride as his commanding officer. Once Black began explaining the mission itself, Lev turned his attention to the view screen, his molars grinding together as he took in the details. He wasn’t aware that pencil pushers at R&D had developed this kind of technology, or were even working on it. Lev always assumed advances in sensor technology made this kind of ‘stealth’ technology impossible, but it seems he had assumed wrong. Even so, the plan hinged entirely on the fact that this technology would actually work, but then, it was likely to be tested by now.

With a slight nod Lev turned his attention back to rear-admiral Black. ”If this all goes as planned, we could potentially cripple the IHA war effort.” He said, with a half-smile. ”Seems like almost everything has already been planned. What will our role and position be in all this, admiral?” Lev asked, his attention returning once more to the tactical overview.

Pual

The whole idea of the attack was fine for Atreides to understand and like as he kept listening. Going in a smashing heads along with he enemies combat capabilities would prove to be a great victory for them and a source of fun if all else fails. Besides the point that he has yet to get the chance to pull his Atlas out of its figurative box and play with it.

This war effort would come at a great cost how ever.

"I can tell already however that we are going to be expecting to lose lives on this whole attack aren't we? Be cause were would be the challenge without the risk?" Voicing his opinion was merely just a small step, he didn't really have a need or want to go against the plan, it was just the fact that this would be most likely any other large attack he has taken part of in the past. He stands back over Lev's side as he steps closer towards the center of the room, crossing arms in front of himself he was sure that they would be just as sure about that very same fact. Because while it was Black that was sending them to fight this battle, it would be Lev and Atreides fighting along side the men and women who were going to die.

Admiral Black no ed. "Yes, the expected loses for this tactic is nearly half if not more. That is why we are accepting volunteers only." The admiral answered. He then looked to Captain Stellinkov and thought for a moment. " Captain, I am placing you in charge of the Ghost Fleet. Commander Atreides, you will be the executive officer of the fleet. You both will remain on the Phalanx. Because ship to ship communication will be out, we have trained 24 sailors in the art of light signing. That is how you get messages to the fleet. Your role is to began orbital bombing as son as you arrive, the key points are their defense cannons on the surface of the planets. The rest of the fleet will work on the ships in the area." Admiral black explained.

'Captain. There are two escorts here asking for yourself and Zwei.'

Arba had to admit the feeling in the pit of her stomach was not a good one. She knew that Admiral Marks didn't like her all that much in any case.

Rather than respond to her messanger Arba grabbed her hooded cloak and put it on. One thing that Arba was not a fan of was people staring at her scarred body, plus it made her feel more secure.

She the followed the escorts.

Admiral Marks watched as Captain Arba Porter was escorted into her office. "Your dismissed." Marks said to the escorts. She looked at Arba seriously, taking in every aspect of the captain. The older woman looked down at the desk at two folders. One red and one black. She motioned for Arba to take a seat and opened the black folder, pulling out two pictures, and a list of names. "Captain, I know you're wondering why i have ordered you here. Well it's simple. You're one of the best captains in our fleet, by far and no doubt about that. The incident in the last battle, i'm willing to over look. You're being given a new mission to complete while you're on your primary mission." The admiral spoke as she slid the pictures over, one of which was of Chase Partire, the son of Max Partire, the other was a different lad, but had resemblence to Chase. "Your orders are as the following: These two lads, for the lack of words, are to be killed. The UHO can not enlist these two. It is up to you to complete this. You are also to assassinate the following people, Rear Admiral William Black, Dr. Tyler Zai, Captain Lev Stellinkov, Commander Paul Atreides, and most importantly, Emily Rosiline. These enemies are a major threat to the survive of the IHA. Your primary mission is to hunt down and destroy the UHO Phalanx and the new machine they brought on board. Our spies reported that it's called the Widow. We don't know where Chase Partire or Jacob Puller are, so we're giving you a civilian shuttle to keep you under cover. You must act like a civilian to complete the mission. Are you ready for this, i need to know now, because if you have another episode, I won't be able to turn a blinds eye again." Admiral Marks explained the missions to Arba, knowing she was the best for the job.

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Chase was moving about, being violent as he slept. He was having the same nightmare again, the same nightmare that kept him up for three years. Chase quickly sat up, trying to catch his breathe and wiped the cold sweat off of his forehead. He's seen several doctors over the few years, but none were able to help him with the issue. He looked at the time and sighed some, having only been asleep for an hour and half. Chase slowly climbed out of bed and was over to the cleaner and pulled his shirts out. Chase put on the white tank top undershirt first, followed by the light blue tee shirt and the tan button down shirt last. Reaching into his bag, he slowly pulled out a picture of a young lady and him, the female was about the same age as Chase. He then walked out of the room he was assigned and headed towards the SUM hanger to do some more work on the Widow. As usual, Leon was on his shoulder.

Arba sat quietly. She was expecting a full dismissal from the fleet and probably a prison sentence. However, the words that came from her superior officer was something completely different.
No further action was going to be taken after the incident. meaning Arba's reputation among her fleet would be restored.

It was not that big of a deal having to kill people. Arba knew this had always been the intentions from the war. There was never going to be peace between the two only death and destruction. Arba nodded along to what the Admiral was telling her, paying attention to the two photos she was being shown. They were both very young, barely looked like they had lived their lives, though that was really no concern of Arba's. She wasn't really feeling any kind of emotion as the admiral rattled through a list of names that she wanted killed.

Captain Lev Stellinkov

Arba's whole body let of an internal spasm, sort of like an alarm. From the outside you would not be able to tell, she was very good at concealing emotion and pain but on the inside her very core shook. Of course she was going to accept this mission. She had to kill him at all costs.

' I accept Admiral. Thank you for this opportunity to prove myself. Though may I ask to reinstate a new second in command. I will need someone I trust to help handle my role as fleet Captain should I need to take absence'

Lev nodded to the rear-admiral once his own position within the fleet had been made clear. He had not expected such a prestigious position within the fleet, though he could not deny he had certainly hoped for it. If this operation was a success, not only would the IHA war potential be crippled, Lev’s own standing within the UHO would be increased as well. There was great potential here, but likewise, there was a similar potential for disgrace should it all turn sour. Nonetheless, the advantages far outweighed the potential disadvantages. With a sly smile Lev saluted the rear-admiral even as he spoke. ”Affirmative, rear-admiral. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll get the crew of the Phalanx up to date and make sure everyone is clear on the voluntary nature of this operation.” With that Lev turned on his heels and marched out of the office, his smile slowly twisting into a grin. If this went well, the IHA was finished and the Hybrids with it. The failures of humanity’s predecessors who had caused all of this would be erased. Everything would be as it should be, with true humans back in charge. He almost couldn’t wait to get started.

Time Jump: Captain Lev Stellinkov, Commander Paul Atriedes and Chase Partire has been inducted into the UHO Special forces. At the same time, Chase has not come to a decision whether or not to join the UHO or the mission. Two hours before departure.
Nichole Johnson had just boarded and was shown to her quarters, and office. She nodded in thanks and began to get settled in. The ensign that escorted her, went to the bridge to inform Captain Stellinkov that the ship's counsoler had arrived. Nichole knew it was going to be a long journey and lot of the crew members would need to be able to talk to someone without the worry of being put down. She started with hanging up three frames, two of which were degrees. One degree was in Technology Engineering and Chemistry, but without her name. Chase Michael Partire was the name on the degree, while the second degree was labeled Nichole Leigh Johnson and was in Psychology. The third frame was a picture of her and Chase together. She stared at the picture and Chase's degree and sighed some and shook her head. "I wish i knew where you were and how you're doing Chase. Please be safe."

"Captain Stellinkov, the fleet is yours. I wish you the best of luck and God Speed." Admiral Black said to Captain Stellinkov over the comm system.
=======================================

Chase sat quietly on the observation deck of the Phalanx. A lot was running through his mind, the death of his parents, the UHO requesting his services as a Pilot and an Engineer, and wondering if Nikki was safe. He hasn't heard from Nikki in a while and not sure if he will ever see her again. The box with the Special Forces pin sat infront of him, just staring at him. Chase was more of a peace loving guy, and didn't like to fight, unless he really had too. He's been staring at the pin on the Observation deck for nearly a day and half. He didn't care if anyone was looking for him at the moment, he just wanted to be left alone until he came to a decision. "What do you think Leon?" Chase asked the robotic lizard hanging on the wall next to Chase.

She had her mission.

Though Arba had her Captain status reaffirmed she decided the best course of action for her would be to get aboard the Phalanx on her own. A cover operation.

She stood in the ships hanger of the command center looking at her baby. The Catania had been her first and only ship and Arba had taken pride in taking her from a simple fleet ship to the central control for an entire fleet.
She placed her hand on it's cold metal framework before gently walking away. That may be the last time she would be called the Captain of a ship.

From that point she made her way to the weapons hanger, collecting a small amount of bullets which she placed into a large black duffle bag. It was almost time to leave, a small ship had been prepared for her to leave, it would mostly go unnoticed to the UHO detectors giving her easy access to the Phalanx.

Timeskip into just before Arba enters the Phalanx

Arba typed in the permission codes to access to docking bay of the ship. Once landed she waited for clearance.

Paul

After the whole meeting with Black and Lev, Paul was all too eager to get back to his quarters with his information in tow. His eyes transfixed on the data pad below him on the desk. It carried with it all the information his men were able to gather from the scanning of the Widow and all the logistic information that was added when the cargo was loaded on the ship.
His coffee was still steaming as it sat on the edge of his sight and he eyed the contents of his new uploads from engineering.

His ears perk in a moment as he hears the sound of his comm go off and he taps the screen to open the line. "Sir, we are ready to do the trial runs for the new installment of the engines on the Ares." It was Belts and she was delivering the information that Paul wanted to hear. "Alright Lieutenant, be ready for start up when I get down there" He tapped the screen with a single finger as he slipped his over shirt on and headed out the door.

Chase walked quietly, with Leon on his shoulder, to the SUM hanger to run diagnosics. He wanted to make sure that everything was running properly in case he decided to stay with the crew. Chase hadn't made a decision, he wasn't sure what to do exactly, having never been in this situation before. He walked past crew members that were talking about the different systems and departments they worked in, as they prepared for departure. The crew had worked hard to make sure the ship was ready for whatever came their way, especially since no one knew exactly what they would up against.

Lev stood on the bridge of the Phalanx, staring out into the cold void of space as he reflected on his mission. Soon they would engage the Hybrids in their home turf, with only the new technology to give them an advantage over them. He would need to strike first and hard, take out command locations and communications centres to throw the enemy defences into chaos. That would be the tactic which would provide the highest chance of success. Any long dragged out fight over their worlds would only work in their favour. No, better to go in and out and strike where it hurts. With a nod Lev accepted the incoming transmission from rear-admiral Black. "Captain Stellinkov, the fleet is yours. I wish you the best of luck and God Speed." Lev stood there and thought for a moment, even when silence filled the bridge. A slight smirk appeared on his face as he hit the comm button and returned a transmission. ”Admiral Black, this is captain Stellinkov. The fleet is prepared and will be underway shortly. We will return once all objectives have been completed. Stellinkov out.” Not much of a rousing speech, Lev knew. But he wasn’t known for those. He said what he needed to say and showed his confidence in the upcoming complete victory for the UHO. That was all that was needed from him now. With a nod Lev gave permission to the command staff to begin all checks and pre-jump preparations. He arched his back slightly in a stretch before he was interrupted.

”Sir, a ship has just landed in docking bay 3, its crew is requesting permission to come aboard.” Lev sighed slightly, why did they bother him with these trivial matters? ”Permission granted. Send an lower ranking officer with nothing to do to show whoever is on there around and to their stations.” The officer nodded and repeated Lev’s commands. As Lev oversaw the pre-jump preparations an ensign came by to inform the counsellor had arrived. Lev dismissed the ensign with a slight shrug. These crew changes were always a drag, new positions would be filled and old ones scrapped entirely. He’d need to take a few moments to go through the new crew list before they arrived in the IHA controlled system. With a slight yawn Lev turned on his heel and headed back to his chambers. ”If anything comes up, let me know. I don’t care at what time it happens, got that?” Lev said as he walked out. The crew members repeated his order in confirmation. He slowly made his way back to his chambers and sat down behind his personal computer and brought up the personnel list. With a bored sigh he inspected it, even as the crew of the Phalanx frantically worked to get the preparations out of the way.

Clearance was granted.

She suspected that the Captain of the ship would be far to busy to care who was boarding. Well his mistake was to Arba's gain.

she lowered the ship into the dock before checking all the engines were still in correct working order.

Arba exited into the large loading bay, people were incredibly busy. Something was happening that was fairly important which meant Arba had to find a place to rest. Lucklilly she had been given a clearance pass and a false name under the direction of the UHO so unless some recognised her she was fairly safe.

It had taken atleast 30 minutes for Arba to work her way through the loading bay of the ship and up into the cabins. If this ship was anything like her own the cabins were handed out by a commanding officer who would have access to the documents. It was time to put her new name to use.

Arba casually approached an older looking gentleman and made the necessary arrangements to set herself up in a single bunker. Her new identity of 'Hannah Walsham' seemed to work fine.

She was programmed into bunker 23 by the officer and handed a small sheet of paper which was a map to the ship.

' Sorry Walsham but what are you to do exactly. Your card has no specific job role'
Shit. she had not thought of where to position herself on the ship. She had to think fast.
' Engineer ' she said calmly before heading to her new room.

Paul

Paul looked on as as walked onto the observation deck for the hanger bay and the massive frame of the Aries was lifted onto a skeletal hoist. He could see the edges of the new generator unit sticking out of the sides and the unattached ridges of the frame hanging below, with no leg mounts to hold too it was just for them to hand and sway with what little motion the lift gave.

Many of the other engineers were lined up on the outer ring of the deck and several eyes had gathered to see what was going to happen. As well a few blast shields had been erected around the circumference of the operation site. More so then many thought necessary but this was just brought with sheer speculation.
Paul slides his helmet on as he looks for the operators who are running the start up and his attention is brought towards the forward section of the compartment as he could hear several bantering voice.."Yeah.. think about it, this thing goes up in flames and they will definitely have to shelve his ass.. The guy was a relic even before the war.." The laughter coming from the sound of the conversation was making it easy to tell that it was ensign Bradly. The one that Paul was quickly beginning to feel a disdain for more and more as he stepped foot in this section of the ship.

He leans over the rail and slides the plate of his helmet back, the two Bradly was speaking with notice him right away and their mouths clamp shut. Leaving Bradly to slowly turn his head towards the Commander as if he was in a horror movie.
"Bradly.. Your ass is not a hat, so get your head out of it.." The younger man turns in his chair and begins to pound away on the keys as if trying to break away from the conversation.

Paul opens a comm line on the console too his side and sends it directly too Stellinkov.
"Captain we are starting trials on the new engine for the Aries, don't be alarmed if you hear a loud bump or get a power drain.." The lack of his voice as the line ends is enough to know that his side of the conversation was kind of a joke.

Chase walked over to the Widow and climbed into the pilot chair. He started up the systems and started running systems checks. He wanted to make sure that the systems were running as best as they could, even though he's ran a dozen checks already. He watched as a chief mechanic walked over and peaked in. "Chase, those parts you asked for are in. They will be loaded in this bay so that you can get to work on whatever you need." The chief said. Chase nodded and went back to work. He felt his comm vibrate and forgot that it was on him. Chase pulled out the small tablet style device. It was a devicie that he designed and built so that he would be able to understand what Leon was trying to say to him.

He sat the device in it's holder, that Chase had installed. [I]"chase, i have calculated the odds of this crew successfully completing the mission without you. It's not very good, in fact they have better chances of being struck by lightning in space then winning. I do believe that you would contribute to a great deal of their victory, and believe that you should join them".[\i] Leon had told Chase. Chase nodded some and looked at the little robot. [color=red][I]" I know Leon. I've done the math as well. I will talk to Commander areides in a little while.[\color][\i] Jacob replied.

Arba sat on a small bed. It was comfortable but it was not like the room she had on her own ship.

She opened up a small travel bag she had brought with her. In it was some regular things, clothes, washing supplies and a toothbrush.

However, underneath all of that lay a small knife with a carved wooden handle and a small silver gun. It was a proton phasor gun, it stunned it's target rather than killing it.
This was all she had brought on her assassination mission, she felt it was all she needed. It would have been silly to carry round a heavy armory with her that would rouse suspicion. Instead she decided that if needed she would steak what she could from the Phalanx.

Once she had strapped the gun to her thigh and the blade to her arm Arba left the small room, locking it behind her. It would probably do her well to explore her surroundings and figure out where her targets were accommodated.
She headed down the deck, passing numerous other crew member who acknowledged her as they went. She had been given a map on arrival which she had inspected before she left.
She was heading for the mess hall, best way to get information. Plus she was hungry and could do with some food.

Paul

Paul and the rest of the engineering deck nuzzled up to their respective panels.

They would look back and forth between one another as Atreides moved his hands across his own station. They were having withdrawals about the idea of turning on a massive energy source like this generator in the middle of the deck and not on some barren planet where a meltdown. He on the other hand had rather strong trust in his and the work of his men in setting up this event. He pressed the board and a loud chime of electric energy struck out as the cables connecting the generator with the ship began to siphon off power in an effort to jump itself off.

The multitude of cables leading from the exposed sections of the Aries began to glow slightly as the power draw became more powerful. Lights on the deck began to dim and the same effect was being shadowed across the entire ship as more power was being pulled into the generator.

The whole ship shuttered as a small enemy attack force came out of nowhere. The admiral did say that the sensors wouldn't work withe the cloak on. Everyone began to rush around o their respected battle stations. They were still an hour away from the main attack.

Chase quickly ran out of the mess hall and headed straight for his mech. The Widow was beginning to become well know for great skills and for the enemy they were fearing it. It wasn't just the Widow they fear bu the whole crew of the UHO Phalanx. As far as the war was going the Phalanx hasn't retreated nor lost a battle. Chase ran past several new crew members as he jumped into the pilot locker room and began to change into his flight suit.

The ship was shaking, Lev’s small collection of books he brought with him nearly falling of the shelve. On his personal computer reports were flooding in of the damage done. With a single button press he opened a line to the bridge.

“Battle stations! I’m coming to the bridge!” As soon as he was finished he put on his cap and moved towards the bridge as fast as his legs could take him. On the way he nearly fell as a sudden shake threw him off. But he persisted. After a few long moments he arrived at the bridge, which was in disarray. People were running to and fro, confusion ran rampant. Lev took a deep breath and went about getting the situation under control.

“Open up communication lines with all other ships! Get all the guns online and activate the sensors, I don’t care about the cloaking system, clearly they found us. And get Chase in his damn S.U.M. and make sure he’s ready to launch at a moment’s notice.” Lev nearly shouted his commands, even as he looked at the main view screen. How could they have found them this quickly? Was there a traitor on board? He grinded his teeth together as he tried to figure out what was going on.

As the ships alarms struck everyone seemed in immediate panic. Maybe because they had not expected it but Arba was fully aware of what was going on.

She had been given a small device, impossible for any ship to pick up as it had such a small frequency. The device linked to another similar device held by her Generals.
The attack was a ploy to give Arba the time to fulfill her mission. To assassinate her targets.

While the ship was in panic mode she would easily be able to get through security. Ideally she wanted to kill the Doctor first, There was a chance that her other victims may recognize her voice from the previous battle.

Paul

When the attack began it was the first objective of the crew to get to their combat stations and fend off the enemy. Atreides on the other hand was preoccupied for the moment in medical, going through a routine workup with several of the ship medical staff as they took a look at his cybernetic hookups and other healing wounds. In fact he was still attached to most of the diagnostic machinery when the first strike happened and many of the staff began their hectic task of detaching him from the rest of the machines.

"Damn it, can you guys work faster? Get me the hell down from here." The platform shook slightly as an impact from enemy fire struck the ships outer shell. Several vials and unsecured tools fell from the shelves as anther quick impact struck and he sat up in his seat with several of the connection tubes tugging lightly back on his shoulder and leg.
Several technicians come up to him as the table lowers and they work fast to unhook each of the hoses and cables as he stood up from his position. "Good to go sir." one said as they all withdrew from him at once and he stepped away from the table to gather his things. His communicator was blinking away with the notices that were going on all across the ship and he tapped it to open a line. "Engineering, this is Atreides.. get all batteries to full power, stop all service activities and keep as much power to the plating as you can. Prepare the Aries for combat.."

A large blast on the outside rocked many of the inner sections of the ship, causing several members to fall and everyone had to take time to pick each other up after the impact.

Chase had finished getting changed into his flights hit when he received th call to get to his sum. He grab the mic from his helm.
"I'm on my way to the widow now. Will be ready for launch in 5 miles." chase replied. He then got on his com with Leon and told him to prepare the widow for combat so that he would be able to launch when he got there.
Chase rushed passed all the crew members that were running to their battle stations and right into his mech bay. A large hit to the hull caused him to loose his balance by he quickly recovered and jumped into his cockpit and prepared what he had to. " this is Lt. Partire, requesting permission to launch." chase called over the comm.