Brave New World II: The Quest for Curly's Gold

[MikDaTv]

The Romulus sped through hyperspace, outbound from Coruscant and headed away from Imperial space. Their vector had been cleared of all gravity wells within calculatable range so they were safe in hyperspace for quite a while.

[Deleted]

Still clasping Senior's arm, Ambellina eyed her quarters with surprise. This room was rather small compared to the ones that she was used to staying in.

"Oh my...well, I suppose it's...cozy."

She walked into the room, not bothering to let go of the clone and brining him with her as though for protection as she surveyed everything.

"At least it's quite clean."

[MikDaTv]

"It's small but that's the military for you." Danny said. "Why waist space on comfort when you can use that space to hold more bullets."

Danny reached over and opened the foot locker and the door to the attached refresher room. "At least you don't have to share it with Runt."

[Deleted]

Ambellina deposited her bag lightly on the bed and let go of Danny's arm. She walked into the small refresher and looked around.

"Oh, I'm sure that Runt is harmless...well, mostly harmless anyway..."

Withdrawing from the refresher, Ambellina perched on the edge of the bed.

"I suppose nobody is completely harmless."

With that, Ambellina unstrapped her gun-belt and laid it beside her. She then set to unpacking the rest of her belongings.

[MikDaTv]

"You've never had to sleep next to his snoring ass." Danny said with a smile. "I'll leave you here to your own devices."

Danny turned to leave, but turned back real quick and pointed to the mic around her neck "Don't take that off. If you need anything... just call."

Danny paused for half a breath before turning back and walking out. He headed down the hall towards the ground forces quarters. He had a report to write.

[Deleted]

Giving a mock salute from her position on the bed, Ambellina watched as Danny left. As soon as she could no longer hear his footsteps, she stood and closed the door. Next she turned on the refresher, disrobing and folding her armor neatly on her bed before changing into a pair of tight sweatpants and a tight jacket with a hood. She took off the mic and laid it on top of her armor.

Ambellina then went and listened carefully at the door until she was satisfied that nobody was outside of it before slipping out into the hallway, her stocking feet making virtually no noise on the hard floor. Finding her way into an adjacent room, The Lady set to work unscrewing the grating of one of the air-ducts, and soon was in the ventilation system.

[MikDaTv]

((OOC: Sorry, another long one))

Danny, Runt, Hefty and Tank stood in the Colonels office at perfect attention.

"Senior, there is something you failed to mention during your debrief." The Colonel said with more than a little pissed off tone. "This civilian you brought with you isn't just some kind hearted civilian who wanted to help out the big strapping soldiers. She's a god damn criminal. Suspected in the murder of a Coruscant Detective. A few other assassinations, theft, evading arrest, the list goes on. Do you have any idea who you brought aboard my ship?"

Senior nodded. "Yes sir I do. The woman who saved my life."

"She has an angle Trooper, she's using you for something else." The Colonel said. "I thought you were trained to see this kind of crap."

"With respect Sir, she didn't ask us to do anything. We offered her a ride, she accepted." Danny retorted.

The Colonel shook his head. "And in the process she learned your code names, what ship your stationed out of, possibly who you work for. Your lives depend on secrecy."

Runt took a step forward. "Danny wouldn't be alive if it weren't for her."

Danny put a hand on Runt's shoulder and pulled him back into line. "Sir, she helped us out of an otherwise impossible situation. the four of us against a Sith in single combat isn't a guaranteed victory for us."

"So she helped you and you felt it necessary to return the favor." the Colonel said.

Danny nodded. "Yes Sir."

"Well your weaker than i thought. You are hereby removed from active duty. Senior, please escort your new Lady friend to new accommodations in the brig." The Colonel said.

The four clones looked like they had actually been punched in the face. Danny shook his head. "Sir, I request to speak with Captain Graham."

"Not going to happen boy. We're in hyperspace so we're out of contact. And when he exit hyperspace, your Lady friend is getting turned into the nearest authority that can pay out the bounty on her head." The Colonel said. "I'm sure Captain Graham would like that we at least made something of a profit off this failed mission of yours."

Danny hesitated. "Sir, i'm forced to formerly protest...."

The Colonel interrupted him. "Protest? Protest? Protest what? I am the Commanding Officer of this ship and of your unit. You don't get to protest anything."

Danny's face started to turn red. He was becoming angry despite his calming techniques. "Sir, the Captain is going to hear about this."

"You have your orders. Dismissed!" the Colonel said.

The four of them saluted almost on instinct and did an about face before filing out of the Colonels office.

When they were in the hall and out of earshot, Danny stopped them and they huddled in the non-busy corridor. "You guys go to our room and stay there. If anyone asks where I am, tell them that i'm getting chow." Danny said as he pulled out his blaster pistol and checked the charge in the power cell.

"Nu'uh Senior, your not ditching us for this." Runt said.

"You think we'd sit this out?" Tank asked.

Danny smiled and looked over to Hefty. The quiet one looked right into Danny's eyes, something the clones hardly ever did, and nodded.

"You realize we'd be betraying our employers. The men and women who've given us shelter and purpose for the past few months." Danny said.

Hefty started cracking his knuckles. "It's Lady."

Tank pointed his thumb back down the hallway towards the colonel’s office. "We owe her more than we do that asshole back there."

Runt smiled. "Twi'lek food."

Danny holstered his pistol and stretched his shoulders a little. "Ok then. Here's the plan..."

* * *

Colonel Ryan sat in his office re-reading the reports that were handed into him. If it was true, he could get a pretty hefty sum from any bounty hunter to turn this woman over. The best part is that he could probably pocket a lot of it before he put the rest in the company books. Rangers would be responsible for catching and turning in one of the more well known assassins, plus make a nice pocket full of cash to go with it. Ryan's standing in the company would go up.

The only problem was Gray Team. Ryan could forge their reports and make up any story he wanted, but as long as those four clones were alive they would try and set the story straight. Once Ambellina was safely in the brig, he would have to deal with them.

[Deleted]

Mariah had once told Ambellina that everything had to go somewhere, and that she would be able to go anywhere. So far in her life this had held true. The young woman had little trouble slipping quietly through the narrow space of the ventilation ducts and finding one of the security rooms.

As silently as she had entered the ducts, she exited, keeping the screws and the vent from hitting the floor as she lowered herself down. There was only one man on duty, watching all of the monitor cameras, and she removed him from consciousness with a quick nerve strike to the mandible. From there, she accessed the ship's computer logs.

*Hm...the Romulus with the Ranger PMC...no surprise that troops trained as well as Gray Team would be private soldiers as they said they were.*

With a few more quick slices, Ambellina pulled up the crew dossiers, finding the ones for Gray Team and Colonel Ryan and downloading them to her personal datapad. She closed up the programs and covered her tracks before placing the security officer in a natural sleeping position and leaping back up into the duct, replacing the vent and moving back towards the room adjacent to hers.

[MikDaTv]

Danny walked with a purpose. Not running, but walking pretty darn fast. They had split up. Hefty went down to the Johnny 5, Runt took a trip down to the supply office and Tank was busy heading to engineering.

When he reached Ambellina's door he hit the call button and took a deep breath. Right now they could operate like nothing was wrong. But it was only a matter of time before the Colonel realized what was happening.

[Deleted]

Stopping to listen at the door, Ambellina heard footsteps approaching. She quickly climbed back up into the vent and moved directly to the vent within her own room. She disrobed and ran quickly through the refresher, stepping out and wrapping a towel around herself. She answered the door in this state.

"Why, Senior...I didn't expect to be called upon so soon. What can I do for you?"

[MikDaTv]

"Get dressed. Now. We're going." Danny said simply, forcing his way into the room. He did a visual sweep of the room, checking for cameras or any other kind of monitoring device. He doubted the colonel would have had time to set something up but he didn't want to risk his life on that chance.

"Colonel is selling you out to the first bounty hunter he can find. Me and the boys are getting you out of here on the Johnny 5." Danny pointed to the throat mic laying on the bed. "Don't forget that. Runts out shopping for us, do you have any requests?"

It was the advantage of being on a covert operations ship. Their armory was fully stocked with a range of weapons and equipment that most weapon specialists people never saw in a single room before. Runt was grabbing their gear but he had time to pick up an item or two for the Lady.

[Deleted]

"I just need something with a punch. A standardE-ll will do nicely."

Ambellina twirled her finger in the air, indicating that Senior should turn around before whipping off her towel and quickly suiting up. Her tone indicated that she had expected something like this to happen, but her injured look said otherwise. She strapped her gun-belt and her microphone on and was ready to go.

"And Senior...thank you for the heads up. You're a good man."

[MikDaTv]

"Not just me." Danny said.

He pressed his hand to his throat mic. "Runt, Senior. Be advised. Lady is requesting ordinance. An E-11 if you've got one."

There was a moment before run replied. "Got it Boss. Anything else?"

"No, that should do it. Thanks Runt. See you at the rendezvous. Senior out." Danny said

He opened the door to Lady's rooms and looked both ways down the corridor, making sure it was clear.

* * *

Colonel Ryan punched up his com on his desk and keyed it to talk to the officer stationed at the Brig. "Ensign Oku, has the prisoner arrived yet?"

"Negative sir." Came the report back. "We received no word from Gray Team Leader."

Ryan scowled. He didn't like that. Senior should have brought her in by now. He accessed his workstation and brought up the ships security info. A quick check of the logs showed that Runt had checked into the supply room, and Hefty had gone back to the Hanger to work on the new ship they brought in. They weren't ordered to do that, and the Colonel could tell they were up to something.

"Damn it." He said to himself. He got up out of his chair and stormed out of his office, headed for the bridge.

* * *

Once he determined it was all clear, Danny stepped out into the corridor and waited for Lady. "We're meeting Runt and Tank in cargo bay two, then all of us are going to head to the hanger where Hefty is waiting at the ship."

[Deleted]

With a slight smile, Ambellina stepped out into the hallway, tucking her combat knife into the back of her belt. She did not draw her blaster. The longer they could ride a peaceful current the better. As she had been taught, Ambellina had memorized the route that she had taken to get to the room that she had barely stayed in.

"Let's move quickly then."

So far as Ambellina was aware, no alarm had yet been raised, so she wrapped her arm around Senior's as she had previously, so as to appear as though nothing was wrong should they pass any of the same people that they had passed on their way into the ship.

[MikDaTv]

Danny nodded in agreement and led Lady through the ship to cargo bay two where Runt was busy opening up the crates he had 'requisitioned' from the supply room.

Runt shifted the lid of a crate aside and leaned on the open crate as Danny walked in. "Good to see you boss. I suspect the supply officer will wake up in a few hours with a really bad headache and wondering where a large portion of his stock is."

Danny looked into the open crate and saw a set of armor lying on the top. "Great. You get all four?"

"Yep" Runt answered. "I vote we make Tank carry Hefty's suit in his pack."

"I'll carry it." Danny said, giving Runt a look. Danny closed the door to the cargo bay and locked it from the inside. "We don't have much time left. lets suit up now."

Runt nodded and pulled the first crate aside for himself. Danny grabbed the next one and popped the lid off. Danny and Runt stripped down naked and got into the full body under suit before slipping into their full suit of Katarn Commando armor. It was a process that they had trained on tirelessly for hours during their training, and something they did on a regular basis as part of their career. They turned what is usually a 20 minute process that requires assistance into a 6 and a half minute solo process. Danny reached into the crate and pulled out his rifle when he was finished putting his armor on and looked over at Runt.

Runt was busy piecing together his Cerb S-150 Rifle. This was just in time for Tank to arrive, a bit sweaty and dirty but otherwise ok. "I've been trying to throw off every alarm system on the ship." Tank said. "I'm not sure how long my counter measures will work though. Eventually the Colonel will just send word via intercom." Tank sat down next to his crate to catch his breath. "I had to run here from the service tunnel access console on Deck 2."

"Sleep when your dead Tank. You have a change of clothes to put on." Danny said, pointing to the crates. He reached into one and pulled out an E-11 Blaster rifle and tossed it over to Lady. "Once your ready we're going to get to the Johnny 5 and get out of here."