I exited the lift on the floor of the medical ward and was nearly run down as Everson entered. A simple nod of the heads was exchanged and I continued inside. I looked down the long hallway and noticed Iry was motioning for me to the room where Jasmine was being monitored. I walked directly for her room so I could ask her a few questions but was stopped just outside the door.

"I have given Rogue a few forms to fill out before she can get Jasmine out of here. This is a perfect chance for you to get some answers to any questions you can think of. Our resources are running thin and I could use your help with the new recruits instead of chaseing this globe. Get your answers and get this over with." Iry said with a pat on my shoulder.

I walked into Jasmines room and took the chair on the opposite side of the bed as Mystic.

I started off with a few simple questions to see how much she was going to be willing to tell me.

"Can I please have your full name?"

Jas looked over questioningly towards Mystic who had stopped filling out forms to listen to my inquest. Not saying anything Mystic just nodded.

"Jasmine Renquist."

"And how old are you Jasmine?"

"Not that it's any of your business but I'm 20 years."

"Ok and where were you born?"

"Azek Central, you know Azek in UIT space."

I made a few notes on my datapad and continued."Thanks Jasmine now down to the real business.""Being a known pirate in the service of CLM and not being on the best of terms with the itani people, what was you reason for being in itani space when your ship was shot down?"

Again she looked over to Mystic for confirmation only this time Mystic put her hand up to stop her.

"You know damn well what she was doing up her Elbryon or you wouldn't be here asking all these questions. She was bringing JJ up here against my will to chase after that damned globe you found."

"Yes, Mystic, you're right I did know what she was doing up here I'm merely trying to follow protocol with this so noone gets into trouble."

"Just ask your damn questions so I can get her out of here. Jas you tell the nice smurf what he wants to know and then we'll go home."

Mystic's eyes never left me as I continued to question Jasmine about the globe. I found out that for the most part what she said was true she didn't know anything about the globe other than the rumor and hype that had been spreading around the stations of a huge pirates treasure that CLM and ITAN were looking for. The one and only piece of useful information I was able to get from her is that they were headed for ITAN sector D-9. Apparently Mystic wasn't too pleased with Jasmine giving this bit of information as I could see the surprise in her eyes.

"Thank you Jasmine you have been very accomodateing inlew of the current situation. I wish you the best of luck in recovery."

Both Mystic and Jasmine gave a little huff as a reply. "I am finished with these damn forms Iry gave me can I get my pilot out of here now?"

"I don't see why not let me go get a nurse or something to sign all the paperwork and we should be able to get you on your way."

I extended my hand to Mystic and surprisingly she reached out and shook it. Caught unaware she pulled me in close and whispered in my ear.

"I will not let you have it Elbryon. That damn treasure has cost me more than you can imagine!"

I carefully pulled away and looked at Mystic who simply stood back, brushed the red hair out of her face, and reached down to grab Jasmines hand again. I stepped out of the room and headed to give my report to Iry.

"He's not a bad guy Mysti even for an ITAN."

"No, better than some I guess. That's why he's still alive, after all we had him locked up for a good while and Look would have done him in a minute if I'd have asked. But enough of that lets get you home Jas someone will be very excited to see you I'm sure."

I made my way to Iry's office and knocked on the door.

"Come on in Elb."

"Well she was telling the truth for the most part sir she didn't know what JJ was going to do but she did know where they were going ITAN D-9."

Iry got off his chair, walked over to me and pulled a listening device he had put there when he patted my shoulder, "I know I was listening."

"I guess that means I'll head that way then see if there is anything that can get this wrapped up. Who knows we may be rich the next time I see you Iry."

"Take a scanner and some heavy weapons with you Elb I am sure, as Mystic said, they aren't going to let you just have it."

"Will do boss."

I made my way to the room I rented and started the paperwork I would need to get a scanner and ship for this next bit of the mission.

"I'm never gonna forget the smell of that damn perfume am I?"

Elbryon[ITAN]

It had taken nearly an hour to get Jasmine processed and released, more of ITAN's doing Mystic was sure, though what they hoped to accomplish was anyone's guess. Finally they were in her ship and on their way out of itani space. Jasmine had insisted in joining her in the cockpit instead of lying down in the back where she would have been more comfortable.

�So now what?� she asked as they cleared the wormhole into Edras.
�Now we get you back to Latos and into the care of our medical team, and I can consult with yoda on what has been going on while I was gone. I have been hearing all sorts of rumors from the news broadcasts. Although this far away I wouldn't count on the accuracy of any of it, so we wait.� Mystic was eager to get back to Latos, she never liked being out of grey for long and it seemed recently she had been everywhere but.

The trip was uneventful save for a couple of ion storms, a quick stop to repair the damage in Bractus and send a message that they were on their way home. Mystic knew she could have sent the message from the medcenter, but she didn't trust anywhere that ITAN had a foothold. She did wonder how much time they would spend in that sector Jas had told them of. They were unaware that CLM already had what JJ had went for. Once again, she owed Everson her thanks.

Arriving in C-2 Mystic had never seen a more welcome sight. She hoped she didn't have to leave this area again for a while. Itani territory just wasn't her favorite place to hang out, never had been. She preferred the wildness of grey, order was fine, but too much stifled life in her opinon. Docking her ship they were met with a welcoming party of sorts, look,shar and a few others were there. Everyone was helpful in getting Jas out and to the infirmary, she had wanted to see JJ but had been informed that she had already been moved to serco space for her surgery and would be back in a few days. So instead she stopped by the lab to take a look at the hard won prize.

The lab was quiet as she entered and found what she was looking for. Carefully unwrapping the daggers, she was awed by the beauty. �I say we melt 'em down and sell 'em� yoda stated, having slipped in without her noticing. �Not often I can sneak up on ya red, you must be tired� He noticed she looked like she hadn't slept in ages. �I'm completely wiped out, but things have to be done...� she started but was cut off. �And thats why Im here instead of off shooting meat, so you go get some rest and thats an order.� Mystic laughed, �Yes sir!� she knew things were in good hands and a hot bath and some sleep did sound appealing. �But after the nap, how bout you tell me about all these rumors of stuff involving TGFT �they walked out of the lab together talking, � and maybe why I smell fresh paint?�

�Take yer nap and we will talk later....ye look like hell Red�
�Gee thanks a lot and to think your on MY side� she gave him a smile as she realized he had steered her to her apartment during their talk. �Afraid I would sneak off somewhere?�
�Just making sure, you can be a tad stubborn..�
�Im stubborn? Your....� he cut her off. �Yes your stubborn, but JJ is being taken care of and so is Jasmine, so now its time for you to shut off and regenerate yourself, last thing we need is you collapsing or something.� There was concern in his voice as he spoke.

Most people never got to see the softer side of yoda, he would kill anyone that accused him of being so, but Mystic found it comforting at times, knowing it was there. As she promised she headed into her quarters and 20 mins later was curled up on the couch, where she had fallen asleep reading reports about the globe.

And little did she know about her ill fated hoverboy mk.IV and other esthetic supplies :3

Mystic had not intended to fall asleep but she had to admit feeling much better a while later as she walked out of her quarters and almost ran into Azumi wearing something that she imagined was supposed to pass for a dress. �Going to a costume party as a curtain?�she quipped to the young pilot. �No Commander I was just going to change and head out again.� She seemed somewhat embarrassed as she headed toward her quarters.

�Bit harsh there Red?� yoda came up behind her.
�Not trying to be, but that outfit belongs on one of the girls from the bars in Sedina not a CLM pilot�
�She just likes dressing up a bit from time to time�
�Oh I know exactly why and who she likes dressing up for� Mystic smiled at yoda. �Thing is its hard enough on female pirates, not as bad as when I started but still, getting respect is even harder to get when your dressing like the working girls in the red districts. But enough of that, fill me in on whats been going on.�
�Doctor says Jasmine is going to make a full recovery but is to be grounded for the next couple weeks, she needs lots of rest, so I figure she can continue the research JJ had her on for the globe. JJ herself should be getting back soon, and other than that things are going on as normal.�
�What about the stuff with TGF....� She stopped short as she walked into her office. �What the hell happened in here?� All she could do was stare at what used to be her nice new chair, and boxes strewn everywhere.�Was there a security breach while I was gone?� She started looking around, all the drawers that were locked were in tact but the others had been ransacked, but the only thing that seemed to be missing was her extra makeup she kept in the office and all of the markers from the desk. The smell of fresh paint was strong. She turned to yoda expectantly. �Ok what happened and who do I kill?�

�Yoda chuckled a bit, �There was no break-in, just seems Shar got a little stir crazy with you gone and most of us out, so he got creative.�
�Creative? This chair was brand new, now it looks like it was used for target practice.�
�It was, look came in and caught him and managed to get most of it straightened out,however the chair couldn't be saved.�
Mystic sighed and shoved the chair over out of the way and took a seat on the corner of the desk instead. �Ok, so tell me are the rumors about this war of TGFT's true? And can we use it to our advantage?�
�Yes�
She knew that tone, he wouldn't go into any further detail until he was ready, so she turned her attention back to the globe. �Ok so we know that JJ found the blades...but what I want to know, is why are all the clues scattered so far apart? I'm also pretty sure that by now ITAN has a team in the sector where they were found, of course they have no idea that JJ finished her mission, or that she had help�

Yoda spoke after a few minutes, �My best guess is that the clues were scattered just in case something like this came up, if another party or parties got involved CLM would have the advantage because of the security measures in the globes design.� He stood �But now that your awake I'm going to find some meat before I go as stir crazy as Shar..� Mystic laughed, �I don't think HQ could withstand it if you went any crazier. So go blow stuff up, I'm going to try to get this mess straightened and maybe head down to the lab to see if there is a anything I can do to make things easier for JJ and Jasmine when they get back to work.� He was already headed out the door as she started surveying the wreckage that used to be her office.

With her office back the way it should be and a new chair to be delivered soon, the cost of which would be coming from Shar's pay, Mystic had one more thing to do before heading to the lab. Everyone at CLM had a specialty that they excelled at, and now that she was aware of Shar's, she knew just where to assign him for his. She smiled with a bit of malicious satisfaction as she sent the memo that Shar would be assisting the maintenance crew with basic cleanup for the next couple of months. Mystic was sure Flaggy would be glad that someone else would be taking over keeping the mess hall clean as well. She asked the crew chief to deliver a nice new set of cleaning tools and cover-alls to Shar's quarters with a personal note from herself.

The note simply read:

'Enjoy your new duties and don't worry about my chair, I have already put the deduction of the requisite credits on your pay account, unfortunately with the rush order it was quite expensive, but no worries, half your pay for the next month should cover it. Mystic'

After spending several hours searching around ITAN D-9 I figured that someone from CLM must have been through here already and gotten what JJ had been looking for. The only place that even held any non-roid matter looked as if it had been picked through with a fine toothed comb.

"This got us nowhere iry someone has already been down here and is already gone, what do you want me to do now?"

"Well I'm afraid that is up to you Elb, with elections coming up shortly I have alot of paperwork to do and the recruits need some training. If I were you I'd get myself back to real life and help us with these recruits, get yourself back on the council, and not worry about the damn globe for a while."

"Getting back on council would do me alot of good but I have to see this to the end, however that might be."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It's like fighting a one sided war, iry, I am going to go talk to Mystic herself. Maybe if we aren't argueing about it and working together we can bring an end to this ordeal."

"That's not wise Elb. Just because you survived CLM once doesn't mean you will be so lucky a second time. I strongly suggest you not do that."

"Well I can't think of anything else except storming CLM headquarters, killing everyone, and stealing everything back. I can assure you you would then be down one pilot permanently."

"Whatever you do Elb be careful."

"Eh! What has that gotten us so far iry? Nothing! It's time to shake the hornets nest."

I cut off transmission after that so I don't know what iry had to say to me but it wouldn't have mattered I had my mind set I was going to go and talk to the pirate queen herself. If I could avoid getting my wings clipped permanently I may just be able to bring an end to this ordeal and get back to my normal life.

I plotted a destination for the CLM headquarters, took a deep breath, and launched. This was going to be the moment I found out what I was made of.

Elbryon[ITAN]

drunk again i sat in the docking bay watching the ships come and go. I noticed an IBG, 'strange, they don't belong here, ahh elbryon'. I chucked a bottle at him, It shattered into a million pieces on his canopy as elb exited.

"Easy Look i only came to talk to mystic", I drew the cut down shotty from my leg, cocking back both hammers in the process. "just to make sure you don't try anything stupid" I assured him.

as we approached mystic's area i radioed her, "elbryon is here to speak to you, he's unarmed, can i teach him to breath vacuum?"

moments later with the sound of rushing water came mystic over the radio, "nah ill hear him out"

I really wanted to space him, but as instructed I lead him to a lounge where, as not instructed, I pulled a flask out of the seat, taking a swig I handed it to elb, " so what brings you out here?" 'might be worth a shot, might just answer honestly.'

Mystic gave yoda another drink, they had been talking in her apartment for a while now, away from the distractions and possible interruptions. He had been in a too cheerful mood when he had shown up at the lab where she had been working. His business with the scum that had masterminded the destruction of Remley concluded, it had been his idea to go to her apartment so they could talk. Seemed they were of the same mindset again, which wasn't anything new, they had flown together for so long that it wasn't often they couldn't come to an agreement on just about any subject, though sometimes it took a bit of arguing between them. They both cared deeply for CLM, it was part of them, no matter what else might go on.

It was this that they had been discussing for the last couple hours, CLM. Yoda had some major ideas in mind and as Mystic listened she realized that what he was proposing would work out best for them all. He would take back over as commander and she would slip into the first LT spot that he held. They would continue to run CLM together, but this would leave her free to spend more time on the globe, and she had realized with her latest adventures outside of grey that she really missed being out in the thick of things. Her first reaction to the guy yoda had ended up turning over to Syn, had been sympathy, then to cold rage, she was a pirate and not adverse to taking a life, but this guy had hurt many innocents, and potentially more if he had not been stopped.

�So now that we are agreed, there are a couple things Red..�yoda was looking at her with a very serious look now, this bothered her a bit but she took the bait.
�What things?� she wasn't sure she wanted to hear this.
�Well even though I'm taking over, I don't want you to think you will be getting out of helping run things, I will be asking your advice and opinion on things.� he smiled at her, he knew she had been thinking the worst, was his way of teasing her.
�You!..� Mystic tossed the pillow she had been leaning against on the couch at him. �I thought you were going to say something else.�
�I know� He grinned at her, �But don't worry, that nice office of yours is still yours, I prefer my own, do not want to have to re-organize.�
�You mean you don't want to have to dirty up my nice tidy office to make it look like that disaster area of yours?�
�I like chaos, never understood this habit of yours....�He stopped speaking as Pagan jumped up on the back of the couch staring at him, swishing her tail. �Get away from me kitty or your going to be tossed on look's grill�

Mystic grabbed Pagan and placed her on her lap. �You are not cooking my cat, she likes you and wanted to say hello�
Yoda looked the cat in the eyes �Hello kitteh burger, now go away.� Pagan swished her tail again then jumped down, stretched and curled up on the couch between them, her tail thumping against yoda's leg almost challenging him. Mystic laughed, �See? She isn't afraid of you anymore than I am.�

�I remember a time when you were..�
�So do I, that was before I got to know you and learn how truly evil you could be..�
�And how much you liked it.�yoda finished for her laughing.
�Sometimes...� she laughed with him, �Now I suppose the next thing is to let the rest of the crew know about the change.�
�Don't worry Red, you will always be the Pirate Queen�
�Funny how that title stuck, I don't think the Vipers thought of that when they dubbed me that so long ago, but I kinda like it.�
�As you should, it was hard earned, once you stopped being a care bear trader and gave in to your true calling.�
�That seems like ages ago darlin, I cant even remember a time when I truly wanted a boring life of a trader, running from the same people I now consider my family.�

Mystic walked into her kitchen area to rinse their glasses when the comm went off with look's voice �Elbryon is here to speak to you, he's unarmed, can I teach him to breath vacuum?"
�Nah I will hear him out,escort him to the lounge area, and don't shoot him please� Mystic answered before shutting off the water and turning to yoda.
�Now I wonder what he wants?� Yoda queried.
�Not completely sure, but I guess letting the crew know about the switch can wait a short bit, lets go find out shall we?� Mystic sounded slightly puzzled herself.

Together they walked down to the common area to see what new development was facing them now.

Look reached into the seat and pulled out a flask and offered it to me, "so what brings you out here?"

At this point I had already decided what I wanted from this meeting so I figured letting Look know my intentions would not be of any harm so I let him know.

"I came to offer Mystic and CLM my cooperation in finding this treasure and bringing an end to this ordeal that has kept me up at night."

"Are you daft man? You do realise you are ITAN right? The very same people that held Jasmine hostage in yer hospital, shot our pilots......"

"....and found the globe in the first place. If I had never found it you pirates would have been content in letting it sit out there for eternity, possibly to be found by PA or TGFT and we both know they don't need any more money."

Look started to say something when Mystic walked in trailed slightly be Yoda. I had never met yoda before other than on the receiving end of his ordinance. All the tales fit the man perfectly but I was only interested in talking to Mystic.

"Make it quick Elb, yoda and I have important business to discuss not the least of which is wether or not you leave with all your parts intact."

"I will make it. Mysti, I have lost many nights sleep stressing about this globe and the treasure. I realize now that I alone will not be able to wrest the globe from CLM's hands, purely out of selfishness and wanting to sleep through the night I am offering whatever help I can to CLM."

"What makes you think we need any help?"

"I am sure you don't but I do offer one thing that has, in the past, hindered you a bit. I have free reign in itani space and possibly some contacts that you may not. There is my offer you can take it or leave it it is totally up to you."

"It will take some time to discuss this Elb. If we decide to go with it we will be in contact with you so why don't you lose some more sleep until we do. Now get out of here before I let Look give you some breathing lessons."

I handed Look his flask back and walked to my ship. What in the hell was I doing trying to strike a deal with the Pirate Queen and her guild of ruffians. Maybe I could get some sleep now but I doubt it.

Elbryon[ITAN]

"It will take some time to discuss this Elb. If we decide to go with it we will be in contact with you so why don't you lose some more sleep until we do. Now get out of here before I let Look give you some breathing lessons."

As Elbryon took his leave yoda turned to her, �So...�

Mystic ignored yoda for the moment and turned to Look, �Can you gather the council together and meet us in the Ops room please?�
�Sure thing Myst, anything wrong?�
�All will be revealed soon� She smiled and turned to yoda as Look wandered off.
�I think it would be better to discuss the command change and the Elb situation all at one time, I hope you don't mind.�
�Hunny, don't act like you have to run every breath you take by me, you know better.�

�I don't trust Elbryon, he is ITAN...�
�Thats true Mystic, but he is also right, he may have some contacts we need.�
Mystic sighed, they were in the OPS room awaiting the others, �I just see this as yet another ruse by ITAN to take what belongs to us�

�What is ITAN trying to do now?� Sharingan asked as he came in followed closely by the other council members, all were present except JJ, and Mystic had her on Vid conference so that she could hear this too.

�First some other news, I wanted to let you know that I am stepping down as commander...yoda is taking back over effective immediately, we will still be working as a team as we always have, I just wanna make him earn his keep for a change� Mystic grinned at the glare yoda gave her. �But seriously, this wont affect anyone, we are just swapping positions, some of you have seen it happen before, this way I can spend more time with the globe project and yoda can implement some ideas he has guild wise� She paused as yoda stood up to speak.

�As Mystic said, there is no need for anyone to worry about anything, the guild is going to remain strong, I hate guild politics, which is why Mystic will still be handling that part of things. My stand is simple, things just aren't as dangerous out there as they should be, there are traders that think they don't have to pay, and even some that want to jump into combat ships and take us on. We need to remind them that we are here and we are going to stay, and if they want to do business in our territory, they will pay for the privilege or they will go home in an escape pod and we will sell their scrap and cargo. Either way we will get our due, and have a lot of fun doing it.� yoda grinned, a look that could chill some to the bone, a smile of pure malice �Mystic...�

Taking her cue, Mystic spoke �Elbryon of ITAN came to see me today...�

�And Myst wouldn't let me show him the airlock� Look said almost in a pout.

�Your right I wouldn't, but I have my reasons, he may be useful, don't get me wrong, I don't trust him one iota, but my main intent is to figure out this globe and find the treasure. JJ, as soon as you and Jasmine feel up to it we will get back to work, if you don't think you can or don't want to be involved with it anymore I will understand, but I need a direction to go.� Mystic paused momentarily. �As far as Elbryon is concerned....I am going to take him up on his offer, and when and if he tries to pull something....he is a dead man.�
This surprised everyone a bit, except yoda, he knew the strain Mystic had been under recently, and that she blamed most of it on ITAN. Mystic continued, �We almost lost two of our pilots, two friends due to this globe, and while Elbryon wasn't personally the one that shot them down, I don't make any distinction between him and the one that pulled the trigger. However, he made a valid point when he said he had contacts and such that we might not have an easy time getting to. All the credits in the world cant get the kind of resources he has access to.�

�Myst, isn't that taking a huge risk? Not just with the treasure, but more importantly with your life.�
Cowboy sounded concerned.
�Maybe it is, but I take risks every day in this business, we all do, it comes with the territory, and believe me I wont let myself get into anything I cant get out of. Besides, I don't think Elb's intent is to see me dead, not only would he not get near the treasure, but he would have an entire guild after him til the day he drew his last breath.�

�Which wouldn't be long if anything happens to you� Yoda stated simply. Mystic smiled, she knew yoda would avenge her.

�Nothing is going to happen to me, we are going to accept Elbryon's generous offer and if and when he helps us find the treasure, he will get what is coming to him for his efforts.�

�Well the first thing we need to do MR is get all the pieces we have together and see where we head to next.� JJ spoke for the first time, �I will be back at work soon, I don't think we are very far from solving this riddle.�

�Great JJ, you just get better and I will contact Elbryon and see if he has any information we might have overlooked, lets see just how forthcoming he really wants to be.�

When I finally got word that Mystic would hear me out I made my way back to CLM's headquarters. I still wasn't too sure if this was going to end up good for me or not but since regaining a council position with ITAN I was pretty sure I would be ok, after all even rats know who not to bite.

"ITAN Council Elbryon requesting docking permission."

"Permission granted smurf, remain in your ship and I will personally come down there and escort you to my office."

I was very suprised to hear Mystics voice over the comm but after she knew I was coming im sure she didn't want anyone else "assisting" me. I piloted my X1 into the docking bay and waited. I caught a glimpse of Azumi strutting around playing with the workers who were fixing her pink vult but she paid me no mind. I waited for what seemed like an hour before a commotion updock caught my eye. It was MysticRogue and Jasmine, at least she was doing ok.

"Ok Elb, step out slowly and tell me what you feel is so important it warrents another visit so soon."

"Isn't there somewhere a little less public we can go I don't want everyone knowing my business."

"Well, as it stands now you are surrounded by my closest companions and none here would dare go against yoda or myself lest the wish for a quick death so spit it out before I jet your lifeless body out of my station."

"No need to get hostile Red I'll tell you. I want to get this over with just as much as you do. This is what I know. Jasmine, the last clue you had took you to itani space correct?"

"Yes."

"Well I believe the final goal is to be found in itani space as well more specifically in Metana space."

"And what exactly brings you to that conclusion?"

"This," I flipped an old coin to Mystic. Her eyes lit as the gleam from the perfect helio coin shined as it flew through the air. Jasmine's hand darted out quickly to grab it before Mystic had a chance.

"Where did you find this?"

"Metana. Since the hive has been expanding into itani space I have also spent more time up there than usual and much like the globe itself I came across this wedged inside a gaurdian core I picked up. Knowing the habits of the hive as it is leads me to believe the place we are looking for will be where the Leviathon has taken up home, everything having to do with the hive extends from him. Noone uses coin anymore so even to find this I knew I had stumbled onto something. I know you don't trust me but I am here offering my assistance to clear the Metana hive and search the Levi sector to bring an end to this trial. What say you Red?

"Well?"

Elbryon[ITAN]
Council member

"Well?"

�Ok lets go somewhere more comfortable so we can talk�

Mystic headed down the hallway from the dock to a private elevator with guards on either side, taking note of Elbryon's mild unease she smiled to Jasmine who had noticed it as well. She turned her gaze to the itani as they entered, �You can relax Elb, we don't bite,� she leaned past him to put in her code, brushing against his arm, �well not too hard anyway.�

Jasmine stifled a giggle at the look on his face, his discomfort rising quickly as well as his color when Mystic brushed so close to him.�While you get our guest comfortable MR I will head to the lab to check out the authenticity of this coin, see what I can figure out.�

�Good idea, as soon as I have Mr Councilman here situated I will join you� At this Elbryon started, �Situated? I thought we were going somewhere to talk?�

�We are, but do you think I'm going to discuss anything with you until we have verified that this coin isn't some novelty you picked up somewhere?�

�Just how do you expect to do that? You can see for yourself the coin is old...�

�Tis old yes, but is it part of the CLM cache? If it is, I'm pretty sure the globe will let us know somehow, that thing seems to have a life of its own� she stepped out into the hallway and gestured for Elbryon to proceed her, �You will be very comfortable here, I'm not locking you up, I'm taking you to my quarters...�

�No your not Myst� yoda's voice cut her off mid-sentence as he came up quietly from behind them,� take him into one of the conference rooms, not into your personal quarters.� Mystic would have sworn Elbryon jumped 2 feet when yoda spoke, she however was used to him seeming to come out of nowhere.

�I don't want him to be any more uncomfortable than he already is yoda, specially with most of CLM eyeing him like he is a prize to be fought over, I want to be hospitable,�she smiled ,� you can come too if it makes you feel better�

�Cut the crap Red, you know I'm right, I wont have you jeopardize yourself in case he has slipped something past our security, the officers lounge will be perfectly fine.�

Elbryon watched the interaction between these two with interest, there seemed to be unspoken communication going on between them but for the life of him he couldn't figure it out. �I have slipped nothing in yoda, but I agree, wouldn't be right for me to go into the lady's private chambers unescorted.�

As they stopped in front of a door, Mystic rolled her eyes in exasperation at how once again yoda had steered her where he wanted her to go. �Ok Elb, you have a seat in here, there is coffee as well as the harder stuff, make yourself comfy, and don't go wandering outside this room, or I cant say what might happen� With that she shut the door behind him and headed to Jasmine's lab.

�I'm not a child yoda, I would have been perfectly safe ya know.�

�I know Myst, but we don't have cameras in your quarters where we can monitor him while he waits,�
yoda smiled.

Mystic returned his smile, �Very true, and I better not ever hear of cameras in my quarters either, no telling what you might see� She winked and proceeded down the hallway in the opposite direction to see what was going on in the lab. They walked in to find Jasmine bent over a microscope with the coin.

�So? Do we know anything yet?� yoda asked

�Well we know the coin is real and its very old, but I haven't given it the final test yet, was waiting for you guys� She took the coin and headed to the back alcove, where they had put the globe behind safety panels, just in case the station security was breached, they weren't taking any more chances with this thing. �The globe gave off a signal when each of the other items were brought into proximity, now I'm not sure if this will do the same, but as much attention as was put on each facet of this puzzle, I'm betting it will do ....something� she proffered the coin to Mystic, �You wanna do the honors?�

Mystic took the coin, feeling the weight in her hand, as she slid the security panel aside and stepped into the room, the globe gave off a small glow, its way of recognizing that CLM was near, as yoda stepped up behind her the glow got brighter. �That thing is unreal in how it knows� he stated simply.

Stepping closer Mystic held the coin out towards the globe and.....nothing. �Hmmm, I was sure this was authentic, its even notched on the side.� Jasmine stated.

�Notched?� Mystic took a closer look and sure enough there were several notches etched on the side of the coin. �Can you magnify these notches? So that we can make out what they are?�

�Already done, its the CLM logo, but not..�

�How can it be both Jasmine?� yoda spoke up, taking the coin from Mystic to look closer

�Its the CLM logo, but its backwards..sort of like those games we played as a kid, where you had to...�

�Hold something up to the mirror to read it,� Mystic finished. �Let me see that yoda� She took the coin and turning it flat she walked up and pressed it against one of the shapes on the globe, it took working around, but finally she found one that was the perfect size, the coin slipped into it and clicked, making the surface smooth around it. After a minute the globe started humming again, this time softer, not like before, the sound was....gentler, soothing almost.

�Well I'll be damned.....do you think you could assist me here please?�

They all three turned to see Elbryon standing inside the lab, with a pair of blasters pointed at him, staring in awe at the globe but very aware of how dangerous a situation he was suddenly in.

�We caught him just as he opened the door, he didn't go anywhere else� The guard look down at yoda's glare.�Sorry boss�

�I told you not to go wandering Elb, don't you ever listen?� Mystic sighed.
Yoda sent the guards away with an unspoken promise to deal with them allowing someone to wander around in a secured area later.

�Thank you� Elbryon took an uneasy breath, taking another glance towards the shimmering globe before turning his gaze back to his hosts.

�Don't thank me, if they had done their job properly you wouldn't be breathing right now...�

Mystic knew yoda was furious by the slight clenching of his jaw. She intervened....�But since your here, it looks like we have something to talk about after all.....�

JahelaJ awoke with a burning headache which, was a relief. At least it wasn't the pounding headaches she awoke with every morning since the surgery to remove the tumor and her left eye. The Doctors told her it was normal after putting in an implant that interfaced with her brain. The new eye did just that and the swelling at the neuron junctions had to go down naturally in order for them to maintain the proper connections. It had been learned a long time ago that interfering with the process resulted in a situation akin to an improper doped solder connection in a printed circuit board. The connections would work most of the time but it would be prone to untimely drops in signal that would result in the eye not working properly.

The eye. It seemed silly to call it that. Yes, it contained the equivalent of rods for brightness, cones for color and ipRGCs to maintain equilibrium with the day/night cycle. It transmitted an upside-down image to her visual cortex. But, that's where the similarities stopped.

She'd been told that her "eye" would be locked in basic mode for 6 months. It would behave as any normal eye for that period. After 6 months, she would be allowed to slowly develop the necessary skills to use the "eye's" advanced features which were described to her very basically. She would have micro-vision equivalent to a 1500x microscope, macrovision with 5 power magnification. And, unlike a normal eye which actually only has a small spot of sharp vision in the middle of the retina, this "eye" employs the full 120 degrees of retina giving her a full 120 degrees of sharpness - the equivalent of 81 megapixels vs. a mere 1 megapixel in a normal eye. She would just have to wait on those features. It made sense to her that her brain "just isn't ready" to take on the added input.

Her brain was ready to get this patch off though.

"But since you're here it looks like we have something to talk about after all..."

"I told you Red, I want to end this as much as you do. I already know I will see nothing of the treasure as I have done everything I can think of to get the map back and it's gotten me nowhere except locked up. Let's get this thing underway, what say you?"

I didn't know what yoda would say as my dealings with CLM remained mostly with Look and Mystic but I waited for him to speak before I lay bare my plan.

"Cross me smurf and Mystic wont be able to save you again. I still dont trust you but in the best interest of my people I will allow you to live long enough to show us what we need to see." yoda was blunt and too the point as he told me exactly what he expected from this co-op. "Now, tell us what you have planned."

"ITAN has a great want to see the hive gone from our space and is such sending many of our newer recruits into hive zones to combat them. I am not asking for your help in ridding us of the hive I will keep in touch with Mystic or whomever you assign me and when the Levi sector is breached I will notify you and you can bring whatever ships you want to scoure the sector in search of the treasure."

"Sounds like an ITAN trap to me." interrupted Jasmine.

"Aye, that it does lass."

"Upon notification that you will be in sector I will do what is needed to remove any ITAN pilot from the area. But bring some gunships too, I will be shot down, many of my comrades would not look at me with much favor if I was found to working with CLM."

"I'll shoot em," interrupted Look.

"Sounds relatively simple to me Elb, almost sounds like yer wantin outa smurf village?"

"No, it has never crossed my mind.....I will be in contact with you when it is time."

With that I was escorted back to my ship and allowed to leave unhindered.

[guild]Elbryon- It's a go boss get the recruits to work I'll be there shortly.
[guild]iry- I hope you kow what you're doing Elb this sorta thing can get you dead for good. CLM doesnt mess around the have ways of stopping you trip back when you blow up.
[guild]Elbryon-I think so......

[private]?-are you sure you want to do this Elb?
[private]Elbryon-yes it's got to be done.
[private]?-alright let me know when it's ready.

This might be the dumbest thing I've ever done.

Elbryon[ITAN]
Council member

"No, it has never crossed my mind.....I will be in contact with you when it is time."

Mystic watched him leave then turned to her friend. �You don't trust him at all...� It wasn't a question, it was a simple statement.

�And you trust too much...� yoda answered. It was an old argument between them, not even an argument really, because there had been several times that her judgement had been proven faulty, and yoda had always been there, but never with the �I told you so� attitude. He just calmly took care of her goofs and always had her back, even if it took an all out fight for it to happen. Their arguments were legend in CLM. When they stood together they were a fierce team, when they butted heads, everyone took cover. This looked like it might be one of those times.

�Look darlin' I just need to do this ok? This globe and treasure has been a pain long enough, I say we get it and get it over with. Not to mention, Im restless as hell�

�Reckless is more like it, yer gonna end up getting your butt in a jam, away from grey, away from your backup and..�

�And I'm a big girl, I do know how to take care of myself ya know� With that Mystic turned to walk away. She didnt want to fight, not right now...

�Where are ye goin? �

�Don't worry about it, I need to get out of here for a while...� She knew he was asking out of concern, but she didn't want or need it right now.

�Mystic, do not leave this station, you know better than to fly when your upset�

That was all it took, that one simple line. Mystic whirled back to face yoda, her voice low and soft.

�Darlin, I adore you, and I know you do things because you care, I know that more than anyone, more than you will let anyone in this damn universe know. But do NOT give me orders like that. You are commander again, but we passed that a long time ago. I always had enough respect for you to not order you around like a new recruit, I would appreciate the same courtesy, now I am going out for a flight, I don't know when I will be back, so don't wait up.�

Not many would take on yoda, he was deadly when angry, and right now he was far beyond that. He would never hurt Mystic, but the CLM members standing around witnessing this encounter, slipped away, because by-standing one of these arguments could get dangerous.

�Don't make me pull rank Myst, I'm doing this for your own good.�

�The hell you are, your trying to do this because of the damn rumors floating around that your my puppet, you want to show everyone that you rule this organization. I have been supporting your decisions and I will continue to do so, even when I don't fully agree, because I have faith in you, so why cant you just do the same for me?�

They had reached the docking bay by now, clearing hallways as they walked, Mystic just wanted to get to her ship and get out of here
�I will be back...I dont know where Im going, I just need to get away ok? Please trust me....just a little?� Mystic was on the verge of tears, she just needed to get away.

The one thing yoda could not stand, was that look on Mystic's face, the look of pain and a bit of desperation. He did not want to let her go off, but he knew he had to, for both their sakes.

�Go, but we WILL discuss you not following orders when you get back� He tried to sound angry still, but she had undone him, without even realizing it.

Mystic gave a small smile, �Thanks and yes we will talk, I promise�

As soon as she undocked, the tears flowed, pent up from frustration and anger, she went first to her favorite area, an uncharted section of Latos, no hive activity had found this place yet and it was just peaceful. After getting a grip on herself, she charted a course to smurfland. She wanted to check out a few things, and an aimless flight might help clear her head.

Yoda might think she was over trusting, but she just handled things differently. What yoda didn't know was that since the trouble getting Shar, she had started keeping a supply of Borb's 'might needs' on her ship. Stepping down had been a good idea, but it was still a hard adjustment for her, just as it had been for him before. Her workload wasn't that much different, but he made the final decisions now, even though he delegated all the �political� stuff as he called it to her, meaning she did all the paperwork and such still.

The flight to itani space was actually enjoyable, she had managed to elude the relatively new pilot she knew yoda had ordered to keep an eye on her. She had actually laughed when she managed to get around behind their ship and go out the opposite way than intended. Too long dodging with Ctc cargo and avoiding strike forces and vipers, had made it easy for her to lose a tail. Yoda had counted on her being too upset to notice, showing he was still underestimating her.

She stopped in Edras to change ships, she didn't like taking chances with the �Fatal Beauty� and who knows what she might run into. She kept a couple of older mauds stored here, as well as at other stations nearby. All decorated the same, but her Beauty was special. She transferred her supply bag into the ship and tossed a credit chip to the dock attendant �Give her a once over for me?� She smiled sweetly at the man, she wasn't sure if it was her perfume or the insanely large amount of credits she just gave him but he jumped to do her bidding.

Entering Jallik a short while later she was pleasantly surprised to see Everson show up on her radar. She sent a friendly hail and offered to buy him a drink, which surprisingly this time, he accepted. It would be good to talk to him, he offered her a different perspective on things. Maybe even some ideas about what might be on Elb's agenda in suddenly offering his �help� with the globe issue.

Mystic swallowed the last of her whiskey and grimaced at how awful it was. She had a headache, the place was too noisy and if one more drunk tried to paw her, she was going to blast them into next week. She tossed payment down and headed toward what had been her living area for the last month or so. Her talk with Everson had only made her more determined to settle this globe business once and for all and get back to where she belonged. If she belonged anywhere anymore, she had been keeping up with CLM activities, even though she had ignored every communication that yoda had sent. No one knew her whereabouts, she had pretty much went totally off the radar. But CLM seemed to be doing just fine without her, she wasn't sure if this made her happy or sad, or both.

Her first stop after leaving Everson in smurfland, and subsequently losing a fight with Mor Isil after, had been to her little hide-away and set a plan into action. All calls sent to her went there first, then she picked them up using a small portable computer she had, so anyone tracing calls had found a dead end in Pelatus. Afterwards she had contacted Elbryon and stayed in contact with him, though he also had no clue where she was, it was better this way, she could devote all her time to finishing up. At this point all he knew was that the information he had furnished was being �worked on�. In truth, there was one person that she was pretty much in contact with, Jasmine. Mystic would send data, Jas would process it along with the other stuff that she and JJ had been working on, and send her the results.

Mystic sighed into the cheap imitation of a mirror, she had changed the color of her hair temporarily to a nondescript brown and had found this little dive just inside the itani border to rent a room. This way she could spend her time looking for the treasure without worrying about being hassled. Being the Pirate Queen had its advantages, but that notoriety she could do without at the moment. So far the globe hadn't led her astray, as she followed each new piece she knew she was getting closer. She had no idea how furious yoda would be at her for taking it along with the blades that JJ had recovered, but she could guess it would not be pretty when she returned to face him.

She sat down at the table she had fashioned into a desk and started downloading messages, there were the daily half dozen from yoda, various others and none from Jas yet. Mystic read over the ones from yoda, he had at least semi accepted her apology for standing him up in the latest tourney they had entered. He was still demanding that she contact him as he put it �two damn weeks ago�. It made her laugh in a way, how many times had yoda taken off with not a word to her to do his own thing? She guess she knew how he felt, she remembered vividly how upset she had been on a few of those occasions. But he would be proud of her again, once she got the treasure and she hoped would welcome her back home. For in truth CLM was the only home she had anymore, she had severed all ties back when she first turned pirate. She still checked in on her family from time to time, but they seemed from a different lifetime now.

Mystic jumped when an alert sounded that she had a new message coming in, startling her from her thoughts. Had she been connected to her Pelatus computer too long and someone happened to trace it? She finished downloading and then severed the connection quickly. Sighing with relief, she realized it was a message from Jas regarding the last data she had sent to be transcribed.. As she read, a smile slowly spread across her features, this was it. This had to be the area the treasure was in, all the clues kept coming back to this one zone. Spider webbing back and forth across itani space for the last several weeks, all centered on one location.

Uploading the data into her ship computer and grabbing the hard data, she tossed it into the �might needs� bag she kept with her and though she should probably wait until morning, she was too excited and knew this was where it would end finally.

Sitting the bag on the chair and stashing her weapons inside, she went into the little wash room to change into a fresh flight suit, as she emerged, the door to her room suddenly burst open.

�Thought you might like some company lil one�

It was the guy that had been harassing her for the last couple of weeks, very drunk and with a very determined look on his face, and he was between her and her bag....

Mystic stood there for a moment considering her options, which didn't number very many at the moment, she was pretty much unarmed and outweighed by a nice bit. She had handled drunks before, so this could get really ugly really fast. �Look buddy, I have told you before, I am NOT interested, so go find yourself a nice willing tavern wench and leave me be.� Stepping slightly to the side she put herself in view of her bag...ok good he hadn't noticed that, so she guess he really was here to be �friendly�.

�Now is that anyway to talk to the one that can take you away from all o'this?� he took a step closer to her and she side stepped once more. �I can take myself away from this and I am about to, but thanks so much for the offer, but its unnecessary.� She smiled a bit at him as she took yet another step sideways, they were almost dancing it seemed, he would move in and she would swing to the side, it would be almost comical under other circumstances. �Me thinks you need a lesson in humility� the words were barely out of his mouth as he launched himself to grab, but Mystic was just a bit quicker and reached her bag, grabbing her blaster and aiming it at his head. �The lesson to be learned here tonight is by you, do not ever come into a lady's room without an invitation, now back off...�

He put his hands in the air as he started laughing, �My you are a spirited one, but why don't you give me that before it goes off and hurts you.� He dove for her once more and she fired, just a short burst at his leg, she didn't need a body showing up when she was so close to getting what she wanted. She might be out of sight, but she might also have to come back here if this lead didn't pan out, or lose all the ground she had gained. �Now get out before I forget I'm a lady and do more than shoot you in the leg.�

He moved to the doorway, �This ain't over sweetling, not over at all..� She waited as he went out the door and down the hallway, muttering curses as he went. As his mumbling faded she let out the breath she realized she had been holding and began strapping her weapons on, angry with herself for letting down her guard and of all places some dive where she had no backup if she had needed it. Ready at last she headed toward the dock and the hoggy she had been using, grabbing a couple of snacks and drinks from one of the vendors on the way. �Never know how long this might take� she thought to herself, just knowing tonight would be the night.

The dock area was fairly deserted this time of night, just a couple of workers chatting in the corner as she passed by. They tossed their hand up in greeting and she smiled back. She opened the hatch on the hoggie and had just stowed her bag in the back and was about to get in when she was suddenly grabbed. �Told you it wasn't over...� Mystic struggled against the man as he tried to pull her away from her ship. �Let go of me you overgrown maggot!� Which wasn't far from the truth in her mind, for he smelled of stale whiskey and she didn't want to think of what else. As she struggled to get her blaster she felt something hot at her side, she fired directly into his midsection and watched him fall backwards. The shot had made a loud racket in the empty dock area, drawing the attention of the workers, �Hey whats going on over there!�

They came running up in time to see the guy gasping his last breath, �The wench shot me,� were his last words. They stared at Mystic a moment as she smiled,
� I told him never without permission, now you guys want to back over there nice and quietly?� she said, aiming the blaster at them. �Sorry gents, but I have to go now, things to see, you know how it is!� She went to get into the ship as one of the guys spoke finally, �Hey your bleeding!� Mystic spared just a moment to look down, �Eh, just a scratch...� as she shut the hatch and prepared her hog to exit, leaving behind the station she knew now she would never return to, at least not looking the way she did.
She laughed a bit to herself as she undocked just as security came running into the area. �Always were slow on the draw guys� Hopping a few empty sectors to be sure she eluded any pursuers she took time to look at her side, it was a bit more than a scratch, the bastard had stabbed her, she was just too pumped up with adrenaline to notice. Searching to be sure she was in a safe spot she found the ships med kit, nothing in it but a few pieces of bandaging material, a couple of antiseptic wipes,and a couple of mild as water capsules supposedly for pain.

Opening her flight suit she cleaned it as best she could and packed the bandaging tightly against the wound. Rearranging her clothing she winced a bit as she moved, that was gonna be sore as hell in the morning, but hopefully by then she would be back in Latos with the treasure intact and their med center. For now she had a treasure to find.

An hour later she had followed the trail to Pherona, the globe was glowing brighter so she knew she was on the right trail, she found an out of the way sector to go over the data she had, the name Bettu kept showing up, Mystic wondered if it were a name of a person...or....she went to look at the chart of Pherona, there it was, Bettus asteroid belt. �Oh great, it covers 7 full sectors, don't make it easy huh?� Looking once again at the transcript of the journal, she read:

As the knight moves from the door to Artana to protect the king,
the Queen sits upon her golden throne, looking towards the treasure safely hidden.

�What the hell is this supposed to mean, � Mystic groaned as she searched more through the data Jasmine had sent, mostly little facts she had gleaned from the former commanders belongings. �Hmm so he liked to challenge his members to games of skill...I wonder...� She searched the list of his belongings once more, and found what she was searching for, he had a hand carved chess set, well worn. �The old goat was more cunning than we ever thought...now lets see.� Hooking up her portable computer she hoped she could find an active commnet from where she was, she laughed a bit as the computer beeped and went online, �I promise I will only filch for a minute, whoever you are� She searched for diagrams of old chess boards and super imposed it over a sector by sector map of Pherona, lining up the knight with the wormhole to Artana Aquilus. �That has to be the door to Artana, now a knight can move two ways, but to put it in front of where the king would be would to move it to ....sector O-9, the queen would be in sector..� Mystic made notes as she moved her finger along the path � P-10 and if she was looking at the treasure, it would be... O-10!, Gotcha!.� Jumping a bit as she deciphered the last of this riddle, she winced as she felt her wound pull. �Just a bit longer is all I need�
She was feeling a bit light-headed but attributed it to her excitement, she was mere minutes from what they had been working on forever it seemed.

Plotting out the course the riddle mentioned, she went back to the Pherona/ Artana wormhole and jumped her ship along the path, landing in O-10, seeing nothing but hive activity she knew she would have to search the back reaches of the asteroid belt, so she avoided the hive as best she could, fighting off what she couldn't avoid until she found herself at end of what seemed an endless stream of rocks. �I bet miners would go nuts in this place...Now if I were to hide a treasure where would I put it...�

Two hours she spent searching every exposed inch of every asteroid, finding nothing, she was about to give up when she noted something on her radar, away from the roids. It appeared to be a beacon of some kind, as she moved closer to inspect it, the globe started humming loudly and glowing brighter and brighter. �Its just an old beacon, they are everywhere in space..� But she moved in closer anyway, watching the globe closely, it began to pulse as her ship pulled even with the beacon and her radar showed another beacon a short distance away, well relatively short Mystic thought, back when the treasure would have been hidden, it would have been about maximum radar range.

She tractored in the beacon and headed to the next, following the same procedure each time, until she had pulled in 5 and noticed the trail seemed to end there. She brought her ship to a stop and went to look at the cargo she had pulled in, luckily they were small and she had a bit of a cargo hold here. Each one seemed to be marked with the same markings. As she examined them she noticed numbers were on each, stating the distance to the next, except the last one had a larger number, Mystic made note of this and went to look at her radar screen, if she headed in the same general direction for a bit longer....there....at the edge of her screen was another beacon, its signature larger than the previous ones.

As she got closer she noticed a few small asteroids with what appeared to be a small ship graveyard, mostly old Corvus Vulturis hulls it appeared. Tractoring in the last beacon she continued wandering her way slowly around the mass of dead ships, wondering who they had belonged to. A few she noted had CLM logos on them. �Hmm did the old man bring unruly members out here and leave them?� Grimacing at the thought, she had to admit sometimes as commander she had thoughts of doing similar to a few...

Still pondering what she was looking for she almost collided with the hulk of a Prometheus hidden in the darkness of a roid, behind several of the Corvults. �Now that IS interesting....� Not many CLM flew proms for various reasons, but this one had the CLM logo on it. As she inched her ship closer the globe let out a loud piercing whine then went silent, flashing rapidly. �Oh so you like this ship in particular huh?� She chided herself for talking to an inanimate object, but her head was spinning slightly and it helped her to concentrate to talk aloud, might as well be to something. �So I suppose you want me to go over there?� The globe stayed silent but continued its rapid flashing. Mystic sighed, �Well I have come this far, might as well.� Anchoring her ship door as close as possible to the door of the hulk, she attached the rigging that would allow her to cross safely into the other ship without floating off into the depths of space. �If this is another dead end, I might just space you for putting me to all this trouble,� she growled at the silent globe.

Double checking the airtightness of her helmet she donned it along with the small tank of air needed for about half an hours worth of breathing away from the artificial support of the ship. Grabbing a small flashlight and a couple of other things from her �might needs� bag she opened the hatch of the hoggy and pried slightly on the adjacent ship door, marveling at how easily it gave. Opening it the rest of the way she gingerly stepped into the dilapidated prom, shining her light around she saw that the ship was empty of what would normally be found in a ship, like the pilot seat and most of the controls. Looking around she headed toward where she thought anything that might be here would be stored, the cargo hold. As she moved around she noticed the entire ship seemed to have been stripped, until she got into the cargo area proper and found most of the stuff missing from the front of the ship.

It took her about 20 mins to move all of the stuff out of the way, and she would swear she was sweating, although that was impossible with being in a low grav suit. Finally she had cleared an opening and saw something very out of place, a trunk of sorts, at least it was shaped like a trunk, but it was made of all metal and had etchings and openings all around it. Realizing this was what she had been looking for she tried to move it, it moved a scant inch before she had to give up and look for another way. Going back to the ship she searched her bag and found a grapple type hook and rope and hooking one end to the ships towing winch she headed back into the prom, feeding the rope out as she went to keep it from getting tangled.
Getting back to the trunk she realized she would have to wrap the rope around it as there didn't appear to be any sort of handles or anything she could put the hook into. Mystic wrapped the rope snugly about it twice and then made sure the path back to the hog was clear. Flipping the switch on the winch she could feel the vibration as the trunk moved slowly then stopped. It had snagged on the doorway from the cargo bay to the front of the ship. After a few pushes and tugs it started moving again and in no time it was sitting in the hoggies cargo bay. A quick search of the rest of the prom produced nothing more except a small data pad so taking that, she disengaged from the other ship and started away from the small graveyard, intending to take what she had found back to Latos before opening it. She made it just to the outskirts of the asteroid field when curiosity overtook her.

Stopping the ship once more, she headed back to the cargo bay, she had put the globe next to the trunk, where it flashed happily it seemed to Mystic. �Well lets see whats in here shall we?� the globe seemed to respond to her words this time, either that or she was really losing it, and it was getting awful cold in this ship for some reason, maybe the climate control was going bad or something. As she examined the trunk, she saw that the etchings were actually words of a fashion, and the openings were small, like knife blades...the thought occurred to Mystic of the blades JJ had found. Getting them from her bag, she tried to insert one into one of the openings, a perfect fit, but nothing happened. A careful examination of all the openings showed several sets of pairs of openings, one that fit each blade snugly inside, yet nothing happened as she inserted and removed each set.

Sighing in frustration, Mystic looked at the data pad and noted that it held the same words as the etchings, it was yet another riddle it seemed:

Always keep to your blade strong and true
For if CLM ye be
It courses through your veins as well as mine.
A seal to me to open and a seal from you to close
Tis living that does both, not dying
Your hearts blood to the life you chose.

She read this aloud several times, as she looked at the openings one by one again. There was one set that seemed a different color, looking closer she saw they had a darkish brown color just inside. It was then that she realized what the riddle was. The old commander had sealed it with his blood and only the blood of CLM could open it, although how it would know was anyone's guess. �Except that only a true member of CLM would be willing to part with their blood to prove who they were I suppose, or would understand just what the riddle meant.

Being a pirate wasn't something you just stumbled into, it was a lifetime commitment, she could never walk away from CLM, no one who truly became part of it could...ever, at least not for very long. Yoda had left and returned many times, because it truly became part of you and you part of it. Mystic knew what she needed to do to open the trunk. Taking the blades she opened her flight suit to remove the bandage and realized that the bandage was soaked through with blood, as was her suit. �Well that makes it easier, guess that guy didn't die in vain..� she slightly giggled as she wet first one blade then the other on the seepage from the bandage and inserted them into the openings mixing her blood with the old commander's.

The trunk let out a whining noise matching the one the globe had made and the seal broke loose. Lifting the lid gently Mystic drew in her breath sharply at what she saw inside, no wonder she hadn't been able to move the trunk, it was loaded, with credit sticks of all denominations as well as very old coins of varying sizes and colors. Whistling under her breath, she knew she had to get this back to Latos asap. Removing the blades she waited for it to seal back, when it didn't she remembered the line of the riddle, �a seal from you to close�. Once again wiping the blades across her bandage she inserted them into a new set of openings and the trunk whined slightly as it sealed tight once more. Standing she staggered a bit, � I think I'm going to need some help to get you home,� she spoke to the trunk then giggled slightly again. �And I know just who to call that will be close by and willing to help�. As she made her way back to the front of the ship, she stumbled slightly and had to catch herself on the pilots seat, as she did she felt the bandage come off and felt the blood flowing freely down her side. She punched in the comm number and as she heard the familiar voice she giggled a bit. �Admiral Vehement�...

Admiral? She would process that later, �Everson, I found the treasure!� her words slurred as her world was weaving

�Mystic? You did what? Whats wrong? You sound a bit strange.�

�I found the treasure, but I think I need some help....I seem to be a bit hurt.....� She never finished the sentence as she collapsed onto the floor of her ship, unconscious.

"...I seem to be a bit hurt.....”
Vehement heard the sickening SPLAT sound of a human body hitting the deck of a ship unintentionally. "Mystic! Dammit!"
She hadn't given him a location. Tracing the call never worked, especially with someone as paranoid as a pirate doing the sending. But maybe..
"Receiving computer, check life signs on your pilot."
Mystic's computer replied with a lot of jargon that Vehement didn't really care about, but it enabled him to gain access to her systems.
"Your pilot needs help then. Please transmit to me your location." It complied. Mystic just might make it...

Vehement set a course and turned his virtually brand new BioCom Vulture XT as sharply as it would allow him.
"Admiral Vee, where are you going?"
"Don't worry about it Keria. I have an errand to run. Try to keep the troops out of trouble Admiral?"
"Heh, okay, but you know trouble is the fun part."
I am SO lucky she trusts me..

Vehement screamed into Jallik through the wormhole at an exceedingly unsafe 220m/s. He was within a few hundred meters of jump distance before the scrambling Itani strike forces managed to hail him.
"Vehement you are not permitted in this area of space as you well know. Don't make us do this the hard way."
"Your words are meaningless to pilots on my level. Run along before I embarrass you." With that, the awkwardly orange Vulture left the sector without any chance of pursuit.

In just five minutes' time, Vehement laid waste to an entire sector of unmonitored hive expansion. He transmitted his gun camera logs to one of the station guards who had failed utterly at pursuing him. "Is this good enough for a single trip without interruption?"
"Erm, one moment." After a short conference with his higher-ups, the Itani peon transmitted a 12 hour IFF code to Vehement that would allow him to travel and dock freely.
She must have thought I was still living on Eo... I would have been the closest ally she thought she had. The queen has been out of touch for a long time apparently.
"MysticRogue vessel, report life signs."
"Heart rate has slowed since last report, but breathing is stable."
She'd be dead if she was on the other side of Itani space Vehement realized uncomfortably as he cleared the wormhole into Divinia.

===

"There's the 'hog. Space gods is she far out." Vehement again thanked the engineers who made his Vulture with reduced drain on the power cell; he knew them by name though he'd never met them.
Coming along side the stranded vessel, Vehement brought both to a dead stop with an intentional collision. He leapt onto her cockpit recklessly, and opened the canopy. This caused the unattached lighter objects within to shoot out into space. Vehement caught Mystic as she was floating toward the void, and quickly closed the glass to re-pressurize the cabin.
"What the frack did somebody do to you?" The Viper-turned-nationalist tore her pathetic attempt at a dressing out of the way and applied the real deal which he had brought from his ship. Vehement knew his gear worked, because he'd had to use it often. Stopping the bleeding was easy; she didn't have much left to bleed.
"Okay now she needs blood. Lets see.." He stuck her with a small device to determine her blood type, then immediately cursed at himself for his stupidity. Her blood was all over the place, he didn't need to sample it from what little she had retained.
"B negative?!? Shit! Shit shit shit.." Vehement's ode to excrement continued as he rifled through his supplies for anything that might help. Type B blood wasn't the sort of thing he had lying around. Well, she needed SOMEthing in there for her heart to pump around. He hooked up a zero-g IV to get some fluids in her blood again, and moved her to his ship. Returning to the hog, Vehement gathered what remained of her belongings before leaving in a hurry. All that was left behind in the hog was an awkward and heavy box with blood all over it.

===

Vehement entered his home bearing the limp body and placed it carefully on the coffee table. He called to his wife, "Red.. where can we get some B negative blood?"
"B negative? Why? That is my blood ty-" she rounded the corner to see what he was up to, and instantly recoiled with a shriek. "What the hell is SHE doing here?!"
"She's HURT! She called for help and collapsed on the other end of the video feed. I had to cut my way into Itani space just to get to her."
"Why didn't you take her straight to a hospital Nolan?"
"Itan wants her, so I couldn't stop in blue space. No way I'd leave her in the care of Tunguska medicine. Anywhere in gold space I take her, they'll show up and arrest her before she wakes up. This was closer than Serco space or Odia."
"Well get me one of your ships' medical kits. There's got to be something in there we can use."

===

"If I don't have enough blood, you HAVE to call my sister Nolan. I don't want someone to die in my home. Promise me."
"Red, just relax."
"PROMISE!"

===

Nolan's redhead closed her eyes and tried to think about something else. The faux brunette pirate on the table slowly filled with her life-giving fluids. Vehement spoke quietly to his wife; her responses ensured that she was still conscious. Just as the red woman was about to admit she couldn't take anymore, the patient stirred.
"Everson.. where the hell is my treasure?"
Vehement quickly disconnected the transfusion. He kissed his wife's hand, and she smiled sleepily.
"Everson!"
"What treas- oh was it in that bloody box that weighed a ton?"
"yeah"
"I left that in the 'hog."
"you left it in the- where's my ship? I need to get back to my ship!" Mystic tried to sit up, and failed utterly.
"Same place. It shouldn't be drifting at all. You aren't in any condition to go anywhere though."
"i need to get back to my ship everson. that treasure has cost too much and i FINALLY found it. I cant lose it now!"
"You can't even sit up Mystic."
"where is the rest of my stuff, please dont tell me you left that too"
"In my cargo hold."
"okay, so you have-" Mystic proceeded to list her entire inventory. Vehement just nodded to shut her up, though some of the items were lost in space when he opened her canopy.
"Just work on recovering please. I'll figure something out to get your treasure."
"you promise? you wont let me lose my treasure Everson? You have never lied to me"
Nolan's wife rolled her eyes.
"If you don't relax and eat something, you'll miss out on my wife's cooking."
"your wife? umm where am i?" Mystic looked about the room for the first time.
"Our apartment. I didn't have anywhere else to take you.
"You brought me into your home? and she allowed it? She knows who I am"
"It was pretty colorful at first.."

Mystic tired out and fell asleep eventually. That was Vehement's cue to carry his wife to bed, move Mystic to the couch, and place a call to his other CLM contact, and a recent one.
"Arrr, Azumi here."
"Hello. I've got a gift for you."
"Everson? What are you talking about, we already found look and leebs..."
"Not that kind of gift. You need to go to this location, and cut open an abandoned warthog. A box of interest to CLM will float out. I'd suggest that you give it to Yoda." Vehement sent the location via text only for accuracy.

Yoda wakes up to the sound of a beeping console, and prepares to attack the closest pilot, but does not see anything within range of his ship that should have set off his proximity alarm.. Concerned about this he checks his flight logs, and finds no pilot has been in range for over an hour.

�Ehum what just beeped?� he thought and then realized what it was, damn, MysticRogue was in trouble, but he had no idea where to find her. Yoda had tried to contact MysticRogue many times and had very little success, and after a few weeks of trying had managed to smuggle a small device onto her that would at least give him a health status, and now it is crying out loud.

�Mystic is in trouble, and I can't do a thing!� thought Yoda.

He flew away from a Behemoth XC and wondered which direction to warp.

A smile bright enough to lay waste to several small planets' male population crossed Azumi's lips. It was just as Everson said. "Wonder what is in this thing." It was time to place a call.
"What do you want Azumi?" Yoda answered harshly.
"Yoda-sensei... I have something you've wanted. If you'll meet me at HQ I can give-"
"Not now, Mystic is in trouble and I don't know where she is."
"I think I found what Mystic was looking for, Sensei. It could be a clue."
Yoda glared through the comm unit, but not at her. "Ten minutes, don't be late."

Azumi broke every speed regulation on her way to Latos from Pherona, including taking a short cut through UIT space. She still showed up two minutes late. As she smashed into an EC-104, two Atlases, and a Revenant while docking way too fast, she saw Yoda waiting for her right where she had been directed to land. He was shaking his head with disapproval.
For the briefest moment, Azumi wanted to cry. Arranging her hair as best she could, the pirate vixen put on her great big smile and opened the canopy of her bright pink Warthog. Yoda was ready and waiting, arms crossed.
"Now where is this loot ye were goin on about?"
"Right here!" she beamed, dropping the sealed crate out of the cargo hold with the push of a button.
Yoda looked it over. "I know you go out of your way for me Azumi, but I don't understand why you thought bleeding on my crate would be a good idea."
The young pirate dropped from the ship landing deftly on her feet. "It was all over the ship too Sensei, but I didn't see even a red hair of Mystic's. I'm sorta worried about her now."
"No wonder her life signs are terrible.. but if she wasn't in the ship, that means someone has her. Seems to be giving her some care, too." Yoda stared at the crate thoughtfully, and Azumi decided not to interrupt. Finally he continued. "Who else would she call if not us?"
"Jasmine was working with her, Sensei. JJ too, maybe Everson. Oh! Everson was the one who gave me the tip about the crate!"
"WHAT?!?" Yoda fumed, nearly backhanding his protege as he wheeled about.
Azumi flinched, but he didn't notice. "Everson as in Vehement? As in Viper-turned-nationalist Vehement?"
"Yes Yoda-sensei.."
Yoda bit his lip angrily. He drew his hands across his face, composing himself. Then to Azumi's utter surprise, his hand rested on her shoulder. "Good job on this. Get some help and take the crate to JJ. I need to hunt some snake."

Get some help to take the crate to Jahelaj. She was certain that was what yoda meant. She called Shar and JJ, asking them to retrieve the crate, and when she was certain that was going to happen, she called up another channel.
"Vehement, who is it?"
"Azumi"
That single word spelled trouble for him, and he knew it.
"This better be good."
"I need to see Mystic snake. And need to see her now."
"No way Az, I have enough trouble as it is without you coming here as well."
"Okay then, I just thought I could help since yoda seemed rather upset."
Technically speaking she was right, but not for the reasons she was hinting at.
"Shit Az, I really don't need this. Just for a short stay, and no trouble, you hear? Play nice just this once."
"You know me, I can behave." The connection closed and Vehement sighed.
"Yeah you probably can, but I haven't seen it yet."

Azumi docked in the station and walked as fast as she could to Vehement's apartment. She had listened to what he said and tried her best to look, well decent was probably the word that best described what she thought he meant. She found the apartment without any fuzz and rang the door system. A beautiful redheaded woman opened the door and looked at Azumi somewhat puzzled.
"Ehm, what can I do for you my dear?"
"I am here to see Vehement"
The redheaded woman looked even more puzzled.
"How do you know who he is my dear? He has not been involved with the girl scouts for a long time"
In her knee long skirt, white shirt, small black leather boots with white socks sticking up to the middle of her calf and the two braided pigtails, she could probably be mistaken for a girl scout. Until you looked closer that is.
Azumi smiled her best smile, the one that could melt an asteroid field.
"I am sure he knows I am coming. I am Azumi."
"Oh, YOU are Azumi. And just why would I let you in? As if one of you wasn't enough."
"I need to see if Mystic is okay ma'am, I hope you can understand that."
"Who is it Red?" a male voice shouted from inside.
The redheaded woman moved away from the door and shouted back into the room, "Another of your lady friends dear." She then shook her head and raised her hands over her head while shaking it.
Vehement came out and looked at the new guest.
"Shit Az, I told you to please dress nice."
Azumi smiled mischievously at him. "I did. Now where is Mystic?"

Vehement led her into the room where Mystic was resting, and she knelt by the couch.
"Mystic, what happened?"
Mystic opened one eye and saw her, closed it again and smiled.
"I found it."
"I know, and yoda has it now. But what happened to you?"
"Got stabbed by a would-be rapist in Pelatus. Shot him with my blaster. Hit him right in the guts too."
"How did he look?"
Mystic told her everything that had happened on the station. She was slowly drifting into sleep as well, and when she was finished with the story, she drifted quietly to sleep. Azumi stood and turned towards Vehement, a hard glare in her eyes.
"I need to know if that man died or what snake, and I need the details now."
"Hold on there Az, I can't just do that. I have no access to VPR anymore."
"You don't fool me snake, you can still pull strings I am sure." Azumi dropped the hard glare and looked towards the room where Red had disappeared into.
"Do this for me, and I'll make your life easier by leaving snake."
Vehement looked towards the room where his wife had disappeared into as well and nodded.

Ten minutes later Azumi was moving towards the Pelatus wormhole, ready for a hospital visit with a Mr. P. Sycho.

The hospital smelled like all other hospitals, of disinfectant and disease. Azumi ignored all this, walked through the metal detector and up to the nurse on duty.
"Hi Ms, I am here to visit my uncle Sycho."
"Sure dear, do you have some kind of identification, like a pilots license, military ID or something?"
"No Ms, I am not old enough for that, but I have a named cred stick with biometrics?"
The nurse smiled at the freckled girl with the lollipop and the pigtails.
"Sure dear, you just leave it here and I'll check it later. You go right in, it is room J-22. He may be asleep though, he just underwent surgery earlier."
Azumi left the cred stick and skipped and jumped down towards the room, making the nurse smile. What a nice niece, and a girl scout too.

Azumi opened the room and went inside. A large bed with a man in the middle of it, tubes everywhere and a holoscreen going full tilt. He turned his head when she walked in and frowned in puzzlement. Azumi walked over to him and looked down at his unshaven face. She checked the medical record and ignored his feeble attempts of speaking. Satisfied that it was the right man, she walked up to him again and smiled down at him.
"I hope you enjoyed that meeting with the pirate queen, Because it just killed you, you filthy pig."
She then took the pillow and pushed it on top of his head, pushing as hard as she could until he stopped moving. She then checked his pulse, and satisfied that it was gone, she left. The nurse was not at the desk, and so Azumi could walk unmolested to her ship and disappear into grey again.

When they eventually found the dead man in his bed, the only clue they had was that a young girl who left a cred stick in the name of a well known trader called Chana Slan, had visited him just before he died.