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We Make Our Own Fate (Alvis&Rania)

Roan nodded as Verity spoke. There were a few that didn't much look impressed with Verity, but no one was going to make a statement on the subject. Roan trusted her enough to bring her in, and they trusted him.
"Thanks Doc. Okay, so. That's what we know on the subject. What we need to know is the counter measure data. And we have most of that, but the Doc needs to decrypt it, so we've got some time to wait. So. What else do we need people?" Roan asked.
"Target locations. If we sank what they were going to use as prototypes, then we need to know where the replacements are going to be." Mary pointed out.
"Right, good thought. Next?"
"Sir, I know this is a Black Bag Op for them, but there's got to be data backups for what was going on. If she was able to pull the data off of the central server on the ship, then there's good odds that it was backup to an offsite location." Control offered.
"So missing, potentially unecrypted counter-measure data. But Black Bag woudl be in a Vermilion level data station."
"Aye sir." No one spoke for a moment.

"Okay, so assuming we're all insane enough to think going after a Vermilion data station, which I think is utterly mad, how would we even find it?" Mary asked. Control nodded.
"I could, in theory, run a trace. It would give us a direction, and based on signal strength, a distance. I could get us in the ballpark are." Control admit.
"Okay, start on that. Vermilion is high risk, but it would give us things we need. And also, there's all kinds of precious laying around, so we could get a payday out of it to keep teh rest of the crew happy. Cole, any luck on the lab for Verity here?"
"We had one, but we converted it to a gun shop last year. We found one of the computers from it, we can have it sent to her room."
"Do it. More processing power she's got, the faster she can work. Anything else?" He asked, looking around the table. "Verity? Anything else we can do to help you out here?"
 
Verity listened to the fast pace of the meeting as the rest of the occupants of the room quickly joined into a rapid fire suggestion period regarding the imminent attack they were going to launch. Her eyes flitted around the room to the various people talking, her brain constantly working to decipher the language they were using to one she could understand, but it was so fast she didn't have time to process, so her head kept moving. She did manage to pick up on a few words here and there; backup, server, data, high risk.

Then, all of a sudden, the attention was back on her with a question, a question about what? Her mind raced to the present, catching up with the situation at hand as her eyes stared blankly at the captain for an awkward moment of silence. Opening her mouth to speak at the same time, her voice cracked slightly as her mind scrambled to catch up.

"Uhhhhh, I don't think so?" her statement was posed in the form of a question as she struggled to make sense of the rapid succession of plans and directions. It was obvious she was out of her league among the numerous individuals seated around the table. She had never even attended a meeting before. Her work was only her work and she wrote out her reports, never delivering them in person. And a military operation meeting? If there ever was one, she would never have been allowed anywhere near it! It was something she was going to have to learn...and fast!
 
Roan nodded.
"All right then. Move out people, we've got about six months worth of work to do and probably a week to get it done. Let's make it happen here!" Roan announced. The rest of the table nodded, standing up, and moving away. They head for the door. "How're you doing there Doc? I figure this might be a touch overwhelming to take in all at once." He asked Verity lightly. He had a hunch that might be an understatement. His crew had been with him for a long time, so they did a lot of communication without a lot of words, and people knew their roles. Verity was something of an outsider, and dropped right into the mix without much warning. A feet first drop so to speak.

It was how Roan did most things, feet first, all ahead full. It might take some getting used to, but he figured that Verity would get used to it. Or not. He'd help her out if he could, but he did know that if she wasn't fairly quick on her feet, mentally speaking, she might not last on his crew. he banished that thought. Far too soon to even be thinking about that. The girl needed his help, and he needed hers. Doing continued assaults on defended Government installations wasn't going to be easy. But if they were quick, careful, and planned accordingly, they should be able to pull it off.
 
Verity watched in awe as everyone else in the room nodded and rose from their seats to file out of the room to complete their orders. Verity remained seated as the Captain approached her as everyone else left the room. She nodded quickly as he assessed that she was overwhelmed by everything that had happened. She wasn't used to such fast movement. Her research had been slow and calculated. She had organized her experiments and had taken months to assess her equations. That didn't seem to be the case on this ship and she would have to adapt...and fast!

"I'm ok," she replied, shutting off her pad, "I just need to get used to it. I hope I'm able to help."

She knew how much they required her failsafe in order to launch an assault on the testing fields or even the storage facilities. The backup servers were going to be difficult to even get a body to, let alone to patch in and to get access to the data. Verity would have to reconstruct as much as she could before they could even assess the situation, and she had only a week to do it! The concept was daunting but Verity had adapted in prison, she had adapted on the research ship, she would adapt here.
 
Roan nodded as she spoke.
"This op is too important to not go ahead with, one way or another. So failsafe or not, we're going to do this. It'd just be a hell of a lot easier and safer if we can neutralize their new shiny weapons before they hit us with them. Otherwise, we're stuck trying to blitz our way through things, hitting hard and getting out before they know what's happening to us. A lot can go wrong with taht plan." Roan admit. "Come on, we'll get you breakfast, and by the time we're done there, your new computer should be rigged up and ready to go." He offered her a hand to stand up.

The path tot he mess hall was not a long one.
"If you ever need to get somewhere in a hurry, grab a lift. You can just tell the computer verbally where you want to be, and it'll take you there. It's faster, but you don't usually wind up with a lot of knowing of where things are. ANd we usually shut the lifts down when combat breaks out, make sure anyone that gets on board can't use them to bypass defenses." He told her as they walked. He was largely just talking to fill the air, wanting some kind of sound. It was good information to be sure, but not the kinds that would be super critical either.

The mess hall was more occupied than last time, but Roan spied that there was still a table open near the serving station. Most left a spot for him, not wanting to give the captain a hard time.
"Captain! What'll it be?" Darren asked.
"Sandwich it Darren. And get one for the Doc here, she'll need her protein." Roan answered. A moment later Darren was setting two plates ont he counter for them. Roan lifted them, and handed one off to Verity. It was a fairly large, well made looking egg sandwich. There was bacon in it as well, making sure that anyone who ate it was going to be ready for the day. Roan sat down at the empty table, waving for her to join him again.
 
Verity nodded at his resolve to go ahead with or without her failsafe. She didn't want anyone to risk their lives unneccessarily because she didn't put all her effort into decrypting and completing her failsafe. It would be long days and nights but the scientist was determined to finish it, whether she slept or not. Taking the captain's offered hand, her own dwarfed within his strong one, Verity grabbed her pad with the other. Tucking it under her arm, once she was standing she let go of the Captain's hand returning it to her side.

The scientist listened intently to his instructions regarding the lifts and needing to be somewhere quickly. Verity knew that for the foreseeable future, she would not be using them as she had much too much work to do but she tucked the instructions away in the recesses of her mind for when the opportunity arose to use the lifts.

Right after the Captain explained the lift system, they arrived at the mess hall. There were a lot more beings in here this time than there were the night before. Some of the individuals in the room stopped eating to look up at the newcomer to the crew, some of the stares were filled with a lust that made Verity shudder slightly as she kept close to the captain as they returned to the kitchen counter to get some breakfast. Verity turned towards the cook as the Captain ordered her breakfast for her.

"Thank you," Verity added to the order with a smile of genuine gratitude. When the food was delivered to the counter, Verity took the offered plate from the Captain as he led her to a table where she once again took up a place across from him to enjoy her second real meal since being rescued.

"So," Verity began, trying to make conversation as she laid down her pad on the table before picking up the sandwich in both her hands, "You know all this information about me. Now it's your turn. How long have you been Captain?"
 
Roan smiled as she finally bridged one of the questions that he knew would be coming.
"Been in command of this ship for about five years. Had a smaller ship before that for a year. Before I was the Captain, I was the Colonel, you're still here a few of them that served with me back then call me that. Served in the Core Worlds Alliance military for a long time. A very long time. Wasn't fond of breaking with it, but even less fond of sticking with them while they pissed on everything it was supposed to have stood for." He shook his head.

"Sorry Doc, a lot of history back in there." He apologized, "Was a soldier for most of my life, snuck in underage, and by the time they found out, it was a bit late. So when I left, this was about all I could think of to do. Keep soldiering along. That inner crew we had a meeting with? That's my old squad. Been through hell and back a few times with them. Trust 'em absolutely. A few other squads have gotten to be pretty trusted. And you've seen a bunch of the other ones." He made a wave towards the majority of hte people in the mess hall. All of them looked to be some kind of thug or ganger, rough and tumble sorts. "We pick 'em up in big groups on planets and stations, adn let 'em loose for boarding. If one of 'em does something really well, and shows to be trustworthy, I'll bump them up into one of my better squads. Train 'em, make something out of 'em besides just thugs."
 
Verity listened intently to the Captain's response to her question as he delved into his own history as she began to eat her sandwich. Her eyes never left his gaze as she nodded in acknowledgment of his statement, especially when his tone changed slightly as he spoke of leaving on bad terms. When he began to shake his head, Verity lowered her breakfast and reached out, her fingers laying over the back of his hand as she offered up a smile.

"It's alright, we've all been through a lot in this life, and sometimes it goes downhill. There's no need to apologize," Verity knew all too well how life could turn in an instant and she was more than empathetic to anyone else's plight especially in hard times.

Verity returned her hand to her side of the table as he continued to speak, pointing out that it was his old crew that were in the briefing room. The scientist finally understood why so many of them looked at her with distaste. She was not military, not part of the core crew; an outsider, not to be trusted. The scientist then turned to look at the rest of the tables full of a mismatched crew of thugs, bullies, and gangs. They were a frightening bunch and most of them Verity did not want to meet one on one in any situation. Well, most of the military crew she didn't want to meet alone either.

"I see," turning back to the Captain, "So what crew am I on?" A smile widened across her face as she continued, "Personally, I think I could be rough and tumble. You know I'm a jailbird, right?"
 
Roan gave her a smirk as she talked about her status.
"Well, I like ya just fine Verity, but you might have to rough it for a little while. After all, you haven't even done a combat mission with us yet! Can't get you decked out in assault armour if you haven't earned it! We earn our stripes with blood and glory in these parts." He said with a wink, letting her know that he was just teasing her. "But I'll trust you well enough even so, and that goes a long way on this ship." he explained to her, digging into his sandwich. He went through about half of it quickly before he spoke again.

"And what about you doc? Whereabouts did you come from originally?" He asked her. Knowing her origin coudl help things out in the long run. Roan knew it wasn't safe to send her back there, ever, the CWA would be waiting for her almost instantly. Even a quiet, covert drop wouldn't work in the long run. THis ship, or one a lot like it would be the safest place in the galaxy for her these days.

Froma few tables over, hunched low over his food, Lijah was staring down Roan and Verity. The captain seemed to be taking a liking to this new girl, and Lijah had his eye on her as well. Very different reasons he was sure, but there was that side of him that wanted to take something from Roan, the way seemed to delight in taking away his enjoyment on missions. It was time ot start keeping a close eye on her, as best he could.
 
Verity laughed lightly at the Captain's teasing about earning her stripes. As he turned to his own breakfast, she returned her attention to hers and finished the rest of it in silence before the Captain retaliated to her questions with one of his own.

"I was born on the planet Jadeite in the Crystalline System," she said. It was a rather unremarkable planet, a suburban globe with the run of the mill work and the run of the mill cities and countries, "I grew up in the same house, went to school every day and was planning to pursue science as a career in a university somewhere away from home but, well, you know what happened next. I'm a pretty boring person, to be honest..."

Verity's voice trailed off as she mentioned how mundane her life had been. Her eyes glassed over slightly as tears threatened to burst from them at the mere mention of her life before prison. Turning away from him, she took a deep breath in and rubbed the water from her eyes before returning her attention to the conversation, trying to smile the sudden burst of emotions off. She didn't want to think about her prior life, her parents, her home. She knew she could never return or she would be killed. She didn't even know if her family was still alive, or if the government had already killed them so it was better to focus on the present, not the past.
 
Roan nodded as she spoke.
"I know Jadeite, I've been there. Well, the largest moon for the planet. Spent six months there doing garrison work, and training some of the local defense troops. Never actually went dirt side, but it looked like a nice enough place." He paused a moment, thinking back to the place, seeing if anything stood out to him about his time there. "They knew how to make a pretty good rum. Good crops for it there I think." He mused, before noting how she was reacting to the dredged up memories.

He'd seen it before, the way people had to face down where they'd come from, and the realization that they might never see that life again. Hell, he'd worn that kind of expression himself, knowing that with the way he left the Alliance it wasn't likely he'd ever be able to spend any amount of real time on any well established and settled world in the Alliance. A wanted man he was. But the first time was always the hardest to square.
"Hey. Look at me here Verity." Roan said quietly, waiting for her to meet his gaze before he spoke again. "Take a breath. And you can't say you're boring now. Escaped prisoner, crewing on a pirate warship, part of a mission to take down a secret government planet killer project. That's the stuff they make legends out of Doc." He smiled at her as he finished.
 
Verity nodded at his assertions about her home. It was a very friendly place, a place ideal to raise a family, to live comfortably. She knew of the base on the largest moon but she had never ever seen any uniformed military men ever in her neighbourhood. She was raised to believe that the military was there to protect her and her family and friends; that they were there to help her in times of trouble. It was a rude awakening when she was arrested about the true intentions of many officers within the uniformed world.

Blinking again, Verity fought back the tears as visions of her old life came flooding back; visions of being with her friends, of the barbecues with her family, of going to school to study her love of science. She had to take a moment as the Captain broke those visions, bringing her back to reality. Blinking again as she ran her fingertips beneath her eyes, clearing any rogue drops of salty tear that had managed to escape. Looking up at him, her eyes were still glassy from the moisture. She took a deep breath and listened as he spoke about her new life, a life that would get her noticed, that would have stories told about her. The scientist laughed at that; she was not one to have legends written about her.

The smile broke through her sadness, pulling her facade out of the depression of her memories of her old life and it broke through the painful recollections, encouraging her.

"I can't say I'm the one who will be legendary," she responded, "That's what you're there for Captain."
 
Roan cracked a smile.
"Easier to be a legend when you shoot people. Harder when you don't. But not impossible. But we pull this off, and I think we'll all get a little bit of legend going around." He said with a nod. "ANd besides, can you think of another way to better stick your thumb in the eye of the Alliance? Showing them that someone they wronged, and badly, wasn't beaten by them. Believe me, when this is all over, adn we're raising a victory glass at the bar in Tortuga, you'll be your own special kind of legend." He winked at her as he finished. There was an easy confidence in his words, like Roan wasn't considering any option other than winning the mission, pulling it off and calling it a day. The odds against them didn't seemt o be fazing him in the least.

"Come on Doc, with any luck Control will have the computer set up for you. Gotta put you back to work, get back to saving everything." Roan stood up, waving for her to come with him. Roan was looking around hte room as they moved, trying to pick out anything that might be worth keepign in mind. There was a flash of movement at the exit, and he noted the look of it. Dark outfit, close cropped hair, and what looked like a recurved knife on the small of the back. Lijah. Not a lot of people fitting that look, and only one that would be mkaing itself scarce at his movement. Roan stepped a little closer to Verity, not calling attention to the situation, but wanting to keep himself in a position to help if needed. He led her to the corridor that woudl take her back to her quarters.
 
Verity's smile grew as the Captain's face cracked with his own smirk. Verity knew that he was right in his assertion of her sticking it to them, of exacting revenge on her captors by using her own knowledge and research against them. His confidence in their victory was contagious as Verity's doubts began to melt as well in the odds against their impending mission. Her confidence also grew in her own ability to take down her own research, her own work. In that moment, it felt like anything was possible and her resolve was renewed to ensure her failsafe was decrypted and ready to go by the deadline of the end of the week.

Verity stood up quickly, her back stiffening as her muscles tensed in a new energy she was unsure she could muster before the Captain's pep talk. She WAS going to do this and they WERE going to win this war! She walked next to him, her small frame dwarfed by his as they walked side by side out of the mess hall. Despite her new found confidence, Verity was still very much unaware of those around her, but her nerves were calmed and she walked with more resolve, not noticing the Captain's movements as he stepped closer to her. They walked out of the mess hall and around a few corners before they reached the corridor where Verity's room was located.

Turning to face the Captain, Verity stood in front of him for a moment. "Well, this is where I leave you. I won't let you down Captain!" she said with a broad smile but with a serious look in her eye. Then she turned to walk down the hallway towards her room before calling back over her shoulder, as she reached her room's door.

"I will see you at lunch?"
 
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