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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 5254193" data-attributes="member: 143">Session 25 (October 20, 2008)Chapter 107“Wonder how ‘training’ going to go,” Vasily said, as he and Catalina made their way to the briefing room.“Don’t ask me,” Catalina said.  “You’re the one with super powers.  Go on, what am I thinking now?”Vasily glanced at her.  “’I wish I had super powers.’”“Would have been damn useful against the little sods, but it’s you who’ll all have to take the hits.”“Ah, the doctors will be hitting them with minds.  Rest of us, we do fine with the guns.”They ran into James, coming from the armory.  He was wearing one of the padded undersuits that went with the newly upgraded suits of Powered Armor that Grace was producing in her workshops.  “Ah, they build you some proper armor?” Vasily asked him.  “Wearing that blue stuff is like wearing big sign, ‘Hey aliens, shoot me.’”“Ha ha,” James said.  “Lucky for you we got a new supply of the improved medikits, so when you trip over your own big feet, we can patch you up.”The conversation ended as they entered the briefing room.  The department heads were all there, as was Agent Drake, whose expression might have been carved in ice for all the warmth it had in it.  Jane and Hadrian arrived right behind the others, and took their seats as Garret stood at the table’s head, a grim look on his face. “The slow spell has come to an end,” he reported.  “We have a mission for you.”The door hissed open again and Mary stepped in.  Garret fixed her with a hard look.  “Doctor Ranma.  Good of you to join us.”“Oh, was a meeting called?” she said, as she took her seat.  “I apologize.”The Director leaned forward and grabbed onto the edges of the table with his hands.  “First off, I understand that there has been some acrimony over an… incident.  Agent Drake has been reprimanded for the unauthorized weapons test.  I consider the matter closed.”Drake’s jaw tightened, but she didn’t respond.Vasily shrugged.  “Is all good.  You want us shake hands?”“What I’d like,” Garret said, “Is for everyone to focus on the objective.  We’re entering the end game here, people.  Doctor Wagner?”Wagner activated the big screen, bringing up a view of the Earth, a slowly-spinning globe overlaid with various data and indicators that flashed red or green.  “We have intercepted some intelligence regarding the alien activities in southeast Asia,” she said. Garret said, “Using the info you captured from the alien battle computers on your last missions, we’ve been able to decrypt some of their communications.  We know that the aliens are based on Mars.”“Alien activity has been way down, worldwide,” Wagner continued. “Other than a few small ships landing in France and China, we have had almost no activity on the world map.”“They have not spent this time idle.  According to the engineer you captured, they are constructing another battleship on Mars.  Grace?”The engineer looked up from her portable computer.  “We don’t know a lot about it.  But from what the prisoner said, it looks like this one will be about three times the mass of the one you destroyed in Antarctica.”“We have to be ready before them,” Catalina said. Wagner nodded.  “The Avenger craft will be ready in a few weeks.  We’re doing all that we can to accelerate its construction.”“But we can’t strike until we know more,” Garret said.  “We need information.  And specifically, alien commanders.  We need to know exactly where the base is located, how it is defended, and how to penetrate those defenses.”“We were thinking that we’d need to attack a base here on Earth,” Wagner said.  “To capture a commander.”“Tough mission, that,” Ken Yushi said, from his seat in the back of the room. “Yes,” Garret said.  “That is why this new intelligence is so vital.”  He nodded to Wagner, who highlighted a glowing red track that descended from space, intersecting with the Earth.  “We’ve learned that an alien commander is going to be coming to Earth, very soon.”Catalina blinked.  “Are we going to France or China?”“Neither,” Garret said. “The commander is heading to China, and best of all, he’ll be flying in a Medium Scout Ship.  The plan is that the Commander does not make it to his destination.”“His destination is our Alien Containment lab,” Drake said. “We’re going to have the Lightning waiting for the ship when it enters orbit,” Wagner said.  “We’ve fitted the ship with a missile that should dampen the alien’s engines.  You will disable the alien ship, force it to land, and seize the commander. “If our information is correct,” Garret said, “The alien will be entering Earth orbit in eleven hours.”The course I’ve plotted will have us there in nine,” Ken said.  “Plenty of time.”“The mission is straightforward,” Garret said.  “Ken will force the alien down.  You take the commander.”“No shooting the commander, obviously,” Jane said. “Your VDUs will indicate which alien is the commander,” Wagner said.  “We know the typical crew compliment of such a ship?” Hadrian asked. Wagner brought up a schematic on the screen.  The ship was familiar, a design they’d encountered several times on past missions.  “The medium scouts generally only contain four to six aliens.”Vasily stood.  “Engineering crew better get on with installing new five-star room in alien containment, then.”“Good luck,” Garret said. “If this fails, our situation gets a lot more complicated.”“Yeah,” Drake added.  “If it fails, start studying Chinese.”</blockquote>

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