Part 1: Loose Ends       "Sterling! What the hell are you doing?!" Nara's voice boomed across the hanger. Sterling stood at attention with the remainder of Able Squad. He waited for the echo to die away before he answered. "Able Squad is going out on patrol. As a member of said squad, I wish to go." Nara stared at him with a crossed expression on her face. This was the sixteenth time in as many days that Sterling had escaped from protective custody to be with the squad. Normally, it didn't get her this mad. She actually admired him for his dedication. But as long as Admiral Winfield's orders stood firm, she would have to escort him back to the security wing...again. This would delay their patrol, and she would receive yet another long talk from Captain Jamison about the importance of patrols being on time. Nara turned to Sargent Torres, "Get the rest of the squad ready to go. We'll depart as soon as I get back from the Security Wing." Torres answered with a loud "Yes ma'am". As Nara began to leave, J.T. entered the hanger and was standing next to Sterling. As she approached he spoke to her, "I thought I would miss you before you left." "This squad? Leave on time? You must have us confused with some other squad, J.T." J.T. smiled and looked at Sterling, "You just can't stay put can you?" Sterling stood at attention as he answered. "No sir, I don't mean to be any trouble, I just want to do my part." "Some would argue that you've already done more than your share." J.T. pointed out. "But I admire your dedication." "Then maybe you wouldn't mind escorting him back to the security wing?" asked Nara. J.T. shifted his gaze back to Nara, "I'll offer one better. I've been cooped up here for too long, I came down here with the intention of tagging along with you. But how about I lead this patrol, for old times sake?" Nara looked at him as if he were her savior, "Sounds good to me, Commander. You can borrow my frame." "Thanks no, I had some techs get mine prepped the night before." He pointed to his aerial assault E-frame which was sitting quietly at the back of the hanger. "See you when we get back." J.T. strode over to Able Squad, where Torres introduced him to the newbies and in no time they were ready to get underway. Nara turned to Sterling and grabbed him by the elbow, "Lets go, Sterling!"       As they walked down the corridor leading to the Security Wing they talked. "Will you talk to Admiral Winfield about letting me return to the squad?" asked Sterling. "Fine. Whatever it takes to stop you from being such a pain." answered Nara, her voice still sounded a little agitated. Sterling stopped short in the hallway, Nara turned to look at him, her eyes saying "what now?". "You don't mean that do you?" he asked. "Mean what?" asked Nara. "That I am a pain." clarified Sterling. "Sometimes, yes you are. You have good intentions but sometimes it just seems like you are trying to annoy me for the fun of it." Sterling looked at her a moment, apparently making the effort to choose his words carefully. As he walked by her he spoke, "Or maybe, I just want to spend time with you." For the rest of the walk they said nothing. Sterling was unsure what to say next. Nara was caught off guard by his comment and walked silently. Both tried not to make eye contact. When they arrived at their destination, the guards again took him into custody. As he was taken away, one took the opportunity to remark, "How does he keep getting out of here? This guy's amazing." Sterling remained silent as they escorted him back to his room. Nara watched the door close and whispered to herself, "He certainly is." * * *       The image of an older eltorian appeared on Rodar's monitor. He had grayish hair with a long grayish beard. He wore the ceremonial robes that indicated his rank in eltorian society. '(High Counselor Eliodon, I am ready to make my first report.)' '(Proceed)' said Eliodon. '(We have infiltrated the Sol system and are presently attempting to determine Taqueza's whereabouts.)' Eliodon's eyes narrowed, '(How close are you to success?)' '(Sir, I have my best infiltrator working on it.)' reported Rodar. '(Ozon is very skilled, but he is only one operative.)' noted Eliodon. '(I know my liege, but he has already turned up two very promising leads.)' '(Explain.)' demanded Eliodon. '(There is an individual kept under tight security on board the terran flagship. We believe that this may be Taqueza. We also have reports that a female eltorian warrior was captured by the terrans and is cooperating with them. We have visual conformation of this.)' Rodar pressed a few controls on the console in front of him and an image of Shanita appeared on the screen. '(Who is she?)' asked Eliodon. '(Her name is Shanita, former commander of Section 25.)' reported Rodar. '(She will have to die also. Order the closest operative to eliminate her.)' Rodar chose his words carefully before answering. '(With all due respect sir, she would be of more value to us alive.)' Eliodon stared at Rodar with fire in his eyes, '(And why is that, Elite?)' '(She is Taqueza's closest friend, he will most likely try to contact her. If we keep watch over her, she may lead us right to him.)' explained Rodar. '(Eliodon brought his fingertips together in front of his lips, '(Very sensible Elite. Very well, have Ozon follow up his lead on the terran flagship. If it turns out to be nothing, then have him keep a close eye on this Shanita. When she is of no further use, dispose of her.)' The monitor abruptly switched off, indicating their exchange was complete. * * *       Most people find patrols to be long and boring flights. J.T. usually agreed with that assessment but this flight had proven different. Nothing exciting had happened, he just flew for flying's sake. It seemed like ages since he had done it. It reminded him of why had joined exofleet. And so he was a tad disappointed to see the patrol come to an end. As he climbed out of his frame he was greeted by DeLeon. "The squad's gonna hit the mess hall, want to come for old's time sake?" J.T.'s stomach rumbled reminding him of his need for corporeal sustenance. "I think I will." he replied. As they made their way to the mess hall J.T. noticed a certain social stratification in the squad. DeLeon, Torres, and Thrax walked with him, while Worthington, Erikson, and Remes walked a few feet behind them. He leaned close to Alec, "What's with the new guys?" Alec cast a glance over his shoulder then looked back at J.T., "A little bit of hero worship combined with intimidation." "What do you mean?" asked J.T. Torres who had been listening to the conversation decided to field the question, "The newer generation of officers are taught about the key battles in the Neosapian war as part of their military history course at the academy. Erikson tells me most of our missions are assigned reading." "They treat you normal when its just you and them, but put a few of us together and I guess they get a little overwhelmed." explained Alec. "That is certainly appropriate where you three are concerned, but why do they show me similar respect?" inquired Thrax. "You were the Neo's 'Red Baron'. At Mercury you took on the whole squad and walked away in one piece. If I was as impressed with us as they are, then I would find the Neo that gave us a run for our money even more impressive." said J.T. "Then there's the fact that the only other newbie in the squad has already made a big name for himself." added Rita. "Sterling." said J.T. with a nod of the head. "Is it true what they say about him?" asked Alec. "What part?" asked J.T. "Half-human, super strong, weird powers, saved our butts on Mars?" said Alec sounding a bit skeptical. "I can't vouch for the Mars bit, but I've seen him use that melting trick of his." said Rita. "Well I can vouch for the Mars bit, but nothing else." noted J.T. "I bet Nara would know." said Alec with a smirk. "And why do you think that?" Alec did his best to hide his embarrassment as Nara strode up beside him. "Um well, you are the most...familiar with him." Alec looked a little uncomfortable as he spoke. Nara eyed him a moment and J.T. laughed, "So its true what I heard." "Everything about Sterling? Yes. Everything about Sterling and me? Most likely not." Nara's three companions simply nodded and smiled. Nara shook her head, "Let's just eat." * * *       "So why do you fly a red e-frame?" asked Remes. Able squad was sitting down for diner and no one was really saying anything so Remes decided to get the conversational ball rolling. Thrax thought to himself for a moment, "I suppose I do because it distinguishes me from other pilots. At least that was the initial reason. Now I suppose I do because it is markably different from those colors used by Neos against exofleet during the war." "I think it looks better red." commented Worthington. "You would." said Remes. "And what's that supposed to mean?" demanded Susan. Stan pointed at her red jacket, "Call me crazy, but I think you like the color red." "So what, it reminds me of home." retorted Sue. "Where are you from?" asked J.T. "Maginus City, Mars." said Sue. "Really" said Thrax, suddenly more interested in the conversation, "What part?" "The southern section towards the cannon area." commented Sue. "That's where I used to live. How odd that we have not met before." noted Thrax. "Yeah, I guess it is, but I left Mars by the time the war started. I was attending college on Earth." said Sue. "Why would you want to live on Mars?" asked Stan. "Why not?" said Sue offended. "Its dry." noted Alec. "And dusty" added Torres. "Too windy." noted Erikson. "In other words", finished Stan, "its not a vacation spot." "It's rustic and I like it. I'm a frontier-type of girl." explained Sue. "The rust in rustic is definitely the right term for the place." retorted Stan. "And where are you from?" demanded Sue. "Only the best planet in the system", Stan smiled, "Venus." "Mars is not all that bad, someone back me up here" Sue looked around her pleadingly for support. She noted Nara, "Lt. Burns?" "Sorry Worthington, I'm partial to Venus myself." "I've always liked Earth." said J.T. Alec, Rita and Erikson nodded in approval. "Thrax?" Thrax looked uncomfortable for a minute, "Well, Mars will always be considered my home, but Earth, well, it is rather colorful and sort of grows on you." Thrax was Sue's last hope of support, with it extinguished, she gave up, saying "Whatever." J.T. rose from the table, "You like it Worthington, that's all that really matters. Well its been fun, but I have a meeting with the Admiral." He began to excuse himself as Nara pulled him aside, "J.T., I was wondering if you could do me a favor." * * *       Admiral Winfield waited patiently behind his desk as J.T. entered his office. "J.T., have a seat." "Thank you Admiral." said J.T. "I called this meeting to discuss your next mission." began the Admiral. "Not another distress signal." moaned J.T. Winfield chuckled at the joke then continued, "No, nothing like that. This mission is to Earth and concerns you and Able squad. It is something relative to your past." "What do you mean?" inquired J.T. "Ketzer." The name hit J.T. like a fist, the proverbial mad scientist from the Amazon. Winfield noted J.T.'s reaction, "I see you remember him well." "Someone like him you don't forget, sir." stated J.T. "Shortly after he arrived in our custody, Sterling insisted that we investigate him." Winfield looked at J.T. for a reaction which he supplied post haste, "But why?" "Sterling was intrigued by the condition of Lt. Burns. What he uncovered has managed to intrigue most of exofleet command, including me." J.T. was about to ask what he found when Winfield waved him off and continued, "It seems that the retrovirus injected into Lt. Burns was made, at least in part, from Eltorian DNA. At first, the significance escaped the med-techs he had told. But then he explained that Ketzer had to get a hold of a source of DNA before the Eltorians ever showed up at Chaos." "That means there has been an alien presence in the solar system since before the war, in the Amazon?" said J.T., a little shocked by the implications. "Now you know why we are so interested. I want you to take Able Squad into the Amazon and find out what Ketzer knows. You are authorized to use any means necessary to bring him back." J.T. nodded in affirmation. "Is there any reason why Lt. Burns was not put in charge of this mission?" asked J.T. "I considered her, but she has too much history with Ketzer, too much to lead with a clear head, and too much not to take her along." answered Winfield. J.T. suddenly remembered Nara's favor, "Admiral, there is one thing I'd like to talk to you about. It concerns Able Squad." "I think I know what you are going to say. Sterling has contacted me repeatedly and requested to return to his squad. Given your current mission, his help could prove invaluable. He has also pointed out that our protection may do him more harm than good." Winfield stood up and walked around his desk. "How so Admiral?" asked J.T. "Apparently, no one on the other side knows his human face. So if we let him go he'll be concealed in plain sight. By keeping him in protective custody we have essentially been telling the enemy who and where he is." explained Winfield. "How though? Its not like they have spies we won't notice." offered a confused J.T. "Actually they do have those kinds of spies. According to Sterling, and H-source, these operatives are called infiltrators. They wear a small but sophisticated holoprojection unit. Its about the size of short range comm unit and is usually worn on the belt. It is supposed to be so effective that I could be wearing one and you'd never know it. Infiltrators also have a small cybernetic implant in one of the temples of their forehead. It is designed to be used in conjunction with a neuroscanner-type device. It makes a complete copy of a chosen target's memories, and when linked to the implant, can download all of the memories directly into the infiltrator's brain." explained Winfield. "So they can not only pose as a human, but any human they choose?" asked J.T. "Exactly. And by the time someone figures it out, the mission is accomplished." "But what if the person they are posing as shows up to ruin things?" asked J.T. "Unlikely, the neuroscanner makes its scan from inside the subject's brain. It drills its way into the skull, and the scan itself typically destroys the brain." Winfield crossed his arms. "So you see, it is in the best interests of his safety and your mission that I let him go." J.T. stood to leave, "I understand, sir." He saluted and began to leave. "Be careful J.T., these infiltrators may already be among us." J.T. gave a half-cocked smile, "Don't worry sir, they won't get by me." As the door to the office slid shut, Winfield reached for his belt and clicked an unseen button. His image flicked and faded away to be replaced by Sterling's. "Somehow, I have trouble believing you."       "I think you made your point." The door leading to the office's private bathroom opened and the real Admiral Winfield stepped from it followed by Professor Algernon. Sterling removed the holoprojector and held it in his right hand, "Should I call Commander Marsh back?" "I see no reason to." stated Winfield "You said everything he needed to know." "So the demonstration has proven my point?" asked Sterling. "You had me convinced the moment J.T. entered the office. Is there anyway to detect those units?" asked Winfield. "In theory it should be possible, but the idea was never explored by Eltorian science." answered Sterling. "Why on Earth not?" asked Algernon. "We were the only ones to use it, since it was never used against us we never had reason to come up with a way to counter it." replied Sterling. "But you said it should be possible?" suggested Algernon. "It should be, the holofield gives off a distinct energy signature. If it where analyzed, you could come up with a way to scan for it." "An intriguing possibility." muttered Algernon, rubbing his chin. "Then I leave it in your capable hands." Sterling threw him the unit which Algernon caught rather clumsily. Winfield watched Algernon examine the device for a moment then looked at Sterling, "You should get going, your squad is leaving shortly." * * *       Shanita looked about her cell. Today was going to be interesting. After what seemed like ages, she would get to leave her cell. Due to her good behavior and Lt.Takagi's support, exofleet was allowing her to go to the Resolute II to determine the fate of Jerico. If all went well and she behaved herself, they might even let her join exofleet. The door on the other side of the bars opened and Lt. Kaz Takagi stepped through holding some clothing. "All ready to go I see." he said. Shanita stood near the bars her weight shifting from one leg to the other. "I guess that I am. What is that you have with you." "A present. I had some friends design a replication of your old uniform, with one minor alteration." He pointed at a patch on the right shoulder. The exofleet symbol had been placed where the Eltorian Guard insignia had been. "Very appropriate." said Shanita. The force field disengaged and the door to her cell opened. Kaz handed her the uniform, "I'll wait outside for you." He left the room. Shanita placed the red boots on the floor and unfolded the uniform. It was a black jumpsuit with a red collar. It had a red stripe running across the waist with an inverted triangle at its center. Each shoulder had a red covering from which the arms emerged. The arms and legs both had a red strip running down the side. A pair of red gloves finished off the outfit. Shanita quickly removed her prison garb and put on the uniform. After pulling on the boots and gloves she was ready to go. She opened the door to find Kaz waiting for her. "How do I look?" she asked. "Like exofleet material. Shall we go?" Shanita nodded her head and they made their way to an awaiting transport. On to Part 2