Allison followed the Synthlin into the High Counciler’s office.  She saw two Synthlin on the ground she rushed over and looked up.


    “Why haven’t you called medical?”


    The Synthlin spoke quietly.


    “Shh.  They aren’t injured; Their encounter suit control system has been disrupted.  They are fine.”


    Allison frowned.


    “This doesn’t look fine.  They could tell us what happened.  Tell me again why we can’t call security and let the Primarch know?”


    The Synthlin woman sealed the door.


    “We’ve been dealing with some sensitive issues since the High Counciler was relieved of his post.”


    Allison nodded.


    “And…?”


    The Synthlin didn’t answer immediately.  Allison started looking around the office.  She spotted something under the drawers and pulled it out.  She looked around and scanned for anything that looked off.  She noticed it the bookcases behind the desk looked off somehow.  She started looking over the She started searching for a switch or button.  She found one.  She looked at the Synthlin.


    “Last chance before I press this button and find out anyway.”


    The Synthlin seemed very confused if her body language was anything to go on.


    “What button?”


    Allison frowned.


    “We’re doing that?”


    “I do not understand battlelord.”


    Allison sighed and pressed the button.  The bookcase split apart.  Allison was forced to catch a falling encounter suit.  She gently laid it down.  She got covered in white hydraulic fluid.  She knelt down and inspected the gutted encounter suit then looked up at her ‘partner’.


    “Are you going to tell me that this is just a suit malfunction?  Can we call security now?  Your representative is dead.”


    The Synthlin rushed forward and fell to her knees.  Her robotic hand slid around the outside of the hole.


    “He’s gone.”


    Allison nodded.


    “Yeah, I’d say he’s dead with all this white stuff pouring out.”


    The Synthlin shook her head.


    “No, the environmental support holding his core intelligence is gone.  They have torn his sensory tendrils and taken him.”


    Allison nodded.


    “So now we know that they have knowledge of Synthlin encounter suits.  Is there a high likelihood the representative survived this?”


    “Yes, battlelord.”


    Allison looked at the edge of the open cavity, ran her finger along the edge.  Without her contacts and holo-phone she found herself relying more on her natural enhanced senses.


    “Feels smooth.  What is all this fluid and what is your name by the way?”


    The Synthlin responded.


    “I am Myss’ta’fa’nita’so, non-Synthlin usually call me Myss.  It is hydraulic fluid.”


    “So, Myss, if they removed the core environmental support unit without damaging it, why is the suit leaking hydraulic fluid.”


    “They did not lock the system before removing it.”


    Allison nodded.


    “They were in a rush, but they didn’t want him to die.  Myss, are you sure we shouldn’t call in council security, or like some sort of special investigators from the Synthlin?  This is really bad.”


    Myss knelt down and she spoke quietly.


    “You need to understand how delicate this situation is, battlelord.  Our former High Counciler was supplying the Ratoan Rebels with weapons under the guise of humanitarian aid.  If this comes out it would be disastrous.”


    Allison shook her head, the Primarch already knew about the weapon shipments.  No way they don’t know the High Counciler was behind it.  She sighed.


    “You are not idiots; You know that the Primarch and her spies aren’t idiots.  So, you know that she knows, and she knows that you know.  If she was going to use this she would have already, so the real question is what aren’t you telling me?”


    Allison stood up and looked in the hidden alcove behind the bookcases.  A safe had been torn open.  There were databundles, there was a hard case, it likely held four tiny, pressurized canisters.  She saw something glinting under the safe.  She reached her hand under and pulled it out.  It was one of the canisters from the case.  The canister had the pink hazardous materials marker for nanites.  She showed the canister to Myss who stepped back as if it might explode.


    “What is in this?”


    Myss stared at the canister and didn’t answer.  Allison curled her fingers around the canister and closed her eyes.


    “Don’t worry I can figure it out.”


    Allison connected with the nanites with her own and started reading the code.  Her eyes went wide suddenly.  It was her code, the one she’d designed for Sal’nash bioweapon, only the target genetic code was different.  She was no geneticist, but she did know the former High Counciler was pushing an anti-human agenda.  Allison started tossing the canister up and down.


    “This is a nanotech bioweapon targeting a specific genetic code.  Would it happen to be… humans?”


    Myss was looking very nervous.


    “Be careful with that battlelord.”


    Allison caught it after the last toss.  It dawned on her that three canisters were missing.  Each could kill several humans.


    “Did you know about these canisters?  Three are missing that is more then enough to kill ten to fifteen humans depending on the size of the area it is deployed in.  They could already be on the way to the System’s Alliance Embassy!”


    “No of course not!  I would have said something sooner.”


    Allison narrowed her eyes.


    “But you knew about the bioweapon, didn’t you?  That’s why you can’t have anyone know about this.  If anyone finds out about this, you’re done.  The System’s Alliance will see it as an act of war.  The councils and the Primarch will hang the Synthlin out to dry to keep diplomatic relations with the System’s Alliance.  This is a surgical strike to our relations.  Raising tensions between us, weakening the league by making the Synthlin pariahs.  If this comes out no one will trust your nanotech.  Who is next after the humans?”


    Myss didn’t answer immediately.


    “Do you understand the gravity of this situation?  If a human dies to these…  The longer you take to give me the whole truth the less time I have to prevent this from going sideways.”


    The Synthlin sounded hesitant as she spoke.


    “Once we got into the High Counciler’s secure files we identified the shipment of weaponized nanites and the lab that created them.  We dealt with the lab.  We intercepted the shipment of nanites.  Then the aid workers showed up and the Representative agreed to see them.  Security was there.  He asked us to enable diplomatic mode.  It means we couldn’t hear anything and there are no recordings.  He was going to tell them we have to review the aid shipments.  Now we have received this on an encrypted channel.”


    She reached down and pressed the playback button on the Representative’s computer.  A recording displayed on the screen.  It was a masked man with green skin.  Allison recognized the skin tone.  He was from the Ratoan empire.


    “If you do not release our latest shipment of aid in three hours we will release this bio-weapon at the human embassy.”


    Allison frowned.


    “This isn’t much to go on, can’t see the background.  Why would they take the Representative?”


    Myss raised her hand slightly.


    “Taking him prevents us from destroying the nanites.  Provided he cooperates he could theoretically release them.”


    Allison nodded.


    “Check the status of those nanites.  They’re going to do a test run at our embassy regardless.  This just further lays the groundwork for Synthlin to have knowledge of an attack before it happens.”


    Myss typed a few lines into the console.


    “You’re correct.  The nanites have been released from holding.”


    Allison nodded.


    “We need to intercept that shipment.  You have one of two choices you stop it, or I will.  If I stop it the ship is going to be destroyed.  Synthlin crew and all.”


    Myss started typing away furiously, she spoke to someone and the answer was not what she was expecting.  She looked up at Allison.


    “I do not believe that was a Synthlin captain.”


    Allison moved behind the desk.


    “Myss, do you have secure comms?”


    “Yes, yes of course.”


    Allison linked up to the Phoenix then her ship’s hyperwave.  Yoggi appeared on the screen.


    “Oh my, you’re looking dashing in that uniform.”


    “Don’t have time for the flirting Yoggi.  I need a ship intercepted and destroyed.  Bounty is a million System’s Alliance black credits.  No boarding, it’s an unarmed transport.  I need it to be gone.  No evidence.  Sending route and registry now.”


    Yoggi rubbed his tentacles together.


    “Oh juicy.  I’ll post the bounty immediately sweetness.  This is going to cost you a drink next time you’re here.”


    Allison nodded.


    “Fine, drinks on me.  Just post the bounty.  Need confirmation of kill.  I have another situation to deal with.  Sorry to cut this short.”


    She ended the comm then raised the System’s Alliance Fleet near Ratoa via wormhole comm.  It was Admiral Chiang’s fleet.  He was the one she was routed to.


    “Shadow One, I thought you were on a leave of absence.”


    “I’m supposed to be, but I came across some intel during my internship in the League.  The rebels in your sector have started deploying transports disguised as humanitarian aid, but they’re not they are suicide ships.  I have verified one ship; I’m sending the registry and possible flight paths now.  I have some mercenaries trying to catch it before it reaches your sector but be on the lookout for it if it slips past them.  Admiral, you need to destroy it on sight.  No hails.  My intel is good.  The ship is meant for an attack on Ratoa the casualties would be… in the tens of millions.  I have verified the crew are Ratoan Rebels, sir.”


    He nodded.


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    “I will set up a blockade.”


    Allison nodded.


    “I will update you if the mercenaries get it first.  Shadow One out.”


    She woke Bit up via comm.


    “Bit, wake up, I need you.”


    “What do you need Allison?”


    Allison rubbed her face.


    “I need you to use the sensors on the Phoenix to try and find two needles in a planet sized haystack.  Two of the Ratoan Rebels, the green skinned variety are on the surface.  I need to know where they are.  They may have an injured Synthlin with them.  I’m pretty sure there are not a lot of them on the surface.”


    “I am beginning the scan, but would their planetary security not be more effective at finding them?”


    Allison tapped her fingers.


    “If I could notify them, yes, having all the security forces hunting for them would be amazing, but this is diplomatically sensitive.  As in if we don’t find them the Synthlin are and I do not use this word lightly, fucked.”


    Bit spoke.


    “I have found an injured Synthlin and two Ratoans they are approaching the System’s Alliance Embassy.”


    Allison let out a sigh of relief.


    “Site to site transport, now Bit.”


    Bit responded.


    “Allison, the transporter is not connected to the rest of the ship’s systems.  I am unable to utilize that system.  You have not properly trained me on its utilization.”


    “Wow, Bit that would have been useful to know a month ago.”


    Bit sounded somewhat sarcastic in her response.


    “Perhaps you should have thought of that when you took your leave of absence and had your crew reassigned.”


    Allison rubbed her forehead.


    “Bit, the sarcasm, told you so thing isn’t working.  I need ideas.  How do I get from the Council Building to the Embassy without having to go through security?  In the next hour preferably sooner.”


    Bit responded.


    “Accessing historical records, reviewing sensor data.  Perhaps you should use your security clearance to see what you can find and provide for cross reference.”


    Allison sighed and brought up a remote session to the Phoenix on the Representative’s console to see if she still had her top level security clearance to the LSR military systems.  She raised an eyebrow as it let her in.


    “My access to the System’s Alliance military network was gone in fifteen minutes, it’s been almost six weeks…  League is slow.  Alright here we go.  I really miss my holo-phone and contacts.”


    Between the two of them they found a couple of options.  One was a long abandoned embassy plaza that the existing diplomatic sector was built over via an ancient shelter.  The other was ancient sewers.


    “Shelter is faster.  I pulled the codes.  Bit now that you’ve got access can you make my council communicator look like it’s still at my current location?”


    “Why not just leave it behind Allison?”


    Allison sighed.


    “How will you update me on the location of the targets?”


    Bit sounded condescending as she answered.


    “You should know this already, but if I have active communication with your communication device it will be pinging an updated location constantly.  I will not be able to keep up with the location changes.”


    Allison sighed and yanked her communicator off her chest then slapped it down on the desk.  She tossed her ID card on the desk.


    “I know where they’re heading any way, if they deviate use the public broadcast system of whatever building nearest to me to play Dear Mr. Fantasy.  You can do that at least can’t you?”


    Bit sounded bemused.


    “Yes, I’m sure there is a reason for your choice.”


    “Yeah, because if this goes sideways, I’ll wish I was still trapped in my starfighter dead in space.”


    She looked up at Myss.


    “Let me out of the office with your access and you wait out there until I get back and let me in.”


    Allison pointed at Oozie.


    “You stay here.  I could use your help but there are ladders and I’m not carrying you up and down them.”


    Oozie sat down and pouted.  Myss nodded and followed Allison out.  Allison walked along the wall avoiding the cameras in the main atrium of the high council office complex.  It had stairwell access for emergencies.  She tapped in the ‘manual’ override code she’d pulled with her security clearance and ran down the stairs.  If there were any justice in the world the League Council Security team and Military would be like the System’s Alliance Internal Security and Military.  They rarely cooperated and when they did it was always a dick measuring contest.


    She was running out of steam by the time she reached the bottom.  There was a secure armored hatch.  She leaned on the wall while looking at it.  She wasn’t used to being totally alone on mission. She usually had someone in her ear and there was nothing.


    Once she caught her breath she got onto her knees and leaned down over the hatch.  She put in the code to open the door.  It hissed and popped up slightly.  She lifted it and was blasted with the smell of stagnant air.  She took a deep breath of the clean air of the council building before sliding down the old ladder.  She landed and started out on a full run down the corridor.


    Allison hoped the tunnel maps and shelter layout were still correct.  She also had to consider things could have collapsed in the intervening millennia.  If everything was just like it appeared it was a longer route but should have been a straight shot.  For her at peak condition it would have been guaranteed to be faster.  The sewers, especially without the map in front of her on an AR HUD, would have been a maze.


    Luck was with her, and it was a straight shot like the maps had shown.  The problem was by the time she reached the embassy row side she was completely exhausted. She ended up bent over holding her sides.  She had no idea how long the trip had taken her, but she knew time wasn’t on her side.  So as soon as she could breathe without gulping air down she began to climb the ladder.  The safety cage behind it had fallen off this one so she didn’t have anything to lean against if she needed a rest, so she just kept pulling herself up one rung after the next.  She input the code in the hatch at the top and with a lot of effort shoved it open.  She nearly collapsed after pulling herself up into the basement of the System’s Alliance Embassy.  She held her abdomen and lay there for several minutes.


    “Yeah, definitely going back to daily exercise.  This sucks.”


    The respite was not long enough, and she was still in no condition to take on two full grown adult rebel soldiers.  She hefted the hatch over and let it slam down.  Allison rushed through the machinery that would provide HVAC and power to the embassy.  She skidded to a halt when she saw a shadow move that wasn’t her.  She didn’t hear anything so she rushed forward and almost ran over a very handsome teenage boy that looked like he might be her age.


    He was black and had his hair done up in braids.  He was actually taller than her which was uncommon even with adult men.  He was also in fantastic shape.  He had an actual paperback book under his arm.  Allison’s first impulse was to adjust her hair.  She was also a bit freaked out about how awful she probably looked.  She was covered in Synthlin hydraulic fluid, and she was sweating from her mad dash over here.  Then she shook her head.  You’re trying to stop a terrorist attack Allison!  Get your head in the game!  He was just as shocked to see her as she was to see him.  She couldn’t let him hear any of what was about to happen.


    He was still flat-footed and was obviously not a trained combatant just by how he held himself, so she weaved past him and kicked his knees out then wrapped her arm around his neck.  Even as exhausted as she was, she was far too strong for a normal human to escape a solid hold from behind.  Her forearm and upper arm pinched his carotids, and he blacked out.  She knew it would only last seconds, so she laid him down and as soon as he started to wake up, she hit him with a hard punch to his head, she intended to knock him out cold. She patted his chest and whispered.


    “Sorry about the headache hot guy, wrong place, wrong time.”


    Allison checked the holo-phone on his wrist.  She swore under her breath.  The rebels would already be in the embassy.  She rolled him on his side under some air vents.  She heard voices up ahead.  She reached the rebels just in time to see them pulling physical cloaking drapes off of themselves. One spoke.


    “How long?”


    The other lifted a device from his waist.


    “Ten minutes.  Are you sure this will work with only three of them?  Maybe we should do it right in front of one of them.”


    Allison decided to take the Art of War to heart and try to avoid a fight at all.  She stepped out of the shadows.


    “Won’t matter, you’ll die either way.  Just how the Synthlin wanted it.”


    Both of them pointed their weapons at her which were tiny little things almost like the key fob she could use for her pickup.  They were actually small high-powered lasers.  The beam was tiny but still effective at killing people.


    “Go ahead shoot me.”


    They definitely recognized Allison based on the looks on their faces.


    “There is a bounty on me.  Pretty high too.  You wouldn’t live to claim it but by all means you might as well die happy.  What I’d know would die with me and well… your leadership definitely wants to know what I know.”


    One of them lifted his weapon.


    “We have the lasers here how you going to kill us huh?”


    Allison shrugged.


    “If I wanted to kill you, I’d just umm crush his windpipe, then ram his laser into your mouth and fire upwards into your brain a couple of times.  But I don’t need to, you have the bioweapon you’ll kill yourselves.”


    The bigger of the two looked like he might have fired but the other one pushed his arm down.


    “Wait, what if she does know something useful, she’s the battlelord, she probably has way more access to stuff than the amoeba.”


    The bigger one shook his head.


    “No, she’s way too dangerous.”


    The other one pointed at Allison.


    “She’s got no weapons!”


    Allison pulled the canister of nanites out of her pocket and made a buzzer sound.


    “Wrong.”


    They both stared at the canister, the shorter one laughed.


    “You’ll kill yourself.”


    Allison shook her head.


    “Nah, you see, I injected the counter-nanites.  You two have not.  You missed that box.  I bet you’re asking why does that matter?  We’re not human.  They won’t hurt us.  In which case you’d be wrong again.  See I am the one who programmed them…  so, it is true they will kill humans, they’ll also kill near humans, like say you, and all of the Ratoan Empire.  Just like that shipment you fought so hard to get released will do.”


    The shorter one’s hand wavered and he lowered it.


    “Why would you kill your own kind?”


    Allison laughed.


    “You don’t seem to understand humans very well we are a bit of a uh… contradiction.  Oh, we try to be good, but you see some of us, like say me, we do the bad stuff so the rest of the humans can think they’re ‘good’.  Say like instigating an anti-human sentiment among the more militant Synthlin.  Making sure they find some weaponized nanites that can target a specific species.  Getting them in touch with a group of bothersome rebels and orchestrating both side’s demise.  If I made it too easy, well there would be questions, now there won’t be any after all you had to breach council security, kidnap a high ranking Synthlin, you’ve bled for those nanites.  Let us not forget the pirate armada searching for that transport along with the entire System’s Alliance fleet.  Wow don’t those nanites look valuable!  Once you’ve done your job and died for the cause, blessed are the martyrs right?  Those nanites which are much slower acting than these ones and only affect near humans, oops I forgot to add a spoiler alert there, will spread throughout your Rebellion, to your worlds and wipe you vermin out.  The Synthlin will be blamed.  There will be sanctions for certain.  The League will be destabilized… And lastly the System’s Alliance and Ratoa will be the victims in all of it.  The problem is that my plan has run into a bit of a snag.  The two of you left one of the canisters behind.  Without all four I’m not sure you would kill anyone.  This is what you get for not depending on professionals.  Because for your people to believe they work as intended, you need to deploy these here…”


    The shorter one looked at her like she was insane, Allison who had been inching closer for her whole villain’s monologue inched even closer as he waved his hands around.


    “Are you crazy?  We’re not going to use them now!”


    Allison laughed.


    “Really, I thought you were more fanatic than that.  Are you sure?  We humans just orchestrated the genocide of your entire species and made you think it was your idea.  Why not take a few of us out with you?  I would.  Literally I made you help kill your entire species, including all of your loved ones on the orders of an intelligence officer up there in the embassy.  I’m offering you a bit of justice here, I’m being very generous, you should go for it.”


    The shorter one raised his laser.


    “We’re going to kill you and warn our people that’s what we’re going to do.”


    Allison was close enough that the vampiric speed she would need to use to reach her targets wouldn’t harm her.  She flickered for a millisecond and formed her knuckles into a wedge.  Her vicious vampiric strength powered blow collapsed his windpipe.  She pushed the hand holding his laser against his partner’s knee.  The laser took them both out.  The bigger one was blindsided.  He was falling when she grabbed his head, and his shoulders then wrenched them in opposite directions.  The attack was so vicious she nearly ripped his head off of his body.  She let out a long sigh of relief.  They had a duffle bag.  Inside she found the Synthlin Representative who seemed to still be alive.


    She put the Representative’s intelligence core aside and put her hands on her hips looking at the bodies.  She had a few choices.  One was dumping them below.  The other was calling this in now that she could conceal the Synthlin nanite.  The last option was having Bit call it in for her and advise the Embassy that a black ops asset had neutralized an attack.  She liked the last two because she didn’t feel like dragging the bodies to the hatch.


    Allison made her choice.  She collected the nanite canisters and the Synthlin Representative and unlocked the hatch again.  As she was about to pull the hatch closed the teenage boy rolled out and caught a glimpse of her.  She waved and let the hatch slam closed.  The journey back to the Council Building was much less exhausting because she took her time.  She dropped the bag at Myss’s feet once they were in the High Councilor’s office without a word then went to the comm unit.


    “Bit please let the System’s Alliance Embassy know that a black ops asset neutralized two Ratoan rebels who were planning an attack.  That the records should be sanitized to remove any reference to said asset.  I hope they can read between the lines.  I had to knock someone out.”


    Bit responded.


    “I will do so.  I assume your mission was successful.”


    Allison looked down at herself as she answered.


    “Yes.”


    Bit spoke.


    “You have received a text only message from Yoggi.  He says target confirmed destroyed and he has personally verified the kill.  He also provided an updated balance for the escrow account.”


    Allison released a long slow breath out.


    “Bit update Admiral Chiang and let him know the transport has been neutralized by the mercenaries.”


    She closed the channel and looked at Myss.  She lifted up the envelope from the Primarch and shook it.


    “Now you get your Representative back together and get an answer to this.  And when Blubb’ta asks about my performance you better tell her I’m the best damn Intern you’ve ever seen.”


    Allison watched as Myss reattached the Representative to his encounter suit.  He stood up.  Allison opened the envelope for him because he only had one arm left.  He read over the message and quirked his head to the side.  Then he threw it into a shredder.


    “My answer is, Blue.”


    Allison looked up at him with wide eyes.


    “That’s it?”


    He nodded.  Allison closed her fists and took a few deep breaths.  The Representative bowed his head low.


    “The Synthlin owe you a great debt, Battlel-”


    Allison held up her left hand as if telling him to stop.


    “Just stop.  It’s all good.  I need to go return the message.  Have a wonderful day.”


    She grabbed her communicator from the desk and slapped it on her chest.  She looked at Oozie and waved her hand towards the door.  The pair walked out without another word.  She went up to the Primarch’s office.  She was disheveled.  Her hair was a mess and falling out of its bun and she was covered in hydraulic fluid.  The door to the Primarch’s office was open.  The Primarch was at her desk reading over something.  She looked up at Allison.


    “Ah, you have returned, what was his response?”


    Allison tried not to glare at the Primarch and through clinched teeth she said.


    “Blue.”


    The Primrach smiled and nodded.


    “Ah, a fine choice.  I believe you are expected for the end of day classroom time.  Please on the way could you stop by facilities and inform them that the Synthlin prefer blue as the color of their council chair.  Have a wonderful evening, Allison.”


    Allison opened her mouth to say something.  The Primarch looked at her.


    “Is there something else?”


    Allison plastered a fake smile on her face and shook her head.


    “No, have a good evening, Ruby.”


    Allison wanted to slam the door as she left so badly but she didn’t.  She stopped by the facilities office and filled out the form they demanded of her as she wrote it out the woman who she was working with said.


    “You know the Primarch can have you file that sort of thing electronically from her office.  She would just send in the request and the Synthlin would be asked for specifics electronically.”


    Allison almost broke the pen because she pinched her fingers so hard.


    “The Primarch is old fashioned.”


    She offered the pen and the form to the woman.


    “All good?”


    The woman took the form and nodded.  Allison power walked to the Intern offices.  She was late, of course.  Everyone looked at her as she entered.  Blubb’ta’s frown was so intense Allison thought she might have actually felt it.  The Grylta woman adjusted her glasses.


    “You are expected here on time, snowflake.  Review the dress code section of the intern manual.  This is your first warning.  Just to be clear since you are not from the League.  Whatever that is, is not business appropriate.”


    Allison glared at the Grylta then took her seat.  She petted Oozie’s head.  The nargle sensed her friend’s frustration and was pressing against Allison.