Shadows and Stardust: A Tale of Ambition & Quest for Recognition

It ain't over till it's over - Yogi Berra

Operation Menu: Phase Dinner (D+23.45 hours)

A black-painted, cylinder-shaped device with a single door and a number pad hissed, as steam released from the edges of the cables. Lights above the door turned green, opening with a whistle of warm air. Dr. Nemo tumbled out onto the black tile floor, gasping for air. He expelled green fluid from his mouth and nose. Coughing and struggling to breathe, he felt the soreness throughout his shoulder, a painful reminder of where the White Witch of the Tower had stabbed him.

Despite invoking various medical protocols, the wound stubbornly resisted healing attempts until the computer took drastic measures, removing the affected flesh and surrounding area entirely. While healed the persistent pain proved to be a growing annoyance. He needed to alleviate the pain only by administering the right dosage of medication.

In the dimly lit room, a single red emergency light provided little ambience as he clutched his shoulder tightly.

"Why didn’t the Medigel heal that?" he muttered, tapping his finger where the wound had been. "What did she hit me with?"

Struggling to his feet, Dr. Nemo was hit with a wave of faintness as the room spun around. He attributed the dizziness that accompanied standing up too quickly while he waited for it to pass. The doctor dragged himself to the medical cabinet, pushing open the door, causing supplies to spill onto the floor.

Fumbling around, he seized a sealed package labeled ‘Pain Management’ and tore it open with his teeth. Pausing to rub his forehead, his vision blurred, as he fought to remain standing.

"Why...am...I still dizzy?" he asked, his voice heavy and labored.

Grabbing the pulse oximeter, he stuck it on his finger.

The red display light read: Pulse - 87 / O2 – 85.7%.

Dr. Nemo collapsed to the ground, the oxygen levels plummeting rapidly. His body turned pale blue, and he vanished from the room.

***

Operation Menu: Phase Dinner (D+23.6 hours)

Captain Neusilber said as he followed close to Estelle, "For what it’s worth, you have my respect for confronting Jones, saving your soldier, and not pressing on with the mission. It was a commendable effort. "

"The celestial bodies conspired against you," Bee said with apparent elation.

Estelle couldn’t see Bee's expression but feel her joy through the bracelet. She sped up and advanced a few paces ahead of Captain Neusilber. Estelle kicked a rock away, then adjusted the internal time display and placed it in her lower right field of vision.

Glancing at the time—23:36:27—her skin felt like it was crawling, but Estelle maintained a composed demeanor.

"Best-case scenario, even at maximum velocity, you might reach the fort in 10 minutes," Neusilber said.

Upon arriving at the plateau's edge, they gazed at the fortress in the distance. The walls were bathed in a florescent orange glow. Estelle checked the 50-meter drop below, then briefly back to the helicopter landing behind them. The dust stirred up in all directions around the landing zone.

Descending, Estelle jumped from one outcropping to another, Neusilber following the same path. Reaching the bottom, she advanced toward the field and paused at the tilled soil's edge. Estelle kicked a clump of dirt and waited.

"It's safe, no landmines," Neusilber said walking past Estelle and across the field. "The Blood Council wouldn't permit it."

Estelle mimicked his steps just in case he was lying. Progressing to the riverbank, they encountered a bridge in ruins. Estelle leapt across the debris in the river. After Neusilber jumped across found her sitting on a flat boulder, casting flat stones into the water.

Seating himself beside her, Neusilber and asked, "What led you to suspect that Dr. Nemo was a double-agent?"

Estelle nonchalantly shrugged.

"I didn't until you confirmed it just now. Initially, I suspected your intention was to keep me away from Fort Carré and hinder us from achieving the conditions needed for victory."

"While not my primary objective, eliminating Nemo and his project was my main concern," he confessed.

Estelle pulled her knees close, as her black dress swayed in the wind. She gazed at the starlit sky.

The time displayed: 23:41:17.

"I presume our paths won't cross again on the battlefield unless…Will the Azure allow another attempt at the fort?" he asked.

She shook her head no. Neusilber tossed a rock into the water, creating a loud splash. Estelle rested her head on her knees, prompting a smile from Neusilber.

"I must say, utilizing rats as carriers for the Mu-7 virus, was impressive," Neusilber said.

"Mu-8," Estelle corrected. "The virus was designed to first dull senses, then full organ failure and followed up with the rupture the target's hollow organs."

"That's vicious," Bee interjected.

The time read: 23:51:17.

"Once our biological detection systems noticed rats traversing the air ducts, we initiated the standard lockdown procedure to prevent Fort Carré from becoming a hot zone," Neusilber said.

Feeling a pull, Estelle perked up. She opened the menu and deactivated the automatic recall, earning a quizzical look from Neusilber.

"Initially, I presumed the victory conditions were akin to a chess game, which involved the elimination or capture of the base commander," Estelle explained, searching a hidden pocket in her dress.

She retrieved a black king chess piece and placed it on the stone surface beside her.

"If an instant win condition wasn't capturing the base commander, I suspected that eliminating 80 percent of the permanent staff would be sufficient to secure a victory," she continued.

"70 percent," Neusilber corrected. "I'm curious, how did you eliminate my people? If you don’t mind sharing."

Estelle touched the king piece, wiggling it as she revealed her strategy.

"Initially I hoped the reliance on Mu-8 would suffice. However, after an encounter during week two with your security teams, I realized the necessity of secondary measures – a plan B," she explained.

Then moved her finger away from the king.

"Your lockdown procedures, standard protocol with the military, worked in my favor. Under normal circumstances, a sealed fortress would have its filtration system extract excess CO² and pump in filtered air. That failed to occur because the fresh air vents remained closed due to T.C. disabling the safety features.”

"My people suffocated to death," Neusilber acknowledged, then toppled the black king.

"I had a second operative on the inside, along with his dog, with a re-breather system eliminating anyone they encountered," Estelle revealed.

Neusilber chuckled, foreseeing the potential displeasure of his superiors.

"The Blood Council will demand their pride and joy back, I doubt they will sit idly by and allow you to keep this piece of real estate,” Neusilber said.

"Convey this message: I'm open to discussing a ceasefire until the end of the season," Estelle declared, standing up.

Neusilber rose and bowed. "I doubt they’ll agree to the terms, but I'll relay the message. Till we meet again, Captain Thornewood?"

"Hopefully at the end of the season," she replied.

"Then it’s a date," Neusilber said, kneeling.

Estelle blushed as he punched his fist into the ground, fading into darkness.

A message flashed across Estelle's vision.

Heather:> Sorry for the slow update, I had to step outside. Comms don’t work inside the fort

Estelle:> TC's status?

Heather:> We got him in the infirmary now, he is recovering. Though you need to get to the fort there’s something you must see

Estelle:> On my way

Once satisfied the wrinkles of her dress were gone, Estelle ran at top speed towards the fortress.

***