The following episode of ExoSquad: The Normandy Adventures is intended to take place at the same time as "Betrayal" in the original ExoSquad series. Episode 1: Day of the Dull Knives Jason Morris once again found himself amazed by what passed for excitement on the bridge. He couldn't fathom a triple burst of radiowaves being worthy of close examination by the ship's Executive Officer, yet Commander Xanathos stood over him, gazing at the communications screen. Jason supposed that bridge officers would permit anything to distract them from the tedium of everyday duties. But nothing on the bridge could match the adventure of piloting an e-frame, so the Midshipman was stuck with his boredom. "Can you locate the source of the transmission?" asks Xanathos. Morris, engrossed in his lament that Captain Henry required all officers to partake of bridge duty, took a moment to get his train of thought back on track and respond, "I'll have to access the sensor logs." After a few movements of his hands across the panel he looks up and adds, "Somebody's running a sensor diagnostic." Xanathos straightens to his full height as he turns to look across the bridge. "Asteroth, when will the sensor diagnostic be completed?" The Science Officer, whose medically altered eye and hair color caused Jason to think his face resembled a Christmas tree, ceases his hurried movements to reply deliberately, "It'll be over in a few minutes." Xanathos turns back to the Midshipman and suggests, "Why don't you see if you can find a less conventional way to locate the transmission source?" At that he walks away, leaving Jason to ponder the degree to which the ship's First Officer had started acting like its Captain. In no hurry to begin a task that would be solved by five minutes of waiting, Jason Morris allows himself to be distracted by a few new arrivals to the bridge. It was unusual to see any enlisteds there apart from the bridge crew specialists, and when he saw that each of them carried blasters the Midshipman couldn't help being curious. As Xanathos walks over to question their presence, Corporal Polnacek smoothly renders the bridge security guard unconscious. Jason quickly shouts into his microphone, "Bridge to Captain! Five armed..." when a hard blow lands at the back of his skull. His message shatters the silence of Captain Henry's quarters. The alarm in Midshipman Morris' voice was evident, despite the few words he managed before his transmission was silenced. Captain Henry quickly closes his book and sets it to the side as he taps the console on his desk to access communications. When the bridge fails to respond, he next contacts the Security Office. He is greeted by the California boy appearance of his Security Chief, who answers, "Lieutenant Konig here." "We may have a crisis, Mr. Konig. I have reason to believe that at least five armed individuals have taken control of the bridge, probably with assistance from someone among the bridge crew. Post General Quarters Two. Decide which of your troopers you are certain you can trust, and send four to secure the armory. Assemble any others in Engineering; I'll meet you there. This is not a drill." "People I can trust, Captain?" "I believe this may be an internal situation; if so we'll need to use discretion in enlisting people while attempting to reverse it." "Understood Sir, I'm on it." In short order Adrian Henry contacts his exosquad and company commanders with similar instructions, and once done stands from his desk and clips his orange tunic into place. He pauses for a moment, and slides open one of the desk drawers. He looks at the blaster within before lifting it out and attaching it to his belt. As he waits for a pair of troopers from Sierra-Three Company to escort him to engineering, an unsettling announcement reverberates through the ship. "Dr. Rhodes report to the bridge!" Henry activates his communications system once again, hoping that Dr. Rhodes would be in medlab. The force that had taken control of the bridge had restricted communications, but the Captain's quarters was the hub of an independent system. Although it allowed him to contact vital areas of the ship directly, Henry couldn't locate specific individuals at will. "Dr. Rhodes?" From offscreen she calls out, "I'm on my way, Sir!" "Negative. I need to talk with you now." The green-eyed Chief Medical Officer appears on his screen, "Then I'm not needed on the bridge?" Adrian Henry had played out every possible external conflict scenario hundreds of times, but he never thought he would be confronted with a mutiny. Now he'd need to think on his feet, the type of situation he had always taught his officers to avoid because of the mistakes that result from ill-considered actions. His mind raced through the choices. Apparently one or more persons on the bridge were injured either moderately or seriously, but whether such persons were among the hostile party or the bridge crew was unknown. He wondered if the distinction truly mattered if the hostiles were from his own crew as he suspected. What he did know was that they wanted a doctor. Dr. Rhodes gave him a quizzical look, as she expected to have her answer already. In the past year she'd been in a few life-threatening situations, and each had made her a bit tougher. Tough enough, Henry thought, that he could let her know what she was going to face. "A hostile party has taken the bridge by force, and it seems someone up there needs a doctor. Go help any wounded, and in ten minutes request that a medtech join you; say you need assistance, a piece of equipment, I don't care. We need somebody on the inside, and they just volunteered you." "But Captain..." "I have the utmost confidence in you Lieutenant. The jumptroopers I've been waiting for have just arrived, so I've got to get to work. And you shouldn't keep the bridge waiting." He shuts down his terminal before she could answer, and for a few moments she stares at the blank screen in front of her. She wasn't sure which was worse, the situation on the bridge or her Captain's "utmost confidence" in her ability to help solve it. She yearned for the easy boredom of the past few weeks. Just a few routine medical examinations each day, without having their lives on the line. Her dad always told her that being in the ExoFleet was an adventure. And as she picked up her medical kit she thought about how much she hated that he was always right. *** On the flight deck, while Sergeant McLean, ExoTrooper Montgomery, and ExoTrooper Vouriot prepare Gamma Squad's e-frames, Lieutenants Tedronai and O'Connor work busily at control terminals. In her familiar Irish accent, O'Connor notes, "It looks like Commander Hagan managed to cut off the bridge's access to the ship's network." "Good. It shall be much easier to take control of the hangar door." "Sure was," says O'Connor, finishing. But before they walk to their e-frames Tedronai whispers, "Would you hazard a guess regarding the current situation?" "I don't know. We've had plenty to think about right 'ere, having to secure local control of the hangar and prepping our frames for combat." Elan could tell by her expression that it wasn't a matter of her not thinking about it, but rather that she was trying to not do so. "This morning's intelligence bulletin gave no indication of offensive activity by either Neos or Pirates. As the bridge was seized without warning, and without further action, the logical conclusion is that it was done by members of the crew." "I'm nae one to put my faith in military intelligence," says O'Connor as she looks up at the much taller Elan. "But consider what it means... we could be going out there to fight our fellow ExoTroopers." O'Connor hangs her head as she muses, "And we don't even know why." "Very true. On a grander scale, we could be in the wrong." O'Connor focuses her piercing gray eyes on Elan as she replies, "There may not even be a right or wrong when looking at the big picture. And we cannae let down the rest of the squad." "I know," sighed Elan, looking up to avert her gaze. Then, staring back at her, "But could you fire on an ExoFleet ship?" After a few moments of silence, Elan confides, "I don't believe that I can, but nor do I enjoy the prospect of our deaths as a consequence. We may soon find ourselves facing such a dilemma. And like the Captain says, if you haven't already decided what to do when in a given situation then you die thinking about it." The pair is suddenly startled by Kat's shout from across the flight deck, "All e-frames checked and prepped, you kids comin'?!" As Elan signals in response, Kristin asks him, "Well have ye made a decision, then?" "If such a situation should arise, I shall not permit lethal force. But Lieutenant O'Muirdagh is not a patient man when it comes to physical threat. If he should join us, I'll not be able to countermand any of his orders without your support. Even then it may fail." "Go frame up, I'll make sure ye don't have to counter anything," Kristin tells him. Then she announces to the squad as they prepare to launch, "I'll double check Lieutenant O'Muirdagh's frame so he can join us straight away." *** Having gathered at and then secured the Engineering section of the Normandy, Adrian Henry speaks to Security Chief Rick Konig, Hellcat Squad leader Keith Adams, Gamma Squad leader Ratislav O'Muirdagh, Sierra-Three Company commander Tom Jose, and Baker-Two Company commander Chris Carlson. "Our primary concerns are guarding engineering and the armory, as well as preventing further incursions through the hangars or docking bays. If after securing those to your satisfaction sufficient men remain, take care of primary network hubs or strategic passageways. "Mr. Konig is Security Chief on this ship, so he is in charge of this situation." Looking at his chief Henry continues, "I expect, however, that you will heed the advice of the jumptroop commanders. They are far more experienced in combat than yourself, and I've had the jumptroops conducting ship boarding exercises. While that was in anticipation of their use in a fleet engagement, it's perfectly applicable here and so they know what they're doing." Turning to the company commanders Henry tells them, "Remind your men that they are on a ship where, unlike an ice moon, a single errant shot could get everyone killed. Try to keep any disagreements you may have with the Chief away from the troops." "We're not going to try and retake the bridge?" asks Carlson. "Recovering it is probably the quickest way to end this thing." Henry replies, "I'll be going to the bridge and I want two trustworthy men to accompany me. Lieutenant O'Muirdagh, I believe you have a trooper in your squad by the name of Alain Vouriot. It's my understanding that he has both medical and sharpshooting skills." "Indeed he does, Sir. And I doubt he's involved with any mutineers...he's a bit of a loner." "Join your squad, and tell ExoTrooper Vouriot to go to 5-C. I'll expect him there in fifteen minutes." As O'Muirdagh leaves to do as ordered, Adrian Henry says to his Security Chief, "I want you to choose a trooper who you wouldn't mind too much if he got shot." Taken aback by the statement, Konig responds, "Could you give me a moment to think about that, Sir?" "That many candidates for the job, Mr. Konig?" his captain asks humorlessly. "I'm sure your men would be happy to know you think so highly of them." One of the sentries at the entrance to the engineering section then cries out, "Cookie's here! He wants to see the Captain!" "Let him through!" Henry says loudly. Then to his Security Chief, while giving him a pat on the shoulder, "You might not need to worry about picking someone after all." The ship's Captain and Head Chef approach each other, the latter saying, "I get the impression that there's some trouble on board." "Very insightful. I don't suppose you ever saw any groups of people in the mess hall planning to cause such trouble." In a voice that betrayed none of the hope Cookie felt, but much of the derisiveness, "No, but I figured you could use some help." "That we can. I need you to deliver two dozen K-rations." "Forget I asked," growls Cookie, as he turns to storm away. Without raising his voice, Henry quickly orders, "Stand fast." The chef completes his stride before stopping, and soon Captain Henry is in front of him. Under his breath he tells Cookie, "If you want to go back to your kitchen and pout, fine. If you want to think your missing leg causes me to not respect you, that's fine too. You can go be a good little cook who protects his kitchen so that maybe our adversaries will starve in a few days." Henry could see Cookie was ready to punch his face in, and was probably prevented only by the current situation, since assaulting the captain while the ship was under attack (from within or without; be it mutiny, boarding, or battle) was punishable by death. So he decided to get to the point, "Or...you can help me retake the bridge." Cookie's anger faded into anticipation and confusion as his Captain explained, "I need a reason to get people on the bridge who can and will help me take it back. Whoever's in control up there won't let me in with armed guards, and even if they did it would result in the bridge getting shot up. But they'd let in a chef who brought food. And since you can fight with bare hands or a blaster, you're the kind of guy I need." Cookie's excitement was evident, and Captain Henry raised his voice to say, "Cookie, go get some K-rations!" Even getting an order like that wasn't going to ruin Cookie's day, so the simple reply "Yes, Sir!" came before he quickly left. "Meet up with us at 5-C in ten minutes!" Henry calls after him, and the man with a prosthetic leg was moving so fast that when the same reply was heard once more Adrian Henry thought he could notice the Doppler shift. As Henry turns back toward his Security Chief and Company Commanders, an announcement booms through the ship. "Captain Henry to the bridge!" Concerned, Konig asks Henry, "You're not going up there now that they've requested it, are you?" "Well I'd hate to disappoint them," Captain Henry says with a smile. Then, to Lieutenant Adams, "Gamma squad should have launched by now, so your squad can leave the docking bays and prepare for launch themselves. You may as well join them." Adams salutes as he leaves, and as Henry departs he tells the three who remain, "Remember to keep the ship in one piece." "Have any of you ever seen him smile this much?" Jose wonders aloud. Konig adds, "I wouldn't think a captain could enjoy a mutiny." Carlson remarks, "I wouldn't've thought any of you ExoFleet boys had the guts to try a mutiny." *** By the time of the gathering in 5-C, the request for a medtech to report to the bridge had been made. As the three approach the bridge, Adrian Henry reveals his plan. "ExoTrooper Vouriot, you're there as a medtech so play your role while positioning yourself to grab a blaster and fire a few clean shots. Wait for me to initiate the open conflict. Since they called me to the bridge, I expect an explanation of their actions. Cookie, the third time I say that I agree with them, I want you to provide me with a distraction. Make a sudden movement toward the one closest to me." "Sounds like a great way to get shot," comments the chef. Henry replies without worry, "Who's going to shoot one of the few people capable of providing gourmet meals while in exile at Io?" The door to the bridge slides open as he asks the question, revealing the hostile party. There are seven troopers standing along the perimeter of the bridge at six equally spaced intervals, the two apparent ringleaders standing together at the front. "Asteroth..." says Cookie under his breath. Asteroth indeed. Henry had always thought his Science Officer was a few deuterons short of a fusion pack, and his sanity was further strained when the Neos he hated conquered the Homeworlds. But regardless, or perhaps because of, what before the war was considered an irrational hatred of Neos, Alex Rothland had just proven himself competant enough to seize control of the bridge of an ExoFrigate. Asteroth orders the mutineer nearest the door, "Search them for weapons." Then motioning to Cookie, he asks, "Why did you bring him along?" As Henry removes the blaster from his belt and tosses it to the deck he answers, "You don't have to eat anything. Now, what are you trying to accomplish here?" Vouriot goes to Dr. Rhodes and Cookie begins handing out rations as Asteroth answers Henry's question by reading from a prepared statement. "Captain Matthew Marcus is assuming command of this fleet with the intention of leading it into battle against the Neo sapien forces currently in possession of the Homeworlds. He never wished to resort to such means, but felt compelled by Admiral Winfield's failure to take action and has therefore relieved him of duty. We are the only hope for our families, our world, and the future, and it is time that we came to their rescue. For this purpose, defending the lives of the people of the Homeworlds, which is the reason for our existence as a military force and the cause for each of us dedicating his life to the ExoFleet, Captain Marcus asks that each of you do your duty in the coming battle. For it will be by our concerted effort and unified strength of will that we shall emerge victorious over the tyrannical forces in control of our Homeworlds." Then, addressing Henry in his own words, "There was some concern regarding your willingness to follow such orders, so we have seized control of this ship to ensure that you do. You're still in command of the Normandy, but only so long as you're willing to follow the orders of the new fleet command. It's time for us to go home and take care of those sapes, and we don't intend to let the Normandy stay behind." Captain Henry looked at the faces of his bridge crew, and on those faces he could see the emotions that Captain Marcus was trying to tap. Anger at the Neo sapiens for their treachery, their brutal subjugation of the Homeworlds, and the slaughter of uncounted Terrans in the course of establishing and maintaining their new empire. Frustration at being the only hope for their families and friends, and yet having spent almost two years without coming to their aid. Confidence in their superior training and skills, which would allow them to emerge triumphant in a fight. Adrian Henry could see all these emotions and more coalescing in the minds of his crewmen, creating a single-mindedness that would seek the battle Marcus wanted. But would it find victory? Emotion can start wars, but it cannot win them without sufficient firepower. Adrian Henry wanted to fight as much as almost any of his crewmen, but he had learned long ago that, to a Captain, emotions were something to harnessed rather than experienced. And in this case, if he was to regain control of his ship and help restore command of the fleet to Admiral Winfield, he would have to shut those emotions off. Henry stepped forward and began his response, deadpanning, "A pretty speech. But Captain Marcus has always been better at speeches than strategy." He then begins to walk about the bridge, circling in a counterclockwise direction, and as he speaks makes eye contact with each member of the bridge crew. Captain Henry was never one to talk in a voice that required others to ask him to speak up. But his next words boomed as though he wanted the entire ship to hear him. "I agree with Captain Marcus, we are the last hope for the Homeworlds. All the more reason to approach any engagement with caution as part of a carefully planned strategy, instead of waking up one morning and deciding to follow some upstart with a half-baked scheme to head for Earth until we run into some enemy ships to shoot at!" Having interrupted his stroll about the bridge to add emphasis to the end of his previous statement, Henry once again begins to walk about the bridge. Upon coming to the two mutinying officers standing together, Yandell takes two steps back and Asteroth takes two steps forward, to allow Captain Henry to pass while keeping one blaster aimed at him and another on the bridge crew. Henry has since continued, saying, "I agree with Captain Marcus, the longer we wait to act the worse our chances get. We sit here repairing and refitting our ships, while the Neos build new ships using military grade plasteel that they didn't have access to before the war. And the recent destruction of their Venus fleet has provided a window of weakness from which they have yet to completely recover... but nor has our fleet recovered from prior engagements that Captain Marcus led us into. Remember also that the Venus fleet was destroyed not by the action of our fleet, but through Admiral Winfield's policy of sabotage and subterfuge." Adrian Henry has since circled the bridge, and begins to approach the leaders of the Marcus sympathizers once more. They move forward and back as before while Henry announces, "And on the issue of ensuring loyalty to those commanding this fleet, I agree with Captain Marcus..." Captain Henry pauses between the two ringleaders as he says these words, and Cookie, now standing nearby and in front of him, takes a quick step toward Henry. Both ringleaders quickly shift their blasters to take aim at this hostile movement. It provides all the opening Henry needs, as he takes a quick step to his right, jamming his arm from shoulder to elbow into the exposed torso of Yandell and slamming him into the bulkhead. Yandell's blaster clatters to the deck, as Asteroth begins to turn to take aim at Henry. But he is unable to make the hundred and eighty degree turn before Henry tucks his right hand under Yandell's right shoulder, grabs his elbow with his left hand, and flips him into Asteroth. Alain grabs the blaster Henry had tossed to the deck earlier, and fires a shot that hits Polnacek in the wrist as he tries to take aim. Cookie dives to Yandell's dropped blaster, and shoots Soquera in the shoulder as he prepares to fire a shot at his Captain's back. Henry grabs Asteroth's blaster and returns the favor, hitting Ulana in the gut as he aims for Cookie. Vouriot has since turned to fire a shot that causes Thompson to lose his blaster, and as this occurs most of the bridge crew assists the counterrevolt by restraining disarmed but still conscious mutineers. Satisfied that the situation is now under control, Captain Adrian Henry straightens his orange tunic and finishes the final thought in his speech, "...but -nobody- mutinies on my ship." "Return to your stations, everyone!" barks Commander Xanathos. Addressing the once again armed security guards he orders, "Take those seven to the brig and keep them under constant guard. Put Rothland in the solitary cell and separate the rest as much as possible. They are to be allowed no visitors." Dr. Rhodes' voice reveals her concern and surprise, "But some of these men need medical attention!" "Very well." Xanathos turns back to the security guards and instructs, "Dr. Rhodes is permitted to visit those in need of medical care. The patient is to be the only one besides herself in the cell." Taken aback by what she perceives as the First Officer's callousness, Dr. Rhodes responds, "Their injuries require that they be sent to medlab." Xanatos' annoyance begins to show when Captain Henry interrupts, "Their actions require that they be sent to the brig; you will treat them there. Commander," Xanatos turns to face his Captain while Dr. Rhodes, realizing that the conversation of which she was a part is now over, departs, "do you know anything more about the current situation, aside from the speech I heard from Mr. Rothland?" "No, Sir, they didn't have much else to say. Except for calling a few people here, there was no contact with anyone off the bridge. And nothing special was involved in capturing the bridge, they simply took us by surprise." Henry seems to let out a little sigh before saying, "All right, I want status reports from all departments in five minutes. Stay alert for any other hostile action, internal or external. I'll be trying to contact a few other ships in the fleet." "Of course, Sir." Henry began to turn away, but stopps to face his XO when Xanathos continues, "And Captain... I'm sorry." Henry dismisses the apology, "Not necessary. If you can't trust your crew, then you can't run a ship effectively. There are times unrest should be expected, but in this case the trouble began elsewhere." Commander Xanathos snaps to attention to indicate his thanks before moving swiftly to carry out his orders. Captain Henry makes his way to the communications console, announcing his intention to the officer on station, "Midshipman." "Yes, Sir?" "Good job taking out that trooper before he could get a shot off." The young officer pauses before replying, "Thank you, Sir." "Aside from calling Doctor Rhodes, a medtech, and myself to the bridge, were there any other communications?" "No, Sir. If they reported their success to anyone it wasn't across my board." "Has Hellcat Squadron launched yet?" After a quick check Morris answers, "Yes Sir." "As long as it's quiet out there, tell Gamma Squad they've been relieved but remind them that we're still on alert. Let Engineering know that the Captain's on the bridge and all's right with the ship. And then I want you to get me a secure channel to the ExoCruiser Wellington." *** Back at the hangar, the five members of Gamma Squad who took part in the uneventful patrol exit their e-frames. Ratislav O'Muirdagh announces, "We're still on alert, but since this may be a prolonged situation everybody ought to get some rest now. Sergeant McLean and ExoTrooper Montgomery, since your quarters are on the next deck you may as well go there now." Upon completing the thought, the silence that follows lasts nearly long enough to be awkward before the troopers Ratislav addressed leave. He then shifts his attention, "And the two of you are going to spend the next few months doing cartwheels to stay on my good side. You'll start by fixing the communications glitch you set up." After being in the same squad for over a year, the young officers had learned that Ratislav's reputation for having a good side and a soon-to-be-found-dead side was an exaggeration. Not so much of an exaggeration, though, that responding evasively was permissible. So upon recovering from the initial shock of being discovered, Kristin replies, "How did ye notice it? It was supposed to stay hidden until activated." "That's hardly the point. What matters is that you can't disobey or countermand orders just because you can't think of some flawless reason to follow them." Elan asks, "But if you knew our intentions, why did you not confront us right then or return here to fix your frame?" "Because being on patrol was a deterrent action, not a defensive one. Having five unarmed e-frames would have been better than five that were armed, but whose pilots were engaged in debates about the mission." "I'll fix it so Elan can't override your comm system anymore," says Kristin before starting to walk to her commander's frame. Then Ratislav tells her with a smile, "That's hardly any punishment, you'll have it fixed in five minutes. No, you're going to watch Elan try to fix it. I'll even let you give him hints, and if he's still trying after five hours you can take over." And with that he leaves, chuckling to himself as he imagines the not too mechanically inclined Elan frustrating the squad's engineer for a few hours. *** Next - Episode 2: Suspicious Illium - as Captain Marcus reveals his attack plan and gets the fleet underway, troopers from the Normandy go aboard the Resolute in an attempt to set Admiral Winfield free and end Marcus' Mutiny. Then - Episode 3: On Dying Ground - the ExoFleet arrives in the inner solar system to confront the Neo sapien fleet, but when the Marcus Mutiny results in disaster the crew of the Normandy must use all their skills to survive.