Amy and Hobbes stood before the small group that was to be their rescue team.
Karen stood in the back of the room by the door. Crow Mengele sat to their
immediate left, looking solemn. Next to him sat Unholy, who was still going
over the last minute adjustments he needed to make to the e-frame they were
taking. The other three people they'd found were e-frame pilots. Two of them
from Hellcat Squadron and one from Baker. Brittany Conrad of Hellcat and
Robert Swenson of Baker had immediately agreed to go after hearing the
situation. Brit sat next to Unholy, watching him work and Robert was watching
her. Also accompanying them would be Alan Ross, the technician from Hellcat.
He had taken a bit more persuading. He was seated next to Amy, listening
intently to their plan of attack, although he didn't look too happy about it.

"Ross can hotwire the hangar bay doors," Hobbes was explaining, "but from
there the clock's ticking. The pirates will know you're aboard the minute
they unlock, so you'll have to be prepared for anything."

A few pairs of eyebrows shot up at this statement, but no one said a word. It
was apparent, however, that none of them particularly liked the idea of the
pirates knowing not only that they were there, but where on the ship they
were. Hobbes continued, "We can only assume, since Kristin wasn't able to
tell us anything, that they're being held in the brig. Being of a newer
design, the Talis' brig is located here," he indicated it on the schematic
they'd dug up, "six decks below where you'll enter. If you follow the main
corridor, it should be about a hundred meters to the left of the mag lev on
your right."

"What if they're not there?" Ross asked succinctly.

"Then we'll have to find them," Crow said in a derogatory tone that plainly
stated Ross had annoyed him.

"With all due respect, Commander," Ross spoke up, "we have no idea what we're
walking into; and you want us to go on a hunch. And, if that hunch is wrong,
you want us to tramp around a ship full of pirates to find a group of people
who, for all we know, could be dead already. We'll more that likely be
captured or killed ourselves before we can even find them!"

"Lieutenant, I can understand your concern; and we can't force you to go. But
I can tell you that we don't have a snowman's chance in Hell of pulling this
off without you. So, if you'd like to back out, would you please come out and
say it so we can all stop wasting our time?"

Everyone at the table stared at Amy, none of them used to seeing her angry.

"I..." he looked around the table at each person in turn, all of them looking
back at him. "I'll go," he mumbled quietly.

"Okay, then would you please let Commander Hobbes finish."

Ross nodded, looking like a whipped puppy.



Kristin stared at J'Khal from across the small table. His vivid green eyes
had finally moved from her to the food on his plate, so she took advantage
and studied her captor. He certainly looked like a pirate, his dark brown
hair falling below his shoulders, even tied back the way it was. His neatly
trimmed beard made him look older than he was, especially if he'd went to the
academy with Nicole. And the way that he looked at her made her feel like
bait on a hook.

"You still don't trust me, do you?"

She'd been so busy thinking that she hadn't realized he'd returned to
watching her, "Hm...oh, yes, of course I do," Kristin lied. She didn't think
she could bring herself to trust him, no matter who he claimed to be.

"I don't blame you after what you've been through."

She refused to answer him, staring at her plate. Theywere going to discuss
the plan of escape, but neither of them had said a word until J'Khal had
voiced his question.

"I honestly don't know what to make of ye," Kristin finally said.

"Fair enough," J'Khal conceded, setting down his fork and folding his hands
in front of him.

"I'd like to think that yer who ye say ye are. But it's just that..."

"It's just what?"

"I'm not sure...something just doesn't seem right."

J'Khal stood silently and walked to the small dresser nearby. He opened a
drawer and dug through it's contents for a few moments before pulling
something from it and returning to the table, tossing the object down in
front of Kristin.

She turned the Exo Fleet uniform over in her hands, running her fingers over
the Lieutenant's bars that matched her own and reading the name on it aloud,
"J'Khal..."

She looked up, her gray eyes meeting his green ones, "Ye were tellin' the
truth..."

He nodded, "And without the vital information I provide him, the Admiral
wouldn't be planning an attack on the pirates."

"I'm sorry I didna believe ye."

"Don't mention it," he said with a wave of his hand. "Now we have to work on
a way to get you out of here."

Kristin nodded as he sat back down and began explaining his idea.



Crow approached the three officers, all of them looking solemn, "We're ready
whenever you are," he informed them."

Hobbes exchanged a glance with Hiatt and Rhodes before he spoke, "I think the
sooner you leave the better. We don't know what the pirates plan to do with
them, so we don't know how long they have."

Mengele nodded, "We'll launch immediately."

"Good luck," Hobbes told him, giving a small salute.

Crow returned the gesture, "I'm hoping we don't need it, but thank you, Sir."

"Be careful," Amy added.

"Always," Crow smiled at her and turned to go.



Kristin was trying to sleep, but her mind wouldn't stop working overtime.
She'd gone over everything that had happened, everything that J'Khal had said
or done since they'd gotten there, and something just didn't fit...but what?

He hadn't known they were coming, since he'd thought them a rescue crew; but
that could just mean that he kept a low profile and didn't contact the
Admiral unless necessary.

On the other hand, he'd been more than willing to let her send Vouriot to
treat Nikki and Elan's wounds. It certainly hadn't taken much persuading, at
least.

If he knew Montgomery, he had to be telling at least a partial truth. But
with Nicole locked up in the brig, there was no way to know if she'd ever
even seen him before. These, along with a billion or so other thoughts,
didn't exactly make it easy for her to sleep. She sighed, rolling over and
wishing her train of thought would derail itself so she could rest. Instead,
it just changed tracks and she began going over the plan of escape J'Khal had
outlined earlier.