The Back Door Project.

[Dr. Richard Batsbak]

Dr. Batsbak does not reach for the cigarettes offered, but instead slips his hand into a pocket of his coat. From it, he grabs his own cigar. Almost instantly, another robotic chimney-like tube descends from above, humming softly as it begins to draw away the smoke.

“I am more of a cigar smoker,” he says with a faint smile.

After a short pause, he pushes the pack of cigarettes back across the table toward the Don, along with a small holo-disc.

“Alright, Mr. Chenzo, I will help you with your project.

But this is under one very clear condition: that you keep your word.

What I have heard about the alien presence in the Omegas matches closely with what you just told me. I think you and I both understand the danger this could pose to all of us — especially if even the Nomads themselves are in conflict with these new beings.

So far, I have not personally encountered them myself, though I suspect it is only a matter of time. And when that time comes, I intend to be prepared.

Here is the disc containing the blueprints for the platform. It should assist you in the construction. I would provide you with the hardware as well, but moving such equipment out of Rheinland is… let us say, highly impractical.

Still, I believe you will manage. After all, if you already plan to build three ships incorporating technology the likes of which Sirius has never seen before, then constructing these platforms should prove no great challenge to you.

Now that we have settled this matter, I am curious, Mr. Chenzo…”

He leans forward slightly, his gaze sharpening.

“In your opinion, what truly happened in the depths of the Omegas?”

[Chenzo-]

As Bastsbak is speaking, Chenzo begins to smile. Over time he'd made deals with all manor of house militaries and corporations, but this was the first working relation with a foreign scientist.

"Senor, without my word I'd be nothing, I'd break it for nobody. Nobody in my society lasts too long by being dishonest. I can freely walk through any Maltese suburb or station without guards which is more than I can say for some others who choose a less honest approach.

Alas, I digress.

I do believe what we discovered was some form of Daam K'vosh artifact. I'm sure I can obtain another also, with the right escape ship.

There are a few different types of Nomads, senor. I could be entirely wrong but my understanding thus far is that there is the kind that I personally have known since my first flight. I call them Spirits. They named themselves The Keepers. Such beings never got too close thankfully, but would randomly show up when fighting Corsairs. On more than one occasion, tipping the scales for a Outcast Victory. Likewise, whilst in the deep Omicron's I have come across them under heavy Corsair fire and naturally assisted, favour for favour. The curious thing is that they never linger. As soon as they've arrived they're gone again. disappearing before your very eyes. This, for me is the least dangerous kind, although I still wouldn't recommend getting close. There are two variations of these Keepers. One is clearly much older than the majority of the masses you can openly find in the Omicrons.

The next kind I personally know next to nothing about. I've tried to chase them down multiple times but my interactions are few and far between. They are much faster to attack, anything with a pulse and seem far less organised. Others call them Vagrants, but I've yet to learn anything meaningful about them.

As far as I'm aware, these two groups of Nomads do not like one another, do not interact positively yet not once have I seem them be engaging one another in combat. I'm very sure they are biologically similar if not the same, but they are most certainly singing from different songbooks.

The next few are what appear to be human infectee's or sympathisers gone too far. They're unhinged, dangerous and really just want you dead. at first glance they appear as unreadable transponders on scanners, but after a little while it's clear that not much is left of the host and everything quickly descends into chaos when they run out of what seems to be pre-scripted conversation to fool those they interact with.

it's a mixture of these infected/enslaved and the second half of the first lot of Nomads I mentioned I saw fighting an entirely new kind of Nomad in the Omega's. I lost good pilots escaping from them. There was a difference though, they were different again and I can't quite put my foot on the exact difference, but they seem much faster and stronger than all of the other types I'd just mentioned.

He chuckles lightly as he collects his cigarette packet from the table and lights another

"It's a shame you don't partake in Cardamine senor, Cardi-Cigar's really are the best in the galaxy. Although, I do prefer only the small cigarette's; lets be honest none of it is actually good for you.

Anyway, these new-fangled nomads give me the creeps. It's why I'd like to dissect this Beacon of yours and make effective countermeasures as soon as possible. They say it takes between three and five of the very best Militaries or Corsairs to take down a single average Maltese pilot senor. I had a whole squadron with me and were matched one for one with these new Nomad whatever the hell they are. Only four of us got out alive after killing none of them"

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