Reminiscence

[McNab]

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Battleship Thebes wasn't exactly the best place for someone like Hannah to be stationed at. Her dream was to be back out in the field collecting data and fighting the Nomads where the adrenaline would rush throughout her body. It had been almost two years since she was last out in the field and she missed this rush. She missed the old times.

These days Hannah spends her time with the Primary Science Division where she runs around sorting out errands and small tasks for her superiors. This was a life she greatly detested. It was boring, hard work and no fun at all.

Her shift was finally over and she retreated to her dorm where she swiftly sat down. There was a table to the left of her bed and on that table was a photo. The photo was of several people from several yes ago. Commander Davis, Colonel Forlon d'Autoine, Agent Ragmon Kerner, Agent Rose Striker and Hannah each with a glass in their hand and their other hands over each others shoulders. Above them was a large sign that read "Order Task Force 141". This was Hannah's previous task force she worked with.

A tear is brought to her eye every time she looks at the photo. She held it tight, wondering what had happened to the people she cared out the most. A knock was heard at the door, Hannah approached cautiously with her photo in her left hand. She opened the door and a man stood there in smart uniform with a letter. The letter was quickly handed over to Hannah and the man left.

Hannah had no idea what to make of this letter so she headed over to her bed and sat down. Slowly, she opened the letter and unfolded it. It read:

Hannah McNabs Eyes Only

.
Agent Hannah McNab.

You are hereby ordered to Planet Akbat where you'll be met by representatives of the Nadir Reprisal Initiative. You will be briefed on arrival.

Pack your bags and make haste to the hanger bay. A vessel has been prepared for your departure.

Signed
.

Hannah had no idea who it was signed from as the letter had a slight mark on it. After a quick double check with her CO she made haste to the hanger bay where the vessel mentioned in the letter was waiting with two Order Armed Guards waiting ether side of the ramp. She curiously and cautiously proceeded into the vessel where she sat down and strapped herself in.

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[Nadir Reprisal Initiative]

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#403 Hannah McNab - The Sidereal Captor

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To wait on Akabat for too long almost certainly invited trouble of a nature too dire to combat. In the strictest sense, the Initiative had no cause to come to open hostilities with the Order. Spending prolonged time on Akabat, however, would provoke questioning, and it could lead to the loss of an agent. Agents being too valuable to lose, and the stakes were high: one potential outcome would lead to two individuals returning to Apotheosis, and the other would lead to none.

Arianne Durand was patient, and the stakes were clear in her mind as she patrolled around Akabat. The presence of a single Bastet wasn't liable to draw attention, and she knew what she was looking for. She knew the callsign, the patrol number, the model of vessel, and--most importantly--the passenger aboard.

The shuttle slipped into Akabat's sphere of influence without ceremony, exactly on schedule. It didn't escape the agent's notice. Her fightercraft aligned with the shuttle's orbital vector, and soon enough, both spacecraft had slipped through the docking ring. Soon after that, they had both touched down on the pad, albeit staggered by a period of several minutes. By the time Hannah was walking down the ramp from the shuttle, Arianne was halfway through her post-flight routine. Soon after that, the cockpit of the Bastet slid open, and Arianne climbed out, descending to the metal landing pad with a slight clunk.

The woman approaching Hannah McNab was tall, and kept her dark brown hair tidy and neatly trimmed. "Ms. McNab," she called out. The gaze she regarded the scientist with was marred by the obvious, red-lensed bionic eye set in her left socket. She came to a halt a couple of meters from her, and gave a curt smile. "We have a lot to talk about, and a schedule to keep. Would you follow me, please?"

[McNab]

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Confusion was still evident on Hannah's face as she was confronted by the women. A slight pause happened and silence was bestowed upon the two, all except the whistling whirl of the Auxiliary Power Unit slowly shutting down on the shuttle. A quick glance around was all that Hannah needed before she spoke.

"Erm." Despite trying to hide her nerves it was still very obvious. She brushed down her uniform with both of her hands and tried to stand smartly. "Yes, Ma'am. You must be the one whom sent the letter?" she spoke in an attempt to make convocation and followed the women down a building. "May I also know who you are? The letter I received was somewhat in a bad condition and the name of the person who signed it wasn't there."

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[Nadir Reprisal Initiative]

The agent gave a brief nod of the head and unfolded her arms. "Yes, my name is Arianne, and I was the one that sent the letter." She started to step away from Hannah, then paused in her step and looked back toward her. She cast back what she hoped would be a more reassuring smile. "It will be more comfortable if we talk about this in the bar, though." Despite her calm tone, the tug in Arianne's gut wouldn't quite go away. Time was of the essence, after all, and she desperately wished to avoid confrontation.

With her last comment, she started to walk away from the landing pad. It wasn't far to the spaceport bar, thankfully. It would make extraction much easier in the end. "Do you have any idea what this is about, Ms. McNab?"

[McNab]

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"No, not at all." She glanced around checking this building out. The nerves started to hit Hannah even more now. It was obvious that Arianne was in a rush. "W-what is going on? I don't get any of this."

The bar was finally upon them. It was nothing too special and the room was almost empty of people. There was one man over on the far side of the bar sipping a glass of water. He looked as though he was talking to himself. Maybe he was crazy. This didn't help Hannah one bit.

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