$W 16th $W January $W 2368
$W 31 $W days $W after $W the $W Exodus

$W Fleetmaster $W Raji's $W office $W Ready $W Room
$W ORD $W Anjaneya

$B Fleetmaster $B Tyrone: Fleetmaster Raji. 

$G Fleetmaster $G Raji: Welcome to Delta Lacertae, Fleetmaster Tyrone. I am glad to see you made it out of Cor Caroli. We were worried when the Chaya cut you off from the rest of the fleet. 

$B Fleetmaster $B Tyrone: It's not that easy to kill me. Not yet, anyway. 

$G Fleetmaster $G Raji: You haven't lost your sense of humor. Good. Keep it that way. Things are about to get much worse. 

$B Fleetmaster $B Tyrone: They always do. What's the situation? 

$G Fleetmaster $G Raji: We have managed to contain the enemy. Fleetmaster Caliphtys and Shipmaster Wisniowiecki have already cleared the Terminus system and the Colony Fleet is on the way there. 

$B Fleetmaster $B Tyrone: Good. I need to pay a visit to the Big Buddha. The Ironclad has a few scratches. 

$G Fleetmaster $G Raji: Hmm, more than just a few scratches the last I checked. Horatio, there are matters that require our attention. Political matters.

$B Fleetmaster $B Tyrone: You mean the ambitions of our Federate friends? I already settled this with Leibniz. I'm keeping an eye on him just in case, but I think he understands now that we need to cooperate. 

$G Fleetmaster $G Raji: Forget Leibniz. He is in "command" of a handful of EFN survivors. He knows his options are limited, to say the least. Especially after the Midwinter's failed attempt to retrieve the Minerva. He won't try anything like that again. Horatio, we have a more serious problem. We need to talk about the Mastermind. 

$B Fleetmaster $B Tyrone: So, Caliphtys decided to lift the veil of secrecy on our little guide? Or did you do some investigating on your own, as usual?

$G Fleetmaster $G Raji: Both. Caliphtys is doing his best to gain direct access to the Mastermind. He even tried to put pressure on Al-Zardari, but the High Magistrate is too stubborn to give away his precious toy. 

$B Fleetmaster $B Tyrone: I expected nothing less from Al-Zardari. He is obsessed with the Mastermind. There is something about the way he moves now, something in his eyes. The next time you see him, just...look at him. Look into his eyes. Well, I can't say that the Mastermind has done us any harm so far, but we need to keep an eye on Al-Zardari. Just in case. 

$G Fleetmaster $G Raji: I think we need to keep our eyes on someone else, Fleetmaster Tyrone. As you know, back in Cor Caroli, the ship carrying the Mastermind, the Nassau, was hijacked by a group of mercenaries. 

$B Fleetmaster $B Tyrone: Grave news indeed. I don't even want to think about what would happen to our fleet without a guide. 

$G Fleetmaster $G Raji: I'm sure you know that shortly before the Nassau was hijacked, it was inspected by Caliphtys' men. 

$B Fleetmaster $B Tyrone: Are you suggesting Caliphtys knows something about the hijackers? 

$G Fleetmaster $G Raji: Oh, give up the act, Horatio! You must be suspecting it as well. Your puppet, Shipmaster Hartwick, sent his operatives to investigate. They are questioning pilots and crewmembers, checking records and mission reports. You also chose him to recapture the Nassau. You knew there was something suspicious about the hijacking! 

$B Fleetmaster $B Tyrone: Nothing escapes your attention, Aasira, as always.... You are right. I ordered Hartwick to investigate. I do have my suspicions, and I assure you, my investigation has been thorough. My finest interrogators are taking good care of the hijackers. We know of a few unorthodox...methods to make them talk. But this theory that the hijackers were Caliphtys' men...I haven't found any evidence to support it.

$G Fleetmaster $G Raji: Did you really think that he would leave any? No. Of course not. What's your play, Fleetmaster Tyrone? 

$B Fleetmaster $B Tyrone: I must proceed with caution. I know Caliphtys, I served with him in the war. He never hesitated to commit atrocities against the Federates or even civilians if he thought the Syndicate might benefit. His surprise attack on Earth saved the Syndicate at the end of the Secession War. I can't deny the conventional wisdom. He saved us, but at the cost of millions of Earthers' lives. If he thought it was necessary, yes, he would do it. But he never acts recklessly. He bides his time, waits for the right moment, and goes in for the kill. This reckless and sloppy hijacking just doesn't seem like his style. 

$G Fleetmaster $G Raji: I know that it was him. And I know he will try again. 

$B Fleetmaster $B Tyrone: What do you suggest, then? 

$G Fleetmaster $G Raji: I suggest that we need each other. And Al-Zardari needs us too. We have to watch Caliphtys' movements very carefully. If we do not work together, he will divide us and seize power. He will turn what's left of the Syndicate government into a military dictatorship under his rule. 

$B Fleetmaster $B Tyrone: I am going to make sure that never happens. But for now, we have other business to attend to. These political matters will be irrelevant if we can't find a way to escape from the Shivan pursuit. 

$G Fleetmaster $G Raji: Of course. I will buy you some time with the blockade. 

$B Fleetmaster $B Tyrone: Good luck, Aasira. You are going to need it.

