About Damn Time
:'''''Note:''' The Arcadia website is currently undergoing reconstruction due to a previous database corruption. Content is in progress and will be available in [[User:Sasoriza|the webmaster]]'s time.''
Arcadia # 4812 | |
| — The Humanist War — | |
| |
| year | 344 CE (2407) |
| posted | October 18 2007 |
| previous | The State of the Union & I Told You So |
| next | Out of Harm's Way |
Continued from "The State of the Union & I Told You So"
[Starbase 92]
Five more minutes, Dante told himself. He gets five more minutes... and not a nanosecond more.
It was never a good idea to stay in one place too long. The risks were just too high. It was always best to keep moving... stay mobile. The Humanist resistance didn't have a set base of operations. No headquarters. They could be completely set up and operational one minute, and gone in less than five minutes. You would never even know they had been there. They were that good.
His attention diverted to the door. A man walked in. The man he'd been waiting for. About damn time.
The man ordered a drink from the bartender, then walked back to the booth Dante had been holding court in. Gesturing to the bench, the man said, "Is that seat taken?"
Dante shrugged. "I don't own the place."
"You look like you hold a share in it."
"Only in name."
The man sat down. "Sorry I'm late. Had a hell of a time getting here. Security is getting tighter."
"Problem?"
"Word around the campfire says Bartok/Khalindar Two is on. I heard tell open hostilities are already underway." He leaned forward, and added in a confidential whisper, "And I heard the Federation lost a couple ships in the process."
Dante leaned in. "You're kidding. You know which ones?"
"The Birmingham and the Orion for sure. Possibly the Tokyo. That one isn't confirmed yet. And I also heard that a Bartokian ship has four Federation crew members. Whether they are hostages or not... I don't know. The bigwigs are keeping real hush-hush on that one."
Dante nodded. "Yeah, I'll bet. What else you got for me?"
The man slowly reached into his coat pocket, and slid a small computer chip across the table. Dante deftly palmed it, placing it into his own jacket. "This is what I asked for?"
Nodding, the man said, "All that and then some. Some real nasty stuff on there. Made my hair curl."
"I appreciate this. A lot."
"I know. Listen... I gotta get going. I can't stay gone too long. People will start asking questions."
"Understood. Take care."
"I will."
▷ TBC ◁
