The Interstellar Broadcasting and Reception Office was hard at work within the Spire. It was in charge of receiving and transmitting all Committee broadcasts in the galaxy, as well as receiving unidentified transmissions. A Yhei was playing a game secretly on his terminal. He had been bored all day, and it wasn't the first time his job required him to do nothing. His mouth curled in frustration as he lost in his game, but before he could start a new one, his headset started to pick up static. His yellow eyes blinked curiously, exiting the game and looking bringing up the frequency of the broadcast. After listening to it for a few seconds, he took off his headphones, looking over at his boss. "Uh, sir... You'e gonna wanna listen to this..." --- "It was an S.O.S. signal, no doubt about that. It matched Committee procedure to the tee." "Then why are we bringing this up?" "Because.. It's frequency wasn't within Committee boundaries. It was picked up by our Extraterrestrial Unit." "Lets listen then, Commander." The Grand Chairman's office was filled with the Head representative of every race on the council, including the Commander of the IBRO. If the Commander was to bring this to the Committee's attention, it had to be important. [color=gray]"....elp, Help!...Stranded...Planet is....We need Assistance from anyone willing to help... So many dead! Oh, Oh god...!"[/color] Through the static there were sounds of men and women screaming, gunfire, and the growls of something hideous. The room was silent. "Where was this broadcast?" The Grand Chairman finally spoke up, stroking his gray beard. "We aren't sure, Chairman. It was off the grid, uncharted territory. We aren't even sure we know who they are, but like I said, they sounded military, providing an S.O.S. beacon." "We should send a combat unit out there." The human representative said, looking over at the chairman. "Not a chance, we are already spending millions of credits trying to protect colonists from bandits and other threats. Not to mention the Rebellion happening on Drawni..." "Then why not contact our allies near the coordinates to see if they can spare some forces?" The Yhei Representative laughed a bit. "No one would dare go to rescue a group of strangers after listening to that tape." "I think we have another option." The human representative said again, stepping forward. "We can send in an expedition unit--" "Oh please." The Furtim spoke up. "They would just waste resources and time. None of them are truly qualified to handle these types of situations." "You're forgetting something." The Human representative stepped forward. "We actually have the Monroe on standby, and as we know, they are the most efficient and successful expedition force since its creation!" A small amount of silence filled the room. "Would the crew on the Monroe be willing to investigate the S.O.S.?" "They're criminals! All we have to do is tell them to do it, and they'd be forced to! And besides, It'd be a relief to finally be rid of Raymond Chase and his crew of criminals--" "Marauders, I believe they call themselves." The Human replied, smiling a bit. At that time, the Chairman coughed and silenced the room. "Captain Rivers, please gather the crew of the Monroe, and brief them on their new assignment." --- [color=blue]"Damn... Tango, pass me that socket wrench over there."[/color] [color=lightblue]"Yes, Captain. I still do not understand why you are performing maintenance on this star-fighter. It would be reasonable to request a newer model from the Committee."[/color] Captain of the Monroe Raymond Chase was hard at work on top of his star-fighter, the Raven in the Monroe's hangar. Although the crew was on "limited leave" to walk around on the Spire, Ray had already seen all he could at the Committee HQ for the two days they have been here. So while most of his crew was out, and while he was waiting for new recruits, Raymond occupied his time working on his project since he found it three years ago. The Ship's AI, T8NG0, could be anywhere on the ship if he wanted to be through computer systems and monitors, but ever since Raymond named him officially, he preferred to be in his physical form, a dull white robotic skeleton with a simple white face cover with only pale blue lights for eyes, in at least one place on the ship. [color=blue]"Because, my robotic friend."[/color] Ray grunted, wiping sweat off his forehead before going back to work. [color=blue]"It is made with classic American engineering, someone once told me that there isn't any machine you can't fix with your two hands, and this girl saved my ass a few times way back when..."[/color] He muttered, standing on top of the ship, and hopping down before crawling underneath the machine to work on another engine. [color=lightblue]"If you say so, Captain... Captain, we have someone--"[/color] [color=blue]"Can you hand me a quarter-inch socket?"[/color] Ray cut him off, lost in thought as he held his hand out. Instead of a socket, he felt a hand grab his, and pulled him out from under the fighter. Ray was caught off guard but, before he could get up to kick the person's ass, he saw who it was, and immediately stood up and hid his face. Head Human Representative Gary Rivers stared at the younger man. Rivers gave a sense of ease, his soft gray eyes could fool normal people, but Ray knew that those eyes could change in an instant. His jet black hair was graying as well as his matching beard, and he wore his uniform neatly. [color=blue]"Head Representative."[/color] Ray said to him, grabbing an old rag and wiping the grease and sweat off his arms and face. "Captain Chase...You happen to visit the illegal and secret cage fighting arena in the lower districts?" He asked nonchalantly, but Ray didn't look at him. "Oh come on, Raymond. Everyone can see that black eye from a mile away." Ray finally looked over at him, one of his eyes swollen and purple from yesterday's activities. "That's how you use your military training, son?" Rivers asked with a sigh. Raymond shrugged, not breaking eye contact anymore. [color=blue]"I'm a criminal now, Representative. I guess I should take part in illegal activities. At least I won." [/color] Instead of getting angry, Gary gave a faint smile, shaking his head. "You're a stubborn tough son of a bitch, Chase. Did Doctor Driani look at you injuries?" [color=blue]"With all due respect sir, its just a black eye and bruises. She has more things to worry about."[/color] "Fair enough... But I didn't come here to play nurse. We have an assignment for you and your crew... And it won't be a walk in the park." Raymond Chase chuckled a bit, closing the toolbox. [color=blue]"yeah, well... what else is new?"[/color]