The Marsalis Reports

[_______________Rhase]

PRELUDE

The android butler set the white porcelain teacups on the table between the two men and exited with the softwhirclick of its servos. The men took up their cups and drank from them, the older man smiling and nodding as he set his down.

"That's real tea, Major, not synthesized, not vat grown. Enjoy it. I doubt you'll get anything like it where you're going." Fidel Orasco winked at the young man across the table from him. "But I guess I shouldn't be so mysterious, should I?"

Major Rhase Marsalis shrugged slightly, taking another drink. "Its very good, Mr Orasco. As to where I'm going, I have a fair idea. Sol Banking wouldn't have given me a crash course on Rubi Ka if I was headed into the Core."

Orasco chuckled, his eyes closing as he laughed like a toad swallowing its meal. "Well put, Major."

Marsalis didn't like the Sol Banking executive. Hated him in fact. He knew Orasco's hobbies, knew what the man did for "entertainment". Marsalis was all for two adults doing whatever they wanted behind closed doors--with rez technology a person's sickest fantasies could be played out with a willing partner. But Orasco didn't always use willing partners--or adults. He was also stupid enough to record his adventures and leave them in accessible form.

Orasco stood up, walking to the window overlooking the city below. "I know this isn't the assignment you wanted, Major, but we need more people on the ground in Rubi Ka. This amnesty is a fragile thing, and the more agents we have rapping on it, the more likely it will break. So there you are."

Marsalis put the now empty cup on the table. "And it has, of course, nothing to do with the Van Zant situation." He kept his eyes on his own hands, both flat on either side teacup, noting absently that the deep mahogany of the table was only a shade lighter than his skin.

Orasco cleared his throat after a moment. "That would be ridiculous. We all know what happened on the station. Van Zant was entirely responsible, we hold no one else from the team in a bad light because of it."

"I hear Shaw was sent to Deepwell, Cadderly to Tinkin Bay, and Laird...well, I haven't heard anything about Laird. No one has. And now I'm going to Rubi Ka. I'd hate to see what might happen if the company DID see us in a bad light." He looked up to find Orasco glaring at him.

"See here, Major, its none of your concern what assignments are given to anyone within the company...and considering that those orders are all classified, I might be tempted to find out just how you know these things. But in an hour it won't matter because you'll be on your way to Rubi Ka! And you WILL do your job!"

Marsalis stood up. "I always do my job, Mr Orasco, don't worry about that."

"Get out, Major...you're due at the shuttle in half an hour."


Marsalis strapped himself in as the shuttle's engines warmed up. As soon as he felt the dropping sensation in his stomach that indicated they were away, he took out his datapad and activated a command routine. On the planet below, every terminal in the Sol Banking complex began a 15 minute loop of Fidel Orasco's home holovids.

Marsalis smiled. He doubted they'd have real tea where Orasco was going either.

[_______________Rhase]

>OUTBOUND SIGNAL DETECTED<
>SIGNAL LOCK<
>DATA STREAM HACK<
>BEGINNING ENCRYPTED PIGGYBACK UPLOAD<

TO: OPERATIONS COORDINATOR SHELANE BRADSHAW, Col
FROM: FIELD AGENT RHASE MARSALIS, Maj

>Begin Audio<
This initial report will be brief. I have not had much time to make any contacts nor much headway in examining the true situation here. I will say this--INTEL blew it. The amnesty everyone is concerned with seems only to apply to the actual military forces. The conflict is still a very real thing amongst the citizens on all sides. Omni is doing little if anything to corral out of control employees who are making a concerted effort to break the amnesty. I would have expected a harsh crackdown and mass arrests/terminations...but so far nothing. Perhaps the Omni command structure is hobbled here and SBC may have a much easier time than initially thought. I will attempt to gather more data.

I initially intended to remain amongst the Neutral faction here, but have since chosen to initiate contacts within the Clans. Any su****ious behavior I exhibit will be written off by OT agents because of that reason rather than my actual assignment.

I am following any lead I can find about the bombing in Omni-1, as well as the clone rumors and the cyborgs. More may be going in here than a simple conflict between OT and their former employees. I'm living in Borealis and I have discovered a nightclub complex that I will be using as a central information gathering location. More later.
>End Audio<

>END UPLOAD<
>DISCONNECT<

[_______________Rhase]

>OUTBOUND SIGNAL DETECTED<
>SIGNAL LOCK<
>DATA STREAM HACK<
>BEGINNING ENCRYPTED PIGGYBACK UPLOAD<

TO: OPERATIONS COORDINATOR SHELANE BRADSHAW, Col
FROM: FIELD AGENT RHASE MARSALIS, Maj

>Begin Audio<
There's been an interesting development that, I think, works in Sol's interest. A large group of Omni employees gathered and were protesting the supposed Clan sponsorship of the bombing in Omni-1. When the Council of Truth chose not to dignify their accusations with a response, these rogue Omnis went on a murder spree in several northern towns, killing guards and security forces. At least I assume they are rogues..it would be interesting to see if Omni lets this action go unnoticed...which to me would indicate tacit approval.

The ceasefire is crumblng, Colonel, it was a lost cause to begin with and Intel should have seen that....other than punishing me for what happened with Van Zant there's very little reason for me to be here.

It is interesting though, and I'll be at ground zero for whatever follow up operations corporate deems necessary. This place is fixing to go up in flames--despite the hopes of a few I overheard at Reet Retreat. One man--they called him DJ The Wanderer--seemed emphatic about the peace process and its possibility of success. But even without agitation from SBC and whoever else has agents here, this place has as much likelihood for lasting peace as Old Earth Palestine..and we all know how that turned out.

There's just too much hate..and too many guns.

Marsalis out.
>End Audio<

>END UPLOAD<
>DISCONNECT<

[_______________Rhase]

>OUTBOUND SIGNAL DETECTED<
>SIGNAL LOCK<
>DATA STREAM HACK<
>BEGINNING ENCRYPTED PIGGYBACK UPLOAD<

TO: OPERATIONS COORDINATOR SHELANE BRADSHAW, Col
FROM: FIELD AGENT RHASE MARSALIS, Maj

>Begin Audio<
Hello, Colonel..I got the bottle of rum..appreciate it. Didn't think anyone would remember my birthday.

Things remain pretty much the same here...by that I mean a steady run downhill for the Amnesty Plan Ross seemed to think would save this planet from itself. Several factions amongst both the clans and Omni are fighting when and where they can.

I've made several attempts to get access to Omni facilities while the cease-fire is in effect, but unfortunately the local wildlife seems to have developed a dislike for me and I've yet to make it. An outpost north of 4 Holes is as far as I've gotten by foot, almost to Broken Shores East by Whompa.

I tlalked some with an Omni-Pol officer at the outpost--he apprecaites the respite the amnesty has given, but in his words "I'd just as soon shoot you as look at you, clanner. Trigger lock will come off soon enough and then if I see your black ass strutting around down here I'll nail you before you know I'm around."

I thanked him for his honesty andwent on my way.

More cyborg trouble was reported. See if you can get me an information on imports of the necessary equipment..who it went to, how much of it. It'll help track things down I think. Stuff like that leaves a money trail and we'd be best at tracking that, no?

I'll let you know if anythign else happens
>End Audio<

>END UPLOAD<
>DISCONNECT<

[_______________Rhase]

The phone on the nightstand chirrped once before a woman's hand snaked out from under the sheets to grab it and pull it back in. "What?"

She could hear the noise of the Ops Room over the caller's voice. "Colonel Bradshaw, ma'am?"

"My first real sleep I've had in three nights...this has better be something good"

The young officer on the other end of the connection cleared his throat nervously "Um, yes, ma'am..its just that you said to notify you no matter what you were doing when we heard from Major Marsalis and--"

She sat up in bed, the sheet slipping to her waist "When?"

"Fifteen minutes ago..there isn't much and what there is is hard to--"

"Play it."

"Um, ma'am, I'm not sure this link is secure enough to--"

"PLAY IT!"

"Yes ma'am!"

A few seconds later there was a click in her ear and then:


"--salis here. I know its been a while since my last report. Not sure if this will even ----- it. My apartme------ realis was trashed, never found out if it was Omn-----or ----lan. No difference really. I know a few people from Tir have gotten su****i-------me asking so many -------------------days before at Reet Re------------and I'm sure she was Omni Pol. Most of my gear was smashed, had to cobble together an encryptor from what I could and hope thi------------------------ings have gotten crazier. Between the Brigade, zombies and rogue fact-----n Omni-Tek, there's more than enough chaos for the suits to take advant-------you want me to but---------Energy cell is getting suck------ave to close this out and hope it makes it throu------Marsa----out"


The Ops officer came back on the line. "That came in piggybacked on an ICC situation report....there was bleed over and we lost a good portion of the message. His encryption program isn't keeping the message from mixing with the carrier signal and--"

"Any chance we can clean it up?"

"Thats as good as its getting, Colonel...sorry"

She sighed. "Well, at least we know he's not dead or captured....see if you can get another encryptor to him from our contact in Newland, as soon as possible. With the other intel we have about whats going on, I want Marsalis's observations now more than ever."

"Yes, ma'am...we'll get on it."

Bradshaw put the phone back on the nightstand and lay back down. If Marsalis thought things were bad now she couldn't wait to hear what he had to say once Sol's newest plot got started.