Epilogue/Prologue
After Kahn flees on the salvage ship, Arden begins to show signs of recovery. As soon as Kiera and Joshua feel it is safe, they unhook Van Braun from the system, and after a short recovery time he returns to his ship, and it leaves for High Gate for repairs. Before he leaves he asks to speak to Arden in private, and after glancing, at Joshua to see if he had ill intentions, Nika assents.
Arden, who is semi-conscious, but unable to speak hears this.
"It would be easy enough to kill you here, even to destroy your ship, I didn't come all the way out here to see you escape on some tramp transport. But, instead I find myself having saved your life, and now I will let you live it. For once I can sympathize with you. I too was led along thinking I was pursuing my own ends, when I was serving another's.
You've taken everything that mattered from me, but I feel, I am left my own man. And I am not without resources to recover. For you, I am not sure you will ever be your own. Just as you were created like a marionette to at someone else's whim, I don't think you'll ever be able to cut yourself loose.
I'll tell you this, when I started tracking you down, I was approached by Khan, a friend of a friend, I was told. He seemed very interested in you. Other, perhaps wiser, people told me to leave it be, that your problems were contagious. I assumed they were referring to Valerie, but I think there is more to it. I noticed something else about Khan. I once, at the spa, spotted a tattoo on his shoulder. I thought it odd, not the mark of a gentleman. It looked like a modified character Ren which means "Man", or "Mankind". Then I assumed it was some college indiscretion, now something tells me it is more.
For one man, you have a lot of shadows. But you won't have mine to worry about anymore."
He leaves.
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A day or so later, Oliver Dyson appears at the bridge to speak with Nika.
"Captain, I apologize for violating your sacred space, but I wanted to discuss Ensign Collins, my son, and a plan.
Collins wants to return to the Core and restore his name, with his ill-gotten wealth. I would like, to put it bluntly use him as bait to lure the Neptune and my son. This is nothing new. The tricky part is getting Neptune to us, in a place where their overwhelming firepower and numbers will not avail them. I suggest a plan, it is simple, and plain. I suggest that while we are able to use the Cortex we send a Wave to the Alliance Naval JAG of our intention to transport a person charged with Desertion to them, with a request for clemency in exchange for information about and entire ship of traitors and criminals. We tell them of our plans to be at Pericles Station at a date you decide. I believe they keep a Cruiser nearby which would house a JAG office. We send this maybe to a couple of different Alliance and PDF offices, as though unsure of who we should tell, and hope that it is intercepted by the Neptune. Not knowing where we are, they would undoubtedly try to meet us at Pericles Station. But there, their numbers and superior weapons will be less useful. Once there, we figure out how to contact my son, and protect Collins long enough to get him his loot, and then transport him to the Alliance Cruiser. You get two rewards (one from me, and one from him), Collins gets his return, I get my son, and with any luck the pirates of the Neptune get caught between the PDF and Alliance authorities."
