“... she'd missed her scheduled check in time by twelve hours now,” the brown haired captain crossed her legs on the monitor. She looked out from the monitor as if gazing through her.

“I realize that this isn't your usual sort of mission, Alex but your the closest ship in the area about a day out where most of our ships are about three.

“She was investigating a rather wealthy drug peddler and slaver by the name of Drez, I already have transferred the files to your ship's computer so you should be getting that shortly.

“You'll be on your own here at least for a few days so don't do anything outrageous, just look around and see if you uncover Agent Nail. I've included her bio in the forwarded information packet. If you find out what occurred to her then great, if not then you tried. You need not perform any heroics on this one. Hopefully it's just problems with her communications system but seeing how she was checking out slavers and the link to pirates Nail may be in trouble as well.

“Contact me in thirty-six hours with report, that should be enough time to assess the situation. Brooks out.”

As promised that file had been transmitted though it takes quite a few minutes to reach her position. Information on several pirates thought to operate in this sector, the spider-like Drez, a wealthy Arachnid from her understanding, info on the missing agent Nail and her ship and any other little information she may have need along with info on Savanus VI, the hot jungle planet lined with ruins of an ancient civilization. It was here that Nail had vanished and here that it was rumored that the pirates had a base.

The trip to Savanus VI was long and uneventful. There was no traffic coming and going and no signs of satellites in low orbit. The file noted that there was no sentient life down their though as a jungle it was teaming with animal life signs. All was a bit too quiet ...

Alexandra was on her way back from another mission when she was suddenly contacted by her captain. Looks like it will be a bit longer before she will be able to return to base and relax. She was the only agent nearby so it was up to her to do some forward recon on a missing SFA agent. The information provided by the captain did not leave many leads to follow. There was only one planet with some ruins to search and a possible hidden pirate base in the area.

Upon arriving to Savanus VI, scans revealed nothing beyond standard plant and animal life. It was possible the camp was cloaked or had a means to block her scanners. Unfortunately, it meant she would have to land down there and see if she could find anything on foot. She had thirty six hours to find any clues about Nail. Beyond that, she was to wait for the others to provide assistance.

After orbitting the planet and making initial scans, Alexandra took the small scout vessel down to the surface. She landed a short distance away from some nearby ruins where she would start her search. The russian agent did final checks on her suit which would help protect her from the planet's natural elements before stepping out into the jungle. The woman had a blaster strapped her hip. Hopefully she will not have to use it. Taking a slow breath, the agent proceeded towards the abandoned ruins. The scans showed that there was no sentient life here. Still though, the silence was deafening.

The civilization that left the ruins had been old indeed. Whoever left them behind had been lost to time the clues to their origins having been picked over throughout the years by the archaeologists that had come here in the distant past and the recent past as well.

The main matter to consider was where Nail may have begun her search for the pirate base those there was no life she did find that as she neared the ruins there was a path of trees cut away in the jungle near the ruins as if something had merely cut through them all, or perhaps topple them over. Yes, that was probably it. A crashed ship?

Was that the trail of it coming down through the atmosphere and skimming along the surface of the planet? It was incredibly likely and by the width of that path they were belong to a freighter and not a pirate ship or small fighter that they often used.

Following the tracks that had gone parallel to these ruins Alex felt the stillness of animal life on the planet as if there were a predator of some sort lurking around and there was one, watching her approach the ruins first.

It was because those tracks continued on for a fair ways before coming to a halt, twisted metal scrunched up against a large rock though here at the ruins the Russian finds several booted foot pints. The maturity seem to spit up on the South side of the ruins and form back up at the North before heading back into the jungle as if making a quick sweep of the place.

Of perhaps more interest had been the marks that another set of tracks make. It seems as if those ones come in from the North West and join up with more than a half dozen tracks of what must be serpents in close proximity, and fairly large ones too.

The ruins themselves seemed to have nothing of importance. Alexandra would have preferred spending her time studying the ruins but her mission was of more pressing concern. Every moment that passed was another moment that Nail was left missing in action. The agent focused more on recent changes to the area it did not seem anyone did anything with these ruins.

The several toppled and crushed trees revealed something came in for a rough landing at some point in time. The ADD agent followed the large path of destruction until she found footprints. Seems she was on the right track. At the very least she could try to find these people and learn more about what happened in the area if this trail does not lead directly to the lost agent. There were also tracks made by some sort of large snakes or serpents. They seemed to be far less friendly in Alexandra's opinion so she decided to follow the bootprints and see where they lead.

Things were still oddly quiet but that could have been caused by the crashed ship. There was still no sign of the ship itself beyond some twisted metal. Was the ship already moved or scavenged? Alexandra kept on her guard in anycase as she continued to follow the tracks that passed through the ruins and into the jungle. The tracks seemed recent enough. How were these people hiding from the ship's scanners?

The tracks may have been older ones that had been in place before the pirates left. Perhaps Nail had driven them off. Perhaps thee planet had no one left on it and while that was possible she realized that that was not the case as she came to the wreckage of a ship.

It … it had to be Nails. There were four creatures here and there was a cart here as well hitched up to some reptilian creature that looked like a monitor lizard. It became very apparent why these individuals did not trigger the sensors … there had been no information in the sensors about them, no bio rhythms in there and it was quite clear that the creatures were apparently different from others in the galaxy at large.

She knew what they were though from the tracks she realized that they had not created them. Adda warriors … one was on top or the ship removing hull plating and two others picked up scrap metal and but it in the cart while a fourth watched the area.

No, she realized, only one of them happened to be a warrior, only one was armed though the one stripping those metallic plates had various tools that looked a bit out dated though somewhat modern.

Adda workers? Why here of all places?

The tracks led the agent to the location of the crashed vessel. Her eyes narrowed at the sight of the Adda keeping watch and working on scavenging the wreckage. Alexandra drew her blaster. She had already gone through hell dealing with these creatures in the past. But, she needed more information before attacking them. They could be peaceful or they could be pirates. In either case, they were not her enemy unless they were the ones who abducted the missing alien agent.

She could try hailing them but then she would lose the element of surprise and that could turn things sour if they decide to attack her. There were only four of them. Perhaps there was a camp nearby where she could gather more intel. For now, Alexandra kept watch and waited to see if one of the Adda would separate from the others. That would make it easier to question one of them and find out what he knows before moving on. Else, she would just have to follow after the group when they finish loading up the cart with raw materials.

She had seen the Adda before they saw her and so the agent was able to get cover before she was spotted. She could even hear them speaking to one another in their native language though she could not understand what they were saying as she watched them at work she did pick up a few words that had been inferred.

“Watch out” or something to that effect whenever the guy atop the ship tossed something off the top of the ship. “Help” perhaps as two of them moved scrap.

From the relaxed nature of the warrior they weren't expecting any trouble though at the end of matters one walked beside the loaded up cart leaving to a base camp perhaps. The one atop the ship continued to loosen panels while the worker seemed to be in conversation with the warrior about something.

Following the cart guy was fairly easy. The lizard seemed to be some sort of draft animal that the man directed. It was strong but slow but either the Adda was in no hurry or they weren't going all that far to begin with.

He was unarmed too and probably one of the easier ones to deal with given his smaller stature he was probably of a worker caste or much younger though he hardly seemed as intimidating as one of the larger warriors.

Alexandra slipped through the jungle, quietly following the Adda worker leading the supply cart. Dealing with one Adda worker should be simple enough. Unfortunately, questioning the creature could bring more attention than she really wanted to herself. Her other choice would be to shadow the worker all the way to camp. Though at this point, she could easily track where this cart will go.

The ADD agent moved up behind the worker. "Don't move," she ordered as she held the blaster against the male's back, "I just have a few questions then I will be on my way. Please do not make this any more difficult than it needs to be. I am looking for a woman, humanoid with horns and a tail. Have you seen anyone that matches that description? The sooner you answer, the sooner you can get back to work." A bit rougher than she wanted to handle things but she could not afford to take any risks with these Adda. She had already suffered greatly at the hands of these creatures.

The worker had been oblivious to her though it was clear her meaning. He must have been testing her or perhaps he did not understand what she meant but he did move in order to get all four of his hands up

“DECCA DIV!” He said quickly a few times, his hands and body trembling a little though he listened as she explained.

"S-Slower. S-Speak s-slower.” It was clear that he did not have the best grasp of her language though he seemed to understand enough of what she was relaying to him. “Woman? N-No but t-the E-Emissary is t-the one that t-takes care of t-the w-women.” He was shaking with that acknowledgment, definitely a different cast as the warriors might not have said anything even if this one didn't seem to have much information for her.

Their Emissary, once small time slaver Goro who she had the displeasure of meeting once before.

Her jaw clenched at the mention fo the Emissary. So that creature was here as well? Alexandra jammed the blaster against the Adda's back. "Emissary? Where is this Emissary then?" If he was the only one that dealt with the women, then he would be her next target. After what he put her through the last time they met, she was not going to show any mercy to these creatures. It was obvious these were slavers. But, why were they out here in the middle of nowhere?

Once Alexandra got her answer, she smacked the back of the male Adda's neck with her weapon to knock him out. From there, she went back into the jungle and followed either the cart path or the directions he may or may not have provided to find out where the leader of this group was hiding.

He was thinking quickly, wishing that she would slow it down even further as he made those connections translating her words into his language then his responses into hers. He barely knew her tongue too so it was a challenge.

The Emissary? He was probably still on the battle ship where ever that was. He knew little himself, the warriors a little more and the officers a little more still as he was not important enough to discern where there leader was but if Goro was on the planet there was only one place good enough for the messenger of the Gods. He himself did not know where that was though.

“H-He's e-either on the s-ship or at the p-pirate base.” He did not know where the pirate base had been other then near the ruins but someone at their camp, Salvis, who ran things down here probably knew. The Major was in the camp that the cart headed towards she would find though the worker could supply her with few answers. He only knew his task, salvage the metal. Other workers looked over salvaged tech and Salvis was in charge of security and any interactions with the pirates. He could tell her in total there was half a dozen warriors and most of them young warriors outside of Salvis who was amongst the two that had actual battle experience.

There were more workers her to take care of the ship as they were to leave no traces of it as they stripped it down.

The camp was fairly lax with numerous workers, who were small and probably no combative though mixed in with the three dozen workers who were busy looking various components over or separating scrap metal there were few warriors she witnessed. A few that roamed but paid no particular attention and there was a lone guard outside of one tent towards the center of the camp but to her luck no one seemed to be paying any real attention to it.

Ship? She did recall the Emissary having a large battleship. But, there was no way for something so large to slip past ADD sensors. So it was possible he was not on the planet and just left a group of Adda here to work. Either way, she left the Adda unconcious and continued to the camp. The camp was not well armed but the russian woman had no intention of blasting her way in. If she could get in and out without being noticed, all the better.

Alexandra snuck into the camp, avoiding any and all Adda in her path. She would start in the center and work outwards if necessary. The guarded tent was her best bet right now. There was no point in going in through the front. It was just a tent. She went behind the tent and listened for anyone inside. Once she assumed it was clear, she cut into the fabric and slipped inside to see if she could find any information. The camp seemed to have no advanced weaponry or soldiers so she should be able to fight her way out if anything goes wrong. Then she would just wait until reinforcements arrive to report on what she found so far. But, if she could find any report of an SFA agent being here, that would at least point her in the right direction.

The ship, no way she missed that monster on the way in, nor did she pick up anything on the planet so these Adda may have been left here to work. It became obvious at the camp that there were a few guards here as a defense against wild animals or such but these seemed to be all workers for the most part.

The primitive creatures were just learning the advanced tech that was out there though and small groups were busy playing with the simplest of things as they attempted to understand this or that.

Sneaking about was fairly easy as the teams of Adda stayed together for the most part as they played with this or that. There were a few guards though the Russian found that they were easy to elude. Listening at the tent she had heard nothing at the rear of it and snuck in.

There was a desk, a cooler and a cot on which slept an Adda in a deep brown uniform. Was this the Major? A blaster rifle had been leaning against the desk though the Major still had his side arm and a wicked looking knife. A few of the stun grenades had been on a belt on the desk, fortunately the belt was uncomfortable when the Major laid down and thus he had removed it.

The unexpected presence changed things a little, there was an unexpected danger to be dealt with. Did she try to snoop around without waking him or risk waking him hoping his grasp on the language was better or did she attempt to disarm him as he slept just encase?

As expected, this was the leader's tent. If she was going to learn anything at all about a missing agent, this was the place. For now, there was no point in risking waking the Major directly. Even with the advantage of surprise, he could call out for help and then she would have a camp full of Adda to deal with. The Major was fast asleep. She will just keep quiet and get what she needed from the files.

Alexandra kept herself facing towards the Major as she began searching the desk. Any files she could find would be opened and read to figure out more about the purpose of this camp. If nothing was on the desk, she would check the drawers. She kept every motion slow and as quiet as possible. The suit kept her nerves steady so her grip did not shake and accidently move anything too loudly. She kept her eyes on the Major as she opened the first drawer. If he started to stir or woke up, she would be on him with her blaster. Her suit should be able to handle whatever he had on his person at the very least.

She found a bottle of pills on the desk for migraines she recognized. There was nothing else on the desk save for a half drunk mug of some violet beverage. The Adda though, were primitive and didn't use computers to store information and while most of what she found had been in a strange yet simple language not all of it was thankfully.

There was the Galactic Common she found though most of the script were simpler words as if for a beginner with the language.

The first was a map of the area that had a few points marked on it. This camp, the ruins and three other points, one marked crashed pirate fighters, another ADD ship, which corresponded to Nail's ship and a sight near the ruins marked pirate base.

From other files she found that there was a pirate group her under the command of Drez. They had not been big and hired on some extra Adda mercenaries for the use in boarding operations but when they arrived they didn't find anything.

Unfortunately Major Salvis' report was in a blend of both languages as if he reverted when getting stumped with the new written language. From what she could tell he set up here as it was closer to the ships and after their discovery that the pirates had left a small team of warriors and a larger force of workers had been left behind.

They were on some sort of deadline, a three day one that ended at the end of the next day and seemed to correspond to when it was projected that the ADD would get here since this region of space was remote. The pirates had gone, and from the best guesses Nail may have been with them and the Adda were going to be gone soon too or so they hoped but none had known she was closer than their projections.

The Major did not stir though there was no mention of Nail further, only the matter that an agent showed up according to logs discovered at Drez's place so maybe there was a clue there or something she couldn't read in their script that told her were the agent was.