Eric raises a bushy dark brown eyebrow at the mercenaries as they leave, and then gestures for you to follow him into the nearby woods, "Alright, this way. We'll be the vanguard soon, but for now I have something else to show you." After a mile or so of trekking in the woods, he finds a wooden cabin, deceptively simple in design. Eric puts his real hand on the DNA palm-lock, and walks through the front door, which was actually made of military-grade durasteel. There isn't much furniture on the inside, and the most notable feature of the dimly lit room was a long dinner table with a holographic display in the center. "NTR gave me this as compensation for my services. Would've preferred a place on New Terra, but I suppose that I'm a less than legal citizen. Anyways, check this out. Artemis..." The holographic display bursts to life, displaying Venus and Mars in false color imagery. "As you know, the Pyriton Empire of Venus and the Kings of Mars have been embroiled in a Cold War ever since the Alamo disappeared. Recently, tensions have begun to grow again, and the NTR can't do anything about it until we have a position on Earth. Do you think it'll come to war?"

"War is inevitable in this case. With tensions rising, it'll likely be me and Rodriguez, maybe Lego sent as a first-response. Lego is a Pyriton supporter, and I'm not a fūcking diplomat, and so Murphy is the only real one to speak. The kids inexperienced, though, his father could have likely defused a potential situation. So war between them and the NTR is a definite case, and we can't afford another war" [b][i]He grimly states, walking to the other side of the table and facing Eric, looking at the planets holograms. [/i][/b] "Sadly, if we get involved in this war, it'll be to quell the peace, though our citizens likely won't see that. They'll see this as the NTR poking it's nose where it isn't wanted, just like the Colonization of New Terra; We invaded. They'll see it as a mad land grab, and we can't afford it. So, any thoughts you have?"

Eric looks up from across the table, still staring at the holograms. "Who said that the public had to know about this operation? The NTR occasionally goes on covert ops, usually involving, oh, I don't know, ships that were never built, with crews that don't exist on the records."

"Oh, but the NTR would never do such a thing like that! Do you really think so?" [b][i]He asks, obviously intending sarcasm. [/i][/b]"Either that, or they'll employ the Hunters Legion again, maybe even mercenaries. Though the casualties of the war will be great on all sides, sadly"

Eric shakes his head, "No, NTR doesn't trust mercs with official business, not since the Tribal Wars. If we're to strike against Venus and Mars, it'll be with a ship at our back."

"Eric, with all due respect, I've a mercenary fleet at the ready right now. Though only one man is currently doing anything to aide us" [b][i]He says, leaning on the table and looking at the holograms. [/i][/b]"If we needed to attack, we would need the Alamo back, that's the best defence we have"

Eric shakes his head, "Yeah, yeah, I know what the Hunter's Legion is. You're right about the Alamo, however. We'll need that before we make our move." He backs away from the table and paces back and forth, looking as if he's listening to something. Eventually, he comes back to the table, "Murphy Rodriguez, Mandalore's son. If anyone knows where the Alamo is, it'll be him."

"Aye, I'll speak to him about it. Until then, do you have anyone you can trust? I've a little... Plan in mind" [b][i]He says, a slight grin creeping onto his face. [/i][/b]

"Yeah, one." Eric puts his false hand under the table, and after a second or so passes, a holographic figure appears next to the planets. It's a woman, and unlike the holograms, she is completely blue. Straight dark hair extends past her shoulders, and a heart-shaped face stares pensively at the two planets. "Artemis. She was on the Alamo with me, and she's the only person I trust. She was flash cloned from a human mind, so technically..."