If Grey noticed how tired Ali looked as she arrived in his ready room, he didn't say anything or even give her an inquisitive look to silently ask if everything was okay.

It felt like an all too familiar setting, even having brought Ben and Rila with her. "I've had a terrible idea - well, a couple actually, but this is definitely the lesser of two evils," Ali started.

"And now I'm worried," Grey admitted, especially when he noticed Ben frown at her.

Ali couldn't stop her wry chuckle. "None of us were on Tuktutav's radar before Bert," she started, "and Tihud only took an interest in me because he thought I knew what Bert did."

"So the question we need to answer is; how did Barker find out?" Ben asked.

Ali nodded and turned back to Grey. "The data we took from Bert after Tuthu, did we keep copies?"

Grey shook his head sadly. "No, we handed everything over to S-Core. Why?"

Ali's face broke into a cheeky grin. "Who wants to break into S-Core HQ then?"

If anyone in the room had expected that, their expression suggested otherwise. After a moment in which they clearly expected Ali to confirm she was joking - and none of them were doubting this kind of thing would be in character for her - and when she just stared them down they glanced at each other as if to check if any of them were aware of the plan before she had just cheerily announced it with little preamble or warning.

"We've done crazier things," Ben finally admitted.

"That's partly what worries me," Grey agreed. "But what exactly are you hoping to find?"

"Is this where you give me the lecture on encrypted and off-network data?" Ali teased, earning a wry smile. "I'm not saying it'll be easy, but I might have… more experience than I should admit to breaking into places and that actually includes USEP."

"Let me guess, our meeting wasn't your first?" Ben said.

Ali scrunched up her face as she considered how truthful her answer should be. "I'm gonna work out which ones I should admit to and get back to you on that," she finally said. "But anyway, the important thing is that we can work with S-Core security arrangements and we have access to the blueprints."

"No we don't -" Grey started before stopping as he realised that Ali wasn't referring to blueprints that she had legitimately obtained. "That would make matters easier, except that if everything we know is true, we're going to be on some kind of watch lists."

"Easy enough, we run a few disruptions on their databases or swap out our identifying info with other people's," Rila cut in. "I'd suggest a good old fashioned power cut but that's not practical on The Forum."

"And Ali's right, we know S-Core's protocols, we can use that to our advantage, even if we can't exploit any contacts," Ben continued. "It shouldn't be difficult to disable their alarm systems and if we can arrange a diversion in another sector of The Forum then our biggest issue will be locating the data and being able to get it."

Grey turned to Ali who was scrutinising Ben and Rila as if the conversation wasn't going the way that it should. "That would be your area, Ali."

"We can always try and lift everything and worry about specifics later, but I don't think we'll have the time to do that. Using their terminals we will be able to locate the data, but we'll need their decryption keys if we copy it over. It should be possible but I'll need to discuss with Olkant and Mishri, maybe Spud and Waarlm depending on what kind of solution we think'll be best."

"Then we should get planning," Grey decided. "Unless anyone has any objections to making this anything other than hypothetical?"

Both Ben and Rila confirmed that they were happy to work on the details with the intention of moving this forward. Ali frowned. "Okay, when I suggested raiding S-Core, I expected one of you to talk me down," Ali admitted, suddenly unsure and concerned. "If they catch you, you'll be looking at courts martial."

"So will you," Rila reminded her.

"I already have that mark on my record, it doesn't scare me so much anymore," Ali refuted. "Your careers, however, are all open for the taking. I can't encourage letting you ruin that."

Grey chuckled at the sharp turn Ali's attitude had taken, but it was Ben who replied, "it's not your decision, though."

"True, but I'm supposed to be the responsible adult."

That earnt a laugh from almost everyone. "We're doomed then," Rila quipped.

"It's also why you suggested it. You know we have to do this because we can't stand by," Ben continued, though clearly as amused as everyone else. "Court martial's a small price to pay for trying to fix it."

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

Ali held his gaze for a moment as she considered what he was saying, and tried to gauge his motivations. "Okay," she finally said with a nod. "But let's not rush into this… Let's get everyone brainstorming whilst I see if I can think of any other places we might be able to obtain this information from."

"You think Bert will have left a cache somewhere?" Grey asked.

Ali shook her head. "Everything I knew or could guess at I gave to S-Core in the aftermath… I just don't want to get you guys arrested till I know we've exhausted every other option."

~-x-~

"I can't argue that you stretch our abilities and offer a challenge, but I'm not sure this is exactly what the USEP recruiters meant," Olkant said as he offered Ali a data-pad.

"I like to keep things interesting," Ali retorted as her eyes scanned across the screen. "Should I be concerned about how much you know about S-Core's protocols around their cyber-security?"

"Should I be concerned about how you have a very detailed copy of their floor plans?"

"Touché," Ali replied with a grin.

"The short version is that it's possible, but we'll need to acquire a legitimate pass that with a couple of quick modifications, we use to clone the decryption key during use," Olkant explained more succinctly than the information on the tablet.

"When you say use, does that need an access point in S-Core or will any do?"

"I'd recommend an internal console, it'll have a higher chance of success."

"Not ideal, but it gives us something to work with," Ali admitted. She'd have preferred to use that as part of their distraction, which she'd have preferred to have been as far away from S-Core's HQ as possible.

"Yet you don't seem happy about it," Olkant observed.

"I was hoping to have something that would make any overall plan simpler, but how often does that happen?" Ali admitted before offering him a wry smile.

Before either of them could say anything else the chime for the door went and Ali granted access. "Anything else?" Olkant asked.

"No," Ali said before adding, "good job."

Olkant thanked her before exchanging greetings with Ben as they passed each other, and the door slid shut. "Good news?" Ben asked.

"Yes and no," Ali admitted. "I've got precisely nowhere trying to track down anywhere Bert is likely to have hidden anything, but Olkant gave me something to use if we try running the heist." After the amount of his hideouts and safe houses they'd raided trying to bring him in the first time, Ali knew that anything Bert might have left behind would be incredibly well hidden. Everything else either they or S-Core would have already found.

Ben considered that before holding out the tablet he was holding for her to take. "Details of scheduled events on The Forum over the next few days, and our best options for distractions and times."

Ali nodded to herself as she scanned the data. "I don't suppose your friend happens to have a copy of S-Core's rota to chuck in with this?"

Ben chuckled. "Maybe if we gave him a couple of weeks." Ali barely reacted beyond a knowing smile, so he said, "actually, I've had a thought you're not gonna like on how to avoid running the heist. Or delay it at least."

"It can't be worse than thinking about running a bloody heist on S-Core."

"Klandra."

Ali gaped at him for a moment, and if it weren't for their tetnar she'd have assumed he was messing with her. "Klandra?" She checked, and he nodded. "I'm pretty certain the last time I interacted with her, I tried to shoot her, and she repaid the favour. What possible reason does she have to even consider cooperating with us?"

"There's a reason she - and her people - agreed to help Barker."

Ali hated to admit that he had a point. She had even considered if Bert would have had time to recover or hide anything new after he'd broken out of prison, but had realised that if he had, then it would probably be in taurran hands by now. She'd written that idea off due to the lack of goodwill meaning their chances of receiving a copy if they asked nicely were slim to none.

However, their chances of successfully stealing data from S-Core on The Forum, with an open warrant for her arrest, wasn't likely to go much better. "Okay, I'll see if I can track her down, I'll talk to Rila -"

"In the morning," Ben said, interrupting her sentence to finish it for her. Ali turned to him in surprise before turning to the monitor on her desk and blinking owlishly as she realised what time it was. "You remembered to eat, right?"

Ali would've rolled her eyes if she had any standing to call him out on, but she didn't. "Yeah, I came back to run through a couple more options before calling it quits," she explained as she sagged back into her chair. "I swear, when this is all over, I'm going to sleep for a month."

"You'll manage two days at most, and that's after a solid three days of drinking with Spud."

Ali did finally laugh at that as she realised that he was right. "Yeah, probably, assuming the likely result of our courts martial means we won't have any duties."

"You're a lot calmer about the prospect than you were earlier," Ben observed as he took a seat.

"I might outrank most of you, but I know that has limits. You can all make your decisions, and whilst I worry about the consequences for the rest of you, it doesn't mean I have any right to make the decision. You all have your own reasons for choosing what's right for yourselves."

"Why didn't you just reach across our tetnar?" Ben asked.

"What?" Ali's eyes snapped up from the data-pads on the desk because his question took her by surprise.

"You wanted to know my reasons - I could feel your curiosity, though I didn't need it to know that - you could've just asked me."

Ali glanced at her feet. "I… I don't like using it when the other party doesn't know as much about using it and - specifically - keeping people out. I don't want it to ever feel like a burden."

Ben offered her a smile as he shook his head at her in hopelessness. "I trust you, and I trust that you'll back off if I tell you to."

Ali returned his smile with a reassured one of her own. "I mean, there's only one way to learn, and that's practising."

"What, you want to just spend a bunch of time trying to get into my mind and me stopping you?" Ben asked suspiciously and Ali nodded. "Now?"

"Why not?" She asked with a shrug. Ben glanced at the door that led back to the bridge and she giggled. "Worried we'll start some good rumours?"

Yet again Ben shook his head at her, but she could feel that he was fighting against his own amusement. "I'm pretty certain you and Spud have started far more outlandish rumours than us making an alternative use of your desk," he retorted.

"Yeah… I'm surprised we got away with most of them."

"And you're supposed to be getting some sleep."

"Guess that's both exercises off the table then," Ali deadpanned.

"That was terrible," Ben half laughed despite himself.