*R.S.S. Republic. Matt and John are looking over a data-feed with terabytes of code in it.*

Matt: Have we found it yet?

John: Not yet. We need to reconfigure the transceiver.

Matt: Do it.

*Matt looks at the Viewscreen to see a metal oblong-shaped vessel moving across space.*

Have they detected us?

T'mar: I don't think so. The cloak's working fine.

Matt: how long would it take to fire off the ZPCs?

T'mar: We'd get weapons back as soon as we lowered the cloak, but shields would take two seconds to come back up. We don't know their targeting capabilities.

Matt: Do we know if the Cannons would break through?

T'mar: I'd rather use everything, but...

Matt: Can you?

T'mar: it'd strain the power grid... but I think I could let of a volley from all weapon batteries.

Matt: Okay. If we don't find that code before the synthesiser fleet reaches the Iconian Homeworld, we'll have to try that.

I'm betting that with their leader at risk, they'll come running back here.

T'mar: That'll put us in trouble.

Matt: Got any better ideas?

T'mar: No. Just tell me when.

*Synthesiser Command Ship. Sam sits against a wall when a gap emerges in the wall across from her, revealing another corridor composed of synthesiser units.

A figure walks into the room, wearing black trousers and a white vest, looking almost exactly like Sam except for slightly shorter hair.*

Sam: What happened to the silver irises?

Sam 2: Not very human.

Sam: You AREN'T human.

Sam 2: That depends on how you define 'human'.

Some people say that humanity is relative.

Sam: And some say that being made up of microscopic metal pieces isn't human.

Sam 2 *In Sam's mind*: What about this?

Sam: And that little trick proves my point!

Sam 2: Is this really because I'm not human, or because I'm you?

Sam: You LOOK like me, but you're NOT me.

Sam 2: I have your memories. I THINK like you. I LOOK like you.

Sam: If you THINK like me, why'd you massacre a colony of innocent civilians?

Sam 2: Natural Selection. The strong survive, the weak perish.

Sam: See? That's not me.

It's also not true. You killed those people to 'help evolution'?

Sam 2: What's wrong with that?

Sam: It's bull! That's what!

You did it to get MY attention! Well, you've got it!

Sam 2: You flatter yourself.

Sam: Please! Ever since you manifested yourself into that body, you've been gunning for me! You held MOCC at gunpoint! You threatened to kill two members of my family! You tried to throw me into a WARP CORE!

Sam 2: As I recall, you tried to shoot me first!

Sam: Okay, fine! This isn't about me? Prove it. *She stands up.*

Go 10 seconds without trying to strangle me.

Sam 2: If I wanted to kill you that badly, I'd have done it by now. Your test is flawed.

Sam: Okay, granted. You left the door open, you know.

Sam 2: Don't try it.

*She holds out a Republic combadge transceiver.*

Sam: Crap.

Sam 2: Did you really think I wouldn't notice you slip this onto the wall?

I'm randomising the code your friends are getting every 5 seconds. They're gonna be getting useless data until this thing's power cell runs dry.

Sam: Nice trick. What if I slipped it on you?

Sam 2: Then the following would happen: I'd break your arm, rip the transceiver off me, destroy it, then beat the living hell outta you. Why do you ask?

Sam: Talking to myself is such a pain.

Sam 2: Especially when I can beat you.

Sam: I'm sorry, who threw who into a Warp Core?

*The Synthesiser Sam glares at her before wandering to another part of the room. Sam moves into the middle of the room.*

What do you hope to gain here?

Sam 2: You know how we replicate. We may be able to synthesise the materials we need, but sooner or later we need raw material to repair ourselves when there's to much damage for our own bodies to handle.

Sam: So why come here?

Sam 2: This Galaxy not only has raw materials, but a way to move instantaneously.

Sam: The Gateways.

Sam 2: Exactly. It's a matter of survival Sam, not 'getting your attention'.

Sam: Please. You wouldn't have mercilessly slaughtered innocents without giving them an escape route unless it was to get to me.

*Sam 2 turns around and starts walking in circles around Sam.*

Sam 2: If the entire fate of the Human Race relied on you wiping out one colony of Iconians, would you do it?

Sam: Your survival rested on taking the Planet, not exterminating the inhabitants.

Sam 2: They could return and pose a threat to us.

Sam: You really aren't me.

Sam 2: I'm you in every way that counts, except one thing: I'm better.

Sam: And yet I threw you into a Warp Core.

Sam 2: You got lucky.

Sam: You wanna know what I think?

Sam 2: No.

Sam: I think that you delude yourself into believing that you're better than me, because if you're not, that means we're equals. And if we're equals, that means you're not unique.

Sam 2: Shut up.

Sam: It means we're the same!

Sam 2: Samantha!

Sam: It means that you're just a clone that went defective!

Sam 2: SHUT UP!

*Sam 2 punches Sam across the face and to the ground, with Sam catching herself on her hands and knees. Sam 2 then kicks her in the abdomen and presses her foot onto Sam's throat.*

I... am going...

Sam *Gasping for air*: To kill me? I thought that... this wasn't about me...

*Sam 2 glares at her before releasing her foot from Sam's neck, picking her up onto her feet, and throwing her into a wall before walking out, the door closing behind her.

Sam recovers and supports herself on the wall before sitting down and cradling her abdomen. She then notices that Sam 2 had dropped the transceiver during her attack ('fight' suggests that Sam was able to fight back. That was a beating). She picks it up and slips it into her pocket.*

*R.S.S. Republic.*

John: Damn.

Matt: What?

John: I finally realised why it seemed like I was sifting through the same information all over again.

They were scrambling it so I was getting fed random information every 5 seconds! I actually WAS getting the same information!

Matt: They know what we're up to. If they scrambled the data-line...

Drop the cloak! Raise shields! T'mar, fire everything we've got!

*The Republic decloaks and fires, with her attacks hitting an Iconian shield the synthesisers had 'borrowed'. The Zero-Point Cannons fire white pulses of energy into the shields, dealing some serious damage, but not breaching the shields before the synthesisers fire an anti-matter blast into the Republic's shields, which were still coming online. The battle lasts less than a minute as the Synthesisers let off one last blast before fold-jumping. The blast breaches the Republic's shields and sheds the leading edges of the ship of their armour plating.

On the bridge, Matt sits down in the Command Chair and looks to David at Ops.*

Matt: Call Hampton and Cole. Tell them we're gonna need some back-up.

David: Yes, sir. This is R.S.S. Republic calling Space-Gate control. Requesting comm-line to Lanco III.

R.S.S. Republic to Admiral Cole and Admiral Hampton, we're requesting assistance. The Iconians will let you send through 2 ships each.

*At Lanco III, 2 hours later, the R.S.S. Liberty - A Titan-Class Battlecruiser - Fold-jumps in and approaches the gathering flotilla readying to assist the Republic.*

OOC: I'll let you choose which ships you bring along. For Cole, you can make up a new Romulan ship type if you want. The USC's your faction, so feel free to bring whatever you want with Hampton.

The battle with the Synthesisers, I added to show the capabilities of the ZPCs. Since they use Zero-Point energy, like quantum torpedoes, they're exerting a high amount of energy. Unlike quantums, they're also unbound by a casing and thus deal a higher amount of damage since ZP energy is theoretically infinite.

And yes, the MAMs on the Republic are there to serve the same purpose as SGs ZPMs without A) being overpowered, and B) ripping of SG.

But mostly cos antimatter's cool!

Cole stand on the bridge of the IRS wings of honor a predator class warship. About the size of two schimitars it is the same basic design just beefed up.

Cole: message received Put the ship in cloake and lets head out.

Hampton stands on the harvest bridge as the nova also make the jump.

Hampton: Matt what happened. We got here as soon as we got our message.

Cole: we must stop them quickly.

Cole sits on the bridge watching the readouts.

Cole: report

Officer: sir we are at the coordinates the republic gave us.

Cole: very well. Any sign of enemy ships.

Officer: no sir.

Cole: decloake us then.

The ship then decloakes next to te republic. As the nova and harvest soon join them.

Cole: so the hunt begins.

Hampton: well this out to be fun. Cole where is our secon ship.

Cole: don't worry there here.

Matt: Sam got beamed aboard the Synthesiser ship. She slipped her combadge's transceiver into contact with synthesiser cells so we could sift through their code and shut them down, but it didn't work. They knew exactly what we were up to.

Their ship managed to get a few good shots in before we could react and they fold-jumped out. We haven't been able to track them down, and we're currently busy repairing the armour plating and outer hull.

We're gonna be outta action for a few hours, but we can make warp speed.

I say we split into pairs.

The Republic and Liberty will cover the space between here and the Iconian Homeworld until we hear of an attack. The Romulan ships will do the same for this sector and the Nova and Harvest will cover the area between here and the orbital Gate.

Once one of us hears of an attack in progress, or a sighting of that Command Ship, the rest will jump in on that ship's position and we'll go in together.

Sound good?

Cole: very well.

Hampton: let the hunt begin.

The ships break off into there patrol sectors.

Hampton stands on the bridge

Hampton: tactical report

Officer: all systems are green. Sensors are at full power and weapons are at full and ready.

Hampton: now we sit and let these little things make there move. I wonder helm give me sensor control.

Officer: yes sir.

Hampton starts using the sensor to make sensor ghost of valuable mechanical components and raw material. ( remember he is mostly a machine as well so he has an idea what they need. )

Hampton: now we will wait and see what they do.

*The Republic and Liberty are patrolling two different routes along there sector to cover more ground.*

*In Cole's sector, the Synthesiser ship fold-jumps a few hundred thousand kilometres away (just outside sensor range) where Sam 2 finds that it's the Harvest and has Sam dragged up to the bridge in shackles.*

Sam 2: Who are they?

Sam: Abbot and Costello?

Sam 2: Seriously, who?

Sam: Luke Skywalker and the Rebel Fleet of Wonderland, commanded by the United States Air Force Ship Odyssey.

*Sam 2 punches her and turns to the Weapons Officer.*

Sam 2: Lock weapons!

Weapons Officer: Locked.

Sam 2: Fi--!

Sam: Wait!

*Sam 2 turns her head slightly before refocusing on the Harvest.*

Sam 2: Fire!

*The ship fires an antimatter blast at the Harvest.*

OOC: It's too late to keep the blast from doing damage, but you can still get the shields up. They'll absord at least some of the blast depending on how strong your shields are.

Hampton jumps as the alarm klaxons go off.

Hampton: shields brace for impact

The blast is partially absorbed by the shields as the armor takes more.

Hampton: report.

Officer: hull breach on deck 31 no injuries. Fold jump engines are offline.

Hampton: prep weapons prepare to fire forward phaser banks and canons full power.

Officer: yes sir

*The Synthesisers fire another blast, this time disabling the Harvester before the ship turns its attention to the Nova.

They fire at the Nova.*

Hampton: get the signal out as well tell them we found them.

The nova arrives almost instantly as it was in the same area as the harvest.

North: prep weapons fire all forward batteries.