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Post by Maelstrom on Feb 2, 2014 2:22:44 GMT -6
Maelstrom noticed Shala'Bekk's anxiety. At least he thought it was anxiety. Wringing hands, in his experience, seemed more or less a universal expression of that sentiment. At least in species that have hands, he mused. He could not think of anything he had done to provoke such a response in her, but he could not rule out the possibility that she had suffered her own traumas in life to make an invitation into an enclosed space stressful.
"I'm sorry, what was that?" she asked, turning to face him.
"I was just saying I'd offer you tea, but I don't have anything dextro-based," he repeated. A thought coming to mind, he said, "You're welcome to acquaint yourself with me ship if you want while we talk. I only have two requests. Looking is fine, but do not tamper with my ship's systems without permission. The other is don't go into the back compartment. That's where I sleep, and I consider it personal."
Before she truly had a chance to respond, he found himself moving on. After having waited for her to come, his urge to share the information he found was overwhelming. Curiously, he noticed a bit of an urge to wring his own hands, but he suppressed it. "I asked you here to tell you something. I'm not sure exactly what you know about me, but suffice it to say, I've made a personal goal of taking out an organization called 'Cerberus.' They're good at erasing their files when their bases are compromised. I've recovered some, most badly degraded. One of them in particular is almost completely destroyed, though it does mention a name you might recognize."
Typing in a quick series of commands into his omni-tool, he brought up a holographic display of the file. Only a handful of places had more than one letter intact. Mostly it was single words or a few letters strung together. A couple places, he was fortunate enough to have a couple continuous words intact. Able to finally breathe a sigh of relief at no longer being alone in his knowledge, he pointed to the spot in the file. "'River Havens.'"
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Post by Shala'Bekk vas Neema on Feb 2, 2014 3:49:30 GMT -6
"...I've made a personal goal of taking out an organization called 'Cerberus'..."
As soon as he said 'Cerberus', white-hot rage flashed through her, burning away any anxieties in an instant. That group was well-known among her people and even more so by those on the Idenna, her birth ship. They had attacked the Idenna apparently to capture three humans who had come on board. The attack had been repelled, but the mere fact of it would remain long in her people's memory. She had not been on the ship at the time--she had been on the Neema for about six months--but still it had set in her a hatred for Cerberus that was mindless in its ferocity.
Snapping out of her reverie, he saw that he was projecting the image of a file from his omnitool. It was badly degraded, only single letters and the occasional word could be seen, but he was pointing at two consecutive words that had somehow been recovered: River Havens. She looked at the rest of the file, but there was nothing to establish any sort of context for her name appearing in it.
"Curious," she said. "Unless more of the file is recovered, it's impossible to know why her name is in it. If you'd like, give me a copy. My omnitool has several hacking and recovery functions that might help us."
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Post by Maelstrom on Feb 2, 2014 5:08:31 GMT -6
"I expected you would want to take a look at the file," Malestrom said. He tapped several commands into his omni-tool, transferring an exact copy to Shala'Bekk's omni-tool. "I don't suppose it would make any difference to tell you my shipboard VI has some remarkable data recovery programs. Honestly, I'd be disappointed if you did anything less than pick it apart to be sure it was genuine... It's what I'd do."
Now that she knew, he could relax himself somewhat. "Obviously, we can't assume she's an agent for them based solely on her name appearing in one of their files. I'm certain my name pops up in more than its fair share. There are two things that make this stand out like a distress beacon to me, though. The first is that this mission is to recover technology from ancient ruins, quite possibly Prothean tech. Cerberus always has an interest in that. The second..."
He hesitated. Now that she was here, he hesitated. It was something he had not said to anyone before. Those who knew more of his history, such as the mercenary bands he typically worked with, probably took it as a matter of course. But he had never actually said it. Is it so dangerous to say so little?
"The second is that Cerberus has an interest in me. Beyond the trouble I've caused them. I'm certain they want me dead, but I'm fairly sure they'd like to take me in alive."
"Granted, its all circumstantial, but it's a hell of a circumstance. Until we know we can trust Miss Havens, I think it might be in our best interests to keep an eye on her. I wouldn't want anyone taking Prothean tech back to Cerberus... or taking me back to them."
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Post by Shala'Bekk vas Neema on Feb 3, 2014 8:34:35 GMT -6
Shala simply sat as she processed all the information he had given her. She doubted he had intended to do so, but she had read a lot more into what he said, and not just about the file.
First off, his VI. He had said it had some “remarkable” data recovery programs, so clearly the VI had been upgraded, and yet it projected a rather standard interface.
After their mistake with the geth her people were very cautious about using VIs, but even the few ones that were used, were warm in their interactions. Perhaps he thought a personality upgrade was a waste of time, or maybe it had been upgraded and was projecting a standard interface in order to protect it from strangers? Ultimately, that was of little concern, but still…
She shook her head, dispelling any further thoughts on the matter.
Then there was the possible involvement of Cerberus. She did not know why those three humans interested them so much to spur them to attack the Fleet, but any organization willing and able to do so had to be dealt with cautiously. And if they were involved, what was in those ruins that interested them so much? She suddenly felt like she was getting caught up in something much larger than herself, some game she could only begin to guess at.
And then there was Maelstrom himself. He said he was just as concerned about Cerberus getting their hands on some Prothean technology as he was about them getting their hands on him again.
Again.
Which raised the question: was he an employee who disagreed with their policies, left and was now fighting back against them, or was he someone they had conducted experiments on, only he had broken free from them and was now fighting back against his tormentors?
Understanding washed over her. His name, his ship’s name, his request not to tamper with it…he was someone they had hurt very badly, and he was going to return the favor. But underneath that vengeance, that desire to destroy, was someone still in pain, and that was something she understood all too well.
“We may have more in common than you know,” he had said in his invitation. She remembered her initial skepticism, and now she knew she couldn’t have been more wrong.
She suddenly felt the urge to hug him--much like her father had done to her when she had finally opened up about her Pilgrimage--to somehow help him with his pain, to show him she understood.
But she pushed it back. If he was like her, such a display so soon into their relationship would be too much; his shields would clamp down and she would never get back in. She had to show him she understood, but it had to be something small, something that would let him know it was okay to reveal a little bit more of his true self.
She reached out and placed a hand over one of his. “Thank you for trusting me, Maelstrom vas Vengeance,” she said. “Would you like to hear about how I got my shotgun? I’ve told only one other person…someone I trusted.”
Understand me, she thought, willing him to do so. Keelah, understand what I’m really saying.
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Post by Eric Lysander on Feb 3, 2014 11:42:38 GMT -6
Eric looked back on Meldom's hologram display. "So what's the latest and greatest intel we have on these things? Do they have a hive mind like the geth? Would we even want to take one alive if that's true?"
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Post by Maelstrom on Feb 3, 2014 13:06:39 GMT -6
Maelstrom watched as Shala'Bekk seated herself. He wondered if he said too much too fast and caused her to be confused. Maybe she was taking a seat because she expected more explanation from him. That thought made him uneasy.
What I wouldn't give to see her expression right now, he thought.
At first, he though he saw her assume a bit more rigid posture, as if assessing a number of threats. Then it seemed to relax. Not just the kind of relaxation that someone displayed when they realized something was not dangerous... Curious. I wonder how similar their body language is to ours. Could I be misjudging every cue I'm getting from her, or are there universal patterns underlying humanoid expression?
She placed a hand over one of his. He stayed still, but every muscle in his body primed to respond to the threat. Instead of making some move to incapacitate him, she said, “Thank you for trusting me, Maelstrom vas Vengeance. Would you like to hear about how I got my shotgun? I’ve told only one other person…someone I trusted.”
His heart rate started to return to normal.
That's an odd leap, he thought. Going from telling her about a possible Cerberus threat to her offering to share a personal story. That's a more pleasant leap than the one I'd been prepared for. He knew that he said just enough to make most people wonder whether or not he worked for Cerberus in the past. He had half expected the muzzle of that shotgun to be pointed at his face.
She couldn't have gotten the fullness of what I meant, he dismissed. No. Wishful thinking. Probably just some cultural convention I didn't know about.
"I'd like that. I don't have guests here often, and it's nice to have someone to talk to other than a VI," he said, taking a seat two harnesses away from her, not wanting to crowd her or be crowded.
Emily's projection flickered, and he had to keep from laughing. That sometimes happened when the security protocol she was running had to supersede her personality protocols, which demanded a retort to his comment.
"Plus, we're the only two with weapons of geth design on this ship. Weapons like that usually come with a pretty good story."
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Post by Shala'Bekk vas Neema on Feb 5, 2014 9:38:05 GMT -6
Shala continued to breathe deeply as she lowered her shields. Then they were down, and the pain washed over her like she was standing before an old atomic reactor.
"It was a sunny day..." she began.
[AUTHOR'S NOTE: For the rest of the story, read "Shala - The Day of the Attack" and "Shala'Bekk and Her Shotgun" in the Character Stories section.]
"...and I didn't wake up until three days later."
She looked over at Maelstrom, wondering if she had revealed too much, if she had done the verbal equivalent of a hug. She wasn't quite sure if she could handle that, baring herself like that only to be shut out by the very person she was trying to connect to.
Keelah, I hope it wasn't too much...
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Post by Maelstrom on Feb 5, 2014 12:33:43 GMT -6
"...and I didn't wake up until three days later."
Huh. Shame that nobody in this galaxy ever seems to just have happy stories, Maelstrom thought. He overcame the urge to scratch his head as he wondered, Why do so many women seem to find asari attractive? Back in basic, even a few who were definitely straight went on and on about them.
He shook his head. You never really get over something like that. I'm guessing condolences are the last thing she wants to hear, though. They're the last thing I'd want to.
"The story of how I got my guns isn't as personal. I didn't lose anyone I cared for. Still, it left it's impact," Maelstrom said.
***For full version, read Maelstrom's Guns- what is here is posted to show Maelstrom's long-term reactions and how he feels safe relating it to Shala'Bekk.***
"I'd gotten intel on a Cerberus base on this little backwater planet, and I cut a deal with some Eclipse sisters. They provide the people, I provide the intel. They give me a modest fee, they get whatever high tech gadgets Cerberus was working on."
"Using a storm, we get the drop on them, taking out their anti-aircraft and fighter support before they can do anything. Then we're on the ground, and the rain gives us just enough cover to get inside the base. Our forces were about even in terms of numbers, but skill and ferocity were another matter. Almost fifty of their people went down, and we only lost two... actually, I think a third died later because of an infection the medigel didn't treat."
"So, the whole base is cleared, save for this one room at the end of some winding hallways, effectively negating our numbers. They're dug in, a half dozen men and mechs, taking cover behind an overturned table and to either side of the door. I pop up to take a shot with my SMG, and the damned things fries on the spot. I use it and my biotics to shatter the head of a mech that comes out from cover. The shrapnel takes out one of their men. Irritated by my gun, I send the table flying into the back wall, two more men down. The Eclipse sister serving as my second in command and her salarian partner take out the other two."
"Scans show one guy left in the room. I start in, and my assault rifle won't extend to combat length. Can you believe that? First my SMG fries, then my rifle is stuck in compact mode!" He laughed, still unable to believe it himself. "So, I walk in there and find this Cerberus scientist huddled in a corner, almost weeping, but there's this..." oh, damn, I can't tell a quarian I saved a geth and took it back to its people, "test subject restrained to a table, trussed up like a damned Christmas tree." Even if it was a geth, it's just wrong. "I didn't think," watch your pronouns, "he was alive, the way he was hooked up."
"I see these weapons on the wall," he said, handing his SMG to Shala'Bekk for a moment before taking it back, "and it's like a Godsend, I've just lost both of mine. I mean, now I get to use their own weapons against them. While I'm grabbing them and downloading their specs, this scientist starts begging me to get him out. The Eclipse sister starts making plans to plant a nuke in the center of the basee, so that Cerberus can't just move back in. I guess that test subject was just terrified, because all the sudden, I hear this voice next to me, asking me to save him... to not let him die..."
"Again, this scientist pops up, begging me to get him out of there." Maelstrom shook his head, "Bastard didn't give a damn about the test subject. Just wanted to get out of there with his own life. So I told him I'd get him out of there. Grabbed a Cerberus-modified geth pistol off the wall, tossed it to him. I don't kill unarmed people. But once he had that gun, he was fair game. I got him out of there, alright... Left the pistol... I did rescue that test subject, though."
He wasn't looking at Shala'Bekk anymore, but he was certain she had to be staring at him in disbelief. How many monsters could gun down their own kind like that... outside Cerberus? He took a deep breath and mentally repeated what he said that day, what he said every day since, We weren't the same species. I'm homo sapiens. He was Cerberus. He didn't know if quarians dreamed, but it came rushing out of his mouth anyway, "Sometimes that scientist's face, when I pulled the trigger, still wakes me up in the middle of the night."
Leaning back and looking at the ceiling rather than meet her gaze, he laughed humorlessly. "Not the most uplifting stories, were they? Bet the two of us could bring a krogan victory party screeching to a halt."
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Post by Shala'Bekk vas Neema on Feb 6, 2014 11:41:22 GMT -6
"...Bet the two of us could bring a krogan victory party to a screeching halt," he said, trying to lighten the mood.
Even though she knew he couldn't see it, she smiled slightly. "I don't know," she said. "From what I've heard about krogan, they can be pretty hard to stop."
The man sitting across from her had amazed her, not because he had tricked the Ceberus scientist in order to gun him down, but because he still felt guilt over it. This was a rare man, one who held himself to the same high moral standards that he held others.
She slowly got up, took the seat next to him and gently placed her hand on his hand again. "You shouldn't burden yourself with such guilt," she said. "That...scientist...would not have stopped what he was doing unless you had showed up. You are a good man, Maelstrom. Do not think otherwise."
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Post by Maelstrom on Feb 6, 2014 13:19:00 GMT -6
"You are a good man, Maelstrom. Do not think otherwise." Words he had never expected to hear.
Maelstrom turned to look at her. She had seated herself closer to him and placed her hand on his again. He wondered if his own people, some day, could ever be so forgiving. If "some day" ever comes.
He struggled to find words for what he was thinking and what her reactions to his confessions meant to him. Regardless of what they had shared, though, they still barely knew each other. And he was not prone, typically, to getting overly emotional with people he barely knew. In fact, what they just shared was probably more than anyone since before he stole the Vengeance. Since...
"There's another reason I asked you here. That phrase I used to get your attention, 'Keelah se'lai.' I knew what it meant because I read about your people in a Cerberus file I recovered. It was oddly detailed about certain areas of your society, but references to your technological capabilities and military assets were almost non-existent. I thought it curious, until I got towards the end of the file, where it explained the source of the information," Maelstrom said.
His anger flashed white hot again, though tinged with shame over the fact that he had read so much of the file before realizing. It was information no one outside the Fleet had a right to. It was one thing to gain intelligence through bribery or surveillance. It was another... "A couple of your people who went on Pilgrimage and didn't return... It was dated before the Cerberus attack on your fleet... The technique is common. Get a subject to reveal seemingly harmless information, and slowly work them towards the intelligence you truly want. Combined with torture and drugs, it can be fairly effective. Cerberus' attack would have been much worse, if they hadn't been as strong as they were and given Cerberus the information they really wanted."
He tapped a few controls on his omni-tool, transferring his sole copy of the data to Shala'Bekk's omni-tool. "I didn't look at their faces. I knew even before that your people consider that personal. I wanted to make sure this information was back where it belonged, though. I have no right to it, and your people should be aware of what intelligence Cerberus has on you."
"A personal favor? If their families find out, make sure they know they should be proud of how little their loved ones revealed. It might seem like a lot, but Cerberus can be... persuasive."
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Post by dargene on Feb 6, 2014 17:02:34 GMT -6
"So what's the latest and greatest intel we have on these things? Do they have a hive mind like the geth? Would we even want to take one alive if that's true?"
Meldom looked at the data "Well, keypoints would be that they are possibly hive minded, either that or like.. well husks in a way, taking one alive, only real problem is wings, it can fly around over a short distance, not like birds, think of it as base jumping for them, easy way to capture one alive would be to just cut wings off" he looked at eric as if he had no sympathy for the collectors "Also suggest cutting hands off to prevent them using weapons"
(Sorry this took long, i started to read all the posts again and noticed eric started to talk to me)
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Post by Eric Lysander on Feb 6, 2014 23:09:54 GMT -6
"Well, keypoints would be that they are possibly hive minded, either that or like.. well husks in a way, taking one alive, only real problem is wings, it can fly around over a short distance, not like birds, think of it as base jumping for them, easy way to capture one alive would be to just cut wings off. Also suggest cutting hands off to prevent them using weapons..."
"Preferrably at a distance," said Eric, tapping his side near where his sniper rifle was slung. "Gas might work... if these things even breathe. Maybe spray some goop on it to gum up the wings, immobilize it. Or electric shocks - rig some kinda bug zapper to stun it. Works on mechs and flesh and blood..."
Eric started to laugh. "Hell... deploy a giant flystrip over some rancid garbage and see who sticks around - ha-hah...! Man, this sounds like it's gonna be a chore!"
He motioned to the batarian.
"For you, anyways. I'm worried about these guys having some strong psychic mojo. I mean we might give ourselves away to the Collector ship while our fearless leader beats some intel out of his prisoner. You'd think a guy like him'd be happy with just getting his buried treasure back... unless he thinks it wasn't just dumb luck that he was the only survivor..."
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Post by Shala'Bekk vas Neema on Feb 7, 2014 4:52:05 GMT -6
As Maelstrom talked, Shala could be feel all sorts of emotions swirling through her: grief not only for the quarians who never returned from their Pilgrimage, but also the parents who would never see their children again; pride that even under the most extreme conditions, the young quarians put the security of the Fleet above their own lives; and rage at Cerberus for doing such things to her people.
Of the three, the strongest she felt was grief. Because of her peoples’ limited resources, each couple was limited to only one child, and so the loss of a child meant the end of that bloodline, not to the mention unimaginable pain of a parent losing a child.
“Keelah,” she whispered, feeling the tears build up and the lump rising in her throat.
*****
It took her a few minutes to regain her composure, but once she was back in control, she looked over at him, again feeling the overwhelming urge to hug him--and once again suppressing it.
“In the span of a few seconds, I have seen humans at their worst…and at their best,” she said. “On behalf of the parents of these children, and the entire Migrant Fleet, I thank you. I would say you have no idea what this means to my people, but I think I would be wrong. I think you understand the need of protecting oneself better than most.”
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Post by Maelstrom on Feb 7, 2014 6:21:42 GMT -6
"I think you understand the need of protecting oneself better than most."
Maelstrom nodded. He was sure the argument could be made he felt a need to protect himself more than was reasonable. Still, based on her story, he expected she looked at the world much the same.
He considered something. It could be taken wrong in several different ways, but he hoped she would take it simply for what it meant. After a few moments to organize the sentiment into the best wording, he said, "One thing that concerns me, Shala'Bekk, is that independent mercs do not have the greatest reputation for loyalty or the ability to work together well in groups. Despite the fact that our skills tend to be more exceptional, cooperation tends to be more the dominion of merc bands."
"And while I'm no expert on the Collectors, from everything I gather, any time someone survives an encounter with them, it's a miracle."
"I've given my word. I'll do my best to see this job through so long as there's even a remote chance of success. If everything should go to hell, though... If the others should start to turn on each other or just look out for themselves or we get overrun... make your way to me, or if you can't, activate a beacon, and I'll get the Vengeance to you. I'll make sure you make your way out of there. Get you back to the Neema. If I possibly can, though, I'll do my job."
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Post by grandest on Feb 7, 2014 15:04:38 GMT -6
Cruendi'has laughed at the human soldier's dig at the Collectors appearance. Of the vastly differing varietals of fauna living on planet to planet, insect-like pests seemed to find their way onto all of them. "It could prove difficult," he agreed. He considered Eric's words. There was an element of potential danger in keeping a Collector, in the event the hive mind hypothesis proved correct. Mr. Bridges was up to something more than digging around in ruins. Revenge, maybe? In all honesty, the nature of their employer and his mission reminded Cruendi'has of some things he heard about Cerberus ops. The Batarian stopped his train of thought. No. There would be no need for Cerberus to outsource a mission like this. They had plenty of resources at their disposal. "Perhaps it would not be such a bad idea to keep an eye on our esteemed employer after all." Cruendi'has motioned to his top pair of eyes. "Assuming we can spare a set."
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Post by Eric Lysander on Feb 8, 2014 18:48:03 GMT -6
"I'll be keeping an eyeball on him, too," Eric seconded. "Man looks like he's used to getting his way. Seen his type before in the service. Spawn of West Point bloodlines. Snooty, entitled. Convinced they're infallible. Show them up and they shatter like glass. Then they bitch, they stomp and whine... and sometimes... they get vindictive."
Eric pondered some more. "Maybe he really does just wanna hear one screech and beg for mercy. I dunno... definitely is trying to bite off more than he can chew. And I'm pretty sure the Heimlich Manuever doesn't involve unloadin' a mag at point-blank range!"
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Post by Shala'Bekk vas Neema on Feb 11, 2014 10:40:46 GMT -6
“Your offer has reminded me of something I’d almost forgotten,” she said. “It reminded me that I am not among my people. If this team were all quarians, you would not have to make such an offer. Cooperation, loyalty and trust are vital necessities to my people, such a question would not even need to be asked.”
“Don’t misunderstand, I appreciate your offer,” she continued. “I just wonder, though, if things go wrong and I take you up on your offer, I wonder if I am being practical…or if I have become no better than them, ready to abandon them the moment things start going wrong?”
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Post by Maelstrom on Feb 11, 2014 12:07:44 GMT -6
“I just wonder, though, if things go wrong and I take you up on your offer, I wonder if I am being practical…or if I have become no better than them, ready to abandon them the moment things start going wrong?"
He appreciated her sentiment. Such unity and loyalty to one another were among the reasons he admired the quarian people, unlike so many in the galaxy who viewed them as wandering trash. He could not help but smile.
"I'm not talking about abandoning them without warning, and certainly not at the first sign of trouble. As I said, I have given my word to see this mission through," Maelstrom explained. "Only if the mission is lost, beyond hope of recovery would I consider myself free of that pledge. In such a case, I'd let them know my shuttle was coming and where. For any who couldn't make it, I'd swing around and pick them up, if I think my shuttle can handle it."
"If they turn on each other, though, for greed or other reasons, I would evac everyone who was willing to put aside their differences and who I could trust not to kill me for control of my ship," he added. "In both cases, it's a matter not of practicality but of survival, and we still aren't talking about abandoning people without warning. And even if we couldn't pick up everyone in my shuttle, the Valiant is a frigate, capable of low atmospheric flight. I'm not certain about this model, but most frigates are capable of landing on the surface of a planet. Even if it can't land, I'm sure they have harnesses they can lower and raise to retrieve squads on the surface."
"I understand if you're uncomfortable with it and even if you can't do it, but it's out there," Maelstrom said. "First, though, I intend to see what information I an dig up in my files on the Collectors and if I can find anything more about Ms. Havens, to keep such eventualities from occurring."
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Post by Shala'Bekk vas Neema on Feb 11, 2014 12:41:34 GMT -6
"When you put it like that, how could I refuse?" she said, smiling slightly. "But I hope it doesn't come to that. I will do my best to ensure the success of this mission as well."
She let out a sigh. Talking about such weighty matters, especially in a first conversation, had drained her, and she needed time to process all the information he had passed along to her.
"You've certainly given me a lot to think about, and I need some time to sort through it all," she said, standing up. "I'd like to go now, unless there's something else you need to discuss...?"
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Post by Maelstrom on Feb 11, 2014 13:17:32 GMT -6
"I'd like to go now, unless there's something else you need to discuss...?"
The hatch to his shuttle opened. Damn it, Emily. I'll have to go back over the priority levels in the security protocols and personality protocol now.
"Nothing else pressing," Maelstrom said. "Besides which, there are still some members of the crew I feel I should become better acquainted with. Our drell companion among them. I believe the dossiers our employer handed out list her as a Doctor Iskra Narei."
"If you feel like chatting about less weighty matters at some point through this trip, I'll probably be in the mess or here," he offered. "And I'm pretty prompt about checking messages sent to my omni-tool."
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