Starpath: Scoundrels of the Interstellar Highway - Thread 2 - Games

With lightning-fast reflexes Iron pulled out a compact gun which looked more like a solid grey brick. "This is the Trinity Defender Mk.II. 10mm, semi-automatic. Can fire most types of 10mm ballistic ammo so if you're running something tipped with plasma or the like it shouldn't be an issue. Twelve-round magazine." He handed over the gun to Aaron. "You really should get something bigger though. That gun isn't going to hold up well against an armored target. I heard that Lennox or whatever that armory guy's name is managed to get some request link up and running. You should probably swing by there." Iron turned to Sting and chuckled. "I'll pass." He said. Before he could hear Yanim's response, he overheard the sound of metal hitting the floor. "Excuse me." As he walked towards Taylor he soon overheard a familiar voice. Iron peeked over Taylor's shoulder. "Howdy, miss Caine." He said with a friendly tone. ----- Maddox was sitting at his holotermianl inside his cell. While he was busy with a number of projects, including one which could perhaps set him free, he was also thinking about the words he had heard from Rask's secret conversation three days ago. He had initially thought about reporting it but quickly figured that no one would believe him. He grunted. What a spy he was, stupid fucking mistake to let his feelings get the upperhand. A movement on one of his screens caught his attention. "No! The other way around!" He yelled. Inside the armory a small group of [url=https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/71236376/Starpath%20RP/Maddox%20Helper%20Drone.jpg]worker drones[/url] were busy operating machinery and moving weapons, tools and resources from different places inside the armory. At the centre sat Valkyrie who, surprisingly, looked very calm. Maddox sighed and watched as two of the drones which had a [i]very[/i] basic AI function mount an RPG completely the other way around. The man-sized hologram of Maddox inside the room sighed and shook his head. "Listen gearhead, take a look at that RPG one more time and tell me if you think someone could fire it?" Studying the RPG in great detail the drone nodded happily. "Okay, then let me rephrase that: do you think someone could fire it without blowing themselves up?" The drone stared at the RPG silently. "Exactly. Redo it."

(( Maddox wasn't checked before being tossed into the brig? And why does a cell have a terminal in it? ))

((Because Rask/Yanim agreed to him having a terminal so that he can continue to develop weapons.))

(( One that can also connect to other devices? I highly doubt they'd give someone [I]who is in the brig for spying and relaying private info[/I] a terminal that can do such a thing. I mean I thought they'd put him under surveillance whenever he'd use it so he wouldn't try anything funny. ))

((It has a one way connection to a holoprojector and secure terminal in the aurikhas engineering dept.))

[QUOTE]Iron peeked over Taylor's shoulder. "Howdy, miss Caine." He said with a friendly tone.[/QUOTE] Miranda's eye widened, and she smiled a bit. "Iron! How've you been? Its been what...a year or two? You talk to me less than Maddie does." she said, with a bit of a chuckle. Taylor glanced over her shoulder at Iron, then back to Miranda. - - - - - - - - - - Valkyrie stopped playing her violin momentarily, looking over towards Maddox's hologram. "If you had given them a decent AI, they wouldn't be wandering around like idiots." she said, looking towards the worker drones. Even her ADAM AI were smarter than these workers, and they relied TOTALLY on orders.

Iron chuckled. "All fine 'n' dandy here, ma'am. I would've called you earlier if I hadn't ended up stuck on some cramped metal box for two weeks." He shrugged. "Any news from Lex or HQ?" ----- Maddox grimaced. "Look, I know you'd stab me untill I'm just a mangled corpse and I know that I'm in no position to ask for favors but it'd be really great if you could finish that AI of yours." He crossed his arms and shifted his stance. "I know I'll never be trusted by anyone onboard this ship again but a man can dream, right?"

[QUOTE] "All fine 'n' dandy here, ma'am. I would've called you earlier if I hadn't ended up stuck on some cramped metal box for two weeks. Any news from Lex or HQ?"[/QUOTE] Miranda took a drag of her cigarette, then exhaled a puff of smoke. "Lex's busy as usual, neck deep in work. Dealin' with new hunters joining up. The B.C.B.'s been getting more newcomers since that war started back up between the Kanads and Sanghvi. Most wanting to chase after those TBC guys." she said. With that, she looked directly at Taylor, her face drastically more serious. Taylor could tell. She knew exactly who Taylor was working for. Taylor sighed quietly. She fully expected to get a lecture from Miranda later on. - - - - - - - - - - Valkyrie looked directly at Maddox's hologram, turning to face him. "[I]Stab you till you're a mangled corpse?[/I] Sweetheart, I'd do [B][I]a lot[/I][/B] more than [I]that.[/I]" She followed the statement with a wicked grin, before sitting back in the chair. "I'll mount my ADAM AI on them when it finishes, and list you as their commander. But those armored ones over there, standing around like statues, are gonna be my test beds for the AI. Got me?"

"Don't you worry, I got my eyes on Maddie here." Said Iron. ----- Maddox glanced at his Warhound drones. "Fine." He said.

[QUOTE]"Don't you worry, I got my eyes on Maddie here."[/QUOTE] "Oh, I'm not worried." she said simply, glancing to Iron. "She can take care of herself. She's proven that to me [I]several[/I] times." Miranda finally sighed, before reaching over for something on the dash. "Oh, Maddie, some big cyborg guy in a suit came by the other day. Said he worked with you before and told me to give you his card. Called himself [I]'Archibald Engel'[/I] and works with Death Vigil. Never told me you worked with the sugar skulls before." Taylor raised an eyebrow, then realized exactly who Miranda was talking about. Big cyborg. Death Vigil. [I]That son-of-a-bitch went and found her mother.[/I] He really did have a death wish. Taylor gritted her teeth together, before finally saying "Yeah. It was a one time thing, though. Really short." said Taylor. Miranda looked at her for a moment, then held the card up to the screen so that Taylor could see it. Taylor took a picture of both sides of the card, making sure to get his information so that she could contact him directly later. - - - - - - - - - "Good." said Valkyrie with a smirk, before returning to playing her violin. Minutes later, the AI production module beeped twice. The ADAM AI was ready to be mounted! She grinned. "Alright, Mad. Get 'em lined up and ready for their AI downloads."

"Mad, I hope you are focusing on getting yourself out of the cell by not doing anything stupid." Amy said as she was adjusting her suit."You're a good gunsmith. Could still be helpfull around here." She stood next to Valkyrie. "Hey Valk, how good is the AI's stealth sensors? I want to test something."

Sting scoffed as Yanim also declined a drink. She then decided to take a walk to see the ships of this company she had gotten herself employed into. Steering her steps towards the cataract her bandoliers and spurs jingled rhythmically as she [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sTQx-AMHUM&spfreload=1]played a tune on her harmonica[/url]. Walking through the Cataract she passed by the medbay where she noticed that Mercy was shooting darts into a target doll. She put her harmonica away and entered with a gallant stroll, "You some kind o jungle hippe shootin arrows and such?"

Iron glanced at Taylor quietly. "We have some catching-up to do. Soon." ----- Maddox gestured. "You heard her boys, line formation." The helper drones literally dropped everything they were doing, making Maddox grit his teeth as expensive equipment and weapons suddenly fell to the floor. The drones then formed up into a line. "Go ahead, Valk." Maddox turned towards Amy. "I appreciate the concern, wish your brother would say the same thing." He smiled. "And don't you worry, I have alot of projects to do and I'm not a man who walks away from unfinished business."

Picking a syringe off the ground, Mercy careened her head up to look at the new entrant. Quirking an eyebrow, and with a slight chuckle, she shook her head. "Ah, non, [i]zhis[/i] is some sleep toxin I've been brewing up. For special occasions, you see. Stealth, people zhat need captured alive..." She chuckled once more. "...Among ozher zhinks..." She seemed... strangely into this. Mercy turned on her heel, properly facing Sting now. "Ah, but I digress. I do not believe we have met, non? I am Mercy, zhe crew's combat medic. [i]Et tu[/i]?"

[QUOTE]"We have some catching-up to do. Soon."[/QUOTE] "Yes, we do." she said simply, glancing back to her. She looked back to her mother. "Well, I'll call you back in a bit, mom. Gotta sort some stuff out here." Miranda nodded. "Take care of yourself, baby girl. You too, Iron." said Miranda, giving them a thumbs up before the connection was terminated. Taylor looked to Iron. "Yeah. That guy that she was talking about? I fought him a few weeks back. He boarded our old ship with his men to try and take something that didn't belong to him. I broke his arm before backup showed up and they fled. And now he's trying to fuck with me using her." ----- [QUOTE]"You heard her boys, line formation." The helper drones literally dropped everything they were doing, making Maddox grit his teeth as expensive equipment and weapons suddenly fell to the floor. The drones then formed up into a line. "Go ahead, Valk."[/QUOTE] Valk set her violin down, and motioned for the first drone to step up to the drone workbench. A device popped out, connecting to the drone via a port on their head. From there, the AI would be installed into their body. She typed up what all would need to be coded in on the workbench's monitor, as the process began. A few moments later, the drone stepped away, its new ADAM AI active. She looked to Amy. "The AI's stealth sensors should be decent enough. You can use that one to do what you need." she said, pointing to the first drone as the next stepped up to the workbench. She worked fast, programming all the drones, before sitting back. Finished. "Now, Mad, they're under your command. A helluva lot smarter than before." "AT YOUR SERVICE." said one of the drones loudly.

Sting pushed up her hat and grinned wildly, "Sting's the name an' raisin hell's the game. They say they brought me in cause they need a navigator, but I know it's just cause I'm just so gosh darn good and sexy as hell." She said as she grabbed Mercy's hand and shook it rather forcefully. She walked in a circle around Mercy and stopped in front of her and and pointed four finger guns at her, "You aint so shabby lookin yourself with that fine piece o ass you carryin back there," she said with a wink. She then put her hands on her sides, "An' lady, stealth's overrated. Just for them sum'bitchin delta's and double O:ers who ain't worth a damn in a fight!" she said as she thumped on her chest. Mercy stood speechless and was about to reply when Sting continued without any regards to the possible social rules she might have broken. "Now listen here, Miss, you want someone sleeping you just punch 'em a one way express ticket to the big dirt nap with a little tool I like to call..." she said as she pulled out one of her Kerssant Marshalls, "Thunder Irons." she finished with a wink. She turned sharply and fanned the hammer into the target doll, filling it and the wall behind it with smoking holes. She then turned back to Mercy as her lower hands reloaded the revolver whilst she folded her upper arms. "Now how's that for a special occasion?" she asked with a smirk.

Iron crossed his arms. "Can't say I'm surprised, it's not the first time you earned yourself a nemesis." Said the bounty hunter, referring to Valkyrie. "As for our [i]Mad Dog[/i] I'm not too worried, my biggest concern right now is the rest of the crew. I've seen you in action, not to mention, and the Koronov's seem capable. I'm afraid that most of the others fall into the category of 'live-fire targets'." He studied Taylor. "You got a plan if he shows up asking for more?" ----- Mad nodded. "Much appreciated." He looked at the drones. "Resume previous orders. Utilize armlory database for technical assistance."

With an unimpressed sniff, Mercy looked down at the scorpion, quirking an eyebrow. "And... how about when we do [i]not[/i] wish to blow a hole into zhe side of zhe ship, or wake up zhe rest of zhe garrison, hmh? I suppose zhat you called zhem 'Zhunder' for a reason?" Accentuating her point, Mercy picked at her ear a bit. Good fucking LORD that was loud. "Now, observe, [i]s'il vous plait.[/i]" Mercy nodded, loading another syringe into her gauntlet, taking aim and firing at a bit of the dummy that wasn't blown apart, with just a small, quiet 'pssh' following. Smirking, and running a hand along her forearm, Mercy nodded once more. "See? [i]Silencieux.[/i] Handy for when you wouldn't want any... unwanted attention."

Stings lower arms were done loading the revolver so she spun it around a bit before putting it back in it's holster. She turned to towards the target as Mercy demonstrated the dart glove. With both her arms folded, her stinger tail wagged slowly back and forth while she scratched her chin, trying to make heads and tails of what Mercy explained. She turned to Mercy with a raised eyebrow. "You sure you ain't no hippie? Cause all these words sound kinda hippie to me."

[QUOTE] "You got a plan if he shows up asking for more?"[/QUOTE] "Yeah. I do." said Taylor, her face turning a bit more serious. "I'm gonna kill him." - - - - - - - - - "YES SIR." said the drones in unison, before returning to their previous duties. They behaved much more efficiently this time, actually paying attention to what they were doing and being careful.

Iron chuckled, leaned in and placed his hand on Taylor's shoulder. "Just don't forget to invite me for the occasion. Wouldn't wanna miss it [i]sister[/i]." ----- Maddox observed the drones quietly as they resumed their work, only this time they were actually relaying information to eachother rather than walk around like clumsy mute children. "They grow up so fast." He said with a chuckle as two of the drones put together a RPG the correct way. He looked at Valkyrie. "I have to say that I didn't expect you of all people to be interested with the whole AI mumbo-jumbo." Maddox nodded towards the Warhound drones. "It will be interesting to see how those turn out once they're complete. No matter how much compact armor, lethal weapons and fancy gadgets you stick to 'em they're next to useless if they can't think."

Taylor smirked. Iron was basically like a relative to her, having lived with her and grown up alongside Taylor during her teen years. Iron just went in the bounty hunter direction, while Taylor went the military route. "You won't miss it. This fucker's kind of loud." she said, patting the revolver on her thigh. She had converted it last night, swapping out the pieces and making sure everything fit right before taking it over to the firing range. Originally, her revolver held six shots. It now held only four. Four solid Tungsten steel slugs. It'd rip right through most armor, and leave a big ass hole in its wake. Just like her mother's revolver, though her's only held two shots. ----- [quote]"It will be interesting to see how those turn out once they're complete. No matter how much compact armor, lethal weapons and fancy gadgets you stick to 'em they're next to useless if they can't think."[/quote] "They won't have to think all too much. They'll be fitted with the ADAM AI, but will be commanded by another AI that I'm developing right now. I call it EVE." she explained. "The EVE AI will act as a bridge between me and the ADAM AI drones. Think of it like the military. Officer, NCO, Grunt. I'm the Officer in that case, and the EVE AI would be the NCO." She looked around the room at the other drones wandering about, working. "Your...[I]'Warhound's[/I]...I'm not sticking the EVE AI into one of them. [I]God[/I] no, fuck [I][B]that[/B][/I]. I'm gonna build it a body from scratch. And she's gonna look fucking [I]beautiful.[/I]" she said, with a grin. She reached over and tapped her tablet nearby on the workstation, and [URL="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhoZM4LhSEc"]music started to play.[/URL] "You don't mind if I use some of your bulk materials, right? Gotta get the parts from [I][B]somewhere[/B][/I], you know." she asked, glancing back at Maddox's hologram.

Maddox gestured with his hands outwards. "By all means, go ahead. If this all works as intended the Warhounds will turn into an effective fighting force capable of supporting us- and the TBC as a whole- in the future." ----- Cameras flashed as the heavy motorcade pulled up outside of the Council Chambers in Terranos. The massive crowds on both side of the path leading to the building were held back by two lines of SDF army troopers on each side while they eagerly tried to get a glimpse of High Councilor Wayford. A contingent of SIG bodyguards and SSOID agents formed up around the armored limousine with tinted windows as Wayford stepped out. As soon as he set down his foot every agent and soldier nearby sharpened up, looking for any potential threat. The loss of administrator Vale had been a massive tragedy and untill a new one could be appointed it was up to Wayford to handle all non-council matters which was no easy burden, especially not during times of war. "Eagle is on-site and green for movement." Said one of the SIG bodyguards who wore a vest over his suit and held a SMG in his hands. Wayford sighed deeply and waved at the crowds in a friendly manner. He did not smile however. Today he was attending the Council Chambers for a planned debate. Tension was growing by the day as more men and women returned from the front in bodybags. Signs with slogans such as "UNBAN RELIGION" and "STOP OUTLAWING FAITH" had become an increasingly common sight on Terra, Mars and Luna. Due to this a divide had formed between the people of Sol as one side argued that unbanning religion could halt the progress and nullify the aggressive military campaign carried out by the Sol Resistance while others argued that the only solution was to deploy more troops into the fray. Now people were demanding that the Sol Council would take action which had led to further discussion after many councilors openly supported the idea of unbanning religion. The opposition was led by councilor [url=http://starpath.wikia.com/wiki/Maya_Eri]Maya Eri[/url], whom had called for a debate against councilor [url=http://starpath.wikia.com/wiki/Jabari_Okonjo]Jabari Okonjo[/url] who represented those who do not want to lift the ban on religion. Wayford moved quickly towards the entrance while his bodyguards moved next to him in a tight formation. The entrance doors were opened by two army troopers who greeted Wayford with a quick nod. Quint adjusted his blue tie when he entered the entrance hall. Lord General Cross approached Wayford and shook his hand. "Good to see you Quint. The councilors are all ready in there." The High Councilor nodded. "Same to you Kaspar. I just wish that this debate would've had a better timing. Wokaar won't wait while we argue." Kaspar nodded. "True, but either way we'll handle things on the ground. Ivan isn't the type of man who's going to back away just because some paper pushers think he should." Wayford chuckled. "Let's hope that it won't come to that." With that said the two men moved past the checkpoint and towards the chamber doors. Two SIG guards clad in the ceremonial armor opened up the doors and slammed the bottom of their staffs three times into the floor, signaling thea rrival of the High Councilor. Inside the room the dozens of councilors, personal aides, bodyguards and members of the press went silent and assumed their positions while Quint walked up towards the podium on the far side of the room. "Greetings councilors, you may be seated." The councilors, as well as the members of the press, sat down in their seats. Wayford observed the room and noted that everyone looked very stern. He took a deep breath. "Today's matter is the debate on the unbanning of religion. I ask for councilor Eri and councilor Okonjo to stand up." Maya Eri and Jabari Okonjo stood up, marking their presence. "Are all members of your respective groups present?" Maya nodded. "Pro-unban are all present and accounted for." Okonjo glared at her angrily before turning to Quint. "Opposition is present and accounted for." Wayford nodded and gestured with his hand. "Good, please be seated." As the two councilors sat down Wayford stood up. "Before we begin I'd like to stress that this is a very delicate matter we're discussing and I'd like to remind members of both groups to keep the discussion civilized." Mumbling could be heard from the councilors as many nodded. Quint turned to Maya. "Councilor Eri, you may begin the debate." Maya nodded and stood up. "Thank you High Councilor." She then walked down to the small platform infront of the podium so that everyone could see her clearly. "Greetings my fellow colleagues and citizens of Sol." "My name is Maya Eri and I represent the side who are pro-unban." Many members of the pro-unbanning group nodded towards Maya while the opposition remained silent and observed her with dislike. "Today I speak before you not as a councilor, but as a citizen of our proud nation. Sol has come a long way since it was founded and together we've accomplished so much." She sighed. "But in the shadow of our success we abandoned brothers and sisters because of their beliefs. We drove them out, with force, from the system in a conflict which cost far too many lives." "We won, or so we were told. Yet here we stand while the skeletons of our past have returned with the intent of taking back their birthright. In my eyes, we never won. Not only did we banish our own and left them alone, but through our arrogance and pride we're now at war with them. To me the solution is clear; lift the ban on religion. Let the people of Sol express their beliefs freely just like our ancestors did." She gestured with both of her hands. "Freedom of Religion was once considered to be a basic human right so how does banning it make us better than your avergage facist empire? When we deny our people something which is given and encouraged by so many others? It's time to end this pointless cycle of death, lift the ban and we finally have something to bargain with. What reason would the Divinity Creed and the Lunar Children have to continue their military efforts against our nation when they're welcomed with open arms?" Before Maya could continue councilor Jabari Okonjo flew up from his seat. "This is treason you're talking about woman!" The rest of the opposition nodded and began to yell while the pro-unban group returned the verbal violence with yelling of their own. One of the SIG honorguards slammed his staff into the floor repeatedly. "Order! Order in the chambers!" Wayford looked at Jabari. "Councilor you will be allowed to speak once councilor Eri is done pleading her case." He looked at Maya who nodded. "I have nothing more to say right now, High Councilor." She nodded towards Jabari who made his way down towards the podium. "Fellow councilors, we are at war." Said Jabari with a serious tone. "Like many others in here I fought for our people during the Unification. My family was very religious but they understood, just like I did, that it was time to put our people ahead of whatever personal agendas we may have had. I witnessed the conflict first hand on Terra, Luna and then Mars." He glanced at Maya who stood a few meters away from him. "The people which councilor Eri refers to as our own are not what they once were. They are worse. During the Unification they were monsters and today they are monsters and butchers. We cannot negotiate with people who'd want nothing more than burn this entire system to the ground just to rebuild and shape it to something of their own." Jabari gestured towards himself. "I will never volunteer to speak with someone who is five seconds from putting me into the ground, neither would I risk the life of another citizen. Our only solution is to fight fire with fire! Our soldiers are strong and capable, this so-called Sol Resistance is nothing when comapred to the full might of the SDF." He looked at Maya. "We don't have the time to listen to those who would rather hide and let savages roam freely." He scoffed. "Any sign of weakness and we would lose this system!" Once again the council chambers exploded into madness as both sides began to yell at eachother, including Maya and Jabari. SIG honorguards were forced to intervene, separating the two arguing councilors. [b]"Enough!"[/b] Yelled Wayford as he stood up. The entire room fell into silence and all eyes turned towards Wayford. "What are you people doing? We're supposed to represent Sol, its people and their interests. We've been trusted by the people of Sol ensure that our nation carries on." He gestured with his hands. "And yet here we are, arguing. Normally I'd stay out of the matters discussed here but since both parties are unable to discuss this in a civil manner I will share my own thoughts now." He stared at Maya and Jabari. "While the ban of religion is an outdated and primitive solution, it serves a purpose. We don't all have to agree with it, I certainly don't. However we cannot back down now, like Jabrani here pointed out we're at war. If we lift the ban now we'd backing down to terrorists and fanatics." Wayford continued while everyone else listened in silence. "We owe it to our children, our grandchildren and our grandchildren's children to remain strong. I can promise you that we can and should discuss the ban on religion however as of now we need to focus on ending this war." Many councilors, including Jabrani, and SIG guards nodded. "Sadly we cannot end this conflict by letting these savages in through the door. I hope for a time of dialogue but untill that time comes I cannot sit idly in good faith and allow people who would rather see us dead set root amongst our families. I ask all of you, citizens of Sol, to take a good look on your loved ones, friends and neighbours. Ask yourself if you're willing to risk their safety in the hopes that the Divinity Creed, Lunar Children and Fists of Sol will cease their massacre." "Because I won't."

Mercy pinched the bridge of her nose as Sting called her a hippie. Yet again. She muttered a [i]"Mon dieu..."[/i] quietly under her breath, before turning to face Sting once more. "Alright, zhen, let me put zhis into words you will understand. Using [i]zhose[/i], you attract lots of attention, which means bad men will come and make zhe fight [i]harder[/i] for you. If you use [i]zhis[/i], you [i]will not[/i] attract lots of attention, meaning zhat zhe bad men will not come, and zhe fight will be much [i]easier[/i]. Are you wizh me so far?" Good lord, it was like trying to explain something to a short-tempered, gun-toting child.

[B]Kanadys[/B] "[Will all rise, please; the Vizier is in attendance,]" a porter announced. The entire High Council stood, aside from those incapable, greeting the Grand Vizier- Yredik Rozel, a sickly and pale looking figure in highly-embellished formal clothes. He smiled and nodded, acknowledging the respect paid by his contemporaries. Assisted into a small, closed-off seat near the center of the room, opposite the podium where Vorokar and Ryvik had testified less than a week earlier, he took a seat and enabled the microphone in front of him. "[Greetings, Councilors. I apologize for my weak voice,]" he spoke slowly and carefully. "[I have just recovered from a severe fever. I also apologize for any matters for which you've contacted me and received instead a reply from one of my secretaries. Delegation was necessary while I was healing.]" There was a murmur of agreement and understanding. "[Vizier sir,]" Councilor Bikrata spoke, "[we greatly appreciate this visit, and have taken care to provide a document which itemizes our agenda in order of immediacy.]" The Vizier flipped aside the leather-like cover of the tablet provided at his seat and signed in using biometrics. The agenda opened itself, listing the areas of concern for the day. "[An unusual but welcome courtesy,]" he remarked. "[We believed it would be prudent to condense the proceedings as the war demands greater efficiency of us all,]" another Councilor added. Another round of agreeable murmuring. "[That... that is all well and appropriate, I suppose. But I do have one small matter which I would like to bring up before we get on with the rest of this. Councilor Bikrata, this involves you most of all,]" he rasped. Bikrata looked uncomfortable as the other councilors eyed her with concern or suspicion. "[Yes sir?]" The Vizier removed a small chip from his coat pocket and pressed it against his tablet. A file uploaded itself onto his screen, which he then pushed out to everyone over the network. "[One of the few matter which actually reached me in my bed during the worst of my sickness was this urgent request for inquiry and criminal proceedings against the State Security general Vorokar. I was following this case quite closely, as you can imagine. It isn't often that anyone from the GK department is arrested by Council authority, even less so in the case of generals... [I granted your request under the assumption that the case in question would not be taken lightly, but one of my intelligence directors has made apparent to me that the inquiry was quite one-sided. I understand your...]" the Vizier paused for a moment to cough heavily, his wheezing echoing through the silent chamber. "[I understand the grief that General Vorokar must have caused by invading your living quarters, madam. But I am also hearing that this 'Terika' company is destroying large defense installations, evading and even defeating Batakya dispatches...]" "[Yes sir, but-]" Bikrata began to interrupt before fearfully realizing what she was doing and stopping herself. "[I apologize, please continue.]" The Vizier cleared his throat. "[I've also received a request for an informal telemeeting with the King of Seloveha, who has apparently been alerted by one of State Security's agents that Terika-Belladonna is trying to supply a revolutionary movement on his planet with weaponry in a nonprofit arrangement. So when I hear that a handful of officers have been blamed for the failure to catch such rogues, I can only agree with the appeal I received from General Vorokar himself that you all have greatly underestimated the danger posed by his targets. For that reason, I've chosen to temporarily reinstate Vorokar and his case officers so that they can complete the job they were assigned to do.]" There was a swell of negative chatter, too quiet for the old man to discern, but he knew what sort of things were probably being said. "[I know this isn't what you would have wanted, so I have decided to compromise. The Batakya is now in charge of approving all appropriations requests coming from Vorokar's office. He will have one month to accomplish his tasks before a new round of inquiry and review. I believe both of these factors will improve accountability.]" The Vizier took a breath as he scanned the room. Nobody seemed reassured by these promises, but it was the best he was willing to offer. The Vizier didn't like waste, but he certainly didn't appreciate hearing about the slaughter of an entire cell of GKVR operatives on Prospera, either. "[Now that that's settled,]" he insisted, "[Let's proceed to item 1... [I]the war[/I].]"

Sting raised her eyebrows with a confused expression, "But them other fellas will still be around, so why not just blast em all in one fight and call it a day?" she said as she gestured, still visually befuddled.

Mercy pinched the bridge of her nose once more and and took in a looooong, deep breath. "Because. While it may be slower zhan simply using-... whatever zhose are, having many more smaller fights will be much easier zhan having one, long, arduous fight. Or, of course, you could simply attack zhem when zhey aren't looking, saving zhe trouble of a fight in zhe first place."

Sting was still befuddled by this reasoning, to such a degree that she decided not to ask any more questions and take a swig from her flask instead. She looked at Mercy, "How bout we change the discussion to fact that the doc thinks about fightin strategies. You some kind o loose nut?" she said with a smirk. she offered the flask to Mercy, "Drink?"

Mercy waved the flask away and shaked her head. "[i]Non, merci[/i]." She said as she hopped up onto the counter, sitting on the small amount of remaining free space. With an amused little chuckle she leaned back, stretching out. "Well, I would not say I am a loose nut for preparing for fighting." With a smirk plastered on her lips, she looked down at Sting, "I am zhe [i]combat[/i] medic after all, madame."

Sting appreciated anyone who had combat in their title, even though this lady's style of doing said combat. She put her flask away and leaned onto the bench that mercy was sitting on. She eyed the door and then looked up to Mercy with suspicious eyes, "Say, miss. You wouldn't know why everyone on this ship are actin like... all hardass an such?" she said with a low voice.