An Unfortunate Meeting
Phelan is standing in the cargo bay of his ship. A small table has been set up with glasses of water. The room was sparse and there was little in the way of fan fare. But we're just having a simple meeting here. <English>
Mia steps in and looks amused, "Wow, making this bland and official as possible. Sure no booze is a good idea, bao bei?" she studies Phelan, "What can I do to help?" <English>
Carrying a heavy looking duffel marked with the logo of one of the most easily recognized medical supply companies in the 'verse, Calira steps into the cargo bay ahead of (just by half a step) Teshi. "We'll have to top off your medical supplies, is my thinking," she is saying in a quiet aside. "So that when you get that interview on the air, did you get it set up yet? Anyway, when you get it on the air, you'll have enough of the every day stuff on hand to meet the needs of those that come seeking medical care. Bandages, antibiotic ointments and stuff like that," she juggles the duffel with one hand and a cup of coffee in the other. "And coffee, ok fine, tea too," she almost grumbles that last bit, "soup and stuff to fill cold bellies," a quick shot of a grin sidelong at Teshi. "You'll be the most popular ex-military officer ever," she warns before aiming a smile toward the Danielses, "Are we late?" <English>
Takeshi nods, "Well, I have a good amount on hand and then what's in the temple. We're not empty or broke per se, but they took away a lot of our income I guess you could say." He finishes off a pocky stick and nods, "That's the idea right? Most popular ex-officer and then we bring them down." Then a shrug, "Anyways. Off we go." Into the heartbreaker they and he nods at Phelan and mia, "Hey you two, how's it going?" <English>
Mia eyes Takeshi and grunts, "Odori. Why, just peachy keen." she drawls aridly. <English>
A very small redhead in a very large coat strolls through Bernadette, the collar of her coat pulled up and her vividly red hair down to block her face. She's walking beside a mustached man to whom she tells, "It's up to you, Cappy. Don't really think there's anything to fear yet, but it's weird. Usually the Loa are just quiet, but in a warm, they're still here kind of a way. Can't really hear them at all right now, though. It's like something's stuffed my ears with cotton or something. So it's up to how well you know and trust the folks who asked you here, I guess?" She plays with the ring around her left finger, obviously nervous, but whatever choice her Captain makes, the witch will make as well. <English>
"We'll see. I know 'em well enough." Kilbride's reply is simple enough. He pauses just for a moment, before the Heartbreaker, and scratches his mustache. "I really should've insisted on knowin' who we was meetin'" There is a slight shrug, as if what's done is done, and the Scotsman saunters into the ASREV, pausing to take a look around. His frown grows, and his hand drops toward his gunbelt. "The fuck, Phelan. Seriously. The fuck?" <English>
In the process of lifting the to-go cup of coffee, "Wait, you let him build furniture?" Cal asks, somewhat incredulously, of Mia as she shrugs the duffel off one shoulder to set aside. She shares a grin aimed at Phelan before sneaking in a quick hug shared with Mia, "Now now, not nice calling him fuzzy and full of pits. You know peach pits can be powdered into arsenic? That's like calling him cute, fuzzy and potentially full of poison," she winks at Teshi before curling both hands around the coffee cup, ambling back over to stand alongside Teshi. Her expression is blandly inscrutable as she watches Kilbride and his second saunter into the ASREV. <English> Mia looks to Rodney and looks chagrined, as if she gets and perhaps even shares some of her reservations but keeps her mouth shut. She looks at Calira, "Is there a word for phenomenally unhelpful?" her tone mildly exasperated. big brown eyes study the unfamiliar face, "Kilbride. Who's this?" <English>
Takeshi nods at Calira, "True." Then a smile at Phelan and Mia, "Thanks for hosting us. I should give you a warning. You have a decommissioned ASREV. Before I left, the Alliance was looking for them in connection with some kind of crime. So they might come knocking." When Kilbridge comes in with his hand on his gun already, Takeshi just reaches for another pocky, "Yes, I am ecstatic see you too Kilbride. Don't act like you don't know me. I'm not Alliance anymore, hell, I'm not even a noble, so put your gun hand away. My official give a fuck left yesterday." <English>
Phelan holds up his hands, "Whoa, whoa. No. Look, You're thinking I'm crazy. Hear them out. YOu go to shooting in the space port it's going to draw attention. Attention they don't want cause they're meeting with you. Attention you don't want cause well you're you." He frowns, "I trust Cal. Yeah I know those words just came out of my mouth. But I've watched her the last few months and she bitches about the Feds more than I do on her own free accord and talked about doing what you've talked about for a while. Takeshi, I know. But the Fed's have wiped their asses on him and flushed him. I think the word there is bitter and wants to make them pay. So lets check the pissing contest and who the ass hole at the door. It's me. So lets sit and talk." <English>
Aeron doesn't know Mia or Phelan. She doesn't know Calira or Takeshi. She -DOES- know Rodney. And as soon as his hand dips for his gun, she's admonishing, "Cappy!" Because in her brain, it's simple, "We didn't bring no mops with us. You can't go bloodying up somone else's Bay if you didn't bring something with you so I can clean it up after!" She's kind of black and white about things sometimes. As Mia asks her captain who she is when the witch follows him up the ramp, she simply looks to the other woman and makes the introduction herself, "Just call me Witch. Everyone else does." Sometimes, a few of them even say it kindly, too. But not many, and not often. Mia's large eyes are met by Aeron's, their odd colors strange and swirling, a kaleidescope of hues that never quite manages to pick just a single shade on which to settle, different and new every moment. And then, she looks at Takeshi as he takes out the colorful cookie. And her strange eyes grow huge. "Lord Stinky? Why are we meeting candy mouth? Isn't he the one fighting Grandmere?" The witch is very, very confused. <English>
Mia shrugs and notes vaguely, "Thanks for the warning but we'll be fine, Spoke with the Lord Admiral earlier today, as a matter of fact-and he couldn't care less. He's all hot and bothered for the Jia though." She looks to Rodney, "Nothing to frett, just like to keep my ear to the ground." She rests a hand on Phelan's shoulder gently, supportingly. She skins at Aeron, "Ah. Rodney? Where the hell did you find someone crazier than yourself?" she eyes Aeron, "Not going to call you witch, woman. It's ignorant and hateful and just cause...well...no. Not calling you witch. Your name or I'll find it." <English>
When Aeron admonishes him not to bloody up Phelan's cargo bay, there is a slight smirk. But he remains silent, while he listens to everyone's various opinions on his entrance, and Phelan's speech about why he called this meeting. Still, he stands in the hatch for a moment, before moving to the table, pulling out a chair, and sitting down. His hand still doesn't stray far from his belt, but he is sitting down. That's something. There is a look to Mia. "She is the witch. Names hold power, don't you know?" He rolls his eyes slightly, as if this is simple knowledge. There might be the impression that he has gone through this song and dance before. There is also a tone of 'Drop It', too. At the mention of the Jia. "Why is that gasbag so interested in the gyps, anyhow? I saw that bogus news story. Lines don't know shit 'bout safehouses, an' none have gone dark. My people watchin' her said that some Fed officer went down there." Semi-related conversation to start them off, before he turns to regard Calira, and Takeshi. "Noble, and disgraced noble. Tell me what you want to do, so we can discuss." Simple, and right down to business. <English>
"Oh, I know that one!" Calira remarks in a quiet aside aimed at Mia. "In the dictionary the definition for Phenomenally unhelphful it lists my name," she suggests, ever so helpfully, or conversely NOT helpful at all. But there's humor in her tone of voice, a mild trace of it, really just a thread to be fair, but it's there all the same. She angles a look around the cargo bay while the verbal hackey sack gets bounced back and forth, "Maybe they ought to have not released so many of them for sale, if they were going to get so bloody twitchy about them after the fact," she muses in a quiet aside to Teshi before she shares a nod with Phelan, "As though I plan to advertise my date book to the Alliance or the local gossip blogger," she says with a snicker that's more of a snort of amusement than anything else. Amusement that edges to reasonably wariness as the red headed woman with Kilbride makes her angle a long look at Kilbride. A flick back, attention wise, to the red head, that same wariness edged with amusement back in place before she eyes Rodney again. "Short version. My friend here just got screwed over for following orders and attempting to do a smart thing to de-escalate the idiocy happening on Bernadette with regard to the position and presence of the fleet and accompanying personnel. As my friend here is rather fond of Bernadette, and the people - - who, by the way, should not be called Bernadettians, it sounds like some sort of fancy french dish, possibly with to much sugar or booze - - but anyway, fondness still fully in force all the same, despite the unasked for rogering by the aforementioned Alliance. House Odori will be opening their doors, their attached lands and such to those who are in need of medical care, those who have been displaced by the civil unrest, no questioned asked. That's our opening statement, in short." <English>
Takeshi looks over at Calira, "Doesn't really tell him what we want him to do." There's a shrug as he looks back over to Rodney, "Basically, When the fleet moved into position over Bernadette and dropped the invasion force, I complained. The assassination attempt on Madame Barnet was Parliament. Due to my complaints, Salin quietly moved the invasion force off planet, but due to my actions and unknowing foiling of their attempt I was thrown out. They still intend to find a way to have a war here. I intend to find a way to stop it. Bernadette has always been my home, still is, always will be. So I want to fight for it. You seem to want to fight in general, possibly not for Bernadette, but at least you want to shoot Alliance. So if push comes to shove, It'd be nice to have an army. The best way to solve this would be without fighting, but I don't see that happening." He turns to Aeron, "I was never fighting Madame Barnet. Everybody was too busy playing party lines to notice it." <English>
That's why I said 'opening statement'," Calira reminds Teshi, en sotto voice. <English>
When Mia questions her name again, Aeron's weird eyes turn again to the other woman, and she merely shrugs. "Hide and seek all you like, Child, don't mean you'll find what you're looking after, though." Her voice is soft, gentle, more a reminder of how the 'verse often works rather than any type of a challenge. And when Rodney backs her up, the witch grins brightly. She might not have managed to train her husband after a gorram decade, but at least it seems her Captain is catching on. She watches Calira as the other woman takes over the conversation, and looks rather confused by what she says, but the witch makes herself bite her tongue. Rather literally, actually, as she hisses out, "Outh!" around where her teeth press a bit too sharply onto it. Of course, silence only holds out for so long, and the witch looks curiously to Takeshi as she tells him softly, "More ways to fight than just weapons, Lord Stinky. You thought you knew better than her about what's best for Bernadette. You were fighting her wanting to leave the planet because you had yourself a big fancy job with big fancy names." Her gaze flicks to the back of Rodney's head, making sure she's not overstepping, but it doesn't silence her. More she just likes to know. "And now you say you lost those big fancy names and big fancy jobs, so you're willing to fight them now instead of her, words, weapons, or otherwise. So, why wouldn't you just wind up fighting us later down the line when your sides switch again for whatever reason?" She does, however, offer him a smile, "But glad you listened to the Fairy Godmonkey. You're a lot nicer to watch talking when you ain't got rainbows in your teeth." <English>
Mia grimaces and looks to Rodney, "I may or may not be able to verify this." She looks to Phlan, worried for some reason. She looks to Aeron, "The odds are in my favor but, your boss has had his say." She shrugs She eyes Aeron then and her eyes widen a bit. She shoots Phelan a quick look. <English>
Phelan looks to Mia, "It's your ship as much as it's mine. You don't like her nickname. Name her something else. You're always finding people names." He reaches forward to pour himself a glass of water. He was here to try to be neutral. So it was best to let folks talk. <English>
Kilbride listens to both Calira and Takeshi speak with a blank face, save for an eyebrow lifting when Takeshi mentions that it was Parliment that tried to kill Madame Bernat. News to him, that. He manages not to smirk. "You can open your house, and whatever you have left to the people without tellin' me. It isn't the sort of thing that has an effect on my business, as it were." This stated directly to Calira, regarding her opening statement. A snuffling about from Rod's duster has him pulling a small kitten out, and holding the mewling face up to his left ear. He nods sagely, as if listening to an important advisor, before settling the tiny orange tabby on top of the table, and looking directly at Odori. "Frank wants to tell you something..." A pause, but the cat is silent. "I apologize. He's shy. What he wanted to tell you is....your goals and mine are in direct opposition. You want to avoid a war. I've bloody already started one. You understand that, yes? I've no interest in peace. It is time. The 'verse is as ready as it will ever be, for the Alliance's tyranny to be reigned in, for those who wish to be free, to be free. Old soldiers like me can still fight, our children are old enough to carry arms, and even Core worlds are fed up. Peace. Fuck peace." The Scotsman turns to look at Phelan, and he narrows his eyes. "Frank is not amused. I was told there were people wishing to support Separation. Not avoid conflict. He was excited about this. Quite the idealist, this one." He turns his attention to Aeron, and makes a 'tone it down' gesture. <English>
Takeshi leans back in his chair, "I'm..pretty sure I just said war was inevitable." He looks over at Calira, "Did I say that or Did I have a stroke and imagine it?" Then back to Rodney, "In any case, if it wasn't clear enough, they want a war here. War is inevitable. If I thought I could solve Bernadette without war I wouldn't be talking to soldiers." <English>
When Rodney pulls Frank out of his duster, there's a chittering that comes from the satchel the witch carries. She loses all her focus on the conversation, which gets Rodney his wish for her to tone things down as she slips both hands into her bag, hissing out a soft, "Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" to whatever is inside causing the noise. Sadly for Rodney, with her hands still in the bag, the chittering ceases and Aeron is free to listen once more. She shakes her head sadly at Takeshi's words, and repeats her earlier question far more succinctly since he seems to have not followed it the first time. "Why do you think Bernadette needs you to 'solve' it, Lord Stinky? From all I've seen, they just want you to butt out. Grandmere and her family seem to think Bernadette can solve themselves." She shrugs just a bit, "And with your speech about leaving the Alliance to clear out their troubles, I don't know why you think they'd trust you not to be selling them out, or not to just switch sides on them to a new one down the road, either." Or, maybe it's just the witch who doesn't trust him on those matters. Still, at least in her own awkwardly strange mind, the questions make sense to have answered before any deals are considered, much less struck. <English>
Mia notes softly to Aeron, "Cause if what Odori's saying is true-and I think it very possibly is." She looks to Rodney meaningfully, "Then it's not exactly a local problem and all can happen is...priming." <English>
"I quote. I intend to find a way to stop it. End quote." A pause, and Rodney lifts an eyebrow. "It being a war on Bernadette." Kilbride looks at Aeron, and sighs. "He might really have stroked out for a minute. You got some moss to fix that, yeah?" Wulver's Captain just shakes his head. "You directly stated that your goal is peace. Mine is conflict. Our goals are opposed. Frank is not incorrect in his assessment. He was speaking as to our goals, not what is inevitable." He reaches up to scratch at his stubble. "You can't solve Bernadette, period. You're not a diplomat, or an orator, as was proven here. And, the witch is correct. Any public push to Separate now out of you? It comes across as churlish and bitter, not out of real desire for change, but because the Alliance didn't want you anymore. Not because you're a true believer. The People's Army likes true believers." Well, those that aren't just hipsters in tight pants. "Madame Bernal is incorrect, as well. Bernadette can't solve the situation on her own. One planet is not enough. We could kill purplebellies here for the next twenty years, and it wouldn't matter. We need a meat grinder here, to start." There is a look to Mia, and Kilbride nods. "Yes. This is just the match to set the keg alright. But, obviously I've only been focusing on Bernadette, and haven't extended operations to the worlds." Again, there is sarcasm evident. "If you want to fight, Odori. No one is stopping you. I'll give you a rifle, and an RPG myself. But. I still haven't gotten an answer. What do -you- want to do. It is a direct question. So please, give a direct answer that isn't contradictory, or vague. It is time for direct action. How do you propose to contribute to the cause? And if it involves giving speeches, I'm going to shoot you myself. You shouldn't be allowed near a microphone in a school for the deaf, man." <English>
Calira turns toward Teshi, "I'm so sorry. And you know how I feel about apologizing for stuff, so take that at face value. You were right. I was wrong, and you know my policy on that as well." She turns toward Mia and Phelan, "Equally, you were right and, equally, I was wrong in several categories as well. My apologies for the waste of your time and the effort to make furniture, I know how frustrating those bloody stick figure diagrams can be to decipher. Mia, sorry for being a pain. My sense of humor settings are still not quite tuned correctly," she eyes Rodney for a silent moment then arches a look at Teshi, one of those speaking looks. <English>
Takeshi holds up a finger, "I would like to note a single fact. There are six people in this room. Of these six people, only one of them was born and raised on Bernadette. Only one of them has a family who has, for generations, had a homestead on this planet. That one is me. Bernadette can and will solve itself. I am part of Bernadette." When Rodney speaks he shakes his head, "War is inevitable however, my answer to you is no. I apologize for wasting your time. I don't want to see war on Bernadette but I know it's inevitable. At the same time, knowing that you intend to use Bernadette as a throw away meat grinder pisses me off. I wanted to think that there was more to it than that Rodney and I was wrong. You're right, we are not the same and our goals are not aligned. We cannot come to an accord." <English>
The witch's strange eyes give a bit of a role as Rodney asks about moss for a stroke, "Moss wouldn't help with that, Cappy. Just blocks the blood up even worse." Her voice is as if she's explaining to a young child, obviously not having picked up on the sarcasm, "If you're worried it's a stroke, he'd need to be chewing on willow bark." And then she looks at Takeshi. "Loa know his words don't really make all that much sense, but he ain't slurring them. And when he's not chewing on those rainbow sticks his mouth isn't droopy on one side either. Lord Stinky might be a bit tetched in the head, but I don't think it's a stroke." As to war, well, truth be told, the witch is far more on the side of the noble and the ignoble than with the Captain. But her heart is with her husband, and the Loa have chosen him for war. And where the engineer goes, the witch will -always- follow. <English> At the apparenace of Frnak Phelan looks at Mia. Then back to Rodney and he sits silently as he listens, "Then I think we have reached an accord on two things. This has been a waste of everyone times and a wish to oppose the Alliance." He looks to Kilbride, "I won't approach you again." <English>
"You are being selfish, Odori. If this was Saint Albans, I would use it just the same, if it meant possible freedom for the rest of those who desire it." Rodney says, with a sigh and a shake of his head. "This isn't Bernadette's problem. The 'verse has a problem, and the solution starts here. That's all." The Scotsman gives the man a somewhat sad look, and shrugs. "You want things to be one way, but they're another. That's life. Of the six people in this room, only one of us has shed blood in opposition to the Alliance, since Unification." Phelan receives a pointed look, at that. "You know why we lost, right? Because the Alliance is willing to do things that we weren't. We'll never win while that remains fact.Don't approach me, and don't wear the colors. Not until you sack up." He picks his kitten up, and carefully drops it into the pocket of his duster. His prop needs a nap. "She has to say that, Daniels. She's your wife. It ain't reality, and I think we both know it." A nod to Aeron, and he points to the hatch. "C'mon, lass. Let's hit the tarmac...we got work to do." A final look at Takeshi and Calira. "Let's not forget that this meeting was confidential, yes?" And then he's turning, and heading for the hatch. Hopefully with a witch in tow. <English>
The witch looks as if there's more she would like to say, but she doesn't. Instead, she simply offers a sad smile to all involved, waving goodbye to Mia and Phelan, then to Calira and Takeshi before she turns to follow Rodney off of the ship so that hopefully they can disappear back into the throngs of Bernadette once more. <English>
Phelan reaches into his pocket pulls out a pair of lt. bars putting them on, "Sarget Kilbride. Get fuck of my ship." <English>
There is a snort of laughter, as Rodney is about to step off. "Major Kilbride, Lieutenant. My brother was the Sergeant." A shake of his head, and the man disappears into the spaceport. <English>
As the witch follows him down from the ship, she tells Rodney, "I'm sorry you're fighting with your friends. I wish I could say things will get better, but war is hellbent on finding us all. And that means it's just likely to get worse. I'm sorry I couldn't be more help, Cappy. I really hoped that I'd be able to be." <English>
"They weren't friends, Aeron. Saved Mia's life, and she disappeared when I was dyin', and Daniels....I don't know. We weren't friends...but I thought better of him than he deserved." Basically, Rod just learned a lesson about who you can trust. Important lesson, if nothing else. "And Odori doesn't have a brain in his head. You did what you could, lass. Even Frank couldn't save that meeting." And then he lapses into silence for the trip back. <English>
The witch is silent as well, almost until they reach the new home she had stumbled upon earlier, called and guided by the Loa. She opens her satchel and reaches inside, a small monkey scampering up her arm to perch upon her shoulder as soon as the bag is opened. She pickes up the monkey and hands him over to Rodney, offering simply, "I was going to save him until Yule, but I think maybe you could use the friends now instead. I hope he gets on nicely with Frank, I didn't know you'd got a kitten. The cat's welcome at the Temple, but please don't let him into the apartment. Tem is allergic." <English> Aeron gave you Captain.
Kilbride blinks, and stops dead in his tracks. The Scot accepts the monkey, though he doesn't speak for a moment. He holds the critter up, and eyes him for a moment. "Hi, bud. What's the story, huh?" It perches on his arm, and leans against his chest, while Rod looks at Aeron with a little smile. "This is one of the sweetest things anyone done for me, lass...and here I don't have anything to give you." He leans down to hug her, if she'll let him. Which is strange for him, but he is moved. He also tries to make sure the monkey doesn't get squished. "I'm sure he an' Frank'll be best friends." There is a pause, and inquires..."Does he have a name?" <English>
It's very, very rarely that Aeron lets anyone touch her. But she accepts the hug from Rodney, and even returns it in kind. "You gave Tem and I a home when no one else in the 'verse would have, Cappy. You're family." She grins a bit as he asks about a name, nodding simply as she tells him, "Of course. He's 'The Captain'. What else would he be called?" The monkey is still very young, in need of a lot of training, though the basics are there. He's ship-broken and gentle, and he's a hugger like whoa, moving up onto Rodney's shoulder at the first opportunity to lay down along it with it's long tail curled around the back of his neck for balance. <English>
"So. The monkey is the Captain, an' I'm named after a monkey. Yeah. That's fitting, I suppose..." Kilbride replies with a sigh, and a slight smile. "You're family too, you know." He nods toward the temple .and grins. "Let's get inside. I want to play with this little guy, and figure out how to break the news to Roxana. Cappy used to perv on us enough, as it is." <English> <
