Imminent Dawn: Callisto

[Ursali]

"There's no need to apologize, Kazue. I-- We're all here to support each other, that's part of being a cohesive unit. Try to get some rest before we dock, especially if you're still feeling sick." Daeran leaned back in his seat, letting out a sigh as he forgot Bonner was still on the comms. Truthfully, he was glad he hadn't been part of the action with the manned HEXes; it was impossible to know who the pilots were, but there was a good chance they were Jupitarian; or, if they weren't, then the rebel's almost certainly were. He had joined CEN to protect the peace of Jupiter and it's moon, not 'deal' with a rebellion and whatever the hell else was brewing. 

"A-Aye, sir!" Daeran hastily responded to the Lieutenant Commander's request, startled out of his thoughts and raising his arm in a hasty salute even though the man couldn't see him. He sighed and put his hands back on the controls, following after Kazue's machine. As he made preparations to board he hailed the bridge one final time; they had requested he keep them updated, after all. "This is Lieutenant Vhane. The ensign has regained her composure and is boarding the Dawn. Following after her. Over."

He'd have to make time to talk to Kazue about all this after they were debriefed, help talk her through it before something like this actually put her in danger, made her freeze up on the battlefield, or worse: get her killed.

---

There ended up being little time to talk after the debriefing; Daeran needed his powernap that had been interrupted. Their arrival in the moon's capital was thankfully uneventful compared to their attempt to reach it, no sudden alarm screeching as they pulled into the dock or other such inconveniences. It was truly for the best, he was still tired from the sleep he had been missing, more so after his first live combat as one of the Dawn's pilots. It may have been that same tiredness that caused him to hallucinate, but he swore he caught a few of the dock workers doing double takes as he passed them, some even staring. Once they were in the limo he let out a big sigh, but stayed quiet the rest of the drive to Avyndor's headquarters. If he wasn't hallucinating from exhaustion, then that meant the rumor mill was already beginning to turn; he wouldn't be able to go out in public without some sort of cover.

Instead of going down the rabbit hole, he instead focused his attention on the city; though he was a politician's son he had rarely left the colony he was born and raised in. Callisto, compared to Terminus, or at least Terminus IV where he was raised, was much more industrial, corporate in nature. Everything meticulously planned, all the pieces slotted into their place; truly the seat of AHI's headquarters. Terminus' cities were much more organic, developed alongside the people's needs at the time, though surely with more redundancies; more akin to the cities he'd seen on earth than what he was seeing now.

As they entered the lobby the contrast between the interior and exterior just a few meters away was almost jarring, but it wasn't as though he was unused to opulence or even opposed to it. In a way it gave him a sense of normalcy, letting him relax some, though his expression stayed straight-laced unlike their accompanying diplomat. The Captain was quick to ask for the nearest elevator, though that sparked some interesting comments from both Louise and Leon about carrying the captain up the stairs, if needed. He raised an eyebrow at the unprofessionalism of it, but made no outward comment. He did turn to give Kazue a reassuring smile, however. She seemed tense and on guard, which was good, but perhaps more than she needed to be. Her attention seemed focused more on him that Sia, as well...

[Xinnidy]

"Hmm..." Still being in the comms while Vhane and Fujiwaru spoke was a neat insight, but nothing worth inferring further. To Bonner, it seemed like the two were learning to cope with the situation similarly, hopefully a constructive bond. Now, even with his interest in gossip, it was in poor taste to read into further.

"Roger, Lieutenant."

---

[im so ready to kick ur ass u dont even know bitch]

Esther was, perhaps predictably, susceptible to the bait, her target as she walked out of the hangar shifting from the meeting room to the sims.

[catch ur dumb ass in the sims]

---

---

---

The scenery was as expected... truthfully, Bonner would be counting on his expertise to keep anyone safe. Compared to Han4 and Fujiwaru, his physical capabilities weren't to par... but he could hold his own with a gun just fine. He'd been in enough operations to know when a company was being fickle, even though, largely, the CEN was expected to kiss their boots. Let's hope it doesn't come to any conflict. The city was certainly depressingly industrious, not a place he could imagine living willingly. Form over function, to a fault. Likely not even that affordable a cost of living, he'd wager.

Entering the building was about the change in scenery he expected. Institutions like AHI prided themselves in their own brand, they wouldn't settle for anything less in a main building. Seeing the back and forth between Park and the android was amusing, at least. He could tell there was an attempt at ulterior moves there... it would be fun to see how that'd develop, with Park definitely not being the only one to eye the captain. Juicy developments to learn down the road, maybe. Fun stories either way. "It's very unlikely we'll need stairs. Not on this building, you can count on it." Not if everything was going to plan...

[mcd900]

The receptionist dipped her head, holding a clinical smile as she addressed the wary Captain. "Yes, ma'am. Right behind me, at the back of the hall; take it directly to the top floor." Sia's glances around the room were met with little more than the blank stares of a couple security personnel standing impassively against the walls, and the faint echo of their conversation in the large room.

Huang nodded in thanks to the receptionist, smiling with all the charm of a career politician, giving a quick look back to the rest of the group. He paid little mind to the slight banter between Louise and the android that had come along. "Well then, seeing as we're already a bit late - let's not keep Miss Avyndor waiting any longer, shall we?"

---

It was a fast elevator, but the ride to the top was long nonetheless, enough to leave them all alone without onlookers, with naught but their thoughts for a long moment; and when the doors finally slid open, they were greeted with an aerial view of the city below through the floor-to-ceiling reinforced glass windows that circled the penthouse office; the space was divided in two, the rear half upon a raised platform. A sleekly designed but heavy wooden semicircular desk stood towards the rear of the room - Huang nodded appreciatively at it; tasteful use of wood must have been carefully thought through, needing to be shipped on a long voyage through space. Gazing down at the city at the rear of the office was a woman smartly clad in businesswear, continuing to look down as the party filed into the room; it wasn't until the noise of steps against fine stone floor drew silent that she turned on her heel to face them, eyes falling upon each for a brief moment before coming to rest on the two obvious representatives, approaching to speak across her desk.

"Welcome to Remansburg - our little slice of the future, as it were. Allow me to apologize for the... misfortune you came upon at your arrival - to my understanding you were caught between our automated security patrols and some, ah... malcontents. They have been rather a pain for some time now, so intent on standing in the way of progress, by all accounts... ah, but where are my manners - allow me to introduce myself." There was something of a sly, knowing smile that crept across her face - of course, they knew who she was. "Arielle Avyndor, Avyndor Heavy Industries CEO. I handle the business side of things... my parents, talented scientists though they are, rather lack the acumen to manage a project of such scope as this. You could say I was born for this~."

"Now, I know what a CEN business meeting looks like... and this certainly doesn't happen to be it." She crossed her arms. "It does happen to be quite a hint that there's a brand-new battleship docked in my city rather than a luxury shuttle. Glad as I always am to receive the CEN... I do wonder what your intent is here."

Huang listened eagerly through her speech, tenting his hands for a moment before his response. "Pleased to meet you, Miss Avyndor; I am Ambassador Jin Huang, here representing the CEN, of course - another colleague of mine has joined me here, but she is currently attending to some tasks at the embassy. Allow me to introduce you to Captain Silverwind of the Imminent Dawn and some of her crew." He was all warm gestures and smiles.

"The, ah... purpose of our visit here, unfortunately, is to do with the... malcontents you've mentioned. To put things succinctly, ah... we have heard some concerning information on the situation here back on Earth. Captain Silverwind is here to lead an investigative task force with... full authority."

The CEO's lips curled into a slight frown. "Is that so. It is rather a shame to hear you've not come for happier matters, but that's life, I suppose." A neutral face again, as if the frown were but a mere momentary misstep. "Well, in that case... let's get right to it, then. I'm sure you have questions."

[Nanami Touko]

At least they weren't wasting anymore time idling in the entryway... The ride up to the CEO's office had been a bit more packed and tight than Louise had wished, considering the amount of people in their captain's entourage, but she got to take a deep breath and relax moments before they met miss Avyndor herself. I see where they got the heavy part from. Louise spent little time ogling the woman, only sparing her a passing glance. Something in the water with these types... Between her and Sia both. Still, I've no interest in a business woman. There were the expected back and forths between her and ambassador Huang, and then the floor was open for questions... She had a few herself, but it would fall to Sia to ask the first questions--

"Yes. I have questions." Kazue stepped forward, Louise's eyes going wide, scowling, almost as if she was trying to snap the woman in half with her gaze. "Questions over the security forces that had been sent in response to the 'rebels'."

Be quiet you damn samurai! This is a serious meeting, not some spot for you to have whimsy or righteousness, God! Louise was furious, and Kazue did notice, glancing towards her, but she continued undeterred.

"The people that were being run down by your automated security were not a fighting fit force. They were in incredibly old machines, under equipped, clearly outmatched, and the response to them seemed incredibly severe... So much so that we intervened on their behalf and saved them from their fate. That is the run in we had with your security. Please explain why you thought such a response was necessary? That was not a battle. That was not protecting one's goods or company... That was a mindless slaughter."

Ohhh my Goooood, aahhnnhhhhhh! Louise was screaming in her head, eyes wide, the only thing stopping her from gawking at Kazue being the lip she'd started biting keeping her mouth shut.

[TheRoon]

The elevator ride was brief, Leon wound up in the corner of it but he didn't seem to mind much. When everyone stepped out the red head took a glance around the penthouse; he was pretty impressed at how extravagant it was. The CEO was right there, Arielle Avyndor. Nice name, lotta confidence too. Was really all the thought he spared on that as he looked to the window and enjoyed the view. Malcontents, huh? Is that what she's callin' it? Maybe I should take a look around the city when I get the chance. It was an old habit in his merc days but he liked to have a 'night on the town' to make sure the cities they visited were clean enough to operate in. Got a bad itch, dunno if I can actually pull that off in the military now but-

Before Leon could plan out his actual night a certain martial artist demonstrated more of her forwardness, the ex-merc turned his eyes to his squad mate. He actually wasn't that surprised at Kazue's actions, she was incredibly honest to a fault. She had a lot of really good points though; the battle they encountered was not a good look for the company. He quickly turned to see the expressions on everyone else's faces; Louise looked like she could melt ice with that glare. While he was very tempted to prod her about the stink eye he turned back to Kazue and stepped up to her side.

"I gotta second the Ensign, miss Avyndor. If we didn't drop by exactly when we did then the whole zone would've been in way worse shape. Never mind the malcontents, the staff being so underequipped and unprepared for their own security...you can't exactly include that part of your business as a slice of your future can you?" Leon pocked his hands and stood strong at Kazue's side as he kept his eyes on Avyndor. He was expecting all the heat in the world on him and Kazue, but he didn't care. He agreed that the situation was BS from the bottom of his heart, but more than anything he said he'd back up Kazue and he's determined to keep to his word.

Edited January 7 by TheRoon

[Nanami Touko]

You too!? What is wrong with you!? Ugh! Worthless! The both of you! Louise was FUMING, struggling to contain her frustrations, but if they were going to open up and ask questions, she couldn't stand there and glare them to death. She had to at least stick her nose into things-- But. Not this. Never this. "Hahhh..." She let out a sliver of her frustrations with a sigh, folding her hands behind her back. "My only question is if you have any information on the malcontents posing as AHI security. Automated units aside," she emphasized through grit teeth, "the terrorists we encountered claimed to be AHI security... Without any codes, names, security channels... An extreme farce. If you can provide us with anything, that would be of great help. The better we can do at weeding out issues in our full authority." She chose to focus on Huang's words, knowing they would hit a bit better.

[Mercenary on the Winds]

"Thank you," Sia turned to Huang, "Yes, we shouldn't keep her waiting any longer." Her gaze around the area found only security personnel, not at all out of place for a corporate building. But it was always good to keep eyes out for anything strange, anything that much assist them if something were to go wrong in the future. Surely, that wouldn't be the case here. 

---

Sia remained quiet on their way up, making sure to gather her breath, and apply her inhaler just in case--it wouldn't do to have her first meeting as captain marred by an episode. She needed to gather her thoughts too; there were many questions about this whole situation. The rebels, the force used to meet them, the insurgents masquerading as AHI security... even the whereabouts of Ambassador Virion Shiva; there was a lot to go over, and Sia was sure that more questions were going to come up quickly. However, the first thing to keep in mind was to remain as a mediator; they were here on peacekeeping duty, and that had to come first. Making an enemy of AHI would not go over well, especially at a juncture where they remained in the dark. The use of force by AHI was unacceptable, there could be no doubt of that, but they'd need to ease into that--hopefully an easy task with Huang's assistance. 

Moments later, they were in Miss Avyndor's office, and the dossier was spot on so far--even down to her current attire. Her speech left a little wanting; she seemed to know very well about the rebels, and about their run-in with the automated security, so it seemed likely that the use of force was no accident. Quickly focus shifted onto them, and away from the 'malcontents' so to speak, Huang deftly guiding her in, "It is a pleasure to meet you Ms. Avyndor, as the Ambassador mentioned, I am Captain Selensia Silverwind, Captain of the Imminent Dawn. We have heard reports that there are... events taking place here on Callisto, and with a special task force, we were sent to investigate the veracity of claims made, and if necessary, take action to protect lives." 

So far, so good, it seemed like. It was obvious that Ms. Avyndor wasn't pleased about the situation, but it would have been more surprising if she had been, and hadn't requested for the support herself. Questions then, "If we're going to get straight down to it, then--" As if on cue, Kazue was the first to the punch, and immediately laid the cards on the table. There was no two ways about it, Kazue was correct; the amount of force would have been criminal in any other circumstance, but such meetings needed to start slowly. If Ms. Avyndor knew more about the situation, then it was now in her best interest to keep anything damning. Leon then reinforced Kazue's haphazard start. If there was anyone she expected even the slightest bit better from, it was Leon. A mercenary of his apparent caliber would have had to have deal with similar scenarios, and had to know how they worked. Sia's hand twitched, and she took a deep breath--this time not to catch her breath--and turned to both Leon and Kazue, "Ensign Fujiwaru. Lieutenant Silvavolke. Please do not forget why the both of you are here, nor your place in this conversation. Please do not think myself, or Ambassador Huang incapable of handling talks ourselves." Sia's tone remained calm, but there was a biting cold underlying it. They were not here to deal with one incident, they were here to deal with the whole issue, and they weren't going to be able to do that without the necessary information--information that may slowly find itself out of reach.

Sia then turned her sidelong glance back onto the woman of the hour, "My apologies, I was given authority over a special task force so its structure is a little different than most CEN outfits, perhaps considered better suited to handling a more delicate situation. That said..." Sia sighed and shook her head, "My cards are already laid out on the table, and you have to be aware of what stance we took in the skirmish. Surely you knew that we would have questions about the measures currently in place? Though... I have to say that even that wasn't the most troubling part of that skirmish, Lieutenant Park mentioned it just now. There were malcontents that were posing as AHI security--a separate entity from the rebels rescued earlier as far as we can tell. Do you have any information that confirms this belief of ours? And to be clear, our objective here is a swift, and amiable end to any hostilities brewing on the surface, and that is what we are devoted to at this moment." 

Well, time to see how she takes this... The one time I don't think to inform Kazue of the protocol, she throws it to the wind... She and Leon have only made things more difficult I suspect... Might not be able to mention the missing Ambassador if this gets too heated now. 

Edited January 8 by Mercenary on the Winds

[Xinnidy]

Entering the office and being greeted by the CEO's speech was a bit familiar. Bonner figured these types wanted to endear and keep as curated an image of their dealings as possible, but a tactic as centuries old as this one was bound to be handwaved... Bonner decided hanging at the back of the group was more natural for a first attempt, better to keep his presence low --even with his name certainly far from lowest profile. The ambassador handled the situation as expected, and the captain... was unceremoniously cut off by Fujiwaru, Silvavolke, and later Lieutenant Park trying to rerail the conversation to one that better balanced the aggression of the matter. It was a little painful to watch how things had started off so strong, especially with the power balance not being to their favor. The CEO had every reason to cut things short, and with any tact, the ambassador would be playing overtime to stop that from happening.

Thankfully, the Captain came off strong at the interruption, and she had every reason to. Superficial appearances were paramount to these meetings, and handling her subordinates was pivotal. For his part, Bonner kept his ears tuned and his eyes unfocused, a hand to his chin as his gaze seemed nowhere. He didn't want to make his presence more prominent after such a start, but maybe it was time for his maturity to help the tides against an abrupt end. "Captain Silverwind speaks true of our unit's organization, as well as our intent. The CEN was concerned enough to assemble us, but, to be upfront, our authority does not grant us untoward access to classified information. This makes the intent clear that we are to work with AHI, and a solution that serves both parties is heavily preferred." That'd be enough from his tongue for now. A bit too forward, but hopefully a gamble that'd reassert the CEO's feelings. With a soft, trained smile, Bonner kept to his position at the back, arms crossed.

[Ursali]

The long elevator ride gave Daeran some time to ponder how this meeting was going to go, key points that they needed to go over to get a better grasp of the situation on Callisto. They were almost entirely in dark; they only had their skirmish with the security forces and the terrorists to paint their view of the situation, which lined up rather neatly with CEN's initial understanding of the situation if you discounted the terrorist presence. It would surely be an important talking point, but one that he was confident Huang and the Captain would be suited to handle. While he may have been born to a politician, it was his distaste for the game of politics that steered him away from making it his career. He was still confident he could hold his own if needed, but that wasn't the role he was supposed to fill; they were all here as the Captain and Huang's security escort.

As they filed in her office, Daeran couldn't help but think that the woman overlooking the city was exactly what he had expected to see and, once she opened her mouth, exactly what he expected to hear. A business woman, in every meaning of the word, but lacking in malice if they were to believe she was the mastermind behind the situation. Though it was only his first impression, the way she spoke of the rebels lacked true resentment; they were an obstacle to AHI, yes, but no more than an inconvenience at worst. As much as it got under his skin to have Jupitarian citizens viewed as such, regardless of what or why they were doing, now wasn't the time for them to be picking fights with AHI, especially if they were actually the mastermind behind this situation...

That was why his eyes went wide as Kazue stepped up and spoke her unfiltered opinion, followed quickly by Leon as he went to provide support to her incredibly brash action. There wasn't really much to do about it now, however, and the Captain was quick to take back control of the conversation. All he could do to support Kazue, without worsening their already precarious position, was to stop her from digging her hole any deeper. As Bonner spoke up to reinforce the Captain's point, he stepped up next to her, his voice in a quiet whisper. Hopefully the CEO doesn't have something as inconvenient as augmented ears...

"No matter how you feel about what miss CEO says next, you need to listen to the Captain. We need to present a unified front, especially if AHI are actually the ones pulling the strings here on Callisto. Anything less and we paint a target on our backs, moreso than there is already." He gave Kazue a reassuring smile. "Trust in the Captain and Huang, they know what they're doing."

[mcd900]

There was something of a glint of panic that began to show from behind Ambassador Huang's eyes as the pensive air of a diplomatic meeting shifted quickly with Kazue's indignant questioning, followed by damage control. Arielle's expression only shifted from a frown to a thin, bemused smile, however; and she shot the ambassador a quizzical look before turning her attention to the other primary authority in the room. The corner of her lips rose in amusement slightly as the captain reined in her subordinates. Oh? A feisty bunch, these... Interesting.

"The pleasure is mine, Captain Silverwind... Ensign Fujiwaru and Lieutenant Silvavolke, was it? I'll remember that." It seemed that the two vocal ones in the group were the outliers; the others a mix of focused on their task and reining in their two overeager companions. "Full authority, hmm? I see, I see... Hmph. The CEN is certainly quick to step in, and with no small step, at that, having heard 'concerning information'... and you haven't made any mention of anything concrete obtained prior  to your arrival here, I might note." Her eyes narrowed. "Not that I need remind you, of course, that the agreement signed between Avyndor Heavy Industries and the Council of Earth Nations specifically states that Callisto is under our exclusive jurisdiction, hence why you have an embassy here and not a governing building... but that is, I suspect, a matter to which your superiors have denoted of little concern, and not by you yourself."

She paused briefly, delicately taking an espresso cup neatly embossed with the AHI logo from her desk and having a slow, thoughtful sip. "It's clear to me from your rather personal feelings on the matter..." - she glanced briefly at the two upstarts in the room - "...as well as your professionalism that your interest is in settling matters here cleanly. Which suits me just fine... after all, I'd certainly hate to the whole project to the CEN now that we're really starting to make strides towards terraforming the whole moon by ourselves." Not to mention the look of what might happen if I don't agree... if they're giving a fancy ship to investigate based on rumors who knows what excuse it'll take for the CEN to embargo us.

"Your questions, then. The first matter - our response to the security incident. Now, I don't have the exact... strategy, I suppose you military types might call it - that we have for these matters myself. My chief of security has discretion in these kinds of matters - it's important to know what and when to delegate. What I do have, however, is a report from her." She looked up, perhaps a few feet above the tallest of her visitors, and with a deft swipe of a finger from her free hand, the desk projected a cluttered mess of digital paperwork to meet her gaze; a couple more swipes, and a document came into focus. "It seems here our belligerents had just conducted an armed robbery of one of our development facilities. Let's see... no injuries to any company personnel - excellent - but they did get away with a number of parts from one of our more sensitive military projects. Nothing nefarious, mind you, before I arouse your suspicions; but it's new HEX technology and that's all I'm willing to part with. Corporate espionage comes in all forms, I'm afraid~."

She waved her hand through the projection, sending the light scattering for a brief second before it winked off. "The nature of the response, then, is twofold. The first being the recovery of company property; the latter being that HEXes with weapons are hardly something we can tread lightly with; the safety of our personnel is utmost. Hence, a large part of our security is automated - a machine can be replaced. Otherwise, we handle most of it through contractors who are more than aware of the risks involved." A sigh, and her expression darkened slightly. "I suppose she was hoping they'd surrender, but... well, they're not supposed to fight unless you don't comply. It's not a good look for the company, I must admit, and I suppose I have you all to thank for preventing some disastrous headlines. Perhaps I'll have to speak with my security chief regarding our approach here..."

She set her cup back down on the desk, now empty. "Your other main question, then. The others you say you encountered, posing as my employees." A hint of irritation was creeping into her words, now. "I certainly do not know of any team of mine that has the impunity to act in such a way. Perhaps there are some malcontents who hoped to abuse our company's governing authority on this moon by masquerading as our security forces... in which case, messy as it is, you'd have done us a second great favor. I wouldn't put such a scheme beyond them... from what we can tell, they're primarily a single group, but loosely organized. 'Room for a few brash individuals to make a lot of wrong decisions'... I believe was the wording used in one of the reports. But beyond that, no. No idea." She crossed her arms, seemingly finished.

Huang responded promptly, inclining in a slight bow, almost a little too eagerly; but there was enough potential for a communications breakdown here that it was best to be sure about smoothing things out while they still could. "Very good. Miss Avyndor, my personal thanks for your willingness and cooperation in this matter. It shall be my personal guarantee to you that we have this matter resolved as quickly as possible, and I'm sure Captain Silverwind feels the same as I, being representatives of the CEN." It was a bit early to be making a political move such as buying time, but Huang was shrewd enough to know that opportunities to meet directly with Arielle would not be the easiest thing to find; the less the crew of the Dawn left uncertain, the better they could address the issues here...

[Nanami Touko]

"But, Captain--" Daeran's whisper shut her up quickly, Kazue flinching and turning towards him. Their words made enough sense, but that didn't mean she liked them... Even if these rebels were villains, there were degrees to these things, weren't there? You couldn't just... Treat them like ants. You had to bring them to justice, not wipe them out... Part of that was why she'd been so upset after the alleged terrorists were killed. Even if done in self defense, none of that was justice. It was just... Authorized murder. She sighed and felt her motivation shrink, nodding slowly in agreement with Daeran. This was not her arena. She was to leave it to the Captain and to Huang...

Louise was more than happy to see their martial artist so swiftly put in her place. Miss CEO spoke up and had plenty, plenty to say on matters. Some of it was Sia's arena, but there were bits and pieces that Louise wanted to touch on. "If possible, I think it would be good for us to speak with your security chief. If we can find out why she okayed such a hefty force, we might be able to find more out about the situation. Especially with this third party involved, ma'am. If you're unsure of the veracity of our claims regarding them, we have one of their machines, collected from the conflict. The black box-- I'm sure the Captain would be happy to hand it over. We're all on the same page here." Louise smiled, putting on her business best.

"Of course, that does mean we're on the same page in regards to those thieves... While I am not pleased with the idea of them being... Addressed, so brusquely, if they are harming the company with nefarious intentions, as your collaborators in this endeavour, we will put our best forward in capturing and arresting them. So that you may dole out necessary punishment, of course. We would not supersede Avyndor in deciding what is done with them once contained." She was choosing her words carefully. Miss Avyndor didn't seem evil, but she did seem quite power hungry, and happy in her place, ruling over the moon. It was best to play to that. "To that end, and my first point, speaking with your chief of security will allow us to work in tandem-- an extension that can make more accurate decisions on the field, rather than automated machines that are set with instructions from the outset... Yes? If I'm overstepping, my sincerest apologies. As Huang has put it, we are representatives of CEN-- an organization that assists matters on this planet, not one that presides over them. You are, as you well know, free to veto my suggestions or requests." Hahhh... haughty business types are the worst. Really looking forward to that shooting range date, now~

Edited January 16 by Nanami Touko

[TheRoon]

As Leon expected Sia approached to defuse the situation, Leon turned his attention to his captain as she put her foot down. It seemed like Daeran stepped in to help with Kazue too. That being said, he thought it may be too late. The business woman had both pilots in her sights. Well that might put a damper on my plans tonight, and I got Sia mad at me too. I did ask for this though, no one to blame but myself. So he locked eyes with his captain and put on an apologetic expression. "Aah, I apologize captain. Seeing the ensign voice her concerns really inspired me to do the same." The real meaning behind his actions was thinly veiled, he hoped the beautiful leader would pick up on it; but if she didn't that was fine for now. "But you're right, this wasn't why I was brought on the team. For that reason I have to apologize to you as well, miss Avyndor. You'll hear no more from me." The red haired man nodded his head to the other woman before he stepped back in line.

As the situation went forward Leon found himself in a familiar spot. He had been apart of talks like this before, not with Avyndor but with other high brow clients. Other people handled the talks but he was familiar with how indirect these conversations tend to be. Still, they did get a bit more than he expected. A HEX related robbery huh... Of course since Leon gave his word he wouldn't speak another word he settled for inner thoughts. She brought up the malcontents again, Leon wondered who that group was exactly. The loosely organized part makes me think it isn't who I think it is, though the 'brash individuals' might make me think otherwise. Hell it could be anyone...

Edited January 16 by TheRoon

[Mercenary on the Winds]

"Yes, I am aware that is the case... and to be frank, I didn't receive much information at all from the chain of command prior to arriving here aside from our stated mission. That is to say, that I would supply that information if I had it at all..." She was going to have to play a little carefully now that Leon and Kazue had made their meeting more contentious than it needed to be. Kazue turned to reply to her order, and Sia had almost had it, but Daeran was quicker to the punch than she was, and whatever Daeran whispered got Kazue to finally back down. Leon offered his apologies as well. The way the mercenary spoke made his intentions clear, but they weren't the most helpful in quelling Sia's annoyance. Sia almost audibly huffed at both Kazue and Leon, but it would have been far too unbecoming in the moment. 

Things then proceeded smoothly. Arielle really did give off the vibe of a true, through and through corporate type, who was enjoying her almost autocratic control over the moon. There wasn't anything in her tone that suggest a militaristic malice, and that seemed to be confirmed by matters of defense falling to her head of security. It was odd to not have someone who was definitely pivotal to the conversation around, but having such power in the situation likely made her feel supernaturally safe. It was uncanny, and Sia wasn't interested in having to be here longer than necessary, but questions needed answers, "I must agree with Lieutenant Park; it would probably do for us to speak with the head of security and get the full scope of the situation from her. We did manage to collect one of the machines and salvage the black box, as it appears that we are aligned in what we're both after, I don't see any reason why we wouldn't hand it over. Though, I would ask in that case if you would wait for us to to do our own testing on it." Hopefully with enough spin onto her sensibilities she won't try to exercise more authority than I would like here... This never gets any easier. At least... it doesn't seem as if she has much on her mind beyond her business, and those goals. So long as we can keep things aligned there...

The conversation did confirm that this was another rogue element, so there were now three factions in play, the rebels, AHI, and another force that was abusing AHI's authority to act with impunity. It did quite feel like that they were there for other reasons... Mmm... no, I can't ascertain that without speaking with the security chief. There was one more question that was on Sia's mind, "Regarding the theft... In the event that we're the first to encounter these rebels once more; what are we to do with the parts? The safety of my pilots is paramount so in the event of conflict, I can't quite guarantee the safety of your project without knowing what I'm looking for. If there is nothing more you can share, then that's that, but anything at all would be preferable. Otherwise, Ms. Avyndor," Sia saluted the woman, "We are at your back, and will assist in the way that we can." 

[Xinnidy]

It seemed like the CEO was intent in ceding as little ground as possible, looking at the crew with a few sharp remarks after niceties were abruptly broken. Not good for either of the two, best to keep an eye on them whenever we're in her facilities. For all the talks of autocracy, she kept the matters compartmentalized enough that they'd be dealing with another --the head of security--, to gain more information... and it'd be nice if she could part with more information about the missing assets. Louise and Sia were already pressuring her on that, so Bonner kept to himself, reflecting on their next move.

"If I may, for as big as Callisto is, it's still in a stage of terraforming, and entirely in your jurisdiction. You, or your chief of security, would have good guesses about where these rebel elements keep their base of operations, yes? Or, are we to suspect they're not from this moon?"

[Ursali]

Daeran refrained from letting out a sigh of relief as Kazue bit back the challenge to the Captain's authority that was mere seconds from leaving her lips. It was one thing for her to vocally take issue with how AHI was handling their security forces, it was entirely another for her to then continue undermining the Captain's authority by openly challenging it. Such a showing, in front of AHI's CEO no less, would not only have had potentially serious repercussions for their discussion, but also likely wouldn't have been taken lightly, even for someone as generous as the Captain.

With Kazue now quiet and keeping to herself, or at least it seemed likely she would with Leon pledging the same, Daeran was content to resume his role as silent security escort. He was by no means looking to stand out here, face-to-face, with Arielle Avyndor; though his father was a politician, he was a colony politician, and within striking range, so to speak, if Arielle ended up needed an outlet for CEN caused frustrations. In short, while Arielle wasn't his father's boss, he had no intention of making trouble for the man by standing out and attracting Arielle's attention, regardless of the bizarre set of circumstances, in retrospect, that led him to being present for this meeting.

Between the Captain, Huang, the Lieutenant Commander, and Lieutenant Park, the conversation seemed to be well back on the rails, with the chance to obtain necessary information back within the realm of possibility. There was no need to add on any further to either their questions, though perhaps it was his proximity to Kazue, or just his own concern for the Jupitarian populace, but a question of his own sprang to mind, regardless of his desire to be as much of a ghost a possible. "If don't mind a further question, Miss Avyndor, what sort of disturbances to the peace do the rebels usually cause? Are they usually so brazen to conduct raids on AHI's research facilities, or is this a more recent development?" 

Edited January 23 by Ursali

[mcd900]

A smile crept onto Arielle's face once more; this really was quite the cast of a crew. Righteous ones with more justice in their hearts than sense, one with a smile on his face and ice in his veins, and thankfully, a couple professionals - oh, but of course, there was one more, wasn't there? She hadn't said much about him just yet, but she'd get there...

She leaned over her desk, almost casually, comfortable, hands resting on her edge of the desk. "Certainly. I would be more than happy to set a meeting between you all and my chief of security - in fact..." She deftly keyed the holographic keyboard floating just above the desk's surface. "There we are. She's one floor down, and will be expecting you after this. I'm sure she'll be much better suited to talk through the, ah..." Arielle paused for a moment, the word hanging on her tongue. "...technical side of matters - much your specialties, I'm sure; there's more familiarity to be found there than here." Her eyes lingered on Louise for a moment. "I've no doubt you have your own opinions on how matters are being addressed here, and as such I greatly appreciate your... cooperation, in how you intend to go about resolving this issue. As you say, miss Park, there is a touch more flexibility in a person's approach than a machine." 

She raised an eyebrow at the redheaded man, her smile not fading, as he apologized for his outburst. Interesting. Too much fire in you to stop yourself from the beginning, but you know well enough when to stop. Experience with toeing the line? Or is your brain just catching up to your mouth?

"Miss Captain Silverwind, you are of course free to retain the black box until such a time as you've run whatever tests you like on it - after all, it doesn't belong to Avyndor Heavy Industries, though I'm sure there are those who'd love to analyze it once you're finished with it." Arielle tilted her head just a bit at Sia's continued discussion of the stolen parts. "Well, should you find the rebels, I think you've already established that your approaches may be better than ours - though of course if your discussion with my security chief Miss Shezsacosh leads you to a different conclusion, that will of course be up to you. And should you find the parts... we would appreciate them back, naturally. I think they'll be rather unlike most HEX equipment you may have seen before." 

There was almost a smirk as Sia saluted, but she was back to all business as the older man spoke, meeting his seriousness in kind. "If they're based out of a single location, it would have to be somewhere in the undeveloped zones. Anywhere they've terraformed, we'd notice with the kind of equipment they have. There's only so much you can do to hide HEXes in a city, no?" A finger raised to her chin in thought. "Not from this moon... well, perhaps they have some kind of outside help. It's hard to know, honestly, but maybe Miss Shezsacosh will have a better idea."

Ah, but at long last, he was addressing her directly now - the son of such a notable CEN politician in the Jupiter Sphere - she could see the resemblance from he minute he'd walked in, seeing as she's spoken to him a not-insignificant number of times in a political capacity. Her eyes narrowed, almost imperceptibly. "Ah, Mr. Vhane... that's a fine question. For a long time it was peaceful, to tell you the truth - the occasional rally, handing out pamphlets, nothing concerning. Not that I really intended on acquiescing on too many fronts, but we didn't so much as lift a finger when it was just talk."

She sighed - the most exasperation she was willing to show. "The raids are a more recent development. It didn't seem like where things were trending towards... it was a surprise to all of us. Actually, they've even made some moves on a CEN facility - we have an agreement to allow use of some of the underdeveloped zone by the CEN for their research. I suppose those involved might not have realized it didn't belong to us? My head of security will have the details; you could even visit the facility yourself, if you like - they might appreciate the visit."

Ambassador Huang gave a short half-bow, no shortage of effort on his part to appease. "Ah, well then, Miss Avyndor, it sounds as if we'll be making the rounds, courtesy of the Dawn. I think that's all we had for you personally, isn't that right, Captain Silverwind? Our warmest thanks for your time. We will, of course, be in touch should we resolve your issues, or find anything that requires your more immediate attention."

Arielle circled around her desk, sitting against the front of it, giving a small nod to the group. "Very good, Ambassador. I'm glad to hear it. It was my pleasure to meet all of you; but please, don't keep Miss Shezsacosh waiting. She is quite busy as of late, after all."

[Mercenary on the Winds]

Sia internally sighed as Miss Avyndor seemed to take well to their placating. It was annoying to have to play the role so well, but there wasn't another way forward, or at least, it wasn't apparent to Sia. With a quick movement of her hand, a meeting with her head of security was placed, a floor down from where they were now. "I appreciate the assistance, Miss Avyndor, and we'll work on the black box as quickly as we can, and get it over to you; whatever information we glean from it would be useful in your hands as well, I'm sure." Sia caught the glance at Leon, almost as if the woman was sizing the mercenary up, but fortunately she turned her attention elsewhere. Namely, the parts. She didn't explain much beyond the fact that the parts were unlike anything they'd seen before, so it would be rather unlikely that they wouldn't correctly identify them. She didn't quite bite the line as hard as Sia would have liked; there was something about these parts that she wasn't interested in directly talking about with them, and she had nothing more to press with so she would have to leave it there. 

Daeran's questions were met with the most positive, and telling response so far. The possibility that the group that attacked them were from another moon, and the realization that, yes, Avyndor's reach basically extended across the entire moon, save the underdeveloped zones. That added a layer to the conflict, but to see how deep that went, they would have to head out there at some point to investigate. A frown came across Sia's face for but a faint moment, before returning to a neutral expression, "So they only suddenly transitioned into raids, and very recently..." It didn't seem very sudden to Sia; if there were no concessions from AHI, of course things would turn out this way. However, it was clear that Arielle's strong suit was business, not social. 

Huang stepped in, offering the exit to their conversation; it didn't seem like there was much more to go over aside from topics best left to the head of security. Sia glanced over at Leon and Kazue, "Yes, that's all we have for the moment. Thank you for your time, and assistance, Miss Ayvndor. We'll be in as much contact as protocol allows with some operations, and we will be visiting that lab as well... it would be best to get a better scope of all that's happening, so we can decide on the best course of action." Sia once more saluted the woman, "With that, I do believe that we'll be taking our leave now. Everyone, let's not..." Sia coughed suddenly, "Ah... My apologies. I've been speaking a lot today..." Sia was the first to begin making her way back to the elevator. Well, it didn't go poorly, but I can't be sure if it went well either... Ugh... Leon was one thing, but Kazue was going to have to be deal with in between their next location, and now. Her questions were just, and her anger pointed in the correct direction, there just needed to be a focus, something that could be done with that anger, and not something that could ruin their goals altogether. 

Edited February 4 by Mercenary on the Winds

[TheRoon]

Leon could feel judging eyes upon him, though he didn't seem to care what a CEO really thought of him in the end. If anything the target on him was better than anyone else, he could worry about Kazue less. Sia on the other hand mattered a lot more, she was the one he liked the most on the ship after all. She only gave a glance, but Leon knew she was upset at his and Kazue's actions. He kept a neutral expression going, but he couldn't help but feel disappointed by his own actions. Daeran and Sia handled the rest of the talk, and soon enough the group had been dismissed to meet a miss Shezsacosh. He turned to enter the elevator with the rest of the group; and completely avoided making eye contact with Avyndor for the rest of the exchange. He continued to stay quiet, deep in his thoughts. He wanted to apologize to Sia, though he wasn't sure how to go about it. Hm, the hell is wrong with me? For a moment his self doubt slightly turned his neutral expression to one of regret.

[Nanami Touko]

"Of course, Ms. Avyndor." Louise saluted gently, turning after Sia to follow her to their next meeting. Ahahahaaaaaa, yeeeeeeees~! Did you see that look she gave Leon!? Ahhhhahahaha~! This is perfect! I don't even have to take the man down, he's shooting himself in the foot! I can't wait until we get back to the ship~! Louise was beaming, much different than most of the people in the elevator. "Ahem, hm. While that wasn't the perfect meeting with a company CEO, I would say we discovered plenty of good information, yes? That should be takeaway, in my opinion... The rest, I'm sure the Captain can address." She glanced towards Sia with a bright smile on her face, hiding exactly why she was so happy.

"Before you say anything, Captain..." Kazue spoke up, head down, shaking it some, "I have swiftly realized that this is not the place for my feelings. I will not stop you from admonishing my actions... But I do understand the issue, at the very least. We are here... For business." It didn't feel good to say, but their actions beyond these meetings could employ justice as the Captain saw fit, and the Captain hadn't given Kazue reason to pause. She would just have to trust her.

"Well, well..." Louise was pleased to hear all of that, truly... Would Leon speak up, now? She eyed him and smiled... with perhaps the most faintly sinister look in her eyes.

---

Toki adjusted her qipao slightly, kicking her legs up onto her desk, making sure all the important bits were covered... Gloves ran up her arms, almost to the shoulder, her legs covered in tights... The ears, they could stay. Plenty of people had ears these days, and she wasn't ashamed of being extra fluffy, but the rest was a surprise, for now. "Tanviiiiir, make sure you're on your best behaviour... You too, Alriana. Remember, you can find Daeran in the group, you can mark him, but don't kill him right now. Okay? We still need him alive, at least for a little bit... You think I got too dressed up? I just can't handle the standard office lady getup... I prefer all the imported clothes from earth. If I must, anyway... If I could wear what I normally do without getting in trouble, I would, alas~" She sighed and her tail swished behind her, letting her legs down and sitting properly. "Oh well... Meeting time. Best we play along~"

[TheRoon]

Leon didn't even need to look over at Louise, he felt her eyes drill into his soul. I really do live rent free in her head huh, figures... When Kazue stepped up and owned to her mistake, it once again inspired Leon to step up; regardless of what may come of it. So he pulled his head out of his own funk and got close. "Ensign, you have a big heart and a fire inside. Hold onto it but don't end up someone like me, a guy who listens to his fire more than his head. Reality can be cruel to people like that." He looked Kazue in the eye, and then turned to Sia. "I won't excuse my actions, I stepped out of line. I'm willing to accept whatever punishment you have in store for me captain." All the red haired man could do was nod his head to the woman in shame, and keep his expression as neutral as he could.

Edited February 5 by TheRoon

[Xinnidy]

"I see, I'll keep it in mind. Thank you for giving us the time, Miss Avyndor." It figured that the attacks were coming from outside the moon, or an underdeveloped section, but Bonner figured it safer to confirm it from the head woman herself. With that and a couple other details cleared, the group bid their farewell for the following meeting, one floor down.

"You did good, Captain." Bonner offered a bit of praise, figuring it important. It was Sia's first foray into these, after all. "We've already got some leads, but it can't hurt to get the chief of security's take." His thoughts were already on the CEN facility mentioned. Perhaps they'd hear more of the parts there.

[Mercenary on the Winds]

Sia pulled out her inhaler once more, and then breathed deep as the medicine started to take hold. She needed to go back to the doctor to have her inhaler refilled; hopefully she wouldn't need it again before they got back to the ship. Sia let out an exasperated sigh, "No, it didn't go according to plan, but in the end, we got quite a bit of what we needed to learn." Kazue stepped forward, head lowered, and apologized for her actions. Sia stared at the ensign, and then let out another exasperated sigh, "If you've figured that out now, then our full conversation can wait. However, Ensign, I understand, and sympathize with your actions, I don't fault you for charging in to save the rebels, nor asking Miss Avyndor about what happened with her security teams. That said, there is a reason that we have protocol; for the safety of everyone involved. Breaking that places everyone at risk." 

Sia then turned to look at Leon, "Which makes me all the more disappointed with you, Leon. The ensign I can at least rationalize away with inexperience, you, don't have that excuse. If you were going to cover her, it would have made more sense for you to dissuade her rather than placing a target on your back. You perhaps better than everyone here except for the Lieutenant Commander should know that, especially in a situation where we don't quite know the leaning of who we're speaking with. We're very fortunate that Miss Avyndor appears singlemindedly focused on her control over the moon in a business scenario." Sia shook her head, "Please. My job as Captain is to protect my pilots, and everyone aboard my ship to the best of my ability. I know you said that you'd do what you could to keep the heat off the others, but this is not the way to do it." 

Sia coughed again as she finished, "We can deal with the rest when we get back to the ship, we still have another meeting to tend to, and who knows how that one will pan out." Sia huffed, and turned to Bonner, "Sorry for the delayed response, Lieutenant Commander, but thank you. I do think that the ambassador carried most of the conversation, but thank you nonetheless. Dealing with business types is difficult... hopefully dealing with the head of security will be simpler..." Something told Sia that it wouldn't, but... it was her job to handle it regardless. She leaned back against the back wall of the elevator, and pulled out her notebook to jot down her thoughts of the meeting, as well as things to investigate when they returned to the ship.

---

Tanvir tugged on his outfit. He realized very quickly that it was not made for someone like him, and maybe that was the point--Toki was the one who gave it to him after all. Both the button down shirt, and the vest barely fit, the last button on the shirt barely hanging on. At least the pants were comfortable. "Why am I the one who has to be on my best behavior; I feel like I'm the one who is on his best behavior at all times. At least, I don't have to be told not to kill someone on sight..." Maybe it was because Toki decided that she was going to dress for the moment. She was acting as the head of security, and dressed more like there was going to be formal ball. It was nice to see her in something suiting her figure more, but, he knew what lie beneath. "I don't think anyone's going to complain about it; it's not like our guests are gonna ask too many questions about your clothes considering that they've probably more important questions to ask. You probably would have rocked the standard office lady getup, but you're head of security, not a receptionist." Tanvir looked around, "Speaking of which, aren't we--" 

The door slid open, and a red haired woman stepped inside, "Soooorry. Got a little caught with things in the lab~" She pulled her labcoat further on over her blouse that revealed a rather impressive amount of cleavage. She had been asked to dress the part a little more, but her attire always worked--all she needed was the labcoat to bring it all together. "Wow, look at you, Toki. I guess you really did mean dress for the occasion. Maybe I should have dressed up a little more..." She then shrugged, "Oh well, I'm not the focus here, so it shouldn't be a problem~"

Tanvir sighed, "Why am I not surprised that you're not on time, Miranda..." Tanvir looked her over and then looked at Toki, "Why does she get to dress normally, and I get shoved in this?"

Edited February 6 by Mercenary on the Winds

[Nanami Touko]

"P-Please do not be so upset with Leon, Captain!" Kazue's head rose as Sia went in on Leon, stepping forward some. "He only said what he did because of me-- even if his method was as incorrect as you say, he still only say anything due to my fault. Please do not punish him too harshly when I was the one that began this issue... P, Please." The last thing Kazue wanted as for someone to get in serious trouble because she'd been too emotional.

"I must say, I do second the Ensign," Louise chimed in, all smiles. "While he should have known better, we're a new squadron... We've had a few weeks together, and Leon, you were formerly a mercenary, yes?" She tilted her head a bit, her smile a bit too sweet. "They're all about camaraderie and standing up for each other. Have to be tight knit, almost like a family... So he's used to something else. I'm sure this is a good lesson for him and Ensign Fujiwaru as well. Surely we can leave it at that, yes? This time. Since nothing too severe happened due to their actions..." Ohhh my God, Sia, hhhhh... I'm struggling to keep it down, ughhhh, seeing him get berated like that after how fucking confident he was, holy FUCK! Keep it inside, Louise... Keep it inside. Hahhh... Just play nice. If he's this self destructive, you won't have to do much of anything~

---

Toki whistled. "Because, Tanvir, sex sells. And in our line of business, the most important thing we can buy is information. The lower her shirt, the looser someone's lips. You don't need to show your tits to work the way you do. So we let Miranda show as much of the goods as she wants~ Same as me! don't complain, you look snazzy in that suit." She snapped her fingers and shot him some finger guns, letting her legs down and sitting properly at her desk, staring at Miranda. "Whew, though... If we weren't about to have a very, very important meeting, I'd be kicking Tan and Aly out and having other plans~ Way to rile up your boss, gorgeous..."

[Mercenary on the Winds]

Tanvir rolled his eyes, "Part of me wonders if that's actually why... and whether it'll work better on you than our guests. Do we even know who's showing up aside from Vhane's boy?" Tanvir sighed and fiddled with one of the buttons on the vest, before deciding to just leave it open. "Gotta say... they didn't do half bad for what's supposed to be a bunch of greenhorns."

Miranda snickered, "At least you know the rules, Toki. We have things to do, so none of that now." She then looked over at Tanvir, "And you, it's not like I'm wearing my usual, I'm more covered than normal. Besides, you act like you aren't doing the same. Toki really chose one that was going to highlight you, hmm?" She sighed, and glanced at Toki, "I do agree, though. Your reasoning only works if we know who's coming, so I assume you do?"

[Bluemask 96]

Roku looked around, mouth agape as he set forth from the Dawn and into the city. All of the task for meals today were finished, and Leon still wasn't back, so with his newfound freedom, the chef chose to explore the city, and hopefully try any local delicacies. To most on earth, the sights would be nothing to be amazed at, but after looking at the same hallways and room for over a month of travel, it was a bit refreshing to be in a city again. The wide streets and uniform buildings would be easy to get lost in. Thankfully he was given a bit of a guide on how to get around, and he had a particular destination in mind.

Roku continued looking around at the sights as he entered the shopping district here in Callisto. Not far off was what he assumed was the residential district, but that wasn’t too important to him. For now, he had found a restaurant that intrigued him. Stepping in, he looked to the front desk. "Um, hi. A bar seat for one?"