Episode 22 - Conspire [TE]

The last RPG was "Zeta Gundam: Tales from the Frontlines - The AEUG" which ran from 2006-14.
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Attomoku
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Re: Episode 22 - Conspire [TE]

Kirov, Outside Brig

Lt. Te'litha

Nick floated to in front of the brig door with about 5 minutes to spare. He saw that it was locked and rapped the green acres theme on the brig door. “Open the door, we’ve got an appointment to keep with the zampolit,” he said into the intercom, using Stukov’s ‘affectionate’ nick-name for Tiraq, hoping it was some Russian expletive.

Hall

Ltjg. Kelborn

After Dolk had left Grace expressed her gratitude for the intervention on her behalf but felt that such an intervention was unnecessary:
“Thanks for that Leandro.. er.. Uh, Lieutenant, I appreciate the sentiment but don’t feel you have to protect me. I can take care of myself; he was just as much of a creep when I first met him too, if not more-so, and I came out fine.” She gave him a thin smile to show she was still grateful for the big brother treatment anyways.
IAN: (Shaking fist up at sky in a storm of GN particles) Science does not WORK this way, Setsuna!!!
Xvlai
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Re: Episode 22 - Conspire [TE]

-Alexandira Class-Kirov, Outside Wolf’s Quarters –

"Do you have something, Sven? Daren here gave me a list of suspicious types and I'd like to see if we can match up any information,"

Nodding his head in slightly both as an informal salute and in agreement Sven gestured to the door. “Indeed I do Sir, I too have a name which should be added to that list, but something best spoken of behind closed doors.” The three men of Beta Team stood silently outside Wolf’s doors as Wolf open the door and the all shuffled in. Moving to stand besides the now closed door Daren kept one eye on the two other men and the other on the door. Coming to a stop as Sven waited for Wolf to take a seat at his table he used this rare opportunity to gaze around Wolf’s room. He had only been inside once before what seemed like years ago, amazingly enough the room had not changed it all, it remained clean, organized, and almost Spartan in its furnishings.

As Wolf took his seat and turned around, the list in his hand he nodded at Sven to get on with his report. Speaking in a clipped manner and quickly Sven reported on the events for the day. “Sir, I followed Lt. Tariq as requested. He was glad to use my services. Regretfully I was unable to assist in the matter of Te’litha though, Lt. Tariq was distracted from our investigation by a murder committed onboard our ship. He began to investigate that so I followed him around for a bit until he dismissed me from his service.” Taking a breath Sven let the gravity of the situation soak into the room a bit, he heard Daren shift his feet around behind him, no one liked the idea of being onboard a ship with an unknown murderer. “I did find out what very interesting and deadly bit of information though, it seems the man who is moving against you is the Captain who visited Te’Litha and is a Titans Intelligence Officer. All I know about him is his last name is Black and it seems he himself is a pawn. Tariq hinted at it heavily, but it seems the man serves the Jovian.”

There was no need to say who the Jovian was; everyone and anyone remaining in the Titans service knew who the man was by now. Finishing his report Sven tightened and waited for Wolf.
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Re: Episode 22 - Conspire [TE]

- Open Space -

- The Kirov -
- Kyle's Quarters -

Lt. Sayed slid his sunglasses back on as Kyle quietly agreed to lay low and let him get back to his work. His shoulders straightened and his mouth tightened back into a thin line, giving him the same hard-to-read posture he always carried himself with. Kyle was one of the very few people on the ship that had seen him relax. "Mr. Roberts, I suggest you be very careful who you interact with until we reach Gryps," Tariq said solemnly, pausing in the doorway, "Do your duty as a pilot - beyond that I would not blame you for cloistering yourself away in your room. The Titans have become too complicated for their own good and you seem like a decent man,". His voice held a tinge of regret and bitterness that was usually hidden away.

Tariq pulled himself into the hallway and let the door close behind him so that the security lock didn't engage. He was starting to wonder if anything the Titans did at this point really meant anything. If he was forced to choose a side by infighting, it would be Bask and Jamitov; after all he had taken an oath when he was transferred to the Titans to remain loyal to Admiral Hymem. But what the hell did that mean any more? He was left in charge of a petty political fiefdom instead of doing his proper job. The Titans weren't supposed to be a secret police and politburo crudely smashed together, retreating across space from "terrorists" that were, in a sense, more loyal to the true ideals of the Earth Federation.

"And yet here we are," he sighed, taking hold of a grip that would pull him in the direction of the lift at the end of the hall. He had to finish putting together his evidence. Maybe he could clean things up a little before they had to fight for their lives.

- Hallway -

"Who do you think has the biggest ego around here nowadays anyways?" Leandro asked sarcastically as the LT turned the corner. Stukov snorted at that comment and rumbled, "If we're lucky, they'll all kill each other,". His gravely eastern voice sounded about as jovial as he ever got, but it was clear that in a way he meant what he said. Grace smiled and interjected, “Thanks for that Leandro... er... Uh, Lieutenant, I appreciate the sentiment but don’t feel you have to protect me. I can take care of myself; he was just as much of a creep when I first met him too, if not more-so, and I came out fine,”. Stukov remained silent with his arms folded for a few seconds as if he was thinking something over.

"They're taking you away from me," he said quietly after a pause, staring at the deck. He didn't quite sound sad, but his voice was probably softer than either of his subordinates had ever heard before. "The bottom of his transfer did not list you in Alpha," he explained. Looking Grace and then Leandro in the eye, he nodded, "You're both ready for whatever they can come up with... If you fly like you did to keep up with me you'll do fine. You're both quick learners and skilled pilots,". His eyes returned to the deck and he added, "You should check your messages. Leandro's promotion probably has something to do with it...". He turned and headed up the hallway without another word. The captain could confirm the order, and then he had to figure out what to do next.

- The Brig -

"I was starting to get comfortable in here..." Pan quipped in response to Rhys' greeting. The corporal leaned against the wall outside Pan's temporary quarters and responded with another off-putting chuckle, "I never did like cells myself. 'Course I never saw one this homey,". Saad stared at the partner that had been forced on him and the small bit of Pan's face he could see through the door's Judas slit. So both of them seemed to be just as despicable as he thought. "You're not doing this for yourself," echoed in his head like it did every time he had doubts. And like every other time he made himself think of his sister's face. He had to do this. The captain had spelled out explicitly what would happen if he didn't cooperate.

He jumped slightly when Nick rapped on the brig door. “Open the door, we’ve got an appointment to keep with the zampolit,” Te'Litha's voice crackled through the intercom. "The hell does that mean?" Rhys grunted. Saad glanced at the monitors in the security office before opening the heavy door and practically pulling Nick inside. He stuck his head outside to look up and down the hall and then quickly shut the door. "Welcome to the party, sir. Glad you're not one of those guys that likes to be fashionably late," Azarola said without looking up as he cleaned his fingernails with his knife's point. Saad looked up at the camera monitoring the bulk of the brig's open area and said, "I'll shut down the security system in here when we contact Bruce,".

Rhys clicked his knife back into place and gestured with a nod in the direction of the security office, "Guess we're about right on time. Go ahead and start bringing the cameras offline,". Saad nodded without much enthusiasm and entered the office. CPL Azarola pushed away from the wall and waved Nick towards a corner away from the door. "Stay over there for now..." he said, reaching for his hand radio. It beeped and crackled a burst of static as he switched to the right channel. "Hey, Bruce?" he asked. There was a click and a pause, and then Rowsdower answered, "Yeah? We ready?". Rhys looked Nick in the eye and brought the radio back up to his mouth. "Go."

- Alpha Team Ready Room -

Dolk let his bag go as soon as he entered the room, and it promptly floated from his shoulder headed for a corner up near the ceiling. He looked over the collection of sad food and drink vending machines and the pair of older arcade cabinets and humphed in disappointment. Terrible. The Latium had been full of boring jerks but at least they had a jukebox and a couple of games that had been made after he was born. On top of that, now he was stuck on a one-way flight to Gryps. "We're drifting out in space..." he muttered, taking a pouch of water from the drink machine, "Say goodbye to all your friends, they're gonna disappear,". He stuck one jackbooted toe into the rung on the floor in front of the game Stukov had been playing to keep himself from floating aimlessly.

- Wolf's Quarters -

Ritter listened intently as Sven gave his report, and Daren remained dutifully at the door. Wolf's expression deepened into a frown the farther Sven got. When Haksson mentioned Black, his eyes narrowed slightly as he tried to connect that name to what he already knew. Daren's eyebrows raised a bit at the mention of the captain's name. Sven seemed to be as good at finding pertinent information as he was. After a few moments of silence, Wolf half snarled, "That person... has no business meddling with me or my family,". It was as if he refused to say Scirocco's name aloud. Daren wondered if it was because he was actually worried by all of this.

Speaking up nervously, the young man offered, "Sirs, I think I might be able to find out who this Capt. Black is,". He waited to make sure Wolf wouldn't cut him off and then continued, "As you know, my father retired from the service in 0081 because of a lingering combat injury. He was an infantry division's S2 main intelligence officer during the war... Any Titans intelligence captain still alive at this point shouldn't be hard to identify if I look into it,". The Ritters had a use for every individual and family they deigned the include in the Destiny, and the Nwosu clan served a purpose similar to the one Fritz Ashlyn had before he was stupid enough to cross Wolf's father by walking away.

Even retired, Daren's father was a direct link to EFF intelligence, and combined with Ashlyn climbing the ranks within the Titans and Manhunter they had men that could access all kinds of information. Wolf nodded and ordered, "Do what you can, but try to work fast. I'm not sure we can contact anyone on Earth in time to make a difference until we get to Gryps,". He turned back to Sven and said, "Even if you couldn't press Sayed about Te'Litha, you did excellent work. I'm starting to think the best conclusion to this is another combat 'accident'. I hate to be that unsubtle, but we may be running out of time and I can't have Nick ruining anything,".

"It's infuriating that we have to deal with the damned Jovian as well. I don't shy away from tests of will but this whole gambit from within the Titans has been overly taxing," he complained angrily. He didn't mention his beloved's name. An emotional outburst in front of Sven and Daren was best kept to the realm of anger. Inside he seethed with hatred for both Bask Om and Paptimus Scirocco - it was clear to him now that they were both trying to undermine him for their own purposes at the same time. The faster they were pitted against one another, the better. At this point it looked like the Titans would be defunct by the time he was ready to take control. It pained him to think his father had been so wrong about the organization's political and military role.

Te'Litha. Ashlyn. Bask. Jamitov. That bastard spacenoid Scirocco and his Capt. Black. The damn AEUG! His list of enemies was starting to grow longer than his family's allies. He would not let rebels and outsiders ruin what his ancestors had worked for since the old calendar. He would not be the one to fail. Everyone that stood in opposition to the Destiny would be destroyed, be they overt enemies or two-faced 'allies'. He would see them all dead, and he would have his Alexi returned to his side. Daren could see the fire burning in Wolf's eyes, and he glanced to Sven and gulped nervously from the tension that hung heavily in the air.

"Daren, do what you can. Sven, rest a while. When we reach Gryps we'll all be busy," Wolf commanded. He sounded like he was so agitated he was forcing the words out between clenched teeth. "Y-yes sir," Daren responded quickly with a slight bow, and he made for the door as fast as he could.

- The Herakles -
- Hangar -

"I think the only place left for the Titans is Gryps 2 so chances are we'll see heavy fighting soon. Not sure against who though..."

"Everyone," Capt. Berg said gruffly, answering Alex's thought as Joshua left the area. He floated up to the catwalk rail next to the new pilot from where he had been observing the work in the hangar. "The AEUG... The Zabiists..." he continued, pausing, "And if I'm right, new troublemakers wearing our own uniforms,". Berg's jet black hair was starting to gray prematurely at his temples, a byproduct of the stress the conflict was causing. He continued to look down at the crew working on the Hizacks instead of fixing his gaze on Alex. "You're Ens. Weber," he half asked - he had seen photos of the incoming pilots shortly before they came aboard - "I hope you take oaths of loyalty seriously, ensign, because I sure as hell do,".

The captain's expression changed from fatigued monotone to a more agitated look of disdain. "I joined the Titans to protect Earth from spacenoids and contolists, Ens. Weber, not to take orders from them," he wearily spat. He shook his head and said, "Everyone's walking on eggshells, like they're scared to talk about it. Afraid to say it out loud,". He turned and tiredly looked Alex in the eye for the first time. "I'm not. Let Scirocco and the Jupitris try something. Bask and Admiral Jamitov know how to deal with his kind," he said, rubbing his eyes. He had been running on a ridiculously small amount of sleep since the retreat from the Gate of Zedan, and it showed. "Let him try," he said again slowly, turning back to the busy crew.
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Re: Episode 22 - Conspire [TE]

-The Herakles, Hangar-

"Everyone"

Alex quickly glanced around wondering who joined the conversation he was having with Joshua.....who seemed to vanish while he was talking.

"The AEUG...The Zabiists....And if I'm right, new troublemakers wearing our own uniforms"

'So many....' It was one thing to fight with the AEUG and the Zeon fleet that returned from the asteroid belt but Titans against Titans? What was going on this entire war? By some stroke of luck the Titans might survive if the AEUG and Axis fought each other more than the Titans but with a potential civil war there was no chance the Titans would survive.

"Yes Captain" he flashed a salute as he continued to listen to Berg's thoughts on the current situation. Things were pretty tense, Titan against Titan and the only stronghold left being a likely target for both opposing factions.

Still he could only wonder where the Titans would go from here "If you don't mind me asking, what do you think will happen to the Titans?"
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Re: Episode 22 - Conspire [TE]

-Parks Applegate-

"whatever.." with a disinterested murmur Parks kicked off after Hepburn. The journey would be a silent and uneventful one. Not 10 minutes lter They pir would find themselves near the Prison block
"If You are a man you'll do what's important before you grieve" -Captain Harlock

"I like the SAGA. Its what Rambo would pilot if he was in Gundam 00" -Kylern
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Re: Episode 22 - Conspire [TE]

Kirov, Brig

Lt. Te'litha

“Go…”
Nick continued eye contact with Rhys before grinning wickedly, “Be a Dear and try to avoid damaging the glasses, I’d rather like a souvenir when this is over.” He then started moving towards his designated corner but saw someone through the Judas stilt and recognized the eyes. “Well if it isn’t ‘Alice’,” he called towards the cell. “I see that the rumors of your death were greatly exaggerated,” he leered.

Hall

Ltjg. Kelborn

"They're taking you away from me, The bottom of his transfer did not list you in Alpha. You're both ready for whatever they can come up with... If you fly like you did to keep up with me you'll do fine. You're both quick learners and skilled pilots. You should check your messages. Leandro's promotion probably has something to do with it..."
Grace was stunned, she was going to say something but the softness of her CO’s voice kept her from doing so. It was the closest thing to emotion other than anger she had seen from the mad Russian. She wanted to object or to say it couldn’t be so, but something told her it was true. So she did the only thing she could do at the time. “Lieutenant!” She called out to Stukov as he walked away. She then snapped to attention and gave the crispest salute she could muster. “It was an honor to fly with you Sir! Thank you!”
IAN: (Shaking fist up at sky in a storm of GN particles) Science does not WORK this way, Setsuna!!!
Xvlai
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Re: Episode 22 - Conspire [TE]

- Alexandria-Class, Kirov -
- Wolf's Quarters -

Snapping a clean salute Sven followed Daren out of Wolf’s quarters. Nodding to the other pilot, Sven turned and walked a brief distance down the corridor to his room. In no particular hurry he changed out of his flight suit. Quickly he stowed his flight suit and gear in their proper storage places. Locking his door he crawled into bed and flicked off his lights.

Wolf wanted him to get rest, but rest would not come to Sven. He lay awake for hours tossing and turning before he managed to finally catch some sleep. It was coming and before it came he would have to find a way to kill all the traitors.
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Re: Episode 22 - Conspire [TE]

- The Kirov -
- Pilots' Lounge -


Ltjg. Allister Grant


Allister walks in whistling, his sleep has stirred up something fierce in the hunger department. As he steps up to the counter his whistling stops when he looks down at the slop that was placed before him.

If I had some half decent vegetables and some synthetic meat I could whip up something more edible than this garbage.

After taking a long look at the server he pushes the tray of crap back at him causing the slop to spill and eat through the counter. "No Thanks," he growls.
Walking back to the tables he grabs a bottle of water and some granola sticks which he miserably stuffs in his mouth. Sitting down he lifts his legs on the table and tries to relax. He just woke up and he's already in a fowl mood.



Ltjg.Jason Drossel

A few minutes later Jason enters the room and makes a beeline to the coffee machine. Tucking some papers under his arm he begins to make his drink hoping it will keep him awake awhile longer.

Just a few more hours till all repairs are done and I can finally adjust the targeting system..gotta make sure all my gear works before I can sleep. Can't rely on the Lieutenant and god only knows who I'm teamed up with...it' just me, only me thats gonna make sure I live through this.
"War is some crazy sh**" - alexander the great
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Re: Episode 22 - Conspire [TE]

- Open Space -

- The Kirov -
- Hallway -

CPL Rowsdower pulled himself back around the corner he was observing Parks and Jackson from when his radio beeped and briefly crackled with static. "Go," Rhys' voice buzzed, and the handset fell silent again. A satisfied smirk faintly settled on his lips. He peered out at Hepburn and Applegate again, and satisfied that they were close enough to "in position" awaiting their job he kicked off the wall to propel himself down the hallway. He had perhaps the easiest assignment of all the operatives aboard a Taskforce Echo ship, and as of that moment all he had to do was continue watching the odd couple.

A short elevator ride later, Bruce glided into a section with pilot quarters to find Lt. Sayed already heading in his direction. Tariq slid the small pocket notebook he carried into his jacket and frowned when he recognized the corporal. "Are you here to prematurely release another suspect, corporal?" he muttered, adjusting his glasses with a sneer. That reminded him that he should go talk to that new pilot, Grant. Rowsdower kept himself from reacting angrily to the lieutenant's comment and moved to block the lift doors to make sure he had Sayed's full attention. "Lt. Sayed, I have a message for you from SGT Bahjat-" he began, straightening up to properly address a superior.

"Hah," Tariq grunted at Saad's name, "I'm sure this will be supremely useful information,". Bruce kept his stony expression and continued, "Sir, the sergeant sent me to tell you Lt. Te'Litha has turned himself in at the brig and wishes to confess. They've got him in custody now, sir,". That news certainly garnered a visible reaction from Tariq. The intelligence officer's eyebrows rose up above the lenses of his sunglasses, and his posture changed slightly in the zero-g as if he physically reeled at the message. After his mouth hung open slightly for a brief second, Tariq blinked a few times and took a deep breath.

Before he answered, he stopped himself and regained his normally suspicious look. "Why didn't Saad contact me on the radio?" he asked. Bruce shrugged and answered, "Problem with his walkie, sir. He had to flag me down in the hallway outside the brig,". Tariq mulled that over for a moment and then nodded, "Fine. I'll head down there now. Thank you, corporal,". Rowsdower nodded and the two men exchanged a quick salute before Sayed entered the elevator. The security soldier waited until the lights began to move in the lift tube before he moved on down the hallway. "Heads up. Incoming," he whispered into his radio on the channel Rhys had used.

- Lift -

Tariq stared at the oblong lights passing outside the elevator car as he tried to figure out the latest wrinkle in the game. Was he too cynical and suspicious to accept the idea of Nick walking in and neatly gift-wrapping his case? "Maybe..." he muttered quietly to himself. Everything was ready to go with or without Te'Litha's cooperation; what did it matter if he wanted to talk? It would only make it more of a slam dunk. He could switch his focus to Friday even faster if it were true. At this point anything that would make his life a little easier was a welcome relief. As relentless as he could be, months of scraping together information was grinding him down. What was he supposed to do, tell them that he had suddenly decided he didn't want access to his brig office after all? Besides, what could they do to him?

- The Brig -

Saad floated in the open doorway to the internal security office, his eyes glued to the deck. The security cameras in the brig were now off, in addition to the recording systems and alarms on the entire level. The sergeant wiped the sweat from his palms onto his trouser legs and looked up at Rhys and Nick. Azarola had his knife back out and was inspecting it's blade with his thumb, an unpleasantly smug look on his face. Bahjat closed his eyes and whispered a short prayer, picturing his sister again to steady himself. He nearly bit his tongue in surprise when Rhys spoke up again, "You don't have to do anything this time, Te'Litha. Just stand there and stay out of my way,".

Rhys let go of his knife's handle and spun it in with his finger, using the lack of gravity to amuse himself. He snatched it out of the air and slid it back into it's spot on his belt with a huff of a laugh in Nick's direction. "Guess we learned our lesson last time depending on you, huh?" he muttered. That disgusting look was still present as he thought about Cara. "Please be quiet," Saad interjected, his eyes still shut tight. Azarola gave him a mean glance and then went back to staring at the brig door. Rhys was about to come back with a smartass remark when they both stiffened up at a sudden knock on the metal door.

"Let him in," Rhys hissed quietly, pushing away to take up a new spot where he would not immediately be seen by someone entering the brig. The speaker at the door pinged and Saad hesitated, staring at the control panel. It pinged again, and Saad raised a shaking hand to press down the speaker button. "This is Lt. Sayed. If you want to put on a show for me you're going to have to let me in," Tariq's voice crackled through. He slowly let go of the button and his hand moved to the lock controls to enter the code. The door beeped at with the proper sequence entered and slid open, revealing Tariq waiting alone. Saad, whose face had grown more and more ashen during the wait, raised an arm and pointed weakly in Nick's direction.

"He's in here, sir... Wants to confess..." he managed, moving out of the way. Sayed stayed still for a moment, observing Saad in silence. "So I hear," Tariq finally answered, still not sounding sold on the idea. Bahjat waited for the lieutenant to enter and then made sure the door was shut and locked right behind him. Sayed drug a toe of his boot against the deck, slowing himself down to turn and look back. His vision rose until he made eye contact with Saad through the dark lenses, and his head turned slightly as he looked at the locked door. Without saying a word, Tariq turned and continued into the brig almost as if he was resigned to whatever lay in wait for him.

The first thing Sayed saw was that Nick Te'Litha actually was waiting for him, leaning in a corner and eyeballing him with the same defiant and hostile gaze he always had at the ready. Then his head slowly turned to the wall at the front of the brig, which had been shot up days before courtesy of Capt. Friday. "What do you mean to--" he began to ask in hard tone, but the next word simply evaporated into a raspy exhale. He turned his head back in Nick's direction and found Rhys smiling wickedly at him from over his left shoulder. Azarola had managed to creep up behind him without making a sound. "Y-you..." Tariq painfully grunted.

"Me," Rhys half-whispered, withdrawing his knife from Sayed's side. He drove it into the lieutenant's kidney area again. Tariq cried out in pain this time and tried to struggle, but Saad rushed in and grabbed his arm before he could grab his sidearm. Bahjat's own knife plunged into Tariq's chest. "You've been a big pain in the ass for way too long, sir," Rhys taunted, highlighting 'sir' with another stab, "I would have volunteered, but this is technically compliments of Black Friday,". The corporal grabbed Saad's free wrist and twisted the arm behind the officer's back to keep him from moving. The attack lasted a few more gruesome seconds, until Tariq's shouts of pain and protest grew weaker and weaker and finally stopped.

Saad let go first, shuddering in horror as he backed away from Tariq. "<May God forgive me!>" the sergeant moaned, repeating the phrase over and over weakly in his native tongue. Rhys reacted to Sayed's dying breaths with laughter, turning him around to get a better look at him. He daintily removed Tariq's sunglasses with his thumb and forefinger and flung them in Nick's direction. He wiped the blood from his combat knife onto Tariq's jacket as he watched the life leave his eyes. Once he was satisfied Lt. Sayed was gone, he nudged the body away and slid his knife back into the scabbard on his belt. "You got the papers we're supposed to plant on him?" Rhys asked, already sounding angry again.

"Hey!" he spoke up, grabbing Saad's arm, "Do you have the stuff I gave you?". Bahjat was still trembling, but he managed to croak, "Yes,". His free hand moved across his jacket and came to rest on his front pocket. "Well ferchrissakes get your shit together and plant it on him," Rhys commanded, letting go of Saad to head for Pan's cell. He tapped the code into the door panel and stepped back as the heavy door released, effectively setting Pan free. "You're free to go, petty officer."

- Hallway -

Rowsdower had to take up a new observation spot, but was pleased to see that Jackson and Parks had moved closer to the brig. He checked his watch. Tariq must have gone in by now, and if that pair had been watching the whole time they would be on the move soon. Bruce thought about making direct contact with them, but decided against it. He'd only have to do something if they didn't act within the next minute or two.

- Bridge -

"Prototype?" Stukov grunted, the word rolling off his tongue in a rough Slavic way. Trent stuffed his hands into his coat pockets and nodded, "They came from Juliet. It seems I'm meant to form a new heavy combat team and you're the easy choice to lead it,". The look on Stukov's face indicated he didn't have an objection to that. "Then the transfer orders are legitimate. This is mixed blessing," the Russian said, showing some displeasure. The captain shrugged slightly and answered, "I'm sorry about taking your teammates, Aleksandr, I really am. But Lt. Alvarez is capable of leading a team of his own and I made sure Grace wasn't separated. I tried to comply with the request in the least disruptive manner,".

"It is not your fault, captain. This things happen in the spacy... But that does not mean I have to like it," Stukov said, shaking his head. He sighed and added, "But thank you, sir. Lt. Alvarez will do fine. And I will be happy to be the Kirov's hammer,". Trent nodded again and shook Stukov's hand. "Familiarize yourself with the Griffin and your new team. Alpha is cleared for flight time whenever you want it until we reach Gryps so make use of the trip," the captain ordered. Stukov gave a friendly salute and turned for the door.

He hesitated in the doorway and turned back to Trent. "Sir, who is my other pilot? The lieutenant that is assigned to Grace's quarters arrived already, but I don't have a copy of the new assignment,". Trent raised the collar of his coat and then looked at his watch. After a moment of thought, he answered, "A Ltjg. Pan Heyden. Transferred in with the other replacements,".

- The Herakles -
- Hangar -

Berg continued to watch the crew work in the hangar instead of looking at Ens. Weber. The brief salute went unreturned. "If you don't mind me asking, what do you think will happen to the Titans?" Alex asked, causing the captain to snort quietly. "As long as Bask and Jamitov are in charge, I'm content. We can hold Gryps a lot longer than our enemies think. Besides, if that test firing we assisted was any indication any AEUG fleet that comes near will get vaporized before they cause too much trouble," Berg answered, still sounding surly and tired despite the content of his response.
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Re: Episode 22 - Conspire [TE]

-Jack-

"Here we go.."

Jack kicked off the floor ahead of Parks and came to a stop at the brig door.

He paged the door as per 'proper procedure' and waited a moment.

No response.

"..."

With a push of a key Jack opened the brig door, hand on his waist near his side arm. A quite dead Tariq Sayed and a bloody pair of security officers; Te'litha sitting inside the interrogation room and the AEUG rat being waived out mid sentence.. Friday never liked to keep stuff clean. They hadn't even fixed the bullet ridden walls.

"You're free to go, petty officer."

At least Jack would try to prevent a bigger mess.. or at least as much as his orders stated.

"What do we have 'ere? 'Ay Rhys.. pull 'ya drawers up."
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The Green Flame
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Re: Episode 22 - Conspire [TE]

-The Herakles, Hangar-

'But even the strongest fortress will fall under a constant siege' Alex thought as Berg seemed confident in the Titan's ability to survive in these hard times. Though he supposed he did have a point, the main strength of Gryps 2 was the massive Colony Laser for eliminating incoming fleets.

But if everyone was gunning for the Titan's destruction that meant it wouldn't be able to deter everyone. It wouldn't even be surprising if one force occupied the laser while the other took advantage of the split defenses to claim it as their own.

"I see..." Alex responded as he too joined Berg in watching hangar crew go about maintaining and repairing everything. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Joshua again, headed for his own Hizack. And looking like he was trying to hide something.....

"You mentioned Titans against Titans......aside from the Jupitris, do you know of anyone else to watch out for?" Alex asked giving the Hizack another glance.
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Wedge14
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Re: Episode 22 - Conspire [TE]

-Brig-
Pan Heyden

Heyden didn't respond at all to Nick's taunts he only turned away from him and leaned against the wall lighting another cigarette. Pan took it in slowly his mind working over the current situation. This was some serious crap he had gotten himself into. Friday could've been bluffing about his sister. Heck, she was nothing but a whore, the world wouldn't miss a whore would it? He exhaled for the last time and butted his cigarette out on the door. The yelp of the dying man outside wasn't enough to bring a grin to his lip's but the unlocking of his cell door was more then enough.



With Pan's release a typhoon of ash and cigarette smoke erupted into the room. Pan's eyes were absolutely F'd from being in the dark so long. He stood there kind of out of character for a moment as his eyes adjusted only to see some knuckle dragger waltz into the room. Heyden's disposition went sour as they all stood their letting the dead man's blood flow into the room.

"First time you queers killed someone? Why don't you clean that mess up before you get any more blood on yourselves."

-Hallway Near Messhall-

Leandro tried to hide his embarrassment from grace with a nervous sounding laugh. "That's good to know! I'm not much of a fighter myself!"

Then Stukov hit leandro with a brick! Well he didn't hit him with a brick, but he hit the guy with bad news. He stood their silently hoping Grace would say something to Stukov first, but she didn't and he finally broke the silence.

"Aleks! Don't worry about us! You just stay outta trouble okay?" But it was too late, Stukov was long gone.
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Attomoku
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Re: Episode 22 - Conspire [TE]

Kirov, Bridge

Lt. Te'litha

Nick grinned at Rhys and caught his new sunglasses in the door of the interrogation room. He wiped the few drops of Tiraq's blood off them before putting them on in time to see Hepburn enter the brig through tinted lenses.
"First time you queers killed someone? Why don't you clean that mess up before you get any more blood on yourselves." Pan commented as he left his 8x10,
Ah, so 'Alice' was finally out of his cell, despite the fact that being outside was probably not quite the best place to be right now.
Nick looked over his the rims of his new trophy, making eye contact with Pan, and shot the former AEUG pilot a meaningful glance from Jackson to the back's of Saad and Rhys before nodding back towards his former cell. His meaning that sh*t was still going down was telegraphed quite clear when he took hold of the interrogation room door and made to slam it shut at the first hint of trouble from his teammate, since death from accidental ricochet was very low on Nicks list of priorities at the moment.
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Re: Episode 22 - Conspire [TE]

- Open Space -

- The Kirov -
- The Brig -

When Jackson and Parks came through the brig door, Rhys was quick to pull his knife at the unexpected company but Saad didn't react at all. SGT Bahjat drifted backwards into the wall near the security office's short rack of stored weapons. The color had drained from his face as he focused on Tariq's body with an empty stare. He didn't buy into the things Friday had tried to tell him when he was "recruited" - what had made him obey were the pictures of his sister, and the promise of what would happen to her if he didn't. Until a few hours ago he had dutifully cooperated, and the things he had been asked to do hadn't seemed too terrible.

But this was different. Being directly involved in two cold-blooded murders in one day, of people that were supposed to be his comrades... He couldn't do it any more. Even if he had already damned himself, he had to find a way out. There had to be a way to contact someone in high command who was still loyal to Jamitov and Bask. Surely his sister could be kept safe if Friday was exposed. He finally forced himself to shift his gaze from Lt. Sayed to Hepburn and Applegate. Before he could manage to speak, Jackson did. "What do we have 'ere? 'Ay Rhys.. pull 'ya drawers up," the big man said. "What the hell are you doing here?" Rhys hissed, pulling himself in their direction, "Saad, I told you to lock the door!".

"I-I did. I used the code," Saad rasped, gulping to get the dryness out of his mouth. He steadied himself in the office's doorway. Azarola's grip on his knife turned white-knuckle. "So he gave you the new code too, huh? Come here to help us clean up or do you want to get gutted too?" he growled, planting a boot against the deck to ready himself to pounce. "You knew the code..." Saad murmured, looking from Rhys back to Parks and Jack. His eyes widened a little. "So you could get in at the right time..."

- Hallway -

From his observation spot around the corner, CPL Rowsdower chuckled as he watched Applegate and his big pal head for the brig right on cue. "As sloppy as these bastards get, at least they're on time," he muttered, pushing away from the wall. If everything happened the way it was supposed to, he'd have a lot more free time in a day or so.

- Wolf's Quarters -

Ritter growled with wordless frustration and balled up the third attempt at the letter he had started drafting when Sven and Daren had left. He threw it at the opposite wall, but the way it lazily bounced and drifted back at him only made him angrier. There wasn't a way to ask for help from earth that didn't sound pathetic; at this stage it was a feeble plea and he knew it. He didn't have the same authority his father did, and his temper wasn't enough to bridge the gap. Why were the Nwosus the only ones that had sent someone to space? There were other families that had sons and daughters in the Titans. Where were they?

"Cowards," he spat under his breath. The ones in the Federation government and military were afraid of losing their own personal power now that the Titans were on their own. The ones in private industry didn't want to associate with the Titans because it was bad for their image. "Damn it!" he yelled, throwing away the next blank page before he had even put pen to paper again. He felt trapped in space. If he was going to make something useful of the political situation this war was causing, he'd have to do it on Earth. That gave him the beginnings of a new idea - maybe finding a way off the Titans' sinking ship as soon as possible was the most prudent thing to do at the moment.

- Bridge -

Trent watched Stukov leave and then silently turned back to the main bank of windows. From Echo's new position within the fleet, they were in just the right spot that the Jupitris was barely visible as a gray speck a great distance from the main body of ships. "Updated travel times and damage estimates are due in five minutes, captain," Mortimer reported, calling his attention back to the quiet work going on around the bridge. The fleet was still trying to figure out exactly who had escaped and what condition they were in, and with units like Echo sending in reports late things were delayed.

Besides the massive loss of men and materiel there was the headache of reassigning everyone that had been stationed at the Gate of Zedan. Trent was not Bask or Jamitov's biggest fan, but he felt particularly relieved in this case that he didn't have to sort any of that tangled mess. Running Echo was enough, he didn't wish that kind of logistical nightmare on his worst enemy. "We got off easy this time," Trent observed, and the gruff helmsman nodded in agreement.

- Alpha Team Ready Room -

"So it seems you're telling the truth, lieutenant," Stukov rumbled as he entered the ready room to find Dolk perched upside down in a corner listening to his music and nursing a pouch of water. The Russian approached his new wingman and crossed his arms. "If you're going to fly with me you're going to listen when I speak. I'm not going to let your kind get me killed because you don't pay attention," he said, frowning. Dolk pulled out his music player's earbuds and shrugged, "Ah, you were here when I came and you'll be here when I'm gone,". He turned so that he was right-side-up and put on a more friendly expression.

Stukov admonished, "That will be true if you don't concentrate in combat. If you die it will be your own fault,". Dolk put the earbuds back in and answered, "I was born for dying,". "You will die when I say you must die," Stukov corrected, causing Dolk to grin and nod. "Something like that..." the lieutenant said, putting his hands in his pockets. Aleksandr shook his head, still not convinced Dolk was completely sane. Then again it never seemed like the Titans made a stable personality a hard and fast requirement for its pilots. "Since you have flight time in the test unit, we'll go to the hangar together with our third man when he arrives and begin studying this Griffin. The Marasai is good enough for me but I won't turn down a better machine," Stukov said.

- Daren's Quarters -

The young pilot stared at the ceiling of his room and listened to the rumble of the ship's engines. He was strapped in his bed, ready for some much needed rest. Thinking about what Sven had reported to Wolf and the things Ritter had said, he knew he would be relied upon heavily during his time on the Kirov. There weren't many people as close to Wolf as he was at this point, and it looked like there wouldn't be any more coming. "Daren, do what you can," Wolf's voice echoed in his head. "I'll get right on that..." he said aloud quietly, closing his eyes. Sleep was the only thing he wanted to do after the transfer ride and the day's strange activities.
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Re: Episode 22 - Conspire [TE]

- Kirov -

- Kate's Quarters -

After much boring tribulation, Kate had finally found her assigned room and, calmly had put her belongings away. When she was done, aside from a neat pile of extra uniforms, it still seemed as if the room was not occupied. There were no pictures that might have cluttered a desk, mementos of previous commands, or anything that gave a room a sense of homeliness. Looking impassively around, and satisfied with what she saw, Kate turned and opened the door and stepped out. She still had one important task, report to her CO, who she had found out was Lt. Commander Wolf Ritter. Taking hold of a grip runing along the wall, she expertly navigated the zero-G corridors down to where she had learned his room was, and pressed the bell, and waited quietly outside, hands resting comfortably at the small of her back.
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The Big Zabowski
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Re: Episode 22 - Conspire [TE]

-Jack-

""So he gave you the new code too, huh? Come here to help us clean up or do you want to get gutted too?"

Jack chuckled.

"Uh, yeah.. 'bout that. Friday sent me to clean your mess up alright."

With a flip of his holster he pulled out his silenced 9mm service pistol and quickly popped off a pair of shots at Rhys' chest.

"I'm givin' you the option 'a dyin' slowly. As for you, Saad.."

Jack took a pair of steps toward the young man.

"Saad. Like me, Parks, and Nick.. we're all disposable. As 'er you. I'm.. sorry, kid. God's waitin' for ya."

Jack raised his sidearm to Saad's forehead and with a softened stare...

*PVIP PVIP*
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Wedge14
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Re: Episode 22 - Conspire [TE]

-Brig-

Pan wasn't as reckless as one would think. Nick's body language and the panic that overcame Rhys and Saad was enough for him to figure out what was going on. Heyden took his place and leaned against the wall and quietly watched Jack unload four bullets into the two ill fated Guardsmen.

Saad, Rhys,Kara and Tariq were nothing but victims of their own misfortune. Pan might as well of been the one pulling trigger just like with Richard Barrique and poor Jim. Two hundred and fourty two of his own 'allies' were now dead because of his direct actions or as a response to them. But it didn't matter much to Pan he knew that Nick, Jack and himself would soon be joining them. It was all too clear on how Black Friday and Paptimus Scirocco carried themselves.

Still wearing his Titan's prisoner issue underwear muscle shirt, Heyden broke his chain of the thought.

"You bring me my uniform and papers?" He casually asked the gunman.
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Re: Episode 22 - Conspire [TE]

-Parks Applegte-

"what a mess we've made..." Parks said with a shrug seemingly unconcerned with the fact that his 'partner-in-crime' had just coldly murdered two fellow Titans. Pan Heyden then approached and inquired bout a uniform and papers. Parks scanned him up and down with tht disinterested look he usually gave other men.

"So this" he gestured to the three bodies in front of him "was for you benefit? what a waste..."
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Re: Episode 22 - Conspire [TE]

- Open Space -

- The Kirov -
- The Brig -

Saad watched everything unfold in slow motion as Hepburn strode forward and put a pair of pistol rounds into Rhys' chest, then turned on him. His mouth worked as if he wanted to say something or cry out, but he simply stared as Rhys reeled backwards from the shots. "I--" he barely worked up in a hoarse whisper as Jackson approached him and raised his gun again. SGT Bahjat's body bumped lightly into the wall behind him as the 9mm bullet ended his life. "GaHHHH! Youuu--" Rhys howled, struggling to suck in a breath. He feebly slashed the knife in Jackson's direction, and gripped his chest where blood was welling up through his jacket. He slowly stopped moving and the noises of furious agony faded away until he began to drift upwards, his knife slipping out of his hand.

Breaking the heavy silence that followed, Pan Heyden came forward and asked, "You bring me my uniform and papers?". "What a mess we've made..." Parks muttered almost jokingly, looking at the trio of bodies. "So this was for you benefit? What a waste..." Applegate snorted instead of answering Heyden. The brig door behind the duo of new assassins chirped and then slid open, revealing CPL Rowsdower. He entered the area with his SMG at the ready, pushing Saad's drifting corpse away as he looked around. With a whistle, he slung his gun back onto his shoulder and remarked, "Looks like you new guys got here just in time! Well not quite, I guess. Poor Lt. Tariq got the Caesar treatment,". He turned back to the door long enough to mash down one of the local alarm buttons.

The ALARM panel next to the door began to flash, sending a signal to the bridge without setting off one of the loud klaxons. Rowsdower moved further into the room, passing between Parks and Jackson. "Looks like a clear cut murder to me, with a nice helping of conspiracy on the side," he said, reaching out to grab Rhys by the collar. He rummaged through the dead man's jacket pocket for a moment with his free hand before pulling out a bloodied envelope. "Why's it always friggin' envelopes?" he muttered under his breath as he tore open one end to slide out the document inside.

He feigned scanning it with a celerity that would make the greatest of speed readers jealous, and then crammed the paper back into the envelope and nodded, "Yep. Looks pretty clear-cut. These two dead gentlemen seemed to have orders to murder Lts. sayed and Te'Litha and Ltjg. Heyden there courtesy of an officer that I seem to recall has direct ties to Bask Om. How dreadful,". Looking over Pan and the other three men that were still standing around, he said, "Ltjg. Heyden, I'd get dressed if I were you. The rest of a security team'll be down here in a minute or two. The rest of you guys stick around and tell your stories when they ask questions. Nice work,".

- Wolf's Quarters -

Ritter jabbed at the door controls and found a female pilot he hadn't seen before. He wasn't quite as well-groomed as he would have normally appeared - his collar was unfastened and the front of his jacket was open, and his hair was dirty and unkempt. Behind him Kate would likely be able to see drifting bits of balled up paper from his terminated attempt at letter writing, and the leaking pouch of water he had hurled at the wall when she activated his door chime. With a chilly glare, he crossed his arms and demanded, "Who are you?".

- Bridge -

"Yes, well get them down there as soon as possible. With body bags," Trent ordered in hushed tones to Chief Kellman as they dealt with the alarm from the brig. "Body bags, sir? Why?" Mortimer asked, stopping his work in rare surprise. Trent shook his head and said, "I've got a bad feeling. Besides, somebody tripped the silent alarm so they're not looking for loud attention,". He looked up at the monitor that displayed static instead of a video feed from the brig cameras. "And lest you forget, there's already a murder investigation going on..." he added, looking back down at Kellman's control console.
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Re: Episode 22 - Conspire [TE]

- Open Space -

- The Kirov -
- Wolf's Quarters -

Any other pilot would have been off put by the Lt. Commander's sloppy appearance and untidy quarters, but these concerns barely registered with Kate. CComing to prade-ground perfect attention, Elliot snapped a salute, likewise perfect, and said, "Ens. Kate Elliott, reporting to Beta Team, Commander." Her voice was clear and respectful, but carried a faint note a distraction, as if she wasn't completely paying attention, yet her eyes shoed different, focussed completely on her officer.
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