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Post by Benjamin Regard on Jan 18, 2015 20:18:41 GMT
“Hell yeah I do, haven’t had a close call like that since Star One,” he said with a laugh of his own, accepting the flask with a smile of his own and taking a quick drink. Not bad at all, at least someone around here was trying to keep things from becoming completely depressing. Called for it may have been, it was better to just keep your chin up and go from there instead of sitting around all the time. It’s what got him to sign up in the first place. “You’re something, Chuck. Last time I saw someone with that kinda fire was back in ’79 and only for the Zekes. What got you going on your crusade?”
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Post by Lars Langstrom on Jan 20, 2015 2:47:29 GMT
Hilda looked visibly disappointed to Eddy and Castle as the conversation with Lars continued. "I won't throw him out the hatch for a 10-klick screamer - yet - Lars. But is there something you know that I don't here? Last time I checked the Titans were the enemy and we put them down" she said empathically. "If our boy is a Titan and lied about it, I'm gonna need a hell of a better reason than your gut feeling not to haul his ass over the coals and start asking why he's here my way, Lars" she said icily - and plainly audible to Eddy and Castle. Lars made his appeal very personal. He closed his eyes and reflected on all the crazy circumstances that put him the command chair. "Hilda, you talked me into this. Since I'm here, I'd rather not be on the wrong side of history by simply repeating mistakes. Remember, we're not here to be winners."The officer made a long pause before continuing, giving his old friend time to reflect. "It has been two years since his desertion. I have every reason to believe this man is who he says he is: A deserter who lost his way wanted to escape from his own identity. You're just going to have to trust me on this. Bring him here, let me talk with him, and then we can decide what do with him. In the meantime, just keep him out of trouble."
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Post by Fred Castle on Jan 20, 2015 4:09:51 GMT
Steiner seemed to want Finley to be a spy, and she was obviously making no attempt to hide it. He couldn't hear what the other half of her conversation was but it was obvious that it wasn't what she wanted it to be, still he couldn't blame her wanting to get to the bottom of things, if there was a chance of someone being a spy, either you isolate them or find out what they know. Though, considering the conversation that got Finley in this position, either he was the worst spy ever or he was instead lying about who he was. Sure both were worrying, but if there was some actual concern about him being a spy it was surprising that he hadn't been locked in somewhere as soon as they landed.
Plus, having deserted the Federation himself when he found out what the Titans were up to, Fred was willing to believe that Titans could do the same thing. Once she saw they were there Steiner had indicated for them to wait while she was still in her conversation, though it seemed as if it would be a good idea to stay out of her way until she had the chance to beat the shit out of something else, since it seemed that she wasn't going to get her chance at Finley. Right now Finley was an easy target for their frustration and/or rage from the events of the battle, justified or not, but it put them in the worst position to be deciding what to do with him.
Chuck was lucky that someone wanted him alive if nothing else. He did feel like saying something, but she had asked them to wait and he didn't want to redirect her at himself when she was like this, plus she was apparently talking to Langstrom and the chance that he might hear whatever stupid comment he made was too high. 'No way he is going to get out of this without some explaining even if she doesn't get to kill him.' he thought to himself. Even considering the situation, he had smiled at how dissapointed she looked over this, like she had just gotten a new toy that she wasn't allowed to play with.
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Post by Hilda Steiner on Jan 21, 2015 3:35:47 GMT
Hilda's eyes screwed shut, fists clenching in frustration as Lars made her orders clear. The bastard is one of them. They doctored the records; they would've had to she thought. She then realized how convoluted that would've been as Lars made his case. And even then... I have no idea what kind of benefit they would have. I mean... the little shit's the one that recognized the nukes. If he was actually a plant... he would've disabled them, ten to one she thought, relaxing her fist and face. "I don't like it, sir, but if you want him alive so you can have the privilege of interrogating the Black Leg fuck, then I guess we'll deliver him intact. I'm still gonna need to have a little chat with the good lad, though. Zodiac-Actual out" she said back, looking back at Eddy and Castle.
She had her best poker face up, looking square at Eddy. "Whichever of you had Mr. Finley as a damned Black Leg, collect on that bet. Son of a bitch was a field-grade officer and squadron commander for the fuckers" she spat venomously. "Either of you two get any kind of indicators of that during his training?" she asked, alternating which of them was on the receiving end of her icy blue eyes.
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Post by Fred Castle on Jan 21, 2015 5:55:18 GMT
She was done speaking with Langstrom apparently, but she still seemed quite angry about accepting the fact that she wasn't allowed to hurt Chuck. But when she'd looked at LeNoire and said that Chuck had been a Titan, after everything else he heard that particular bit wasn't that surprising, the knowledge that he'd been so high up in the Titans was though. Fred had just been thinking that he was a regular pilot, as the man never hinted at anything else till the point when he started making calls during the previous battle. She'd then asked if either of them had gotten any indication of that during training with him, at that point Fred decided that it would be a good idea if he stopped smiling and looked at her, she was alternating her glares between he and LeNoire while she waited for an answer. So Fred thought about what Chuck had been like before, but the man had never seemed like more than a drunk with a bit of talent.
"Not that I noticed Ma'am. He just seemed like a drunk that occasionally did something noteworthy. He seemed to catch on to the aspects of piloting pretty easily, but didn't seem to care to put enough effort into it. He never even hinted at knowing anything about command until he expressed concerns about leadership after our first actual battle as a unit. Besides that he acted like a pissed off drunk civilian most of the time, as far as I remember he didn't even use proper comm protocol until recently, I believe that was also after we got into real battle." Fred said to her. He felt like a dick for mentioning Chuck's leadership concerns considering they'd been in reference to the man standing next to him, but as far as he knew there hadn't been anything else. It didn't help that he'd accepted Chuck as a civilian, since that meant he hadn't been looking at what the man did that would be odd for a civilian.
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Post by Edward LeNoire on Jan 21, 2015 8:03:48 GMT
Eddy quietly took a step back from the situation as his offer of support was wordlessly rejected by Hilda with nothing more than a raised finger. While she continued her conversation with Langstrom, he kept listening in, noticing the cold anger in her voice becoming more pronounced. Is it my imagination or did it just get colder in here? Surprised I’m not feeling a shiver up my spine right about now. As he listened, he got the impression Langstrom wanted to keep Anderson alive for the time being, probably for further questioning. Hilda, however preferred a more permanent and immediate solution, such as a thirty thousand foot drop into the ocean. Well, as much as I’d like something awful to happen to the man… For however negatively he felt about how Anderson had treated him while masquerading to be a “mere” civilian, Eddy quietly sided with Langstrom’s view on the matter.
As Hilda closed the COM line with Langstrom and turned to look at Castle, Eddy was curious as to what information she’d divulge. The last thing he expected to hear was that Anderson had formerly been a squadron commander and field officer with the Titans. At least it lines up with the tactical acumen he’s already displayed and his familiarity with military jargon. The connection gave him little comfort, however. In fact, it only added to the feelings of bitterness and resentment he felt towards the man. All the jabs and barbs Anderson had made at Eddy’s abilities and skills felt like sheer hypocrisy now that the secret was out. He’d almost failed to pick up on the rest of Hilda’s statement as he felt a sense of inner turmoil, though his poker face managed to hide it. For how much longer, I have no clue…
“There was only one occasion I felt that he was more than he appeared, Lieutenant Hilda. One day, I’d had enough of his drunken antics and tried to relieve him of his flask. Before I could dump it in the nearest receptacle, he pulled out a few moves from the Krav Maga discipline, treated my body like it was a punching bag and retook his flask. He managed this in zero-g, mind you. But aside from that incident, no other signs that he was anything more than a civilian with anger issues and an unhealthy love of drink.” Now that he’d stated his answer to her question, Eddy decided to bring up the issue that brought him and Castle up to the command deck in the first place. “Lieutenant Hilda, I know that Mr. Anderson is the more pertinent issue, but some of Zodiac Squadron is a little curious as to what our next move is. Did Captain Langstrom indicate where we’re heading?”
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Post by Hilda Steiner on Jan 23, 2015 5:08:38 GMT
Hilda let Eddy and Castle speak their pieces. She took them at their words that he hadn't really stood out and was in essence the mean, foul-tempered drunk that she'd figured him for hen they'd met. Of course, Eddy's bit about him having martial arts training - and in zero-gee to boot - set off six kinds of alarm bells for her. Course, no reason someone who was just a pilot like LeNoire would pick up on how rare that kind of thing is. Not everyone has your... interesting history, Hilda she reminded herself as she spoke up. "Well, he's certainly not just a mean drunk. If that little display of tactical acumen was anything to go on, at any rate. Captain Langstrom confirms that he is in fact one Jim Anderson, a wing commander in the Titans who allegedly deserted two years ago" she offered, her emphasis on 'allegedly' showing how much stock she put in that. "Our orders are to get back to space as expeditiously as possible, and deliver Mister Anderson to Captain Langstrom. Alive " she said, lip curling in open contempt of the last caveat. "I think we should pay the good 'Commander' a visit, Lieutenant. Would you care to join me?" she asked, hoping he would join her on the 'Just Shoot Him' bandwagon.
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Post by Jim Anderson on Jan 23, 2015 23:08:37 GMT
Chuck listened as Regard vented a little towards him. Star One was a real pile of shit he thought, smiling as Regard took the drink. "That there's the good stuff, Benny boy" he said, thinking of another couple of young, hungry pilots he'd shared a drink with a long time ago. Ben's question, though, clearly struck a nerve, and Chuck's face fell as he remembered Rick. "Titans killed a very old friend of mine because he had the gall to tell them to piss off when they exceeded their authority" he said quietly. "Toss in what happened at Colony Thirty, and I don't think you need much more of a reason than that, Ben-o" he said, a faraway look in his eyes.
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Post by Edward LeNoire on Jan 24, 2015 0:01:06 GMT
“As a matter of fact, I’d love to join you.” A small smile came to Eddy’s lips, though not predatory like Hilda’s had been but more out of satisfaction that his investigation had borne fruit. But he took a step forward and toned his voice down as he continued to speak to Hilda. “But on one condition. We bring him to Langstrom in one piece. I know you’re eager to drop him out a hatch into the jungle below or let him fall face first into the ocean, but I prefer something a little more karmic. Call me petty if you want but after dealing with Anderson’s hypocrisy, belittlement and abuse for two months, nothing would make me happier than to see him grilled to a crisp by a team of AEUG interrogators. For now, I’d suggest putting him in the brig. We have more than enough mechs to defend ourselves in the event of an attack from the Titans, especially with the Gundam and the golden mech of death my new friend Mr. Quattro is piloting. Can you give me that little caveat, Lieutenant Hilda?”
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Post by Benjamin Regard on Jan 24, 2015 6:11:45 GMT
Bringing up the flask for another swig, Ben’s hand stopped as Chuck suddenly went quiet. He struck a real nerve with that one and as he came clean, Ben’s grin fell. “Christ, real personal for you then,” he said, setting the flask down. “I always heard the Titans were a rough sort at times but I figured it was just the regulars with a jealous streak. To gun down one of their own…” Now he knew just who they were dealing with. It was no wonder Chuck or Anderson or whatever he was calling himself bolted, if even fellow Titans couldn’t be trusted then who could?
“Well for what it’s worth, Thirty is the same reason I’m here. Was assigned there for riot control, got yanked out when Titans took over. Couple days later, everyone there is dead,” he frowned, a terrible image in his head of something years earlier. “Can’t believe I wanted to join em after that show at my old home. Side 2’s had it bad enough after the Zekes came by, last thing it need is for their posers to take over.”
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Post by Fred Castle on Jan 24, 2015 19:31:07 GMT
Steiner said that they were going to be heading right back up to space as soon as possible, to bring Chuck to Langstrom, and that Chuck had to be alive. She seemed fine with it all except that last part, even if there were a lot of states between "alive" and "dead". Still, she'd only been asking LeNoire to go along to confront Chuck, dissapointing but not unexpected, he had found out more than he'd expected to in the first place anyway. "Ma'am, before you take care of that, was there anything you wanted me to do or should I just try to find something to stay out of trouble?" he asked Steiner. He didn't want to go and do something stupid and get her pissed with him, if only because unlike Chuck, no one said that he had to make it up to space alive.
Redirecting rage was a great thing, but you never redirected it toward yourself unless you wanted to die. Or if they were all lucky, maybe talking to Chuck would calm her down somewhat, granted he didn't think that was very likely, even if Chuck ended up being completely honest and open when she did talk to him. And even if he was honest, if she didn't believe or didn't want to believe from Langstrom telling her, she might not buy it coming from Chuck anyway.
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Post by Hilda Steiner on Jan 25, 2015 1:32:32 GMT
Hilda listened as Eddy and Castle both spoke up. Castle seems to just want to wash his hands of this whole affair. Can't say I blame him, not everyday you find out that the guy next to you is a lying sack of shit she mused, nodding at the Feddie. "I think LeNoire and I can handle our resident drunk, Castle. Unless you want a piece of him too" she said, smiling at the thought before turning back to Eddy.
Right... Commander 'Quattro'. If he's with us, I don't care who they send after us, with him running point, they're dead. Plain and simple she thought, smiling and hoping the Titans would come after them with the other pilots they had on board. "And as much as I'd like to give the bastard a skydiving lesson, Eddy, we have to deliver him alive and intact to Lars, so you're right. And I do agree we should confine him to the brig. Would you care to do the honors?" she said, motioning towards the door.
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Post by Edward LeNoire on Jan 25, 2015 2:13:44 GMT
“Nothing would give me greater pleasure, Lieutenant Hilda. Let’s just hope he doesn’t decide to cut loose with a pistol.” Eddy said, cracking a rather bleak joke at their expense as he walked out of the command deck and took a lift back down to the hangar area. As he began walking in the general direction he’d last seen Marika pull Anderson when he and Hilda attempted to corner the man no more than a half an hour ago, Eddy’s ears perked up when he heard the words of a conversation in a supply room.
Not even bothering with knocking on the door, Eddy just pushed it open, walked in – hoping that Hilda was with him – and read the riot act, not acknowledging Petrenko or Regard. “Mr. Jim Anderson, by order of Captain Langstrom, you are to be confined to the Audhumla brig under suspicion of being a Titan infiltrator.” His fists tightened, readying himself for a fight if the bastich proved difficult.
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Post by Fred Castle on Jan 25, 2015 2:34:39 GMT
Apparently she didn't mind if he tagged along, it would at least give him the chance to hear what Chuck had to say for himself. "Well Ma'am, if you don't mind I would like to have a piece of him before he's tossed in the brig." he said to her. 'Even if he knows krav maga, I'll feel better just trying to hit him. Or at least seeing what he has to say.' he thought to himself. If nothing else, he had considered Chuck a friend and at least owed him listening to what he had to say about all this.
"Besides, like Lieutenant LeNoire said, we can't have you two being shot. Then we'll realy have a leadership problem." he said before he followed after the two Lieutenants so that he wouldn't miss anything. It hadn't even taken LeNoire long to track Chuck down either, and he'd gotten straight to the point, Petrenko and Regard were there as well, he was hoping there wouldn't be any problem and those two seemed like they had just been conversing with Chuck normally. Fred didn't have his hand on his pistol, but he knew that LeNoire's joke could easily be what actually happened if Chuck was actually a spy and not simply a deserter hiding his identity.
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Post by Jim Anderson on Jan 25, 2015 17:45:40 GMT
Chuck sat very still as Regard seemed to have familiarity with Rick. "I never said Rick was a Titan, Ben. Just a spacer who happened to tell them to piss off" he said, very, very carefully. Wonder if he actually knew Nero... wait, what? he thought as Ben mentioned the Colony Thirty incident. "Colony Thirty... yeah, that must have been shit detail" he responded very, very quietly, taking another pull off the flask Ben had set down, a haunted look in his eyes.
Before he could elaborate further, though, the door whooshed open, and in came Eddy, Hilda, and Castle. He held up a finger, finishing his drink as Eddy rather formally informed him he was under arrest. Well, couldn't last for ever, could it, Jimmy boy? he told himself, standing up to face him. "Use your goddamn head, Eddy, Steiner. If I worked for the Titans, then why the hell didn't I steal the arming cards from those nukes. Or show that I know more about combat tactics than you three combined to save the kid here" he said, motioning towards Marika. A scowl crossed his face as he continued. "And that's Lieutenant Commander Anderson to you. Or just 'sir' will do, boy" Jim said, slinging his flight bag over his shoulder.
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