S1: Ep2 - War Hawks

[Velocity Grey-Lambert]

Charity's adjusting of Velocity's garments, and tucking her shirt in was so reminiscent of Bonnie when she was trying to make Velocity presentable that for a moment she forgot who Charity was and where they were, forgot that Bonnie was long gone. When Charity went to fasten her broach to Velocity's shrug, the temptation to lean down and kiss her was powerful, almost overwhelming. Velocity nearly gave in to it but a small movement from Charity caused her eyes to refocus and remind her who it was that was helping her.

"Thank you, Captain," she said softly and sincerely, her use of Charity's title to remind herself that it was not Bonnie standing in front of her, however much she desperately wanted her to be.

She listened as Charity requested her to keep track of any ships in the vicinity. It was something that she could do, that, being of interest to her, she would be able to keep her attention on.

"I can do that," she said, grateful to have something to distract her, even though at some level she knew that keeping her distracted was the main purpose of the request.

They were led from their prison to a larger building in the centre of the compound. It was perhaps just as well that the outside didn't lend itself to high expectations, or any expectations at all, except perhaps negative ones, because the room that they were led in to was even worse. The were announced, the first few words raising Velocity's ire. "Odette, not the Odette!" Velocity muttered under her breath, sensible enough to not speak loudly enough to be heard by anyone except perhaps Charity. "It is a name, a proper noun. You wouldn't say the Velocity when referring to me." She snorted when she was announced as Lady Velocity. She knew Bonnie would have laughed and then told her, reassured her, that she was a Lady.

If the room wasn't bad enough, the fanfare was painful to her well tuned ears, and the whole charade was just ... painful.

Was it Him?. She feared it was Him. It could be, He might have survived. Had He survived? She couldn't remember. Best not to think about it. Please don't let it be Him. Was it someone else? Someone who had been in the BugHouse with her? He looked like he belonged in one. She looked around at the shabby, candlelit surroundings, and muttered, "perhaps he is already in one," though again she kept her voice low, the suggestion bouncing back to remind her that if he was in one, then so were they, and that thought caused the impossible, her pallid face becoming even whiter. If Charity had been close enough she would have reached for her hand but there was a costumed soldier between them so she had to fall back on digging her fingernails into her palm. "So this is hell," she thought.

Velocity followed Charity's lead when it came to applause, clapping if she did, and if clapping did occur, did her best not to make it sound ironic.

[Jedikiah Rembo]

Home Team

Jedikiah Rembo let Cooper Brown vent the full rage. There was no useful intervention, not even after his shout of final exertion. It was revealing and painful to watch. How many had this pain?

He waited a few beats of his own heart.

"Beth. We'll put Tommy on board our ship. Restrained. I will provided immediate treatment. He will live."
Rembo used 'the voice' - That learned firm confident command-speak which was rare for him.

"And then you will lead us to your Sergeant James. There is no other option. Or for us." A look to the wood and cold, to let her know there was that option for Beth and Tommy.
'would I really leave them in the cold? For crew, for friends? For our lives against those of strangers, even these hostile, foolish children?'

He looked to Pele and then Cooper, his eyes narrowed and he made a slight nod. It asked for them to follow along. His eyes went to the distance of where their crew was. Hopefully it communicated that this was their purpose.

"Let's make it so."

[Charity]

Away Team

"The Major will see you now. But you have to wait to enter after you've been introduced," they were instructed, and Charity nodded in response but offered him an apologetic smile. This seemed standard to her, although she could imagine it might have seemed outlandish or excessive for this sort of setting. The Captain looked around again at that thought, her brows inching upward and then furrowing slightly.
 
"Lady Charity, Captain of the Odette. Mister King, bodyguard. Mr. Francis, servant. Lady Velocity, pilot," the man announced. Charity couldn't help but allow the smallest of smiles to play at the corners of her lips at Francis' designation. She glanced in his direction as she sat, her hands scooping under her to smooth out the back of her skirt as she sat.

"Ladies ladies ladies and Gentlemen gentlemen gentlemen... Welcome. It is your privilege and pleasure to dine with... The Major!"

If she felt anything other than polite admiration at the announcement and the reveal, it didn't show on her face. Her mask of proper behavior and amicable manner slid back into its place over her features, keeping her response appropriate and deferential. She clapped softly, the tips of her fingers hitting against the base of her palm, and smiled up in the direction of their host. She didn't feel the need to advise her crew to do the same, trusting them to gather than information on their own by watching her.

Not wanting to step on his toes, she didn't speak. The host was meant to speak first in these sorts of situations, so she continued to clap politely until he seemed ready to address them. Still, she wondered to herself what they had gotten themselves into. This was supposed to be a quick job, but just like the last one it was looking like it might take a little longer than she'd anticipated. Hopefully the crew back at the ship weren't worried about them. Pele would be fine, the Doctor might start to wonder at their delay, and Mister Cooper? In truth, he was still a bit of an enigma to the Captain, but he seemed the loyal sort. He might worry. She shot King a quick glance before returning her attention to the Major. 

[noseatbelts]

Away Team

Francis cringed at the display. "Oh man, he's gotten so much worse." His look said as he cast it in Charity's direction, his palms meeting each other in an anxious, over-eager ovation. His gaze fell to King. "We gotta figure a way out of here, man. This guy is gonna kill us." He hoped they knew telepathy. If anybody did, it was probably Velocity. She always seemed lost in her thoughts. Francis decided to try her, as well. "Don't freak out or anything. It's me, Francis. This is bad. Really bad." It's a shame clairvoyance wasn't real. Sure would come in handy right now.

The crew of the Odette's clapping was joined by hooting and hollering of the assembled soldiers, all lauding their leader with laurels. "Please, you're too kind." The fake humility was hard to watch. "Stop, you're the real heroes, not me." Even as Charity and Co's applause may have died down, the crowd continued until the Major began to look annoyed. "Ok, that's enough." They did not. Whether it was an inability to hear him or a refusal of his order was unclear, but Mitch didn't like it. "Stop!" He screeched.

The room became deadly silent.

"Jeez, was that so hard?" Mitch pulled on the bottom of his uniform jacket and plopped down in his chair which had been fashioned as a large, gilded throne. "So, who are you?" His eyes on some unknown detail of his uniform, it may not have been immediately clear to whom he was speaking.


Home Team

On Odette, Cooper and Jed managed to get Tommy inside while Beth fretted from the sidelines, blood from the wound on her head mixing with her tears. Pele followed cautiously. Once the pants were removed, Jed could get a better look at the wound. Serious, but to his skilled hand, salvageable. It would take some time, however.

Pele or Cooper could try to do something with Beth, but leaving Tommy's side would take some convincing.

[Jedikiah Rembo]

Jedikiah went to work. The wound was bad but years of such tending made him comfortably confident that he could handle it. He studied both patient Tommy and his partner Beth. They seemed genuine in their reactions and dispositions but knew well enough there were plenty of people that could pull off a ruse off in any given situation.

He administered aid as he spoke. "Cooper, please take Pele and go find our crew. Leave a good trail, I'll follow after I finish here and make sure there is no danger to our ship."

The wound was easy enough for some first aid but without immediate follow on medical it could leave the man in a bad way. There was no point in moving to the med bay. He had what he needed in his bag. A little deeper tending to the internal injuries first, then tidy up. And the man would be better off.

"Please, not to worry, we'll be fine here." He said to assure his crew mates.
He gave a hard smile to the woman Beth. "Take that blue cloth in the clear bag, snap it open and hold it on your head." It would seal the wound and offer relief from the pain. The hard smile and narrowed eyes served as a warning. But just to be clear, "Don't think of taking advantage. I'm not just an old man with a first aid kit."

Then the jolly smile was back as he made a stitch or two inside the man's wound.

[Pele Kesher]

Well, this was embarrassing.

Not for Pele, who hadn't done anything wrong (because she hadn't reacted in time), but more so for the others who had attacked first and asked questions later. Jedikiah was making the best of a bad situation but Cooper wasn't taking it so well.

Cecil didn't often fly off the handle -- his brand of abuse was more about firmly establishing dominance and dangling the threat of more serious violence over your head -- but Pele had witnessed him lose his cool on a few occasions, and the way Cooper grabbed the girl and screamed at her for her stupidity twisted her stomach. The doctor continued to take charge of the situation, which was a relief because she didn't like taking orders in the best of times and she definitely didn't like taking orders from middle-aged men with anger issues.

"I don't see why I need to tag along," she lamented to no one in particular once her and Cooper were alone. She sighed and crossed her arms.

"What do you expect will happen with this Sergeant James figure anyway? A shootout? A civil conversation? On second thought, if there's talking involved, it really is best I come with you." She thought back to his earlier outburst. It had rattled her, but now that things had calmed down and she'd had some time to digest the scene she'd witnessed, she was coming to the conclusion that it hadn't been that much like Cecil after all. Sure, blame had been thrown around, but it had a different undercurrent. Maybe, just maybe, it was the kind of yelling you did when you were actually more angry at yourself than the person you were yelling at -- which still wasn't great, but at least it showed you had some sense of shame. She would trust the mechanic enough to go on this mission with him, but she would have to keep on her toes.

[Velocity Grey-Lambert]

"Stark staring bonkers," Velocity muttered under her breath, which was a bit like the pot calling the kettle soot-stained. It had taken a prod in the ribs to get her clapping along with everyone else.

Velocity didn't feel that she should be answering Mitch and she doubted if she could, even had she wanted to. It seemed strange that he was asking who they were; hadn't he invited them?

Velocity was not capable of telepathy but she didn't need Francis to tell her that they were in a bad situation, and she didn't see any way out. She would have recognised the symptoms from her time in bughouses, if she could just remember but those memories were locked away for now, and there had been nothing extreme enough to trigger their release.

"What do we do now, Captain?" Velocity asked very quietly, not knowing if Charity would hear but too fearful to speak any louder.

[Charity]

Away Team:

Charity clapped her hands together politely, gaze snapping toward Francis for his thoughts on the matter. He knew the man and maybe this was completely normal behavior for him?

"Oh man, he's gotten so much worse." His look said as he cast it in Charity's direction, his palms meeting each other in an anxious, over-eager ovation.

Maybe not.

Another grimace barely contained, her mask smoothing it out into a smile and nod of greeting in the direction of the host. It seemed like he might have been the sort who had little to no station and would do just about anything in order to get it, even if it was all a show. Having Charity around could offer him some semblance of legitimacy, and she recognized that small modicum of power she held. It was tenuous, and clearly unstable, but she'd nurture it as best as she could if it meant the crew walked out of her.

The captain looked briefly toward King, wanting nothing more than to have him pull her out of here but knowing that was impractical and selfish of her. She caught the tail end of his and Francis' eye-conversation.

While on the outside, King appeared as deadpan and nonconfrontational as possible, it was clear that he was constantly scanning for possible ways out. His look in Francis' direction might have been saying something similar to, "Yeah we absolutely need to leave, immediately if not sooner." Then, he looked in Charity's direction, her questioning frown met with a follow up. "Girl, we need to leaveeee." She could barely contain the shiver of fear at his assessment of the situation. If King wanted to get them out of there, they needed to leave as soon as possible.

"Stark staring bonkers," Velocity muttered under her breath. Charity shot her a look that didn't say much, but was equal parts an attempt to make sure no one else had heard the tall woman, and a hope that that was all she had to say on the matter. "What do we do now, Captain?" Velocity asked very quietly.

The room became deadly silent.

"So, who are you?" the Major asked.

"Thank you, again, for your generous invitation, Major," she began, but was quick to switch from pleasantries to the answer to his question. While he might have been the kind to pretend to be from her world, he was still a military man and she didn't think he'd appreciate her beating around the bush too much.

"I am Captain Charity, of the Odette," she repeated the way she'd been introduced by his soldier, tapping softly at her sternum before lowering her hand back onto her lap. "I'd hate to spoil the dinner with too much talk of business, but we are here to pickup the agreed upon payment for goods sent prior," she answered carefully, making sure not to mention Sebastian outright.

*King narration/input provided by Axe

[Cooper Brown]

Cooper was silent while Pele deliberated if she should come along to find the crew. His eyes were still lost in a thousand-yard stare. He burst out of the ship once his crewmate decided she was a better fit to do the talking. The mechanic wasn't inclined to disagree at the moment. His disagreeableness might have been understandable, but no matter the context it's probably unnerving to watch a coworker come within an inch of beating someone to death with a hammer in front of you.

But once outside, Mr Brown looked around, confusion breaking through his stony expression. They were in the forest. He can fly, he can turn a wrench, he can fight. But Cooper Brown spent the first two thirds of his life on spaceships. ONLY spaceships. Coop never set foot on the ground until he joined the war. What was he even supposed to do? All sense of landmarks was lost to him. It was just a sea of green.

"Umm ... shit. What uh...Wait a second, Pele. I have an idea."

He retreated back into the ship but was back with a quickness. And with a bound and scared-looking browncoat named Beth.

"Which way?"

The hammer clicked back on his pistol. Unnecessary, but it always helped add emphasis. They didn't have the luxury of time, and Cooper was sure as shit not walking through these woods without being dead certain he had a way out.

[noseatbelts]

Home Team

Cooper returned to the med bay with a vengeance and grabbed Beth roughly by the collar, pulling her from her chair. He slapped some restraints on her wrists and pushed her out the door. She screamed and tried to fight back. "Tommy! No! I don't want to go!" Her attempts to remain were futile against the steadfast Cooper Brown. They disappeared into the corridor, her cries echoing.

Tommy's eyes flutterd, roused by Beth's plaintive call. "Huh.... Beth...?" His eyes bolted wide awake when he saw where he was and that he was being operated on. Held down by straps, he fought against them, making any work Jed had down so far either undone or worse.

All through the corridors of the ship, she cried, tears and snot falling down her face. Beth stumbled down the ramp, skidded on the half melted snow, and fell to the ground on her face. She let out a racking sob as she struggled to regain her feet, she settled for her knees, pleading up at Cooper with mournful eyes. "I-I'm sorry. P-please don't k-kill me. Please d-don't kill Tommy. I'll do w-whatever you want." She looked over yonder to where a small, covered ATV sat. "Road's there. Straight shot. 'Bout an hour."


Away Team

Major Mitch stared at Charity for a long moment after she said her piece. "Huh?" He looked at Sergeant James. "What the hell is she talking about?"

James' mouth tightened into a terse smile. "The munitions, sir."

"That word. What is it? I don't know that word. Why are you always talking in riddles, jeez. Just tell me what's going on."

James sighed, recovered, and smiled again. "The shipment? That Captain Hazard brought last week?" Mitch looked like James was speaking another language. "The guns."

Finally, Mitch got it. "Ohhh. Crap. Why didn't you say so?" He shook his head and looked at Charity and Co. with an incredulous laugh, jutting his thumb back at Sergeant James. His mood abruptly changed, his mouth dropping into a scowl. "You'll get your money." And back again, to a crazed smile. "But first, let's eat. Drink. Get to know each other. See if... sparks fly?" His face did a weird, puckering thing. Was he... flirting?

Francis shot Charity another look.

[Jedikiah Rembo]

HOME TEAM

Cooper came in hot.

Jedikiah had calmed their would be guards for hire, he had used a local and the procedure was coming along nicely.

Patient Tommy went reaver mad as Cooper dragged Beth away. It tore the fine stitches Dr. Jed had halfway completed. It only took a moment for the calm Doctor to push the morphine and Tommy should quiet very quickly.

The damage was done. A deep calming Tai Chi breath and he started over.

With a note to himself, 'Cooper, maybe some ... no'.

Mister Brown had been hyped up on adrenaline, tired of waiting he had taken action. Jedikiah couldn't slight the man for his being who he was. The urge to hurry and follow for the sake of the rest of the missing crew was suppressed. This one first. And then the others.

A life was a life.

[Velocity Grey-Lambert]

Velocity could only stand and watch with mounting concern as Mitch struggled to understand first what Charity had said to him, and then what the sergeant was telling him. "Please let this end soon," she thought.

"But first, let's eat. Drink. Get to know each other. See if... sparks fly?"

The first part was something that Velocity was not inclined to argue with; the cold journey in the truck and the time in their 'quarters' and been too long for her metabolism and the invitation was greeted by a loud rumble of agreement from Velocity's stomach. Sitting next to Charity was where she wanted to be but there was going to be a least one person not from the crew between them, and she expected that Charity would want to keep Francis and King as close as possible in case she needed to confer with them. Not that the environment encouraged such a thing.

She was definitely not enamoured at the prospect of sparks flying; in this environment that could end up with bullets flying far too quickly, and the weird expressions that had crossed Mitch's face didn't just threaten her equilibrium but upset it completely. Velocity could feel a wave of anxiety rising in her, and unconsciously  dug her fingernails into her palms as hard as she could.

"Hush, my love," Bonnie whispered but it was not enough. Velocity looked at Charity desperately hoping to find some guidance from the captain, realising that without help she would find herself fleeing, and there was enough sanity left to tell her that that would be a Very Bad Thing™.

[Akhsar King]

King observed the exchange between the "Major" and Sergeant James with interest, and a bit of well disguised incredulity. This certainly wasn't the first time he'd witnessed flirting during an arms deal, but it was most definitely the least impressive. He felt a flash of annoyance at the man getting flirty with Charity, but he trusted her ability to navigate a social situation. His only real worry was with how pushy ole Mitch would get. In the meantime he distracted himself with other thoughts.

How in the hell does a man who doesn't even know what "Munitions" means end up leading a group of Browncoats? Charismatic idiots have been cobbling together followings since the dawn of human history, but it was rare to find one so... lacking in the charisma department. The whole thing was making King seriously wonder if Mitch was just a figurehead being made to believe he was in charge so that the ones pulling his strings had a convenient scapegoat when things eventually went south. Or maybe Mitch had just lucked into finding followers more idiotic than he was... Though "Sergeant James formerly of the 188th" seemed competent enough to be annoyed by Major-Idiots antics. Could maybe use that if things start to go sideways... Although the baddies-to-Us ratio is way higher than I'd like... King decided to keep quiet for now and see how things looked to be playing out. He could always interject and start flirting with The Major himself if need be.

[Charity]

"Ohhh. Crap. Why didn't you say so? You'll get your money. But first, let's eat. Drink. Get to know each other. See if... sparks fly?"

Francis shot Charity another look.

Velocity looked at Charity.

Charity's smile remained. Inside, her stomach had done a full round of circles and she ached to sprint toward the door, but her face betrayed none of the fear clawing at her gut. His swift change of emotion and disposition unsettled her, reminding her of home in ways she wasn't comfortable with. And now, her crew looked at her expectantly, hoping she had a way out of all of this that didn't get them all killed.

After a moment of consideration that took up the breadth of a single fluttering of lashes, the Captain smiled in the Major's direction and dipped her chin slightly. "My most sincere apologies," she said, her hands still clasped together on her lap. Her knuckles were white at this point from the force of her own grip.

"We are most eager to share a meal with you, your preparations have been impeccable," she complimented, gesturing toward the table and gathered 'soldiers' with an open palm. "Such a gracious host."

Never smack the lips when eating.
Never take a long, deep breath after you finish eating.
Never make noises in your mouth or throat.
Never suck your teeth.
Never put your knife into your mouth.
Never pick your teeth.

The list went on and on in the back of her mind, calculations running in the back of her mind without her knowledge. Her only concern was that either her crew would be unaware of the protocol for dining with someone 'important', or that their host would be unaware of the proper etiquette and thus might fly off the handle when good manners are misconstrued as a slight against them.

"I am quite sure that I speak for the crew when I say that we would love to be regaled by stories of your excellence, Sir. Would you do us that honor?" She asked, raising her brows in question and waiting for his 'waiters/servants' to begin serving them. Better to keep him in a good mood and avoid another harsh shift of disposition.

Finally, she returned the glances of her crew. To Velocity, she offered a reassuring smile and raised a hand nearly imperceptibly to hopefully still the taller woman and quell any urges to sprint away from the table. For Francis, a mild raising of her brow in question. Just how violent was this man known to be? And when, exactly, would they need to follow Velocity's urges and run from the room? For King, an upturning of her brows in the middle, a vague sign of her discomfort and playful request for saving.

[Cooper Brown]

Cooper coldly guided Beth along to the ATV. His back was still screaming at him. The rush of adrenaline could only mute it for so long. The subsiding emotion began to make the young woman's pleas not to kill her start to sting. Mr Brown had been kidding himself about how much he was still carrying around the war with him. The anger he'd shown them was really meant for the fools who sent them to his ship. Blocked comms and an unexpected pair of enforcers were a great way to initiate a tragic misunderstanding. Or if they were up to something it was ham-fisted at best.

"Beth right?"

Before he tried to start the ATV, he pulled up his left sleeve, revealing a unit patch tattoo.

"3rd Requisition Task Force. The only reason things had to get nasty, is because somebody giving you orders is a ... bloody *tóunǎo bǐ xīn hái kōngxū de báichī."

Beth's browncoat had an engineer patch too. From its size and age, it was someone else's from the war. Kid dressed up like her hero.

They say never meet your heroes.

He motioned with a jerk of his pistol to the ATV. Back to business. A slight smirk crossed his face as he climbed onto the all-terrain vehicle and its engine roared to life. This would be much better than the futuristic forklift.

"Pele and I will talk just to your boss. Something still smells off to me but if this is a misunderstanding I'll stand accountable for my actions. If it's not: I don't like killing Browncoats. I just want my friends outta there."

The mechanic directed his gaze to Pele.

"Guns away when we get there, but if they kill me, start blasting and just run. "

It might be a slightly sexist assumption but if lead was going to start flying it would probably be headed towards his Aussie arse first. Mr Brown had just given two of their soldiers purple hearts.

*Translation = "idiot with a head emptier than his heart."