GESB: Operation Time-Cops

[Chad32]

Claxter found the movie rather strange. Parts of the early movie were pleasant, but other parts were rather dark and unsettling. Surely humans did not create something with the prupose to entertain that would also frighten them. There was a scene with a large creature called a T-Rex, followed by a more tranquil scene with a Bronchosaurus.

He had not morphed to enjoy the food or drink yet.

[Terenia]

As soon as Hadrin left, Zorish ordered the doors to lock securely and returned to his desk. His fingers moved at lightning speed as he pulled the holo-display back up on the computer and examined various read-outs.

"It says here that Terenia left over a week ago on a reconnaissance mission for Visser Three."

<Translation: he sent her to find traitors. Takes one to know one, after all,> Tamora says.

"That must be why we haven't seen her sniffing around lately," Zorish says, curling his lip in disgust, "I suppose for once I am glad that Visser Three has not destroyed the rat. She will serve our purposes."

He picks up his com link and enters in a coded message to Terenia. It is a simple access code, with directions to contact him for further instructions. He sends the message and waits, staring at Terenia's file.

"She was supposed to return three days ago. I wonder why she was delayed," Zorish wonders.

<Perhaps she was killed,> Tamora's voice is slightly hopeful.

[Myitt]

Myitt puts away the link and sighs, twisting the empty granola wrapper in her hands. 

"Now all we have to do is wait," she says idly, staring up out one of the main windows.  "Matthew is still in Reno, so we'll have to meet him at his mother's house in the early hours of the morning to hand him the cube.  Come to think of it, perhaps we can pick him up and simply transport him to the meeting site...but it might appear strange that he arrived without a car."

[Luke Skywalker (Ossanlin)]

((Sorry guys, I've been in a bit of a funk lately.))

Ossanlin zones out for a moment as Myitt pulls equipment from her pack and then asks a quesiton.  He blinks after a few moments and looks down at Myitt with his main eyes.  <Ah...well there isn't exactly an interface for human technology....>  He falls silent as Myitt peels up one of the seemless-appearing floor tiles.  Apparently the technology hadn't diverged that much, because Myitt found a visual relay quite readily.  He begins to command the holo-displays online, but again falls silent as Claxter beats him to the punch.  <Set standard flight-room lighting...twenty percent.>  The lighting dims and the holo-projectors begin emitting a somewhat low-quality image.

<Pop-corn...I believe I saw someone consuming that in the Bar not long ago.  So many odd things that humans put in their mouths...>  Ossanlin chuckles a bit to himself and looks down at Alic sitting on the deck.  He longs to join her but laying down is rather awkward for Andalites and sitting doesn't happen at all.  <I might try some Aliciania, but I left that Imperial uniform in a random ship back at the bar.  I know that humans are rather self-conscious about their bodies...I believe it would make everyone uncomfortable if I morphed human and...sat here unclothed.>

He watches bits of the movie, but continues to monitor the main control display, checking to make sure all ship operations are within standard operating parameters.  He looks back as Myitt's communicator chirps.  He waits and listens as Myitt speaks.  <Two missions at once, I could wish I had two separate platoons, it will be nigh impossible for us to carry out both of these operations simultaneously, but we must.  That reminds me...I still have to rig that false Escafil device...if you'll excuse me.>

Ossanlin trots out of the flight-room, the area again flooding with clean white light as the door opens, and plunging back to dimness as it closes.  He takes the device with him and goes to the munitions area, placing the box on a workbench.  He goes to one of the munitions lockers and commands it open, taking out a pulse mine.  Of course it would have to be modified.  Pulse mines were nasty little devices, bursting in a wave of harmonic energy that caused the cells of most carbon-based life-forms to lyse.  A nasty death to be sure.  Not all andalite technology was noble.  He sets the pulse-mine on the work-bench as well and quickly inerts it, beginning work to modify the energy output of the mine to one that would disrupt the electrical signals in a human brain just enough to cause unconsciousness.

[Myitt]

((No worries Luke, hope things are okay!))

"Correcting the torn fabric of space-time and saving a Yeerk-Andalite-human nothlit's Controller sister who may not want to come with us at all?  Nah, of course that's not impossible," Myitt says with a sly grin as Ossanlin steps back into the aft parts of the ship.  "Not nearly as impossible as a Yeerk sitting amongst a bunch of Andalite friends, watching Jurassic Park.  Alic, get that bottle of jager away from me." 

[Chad32]

<I would actually rather he didn't dim the lights.> Claxter said quietly as he watched the kitchen scene. At one point it seemed like a velociraptor was about to eat a child trying to hide in a cabnet, but he rammed into a reflection. Claxter didn't know whether it was appropriate to chuckle at that or not.

[Myitt]

"Ah, these creatures are Tara's favorite," Myitt says with a wry smile.  The smile suddenly fades and her face takes on a look of scrutiny.  "But they don't have feathers, they're two feet taller than they should be, and they don't even show a smidgeon of semi-lunate carpal posture!"  Tara crosses her arms in a huff.  "Hardly worth being called Velociraptor."

<But this is still your favorite scene,> Myitt adds with a laugh.

"I know it's still my favorite scene," Tara hisses quietly.

[Terenia]

There was a soft beeping noise, indicating a request to open transmission. Zorish, glanced at the viewscreen and verified that it came from the Bug Fighter that Terenia had taken on her mission. His hosts lips curl into a mirthful smile as he opens the transmission. A moment later Terenia's face appears on-screen, looking pained.

"Well, hey there big sister," Zorish says, using Tammy's old nickname for her sister mockingly, "having fun running errands for the head honcho?"

<What do you want?> Terenia asks, her ever-present scowl somewhat disrupted by obvious emotional distress.

"I have a job for you," Zorish says casually, grabbing a plastic Wendy's cub from her desk and sipping from it. Her eyes remained steady on the hologram of her hosts sister, watching her every move. Terenia seemed to be suffering from some sort of an internal debate.

<No,> Terenia says at last, <I'm not going to help you.>

"You do not even know what I am going to ask," Zorish says, leaning forward with a leer, "perhaps I want to help you."

<I don't care what it is, I'm not helping you,> Terenia says quickly. Perhaps a bit too quickly. Zorish frowns, setting the cup down and glaring at the holographic read-out.

"You should probably start caring," Zorish says, voice becoming a dangerous growl, "or else I will find myself a host more suited to my needs and leave this -" he gestures to his current body "-to the Taxxons before you even have a chance to save her. It would be regrettable, but I have prospects now that transcend this form."

<I cannot leave,> Terenia says, changing tactics abruptly, <I am evidentally being 'watched' by a small band of Andalites. I would surely die before I reached you.>

"Andalites, you say?" Zorish's upper lip curls vehemently, "well, we wouldn't want you to catch the wrong side of a tail blade, that's for sure. You would be quite useless to me then," she heaves a dramatic sigh, her eyes twinkling as she continues, "I suppose that means we will just have to pick you up."

<What?> Terenia's eyes widen, <No, I've already spoken to Visser Three and->

"And whatever orders he has given you are to be disregarded at the moment," Zorish says lazily, "you are working for me right now. Do not leave your current location. Do not let the Andalite scum know that you are expecting me. When I arrive, you will depart with me immediately and I will give you further details."

<I told you, I am not->

"And no funny business, Teresa," Zorish says with a bright smile, "the Taxxons are hungry."

Zorish cut the transmission with a satisfied expression and immediately brought up a new message, this one solely text based, instructing Hadrin to meet her in the docking bay immediately.

[Myitt]

Hadrin starts when his link goes off.  He hastily zips up his black duffel bag and takes out his link.

<Well, my friend, here goes nothin',> says Justin.

<It's a pity Reven allowed this little suicidal mission,> says Hadrin sadly.  <I was beginning to rather enjoy the whole 'living' thing.>

<Come on, man.  Get it together.  We've got a ****ing job to do, and I'd rather go out fighting for-->

<For what?> Hadrin snaps.  <For the freedom of some foolish human nothlit?>

<We started this whole covert operation for freedom, didn't we?>

Hadrin doesn't answer, replying to Zorish with a simple, formal acknowledgment. 

<Well?>

Hadrin lifts the duffel bag and casts a last glance around his quarters. 

"Yeah, I guess we did, didn't we?" Hadrin says softly, shrugging the bag around his shoulder and heading for the docking bay.

<But you still don't want to die for it.>

<Do you?> Hadrin replies testily, walking along the corridor.  <I know that you say you do.  But you're just as scared as I am.>

<Hell yeah, I'm scared.  But let me put it this way, if it comes down to all that?  We aren't going down without a fight.>

<If we have the chance to fight back,> Hadrin says dully.

<Mr. ****in' Optimism again.>

They reach the docking bay and Hadrin stands impatiently near the entrance, looking around for Zorish, or any of his shuttles.

"State your reason for departure?" a gruff but well-spoken Hork-Bajir demands, holding up a holo-clipboard.

"Classified," Hadrin states coolly.  "I'm waiting for Sub-visser Seventeen."

The Hork-Bajir checks his clipboard, glances at Hadrin with narrowed eyes, and allows him to pass.

[Terenia]

Zorish hastily packed a backpack with a few essentials and, slinging it over his shoulder, exited his quarters, locking them securely behind him. He was met with no resistence as he made his way to the docking bay, and when he reached the entrance the Hork-Bajir on guard stepped aside without a word.

"Ah, Hadrin," Zorish said with a smile, "we are going to be leaving a little ahead of schedule. I trust that you have the information leading to the seller's residence?"

Zorish, not waiting for an answer, heads past the regular-issue Bug Fighters and stops in front of a much larger ship. It resembles a Bug Fighter, but is much more stream-lined, with smaller less bulky Z-space engines and two extra Dracon Cannon. It appears to be large enough to accomodate at least one or two cabins for overnight trips. Zorish commands the hatch to open and gestures that Hadrin should enter first.

[Myitt]

"Of course, sir," says Hadrin, following Zorish.  "The human Gerald wishes to meet us outside of town, on a rural county road.  He suspects, given the amount of money I've offered to pay him, that the device he has is quite valuable.  He would only agree to meeting out of the way of your average busybody human onlookers.  I can easily upload the coordinates."

Hadrin climbs aboard and looks around the ship, setting his duffel in storage and heading to secondary navigation, taking a seat and beginning the engine startup sequence.

[Terenia]

"No," Zorish says, following him onto the ship and closing the hatch, "we do not have time to wait for his arrival. You said this person was selling the device on ebay, correct? Such an account is required to be linked to a bank account. Find his personal address. We are going to be making a home visit."

Zorish pulls up the navigational display and enters in a general trajectory for the southwest United States. He then begins going through the typical pre-flight routine.

[Myitt]

Hadrin hesitates.  "Yes, sir."  He uploads the holocube's data into the ship's main computer, and begins running a scan on the IP address and bank account traced through the eBay transaction. 

<Oh, by the Kandrona itself, Myitt, if you didn't cover your tracks...>

He sits back and stares at the information readout coming back to him.  "Sir, it...it appears Mr. Gerald Kosmowski...actuall y lives at the end of County Road 51 in Roswell, New Mexico.  The address on the account is 6295 Old Clovis Highway, which is the eastern terminus of the county road."

[Alic]

((Here's a half-assed post while I'm trying to sleep))

Alic shrugged and sat cross-legged on the floor. She took another drink and set the bottle between her legs. "Ya know.. I kind of miss just being able to relax." She wondered where she would be right now if she just decided to stay human.. It would be such an easy life.
Alic glanced at Claxter and smiled. "Do you know much about Earth?"

[Chad32]

<It is the homeworld of the Humans, whose population ranges in the billions, as well as a extremely wide array of other life. It's a small planet in a far corner off on its own. Just basic stuff, really. You seem to be well accustomed to your Human morph, if I may say so.>

<alic, do you think I have a skewed moral code? I know this question may seem strange, but Prince Ossanlin seems to have noticably higher moral standards than I do.> He asked Alic, but he was also kind of interested in Myitt's opinion. Though he wouldn't admit it, for fear of being laughed at for asking a Yeerk about moral standards.