GESB: Operation Time-Cops

[Chad32]

<Hello Prince Ossanlin.> Claxter said as Ossanlin and Myitt came back. <Sukohn has willingly left his temporary host for his regular one. The Human's name is Derrel, and he's actually quite depressed.>

"I think we broke him." Sukohn said.

<Sukohn won't remain quiet as I repeatedly instruct him to.>

"Making the most of my final moments."

[Alic]

Alic stood up and glared at Claxter and Sukohn. They had been bickering the entire time. "Thank God," she said when Ossanlin entered. Alic passed by Ossanlin, desperately wanting to leave the too-crowded room full of idiots, and smiled apologetically at Ossanlin.

[Luke Skywalker (Ossanlin)]

((Likewise Jessi.  ))

Ossanlin notes the human in the corner.  <You'll not be harmed, at least not any further than you already have been...Derrel.  You're an unfortunate soul to have been in the wrong place at the wrong time.>

He surveys the common area and looks back into the medbay to see Sukohn and Zorish still safely confined.  He points at Claxter.  <You.  Bridge.  Now.>  He would rather not dress Claxter down in front of Alic or anyone else, but there's not much room in the ship for as many passengers as are on board.  The bridge would have to do.  He turns again and walks back onto the bridge.

[Myitt]

She smiles a bit.  "Thank goodness for that damned Ellimist.  The Andalite fairytale.  I think it was more your piloting skills than anything else, not to mention blind luck."  Myitt waves faintly at Ossanlin, gesturing for him to go on and check on those in the med bay without her.  She remains sitting on the floor, against the wall. 

Once Ossanlin returns she looks up at him.  "I take it they're all still restrained.  Any word from Zorish?  I believe I cut short my last conversation with him rather abruptly."

[Chad32]

<Yes sir.> Claxter said. Here it comes. He walked behind his prince onto the bridge sullenly, knowing he was in deep trouble.

Meanwhile the fact that Alic, Ossanlin, and Claxter all left the room didn't escape Sukohn's attention. This might be the only chance he had to get out of this alive, as long as no Andalites or rebels were inside the room.

[Luke Skywalker (Ossanlin)]

((I think Hadrin's still out there, but I don't remember what happened with him.  :p ))

Ossanlin looks to Myitt for a moment, chuckling.  <Well, I wasn't the best pilot at the academy you know.  Prince Furyk, the stunt-fighter trainer was better.  But trust me, feeling the flux and flow of the singularity and being able to know what tiny adjustments in direction and thrust to make and when to make them made the whole process much easier.  I'm afraid I didn't speak with Zorish.  I'm sure he's as caustic as usual.>

After Claxter trots onto the bridge, Ossanlin seals the bridge door again, Alic, Claxter, Myitt, and Ossanlin all sharing the not so large space.  He turns around, chin held firm, tail upright, body postured in a dominant position.  He looks at Claxter directly, holding the Warrior's gaze with his eyes for a few moments.  <Why do you think I brought you in here Claxter?>

[Terenia]

Zorish listens to the door to the bridge close and lets out a heavy sigh, "Whatever you are thinking," he says to Sukohn, "I doubt it will work. We are barreling through Z-space, where will you go? We are prisoners. Accept that fact for now, and maybe we will escape later. When we aren't in Z-space. Now, tell me, where are we going?"

[Chad32]

<I have been thinking, sir. I feel like I may not have taken you as seriously as my past Prince. This was an accident, and I did not do this consciously. You were kind, and I stopped being afraid of doing something wrong. I suppose that caused me to pay less attention to what I was doing. Like releasing a prisoner when all the hatches were open. I apologize.>


"Yes sir." Sukohn said. The subvisser was right, and they couldn't do much while going through Z-Space. "After I was separated from my fleet I found this small planetoid with a bar in it. There were various aliens there, including Andalites and Yeerks. Also some other beings I don't know about. everyone on this ship came from there, and I assumed they were coming from me. I found some information about the morphers on Earth from someone who is supposed to be from the future. I don't know how dependable it is that she's actually from the future, but her information was correct."

"We are likely heading back to this bar."

(I don't know where Hadrin is either)

[Terenia]

"Interesting," Zorish says softly, "that explains your part in all of this. Now, why would they require me? They have already gathered information from me. For all intents and purposes, I should be worthless to them. I have no doubts that they intend to destroy me, but they seem hesitant to kill my host."

"What I need," Zorish mutters, "is to be free of these restraints," he pauses, an idea coming to him. A small smile spreads on his face. "Derrel. Oh, human. Remember how I said that your future is pretty hopeless? Well, that's true. But I can make sure that you live longer, if you trust me. I might be able to save you."

[Chad32]

"Save me? How? Can you fly an Andalite ship?" He said, assuming if they took the ship then they'd need to fly it back.

"Hmm. He's pathetic, but not stupid." Sukohn said in Galard, which Derrel wouldn't understand.

[Terenia]

"Quiet," Zorish responds in Galard, "you know as well as I do that the Andalites will have no sympathy for this human. At least if he is one of ours he will be useful. He may even live longer."

Switching over to English Zorish addresses Derrel, "We may be able to get a ship, eventually. By first we need to stay alive. Those Andalites in there, they are going to kill me. They have no reason to, except for the fact that I am a Yeerk. It is prejudice in te simplest form. If you let me infest you, though, if you let me borrow your body, we may all survive."

[Myitt]

((Oh jeez...-_- Last I wrote Hadrin was helping to escort Sukohn back onto the ship.  Let's just say he's been back there in the med bay -___-))

Myitt nods at Ossanlin, grinning at his mention of manipulating singularities.  As much as she understood it on paper, it still mystified her how her old friend had gained such immeasurable powers.  She watches Claxter and Alic walk back into the cabin, Claxter looking and sounding forlorn.

Hadrin gives Sukohn and Zorish a brief glare, training his Dracon on them as he steps out into the cabin.  He sloshes through the pool liquid and looks down at his feet.  Then he walks over to Myitt, sitting down next to her.  

"I guess we both got caught up in all this excitement, huh?" he whispers to her, watching Ossanlin berate his subordinate.

"You're telling me," Myitt mutters back, hugging her knees tighter.  "I'm ready for a vacation."

Hadrin smiles faintly.  "What do you think?  Barbados?"

"Hawaii."  Myitt slaps Hadrin playfully on the shoulder.  "And don't get my hopes up."  She looks over at the doorway to the med bay.  "Are they alone in there?"

Hadrin follows her gaze.  "Yeah, I guess they are.  They're restrained, do you really think they'll try and force a coup?"

"Would you put it past them?  There is a vulnerable, free human in there, too, isn't there?"  Myitt stands up and walks over to Alic, tapping her on the shoulder.  "Psst, hey..."  She jerks a thumb at the doorway.  "You think they're having a party in there, or what?  Maybe you and I should go check on them.  I don't like leaving them in there by themselves, it's like leaving a bunch of Taxxons in front of a piece of meat.  I just...don't trust them to lie still and be good little P.O.W.'s."  She watches Alic's expression.  "Unless you're tired of entertaining them?"  Myitt draws her Dracon and eyes the power level.

[Luke Skywalker (Ossanlin)]

Ossanlin glances at Myitt with his stalk eyes and sends a private thought.  <<Thank you Myitt, I should've left somebody out there to watch them.>>

He returns all of his attention to Claxter.  <Partially right, but mostly wrong Claxter.  Zorish tricked you, and while I should wish that you would make better decisions in that situation, such as sealing the ship, or standing out of melee range, the responsibility falls on him as well.  You are inexperienced and mistakes happen...I can only hope that you learned something from that little experience.>

Ossanlin turns and walks toward the console, then turns around again, still looking at Claxter.  <I may not be a harsh leader, but I'm still a leader.  You have a problem with authority Claxter, you don't like to follow orders.  That's why you're in here.  You disobeyed a direct order, and this is not the first time.>  Ossanlin points around the bridge.  <Do you think I command Aliciania or Myitt or Hadrin?  No.  Myitt and Hadrin are both free rebels, they might follow Reven's orders, but not mine.  And Aliciania is not in the military despite her parentage, so I hold no authority over her either.  Yet down on the Earth's surface, they did as I said because they knew what was at stake.  We each had a role to play, and it needed to be played correctly.  There are too many variables in battle for individuals to run off and do whatever they want.  Of course there are times when you need to make your own decisions, you have free will after all, but not at the expense of the mission.>

Ossanlin continues his dominant posture, trotting back towards the young Warrior.  <Do you even realize what you did back there when you went chasing after Zorish?  I had already sent Aliciania and Hadrin after Zorish, that was their part.  I ordered you...ordered you to come back and assist me with getting that human onboard the Mirage.  Yet you left me...in an unfamiliar, weak morph, to deal with a psychologically unstable, possibly armed human willing to do anything to escape...by myself.  I could hardly push him onto the ship, his human body was bigger than mine.  I couldn't demorph, he'd have been able to run off or attack me.  If I'd have stunned him, I wouldn't have been able to drag or carry him very far, not in time to avoid those bug fighters.>

Ossanlin is now standing right in front of Claxter, eyes glowing their faint blue hue.  <Why is it that every other person involved with the mission did exactly as I said, even though they are free to do as they wish, and the one being that I'm supposed to have direct authority over completely disobeyed me and ran off like a lorn with his neck severed?!>  Ossanlin's 'voice' was still calm, yet it had taken on a somewhat more insidious tone now, threatening without anger.  <Are you truly a Warrior Claxter?  I don't mean your rank, a rank is only a title in your datafile.  A Warrior knows the value of the chain of command, they know that their commander has taken time to consider the best plan of action and has decided upon one.  They know that if they don't play their part in that plan, the whole thing could collapse in disaster.  An aristh might make that type of egregious mistake, though they are punished for it.  They are not expected to know any better.  You have behaved as an aristh Claxter, and a poor one at that...if that's what you are, perhaps I should modify your datafile to show it.>  Ossanlin lets that hang in the air for a moment, then lifts Claxter's chin with his tail-blade to meet his own eyes.  <If you wish to keep your rank of Warrior, Claxter...you need to start acting like a Warrior, and you need to show me that that is the rank that is most befitting of you.  If you continue to disobey orders, I will have no choice but to demote your rank and give you over to my Master of Arisths, Prince Zeom.  I can assure you that he has a much...rougher...de meanor than my own.>

Ossanlin allows his tail-blade to return to its arched, dominant position over his back.  <Show me that you're a Warrior Claxter, or suffer the consequences.  Understood?!>

[Alic]

Alic rubbed the back of her neck and tried to smile at Myitt. "Party. Yeah." She decided to not cut her time close and demorphed. <You may go first,> Alic said, a stalk eye on the dracon. If it needed to be used she might as well be the first to find out.
She tried her best to pretend she did not hear Ossanlin or Claxter, knowing the conversation was not for her. Part of her could not help but be happy about the fact that Claxter was getting reprimanded.

[Chad32]

Claxter listened to his Prince, and when he mention Claxter diobeyed a direct order, slight confusion came across his face. Then surprise as it dawned him that he really did do that. He was so focused on correcting his mistake, he did something one should never ever do in a dangerous situation. He flinched when Ossanlin brought his blade forward. <Yes sir. I'll never disobey you again my Prince.>

"No. No way. I won't let you. You're not the ones with any power You have nothing to barter with." Derrel was afraid of death, but he wasn't keen on the kind of life where he had no control over what happened to him.

"We have Earth." Sukohn said.

That seemed to get through to Derrel a little, but he was just too scared. He sat against the wall hugging his knees while wiping the tears threatening to come from his eyes.