Business As UsualIMAGE SOURCE: SELF DRAWN
Prologue[spoiler]"Surely you're capable of this, are you not? Or have I been told wrong?"
"You haven't been told wrong. There's a reason you were directed towards us."
"It would be in your best interest to be right."
It was such an annoyance, really, dealing with such lowly types. But it was necessary. A soft sigh escaped his lips as he leaned forward in his chair, entwining his fingers and resting them at his chin. The soft illumination of the screen reflected against his skin, shadows dancing across his face.
The transmission cracked lightly with static, and the voice on the other end spoke again.
"What of this Lord?"
"Collateral," he replied, his voice dripping with hints of irritation. "Am I paying you to ask questions?" His gaze drifted across the various data, taking in all the information he had obtained.
" 'Course not. But I gotta know what we're getting into. You know how it goes," came the voice.
"Of course. Do as was agreed upon, and you'll have nothing to worry about."
"Yeah well w-"
The transmission was cut, the man leaning back in the chair; there was no need for more questions, answers, or veiled threats. Everything was going according to plan, and provided his contacts were as competent as he'd been told, everything would come together as needed. He would hardly have to lift a finger.
It wasn't long until he was back at the screen, carefully focusing on stocks and market details. Though the plan was in progress, it was hardly something he was going to sit and brood over.
After all, it was just business, as usual.[/spoiler]
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Chapter One[spoiler]
Only about an hour to go, he thought to himself, rubbing his hand across his tired face.
Double shift. A damn double shift. He just had to call off, didn't he. Bastard. You can't tell me no one knows he's just sitting at home browsing those stupid Fedo challenges...The soft hum of electronics was enough to threaten to put him to sleep. He grasped at his cup of coffee, only to find that he had previously drained it in full. After peering into the empty depths that seemed to reflect his life achievements, he frowned and dug for the flask in his pocket. "Might as well get started early. Not like anyone will notice," he muttered bitterly to himself. Little by little, the clear contents of his flask drained into that empty cup, finally giving it back purpose. He smiled to himself, replacing the flask into his pocket, then took a hearty swig.
"Oof! That's the stuff..." His face twisted into a cringe, a shudder rolling across his body. Once it was over, he smiled again, then placed the cup onto the desk. With a lazy sigh, he lifted his feet to prop onto the metal structure before him and leaned back into his chair. It was when he reached across to grab his cup again that tragedy struck.
A common occurrence, though no less frustrating than others, his hand bumped the cup, spilling the contents onto the desk and electronics. At first, the fact that his precious alcohol was going to waste was the first thought in his mind. How was he going to get through the rest of the shift without it? He grumbled to himself, popping up to try to wipe away what he could with his sleeve. Not once did he think about the precious electronics. Why would he? As much money that was spent on the security systems, there was no way that something like this would harm it.
Or so he thought.
His attention drifted first to the reflection of red against the wet, metal desk. "The fu-..." As his eyes met the display before him, his lips pursed.
//FIREWALL BREACH DETECTED.
//ERROR.
//ERROR.
//ERROR.
"You gotta be shitting me..." Quickly, he wiped more at the liquid, his efforts now becoming more frantic. "The hell kind of equipment screws up with something like thi-"
More flashes began at the large display, and he paused to read the prompt again.
//DATABANK BREACH I-RTI.
//ERROR.
//ERROR.
//ERROR.
//DATABANK BREACH I-RCB.
//ERROR.
//SECURE.
//ERROR.
//DATABANK SECURE I-RAT.
//SECURE.
//SECURE.
//SECURE.
//DATABANK BREACH AKAGI.
//SECURE.
//SECURE.
//ERROR.
//SECURITY LOCKOUT DISABLED.
//ERROR.
//ERROR.
//ERROR.
Right then, he knew he'd be out of a job. How was he going to explain the alcohol, much less whatever mess he just caused? His frantic cleaning devolved into a chaotic flailing of arms, excessive amount of cursing, and the poor pathetic attempts at coming up with some sort of lie or excuse to the situation. The poor man even took off his shoes, using his socks to soak up the liquor. It was no use.
//BYPASS.
//EXECUTOR A.HINKELMANN.
//SYSTEM BREACH.
//SECURE.
//SECURE.
//ERROR.
//EMERGENCY PROTOCOL -- YEO ACTIVE.
He tried typing out commands, he tried all the buttons he could think of to fix things, but nothing would work. He was completely locked out. As he ran out of the room to find something to fix the mess he made, the screen flashed again. Much to his misfortune, he did not see it.
//INCOMING SEQUENCE.
//NO HARD FEELINGS BUDS. BUSINESS AS USUAL. JAW
//SECURE.
//SECURE.
//SECURE.
//DATA LEVEL: 99% - ERROR DETECTED
//CONTACT ISHUNET SECURITY
//SERVERWIDE LOCKDOWN IN EFFECT
[/spoiler]
Event Log
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Chapter Two[spoiler]At first, it was a flash. The brilliant, blinding light would have caused him to cover his eyes, but he was not in control of his body. Instead, his eyes squeezed shut. The only sound that touched upon his ears was an incessant ringing, one he knew well to be the result of an explosion. The man's body flung across the corridor at the blast, finally coming to rest near a corner by an unmarked doorway.
Then, there was pain. Captain Hikan grimaced as the initial shock wore off, trying his best to let his eyes come into focus of the situation. His head was pounding, a warm trickle of what he guessed to be blood running down at the back of his neck. Strangely enough, he could feel it near his lips as well. He coughed out, the taste of the liquid now confirming his initial thought. The sound began to come back before his eyes' focus did.
"Where's the Captain?"
"Extract! Extract!"
Though the voices seemed somewhat distant, he could pick out that they were members of his team. The panic beset in their voices told him all he needed to know about just how bad the situation was. He didn't even need to see it.
Breaching the facility and fighting off the Serpentis soldiers was bad enough. While they were lucky to catch the pirates by surprise, surrounding them and taking them down efficiently, they had still lost a few good men. But the moment Captain Hikan heard that the recon ships outside were being attacked, and the name of the pilot doing it, he knew that it would only get worse.
Tyrukko Sakala. He knew that name, and he knew it well. Having been under Sakala before the man became a capsuleer, Hikan had always looked up to him; it was not often he came across a man as cunning as he. Now, however, Hikan felt nothing but disgust for the traitor.
Finally, his eyes came back into complete focus. The immediate thing he noticed was the broken shard of metal sticking out from his gut. Judging by the excessive amount of blood and the fact he could hardly feel it, he knew that there was little that could be done. The second thing that caught his eye was his leg- or, lack thereof. From below the knee, whatever had once been part of his body was instead shreds of flesh and chunks of bone.
Despite the pain he felt, he tested his comm device with his squadron.
"I'm here. Are you all extracting?" he managed to say, trying with all his might not to sound as bad as he felt.
"Captain, where are you? We're blocked in. One of the corridors collapsed. The...he's firing on the station."
Hikan nodded grimly to himself. "Get the team out of here. Use the other routes."
"...Captain, we can't. We're blocked in. The other squads are fighting the Serpentis soldiers and trying to extract as well."
He could hear the fear in his comrade's voice, and he knew all too well the feeling the poor young man was experiencing. After another bought of coughs, he replied. "We'll get out of this, private. I'm sure that traitor will be taken down soon. We're not alone here. Just hang tight." He paused, his eyes glancing over towards a small red light that caught his eye. His heart then sank as a countdown of numbers began to come more into focus.
"Roger that, Captain."
"Private, was the data extracted?" He asked, keeping his voice as calm as he could.
"Affirmative."
"Good. Send it out in a short burst. We've got someone out there that needs it."
"...Captain?"
"That was an order, Private. Get your team on it."
"Roger that, Captain."
Hikan raised his hand with a grimace, adjusting his comms device. "This is Captain Hikan. We don't have time to encrypt it, but we're sending the data out. Be prepared to receive."
Without awaiting an answer, he switched back to speak with his squadron. "This is the Captain speaking. Is everyone listening?"
One by one, each of his six squads answered back in confirmation.
"Good. An extraction team is on its way to us. Sit tight. We'll be going home soon. Good work. You've brought us and all of the State honour with this success," he said proudly.
The replies were a combination of cheers and tired, broken voices from the pain of losing their brothers in arms.
With his final message sent out, he lowered his hand and let his head rest back against the wall. The sounds of the bombardment from Sakala's ship had stopped, but he knew what would likely come next, and why Serpentis had even been here in the first place.
Hikan felt his eyes grow heavy, and soon his thoughts began to drift to his wife. It had been years since she passed, but each day he had grown to miss her more. As had happened so many times, he slipped into thoughts of regret for allowing his work to pull him away from her so long. After her death, he had grown to realize just how short life was. How precious. What he wouldn't give to go back in time and spend the day simply watching her sleep.
His thoughts were jarred by the sound of soft beeping coming from the bomb off to the side. It was a strange thing, having a combination of the fear of death and the threat of sleep. But soon, his fears began to wash away as he could have sworn he smelled the light perfume of his beloved. A smile crept across his lips as what dread he had felt seeped from his soul like his very life was from his body.
And then, her voice, so sweet and comforting speaking the very last words he ever heard her say.
"The river always finds the sea."
He could never understand what she meant by it, but now, he did. As the void consumed his consciousness, so too did explosions ripple across the station, destroying anything and everyone inside.[/spoiler]
Event Log
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Chapter Two, Continued[spoiler]"We dock in five," came the voice over the intercom. Soldiers in black armor shifted in their seats, double checking their weapons with trained hands. As the ship edged silently through the system, Soimo Yoshino turned to look at his men.
"Alright, we have five targets and confirmed sightings of both Sakala and Eskeitan. Let me make myself clear: those two are to be captured. The other tyuui can, and will try to put a bullet in you. Your orders are to make sure you show the sentiment first. When we land, keep radio silence. Keep an eye out and watch your six. Understood?"
The soldiers in black answered back with a confirming "Yes, sir!", bringing a look of confidence and pride on Yoshino's face. He gave them a nod, his chin raising. "Let's show these hnolkus what the Internal Watch is made of. For Ishukone. For the State." As he finished, the ship gave a small lurch, the telltale sign that they had docked. Immediately, the light flicked off within the ship and the hatch was raised, bridge extended.
They moved with a fluid-like grace, barely a trace of sound echoing through the shady, questionable station. The few people they did pass along the rather empty route they chose stayed clear out of the way, wanting nothing to do with what they assumed was a raid of some sort. It wasn't long before the infiltration team found themselves closing in on the target location, and so they began to slow. With a small set of hand-signals exchanged, they began to position themselves with care throughout the corridor.
At the front of the team, a hold signal was given, and Yoshino listened carefully. It wasn't plainly obvious, but heavy steps could be heard as if trying to sneak carefully down the hall they were coming up on. His hand raised to motion towards his squad to remain steady, sweat beginning to bead at his forehead. The steps got closer and closer, and by now, the squad in its entirety could hear not only the man's cautious investigation, but the click of a safety from a gun. That was enough for Yoshino, and he nodded towards the closest squad member that was in place to round the corner.
It may have seemed like the blink of an eye, but to the solider, it was certainly long enough to get a look at the pirate's face and determine it wasn't who they needed alive. With the careful pressure from his finger, the trigger of his silenced rifle was pulled, a bullet finding its mark in the target's head. The pirate dropped to the ground with a loud thud that echoed through the corridors, blood seeping freely from the killing shot.
Yoshino immediately waved to the others to proceed quickly, as he knew that their presence was likely now known for sure. The squad pressed forward with haste, but were soon stopped to see the door to their final targets sealed.
"Get it open," Yoshino said calmly, motioning to a few of the others to stand watch behind them. The remaining Internal Watch quickly approached the doorway, slipping a prybar from their raid supplies, the creaks and groans of the sealed doorway proving that this was going to be no simple task.
As they worked, Yoshino pressed a button to his helmet, letting his eyeware adjust to scan for life signs. A small frown appeared on his lips, his brows knitting. "I'm getting more inside than we're after. Get that door open, but watch your fire. They're moving," he said quietly.
Sure enough, as he watched the signals, they began to move in opposite directions, effectively fleeing the scene. He let out a soft curse under his breath, then motioned for the men to stop. "They're leaving." He turned and motioned to the body of the fallen pirate. "Get that to the transport ship. We're moving."
His eyes moved back to the fading life signals of the pirates, and he couldn't help but feel disturbed. He could tell which ones were likely Sakala and Eskeitan. That was easy, considering their physical differences. But he couldn't for the life of him figure out just who had been meeting with them, and what kind of soldiers moved that way. Well, he could, but he didn't want to admit it.
As quickly as they had arrived at the station, the Internal Watch infiltration team was back on their transport ship, body in tow. Yoshino pulled up his comms again and sent out a message.
"Mission failure. We managed to down a lackey, but there's more. Someone met with them. I can't confirm my suspicions, but there were soldiers here that weren't...normal. I don't think it's just Guristas." He paused as he listened to whatever the person on the other end said. After a moment, he spoke again. "Yes sir. Copy that. We're on our way."
He pressed his finger to the holo-display, nodding to the pilot. "Head back to headquarters. We're done here for now."[/spoiler]
Event Log
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Chapter 3[spoiler]The longer they traveled, the more sense of dread she felt. She'd no idea where they were headed, and it had felt as if hours had past since she last saw her surroundings. The sack over her eyes only increased the fear that she felt, threatening to suffocate not only what fresh air she had access to, but also the little bit of hope she had left of making it out of this alive.
Kylliri Isoke felt her companion shift next to her, a subtle reminder that she was not alone in this. A small comfort, but nonetheless there. With a sudden jerk, the vehicle they rode inside came to a halt, briefly followed by the side door being opened. It was all she really heard, causing her to swallow hard: they were somewhere far from public eye.
She could feel her companion depart from the vehicle, then a hand gripped at her shoulder and tugged her out as well, bringing her fully to her feet.
"Start movin, kids," came their captor's voice in an uncomfortably cheerful voice.
At first, she stood still, confused as to just where to start walking. Her companion seemed to be confused as well, as she didn't hear his steps beside her. What got them moving, however, was the sound of a gun being cocked. There weren't even words to accompany it. It was a terrifyingly silent warning.
They began to walk, bumping into each other every so often. When their feet hit what felt like a metal surface on a slight incline, they continued, slow in their steps to try not to lose their balance with their lack of sight. She could hear the echo of what she assumed was a rather large room: perhaps a factory, or some sort of facility. But the sound and feeling of dirt and debris under her feet suggested that it was abandoned. She heard the man drop something onto the floor, then jerk her off to the side.
"Right...there. Perfect! Now hold still," he said, fiddling with her bindings. Surprisingly, she felt them removed, and soon after, the sack over her head was as well. Kylliri squinted at the sudden burst of light, reaching her hands up to shield her face. When things finally came into focus, her guess had been confirmed. It was likely a factory at one time, but now faced heavy degradation from neglect.
She could see her companion not far from her, hands still bound and face still covered. Her attention then turned to their captor and she mustered as much strength as she could to look him in the eyes. "Tyuui," she said simply. The man's ice blue eyes stared back with amusement and he grinned.
"If I had a single for every time I was called that, gorgeous, I'd retire comfortably with all the hookers and beer I could ever want for a capsuleer's lifetime. Which...well, you get the idea." He kept his gun pointing at Kylliri, then stepped towards her companion. "But that'll never happen, so this is the next best way to achieve that, eh?"
She thought about ways to fight him, ways to escape, but each scenario she could come up with in her head only ended in failure. Instead, she tried to get as best of an overview of their surroundings as she could. There was a small bag off to the side, military by design. Judging by how deflated it looked, there didn't seem to be much in it.
"Oh, don't you worry about that. Not yet, at least," he said, having been watching her think. Kylliri's eyes moved back to him, the sense of dread only growing. The sack on her companion's head was removed, bringing his face into view. His own reaction was much the same as her own, eyes squinting from the sudden light.
She'd known Burald for years, working along side him through the various facilities within I-RED. While they never had more than general passing conversations, they had a sincere respect for each other, as with their other comrades. She knew he was likely just as worried as she was about what was going to happen, but through sheer will, he seemed to wear a face of internal strength. Unlike Kylliri, he'd been gagged, likely due to his continuous talking. He always had a way of talking too much, but for once, she was thankful for it; it gave her that much comfort in an otherwise dire situation.
After a brief moment of Burland's eyes focusing on Kylliri's, their captor cocked his gun again and smiled, his finger on the trigger. "Right, so, that about wraps things up. I'm sure you understand."
It was a horrifying moment, to see such an impending death- to feel and know as if those were your last moments. Your last thoughts. She swallowed hard and squeezed shut her eyes, resigning herself to her fate. Burland began to protest through his gag, doing what he could to stop what was happening.
That was when their captor began to laugh. "Oh...ancestors give me strength..." He laughed more, his hand gripping Burland's shoulder firmly to keep him in place. "The look on your faces!"
Kylliri opened her eyes, confused. Her heart was pounding so hard she could hear it in her ears. Burland looked just as bewildered, looking between the man and Kylliri.
The black-haired man kept his gun pointed towards Kylliri, then slowly pushed Burland towards the bag. "Open it."
Burland took a moment, but soon knelt to follow the order, unzipping it to the best of his ability with his bound hands. Soon, he pulled a small box from inside, setting it in front of him. He knew what it was. Kylliri knew what it was.
"Consider it a gift. I'm a nice guy. Now open it up."
Kylliri's companion looked as though he wasn't going to do it at first, and he defiantly looked to their captor with eyes of anger.
"Oh come on, don't give me that look. Unless..." He stepped towards Kylliri and put his gun close towards her head. "You really
do want me to do it. Is that really such an honorable death, though? Dying to such
tyuui? I think she deserves better."
Burland's face fell, and Kylliri's did as well. As horrid as this man was, he was right- she didn't want to die by his hand. Her eyes turned towards Burland and she mustered as much of a smile as she possibly could. Without words, she gave a small nod. The fear of death was creeping up once more, but she felt a strange comfort to know it would be out of their captor's hands.
Burland squeezed shut his eyes, then opened the pistol case, slipping out the weapon from inside.
"It's already loaded and ready for you. Like I said, think of it as a gift. Oh, and don't get any funny ideas. I don't think I have to tell you that you'll
both be screwed if you try anything. You can't kill me. Remember that, buddy."
And it was true. They knew he was a capsuleer, and while they may be rid of him then, they'd only be tracked down, likely by him once he recloned. With a shaky hand, Burland pulled the gun from it's resting place and turned, pointing it at Kylliri.
"I wouldn't wait too long. It just makes it worse, really." The black haired man stepped off to the side, out of the way but still ready to fire on Kylliri himself if need be. "I mean, unless you want it to be worse. I don't know, you could be some sort of monster for all that I know."
Kylliri knew once again that, strangely enough, he was right. The longer this went on, the more frightened she felt and the more the dread set in. "Please," she mouthed softly to Burland, knowing that it was likely just as difficult on him.
She saw his tears. She saw his regret. She saw his fear. But most of all, she saw courage in her follow State citizen. And in the face of such hardship, she knew that no matter what, that courage would endure.
Her face relaxed into an expression of peaceful determination, being the last thing she did before everything went black at the sound of a shot.[/spoiler]
Event LogIMAGE SOURCE
Chapter 4Scheduled meetings had come and gone, petty interruptions had been dealt with, and most business had been concluded. That is, all except for the most important and delicate of situations. The man frowned, fingers adjusting the cuffs of his jacket in a movement of annoyance; the report was scheduled for precisely two minutes and twenty seconds ago, and he'd be damned if someone was going to waste his time like this. Just as he brought up his holodisplay, however, there was a knock at his office door.
"Enter," he said cooly, bringing his hands back away from the computer and at rest on the desk.
It was, of course, the late employee. They bowed immediately upon entering, though kept low in the bow as they began to speak.
"Sir. I...have the update you requested," the younger Civire began, though his tone suggested reluctance to reveal the information that was requested.
The older man, a Deteis, himself, raised a brow. "And? You've already wasted three minutes of my time. Continue to waste more and you'll find yourself unemployed."
The Civire swallowed hard and quickly spoke again, relaying what details he'd gathered. "There are reports that members of I-RED have gone missing. We received word specifically about a situation in Perimeter. A personnel member there told us he was paid off to look the other way while an...altercation took place." He paused, glancing to his superior.
"Continue," he said, the annoyance he'd felt only increasing.
"It was between the Internal Watch and Sakala and his men. There were some deaths, but the most peculiar part is that apparently Sakala took a member of the Internal Watch and one of I-RED's Directors. We do not have their location."
"I see. If I-RED was stupid enough to have one of their Directors there, then it's their own fault. If they can't protect their own, then they deserve what fate awaits them." Nevertheless, he could feel a slight tint of anger rising. This was not what he and Sakala had agreed upon. "And what of the other matter?"
"Sir..."
At the hesitation from the Civire, he rose from his desk and strode across the room. As the light fully illuminated his face, the greying hair and wrinkles of age became more apparent. On top of it all, the increasing frustration with his personnel was reflected on his face by creases of his brow and a stern, cold look. It was all it took, and the young man sputtered out the rest.
"The mission failed. Our operatives say she was captured."
"Excuse me?"
"Sh-she...the Internal Watch has her. That's all we have been able to determine."
Turning his back to the young personnel member, he closed his eyes and gripped his fists at his sides. It took him a number of moments to swallow his rage. When he finally did, he stepped back to his desk and sat, bringing his holodisplay up. Passing no glance to the Civire within his office, he spoke.
"I have doubts she will talk. But I also doubted that those I hired would be pitiful enough to fail me. Find a way to end it before she gets the chance to speak. I don't care what it takes. Fail me, and regret it. Now get out."
"B-...sir..."
"
Get. Out."
There was no more hesitation, and as soon as the words were spoken, the Civire immediately left.
With fingers swiping across the display, a flicker of a comms channel soon came into being. Sakala, the treacherous man that he was, soon appeared on the video feed, his trademark smirk on his face.
Though the old man kept his calm, his words were thick with displeasure. "Sakala. We need to talk."
Event Log 1: Agiri and WrenEvent Log 2: Toroko and Julianni[spoiler=OOC]If you are interested in participating at any time during this arc, you're encouraged to private message this account on here, or send a message/convo with
Narrator in game.
While it is vague now, as the event continues, there will be more opportunities to become involved and have more of an idea where your character may have a place.[/spoiler]
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Topic: Business As Usual (Read 3235 times)