Bridge, SoL
(C'mon, where else would we start it?)
Mike walks onto the bridge. Crow is waxing a surfboard,
wearing a
Hawiian shirt and shades. Tom is wearing a loosefitting
jumpsuit and
climbing up a ladder(inexplicetly). Mike turns around and
starts to
walk out.
Crow "Don't leave, Mike. It's not what you
think."
Mike, "I'm trying NOT to think. I don't want to
know."
Crow, "Aww, c'mon Mike, Dr. F's gonna make us watch Point
Break and
we're trying to have some fun with it."
Mike sighs. "Okay, I'll practice my Judo."
He walks over to the
controls and Tom falls from the ceiling in back of him, followed
by a
bunch of cords and a limp parachute. A groan comes from the
floor.
Tom slowly rises up, the goggles he was wearing around his head
slightly akimbo. They gradually slide up his head and pop
off. Crow
just stares at him.
Tom, "Can we get some more headroom in here?"
Mike just shakes his head as Dr. F shows up.
Dr F. "Well folks, sorry to let you down, but It seems that
Frank got
all caught up in Keanue Reeves and won't give me the
tape." He
reaches off screen and quickly draws his hand back, a big red
welt on
it.
Frank, "Try that again and I'll use the claw side next
time!"
Dr. F smiles, "However, I have some delightful fanfic for
you. It's
from your favorite author...."
Crow, "Stockple?"
Mike, "Gressman?"
Tom, "Horner?"
Dr. F frowns. "No, Smith."
Everyone, depressed, "Oh." They all look at their
shoes, dejected.
Crow, "Dang, I thought it was going to be someone with
talent this
time."
Dr. F, "Who do you take me for?"
6
5
4
3
2
1
The gang sits down.
Mike, "Hey maybe he continued that cliffhanger story he
did."
Tom, "Which one? Don't all his end in cliff
hangers?"
Mike, "Oh yeah, you're right."
Crow, "Four to one this one ends in a cliffhanger."
Mike and Tom shake their heads.
<(Author's note: I'm not starting Chapter Two until I see some
MiSTing.
<Blackmail? Damn right.)
<
Crow, angry, "Misting? I'll show you some
misting!"
Mike, "Crow, put that thing away!"
Tom, "Quick, zip it! Zip it!"
<
<Hassad, Free Worlds League
<29 January 3040
<
Tom, "Oooh, only the righteous have nifty 'Tech."
< "What the hell is *this*?" Jared yelled at his
brother,
Mike, "A pimple!"
Tom, "A used condom!"
Crow, "I just bumped into the pie after my shower, I swear
it!"
<waving
<the printout in his face.
<
< Scott returned his gaze serenely. "It's exactly what it
looks
<like. I'm resigning my commission and leaving on the next
ship to
<Outreach."
<
Crow, "Didn't John Denver do that one?"
< Jared stared, stunned by the calm way Scott had announced
the
<revocation of his life's work and betrayal of his family
obligations.
Mike, "His family being circus clowns after all."
<Sputtering inanely for the few moments he tried to phrase his
next
<query, Jared gave up and just spit it out
Tom, "ABC gum!"
Mike, "Tobacco will give you cancer and makes you
unkissable."
Crow, "Can't the man swallow..."
Tom and Mike, "Crow!"
Crow, "...his pride?"
<"*WHY?*"
<
Mike, "Well, they have a secret Clan manufactuing center
there...."
< Scott replied in the annoyingly calm manner he had assumed
<over the last three weeks. "Because I feel that the
Mariks are wrong
<to force the Andureans to rejoin the League."
<
< Appalled, Jared blurted out "That's *treason!*"
<
Crow, "Oh why would you want a duchy that can't wack the
crushed
remains of the Capellan Conferation?"
Mike, "They make good beer?"
Crow, "Yes there is that..."
< Scott shrugged. "Is it? I don't think so, but I know
that I
<can't stay here any longer. I have no desire to be shot, so I
plan to
<head for the closest thing to a free system in the Inner
Sphere."
<
< "You're going to sell out to the Fedrats?!"
<
< Scott shook his head. "Of course not. I'm not sure what
I'll
<do, but I'm sure a former regimental commander in the Free
Worlds
<League Militia can find work easily enough. Of course, I
don't
<nessesarily have to pilot a 'Mech"
<
Tom, "I can wax fruit."
< Jared blinked.
Mike, "Wow, he is talented."
<Scott Harris was probably one of the fifty best
<Mechwarriors in the Inner Sphere, and the Harris family had
protected
<the Free Worlds League almost since it's inception. His whole
life
<revolved around his unit, his reputation, and his family's
honor. To
<turn his back on all this was not only unthinkable, it was
<*impossible*. Forcing himself to match his brother's calm
tone, he
<inquired "May I ask why?"
<
< A change came over Scott's expression.
Crow, "Because I'm a psychopath. Can you hear the
lambs Clarise?
Bleah!"
<At the same time he
<seemed more serious, yet he seemed happier than Jared could
ever
<recall seeing him. "I've come to realize that I hate
killing people on
<other people's demands, for no better reason that some
bigshot wants
<to rule more people or just show what a great guy he is. Not
only is
<it ultimately pointless, it isn't what I really want to do
with my
<life."
<
< "What's come over you? You *used* to like your
job..."
<
Mike, "Then they switched to an HMO."
< Scott interrupted. "No. I'm *good* at my job,
I've done it
<for a long time, and piloting 'Mechs is a blast - but I never
really
<*enjoyed* it. I took satisfaction in my skill, and I didn't
mind
<blowing away pirates and other scumballs, but invasions and
<suppressions never really floated my boat."
<
All, "Wuss, wuss, wuss, wuss!"
< Jared threw his arms in the air angrily. "It's that
<weird-assed cult you joined. They've brainwashed you."
<
Mike, "The Church of Bob?"
Crow, "CoM?"
Tom, "GUAC?"
< Scott tilted his head to one side fractionally as he
<considered this. "Well, since to the best of my
knowledge I'm the only
<person on this planet who has ever heard of them, I think
most of the
<tenants are the joke they are designed to be, and I haven't
sent in my
<membership fee, I'd hardly say I've 'joined'. However, I'll
agree that
<what I've read lately has affected me - to the better, I'd
think."
<
< Deep in his mind, a small part of Jared agreed. His older
<brother has always been a little odd, which had caused no end
to
<problems when he was younger. As he aged his intelligence and
<competence had overcome whatever lack of social graces he
displayed,
<and he could conform to societal norms if he needed to, but
Scott had
<always been happier by himself, puttering around with his
'Mech,
<satisfying a voracious reading habit, or hanging out with his
few
<friends. Scott got along well enough, and had a wicked sense
of humor,
<but he had never seemed *happy*, until a few weeks ago.
<
Tom, "He's a closet gamer."
Mike, "Come out, come out."
Crow, with a hick accent, "You know what we do to gamers
around these
parts?"
< However, Jared was not about to let his brother throw away
his
<life without a fight. He grabbed a largish book from the
cluttered
<desk and waved it around.
Mike, "And bashed his brother on the head with it."
<A man's head, wearing a goofy grin and
<smoking a pipe adorned the front cover.
Tom, with a gasp, "He's joined Clan Snord!"
<"So you're going to turn your
<back on your career and your family because of what you read
in a
<thousand year old book written by some science fiction writer
with
<delusions of grandear?!
Tom, "Charette?"
Mike, "Keith?"
Crow, shaking his head, "Smith."
<It's ridiculous - aliens coming to Terra to
<save a small group from within the teeming masses, some
freakish
<saleman with good luck, and some crap about 'The Conspiracy'.
You
<don't actually *believe* this garbage, do you?!"
<
< "Perhaps I do, perhaps I don't." Seeing his
brother about to
<explode, Scott explained. "Sure, if I believed
everything in that
<work, I'd probably have taken the same path I'm about to, but
even if
<I don't believe, *it doesn't matter*. That work contains a
simple
<truth that so many people have heard but so few understand -
if you
<aren't enjoying life, what's the point? I don't enjoy life,
even
<though I live better than 99% of the population of the Inner
Sphere,
<but I'll gladly take a pay cut if I can have more fun. I find
that I
<can't tolerate taking order from or interact with imbeciles
any
<longer. There are too many inbred, overpromoted jackasses in
the
<command structure of the FWLM, so I'm going to make a new
start
<somewhere else, where I can choose my companions. They may be
smarter
<or dumber than me, but as long as I can deal with competent
people who
<I enjoy being with, I'll be happy. Perhaps I'll end up in a
mercenary
<company, perhaps I'll work in a bookstore. Right now, that
doesn't
<matter."
<
Mike, "Doesn't it just make you feel good to know that there
are
people finding happiness out there?"
< "But why are you leaving the League?! Can't you do the
same
<kind of thing here?"
<
< "Possibly - but I'm more likely to find free thinking
people
<on Outreach."
<
Tom, "Yesssss. Go to a planet with a bunch of
soldiers. A bunch of
free thinkers there. Much better than say...oh...New Avalon
or
Taurus."
< "So you're going to abandon your family, just like
that."
<
Mike, "Suddenly Jared remembered he had to send his wife
last month's
child support check."
< Scott looked at Jared with a lot less humor in his
expression.
<"I love you, brother, and I love the rest of our family,
but I'm not
<going to fit myself into a little mold labeled 'Scott Harris,
FWL
<MechWarrior', not any longer.
Crow, "Mike, I'm not labled Crow, Robotic Smartass, am
I?"
Mike, "No, you're much to crass to be a smartass."
Crow, "Whew, I was worried there for a minute."
<If the rest of you can't understand
<that, I'm sorry, but it's time I lived my life in order to
make *me*
<happy instead of being miserable to satisfy everyone
else."
<
Tom, "Said Scott as he put on a little black dress and
matching pumps.
< Confusion, anger, and sadness fought a three way battle on
<Jared's face.
Mike, "Wow! Plasticman makes his comback in
fanfic!"
<"I can't agree with you. The League has been good to our
<family, and we owe it our loyalty."
<
< Scott smiled and nodded. "I knew you'd say something
like
<that, because you *enjoy* being a Mechwarrior for House
Marik. You
<have to follow the path that you find right - as do I."
He stood up
<and embraced his brother roughly, suprising the younger
Harris.
Crow, "Usually he was so tender when he embraced him.
Jared noticed
his scent was somehow less fragrant."
Mike, "No more romance novels for you."
<"Hopefully I'll see you again someday, and I hope you
find the joy in
<service to Marik that I cannot." Releasing his brother,
Scott picked
<up a duffel set by the door. "And, since you're here,
you can give me
<a lift to the spaceport so I can book a flight. I already
gave Eddie
<my car, but I can always take a cab if you're busy..."
<
< Jared shook his head violently. "Uh uh. I'll drive you
<alright, so I can try to pound some sense into your head on
the way
<there."
<
Tom, "Jared then clobbered Scott with the book he had been
waving
around for the last few minutes."
<Irain, Free Worlds League
<15 July 3062
<
Mike, "Wow, now their sons are ready for battle."
Tom, "Hey...."
< "Come in Force Commander, the General will be with you
<shortly."
<
< Jared Harris sat nevously in the worn leather chair the
<Leutenant
Crow, "They have weird ranks in the Free Worlds
league. I thought
'Leftenant was weird."
Mike, "Crow...."
<guided him into, fingering the freshly minted rank insignia
<decorating the left pocket of his uniform. The small bar
mounted over
<the two larger bars he had worn as a Captain seemed out of
place, as
<though someone would come in at any moment and see him as a
fraud,
<unworthy of his elevation.
<
Tom, "And of course, he was a fraud."
< Harris jumped as a door slammed behind him. Chewing his
<signature bubble gum, General Samuel Garibalidi collapsed
into his
<chair with a groan. "Hang on a second, son." the
grizzled warrior
<muttered while he massaged his forehead, eyes tightly shut
behind his
<thick glasses. Opening them, the officer gazed at the
fidgeting
<MechWarrior. "A piece of advice, son. When you make it
to general,
<don't let them stick you with sixteen regiments and the staff
to deal
<with five of them."
<
Crow, "Wow, such wisdom I will pass on to my children and
their
children."
< Stretching, the general continued to keep his eyes locked on
<the nervous Force Commander. "Let me get right to the
point. The
<League has been at peace basically since the end of the
Andurean
<conflict, with the exception of Operation Guerrero. That
peace is now
<threatened."
<
< Harris internally added the Zion revolt, the FWLM
<participation in Operation Bulldog, and the worrisome
increase in
<piracy on the Periphery border, but he understood his
general's point
<- the Free Worlds League had been remarkably untouched by
external
<agression for the last twenty years.
<
Mike, "Nit picker."
< General Garibalidi continued. "What's your read on the
Cappie
<situation, commander?"
<
< Carefully, Harris answered. "House Laio was our ally
against
<the Federated Commonwealth during Operation Guerro, and their
war with
<the St. Ives Compact does not concern us. Our border has been
at peace
<since the signing of the Concord of Kapteyn, and there are no
sources
<of confict between us."
<
Mike, "Other than Thomas' secret chili recipie. Damn
the Maskirova,
damn them...."
< Garibalidi snorted.
Crow, "This is why the US Army has random drug
testing. No wonder the
FWL is so incometent."
<"And of course they love us with all thier
<hearts. In case you didn't notice, a lot of troops have been
moving
<that way since Chancellor Liao expelled the Captain-General's
<daughter. In case it *also* escaped your attention, Archon
Princess
<Stiener is not fufilling her treaty with the Compact. And
finally, you
<might note that, with the breaking of his engagement, Sun-Tzu
Liao and
<Katrina Stiener are both single."
<
Mike, "Can you imagine their children?"
Tom, "They'd both be dead by the time their kids reached
10."
< Harris leaned back in his chair, inhaling with a hiss.
Crow, "God, this guy is worse than Keith Richards!"
<The
<Federated Sun and the Capellan Confederation had nearly
merged before
<the founding of the Star League, the deal falling through due
to
<Chancellor Salicia Laio's severe lack of desire to wed Terril
Davion.
Tom, "Can you blame her? He liked golden
showers!"
<A unification of the Lyran Alliance, Federated Commonwealth
and
<Capellan Confederation would leave the League with a single
superstate
<along thier entire inner border - along with much of the
Periphery,
<with the Capellan/Magestrix Alliance. When the Draconis
Combine had
<faced a similar situation, they lost over fifty worlds - and
this
<while the Federated Suns was busy pummeling the CapComs. The
armed
<forces of the three star nations totaled almost 200 'Mech
regiments,
<against which the Free Worlds League could muster 73.
<
Crow, "Yeah, if they aren't high with the General."
< The League would not survive long against such a foe.
<
Mike, "And this is bad, because....?"
< Garibalidi toggled a switch on his desk. A holograph of a
<glazed cup covered in Chinese ideograms sprang to life, and
began
<rotating between the men. "Terril Davion sent this cup
to Salicia Laio
<when he made his marriage proposal in 2548, along with a
note:
<'Together we can heal the wounds our people have suffered,
and ensure
<that they are never threatened again. Drink from this gift,
and let us
<become as one.' Luckily she turned him down, or there might
not be a
<Free Worlds League today." Another flick, and the
holograph vanished.
<"Normally there wouldn't be a chance in hell that the
populations of
<either nation would accept a marriage like the one that
united the
<Federated Commonwealth to begin with, but two events make
this
<possible."
<
Tom, "One, Kathy is hot. Two Their both power hungry
sociopaths."
Mike, "You think Kathy is a leather or a lace girl?"
Crow, "Silk and lace. Marthe is into leather."
Mike, "That Vlad is one lucky guy...."
< "First, the Archon Princess is already poised to
strike
<against Pro-Victor resistance in the Capellan March. Any
revolts
<caused by an engagment would doubtlessly be suppressed, and
Stiener
<seems to have much greater control over the media than has
been
<exercised in the Federated Commonwealth before. If she wants
to marry
<Sun Tzu Liao, she can get away with it.
<
Mike, "She'll just buy out his head of intelligence and have
her plant
tapes of Romono saying, 'Marry Katrina, she's a babe.'"
Crow, "Oh buying out the head of the Mask, like that's any
great
accomplishment. Anyone can do it."
< "The thought of marrying the spawn of Hanse Davion
would be
<enough to trigger riots throughout the Capellan
Confederation, but
<with this Xin Sheng renewal movement coursing through the
<Confederation, Liao could bring it off by pointing to the
historical
<parallels. Our CapCon desk over at SAFE figures that if he
sends that
<cup to Katrina Stiener, he can convince his people that not
only is he
<continuing the policies of one of the greatest Chancellors in
Capellan
<history, he is doing so from a position of strength."
<
< The League General leaned back in his chair once again.
<"Fortunately for us, the cup was stolen along with a
couple hundred
<other Liao family artifacts from Sian in 3047.
*Unfortunately*, Laio
<has had teams trying to find the items for the last three
years, and
<he may have finally succeeded. We don't know if he wants the
stash for
<general historical reasons, or if he wants the cup in
particular, but
<in any case, we need to stop him." He pulled a
photograph from a
<drawer and handed it over. "Lin Cho Park, an ex-Mask
agent. He
Tom, "Imagine that...."
<currently owns and runs a bar on Outreach. SAFE has an agent
inside
<the Mask,
Crow, with mock awe, "Oooooh. Ahhhhh."
<and the embassy on Outreach reported that this man knows
<where the artifacts are hidden. Apparently he is currently
looking for
<a mercenary unit to help him retrieve them, but Sian is
apparently
<sending a senior Mask agent to... persuade Park to hand them
over." He
<next handed over a thick envelope.
Mike, "Get me some smack while you're there."
<"We're sending you and the rest of
<your company to Outreach. You're to do everything in your
power to
<bring that cup back to Atreus. The Captain-General wants it,
and he
<wants it *bad* -
Mike grabs Crow's beak.
<presumably he still wants to marry his daughter off
<to Sun Tzu."
<
< Harris privately doubted it. Thomas Marik had delayed the
<wedding for almost a decade, and if a tenth of what the
scandalvids
<were reported was true, the next time she saw him she would
stick a
<vibroblade in his ribs. "We're to pose as mercs?"
<
Tom, "No, pose as Clan Wolverine."
Crow, "You mean Clan Snow Lepeord, don't you?"
Tom, "Oh, yeah."
< "Exactly. Your Dropship boosts out in five hours, and
we have
<a command circuit set up all the way to Outreach." The
revalation of
<the latter told Harris just how serious the Captain-General
was taking
<this threat. "Your record states that you've taken
vacation there
<twice, and we have no one else with *any* knowledge of
Outreach
<available on such short notice." The general's eyes
narrowed. "If you
<aren't hired, your unit is to follow Park to any world in the
League
<or the Chaos March and take whatever steps are necessary to
retrieve
<that cup. The future of the Free Worlds League is in your
hands."
<
Mike, "And the rest of mankind as we know it."
<****
<
< Jared Harris' eyes swam
Mike, "Wow, I wish I could make mine do that without
floaties."
<as the Merchant-class JumpShip *Rim
<Skimmer* materialized in the Outreach system. Almost before
his head
<cleared the *Christopherson* seperated and began to burn it's
way
<toward the planet that gave the stellar system it's name. The
ensign
<manning one of the consoles let out a whistle. "Wow -
*look* at all
<the traffic! It's almost as much as we get at Atreus."
<
Tom, "Imagine that...."
< The DropShip's captain came up behind the sensor operator
and
<placed her hands on his shoulders.
Crow, as ensign, "Sir, backrubs are a form of sexual
harassment.
Please stop."
Mike, as Captain, "Shut up, I have airlocks. Now why
are you so
tense?"
<"Good, McEsten. That means you can
<run a tracking drill. Let's see how fast you can identify the
ships in
<the area without going activeor querying thier IFFs."
<
Crow, "How does one go 'activeor'?"
Mike, "Crow...."
Crow, "Mike, lack of spacing is CLEARLY as grammatical
error, NOT a
spelling error."
Tom, "He's got ya there...."
Mike, "Yeah, I guess he does."
Mike sits there for a second, then jumps on top of Crow,
stangling
him. "No. More. Grammer. Or.
Spelling. Flames."
Crow, "Augh a lel grabba blecht..."
Tom, "You guys, turn on the lights if you're going to do
that. Other
wise I'm drawn to this fanfic like people are drawn to traffic
accidents."
They ignore Tom and the fanfic and keep on fighting.
< Rising to the challenge, the young officer began to match
the
<profiles of the ships in range of his passive sensors against
the
<database. "I have seven JumpShips waiting at the Jump
Point: two
<*Scout*-class, one *Merchant*, two *Invaders*, one *Tramp*,
and a
<*Star Lord*. Eleven DropShips are in transit or docked with
the
<JumpShips: two *Leopards*, an *Intruder*, two *Buccaneers*,
two
<*Unions*, a *Seeker*, a *Triumph*, and a pair of *Mules*. I'm
seeing
<if any of these have signatures in the system." A flurry
of commands
<earned him an irate beep from the console. "One of the
*Merchants* is
<the Stiener AgriCombine Incorporated vessel *Tastes Like
Chicken*. The
<*Triumph*-class is the *Toil and Tears*, registered to the
mercenary
<unit Limey Bastards. One of the *Unions* is reading as the
*Stark
<Fist*, belonging to Harris' Humdingers, while the other is
the *Valley
<Child*, owned by...."
<
Mike and Crow finally stop wrestling.
< The rest of the ensign's report faded out when Harris heard
<the name of the first *Union*-class DropShip.
Mike, "Wow, if only we could do that when we heard the
opening part of
fanfic..."
<"Captain, would it be
<possible to get a comlink with the *Stark Fist*?
<
Crow, "No link for you!"
< The vessel's commander looked at the MechWarrior
quizzically.
<"May I ask why?"
<
< "My brother is on it."
<
Tom sniffs. "Oh, a happy reunion...."
<****
<
< The man who had been Jared Harris sat with his back to the
<wall, slowly nursing his beer.
Mike, "First he changed it's bedsheets, then he stole it's
money and
gifts that it's family had brought it."
<Instead of his proud FWLM uniform, he
<wore a rumpled jumpsuit covered with pockets. A brand new
patch
<proclaimed him as a member of Heavy Metal, a freshly minted
mercenary
<unit. His brother had been vastly amused to see him posing as
a merc
<on a "critical but sensitive mission for House
Marik", but he had
<agreed to keep silent on Jared's true nature when he had
picked
<Scott's brain for advice.
<
Tom, "Reminds me of the Mummy...."
< While his sunglasses appeared to be focused on the doorway,
<his eyes were elsewhere,
Crow, "Swimming in the hotel pool in fact..."
<locked on the man tending bar. He was
<chatting with one of his patrons, his 40-ish face split by a
grin. It
<was impossible to tell by looking at him that he had been a
senior
<agent for the Special Services Branch of the Capellan
Maskirovka. The
<details of his retirement has been...vauge, and SAFE
apparently wasn't
<willing to risk thier assets in the Laio space to aquire more
<information. "Jared Mountenbank" planned on telling
Park that he had
<heard of his search for a mercenary company, and was willing
to take
<the assignment cheap. His story would be that his unit had
sufficent
<capital for the time being, but wanted a few successful
contracts
<under thier belt to drive thier Dragoon Rating up, making
further
<missions more profitable.
<
Crow, "Oh THAT'S believable."
< He was holding off on approaching Park, however, because he
<knew who had landed at the spaceport three hours ago.
Mike, "His idol, Barney the Dinosaur."
<According to the
<broadcasts from the tiny radio in his ear, that person should
be
<walking in the door right about....now.
<
Tom, "I luv you, you luv me..."
< As predicted, the door opened, the sunlight streaming
through
<the opening drawing eyes from across the bar. Two things
immediately
<made the man who walked through the doorway stand out.
Mike, "His peg leg and the parrot on his shoulder...."
<First, the
<contempt in his gaze as he looked over the bar's patrons
bespoke of a
<person who was used to a nice, orderly existence - and
ruthlessly
<crushing those things that did not meet his standards.
<
< Second, he was followed by a half dozen large men who were
<obviously bodyguards.
<
Crow, "It's a gangsta rapper!"
< Glancing at the data pad in his hand, the new arrival let
his
<eyes roam across the bar until they locked on his target.
Walking to
<the bar, he stood and waited to be recognized.
<
< If he was hoping for a swift reaction on the part of the
<bartender, he was dissapointed. Although Park had obviously
noticed
<the newcomer's arrival, he continued his conversation with
his
<customer. Chuckling over the latest witticism utttered by the
woman,
<he turned to the bar and began to fix her a drink. The
business-suited
<man began to flush as he was ignored. As Park moved on to
another
<customer, he exploded.
Tom, "Messy. He must not have ever gone to the
DMV."
<"Excuse me!"
<
< Glancing over his shoulder, the bartender returned the firey
<gaze cooly. "I'll be with you in a moment - first come,
first serve."
<
< "I haven't come here for a drink!"
<
< Eyebrows raised, Park replied. "Sorry, we don't have a
public
<restroom. Try the Sashimi Palace three doors down."
<
< "I've come to speak to *you*, Lin Cho Park!"
<
< "Well, I'm happy with my current phone service, I don't
feel
<like switching." The sheer *normalcy* of his tone was at
odds with the
<amusement in his eyes.
<
< "I've come at the behest of Chancellor Sun Tzu
Liao!"
<
Mike, "Man, deregulation has gone too far."
< What little conversation had survived the brewing
<confrontation died. The only people not shocked by this
announcement
<were Jared Harris - and Lin Cho Park, who responded with a
shrug. "So?
<I'm no longer a Capellan citizen."
<
< Stunned by this response, the Confederation agent tried
<another tack. "Word has reached us that you have located
the person
<responsible for the Grant Center Breakin."
<
< "Yup."
<
< His eyes alight, the man leaned over the bar. "*Where
is he*?"
<
< In reply Park reached under the counter and fiddled with
<something. Disconnecting the power cord, he lifted a metallic
box with
<a grunt and thumped it on the counter. As condensation began
to dew
<the vessle Park tapped it with his finger. "Right in
here."
<
Tom, "Small guy."
< For a moment confusion crossed the intruder's features, then
<he reached the conclusion Harris has jumped to as soon as he
<recognized one of the infamous (whatever Japanese is for
'head box'),
<or 'head box' from the Draconis Combine. "He's
*dead*?!" the agent let
<out with a shriek.
<
Mike, as Park, "No, he's a frog who sings and dances,
watch!"
Crow, "Hello my baby, hello my darlin', hello my ragtime
gal..."
< "Yup."
<
< The Capellan began to sputter. "He's the only one who
knows
<where the artifacts are!"
<
Tom, "Give me the idol and I'll give you the whip."
< "Nope." His calm tone brought the incipent tirade
to a
<screeching halt. "I make him tell me before I killed
him."
<
< Relief and joy washed over the agent's face. "*You*
know where
<they are."
<
< "Yup."
<
< "Where?" Relief changed to shock with the reply.
<
< "None of your damn business." Park began to polish
a glass as
<the agent opened and closed his mouth silently. "For
fifteen years I
<served the Confederation,
Crow, "Then I was 'downsized.'"
<and as you doubtlessly know I was assigned
<as lead agent investigating the theft. However, when I was
unable to
<produce immediate results Romano Liao threw me *and my
family* into
<prision. I survived to take advantage of Sun Tzu's amnesty -
they did
<not." Picking up another glass, he began scraping a
smudge with his
<fingernail. " I swore an oath to track down the
perperator before my
<imprisonment, and I always keep my word - but I never said
anything
<about what I'd do once I *found* the stuff."
<
< "But...but Chancellor Liao spared your life! He
offers you
<your citizenship back, your rank. You *owe* him!"
<
< Almost before the last syllable was uttered the Capellan
agent
<found himself staring at a pistol less than a foot from his
eyes. "If
<I don't blow your head off right now, does that mean you owe
*me?*"
<
< The six bodyguards produced weapons of thier own, but found
<themselves facing *twelve* "customers" who sprouted
thier own laser
<pistols. Everyone froze for an instant, then Park returned
his weapon
<to it's hiding place under the counter. "You can tell
"Lord Xin Sheng"
<he is cordially invited to go screw a sheep. The
Confederation stole
<something irreplacable from me, and I feel like returning the
favor."
<
Mike, "Maybe this will pacify ATN's questions about gun
control...."
< Despite the fear he had felt moments before, the Capellan
<agent was able to make his next statement in a voice of iron.
"All the
<resources of the Maskirovka will be raised against you.
You're a dead
<man."
<
Tom, "Ooooh, scary. What next, the Outworld's
alliance, too?"
< Park picked up yet another glass and buffed it with
practiced
<ease. "I died in 3047. Everything since then has been a
gift from the
<gods that allows be to get a little payback before I rejoin
my family.
<Now get the hell out of my bar."
<
Mike, "Get the hell out of my galaxy!"
< Harris waited until twenty after the enraged Maskirovka
agent
<had left before he approached Park. "Mr. Park? My name
is Jared
<Mountenbank. I understand you're looking to hire a mercenary
unit?"
<
< Park quirked an eyebrow and nodded.
Tom, "My name is Spock, captain."
<"I was, Mr. Mountenbank,
<but I've already secured the services of a unit, as you might
have
<noticed." he said, gesturing at some of the men and
women who had come
<to his defense. Harris stared with unfeigned dejection at the
people
<his orders required him to ambush at some point. Park
continued,
<taking his mood for unhappiness at losing the contract.
"In fact, I'm
<meeting with thier CO to make final arraingments in a few
mintures.
<Speak of the devil, there he is now - hello Scott."
<
Tom, "I'd never hire a unit called the 'Humdingers'."
< Jared turned at gaped with astonishment at his brother. Both
<men spoke as one. "Oh *shit.*"
<
<TO BE CONTINUED
<
All, "Noooooooooooooooooooo!"
Crow, "Damn, why couldn't you guys have bet me for
once...."
6
5
4
3
2
1
Back on the SoL
Mike walks in, Tom is pointing a large fan towards the surface.
Mike, "Should I ask?"
Tom, "Oh hey, I saw this on T.V. They use it to train
people to go
into space. The fan keeps you suspended. Now I can do
my
parachuting! Mike, would you turn it on for me?"
Mike, "Sure Tom."
Tom climbs on top of it, somehow his goggles are on his face as
he
climbs magically gets to the top of the face. He spreads
eagle on it.
"Okay Mike."
Mike nods and flips the switch. Tom flys to the ceiling and is
pinned
there. He screams
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh"
Mike nods. "Have fun. Crow's gonna surf in the
bathtub, keep on
enjoying yourself." Mike leaves.
Tom, still pinned to the ceiling, "Uhh Mike, a little
help. Mike?
Mike!"