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Post by elizar on Sept 2, 2008 20:14:37 GMT -5
"Three women. Injured, one of them with slight mutilation. They are of Asian origin." Marisa said back, then texted: "I still have to squint to really tell the difference." She didn't voice it to avoid any confrontation with others humans.
Aron ignored the big cheese comment and had a seat. "I'm too old for stuff like this." He said low as rubbing his face with moist towel. "Julian, next time, try to phase us away from the action."
Leroy went over to a cabinet in the medical bay and looked up a folder. If they were really going to face some talking ships and helos, he needed someone not trigger happy. Though he did put effort into knowing every guard working under him, he still wanted the doctor's opinion on who is quick to fire and who is the thinking type. After a quick read, he went on to fetch those guards.
"Eavesdropping again Mairi?" Anthony said as he noticed a slight difference in behavior among the Secretarial Squad as he was heading back to the radio room.
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Post by Evangeline on Sept 2, 2008 21:09:15 GMT -5
"If the world's about to end all over again, I wouldn't mind some advance warning this time." Mairi huffed, "So I can work on getting my head far enough between my knees to kiss my arse goodbye." The other women smirked a little as they bent over their desks.
"Action always finds us, somehow." Julian wiped his forehead as he grabbed a water bottle and took a swig. "A fleet coming out of bloody nowhere is going to be an attention magnet no matter what we do."
"The big clue is "Epicanthal fold." Brett texted back to Marisa. There hadn't been all that many east Asians in the Ash Mountain complex at the time of the crossover, save for a visiting group from Japan and a few Chinese and Koreans, so Marisa's confusion could be understood.
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Post by elizar on Sept 2, 2008 21:38:16 GMT -5
Anthony leaned against the wall. "One thing really got to me with the last message." He rubbed the back of his neck. "It was fast, no errors, and precise. But it did look like it was not pre-recorded or anything, if that is possible."
"That's right. Maybe next time I can write a hundred page report on engineering parts instead of coming with you." Aron said and snatched Julian's water bottle and took a big swig of it. His radio went off, promting him to tend to Marisa. "Going back to the deck."
"Thanks. Marisa texted back. "Thanks for letting me know about this." She said over the radio to her distant relative, then stretched, feeling small pins and needles around where the bullets were still lodged in her frame.
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Post by Evangeline on Sept 2, 2008 22:04:51 GMT -5
"Yeah, whatever." Julian retrieved his bottle, shaking his head as Laurie - Miss Infuriating Congeniality - guffawed lustily.
Tom Gaspereau had made it to the heliport first, bending down to check out a possible bullet hole in Marisa's belly. Like all her class, she had a certain amount of inborn armor, but having bullets and fragments lodged in one's body were still no fun.
It was often said of Tom that he not only marched to a different drummer, but a whole different band, and a Highland one at that. For one thing, he wore a kilt of some sort. ALWAYS. Today it was olive-drab with cargo pockets and a toolbelt over it and long johns, wool socks and work boots beneath. He had probably heard enough "regimental" jokes to last a lifetime.
"OK, Marisa," Tom worked his way underneath, "I'll try to get these as quick as possible. He saw a pair of fatigue-clad legs coming up on the 'port deck. "Oh, hey Aron."
"Really?" Penelope, the oldest of the women, dipped her chin and looked up at Anthony over her bifocals, a calculated, if schoolmarmish move. "Are you ready to share the details of these tidings of wonderment with us?"
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Post by elizar on Sept 3, 2008 6:19:01 GMT -5
"Yeah. They appearently can engineer something to type in with a keyboard than to use the tapper for Morse Code. That explains the speed, and no slight pauses as it goes normally. And either they have been trading with the Colombians for too long, or the world as we know it is not quite correct." Anthony said.
"Hey Tom, I was wondering if I could help." Aron said approaching Marisa, who had locked herself in place and waiting for the bullets to be removed. Aron picked up some tweezers and found one bullet hole near the one Tom was working at. "We just sent a message to NZ, telling them of our boats and helicopters. How do you think they will react?"
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Post by Evangeline on Sept 3, 2008 11:26:36 GMT -5
"Wait 'till they get a load of Container Ship Guy." Tom never could recall the Korean's name offhand. "And thanks for the help." He gritted his teeth in concentration as he carefully extraced a bullet, then cleaned out the hole and filled it with anticorrosive wound paste to ensure healing. "HE is gonna mess with their minds just by sitting there and breathing."
"I would think cocaine has gotten considerably more dear in the past years, so we might have to consider the other possibilities." Penelope reached for a file drawer and pulled out a thick binder, listing every sighting, encounter or radio contact since the eruption. "Things have been pretty slack over the last five years, except for the trade from Australia and the raiders."
"I'd say it'd take a hell of a lot of resources to put this all together." Mairi added. "Pirates always go on the cheap."
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Post by elizar on Sept 3, 2008 11:45:47 GMT -5
"I'm just hoping the still have large enough dock to recieve him." Aron said as plucking out from his hole.
Marisa gritted a bit. While the injuries were minor, it was the anti-septic stuff that really hurt! But she kept herself in the locked position, vary of the two humans working on her.
"Or they have decided to go for broke." Anthony said. "Leroy is going to meet with them, he's going to be evaluating them before presenting this to the Prime Minister."
"Tony, we need you." The other radio operator said as coming into the office. "So stop hanging around with the gals, the coasties have visual on the ships and seem bit agitated."
"Now look at this." Aron said as he looked on the horizon. "If they are being smart, they are using the binoculars now and probably seeing what we really are." He pointed to dark specs on the horizon.
"Or it could be some pirates I missed." Marisa said and sent over a message to Brett.
"The coasties were going to escort us to the dock, they insisted on it after they got our message." Aron said.
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Post by Evangeline on Sept 3, 2008 14:54:21 GMT -5
<<< NZ has Prime Minister, I think, rather than President >>>
Brett was getting the feed from Park's radio, "Their coasties are probably wondering if they're finally losing their minds."
Lt. - Commander Benjamin Stokes, the USCG cutter, was moving up alongside Capt. Urqhart. Capt. Bree LeVasseur was perched on the heliport on his aft deck, watching the situation closely and probably debating whether or not she should fly out. A brightly painted coastie helo would be less provocative than Brett or Marisa, and she had Stokes heave to and began to spool up. Several humans would also accompany her.
<<< Sorry for dropping out. Had to prepare supper for sister and niece, and now I'm going out again. BBL >>>
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Post by elizar on Sept 3, 2008 16:09:11 GMT -5
((NZ also has the Queen. But Prime minister it is.))
The Coast Guard ships were hanging around in a distance, not knowing exactly what to make of the ships and helicopters with a face, thus keeping a safe distance and watch while making coffee. Once Bree came into view, some half-hearted cheers began to emerge, until they were full-blown applause for half a minute. Even for the face on Bree, the familiar logo was reassuring.
Finally, someone on their side.
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Post by Evangeline on Sept 3, 2008 18:09:00 GMT -5
Bree went into a lazy turn along the approaching line of locals, flashed her running lights in recognition of the applause and smiled. Riding with her were several humans in bright foul weather gear, two men and a woman, who also made themselves visible to the observers.
The USCG cutter was the next to come forward, along with one of the ANZAC frigates with flags flying. They came to within a quarter mile of the locals and sounded off a greeting on their horns. The other carsverse coasties and the other frigate remained with the container ship.
Tom got out from under Marisa and stood up. "I think what they'll do in Park's case is direct him on to a port with cranes that can handle the cargo. They probably have at least one that still works."
Mairi craned her neck to see what was going on inside the radio room, and hopefully hear more. "What kind of circus is going on out there?"
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Post by elizar on Sept 3, 2008 18:44:28 GMT -5
"It's either elaborate plan to decieve us, or hope. They are saying through the shortwave that there is a helicopter up in the air with the a coast guard vinyl." Anthony said.
"At least we are being welcomed warmly." Aron said as tackling his third bullet, and the last. "Hopefully that means that not everyone greeting us will be armed."
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Post by Evangeline on Sept 3, 2008 19:00:41 GMT -5
<<< Bree and the cutter are USCG, not New Zealand coasties. Several different nations' coasties involved - US, Australia, NZ. >>>
"After fifteen years, they're probably down to rifles, shotguns and whatever they can fix up or hammer out. I'd be surprised if they even had duct tape left." Tom filled in one last wound on the other side. "There you go, half-pint."
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Post by elizar on Sept 3, 2008 19:10:03 GMT -5
((Just saw coasties in the post Mind doing the jump to port? )) Aron finished filling in his last hole and patted Marisa. She replied by stretching, though carefully, but stayed on board. "Thanks guys." She said. Aron looked at the ships via binoculars, and what he saw seemed pretty rundown like the trawl. "I'm surprised they even have those instead of commandeering a fisher or two." He stood up and stretched, rubbing his neck. "Can't wait for solid land under my feet."
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Post by Evangeline on Sept 3, 2008 19:19:35 GMT -5
<<< Time jump is OK >>>
"No problem." Tom grinned as he repacked his tools. He turned about towards the shore and stood with arms crossed and kilt half-flying in the wind, watching the locals approach. "Can you say "deer in headlights? Hope they like the little "present" we brought them." The aforementioned pirate vessel was being towed out now, with the offenders either cuffed or in body bags.
"We haven't had anything up in the air in years." Mairi stood up and went to the window. The silent woman in the corner still hunched over her typewriter, saying nothing.
<<< So, when you want to bring Jessica in? >>>
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Post by elizar on Sept 3, 2008 19:32:46 GMT -5
((When you think she has an opening.))
Aron looked at the armed escort as Urqhart made his landing at the dock. There was still slight wait for the trawl with prisoners, and the South-Korean cargo ship. There were some armed, but not with a posture of a trained professional as some were. Aron figured that they were gawkers, looking at the strange frigate and the helicopter on it.
"Is this really how you looked at us the first time you saw us?" Marisa asked Aron.
"Pretty much. We adapted quickly because we had no other option. Lets hope that they have another reason to adapt to you quickly." He replied. Urqhart was not tied to the port, mostly because the dock workers didn't know what to expect.
"There's the guy to talk to." Aron said to Lazaro. Leroy was standing there, an obvious leader with two people near him who had obviously been trained for military to some extend more than the others.
Anthony was granted a leave from duty just so that he could see for himself. They hadn't been kidding, and the cattaurs were on the cargo ship, yet to arrive. "Christ." He muttered as he looked at Urqhart, seeing him talking to Marisa.
And the soldiers were well equipped. New rifles, Anthony saw that they were based on a rifle he remembered came from French. Also some were outfitted in what looked like new fatigues. They were well equipped, and had come to them. He looked at Leroy, hoping to God that nothing would go wrong. This was too good opportunity to ignore.
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