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Post by Sakabatou on Mar 3, 2013 21:47:24 GMT -5
"Well you don't really have a choice on this matter."
"I guess that's true..." She awkwardly half-lowered her arms. "Can I put my hands down now?" She lowered them to her sides slowly without really waiting for an answer.
"Umm... to be brief, I need to get out of the Alliance... for my safety. You were parked in a port full of Alliance vessels. And Arthur said you're a pretty nice guy... though I guess he's probably programmed to say things like that..."
She delivered this explanation fraught with nervous pauses, and then followed with an even longer pause.
"Uhhh... my name's Mistral." She began to extend her hand, then thought better of it, retracting it lamely. "If you would take me out of Alliance space, I would be eternally grateful. I'll spend the trip in your brig, if that's what you want. Although I guess you probably don't have a brig..."
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Post by Trunks on Mar 4, 2013 9:30:48 GMT -5
...I need to get out of the Alliance...
That was all the Kell needed to hear. It doesn't take much for Kell to go off on a rant about his hatred for his species government. Kell tuned back in to listen before his mind went off on a tangent.
"...And Arthur said you're a pretty nice guy... though I guess he's probably programmed to say things like that."
Kell glared at her.
"Uhhh... my name's Mistral. If you would take me out of Alliance space, I would be eternally grateful. I'll spend the trip in your brig, if that's what you want. Although I guess you probably don't have a brig..."
When she was done he let out a big sigh and rubbed his hand over his face.
"First, I've never programed Arthur to lie. Second, if he said I was nice why not just ask me for a ride?"
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Dota
Admin
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Post by Dota on Mar 4, 2013 21:07:38 GMT -5
Regal stood silent and attentive, backing up Kell. The intruder was behaving herself for the moment, thankfully.
"I need to get out of the Alliance..."
Well, that would be Kell's call. Regal would not argue for or against her company, as long as it didn't hinder his work. This was not his ship.
"Uhhh....my name's Mistral."
Her aborted gesture didn't phase Kell.
Oh well. If he's not going to exercise caution, then I might as well keep myself from looking like the bad guy.
Regal lowered his firearm.
Such a convincing display, when he was storming around the bridge. He's already decided to let her tag along, though.
Regal would have let out his own sigh, but he managed to keep himself in check.
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Post by Sakabatou on Mar 6, 2013 20:08:48 GMT -5
The other man (the passenger Arthur had told her about earlier, apparently) seemed to barely suppress a sigh. Watching him holster his weapon, Mistral did not. She sighed louder than Kell, and leaned back against the corridor wall with her eyes shut.
"First, I've never programed Arthur to lie. Second, if he said I was nice why not just ask me for a ride?"
That was a stupid question.
"That's a stupid question. I had already broken onto your ship at that point." She pushed herself back off the wall, seeming a little (emphasis on little) more confident. "I wasn't planning on you finding me. I was going to disembark as soon as you reached wherever this man," she indicated the passenger, "wanted you to take him. You just didn't give me enough time."
Mistral at least had the decency to look apologetic. "I am sorry to do this to you, and I'll feel better as soon as I can leave safely. Just lock me up until we're out of Alliance space and I promise you'll never see me again."
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Post by Trunks on Mar 6, 2013 23:30:05 GMT -5
"That's a stupid question."
This girl was getting under his skin. A second ago he was willing to put her to work. Now visions of her rocketing into space out of the airlock were dancing through his head.
"Just lock me up until we're out of Alliance space and I promise you'll never see me again."
Kell's jaw dropped.
"I am by no means going to give you what you want just because you asked. You snuck onto my ship. Who knows how much damage was done to Arthur when you decided to play doctor on him? Plus, my engines are in all likelihood shot now!"
Kell paused a minute.
"Arthur, contact the Alliance and let them know that we have a fugitive on board for pick up."
Kell had already canceled the order on his tablet, but he wanted to see how she would react.
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Post by Dota on Mar 7, 2013 22:43:04 GMT -5
Mistral's terms were simple enough. Regal was sure Kell was wrapped around her finger enough to agree to her simple terms. His explosive response came as a shock.
"Arthur, contact the Alliance and let them know that we have a fugitive on board for pick up."
If Kell was trying to gauge Mistral's reaction, he wound up with Regal's instead.
"Wait wait wait! You can't be serious! You're not exactly in any position to call upon the law...are you?"
He paused a moment as a vital piece of information sank in.
"The engines are shot!?"
Regal turned to Mistral.
"What did you do to them?! No...why?! You wanted a ride..."
The disbelief was nearly overwhelming for the Vuulaps. His eyes had become an array of colors ranging from blue to brown to green, but only one hue could be seen at any given time, depending on one's angle.
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Post by Sakabatou on Mar 8, 2013 20:28:05 GMT -5
This was not turning out at all like Mistral had planned. She wilted under Kell's tirade, wishing she could sink through the bulkhead and just float away through space.
"...how much damage was done to Arthur..."
"I... I can fix him..." She was practically whispering, eyes fixed firmly on her own feet, and Kell just kept on right over her.
"...my engines are in all likelihood shot now!"
"B-b-but you did that yourself..." The sudden pause in his explosive sermon startled her into shutting up.
"Arthur, contact the Alliance and let them know that we have a fugitive on board for pick up."
Her eyes shot back up to stare at him, wide in terror and disbelief. She had been so sure that she could make the trip undetected. Even when he found her, she was certain that her offer to be locked up would work out in the end. Now, everything was going so wrong. She wanted to beg him to reconsider, but of course Arthur was a VI. Kell had given the order, and it would have been carried out in the milliseconds it took her brain to even comprehend what he was saying.
The other passenger (whom she had momentarily forgotten about in her panic) was apparently similarly distressed with Kell's order. But then, unbelievably, he started shouting at her too. Her lower jaw started quivering as her mind raced to come up with some solution to this problem. Within seconds, it settled on the only thing to be done.
She dropped to the floor like a sack and started bawling.
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Post by Trunks on Mar 9, 2013 8:44:36 GMT -5
"Wait wait wait! You can't be serious! You're not exactly in any position to call upon the law...are you?"
Kell glared at him. He didn't know if the Vuulaps could read the look he gave him, but it definitely screamed "Stop calling my bluff". I didn't matter though. The conversation from there kind of exploded leaving Regal mad at Mistral and Mistral sobbing on the floor. That was probably the most shocking part of it all. Who does that? Kell looked to Regal, down at Mistral, and back up to Regal.
He kneeled down with her. He felt bad for her and couldn't even fathom what the Alliance had done to her. No one reacts like this.
"Hey... um... I... uhh.... how about this? If you fix Arthur... and promise to stick around and look after my engines I'll get you out of Alliance space."
Kell awkwardly put his hand on her shoulder and removed just as awkwardly as to not violate any personal space.
"I had Arthur cancel that order as soon as I gave it. Whadda ya say?"
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Post by Dota on Mar 9, 2013 20:40:02 GMT -5
Regal was so caught up in his tirade that Kell's glare hadn't even registered. But, as the girl crumpled to the ground in a distressed mess, he stopped mid-explosion, mouth still open. His pale green face flushed a darker shade in embarrassment. True, he had lost his temper, but how could she not expect these consequences? Besides, it wasn't like he was threatening to have her hauled off by the local despotic law.
"Hey... um... I... uhh.... how about this? If you fix Arthur... and promise to stick around and look after my engines I'll get you out of Alliance space. I had Arthur cancel that order as soon as I gave it. Whadda ya say?"
And just like that, Kell had managed to make himself look like the good guy. Regal snapped his mouth shut and crossed his arms, silently awaiting what would come of this offer. Hopefully the girl knew how to answer properly this time -- her last attempt at communicating her thoughts had earned Kell's wrath, even if he had been bluffing. Had he not been interested in the fate of the engines and where precisely Kell was going to keep his new pet, Regal would have simply returned to his room to let events play out freely.
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Post by Sakabatou on Mar 11, 2013 17:18:04 GMT -5
With the assurance that he hadn't actually contacted the Alliance, Mistral began to calm down. Which meant that she now had the presence of mind to be absolutely mortified by her own behavior. Her face was suffused with crimson embarrassment, so she remained on the floor with her gaze downward, unable to look either of them in the eye. She managed to at least nod in agreement to Kell's offer.
Finally, shakily, making her way to her feet, she was struggling to comprehend this entire disastrous series of events. The only thing she could settle on was that she was a colossal screwup. And that Kell completely mystified her. First he was screaming and threatening her when she offered herself to be locked up, then he was offering her a job. She forced herself to bring her eyes up enough to just barely meet his.
"You're..." *sniff* "You're a really strange person, aren't you?"
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