Igraine

The Last Kings of Orion

Dot and the nicknames - love 'em!

Hope you're playing nice with the young'uns there, Road! Catch up with you a little later, on the other side of a brain-numbing comp course *shudders*

Kuro, I couldn't begin to guess how many more posts - normally that isn't something that I personally plan out, though if other people do, sorry! o.O I just can't begin to be that organized in my thinking or predictions, I simply tend to go with what seems a "natural" conclusion to a scene before moving on. But neither Road nor Justric have had a chance to reply yet, so I imagine at least two - and then introductions that people might want to make as well, hmm? Briefings are good chances for people to at least note faces (if not names - I'm terrible with names... >.> )

The Last Kings of Orion

Oh WOW Idle, that's awful >< But yes, what Lil said about good deeds... *sheesh* that's hellish.

The Last Kings of Orion

Abby simply held up a hand where she stood, her voice low, measured and calm. She'd had forty-eight hours to digest this little slice of hell, and that still hadn't made this insanity sit any easier. Five people dead. She was still reeling, reconciling this body count with the number of people they'd saved on one of the last rescue missions on Earth, just outside The Mountain.

Five people!

Her head throbbed miserably with a mixture of pounding rage and lingering cryosickness, but the First Sergeant stood as cool and steady as she ever had. "I understand you have questions. If you'll give me a moment, and your attention, I will try to answer them all best I can." She turned to the veterinarian, to Dr. Albright whose question first caught her attention.

Technically, Abby hadn't had to do 'cop speak' in more than three years. But it was good to know, it was a skill that didn't fade too badly with disuse. "In the judgment of authorities during Second Shift, the nature of these crimes was deemed sufficient cause to open previously sealed records - to include the results of background investigations and criminal history checks."

"I can't speak to the deliberation process since I wasn't there. Nor, as I'm sure you understand, can I speak to the specifics in those files."

Abby shrugged almost imperceptibly, a small smile for the young vet. "Well, honestly I wouldn't even if I could. But in an overabundance of caution and concern for the safety of the people aboard the Copernicus, more security personnel will be working these remaining shifts to Canaan and the composition of certain crews has been changed."

Her eyes passed meaningfully over Reece and Bill, but did not linger. For all the cavalier smartassery and the surly curmudgeonry, these two were damn good at their jobs - and they'd lost just as much as anyone here. Sure, they had pasts that weren't white as driven snow. A lot of people did, but they didn't deserve this shit. Hell, there were likely several dozen others that didn't either.

"But all the shift changes and crew composition have already been determined and, to my knowledge, there are no more are on the horizon." It was the only comfort on that matter she had to give.

Her azure-eyed gaze fell on the biologist with the impeccable taste in reading material, vintage clothing and, according to Michael's glowing report, last generation videogames. Abby winced inwardly at his words, though outwardly she only nodded, acknowledging she'd be fielding his question next.

'Damn it all, Gavin... '

She understood of course: the doctor in him would want all the details that could be given. Nobel Peace Prize nominees weren't exactly known for their incurious ways and, any other time, that insatiable, clinical inquisitiveness was one of his more endearing qualities. But at this moment, their purposes were at a crossroads. Gavin wanted to know, to understand every facet of what had happened; but Abby simply wanted to keep some measure of calm. Nothing about what she had to say would give anyone peace of mind, but for now she'd settle simply for keeping order.

Abby watched without comment as a pretty young woman toward the back, who'd arrived to the briefing late - but just in time, it seemed, to catch Abby's announcement - vomited into what the First Sergeant could only pray was a waste container, and not the holographic circuitry panel she suspected it was. Her garbled question echoed Gavin's in many ways, asking for details she would not give, and yet tinged with a hope she'd get some kind of reassurance this couldn't happen again.

Her mind raced for that perfect balance: just enough details to inform, without the unnecessary specifics that would outrage, sicken or horrify. "I hope you understand Dr. Brock, that because there are still family members and close friends who remain awake, I won't be detailing specifics here. I hope it will suffice to say, that any number of protocols were bypassed on the cryobeds. The 'how' of what this sick... "

Abby's voice trailed off for only a moment, catching herself before any very real fury of her own slipped past her lips. "How the murderer did what he did, was, and is, currently being investigated and addressed, to ensure nothing of the sort can ever happen again. I'm not a cryotech, and I'm sure any explanation of mine would fail on many levels to give you a proper answer anyway. But this is a matter that is being addressed, and round-the-clock remote surveillance in all the cryopods has been implemented as well."

Though her voice was cool, poised and professional, there was an unspoken plea in her eyes. 'Let that be enough for now Gavin. Please.'

Without skipping a beat, Abby's gaze turned toward the distinguished looking man in the back. Her brow furrowed for a moment as she glanced down to the tablet screen in her hand, and then looked back up to him once more.

"Dr... Pastor Park?" she began tentatively, unsure the title he would prefer to be addressed by. "The family members who were in stasis have been returned though, as I mentioned, there are still people directly affected who remain awake. They have already been given your contact information, and there will be a private dossier waiting for you when you have settled in - along with your predecessor's reports."

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Good luck on your first day of class Road, and uh... Be nice to the kids if you can swing it

SO many fantastic posts, wow! I'll have one up here myself in just a bit. Hope you all are having a good one, even if it is a Monday ;)

Tides of Dusk: A Piratical Tale of Fantasy

"The fisherman was very agreeable, very pleasant and very wise to his friend Spider's ways, and only smiled at Anansi's suggestion. 'Then we shall certainly go fish together,' the fisherman said most amiably. 'I will make the nets, and you will get tired for me.'"

"Anansi thought for a moment," Antonia said, tapping her chin with her fingertip, her face screwed up comically as if deep in thought. "And then the Spider shook his head. Why certainly it would not do, for such a lazy creature to allow himself to be tired out! 'Now wait just a moment friend,' Anansi said craftily, 'What do you say, that I make the nets, and you get tired for me!'"

Luc giggled as Antonia pantomimed the fisherman's oh-so-reluctant roll of his eyes, his long drawn out sigh as the fisherman acquiesced to the clever Anansi's demand. "'As you will, friend Anansi, as you will,' said the fisherman as he curled up against a tree, napping as he pretended to be so tired while Anansi made the nets.'"

The rogue slid from her seat, wrapping herself about the legs of Luc's chair on the floor of the First Mate's quarters, her eyes closed tightly as she snored loudly. But in an instant, Antonia leapt to her feet right before the boy, her laughing grey eyes wide as she peered inches from Luc's wide-eyed face!

"'Wake friend fisherman, wake!'" The rogue was rewarded with a spate of bright children's laughter as she grabbed at Luc's knees, tickling him as he thrashed about, near to toppling off Mademoiselle Beauchamp's chair as he giggled and swatted at Antonia's hands. "Anansi finished the nets and, when his fisherman friend woke from his nap, off to the riverbank they went! And they caught not one, not two or three, but four lovely grand fish!"

"But the fisherman shook his head, deep in thought as he looked to their tasty fresh catch. 'Friend Anansi,' he said, 'Go on. You take these fish. I will take tomorrow's catch - why, it might be bigger!'"

"Now Anansi was positively incensed at his friend's greed! Especially when Anansi's own greedy imagination could see just how large the next day's catch would be! 'Now that doesn't sound so fair, friend fisherman! I simply must insist; tomorrow's catch will be mine and you take these four tonight.'"

Antonia hung her head low, as if she had just been bested by a far greater, far cleverer adversary as she looked up with the eyes of that beleaguered fisherman. "'As you will, friend Anansi. As you will. If you insist, I will take these fish tonight, and tomorrow's catch will be yours... ' Anansi was, as you might imagine, very pleased with himself and his cleverness."

"Yet the following day, when Anansi and the fisherman went fishing? Why, there was not a single fish to be caught, and the nets were rotting at that!"

"'Friend Anansi,' said the fisherman, obviously concerned that the Spider had gotten nothing for all his troubles in two days. 'You take these nets to the market and sell them. Surely they will fetch a goodly amount of coin to line your pocket!'"

"Anansi agreed that this was a fine idea, and tromped off to the market with the rotten nets to sell." Antonia tromped all about Luc in his chair, the heels of her hobnail boots making a fine lot of noise on the floorboards as she pretended to heft those heavy nets over her shoulder. "But all Anansi got for those troubles was a beating by the villagers, for trying to sell them rotten nets!"

"Anansi limped back to his friend, cross and fuming. 'Friend fisherman, you have not been such a good friend to me today! I have taken the beating - the least you could have done, was take the pain!'" Antonia waggled her finger mightily in Luc's face, scowling so furiously that Luc simply could not help but another stream of giggles.

"And that is when the fisherman looked up to Anansi from beneath the brim of his great straw hat." The rogue's scowl disappeared in an instant, her lovely face smoothing to a wide, and knowing, and oh-so-clever smile. "Anansi suddenly saw the fisherman's grin, and he knew he'd been bested. And being a good-natured trickster, he knew well he'd been had by one of the very best - and the Spider laughed. He had no fish, no nets, and was aching and sore from a very thorough beating at that!"

"But Anansi did have a story, and now my own dear friend, we have come to the end of it!" Antonia lightly tapped the tip of Luc's nose with the very point of her finger, her wide grin full of laughter.

The Last Kings of Orion

I've always been partial to French Vanilla sugar-free myself, but I don't judge.

The Last Kings of Orion

Honestly, I don't feel too bad about that RP dying off now. Not that I didn't love my character too, but if it hadn't fizzled? Some wonderful writers might not have been tempted to come play in outer space...

The Last Kings of Orion

Yup, sure do wonder about those folks with criminal and/or sketchy pasts... *sweet smile* And great post Lil - I'm going to give other people a bit of time to respond before I do with Abby again, see what they come up with or segue into.

And oh my gosh yes, thank you Road for that "I'm looking and I hate myself for gawking" moment! Thank heaven for Heroes' character Gavin, and the fact that Idle sent me an additional picture of "Reece," so I could soothe myself with more age appropriate grins.

The Last Kings of Orion

Abby expected the horror of all those assembled; and in a way, she almost welcomed the gasps and the fearful whispers. These were, after all, the reactions of normal people in the face of genuine evil - and God knew she'd seen her seen her fill of the vile and the wicked in her deployments during the Sino-Korean War. But however strange it might seem, the horrified reactions of so many people in the Auditorium, the regular decency of everyday people like Connor, gave her a measure of comfort.

She wasn't here to be comforted though. She was here to be the face of calm surety, reassurance in a world where they were all brutally reminded, malevolence and death were not found just in the insatiable maw of the alien. Abby waited patiently for a few moments, until the disturbed buzz of the assembly could die down some, but before anyone could yet work themselves up to shouting or – God forbid – hysterics. But most of the men and women on these shifts, held vital positions of responsibility. She would have been genuinely disappointed if any of them really did melt like rock candy in the rain.

"That’s a good question Connor. Honestly, probably the best and only one. And if I could tell you that? We likely wouldn’t be having this conversation. And honestly, to the why… “ Abby opened her arms wide and, though she could only shrug slightly, shaking her head helplessly, she still answered him sincerely – even if her answer was wholly inadequate.

“We both know there isn’t a single explanation I could give that would suffice.” Despite the endless throbbing ache in her head, right behind her eyes, Abby would have given most anything to hop off the stage there and then, to wrap Connor a big, reassuring hug. The betrayal and alarm in his eyes matched what she imagined she’d have found in Michael’s own if he were here right now, hearing something like this.

But Michael was “asleep,” and Connor was a grown man, and there wasn’t a single thing she really could do for him, but treat him like one.

Her eyes swept the auditorium, and eventually worked their way to the men and women of her security forces, and SRT Bravo, seated as most soldiers are wont – attentively and together, and toward the front of the assembly. They’d all been woken and debriefed some 48 hours ago on the situation – though none were yet privy to the suspicions and concerns the outgoing commander had shared with her. With all her heart Abby hoped Lee's confidences would stay just that - suspicions and concerns that, while worthwhile to consider theoretically, remained in the abstract and the speculative.

The Last Kings of Orion

Of course it's all right Kuro - great post! But I'll be honest and say I probably won't answer til tomorrow? XD