A Rustling, But More Than Bushes (MT/PMT)

(OOC: To all - sorry about being ambiguous. It's supposed to be a conundrum! If you feel I've gone too far (I've done it before), call me out on it.)

(OOC: You're not getting off with that easy a decision Sela )

The government U-boat replies immediately, and surfaces as it does so. It looks almost like an aircraft carrier. But it was underwater. Is that even possible?

"This is the Number One Zero of the Bismouthi navy. We're here to take out the terrorist operatives who are about to launch an attack on your port. So you can do two things. You can let them reach your port, in which case you will almost certainly be blown up, or you can let us deal with them, in which case you will almost certainly not be blown up. Our calculations indicate that we have about 3 minutes to launch the planes if we want to stop their submersible before it reaches detonation range."

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Rould returns a similarly impassive stare. "It's more than they've given you as proof," he says. It's clear that 'they' must refer to the government of Bismouth.

After a moment, he continues. It appears that an idea has just occurred to him. "We have the location of the government's data repository, but it's heavily guarded. Without some sort of support, there's no way that we can take it. And without the data, there is no more definitive proof I can offer of our innocence, other then the fact that I have willingly come here almost completely unarmed and put myself at your mercy."

Another moment.

"Of course, there are quite a few who could ... offer us assistance ... in gathering this data," he says pensively.

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The man arches his eyebrow. "You assign quite a bit of restraint to a group you claim sent suicide bombers into your country and killed many civilians without regard."

He looks intensely at the Swiss. "Still, you want the culprits. I'd suggest that you probe the government. The High Priesthood. They project a united front, but there are factions. Some of which, well..."

He stops and looks around. Maybe it's sacrilege to even insinuate something of the sort about a High Priest.

The admiral replies, "Well, yes, I was rather suspicious of them from the beginning, since it would be a waste of resources to go off chasing refugees across the Atlantic. If you wish to intercept them, you have my permission, but we will ask to take any survivors for interrogation."

She smiles and says, "We'd rather not use the vast amount of firepower at our disposal, is all. We could have come here, guns blazing, but that wouldn't really solve anything."

She rises and offers to shake hands. "Thank you for your time, Mr..."

The woman raises a brow. "We have close ties with the Rutians. We might be able to convince them to help only in data retrieval. Of course, they'd have to be convinced and I'm not about to try that. I can request for them to join us here. So, if you're willing to try and convince them to help, say the word, and we'll make the call."

One of the guards looks ready to go send a message. He's just waiting for the response.

Well, the U-carrier wastes no time. Several planes are launched very quickly.

Then, radio traffic from the other sub resumes. It seems to be sinking deeper, as if it hopes to avoid being destroyed.

"This is the Bismark, what the hell is going on out there? Why have you let them launch planes at us?"

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Since the woman didn't take the bait and offer to help herself, Rould seems to lose interest in the topic. "We're not all that interested in help from some random empire. Plus, it isn't getting the data that we need help with. It's securing the area."

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The man chooses to ignore the comment about massive firepower. "You may call me Graham. If you need to contact us again and find that they're stonewalling you, tell whoever you get that Mr. Sandman said to go erode somebody else's farm."

He also shakes the hand.

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Radio chatter that is clearly the Bismouth army picks up. Troop movements increase dramatically. They're doing something.

Especially along the border with A&A.

Radio contact; someone is trying to contact A&A.
"This is the High Priest Xenon of Bismouth. Does anyone read?"

The woman smirks slightly. "Either you don't know the Rutians or you've not got a lot of information. They have ways of getting in and out undetected around here." Likely speaking from experience. "But no, we're not going to send in troops to secure anything. Not without a good enough reason to do so."

*********************

The message is received and acknowledged. "We read you. What is your current status?" In other words, what the hell is going on?

They call in a chopper and make their way to the Bismouthi capital, where they try to get something out of them.

"We are afraid that we believe that we have reason to suspect that you are terrorists... although then again we cannot be sure of this. We admittedly do have our suspicions, but our reasons against you outweigh them. I do not want to cause the death of an innocent, but in this case I am afraid to say that it will be safer for them to continue."

"Fuck if it is," comes the response to that.

The U-boat launches multiple torpedoes, mostly at the UM ship there. Since the U-boat is basically at the port, it'd be difficult to miss.

They also launch several at the U-Carrier, and more at the port itself.

A Hovercraft over the water blocks the torpedoes aimed at the U-carrier by deploying depth charges, but nothing can be spared to stop the torpedoes from hitting any UM ships or otherwise.

Only moments too late, Strato-Fighters depth charges on top of the U-boat. The resulting explosion is so enormous that it is inconceivable that it was caused by just a few depth charges. Hopefully it was still far enough away for that explosion not to have damaged anything.

"This is the Number One Zero, sorry about hitting them too late. You held us up. You all OK over there?"

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"So threats of terrorism aren't a good enough reason for you?" Rould asks. "If that is the only way though," he concedes, "then they may be called to obtain the information we need."

Wow, that was unexpected. You'd think that if he were guilty, he'd not allow anyone not part of the conspiracy to obtain the damning info.

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"Our current status is pissed. Mostly at the damn terrorists, but also now at you. The ringleader of this insurrection has escaped quarantine, and we have intel that he is in A&A. You're holding a treasonous little bastard who engineered the deaths of hundreds, and destabilized this entire country. We want him back. Preferably in handcuffs and on a leash, but we can do with just a cage if you prefer."

So, apparently the High Priests aren't forbidden from saying 'pissed.'

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The capital seems to be empty. No one on the streets. Doors all locked, windows all covered. Pretty hard to believe that EVERYONE is gone though. Must be there.

Perhaps trying the government section of the city will yield results.

"Not too badly, some minor damage but nothing that can't be repaired. My apologies on holding you up, but for the moment we were somewhat convinced. Would you like our assistance in this matter? Or do you want us to stay uninvolved?"

They head for the government sector.

It was unexpected. The woman nods once. She glances around the room and a young man appears out of nowhere. Well, okay, he kind of ripples into view. He does have a sidearm and one hand on it.

"Exactly where is this place?" From the color changing eyes, he's Rutian. The eyes give him away. He glances toward the woman. "Might not be a bad idea to get a telepath in here as well."

The woman nods to the guard, then looks at Rould. "Would you allow a telepath in here, merely to confirm your story?"

"As to threats of terrorism? Well, we're used to it. Those mean little to us. It's entirely possible for the, forgive me, wrong side to say the right one will use terrorism only because they want to trick you into supporting them. Then you become the terrorist." He shrugs. "Rutians have a saying. 'If you engage in terrorism, be right.' I intend on being right. I'll get the information. Shouldn't be hard at all. As you saw, I'm a chameleon. Well, at least I can trick people into thinking I'm not there." He shrugs again. "As to what I find, if it backs up your story, I'll report that. If it doesn't, well, I'll report that too. The fact that you're here means that you're probably right, then again, I'm no telepath."

*********************************

(EDIT: Forgot the radio message bit. DOH!)

Whoever has picked up the line either isn't in the know, or has been given orders to deny such happenings. "We have no knowledge of such a border crossing. All we know here is that you guys have been helping to defend our borders." He sounds bored, actually. The outburst had no effect on him.

(OOC: Sorry for the jokes and general lack of serious this post. I felt that they were necessary. This may have something to do with comic strips.)

The Number One Zero responds: "If you're the type that would want to intervene, we don't want ya. Which sucks, because it turns out that all the righteous nations are necessarily non-interventionist."

Quite philosophical for some ship officer. Even for a communications officer. Or anyone in the armed forces for that matter. Which begs an obvious question, which I swear I'm not leading you to ask.

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"Uh, I'm not really sure what a telebath is," Rould says, "but it sounds unprofessional."

Considering he isn't an idiot, or a character created by He Who Must Not Be Named, the most likely cause for that comment is a combination of wit and having never heard of any nations with Future Technology or any races with telepathic abilities.

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(OOC: Rut: The radio bit )

"Well how kind of you to acknowledge our sacrifice. Now please put me on the line here with someone who knows what I'm talking about," the High Priest's voice responds. Man, that's two in a row that he seems angry. That's like...super anger coming from a High Priest.

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And it is there, in the government sector, that they find enlightenment.

I mean the missing population.

In the few streets surrounding the city square, and in the city square itself, there appears to be a food distribution center and water distribution center. There also seems to be a gathering in the town hall. It's possible to hear snatches of someone giving a speech in there, but one would have to ask or go in to find out what the context is.

And so they head there to see.

(OOC: Pass, I really don't think it makes sense for the UM to have much more of a role to play in this RP. They beef up port security a bit and do more careful inspections, that's about it really.)

The Rutian smirks a little. "Telepath. Someone who can determine the truth of your statements. I assure you, it's completely professional. The telepath won't do anything other than determine if you're telling us the truth. At that point, we won't even really need to go retrieve any data to be honest."

****************************************

On the radio: "That's likely to be impossible. Hold for a moment." The radio pops static several times and no response will be given until someone else bothers to pick up. It takes a few moments, but finally someone does. "This is General D'Arc. I've been briefed on the situation. My soldier told you correctly. We don't know of any border crossing." Hell, it's possible he's unaware. It does seem that the Rutians are involved and may be orchestrating the whole meeting and D'Arc doesn't know what's going on.

(OOC: Sela, I wish you would finish that conversation though. This way my efforts to give out conflicting pieces of information would not be hindered )

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Rould nods. "Sounds remarkably similar to voodoo to me, but I accept. It will not, however, make obtaining the information pointless. I only know that we are good, not who are the bad people, or what they are doing. If you can get into that data vault, well, many things will become much easier."

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The High Priest speaks to General D'Arc. Civilly this time.

"Good evening general. You're clearly aware of the unrest going on around here, and must be aware of our efforts to contain it within our own borders. We believe that our efforts have failed and that an important terrorist has escaped isolation. We also are reasonably sure that he crossed into Alanda & Alexia. So unless you know where he is, we request permission to lead a search party into Alanda & Alexia."

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When they enter the city's town hall, it is evident that it was meant to hold somewhere around 1,500 people. There are at least twice that inside as it is, so it's a tight squeeze. The fact that they are clearly Swiss soldiers helps clear them a path, so they are quickly within earshot of the speaker. The speaker notices them, and appears to be bringing his speech to a close as quickly as possible for their benefit.

"Now that I have given you all a basic understanding of just why our great society was so quickly and easily dismantled by a few fanatics, we must prepare our defenses. When the government, or the fanatics, attempt to retake this town, we must NOT allow them to subjugate us. I fear that the government, if we do not show an adequate amount of force, will suppress our individual rights in light of this emergency. The fanatics would do it by nature. Either way, we end up suppressed, and you all know where that leads."

There is a murmur of assent from the assemblage. The speaker steps away from the podium and the crowd begins to disperse. No one approaches the stage, but it is clear that if the Swiss would like a word, this is the man to speak to.

The Rutian nods and pulls out his datapad. He types a message in on it and, moments later, another Rutian arrives. The two speak in what sounds like really bad German for a moment and the new arrival looks toward Rould. The original one speaks again where he's understood. "Tell us again of the situation? If you don't understand why, that's fine. Just humor me."

The second Rutian is watching Rould carefully. Even though it's just a surface scan to determine truth, any strong emotions will come through loud and clear.

(OOC: What happens next on the radio chat will be determined by this particular outcome, so I'm not addressing that part at the moment.)

They go the man and ask him who he is first before saying anything.

Rould isn't the strong emotion type. He's cold and calculating. However, the Rutian telepath would confirm that what Rould says is not a lie.

"Well, the important parts of the abridged story are that for the past several years, I've run a citizen watchdog group. We believed from information we were getting that the government was going to try something very, very bad, though actual data was scarce. We finally found a datachip," Rould stops to gesture to the datachip he gave them already, "which contained blueprints of certain buildings. The only possible conclusion was demolition, considering where we ...obtained... the chip. We did not want this to happen, and so we tried to overthrow the government. The army, however, did not believe our accusations and has remained loyal to the High Priests. Now, if we can get the information from Bismouth's main databanks, we will be able to convince them that the High Priests are pure evil and have no regard for human life. They must be behind these attacks. It is the only explanation. They are also almost certainly planning more."

(OOC: Don't forget that radio conversation!)

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"I am Robert Jones," the speaker replies to the Swiss inquiry. "I have been elected Mayor of this city four or five times in a row now. When order broke down, I was the natural one to hold authority here. So, I sort of slipped into the position. How can I help you?"

The telepath glances toward the other Rutian. Something must have happened between them as the first Rutian touches his datapad. "I think we can help get the information." He glances toward the woman. "It will be safer for you. Without your direct involvement in the matter, Bismouth cannot lay blame at your feet." He looks toward Rould. "Now, if you can point out the precise location?" He sets the datapad down on the table, a map of Bismouth on it. Any touch will zoom in on that area.

**********************************

The radio conversation is put on hold rather abruptly. When it's picked back up, General D'Arc responds quite apologetically. "I'm sorry. We're having some technical difficulties. We've got our border quite secure, however, if you will give us some time to notify our troops to not shoot at you, we'll allow you across."

**************************************

And the Rutian telepath blinks twice, then looks toward the first Rutian again. "I'd suggest we leave. I've been informed that General D'Arc is going to allow a search party in. I believe they're looking for him." He indicates Rould. Looks like there's someone with D'Arc, or the Rutians are monitoring things. Why would they have been unless this particular woman has ties with them.

The first Rutian looks at the telepath, then to the woman. "K'Rina, it's your call." That might explain it right there, actually.

They tell him the story of what's happened so far and what they've found out and where they were told to go.

Rould looks at the map and purses his lips. Turns out he doesn't know the precise location by heart. He gives them an area that's about one square mile that he's positive it's within. It's pretty close to the border of A&A, and also secluded. It's probably top secret and well guarded. Probably pretty hard to miss too.

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"I will leave my technician to give you the precise time and location that our teams will cross the border," the High Priest responds coolly. "Thank you for complying. We will need to move quickly. This man could teach banana peels about slippery."

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Rould almost gasps audibly at the name. With great control though, he manages to show surprise for only an instant.

"I have escaped their nets more than once," he responds in a controlled tone. "If we move further away from your border, they will give up and not search that far."

It's odd; you'd think they'd search much harder for the worst terrorist ever, but the telepath still there would confirm the statement as true.

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Well, as you heard in his speech, the man is not working for the government. He does give them a description of how to get to the government airbase, where he says the High Priests are likely to be holed up.

Looks like there are more factions here than were obvious at first glance.

K'Rina nods to Rould. "Then we go." She turns toward the first Rutian. "We'll split company here. You worry about the information. We'll go to your Consulate."

The Rutian nods. "May Ares walk beside you." He looks to Rould. "We'll take the information gathering from here." He picks up the datapad then fades into his surroundings almost completely.

The telepath just shakes his head. "Show off." He motions for the others to follow. "Come on. I'll get you to the Consulate safely."

*****************

D'Arc responds. "Understood. I'll have people standing by to meet your search teams. While I'm allowing you to search, I'm going to have someone with your people at all times. If anyone is found, I am going to want an investigation on how they entered and what their intent was."

They thank him and move on to where the High Priests are holed up.