NationStates Jolt Archive

Michelle sat back, the whole maze thing was perplexing to her. Why in the hell do I have to sit through this. Obviously my dad is getting a kick out of it, but did he have to drag me along? I could be off in the Vineyard with my friend, but...I guess this is moderately exciting. After all, that Jaime guy is pretty cute.

"No, it's not that. Besides, a lot of this was my idea. Chris has been too secretive of late, truly. He hasn';t been revealing anything to the international community in fear of them using it against him. I basically bullied him into letting me run this tour."

OOC: Ruhr? Um, Jaime's 36...

"No, it's not that. Besides, a lot of this was my idea. Chris has been too secretive of late, truly. He hasn';t been revealing anything to the international community in fear of them using it against him. I basically bullied him into letting me run this tour."

OOC: Ruhr? Um, Jaime's 36...


OOC: Michelle likes older men.

Her eyes narrowed, and she pulled back from him abruptly.

"You find ... amusement in this, boy?" she whispered very softly.

Jaime looked deep into her eyes and said one word. "No."

OOC: Ruhr, you're scaring me...

Haraki, it is 10:41, I had four hours of sleep last night, and I don't feel too good. GIVE ME A BREAK!


And Michelle is hotttttt.....better jump all over that like a cheap suit. :roll:


LOL, I am bored. Back to RPing.

She looks back at him, brow furrowed and her eyes searching his.

"Then why didn't you warn me? I've been in a panic since seeing the underground facilities. I know you didn't know about the attack, but that about sent me right over the edge. If I hadn't promised myself not to overreact recently ... this would have all ended very badly."

"I ..." He goes to make an excuse, but insted looks down. "I'm sorry. I should have warned you. However, all I can tell you about the things you're about to see next is ... If the underground base scared you, this will. The contract I signed says I can't go into detail about this subject, but ... Prepare yourself."

She nods slowly, understanding his predicament.

"This is one of the things I warned you about all that time ago, remember?" she says softly. "I'm sorry I've put you in this position."

And I'm sorry as well that I sometimes consider taking advantage of it.

He nods, but smiles. "Hey, I've never regretted that decision. Ever."

He reaches his hand across, softly taking hers.

She grasps his hand and gives it a squeeze, oddly quiet as she ponders.

I don't regret ... not really. I just wish things were ... different? What? She still wasn't certain.

Raui picks up pieces of conversations his ears more focused than his eyes. Much intrigue being played out here. This, I'm beginning to fear, is turning out to be a little more than I bargined for. Perhaps I should have sent Francis. But if this turns ugly, he'd be dead in a second. Even in the military he prefered paper pushing. I must keep my wits about me.

OOC: Ruhr how old is your daughter?

Nathi turned her attention back to her surroundings, her brow still furrowed in thought.

Catching Raui's eye, she blinks, smoothing her features quickly, and nodding with a smile. No need to inadvertently offend, especially when she'd like to open up an amicable trade agreement.

Raui smiles at Nathicana as she looks at him. He sees the restraint in her eyes but can't tell what she is restraining. Not that he blames her either after all that has happened.

OOC: Michelle is 18...this would be my first time ever using her in a RP other than just refering to her. I plan on using my friend's characteristics and put them into action, maybe a little tweeked, for this girl.

Hehe...this will be an interesting RP...

-Ruhr-

Jaime looks at Raui, nods his head to the side as if to say a friendly greeting, and looks back down to the maze, where there are only three people left: Eriksen, one operator, and one sniper.

OOC: Nathi, TG.

ooc: got it, replied
ic:

"Who's your money on?" she asked, trying to keep her mind off her nervousness.

"Eriksen. No matter when, he's always been the best Shadow Team operative."

Victor leaned back, he took a quick glimpse of the rest of the room. Eveyone sitting down on a chair at a bar-stool type counter, overlooking this maze with three men left in it. It was quite an awkward moment. Victor heard things about how strange the MEEF program was...what kind of name is that anyways? Meeeeeeeef.......

She nodded, casting a quick glance over at Victor, then watched to see the completion of the exercise.

Need to get inside where I don't feel so damned ... out in the open. She shrugged inadvertantly, still feeling that itch between her shoulderblades.

Raui shoots a few quick glances at Victor's daughter trying to guess her age. She looks young but HOW young is the big question. He dismisses the thoughts as the exercise shows signs of coming to a close and his mind once again turns to politics, safety and home.

Michelle looked over at Jaime, she wanted his attention for even a second...damnit you grunt! Look over here! Michelle started to stretch her back around her chair.

Victor looked over at his daughter, "Your back ok, Michelle?"

"Yeah, Dad, it is fine."

"Ok." Her father continued on with his mindless observation of the events. Michelle stared over the edge a minute. There! I caught ONE of the player's attention! She laughed to herself, and Victor gave her a look saying: I know it is funny, but be quiet about it.

Jaime looked down, watching the remaining operator tap the sniper, sending him out of the maze triumphantly, only to have Eriksen silently leap in behind him, tapping him slowly and shrugging apologetically.

"And that's all the targets," the tinny loudspeaker's voice announced. "Captain Eriksen has finished the excercise."

Eriksen made his way out of the maze onto the rapidly darkening ground, as Chris and James led the group of people down from the observation platform.

ooc: Ruhr - your girl hitting on Jaime or James? *chuckles* Hoo boy!
ic:

Nathi rises, keeping close to Jaime as they make their way down off the platform, giving Eriksen a nod of approval when she manages to catch his eye.

"You were right." she says to Jaime softly as the group gathers around Chris.

He nods. "Eriksen, good job. You were always the best of us."

Eriksen laughs. "Only the best apart from you. You always beat me in everything."

Jaime shrugs. "Well ... I suppose that's true."

"Modest son of a bitch, ain't you?"

Eriksen caught Victor's eyes. "Hey, good job!"

"Thanks, and you are?"

"Victor Firestorm, of Ruhr."

"Oh yeah!!!!"

"And this is my daughter, Michelle."

"Nice to meet you Michelle"

"The pleasure is all mine, Captain." Michelle looked around, she saw another delegate standing quietly alone, she tried to read his ID badge: Raui....

Slightly surprised at Jaime's modesty, Raui keeps a keen eye open to as much as he can see. He continues to shoot glances at Victor's daughter. He silently clenches and unclenches his fist to relax his nerves waiting to see what would come next.

"Ah Michelle, Victor, you flatter me. Pleasure's all mine, don't worry."

Hmm ... Michelle, eh? Alwasy liked that name ...

Oh hell, boy ... don't go there. Nathi managed not to chuckle as she watched Victor's daugher look over the men like a buffet table, and more than one of them, Raui included, responding.

Man's got his hands full there, I tell you. I don't envy him.

Eriksen looked around, and at the midnight blue sky. "Well, I'll show you to your rooms. However,"

He dropped his voice. "If you wish, there is another training op in the middle of the night. Only those who want to come see it should come."

OOC:

Hehe, my first time RPing a girl and it is working well...now I have Eriksen AND Raui after Michelle....and in the NATO vs. NK thread, I have Commander Lauren (I forgot her last name) taking command of a 686 Class SSN in an attack against a port. Hehehe...I like this.



IC: Victor looked at his daughter, who was constantly scanning the room from Captain Eriksen, Jaime, Lady Nathicana, and Raui...She is either nervous or really into this. Victor looked back at Eriksen. "Are you high up in command? Or are you sectional man? As in: Do you lead a division or do you just take orders and bring them down the chain of command?'

OOC: Raui is 6' tall blonde hair, blue-eyed(normally), in good shape and wearing a deep blue tunic, matching pants and a sash the knots on the left side about the same level as his hand.

Eriksen looked to Victor. "I generally lead field teams. I'm a division leader, yes."

Raui did not like the sound of a night excursion. He had had enough with things that made him nervous. "I would like to be shown my room, please. It has been a long day and I need to see to affairs back home."
I really need to see how Francis is holding up. This is the first time he has been in charge since becoming Prime Secretary.

"All right. Follow Jack here, he'll show you to your room."

An operative runs up, nodding his head to Raui.

Victor leaned over, "What are these poor socialist bastards paying you? I know that the Silver Marines is looking for some good leaders."

"Hahaha, I cannot do that."

"Ok, I was joking anyways."

"So what else do you guys have planned?"

"Well...(HARAKI FILL IN HERE, PLEASE!)..."

"Well ... If you'd care to watch the excercise tonight ..."

She gripped Jaime's hand tightly, giving him a slight shake of her head at the mention of a night excursion.

I'll be damned if I'm going to die out here, in the dark, in the middle of Haraki with a bullet to the back of my skull.

"Turning in would be ... pleasant after such a long day." she said, forcing herself to be calm and pleasant. "However intriguing the night exercise is, I'm afraid I just wouldn't be quite up to the task."

She gripped Jaime's hand tightly, giving him a slight shake of her head at the mention of a night excursion.

I'll be damned if I'm going to die out here, in the dark, in the middle of Haraki with a bullet to the back of my skull.

"Turning in would be ... pleasant after such a long day." she said, forcing herself to be calm and pleasant. "However intriguing the night exercise is, I'm afraid I just wouldn't be quite up to the task."


OOC: Paranoid, eh?


IC: "I will go, I think Michelle would sleep or watch Friends all night, you know teenagers. Say...how are we going to get to the location? You wouldn't happen to have a Blackhawk Helicopter around here somewhere?"

Eriksen nods. "Jaime, I assume you remember the layout of this place?"

Jaime smiles and nods.

Eriksen looks at him. "Guest Room 3 for you and Nathi."

He turns to Victor. "Naw, you'll see if you attend."

OOC: I'll be back in a few hours. My family and I are going to a movie.

Raui follows Jack to his room, thanks him and closes the door.
"Finally some time alone." He pulls out his phone and checks in with Francis. Everything is fine so he hangs up and pulls from the inside lining of his sash 40 marble sized metal balls. He places them in a cube shape around the room and takes a cord plugging it into the spare clip for his gun. A grid of electricity shoots through the balls, each one connected to others with a silent spark of electricity.
Raui undressed and pulled on his cotton pajama pants and laid down in the bed. Wow! These are soft. He drifts off to the kind of sleep a President of a nation in a foreign country who has just been shown how deadly they can be would have. His ears twitched at any sound but knowing that his grid would render even an elephant completely incapacitated for 6 hours allowed sleep to dive a little deeper tonight.

ooc: I'm out for today and tomorrow(State Holiday yeah!). I'll be back on Friday.

"I will attend, I have a question refering to security though."

"What's that?"

"Where's the food and drink?"

"Ummm..."

"Do I have to drive out and get it myself?"

"Well, we have it in the cafeterria."

"Do you guys have a helicopter here?"

"Yes."

"Which way is the nearest city with a NationStates Cafe? I want to go get a meal, since Nathicana and I are the owners."

"Oh?"

"Yes..."

"Well, that information is confidential."

"Where the city is or where the helicopter is."

"Both."

"How good of food do you have in the cafeteria?"

Nathicana walks with Jaime to wherever their rooms are, still quiet and contemplative, her eyes darting this way and that as she observes, and continues to keep a vigilant watch out for trouble.

"You um ... you don't have to stay if you don't want to ... but I'd like it if you would." she admitted as they reached the room.

"Dad, I am going back to the room."

"Ok, Mich. You know where it is right?"

"Not really, Dad. Maybe I can have one of the guards escort me?"

"Ummm....maybe."

Eriksen turns. "I'm not needed out here for a while. I already know the whole briefing for the op off by heart. I could take you to your room if you want, Michelle."

Always loved that name...

---

Jaime nodded, closing the door behind them. "Why wouldn't I stay?"

"Well, I ... wouldn't want to keep you away from the fun." she says, walking over to the bed and collapsing back onto it with a sigh of relief.

He takes a grateful seat beside her. "Naw, I'm too tired. Exhausting day."

"Captain, I think I will take your offer. Which way, Captian." Damnnnnnn, he is good looking without that camo mask on.

Eriksen smiled, slinging his M4 Carbine onto his back. "Just follow me ... Michelle."

NOTE: He's wearing all-black body armour, as is the custom with Shadow Team. He's also 5'11" and extremely handsome.

Eriksen smiled, slinging his M4 Carbine onto his back. "Just follow me ... Michelle."

NOTE: He's wearing all-black body armour, as is the custom with Shadow Team. He's also 5'11" and extremely handsome.

Michelle: 5'5''-Long Brunette hair, blue eyes, tan skin...really hot..well...what else do you expect on Nationstates. Yes, she is wearing a black shirt, fairly tight, and its long sleeves, and she has white pants on.

Eriksen nodded to his team and the snipers. "Go on without me. I'll catch you up."

They nod, turning and leaving, almost invisible in the black light of the night. Eriksen turned, beckoning Michelle to follow him and strted to lead her inside the barracks building.

Michelle sped up a little bit and walked next to him. "Soo, whats up?"

"Not much, you enjoying your stay?"

"Yes, thank you! What do you do for fun around here?"

"Not much, really?"

"Do you have any female employees here?"

"Yeah, we've got a bunch of women here. A lot do smaller jobs, but we've got a lot in thw actual team. Some of our best snipers are women. For example, best sniper in Haraki, Jade Shadiss, Shadow Team graduate. Now she can hit a running man in the knee at five thousand yards. Not to mention ..."

He stops talking. "Sorry, I'm blithering..."

...because of you...

"I think we both have." she said, reaching over to trail her fingertips down his back.

"Now I'm in a fix ... I'd like to rake Chris over the coals for this whole thing, ESPECIALLY for what he put you through. But all things considered ... " she let the thought end there.

"...yeah." he finsihed lamely. He couldn't help his back tingling and shivering at her gentle touch.

"And I've still a bone to pick with you too, boy ... "

Her words didn't have the seriousness behind it though, as she continued tracing idle patterns with her fingertips.

"Which one?" he said in an attempt at humour.

"Its ok, Jade? Is she around?"

"No."

"Oh, ok...I didn't want to meet her too much anyways, I mean I respect her and all...but...Its just not my type of thing...the whole Army spec-ops...never got into it. My dad is a nut when it comes to it...but thats my dad..."

"I see...do you go to college?"

"I graduated this year, I was a smart kid...now I go partying and on diplomatic missions.

"Not having told me at least to expect the unexpected, whether you could say what it was or not."

Her tone turned serious for a moment. "As for Chris ..." She stops, looking around carefully. Without another word, she gets up, and starts a systematic search of the room, checking for bugs, cameras, anything of the like, using all her intel training to be thorough.

"Yeah. I went to college, got myself a degree from Haraki's Law College. I used that stuff to get police powers for all of Shadow Team and the Marines. Means we're allowed to arrest people if we need."

"But seriously, how's the diplomatic life? I never got much of that. The extent of the diplomacy I know is 'Don't shoot someone and they won't shoot you ... usually.'"

---

Jaime rises slowly. "I'm truly sorry about that."

He immediately moves to the window, cracking open the windowsill and removing a very small listening device, without breaking the connection. "That's one. They've changed the setup since I was last here."

"Umm...it is ok. I need to understand how to read a person a little bit better when you first meet them, so I can know how to respond to their actions. But...It is cool. Like you are doing now, you show up, you demonstrate, you tkae questions, you have small talk. It is fun every once in a while, when I am out of country, I get to drink..heh"

I want a little bit more than small talk from you though.

He chuckles. "I'm legally allowed to drink here, so ... Yeah, that doesn't really effect me. In fact, at 22, I'm the youngest Shadow Team Captain ever. I got the smallest degree in law you can get, lasting me from age 17-19. I skipped a grade in high school and I've got a bloody late birthday. Then I entered the military, joined the marines, the MEEF ... And, the rest is history."

"Sounds interesting."

"Yeah, it is."

"I guess you have a good time trying to get time off?"

"Yeah..."

"What do you do in your free time?"

"Me? I don't get much free time. The time that's not spent training and sleeping is sometimes on duty, as in actually on missions, and more often than not I spend what little free time I get off with my crew getting drunk as hell."

"Me? I don't get much free time. The time that's not spent training and sleeping is sometimes on duty, as in actually on missions, and more often than not I spend what little free time I get off with my crew getting drunk as hell."

"Oh, I see...I brought a few drinks with me...my Dad doesn't know though. I keep that stuff from him. He thinks I am his little angel."

"I see...."

"Yeah, you wanna come and see if you like anything I have?"

"Sure. What've you got?"

Eriksen opened up the door to her room. She walked in and unzipped the front pocket of her bag. She pulled out a flask with a ruby star on the side. She handed it to the Captain. "What's in this?"

"Just whiskey."

"Oh really? Mind if I---"

"Go ahead, I have some better stuff though."

He unscrewed the top and took a hit.

"Like this," she siad, pulling out an unopened bottle of 1997 Chimney Rock Red Wine, and two glasses. "I never drink alone."

His eyes swivel towards the wine as he sets down the whiskey. "Hmm ... Always liked wine, despite almost never having access to it."

Only have one glass ... Don't get drunk before an op.

"This is the best stuff without having to break into my Uncle Jack's cabinet."

"Who?"

"Jack Fady, the Minister of Defence."

"Ohhh, he likes alcohol?"

"Yep, and so does Nick Triton, the Minister of Foriegn Affairs."

"You all like to drink."

"Yep! But I am not supposed to...shhh.." She poured the glasses, I hope he likes this one.

He chuckled. "Understandable."

Then he tried the wine, smiling. "Mmm, good. You have fine tastes in alcohol."

"Only the best for me..." She laughed lightly, he smiled. "Yeah, 1997 was a good year for alcohol..and this is well fermented by now...when you are done with your operation, I will have waken from my nap and be ready to do a little exploring of the compound. If you wanna come back and hang out for a bit, you are welcome to. Take the offer...

"Hmm..." He seemed to think for a short moment. "Yes, I think I'd like that."

Nathi arches a brow.

"I thought they said they ..." She chuckles. "So ... going to tell me why you did that?"

"I don't like being listened in on," he told her, looking around.

"Ok, Mr. MEEF man..."

"Ok, what?"

"When do you need to go?"

She nods, not wishing to press the point. In this case at least, he'd agreed with her, and that was enough. Nathi walks over to him and lays a gentle hand on his arm, looking up at him with concern.

"So ... about earlier. You feel up to telling me what you meant about not feeling pain, and other things as well? The first part I understand - we've talked. But the last ... what things did you mean?"

"There are times ... When I can feel nothing."

He put his hand up, gently moving it along the canvas of a curtain hanging over the window. "I can't feel this curtain. I never have been able to. I don't know. It could feel like stone, or like grass. I couldn't tell you."

---

Eriksen looks at Michelle. "Pretty soon. And I'm Shadow Team, not MEEF."

"Soooorryy...mr. meef man." Feeling the effects of alcohol, She scooted her chair a little bit closer to him. "Sooo, how long will your mission take?"

He chuckles. "I heard that," he says playfully. "Shouldn't take too long. Pre-op will probably be five-to-ten, and then the op itself should rake under seven. Strike will probably be about another five, so say twenty minutes."

"Nothing?" she says quietly. "Not even ... " she leaves the question hanging, wondering what all this means for them.

"Hmmm...Well then...take a shower and come back about 20 minutes after that...then we can hang out here for a bit."

"No, most times I can feel everything. But sometimes ..." He shakes his head sadly.

---

Eriksen nods. "Right, I'll do that."

"Don't worry about it for now," she said, leading him by the hand over towards the bed.

"It's been a long, tiring day." She begins taking off his shirt. "And we've at least got some time." Walking around behind him, she reaches up to rub his shoulders, leaning in against him.

"Right..." Michelle moved her foot and brushed it against his leg accidently. He took notice. She got up and went to the bag, where she bent over and took out two pennies, trying to send him a signal...

"What are you doing?"

"Pennies take away the alcohol from your breath..."

"Oh really? Have one for me?"

"Why wouldn't I get you one?"

"Well..."

She took the penny out of her pocket and placed it in his outstreched palm, which she slid her hand across his.


OOC: Haraki, I am going to go...I have class tommorow. I think, this is one of the only peaceful RPs I enjoyed like this since this one... (http://www.nationstates.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=601145)

Eriksen took the penny, placing it in his mouth, where he would breathe through it, nodding his thanks. He rose. "I'd better get going. Op training and all."

He rose, waving to her and stepping out through the door.

---

Jaime gently rested his head backwards on her shoulder, realizing he finally had time to relax, something he hadn't had in a very long time. He nods. "Mm-Hmm."

She walks around in front of him, a familiar mischievous smile on her face, and quietly lets her clothes drop to the floor, article by article. Stepping in close again, she wraps her arms around him and reaches up to kiss him deeply. After that, she doesn't say a word, letting her actions speak for her.

---fade to black on my part til later *grin* ---

OOC: And fade to black on that part.

IC:

Eriksen headed back down towards the training center, not feeling at all affected by the drinks. He met up with his team and the observers. "Briefing over?"

"Yep. Standard op. Double sides. 15 on 10, attackers to defenders."

Eriksen nods. "You got it."

The ten defenders were already gone.

"Standard op, under seven minutes. Under five is best. Eight-minute stun bullet rounds."

The team he would be leading loaded their guns according to these specifications. "Locked and loaded."

"And ... Set-up finished," Eriksen said, checking his watch. "KLet's move."

Te fifteen men split up, two following Eriksen, most of the rest splitting into equally small groups or solo. The two snipers with Eriksen went solo. Approaching all-but invisibly, Eriksen and his men suddenly stopped when EEriksen motioned them to. They silently crouched down behind a large rock. Eriksen had noticed a defending sniper. The man had missed the tiniest spot on his rifle to cover with black grease. A possibly-fatal mistake.

The moonlight had glinted off the rifle into Eriksen'd eyes. He spoke very quietly. "Eagle-eye 1, Sierra 1. Check grid Delta-6."

It was replied to with an equally-quiet, "Eagle-eye 1 is inbound."

Within moments Eagle-eye 1, one of Eriksen's two snipers, was in view of him, but only because he knew what to look for. He lay down calmly, taking aim.

"Check in," Eriksen murmured. "Sierra 1."

He heard a quiet chorus of Sierras until Sierra 5 didn't check in. Neither did Sierra 7. The other 11 Sierras did, and so did both Eagle-eyes. Sierra 12 reported an enemy down from a triple-tap to the head from his silenced, suppressed M4.

Eagle-eye 1, after a long time of aiming, surprised the opposing sniper hadn't noticed him, squeezed his finger on the trigger. No noise was made, almost no muzzle-flare seen, but the enemy sniper collapsed.

Eagle-eye 1 reported. "Bandit sniper down. Sierra-1, move up."

Within moments, Eriksen and his two men were moving up. Eagle-eye 1 fired once more, behind them, taking down a bandit moving down to trap them behind. Eriksen nailed his partner in front.

"Six left..."

"Check-in," Eriksen murmured. Four minutes had passed.

Sierras 4,5,7,10, and 13 were down, and so was Eagle-eye 2, but they had nailed another bandit operator. Eriksen was calmly stepping down the rocky plains when suddenly he saw a burst of silenced, unsuppressed muzzle flare and Sierra 3, behind him, went down. Eriksen dove backwards, landing behind a rock, as Sierra 2 went down to a cross-fire.

"Eagle-eye 1, NVGs. Check."

As Eale-eye 1 wung NVGs in front of his face, Eriksen did the same, barely popping his head out. Up about twenty feet on rocks were an enemy operator and an enemy sniper. "I got the op," Eriksen murmured.

"Copy, Sierra 1."

The bandits couldn't see where the people they were ambushing were, and in three quick, easy seconds both were down, leaving one operator and one sniper, just as Sierra 12 announced he;d gotten a sniper.

At six minutes in, Sierra 6 claimed the last operator as his own.

By the end of the excercise, Eriksen had lost Sierras 2,3,4,5,7,9,10 and 13, plus Eagle-eye 2. But all enemies were down as they made their way back, closely followed by their vanquished opponents.

[ooc: Sorry, been busy. Quickie summary of the past...5 pages? Thanks a bunch.]

ooc: Quickie summary- Been observing various excercises and facilities. Jaime was shown to be lethal as hell, their Shadow team highly impressive, Nath is walking on eggshells, Victor has shown up (Ruhr), his daughter is hitting on the men, Raui is nervous yet intrigued as well, SW is threatening action on account of their missing general, and some of us have hit bed for the night.

ooc: Quickie summary- Been observing various excercises and facilities. Jaime was shown to be lethal as hell, their Shadow team highly impressive, Nath is walking on eggshells, Victor has shown up (Ruhr), his daughter is hitting on the men, Raui is nervous yet intrigued as well, SW is threatening action on account of their missing general, and some of us have hit bed for the night.

Yep...that is it. Also...some useful info:

Victor=Chancellor of Ruhr; friend of Chris Derek; Close ally with Haraki

Michelle= Victor's Daughter; didn't want to come, but now found a reason to stay.





IC: Michelle went to the showers, eww...I can't believe these spec-ops actually use THESE to clean themselves...yuck. She walked back to her Dad's bedroom, he ought to have a decent shower...she thought. Her dad's room was dark, with wood trim. It was really dark outside, nights here in Haraki really are eery.

Michelle found a decent stall, and took a quick shower. She walked back to her room and changed into something more suitable for the night. After turning on the TV, Michelle tried to find "Friends", her favorite show...DAMNIT, HARAKI! NO FRIENDS=NOT HAPPY GUEST! She flipped one more channel, and found it. Ahhh....now I can relax until the Captain gets back.

Bumpity...where is everybody?

I know that as soon as I go to do some work, everyone is going to start posting...thats my luck.

Ok, I waited around an hour..no one posted. Now I have to do my Final Exam Essay for Theology 2...

I will post sporadically during breaks. See you all randomly.

-Ruhr-

OOC: Back.

IC:

Eriksen climbed out of his shower, having washed the black grease off of his face and changed out of his combat gear, into comfortable clothes. Leaving his larger guns and only strapping his customary Glock 17 to the small of his back, he toweled off his face (his hair was dripping on it), spiked his hair a bit, and headed towards Michelle's room.

ooc: here sporadically - will let you pick up our end when you feel like it. :)

ooc: here sporadically - will let you pick up our end when you feel like it. :)

LOL...Ok....I will make sure to do so.


Michelle was sitting in her chair reading People Magazine's Special Issue: With the insider on the Sirithil Was a Man report.

LOL, I had to throw that in there. OK, until I finish these 5 pages...I am out...maybe once or twice here and there....but I gotta plug it.

-Ruhr-

Eriksen knocks on Michelle's door. "Michelle?"

"Come in," he heard.

He opened the door and stepped in.

Michelle looked at Eriksen, "Good, morning!"

"Is it THAT late?"

"One AM..."

"Yeah...Wow."

"How was your exercise? Did my Spec-Ops-Nut Dad go?"

"I expect he was watching. The mission went as expected. About equal losses on each side, and I ended up winning, with multiple tags and a perfect survival record."

"I expect he was watching. The mission went as expected. About equal losses on each side, and I ended up winning, with multiple tags and a perfect survival record."

"Oooh....not to be modest, right?"

"Yeah, I guess." They shared a laugh.

"Now that you are off duty, what do you say to another drink?"

Is she trying to make me drunk?

"Sure. But I've got to ask..."

He continued playfully. "Are you trying to make me drunk?" he chuckled.

"Sure. But I've got to ask..."

He continued playfully. "Are you trying to make me drunk?" he chuckled.


"It depends, are you willing to get drunk?"

"Possibly..."

"Well then I might just try."

"Allright..."

"Whatcha want, I will have to go into my other bag, because I keep the good stuff in there."

"Hmm ... Depends what you have. I'll drink pretty much anything except rum and Irish Cream."

"Hmm ... Depends what you have. I'll drink pretty much anything except rum and Irish Cream."


"Aaww..that is a shame. I have Crown Royal, but I think it is time for wine...too late at night for anything else..."

"Allright, I will go with wine."

"White, Red, or pink?"

"How about Red?"

"Well, I have this one bottle, its a Chilean wine...back when the Great Plain Alliance annexed South America, we took this from a vineyard. It is called Sena. Some of the best stuff I have tasted."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah." With this, she took two glasses and poured equally generous amounts in each.

He chuckled. "Ooh, I like this ..." he said, sniffing it.

"On the market, this bottle is worth $65 US retail."

"You know a lot about this drinking stuff, don't ya?"

"I only have to be a good girl on camera."

He chuckled. "Very good answer."

He started drinking the wine slowly, to savour the taste.

He chuckled. "Very good answer."

He started drinking the wine slowly, to savour the taste.

She swirled her glass, and checked the legs (The running alcohol down the side of the glass)..."excellent." She took a light sip, tasting the perfect mix of aroma, alcohol, and sediment. "What do you think?"

"It's real good."

"I am glad you like it. If you ever want any, just call me in Nuremburg...I can bring it over to you."

He smiled. "You know ... I think I'd like that."

OOC: Sorry! I was downstairs partying.

He smiled. "You know ... I think I'd like that."

OOC: Sorry! I was downstairs partying.

Probably helping yourself to some real alcohol...weren't you? LOL...

Shut up!

Shut up!

ITS TRUE!
LOL


I am out for a while, I gotta really concentrate.

Raui slept peacefully except for the one time when they turned on the listening device on the window and it was close enough to a connection in the grid that a bolt of electricity sparked from the grid and shorted it out. That woke up Raui and he was crouched behind his bed with his gun drawn. Seeing the sparking, fizzling device he sighed, replaced his gun and got back in bed.
Not wired. Ha! Of course, I would have been disappointed if they didn't have something. They are not a completely trusting nation, but then who is?

He let that thought be his last until the light peaked through the window and it was morning.

Just one quest.:

Are there going to be future wars, future peaces, and future worlds for me to join you in?

Just one quest.:

Are there going to be future wars, future peaces, and future worlds for me to join you in?

Probably.

Death Certificate:

Time of Thread Death: 11:02 PM EST July 25th 2003
Cause of Death: Lack of Participation for last 24 hours
Organ Donar: No

It would help if you would RP... Answer if you will or not, so I can skip/not skip to morning.

It would help if you would RP... Answer if you will or not, so I can skip/not skip to morning.

Oh, yeah. Where did we leave off?

IC: Michelle finished her glass, Eriksen had already had two glasses. "Sooo..."

"Soo..." Eriksen said as he poured her a second glass of Sena.

"Stuff is good, huh?"

"Yeah...I like it."

"Oh, really?"

He nods. "Why wouldn't I?"

He nods. "Why wouldn't I?"

"Anyways, what have you got planned tommorow? Do you have any time off soon?"

"Me? Same ol' stuff tomorrow. Although I have got a week of racked up vacation time that I never used."

(just for the sake of posting something that won't throw things off, since this is indeed apparently alive and kicking, albeit weakly)

Nathi murmured something in her native tongue in her sleep, shifting uncomfortably. Reaching out, she laid her arm across Jaime's chest, then snuggled in close, murmuring something else. Soon her breathing smoothed, and she slept quietly.

"Me? Same ol' stuff tomorrow. Although I have got a week of racked up vacation time that I never used."

"Just a week?"

"Yep, why?"

"Just wondering..."

What are you getting at, Michelle? "What is there to do in Ruhr?"

"A lot...we have a desert which my Dad loves to visit, we have a bunch of private islands, a bunch of nice beaches with crystal clear water, we have skiing in our American territories, and we have jungles and other forests all around."

"So basically, you have a bunch of different climates."

"Yeah, I like Nevada City, they have a great beach, and greatttt nightlife."

"Hmm ... What kind of nightlife? Goodness knows I've seen enough of it on missions."

"Tons of Clubs...here, I have a picture in my wallet."

"Whhhhy??" Eriksen said jokingly.

"Well, when I get bored on a trip or plane or something, I look at my favorite places." She pulled out the photo.

http://travel.u.nu/pics/us/miami/2088.jpg

"Ahhh, thats nice."

"Yeah, there is a WHOLE strip of clubs there, a lot of them are very fun."

"I have not been clubbing in a long time."

"Oh, really? Perhaps you can get away for a lil' bit..."

"Y'know, I probably could. Do me some good, too."

He yawns, tired.

She yawns, damnit, why is that contagious??? Oh well, I am getting somewhere. "Have you ever been to Ruhr?"

"Yeah. My family took a vacation there when I was thirteen. I think I slept most of the time, I hardly remember a thing."

"Really? Thats a shame..."

"I guess so..."

"It really is a nice place...I love it when I get to stay home for a while."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"I'll have to check it out sometime then."

"Why don't you give me a call when you do..."

(just for the sake of posting something that won't throw things off, since this is indeed apparently alive and kicking, albeit weakly)

Nathi murmured something in her native tongue in her sleep, shifting uncomfortably. Reaching out, she laid her arm across Jaime's chest, then snuggled in close, murmuring something else. Soon her breathing smoothed, and she slept quietly.


I think you missed her post, Haraki....

He smiles. "I think I'll-" He was cut off by a yawn, and barely made out the word, "-do that."

I'm tired. I should head to bed sometime soon.

"Hmmm, you really are tired...maybe you should lie down here for a second. You must be exhausted from your expedition."

Eriksen nods. "I think you're right."

He was having trouble keeping his eyes open.

"Here, lie down." She placed her hand on the pillow on her bed.

"Thanks..." He said, with a little uncertain tone.

"Sure."

"Thanks," he said in sleepy tones, before stumbling over and lying down.

She saw he was tired, damnit! He is on a woman's bed and he is sleeping! What kind of a guy is this?

His last conscious thought was to reach to the small of his back and undo his holster from his belt, throwing it on the floor. Then he was asleep with exhaustion.

After seeing that he fell asleep right infront of him, Michelle cursed. Damnit! Why in the hell?

She put on her pajamas, short-shorts and a tank top. She brough herself to the conclusion that it probably wasn't a good idea anyways, at least not yet...

She slipped under the covers next to Eriksen. Eh, at least I get to say that I did sleep with him.

OOC: ...and cut to morning.

Jaime woke up, looking over beside him at Nathi lying peacefully there. He reached out and stroked her hair, checking his watch. Nine in the morning. Considerably later than Shadow Team members usually got up, but they'd made an exception for the tour.

She stirred slightly, sleepily murmuring something unintelligible, her eyes still closed. She seemed well and truly relaxed, which was a rare thing for her.

OOC: That was Post 3000, Nathi!

IC:

Jaime smiled, just watching he,r then leaned over and kissed her lightly on the cheek, whispering, "I love you."

ooc: this going anywhere, or .. ? been offline most of the day.

Nine-thirty. Jaime yawned for the last time that morning. Soon they'd be getting up. They did have to carry on with the tour, after all. But for now Nathi would be allowed to sleep. Jaime would also get rest. He needed it. He let his head gradually fall back onto the pillow, looking over at Nathi and smiling.

She stirred, opening her eyes and looking over at him.

"Hey." she said softly with a smile.

He smiled. "Hey, you. Sleep well?"

"Mmmhm. Best sleep in a long time. 'Time is it?" she said, stretching and rubbing her eyes. "Probly past time to get up ..."

"Nine-thirty. We'll have to get up sometime fairly soon."

"Mkay. If we have to." Her brow furrowed. "That stuff you talked about last night ... the tour bits ... still can't at least hint me a bit? Maybe give me a nod before stuff hits the fan at least?"

She slid out of the bed and walked over to start her shower, still talking with him over her shoulder.

"You know, if I'd had any idea how ... well, messed up Chris had gotten ... "

"If I could tell you, I would. But ... You know how it is ..."

Michelle woke up around 9:45. Eriksen was still on her bed. Damnit, I forgot I have a big-dumb marine on my bed.

Eriksen woke up, not feeling hung-over in the least and feeling fully rested. Hmm ... How late is it?

He swung his watch in front of his face.

Hmm ... Almost five hours after I usually wake up.

She shrugged as if to say 'it's nothing', though in truth, it irritated her to no end. Oh he let her have her way often enough, but damned if he didn't show backbone when it came to loyalty issues. She'd yet to find a way around that.

"Yeah, yeah ... I know." She stepped into the shower for a quick wash, mind going over yesterday's events and wondering what today's might bring.

It was a damn shame they had to leave at all ... she enjoyed these rare moments of privacy they had.

You knew it would be this way, she told herself.

"Good morning, Captain."

"Hello, Michelle." That sounds good... he thought.

"How'd you sleep?"

Jaime looked aorund at the walls, looking at the various things several of the guests had scrawled on the walls. Cryptic message, and other such things. Severla drawings. A rifle, something unintelligible ... And there ... He'd specifically asked for this room.

He pulled a marker from his pocket and circled the drawing of the missile in unmissable black marker. "I've told you all I can."

"But they never said about showing you."

Legal loopholes... Such wonderful things...

---

"Like a rock."

"I noticed," Michelle was sharing a pillow with him. It was a small bed, but it had enough room for the occupants.

"How about you?"

"It was ok." You fool...you shouldn't have said that.

"Hmm ... We should probably be getting up soon."

"Hmm ... We should probably be getting up soon."

"Maybe," she said softly. "Do you want to eat breakfast?"

"Sure."

"You wanna take a shower first?"

"I guess..."

"How about you use mine."

"All right."

Don't see why not.

He got up.

Michelle got up, also. She guided Eriksen to the restroom. Hmmm....

"Captain, we do not have too long to both take a shower."

"Shall I just take a fast shower?"

"Maybe, orr......" She wispers in his ear.

Eriksen smiled. "...or?" he asked temptingly.

You missed that, didn't you Haraki....(It was supposed to already have been said, however, now I have to say it and risk deletion yet agian...however...because of my Dani thread, I have no fear)...



IC:

"Or...we can take one together." She looked into his eyes, her face so close to his. He looked directly at her.

He smiled. "Don't see why not."

[censored blur]?

OOC: DOn't worry. Unless you actually describe it, you don't have to worry ... I hope ...

Michelle and Eriksen undressed, and they stepped in the shower.

http://www.plokta.com/plokta/issue1/censored.gif

Eriksen stepped out (some time later), shaking water form his hair. He wrapped a towel around his waist, looking at himself in the mirror.

Michelle followed him, with a smile on her face. She also stood infront of the miror. Wow... . They were quiet, giving seductive glances at each other.

Eriksen looked over at her.

What sucks is that I have to stay here ... while she goes on with the tour.

ooc: omfg *snickers* CENSORED indeed. *grins*

ic:

She towels off her hair, looking at him curiously ... then her brow shoots up. Still wrapped up in her towels, she watches around his shoulder as he draws, eyes narrowed.

He turns as he finishes drawing the circle. "I said I'd told you all I could. There was nothing in my contract about showing."

Michelle saw in his eye that he was concerned with something. She gave him a worried look, not realizing that she was on a scheduled trip. "What is wrong, Captain?"


OOC: Haraki, after the shower thing, I think their relationship would be a little more intimate than that.

"You have to go. Right about now, in fact. And I'm stuck here on f*cking training assignments."

"Don't you have a week off though? I can request that you come with us as a diplomatic guide for the tour, and if that doesn't work I will ask my dad to pull some stings with Jaime..." She frowned. "Would that work?"

"Yeah, that might do it. Or, we could try and convince Jaime that some extra security is needed fpor the tour ... He's a kind guy. He'd understand ... Probably ..."

She simply nods quietly.

(ie - what is it I'm looking at?)

OOC: Basically, some person scrawled a very rough picture of a missile on the wall with a nail, and Jaime circled it in black permanent marker.

"If the diplomats are leaving about now, that means I have to get going."

"Yes, it does."

"Well..." She gave him a concerned look, one which she showed her thought process. "I will ask Jaime if I can bring you along for extra security, since I have witnessed your ability in the first exercise I would be more secure having you around."

"Good idea....(Haraki, please continue from here)..."

"Good idea. Especially the part about throwing in that you watched me in the excercise. Oh, and if you need to, throw in my codename. Sierra One."

"Oh? You have a codename also? I am Fox One."

"Fox, eh?"

"Yeah," she gave him a tempting look before she continued. "Why is your name Sierra One?"

"Sierra is the name of my group. Three squads to a group. Five men to a squad. Sierra's just the group I got chucked in when I first joined, and before I knew it I was Captain, Sierra One."

OOC: Haraki, what is Eriksen's first name?

IC: "Oh, Ok. I will push that in there."

"Ok," Eriksen extended a comforting look to Michelle.

"What will happen? Will it show to Jaime that you trust me or something?"

"Nah, it'll just show you know me in a semi-business way as well as personally. Looks better saying Sierra One than Ren Eriksen. I dunno, it just says that you know me as someone other than a ... *erm* ... friend."

"Oh, other than a"-she took a gulp-"friend."

"Well, he will aprove then, I hope."

"OK, soo...that water was cold, wasn't it?"

Her brows arched up at that and she looked at Jaime with clear concern.

The one time I wished he could read my mind ... dammit. I can't ask him.

Nodding, she got dressed and put her hair back in a long braid that she rolled up into a decorative bun at the base of her neck. Up, out of the way, and not providing much of a hand-hold if she had to get into a physical confrontation. Yes, she was still nervous.

The relaxed state she'd been in quickly faded, and she assumed a business-like manner again.

"Well ... ready to go?" she said, turning to him with what she hoped was a chipper smile.

"Yeah," Jaime said, pulling on his jacket and checking his watch. Ten.

---

Eriksen nods, pulling on a set of clothes. "Hmm ... I should get a case of stuff ready, for when we leave."

Michelle packed what she had brought in, and had left it just inside the door after putting on a white shirt and black shorts. She walked to meet Jaime, exiting. She asked for his permission to allow Eriksen to come as extra security for the tour. His first reply was Eriksen had to work this week. She asked a second time, using Sierra One instead of Captain Eriksen. Their eyes met, and Jaime granted his leave. Michelle met Victor in the hallway, carrying his hanging bag out to the front where his G55 was still parked. Michelle told him that Eriksen will be joining them as a safety precaution. Victor was in support of it, since all he had for defence in the Mercedes SUV was an M16 in a secret compartment behind the rear seats, and two Lugers. They all gathered their bags and met at the front door.

OOC: Haraki, I am out for the night. I have a golf-game this morning and I need a good sleep to accompany my tempermental morning attitude.

See you all tommorow (Hopefully),

-Ruhr-

She waits for him at the door, wondering what's going through his mind. He hadn't been very talkative last night either ... then again, there hadn't really been a need. She smiled thinking back on that.

As they made their way back to where they were supposed to meet, her smile faded back to her 'strictly business' face. She reached back to assure herself that her gun was still within easy reach at the small of her back, safely holstered.

Jaime slings his backpack onto his back, checking the familiar lump of his MP5K in the bottom, yet still easily reachable, and his concealed Glock. He nods to Nathi, and they head downstairs. Encountering Michelle there, Jaime gave permission for Eriksen to come along.

---

Eriksen, after getting a call form Jaime saying that he could come, chuckled, and finished pulling on his 'undercover' clothes. Still combat clothes, but looking perfectly normal. He checked his combat gear was all in his pack, slung his M4 and other weapons into his combat pack and made his way downstairs.

Nathi carefully kept the amused grin from her face watching the two. Well well well ... someone's had a pleasant evening. Wonder what her father would think if he knew?

Jaime turned and chuckled at Nathi's grin, seeing Michelle trot away out of the corner of his eye. He took Nathi's hand and started to lead her outside. "Come on, Nath." he said playfully.

OOC: Very sorry, I didn't get a chance to post saying I was out for the night.

"Lead on, my dear," she said simply, giving his hand a squeeze and trying to look cheerful.

Jaime led her outside, where the Icarius was waiting outside the base. The rest of the guests on the tour were there, as well as the extra security detail that had been added. Namely, Sierra One. Chris nodded to Jaime.

"Now that we're all here. The next thing you are about to see is something that no other nations know of. Also, I have b3een informed by our head of security-" All heads turned to look at Jaime for a moment "-that extra security ws needed for the rest of the tour. Thus, one of Shadow Team's top field agents, codenamed Sierra One, will be accompanying us for the rest of the tour."

All heads turned to look at Eriksen for a moment.

Nathicana carefully avoids any untoward looks or chuckles, knowing damn well why the man has been included.

Dangerous girl he's got there. Wonder if he knows it?

"Now, if you will please board the Icarius," CHris said, beckoning them onboard. Shrike met them there.

"Destination's set. Just get on board and we're on our way."

She nods politely to Chris, staying firmly on Jaime's arm as she boards. "
Well, dear ... another day of fun and games, neh?" she whispers quietly to him as they take their seats.

"I hope my presence isn't unduly ... irritating anyone." She cast a sidelong look at Chris, still nervous about his recent switch in demeanor, and no small bit testy about being so vaguely threatened.

"Don't think anyone here's irritated by your presence that I don't mind irritating."

The Icarius lifts off gracefully, and starts skimming out over the land, extremely quickly.

"You're going to have to go into some detail with me sometime on what all's been going on between you two." she says softly as they zip along to the next stop. "You never have said beyond 'work pressures', and you hinted there's been a lot more."

"He's been ... Well ... Unstable. Mood swings, paranoia ... A lot of different things," Jaime whispers to her.

Then the ship touches down. "We just covered about 500 kilometres," Shrike murmured.

She nods to Shrike. Damn this thing is fast!

To Jaime, she also nods in understanding, not willing to suggest what she'd like to, considering where they are and who they're surrounded by at the moment.

Maybe I should have him ... removed.

Shrike opens the ramp, and the group is shown out, revealing nothing more than what appears to be a long plain, covered in old, long grass, with almost no trees. It looks like a place that may have been nice a long time ago, but now most things are just dying.

Dying ... chemical tests? she thinks worriedly, looking up to Jaime briefly as she steps off with the others.

"Hell, Chris, ain't you gonna actually show anything to them?" Jaime said gruffly.

Chris smirked and chuckled. "All right."

He picked out his phone and began dialing.

Nathi stayed very close to Jaime, trying not to look as though she was shrinking up against him and watching the skies.

Chris spoke into his phone. "Yes. We're here and ready. Yes. Yes ... Do it now."

He hung up. "Just wait a moment."

Several moments later, a very loud rumbling was heard.

She squeezed Jaime's hand, watching Chris carefully.

All the chaos has him more spooked than I'd thought, or he wouldn't be trying so hard to intimidate us. Damn shame ... so much has happened, but I thought he'd weather it better than this.

A very large portion of the flat ground in front of them started shaking up and down, before a large, square crack could be seen around them. The large portion of grass there slid into itself on the sides, revealing a very large, black, square hole.

A bank of twelve massive cruise missiles on launchers rose up out of the ground there, locking into position where the grass had been. "Stealth missiles," CHris explained. "You can't find them. You can't see them on radar."

"I'll be damned." She looked over the missiles with a practised eye, trying to judge just what sort of heads they used.

"They're non-nuclear heads," Chris continued, "but they have as big blast radiuses as you can get while being non-nuclear. These missiles can hit anywhere in the world, and the target nation won't even know they're being attacked until the missiles are flying over their country. Plus, it's all-but impossible to trace the missiles back to Haraki. There are missile batteries like this all over the country, hidden underground so they can't be hit by bombs or missiles. They only ever come above ground to fire. However, very few of the missile batteries are stealth."

"Well that's a small miracle." she muttered under her breath, eyeing Chris with a very neutral expression.

You can be damned sure I won't be showing off any of my capabilities ... oh no. And yes, I think it's high time I increased our surveilance of Haraki. With all the chaos, there didn't seem a point other than keeping a small eye on things. I'll have Marik get on it once I get back home.

Chris picked up his phone again. "Yes. Put it back under now."

The missiles descended as quickly as they had risen, the ground closing them over again seamlessly.

Chris looked to the group and said in a calm voice, "And yes, several of our stealth missiles are outfitted with nuclear warheads. But our nuclear policy is that we only use them if we get nuked first."

Jaime put his hand over his eyes and shook his head slowly, murmuring, "Idiot..."

Nathi's brow arched up at that. "Quite the admission there, Chris. I'm ... honored you'd trust us with that information. I didn't realize Haraki had nuclear capabilities," she said with a pleasant smile, watching him closely for a reaction.

He needs to go. I'll throw full support to Jaime running if he decides to, if only to have a secure nation here. For now, at least.

"Well, the point of this tour was to show off the secrets we've hidden from the world," CHris said, beckoning the group back onto the Icarius.

Shrike met them there. "This next secret tests the Icarius' space capabilities. We're goin' up."

"This at least, I'm familiar with," she says quietly to Jaime. "At least the feel of being in space."

He's lost it. Definitely lost it. Why share your secrets, even with friends? Why do so in such an intimidating, threatening fashion? He needs to be removed before he can cause real damage. I don't think he's entirely 'there'.

Seated in the lounge area again, Shrike guided the ship upwards, towards the shimmering stars of space.

Jaime murmured to Nathi, "Do you know just how many missile batteries there are spread over Haraki?"

She forced herself not to look over at him in suprise. This was a first.

"Too damned many?" she half joked, but nodded for him to go on.

He smiled. "That's for sure. Ten stealth batteries. That's a hundred and twenty stealth missiles ready to fire at any time. Over eighty normal missile batteries. I lost count a long time ago," he murmurs to her.

"Jaime ... " she whispered, smiling pleasantly as they flew, not wanting to draw attention, "why are you telling me this now? And here?"

"I don't know why here and now, but I had to tell someone. He's-" He nodded his ehad to CHris, "-not going to tell you those numbers, that's for sure."

As well he shouldn't.

"Later ... when there are less ears to hear. You can tell me everything that's been troubling you." she said softly, patting his arm and leaning in against him.

And I do hope it is everything. It's evil of me, but ... its foolish not to have as many advantages as you can. Besides ... I sense other things he's bothered about that have nothing to do with this trip. Damn his quiet nature sometimes.

He nodded, putting his arm around her. Outside the viewports, the passengers could see space and Earth below them. Plus a large space station they were approaching.

"Ahh .. this explains more the space presence." she says, looking out the viewport as well.

Jaime nods, as the Icarius pulls up and docks with the station with hardly a bump. Off beside it several other ships can be seen, includingone that looks like a less advanced version of the Icarius. The name 'Osiris' is written on the side. Another, a large missile frigate behind it, is named after Dace.

Standing, she walks with Jaime to the airlock to disembark, getting a good look at things as she goes, making mental notes.

"So ... how big is your fleet, offhand?" she asks casually. "And how long have you had a presence in space?"

"Our presence in space has only been for a short time. Our very first ship was completed several months ago. Size of the fleet ... About seven or eight warships that would actually make a difference in combat, several smaller ships that would barely hold their own in combat, and then the non-combat ships. I believe there's about twenty-two ships in total."

Chris turns and laughs. "I was about to say that, Jaime!"

Excellent. I don't think I've anything to be concerned with there. I haven't even told Jaime the extent of my influence just yet ... and perhaps for now, it's best.

"Quite impressive," she says, smiling. "That's a lot of progress in a short time. All self-funded, or have you had investors?" Trying to be polite, she kept up with the idle connversation as she surveyed the place.

"Self-funded, mostly. After all, hardly any people know about this. However, what Jaime didn't tell you is that some of our main warships - Namely the Wolf-class Battlecruiser and the two missile frigates - could do more than just be operationl. Those three ships could beat the sh*t out of ten top-of-the-line warships any day of the week before going down. If they're supported by the others, well-"

"-Chris?" Jaime interrupted. "Shut up and stop bragging."

"Well, of course this is all speculation," she says smiling. "It would be ... interesting to see how they stood up in an exercise against other forces."

Oh no, you don't scare me little man. Just try to play the bully here, and we'll see what happens.

Chris began to talk again, obviously to say something, and Jaime noticed they were out of sight from everyone else. What CHris was about to say just made Jaime snap. He reached out, grabbed Chris by the collar, and slammed him against the wall, grolwing in his face. "Chris, look. Shut up. I mean it. Right now. You don't scare me, no matter how much you try. Yes, have the tour. Yes, do what you will. Yes, try and scare other people if you waill, but I-"

He lifted CHris over a foot in the air by his collar, sliding him against thew wall.

"-will not have it."

He let Chris drop to the ground. "All you've done is make me angry, Chris."

"Jaime!" she says sharply, eyes wide in alarm. "For the love of ... don't the two of you get into this now!"

She quickly lays a hand on Jaime's arm, and looks to Chris to judge his reaction, ready to do whatever she needs to diffuse the situation.

Bloody well can never keep your head, can you boy? You don't insult and threaten the man - you work from behind, and where he can't have you outright arrested!

"Now appologize to him, boy. Remember your place here. Head of ops you may be, but he's your PM. And your boss."

As much as it irks me to say that, damn your hide. Going to get us both killed if you're not careful.

Jaime thought for half a second, then held out his hand to help Chris to his feet.

Chris got to his feet and uttered a nervous laugh. "It's okay, Jaime. You've had a very trying past couple of months. I don't blame you."

Jaime nodded. "Sorry, Chris."

Chris laughed, for real this time. "Hey, I've known you how long? Six years? Seven? I know you sometimes get like this, and I don't blame you for it."

She drew back and watched impassively, not about to take Chris at his word, and determined to keep a close eye on Jaime.

You're not leaving my sight on this trip, boy. I'll not have you tossed out an airlock 'accidentally' for your burst of temper.

CHris laughed nervously, trying to break the silence. Inside, he wa fuming.

If he continues like this ... And if he runs for PM ... I may have to just do something about him ...

Jaime couldn't be blamed for his actions. He had been treated like a killing machine by Chris for the past three months. And nothing more than that. Chris had never thought about his feelings.

"Well boys, if we've finished our little pissing match ... perhaps we can continue the tour?" she says sweetly, a slight glint in her eyes.

She once again looped her arm through Jaime's, and looked over to Chris. Smiling pleasantly enough, her look conveyed a clear 'you'll have to get through me first if you try anything' message.

There was one thing in this life she repeatedly did foolish things for ... and that was her relationship to this man. One even she still didn't understand.

"Er ... Yeah," CHris said, leading them forward towards the rest of the group.

"You watch yourself, boy." she whispers to Jaime. "I don't care how long you've known him. The man feels ... dangerous."

"The man feels unstable to me..." Jaime murmured back.

"Yes, and that too. Don't let your temper get the better of you. If you're going to run, you've got to learn that. Choose your battles wisely. This isn't the time for it."

"Yeah, I know."

Sighing, she let it go as they caught up with the rest of the group. This was one trip she would be glad to put behind her. There had simply been too many stresses.

CHris looked around at them. "This space station has the ultimate in luxury, and can support up to five hundred people for up to ten years, if properly provisioned. Plus, it provides a refueling base for our spacefleet. Would you like to spend time checking it out, or move on to somewhere else?"

"This is your tour, Chris - I'm only a guest. Please, continue on with what you have in mind," she says with a gracious smile.

Chris chuckles. "Well, actually, I had planned here to ask the group whether they wanted to stick around here for a while or not."

Haraki, you idiot. What you have is not a Stealth Cruise Missile, but an Conventional ICBM. If you had a Cruise Missile that can go anywhere in the world, it wouldn't be stealth. You see, you cannot get enough GAS in that thing and still keep it stealth. Right now, we're looking at a 747 with a warhead and no crew.

Learn something, say they aren't cruise missiles, but actually concealed ICBMs.

Am I a part of this peaceful RP? And is it a peaceful RP when you have cloaked ICBMs?

"Holy sh--!" Said Victor. He had his luger by his side, despite the fact that Haraki was one of Ruhr's closest allies, Rebels were still in hiding from the NATO vs. Mini-Onion conflict taking place in Haraki. Michelle was standing next to Sierra One. Victor questioned why, maybe she just feels safe with him here. I would be, he is an essential member of whatever their team was. He looked up, taking it all in. MEEF...

Haraki......

Raui grinned at the display of missiles. Now that the engines were installed and working, the city could move wherever it pleased. It makes missiles like these almost useless because you not only have to know where we are but where we may be going. Once again he felt grateful for their unique lives on the Clouds.

As they entered space, however, Raui became much more uncomfortable. Space was somewhere they had not gone and did not plan to go. He kept his hand close to the knot on his sash and his eyes took in everything.