A Passage to Inchin

[shaidar]

Frank and Jakob

"It certainly seems like someone is expecting to be in a position to be on the way to having a working spaceport at the end of this. There are many factions, both political and mercantile, that won't want to see this happen. Then there are the issues with the workers. I fear we shall be very busy, and I also worry we'll be dragged into local problems. The dips seem to think this'll be a cakewalk, I think this cake might explode in their face.

[Leitz]

During the transit, Ensign Mallory often invited Jakob to "Come and see something she'd like his advice on". It appears to be a janitorial closet that Ensign Mallory has borrowed Liv's burglary skills to gain access to!


She commed him for a meet after the vid showing incident. She seemed quite upset and confused.

"Evach Gudrun. We didn't ever know his name - but you did! I was just being my professional self and I wanted to know more. I "know" you. And ... you told me and I said it! I didn't mean that to happen!" She cries and needs holding for a while. Fortunately no one interrupts until she has recovered her composure.

She added "There were screams on that vid capture. I heard them but the clip had no audio. I just don't know what's real anymore!"

Jakob held Liv close and let her relax into him. He was a gentle friend, save for the occasional chaste lips on a forehead.

"You may think my love for you isn't real; that I'm just out for a good time." He shrugged. "Okay, well, you are beautiful, granted. But the reality is that I choose to love you. Love is a verb, not a pool you fall into. If you're in my head, that's fine. I want you there. You're already there anyway, you might as well show up for it."

He leaned forward and whispered into her ear. "Look, Lanth had psionic activity. It was bad for our guys for a while. Reports were redacted, everyone had to learn blade combat. Maybe that's what's going on with you? Maybe whatever is impressing your legends is breaking down the walls in your mind, and activating stuff?"

Jakob softly kissed her neck. "No matter what, I am here for you. Test me on this, if you dare. Because every challenge makes me want you more. Every time you hurt it makes me want to destroy whatever hurt you."

He let her rock back and forth for a few minutes, and then spoke again. "If you want, I'll let the CO know that you and I are together, and that you're having some health issues but your boss sent you into the field before you could recover fully. He'll understand, and that'll make it easier for me to hang around you. That sound good?"

Liv looked up at him. “Uh huh. Your boss has gaps in his resume - being “off grid” is a “flag” and usually part of an “unfortunate” profile. He associates with Colonel Skeet who has an Amber threat rating. Skeet's deputy Tourmaline has a Red rating. She is a suspected terrorist and killed an Imperial noble, her then husband, on Lanth. Why do these people seem like a safe bet?”

"Well, they're not choir girls, I agree. But I was in on the discussions about which contract to take. No one seemed to have any ulterior motives; we were all looking at the best job for what our people can do. I find it more interesting to see who all else just happened to be assigned here." He kissed her forehead again. "Some of them are more welcome than others."

He shook her gently. "Look, I understand the color code. We used the same thing. But maybe you're asking the wrong question and getting the wrong label? So some lady killed her husband. There were a lot of double and triple crosses on Lanth, and you never really knew who was what until way too late. The real question is, did he need to be killed? And really, if she's a terrorist, she must really bad at it. The Imperium is a long way in the other direction. Baron Whats-his-face doesn't need any help messing up his plan; he seems to be doing that quite nicely on his own."

"I'll keep my eyes open, but whatever is going on here isn't a direct threat to anything the Imperium actually cares about. Sure, there's paperwork and labels, but no substance. At least not that I've seen so far." He held her for a long time.

"What am I doing in your mind?" Liv whispered. "I bet it's something wild, and clothing optional."

"Hey, you're the one that came up with 'has a thing for Marines'. I'm just taking orders here."

“That was just part of the crazy!” She draws back and asks “Did you put that in there?” She then focuses on the moment in hand “Please, just help me deal with it for a little while”.

"Must have been that Mrs Domici; I'd listen to her, if I were you." He pulled her close. "Whatever I can do to help, sweetheart. I'm here for you. Any time, day or night."

[The Bindoner]

Captain Alvarez seems greatly relieved "Well, unless they have a telescope on the up port for visual tracking I believe anything you care to tell them will exceed their ability to verify it!"

Jess comments quietly, half to herself, Might need ta threaten someone who took the tour with us...

Aloud, and direct to Captain Alvarez: Probably just me bein' paranoid, but... keep a good sensor watch and log traffic, eh? All those boats haulin' ice and skimmin
' fuel, it's great cover for a deployment. Seen Vargr do it, slip a boat or two into the regular traffic, get in unchallenged.