Beth and Lyri Left...  Will came  in   waved to some of the newer  folks.

 he  sat  at   an open desk, pulled up some reports to look at.... in the next 10 minutes. He was  asleep on the desk...

  Will wakes  about   9:00... Maria   tells him to go 'home".

 He  smiles  awkwardly, heading  out the  door with a  wave.

 Maria  just shakes her  hea d and goes back to her   work.

<FLEX>

Nikki entered the SEC and again approached the main desk.  "Is LT. Morrow about.  I really need to talk to her" she asked "Or LC Shadow..both maybe?"

     Lou Buntum a Younger Black man from Fuji  drew the short straw and was  at the desk.

    Sorry..they all left for the party?.. If its important, I bet you  could Grab the LC... from what the others say...he don't like that  Visiting  captain..so maybe  he'll be easier to get to?

"Please.  Then I can go change for the party myself." she smiled knowing Shadow would not want to be somewhere he didn't wanna be this was just a minor useful diversion for him.

FLEX

Roy stopped in the doorway to his office.  While he knew Nikki well enough, it was always in association with boarding actions or assault missions...she didn't often involve herself with Security issues...so her presence was noteworthy.

"Something I can help you with, Ensign Rutledge?" he asked, masking his surprise at seeing her.
This message was last edited by the player at 06:46, Sat 17 Aug 2019.

"Well...I guess, but if possible I'd like to have Shadow and Beth here too.  Might involve something going on at Bura and Haley" Her mind ran over a few things and from a few other she could be extrapillating, and it was not good  "Can we chat in private about this?"

Roy gestured to his office.  "Step inside."  He looked over at the man on duty.

"Buntum, see if the LC and Lt. Morrow are available...if they are, call them down here."

"Thank you" she followed him in to his office.

(Flex)

 about   6 minutes  Later,  Shadow  came in, tank top  and   uniform  pants his   weapon's belt over his  shoulder.some scasr  peeked out from where the cloth didn't cover.

 Beth strolled  in Gym shorts  and a Long T-shirt and fuzzed up , multicolored  hair.

 ..right? Buntum said you needed  soemthing?

 Beth   blew  some hair from her  face.. and  just pointed to Shadow,..what he said...

Roy nodded.  "The ensign here had something to report, and thought it was best if both of you were here to hear it, as well."  He leaned against his desk.

"So, what's the word, Nikki?"

"Thank you..for the flight time Shadow...more practice the better." she did thank him for the 'shakedown' "Not exactly sure but it seems factions on Bura are recruiting mercenary groups....including one that Haleys father is in." she gave Beth a raised eyebrow.  "And as far as I know Nathan McGaha has never been in the military was addressed as Lieutenant.  The chief on the hangar line said that McGaha group had thier ride destroyed at Fuji" She forwarded the pics she took to Beth "When I was there I kinda got feeling of being looked over like I was the prize Holstein at the county fair.  Also...not really sure what the hell they were all eating, so some photos I just wanted to make sure it was not ...lawn pig" she started with that "What i am wondering is if Bura going to have a power struggle breaking into all out war"

 Beth sat there with sleepy eyes,..we didn't have   any COMs   or  reprots   saying they were having trouble.

 ..there is something going on with  , what was left of invasion forces... I kinda  thought that what they want to take  about...

Roy scowled.  "Their ride was destroyed at Fuji, he said?" Roy asked, carefully, making sure he wasn't substituting his interpretation of what might have been said for what was actually said.

He glanced over at Shadow and Beth.  "Fuji doesn't generally destroy ships without provocation...and I know there were a few EDT vessels that met an untimely demise last time we were there..."  He let the thought taper off for a moment, into silence.

He looked back at Nikki.  "Did you catch any clues about their possible plans?  Were they planning to meet up with someone at Bura, or are they looking to put down roots there?"

"I know they were going to meet someone..guess the person hiring them.  No name though.  Did get a few of their names and pics.  One's a well..I think half angel, scar on her face" she continued "McGaha did not seem overly concerned about starting over, or despondent when I offered condolences on the loss of his family.  Could be he set his family up.  If so I personally want to kick his ass out a static field after breaking every joint in his body." her tone was a bit angry "If he is one of the 'bad guys', I don't want Haley finding out.  I'd rather let her think her father died in a prison shanking if I can.  She would not understand if told her own father sold them for food or worse"

Roy nodded.  "Beth, can you run their pictures real quick, see if anything turns up?"  Roy trusted his gut...and right now, his gut was practically screaming that there was something really wrong with some of the prospective colonists on the Argus.

  Beth   groaned    and  shuffled out tom her Desk.

 Shadow looks at Nikki,..lots of  folks take things into thier own hands, when events   don't  work out the way they hoped...and we know  , ourselves, that people are sent to Colonies  as a choice between service  or Prison...

 Looking at Roy,..the Argus and a few other CAptured ships  , we sent to stations or   colonies  for Home Defesne...but where brought  back into the Fleet, when new ships  were Built... I think Fuji has  3 New 3rd Gen Caps ships...

 he closed his eyes  as he held  up a finger.....The Beach.... The  Wave...and The Sand...

 There was a shrug,Empire  captured  cap ships  are more or lest  Combat Vessels, but they  did add quarters  for colonists... no kids  on any of them?... Those Colonists are almost like Mercs... they sign   on for passage, and have to do  some  work to free up crew members.

 Turnign to Nikki,..they reach Bura?  the  folks who signed up for Bura  will be  gone , and they bring aboard Burians  or  colonists  who want to move on

   Beth  came   back into the   office , blowing the bangs out of her face...Ok?  this  Ki-La  chick is a badass... Knife  fighter... can drive  anything  with an engine....  This Beefie clown? His name Is Oswald Beffer... he has alot of charges against him, mostly messing with kids  and  young women... This Magha guy... I dunno... worked on a farm in Delta... somehow got released... worked  at Astra..helped build    defenses , walls ..  and  emplacements... then he  went off to Fuji.. and now it appears , he's  on Argus.

 she handed the papers to Nikki, then   waved to Roy.

"Nathan McGaha..his past ain't stellar, but ..well...he's know for drinking.  My papaw used to joke he'd never be a lawyer, because he could never pass a bar.  If you get the meaning" she shrugged "How the hell he became a tobacco farmer to a merc?  I mean if I was putting a merc group together I would not pick a drunkard dirt farmer with no real fighting skills.  Be a waste of time to train" She thought about something "Lt Morrow?  Beth...is it possible to see if anyones been looking into my files?  Recently?  Like I said earlier it's like they were thinking about recruiting me, talking among themselves of a sort.  If so someone might be looking into it  maybe we can backtrack that"

  ( Flex)


 Beth looked out from under her Bangs,..no one gets into my  files... and if they did, they would sent off a burner that would purge them. The best they could do is  get your  files  from Fuji. but they couldn't get passed  from where i took over..they need to hack pretty good though, Fuji was been upgrading Since  Gresh took over.

"Good, hoping they don't find out about Haley" though there was always that fear.  "Do we even know who leads this Merc group? she ran her hands over her face a moment trying to think and remember.

(flex)

 Beth   shrugged,..Mercs  are like UEs... they are all over... you kil the boss.. three guys who nthought they should be boss, split up  and styart the   gang witht eh same name.. so now there's   three...

 Shadow nods,..she's  right... like that in most gangs... the ones you have to worry about  that has  had the same bname for a long time.. that means they stuck together

"I'll put in a word with the Marine commander on the Argus to watch them.  That bit about their ride being destroyed at Fuji leaves me plenty suspicious about the affiliations of their group."  If they were EDT, they'd screw up at some point...EDT always did.  Once there was something more than just Roy's gut to put suspicion on them, they could take action...

"It has me rethinking Nathan McGaha.  I mean what if he sold his family to pay off a illegal debt or some such.  dirt poor, 'hey I'll give you my family if you get me off Earth in good standing'.  He lives a better life his family died for" She looked at all 3 "No damn way I'd give Haley back to him.  I'd castrate and then kill him before that would happen"

  <<<<<< Shadow, Roy from Hanger

 when they Entered  the  Offcie,  Shadow  looked at Ellen,..you'll have to come  here. Leave the  Plse rifle in the rack..but?  you get an Hour   to have a dance  and some eats...

 Ellen popped up.....sounds  Good  LC.

 Shadow Handed   Roy , Maris sword  and weapons Belt...add  to yur collecton... I think that's a desert Eagle in the holster.

Roy shrugged.  "The Desert Eagle might be worth keeping.  I don't bother much with trophies I can't use.  And I'm for damn sure not wearing an ESN officer's sword with my Marine dress uniform...nothing personal, LC, but it's just wrong to wear a Navy weapon with a Marine uniform, and almost as bad for a sergeant to wear an officer's blade. He laughed softly, shaking his head.

"Send the sword back to Fuji...it's the perfect emblem of his failure.  It looks pretty...but it's made from inferior steel, and while it may land a hit here and there, it lost the fight.  When push came to shove, it failed...just like its owner.  Keeping that sword would just cheapen my weapon collection."

He snorted softly and added, "He'll be lucky if he ever pulls it with that hand again...maybe if the get some cybernetics in there, but his right hand isn't going to be good for much for a while, and I'm pretty sure none of the ships in the fleet have the kind of cybernetic gear to fix it...he's got a glorified stump until he gets back to Fuji."

Roy sighed, and added, "All things considered, I'd have rather won the credits from buffaloing him into a wager on dogfighting you.  Pretty sure he wouldn't have been any more successful..."