There's a map of Kilmanjar spread out on the table, and a bright dot of light projected from beneath the glass top highlights the position of the Sword of Golgotha. When Tasha arrives, the captain is pacing back and forth and looking like she might start sparking off lightning bolts. Limjow is at the table working at some controls until a second dot of light appears in the mountains to pinpoint Harrison's Hold. Silent and brooding, the armored and masked Cobalt Lancer, Axe, stands near the head of the table.
Captain Ink seems to be in the midst of a tirade. "... never forget that the Knights are the most advanced fighting force on two worlds after this! We are under contract to protect Xenea, and we are going to use that to crush this monster! Now tell me again, Axe, why the Cobalt Lance can't loan me the Hammer?"
Tasha pauses at the entrance, well familiar with wrath of agitated captains and sensing it the second she steps in, monologue or no. After a quick glance around, she steps aside and then leans against the chamber wall, arms folded and head down as she looks at the floor. Her ears are perked, but she doesn't want any more attention than she needs right now. Already humiliated from the situation with Blackwings, and still hurting from old memories, she doesn't need to add -- another -- dressing down by the Captain to her list of immediate problems.
But she did at least do what she was told. Fringe and Shojo are on their way, thoguh she didn't talk with them long other than to tell them the situation was resolved and that it wasn't their fault. That'll have to be enough for now, she thinks.
"Sacred artifact is sacred artifact," Axe says behind his helmet. "Not used as weapon. Not sure what it would do."
Ink tugs on her whiskers. "Arrrgh! Does nobody understand what we're going up against here?" she asks the sky.
"He's a warlord, ma'am," Limjow notes. "With a fortress. We do have cannons, and can bombard him from range."
"He's not just a warlord!" the Skeek woman yells, literally jumping up and down. "He's the devil! He's got dark magic and who knows what else! I want to drop a mountain on him and dig him out of the rubble!"
The first mate sighs. "That's.. just rumor and misinformation he's probably spread himself, Captain. To keep his own people from overthrowing him."
The captain spins and points right at Tasha. "Hah! I've got proof! Right there! Warloq was inside Blackwing's spirit! He does that! Possesses people, turns them.. makes them into monsters like himself!"
Shojo and Fringe arrive, just as Ink asks Tasha, "Tell them what you saw!"
Sacred artifacts? Tasha wasn't expecting archaeology to be on topic in the command room, but she finds it's an increasingly pertinent point in many conversations. As the topic turns to mass destruction, the hybrid's thoughts turn to Balthasar. The Titan could have leveled any fortress, this ship, and cities to spare. But it's gone now, so she pushes her mind forward, as she knows more than one way to ruin the landscape thanks to her education. She thinks on this until the Captain rounds on her, pointing right at her.
"He what?" The young woman asks as she looks up with a start, ears forward. "Possesses people?" She pauses, remembering something. "Does he ... Edit their mind?" Then she cocks her head and says, "I saw a scarred Khattah man, a lynx-Khatta. I suspect he might be a Khattan, but I can't be sure. I saw his face in that spell-dream. He's unusual besides possessing people, isn't he?"
"He's a monster!" Ink claims again. "He rose to power too fast, and his people are too loyal. Nobody betrays him, and everyone that deals with him.." She pauses, then concludes with, "loses their soul. Become twisted, evil people. The turnover rate for warlords is high in Kilmanjar.. except for him. I'm sure he's a sorcerer or necromancer or has some working for him. Get rid of him, and most of the others will keep in their holes. They fear him, so they'll fear us that much more when we take him out. The Hammer would have let us do that in a spectacular way!"
"Yeah, like dropping a Boomer," Axe grunts. "No need to commit war crimes."
The cadet's muzzle twists in a frown, Blackwings was corrupted? Her mind races as she considers the possibilities, and there are a great many to sort through: Magic, technology, alien influence, and more. She's been subejct to several methods herself, and they all terrified her. "You said he corrupts people. Do you mean magically? And you need a weapon, something like a Boomer? A nuke?"
"The Hammer would have done it," Ink grumbles.
"What is the Hammer?" Tasha presses, glancing to Axe. "Can you describe it?"
Axe shakes his head. "Bad karma. Hammer might take out fortress.. might not stop though." His helmet turns towards Tasha. "The Hammer is the Hammer. The heart of the Titanic. If launched properly, can gain inertial mass exponentially. Like being hit with a mountain."
Tasha's eyes widen. "Say no more. I know exactly what it is." The young woman shakes her head, then turns to the Captain. "What you're asking could devastate the countryside, and it's a holy artifacts to the Titanians. Maybe there's another way? But I'll say this: I agree with your fears. Something that ... T-that ... " And here she falters, thinking on that last shred of Blackwings and how it may or may not have been who she had to be. How she's gone.
The cadet presses on. "That ... Whatever it was said. It bothers me. A lot. And I fear if I'm right we might even need something like the Hammer. It depends how he got here and what may be lurking behind him."
"We can't keep track of every crook who might become a problem later," Ink notes. "But time is against us. When Blackwings doesn't make the exchange, he'll be suspicious and might sneak off. Blowing up his fortress doesn't mean a lot if he's not there. So we strike the Hold. Make it an open challenge to him. He won't run then - can't lose face with the other warlords. At least, not any more of his face."
It's now Tasha realizes the Captain probably won't listen to her or her fears, though she grudgingly admits to herself it's not an unreasonable choice considering how she played right in to Blackwing's manipulation earlier. It still hurts -- it all -- hurts -- but right now she has to deal with Warloq. And answers, she wants answers. And so Tasha just shakes her head, pushing off to walk over to Axe. "Can I talk to you privately a moment?" She asks.
The Lancer turns his back to the chart table, thus providing an effective wall for the use of sign. "What is it?" he signs.
Tasha lifts her hand and signs back, "How much do you know of technology beyond this world? Beyond Abaddon? Beyond the Primus System?"
"That a secret," the Lancer signs. "Cobalt Lance very popular in Titania though. Give us stuff."
"Then let me begin. Given the man's appearance and his influence, I suspect he is using out-of-system technologies and has out-of-system backing. If that is not the case, then the alternative is may be that he is working with a Sifran AI system -- however the one I dealt with could only possess people through a machine-interface. Either way, it suggests he has resources beyond that of a petty warlord or the Knights Templar -- artifacts or vastly superior technologies. I know of several ways to edit the mind through technology and a few through magic, and combined with what that thing said to me in my drug induced spirit dream, I greatly suspect we're dealing with someone playing a larger game than he appears."
Axe's hands remain still for a time, until he signs, "You friend of Queen. She give you Seraph. How much she tell you about other events?"
"About the manipulation of the newly reformed Savanite Empire, and the Star Empire, in order to build an army here and exert influence on Galactic Space as a whole?" The hybrid raises an eyebrow. "I think this may be exactly like that. Not long ago I spent two weeks on a Titanian spacecraft and they informed me there is likely a ship or gate in-system but, they don't know where it is or what it's doing. Maybe we do now."
"Light-of-Star wanted to invade Sinai," Axe signs. "Khattan plant. Maybe other agents come here first, be ready to support him. Would be stranded now."
"That could be the case as well. The Khattan's have the resources and planning to accomplish something like that, and I suspect they wouldn't have attempted such a plot without making sure they had as much as they could in place. And, there was one more thing." Tasha shifts slightly to glance past the Lancer, towards the Captain, then looks back to the man. "The dream-spirit mocked me. It spoke about the 'others,' the Galactics, and how important this world is. Blackwings wouldn't have any reason to know about that, and I don't think it was me mocking myself through her -- I have good reason to return to the stars. No, I think either whatever part of him was in her spoke to me in his thoughts, or he was aware of me. That means he may be aware we're coming, already."
"Did you know we were coming when you met this thing?" Axe signs. "Dumb question.. you not know who it was then. Might know Blackwings is dead. Doesn't matter. Ink wants to announce our intention, draw him out."
Tasha nods slowly. "But the Khattans aren't usually interested in direct confrontation -- they use proxies, or manipulation. Money. This one seems to use forced agents somehow -- I have some ideas about that. Either way, we can't allow him to continue. Still, there's one other thing: If he's using technology he'll need a facility. He won't be able to move it all around quickly. If he's using magic, well, that I dnn't know. Either way, I agree with her idea to stop him but I'm not sure he'll stand and fight, however cocky he seems."
"He run away, problem go away with him," Axe points out. "Khattan technology not work well here, even on mountain top. Ours will, and we have advantage of higher altitude for better machines. He need an airship to fight us.. and all those at Harrison's Hold. But not for much longer."
"That makes sense to me. No matter how much he knows about technology, he can't make much use of it here without special facilities and resources. My main concern then would be magic, but if we take his base of operations we should be able to determine if he has access to that and if so, how much of a threat he remains. I'd prefer to kill him though." The young woman shakes her head, then reaches up and rubs her muzzle, stuffing her halitool under her other arm. "Capturing him alive would allow us to question him, as well. Given his crimes, I could probably justify dragging him back to Abaddon and seeing what he's hiding using our combined technological and magical abilities. But, even just a body part might help identify him. Still, we need to win first."
"You two done flirting yet?" Ink calls out. "We're getting under way! We've sent shadowgrams to the other cruisers that might be in range, but we won't be waiting for them before we strike the airbase."
Tasha turns away from the Lancer, stepping around him to say, "We're done. And, we'd like to talk to you when you have a moment, but it can wait until later. Right now, what do you need from us?" She then gestures to Axe and herself, then to her assembled team.
"I dunno, what can you do?" Ink asks, quite honestly. "I don't know much about any of you." Limjow has left, the ship feels like it's gaining altitude.
"I'm an explorer. Pilot-Cadet, JEF. My training is in Abaddonian engineering, Expedition-era technologies, piloting, recovery, demolition, and whatever else we need to explore a ruin. I'm also trained to drove pteras -- it's what I did before I joined the JEF and why Blackwings and I were always in the same places -- and I have enough knowledge to captain an airship." Turning now, the hybrid woman points to Shojo in turn, "Shojo's a combat medic, woth some weapons training. Fringe," the Eeee gets pointed at next, "is a botonist we brough along for a special mission and is not a combatant." Looking back to the Captain, she then says, "I also have a powerful enchantment on my left hand that is tuned to destroy living flora, and if it cannot, to calcify it. We didn't use it, so, I don't mind expending it if it's useful in the coming battle."
"Hmm, for now it sounds like you'll be best suited to ground work and recovery. Some ships will run before we can get them, I'm sure, too. Capturing a few would be handy," Ink says. "Our initial strike will be from the high ground and range. I don't suppose you've ever been to Harrison's Hold?"
"I have in fact. The last time we had an expedition out here, we used it as our stopover point before entering the Beast Lands," Tasha answers, spreading her hands. "And if it helps, I might be able to use Abaddonian airship technologies to improve your cannons. Most of the cannons I see on Sinai are older models, cruder. But some of the techniques still work with ball-ammo."
"Our cannon designs are secret," Ink notes. "Nothing matches their range or accuracy.. except maybe the Intimidator. I'd be more interested in knowing the traffic routes and defenses of the city. It's a smuggler's hold, so it goes without saying they'll have tunnels all over the place, but we'll deal with what we can see for now."
"We didn't stay long or go too far in to the city -- we recognized its dangers and kept to ourself -- but I can give you what I have." And with that Tasha steps forward, pulls out her paints, and puts them atop the map table. "Lets see what we can come up with ... "
There isn't any warning. From out of the setting sun a rain of fire and iron strikes. Sometimes their are explosions in the air, sending shrapnel in all directions. Rakhtors and Ptera's scream in panic, along with anyone not close to shelter, and the small fleet of airships moored there for the night begin to sink towards the ground after a critical number of gas cells have ruptured.
From the Sword of Golgotha, there's no sound to accompany the images seen through the binoculars and telescopes. All of the targeting had been done to hit the targets with a single volley, fired from 7,000 feet up and a mile away. The cannons had belched green flame when fired, hinting at some exotic explosives. Before the smoke begins to clear, Captain Ink gives the command to get in closer - something few, if any, ships this size would risk in the mountains.
On the deck Tasha watches, her expression impassive, hidden behind her helmet to block out the roar of cannon fire. And while she looks unphased,inwardly her emotions churn. It hadn't been that long since she was here last; She knew the place's reputation, but then she knows many others like it. Many people like it, hidden, sinister. People she's talked to; People she's liked and still likes. The young woman remembers tetsing the Markers outside the city to reduce any risk to its citizens ...
Now, she's returned as one of its destroyers.
The hybrid woman shakes her head. Though she feels, she knows it's not enough. The death of airships, their crews, the pteras, a city ... She thinks sheought to feel more. Hurt more. She hurts, but to her, it's not enough. Her reserves are drained, and her options are few. All she can do now is watch and wait for her turn, hoping those who don't deserve this fate can get free, and that it's worth such terrible loss of life and vessel.
"Defenses and airships are down," the chief spotter announces. It's easy to see the outpost now. Some of the smoke is yellow, from rounds meant to drive people indoors from the smell and irritation. Riot control, basically. There's still activity around the airships, but they aren't going to be getting underway anytime soon. "Get your medic ready," Ink says to Tasha. "There will also be a heliostat that we didn't see, or fast flyers. News will spread."
"I'm on it," says Tasha, who is glad to have a reason to turn away from the devestation. She walks to a nearby hatch, then pops it open and waves her hand, "Shojo, you're with me," she calls inside. By now, Fringe should be safe in her quarters, as she was instructed to remain there for her own safety.
Shojo joins Tasha on the deck, with the growing number of other flyers. There are also several Magenta Lancers, almost certainly all Savanites, and Axe. They'll be on hold until the Sword is ready to drop them, but Tasha also hears the Rakhtors squawking, so at least some non-winged troops will be in the first launch with them.
The two join the other parties, forming up with them as instructed. It's here Tasha lifts her halitool and checks it one last time. The spike has been cleaned, but the blood remains. She turns it in the light a moment, the memory returning in a flash.
Is this where you became who you were, Blackwings? Were you twisted by this man, or was it life? Who were you, before it all? And, who could you have been..? The young cadet wonders. In truth, she still respects Blackwings to a degree: Her resolute strength, her unrepentent conviction, her force of will. But now, she isn't sure those things even belonged to her -- if they weren't forced on her. She thinks about how she's been changed by the same, and wonders what it all means. What 'yourself' really means.
But there isn't much time, and so the young woman lowers her blade and checks it for something other than emotional scars and existential questions: She makes sure it's intact, sturdy, and ready -- again, for the fifth time. Her armor alraedy went through the paces. She's as ready as she can be.
A horn sounds, and the exotic weapon at the prow flashes several times into the Hold to blind any sharpshooters that might be laying in wait. Smoked glasses and goggles are flipped back up, and the flyers launch, with two Rakhtors following. It's only about a quarter-mile to the center of the outpost now, and there isn't sign of anyone moving out in the open.
Tasha sticks to their formation, as per the plan. Her eyes scan the looking city for threats and targets, something that comes much less easily. This is the first time she's entered in to combat against a society. She's fought people, sentients, and both times that ended in regret and pain. And now, she's raiding a town. She doesn't let herself wonder what new scars this wil bring -- she pushes herself to focus and get ready for landing.
Nothing opposes them when they land. Shojo immediately heads for the first downed body he sees, while a swarm of lightly-armored, dark figures drop from the Rakhtors: Kavi! They spread out and vanish into the surrounding buildings. "Defensive perimeter," the team leader, a big scarred Vartan, says, indicating they form a circle around Shojo and move with him.
Tasha steps in to place, haliberd at the ready and spear point outward. Now that they're down, she finds her mind has become strangely calm. Focused. A quiet, sad focus like watching a sun set. her eyes roam the structures, sweeping her area for threats as she was taught to do.
The silence is odd. The sound echoing off the walls is coming from the descending Sword itself. "They're watching," the leader asides to Tasha. The buildings don't seem to have much damage, aside from a few broken windows. "The Ferrets will root out the dangerous ones. Soon as you see the Lancers dropping, get ready to cover your ears."
Tasha sees some of them, but suspects she doesn't seen enough of them. "What's our plan after that?" She asks in a low voice, still trying to spot what she can and wondering which ones are the dangerous ones.
"After that they surrender," the veteran notes. "We may have to stop them turning on each other, too."
Having no experience with combat againt cities, or for that matter combat against people otehr than single combat, Tasha asks, "Each other? Do you mean sell each other out? A riot?"
"These places are full of bad blood," the man explains. "Some see the chaos as a cover to get revenge, settle feuds and so on. Most people though.. these are small-time criminals. They don't have anything they're willing to die for. They'll surrender, tell us whatever they think will get them a better deal, and that will be that. Most of 'em will be let go anyway."
"That's good," Tasha says, and she means it. She has no particular love of police duties; As far as she's concerned, she'd always been trying to improve the world for most people -- and that includes petty criminals. She may have changed, but she hasn't forgotten where she came from, or where she might yet go -- nor the people who walk, walked, and will walk beside her through the light and the darkness. "After that we search for hidden passages, and head down?"
The setting sun is blotted out by the bulk of the Sword as it casts its shadow over the small settlement. Lines drop and the Lancers slide down. Axe alone looks like he could defeat any resistance, and the sleek forms of the Magenta Lancers look frightening for different reasons. "We want the headman," the veteran notes. "He has stuff to die for. He'll go to wherever his loot is stashed. That kind always does." Non-lancers are dropping in now as well: Karnors. Trackers, most likely. And then the veteran covers his ears.
Tasha has her helmet on, and what of its dampening system she could retain or approximate. It helps she's also slightly hard of hearing, from too much time listening to pteras screech and other loud things. She does watch, however, curious as to what the Lancers will use.
The Lancers form up, and look impressive. And the voice of a god vibrates what windows remain unbroken. A very squeaky voiced god, in particular. "I AM CAPTAIN INK OF THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAR HEAVY CRUISER SWORD OF GOLGOTHA," the amplified voice booms. "YOUR PATRON WARLORD, IBRAHIM WARLOQ, HAS COMMITTED ACTS OF WAR AGAINST THE NATION OF XENEA. ALL OF HIS HOLDINGS ARE FORFEIT. SURRENDER NOW, AND YOU WILL BE TREATED JUSTLY. WE AREN'T HERE FOR SHOPKEEPS AND BARTENDERS AND WHORES. THE SOONER YOU BRING OUT THE BOSSES, THE SOONER THIS WILL BE DONE WITH."
This opens the floodgates.. or at least the doors, as people pour out of the buildings and throw themselves on the ground, all claiming innocence or accusing others.
"I like her better this way," Tasha admits after her ears get done ringing. The Captain didn't impress her very much, but she's beginning to see she makes up for her small stature and unimpressive voice with pure aggression and animation. It doesn't hurt she has one of the most destructive airships on Sinai at her command, either. "Do you have teams specifically for dealing with non-combatants?" She then asks as she gazes across the groveling masses.
"Yeah, us," the Vartan notes. "Go join up with the Lancers and keep an eye on your friend. We'll organize this mess.."
"Good luck," Tasha bids the veteran, turning to walk past him towards the Lancers. As she passes Shojo, she pats him on the shoulder and says, "Time to go. We're with the Lancers. You remember the briefing. C'mon." And with that she heads off to join the armored figures, making for one more.
Axe seems to be the center of the Lancer formation, and the Trackers are clustering near him as well. "Won't be long," one of the Karnors assures the armored hulk. "Our Ferrets are the best."
Tasha falls in to position after Shojo moves to the center, where he'll be safer if not safe. She thinks for a moment if she can recall any Expeditions vessels that went down in this region, in case Warloq may have used that as his base.
More people are coming out of the buildings, and these are clearly not doing so willingly. They are all big and brutish sorts with 'thug' written all over their faces. They're either naked or wearing tatters, and being led out with noose-poles by several Kavi each. Many of the surrendered folk openly laugh or jeer at them. There's a whistle from the front of one of the warehouses, where a Kavi trooper is waving from. "That's our hole," the Tracker says.
While Kilmanjar is near the Beast Lands, Lucifer is still the only ship Tasha can recall being mentioned as crashing in the region.
"I'm with you. Let me know if you need anything," Tasha asides to Axe, knowing he's aware of the extent of her knowledge after their talk. She regrets she didn't explore the map of crash sites in painstaking detail before her mission -- she never expected to be traveling to any of them, let alone seizing a backwater smuggler hole with a small army.
The Trackers head off, with Tasha, Axe, Shojo and Lily (possibly.. all of the Magenta Lancers look identical in their armor). Inside the warehouse, they spot several of the Ferrets prying at a section of the back wall. "Over here!" one of them calls. "Hidden door!"
As demolition is something she's inherently prepared for, Tasha steps forward to examine the hidden door. She doesn't touch it yet, but instead kneels down to get a better look at it and search it for anything that might be a switch -- or a trap. "Lets see what we can find," she murmurs as she gets to business.
The Kavi have uncovered the likely hinge area.. but the hinges are the on the inside. There may be a peephole, disguised as a knothole in the wood facade though. Which could mean the door is only meant to be opened from the inside, by someone always on duty.
"If that's a peep then they know we're here, if they didn't already. We shouldn't be standing infront of the opening when we pry this off," Tasha says to no one in particular. She then picks up her halitool and gives the peep hole a good whack, to shatter it in to uselessness, before jamming the tool in to the crack and helping the Kavi get the door off.
It takes some time, since the door is heavy. Eventually something inside breaks, and it swings inward.
Tasha waits, pressed aaginst the wall, in case anything comes out of the interior area. She also fishes out her mirror, then holds it so she can look inside without having to risk her head.
The corridor beyond is dark, and cut out the mountainside. There's also a body in it, an Eeee, dressed like a guard.
The Trackers move up when nothing happens. "Fresh," the first one reports as it checks the corpse. "Neck cut, probably from behind."
"That's odd," goes Tasha when she sees the body. She glances towards Axe, as she's not point, then steps in after him. "Why would he ... " The young woman pauses, realizing something, then says, "Destroying evidence?"
"He the one who opens door," Axe notes. "Take him out, he can't panic and open door." The Trackers move in first, then Axe follows and waves for the others to come along.
"I see," Tasha murmurs as she steps past the body, head shaking. After a moment, she loosk up and then follows the others deeper in to the structure.
It's a slow pace. The Trackers have lamps, but practically creep along, checking for traps or false trails. The tunnel does branch a few times, but they always keep to their quarry, likely following the scent of the Eeee's blood. "Definitely a Khatta," one of them reports.
Tasha keeps a lookout as well, a layer of redundancy as she sticks to the mid-back of the column. "How are you doing, Shojo?" She thinks to ask, unsure how her silent and apparently -- but not actually -- stoic companion is doing.
"Too many dead," the Vartan replies. "Don't think I will like whoever is at the end of this maze."
"I think that's wise. Me, I'd really like to know who he is and what he's about, and how he did all this." Tasha creeps along. There's not much to see where she is, but she tries to see it none-the-less. She wonders if she'll ever stop seeing it, long after it's gone and done. "If he's as guilty as we think, I'd like to put my halitool in him. It'd be nice to kill someone who deserves it and isn't someone I care about."
The Trackers stop, and whispers, "We're close.. closed room ahead, smells of death."
Tasha has a sudden idea about the death ahead, but she doesn't want to think about it or believe it's true -- not unless she must. Instead she pushes herself to be ready, moving in to position for their entry.
"Fall back," Axe notes, and unlimbers his strange hybrid weapon.. and goes up and kicks the door in. There's a feline scream, followed by, "I was just.. I wasn't the one in charge!"
Having backed away, Tasha stands with her weapon ready towards the rear, not quite able to see who or what lies ahead, She does hear the voice though, wondering if they've found their man or if it's just one more pawn in a long line of them.
"Who the one in charge then?" Axe asks. The other voice remains silent, then says, "I can't.. I can't tell you.."
"I wonder if he's been controlled, like the others," Tasha whispers aside to Shojo. "He may not be able to, but we can't know for sure. Not without advanced equipment, maybe a mage. It's disgusting."
"No one get to you with us," Axe promises. "You come, talk to us. Maybe come out ahead, eh?" This is offer is followed by a 'gluck' sound and lots of Titanian cursing. "Medic!" Axe calls, and Shojo rushes forward.
Tasha rushes forward with the man, as she was ordered to watch him -- and she would have anyway under her own orders. She heard the noise, but didn't see what caused it, and so she's all eyes and ears when she rushes up behind Shojo.
Axe is standing off to the side now. The room is filled with loot - barrels of who knows what, rolls of Zolk, and boxes of jewelry. At the middle is a middle-aged, plump Khatta. Not a Lynx, but sandy colored and still with ear tufts. No scars on his face, certainly, aside from the gash in the side of his neck with a stiletto jutting out. Sojo pulls out the blade and applies pressure, but it's obviously not going to work. The cat gurgles and blows blood bubbles from his mouth.
Tasha bites her lip as she watches the man bleed out, wondering what sort of monster would twist another being to do such a thing to itself. As she watches, ehr anger only increases, as does her nausea at from the raw emotion of watching the poor man die. Whatever his sins, she decides he didn't deserve to be used like a puppet.
Instead, she turns away and begins looking around, searching the walls. She highly doubts this is the whole of the complex -- there must be more. She isn't sure that more would be connected here, but it's better to her than standing around being useless, angry, and sad.
Shojo shakes his head to Axe as the headman dies. There's not telling what the Lancer is thinking behind his closed helmet, until he finally says, "Bring the body, and the knife. Trackers and Ferrets can map out this place."
Tasha turns away from the wall and nods. With Shojo and the others seeing to the body, she kneels down and picks up the knife, taking a moment to look it over. "What's our next move?" She asks as she does so.
"Examine the body, see if drugs or magic involved," Axe says. "Knife too. He kill the door guard, but then kill himself. Does not add up. Why not kill himself right away, before being found? What is the trigger?"
"Maybe there was no trigger for killing the guard, maybe that was just him being afraid of being caught and questioned -- and then forced to kill himself," Tasha suggests as the party exits with their macbre load. "It doesn't seem like he overwrote their entire identity, so it seems like they could still behave as they would have until forced to do otherwise."
"Hypnosis, maybe," the Lancer suggests. "With Mind Magic to overcome self-preservation."
"Alien machines not work here.. but drugs.. that different story," Axe also suggests. "Also a possibility."
"Maybe. That'd mean there's a mage, or he's the mage. But magic takes a long time to learn, or so I've been told. That would mean he's been here a while, on the planet that is. Otherwise he may be using learning machines. I know that some can still work on the surface, if not perfectly," Tasha suggests as they walk down the corridor and out in to the warehouse.
"Whatever it is, there are side-effects," Axe notes. "Your friend, Blackwings.. you think she the type to skin people alive?"
Tasha's expression is hard as she walks, and she stares forward without meeting anyone's gaze. "She wasn't my friend," she says at first. There's a pause, a loaded silence, then she answers, "But no. She'd kill a man and laugh, even a man and his son, but there was always a reason -- she always did it to answer an insult or prove her superiority. She used people and tormented them for her amusement, but she wasn't random about it, and she seemed to have her limits. At least, I thought she did. I'd like to believe she did."
"So, sometime since you last see her, she go from just sociopath to sadist," Axe suggests. "We find out from crew when she start working Kilmanjar. That give us timeline. Maybe Ink is right and we not dealing with warlord so much as cult leader."
"Blackwings valued her freedom more than anything. Her independence, her own strength and will. To have this happen to her must have been a horrible experience; It may have daamged her, or, ... or ... broken her somehow. he might have been taking it out on anyone and everyone as a way to try to make up for it. It was probably the worst thing you could do to her," Tasha continues, head shaking. Whatever happened between them, she doesn't think her old hero deserved this. She hated Blackwings for what she did to her, but even so, she'd have never asked for this -- not for her, or anyone. "Whoever he is, he needs to be stopped. But I wonder, why send such a sadistic, monster of a persn as an agent? Did the failure set him off? The abandonment? Was this exactly who and what they wanted? If he's a agent, and if they knew about him, someone else is guilty of all this too."
"We are looking at this from the wrong perspective," Shojo speaks up. "This is not brainwashing or mind control at its heart. It is loyalty. Galactic Khatta would be the ones to develop a loyalty serum, and it would work best on themselves and Vartan. We need to know what other species have been 'turned' by him, if any. There may be something more, something involving Spirit Magic. That might be used to enhance the effect. Or to try and counter the psychotic side-effect issue."
"You know a lot about this Shojo, I'm impressed," Tasha admits, brows raising. "I'd heard there might be more to Galactic Vartan-Khattans relations, but I don't have any proof of a serum or other drug. The Vartans I met didn't mention it. Though, I don't see much difference between mind edit, magic, brainwashing and loyalty serums -- it's all mental control in the end. But, um, do you think they also used the serum on the agent himself? He's also exhibiting similiar symptoms in doing all of this."
"If such a serum existed, then the ones behind the conspiracy would be fools not to use it on their agents. After all, if they were exposed, they would need to kill themselves before revealing any secrets. It is possible that the psychosis is a long-term side effect, or something that only occurs on Sinai, in the presence of magic," Shojo speculates. "I would suggest having Fringe run the toxicology tests on the body."
"That's a good idea. You have my blessing to do whatever you need to do to test this thing. I can't help you much on that, but I can at least support you." Looking down at the stilleto in her hands, Tasha decides leaving it exposed it a poor idea now that they need the blood fresh. She pulls out one of their sample baggies and slides it carefully inside, then slides the bagged weapon in to another before rolling it up. "And we still need to find the man."
"We know where he is," Axe notes. "He can't really run."
"You do? You don't think he's fled the area, then?" The hybrid woman asks as she steps out in to the open air, glad to smell the fresh breeze and be away from the smell of death and regret.
"He has a fortress in the mountains. Not easy to get in and out of, surrounded by inhospitable terrain," Axe explains. Anything in the air is doomed. By ground, never make it alone. He not a young man, and has been injured. He will hole up in his fortress, with whatever defenses he has."
"He could be an agent of an agent too, abandoned when their plan fell through," Shojo points out. "A local, not a Galactic."
"So he's either below, or nearby in a seperate enclosure. That's good." Tasha looks around now that she's back outside, wondering where the Khattan might hide. "He could be. It's his species that suggests Galactic, but they could have chosen a Khatttan ouit of a sense of trust, or more likely, because it represents them. The Trade Emirate loves its grandeur."
"And to have a layer of separation perhaps," Shojo notes. "How far away is the fortress?" he asks Axe.
"Nearer the northern coast, about one hundred miles," the Lancer notes. "We will be waiting for reinforcements here, while we sort things out."
"They love their seperation, too. Their auotmation. the farther they can be removed from the work, the more comfortable they are," Tasha agrees. She then glances between the two men, then thumbs back. "Shojo, you should return to the ship with the body and the dagger, and get Fringe on things. I won't be much use to you up there, so I'll remain down here and help as I can."
"Be diplomatic, Tasha," Shojo offers, before he leaves with the men carrying the body. The sight of the dead headman - and the clearly self-inflicted wound - actually causes the locals who see it to quiet down.
"What does that mean?" Tasha wonders aloud as Shojo walks off, having handed him the stilleto moments before. She turns to Axe for help.
The helmet turns to look at Tasha. "It means to be reasonable and calm, usually," he explains.
"Even my own team doesn't have much faith in me. I probably deserve it, but ... " Tasha turns to watch Shojo in the distance, head shaking. "It still hurts to hear it. Sometimes I think they're with me to be my chaperone, not my team mates."
"I have never seen teacups," Axe says. "Anything fragile is hidden when I am around."
The young woman gives Axe a sidelong glance, then simply barks a laugh at it all. "I guess not having faith is just part of it all, is it? Well, at least someone cares enough to think about us. Sometimes I feel like I have too many good people worried about me, and I wonder, how did that ever happen?" She shrugs, then thumbs back towards the otehrs again. "So, should we stand around and look intimidating, or is there something else?"
"Yes, we should look intimidating, until nightfall," Axe says. "Then.. I would like to see if I could get a cup of tea here."
"Did you know I vowed to stop drinking so I could retain control? That lasted a few days. The control I mean. I'm proud to say I'm still not drinking much, so at least I have that." Tasha turns back, moving to walk along side the Titanian. "And, um, about what you asked me? About Blackwings?"
"She was my friend," the young woman admits, rolling her shoulders in a shrug somewhere between helpless and overwhelmed. "Even if she didn't deserve it. I loved her, then I hated her. But still, I never really forgot her. That's why I did what I did. I knew no one would like it. I didn't really lose my cool, I just my perspective. I wanted it, and I couldn't see farther than Blackwings. I thought it was the best ending for everyone, including your people. But, you know, I was wrong. But I don't think I regret it now. Maybe I gave her the one thing no one else could in the end: Freedom, to at least die her way."
"At least, I'd like to think so. Maybe I'm imagining it, but ... I thought she seemed happy in the end." The hybrid draws in a long breath, then exhales. "You know what? I think I could use a cup of tea, too."