Unity – A Talk About Other People's Toys (Backpost) - Part 2
by Colonel James Darson & Lieutenant Vincent Tan
Post Details
OLD:
As the hatch hissed shut behind him, the large man switched seats to the one in front of the Admiral and relaxed, lounging back onto the cushions. He chuckled again before eyeing the Admiral with his one uncovered eye that was a chilling ice-blue.
“Well…we meet at last Admiral…or should I call you, ‘Bushranger’. You can call me…’Odin’”
NEW:
"I remember you now," the older man said calmly. "You're one of those useful rogues who we find useful from time to time." Although he had devoted his career to more official dealings, the admiral had used covert or "black" operatives in the past. He had found them useful at silencing certain people, destroying certain objects and creating certain opportunities. They were a lot like dynamite. And just like dynamite they could be exploded harmlessly if the need arose. With this thought, the admiral became more cordial. "So what brings you here 'Odin'?"
“I am here my dear Admiral, because you have been taking things that don’t belong to you for your own purposes. Didn’t the Academy teach you to respect other people’s belongings?”
The admiral laughed. "And what have I been taking that isn't mine? You forget that alot of things fall under my purview. You could say a lot of things "belong" to me. You, for example..." He let the bait hang in the air.
The man didn’t take the bait, "I do not belong to you," he said slowly, "I serve at the pleasure of the Federation, and people who are far more powerful than you can possibly imagine. And they have given me the discretion to deal with you as I see fit. You have been in contact with one of my agents…without going through me first. That alone is cause for concern. However, there have also been some…concerning…reports of your activities recently, Admiral. Specifically the interactions between yourself and a group of other flag officers with whom you closely work with. So my question to you, Admiral, is this:" he leaned forward, placing his muscled arms on his knees and steepling his fingers," What do you intend to gain through this?"
The colonel knew more than he was meant to and this irritated the Admiral. He knew that he was part of the group of men that were the most powerful in the Federation and for this colonel to know their dealings, it was evident that someone amongst them had either been careless or divulged the information on purpose. The Admiral had his suspicions as to who would have the motivation to do such a thing. He elaborated to the colonel. "You do belong to me, in a way Colonel," he held up his hands in protest, "No, don't argue. It is true, whether you believe or not, that is the truth. Those people you call "powerful" happen to be allied with me so you can drop all this cloak and dagger bullshit, you jarhead!"
He continued as the Marine was stunned at his sudden change in demeanor. "We are hoping to avert a damn war with the Romulans. I'll try to explain to you, but I doubt your microscopic mind could comprehend grand strategy. I, and a few other good men, believe that a certain admiral is organizing a coup d'etat. He is purposefully weakening the Federation in some key areas whilst bolstering other, less important ones. He is paving the way for an invasion. Even your simple mind can understand the implications - heightened military, government in crisis, an unsuspecting public..." The admiral lost his bluster and sighed deeply. "Things are going downhill fast and I fear that in my rush to get things done, I may have been careless. I'm limited in, shall we say "appropriate", assets despite everything else. Is that why are you here, Mannheim?"
Mannheim was silent for a moment then let out a low sigh of contemplation as he fixed his lone eye on the man opposite him, “Hmmm…it doesn’t matter. The Romulan situation…will be worked out in due time. I have my agents taking care of it as we speak. However, this other issue…is deeply disturbing. I had heard rumors through my intelligence network, but I had no idea that he had progressed this far…” he trailed off as he stared at the Admiral.
“Well…” Mannheim said as he stood up and brushed an invisible speck of dust off his leg with a gloved hand, “I’ve gotten what I came for, Admiral. Your explanation has satisfied my curiosity. You may continue to use my agent for this mission, but for nothing else. Is that understood? He will be reporting to me as well, so I would suggest you keep that in mind. Also,” he continued, being oddly forthcoming at this point, “I will place surveillance on this Admiral. My intelligence agents are some of the best in the Galaxy.”
The Admiral grunted.
“There is one more thing though, Admiral,” Mannheim said in what was possibly a tone of regret, “and I am truly sorry to have to do this, but…in my opinion, it is necessary.”
This drew a worried look from the Admiral, but he desperately tried to hang on to his dignity and simply grunted again.
With two large strides, he was by the Admiral’s side. As the startled man tried to stand up from the chair, Mannheim’s large hand shot out and covered the Admiral’s mouth, forcing him back into the seat. The large Marine skillfully placed his leg on the other officer’s midsection in such a fashion as to help immobilize him, and prevent him from attacking.
He stared down without pity at the struggling man and said calmly, “Don’t worry Admiral. I gave you my word before that if you cooperated with me then no harm would come to you. Despite your blatant attempts to annoy me, and insult me and my men, and to otherwise disparage me, I am a man of my word. Always. So I’m just going to quickly let you in on a little secret, my dear Admiral. My very own ‘Grand Strategy’, to use your own words. For now, we are going to maintain the status quo. Everything will continue exactly as it has been going. You will use my man to hunt down the mole. This Admiral will continue his preparations, and so on and so forth…except for the fact that I will be sending people to gather intelligence on him. I’ll also have one of my top assassins standing by at all times, just in case drastic action has to be taken.”
He looked away from the Admiral and used his free hand to slowly raise up the plate covering his other eye, “How much do you know about Project: SNOW WHITE? Well, silly question I guess. The answer’s definitively no. I’ll say again that I am truly sorry for this Admiral. But I can’t have anybody finding out about out meeting.” He turned to face him again, this time with the plate up on his forehead.
"What?!?" was all the older man could say.
As the Admiral’s eyes widened in shock and disgust at what looked like the stuff of nightmares, Mannheim closed his good eye and directed his molten gaze directly into the other man’s eyes.
Instantly the admiral slumped, all resistance gone from his body, his eyes open and fixed in an empty stare.
“Good, good,” Mannheim said with a grin as he stared down at the limp man. He got up off of him, since there was no more need to restrain him. He knelt down to his level and said, “I’m going to wipe your memory, Admiral. But don’t worry. I’ll create a fake one in its place. The next time we meet, my dear Admiral…it will be for the first time,” he pat the older man on the cheek and stood up.
As he did though, he stumbled slightly. He put his hand against the wall to steady himself as his vision blurred for a second and then went back to normal. He had used it too much in past day, and the stress was beginning to show. Especially after having to beat the mind of a strong person like the Admiral. He hurriedly slid the plate back down over his eye as the shuttle touched down. They were at Starfleet Command. There was a commotion as the aide began to head back to the main Cabin.
Mannheim turned and headed out the back of the shuttle without looking back. He went across the way to the adjacent shuttle pad, and boarded the waiting Wyvern transport. Any of the security sensors around would show nothing out of the unusual happening. There would be no trace of the Colonel, only one shuttle arriving and one departing on coincidentally close schedules.
Meanwhile, back on the shuttle, Francois reentered the Cabin and addressed the Admiral, “Sir, we’ve arrived at Starfleet Command. Did you have a nice talk with your wife sir?
The Admiral simply nodded, not sure why Francois should mention his wife.
Back on the departing Wyvern, Mannheim sat down heavily on the jump seat and addressed the man standing at attention opposite him. Clad in black SpecOps armor, he had a cloak on which was also black, save for a defining gray stripe across the chest, “Contact the appropriate people," he said in a strained tone, "and set up surveillance on all of the original targets. And include the Admiral’s daughter as well. She may be useful if we need any leverage.”
The man nodded, turned and disappeared.
OFF:
Colonel Chester Mannheim, played by James Darson
Admiral "Bushranger", played by Vincent Tan
by Colonel James Darson & Lieutenant Vincent Tan
Post Details
| Title | A Talk About Other People's Toys (Backpost) - Part 2 | |
| Mission | Unity | |
| Author(s) | Colonel James Darson & Lieutenant Vincent Tan | |
| Posted | Mon Nov 16, 2009 @ 5:17pm | |
| Location | Earth | |
| Timeline | SD13 (Backpost) |
As the hatch hissed shut behind him, the large man switched seats to the one in front of the Admiral and relaxed, lounging back onto the cushions. He chuckled again before eyeing the Admiral with his one uncovered eye that was a chilling ice-blue.
“Well…we meet at last Admiral…or should I call you, ‘Bushranger’. You can call me…’Odin’”
NEW:
"I remember you now," the older man said calmly. "You're one of those useful rogues who we find useful from time to time." Although he had devoted his career to more official dealings, the admiral had used covert or "black" operatives in the past. He had found them useful at silencing certain people, destroying certain objects and creating certain opportunities. They were a lot like dynamite. And just like dynamite they could be exploded harmlessly if the need arose. With this thought, the admiral became more cordial. "So what brings you here 'Odin'?"
“I am here my dear Admiral, because you have been taking things that don’t belong to you for your own purposes. Didn’t the Academy teach you to respect other people’s belongings?”
The admiral laughed. "And what have I been taking that isn't mine? You forget that alot of things fall under my purview. You could say a lot of things "belong" to me. You, for example..." He let the bait hang in the air.
The man didn’t take the bait, "I do not belong to you," he said slowly, "I serve at the pleasure of the Federation, and people who are far more powerful than you can possibly imagine. And they have given me the discretion to deal with you as I see fit. You have been in contact with one of my agents…without going through me first. That alone is cause for concern. However, there have also been some…concerning…reports of your activities recently, Admiral. Specifically the interactions between yourself and a group of other flag officers with whom you closely work with. So my question to you, Admiral, is this:" he leaned forward, placing his muscled arms on his knees and steepling his fingers," What do you intend to gain through this?"
The colonel knew more than he was meant to and this irritated the Admiral. He knew that he was part of the group of men that were the most powerful in the Federation and for this colonel to know their dealings, it was evident that someone amongst them had either been careless or divulged the information on purpose. The Admiral had his suspicions as to who would have the motivation to do such a thing. He elaborated to the colonel. "You do belong to me, in a way Colonel," he held up his hands in protest, "No, don't argue. It is true, whether you believe or not, that is the truth. Those people you call "powerful" happen to be allied with me so you can drop all this cloak and dagger bullshit, you jarhead!"
He continued as the Marine was stunned at his sudden change in demeanor. "We are hoping to avert a damn war with the Romulans. I'll try to explain to you, but I doubt your microscopic mind could comprehend grand strategy. I, and a few other good men, believe that a certain admiral is organizing a coup d'etat. He is purposefully weakening the Federation in some key areas whilst bolstering other, less important ones. He is paving the way for an invasion. Even your simple mind can understand the implications - heightened military, government in crisis, an unsuspecting public..." The admiral lost his bluster and sighed deeply. "Things are going downhill fast and I fear that in my rush to get things done, I may have been careless. I'm limited in, shall we say "appropriate", assets despite everything else. Is that why are you here, Mannheim?"
Mannheim was silent for a moment then let out a low sigh of contemplation as he fixed his lone eye on the man opposite him, “Hmmm…it doesn’t matter. The Romulan situation…will be worked out in due time. I have my agents taking care of it as we speak. However, this other issue…is deeply disturbing. I had heard rumors through my intelligence network, but I had no idea that he had progressed this far…” he trailed off as he stared at the Admiral.
“Well…” Mannheim said as he stood up and brushed an invisible speck of dust off his leg with a gloved hand, “I’ve gotten what I came for, Admiral. Your explanation has satisfied my curiosity. You may continue to use my agent for this mission, but for nothing else. Is that understood? He will be reporting to me as well, so I would suggest you keep that in mind. Also,” he continued, being oddly forthcoming at this point, “I will place surveillance on this Admiral. My intelligence agents are some of the best in the Galaxy.”
The Admiral grunted.
“There is one more thing though, Admiral,” Mannheim said in what was possibly a tone of regret, “and I am truly sorry to have to do this, but…in my opinion, it is necessary.”
This drew a worried look from the Admiral, but he desperately tried to hang on to his dignity and simply grunted again.
With two large strides, he was by the Admiral’s side. As the startled man tried to stand up from the chair, Mannheim’s large hand shot out and covered the Admiral’s mouth, forcing him back into the seat. The large Marine skillfully placed his leg on the other officer’s midsection in such a fashion as to help immobilize him, and prevent him from attacking.
He stared down without pity at the struggling man and said calmly, “Don’t worry Admiral. I gave you my word before that if you cooperated with me then no harm would come to you. Despite your blatant attempts to annoy me, and insult me and my men, and to otherwise disparage me, I am a man of my word. Always. So I’m just going to quickly let you in on a little secret, my dear Admiral. My very own ‘Grand Strategy’, to use your own words. For now, we are going to maintain the status quo. Everything will continue exactly as it has been going. You will use my man to hunt down the mole. This Admiral will continue his preparations, and so on and so forth…except for the fact that I will be sending people to gather intelligence on him. I’ll also have one of my top assassins standing by at all times, just in case drastic action has to be taken.”
He looked away from the Admiral and used his free hand to slowly raise up the plate covering his other eye, “How much do you know about Project: SNOW WHITE? Well, silly question I guess. The answer’s definitively no. I’ll say again that I am truly sorry for this Admiral. But I can’t have anybody finding out about out meeting.” He turned to face him again, this time with the plate up on his forehead.
"What?!?" was all the older man could say.
As the Admiral’s eyes widened in shock and disgust at what looked like the stuff of nightmares, Mannheim closed his good eye and directed his molten gaze directly into the other man’s eyes.
Instantly the admiral slumped, all resistance gone from his body, his eyes open and fixed in an empty stare.
“Good, good,” Mannheim said with a grin as he stared down at the limp man. He got up off of him, since there was no more need to restrain him. He knelt down to his level and said, “I’m going to wipe your memory, Admiral. But don’t worry. I’ll create a fake one in its place. The next time we meet, my dear Admiral…it will be for the first time,” he pat the older man on the cheek and stood up.
As he did though, he stumbled slightly. He put his hand against the wall to steady himself as his vision blurred for a second and then went back to normal. He had used it too much in past day, and the stress was beginning to show. Especially after having to beat the mind of a strong person like the Admiral. He hurriedly slid the plate back down over his eye as the shuttle touched down. They were at Starfleet Command. There was a commotion as the aide began to head back to the main Cabin.
Mannheim turned and headed out the back of the shuttle without looking back. He went across the way to the adjacent shuttle pad, and boarded the waiting Wyvern transport. Any of the security sensors around would show nothing out of the unusual happening. There would be no trace of the Colonel, only one shuttle arriving and one departing on coincidentally close schedules.
Meanwhile, back on the shuttle, Francois reentered the Cabin and addressed the Admiral, “Sir, we’ve arrived at Starfleet Command. Did you have a nice talk with your wife sir?
The Admiral simply nodded, not sure why Francois should mention his wife.
Back on the departing Wyvern, Mannheim sat down heavily on the jump seat and addressed the man standing at attention opposite him. Clad in black SpecOps armor, he had a cloak on which was also black, save for a defining gray stripe across the chest, “Contact the appropriate people," he said in a strained tone, "and set up surveillance on all of the original targets. And include the Admiral’s daughter as well. She may be useful if we need any leverage.”
The man nodded, turned and disappeared.
OFF:
Colonel Chester Mannheim, played by James Darson
Admiral "Bushranger", played by Vincent Tan