Re: Grand Battle S3G1! (Round Two: The Great Battlefield)
11-07-2011, 11:33 PM
Originally posted on MSPA by Pinary.
In circumstances where he wasn't being ordered around like a goon on a leash, Tor might've let it slide. "We're called Telpori-Hal," he replied instead, going into his familiar speech with a bit more bite to his voice than usual. "My species bursts into flame on a regular basis, resulting in a changed appearance. Same hal, diff-"
Jetsam cut him off. "I know, I know, you explode and change your face. Just get to the part where you tell me why we're here."
Not a question Tor had expected, but one he could definitely live with. "Okay, well, this being called the Fool picked out nine people and told us to fight to the dea-" Cut off by a fist to his jaw, Tor's explanation dissolved into various cursing.
"Stop. Feeding me. That shit!" It took all of Jetsam's restraint to stop after one punch, reminding himself that being in a confined space with someone prone to burst into flames wasn't an ideal place for a full-on fight.
"I'm not-"
Okay, he stopped after two punches. "The sooner you people get this through your thick fucking heads, the better: I. Do not. Believe you. It's not going to work, so you can just fuck off and tell your boss that this plan's a pile of shit."
"Look," Tor replied, raising his hands plaintively, "I don't know what you think is going on here, but I'm just trying to help."
"I. Don't. Want. Your. Fucking. Help! I'm perfectly content on my own, so fuck off and leave me be!"
"Well as much as I'd like to be able to get out of this, I'm just as stuck as you, so until one of us bites it, I'm just going to keep following you around! Get used to it!" Tor wasn't exactly appreciative of people shouting obscenities at him, and it was taking all his restraint to just remind himself that Jetsam was someone he needed to help, not try to throttle.
Jetsam, meanwhile, was just about out of steam. Flopping back into his seat, he said, "Look, I didn't ask you to keep spewing bullshit; all I want to know is why we're here in this helicopter. Just tell me what it is I'm supposed to be doing, alright?"
Tor sighed as well. "Fine. Ester, we have anything from command yet?"
"Orders came in a few minutes ago," she replied. "I just thought I'd wait until you two were ready for them. Basically, we're to rendezvous with the Plaid and Teal Generals and assist them in whatever they're doing."
The cabin of the helicopter exploded into more shouting.
"Cudorta those orders! I'm not wired to follow anything, and I'm not about to go working alongside Scofflaw for anyone!"
"I'm not helping that Teal fucker! I don't see an Operative here with a gun to my head, so I'm not doing jack shit to help that snake!"
The lieutenant shrugged. "Sorry, but those are your orders."
Tor got up and leaned into the cockpit between the two ex-Browns. "Really, Ester, you're going to insist on following orders? What happened to freedom of sentrali thought?"
She smirked at him. "Look, it's cute that you think you can just waltz into this conflict and get everyone to make up and play nice, but this is war, and that means making some sacrifices."
"I see." Tor slumped a bit, waited a breath, then lunged for Walters' sidearm, grabbing it from its holster and bringing it to bear on the pilot's temple.
He just smirked at the captain as well. "Come on, we both know that's not happening. Why would you do that when you could try to save me, the pitiful rewired pawn? We both know you can't shoot me."
Tor considered this. "Maybe, maybe not. I do know this, however:" Leaning back into the helicopter's cabin, he passed the gun to Jetsam. "He can, and once he does, your only orders come from him and we can go damn well anywhere. Benjamin, if you would?"
There was a gunshot. And a second. And a third.
Blinking, Tor looked down at the bullet hole in his shirt. He barely had a moment, though, before a fist caught his jaw yet again and sent him sprawling to the cabin's cramped floor.
Jetsam stared down at him and said, "Right, order number one: Don't. Use. That. Name. Not any part of it. Got that?"
"Yes, sir." The words came out through gritted teeth as Tor stared up at his new commanding officer and wished he hadn't regenerated quite so recently.
"Good. Now, one of you up there, put me on the radio, just some empty frequency with nothing on it."
Ester gave him a puzzled look, then flipped a few switches and nodded.
The general spoke into his headset with all the reverence one might reserve for speaking with someone blackmailing an old woman. "Right- I know you're listening, you covert cowards. I want answers, now."
After a second or two, the static on the line was joined by a voice. "What do you want, General?"
"I want you people to make up your mind. First you tell me to kill or convert those seven others, but then you want me working with them on something. Which is it? Hell, I've got one here; do you want me to just keep him converted, or should I shoot him again?"
There was a pause for a second. "...There's a nuclear device at the center of the battlefield, and the anomalies there are assisting in its deactivation. Until it's dealt with, they are to be left alive and unconverted. After that point, your previous orders stand. As for Captain Kajan: Don't go killing your own troops for no reason! Seriously, you've got few enough to work with as it is, and if he's been converted, he's not a problem. Worry about the nuke and the unconverted anomalies, not your own troops!"
"Fine. Red out." With a sharp hand gesture, he signalled Ester to cut the signal, then turned to Tor. "Alright, here's what's happening. We help that snake with the nuke, then off her, along with anyone nearby. Until it's dealt with, we're going to have to be somewhat civil and pretend to get along. Got it?"
Tor nodded and gave him a half-assed salute. Just because he had to follow orders didn't mean he was going to like it.
"Good. Whatever-your-name-is, how long until we get there?"
"Just a minute or two, sir."
Settling into his seat, Jetsam glowered at the Telpori-Hal and tried to figure out where the feeling of unease niggling against the corner of his mind was coming from. "Good. Let's just deal with this situation and get it out of the way as fast as possible." Almost as an afterthought, he added, "Oh, and if you feel like you need to do your exploding thing, come see me. Don't want to take the chance that you'll end up wiping your alignment."
In circumstances where he wasn't being ordered around like a goon on a leash, Tor might've let it slide. "We're called Telpori-Hal," he replied instead, going into his familiar speech with a bit more bite to his voice than usual. "My species bursts into flame on a regular basis, resulting in a changed appearance. Same hal, diff-"
Jetsam cut him off. "I know, I know, you explode and change your face. Just get to the part where you tell me why we're here."
Not a question Tor had expected, but one he could definitely live with. "Okay, well, this being called the Fool picked out nine people and told us to fight to the dea-" Cut off by a fist to his jaw, Tor's explanation dissolved into various cursing.
"Stop. Feeding me. That shit!" It took all of Jetsam's restraint to stop after one punch, reminding himself that being in a confined space with someone prone to burst into flames wasn't an ideal place for a full-on fight.
"I'm not-"
Okay, he stopped after two punches. "The sooner you people get this through your thick fucking heads, the better: I. Do not. Believe you. It's not going to work, so you can just fuck off and tell your boss that this plan's a pile of shit."
"Look," Tor replied, raising his hands plaintively, "I don't know what you think is going on here, but I'm just trying to help."
"I. Don't. Want. Your. Fucking. Help! I'm perfectly content on my own, so fuck off and leave me be!"
"Well as much as I'd like to be able to get out of this, I'm just as stuck as you, so until one of us bites it, I'm just going to keep following you around! Get used to it!" Tor wasn't exactly appreciative of people shouting obscenities at him, and it was taking all his restraint to just remind himself that Jetsam was someone he needed to help, not try to throttle.
Jetsam, meanwhile, was just about out of steam. Flopping back into his seat, he said, "Look, I didn't ask you to keep spewing bullshit; all I want to know is why we're here in this helicopter. Just tell me what it is I'm supposed to be doing, alright?"
Tor sighed as well. "Fine. Ester, we have anything from command yet?"
"Orders came in a few minutes ago," she replied. "I just thought I'd wait until you two were ready for them. Basically, we're to rendezvous with the Plaid and Teal Generals and assist them in whatever they're doing."
The cabin of the helicopter exploded into more shouting.
"Cudorta those orders! I'm not wired to follow anything, and I'm not about to go working alongside Scofflaw for anyone!"
"I'm not helping that Teal fucker! I don't see an Operative here with a gun to my head, so I'm not doing jack shit to help that snake!"
The lieutenant shrugged. "Sorry, but those are your orders."
Tor got up and leaned into the cockpit between the two ex-Browns. "Really, Ester, you're going to insist on following orders? What happened to freedom of sentrali thought?"
She smirked at him. "Look, it's cute that you think you can just waltz into this conflict and get everyone to make up and play nice, but this is war, and that means making some sacrifices."
"I see." Tor slumped a bit, waited a breath, then lunged for Walters' sidearm, grabbing it from its holster and bringing it to bear on the pilot's temple.
He just smirked at the captain as well. "Come on, we both know that's not happening. Why would you do that when you could try to save me, the pitiful rewired pawn? We both know you can't shoot me."
Tor considered this. "Maybe, maybe not. I do know this, however:" Leaning back into the helicopter's cabin, he passed the gun to Jetsam. "He can, and once he does, your only orders come from him and we can go damn well anywhere. Benjamin, if you would?"
There was a gunshot. And a second. And a third.
Blinking, Tor looked down at the bullet hole in his shirt. He barely had a moment, though, before a fist caught his jaw yet again and sent him sprawling to the cabin's cramped floor.
Jetsam stared down at him and said, "Right, order number one: Don't. Use. That. Name. Not any part of it. Got that?"
"Yes, sir." The words came out through gritted teeth as Tor stared up at his new commanding officer and wished he hadn't regenerated quite so recently.
"Good. Now, one of you up there, put me on the radio, just some empty frequency with nothing on it."
Ester gave him a puzzled look, then flipped a few switches and nodded.
The general spoke into his headset with all the reverence one might reserve for speaking with someone blackmailing an old woman. "Right- I know you're listening, you covert cowards. I want answers, now."
After a second or two, the static on the line was joined by a voice. "What do you want, General?"
"I want you people to make up your mind. First you tell me to kill or convert those seven others, but then you want me working with them on something. Which is it? Hell, I've got one here; do you want me to just keep him converted, or should I shoot him again?"
There was a pause for a second. "...There's a nuclear device at the center of the battlefield, and the anomalies there are assisting in its deactivation. Until it's dealt with, they are to be left alive and unconverted. After that point, your previous orders stand. As for Captain Kajan: Don't go killing your own troops for no reason! Seriously, you've got few enough to work with as it is, and if he's been converted, he's not a problem. Worry about the nuke and the unconverted anomalies, not your own troops!"
"Fine. Red out." With a sharp hand gesture, he signalled Ester to cut the signal, then turned to Tor. "Alright, here's what's happening. We help that snake with the nuke, then off her, along with anyone nearby. Until it's dealt with, we're going to have to be somewhat civil and pretend to get along. Got it?"
Tor nodded and gave him a half-assed salute. Just because he had to follow orders didn't mean he was going to like it.
"Good. Whatever-your-name-is, how long until we get there?"
"Just a minute or two, sir."
Settling into his seat, Jetsam glowered at the Telpori-Hal and tried to figure out where the feeling of unease niggling against the corner of his mind was coming from. "Good. Let's just deal with this situation and get it out of the way as fast as possible." Almost as an afterthought, he added, "Oh, and if you feel like you need to do your exploding thing, come see me. Don't want to take the chance that you'll end up wiping your alignment."