Ensign Jaran Jira - Just Add Radiation
Jira Jaran
Bancroft: I’ll take point.
Cole: Alright, but I’m your shadow.
Jira moved silently into position along with them. They felt responsible so they might as well be part of it.
MacKenzie: Go.
They moved up the corridor behind Roy, following his lead. He killed the light, and soon it was just the light sound of footsteps that accompanied them.
They reached an intersection, and he checked around the corner.
Bancroft: ::mouthing:: Three. ::pointing away:: Facing other direction.
Cole: ::smiling:: Good we have the element of surprise.
MacKenzie: Bancroft, you call it.
Bancroft knelt. Natasha hefted the improvised weapon. The tension tensed.
Bancroft: ::barely audible whisper:: Ready.
Jira wasn't able to see, but just before Cole was about to lob the hypo a voice rang out clearly, in their direction.
Eos: Captain, are we your enemy now?
A silent moment.
Eos: Let the records show that I, Dota Bundara Eos did not raise my arms in violence first. As the laws of the Nascaik Defence Coalition state: If another raises their weapon or their arms against thy in violence, then retribution must be paid.
This had an air of formality about it. A contract signed in the words spoken.
MacKenzie: Enemy? No. Are you preventing us from apprehending Havun and trying to exert your own sense of justice? Yes.
Cole: That’s how it’ll be reflected in my report sir.
Jira stood fully, once they realised they had been crouched, and moved toward the intersection and a view of the others. What they saw was fascinating and took away whatever they'd been intending to say. The statuesque woman in front of them was now the only person that Jira could ever use that term for ever again.
Bancroft: Response
Eos: Interesting, I don’t see a ship in these tunnels? Have you forgotten your pledge to me, Captain? Our agreement was made and our laws are clear. There are no grey areas in Nascaik law. No loopholes for you to jump through. Only those weapons raised against us :: smiles :: And ours of course.
Cole sighed loudly, and Jira shot her a "not now" look.
MacKenzie: We won't use them unless we have to. We have not now, nor have we ever meant you harm, but we also can't allow you to proceed knowing how much danger we'd all be in.
Cole: Our goals are the same, to hold Havun accountable for his crimes, and get answers.
Jaran: Surely our similarity in this mission outweighs any vendetta.
Bancroft: Response
Eos: I suggest you return to your ship. By our laws, I could take your blood for your violence and your prejudice against my people :: sighs :: Let the record show that Dota Bundara Eos was merciful: Mercy met with condemnation and prejudice is un unresolvable shame. Retribution must be paid. If a war comes of this, it will be the Federation that bears the blame. Not the Nascaik.
MacKenzie: You wouldn't dare risk war with the Federation.
Cole: ::making eye contact with:: I don’t think any of us are standing here because we want a war, Dota Bundara Eos.
Jaran: Violence between us hasn't happened, and is never inevitable.
Eos/Bancroft: Response
MacKenzie slowly shook her head and gestured for the others to lower their weapons. Jira eyed their phaser to ensure they hadn't accidentally raised it to begin with. Nope.
MacKenzie: We've only ever wanted peace for your people. That's why I helped broker it in the first place. We agree that your people have been the victims of violence here, but you are not alone in that regard, nor do you get to be the sole arbiters of how justice is exerted.
Cole: Help us get to Havun alive. Dead, he becomes a symbol. Alive, he can still answer for what he’s done.
Jaran: You must see that cooperation is in yours and our best interest here.
Eos/Bancroft/MacKenzie: Response
Cole: You want accountability, so do we. We can still stop him without making this tunnel the start of something worse.
Jira glanced at Cole at that.
Jaran: That wasn't a threat, regardless of how her face may be set.
Eos/Bancroft/MacKenzie: Response
Jira opened their mouth to speak, but their tricorder interrupted with a trill. An accompanying tone came from Bancroft's.
Jaran: That's a warning. I'm going to open my tricorder. It's not a weapon.
Eos/MacKenzie/Bancroft/Cole: Response
Jira slowly and deliberately, so as not to upset the delicate and uneasy balance they had found themselves in, reached for and opened their tricorder. The trill stopped, but the alert on the screen that replaced it made Jira's heart drop.
Jaran: I know we're all having a moment right now, but I'm reading elevated levels of thalaron radiation in the corridor.
Eos/MacKenzie/Bancroft/Cole: Response If a little life-threatening radiation didn't spur some cooperation, nothing would. Jira hoped, at least.
oO What changed? Something must have happened. Oo
Jaran: I suggest we move before this reaches a dangerous level. Levels are rising as we speak.
Eos/MacKenzie/Bancroft/Cole: Response
Tags/TBC