The World Assembly Strangers' Bar

[The Imperial Frost Federation]

Ilya smiled, "If one were proverbially behind enemy lines in espionage one would take the the necessary precautions. fortunately since our livers and immune system are stronger than other humanoid sapients, we don't have to worry about being poisoned from drinking certain alcohols such as methanol, although to be frank, I'd prefer regular alcohol like the next person."

"None of which is actually the point. Humans have no such precautions, and the smart ones wouldn't be so keen. You seem so confident in your own limited protections that you'd throw caution to the wind. Somehow, I'm not so sure you'd make it through the C.D.S.P. Academy's Tactical Considerations courses with that attitude."

Ilya smiled subtly as she responded in a no nonsense manner, "sorry, Agent Dressler but in all seriousness that would depend Situationally such as when you have to appear in a very friendly manner to glean information from a subject at a pub or other public or private place. Another would be being inserted into a country with a culture where you don't have the luxury of not accepting a drink without insulting the host. However I should point out that a no nonsense by the book attitude rarely bodes well on the battle field nor in espionage. Especially in espionage since you'll stick out like a sore thumb to counter intelligence agents. "

Meanwhile Sir Helsing responds, "Of course Ambassador of Ferret Civilization, your offer will be noted as a potential candidate."

[Wallenburg]

"I would imagine you took the first offer because you wanted to arm your people as soon as possible. In the face of imminent destruction, you can't be choosy."

And yet, three months ago, our destruction was not so imminent. I could have taken a little more time, gone deeper into the CDSP military, and made a deal above-board instead of dealing with the criminal element within. Or I could have been patient and, who knows, maybe if I hadn't already made a deal, I could have talked to others and found good, quality help sooner.

Helen, were you here a few weeks ago, the day my Tollan contact, Narim, came by? After I told him our supply from CDSP was cut off, Ilya approached him, trying to make a deal for some undelivered surplus. Instead of taking the first deal available, he was patient, and soon enough Markhov got involved, with superior weapons and a superior shipping schedule. Narim didn't take the first deal. But I did. I felt like I had to... just so I could prove my worth to the Tollans.

"I suppose you may have found better help later, but you may have instead found nothing. You could not foresee the future, Arya." Helen sighs again and pinches the bridge of her nose between her fingers. "Arya, you are a good person. We all make mistakes. That doesn't mean that you let the attack on Tollana happen. Don't let yourself fall that far into self-loathing."

[Separatist Peoples]

Ilya smiled subtly as she responded in a no nonsense manner, "sorry, Agent Dressler but in all seriousness that would depend Situationally such as when you have to appear in a very friendly manner to glean information from a subject at a pub or other public or private place. Another would be being inserted into a country with a culture where you don't have the luxury of not accepting a drink without insulting the host. However I should point out that a no nonsense by the book attitude rarely bodes well on the battle field nor in espionage. Especially in espionage since you'll stick out like a sore thumb to counter intelligence agents. "

"Which, in a sense, I am. Donnaugh, if he is in fact a part of this ring as I suspect, has been operating underneath a high-security organization for years. As a C.D.S.P. citizen, he, just like Bell, likely doesn't give two shits about offending you or anybody else in this room, and he has very different means of gathering information than gossip in a bar. Which is exactly why he's been able to evade the extraordinarily redundant security procedure involved in acquiring military hardware. People gotta sign for that shit, ambassador, but he gets it anyway. You'll forgive me if I harbor serious doubts as to your ability to win him over with poisoned alcohol."

[The Doomed Planet of Tollana]

"I suppose you may have found better help later, but you may have instead found nothing. You could not foresee the future, Arya." Helen sighs again and pinches the bridge of her nose between her fingers. "Arya, you are a good person. We all make mistakes. That doesn't mean that you let the attack on Tollana happen. Don't let yourself fall that far into self-loathing."

A good person? A GOOD person? Helen, what have I done in the past few months for me to be labeled a "good" person? I've turned my back on my country, my family, my mother, broken laws in two nations, delivered faulty weapons, lied to people about it, made up farcical stories to save face, endangered Bell, withheld evidence, got you involved, used you as a pawn, and made a tidy profit in the end -- oh, I probably never mentioned that part, did I?

[Ferret Civilization]

Meanwhile Sir Helsing responds, "Of course Ambassador of Ferret Civilization, your offer will be noted as a potential candidate."

Furettium nodded and smiled, at least there would be something to fall back on if by the very rare chance nothing else could come up. He looked back at the guard that he had attacked, "Are you sure you don't want anything else? That uniform looks like it would have to cost something to replace."

[Wallenburg]

"I suppose you may have found better help later, but you may have instead found nothing. You could not foresee the future, Arya." Helen sighs again and pinches the bridge of her nose between her fingers. "Arya, you are a good person. We all make mistakes. That doesn't mean that you let the attack on Tollana happen. Don't let yourself fall that far into self-loathing."

A good person? A GOOD person? Helen, what have I done in the past few months for me to be labeled a "good" person? I've turned my back on my country, my family, my mother, broken laws in two nations, delivered faulty weapons, lied to people about it, made up farcical stories to save face, endangered Bell, withheld evidence, got you involved, used you as a pawn, and made a tidy profit in the end -- oh, I probably never mentioned that part, did I?

Helen is entirely confused. "What? Endangering Benjamin? Making a profit? What are you talking about?"

[The Doomed Planet of Tollana]

Helen is entirely confused. "What? Endangering Benjamin? Making a profit? What are you talking about?"

Helen. Why do you think Bell got arrested? Why do you think Donnaugh sent Lupinski here to destroy evidence? And why do you think Bell had a picture of me in his office? I'm not talking about the fake pictures we found after they showed up, I'm talking about the one dossier-style pic... uh... you didn't know about that either, did you?

[Wallenburg]

Helen is entirely confused. "What? Endangering Benjamin? Making a profit? What are you talking about?"

Helen. Why do you think Bell got arrested? Why do you think Donnaugh sent Lupinski here to destroy evidence? And why do you think Bell had a picture of me in his office? I'm not talking about the fake pictures we found after they showed up, I'm talking about the one dossier-style pic... uh... you didn't know about that either, did you?

"I--I--" Helen's mind swirls around in confusion. "Bell got arrested because the Separatists believed he had smuggled weapons. The others torched his office to destroy anything that could protect him. And the photo..." She tries to find words, but there are none.

[The Imperial Frost Federation]

Ilya smiled subtly as she responded in a no nonsense manner, "sorry, Agent Dressler but in all seriousness that would depend Situationally such as when you have to appear in a very friendly manner to glean information from a subject at a pub or other public or private place. Another would be being inserted into a country with a culture where you don't have the luxury of not accepting a drink without insulting the host. However I should point out that a no nonsense by the book attitude rarely bodes well on the battle field nor in espionage. Especially in espionage since you'll stick out like a sore thumb to counter intelligence agents. "

"Which, in a sense, I am. Donnaugh, if he is in fact a part of this ring as I suspect, has been operating underneath a high-security organization for years. As a C.D.S.P. citizen, he, just like Bell, likely doesn't give two shits about offending you or anybody else in this room, and he has very different means of gathering information than gossip in a bar. Which is exactly why he's been able to evade the extraordinarily redundant security procedure involved in acquiring military hardware. People gotta sign for that shit, ambassador, but he gets it anyway. You'll forgive me if I harbor serious doubts as to your ability to win him over with poisoned alcohol."

"Commander, Actually, the Ambassador is Lt. Albert Nakiri who's standing right behind my President. (She gestured to man standing behind the figure with scars) and who said anything about winning him over? Any of the neutral ambassadors can offer it to him or the bartender could switch it for a fee, although that's highly unethical and unlikely. Besides, every one has more... Unsavory methods to gather intelligence and getting gossip from locals also serves a second purpose of befriending locals who have certain uses depending on the situation. And besides Devils ale is completely harmless to sapients with a fairly strong liver, I'm sure Mr. Bell would have thought it was like water if he tried it though since he drank much more stronger stuff." Said Ilya

Meanwhile Sir Helsing responds, "Of course Ambassador of Ferret Civilization, your offer will be noted as a potential candidate."

Furettium nodded and smiled, at least there would be something to fall back on if by the very rare chance nothing else could come up. He looked back at the guard that he had attacked, "Are you sure you don't want anything else? That uniform looks like it would have to cost something to replace."

The soldier smiled, "It's alright, the IFMP was phasing out this particular uniform for a more robust battle armor, so I can just get it replaced no charge. Thanks for offering though"

[The Doomed Planet of Tollana]

"I--I--" Helen's mind swirls around in confusion. "Bell got arrested because the Separatists believed he had smuggled weapons. The others torched his office to destroy anything that could protect him. And the photo..." She tries to find words, but there are none.

The photo means Bell knew something. Either he's part of the smuggling ring -- which I still don't believe -- or he came across the ring, likely by accident. So ask yourself: How does a WA ambassador come across a smuggling ring? It wouldn't be hard... if it involved a WA intern. I still don't know how Lupinski found out who I was, knew I was a WA intern, or even knew my real name, and I can't connect all the dots yet, but it seems obvious to me, if I weren't involved with the smuggling ring, Donnaugh's attention never would have turned toward the WA, and Bell would be safe today. So, yeah, I put him in danger. Because I set that creep Donnaugh on him.

So, still think I'm a "good person", Helen? Because, I certainly don't feel like one.

[Ferret Civilization]

The soldier smiled, "It's alright, the IFMP was phasing out this particular uniform for a more robust battle armor, so I can just get it replaced no charge. Thanks for offering though"

"Well okay then. If on the off chance there is anything you need of me or any service I'd be happy to help."

[Wrapper]

"Which, in a sense, I am. Donnaugh, if he is in fact a part of this ring as I suspect, has been operating underneath a high-security organization for years. As a C.D.S.P. citizen, he, just like Bell, likely doesn't give two shits about offending you or anybody else in this room, and he has very different means of gathering information than gossip in a bar. Which is exactly why he's been able to evade the extraordinarily redundant security procedure involved in acquiring military hardware. People gotta sign for that shit, ambassador, but he gets it anyway. You'll forgive me if I harbor serious doubts as to your ability to win him over with poisoned alcohol."

ARI: Okay, so, we're back to, what should we do? Just keep him out of your hair while you keep working on your evidence?

[Wallenburg]

"I--I--" Helen's mind swirls around in confusion. "Bell got arrested because the Separatists believed he had smuggled weapons. The others torched his office to destroy anything that could protect him. And the photo..." She tries to find words, but there are none.

The photo means Bell knew something. Either he's part of the smuggling ring -- which I still don't believe -- or he came across the ring, likely by accident. So ask yourself: How does a WA ambassador come across a smuggling ring? It wouldn't be hard... if it involved a WA intern. I still don't know how Lupinski found out who I was, knew I was a WA intern, or even knew my real name, and I can't connect all the dots yet, but it seems obvious to me, if I weren't involved with the smuggling ring, Donnaugh's attention never would have turned toward the WA, and Bell would be safe today. So, yeah, I put him in danger. Because I set that creep Donnaugh on him.

So, still think I'm a "good person", Helen? Because, I certainly don't feel like one.

Trevanyika just looks at Kay, flashes of anger and pain and sympathy mixing together. "Arya, I don't know what to think anymore. You didn't set Donnaugh on Bell, he would have struck anyway. He clearly has a strong enough hate toward Bell for him to keep his eyes on the World Assembly without your involvement. But the smuggling, this confusing mess of half truths, your child, everything is just so confusing."

She looks out the window at the Wads. "You love your mother and your friends, do you not? You wanted to do anything you could to protect the Tollans, and still do, yes? You have exhibited significant self-sacrifice and have pushed through anyway, have you not? I think you are a good person, Arya. I may be wrong, but that is what I believe. I think the Tollans will appreciate you greatly. And you still have friends. Remember that. Bad people don't have real friends."

[The Doomed Planet of Tollana]

Trevanyika just looks at Kay, flashes of anger and pain and sympathy mixing together. "Arya, I don't know what to think anymore. You didn't set Donnaugh on Bell, he would have struck anyway. He clearly has a strong enough hate toward Bell for him to keep his eyes on the World Assembly without your involvement. But the smuggling, this confusing mess of half truths, your child, everything is just so confusing."

She looks out the window at the Wads. "You love your mother and your friends, do you not? You wanted to do anything you could to protect the Tollans, and still do, yes? You have exhibited significant self-sacrifice and have pushed through anyway, have you not? I think you are a good person, Arya. I may be wrong, but that is what I believe. I think the Tollans will appreciate you greatly. And you still have friends. Remember that. Bad people don't have real friends."

(Kay sighs. She's right... and she's wrong.)

I love my friends, Tollans and Wads alike. It's kind of hard to love my mother right now, you know. And it's kind of hard....

(She tries to swallow the lump in her throat.)

It's kind of hard to believe I'm a good person when I could have prevented the genocide of my people if I had... if I just....

(She breaks down completely, head buried in Helen's shoulder.)

[Wallenburg]

Helen carefully puts her arms around Kay, hugging her protectively. "Arya, Arya. It will be all right. We'll see to that."

[The Doomed Planet of Tollana]

Helen carefully puts her arms around Kay, hugging her protectively. "Arya, Arya. It will be all right. We'll see to that."

(Kay snuffles into Helen's shoulder.)

I still... don't understand... why you're... why you....

(She finally composes herself.)

Why don't you hate me for putting you and Bell through this? I mean, maybe if I'd only talked to Bell sooner, I could have made a legal deal, for proper hardware, and turned in evidence of wrong-doing. If I'd done that, Tollana may have survived, Bell might still be here, the real smugglers put in jail and....

(Realization hits her: And I'd still be a criminal for getting involved in the sale of weapons. It's a no-win situation, isn't it? No matter what I did, I was fucked.)

[Wallenburg]

Helen carefully puts her arms around Kay, hugging her protectively. "Arya, Arya. It will be all right. We'll see to that."

(Kay snuffles into Helen's shoulder.)

I still... don't understand... why you're... why you....

(She finally composes herself.)

Why don't you hate me for putting you and Bell through this? I mean, maybe if I'd only talked to Bell sooner, I could have made a legal deal, for proper hardware, and turned in evidence of wrong-doing. If I'd done that, Tollana may have survived, Bell might still be here, the real smugglers put in jail and....

(Realization hits her: And I'd still be a criminal for getting involved in the sale of weapons. It's a no-win situation, isn't it? No matter what I did, I was fucked.)

"Arya, you have suffered so much that I cannot bring myself to hate you. I cannot watch another person spiral down like this and simply ignore it. You deserve our help. You have tried. Let us try in our own way."

[The Doomed Planet of Tollana]

"Arya, you have suffered so much that I cannot bring myself to hate you. I cannot watch another person spiral down like this and simply ignore it. You deserve our help. You have tried. Let us try in our own way."

(Okay, deep breath, thinks Kay.)

I'm sorry. Wish I could blame the hormones. I just... I think I needed to let it all out. Guess you kind of wish you hadn't opened the door, eh?

[Wallenburg]

"Arya, you have suffered so much that I cannot bring myself to hate you. I cannot watch another person spiral down like this and simply ignore it. You deserve our help. You have tried. Let us try in our own way."

(Okay, deep breath, thinks Kay.)

I'm sorry. Wish I could blame the hormones. I just... I think I needed to let it all out. Guess you kind of wish you hadn't opened the door, eh?

"Oh, don't be silly. This is good, talking, letting you say what you must." She looks over at Ahume and then at Dressler. "I guess I can blame hormones, though. At least for some of my behavior."

[The Doomed Planet of Tollana]

"Oh, don't be silly. This is good, talking, letting you say what you must." She looks over at Ahume and then at Dressler. "I guess I can blame hormones, though. At least for some of my behavior."

(Kay pauses for a moment, then lets out a small laugh.)

Yes. Well. Nobody's perfect. Speaking of hormones and stuff... I'm guessing you haven't told anyone about my baby's parentage, have you? That, er, that was the truth, what I told you. Though afterwards I suspected that you didn't quite believe me.

[Separatist Peoples]

"Which, in a sense, I am. Donnaugh, if he is in fact a part of this ring as I suspect, has been operating underneath a high-security organization for years. As a C.D.S.P. citizen, he, just like Bell, likely doesn't give two shits about offending you or anybody else in this room, and he has very different means of gathering information than gossip in a bar. Which is exactly why he's been able to evade the extraordinarily redundant security procedure involved in acquiring military hardware. People gotta sign for that shit, ambassador, but he gets it anyway. You'll forgive me if I harbor serious doubts as to your ability to win him over with poisoned alcohol."

ARI: Okay, so, we're back to, what should we do? Just keep him out of your hair while you keep working on your evidence?

"He isn't Lupinski. Donnaugh never gets his hands dirty, which is why he's, probably, in charge and safe. He won't interfere with me directly, but he will try to get to Arya. If you recall, Tinfect refused to accept the cash for an arms deal, as Tollana is working through Arya, which means she has a pretty pile of cash somewhere that I bet Donnaugh has a claim to.

Dressler runs her hand through her hair, trying to comb it straight. "Besides, he doesn't know I have this good paperwork that survived Lupinski's raid by riding it out in Arya's safe. I dunno...I can't figure out why Ben was a part of this, but he sure didn't make any money off these sales, and his timeline doesn't match up with his reception of the weapons. And then there's this coded communication between Ben and ONI.."

[Wrapper]

"He isn't Lupinski. Donnaugh never gets his hands dirty, which is why he's, probably, in charge and safe. He won't interfere with me directly, but he will try to get to Arya. If you recall, Tinfect refused to accept the cash for an arms deal, as Tollana is working through Arya, which means she has a pretty pile of cash somewhere that I bet Donnaugh has a claim to.

ARI: She has.... Now that I find hard to believe. The Tollan are her people now, why wouldn't she just give it back? I mean, before they were wiped out, of course. And to be quite honest, Arya has enough problems dealing with the near-extinction of the Tollans, I can't see her giving a damn about Donnaugh or even Bell anymore.

[Wallenburg]

"Oh, don't be silly. This is good, talking, letting you say what you must." She looks over at Ahume and then at Dressler. "I guess I can blame hormones, though. At least for some of my behavior."

(Kay pauses for a moment, then lets out a small laugh.)

Yes. Well. Nobody's perfect. Speaking of hormones and stuff... I'm guessing you haven't told anyone about my baby's parentage, have you? That, er, that was the truth, what I told you. Though afterwards I suspected that you didn't quite believe me.

"Yes, that confuses me. I still don't believe that your child has no father. No living father would be possible, but none at all is beyond my comprehension. I haven't told anyone, since I have no information to tell."

[Separatist Peoples]

"He isn't Lupinski. Donnaugh never gets his hands dirty, which is why he's, probably, in charge and safe. He won't interfere with me directly, but he will try to get to Arya. If you recall, Tinfect refused to accept the cash for an arms deal, as Tollana is working through Arya, which means she has a pretty pile of cash somewhere that I bet Donnaugh has a claim to.

ARI: She has.... Now that I find hard to believe. The Tollan are her people now, why wouldn't she just give it back? I mean, before they were wiped out, of course. And to be quite honest, Arya has enough problems dealing with the near-extinction of the Tollans, I can't see her giving a damn about Donnaugh or even Bell anymore.

"I'm almost positive that Donnaugh and Co. manufactured the genocide bit. I'm not an expert on Tollanan wars, but what little I was able to find indicates that Donnaugh and his lapdog wouldn't have had access to any biological weapons to use on humanitarian supplies."

She rifles through her papers and shows a stack to Ari. "See, these are the lists of missing equipment tied to the ring, and none include humanitarian supplies at all, let alone anything that can come close to a biological weapon. The C.D.S.P. military doesn't even have access to them, that's a completely civilian-controlled division that builds them for countermeasure research. That place is locked down tighter than the average nuclear silo."

Dressler combs her hair thoughtfully again, accomplishing little more than a mess in the process. "If we consider that Lupinski is something of an expert on forgeries, that speaks pretty well to the quality of the evidence. Ar-, er, Kay, told me he was trying to blackmail her, then backed off when admitted to giving up her papers. Why do that if your blackmail is any good?"

[The Doomed Planet of Tollana]

"Yes, that confuses me. I still don't believe that your child has no father. No living father would be possible, but none at all is beyond my comprehension. I haven't told anyone, since I have no information to tell."

Well, it confused me at first as well, because I hadn't--

(There's a knock on the window.)

Hang on a second.