250 replies to this topic

[Brenden]

It closed, the water leaking from it's gap narrowed and narrowed until the vacum-tight sealing shut itself. Blackness consumed everything...that is, until the three large lights from above suddenly flared on. They were old, and flickering, but still functional. The Aerospace locker, though abandoned, was not uninhabitable: A watermane runs through, of which is used for drinking, cooking and general washing. There is an old green house that runs down too the bottom of the locker, so the pilot never has too worry about food, and it's so dark in here that if one was too peer down they would see virtually nothing, light or no light through the glass topside. It was spacious, enough to house perhaps five lances - eighteen 'mechs - and still have room for other vehicals. Perhaps even a dropship, though it would have too be small.

The Shadow Hawk's lights dimmed, turning duller and duller until they flared off. Walking over to a side of the hanger, modified from it's old purpose for hanging Aerospace craft the pilot turned it's 'mech around and had it back up against the wall. The side opened up, steam and compressed hair escaping the opening seal as the door swung open. Looking around, the pilot jumped off the 'mech and landing on the scafolding used by former Aerospace jockeys for running to their ships. Moving forward, though slowly and casually, the pilot made it's way too the control room - A thick glass projected itself outward to see the whole of the locker, with a command console and long-range radio, microphone and water fountain.

Further down was a tunnel that lead too the greenhouse and watermane -of which was divereted into the water-refinement chamber. As the pilot moved down this chamber, it ignored both doors for each of these and came too the end of the hallway. Knocking on it three times in a specific Pat-pat-pat: Pat pat: Pat-pat-PUNCH formate, the door suddenly opened, revealing a group of men and women by a rectangular table. They bore the mark of the resistance.

In the voice of a mechanical being, as too make sure the Pilot's identity remained safe, the Pilot spoke. "It's good too see you," said a female officer too the pilot. "did they get the message?" She asked. After a brief pause, the Pilot answered: Voice booming but calm, monotoned and yet somewhat glad. "Yes."

[Orcinus]

revanus, on 17 December 2011 - 02:41 PM, said:

"T'zaher! Pargiot."

Hebrew.
Furukawa had picked up on the language in his various deployments around the Draconis March. However, his understanding of it was rudimentary at best, so the only thing he could make out was "chicken."

revanus, on 17 December 2011 - 02:41 PM, said:

"It may take a moment. Just so you guys know, they don't allow weapons."

Beside the board long since discarded, Furukawa carried no weapons with him. He figured that the security one provided was outweighed by the disadvantage of drawing too much attention to himself. And considering that the DCMS labeled him as a criminal, drawing attention was the last thing he wanted to do.

A door opened.

revanus, on 17 December 2011 - 02:41 PM, said:

"Ready?"

Furukawa simply noded. Blindfolded, it was impossible to discern whether or not Mr. Cohen even saw the gesture.
Following behind Jason as best as he could, he followed.

[Thom Frankfurt]

((Not gonna have internet for the next couple of ummm... weeks. I'm sure gonna miss this. But I am excited about how it turns out. You guys take care and have fun Oh, and Happy Holidays.))

[Vincent Vascaul]

It had been a couple hours since the fighting had stopped. He was exhausted and more than a little anxious, he had checked all of the usual spots and still hadn't found them. He was starting to get shakey and could feel his senses going numb, this was no place for a crash he couldn't afford to pass out now. It was still raining and there was always the chance of flash floods in the tunnels. He'd check one more place, he told himself "They have to be there." Fifteen minutes later he clambered out of a sewage grate and slowly started working his way up the decimated street, keeping to the shadows or in the rubble as much as he could. Rounding a corner he came upon the entrance of a half collapsed traffic tunnel. He scurried a little closer. Scanning the entrance he spotted it, there it was tucked into the shadows a beat up boxy looking vehicle that looked like it had been there rusting for years. He knew better, that bucket of bolts and scrap metal was actually a resistance scouting post. They would move it around every few nights but he knew all of the spots, hell he had to. Knowing that his search was at an end he relaxed a bit. He scanned the surroundings and made sure the cost was clear and started circling around, it was always a bad idea to approach from the front. He hugged the rubble pile and inched his was closer to the van. "That's close enough" A quiet yet stern voice whispered. "Identify yourself!"

[VEDRFOLNIR]

((sorry for the delay folks, had some... issues... that I had to get resolved))

Eiko's hands began trembling as a wave of exhaustion swept over her. The sewers stank - no, it wasn't just a stink - it was an unimaginable foulness that pounded against her senses. Post-combat fatigue, Eiko realized. She had heard talk of it as a girl at the AFFC base - but she had never experienced it until now. Indeed, she had spent the past year running from even the possibility of combat. Now, an image of her mother swam unbidden to her minds' eye, and her heart skipped a beat. What was she heading into? Would she be able to get back to her mother again? Was this a trap?

Her head swimming, she very nearly bumped into Jason's back - Eiko only stopped at the very last moment. She vaguely wondered how 'Rob Cohen' could be so knowledgeable about the sewers - apparently he had used them quite often. That triggered a memory, but it sparked and faded in the wave of fatigue that dulled her senses. All she wanted to do now was lay down, and sleep.

From up ahead, she heard 'Cohen' speak an odd phrase - "T'zaher! Pargiot." It wasn't anything familiar to her. Eiko looked up and realized that they were standing at a door, and the stranger had just rapped on its' surface.

"It may take a moment. Just so you guys know, they don't allow weapons." This caused a sense of alarm, but even that was muted under the numbing effects of the adrenaline draining out of her system. Eiko didn't have any weapons - the idea of trying to carry a pistol around an occupied city was ludicrous - she wasn't any good at the 'cloak and dagger' needed by the covert operatives in the suspense holovids, and it was just easier not to try.

She placed a trembling hand against the wall, taking a deep breath to clear her head, and nodded. She was ready - what choice did she have?

[Orcinus]

((Retconned in an attempt to line up with the posts that follow))

A jab in the ribs. Furukawa stopped.

The room he had just entered went silent for a few seconds.
Some low whispering ahead; he thought he could make out Rob's voice, but he wasn't sure.

"Looks like they saw you." Jason was whispering into his ear.

"You're coming with us." An unfamiliar voice, very low and quite gruff.
A hand grabbed his arm, gripped tightly, and started to drag Furukawa forward.
A few voices erupted all at once. And then fell silent.

After a few minutes, he was placed in a chair and the blindfold was removed.
His cloak and his old uniform were gone.
Furukawa kept his eyes closed. A bright light was being shone into his face.

"We're told your name is Takeo Furukawa." Yet another unfamiliar voice, slightly higher pitched.
"Yes."
"You'll have to excuse us. It's not everyday that we get visitors, let alone ones from the DCMS."
"I understand."
"Good. I'll start with a simple question..."

Edited by Orcinus, 20 December 2011 - 02:30 PM.

[revanus]

Once everyone had entered the shelter, the door swung shut. The room was pitch black.

A slight metallic ping and faint hiss was the only thing that might have alerted someone to the fact that a nerve gas grenade had been set off in the room.

The grenade was police-issue. It would only knock a person out for five minutes. Which was more than enough time to get everyone into plasti-cuffs and cut away their clothing. The clothes were scanned for bugs, weapons, or tracking devices, and then sent to the incinerator. All personal items were collected, scanned, and then put aside. Identification information was forwarded along to be cross-referenced against Federated records.

The rapid reaction stemmed back to the code. The six knocks meant there were six individuals entering, in addition to Alex. "T'zaher" meant there was potential danger and a "welcoming committee" would be needed. "Pargiot" was slang--it represented that the new "guests" were unknown non-combatants (as opposed to P.O.W.s, or active enemies)--hence the reference to "baby chicken."

While six guards (one for each "guest") had been securing the newcomers and combing through their items, Alex had a brief conversation with Maj. Burt Pavlov. Alex made three quick points--the injured man needed emergency care; one of the newcomers was a former DCMS soldier whose interrogation should be prioritized; and the mission was a success.

Burt was one of the first people that Alex had met when he moved to Bonette. Alex's girlfriend, Sara, had worked as a legislative aide at the Capital, and one of her assignments was military appropriations and veteran affairs. As such, Alex and Sara's circle of friends included a lot of junior military officers and political aides.

It was Burt who had delivered the news of Sara's death to Alex, a few days after the first wave had landed. The Capital had been one of the primary targets of the Kurita invasion, and most of the government was wiped out in the first few hours. Though Alex had been hoping for the best, Sara had been among the dead. Burt also informed Alex that the remnants of the planetary military and government--what remained of their circle of friends--were organizing, and they could use help.

Alex had taken a week and a half to mourn and think. It wasn't long before Alex found himself in briefings and meetings, laying the cornerstones for infrastructure, policy, conduct, and operational goals. It turned out Alex had a knack for unconventional thinking. He also became in charge of setting up security protocols and interrogation procedures. Taking a deposition was quite similar to holding an interrogation, albeit in a very different setting.

While the people slowly stirring back consciousness on the floor of the "greeting room" were an interesting development, they hadn't been the point of the mission. The fact is, the Movement needed cash flow and funding to have a chance of surviving and making an impact. The documents Alex had retrieved--with the corporate billing info and account numbers of major clients--were the answer. Alone, they were useless. But if paired with a "talented" staff programmer and Alex's inside knowledge of B-G access codes, it meant access to tens of millions of credits that could be "reappropriated." The actual companies wouldn't be greatly impacted--if they noticed the loss at all, they would be able to eventually apply for government reimbursement, as the funds were being seized for "official insurgency purposes."

Alex looked back at his "companions." They were still on the floor, but they had been propped up into sitting positions with their backs against the wall. They were in their underwear, with hands restrained. The lights of the room flickered on, and they began to stir. As the intel guys ran the ID's, it became clear that Bryan, the bartender, was a paid informant. Given that he worked in a popular Combine hang-out, recruiting him had been a major success, though he hadn't needed much convincing. In this situation, this was a lucky turn of events, as it meant Alex had an impartial source who could tell him about what happened before the group had reached B-G. As such, Bryan was separated from the group, as was the DCMS veteran. The injured man had already been taken to surgery.

Alex turned to the remaining members.

"Don't be alarmed. We just want to talk. Any personal items will be returned to you shortly. Your clothes were destroyed, but we will provide you with new ones. This process doesn't need to be...difficult. When we talk, we expect nothing less than complete honesty. If you follow this rule, everything will go smoothly."

Alex turned to leave. He needed Bryan's update. As he was leaving, it occurred to him that the only comforting thing in that room was the fact that the six armed guards were wearing Davion sunbursts on their left shoulders.

Edited by revanus, 20 December 2011 - 12:34 PM.

[Kevin Kirov]

Kavin heard the ping of the grenade and the slight hiss, Well today is a good a day to die as any I suppose, he thought.

Upon waking up in what was definitely a hospital bed, Kavin tried to sit up and look around, only to find himself restrained, cuffed to the bed. He did however notice that his chest did not hurt nearly as much as it had before.

"This is one helluva hangover forsure. And the boys will never believe it either." Kavin said thinking out loud.

Upon hearing the struggles and mumblings a man and women appeared they both seemed to be wearing doctors outfits to Kavin.

"How are you feeling? You've been out for quite a while now." The man asked.

"I feel fine enough I guess, what is this place exactly, are you friends of Jason?" Kavin asked confused.

"There is someone who wants to talk to you before we answer any questions." The woman said coolly.

"Wait before you go, there was something I had with me, a bottle perhaps." Kavin said quickly.

"Check the bedside." The woman said quickly as she left and a familiar face along with two men who seemed to be guards entered the room.
"Jason?" Blurted out Kavin

[CaveMan]

The door slammed shut behind them. For a moment there was only darkness and silence.

Then a handtorch was shone in Jason's eyes, blinding him. He flinched and looked away, squinting hard to try and recover his night vision. He felt himself being shoved roughly.

"Him, in the middle. With the blindfold," whispered Cohen's voice. "He goes to the secure cell. Take the one in the trenchcoat to medical, ASAP."

Damn.

"Looks like they saw you," Jason whispered to Takeo.

He was shoved out of the way as hands grappled for Takeo.

"You're coming with us," someone said. His voice was muffled, like he was wearing a mask.

Jason was pushed against a wall. Kavin shouted something unintelligible, then voices erupted all at once.

"Leave the rest here," Cohen was saying, his voice now muffled as well. A door opened, spilling faint light into the room, and Jason saw the silhouettes of men dragging Takeo and Kavin out of the room.

"Cohen, what the hell?" Jason cried out, then realized he was going numb. The room went dark again.

S***, gas! Jason tried to cover his nose and mouth with his sleeve, but he was already succumbing. He heard Bryan, Eiko and Dop collapse to the floor, and then there was nothing.

____

He regained consciousness after an indeterminate amount of time. He could still smell the foulness coming from the sewer, so he knew they hadn't been moved far. Lights flickered on in the room, revealing a large square cell with a door at each end. The walls and floor were smooth and made of ferro-crete. Aside from the lights, the room was otherwise unadorned.

Eiko and Dop were leaned against the opposite wall, stripped to the skivvies. Bryan was nowhere to be seen. Jason turned his head toward the exit door and saw Cohen with his back turned, a gas mask dangling from one hand. There were six armed guards in green fatigues standing along that wall as well, wearing gas masks. Then Jason realized he'd been strip-searched too.

I'm going to kill him.

Quote

Don't be alarmed.

Why would I be alarmed? All you did was gas me and strip me naked.

Quote

We just want to talk. Any personal items will be returned to you shortly. Your clothes were destroyed, but we will provide you with new ones.

You destroyed my uniform? Just as well, he'd never get the sewer stink out of it anyway. It was his last remaining Lancers uniform though...

Quote

This process doesn't need to be...difficult. When we talk, we expect nothing less than complete honesty. If you follow this rule, everything will go smoothly.

I'm definitely going to kill him, Jason thought, watching Cohen leave. Even if it takes me fifty years. I hate this smug *******.

Four of the guards filed out after Cohen, leaving two men with Federated long rifles. Their uniforms were (or had been, judging from their condition) AFFS, with all the patches appropriate to Draconis March militia infantry. That was a good sign, at least. The odds that he'd find someone to help him get back to Outreach, and from there, home to Nestor, were improving.

Jason stood, slowly, making eye contact with one of the guards. He realized his hands had been zip-tied. He stumbled across the room to where Eiko and Dop were slumped, and sat down next to Eiko, trying not to stare at her scantily-clad body.

Damn, she is actually a rather good-looking woman.

She was coming round at last.

"Easy," he whispered, as she gave a startled jump. "We got hit with knockout gas."

"What are--" she slurred, groggily.

"It's alright. These guys are FedSuns militia. We're on the same side. They're going to question us for a minute, realize this was all just a big misunderstanding, and we'll be free to go," he lied.

Jason had been arrested enough times to know it was rarely just a misunderstanding, and even when it was, clearing it up was never simple or fast. But the others hadn't been trained to deal with interrogators the way he had, and he didn't know their present emotional states, so it was best not to worry them more than necessary.

Besides, what he'd said was half true. They were on the same side, at least in principle. He just hoped the people who had his guns would realize it.

[revanus]

Interrogation #1:

Alex looked down at the sheet from the first round of interrogation.

Name: Takeo Furukawa

Age: 28

Place of Birth: Memmingen (Pre-FRR)

Alex skimmed the rest. Apparently, Furukawa came from a long line of mech pilots. He'd inherited his Jenner, a JR7-D, from his father. Both parents were dead. His mother was a suicide as a result of his father's death in battle.

Alex entered and sat down. He kept the lead interrogator in the room. The opinion had been that Takeo had been honest so far. It was Alex's job to push into the uglier territory.

"You know the ground rules. We expect complete honesty.You get no food, drink, or sleep until the interrogation is completed. There are no bathrooms. If we feel you aren't being truthful, the conversation stops and we come back tomorrow. You don't want to prolong this."

Alex took a bottle of water from his bag, and drank a sip.

"So, why on earth would a Combine soldier from a long and noble line of mechwarriors dirty his family's honor with cowardice and desertion? What would your father say if he saw you now?"

Edited by revanus, 20 December 2011 - 05:10 PM.

[revanus]

Interrogation #2:

Jason Kafka. Mercenary. Mechwarrior. The biometric data had turned up a bunch of interesting data on Mr. Kafka. Including the fact that he was currently under a FedSun mercenary contract. Alex had read through the terms. We have a lot to discuss, Alex thought to himself.

In addition to a second interrogator, there were two unarmed guards in the room. Mr. Kafka was a dangerous man, though the plasticuffs and lack of weapons were meant to ensure he wasn't given an opportunity to turn things around.

We're just here to talk, Alex thought.

Alex looked at Jason.

"These are the ground rules. We expect nothing short of complete honesty. If we don't like what we hear, we walk and start again tomorrow. You don't want this to drag on, trust me."

Alex took out a bottle of water and a straw.

"If you get thirsty, let us know. If you need to use the restroom, the guards will help you use the room's toilet." A stainless steel bowl could be seen in the rear right corner. It had no seat cover or handle.

"Let's start with the simple stuff."

Alex started to go through a series of questions. Full name, age, place of birth, marital status, famlly, occupation, military rank, military experience, etc. Basic human interest questions. Alex already had a lot of this information, but going through this again helped to do two things: establish comfort with answering questions honestly, and ensure that the man before them was indeed Jason Kafka.

The meatier questions would come later.

Edited by revanus, 20 December 2011 - 05:51 PM.

[revanus]

Interrogation #3:

Of the three who were left, Eiko was the second person they took from the room. Jason Kafka was out first, both because he seemed like a stabilizing influence and because it seemed like his interrogation would take a while.

Of the group, Eiko's info was the most straightforward. As a normal citizen, Eiko was on the grid. Alex got a handout detailing the basics. As long as everything checked out, she was a minimal threat.

As such, she got the "kid gloves" treatment. When the guards came to get her, they brought a towel to help cover up. She was given soup and water before being asked questions. And her initial interrogators were female. The fact was, it was far easier to confirm the identity of a lifelong Bonette citizen than a DCMS deserter, so more liberties could be taken.

Alex figured he'd check in on Eiko later. He'd let the primary team handle the basic life stuff.

[fuguzawaz]

Dop followed quietly into the room. It was very dark.

Soon people were shouting and a faint hiss could be heard.

Dop woke next to Eiko. When he woke he didnt say anything. He heard a man talking, then he left.

"whats going on" he thought. "this cant be very good."

He just started to notice that his arm ached. It seems that the ones who had stripped him had not been very gentle.

Jason stood up and sat beside Eiko.

CaveMan, on 20 December 2011 - 01:41 PM, said:

"It's alright. These guys are FedSuns militia. We're on the same side. They're going to question us for a minute, realize this was all just a big misunderstanding, and we'll be free to go," he lied.

"I doubt that" Dop mumbled, in-audiably.

[Orcinus]

Interrogation #1:

The first couple of questions were simple enough. Furukawa answered each of them briefly, but truthfully.
After a minute, the interrogator left the room.

When the door opened again, it was Mr. Cohen that passed through and sat down across from him.
A sheet of paper, probably notes from the first round of questioning, was in his hand.

He laid out some ground rules, then proceeded with the first question:

revanus, on 20 December 2011 - 04:49 PM, said:

"So, why on earth would a Combine soldier from a long and noble line of mechwarriors dirty his family's honor with cowardice and desertion? What would your father say if he saw you now?"

Furukawa was silent for a time, collecting his thoughts. How did he end up here, running from his own nation?

Grandmother...

He looked into Mr. Cohen's eyes.
"My family's honor had already be tarnished by the Combine. They were murdered when my father chose to fight with his unit, which had sided with Ronin. When I found out that the Combine had lied to me and when I saw what the DCMS was willing to do to innocent civilians, I realized that I could not both uphold my family's honor and serve the Combine."

[revanus]

Interrogation #4:

"Dop" was the last person they came for. He was a bit of an enigma. He didn't turn up on many records. There was a birth certificate, a few records from social services, and a rap sheet. He's a street urchin, Alex thought.

Which meant a few things, none of them good. At best, the kid was a homegrown bum. At worst, an ISF agent who took the identity of a random FedSun citizen who had no real ties. Only slightly better was the prospect that the kid was an informant for the Snakes. Alex knew that a few dollars could buy loyalty easily enough.

None of this meant they wouldn't be treating Dop's arm. It just meant that they'd be holding off on the pain meds until after the first round of questioning. It also meant that any painkillers he got would be a bit "special."

Alex was curious what the initial interrogators would find out.

Edited by revanus, 20 December 2011 - 05:54 PM.

[revanus]

Interrogation #1:

Orcinus, on 20 December 2011 - 05:26 PM, said:

Interrogation #1:

"My family's honor had already be tarnished by the Combine. They were murdered when my father chose to fight with his unit, which had sided with Ronin. When I found out that the Combine had lied to me and when I saw what the DCMS was willing to do to innocent civilians, I realized that I could not both uphold my family's honor and serve the Combine."

Alex looked into the prisoner's eyes. He seemed earnest, but Alex knew that the DC could put on a pretty show.

"Let's back up a bit. What's a ronin?"

Alex decided to play dumb, and let the kid tell his story.

"Also, how did the Combine lie to you? And how could the Combine have tarnished your family's honor? Isn't a Combine citizen's greatest duty to serve the will of the Coordinator?"

Innocent civilians, huh?

"And what is it, exactly, that the Combine was willing to do to civilians? What did you see?"

[CaveMan]

Interrogation #2:

Jason suppressed the urge to smile. Cohen was going by the book. They started with the basics: name, rank, serial number, personal history, history of employment. His old Survival/Evasion/Resistance/Escape instructor had called this the "Handshake Phase" of interrogation. In SERE school he had been subjected to multiple variations on the technique.
Obviously none of the questions were intended to elicit real information. His captors had almost certainly taken his dogtags from the remains of his uniform, so they had his personal MRBC serial number. A simple database query would give them all the information he'd given the Mercenary Review and Bonding Commission. Most of which was true; the parts that were fabricated, he'd made sure to memorize.
The real purpose of the handshake phase was to establish that his captors were holding who they thought they were holding, and to develop a relationship between the prisoner and his interrogator. The real questions would come the next day--or more likely, in the middle of the night.
A common technique was to allow one interrogator to "bond" with the captive, then isolate the captive, subject him to harsh methods by strangers, and then re-establish contact with the "friendly" interrogator in the hopes that the captive would begin to view the first interrogator as a lifeline.
It didn't look like they were trying this method with Jason, however. Likely because they suspected he'd been trained to resist such techniques.

So there were two interrogators in the room. The man who called himself Cohen, and a woman Jason hadn't met before. She wore a ruffled AFFS uniform devoid of any unit patches or rank insignia, and her blonde hair was pulled back tightly in an austere bun. She didn't look particularly friendly--but then, Cohen looked all too friendly, and look what happened there? There were also two guards, although he couldn't see weapons on them, but that didn't mean they weren't armed.

Okay, let's get this over with. I know you're not going to ask anything serious until later anyway.

"Your father's name?" Cohen asked.

"Ondrej Kafka. Captain with the 21st Centauri Lancers."

"And he's dead, correct?"

"...Yes."

"How did he die?"

Jason cleared his throat.

"His lance was destroyed fighting the DCMS."

"And how did that happen?"

"The Lancers got a contract to steal a prototype BattleMech that Lyran intel reported was being tested on a moon of Buckminster. My dad's company was picked for the mission. They attempted a pirate jump directly into orbit around the moon, to try and surprise the Dracs.
"I was told the ship exited the jump at too low of an altitude and orbit began to decay immediately. The DropShip captain ordered an emergency separation and released his 'Mechs in a hot drop directly onto the lunar surface. Dad's Marauder II made the landing intact, as did the rest of his lance, but the other two lances of 'Mechs were damaged and couldn't continue with the mission. In any case, a Kurita patrol picked them up and called in reinforcements.
"Dad ordered his lance to stand its ground and protect the others while the DropShip came back around for extraction. Dad kept shooting until a stray missile cracked his cockpit and exposed it to vacuum. The official story is that the ship was damaged during the separation and suffered an engine failure during liftoff, then crashed into the planet surface."

"The official story. What's the unofficial story?"

"The Scout-class JumpShip they rode in on? It eventually crashed into the moon, but the crew was taken prisoner before the orbit decayed entirely. One of those survivors smuggled a holodisc back to the Lancers, containing the comm logs of the battle.
"What actually happened is the DropShip landed, had time to board the damaged 'Mechs, and was preparing to load my dad's lance when a squadron of Slayers showed up. The DropShip's crew tried to surrender, but the fighters bombed the landing site and cracked the ship's hull open to space. Then the Drac 'Mechs closed in and finished off dad's lance."

"I see."

"And that's why I decided to come here and kill some Dracs."

[Brenden]

(( I'm gone for a few days and look what happens? This has really kicked off..)

[revanus]

Alex nodded his head.

"How long ago did your father die? What about the rest of your family?"

Quote

"And that's why I decided to come here and kill some Dracs."

Something didn't add up. Alex looked at his paper.

"If you wanted revenge, why would you choose Bonette? It's not a strategic asset. Why not take a raiding contract, like your father? "

[Orcinus]

Interrogation #1:

revanus, on 20 December 2011 - 05:44 PM, said:

"What did you see?"

The string of questions that followed led Furukawa to pause again, but only for a moment.
Considering Mr. Cohen’s position, I doubt he doesn’t know of the Ronin War. Still, I don’t have much choice but to humor him…

“When the Free Rasalhague Republic was declared a free state, a number of DCMS units defied the Combine’s recognition of the new state. Theodore Kurita labeled such units as ronin, or masterless. My father was a member of one such unit, and he chose to fight with them.
“After the wars ended, I inquired about the whereabouts of my parents. I was told that my father died in battle and my mother committed suicide. I thought nothing of it and accepted the story.
“Shortly afterwards, I came across a member of my father’s unit who had survived the conflict and told me otherwise. I spent the next three years attempting to find out what had happened; I only found what I was looking for prior to my deployment here.
“As for what I saw…”

Furukawa had been looking at Cohen’s eyes in a steady gaze. Now his expression took on a glare.

“Unarmed citizens gunned down in the streets. Homes and livelihoods put to the torch. I watched all of this unfold before my eyes. And I did nothing. And for what? The will of the Coordinator?”

He resisted the urge to spit.

“It is true that the warrior has a duty to his lord. But the same holds in reverse. If one part of the contract is not kept, then it is all null and void.”

His eyes relaxed again.