An Offer You Can't Refuse.

by Kroll Mon Jul 15, 2013 6:48 am

December 3rd.

It had been a slow start of the day for the Captain of the Guard at GHQ. The new Captain of the Guerrillas had been away for some meeting of some sort, and Kroll had volunteered to take care of her paperwork while she was away. This later proved to be a unique form of torture once it dawned on him that no matter how disorderly or unprofessional any of the guerrilla members in the files turned out to be, he had no authority to reprimand or discipline them. He glanced up at the broken clock on his office wall and groaned as he flipped the to the next page in the Guerrilla attendance record. That's when he saw something that made his heart stop.

Near the bottom of the page, was a griffon whose attendance grid was completely blank for the entire month. Kroll traced a talon straight to the name of the absent Guerrilla. Sten Softclaw. The Captain paused and took a deep breath. Just this one. I'll just talk to him. No waterboarding, no hazing. Just...talking. Aeolus will thank me for this in the long run...

Kroll sighed as he got up from his desk for a quick break, staring out the frosted window of his office and out at the snow-blanketed streets below. S'gonna be a long one today...

by Aella Mon Jul 15, 2013 7:03 am

Aella stalked down the hallway to her handlers office, bearing a tray with a kettle of hot tea and a mug as requested. She looked slightly silly stuffed into an old hens coat two sizes too small to ward off the cold, but she was grateful for the warmth that it offered. She knocked softly upon the door before shouldering it open and entering the office.

Setting the tray down on a small side table, she bowed to Kroll.

"Here it is sir"

by Sten Softclaw Mon Jul 15, 2013 7:28 am

Elsewhere, maybe two floors below and a few doors down, Sten loitered. The Guerrilla canteen might not necessarily be the best place to do it, but it was somewhere warm on a freezing day, and best of all it wasn't knee deep in sewage. Also, since strictly speaking Sten's name was still on the books, it was a free lunch every lunch, even if they were using more turnip and less pig and cow.

His ears burned for a moment, and he had a sudden pang of precognition, as though in some way the world had become a slightly more dangerous place, but it soon passed. Today, it was carrot and coriander for lunch. He tucked in without a second thought.

by Kroll Mon Jul 15, 2013 7:35 am

Kroll's train of thought was derailed at the sound of someone knocking at his door. He turned around to see Aella place the tea tray on the side table, can't helping but smile at the sight of the griffoness wearing a coat clearly made for a hen smaller than she. "Ah, thank you, Aella." The captain said with a slight chuckle as he walked towards the tray, pouring some of the tea into the mug that accompanied it. As he set the pot back down, Kroll looked back up at his associate. "Would you like some as well? I think I have an extra mug around here some place..."

by Aella Mon Jul 15, 2013 7:44 am

Aella nodded her head.

"Thank you sir"

She looked across Kroll's desk and saw the almost cartoonishly large stacks of papers, forms and requests. She frowned.

"I have heard the guards say that the Guerrilla captain is normally very efficient... it seems that this may be wrong given the amount of stuff she seems to have left you"

by Kroll Mon Jul 15, 2013 2:47 pm

Kroll gave the tower of papers on his desk a venomous look. "It would certainly seem that way, wouldn't it?" he said as he got up to rummage around in his desk for an extra mug. "I'm sure she's still trying to get situated into her new position is all. I'm sure that once she comes back, this'll be a thing of the past..." The captain returned with an older mug that bore a slightly-faded emblem for an army battalion, filling it with tea. He blew on it a little before taking a sip, pausing to nod at the other one. "You can have that one, if you don't mind."

by Aella Mon Jul 15, 2013 7:42 pm

Aella nodded gratefully and took the mug, taking a sip of the warming drink. She sighed with relief as the warm cup brought some feeling back to her talons.

"Thank you sir. Is there anything else that you would ask of me?"

by Kroll Tue Jul 16, 2013 5:22 am

Kroll paused at Aella's question, standing back up and walking over to the window, staring outside of it for a few moments, taking another sip of his tea before speaking. "Aella...we've worked with each other for a little more or less than a month at this point... do you feel that you understand how valuable loalty and honor is here?" the captain asks as he turns to look directly at the hen across from him. "How valuable they are to me?"

by Aella Tue Jul 16, 2013 1:11 pm

Aella was silent for a moment before answering.

"To you, it... seems to be everything sir" she said carefully, trying to figure out her handlers intent

by Kroll Tue Jul 16, 2013 7:19 pm

Kroll nodded in agreement at Aella's response. "As soldiers, we fight for the ones next to us; we trust that our brothers and sisters-in-arms have our backs, even in the thickest of situations." he paused to take a sip from his mug, pausing to clear his throat before continuing. "Now, I know these aren't concepts you were raised on and trained by during your time as a gladiator in Aquillae, but you've adjusted quickly and have adapted these new ideals into your mindset, and in light of your recent successes from a few days ago, I can safely say that you've come to apply these traits into your life...and I think that deserves some recognition."

The captain got up and closed the door to his office, locking it before turning around and facing Aella, taking a deep breath. "Now, it took a lot of debating, but I managed to convince Commander Feliks that, in light of your growth, that you have earned the privilege to have your collar removed."

by Aella Wed Jul 17, 2013 5:05 am

Aella did a double take, her beak drooping open like an idiot as she tried to process what she had been told.

"I... I am sorry sir, I must have misheard you. It sounded like... you said that my collar..." she trailed off unsurely.

by Kroll Wed Jul 17, 2013 5:14 am

The captain finished the griffoness' sentence as if the topic at hand was trivial. "Is to be removed effective-immediately? Yes, that's correct." Kroll raised an eyebrow at Aella, crossing his arms. "Unless that's something that doesn't interest you..."

by Aella Wed Jul 17, 2013 5:26 am

Aella was shocked, the possibility of being rid of the thick leather strap around her neck, the symbol of her servitude and an instrument of pain was almost too good to be true.

"I... would like that very much sir" she said cautiously

by Kroll Wed Jul 17, 2013 6:03 am

Kroll nodded. "Alright then. Consider it done." The captain walked behind his desk and pulled out a small amulet after fishing around in a drawer for a moment. With the amulet in claw, Kroll walked behind Aella, and pressed the small stone against the back of the leather collar around the hen's neck. Pausing a moment to stifle a laugh Kroll spoke the password to allow the collar to be safely removed: the maiden name of the commander's mother. "...Shickelgruber." After a brief pause, Kroll slowly undid the buckle on the back of the collar, removing it from Aella's neck with a slight magician's flourish. "Annnd...there we go."

by Aella Wed Jul 17, 2013 6:12 am

Aella ran a talon along the patch of bare skin where her collar had sat, as if to test that it was really gone. She was dumbstruck. The hen turned and faced Kroll, looking the tercel up and down.

Aella knew that she could easily kill him right now, tear him apart with her talons, bite through his throat and escape. Nothing would be able to stop her if she got her weapon of choice. She could carve a bloody swathe through the HQ and impale Feliks to the roof of his office.

But she stayed rooted in place, running her talon along the stripe of bare skin.

Kroll had been... kind to her. He seemed to value her words and her thoughts. To be forced to kill him, or bring harm to him through an escape... she could not do it.

Aella bowed slowly, despairing internally as her slave discipline and subservience overwrote the ideas of possible freedom.

"t-thank you sir"

by Kroll Wed Jul 17, 2013 6:33 am

Kroll nodded as he walked back around his desk, putting the amulet and the collar in a separate drawer. "Now, I'm doing this because I trust you. If you keep up the good work, we can see about getting you out of that cell of yours, and maybe some other things." The captain snapped the drawer shut, looking at Aella with stern expression, "However." he said, his tone reflecting his sincerity. "This isn't a one way street; if you start to cause any issues, or do anything to betray my trust, the collar goes back on, and I know you don't want that. Do I make myself clear?"

by Aella Wed Jul 17, 2013 6:34 am

Aella nodded slowly.

"yes sir"

by Kroll Wed Jul 17, 2013 6:45 am

The captain's expression suddenly changed to a more pleasant one, as if a switch was flipped somewhere. "Wonderful! Simply wonderful..." Kroll exclaimed as he began to sift through the files on his desk, focusing on them as he continued talking. "Now, I know you probably would like to go off to celebrate, but unfortunately, this city never sleeps, and more work needs to be done." The captain pauses as he sees the Guerrilla Attendance Record, sighing as he remembered to deal with Softclaw.

He started to tuck away a few papers into a folder, tucking it under his forearm before refocusing on Aella. "We may have another mission upon us today, but I need to go take care of something right now." He pulled a pack of licorice out of a secret stash in his desk, tossing it to Aella. "Here. A little something to celebrate your liberation. Feel free to take a nap or help yourself to the rest of the tea. I'll be back in a little bit." with that, Kroll stalked out of his office, closing the door behind him before stalking off down the halls. It was time to go have a little chat with Mr. Softclaw.

by Sten Softclaw Wed Jul 17, 2013 9:31 am

'Mr Softclaw' was just making his way out of the canteen and through the HQ, when he decided to have a look around. It wouldn't hurt to have something to tell Zwei when he returned to the griff-sump (like a batcave, only inestimably worse), and who knew what might adhere to his paws on the way through? Paperwork, keys, maybe a polearm or two.

He made his way upstairs, doing his best not to make eye contact. With any luck, anyone who remembered his face was dead by now.

by Kroll Sun Jul 21, 2013 3:56 am

Kroll stalked down the hallways, muttering to himself as he thought of how he planned to confront the truant Guerrilla. He was in the process of thinking of something good to say when a gray shape moved past him. He stopped in the hallway and turned around, staring at the back of the griffon that just walked past him. Quickly flipping open the file tucked under his arm, the captain stared at the file photo for Sten. It was pretty close, and unless Mr. Softclaw has any doppelgangers or twins running around GHQ, it was probably him. It had to be.

Further down the hall, a janitor walked out of a supply closet, pushing its cleaning cart down the hall, neglecting to close the door. Perfect. Doing a sharp arc, Kroll weaved through the traffic in the hallway, snagged a hold of Sten by the back of the neck, and dragged the griffon into the dark supply closet, locking the door behind the two.

by Sten Softclaw Mon Jul 22, 2013 1:32 pm

He'd been hoping for a bit of warning, maybe a 'hey you' or a 'cease, fiend!' so he could get his story straight, but as it was, Sten didn't quite have time to scream as he was hauled by the scruff of his neck into the closet. He did squeak though, which would have been embarrassing if he wasn't filled with immediate and crippling fear.

by Kroll Mon Jul 22, 2013 4:53 pm

In the darkness of the cramped janitor's closet, there was a sharp clik-chik! as Kroll pulled the chain to turn on the single lightbulb that dangled over the two, the room illuminating with a flickering, yellow light. With a sharp and sudden movement, the captain clasped Sten by the shoulders and swiftly spun him around so that he was facing his captor.

Happy that he didn't abduct some other griffon by mistake, Kroll smiled broadly, the shadows of the cramped room giving him an aria of intimidation as he loomed over the slightly shorter guerrilla like a grotesque clown.

"Hello, Mr. Softclaw."

by Sten Softclaw Mon Jul 22, 2013 5:00 pm

Sten sought for a proper response, something witty, something clever, something that would end with just a pat on the head and him being sent on his way. He scoured his mind, but all there was was the word 'bugger' engraved in mile high letters across his frontal lobe. Wit would clearly get him nowhere, so his reptilian brain tried a different tack. From the distant but potent memories of basic training came the response.

"SIR YES SIR."

by Kroll Mon Jul 22, 2013 8:24 pm

Kroll did a hard blink as the griffon screams his reply. Very calmly, the captain clamps a firm claw over Sten's beak and sighs. "Shut it. You are either lucky, or very unlucky that I found you before your CO did." the griffon shifts a little, pressing himself into Sten slightly as he pulls out the file he kept under his arm, shoving the attendance record in the griffon's face. "You've been completely absent from your prescribed duties for a whole month. Would you like to tell me why that is?"

by Sten Softclaw Mon Jul 22, 2013 8:39 pm

Only absent a month, though? It had felt like much longer. Having been given a brief period of grace though, Sten's brain was working overtime on excuses. What would it be, dead relative, period of illness, injury, kidnapping? The list was long, but sadly flimsy. Perhaps the truth would do.

"Joined a secret cabal planning to overthrow the government," he said, his face completely straight. With any luck, the question of 'which one' would go unasked.

by Kroll Mon Jul 22, 2013 9:05 pm

The captian's eyes narrowed as he leaned in close to the guerrilla, his dead grass-like feathers pressing into Sten's. "Do you really think that now is the best time to be making jokes? Especially one's like that?" the captain hissed at the pidgeon-esque griffon. "If it was up to me, I'd have your wings clipped and so much paperwork jammed down your throat, you'd be shitting trees for the rest of your life." He paused, his brain taking a mental note of the possibility that Sten may be actually telling the truth.

"Now, Captain Aeolus won't be back for a couple more days, which means there is a generous window for you to unfuck yourself, understand?"

by Sten Softclaw Mon Jul 22, 2013 9:12 pm

Sten nodded. Under the circumstances, his chances of not being sodomised, brutalised, and forced to do paperwork relied upon his willingness to let nature take its course. A nod and an expression of obedience and willing were advised.

Escape could always come later.

by Kroll Mon Jul 22, 2013 9:21 pm

Kroll nodded slowly, glad to see he was getting to the guerrilla. "Goood....now normally, I would hand you right over to your CO. But...things being what they may, we might be able to work something out here, between the two of us; I'm going to be conducting a NOC mission here soon, and I can use an extra set of claws in case shit goes sideways. Do you see where I'm going with this? You help me with this mission, I'll make a few...ammendments to your permanent record. Sound fair?"

by Sten Softclaw Mon Jul 22, 2013 9:28 pm

Sten didn't see his life flash before his eyes, but he did see a glimpse of someone else's. This bugger was up to his neck in it, the lord and master of bullshit island, and Sten happened to be a little ray of awkwardly-shaped sunshine. A deniable asset and a way to get a dig in at the Guerillas.

Sten was no career soldier, but he knew departmental rivalry when he saw it. Unfortunately, that made him valuable. This would take some manipulating before a bright side emerged.

by Kroll Tue Jul 23, 2013 3:01 am

Kroll frowned at Sten, studying the griffons face before continuing with the offer. "We're doing a simple strike mission. We have a good reason to believe that one of the key members of the Equestrian resistance will be in the area. I just need another set of eyes to make sure the Op goes smoothly. You don't have to do any heavy lifting or get your hands dirty unless shit goes sideways. It's pretty straight forwards, and all things considered, it's a pretty sweet deal...especially considering the alternative." The captain leaned back against the door as much as he could manage, looking at Sten inquisitively. "Well? What do you say? Do we have a deal?"

by Sten Softclaw Tue Jul 23, 2013 7:33 am

Sten didn't have to think about it. It wasn't a choice, it was blackmail, but if the big guy wasn't going to admit that straight off the bat, then neither should Sten.

"Yes," he said. Silence was a virtue after all.

by Kroll Tue Jul 23, 2013 6:26 pm

Kroll smiled slowly. "Wonderful." he unlocked the door to the supply closet and opened it for Sten. "We can discuss the finer details in my office. Please, after you."

by Sten Softclaw Tue Jul 23, 2013 6:35 pm

Sten nodded and ambled out of the cupboard. He stopped in the corridor and stood to... if not attention then at least moderate interest. After all, the cap was the chap who knew the way to his own office. Presumably.

by Kroll Tue Jul 23, 2013 6:56 pm

Kroll stepped out of the closet, motioning for Sten to follow him. "This way" he muttered as quickly moved down the hall backwards, never taking his eyes off of the griffon as he weaved through the footraffic in the halls. When he reached the door to his office, he wrenched it open and waited for Sten to enter.

by Sten Softclaw Tue Jul 23, 2013 7:10 pm

Sten stepped inside the office. He got mostly what he expected; desk, chairs, papers (a LOT of papers), tea and coffee facilities, the usual mess. What he didn't expect though was Aella Eversor, one of the greatest soloists in the history of ring fighters sitting by herself at the desk as though it were the simplest thing in the world.

Recognise her? You could say that. He'd had that poster of her stuck up on the wall above his bed for goodness knew how long. The famous one of her standing over the corpse of "The Terror" Tavor. Sten'd had to plead and beg and coax for all he was worth to keep it, not to mention defend it from his brothers (and sister Schoenauer, but that was by the by). He stared open mouthed in shock.

by Aella Tue Jul 23, 2013 8:03 pm

Aella shuffled awkwardly as Sten gawped at her, still rubbing a talon on the back of her neck. She had never had to deal with fans in the arena, locked away the moment the bout was over.

She performed a quick bow to Kroll and the new griffon as they entered.

by Kroll Wed Jul 24, 2013 4:46 am

Kroll nodded in acknowledgement at Aella before looking at Sten. "Right...introduction time. Softclaw, this is Ms. Aella Eversor. I've been working with her for a while now, helping her understand what being a soldier is all about here. Sweet gal, and one helluva fighter." The captain proceeded to grip Sten by the back of the throat as he directed his attention to Aella, squeezing the guard's neck a tad while slightly shaking him for emphasis. "And this little chickenfucker is the asswipe I was complaining about earlier. Sten Softclaw. He'll be working with us on our next assignment."

Kroll released Sten as he walked over to and behind his desk, leaving through some papers before looking up at the two griffons across from him. "Have a seat, stay a while. The pressure spikes aren't installed yet, if that's what you're worried about."

by Sten Softclaw Wed Jul 24, 2013 7:09 am

Sten sat on the floor in front of the desk, rubbing the back of his neck. All officers were sadists, but this guy seemed to take unusual joy in it. I mean, pressure spikes? He was clearly out of his tree. Which shouldn't have been surprising if you remembered his rank.

by Aella Wed Jul 24, 2013 7:17 am

Aella poured herself another mug of tea and looked around the room, frowning. She looked apologetically at Sten.

"I would offer you some, but it seems that there are only two cups..."

by Kroll Thu Jul 25, 2013 5:06 am

Kroll looked up from his work and started to look around in his desk drawers again. "If you do want some, I think I have another cup around here somewhere..." he produced a slightly chipped, ornate-looking teacup, passing it to Sten. "Found this during a routine BDA during the war. There was a matching set too, but some fuck-knuckles broke it...but at least this one survived."

The captain sighed as he pulled out a folder labeled Op 328: "Urban Trident" setting it down on the desk so that Aella and Sten can see it. "As you two know, the local insurgency has been starting to become more of a problem, and there's been a whole lot of nothing being done about it. The commander wants to start seeing names on our HVT tree crossed out; he wants results."

Kroll tapped the folder's cover. "This is just going to be a simple strike mission. We're going to be taking out the leader of a streetgang that's been in Manehattan since before the war. As you can probably guess, their main area of operations is the Eastern Residential District. They've been giving our patrols a lot of trouble lately, so command wants us to drop the hammer on them."

by Sten Softclaw Thu Jul 25, 2013 6:21 am

Sten poured himself a cup of tea, sparing a glance at the cup. It was a Wedgwing, or at the very least a good replica. Years of abuse had left it chipped and stained, but that was no reason not to love it. Porcelain like this had been ten a penny in the Courts, but out here it was like finding... well, like finding an officer with a sense of humour.

He blocked out the preamble and listened in for the important bits; streetgang, Eastern Residential, hammer.

by Aella Thu Jul 25, 2013 12:23 pm

Aella frowned as she thought.

"Are we to eliminate the gang members, or avoid collateral?"

by Kroll Thu Jul 25, 2013 2:40 pm

Kroll sighed again, rubbing his head. "From what I'm told, we're supposed to do this quietly, and only make necessary kills. Unfortunately, nobody has any idea just how large this gang really is, so we may end up having to fight our way in, out, or even both..." the captain trailed off as he pulled a small map of the Eastern Residential District, one of the blocks highlighted in a large, red rectangle.

"This is the area where our patrols keep running into them the most, so I think it may be fair to assume that their little hide out is somewhere in this block. I think we should try and set up an observation point across the street inside one of the buildings like last time. That way, we'll be able to get a better idea where they like to congregate, as well as maybe get an estimation of their force size..." Kroll looked up at the two. "Do either of you have any suggestions or questions?"

by Sten Softclaw Thu Jul 25, 2013 4:07 pm

Sten wasn't one to overthink things, and even if he had been, he sensed his input would go amiss under the circumstances. He gave Aella a look, in case she had any cunning insights.

by Aella Thu Jul 25, 2013 8:02 pm

Aella thought for a moment.

"...from what I have read, gangs tend to center around a moneymaker of some kind. A Distillery, Brothel... slave pens" She trailed off.

"Maybe that is where the leader will be"

by Kroll Fri Jul 26, 2013 3:55 am

Kroll nodded to Aella's reply, starting to look over the map closely. "Good point, Aella...hmm...the only thing I can see that could be remotely close to that idea is...a bakery..." he looks up at the two, scratching his neck. "Well, it's worth checking out, I guess. Better safe than sorry, right?" the captain chuckled to himself before shaking his head, reorganizing the folder before tucking it away.

"Alright. I'm have to get some things squared away before we head out, so you two can go on and gear up. Aella, if you would be so kind as to accompany Mr. Softclaw here, that would be super. I'll meet the two of you at the front gates at say...1300? That should be plenty of time to get ready. Any objections?"

by Sten Softclaw Fri Jul 26, 2013 8:05 am

Again, Sten kept his piece and shook his head. The plan was watertight by the sounds of it, barring anything stupid happening. Hah, yes, anything stupid in this town. Imagine.

by Aella Fri Jul 26, 2013 10:17 am

Aella nodded.

This would be her first mission in her state of "freedom". She hoped that she would not dissapoint.

by Kroll Fri Jul 26, 2013 6:03 pm

Kroll nodded. "Very good. You two have your orders let's hop to it. Dismissed."

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