Chapter 8 NAME "Shit Happens" Part 3

(Miranda)
Why am I not surprised?
=I walked over to the fridge, and grabbed myself one of the few things left inside: a yogurt=

So, why are we heading back to Olympus?

(Jason)
The Council wants to establish some type of diplomatic relations with Olympus. They're sending me to hopefully work out a deal of some type.

(Miranda)
Well, I guess I can understand why they'd want Olympus, and those on it, as allies. After all, wasn't it their ships, that helped transport all of them to Haven?

(Jason)
Well, yeah.

=He sends a fist out, nearly hitting Zayne=

Zayne-Whoa. Almost got me.

I said. Shut up!

=He throws another punch, this one making contact with his face=

Zayne-How many times. Do I have to tell you.

=He throws a punch=

Zayne-Not the face!

=I snap back into it and pull my gun up again=

(Miranda)
So, what would be the problem with opening diplomatic relations with Olympus?

(Jason)
Maybe I want to protect them.

(Miranda)
Protect them from what?

(Jason)
Politics.
=I saw the look on her face=
Hey, it may not look it, but politics is a dangerous game, and I will not have people I respect and trust with my life, become politicians.

=I begin to inch forward, rolling my feet and turning on the flashlight under the pistol=

(Miranda)
Are you sure you're not being a tad dramatic?

(Jason)
=I looked at her for three seconds=
Miri, let's not forget that it was politicians that literally made me, as well as my team, who then proceeded to commit war crimes, one of which led to the death of your brother.

=The punch lands, he takes it=
=He goes for a roundhouse kick, however Zayne blocks with his own=

Zayne-I am a part of you!

=They punch, the fists collide=

Zayne-I know what you are going to do before you do it

=Zayne goes for a punch, his fist goes into Draco's open palm=
=Draco closes his hand over the fist and delivers an uppercut=

Draco-Dont think so highly of yourself.

=I swallow air, not knowing where I am=

=I turn a corner and continue down, cautiously=

=An automatic door opens and I jump, pointing my pistol at it=

(Miranda)
=I bristled at his words=
You don't have to remind me of that, Jason. And besides, I doubt your friends would ever become that.


(Jason)
Maybe. But power corrupts even the most goodhearted of people. I mean hell, I made the Council to help control the power of Haven, because I didn't trust myself with all that power.

(Dormii)
=i walk off, past Zeru, to the messhall. I grab a plate of food and start eating=

Zayne-Uncle Uncle Uncle! You win!

=He keeps his grasp=

Shut up you ingrate.

Zayne-You wont survive the next round.

=He laughs=
=Disappearing=

=My heart begins beating faster=

=I turn around quickly and start to walk backwards=

ShadowHunter wrote:

Diana: Ah, I see that you're up. Your contact just sent a message to meet him near the space port.

@Diana Well, I see that he wasted no time.

Diana: Indeed not. So going to go in the armor?

@Diana Might as well. So, you ready.

Diana: (Looks around) Alright. Yank me.

(I go and take her our of the holotank)

(I go and start putting on my armor)

Well, hope I don't screw up...

Viktor: *You better hope I don't show...*

@Viktor *Behave yourself. You can be civil for a few minutes, yes?*

Viktor: *Yeah, yeah. But be warned.*

(He stays silent)

*My goodness, I'd thought he'd never shut up.*

(I finish putting on my armor, and put Diana in the A.I. slot)

Here we go. Our trial by fire...

(Three Hours later, on the planet)

Here we go, and I don't have a frickin' clue where I'm going

*Diana, could you please show me where I'm meeting the contact?*

Diana: *Alright then. I'll give you a nav point to help you out.*

*Thank you very much Diana. You're a life saver*

Diana: *A girl does enjoy her compliment. I'll go silent so that you can take off your helmet, and not be worried*

*Thank you again. Keep me posted on anything, good or bad.*

Diana:*Got you. Good luck*

(She goes silent)

I'll need it...

(I come up to the building)

A hotel? Well, at least the Innies can be discreet.

(I take my helmet off and run my hand through my hair)

Well...here goes nothing

(I head in and my contact spots me)

(He motions for me to sit at his table)

Agent: So, you're the man I was told about.

@Agent Yes, yes I am. What do you want me to do.

Agent: All we want you to do is a simple assassination. Easy enough?

@Agent Sounds easy. So, who's my target?

(Miranda)
Maybe, but we're not talking about Haven's power here. We're talking about Dormii, and Zeru, and all the others on the Trophaeum, and on Olympus. Do you really think, for one second, that they would become like Harper, or your old team?

(Jason)
No. But Miranda...I....I don't know.
=I sighed=
Maybe I'm just a pessimist, but people always, always, have the capacity, to do horrible things, even when they convince themselves, and those around them, that they are doing the right thing. I just don't want to see that happen to these guys. They're good people, and they don't deserve that.

(Miranda)
Then I guess you're a pessimist, and a poor judge of character.

"The Flood will consume. It is what t hey do. They are obligatory parasites. If they don't infect, they die. That is why they fight so aggressively to consume species and life. But when they Consume all that there is to consume, what happens next, they begin to starve or they thrive. The flood cannot be starved. Not really. IT would take hundreds of generations for a flood form to starve, or more, because they can lie dormant. The flood were interesting to study. I wrote a dissertation on the Flood. Commenced studies on them. I studied them so much I nearly got myself infected. So I had to make myself resistant to infection. I ended up doing something more. Be careful what you wish for. Sometimes Achieving what you set out to do has unnecessary consequences.

I killed over 500 people, human beings, to achieve what I did. I was morally and ethically wrong to do so. I didn't care. As a result of my efforts toward flood-immunity I became something else. Which later primed my body to my sensitive to the Sangheili DNA I was working with and caused a helical flux of a kind I've never seen before. Ultimately the Sangheili DNA I was working with was integrated into mine, safely. The Promoters on the DNA still worked, and over time I began to grow and look more like an elite. My skin even began to darken and become bluish-purplish. My muscle mass increased significantly, my body grew once more and I felt that pain again.

Through my never-ending quest for knowledge, I've created some of the most bizarre technologies. Humanity and the Species of the Covenant certainly have never done what I have. I created a machine that that can make you live your ancestors memories, their lives. A Machine that could be manipulator and simulate events, even projects. It was a marvel to be sure. I only ever built one. It was now in the hands of the Black-hand, a secretive organization that excelled in reconnaissance, among other dark things. The group was not related to the Blackhand that assassinated people in the germanic parts of earth.

I've done things, horrible things to my fellow human beings. I kidnapped children for ONI during the Spartan agenda, I experimented on children. I've done terrible things in my life. All in the name of science and sometimes personal gain. Humanity will never achieve my level of greatness, however bad it may be.

[Much time had passed]

I realized I had done several things without thinking when I came back to the world. First, I sabotaged a non-unsc base on this grasslands planet. Apparently I had planted C12 on key buildings or tents, key locations. I hadn't detonated them though. Which was strange. Latentwolf was back in action, and I had no idea that it was. Latentwolf, a codename given to me by ONI. It was also an operation to create [hidden soldier or whatever their called].

Power.

(Jason)
Heh, wouldn't really be the first time. But, maybe I should give optimism a shot.

--Two Hours Later--

=we dropped out of slip-space in the Olympus system. Okay, let me amend that: we exited slip-space in orbit over Olympus. Damn those calculations were good. Anyway, I headed up to the bridge=
Molly, what's our status? Have they hailed us?

(Molly)
Uh, if you could call "Hello Shepard," a hail, then yes. What should I say?

(Jason)
=I exited the elevator, and walked over to Molly=
Just follow the coordinates to the hangar bay. From there, I'll see if I can get an audience with my friends.
An audience? Jesus, I really was starting to sound like a diplomat.

=the shield door of a hangar opens up=

(Jason)
=we entered the hangar, and docked at the Serenity's usual landing section=
Well Molly, welcome to the Trophaeum.

(Molly)
Eh, I can't really say I'm impressed. I mean, super-carrier, sure. But you've got a freaking shield world!

(Jason)
It's not a contest Molly.

(Dormii)
=i ate some more, still trying to get my headache to go away. The plates were moving in sync with my heartbeat, opening and closing rythmetically=

(Jason)
Okay, I'm going to go and look for a friend of mine. Want to join me?

(Molly)
Sure, why not.
=I unstrapped myself from the seat, and followed Jason to the elevator=

(Miranda)
=I felt the ship stop, and I was already waiting for the elevator to land at my level, when the door opened, and I found Jason and Molly standing inside=
Oh good. I guess we're heading for the ship's mess?

(Jason)
That's the plan Stan.
=she got in with us, and a few minutes later, we had exited the ship, and were heading for the mess hall=

(Dormii)
=i finished off the food I already had. I grabbed the plate and put it back. I grabbed another plate and started eating again=

(Jason)
=after a few minutes of walking, we arrived in the mess hall. I saw Dormii sitting at a table, eating some food=
Hey Dormii!

(Dormii)
=i look up and see Jason and a person I didn't recognize. I finish my bite and wave=
Hey Jason. Who's your friend?

(Jason)
=I motioned to Molly while Miranda moved to get some food=
This is Molly Borden, my goddaughter.

(Molly)
=I held out my hand=
Pleasure to meet you sir.
=I wasn't bothered by the robotic arm=

(Dormii)
=i shook her hand, careful not to squeeze to hard. it's tough when you don't have a sense of touch, but that's something you give up when you lose an arm=

Dormii Fortuni et Mali. I didn't squeeze your hand too much, did I? I can't feel anything with this arm.

(Molly)
No, it's fine.
=I didn't really want to tell him that he all but broke my hand. I mean, there weren't even any bruises=

(Jason)
Hey, glad I found you. Something's come up.
=I told him about the progress on Haven, and how the Council was hoping to open diplomatic channels with Olympus and the Trophaeum=

(Dormii)
=i nod once he finishes=
Okay, I'm not seeing a problem here, if there is one. I sense you think there is one.

=i gesture to the table=
Sit, please, it feels weird with everyone standing around.

(Miranda)
=I had walked back with a tray of food when Dormii asked us to sit=
Don't mind if I do.

=I sat, and ate=

(Jason)
=Molly and I sat down, while I explained the whole diplomatic thing with Dormii=
Well, I'm not opposed to the whole diplomatic thing as a whole. I mean hell, we could use some political allies. It's just, I'm worried about what that kind of power could do for you guys.

(Dormii)
You mean like:

=i put on my best overly dramatic voice=
"We are not amused!" Or something like that?

(Jason)
=I tried to grin=
No, more like, "All your worlds belong to us."

=I let that sink in=
I mean, let's be frank here. Haven now has a massive armada of ships, and the troops to go with it. Allying ourselves with the Trophaeum, and Olympus, could create a powerhouse. And that much power, I'm sorry to say, has the potential to corrupt.

=walks in=


why is that worrying

(Dormii)
=i nod=
I understand. We'd have the possibility of becoming the military equivalent of gods. Like I understand you had a bad dream or two about.

(Dormii)
=i look at Zeru=
Zeru, say you need help taking down a target. So we call Haven and their massive firepower. Then, the next target is just a bit harder, so we call on Haven again. And again, and again, and again. It would probably take a while, but there is the probability that we become totally dependent on Haven's fleet. Also, the power to take down anything is intoxicating. You can't get enough of it. Only through serious effort can you not use that power.

(Jason)
Yeah. I want what's best for these guys, don't get me wrong. But, I'm worried that that much power, could go to their heads, and that they'd want to violently expand.

(Dormii)
Are you honestly saying, very, deeply truly telling me, that you wouldn't reach for that one thing that could make the problem go away, near instantly?

=i gesture to Jason=
That's what he's worried about.

=i look back to him and take a bite=
And I gotta say, he's got a point.

(Dormii)
Point still stands.

=to Jason=
You explain this to the council?

(Jason)
Not really, no.

(Dormii)
=i looked at him with a questioning glace=
Why not?

(Jason)
Well, I explained to them that I felt we were rushing things a little. I guess I should have explained my reasons.

(Dormii)
Ita vero, habe debere. Would've made things a lot easier. But, then we wouldn't have had this nice little chat, and I wouldn't have learned that I squeeze too hard when I shake hands with people.

=to Molly=
Saw you rub your hand a few times.

=i make an apologetic face and the plates on my arm ripple smoothly, albeit slower than normal=
Sorry.

(Molly)
Was I that obvious?
=I chuckled weakly=

And don't give yourself too much credit. You don't have that strong a grip.

(Jason)
Well truth be told, I couldn't help but see their point. We will need allies soon.

(Dormii)
=i chuckle and say as jokingly as possible. The plates ripple a bit faster=
Oh, I'll get you back for that, missy. Just you wait.

=to Jason=
I'm not saying we can't be allies, I'm just saying that you probably should have made your opinion clearer. If the leading body doesn't understand all viewpoints, it cannot function properly.

(Jason)
I know, I should have. The problem is that so far, these guys have not exactly been going power crazy, and they really are good people. And so far, the Council has functioned perfectly, we're just evolving to a new stage here: relationships with another system.

(Dormii)
=i nod again=
Yeah, but still. They should be aware of your concerns and why you have them. Off the record, assuming this was ever on the record, politics suck.

(Jason)
Politics are more like a double edged sword: powerful when it works for you, but devastating when turned against you.

(Dormii)
=i chuckle=
Hence, politics suck.

=i take another bite of my food=
Anyone want some?