Once More... Torn isn't exactly a friend.

[ecopiracy]

Characters: Phoenix, Torn, Ashelin, NPCs [closed]
Setting: Based off of MS Elegante RP and Once More, Dear Friends... None of what happens in this applies to the game.

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[sandpaperbreath]

Half a minute passed before Phoenix was graced with a response. The voice was that of a young man, tone chipped. Military.

"Captain Phoenix. You have entered restricted air space. Your request has been granted and you are asked to slow your airship and follow the escort issued to you."

Already two Hellcats appear over the walls of the city and head towards him.

"They are armed and the pilot of each are on orders to shoot to kill. This is your one and only warning. You will not receive another. Welcome to Haven City."

Click.

[ecopiracy]

Well. That was certainly a brusque enough greeting. Still, Phoenix appreciated the warning. Not everyone gave even that much.

Although, most of those who didn't were of the pirate sort.

"Acknowledged," he murmured before turning the radio off. Putting his hands back on the controls, he did as he was asked and slowed the ship to match the comparatively sluggish crawl of the two Hellcat cruisers.

Precursors, he'd rarely seen such unwieldy ships. They must be a different type than the Hellcat that Jak, Keira, and Daxter had used to fly to the Brink. It would almost be amusing if they did try to shoot him down. He was pretty certain they'd be lucky if they could land a single shot.

For now, though, he was more inclined to follow obediently, and within a few minutes, he'd set his ship down where the Hellcat cruisers directed. He emerged from his ship, his gun clipped to his belt, but otherwise presenting no overt signs of any hostile intentions.

[sandpaperbreath]

The hellcats landed beside him in the port and two men exited from each. Heavy boots hit the ground, and a moment later, their stun-guns were trained to Phoenix's back. Another guard approached, face partly obscured by his helmet. Only his gun is held in a non-threatening manner; leisurely in one hand, to his side.

"On the behalf of the Baroness and the Freedom League Guard, we welcome you to Haven City." The guard's voice was much deeper--older--than the voice over the radio. He sounded entirely uninterested in welcoming anyone, as if reading from a prompter. "Follow me." He turned and began walking. The guards behind Phoenix advanced a moment later, pressuring him into a walk.

[ecopiracy]

Baroness. Phoenix's ears twitched at the word and everything they implied. If history had played out as Razer had said, then "Baroness" meant Ashelin. His heart clenched briefly, threatening to miss a beat. Razer had not remembered him, nor had Blitz in their brief encounter. That was five people now who had no recollection of their time on the Elegante. Would Ashelin prove to be different? Or would she...?

Focus on the present, he reminded himself sternly. Because if he did not keep up with the older man, the guards behind him looked ready to take liberties with their guns.

Schooling his face into an expression of mild interest, he let his gaze wander even as he directed a question at the guard to his front. "Do you mind if I ask where we are going?"

[sandpaperbreath]

One of the guards behind him snickered. It was followed by a grunt of annoyance nearby, the distinct sound of armor shifting, then one of the five pair of footsteps faltering. Someone found the question funny. Someone else thought they shouldn't have drawn attention to it in the first place.

The guard leading him either didn't take notice or was doing a wonderful job of ignoring the others.

"You are being taken to here, smart-ass." Oh, look, a door way that led into a very small room. It was just big enough for a table and two chairs on either side, facing one another. Before Phoenix could enter, the leader put a large, gloved hand on his sternum. "Ahh. Not yet. Gotta take your guns."

[ecopiracy]

There was only so far that Phoenix was willing to cooperate without question. This "request" had met that line. Phoenix unclasped his hands from behind his back and gave the man a piercing look.

"Why?"

The other guards were ignored. Whatever they were laughing at was unimportant.

"And will I be assured of their prompt and complete return?"

[sandpaperbreath]

After "Why", the leader tilted his head and made a jerking motion with his free hand. By the time Phoenix had finished the second question, one of the other guards was behind him. Just as the snickering of another would reach his ears, his forearms were taken in strong hands and he was being maneuvered face-first into a wall. While two guards held his arms, pressed his forehead roughly into the metal walls, the leader reached in and retrieved his pistol.

"Catch," and he tossed it over Phoenix to one of the two remaining guards. Both chuckled nastily.

"Goddit, Sargent."

[ecopiracy]

Phoenix was no pushover in combat, but against two trained guards, he had very little chance. However, this did not mean that he wasn't going to put up a fight. He struggled against their grips, and even more when he felt the weight of his gun disappear from his belt. If the one on his left wasn't careful, he'd soon get an elbow to the gut.

"Let go of me!" he snarled. "I demand an explanation for this at once!"

[sandpaperbreath]

"Calm down, fella, we're gettin' to that."

The guards released him and stepped back, grins just visible behind the mouth piece of their helmets.

The leader remained within the captain's personal bubble.

"We aren't the guys you do your negotiating with, see? Right now y'do what you're asked, an' you only get asked once. Now, princess," cue more snickering, "'m asking you to get in this room an' take a seat." Finally, he steps back, giving Phoenix the room with which to follow his 'request'.

[ecopiracy]

Three against one, and he was now unarmed. Phoenix glared at all three men, but the leader in particular. He made no more demands, though, recognizing their futility. His eyes, however, promised a good deal. He had better regain possession of his gun, or there would be hell to pay.

Without another word, he straightened his shirt, then stalked into the room with as much dignity as he could muster. He refused to take a seat, though. He just folded his arms and waited.

[sandpaperbreath]

The guards waited. When it became obvious the man wasn't gonna sit, one of them, much younger, voice shrill and grating, asked, "Need t'pull your chair out for you, missus?" That earned some laughter. The leader was grinning. Before Phoenix could respond, he put his hand back on the keypad and the door slid shut.

Click.

Phoenix was locked in.

[ecopiracy]

A slight twitch of the muscles in his jaw was the only evidence he gave that he was clenching his teeth, but that had more to do with the situation than with the guards' taunts. He'd spent five years as a pirate. They would need to be far more creative than that before they could hope to match the insults he had heard.

But there had to be a point to this. Someone would be coming to speak with him. Otherwise, what reason was there for detaining him at all?

And so, irritated and fighting the restless urge to pace, he stood there and continued to wait for whoever was going to show up.

[sandpaperbreath]

The wait lasted a good ten minutes. Then the gears inside the door shifted and it pulled away. The guard that entered was helmet-less, young, with shortly chopped blonde hair and a thin face. His ears were tattooed at the tips, but the rest of his features were void of any bars of gray.

"Hello, Captain Phoenix, was it?" The Havenite's tone held an air of class the other men's hadn't. He motioned to the chair as the door slid shut behind him. Click. "If you would please take a seat, we can begin and you can be on your way."

[ecopiracy]

It was amazing what even a degree of civility could do. Phoenix's expression still edged on the line of a scowl, but he at least did as the man requested and took a seat at the table.

"Yes," he said, confirming his name. "And you would be...?" His first instinct was to place the man at a higher rank than the guards before, but how high that rank was was another question entirely. The guard was young, but that did not necessarily mean anything. The way he spoke was also telling, but this wasn't Aeropa, so he couldn't be sure.

He didn't have anywhere near the number of tattoos that Ashelin had, though. He just wasn't certain exactly what that meant.

[sandpaperbreath]

"Lieutenant Hage," replied the man. He took the opposite seat and folded his gloved hands over one another on the desk. "I'm here to ask you a few questions. I am also here to inform you this room is being monitored and anything you say or do will be filed in public record. This is standard procedure.

"What is the nature of your visit; business or pleasure."

[ecopiracy]

Standard procedure. That was something he could deal with. He had spent enough years being trained to deal with bureaucratic red tape that he didn't bat an eye at the questions. The recording and monitoring he had already taken as given. "Pleasure," he said, "if you can call it such." He didn't volunteer the nature of his "pleasure," and he wouldn't unless he was asked. Even then, he'd have to be careful with what he said. He had no desire to be declared insane.

"And speaking of which, your men certainly know how to set the tone for such visits." Yes, he was still very irritated with them.