Justice At The Point Of A Sword

[avidelmv2]

As their ship docked at port on Dauntaun Island, Francoise was putting the finishing touches on her crew and ship. Tidying up hers and others uniforms, doing spot scrubs on the deck, and arranging for a swift and orderly departure. Their captain would be leaving ahead of them on their own private orders so it was her responsibility to make sure everything went well without them. Not something she was uncomfortable with, and the crew neither. If there were anyone who could replace the captain, of course it were Francoise. And routines like this were nothing foreign to them under her critical eye. It was harsh, maybe, to the outside observer, but only in the moment. When the ship was properly anchored and the gangway laid out, it was a relief to just be able to leave and go. No worrying at the last second something had forgotten to be done, or in being surprised at port by a pop inspection. Just line up and file down the dock to their destination. A system that had yet to fail them, and had even earned some accolades and recognition for their efficiency.

She pulled her officers overcoat onto her shoulders, creased the fruit of her dress down, and marched down into Dauntaun at the head of her men.

Francoise realized quickly how alike and different Dauntaun was from her own home in the North Blue. A cultured and wonderfully urban place, if not for the terrible smog in the sky - her skin would be grateful even if her lungs were struggling - but not without its own prickling obscura. Things felt like they were going well here, too well for her to really relax and enjoy any of the sights. Not that she could anyway, being here on business and all. A hail to the second most prominent marine occupation in the South Blue, under the pretense of a brief to a major operation in progress. Not something that instilled any measure of calm in her to begin with, but Francoise couldn't help but wonder what it was that she felt was going unseen while she lead her men into Marine Base Alpha...

[Abaddon Black]

Abaddon had arrived in Dauntaun a few days ago. He had been stationed nearby and quickly volunteered himself for whatever major operation the higher ups had for this place. While normally he wouldn’t have a strong opinion about an island Dauntaun was really an unpleasant place to be. From the smog that never allowed a decent amount of sunlight down to the blatant discrimination of fishmen and the working class. Abaddon considered himself lucky that at the very least while in the marine base he didn’t have to deal with much of that. Still this was an island that he would be more than happy to leave as soon as possible.

Abaddon quickly dressed himself in his basic naval officer uniform, with a pair of white gloves over his hands. On his back he made sure that the custom half scabbard for his seastone claymore helped hide the bulk of his wrapped up wings. He wasn’t sure what this operation would entail, however he knew others of his unit didn’t want to volunteer, that was fine by him. The more dangerous the mission, the easier it is to get recognition. Looking at the mirror he double checked everything was in place, nothing could be out of order.

There in the mirror he saw his own reflection staring back. His golden locks resting on his shoulders, amber eyes filled with a slight glow paired with his pale face. With the final lookover done Abaddon left the barracks and headed to the main courtyard of marine base alpha. As he walked he noticed that another ship had docked and could see that other marines were slowly marching towards the base. He kept silent as he simply took his place standing next to other marines he had only known for a few days, standing a bit taller than most, however nowhere near as tall as some of the more larger humans.

[avidelmv2]

Marines were packed into the courtyard, shoulder to shoulder with their familiar senior officers and their newly acquainted peers alike. When the last of the crews had filed in and all  expected parties were verified as present, the briefing began immediately. Before that time, Francoise looked around and realized her crew wasn't the only one newly arrived. She imagined they had pulled any active crews in the South Blue, the way the current crowd pushed the limits of Marine Base Alpha's comfortable occupancy. Maybe because of that, the briefing started by addressing exactly where they were, and the purpose of Marine Base Alpha. 

A commodore spoke from the center of the courtyard, a spot which had been totally empty prior to their appearance, to introduce themselves as Koi. Subordinating brass filed behind them in a much more conspicuous manner, prompting a hurried shift in energy, exacerbated as the commodore went on to explain the heavy pirate presence on Dautaun. Maybe frustration, maybe outrage, maybe confusion. For Francoise, all in equal parts. That they would operate so boldly, that they hadn't been stopped, and, perhaps worst of all, that they were being backed by some force on the island ripped a sigh from her chest. She wasn't unfamiliar with unscrupulous merchant family's and aristocrats, especially not where she came from. Indeed, her familiarity with the element was the source of her woes. For this reason, that reason, and the all next, the World Government couldn't, or wouldn't take any meaningful action in these sorts of situations. There was always a convenient stipulation that made making arrests in even the most obvious displays of corruption out of the question. Here, though, an effort was being made to find a workaround, or so it seemed.

With the name of the family backing the pirates conveniently left out of the briefing, but their power and influenced assured, commodore Koi also warned that going after the root of the problem was out of the question. But if the soil couldn't be poisoned, the unruly weeds could still be pruned. Koi again introduced themselves and the officers behind them as leaders to the operation in planning. They then went on to single out the officers in the crowd, deputizing them as logistical aides between the crews and the command authority of Marine Base Alpha. Just like that, commodore Koi and they entourage stepped down, relenting free reign of the courtyard to the amassed crews to familiarize themselves with their new colleagues. More details were assured, once they were finalized. And just like that, in the next blink, commander Koi was gone, leaving the officers at the center of the courtyard to mill off with heavy sighs, presumably in search of them.

Francoise ordered her own crew at ease, separating from them to start her introductions with the marines of Marine Base Alpha. When she found them, she asserted herself with a snappy greeting, exchanging handshakes, salutes, and other such first-impressions with them one by one, until she got to Abbadon, presumably. "Commander Kerr of the North Blue. It will be a pleasure working with you all."

[Abaddon Black]

To say that Abaddon was impressed with the amount of marines here in Marine Base Alpha was an understatement. While he wasn’t one of the first to arrive he still marveled at the fact of how many more lined up after he arrived. The number alone made him think that this mission was a massive undertaking of utmost importance. That’s why when commodore Koi introduced themselves and what they were doing, he felt a bit disheartened. It seemed as if this massive mission was going to be another simple round up of the various pirates on the island and lock them up. Something he knew had been done before on other islands like Dautaun to varying effectiveness. Still the Chance to work with other marines from different divisions was a good thing and he was at least hoping to leave a good impression on some of them.

The only thing that Abaddon found strange was the fact that commodore Koi refused to state the name of the family backing the pirate infestation and also said to not bother with going after them. Is he taking a bribe from the family? Or do they have some important connections to the marines here? He wondered as names were read out loud to create logistical aides between the various crews and the command of the marine base. Whomever was backing the pirates would have to wait, he could try and figure that out on his own time. Possibly bringing it up back to his own superiors at a later date would be worthwhile.

Meeting the marines he was to work with was a quick and easy thing. Most of them were either the same rank as him or simply a rank equivalent. None of them really stood out to him as someone to make a note of, even still he kept a pleasant attitude about himself and responded with simply stating his name and rank, giving them a handshake, but trying to keep the introduction short and to the point. That was till he met her, Commander Kerr. She was wearing a red corset top ,dress slacks and an overcoat. Clearly not standard marine uniform material, which made her stand out against the rest of them. Before she even introduced herself Abaddon could tell she was a superior officer given the freedom she had in clothing.

Beyond noticing her clothing he noticed that her most striking features were her green eyes, or rather what was under them. While she had vibrant green eyes, the heavy bags under them told him that she stayed up late. Was it for work or for other reasons? He didn’t know, however as it stood she was his superior so this was someone he wanted to leave a good impression on. “Ensing, Abaddon Black of the east blue records department. It’s a pleasure to be under your command, Commander Kerr.” He offered her a salute, then spoke up. “Commander Kerr, if you don’t mind I did a bit of research on this island and I found out that usually most pirate activity happens around Civilian Port. I think any search should start there.”

The only reason he even knew this was simply due to the fact that he had spent some of the little free time he had looking over the bounties posted up here at Marine base Alpha. He had hoped to be able to find one or two worth going after by himself after whatever mission was to be assigned, however now that this was a pirate round up, he thought it would be a good idea to bring in at least a few big names. Sure he knew he wouldn’t get the same credit if he had just done it himself, however it never hurt to have a commander owe them for a decent bounty capture under their watch.

[avidelmv2]

Francoise noted Abaddon, too, for his extreme height in comparison to herself. He was no extreme outlier, but she always found herself having to stow the dismay of meeting Adonis' such as himself, the hell that it was on her neck and back. That aside, he was eager, more-so than she first expected anyone to be, or thought was wise. "We shouldn't take any conspicuous action before right before our assignment," she replied right away, curt and professional, immediately followed with a self-aware smirk. "That said, before all my time here is sunk into work, s'not a bad idea, taking in the sights. You'll make a good alibi." She nodded her approval to his plan of action, moving along the chain of waiting soldiers with that said. It was awhile longer before the two got back to each other, with that and her own crews standing orders in order. When Francoise did return to Abaddon, it was with another off-base officer, an androgynous face-in-the-crowd.


"...And Ensign Black and I will do a plain clothes sweep of the Civilian Port and surrounding area, at his own suggestion, Commander Jing." She looked back at Abaddon with a familiar wink in her eye, a herald of fast approaching mischief. "Anything else to add to that, Ensign Black?"

[Abaddon Black]

Abaddon raised an eyebrow when Francoise made a mention that he would make a good alibi. He wasn't sure what this commander was planning and before he could ask they had to part. Abaddon kept introducing and getting to know, at least by name the rest of the group he would be working with, when he saw Francoise coming back and bringing someone with them. As soon as they were close Abaddon straightened up his posture. When Francoise spoke saying that both of them would be doing a sweep of the civilian area did Abaddon finally understand what her plan was or at least what he had hoped it to be.


“Only that it might be more effective to meet up at a cafe outside of the naval base to do the sweep rather than being seen leaving together, it makes it look more like a day off rather than a planned sweep incase there are eyes looking where they shouldn’t. I’ve heard of a cafe call the blue moon cafe that is less than a five minute walk from here that should be sufficient.” With that said he waited for Commander Jing or Commander Kerr to say anything else before stepping away to change into his civilian outfit. While he would have liked to have a full squad of marines searching he understood the basics of undercover work and how it could lead to better leads.

If anything Abaddon was efficient when it came to changing clothing and leaving the base in under five minutes, even if he was wearing what amounted to a three piece suit. His choice of clothing for this outing was a pair of dark brown pants with a matching suit jacket, a powder blue shirt under it, a tan pair of dress shoes and a heavy dark brown coat. These multiple layers of clothing were simply to keep his wings from being noticeable.


Abaddon would arrive at the cafe, sitting outside at one of the tables and order a cup of tea while he waited for Francoise to join him. Even while pretending to simply enjoy his tea he was keeping an eye out watching those that walked by. Taking note of what they were wearing and what they were doing he wasn’t sure if there were spies or even pirates hanging about, but he wasn’t about to risk getting caught off guard. He never liked islands like this, where those in charge or with power used their connections to abuse the laws letting pirates extort or harm it’s citizens.

[avidelmv2]

The wait for Francoise wasn't long, with her taking a straight shot from the base to the Blue Moon Café after changing out of unifrom. She was a face alike in the crowd, in a black-red sundress that went down to her shins, belted at the waist by a like colored sash. After some brief dithering looking up at the café signage from the sidewalk, she strode purposefully to Abbadon in her winged ankle boots, taking the seat adjacent to him.

"Is that any good?" She started right away, pointing at the tea he'd been sipping from while he waited. She moved to take a menu from a nearby table and opened it flat on theirs for herself and Abbadon to see, as she imagined he would. "I'm not from the South Blue," she thought aloud while reading drinks and small plate menu items over the tip of her index finger, "so I don't know what they eat here, or what's any good. You've been on the island long, right? Is this your first time here?" Again, before he got well into his answer, she propped the menu up in front of the Lunarian, standing to be able to point at what had caught her eye: some fizzy drink mixed with cream, and a fluffy desert that looked like a cloud on pie crust. "Whaddya think? What looks best?" Food was the only thing on her mind, it seemed like.