Post by Lord Bromosalino on Sept 10, 2020 4:08:41 GMT -5
"What kind of shit have you been up to?"
Eyes darkened, arms crossed, finger tapping his rather large biceps, the big man's voice oozed with irritation. Raising an eyebrow as he waited for a reply, it was clear that Inspector Alec Cameron wanted an answer. Of course, he knew the answer to the question he had posed to his subordinate. And now, he would wait to see what the young man would say. Would he deny the unmistakable truth, come clean, or attempt to divert? Like a good lawyer, he would not ask a question of his client without already knowing the answer and, more importantly, without having a response for whatever decision Isaac would make. And as the steady drumming of the man's finger's continued, Isaac knew that Inspector Cameron knew; or at the very least had enough information to know that Isaac had been a much busier civilian than perhaps he should have been.
"I suppose you don't want to hear about the different coffees of the Stronghair Island," joked Isaac sheepishly. And though the good Inspector shared a similar (one of the very few similarities) love for coffee, they both knew that that was not what Isaac was here to discuss. Reaching over the dark, red fern desk to grab the folder that had been presented to him, Isaac was in absolute shock of what its contents were; photographs. The majority of them were, truthfully, rather dull and told Isaac nothing of what was going through Alec's mind; photographs of Bupae Island's slums, poverty stricken citizens, and the infamous Red Sparrow's tower. These initial photographs all confirmed that the Inspector knew something of what had transpired on the corrupted island.
But what had caused Isaac's shock was the last set of photographs in the stack; a photograph of himself! The photograph in question was undoubtedly the blond haired man, clearly evident by the eye patch covering his destroyed right eye. What incriminated Isaac, however, was not the fact that he had traveled to Bupae; after all, at the time he was in fact nothing more than a civilian. No, the nail in the coffin was the jacket that he was wearing. It was not his usual, oddly predominately blue Marine jacket that he was now wearing but rather the thin, black jacket of the Red Sparrows. What made matters worse were that there were in fact several other clear photographs of Isaac. Photographs showing Isaac in his typical Marine garb arriving at the port of Bupae on "The Little Cissonius," to pictures that showed Isaac entering the towers of the Red Sparrows, and even one showing Isaac leaving the crumbling sky rise in his final moments on the island. Thankfully, what Isaac could not find, were any photographs of Pluto, Rebecca, or Pluto's girlfriend Ara.
The implications that this photograph suggested were stated out loud by the Inspector. "Interesting choice of apparel young man. Now then, are you a turncoat or were you acting as a spy then?" Isaac, however was not thinking much about the implications that he was a traitor and criminal. Anyone who knew the man, people like Inspector Cameron, would hardly ever come to such a conclusion. What he feared more than that was how his visage had been captured on Bupae. He could not remember seeing a single person with a camera in his time on the island. It could not have been the Marines themselves certainly. After all, if other Marines were present on the island (especially if they had seen Isaac), why would they not have contacted him?
And as his mind wracked for answer's, the good Inspector began to lay out exactly what had transpired. "It as all a bit strange, don't you think? After all, Bupae Island is not a government associated with the World Government. A Marine, even as a civilian, going to such a place would certainly be concerning. Especially considering the state of disarray that Bupae is in now. Most concerning indeed." Pushing the plush, faux leather chair and standing, the much taller Inspector replaced the thin spectacles on his stubbled face. Walking around his desk, he took back the folder from the still bewildered Isaac's hands before leaning his back onto his desk as he stood over the seated Lieutenant Junior Grade officer.
"This photo," he clarified after flipping through several more pages, "should help explain the situation." Turning the folder once more for the young man to view, the photograph in question did in fact clarify several of Isaac's concerns. From what he could make out, a small vessel not unlike "The Little Cissonius" had been stopped by a large Marine vessel. This small vessel was adorned with a symbol all too familiar to Isaac by this point; the Red Sparrow of the Hideki's. "Was this," began Isaac before being quickly interrupted. "Yes, just outside of Sabaody Archipelago. Your photographs were found in the possession of the captain of the vessel as well as a note. Here."
Taking the note from his superior, Isaac's heart dropped even further. The note, while not producing Isaac's name, told of the Marine's involvement on Bupae and his single handed destruction of not only the populace controlling substance of the Red Sparrows but of their government completely. The note was clearly meant for James Hideki's eyes as the note continued to state that "you're son has died, we're in real trouble;" a clear meaning that Kory Hideki had died from his wounds. Thankfully, the note made no mention of the strange trio of very young adults Isaac had partnered with on Bupae. For the time being, the Red Sparrows believed that Isaac had been operating as a solo Marine.
"It would seem that this James Hideki is here on Sabaody somewhere. Now, I imagine if he were to find out the contents of that letter he would become quite upset. Understandably. Bupae is not a part of the World Government. And even though we have no treaty or understanding with them, it would not bode well for us to simply allow former employees act freely without supervision. For the time being, the vessel's movements have been stopped and they have not been granted to make port at Sabaody until things become more clear."
So, that's your game. Crafty devil, thought Isaac, shaking his head at the letter in hand. It was in that moment that it had suddenly become clear what the Inspector had in mind. Bupae Island was an independent island and therefore, theoretically, free from Marine involvement. However, unlike the Marchen Kingdom of the Stronghair Island, the Hideki family had no such alliance with the World Government which meant that the Marines could choose to interfere if they so desired. And a Marine, even one on sabbatical, like Isaac meddling in the direct governmental affairs of an independent nation (including what appeared to be as the murder of the child of the nation's ruler) could cause outcry from even the most staunch defenders of the World Government if there was no supervision and a clear mission.
"So, what happened on Bupae. And why should we care about James Hideki?"{OC Colors}Saifer - #007299
Inspector Alec Cameron - #4ab345
Pluto - #8452bb
Rebecca - #00fffb
Ara - #ffdcbe