SIM:LtCmdr Blake & Maj Hannibal Parker: Consequence (Part 3)

Observer (Part 1) Causality (Part 2) Consequence (Part 3) Acceptance (Final)

((Embassy of Duronis II, Armory))

::The eight targets shown were known enemies of the Federation...and Starfleet, which represented varied races...Romulans, Orions, Jem'Hadar...and one Hannibal had not faced yet...the Kos'karii. Looking at the targets, Hannibal spoke::

Parker: From what I understand, you guys will be operating on the fringes, with no support, no backup. That means you must put down your adversaries with the brutality of a Klingon and the cunning of a Romulan. That is what I have instilled here. There can be no hesitation, no guesswork, no doubt. Strike hard, strike first, then if necessary, strike again. Give no quarter, cut no slack, take no prisoners…

:: WIth that, Hannibal drew his phaser in the blink of an eye, firing on the eight targets. Less than three seconds later, eight targets had eight holes in their heads. Holstering his phaser, Hannibal spoke::

Parker: Your turn...

Blake: That’s a good philosophy, but there's a difference between us.

Parker: Really? What’s that?

Blake: You kill a pirate or someone against Starfleet presence, you potentially make them a martyr. Take them in, and marshals will deal with them more effectively. I don't have the luxury of a kill shot.

::Hannibal didn’t quite understand the making them a martyr thing...he understood if you took them down, they stayed down...eventually, the cost an adversary would pay would be too high, and they would either be destroyed or withdraw...until the next enemy decided to show itself::

::She picked up her non-lethal Aquila again, steadying herself for a single moment, considering her targets, before firing.::

::She was a quick shot, if only a bit slower than Parker, but of her eight targets, she'd fired five times and hit only four; the largest Orion (twice, once at the start of her attack, and again at the end), two Klingons, and a menacing Human. But not a single Romulan.::

Blake: The general consensus is humans and Klingons are pirates, but not to shoot on sight without authority. And if there's ever a Romulan out in the Shoals, they're not there to make my life harder, they're protecting themselves and their family. If they are hostile, and do not back down, then it's a run for cover job until Marshals can show up. It's a certain loss of dignity, but that's the way it is until such time our political climate stabilizes.

:: Hannibal understood her point, but he didn’t whole heartedly agree with it. Show weakness, and you were buying trouble. Letting them live on in prison seemed to be a waste of resources after attacking Federation and Starfleet personnel. Hannibal began to understand a bit more about what was actually taking place out in the Shoals...they were more on their own than the Embassy was, which required different tactics perhaps...but he was certain a more forceful approach would serve them better. He also wanted to clear up a little bit of what he said earlier...and he also understood why Marines were not sent out there. Marines are trained to take and hold ground, to destroy the enemy, break their equipment, not run for cover, or retreat. Looking at what Sky had done to the Orion target, that also brought a question::

Parker: Perhaps I should explain a little bit more about how we do things here. If we receive a threat, we try to mitigate it without bloodshed first. Failing that, we unleash hell. If we are attacked first, we unleash hell. You got something against Orions?

::She'd glanced back at the Orion she'd hit twice, an ache creeping up her neck and jaw from when a rather burly Orion had held her entire body weight literally single-handedly, taking multiple shocks and stun hits without complaint. That hadn't been a good day for her.::

Blake:::rubbing at her neck.:: Let's just say that double tapping large Orions is usually the best policy where I'm from.

::Hannibal ,who had his own run ins with the huge beings on multiple occasions, spoke::

Parker: The policy where I’m from is to kill them before they kill you. ::Looking out at the range:: What’s your pleasure, or do you want to dispense with firepower and deal with firewater?

Blake:::deadpan:: The stun setting. ::There was a pause.:: Oh, you mean- right. Sorry. Yes. Drinks.

:: Hannibal grinned. If Sky wanted to tie one on, he had several options. At home, or one of the bars in Lokesh City. A couple were on the seedier side, he had overheard in conversation, and a couple were not too bad. Turning to Sky, he spoke::

Parker: What’s your pleasure? Rowdy or tame?

Blake: Probably best I avoid rowdy.

::Last time she was in a bar, she’d had to assist a marshal with an arrest. Sufficed to say, as a Starfleet officer, she was no longer welcome in Vertigo's night establishments.::

::Hannibal was slightly disappointed in her answer...they had been a party to a very good rowdy bar fight once upon a time, and it had been a little while since he engaged in one. Shrugging his massive shoulders, he spoke::

Parker: There’s a pretty decent bar which overlooks the ocean. I’ve heard some of the crew takes their significant others out to eat and drink there. Other than that, I’ve got enough liquor in my house to float a battleship.

Blake:::with a cheeky grin:: Is that even a healthy life choice?

:: Hannibal laughed::

Parker: I’m playing with house money, Sky. I should have been dead a long time ago. The Dominion War, every campaign since then. I’ve been fortunate to live this long, much less make Major…

:: True Marine officers were rare...most were lost in combat before they had attained the rank. Starfleet inchopped others in to keep the officer billets filled, but it was tough on such a traditionally small unit like the SFMC was::

---

LtCmdr Sky Blake

Ranger, USS Veritas

&

Major Hannibal Tiberious Parker

Marine CO/Chief Tactical Officer, USS Thor/Duronis II Embassy