Vocal Point, Tier 2 - Bacalou DHS Building

[Mr. Dust]

LOCATION: Omega, Tier 2, DHS Building, Seventh Floor, Yousuf's Office

Things had gone well... quite well, with the dissolution of the Confederacy and it's navy all but gutted, there was very little left to oppose the Bacalou roaming more freely within the terminus, while there was always the constant threat of another faction 'becoming brave' and picking the Bacalou as the target to announce one's up and coming regime, none had done so....... yet.

Sure the vaunted efforts of the Systems Alliance Navy was depriving the Bacalou of more and more of their research facilities within the Artemus Tau cluster, and while the research contained within those facilities would take much resources and time to duplicate, they hadn't been hamstrung by these occurances.

Yousuf was at his terminal, reading reports and updates of various operations. He was growing concerned that the Bacalou may perhaps be putting 'too many of their eggs in the one basket'. By that he was thinking about Omega, the Bacalou hadn't needed this station to survive in the past, but now it was becoming more important to maintain and even increase their presence here.

The organisation he'd been part of for so long did quite well over the years utilizing secrecy, espionage, propaganda and other tactics, tactics that didn't involve them to be displayed so openly. The Geist district was bout the only place the Bacalou didn't make a effort to conceal from public eyes, that and their hold on New Orleans, which so long as they kept their heads down, the federal government didn't send in the national guard.

He rubbed his temple in thought, swinging upon his chair to look at the shelving behind him. At the top rested several severed heads in preserving jars, most had contorted expressions upon their faces, some had leering stares, their last acts of defiance before dying....... many would think it abhorrent and creepy that they helped Yousuf to think.

He walked over to the window and stared out to the moshpit that was Omega :: Operation Third Rail.... taking the Barony's dock will prove quite useful in solidifying our grip here... but how long until the other pests rise up? :: he mused.

[McScrooge]

Usually, a trip to the newly claimed building of the Department of Home Security was quick, yet this time it seemed to take only moments. Isabel Cortez had found herself dwindle into deep thoughts. While blue eyes would constantly look around for danger, her mind would be occupied with what she had learned at the Green Skull.
Cerberus had attempted, and perhaps succeeded, to recruit a somebody in the territory of the Bacalou. In the best case, these operatives had been a few rookies wandering into the wrong part of town, in a manner of speaking. Or perhaps they were not even Cerberus, just claiming to be them in an attempt to stroke their own egos.
Worst-case-scenario, however, Cerberus had infiltrated Bacalou territory, and somebody in the Bacalou was responsible. Was it Asher, perhaps? Or was Corvus' revelation of this incident an attempt to redirect the blame? Or, in the end, perhaps it was her own fault. If it was, she would have to find out quickly.

If Cerberus had infiltrated Bacalou territory, that was. A closer look at the video files given to her by the Yahg Corvus should reveal more about them. Either way, it was obligatory that Yousuf Mo'alim had to be informed.

The trip back was not without its incidents, however. A mugger, feeling lucky, had attempted to pounce her. Isabel would remember little from the incident, but when she arrived at the steps of the DHS building, she was cleaning some blood off her left arm. This experience was strange, of course, but she paid it little mind. It had happened before, after all, for example during the initial take-over of the DHS.

As her ID was checked out by the guards, nobody seemed to mind the blood on her produced handkerchief. Cortez discarded the cloth into the first trash can in the building she came across before making her ascension up the stairs to her superior's office.

She found Mo'alim by the window, looking out the window. Had he seen her coming?
"I have returned." Isabel would announce, not too loud as not to interrupt the Voice in whatever he was thinking about. Her own gaze lingered on the floating, severed heads. One, a salarian, she would recognize. The memories were not particularly "clean", however, so she decided to immediately move on.

She would continue to her own office which would be not far from the Voice's one; understandable considering she used to work with him in this building even before the take-over. As she entered the video files given to her by Corvus, she placed a hand on her mouth, her eyes staring intently onto the screen.

[Mr. Dust]

[I had no idea you posted, you could've told me! xD]

"I have returned." Isabel would announce, not too loud.

He perked up at the sound of Isabel's voice, he was going to say something but as he turned around he noticed she wasn't standing in the doorway, or sitting on a chair in his office, no.. it seemed she simply went straight on to her own office.

Perhaps she didn't have anything to report, no news was good news some say. But that was foolish to think there'd been no developments on Omega that Yousuf should be made aware of, the talons hadn't struck, the Barony hadn't pushed for some kinda 'commission' off of the Bacalou's funds. Nothing!?

He took his glass of scotch and proceeded into Isabel's office, he saw her intently staring at a terminal infront of her, it's contents unknown to him. "I trust things are going well in the Green Skull then?" he quizzed innocently.

He proceeded closer to the woman, taking a sip from his glass "Any developments I should know about Isabel?" he probed further with an eery calm, typical for his tone.

[McScrooge]

[Haha sorry, I figured you would see it as the Last Post whenever you'd check the Omega forum]

It would have seemed that whatever Moa'lim had been thinking about had not been urgent enough that he required time to finish it, as he soon followed her to her office, glass in hand. "I trust things are going well in the Green Skull then?" he queried, causing Isabel to look up briefly as she finished her current series of keystrokes.
His tone seemed innocent, yet Cortez knew that it only took a second for the Voice to change his demeanor into the polar opposite.

Isabel was not sure what to respond, carefully evaluating the information she had received from the talk with Corvus. Quickly, she decided to omit the part about blowing the Green Skull up. For now, at least. "Any developments I should know about Isabel?" he asked afterwards, having taken a sip from his drink. She had never seen him drunk, she would notice randomly.

Leaning back from the terminal, Isabel sat up straight, placing her hands on top of each other down on her lap as she regarded her employer with a neutral expression. "I did not mean to interrupt your thought process, Mister Mo'alim. But Corvus has requested the support of the BSV Polaris. He wishes additional manpower, as well as some supplies, if possible. As the Bacalou do not have a dock of their own, Corvus plans to change that by seizing one, soon. I imagine he is working on the details at this very moment."

The flickering of the paused video file drew Isabel's attention, briefly. Although her gaze did not break off, she noted that she had to inform Yousuf of Cerberus sooner or later. "There is another matter. Corvus has informed me that Cerberus operatives have apparently attempted to recruit someone in one of our clubs, namely the T&A Experience. I was going to review the video files to get a better understanding of the incident..." Isabel said, gesturing toward the computer screen.
In a strange sensation, she had the mental image of a fast-forwarded video of this file as her hand approached the screen, but that image quickly vanished. Perhaps she was overworked again. Nonetheless, she felt uneasy about how Yousuf Mo'alim would take the news.

[Mr. Dust]

"I did not mean to interrupt your thought process, Mister Mo'alim. But Corvus has requested the support of the BSV Polaris. He wishes additional manpower, as well as some supplies, if possible. As the Bacalou do not have a dock of their own, Corvus plans to change that by seizing one, soon. I imagine he is working on the details at this very moment."

He tilted his head slightly, truly the programming in Isabel was quite... remarkable. He genuinely believed that she was human, which... all that kept her that way, was the brain. Or so he'd been led to assume, he wasn't sure just how much of Isabel was 'original' and what had been 'replaced'. Her demeanour was refreshing, as was the site of her... but he knew better than to induldge himself with more than just her words. She could snap him in half quite easily afterall.

He smirked a little "So he is getting things done, this is good to hear" he said simply, taking another sip from his glass.

"There is another matter. Corvus has informed me that Cerberus operatives have apparently attempted to recruit someone in one of our clubs, namely the T&A Experience. I was going to review the video files to get a better understanding of the incident..." Isabel said, gesturing toward the computer screen.

The glass in his hand suddenly developed a crack down it's side, as though Yousuf had reflexively tightened his grip. That was... not something he wanted to hear, Cerberus whom was once a extremely tentative ally was now attacking them with one hand while drawing recruits out of their own front yard with the other. This would not stand.

"That is... not so good to hear..." he said in a darker tone. He walked closer to Isabel and her terminal, glancing at the screen. "What have you discovered so far? You are sure it was Cerberus?"

[McScrooge]

Her first heads-up to him seemed to be met with a gentle response. "So he is getting things done, this is good to hear" the Voice would respond, calming Isabel Cortez down somewhat. Yet there still remained the matter of Cerberus' appearance. Mo'alim's response to that would most likely not be quite so gentle.

And that turned out to be true, for a crack appearing in his glass told Isabel more than if Yousuf had immediately spoke about his current state of mind. The familiar sensation of despair would creep up in her mind, struggling with the uncertainty of failure. Isabel continued to convince herself that it could not be her fault, after all she had only recently begun to become more actively involved in the Bacalou's affairs on Omega.
Finally, the Voice would speak: "That is... not so good to hear..." Naturally, he approached, although his attention seemed more focused on the computer screen rather than herself. "What have you discovered so far? You are sure it was Cerberus?"

Isabel followed Yousuf's approach with her eyes until he was too close for her to be able to look at his face from her currently seated position without craning her head too far. "Mister Corvus seemed certain of it."

Her own eyes would return to the video file, which she started to play so that Yousuf could watch. Strangely, although Isabel was convinced she was seeing it for the first time, she already seemed to know everything about what would be found in this video. "Three men with Cerberus armour enter the club." Isabel begun to comment the video barely after three shapes begun to appear in the entrance. Two of them lag somewhat, yet one of them approaches a man seated in a booth with an asarian stripper. "That man is Gungnir Clave, called "Validus", a local bounty hunter." the blue-dressed woman commented, pointing at the man the Cerberus operative was approaching. "The two seem to be conversing a little. His body language implies being somewhat upset, and shortly after, he attacks a patron seated next to him."

Not soon after, chaos would ensue. Isabel's gaze jumped around the screen as if she was playing a mental game of "Whac-A-Mole", yet indeed she was taking in every detail of the video file. Several Bacalou operatives, including Corvus himself, would appear in the club, and although one of the Cerberus operatives appeared to go down in the brief firefight, the situation was resolved peacefully. "The Cerberus' team's leader was heard to have a strong accent, apparently Australian in origin. The operatives were told to leave, and did so - taking Mister Clave and their fallen team member with them."

Oddly, that seemed to be everything, as life in the club soon appeared to return to normal. Cortez would press the "Pause" button, then placed her hand back on her lap. How had she known the name of that Bounty Hunter? "Maybe they were not of Cerberus. Maybe they were only wearing their armour to frame them." Isabel would theorize, her eyes looking to the left where she regarded the Voice's chest, but not able to see his face from where she was.

[Mr. Dust]

"That man is Gungnir Clave, called "Validus", a local bounty hunter."

"Validus...." Yousuf repeated, watching the recording play out as Isabel itirated what was going on.

"The two seem to be conversing a little. His body language implies being somewhat upset, and shortly after, he attacks a patron seated next to him."

"He has made the list..." he said sardonically, he had no qualms declaring someone effectively a dead man walking for something as seemingly 'minor' as allowing themself to be recruited to a different faction while in the thick of Bacalou territory, but an example here and there never goes to waste.

"The Cerberus' team's leader was heard to have a strong accent, apparently Australian in origin. The operatives were told to leave, and did so - taking Mister Clave and their fallen team member with them."

The only consolation that Yousuf gleaned from that was the fact that this batch of Cerberus were smart enough to take the 'out' when it was offered to them, if they had the temerity to stay then he would've been very angry.

Cortez would press the "Pause" button, then placed her hand back on her lap. How had she known the name of that Bounty Hunter? "Maybe they were not of Cerberus. Maybe they were only wearing their armour to frame them." Isabel would theorize, her eyes looking to the left where she regarded the Voice's chest, but not able to see his face from where she was.

Yousuf scoffed at the suggestion and paced at the front of her desk, shaking his head "If it is a ploy... and that is very unlikely, then the same... party.. attempting to frame Cerberus was also responsible for the raid on our Edolus missile facility, testing a new WMD which was interrupted by a combination of the Systems Alliance Navy, the STG... and Cerberus."

He shook his head once more "No... Cerberus have shown themselves to be our enemy, so we shall return that gesture in kind. See to it that our interests here on Omega are vigilante for cerberus activity, and let them know there is a bonus in it for them for any heads of cerberus agents. We shall not take this insult laying down Ms Cortez."

[McScrooge]

The Voice murmured during the recording, repeating the name of the bounty hunter. Perhaps he was familiar with him already, though Isabel could already guess what was going through her boss’ mind. Surely, the consequences for the Bounty Hunter could not be pleasant.
Surely enough, Yousuf Mo’alim would voice his thoughts shortly there-after, revealing deadly precision in his voice. "He has made the list..."

Cortez would only nod in response, her subconscious now paying more attention to the bounty hunter’s equipment and gear, perhaps to see how well equipped he was. In a surprise revelation, the Voice pointed out the similiarity, the probable connection between this Cerberus band of operatives, and the one involved in the raid on Edolus. "If it is a ploy... and that is very unlikely, then the same... party.. attempting to frame Cerberus was also responsible for the raid on our Edolus missile facility, testing a new WMD which was interrupted by a combination of the Systems Alliance Navy, the STG... and Cerberus." Isabel would clench her fingers in reaction, feeling uneased by this apparent conspiracy of Cerberus. Perhaps she should have anticipated it, after all this was not the first time where Cerberus had it fixed upon their minds to harm ones they took for enemies with the power of plots and schemes. "This might be a combined effort of the Alliance and Cerberus. And maybe the STG is involved, too." Isabel guessed, thinking the coincidence of Cerberus' increased boldness, and their apparent alliance with the Alliance - known enemies of the Bacalou - to be too dangerous to be coincidental.

"No... Cerberus have shown themselves to be our enemy, so we shall return that gesture in kind. See to it that our interests here on Omega are vigilante for cerberus activity, and let them know there is a bonus in it for them for any heads of cerberus agents. We shall not take this insult laying down Ms Cortez." The delivery of these heads would most likely be the DHS building, Isabel would think with shuddering thoughts, before wondering why he would not be suggesting a more active stance. "I understand. Use deadly force upon encounter?" Isabel queried, when the video had stopped its playback. "How will we be finding out more about their plans? Offense is the best defense, I hear them claim." she noted aloud, hoping she was not appearing to be prying. She merely sought to do her job correctly, after all. Even if it would take becoming more involved with Bacalou affairs.

[Mr. Dust]

"I understand. Use deadly force upon encounter?" Isabel queried, when the video had stopped its playback.

Yousuf smirked at the thought and nodded approvingly, not saying a word however. He was already wondering how many heads he'd have on his desk by the end of the solar month, time was a funny thing when it was forever dark on Omega save for artificial lighting.

"How will we be finding out more about their plans? Offense is the best defense, I hear them claim."

He took her query to deep thought, he wondered over to her office window and looked beyond it's shiny material beyond, out to the dregs that were the Omega streets, all though up here on the second Tier, things were kept quite clean.. relatively speaking.

"We need a way to infiltrate their organisation, in the past we have had... exchanges... but this provided nothing to either side about how the other operates, Cerberus has cast the first stone however and on Omega, we are vulnerable to them" he confessed, not liking the sound of his own words as they escaped his mouth.

"Perhaps I should... amend what I implied earlier..." he started, referring to his nod in confirming what Isabel asked.

"The capture of any cerberus agents is to be considered a very lucrative venture for any in the Bacalou that can find them, however should that prove impossible, lethal force is highly encouraged. Should any ask how large the reward is for live agents, simply inform them that they are to report directly to me in person once they have captured someone worth my time. I will trust them to realise I reward competence quite well, and also that it is unwise to waste my time."

He then walked away from the window and moved towards the entrance/exit of Isabel's office "If you find anything of note... do not hesitate to inform me, I shall be in my office for the time being."

[McScrooge]

The smirk upon his face was a musing one, at least to Isabel Cortez. It was the look of a man who was thinking about the possible successes. In the case of the Voice himself, however, a fitting substitute to "successes" would be "severed heads". With a shudder, Isabel would remember the lifeless heads in Mister Mo'alim's collection. How anyone could have such a collection in their office, was a mystery to her.

She would suggest to take a more offensive stance toward Cerberus, however, which caused her to feel a little… beside herself. Who was she to make suggestions to the Voice? Fortunately for her, the man went toward the window, and would look out at the street. It seemed as if he did not think about killing her, however she had long since realized that it would only take him a moment to change his mind.

Cortez wondered, mused, would she even resist, she wondered. Macabre, it was. "We need a way to infiltrate their organisation, in the past we have had... exchanges... but this provided nothing to either side about how the other operates, Cerberus has cast the first stone however and on Omega, we are vulnerable to them" Yousuf Mo'alim spoke, and it would appear as if he was putting together a plan, which was actually likely. "A mole?" Isabel asked, wondering what he had meant with "infiltrate". She was still new to these tactical, or military, implications, and they seemed so familiar, and yet they didn't. It was as if her memories told different stories of her past life, but her partial amnesia provided this was not entirely unlikely.

"Perhaps I should... amend what I implied earlier..." It seemed "entirely unlikely", too, to hear what the Voice said now. Rarely would the Voice correct himself, and yet he did that now. Almost did Isabel ask for confirmation whether she had really heard that, but she stopped herself before her vocal chords generated a sound. "The capture of any cerberus agents is to be considered a very lucrative venture for any in the Bacalou that can find them, however should that prove impossible, lethal force is highly encouraged. Should any ask how large the reward is for live agents, simply inform them that they are to report directly to me in person once they have captured someone worth my time. I will trust them to realise I reward competence quite well, and also that it is unwise to waste my time."

Instinct had crept up into Cortez' movements before she could control herself, and nimble fingers flew across the displays of her omni-tool, noting down keywords of what her superior had spoken lest he repeat himself. "If you find anything of note... do not hesitate to inform me, I shall be in my office for the time being." "Yes, Mister Mo'alim." Isabel would respond, watching as the tall, dark-skinned man stepped toward the door and seemed to disappear.