[Private] Job offers without leaving your home!, [Attn Guru, JR Leslie]

Jim was glad to have a break; he’d been working on various projects for the last three months, and he was feeling more and more lethargic over time. It was frustrating. Jim WANTED to work. He wanted to do things around the house, spend time with his daughter. But he was just so damn tired all the time, and increasingly so. His wife and Howie, their butler, could both see it. Jim’s coworkers had seen it. Jim saw it! He was fairly sure that Ophelia could see that something was wrong, too. Even though she was ten years old, she was more like a three year old, and just as talkative: She never shut up.

Jim was sitting in his favorite chair, resting comfortably, half asleep, when Ophelia walked into the room carrying an armful of dolls. She put the dolls on the floor, and started playing with them in front of Jim, giving them all dialog in her three (ten) year old head. Once in a while, she would show Jim one of her dolls and started explaining about them, but Jim was only half-listening; the rest of him was trying to sleep, but there was something inside him that was demanding that he remain awake. Jim found himself nodding off, when he realized something was climbing on him: Ophelia.

Smiling, Jim grabbed her, and set the child on his knee. She grabbed his chest and curled up next to him, essentially giving Jim permission to finally fall asleep. Accepting her invitation, Jim allowed himself to fall asleep. He didn’t know what time it was when he was awoken by a teenage Asari entering, chatting to her friend on her Comphone. Jim looked over his shoulder at his stepdaughter. Baeria paused, looking at Jim and Ophelia for a moment, then walked upstairs, talking a bit more softly on her phone.

Baelia was fifty years old; she only had another ten years before she reached Maidenhood. That said, she was still a teenager, and teenagers, regardless of species, had an attitude about everything. Baeria was not an exception. When Jim’s son, Craven, was fourteen, and Phaerem was Craven’s Biotics instructor, Craven would make extra pocket money by babysitting and playing with Baeria. Now that Jim was her stepfather, their relationship went from family friend to mortal enemy. It was a war Jim was happy to fight, but for different reasons. For Jim, it was the best way to spend tie with her. For Baeria, it was everything she could do to protect her mother and sister, even if Ophelia was Jim’s daughter, as well.

That said, Jim had caught her listening to Fleetwood Mac in her room, so he must have made some good impressions on the girl, so that was a start. Jim was a big fan of classical music (like Rush, Styx, Rolling Stones, and Aerosmith.)

After Baeria walked upstairs, Phaerem entered the hosue, and saw Jim and Ophelia curled up next to each other. It was then that Jim realized they’d been covered in a blanket. Howie, their butler, must have put it on them. Howie was a good man. Drell. Whatever.

“You two are so cute,” she chuckled. Jim smiled, and opened his mouth to reply, but he vomited instead.


Jim not happy to be in the hospital. He’d been having symptoms for years now, but he’d refused to acknowledge it. The new stain on their living room carpet made it a little difficult to make excuses now, so he went straight to the hospital. To Jim’s surprise, Baeria hadn’t just asked to go see one of her friends. Jim wanted to walk around-it was one thing to nap on your own EZ Boy, but being forced to stay in the hospital bed? It made Jim want to strangle someone (and therefore feel like normal again.)

Jim spent the day being tested on. He didn’t have a roommate, so he had privacy, anyway. Jim had a huge library of music and books to keep himself entertained while waiting for the next batch of probes. He was nodding off when a confused looking Salarian nurse walked in.

“Uh, mister Stone? You seem to have a visitor…”

”I thought visitation was over,” he replied.

“Well, yes…But he flashed some Systems Alliance identification, and insisted it was important that he have the chance to speak with you. He didn’t give me his name, though…I told him that I’d let you know he was here.”

“Probably just an old army buddy of mine. Send him in.”

The Salarian nodded, and walked out of the room, and a human entered the room. Jim laughed at the sight, and said,

“Well, you’re about the last person I expected to see.”

JR stepped off the transport and straightened his dress blues as he did he looked around the spaceport. The terminal he was in was full of people from varying species. He then put on his cover on his brow he walked over to baggage claim and picked up his single piece of luggage. A small twenty pound military issuee duffel bag. As he grabbed it he noticed a Drell hugging what looked to be his daughter and wife as well as a human woman and a Asari kiss passionately as if they had not seen each other in forever. JR smiled as he walked towards the exit of the terminal at a brisk pace. As he got outside he flagged a cab down. First several attempts was failures mainly due to others got in front of him or the cab driver just didn't see him.

But upon his fifth attempt he managed to flag one down and climbed in. He got in and told the driver to head to the downtown medical facility. As the cab lifted into the air and headed to its destination the cabbie who was a Drell asked. "So what brings you to our neck of the woods Major?" Jr smiled and responded politely. "I'm 'ere to visit a old friend. I 'eard he wasn't feeling well so I figured I would come and visit him. And ihow is it your familiar with Systems Alliance ranks lad?"

The Drell smiled and said with a hint of pride lacing his voice. "Oh I seen a few Systems Alliance soldiers a officers come in and out of here every now and again. You eventually pick up on it after a while sir."

JR once more smiled at the Drell and said as politely as possible. "If ye can lad just call me either Major or by me name, which is JR if I may add boyo." The Drell frowned and said apologetically. "My apologies Major err..I mean JR. I am used to many officers expecting to be called sir so I err on the side of caution. I hope you understand." JR nodded and waved at the subject dismissively as he responded. "Aye I understand lad. But I on the other hand am a working man and prefers that the formalities go out the window."

The Drell nodded and said. "Fair enough I suppose." The cab then started to make a decsent as the cabbie said. "Well here's your stop JR, Talnoir General Medical Hospital." JR then handed him a fifty credit chit and said. "Keep the change." He then grabbed his bag and walked into the hospital.

Upon entering JR was approached by a Salarian orderly who informed him of the time and said politely. "I'm sorry sir but I'm afraid visiting hours are over if you cou-..." JR pulled his creditials and military identification and said cutting the Salarian off. "I'm Major James Rasputin Leslie of the Systems Alliance military and got business with a James Stone. Now move along and inform the man he has a visitor."

The Salarian bowed slightly and said slightly annoyed. "Right away sir." He then dissappeared down the hall. JR waited patiently as the Salarian returned and said. "You may see him but please try to keep it brief. " JR waved him off dissmissively and said. "Yeah, yeah I got ya boyo. I won't keep him up too late now."

As JR walked in the man in the hospital bed lit up and said in a cheerful tone. “Well, you’re about the last person I expected to see.” JR laughed and said as he put his bag down. "Ah you know me boyo. Always full of surprises." He then stuck his hand out and shook his friends hand firmly and said. "Your looking well for a grizzled old warhorse boyo." As Jim responded JR turned around and reached into his bag and pulled two glasses out and handed them to to James as he raised a eyebrow.

JR then took two more items out one being a thin square object warpped in gift wrapping paper and the other a rather ancient looking bottle in a velvet bag. JR handed the square to James and pulled the bottle out of the bag. The label was old and worn and had a layer of dust on it. But it clearly stated. "Jack Daniels Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey" JR popped the cork and filled each glass half way and said. "I hope these gifts can give ye the pick me up ya need Jimmy."

Jim chuckled at the Warhorse comment, "If I were a warhorse, they would have taken the shotgun to me already, Les. Only reason they're keeping me alive is sentimental value."

Jim laughed at his own joke.

"Really sucks, getting hooked to all these tubes. After they took all those tests earlier, they decided that I couldn't eat properly anymore. I can't even take a proper shit without some...Thing taking a measurement. Makes me want to strangle someone. Doc told me that was a good sign. Last time I told that to a doctor, they put me on pills. Which I would NOT be surprised if they were what gave me cancer. Someone's ass is getting sued if it is.

"The weight of the Systems Alliance has weighed on my shoulders once upon a time. Now I can't even eat without tubes and injections. I'm...Fucking Geth! Damn machines. I can kill a dozen people at once without 'em, now my life is in danger without 'em. Life sucks.

"The doc says it's stomach cancer, so I'm probably getting a new stomach. If it's spread, they'll end up replacing half my organs and my blood with Omnigel. Which is kind of cool once I say it out loud. From the damage, they guess I've had it for about fifteen years, and it didn't get real bad until now. Fifteen years, Les! My daughter isn't fifteen! I have had stomach cancer longer than I've had my baby girl!"

Jim rubbed his eyes, and sighed.

"I lost two grandparents to cancer, Les. One of them died before I was even born; I never met him. He fought prostate cancer for twenty years, and lost. It's taken over a hundred members of my family since the nineteenth century. I'm going to be in here for a week. Maybe two, if they have to replace a bunch of organs. Then two to three weeks recovery. My grandfather died from dick cancer, I get four weeks of rest and doctors sticking me with things. Kind of makes their struggles seems...Cruelly ironic."

He hung his head.

"Biggest battle of my life, and I'm not even the one fighting it. Just sit back, relax, turn your head and cough. Scared the bejesus out of my family. Crystal is going to try and make it in a couple of days. It'll be nice to see her again."

Jim smiled,

"I'm sorry, Les, listen to me, bitch and ramble on like an old man. I'm only seventy six, I've got at least another fifty years in me. Fifty more years of asses getting kicked. How the hell are you, Les! Major! Hah! I was a Lieutenant General at your age. The new guys running the country doesn't know what they're doing."

Jim picked up the bottle of whiskey, and sighed longingly.

"You always knew how to get the good stuff, Les. Haven't seen a bottle of this in years. Out in space, everyone's advertising some variant of alien drinks. Party or club drinks. No appreciation for the classics. Pity I can't have any, with the cancer. Still, once I can, we'll crack this open again together. Have the other one for me. It's already poured, no point in wasting perfectly good whiskey!"

Still listeniong to Les, Jim picked up the other, thin square object, and rattled it next to his ear, and his eyes lit up.

"Les, you didn't!"

He took off the bow, and peeled off the wrapping paper, and his grin consumed his face. It was a vintage AC/DC Compact Disk, Back in Black. Jim had a museum's worth of ancient music equipment in his basement and in his home in Alabama.

"This is...My god, this completes my collection, Les! How did you get your hands on it? Oh my god, it still has the lyrics book...This must have cost someone an arm and a leg. Did you use the technique I taught you?"

This wasn't how Moe Green pictured spending his time, as he stood cloaked in the darkest corner of the room listening to the two soldiers talk. Oh no, it was supposed to be a standard recruitment mission, something he had done over a hundred times over the years.

Not that he was complaining. It was bound to happen that one of his recruitment wouldn’t fit into what he considered standard parameters. But he never conceived the possibility that that would involve recruiting someone lying in a hospital bed while suffering from gastric cancer. Not that he minded, recruiting people that were inside a structure was always preferable to doing it outside, because it was a far more controllable environment.

The problem was that he had to do legwork now, before everything had been set up and a well laid out plan in action. Now it he had to think on the spot and adapt; two character traits he did not attribute to himself.

He arrived to the residence of his prospective recruit only to see him leave. The operatives that prepared the groundwork for the operation reported no intent by the family to leave on any sort of a trip. Not to mention even from afar he could see the worry on their faces, except for his potential recruit, who looked very annoyed.

Regular operatives of the Human resource department of SAIS would have postponed the operation, but Mr. Green had several important meetings and appointments in the days to come and as such could not delay any further, except if he wished to delegate this task to a junior operative, something he refused to do.

Tracking the family wasn’t big of a problem. Using C-sec’s traffic cameras to do so (not that C-sec knew about it). Sadly their destination did no please Moe. The hospital and a scowl on the potential recruits face indicated, knowing his personality from his SAIS file, was enough to deduce that it was him that was going to the hospital.

After learning that he contacted SAIS and requested support from cyber-warfare, which then illegally gained entrance to the hospitals mainframe, giving him unparalleled information and access all around the hospital.

Knowing full well that after Stone and his family were in his room it would be impossible to sneak in, he decided that the best course of action would be to go into an empty room and have cyber-warfare assign his potential recruit to that room. He did just that.

As he waited cyber-warfare briefed him on the doctor’s findings. He wasn’t pleased when he heard the word cancer, but was quickly reassured that the report also stated a very positive prognosis.

As Mr. Stone came to his room and his family left due to visiting hours being over, Mr. Green prepared to make his dramatic appearance, only to have one Major James Rasputin Leslie enter the room.

Green would have sworn, but he wasn’t a swearing man and drawing attention to himself while invisible, with two skilled combatants in the room wouldn’t be considered a wise course of action.

He resigned to his fate as he started recalling SAIS’s file on Mr. Leslie. A person that SAIS intended to approach as a possible recruit next Wednesday, an operation he approved.

“I never did it with two at once,” he thought to himself as he listened to the two soldiers talk, awaiting an opportune moment to make an appearance.

(OOC: If you don’t have anything more to say, then PM me and I’ll add the appearance to the post, if not, I’ll make it latter. Also please note that the cloak is 100% active cloak, so you can’t see Mr. Green)

(OOC: a tad unconventional, that I double post, but I think this way is better. I alert the other two people that I posted and considering what I wrote, I think it makes more sense.)

He listened as the two friends talked, but soon the conversation ended. He could feel the eeriness in the air, the electricity, when someone knows there is something wrong, but can’t just place it. Not that uncommon sight for someone who spends a noticeable amount of time being the person that is the reason for the eerie feeling people get.

Seeing that it was unlikely that the conversation would continue he decided it was time for first contact. The kind of first contact he disliked greatly. The contact with a skilled combatant, or two in this case... though one was lying on the bed with gastric cancer. Still he had to be ready to respond to any attack, that his appearance could provoke.

People with enough skill and experience have a tendency of not being spooked; even worse, their natural reflex is quite commonly to attack what they consider a threat.

As he appeared, he readied himself in thought to defend himself, while assuming an unthreatening posture, something made considerably harder when one wears a tactical hood with glowing eyes.

“Good evening,” he said with an even tone as he nodded slightly, while keenly observing the two potential recruits.

JR smiled and said to Jim. "Now Jimmy boi. I didn't resport to any of those tricks to garner this treasure. Oddly enough I got that on a trip back home in Houston on Earth. In a antique collectorks shop took me four months salary to get this little item off 'im. And I'm sorry to 'ear bout this Gastric Cancer business. My Da himself just got diagnosed with lung cancer recently. I suppose it be cause of all those cigarettes he been smoking since he was a lad."

Then JR quieted as he felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end and his heartbeat quicken. Then JR flicked his wristed out a threw a dart shuriken he had hidden up his sleeve towards a seemingly empty wall and then pulled his pistol and pointed it in the same direction. Mereseconds later a man in a mask and what looked like a business suit appeared. The Dart landed in the wall behind the man. If it had been a half a inch over to the right it more than likely would have landed into the mans shoulder instead of the plaster of the wall.

The mans reaction to the assaullt was undistingishable due to the mmask he was wearing. The man took a defensive yet unthreatening postire and said in a friendly tone. "Good Evening."

JR raised a eyebrow and said in a stern and commanding tone switching his accent. "Now son, I do not know what your mission is. But I am guessing it isn't to kill me or my friend. So if you got something to say lose the mask. I like to look a person in the eye in a civil conversation. And be warned son don't make any threatening or sudden moves I will respond with deadly force. Are we clear?"

“No limbs? That’s not nearly as much fun, but no less impressive, Les. Fantastic find. Sorry to hear about your father. That old fart’s got to be, what, ninety something now?”

Jim was old and his stomach was on its way out the door. His reflexes, on the other hand, were perfect. As soon as Moe decloaked, Jim's hand shot to his pillow, and he pulled out his M-6 Carnifex, and aimed it at the stranger.

Jim smiled at Leslie's display of accuracy and reflexes with the Shruiken. Jim, himself, used a ballistic knife for such tasks; better range, more utility, and only a little more difficult to hide. Even after all this time, ballistic knives were still spring loaded or air pressure-activated, and still just as useful and deadly. Kinetic shields were essentially useless against them, though any basic armor stopped them.

Jim had known about this guy for years, and realized who it was; he lowered the gun. He didn't know who he actually was, but Jim had spent the majority of his life fighting for the SA Special Forces. Kind of hard not to know about Moe Green, or his pink face trick with over forty years in the field.

"Now, Les, there's no need to threaten our friend here. He just wants to talk."

Jim hoisted himself up in the bed to get a better look at Moe. Whatever the SAIS wanted, Jim seriously doubted it had anything to do with killing Jim. If that were the case, Jim's cancer would have already been terminal.

"I can't say it's a good evening, honestly," Jim says, "Cancer kind of ruins sunny days."

After the dart was embedded in the wall and two guns were point at him. One was lowered afterwards while the other stayed up. He smiled inwardly, this wasn’t going as bad as he anticipated. He was sure that at least his barrier would be down if not more. Not that he mind, having shields while having weapons pointed at you is always a good thing. He waited a second as the Major said:

Only to be calmed by Mr. Stone who stated:

and added:

“I would ask you to be quieter, this is a hospital and it would be rude, if we woken up anyone by speaking to loud,” he said as his put his index finger to where his mouth would be, if he hadn’t been wearing a mask.

“As I am certain you both concluded, I mean you no harm. Because if I use a clique. If my intent was to kill you, you would be dead and I wouldn’t be here, because that doesn’t fall under my department,” he said in a humours voice, a smile plastered under his mask.

“As for my mask, is there really any point?” he ignored.
“Under it is just another mask, the only difference is that it looks like a face, it wouldn’t really serve any purpose,” he explained casually.

“Ah how rude of me, I forgot to properly introduce myself. Today I am.... Moe Green and as you two fine gentlemen have surely deduced by my attire, I am from SAIS. A pleasure,” he said as he awaited their replies.

"Somehow I get the feeling I don't have any neighbors," Jim says. He shrugged, "We'll keep this quiet."

Jim set his gun on the table next to him, and turned up his painkillers a bit. That was one good thing about cancer, anyway.

"So I suppose the Systems Alliance didn't want to be seen openly handing me my 'Get well soon' card, on account of my leaving and going merc. I can respect that. Is it a genuine Hallmark, or one of those cheap colony knockoffs? Though, the knockoffs can get pretty creative at times."

Jim considered pouring the man some whiskey, but since Green didn't have a mouth in his mask, there wasn't any point in making the offer.

"You know, I've seen a lot of my best students just vanish. Some of them ended up in ONI, and I even did some work for them. But the rest of them? Just gone. A few I bumped into over the years. They end up...Well, they end up a lot like of what I've seen of you so far. I guess one or more of them didn't mind all those push ups and put my name in somewhere up top. Does the SAIS need someone killed that the Systems Alliance can't kill themselves? I'm up for ringing some necks, what about you, Les?"

He upped his painkillers again, and rubbed his abdomen.

"Swift work, getting yourself in here. I doubt you planned for me to ruin my living room carpet. Doesn't look like you have a sound dampener on you, just a cloak. Then again, things are getting smaller and smaller every day. Considering how quickly you had to act, you wouldn't have thought to bring something that complicated."

JR holstered his weapon and then walked over to retrieve his shuriken. One he pulled it out of the wall he replaced it into his sleeve and responded to Moe. "You don't know the meaning of civil lad. In polite conversation one looks the other in the eye. But yer yer own man so do as ye wishes."

He then turned to James as he asked said. "Does the SAIS need someone killed that the Systems Alliance can't kill themselves? I'm up for ringing some necks, what about you, Les?" JR raised a eyebrow and said with concern. "Jim you know my beliefs well enough to know I kill for only two or three reasons. One being honor, respect and lastly in the defense of others. I find needless killin' a wee bit distasteful, same goes for grotutious violence."

He then looked at the masked spook and said. "But nevertheless Jim is right what does the SAIS want with a couple of old warhounds like us anyways lad?"

Observing James he stated in a monotone voice: "I find that one can get a true measure of a man by observing how he reacts when someone appears out of thin air. You two gentlemen measure pretty high, then again that is most likely the benefit of experience.”
He then added: “The witty comments of course do not help in this matter.”

Taking a somewhat more serious tone he explained: “If my employer was to send a get well card, it would be though your employer and it would contain encoded information, that would surely arouse suspicion of your loyalty.”

He then looked at J.R. and said: “Rest assured Mr. Leslie. I know the meaning of the word civil. But this is no social call and the current situation requires me to put my safety above your need to longingly stare into my eyes.”

His head shifted quickly towards James as the man spoke of his students and how they vanished. As he finished Green said: “Five... that is the number. Out of those five, three had their employments terminated due to severe contract violations, two of the employment terminations I carried out myself.”

He took a slow step back, so he could look at both men in the room. He put his hands behind his back, clearly showing that feared little from the two of them. He stated: “Though while I am happy to hear you are willing to deal with threats to the Alliance. It is not your skill at dealing death that are or interest to us.”

“You are both men, of considerable skill and some renown. You both hold decently high positions in your respective organizations. The combination of those elements make you the perfect individuals to further contribute to the security of the Alliance, the combinations of these elements make you of interests to SAIS,” he explained.

“I am yet to find a better way to say this, simply put we wish you to spy for the Systems Alliance Intelligence Service,” he stated calmly and evenly, knowing full well that putting any emotion in these words wouldn’t do much good.

"I'm laying in a hospital bed, nearly dying of cancer, I think I'm entitled to a few snide remarks," Jim replied, "Especially in the presence of my old friend."

He shrugged, "Eclipse knows where by beliefs lay. So long as I make them money, they don't care who I'm slipping information to. Remember, for most of its existence, Eclipse was a criminal organization as much as it was a mercenary one. Besides, given what I do, they would probably expect encoded messages to me, and wouldn't think anything of it."

On his students, Jim shrugged, "Guess I didn't teach them enough about spooks, then."

Jim listened, and thought intently, and then he smiled.

"I can't talk for Les. But I can speak for myself. There are a lot of things going on in the galaxy right now that need the right people in the right place doing the right thing at the right time. I believe I know more than a handful of them, and if I don't, I know I can make myself acquainted with them.

"My current wife is an Asari, and she is a respected one at that for her skills and experience. She knows Matriarchs and she is no less patriotic for her country than I am for mine. If the Systems Alliance believes I can be of assistance to them, then they have to take what I have to say and what I believe with more than a grain of salt. I've seen the galaxy and I know the people in it. So I'll give the SAIS this one for free: The Systems Alliance is going down a road that will tear the galaxy apart, and fall right into the Reapers' hands. Tentacles. Whatever.

"If the SAIS wants me to spy for them, then you have to actually listen. If nine intelligence agencies say yes, it is the duty of the tenth to say no. Don't be afraid to be the tenth."