Chapter Three (Closure)

[Ice Hellion]

Looking at those present in the room

But what are we really trying to do?

[CarcerKango]

"Yeah....where do we go from here?" chimed in Jake, glad that the topic was off any possible romance with Kimiko. His face was still bright red on his end though.

[aipsylon]

Erik gave an approving nod to Alice. "That's right, for now we continue to get in with Kimiko, each of us finding a reason to be useful to her so we each can get a position of influence now, capitalizing on her feelings for Jake, and her need for people she can trust. As those with few connections, that makes all of you excellent. I think I will try to get a shuttle elsewhere. I have another way I wish to influence things."

[Ice Hellion]

Well if everybody wants to get along their plans, I will keep on looking for our "friends".

Looking at Suki and thinking that she was somehow alone and would feel aside while she was even if only for a moment part of the team, he felt compelled to do something, even if he still didn't trust her 100% but after all, one has to keep his foes and potential foes close enough.

Unless you want to do something Little Tiger?

[aipsylon]

You really don't listen do you? The place we should be is accepting the invitation to the bridge, and not looking like a subversive unit. Wait until we get an official label or you could ruin the trustworthiness that Jake had afforded us."

[Ice Hellion]

Looking disappointed and a little angry.

Perhaps you are used to waiting and not doing anything but let me remember that we are in the middle of hostile people with more hostile people around us and we are not where we should be.

The last words were almost shouted and Adrian looked for pills to calm down his pain. He didn't find them, perhaps they had been lost somewhere in a room.
Feeling the pain and the need to keep it under control growing, he tried to stay as calm as he could be but had to seat before he started shaking for good.

[aipsylon]

Erik turned to Jake. "Jake, would you classify Kimiko as hostile? How about you Alice, or you Suki?" The questions half rhetorical, letting their facial expressions answer but giving little more time. looking back to Adrian. "At times waiting is doing something. Patience is important to have, knowing how and when to act is important in matters such at this. I know enough about computers, to know you have a real gift there, but if you are detected, even at a much later time it could prove to very negatively affect our current position."

[Akirapryde]

Alice turned to Erik, "wait? What? You are leaving us?" There was disbelief in her voice.

She motioned to Adrian and Suki, "Erik, look around you. Jake, Suki, Adrian and myself need a leader. Captain Eraden is hardly fitting to lead us." she paused in mid thought looking around at the others. They were lost in a ocean on an uncertain world. But at the same time, she couldn't hold it against him. "Erik, I know you feel like you might be more helpful else where. But I ask you to think about it. We are rudderless without leadership."

She walked up and rested her hand on his shoulder, "please reconsider. We need you"

She turned to Adrian, "even you have to see this. Without leadership we are doom to fall in to the pitfalls of our own lack of vision. Our own ego driven acts of foolishness."

She turned back to leadership, "despite my own superior, even I can see how I am unfit to led us. I can become victim of becoming fixated on the science of what is going on while missing the larger picture. We need you Erik."

She paused a moment as she lowered her head for a moment. She didn't want to admit it, but she knew the choice belonged to no one other than Erik. "Erik, please reconsider" she asked.

[Ice Hellion]

I didn't say she was hostile, I was talking about all those around her and ...

Stopping in his tracks as if he had just realised something

Wait who is leaving? Where and why? I thought we were all in this boat to get back to where we really belongs?

Adrian hated losing people he had came to believe in and to rely in. If only he had some meds to get through it...

[aipsylon]

"Who I am, what I have been associated with. I can't take a risk I will be branded a criminal. That will undermine any influence that I have here and any chance I have to impact the future. You are set on wanting to do something, even when it is wise to do nothing and I don't even have something productive for you to do to keep you occupied. Jake, well he cares for Kimiko and she for him, not that that is not wonderful, but it complicates the matter of planning to rely on romantic whim. I am not sure that going home is possible, so I plan on doing what I can to make that future a better place, as I always have." He looked to Alice. "Would that I could be that person, I have already lost the respect of one and his trust," His eyes glanced to Adrian, "and I don't know why. In a group this size that is all it takes for a group to shatter."

He took a deep breath in, then let it out. "We should be going to the bridge, events there are time sensitive, this discussion is not."