Try The Weapons Master

March 10, 2016:

Ulani takes some Dolphins out for time out and meets up with Rowan.

Atlantic Ocean near Hawai'i

Characters

NPCs: Chipper, Ping

Mentions:

Plot:

Mood Music: None.


Fade In…

It's been a few days since the briefing at Pearl Harbour and Ulani has been kept busy. Between organising a delegation to the military - which she's still trying to do (finding the right balance of representatives is a challenge) - and providing briefings, the Blue female hasn't had much time for herself.

Cutting through the waters not too far from Pearl Harbours shore, the Blue Envoy is working with a pair of Dolphins … practicing manoeuvres. She's working, but this is work that she really enjoys.


The Blue are a bit of an item in Honolulu at the moment and the subject of fierce political and social debate if they've bothered to turn the news channels on. Rowan hasn't. He finds that kind of thing only annoys him and since he has considerably fewer duties when it comes to the Blue's official presence he is also kniving through the water. He has to do so while changed though since he lacks the ability to move at speed otherwise.


Ulani, Chipper and Ping are moving at speed, performing what could be considered 'aerial' maneouvres except, you know, they're underwater. Sensing something large coming towards them at speed, the three spread out, with the two Dolphins moving ahead of the Blue Female.

For all they know what's approaching them could be one of the Lords minions.

Stay back, Ulani. Chipper 'speaks' to the Blue. We will see what is approaching. That's Ping. Both speak in a high clicky voice.

This is Ulani. I've contact at my location. she reports back to her command post.


Our scopes show clear, Ulani. Are you sure? Command sends back. The squadron that remaind behind with Ulani is still the only squadron on station or indeed anywhere near US territorial waters. Where else they might be they are not, of course, saying.


Just vibrations in the water. Ulani sends back as the two powered armoured Dolphins slip ahead of her. It doesn't take them long to come insight of the Dragon Blue and recognising him, they start swim over and around him.

Storm Surge Ping sends back. The two are having a wonderful time, swimming with the dragon. It will a long moment for the Blue Envoy to catch up … Rowan's going to have to deal with the playful Dolphins.


Playful dolphins are nothing new to Rowan. Playful dolphins in powered armor that can keep up with him at a full clip are something new but the dragon Blue is nothing if not adaptable. He twists and rolls and loops through the water as they move off the Hawaiian coast. When Ulani catches up he may have them tired out. Or worked up. One of the two.


The Dolphins 'squee' and 'click' as the Dragon Blue gives them a work out. It does take Ulani a while to catch them and when she does, Ping circles round and starts rolling and looping around her.

Rowan's got them worked up.

Settling them is going to require a little more play. And who blame the social creatures for wanting to play? It's been fight after fight in the recent past.


The large dragon - at his moderate size he's the size of a large killer whale - smirks at Ulani as he twists through the water. "You haven't given them back." He notes of the dolphins. "Are they really going to let you keep them?" Also what is she doing out here? Rowan doesn't ask that but he figures she'll get to telling him at some point.


Winding herself to match Pings movements, Ulani cast a laughing look at the Dragon. "Funny story that…" another somersault as Ping twists around her "… these two wanted to stay." And The Blue and the Lemeurians are still discussing that.

Perhaps not unexpected given the amount of time Ulani had spent with the pair….

Finally settling herself, suspending herself in the water, the Blue Envoy waits for the Dolphins to slow.

Ping moves to her side, 'nosing' her hand with his snout ….

"Were you heading somewhere?" She'll get to why she's out here, in a minute.


"Not in particular. Well… perhaps. You're dealing with things here and I was considering moving back to check on how progress on the front was going. I know the Lord of the Deep suffered a setback but he'll be moving again as soon as he regains his strength and probably sooner than we think." The Dragon Blue sighs and shakes his great head. "Then again, it's possible you might want my help here."


Sending the Dolphins off to play for a little longer, Ulani sighs as well. "If you have no orders, I will keep you here." They're getting reports on the front and should the pair be needed (and she's sure they will be), they'll be called.

"You and I are the most equipped to work with The Surfacers, even if you aren't all that diplomatic." He's just blunt and direct "You're more so, than others we could send. Until we get a delegation in place, we're both needed here."

The truth is, Ulani is trouble. With Ikaia's betrayal, she's not sure she can trust anyone. "You're the only one I turst implicitly at the moment." He can ask about Ikaia … she'll likely share.

Chipper circles, noses Ulani's hand and then at Rowan before speeding off again.


Rowan glances as the dolphins leave. "I've had no requests from our people." Which are orders just not phrased that way. He's not really in the military though there's been talk of changing that given his deep involvement in the war. Others don't trust him or think his position as an outsider is more valuable to them.

"Then I'll stay." The Dragon Blue pauses and shifts back to 'human' form. "Do you want to talk about it? I know I'd have a hard time with it if it'd been my squad."


"Request, yes. My apologies." Ulani has, most assuredly fallen back into the role Soldier so easily. Old habits die hard it seems. Her superiors have consulted her about Rowan's status … she'll ask him eventually what he wants. If he doesn't want to become part of The Blue here, she'll not blame him - they hadn't treated well with him when he contacted them.

"What's to talk about, Rowan?" the Blue Envoy looks out into the deep and shakes her head "How could I have not known, realised … suspected." It burns deep. "Self recriminations aside, how do I trust anyone?"


"Perhaps that." Rowan nods as she asks the pertinent question. "How do you trust anyone? You know you can trust me. But why do you trust me? Because you don't know me?" Fundamentally, because he's an outsider. "Or because I've proven myself. What of your others? Should Ikaia's trechery taint the rest of those memories you built?"


"And yet he was one of those closest to me." The Blue Female turns to the look at the Dragon Blue. "He had proven himself, time and again. And then …" he had tried to kill her.

"No, his treachery shouldn't taint the rest but trust, Rowan. Trust is hard won and once lost… " These are people she basically grew up with. Ikaia and Kaia she enlisted with and they'd remained as a unit for all this time.

"No, it shouldn't taint the memories, but those memories may well give us vital clues as to the Cult." Looking carefully at who he communicated with, associated with … would likely be a good place to start.


"He's not talking and I doubt he'd survive any more encouragement from me." Rowan murmurs. "The Sea Queen could probably rip the answers from his mind if she were here. Failing that perhaps one of our allies can. I understand mutants have those abilities as well." She could ask. Or he could, but she might have better luck. And tact.

"You knew him best. Did he have any kind of contacts or interests outside your circle of friends? Anything he insisted on going alone to?"


"This is true. I understand that mutants can." It's time to contact Mera anyway, see if she can help. "You don't need to do anymore with Ikaia. I get the feeling he would rather die than give up those secrets anyway."

They should seek assistance from the mutants too. A mass scanning of the troops, may well be beneficial.

Swimming a little as they talk, Ulani is silent after Rowans last question. "Remembering I entered Public Service at the age of 26, I can only really look at what came before that." beat "When we were 17, about the time he took me to Tuvalo, I noted he was spending a lot of time with a weapons master." She colours a little at the memory "I assumed that he was just preparing for when we enlisted. But none of the others did. Certainly Kaia and I didn't feel the need - we practised with each other."


"Do you remember the name of that weapons master?" It might be a good thing to look into him or her, Rowan thinks. If they're still alive perhaps they could drop by for a chat. Well, if they haven't gone to ground. Since if Rowan was involved in something like that and one of his pupils had been captured he would have gone to ground. Then again the news may not have gotten out. Speaking of pupils… "Looking into his students would be good too."


"It was so long ago… " Ulani murmurs, watching Chipper and Ping return to them. It taks a few moments before she speaks again "Wayra, I believe." And news had been restricted to the Maelstrom and Ulani's squad. There's a good chance it hasn't spread yet.

They'll have to move quick, but she's not going to trust the communications channels with this. If Wayra hasn't gone to ground, they don't want to tip him off.


"Where's he living now?" If it's not near here then they'll need to make a trip. Which is inconvenient but also gives a better chance of the element of surprise. "If we can move on it we'd better do so soon. The Lord of the Deep won't wait that's for sure." Rowan glances to the two dolphins and can't help but chuckle a bit.


"In the city I grew up in, I believe." which is near the West coast of the US, not far from where they are actually. Still far enough to be a nuisance, but not that far.

"We will head there, as soon as I return the Dolphins." The Dolphins click and squee at that news, they arrived just in time to hear it.

Stay with you, Ulani. Ping says, nosing her again. Stay with Storm Surge. That's Chipper. Yeah, this is going to be a problem.


Rowan snickers. "Maybe you can convince their beastmaster to part with them." That's going to be her problem. It's like letting someone borrow your dog. For an extended period of time. These things do happen.

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