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Entry tags:
- !plot: send in the clones,
- daniel jackson,
- dr mcninja,
- dustin brooks,
- eleventh doctor,
- gaignun kukai jr./rubedo,
- hana asakura,
- hit girl,
- howard bassem,
- kang,
- kanoe zouichi,
- kon-el,
- lash,
- lex luthor,
- lord zedd,
- lord zetta,
- nightwing,
- querl dox,
- rory williams,
- ruffnut thorston,
- sakura haruno,
- tana moon,
- ter'thelas
"Listening to others, considering well what they say" (Part 3: Maingate Hotel)
The Maingate Hotel was pretty extravagant, and an entire section of it had been eked out for the crew's use during their stay. They had several suites, three communal areas, a conference room, their own kitchen with a chef on call if they required her.
They were all teleported from the main teleport pad of the hotel into the conference room, which was a large enough room to be able to hold a group their size and had plenty of chairs arranged in a circular pattern so they could mostly all face each other or whoever was in the middle of the room.
Everyone had to settle down so they were all able to talk, and the meeting itself would have to be carefully controlled so they wouldn't all talk over each other. But they were up for the task, right?
[ooc: Guardian Setup, General Mingling, Clone Checkup, Newbie Briefing, General Briefing, More Mingling, Back to the Meeting, and The Idea Guy sections are open. Backup characters introduced to the plot can join in the mingling subthreads if they want. The opening of new subthreads will be announced here and the ooc. Please read the linked OOC post for a plot timeline.]
They were all teleported from the main teleport pad of the hotel into the conference room, which was a large enough room to be able to hold a group their size and had plenty of chairs arranged in a circular pattern so they could mostly all face each other or whoever was in the middle of the room.
Everyone had to settle down so they were all able to talk, and the meeting itself would have to be carefully controlled so they wouldn't all talk over each other. But they were up for the task, right?
[ooc: Guardian Setup, General Mingling, Clone Checkup, Newbie Briefing, General Briefing, More Mingling, Back to the Meeting, and The Idea Guy sections are open. Backup characters introduced to the plot can join in the mingling subthreads if they want. The opening of new subthreads will be announced here and the ooc. Please read the linked OOC post for a plot timeline.]
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Bluh, he was agreeing with Luthor. It left a disgusting taste in his mouth.
"A fake conflict. Crew versus crew. Playing both sides, getting what the mission requires us to get--because it can always be replaced by them. We have enough people here to probably pull one over on them and do a heist at the same time during the ruckus. Screw an alliance with them. For all we know, the GIA wants to commission a whole clone army from them, so we get the tech and that's it. We've got guys that can figure out how it works and reverse engineer it."
Get ready for a speech, guys.
"But we shouldn't be talking about killing people. Or setting them up to be massacred, either--not even the Councilor. I hate Kanner as much as anyone else that got stamped and trust me when I say I want to introduce him to the Earth delicacy known as the knuckle sandwich, but the guy was just doing his job, and we shouldn't be talking about assassinating foreign dignitaries for doing stuff that's part of their culture--even if it's wrong. If we're not doing the right thing--that is, figuring out what the right thing is in this conflict, taking a side, and doing our best to help this world be better off, the very least we can do is take what we need without causing undo harm. We shouldn't be using their lives to grease along our plans. These are people we're talking about--even the Councilors."
Kon looked at the rest of the gathered people steadily.
"I'm not saying we shouldn't do this, that we shouldn't play them because we do have to worry about the Ohm, but when it comes to how we use them, to taking cheap shots...we're better than that. We're better than potshots and assassinations. Even if we play them, we should leave this world only as bad as it was when we got here, if not better than it was. And before anyone says it's not possible for us to do that, that's bull. It's bad enough we're even considering just taking what's not ours and manipulating people, but the least we can do is put the work and brains in and have the decency to steal their stuff without actually hurting them or their world."
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"Let's get one thing straight. No matter what we do or what happens, people will die and will get hurt. It's a war, wither we want to or not. I've lived most of my life in them to know that it's inevitable. We can do our best to make sure the least amount of people get killed, sure...but we can't save everyone." Urggh! Hero types. Always wanting to try to save everyone. "I'm just saying that so no one sets themselves up for major disappointment. Anyway..."
She pressed her hands together.
"That thing with the GIA and clones too. You guys remember the samples they took from us at the beginning? As Kang said before, they could potentially have everyone's DNA on hand now and I am pretty sure that they wouldn't care if we told them no or not to go ahead and create them. If what we've heard so far about where the clones were taken, I'm pretty sure they have the technology to make that feasible as well. I mean, if they can't have US doing the dirty job, what's to say they can make clones of us? Sure they don't have our memories but I know for a fact that any clone of me would be able to use my Commanding Officer powers. I guess it depends on each person. So I'm with Lex and Howard on this one. In fact, this might be the perfect way to sabotage anything they might have on us and stop them from having access to that data in any shape, way or form."
She really didn't like the idea of data on everyone on this planet, or the possibility. Not at all.
"We have to stay here until Stacy arrives, so we should make the most of it, and this does sound like the best solution. Talking to both groups would give us a good buffering time until we have to move out. And I'm all about infiltration and doing what needs to be done, so count me in."
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"I like Kon's take on this idea. We can still get the desired results from the original plan, but we're dragging less people into it. It won't make a difference, it won't show that we're favoring one side over the other... so, as he said, we'll be leaving the planet in the same condition as it was when we arrived."
It hurt, having to avoid taking sides. It really did. She wanted to help these poor people however she could... but one crew trying to free them from an entire planet's government just wasn't possible. Even if they did some good here in this region, it would no doubt cause trouble for the places they couldn't reach, and that would cause even more death.
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"I don't like these chumps either. Bunch of stuffy stuck up jerks who don't want to get their hands dirty. So if we can rip them off and help the clones somehow I'm for it." She paused and added, "But what about Stacy? Is she gonna be mad that we didn't do what she said to do?"
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She paused, considering her next choice of words. "There may be no right side in this conflict and I do not think we should be searching for a moral cause to take up. We should be focused on achieving what is best for the ship and for the crew, all else being secondary concerns. No; we manipulate them before we allow them to manipulate us - either side, not just the government - and then take what we need. That is our solution."
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"It is clear that we come from very different backgrounds and each of us has our own unique assessment of the situation. The truth of the matter is we do not know the full capabilities of the Galileean's technology, and it would be foolish to make an enemy of so powerful an ally. Looking at it from a moral as well as pragmatic approach, arranging for the murder of of a Councilor will only set them against us. I do not wish to see anyone on either side killed if it can be avoided."
He leaned back. "We should ingratiate ourselves to the Councilors and obtain what we can without resorting to violence if possible."
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"If a playacted disagreement is required, I'm quite willing to have a public altercation with someone in order to convince these people that we're split internally. Who'd like to go a round in the proverbial ring? Councilor? I'm happy to accept your vitriol, if you'd like, real or acted in this case." He peers around the group.
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"I agree with Kon in part. We shouldn't make the situation worse than it is. And no matter what kinds of justifications we come up with, the bottom line is that we're considering escalating an already violent conflict so we can slink away at little to no cost to ourselves. People will get killed no matter what we do. But I'd like to avoid throwing gasoline on the fire.
"Sakura brought up an interesting point -- how much do the Councilors actually understand the clone cause? How much do any of the citizenry? How many of them understand what it means when 'defective' clones are 'destroyed'? I'm sure most of them have been brought up under the impression that all clones are happy to do their jobs and expire, and view any divergence from that ideal as something aberrant. Hijacking this 'feelie' broadcasting system, or helping the clones to do it under the table might be an option to consider. Depending on how many people it can reach at once, it may also create a substantial distraction as the government tries to regain its monopoly on its propaganda device.
"...However, the unknown quantity here is the clone resistance. We can talk about playing them against the other side, offing their extremist elements, or any number of other options, but the bottom line is that the only information we have about them has been filtered through someone else first. We should make contact with them and then consider our options once we know who and what we're dealing with."
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He honestly wasn't expecting so many people to consider his line of thought. Maybe he underestimated the moral flexibility from some of their hero types. Although both the self-righteous speech from Kon and the persistent shift back to 'free the clones and kill the Councilor' makes him uncomfortable.
"People believe what helps them sleep at night. You might turn a few people with the feeler system, but I'm betting that on its own it won't do anything big. But that's getting off-topic. Let's get a plan to get the tech, not kill the Councilor, not set their government up to fall, whatever. We get too many goals up in this plan and we're not going to accomplish any of them. If we stumble onto checking things off our wishlist, great, but we shouldn't base a plan around it."
He turns to Sakura. "You don't get how this sort of thing works, do you? We can't go in saying we won't do X, Y and Z because at some point we might have to. Maybe we're going to have to play the CLF like a fiddle and leave them. Maybe we'll have to make some promises we won't keep. Maybe, god forbid, they won't like us after we're done here. But they're a tiny fraction of the population on a small planet in a big, big multiverse.
"And as for the whole part about 'stealing is wrong', 'we don't have the right to their tech' - come on, guys. We would have got sent here if the Galileeans didn't lie their asses off or have some amazing technology the GIA can't find anywhere else in all these planets, and we've got all the universes ever to save. I'm sure, when it comes down to the Ohm wiping us all out because we didn't take the opportunities that presented themselves, everyone's going to feel really self-righteous about having respected the Galileeans' property rights."
He looks back at Lash. "And if we're going to bump this from theft to data sabotage, we'll need someone who's good with security systems and erasure on the heist part. And they had tech that froze up Kang and Zou, so obviously brute force can get shut down if they're expecting it."
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If they wanted the immediate impact to be less than lethal, we can do something about that, but they didn't control the government or the CLF. They were going to kill each other whether we take one side, the other, both, or neither.
That's the reality of the situation. And rather than focus on that, he decided to push this thing forward, and not let it lose momentum under the weight of this holier than thou bullshit.
"Look, if we're going to reach out to the CLF, I recommend that Kang be the point man for this. No offense to you, Lieutenant Commander Grayson, but if you show up to the CLF going 'Look, I also have clones in subservient positions, but I treat them nicely!' they'll likely keep you at arms length. But Kang, a clone, one of our leaders, someone who entirely understands their situation and is genuinely pissed off about it, that grants us instant credibility and likely full access, something we can't pass up. Time is of the essence, and we can't waste it, particularly on endless moral arguments.
"In the meantime, I'll lead the negotiation team with the Galileean Council, we can spend a day stalling, getting them to make amends for offending our clone crew members. I would like Lt. Harlaown there, if she's willing." Why he'd want her there was for his own reasons.
"Brainiac 5, Dr. Jackson, and whoever they wish to join them can examine the Motherbrains. Another team needs to take a closer look at the medical tech, as well as the security protecting it. And perhaps a fifth team to look into all the things that the Galileeans don't want us to see."
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He leaned forward over the table. "All right. The break up sounds good to me." Still agreeing with Lex. This was hell, right? "For the record, I will be kept informed of what each group finds."
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"I still think that simply looking at this planet as something to turn away from and never think of again is stupid. We never know when we're gonna see any of these people again. If the Ohm show up and blow the planet to hell, it could be next week if Stacy picks up a few refugees. I know I'm not gonna just forget about it, or assume that anyones' lives here are any less important than mine just because they're not traveling with me on a ship that probably plays us just as much we're planning on playing these people."
He leaned back, closing his eyes and sighing. "But that's not to say I don't completely hate the tentative plan. Though I'm not doing anything until we learn more about the CLF. Remember, it's not just clones versus non-clones. Who messed with the Mother Brain in the first place? People who didn't think slavery like this was right. We're not just going to find other clones there, so the idea that they'll just lose or die out - which isn't a sure thing - if the government stops production isn't totally accurate."
He glanced out the window, picturing what the others might have seen when they were shown the 'casualties of the conflict' as they had described. "There could be extremists in the CLF, based on what they showed you guys. But that's why we need to meet with them. Given how much the council held back information from us, how do we know the buildings and places you were shown weren't empty when they were attacked? How do we know they weren't abandoned and simply demolished to look the part and gain extra sympathy? Not that I'm accusing them of doing that, but I can't really say that I trust them very much, given our correspondence so far."
And then he leaned forward once again, sending a glance to Kang, and then back to Lex. "I'll go with Kang, in that case. But..." he trailed off, eyebrows furrowing annoyedly. "We already talked about this, didn't we? What if they can track us with these things? Unless we can get into contact with anybody who might likewise be infiltrating the city, we don't know the extent of what these things can do. Or in the same vein, if we can find somebody like that who knows how to disable whatever it is they do, that'd probably be a hell of a lot more useful."
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But Jr did bring up a good point, that for all they know, they could end up seeing these people again soon enough. And the tracking wasn't a good issue either.
"Alright, so assuming there's a chance that they can track you through those," Will said. "Then only real viable option is to send someone without one to meet with the CLF and try to set up a meeting between their leaders and Kang. After all, if there wasn't some way of blocking any possible way to trace it, the CLF couldn't exist unless all the members of it actually weren't clones."
"If we do decide to send a non-clone to meet with them first before Kang, I'm willing to do it."
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"...we don't understand enough yet," she said after a moment. "We barely know what both sides are doing, let alone why. All the information we have seems really incomplete."
"But we're not going to kill anybody," her voice became firmer. "Our real enemy is the Ohm, isn't it? This place is horrible and it makes me feel sick, but that doesn't mean anybody deserves to die."
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Daniel listened quietly to everyone else, making notes as he did so. Not just on what was being said, but the people saying it. Luthor didn't surprise him. Howard did, but then again, he hadn't talked with him that much. At least Kon made the distinction about trying to avoid using Galilean and clone lives to further their own agenda. The archaeologist still wasn't sure he bought the crew versus crew plan. But out of the ideas so far, it had the least impact on Galilean and clone lives, which put it head and shoulders above assassination and trying to start an actual war. Daniel shook his head and stood up.
"Exactly, thank you, Nanoha. Just because we may or may not see the Galileans again doesn't give us free reign to do what we want. I agree with Jr: There isn't a guarantee we won't run into them again. Unless it's an absolute last resort, there's no reason to burn bridges just because we can. We also need to study both sides far more before we make a plan of action, and I don't think we've done nearly enough of that to even be here."
This whole discussion was going to be an exercise in futility if this room was bugged or if they were being monitored through the brands. Daniel glanced down at the notes briefly. He didn't think they were going to like what he said next. Not that it stopped him from opening his mouth before back home.
"We should be more upfront with what we plan to do. The Galileans approached us to to stop the alleged terrorism, not necessarily to restore the previous status quo. If we tell them that we wish to attempt another approach that would be less violent first, the pressure is on them to accept, as long as the end result has the terrorism taken care of. It'd be political suicide to turn it down. It would make the Councillors look uninterested in their citizens' overall welfare," Daniel said. "Although the Councillors have an interest in taking out the leaders, there's no guarantee it would actually stop the rebellion. It could essentially create martyrs instead, which would exacerbate the problem. This should be brought up to the delegates as a point against assassination or more violence, and a point for contacting the CLF as a neutral third party. I believe the average Galilean citizen would be more interested in stopping the violence and fear in general, which strikes me as more immediately disruptive to their way of life, than politic maneuvering."
Daniel hurried on before he lost his audience, words coming out in a rush. "The point is that at least some honesty here would be the best policy. Otherwise, to anyone with half a brain, it'll obviously look like we're playing both sides if we just go and send a person in 'behind their back'." Which was exactly what it sounded like half the people here wanted to do anyway. Daniel didn't like it. Not by a long shot. But at least mentioning their intention to the Galileans would give them an excuse to even look at the other side without getting branded as trying to cause trouble. "It would further hurt negotiations all around, and make us look like opportunistic vultures to both sides. At least telling the Galileans some of our intent would protect us from a backlash. Otherwise, if the CLF see us coming to them, they may be willing to accept our help, no questions asked. Or it can backfire. They could see us as mercenary, willing to betray them when it's convenient, especially if they saw us do it earlier to the Galileans. They wouldn't have any reason to trust us just because we claim to want to help them."
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They all remembered that, right? They weren't here to cause chaos and despair, they were here for one specific thing.
"If the government agrees to give it to us before we do the job, we're golden, but I don't think even they are THAT stupid. When the day's done, if we don't have help and cooperation from people who know what the stuff is and how to plug it into our ship, we've got nothing, and we aren't getting that help till we pitch in our side of the bargain. Unless we're putting, I don't know, kidnapping on the agenda too, but let's face it, torture doesn't give reliable information, especially not on technical details. So I think if we want what we're here for, as much as we all might like the idea of pitting both sides against the middle and laughing as they dance to our tune, we've gotta pick a side and make it win. Right now throwing down with the government seems like the best side. It's all about getting the medical stuff."
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Yes, he was still sore over how many times the Rangers pulled fast ones on him.
"Just because there's no instructions on how to use it doesn't mean we can't get it to work. Besides, what's to say they don't have it set up so that no one besides them can work it. Even if we play nice and get it, I'm certain they won't try to pull a fast one over us. I know I would."
Zedd leaned back as he continued.
"We have plenty of... bright minds on this ship. If that annoying Blue Ranger can break into my Dimensions of Darkness, I'm certain he can figure out how to work these things."
He was going to scrub himself clean when he got back. Complimenting his foes. Eugh.
"I do want to point out something, though - they probably do have our DNA. If they catch on to what's going on, I'm certain they'll try to backstab us. We must destroy that above all else. As much as I'd enjoy having a clone or two to control of all of you, having one of myself in the control of these peasants isn't something I enjoy..."
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"Just because we MIGHT be able to figure something out doesn't mean we will," Hit girl said bluntly. "It is possible that only these guys know how to operate their own medical stuff, and after seeing what it can do, I say we need to keep that top priority. They need us right? Double crossing us when they know what we can do would be pretty stupid. I say we play it safe working for the stooges unless someone has a better idea how to make off the quick and easy with no one else the wiser."
She sighed. "And though I hate to agree with me meglomaniac, I don't like the idea of them getting all cozy with our DNA either. If we can't do anything, lets make sure they don't keep that on file."
Seriously, whatever the end result was, she wanted to grab their shit and get the hell out already. This was definitely taking longer than she thought.
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She sighs, and looks up, resisting the urge to start pacing with impatience. "Most of all, I agree with Nanoha. The first stage of any plan like this should be to gather information on the real intentions of the Council and the CLF, particularly the latter. In the plan as outlined, I'll go with Governor Kang's group to talk to the CLF, or lead such a group if we determine the brands are tracking devices. We, the crew of Transmigration 9, can stay in contact and coordinate things so either both sides of this conflict get what they want, or neither, and we get what we came here for. We can only do that, though, if we go with the suggestion of splitting up to 'join' both sides, staged disagreement or not."
The she shrugs, and sits back down. "That's just my suggestion, of course. Politics were never my strong suit."
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It seemed whenever someone opened their mouth it sent another dose of bitter sentences and arguments streaming into his head, gathering in his brain as a jumbled mess of words, only succeeding in making him feel tired and more confused than ever.
He wasn't really sure who he sided with. Well, that was a lie. He knew. He sided with Zouichi. He wanted to find the person that had hurt his friend and show them that you couldn't get away with stuff like that. But after that?
He didn't know.
Some deep rooted part of him just wanted to help those who seemed like they needed it.
That's what was always getting your father into trouble, said a voice mimicking his mother at the back of his mind.
True. Dad certainly did get into his worst situations simply because he had to help someone.
That's also what made him so many friends, countered a voice likened to that of his companion Amidamaru.
Hana pondered on this for a moment before pushing the two voices away. He let out a small groan, ruffling his own hair in an aggravated fashion, face scrunched in deep thought. Finally, he slowly raised his hand up, seeking permission to speak.
"Whether we want their stuff or not, which we do, because it can help us in a big way, this place wants us to help, to do something."
He took a moment to look at the more familiar faces in the room before standing and speaking again.
"I think, we should split up. Do the whole ‘break up’ thing, or whatever you want to call it. It's obvious we don't really know what to do yet. And we can't just sit here 'till our ship gets back. Maybe, we should all go to the sides we agree with most and think we need to help. Fight alongside them. Get to know them. It could be just by doing that we'll find a way to solve this problem. To get the thing we need without making things worse or just leaving it like it is."
Despite seemingly entering the conversation shyly, Hana actually spoke in a confident and relaxed tone.
"I don't like the way these people have treated my friends, and I don't think we should let them think they can just push us around. But I also don't want them to think we're enemies, because not everyone can be the same as that one guy." He didn't bother referring the person who'd marked his crewmates by name.
Hana took one last look around the entire gathering.
It'll all work out in the end.
"No matter what. This place needs our help. They're even asking for it. And we can't ignore that. No matter if we do or do not get something in return. We need to help. Even if it's not in the same kind of help they thought they needed."
With that, the young teen settled himself back in his seat.
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"It's not our responsibility to help this place," he says, with the certainty of someone who truly believes from experience that even if you ask for help, you should never expect, much less depend on it. "We don't need to help. We need to stay on topic. Figure out exactly what angle we're going to approach this from and let our hearts bleed over the slave labor later."
He drums his fingers against the table. "I see the value of sending Kang to negotiate with the CLF, but should we really be sending the people most sympathetic to each group? Someone needs to go who doesn't have a motive to be swayed to the CLF's side, no offense. Not like I don't trust you, Kang, Jr."
He doesn't, but that's natural. He doesn't really trust many people. "Same with the government. If we're sending a team to negotiate with the Councilors, we'll need someone either backs no one or backs the clones to keep the group from getting sucked in. Just in case."
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"Which is precisely why I requested Lt. Harlaown to join me at the meeting," he stated, following up Howard's line of thought. "If we are going to buy everyone time by staling, it helps to have someone there who wouldn't agree to anything." What with how they put that mark on her head.
"I'm sure Lt. Commander Grayson can assign the remaining teams with the appropriate mix skills and ideals." Lex was already getting the things he wanted, so far. No need to push everything.
"Our DNA, though... that can provide the perfect staging for the final part, provided we can discover its exact location. Perhaps out exploratory team should focus on that.
"If we find out where our DNA is being held, we point the CLF to that location. They'll go, because superpowered clones is not something they'd want to risk dealing with. We'll be there to meet them; we can inform the Galileean government that we're setting a trap for the CLF, that location suits our needs the best, but we insist on taking point. If any of you are even halfway competent with your abilities, you can make the fight look good while still keeping the casualties low. In the ensuing battle, our DNA gets destroyed- collateral damage- we hand over the more rambunctious members of the CLF and tell the rest to lay low for a while.
"And while that entire clusterfuck is going on, a separate team will go steal their technology, and it might be smart to hack their databases to steal an instruction manual or two." Which should assuage Overlord Zetta's concerns.
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But they couldn't chance that that was the case. "All right. I'll work up teams tonight. Fewest casualties is the best." And yes, there was a moment to glance at Kang. "Also, if anybody has any good ideas for getting in contact with the CLF, I'd love to hear them."
Just because Dick couldn't go to meet them straight away didn't mean there wasn't someone who could manage it.
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In most other situations he'd have liked to stick up for Daniel's more diplomatic approach but his desire not to cooperate with or even vaugely support a clone-enslaving government held his tongue. Besides that, no matter how angry this world made him, Doc had always been a 'bigger picture' man...
"If the Ohm weren't as persistent and insanely destructive as they are I would be inclined to take Dr. Jackson's advice and do this the 'nice way' but frankly considering the stakes I don't have any qualms about stealing what we need to save the rest of the universe from this place."
"Yeah, we're probably going to make enemies of the Galileeans and yes it's kind of a dick move to take their tech and leave them to fight it out for themselves, but when it comes down to it - so what? The chances of us running into them again are slim and if we don't get all the resources we need to go up against the Ohm it's possible those chances will drop to nil due to neither of us existing anymore.
I'm all for diplomacy, but I don't think we can afford much of it here."
He cast a glance at Dick. "I'll take care of getting us information on exactly what equipment they have and what it's used for if you want. I've spent more than enough time with Stacy's libraries to know what's essential."
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