cityship: (Meanwhile...)
cityship ([personal profile] cityship) wrote in [community profile] trans_92011-06-26 12:42 am

"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.]
iselldrugstothecommunity: (Your brain is this big.)

[personal profile] iselldrugstothecommunity 2011-07-06 07:43 pm (UTC)(link)
"Oh, that's a great freaking idea. Let's really split up instead of fake split up! Let's commit and work for whatever side we like best and then try to agree on something when we've promised ourselves to opposing agendas! It accomplishes the same thing, except we get nothing done and hate each other more at the end!" Howard says sarcastically, shaking his head at Hana. He doesn't sneer but the disdain in his voice is obvious.

"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."
imperious_lex: (On My Throne)

[personal profile] imperious_lex 2011-07-06 09:51 pm (UTC)(link)
Lex made a mental note to talk to Howard more often in the future. He was a little unrefined, but there was a pragmatic ruthlessness about him that Lex couldn't help but see the potential in. But back on topic.

"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.
goddamnwingman: (Dick1)

[personal profile] goddamnwingman 2011-07-07 04:52 pm (UTC)(link)
Privately, Dick was wondering if there actually WERE rambunctious members of the CLF. Oh, there probably were, but he'd seen too many governments that would go to any extreme to get the people on their side. Even sacrificing their own.

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.

[identity profile] wantstobebatman.livejournal.com 2011-07-08 08:26 pm (UTC)(link)
Doc straightend a little from where he'd slouched in his seat, head leaned in one hand, eyes flicking around the table as each person spoke. As usual others had covered most of his thoughts already which was fine by him. He was never good at huge round-table discussions like this; ninja were loners by nature and as good as he had gotten at cooperating in teams and small groups with his family having to do so much negotiating with so many people made him fidgety with the urge to take action instead of sitting around talking.

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."
governorkang: (Council business)

[personal profile] governorkang 2011-07-08 10:12 pm (UTC)(link)
Kang really needed to try and get more information on Lex. That man could very easily be a danger to the crew, with his intelligence. He had a feeling that however this ended up, too, that Kon was not going to be very happy with some of them, including himself; there was more than likely going to be death at some point. Frankly, he didn't care. It wasn't that he thought that their lives were worthless, like others in the group, but he just flat-out didn't care.

If it wasn't for the branding, and the deception and utter disrespect shown to the entire group, he might have helped the government with what they wanted. Now, there wasn't a chance in hell.

The plan was agreeable to Kang, though. "I would be more than happy to head talks with the CLF. In addition to what's already been said, it makes sense that we have one of our own Councilors each dealing with both sides of the matter. However, like Howard has brought up, we need someone who is more neutral with us as well. I would like some say in who goes with me, Lt. Commander, to make sure we don't screw things up on that end. And as for how we do get in contact with the CLF... if one of us were to loudly disagree with another in our party in a very public place about taking down the CLF, it might get their attention." At that part, he glanced over at Ter'thelas.
Edited 2011-07-08 23:00 (UTC)

[identity profile] stupidnecklace.livejournal.com 2011-07-09 12:40 am (UTC)(link)
As the others talked, Tana listened and tapped away on her omnicom, taking notes and writing notes in shorthand to keep up with all the chatter. Some suggestions were marked with an X (or more) to denote how Bad in the Idea Realm they were.

She looked at Kon for a moment, then went back to writing.
makeherblue: ([ promo ] o o -)

[personal profile] makeherblue 2011-07-09 10:24 am (UTC)(link)
The Doctor had no qualms "borrowing" things that needed borrowing, especially if the universe was at stake.

But he was also inclined to agree with Otter Soother Daniel Jackson. They needed a better look around at all sides, hopefully without starting a war between the CLF and the rest of the Galileans.

The plans being thrown about were good, scatter-brained and also downright foolish, not quite in that order, which sounded about right for any sort of group discussion with different sorts of lifeforms in his experience. The Doctor sat where he was with his hands folded in his lap, having picked a spot between Daniel and Rory (both decent, good humans -- if they hadn't talked, they should. They'd hit it off with all their human-y things, he thought). Some of the crew seemed depressingly ready to initiate a rebellion right off the bat, which was fine and all when you had a very good look around and they didn't even seem to be checking for those bugs he'd assume where in the room. Kang's secret plan probably wasn't so secret, if this was a respectable diplomatic conference room and there was a "respectable" number of bugs listening in on them.

He'd raised a finger to interject and then decided at this rate, they were going to blurt out all their plans and then some. Hm. Maybe they'd have so many potential scatterbrained plots out there all at once that they could dance around the Galileans that way.

So much for "secret" talks. The Doctor was all for a few crew "accidentally" slipping away and "happening" to bump into the CLF, nice and quiet and no one had to get hurt. After all, it was much easier to slip away and talk to them if you weren't broadcasting, loudly, just how you were going to stage an encounter and maybe they should invite Polynta, Darvin the Special Cake Maker and maybe that nice fella on the street who waved at him from the window while they were at it. The Doctor supposed he shouldn't fault Kang or the other clones who'd been branded. They'd been treated incredibly poorly by the Galileans and naturally they'd take it personally.

"The Otter Soother's right," the Doctor said, glancing at Daniel. Sorry, Daniel, no matter what you're destined to be the Otter Soother. Clearly all that Otter Soothing has made you a better diplomat than an archaeologist, in the Doctor's opinion. "But I rather think we need a better look around before we start talking about overthrowing our hosts' government and starting another war we don't need."

Lex, too, seemed to be thinking this through, but in true human fashion was announcing his plans which was also to be expected -- intelligent humans had a habit of doing that. He'd clearly thought it through how to play both sides off each other and the Doctor thought it would work if he didn't feel that need to share his brilliance with everyone else in the room. This was exactly why he hadn't felt much of a need to fill in his companions about his Plans or Things or Things That Looked like a Plan: too many people in the know and big old chance it could get leaked. Him, he'd rather have a talk with Davin and any of the clone's friends before he decided if it was right to start overthrowing a government or handing in CLF clones to the government and...

Okay, so maybe he didn't quite like every aspect of Lex's plan, now that he thought about it. The man didn't seem to care who the collateral damage was, the Doctor frowning at Lex and his brilliance: it occurred to the Doctor that he probably would've been one of the few humans the Master would've been fond of, if the Master liked any humans and wasn't, well, dead on top of everything else.

The dead thing probably wasn't helping things along.
Edited 2011-07-09 10:26 (UTC)
death_adept: (Bionic)

[personal profile] death_adept 2011-07-10 01:44 am (UTC)(link)
Jalith simply watched the discussion go back and forth from his spot at the wall, running through the possible situations in his mind. He personally had little care for the situation, so a few clones and xeno had been branded, that was of little matter to him, even the Technology had little matter to him, only his duties held any weight.

"Of all these plans, has any of you considered extraction options once the technology has been stolen or otherwise? The shuttles and transports that dropped us off, are still on station aboard the Macross Quarter currently in orbit," He noted nodding to the four 'backup' crew members he had been sent along with.

"However should the Government catch wind of this plan, or even a lack of cooperation, they may well jam any communications between here and those we have available in orbit, I propose if we are to move on this 'plan' we will need to take out the source of any jamming, whether by subtle, or less than subtle means,"

Letting a hand drift down to pat the case beside him as he looked specifically to the lt commander, like it or not Grayson had a Vindicare assassin waiting for orders "Should any targets be required to be taken out, be they facilities or personnel, I have the appropriate equipment for the job,"

[identity profile] needs-release.livejournal.com 2011-07-10 03:09 am (UTC)(link)
Mindy's comments started some gears turning, but Jalith inspired an immediate reaction. "I really don't think assassinations should be anything other than a last resort. But there's a couple ways I can get someone to do something for me without arising much suspicion. I'll need a volunteer to help me practice one of them because I haven't done it before.

"But, obviously, my focus is on the technology. I'd like to have my whole team come with me to check it out as well as one or two others to act as bodyguard. I know most of my team is capable of defending themselves but if things go pear-shaped we'll need all hands on deck to grab what we can.

He paused a moment before continuing. "I do want to make one thing clear. I will have no part in gaining this technology at the expense of the clones. Nor will I allow any ill-gotten equipment to enter my lab. I, and I hope I speak for the entirety of us when I say that there's no value in this if we have to sacrifice a whole race to gain it. I still have my wife to look in the eye when this war is over."

Him setting the ground rules like was fairly rare, as was him speaking with such resolve. Since the deaging problem anyway.
iselldrugstothecommunity: (Are you serious?)

[personal profile] iselldrugstothecommunity 2011-07-10 03:58 am (UTC)(link)
Sam doesn't speak for all of them, but Howard's not going to pick a fight here and now that'll only make him look more heartless.

"Medical's going to be the group that'll probably have to grab stuff and run, too. If we could get someone with techie skills that'd probably help with any security systems we run into, but we should put who's best with computers with Lex's group, looking for the DNA."

If he's being honest with himself, Howard would admit that this whole plan makes him a little queasy. Not for any moral reasons, naturally, but because of how much of it rides on all these different crewmates cooperating and not trying to do the heroic, world-saving thing.

And if it all comes crashing down, well. He'll blame it on Lex.
imperious_lex: (Cigar)

[personal profile] imperious_lex 2011-07-10 04:30 am (UTC)(link)
God, this group was so damned wishy-washy. If the plan fails, it'll be because several spandex clad nutjobs couldn't shove their egos aside long enough to make the best of a bad situation. But that's what they get for sending heroes to do a politician's job.

"Smuggling the items off world is remarkably easy. Given that we need to pick up supplies anyway, we can hide it in the supplies. So long as the weight load matches whats on the manifest, they'll do little more than a cursory inspection. If the government thinks that we've helped them, it'll be easy to convince them to expedite the process as a favor to us."

Lex had to wonder if he was the only person in the room who actually knew how to run game on a government. It's really not that hard.

"But, seeing as how the only thing the lot of us can agree on is that we need more information, which is the next phase of the plan in either event, I suggest that we cut off this discussion here and now. Grayson can assign the teams, and while my group buys everyone time and stalls the Council, the rest of you can go out, ask questions, and gather intel. At the end of the day we compare notes once again and finalize whatever plans we decide to make." A reasonable suggestion.
goddamnwingman: (Dick1)

[personal profile] goddamnwingman 2011-07-11 12:57 am (UTC)(link)
Most of them were more used to working on their own. Running a game on a government wasn't always a good guy's thing.

"As long as your group doesn't make any promises," Dick reminded him. Because he had no doubt that Lex would conveniently forget that if he could. But he trusted Fate to keep it in mind, at least. "Also. Please everybody keep in mind that any plans are going to need to be flexible. There's a lot going on here that could change at any moment, especially considering that we've basically been placed between at least two factions.

"And at the end of the day, I'm more interested in getting this team out of here alive. Even if that means leaving behind the stuff we've been sent to get." That included a hard look at everybody. "You don't put yourself in danger that you cannot get yourself out of."

He took a moment for that to sink in, taking a moment to fuss with his omnicomm before making a disgusted sound. "Lash? Brainiac 5?" Dick raised his omnicomm. "It would appear we're being blocked again." It was hardly a surprise. "I'd like you to look at ways to get some sort of communications back up at least between those of us on the planet. Because I'll feel better if we're not all going our separate ways and unable to actually contact each other."
theboywhowaits: (Default)

[personal profile] theboywhowaits 2011-07-11 01:20 am (UTC)(link)
Rory had been silent for the most part. He had listened, and he had watched, hands folded under his chin, willing to fade into the background next to Sakura and not speak until he had something to say. The thought that the comms were being blocked was a disturbing one, but not one that he or most of the people here had any ability to help with. He agreed with Doctor Henderson, for the most part, and Sakura. He had let them argue medicals side and simply watched, kept his eyes on the people around the table and who had the strongest argument. It might be necessary later, and he should at least keep his eyes open. If nothing else, traveling with the Doctor had taught him to keep an eye on those who spoke the loudest and those who kept the quietist. Both extremes might be important at a later date.

This was almost depressing, almost as frustrating as Amy’s conversation with the reptiles. Neither side was willing to concede anything, and though at the moment they might agree on a nebulous goal, none of them were willing to agree on the nity gritty bits and pieces of everything. The way they were talking it wouldn’t be a fake conflict at all, but a real one drawn very clearly between the crew.

He gave Howard a quietly disappointed look, but kept his peace. They were willing to let this go, because it wasn’t important. Not to the grand scheme of things, and while he could see that, while he could understand that the universe didn’t allow for heroics all the time… As a nurse, this felt wrong. It felt wrong to sit here and so casually discuss leading an unknown amount of people into a death trap. He wouldn’t be sad to see Kanner dead, or any of the Councilors. But they were talking about involving people whose only real crime was a desire for freedom. That bothered him quite a lot. Hate the ruling populace or not, the thought of setting up a death trap shouldn’t be considered, and not with as much relish as some of his crew mates were considering it.

“I think.” He paused, and then raised his voice to talk over the chatter, hating agreeing with Lex, but knowing better than to ignore a good idea when it came from someone he despised. “I think that today was a long day, for all of us, I agree with Mr. Luthor. We’ve had a lot of information thrown on the table, and nothing we knew about this situation going into it has held true. Any decision we make tonight will be colored by the fact that we’re all exhausted and it is very late. We’ve got loads of information, and we only have one side of it, but I don’t think anything can be accomplished tonight. I think we should get some rest, reconvene in the morning, and talk things over with clearer heads. “He glanced at the Doctor, uncertain what the other man might be thinking. “It will give us time to process and think things over; all we’ll accomplish tonight is further convincing ourselves of our own points, it won’t convince anyone else. We’ll miss things, obvious things, because we’re tired and stressed.“