Oddas Aria Posted April 6, 2017 Posted April 6, 2017 (( Fortress Parker- Duronis II Embassy )) ::Just then another chime at the door interrupted their conversation and Jaxon looked over to the huge Marine.:: McGhee: Likely just my luggage I guess, I requested it be delivered here. I had intended to take a car to the city if you had had the place full of guests. Parker:::Nodding::COME!!!!! McGhee: Just inside the door gentlemen. I thank you. ::A few embassy staff members carried in a duffel bag, a crate and seven times as many cases inside the door. The Welshman spied something and reached a decision, got up and picked up one of the smaller cases before returning to Hannibal. Standing at a side table he set down the bag and continued speaking without turning around.:: McGhee: I have a few more questions.::opening the case, rummaging around::Tell me how do you feel now you are father…::pulling out a bottle and a cigar case, holding both up before turning to Hannibal::… and do have two glasses and a light? Parker::Smiling::Got you covered, brother...be right back.... ::Hannibal went to the kitchen, opened the pantry, and got down two glasses, perfect for sipping fine whiskey. His ancient Zippo lighter was already in his pocket. As he made his way back over to the couch, he spoke:: Parker:::Glasses covered, lighter in hand...::looking at the pile::You were never known to travel light... McGhee: You know me. I don’t travel light and without…. amenities. Anyway we never celebrated your son’s birth and I have feeling in….::checking his watch::…. two and half hours I’ll be up to my ears in work. ::Setting the glasses on the table, Hannibal watched as Jaxon poured the whiskey in the glasses, the smell smooth and lush, like a good whiskey should be. He then opened the cigar case, and handed Hannibal one of the cigars. Biting off the tip, (an act sure to make Naloor shake her head), Hannibal fired up the elderly Zippo, placing the flame on the end of the cigar, the cigar end flaring brightly as Hannibal drew air through it. With the cigar now lit, the smooth, sweet smell of tobacco and aged whiskey were now wafting through the room. The two men picked up their glasses, and with a nod and a clink, Hannibal spoke:: Parker: To being reunited, once again..... ::Relaxing in the sofa while he puffed his cigar, jaxon thought about all that had happend in the last 2 years. His wife's return, the taking over of the company and his time on Vulcan were just a few things he had experienced. :: McGhee:::sipping his drink::It has been some time, yes. ::The two drank the entire contents of their glasses, then Jaxon refilled them. Drawing a puff on his cigar, Hannibal spoke:: Parker: You know, we can assist you with your freighter. We do have more than one starship these days... McGhee: Not the director? I think she and EVE have a score to settle since the last encounter…. ::A slight understatement as the last time both had stood opposite each other with armed weapons and standing orders that could not be ignored. Jaxon was extremely proud of the way EVE had handled the situation. Considering the AI was following a hardware order that was impossible to ignore she had managed achieve her goal and see it to that Chang could as well. Jaxon doubted that Chang was happy with the way she was treated.:: ::Hannibal had read the report from Chang, and the screen nearly glowed with her fury, as much as Chang could be angry. Hannibal had seen her angry, boiling seething mad, and it was not pretty:: Parker: No, not Chang. She's still here, but we have an escort ship...Miranda Class...USS Bronwyn. She's acquitted herself well in combat since we have had her... McGhee: The Bronwyn? Hmm…. I thank you for the offer, Hannibal, however the Raven should be enough. There is the element of pride amongst the merchant fleet. EVE will call for any assistance should she deem it necessary ::Hannibal knew “merchies” had a great dislike for those who wore the delta, and if they could save themselves, they would. He had fought enough of them over the years to know the last thing they would want is a Federation starship saving them:: Parker: Merchantmen are a proud bunch. Always have been from the time of sail.::Taking another sip::Are you sure you don’t need the Bronwyn? McGhee: I doubt that would be necessary as the ship is intact and the crew well trained. Quite a few different techniques and standards we use today are adopted and adapted from my experience in Starfleet. It's all a part of the changes I made since becoming the head of the clan. ::Now, that was news:: Parker: What happened? How did you take over from your father? ::The Welshman paused with the glass half to his lips. Hannibal was a member of the McGhee clan and thus could call on any clan member, vessel, or facility for assistance and expect it to be granted. At the same time he had no say in internal affairs such as running the company or internal power struggles, though Jaxon guessed the Marine would certainly prove useful in persuading others to provide him with their support. Either way there was no need to retain the news from him.:: McGhee: Well I had to, my father died 19 months ago. A shuttle accident. ::Hannibal felt a pang of sorrow. Although he had only met the man once, Hannibal liked his manner..no nonsense, and he welcomed he and Kamela into their castle:: Parker: I’m sorry to hear that. Jarred was a good man. Do they know what caused it? McGhee: I’m not so sure. He had those within the clan that didn’t see eye to eye with::break::well nothing was proved so far. I’m trying to look forward. ::Hannibal caught the inflection, the desire to leave the conversation where it was. If someone in the McGhee clan did indeed kill Jaxon’s father, it was indeed his call to either let sleeping dogs lie, or find out the truth. Hannibal wanted the truth, and after another swig, spoke:: Parker: I understand...but if you want his death investigated, I’m quite sure I can find the appropriate resources to get to the truth... ::Finding out the truth might be more traumatic than letting things be, and perhaps even place Jaxon and Joel in jeopardy. It was Jaxon’s call, but Hannibal had a feeling he already knew the answer:: McGhee: I have my suspicions Hannibal, however family politics are complex hurriedly pointing a finger can quickly lead to screams of slander and erode my position. Things are different when running a company and not a department ::The Welsh hybrid fell into momentary silence before continuing in thought:: McGhee:::musing and mulling::Maybe someday someone else will have a shuttle accident. ::Hannibal raised an eyebrow:: Parker: Jaxon...if you are planning such a thing I best not know more... :: Hannibal was a trained killer, and a Starfleet Marine. Jaxon was neither. Hannibal could make it happen and not leave a trace, but even if Jaxon asked him to do it, de would decline...Hannibal was many things, but murderer was not one of them:: ::Jaxon turned to Hannibal and took in the look on the Marines face and felt his own brow furrow. Then again they hadn’t spoken in nearly 2 years and he wasn’t to know that Rianne had help him break down some of the antisocial habits he had nurtured. McGhee: Hmm?::turning and smirking::Only a bad joke Hannibal, don’t worry my vest is still clean.::recalling S’Caan::Or at least acceptably grubby.::more to himself::No further incidents ::Hannibal remembered S’Caan, McGhee’s evil alter ego. The two never tangled, but there was no doubt when he looked in his eyes that he was a stone cold killer...but to kill him also meant he would kill Jaxon. Hannibal hoped it would never come to that:: Parker: How are you doing at keeping him at bay? ::Hannibal remembered S’Caans’ handiwork during the 2389 invasion. He was as brutal, lethal, and merciless as Hannibal himself, perhaps more so:: ::The question came as no surprise as they had both talked at length about his alter ego especially as the Marine was one of the few who knew of his existence. Someday Jaxon wanted to ask Hannibal of his thoughts and sentiments upon seeing the quiet and serene Vulca-Human Chief suddenly cutting through his opponents just as easily as the seasoned veteran Marine himself.:: McGhee:::pulling on his cigar, nodding in confirmation:: He is still in there someone and S’Kendel is assisting me in holding at bay. Parker::Nodding::I’m glad you have him under control...how does he feel, being trapped inside your head? McGhee: Angry. I expect he feels….::explaining::The first mindmeld while I was a teen didn’t bring S’Caan and the negative to the surface, but pushed him so far into my mind that he almost became subconscious. It is the reason S’Kendel didn’t sense him over the years. Parker: A mind meld? McGhee: Sort of. More a surface mindmeld.::slowly::A full mindmeld...um even between family is …. very intimate Hannibal.::shifting uneasily on the sofa:: ::Jaxon got up and refilled their glasses, the amber liquid glugging out of the bottle. While the alcohol was loosening his tongue, it was still a difficult subject. How should he explain this to the massive outgoing marine?:: McGhee:::pouring drinks::I’ll try and explain::handing Parker his glass::As our women are not here Hannibal we could speak freely of our past escapades without shame and maybe even with a little pride? ::It was true they had an empty house, and Hannibal was no shrinking violet when it came to women. It was bad form on the verge of suicide to speak of past conquests in the presence of his wife. Smiling, Hannibal spoke:: Parker: No shame here. Only fond memories. So...tell me...did you... McGhee:::laughing, picking up his cigar::No nothing like that. But as two grown men we would be able laugh and maybe boast about our different encounters. But do you think the 15 year old Hannibal and Jaxon would both be just as easy on the subject back then? ::At fifteen, Hannibal was no longer a virgin, but talk of such things would have been difficult for him them. HIs father didn’t even know of his son’s prowess until he made sixteen, and that was when a neighbor heard him and his paramour in the barn:: Parker: No...Hannibal then was not the Hannibal you see now... McGhee: It’s the same with a mindmeld, everything is shared and two become one. S’Kendel was trying to protect me and as I was emotionally unstable he only delved into the upper layers of my mind and shared his. Unfortunately he didn’t expect me to learn how to shield my mind and while he thought he was uncovering things and helping me I was unwittingly hiding things that I thought was private and he accepted it. Add five or six years without his guidance and S’Caan had taken root. Parker: And there he stayed, until you were no longer able to contain him… McGhee: Exactly. TAG JP Simmed by Major Hannibal Tiberious Parker Marine CO USS Thunder-A/ Duronis II Embassy C238703HP0 And Civilian Jaxon McGhee Head of the McGhee Freighter Consortium Writer ID: E238801JM0
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