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Nagato     It's a decent afternoon today, the skies nice and calm as Akitsumaru leaves port with a few people in tow on a Daihatsu, a simple landing craft. The ocean is unnaturally calm today as the transport craft heads towards the island of Madagascar. In said landing craft is Eryl, Kotone and Musashi with Evangeline in the air. "Sirs, we should be approaching the island soon. I already have permission to land and have secured an audience with the command people there as well, sirs. We should be able to get in soon."

    It doesn't take too much longer as the party arrives on the island, the forest around is quite nice and the city there is equally as impressive, though the docks has people in suits, it's obvious who they are there for.
Evangeline      Evangeline has two duties today. First is flying escort for the diplomatic party on the way to the meeting place. Once there, she is both body guard and diplomat. As they make landfall she floats down to join the others. Her appearance might draw some attention, a fact she is aware of. She keeps her head down just a bit to let the shadow of her hair fall over her face, obscuring that she has no facial features at all.

     She bows at the waist to the men in suits, holding her hands...or really her sleeves...together politely. She then straightens up and looks around at the city before back toward who she assumes are their escorts to the conference. "...hello...I am Evangeline...thank you for allowing us to visit today..." she says, her quiet and minimally inflected voice as usual coming from the red plastic watch around her right sleeve.
Eryl Fairfax     Eryl sits on the boat, following all maritime safety procedures. And by that, I mean that he's wearing an obnoxious orange life jacket over his suit. He's here personally on this one, as other Paladin diplomats are stretched a little, and he had time on his schedule.

    "Thank you Akitsumaru," he calls out once they dock. He strides from the Daihatsu to gree the people in suits on the dock. His own is probably soaked with sea spray right now, but he carries himself with the dignity of a man in a freshly-pressed one.

    "A pleasure to meet you. I am Eryl Fairfax, Grandmaster of the Paladins. Thank you for meeting us here," he says with a pleasant smile.
Kotone Yamakawa Kotone Yamakawa is dressedf for a formal meeting moreor less not in her armor today but more the strange high tech clothing she's come to like and also use when she does her techinal work. She's all cleaned up and her hair's not even as messy as sometimes it is. It's clear she's here for busines and she's also wearing a pair shades for the moment which block her eyes, it may be for the best given the biggest tell of what she is? Is indeed her eyes are such a give away so here she'll fall in with the others after a moment. She'll bow slightly.

"Chevaliers, Kotone Yamakawa. I'm also with the Paladins and it's good to meet you."
Xiaomu Xiaomu doesn't have the closest ties with the Fleet - that's more Reiji's thing as a rule - but she drew the short straw for this little meeting, never mind that her Diplomacy skill is directly related to how recently she's played Civilization.

So, leave most of the talking to Musashi, maybe Eryl, and those others who feel qualified, right?

"Xiaomu, also with the Paladins by way of Shinra, pleased to make your acquaintance," the sage fox says politely to the welcoming committee, holding her staff next to her as she bows to them. "May this be a productive visit for all of us, and may any threat that would menace your shores think better of it without ever surfacing to endanger you or yours."
Nagato     Once everyone's disembarked, the Daihatsu (and other saftey equipment with it) dissolves in thin air when Akitsumaru takes land after the rest. The men look curious at the sight before turning to the landing party. A multi-tailed hair woman, a strange alien, a cyborg, a pale woman, a bronzed woman and the Grandmaster. There's a bit of muttering to themselves about the present group before one steps forward, a bit fancier dressed than the rest.

    "Greetings, Grandmaster Fairfax, and accompinament." his voice is deep and he's a bit rotund but never the less, he carries himself with a respect-needed air. "A woman by the name of Ooyodo set up a meeting between the Hikari Fleet, Paladins and ourselves, I assume you're the diplomats she sent? My name is Coppell, Frank Coppell, head of the security divisions around Madagascar and the islands around. Come, let's head to a more secure location, shall we?"

    The group is soon brought to, by way of limo escort, to a fancy goverment building and then a board room. "Come, have a sit, how can the island of Madagascar help you all?"
Eryl Fairfax     Eryl is very good at making light conversation during the limo ride, but he also takes the time to look out the window on occasion to take in the skyline of the city. He's been all over, especially since becoming Grandmaster of the Paladins, but he never forgets to appreciate the little parts of each civilisation.

    When they arrive, he does take a seat. But he also doesn't reply immediately. He instead looks to the other Paladins with a hint of expectation in his eyes, before offering a file for anyone to collect. It contains details on what the Paladins have observed, and what they need to ask.

    It seems that the Kanmasu counterfeiters may have a base on the shores of Madagascar, and the Paladins are seeking permission to launch a raid on it, essentially.
Evangeline      Evangeline very rarely rides in cars. But, as a diplomat she knows what is expected and so takes a seat in the limo. Her long, fixed-joint legs might get in the way a bit, so she boards last. She takes the file from Eryl when it is offered and then 'sits', though anyone watching might notice that she doesn't actually rest on the seat. She remains just barely above it even in her seated posture.

     She has applied to the Paladins but has not yet been accepted, so she isn't sure if she should speak before the others. But, since she knows the situation about as well as anyone she looks toward the husky gentleman. "...we tracked a person of interest to this island from a secret base...it is possible this person is committing what might be considered warcrimes...as well as seeking to subvert the good name of the Hikari Defense Force...as such, we are here to discuss options for apprehending this person..." she says, her voice the gentle, demure tone of a shy little girl despite how purposefully she speaks.
Kotone Yamakawa Kotone Yamakawa Falls in line with everyone els and does remove her shades now pocketing them though there woudl be something a bit off about her eyes, faintly camera like if one paid attention. IT doesn't take long before she moves into sit down after checking tomake sure the chair was sturdy enough to handle her.

"As you can see in the files a group wich sizable backing is kidnapping people to use them in human weapnization experiments, I am afraid and we have be tasked to rescue those we can and shut the entire operation down. It's flat out human trafficing and could bring problems to your nation from their actions preying upon shipping in the region."
Xiaomu Xiaomu is actually pretty respectful during the limo ride, keeping her rubbernecking and touristy gawking to a comparative minion. Sure, the vista outside is clearly meant to be enjoyed, but this *is* something mostly resembling a business trip; she can tourist it up on the way back, presumably. And once they get where they're going ...

"Ah, thanks," Xiaomu says quietly to Eryl, skimming through the file's contents. ... oh, right, THAT's why 'here'. She looks at Chief Coppell, closing the file and placing it on the table in front of her for the time being. "I'm sure you've heard about the raids elsewhere in this world, by what were initially believed to be evil fleet-daughters," she says in a courteous tone. "This is a matter of great concern to the Hikari Fleet," she inclines her head towards Musashi in particular, "and their assorted friends and allies. I should hope it would be a matter of concern to you as well, particularly if the perpetrators have been breaching the security you oversee in order to do any of it."
Nagato     Coppell listens to everyone in turn and looks at the file... he takes it once Xiaomu's done with it and flips through it, nodding here and there, "Mmhmm... mmhmm... I see." he looks up, curiously towards them all. "And you're to say, along with this Ooyodo, that the supposed enemy is right on an island nearby?" he questions back in turn, "Kidnapping people for weaponization, subverting a fleet of shipgirls and the like?" his foot taps the ground some, looking around...

    He tosses the file gently on the table, then looks to Musashi, then back at Evangeline, "Tracked them here..." he pulls up a map, there's a single island near Madagascar to the southeast. "This island's been abandoned for decades, used for a war that never happened. It's been under surveiliance since then, after all, we use it as a dumping ground for aircraft."

    He pauses a moment, recalling Kotone's comments. "We haven't been attacked in hundreds of years, though if this concerns your fleet this much to send a bunch of people to try and play diplomat..." a side look to Eryl, "I'm not too entirely convinced that the enemy is there and that you want to set up your own base there."
Xiaomu Xiaomu's first inclination was, in fact, to play it straight and open like Evangeline and Kotone set out ... but there was *something*, some hunch or instinct, that made her hold back. It could be as simple as centuries of experience dealing with various breeds of deceivers, human and youkai alike. Either way, she refrained from simply assuming that they'd be cooperating ...

And Frank Coppell rejects their initial overture, accusing them of wanting to build a base of their own.

It actually makes a certain amount of sense: running counterfeit shipgirls as raiders is the kind of thing that Coppell would PROBABLY have been able to sniff out well before now, and if he's playing dumb, there's a reason for it. Xiaomu just sits back in her seat for the moment, looking levelly at Mr. Coppell. "Well. Hundreds of years *is* an impressive track record; I would have thought you'd see at least one expeditionary force every few decades or something. To avoid hostile outside attention for even a hundred years ... I'm honestly tempted to ask what Madagascar's secret is, Mr. Coppell. Or do you have a title you'd prefer we use?" she asks, putting on her most charming smile, tilting her head coquettishly for just a moment.

"Either way," she asks after giving him time to answer the title question, "I'm quite curious what sort of surveillance you've got on that island. Our interest here only extends so far as uprooting a potential threat to your shipping, your trading partners, and your neighbors ... who are of course *our* neighbors, at a greater distance perhaps, but neighbors nonetheless. And I'm sure we could do a lot for you as good neighbors on friendly terms, as well ..."

Did her hairtails just shift behind her? Sort of like a fox tail might swish?
Evangeline      Evangeline just kind of stares at Coppell after the half accusation. She listens to Xiaomu while still staring at Coppell, then tilts her head slightly once Xiaomu is done. "...even if that were our goal...having a Hikari Defense base near the island should be considered an asset...not a threat...we are not trying to take over any countries or cities...we only wish to defend the seas from dangers like these imposters..." she says, then looks directly at Coppell, letting him see clearly that she has no features. "...we wish to be good neighbors...and whoever these people are...if they are indeed on that island...are not the kind of neighbors you want around..."

     She pauses there, then looks at Xiaomu before back at Coppell. "...and if they are...then I am sure the people would be interested to learn who your 'friends' are..." she adds, her soft tone gaining a bit of a cold edge.
Kotone Yamakawa Kotone thinks for a moment listen she nods she'll let Xiaomu take center stage here. She'll start to search on the net using her implans and nods to the man for a moment. "Fair enough sir."

She's quiue down to search for what she can leving Xiaomu to take center stage she's busy digging up for nay sort of development tht might be connected to the tech behind the false ship girls, or trouble they might hav ehad she certainly going to check out for shipping issues that much is clear. She'll also do checks on the people they are directly dealing with however, she's going to try to not dig so deep as to set off alarms so to speak but she'll go as depe as she legally can without doing so.
Eryl Fairfax     Eryl nods as the other Paladins put the issue before Mister Coppell. He seems pleased with how they handled it. He listens as the man follows what they're saying... and takes a wildly different side rout to arrive at Wrong Conclusion Cove. It is, tragically, a common place to visit whenever Eryl has to deal with other governments. He does make sure to remember that this island is under surveillance though. It could mean... many things.

    He remains silent though, looking to Xiaomu, Evangeline and Kotone. Should worse come to worse and the negotiation breaks down, he'll be there. But he's curious to see how they'll handle this.
Nagato     Coppell leans back in his chair some, looking at Xiaomu, "Trade secrets, miss. As for title, Chief works. Security Chief here, so if there's an issue with that, Mister always works." his eyes go to those hairtails and he squints a bit... did they move? On their own? He shakes his head slightly, looking towards Xiaomu some. "I understand you're neighbors, long distance ones of course, but still neighbors. We haven't had any expedition forces come around, just trading ships and the like. As I said, there was a war that never happened... As for the surveillance on that island..." he points to the pack, "Radars. That's all I can say without compromising our security, and no, we're not going to let you access them, we don't need to turn the island into a war base."

    A look is given to Kotone curiously, such a strange... 'acceptance' of what he said... "Hmmm..." he looks suspiciously at Kotone, "You're not good at hiding what you're doing, aren't you?" comes a brazen accusation towards Kotone, only for him to turn back to the Neuroi known as Evangeline. "As I said before, we do not need to turn the island into an active war base. It would be a detriment not only to the island, but to our funds as well to help maintain your upkeep. God knows how much money you all use keeping your operation running." he leans back a bit, "Though, your backhanded thing about knowing who friends are makes me want to distrust you even more. You come in, give me a report about 'evil ship girls' and how they're ruining the Hikari Fleet's name and you conduct unauthorized surveiliance using... who knows what means to look at that island.." he shakes his head "If this is all...?"
Xiaomu "What worries us is that somebody *else* may be turning it into a base," Xiaomu points out mildly. "And doing so, apparently, without your knowledge. If you'd like to send an observer along to ensure that we aren't up to any funny business, that's your prerogative, of course; I know that if you knocked on my door and said my worst enemy might be fortifying the next building over, can you move in and make sure they aren't plotting mayhem, *I* would be suspicious. Especially if you wanted to do it on an expansion of my lease."
Evangeline      "...we are not good at hiding what we are doing because there is nothing to hide...it is just as we have said..." Evangeline says, then listens to the rest of what Xiamu says. She seems to have more experience, so Evangeline stays quiet until Xiaomu is done. "...I apologize if we seem overly eager or evasive...but you did not see the terrible things done to the people in the last base...I am not even human and I was disgusted..." she says, then looks down again. "...this is a humanitarian mission as much as it is a military mission...the people possibly building a base on that island are a danger to everyone in this area, and even outside of this area...citizens of your very own nation may have already been taken..."
Kotone Yamakawa Kotone Yamakawa looks at the man for a moment and tilts her head a littlebit as him she thinks ove rhernext words for a momentand hs speaks now. "I would enderstand about being upset over something like this it's only natural." She doesn't rise to te biat that's laid out before her or she thinks it's bait at the very lest. She thinks of her next words of how to bring them up without ending up making it a diaster.

"Forgive kme I have had a cousin fallen victem to human trafficing and I ... can get ahead of my self sir. I didnotmean to come off as I did."
Eryl Fairfax     Well, this is starting to go poorly.

    Eryl continues to sit there though, seemingly unperturbed. Not every negotiation can go smoothly. Everyone, even in positions that are supposedly meant to help people, can have ulterior motives. It's easy to hear that, but being confronted with it is another matter entirely.

    And so, Eryl just continues to look at Frank. His implants scream across his neurons as he takes in as much as he can about the man, down to unconscious tics and the twitching of his eyes. Eryl may not be able to read minds, but he can come close by analyzing body language.
Nagato     He listens, "That would be impossible, the only people we send to that island are from our own security detail." he comments, "We would have knowledge on it, in fact..." she taps on the desk and a man leaves. "I'll have him obtain the logs for it." He gives that a small smile, "Once again, we are not allowing anyone to build a military base on that island. We have radar coverage over it and there's nothing there except old planes!" there's a heavier hit to the table from that, "Your insistance on setting up a place to roost is getting us nowhere, Xiaomu." There's a twinge of red in his cheeks... either he's lying or fustrated.

    Though it soon goes away as he listens to what Evangeline says, "You're right, I did not see any horrible things, and this doesn't have much bearing here." he's about to say something when a man, not the one who was sent out, comes in and makes a beeline towards Frank. There's an exchange of whispers, a shocked look, an eye looking towards Kotone... and then... "I'm afraid there's been an attempted access in a secure system... Someone trying to poke, even just for a moment, at a locked section."
Xiaomu "We don't *want* to set up a base there, if I hadn't been clear enough on that point yet," says Xiaomu, a little sheepishly. "We want to go out and take a look. This isn't about establishing a base, or a listening post, or anything long-term - at least not that anyone's told *me*. If these people are in fact out there, somehow slipping under your radar, we want to find them as much as you presumably do."

She bows her head for a moment. "I apologize for the misunderstanding, Chief Coppell; I suppose I thought it was sufficiently obvious that it didn't need to be said. This is, as you've indicated, your territory. We're looking for an enemy - one who could very well turn out to be a mutual enemy. Madagascar is heavily dependent on the sea around it, is it not? Any potential threat to freedom of travel and trade should be of concern to you. We're not looking to set anything up on that island," she reiterates. "We want to go, look around, and be on our way; if we believe it's necessary to monitor things over a longer period, we'll gladly coordinate through you - allow you to operate the surveillance, let us know if anything warrants attention greater than the radar coverage you already have."

She's just hoping, at the moment, that the hints of hacking haven't irreparably damaged their chances of talking Coppell into this.
Evangeline      When Evangeline hears that a secure system is being accessed, her first thought is Kotone. She knows Kotone has hacking capabilities. But, Kotone is here with them. She then looks around at the others for signs of what they might be thinking. But, these are the Paladins. If someone is accessing things covertly, it isn't them. "...is this attempt at access from somewhere within the building...?" the Neuroi asks, not sure what else she can offer at this point. The Chief seems intent on not allowing them on that island, for whatever reason. And they don't have enough leverage to force the issue without causing an incident.
Eryl Fairfax     "Mister Coppell," Eryl says, interjecting suddenly. He wants very much to avert the topic of this hacking. He'll have to have words with Kotone after this. "This might be a sudden change of subject, but... are you well?" The cyborg is suddenly leaning forward in his chair, his stare a lot more obvious and full of scrutiny. "It's just that I've noticed your chest is a little twitchy. It looks like your heart is beating more than a bit faster than it should be." This is a tiny lie, Eryl actually noted the miniscule pulsing of the veins in the man's wrist. But he hopes that by claiming something might be very wrong with Frank, he'll open up some.

    "You haven't blinked once this whole meeting either. Your eyes must be very dry..." he adds, meeting the man's gaze with a look of compassion. "I'm just a little concerned. I'd hate to keep you at your desk if you should be in bed. We can always do this another day. I'll tell you what, if you feel like listing symptoms to me, I might be able to save you a trip to the doctor. How are you feeling? Any symptoms?"
Nagato     Coppell's head rapidly twitches over towards Eryl, there's a few blinks of his eyes, and a minor shake of his head. He was going to bring something up but, that stare kinda puts him on a defensive... "Well, with all the pressure and insistance, it's got me a bit.. overworked." he coughs a bit and looks towards Kotone with a glare in his eye. "If you'll excuse me a moment..." he moves to stand up and head towards a small terminal in the room.

    There's some tapping and the like, some minor music and the sound of a dot matrix printer printing. The paper gets ripped out and he sighs, "Fine, here's a temporary operating permit, you get twenty four hours. Fill this out, send it in the day before you need to be there." He grumbles a bit and scratches his cheek. There's a tiny bit of white showing from the scratch. "I'll overlook any breaches in security for now and... try not to disturb the landscape. I assure you there's nothing there." he sits down in the chair and pushes the paper over. "Now, is there anything else you wish to extort out of me?"
Kotone Yamakawa Kotone Yamakawa did not break into anything that wasn't public access but it seems she tripped something in her looking around thankfully she's able to keep her face neteal and lets Eve, Xiaomu and Eryl take center stage here she does however look conerned at what Eryl is brining up but she knows she fucked the pooch here it seems. She watche honesly concerned as he gets up to go. She'll wait and takes a moment. She compuses herself and simply waits not but maybe she's learned something....
Evangeline      Evangeline is more than a little surprised when Coppell suddenly switches gears upon Eryl's questions about his health. Of course, the only outward sign is a slight tilting of her head in curiousity. "...thank you, Chief Coppell...you will not regret this..." she says, then bows politely. She ends up pausing a few moments upon seeing the white mark left by the scratching. But with things apparently going their way, she isn't inclined to point it out.

     Instead, the little Neuroi just floats upward out of her seat, then bows once more. "...we will find this criminal element and remove them so that your nation may continue to live in peace....hopefully another century's worth..." She then turns and starts floating toward the door, figuring Eryl or Xiaomu will claim the day pass. And silently wondering if her promise has sent a chill through the less than forthright individual.
Xiaomu It's probably Musashi who needs to take custody of the temporary operating permit, but if Xiaomu's the one who's closest and most convenient to take the paper from Coppell, she accepts, her nostrils flaring briefly as she exercises her sense of smell.

... Huh.

She doesn't depend on her nose nearly as much when in human form as she would if she spent more time as an actual fox, but it's still sensitive enough to At any rate, they're pretty much done - they have what they came for, and all that - so Xiaomu gets to her feet, bowing politely and reclaiming her staff. "Thank you very much, Chief Coppell, we'll be sure to let you know who's coming to investigate when."
Eryl Fairfax     Eryl does indeed take the permit, and folds it neatly before offering it to Musashi. As the highest ranked Fleet member here, she should be the one to deliver it to Nagato. "Thank you, Mister Coppell," he says to the man. "Go home, drink plenty of fluids, and get some rest."

    He saw the pale skin. But he doesn't want to say anything. He was so eager to wrap up after Eryl noticed his symptoms. Perhaps he has stumbled upon something? If so, he doesn't want to confirm it for the man. Confusion leads to disarray, which may benefit them on the day of the inspection.