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[sub][color=#B9BABC]Air Transport[/color]  [color=#6A5B7E]Saturday June 6 [/color] [color=f2f411]Cameron Thael Conrad[/color][/sub]
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The flight to Mt. Kinabalu was perfectly uneventful. Thael tried to talk to Jack for a minute before realizing that the other Guardian was actually asleep beneath his helmet. Subira burst out laughing when she noticed, and Thael strapped his own helmet on to conceal his embarassment. With Subira still chortling, and Roxelena and Selene stoically silent, Thael decided to join Jack in a quick nap.

Half forgotten memories twisted and played in his mind as he drifted off, merging fantasy and reality until he could no longer be sure which was which. He was walking down dark and empty streets, quiet and alone in a part of New Atrias that should be teeming with life. He was graduating from Oakridge again, except he’d forgotten to wear pants. He was standing over a marble altar, his three brothers lying side by side, too still for life, while Olivia wept blood at their feet.

Suddenly, a dazzling light shone, burning away the barrage of confusion. Thael dreamed of an old oak tree on a sunny hill, and nothing more. The descent of the aircraft woke him some time later, and he felt refreshed and well rested.


[sub][color=#B9BABC]Sidio Village[/color]  [color=#6A5B7E]Saturday June 6 [/color] [color=f2f411]Cameron Thael Conrad[/color][/sub]
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Thael was not overly fond of Roxelana. He’d tried to get close to a few times over the years, just to be friendly, but found himself consistently pushed away, and eventually he’d given up. If she wanted to be alone so badly, let her. As a result, he was far from thrilled when Subira suggested the two of them go to the town hall to check things out. Also, who had placed Subira in charge? They’d both completed their Advanced Command courses with top marks, but Thael had been expecting to receive a dispatch outlining a clear command structure. Thael wasn’t about to contradict her in front of everyone; that would be disastrous for the squad’s discipline, but he and Subira were going to have to have a chat about that.

While he’d been preoccupied with that dilemma, Roxelana had said something he didn’t quite catch. When Thael looked up, she’d gone ahead and pushed her way into the mayor’s office. Thael groaned quietly. He had exactly zero confidence in the girl’s ability to be delicate. Mayors liked to be the kings of their little castles, and this one was probably not an exception. He would not take kindly to an arrogant Guardian stomping into his office. Too late now though; they’d have to smooth things over with the mayor later.

In the meantime, Thael decided he might as well talk to the groundskeeper. He approached the bronze skinned man at a steady pace and gave a wave, removing his helmet as he did so. “Good morning!” he called out.
“Morning,” the groundskeeper replied. He eyed Thael’s armour nervously. “I’m not keen on volunteering for service.”
“What? Oh, I’m with the military, but we’re not here for recruits. I just have some questions.”
The groundskeeper seemed reassured. “Well, I have work to do, but give me a hand and we can talk while we work. I’m Ted,” he offered a hand.
“Thael,” the blonde Guardian replied, shaking the proffered hand firmly.

As it turned out, Ted needed some fence posts put in, and without access to a modern post driver, it was a two man job. Ted steadied the posts while Thael pounded them into the ground with a sledgehammer. With a single swing, Thael buried the first post deep into the ground, practically knocking Ted off his feet. The groundskeeper gave Thael a startled look.
“Does that mean you’re one of them Guardians?” he asked
“Yep,” Thael replied simply.
“Well, you’re a useful guy to have around Thael. Now, I guess I owe you some answers.”
“Thanks. It’s about those rumours of an Eidolon, have you heard anything?”
Ted scoffed as they moved to the next fence post. “There’s no Eidolon here. It’s Nexus, I’d bet anything on it. They show up, open a ‘mine’, suddenly people start getting burned, disappearing, it’s horseshit. Nexus took those poor souls for their experiments, and now they’re doing spirits only know what to them up there.”
“That’s quite an accusation,” Thael said carefully. “Have you tried going to the police?”
“Course not. The police answer to the mayor, and the mayor’s in Nexus’ pocket. I’m just trying to keep my head down and not get ‘disappeared’ myself.”

Thael asked a few more questions as they worked, but didn’t turn up anything else useful. Soon enough the fence posts were all securely in place. Thael said goodbye and headed back towards the centre of town to meet up with everyone else. Ted’s theory was...somewhat viable; Nexus was not the most ethical corporation, but Thael got the impression he’d been talking to something of a conspiracy nut. A pinging sound from his helmet prompted Thael to put it on again and review incoming data from Jack; the paths up the mountain would be extremely treacherous it seemed. Good to know. Once they’d met up and shared intel, the mountain would likely be the next place the Guardians investigated.




[hider=Summary]

Thael experiences some nightmares that are eventually soothed over by his spirits. He chaffs slightly at Subira's assumption of leadership, and at being paired with the less than amiable Roxalana. He is less than impressed with Roxie's approach brazen entry into the town hall. Thael talks to the groundskeeper, Ted, who seems convinced that Nexus Industries is responsible for the strange happenings around town. Ted seems like a bit of a nutjob, so Thael heads back to the rendezvous point

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