Sheriff Daylon's Story

Sheriff Daylon stepped out onto the tarmac of the FOB Darkhammer, his eyes quickly meeting the cold gaze of Major General Had-Medeen as he administrated the preparations of the FBP Cricket heavy VTOL. The hot engines of the Coalition airjet caused a blustering wind to flow out from the vehicle platform as the FBP officers filed onto the vehicle. The Major General's voice was hardly intelligible until Daylon reached within a minute broadcast area of the marine commander's intracom system; he pointed a team of Federal Police onto the Cricket as a pair of Aviation Cavalry specialist performed a final systems check and inspected the physical structure of the aircraft to clear it for flight.
"You wanted me, Major General?" Daylon remarked, approaching the marine in full assault-gear, the modified body armor a staple of the FBP forces operating in populated, urban areas. Had-Medeen inspected the Coalition officer before handing him a datapad complete with an active stylus.

"Chatter is all up about an Aschen in the TIB, fire on the highway. The Terrans are pointing guns at themselves, Sheriff -- didn't I tell you to make sure to keep these fuckers from slaughtering themselves?" Had-Medeen said with a notable fury in his voice, indicating to the Cricket with a wave and bark as the last of Daylon's team assembled.
"Get your asses on the Cricket, get to that AO and handle this situation. Don't fuck this up, Sheriff." He commanded, before briskly walking away from the Hykan.
" ... You heard him, load up. We're dusting off in five."

Sheriff Daylon is drivin' in his carz.

Sheriff Daylon spun the wheel of the Hekker Rodeo, a Scatterran utility vehicle that was a staple of the Federal Bureau motor pool as he rolled on through a guarded checkpoint. Tucking his ID pass away into his jacket pocket, the Sheriff watched the parking garage open up front of him as he drove on through and parked his car in an appropriate space. The Scatterran manufacturer was known for large, unwieldy vehicles, but it was also a rugged and efficient model. Turning off the car, he yanked the single key out of the starting-block and popped the door open; he planted his feet on the tough asphalt of the parking garage and quickly flipped a phone out of his pocket, highlighting a number of the front-desk of the NPA building he had made an appointment at a few hours ago.
"Six six ... six seven ... six -- there," He said, scrolling through his contacts before tapping at a call icon and holding the device to his ear.

"Hello, this is Sheriff Daylon, Federal Bureau of Police. I called earlier about the Drulovic investigation for an appointment; I was just calling to confirm that I have an appointment at ... what is it ... Six o'clock?" He said, tucking his shoulder up to keep the phone close by while retrieving his ID pass for a guard waiting at the elevators.

Sheriff Daylon took his ID back from the guard and stepped into the elevator, hanging up his phone with a prompt thank you and waited until the doors opened with a ding. He stepped out onto the main atrium that connected Main Street the building, totting a laptop with him as he entered through the doors and then approached the reception desk. He nodded his head once as the receptionist waved him over to a desk; he politely set the laptop on the counter for it to be checked, and produced his government issue military card. The emblem of the FBP, a vertical sword atop a golden shield, was imposed against his name.

"There you go ... and General Had-Medeen is my commanding officer." He replied, looking around the foyer of the magnificently built structure. There were only a few particulars separating this government building from the likes of Federal compounds that were spread throughout the Coalition.
"And uhh, I have several other things I'll need to provide to security." He said, opening up the main screen of the laptop. He produced a recording device that was contained in a computerized phone, and also a holster containing his service pistol.

Sheriff Daylon returned his military badge to his breast pocket and adjusted the tongue of the jacket. He was left speechless almost at the foundation of the structure; architectural beauty was a greatly desired throughout the Coalition society, the drab buildings that were common throughout areas like the Colonial Sphere and Outer Empire was often viewed as a blemish by the 'higher' classes of the Coalition.
"Yessir, please." He responded, giving his hand a slight wave for the security officer to pass the recorder through the inspection machine.

"And thank you," He said, watching his service pistol filed away and sticking his hands beside the empty rigs of his belt where the holster would be placed. He licked his lips thirstily, before putting his palms out onto the counter and inclining his head down the hallway.
"Also, you wouldn't happen to have a few vending machines somewhere, would you? I could use a bottle of water."

Sheriff Daylon pursed his lips at the advice; he was no stranger to being on the bad end of the quick-snacks game. Looks like the motivation for a quick-buck was universal to all peoples; he nodded his head gratefully and returned the electronic recorder to his pocket, he admired the photographs of TNG officials placed throughout the hallway, taking his time to perceive every one located on the walls.
"Yes, actually -- uhh, I'm here for a questioning on the Drulovic Investigation. I don't particularly know who I'm supposed to speak to beforehand, where would I be for that?" He said, glancing down the hallway and making a note of the room where he could find himself a glass of water.

Sheriff Daylon nodded and tipped his head in thanks, adjusting the arm of his coat and quickly setting himself off to the water bubbler; he made a quick stop and grabbed a bottle of water, standing outside the door and taking a few deep gulps.
"Oh man ... Alright." He finished, drawing a hand up to his mouth and wiping away any droplets that might have formed from his rather uncouth thirst.

"Conference, conference," He said, holding the water bottle with one hand before he began scaling the steps up to the second story. Reaching the landing, he quickly consulted a map of the building; finding his target, he walked a path through the second story before finding a placard with the name of conference room above the door.
"Here we go." He said, tucking the computer under one arm before knocking on the door.

Sheriff Daylon shook his head at the mention of his name, he took the Terran's hand in his own and gave the man a firm shake, releasing after a few seconds before following the man into the room and admiring the quaint furnishings of the room; he was quick to place the computer tablet on the table, angling the holographic projector towards the smart-board before he eyed the picture of Drulovic.
"Yes, I've been dispatched by the General to coordinate this investigation ... " He said, flipping up the screen of the computer tablet and tapping in a few keys to start the device's interface.

"And I set up an appointment to interview Director Drulovic earlier last night, the General ordered the whole of my operating unit to prepare for this case. Before I speak to the Director though, I have some inquiries of my own, Mister Shapiro ... The evidence I've discovered in my own investigation doesn't particularly point to one person or the other. Who was it that exactly arrested Drulovic, again? Mary -- Marlene -- Agent Angel?"

Sheriff Daylon watched Jake remove the large picture before he activated the projection attachment, mounted on the side of the computer. He tapped away at several more keys, before the desktop was imposed on the smartboard. He adjusted the picture with a slight movement before placing the main folder that contained all the refined information on the screen.
"I see, thank you Mister Shapiro -- my analysis was thoroughly administrated by the General and his own team of specialists as well, and I don't mean to speak for every Coalition soldier on this planet, but the evidence we've been provided didn't lead us anywhere in particular."

He indicated to an image of the white SUV's that were seen on the night of Shaw's disappearance, another photograph of the several black sedans fading by.
"I've only read excerpts of Marlene's report, there was a serious breakdown in protocol from what I have observed, Mister Shapiro." He remarked dryly.
"I am partly curious as to how she was able to gain a warrant with her ... motives."

Sheriff Daylon slid the CD towards him and inspected the piece of electronic, turning his vision back to the smartboard and bringing the image to sit on the empty desktop once again. He remembered a brief overview of the video, having been woken in the dead of night to observe the incoming feed as a team of specialists quickly began breaking down the video piece by piece; they first streamed it through an anomaly detector, which would have scrutinized every pixel of the images for the exact color attributes and density.
"The video is still being analyzed by the General and his men, but so far no one has discovered anything that points to it being fake -- from what I understand, that video is from LDA archives?" He inquired, a few photographs of LDA personnel appearing on the screen as Daylon stepped away and patted his hands against one another.

"LDA ... not the biggest fans of those guys, personally don't like the way they look, but ... " He said with a shrug of his shoulders and a tilt of his chin.
"If anything, I think I'd like to speak with Director Drulovic now. At the front desk someone said she would be in the holding cells down below. All my investigation data is on that mobile right there, I'll leave it here until I leave."

Sheriff Daylon folded his hands in front of him as he listened intently to Shapiro's instructions; he wasn't expecting to produce much from this, the time he had first spoken to Drulovic she was certainly able to steer a conversation any which way she would choose. Then again, the Sheriff himself thought this entire fiasco was a mockery.
"Thank you, Mister Shapiro -- all the information on the mobile can be accessed with the passcode Six Six One." He replied, before removing his coat and draping it over the back of a chair and then striding for the door of the conference room.

"I'll make use of the interrogation room, and I appreciate the lack of babying, sir." He said, pulling open the door and offering the man one last nod at the mention of his cooperation.
"I'll also provide any information I come across directly to the TNG." Daylon affirmed before closing the door behind him, descending the two flights of stairs to the basement levels and approaching a guard positioned at a door beneath the hard light of an overhead lamp.
"I'm here to question Arianne Drulovic, mind directing me to an interrogation room?"

Sheriff Daylon bowed his head as he was directed to the far interrogations at the end of the hallway, he brought his arms close in to himself as the security made the inquiry to fetch the Director. He nodded again before starting the walk to the interrogation rooms and opening the doorway up to the one on the left side of the hall. He left the door open behind him and flipped on a light, setting up the recorder on the table before sliding into his seat across the table from the open hallway.
"Whenever she's ready, officer." He called out from the end of the hallway, stretching himself out slightly before laying his hands into his lap.

Sheriff Daylon leaned himself into the back of the chair as Arianne was brought to the doorway. Sheriff Daylon reached a hand out to the small piece of equipment on the table in front of him, and picked at a pair of buttons on its side.
"Director, please take a seat. I'm sure you're aware of why I'm here. Thank you, officer, I'll let you know if we need anything else." He thanked, looking down at a watch on his wrist before laying his hands in front of him on the table.

"I'm here to interview you about the events that have transpired in these past few weeks," He remarked, looking to the small recorder and noting the faint red light beeping away before he continued.
"Just to clarify. You were arrested by Agent Marlene Angel, an Aschen expatriate who is now enrolled within the NPA, on grounds of treason for the disappearance of Kendra Shaw. Is this correct?"

Sheriff Daylon pressed his teeth against one another as the woman took her seat across the table; he was hardly proud to be the one doing this, but was more concerned with simply returning to the General that this investigation was just what he assumed it was, useless.
"I apologize, Director, I've had quite a busy day. Still stuck in work mode ... " He replied to the woman, lifting his hands up onto his chest.

"So, Agent Angel provided evidence from an Aschen Reverence and this had lead to your custody." He said, catching her statement of the cold before he nodded to the woman and looked around the room for a thermostat.
"You are right, Director, it is quite cold."

Sheriff Daylon pursed his lips as she produced a tangent on the subject of the temperature; the Sheriff could produce several explanations for keeping a certain building at a certain temperature, in the Coalition, namely the FBP and PDF, buildings where prisoners or convicts were kept at temperatures undesirable or uncomfortable for the sake of keeping them in line.
"Saves cost, keeps certain individuals in close accordance, some people think cold can make people cooperative. Get them to better explain themselves in the hopes that, mayhaps, they will be removed from the area."

His words became sharpened before he reached out to the recording device and checked a small digital screen on the side of the object. He still had plenty of space to record, having not even filled up a quarter of the memory.
"In situations like these, however, it's important to investigate all avenues of approach. I do not believe that the processes Agent Angel followed are legitimate, Director Drulovic, which has brought me to interview you today. People have accused you of treason against by repatriating Kendra Shaw, who is now within the Taiyou Empire. What are your possible explanations of that?"

Sheriff Daylon nodded with the woman at her explanation, his eyes were fixed to a point directly in front of him as she spoke. He would occasionally look up to her, before resigning himself back to silence and crossing his arms over his chest.
"I'm sure that much of the accusations falling around you have little weight -- this Marlane Angel, an Aschen national -- her file is wrought with violation of protocol, unprofessional and incompetent, if you ask me." He said, shrugging his shoulders at the mention of the arresting officer.

"And I don't care for the Taiyou or Aschen either ... 'less than human'? Funny, I remember watching reports of Aschen massacre and Taiyou death camps during the Occupation. I believe the Tripartite was founded on the statement 'the victor writes history'." He replied calmly, adjusting himself and leaning his head to the side.
"So, you do not accept responsibility for the disappearance of Kendra Shaw, then?"

Sheriff Daylon pulled his lips in slightly at the mention of the courts; it was a constant battle to keep faith in a system where mistakes could appear to be the right choice. He had been coming to terms with his own shortcomings and confidence in the system he so desperately subscribed to. His pain only shown for a second, however, and he was eager to snatch the recorder from the table before giving a quick flick and shutting the device off.
"I don't doubt that at all, Director. You've served your country to the best of your abilities and now the same people you took an oath to protect believe you're involved in the conspiracy of this decade. Some people in the Coalition applaud the fact the Terrans have shown forgiveness for what happened in Operation Inferno ... "

He tucked the recorder into his pocket, clasping his hands to one another tightly while he made a grimace at the mention of the Aschen genocide.
"I would rather those responsible succumb to a violent disease rather than be forgiven, but it goes to show something that people are willing to subscribe to humanity in the face of these adversities." He replied, before laying one hand out on the table.
"I wouldn't want to take any more of your time, as I'm sure that these next few days will be very busy for you. Unless there is anything else you would like to say, I think I'm done with my inquiries."

Sheriff Daylon lowered his hand into his pocket as he stood up from his seat, his features hardening only after he bowed his head lightly to Director Drulovic before he studied the Aschen's hostility. A faint smirk crossed his face before a single hand slid the TNG authority badge onto the table.
"I am unaware of how you do business in the NPA, Agent, but under my authority I expect the utmost respect from subordinates such as you." He remarked, before drawing the badge back into his pocket and stepping around the table before heading for the door.

"'Sheriff Daylon' is the correct you will respond to me unless you ever catch me without this badge." He said, pointing up to the FBP insignia hanging from his breast pocket before adjusting his shirt and tie.
" ... and I doubt we will ever meet out of uniform. Agent Angel, you have my authority to interrogate your suspect. I'll leave the two of you to your discussion." He said, flipping a finger against his noise before stepping out of the room and closing the door behind him with a rude slam.

Sheriff Daylon clicked his tongue a moment before closing his lips; putting the fork on the counter, he clutched at the cellular phone and kept it near his ear while inspecting the plate of falafel he had ordered out of curiosity. Furrowing his brow a bit, he rolled his eyes and peeked up at a clock on the wall, then to the television set just beside it. He hadn't been following much lately, but had finally found a break in time that allowed for just the briefest 'night on the town'. While he wasn't rocking out at a stripclub or watching a boxing match somewhere, Raymond couldn't help but feel the slightest feeling of happiness in him. That was, of course, before he was taken back to his conversation on the phone.
"No, listen, a guy who's spent eight years writing parking tickets and hauling away abusive husbands in a domestic disturbance isn't a guy you want to put on an FACT team." He said, drawing the fork to his mouth again and taking another bite.

"What you need to look for, is guys with prefious survif. Maybe Apparatus, MIC, Cavalry, Navy NEO ... I'm sick and tired of seeing a bunch of guys coming through Darkhammer that're from the ITDM, I don't want these guys 'keeping the peace'." He remarked bitterly, his fork clacking on the counter a bit before Raymond took a deep swig of an ale.
"Hmmfh? What am I eating? Oh ... it's this stuff called falafel." His rejoinder came with a bit of a chuckle, before he quizzically tilted his head and looked at his plate.
"No -- falafel, with an l -- no -- no dammit, there's an l in it."

Sheriff Daylon poked at a chunk of food with his fork, nodding his head with the speaker on the other end before wiping at his chin with a napkin. Grumbling a moment, he gulped down another piece of the falafel while looking down at the countertop with an unfocused, yet obviously contemptuous, shrug of his shoulders. Folding his fork atop the napkin neatly, he slid his arm onto the counter slightly and raised a hand to the holographic menu.
"You sound like you're on a god damn star lift -- oh, you are. Well ... " He mumbled, tapping a finger on the counter. It had been months since he had even thought of the Colonial Sphere, let alone his home, Zophar.
"I still don't see what the point was of the Bureau suppression, you know it took eight hours before anyone called me about that that safehouse that got tossed? Twenty three dead, all Scatterran, all with a former Apparatus or government file. You know Darkhammer's MilNet went down for an hour?" He replied, leaning onto his arm a bit and looking up at the television set.
"Yes, General Counselor Had-Medeen's FOB went dark for an hour straight. More suspicious thing? Sovrak Tech Con were operating near the old star elevator in the same day. If I had a nickel for all the times shit has gone straight over my head ... " He remarked, rubbing at the bridge of his nose slightly.

"I wouldn't be stuck in the fucking Bureau, yeah." Ray said with the flick of a finger, pushing his plate away and laying his fork out beside it.
"But otherwise, yeah, you were right about Terra. It's not Daimyens, not enough prostitutes and drug dealers, but it's homey. Planet would be beautiful if it wasn't half covered in fuckin' glass -- Had-Medeen sent me on a flight to 'South America' and I was picking glass filaments out of my hair for weeks."