C'est Un Chevalier! [Open]

[long2]

The sun was overcast by grey curtains of clouds, casting great shadows over the island of Micqueot. A strong breeze blew over the towns and the seas crashed against the shores with fervor. People hurried about the streets, preferring to keep out of the strong winds as much as possible as they went to and fro about their business. Vast stretches of the flat land where the vineyards were found were pushed about by the wind; the produce flailed against the gales that blew across them. Down by the docks, where the waves continued to crash, a single figure stood against the wind with focused eyes looking out. Other Marines rushed to and fro across the docks, checking with the ships that docked themselves.

Captain Jean Chevalier was making his rounds. A tall, blond man in a dark suit, he kept himself composed even as his Justice Coat blew strongly in the wind, threatening to fall off of his shoulders. His green eyes scanned the docks, watching as merchants and tourists stepped out from their vessels whilst Marines looked out for any sign of criminal activity or danger. He preferred to stay by the docks because he always felt that it was in his best interest to make sure every person who landed on the island was, at the very least, watched. He ordered some of the lower-ranked members to join him in keeping an eye out for any sign of Pirates, though at the same time a part of him almost wished there were some here. The thrill of beating down the vile scum of the seas made him twitch with excitement.

"Captain Chevalier, thus far today we've arrested a pickpocket. He's currently being escorted back to HQ," a Marine spoke, giving the Captain a salute. The Captain glanced back.

"Understood. Carry on as normal," he remarked, not really interested. Pickpockets were mostly nuisances. You occasionally found them around the docks, so it was nothing new. Nothing important. As hair blew in the way of his face he brushed the few locks away, only for his attention to suddenly and forcibly be grasped as a loud scream caught his attention. Raising a brow, he turned in the direction of the scream and narrowed his brows. Too many people had gathered around for him to see the cause of the trouble, so quickly the Captain took it upon himself to start striding towards the origin of the scream. His footsteps were heavy, making a loud clanking as he rushed towards the problem. Perhaps this was the thrill he'd been waiting for...

[Jacob C. Vinland]

((OOC: hope this works for ya, if not lemme know and ill change it.))

...Oops.

This whole situation, although ending on a good note, certainly had been a little bit more "exciting" then Jacob had been intending to make it. The Vice-admiral had been moseying along, minding his own business on the docks when he stumbled upon a woman getting harassed by a man in an alleyway. Jacob, being the go-getting peacekeeper he was, decided to step in and see what was going on. Cue the rest of the guy and the girls buddies jumping out and holding Jacob up, as the entire thing was a setup to lure some poor shmuck into the alleyway so he could get robbed by a small rowdy startup band of pirates who had just organized in the docks. Cue Jacob recognizing one of the pirates as a wanted man. What happened next was expected, and did not end well.

For the pirates.

Roughly two minutes after the sounds of loud crashes, grunts, and rough hand-to-hand combat began, there now lay nine pirates with varying states of unconciousness, dislocated limbs and broken bones among them with the single female pirate cowering in fear against the back wall of an alleyway. Jacob stood (completely unharmed) twenty or so feet away, looking rather annoyed as he waited for the woman's yelling to attract marines so that Jacob could have her properly arrested and dealt with. The vice-admiral had more important things to do then shitloads of paperwork explaining how he apprehended the pirates and why this pirate woman was so terrified.

"Y-y-you monster, How did you take them ALL out..." She said, obviously faking her fear in hopes to create distrust for Jacob by whoever happened to stumble upon the two, not realizing of course that the plain-clothed Jacob was in fact a vice-admiral.

"Its what I do for a living. Now be quiet until the marines arrive so I can arrest you and get on with more important things in my day."

The woman let out another (fake) ear splitting scream before Jacob heard the footsteps of marines round the alleyway. Turning to face them, Jacob was hoping the group would recognize him on sight (despite the fact that he was in plain clothes) so that he could explain what happened and go to find the person he was trying to find.

"Good, your here. I already took care of the punks, just round em up and send em to the hospital. And for the love of god please get this woman to shut up. I'm no chauvinist, but this gal really is pissing me off." Jacob explained to the five or so marines in front of him, not realizing that their captain was among them and/or on his way.

Guess it was up to the captain to make the call on what to do in this particular situation, but Jacob was more then ready to identify himself and defend himself (even from his own allies) if need be.

[long2]

The blond-haired man barely needed to say anything as he approached the scene - people, upon recognizing the Marine Captain, quickly moved aside to allow him through. The Captain was well-known around these parts for getting things done. He didn't waste time. So rather than disrupt his work, they moved away for him to get to the scene. Only, of course, once he was there he came to a sudden stop. His eyes scanned the scene of the crime, moving over the numerous figures lying on the ground. One figure possessed a bounty - a relatively small one, of course, but it was something. There was a woman with a fearful look on her face who was screaming, but upon recognizing the Marine Captain she stopped, giving a look of relief.

"Please Captain Chevalier, help me! This man just-" the woman didn't have time to finish.

A hand clasped roughly over her mouth, stopping any words from coming out. His grip tightened around her jaw, almost threatening to snap it as he barely even looked in her direction. In an attempt to break free she kicked at him, but his body was more durable than that - she ended up injuring herself as she kicked him instead of even putting a scratch on the Captain. The Captain's cool gaze now moved to the blond man standing before him, giving him orders. The other Marines looked to him in slight surprise, but it didn't take them long for them, too, to realize just who was standing there. Raising his hand, the Marine Captain simply snapped his fingers and suddenly the other men were running around and picking up the bodies of the beaten pirates, carrying them off so that they could be arrested and taken to a hospital.

"Vice-Admiral Vinland, sir. I had been informed of your arrival, but I hadn't anticipated you taking matters into your own hands..." he remarked, giving a quick palm-inward salute with his free hand as the woman continued to flail about in the grasp of his other hand. "I trust everything is well? Have you been to base yet?" he questioned. Finally turning to look at the woman, the Marine Captain was brutal in his methods. With his hand still clutching her head, he slammed her roughly into the wall of the alleyway, her head smacking against the stone. Very quickly she fell unconscious as he released her, letting her fall into the hands of another Marine before she was taken away for medical treatment. Done with his duty, the blond Marine Captain turned back to the Vice-Admiral.

"... Perhaps it would do better to change our location, in any case. We can talk elsewhere," he finished, dusting off his hands.

[Jacob C. Vinland]

[[OOC: moving us along a bit so that Jacob and Jean can talk in private

This was not what Jacob wanted to see.

While Jacob wasn't exactly happy with how he had been treated by the woman and her friends, seeing her gripped by the head when she was clearly unarmed and rather harmless was not the kind of behavior the vice-admiral wanted to see out of his subbordinates. Rather then scold the captain in front of his subordinates, Jacob elected to instead talk to the captain in private. If he was going to knock the guy down a couple of notches, he would at least give him the benefit of not doing it in front of his own men.

"Vice-Admiral Vinland, sir. I had been informed of your arrival, but I hadn't anticipated you taking matters into your own hands..."

"It happens. I'm not one to sit around and do nothing on duty." Jacob responded flatly. He watched the man continue to maintain his rather uncomfortable looking grip on the woman. The force being used against a prisoner was a bit excessive, but considering what had just transpired, Jacob could overlook a little bit of excessive force in the face of the fact that the vice-admiral's life had been threatened. Any more, however, and there would be a problem. The woman had presented no clear and present threat yet, being unarmed, and as such there was some concern in Jacob's mind regarding the captains behavior. especially as the captains grip tightened around the woman's jaw.

"I trust everything is well? Have you been to base yet?"

"I have. Everything is in order. Captain I-"

Jacob was about to suggest the woman be secured in handcuffs when, after injuring herself kicking the marine captain gripping her head, the marine responded in kind by slamming her head into the concrete wall of the alleyway. That was the final straw. While Jacob's mind was filled with surprise at the young captain's actions, his face was cold and stern. Jacob simply watched the captain as his subordinates rounded up the pirates and hauled them off for medical treatment. As annoyed as Jacob was with the woman, he wouldn't have wished that much force used against her.

"... Perhaps it would do better to change our location, in any case. We can talk elsewhere."

"Indeed. I do need to speak with you in private, captain. So, please follow me." Jacob said, walking forward out of the alleyway. With the captain in tow, the vice-admiral made his way to the small, local marine-office in the docks. Entering, he only saw a single enlisted secretary at work.

"Marine, could you give the captain and I a moment?"

"Sir, I-"

"Now, Marine. Not later. Now." Jacob sternly ordered, sitting down behind the commanding officers desk as the enlisted marine hurried out of the small office. "Captain, sit down." Jacob ordered, indicating a comfortable-looking chair on the other side of the desk for the captain to sit in.

"Now, in case you haven't noticed, I'm not exactly pleased with what I just saw. Do you know what I just saw, and why exactly I am displeased with it? Permission to speak freely is granted. I want you to tell me in your own words just what the hell you think you were doing back there."

[long2]

It hadn't yet occurred to the Marine Captain that he had done something wrong. Why would he? He'd been trained his whole life to look down on criminals and hunt pirates. He'd been trained and taught to fight tooth and nail for what the World Government stood for - for Justice. As far as he was concerned, criminals didn't deserve mercy or pity. Just a punishment handed down by the highest authority. Of course, aside from the Vice Admiral, the highest authority on this entire island would be Jean Chevalier himself. It was just fortunate he didn't think her worth death - otherwise, things could have gotten a lot messier back in the alleyway. Following the Vice Admiral into a small office, he took a chair when ordered to and awaited the Vice Admiral's words.

Needless to say, he was a bit caught off guard.

True to his own disciplined upbringing, Jean's face did not react visibly to what the Vice Admiral had begun saying. There was no shock or surprise on his face, regardless of however he felt on the inside. On the outside was a cold, metallic shell and a pair of eyes that analyzed the man as his ears analyzed his words. It was a surprise to Captain Chevalier that the Vice Admiral would react so strongly to the act of knocking a criminal unconscious. Was it really that big a deal? Criminals didn't deserve compassion - why should they be given it? It was like Jean had been given a jigsaw with pieces that didn't fit. Somewhere in Jean's consciousness, there was a conflict. His mind moved swiftly to address the problem.

"If you'll allow me, Vice Admiral sir..." he began respectfully, as one should towards an officer of higher rank. "I saw criminals lying at your feet and an accomplice standing by them, looking to take advantage of the situation and pin the blame on yourself. A criminal alone looking to take advantage of the innocent is abhorrent enough, but a criminal looking to besmirch the name of an honoured Vice Admiral? I felt it necessary to teach the criminal her place. Criminals, after all, deserve little compassion. Is that not the Justice of the World Government?" he responded cooly, continuing to look at the Vice Admiral, curious about the Vice Admiral's odd behaviour.

[Jacob C. Vinland]

Jacob let out a sigh as he heard the captain respond. Well, it was by normal marine standards a reasonable and well thought response. By the measure some commanders used of "absolute justice", such actions were even encouraged. Jacob, however, did not believe in the code of absolute justice, and had not believed in it for many years for very good reasons, both personal and professional. If Jacob wanted to get his point across in this case he would have to argue the pragmatic argument against absolute justice that many of the philosophy's opponents were not good at making. Jacob, however, was not an ordinary opponent of the "absolute justice" concept.

He was a man who had seen the best and worst the marines had to offer. He was a vice-admiral who, in his life, had seen the horror of the buster call and seen atrocities even darker then that. As such, Jacob felt responsible for changing the way the marines operated. That included destroying the atrocity that was "Absolute Justice", one act at a time.

Firsty, I don't need anyone defending my honor, but I appreciate the concern. Secondly, there is a difference between giving someone compassion and "excessive use of force". Look, I understand that occasionally you need to use a little more force then normal to detain a suspect. I get that. But that woman, criminal or not, was harmless. I could tell just from looking at her that she represented about as much threat to you and I as a child. She had no weapons or traps on her person, nor did she have any sort of significant combat training. gripping her by the head? little much, but ill let it slide considering the circumstances. Smashing her head into a brick wall? That's excessive, and reviewed in any sort of marine court by a neutral arbiter would see that as excessive force. Rules exist for a reason: its what separates us from just a bunch of fancily-dressed overpaid mercenaries. Against an armed opponent of sufficient skill? Fine as long as you watch yourself and don't abuse your abilities against civilians or your comrades. Against an unarmed individual who is clearly harmless aside from talking shit that we know isn't true? Unacceptable by any standard. Understood?"

Hopefully his point was not wasted. With that said, he still had business to discuss with the captain. Although the vice-admiral now had his doubts about well the captain would fare in his up-and-coming unit, he would at least give the guy a fair chance. Perhaps there was more to the captain then met the eye.

"With that aside, I want to ask you some questions. Do you have some extra time away from your post? It should not take very long."

[long2]

If Jean had felt something in reaction to the Vice Admiral's words, it was impossible to tell. His face was as cold as steel, more like interlocking mechanisms of muscle, bone and skin than something innately human. It was as if someone had decided the face was merely a tool of communication and only bothered to give him speech, ignoring the importance of body language and expression. He heard what the Vice Admiral was saying, certainly - if asked, he could very easily recite what the Vice Admiral had said, even down to mimicking the tone of voice he used. But whether or not the Marine Captain had truly listened, that was something too ambiguous to tell.

"Understood, Vice Admiral Vinland, sir. I will think about my actions," he responded in a way that was almost, but not quite robotic. Perhaps the most unsettling thing about Jean was, in spite of how robotic and seemingly emotionless he was, there was still something fundamentally Human in him. One might argue that being partly Human was a good thing, but in Jean's case it was more off-putting. It was nice to think that he was merely programmed in a certain way - as though his more ruthless acts were merely the by-product of how he was hard-wired. But the Human side to him reminded you that no, he wasn't. He wasn't simply hard-wired to be ruthless. It wasn't a part of his programming or something like that. It was something much more Human.

"I have no problems with staying and answering your questions, sir. My men know their jobs. They are capable of carrying out their work while I am busy," he responded to the Vice Admiral, remaining seated. He could only wonder what it was the Vice Admiral sought to accomplish. Was he testing him? Or perhaps, in his inspection of the base, he simply wanted to know about the place. Still, if he was carrying out an inspection, it would do better to see the base for himself. Jean remained silent, waiting. He'd just have to wait and see what the Vice Admiral wanted.