<a class="link link--internal" href="https://bluemoonroleplaying.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=83335&amp;pid=2015179#pid2015179"><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#dda0dd">Iona Knutesdottir<br/>
</span></a>The St. Anne / Bridge<br/>Evening Watch<br/>Tagged:<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#ff0000"><b>ALL</b></span><br/><br/>Secure in the knowledge Donovan could drop Elaine before her pistol did more than begin to move out of its holster, Iona ignored it after the first flick of her eyes at the motion of Elaine's hand going to it.  She ignored everything, seemingly everyone, their protests and questions and worry and outrage lashing against the breakwaters of her Captain's face and not leaving any trace on it, no sign that it had swayed her in the slightest.  Once the last outburst was done she stayed silent for almost half a minute, looking at each member of the crew in turn, even Thomyris, with a flat expression, making them make eye contact with her before she looked at the next person.<br/><br/>Finally she turned back to the screen, towards the camera she knew was there and no one else.  "We'll contact you within one hour to arrange the transfer.  Dr. Khan, a shuttle pilot, and the debtor will be aboard."<br/><br/>"St. Anne out."<br/><br/>Iona reached to the controls and turned the live feed off, the feed she'd been broadcasting the entire time to the kidnappers, then she threw the vid of it up in a smaller display, sound down but not muted, to play in the background for the crew to see.<br/><br/>"Get those cuffs off her now," she ordered, face finally showing emotions.  Anger, self-loathing, a pain that was as bone deep as her exhaustion.  It was as if the color fell out of her face and she grabbed the back of her Captain's chair to keep from staggering.<br/><br/>"Thomyris, everyone, I'm sorry I had to put you through that.  It was the only way," she gestured towards the recording that was now playing, "to make your reactions believable.  To make them believe I was going to trade you for Mateo."  Iona's mouth quirked to the side and she brought it back in place after she obviously didn't say something she wanted to but couldn't.  "I don't deal in human cargo and I'm not about to start now."  It hurt her, deeply, to know that her crew had believed she would but that was her fault.  She'd chosen to trick them, sure it was for a good reason but she'd thrown their trust in her out of the porthole with her actions and just because she told them it was a ruse didn't mean their responses weren't real, and the aftermath of them wasn't going to not happen.<br/><br/>Head up, looking straight ahead, Iona walked past her crew and to the hatch out of the bridge.  Hand on the edge of it she stopped and turned partially back, head looking over her shoulder at them.  "Get him back," she ordered then looked away and headed down the corridor towards her stateroom.  The hatch to it sighed open then shut.