So this place is nice and not creepy at all. [open!]

[Tally]

August could still maintain a poker face to make a statue jealous.  He met the man's stare with a level expression, as though none of this really mattered, as though it were all a foregone conclusion to him and he need waste neither worry nor gloating on any of it.

It was gratifying to see the man jump while August himself stayed steady.  The newcomers looked...well, they looked very Cancer-y, though the woman presented him with an immediate opportunity.

"No flirting?"  He cast a glance her way.  "You Cancers are hardasses aren't you?"

When he stood, he brought his wrists together in front of him for the handcuffs, rather hoping the physical prompt would save him having to deal with his hands cuffed behind his back.

"Maybe if this one had more flirting in his life he wouldn't be so touchy?"  He nodded at the man with the cuffs.

[Rhi-Rhi]

While Cecil dealt with the doctor and the woman, Vita, spotted him, the other two went about picking up and grabbing their belongings.

"Maybe," Cecil agreed, and yanked Staresti's arms behind his back. The handcuffs clicked into place. He was taking no chances here; the guy was a doctor, but he was still military. "But I've been there, done that, and gotten in enough trouble from it for now."

"All work and no play," Vita said with a smile and a shrug. "I've tried to get him to loosen up."

"Whose side are you on here, anyway?" Cecil muttered, then sighed and turned back to Staresti. No weapons so far, but it wasn't really the weapons he was worried about. "Lane, you got the scanner?"

"Yessir!" It was the bearded man, who had pulled a device from his bag and was casually bouncing it in his palm. He lumbered over to them and handed it to Cecil, who began to pass it over the doctor to check for any bugging devices.

[Tally]

No dice with the cuffs, then.  The man didn't even hesitate before he jerked August's arms behind his back.

"His loss then."  He returned the woman's smile, but he didn't lay it on too thick.  He was trying to be disarming here, not seductive.

"Scanner?"  He stood passively while Cecil ran the thing over him, though he hadn't the slightest idea what they hoped to find.  He really didn't have any weapons on him.  "What are you scanning for exactly?"

[Rhi-Rhi]

Vita gave a little shrug in a, "whatcha gonna do?" sort of gesture and then turned to rejoin Lane and the younger man.

"If I find what I'm scanning for, I'll let you know," Cecil answered as he passed the device down Staresti's legs.

Nothing beeped, though, so when he was satisfied that he'd been thorough, he passed the scanner back to Lane. Then, just to be sure, he began to pat the man down, checking for weapons. Medics might not be able to carry weapons, but the man was Aedolian. He wasn't about to take his word on the matter.

"He's clean," he said at last, and stood upright again. "Let's move out. Go on ahead of us, Vita. Ready the ship and make sure there's no one around that's going to give us trouble."

"Aye-aye, captain!" With snappy salute, Vita slipped out the door ahead of them.

He waited several seconds. Then something beeped, and Lane slipped a small radio from his pocket. "All clear! Hurry up!" came Vita's voice.

Cecil turned toward the younger man who had until this point remained quiet. "You know the drill. Tail us, make sure we're not being followed. We'll see you back there."

The man nodded, and Cecil took Staresti by the upper arm to get him moving. "Come on. Get going."

[Tally]

August rolled his eyes when the man—the captain apparently—began patting him down.  Despite his own alarm, he kept his breathing even and his body language loose.  Had to appear unconcerned, as though the outcome couldn't be anything but what he expected.

"You're thorough, Captain.  Many doctors arm themselves on Cancer?"  August went without resistance, though he was beginning to run out of time to make a move if they were already headed for a ship.

[Rhi-Rhi]

Cecil gave Staresti a bland look. “You're not naïve enough to believe everyone follows the law, are you?”

[Tally]

August returned the look with one of equal blandness.  "It was more a question of doctors needing to arm themselves than one of adherence to law."

Which he realized was fairly dense of him.  Here he was, a doctor, in a situation where he might have made use of a sidearm.  So yeah.

[Rhi-Rhi]

Cecil couldn't help it. The question was so absurd, all things considered, that he laughed. It was a quiet laugh, more of a sharp exhalation, but he grinned as he motioned at August.

"Do I really need to answer that one? Or do you think you can do the math yourself?"

[Tally]

August winced.  "No.  No I'm well aware thank you and if we could forget this ever happened I would be grateful."

He followed up with something he didn't expect an actual answer to.  "What are you hoping to get out of this?  It must be exceptional to make it worth the risk."

One might describe the Aedolis military as many things.  Obsessively vindictive would be one of them.  They had a reputation to maintain after all.

[Rhi-Rhi]

"I don't know about exceptional," Cecil answered simply, "but it is important, and it's well worth it. All you need to know right now, however, is that you'll remain unharmed so long as you're cooperative. We'll even return you to this station once we're done. Don't cooperate and I'm afraid we'll have no real use for you."

He decided he'd leave the rest to Staresti's imagination.

They were nearing the docking station now, and the closer they got, the more edgy Cecil felt. They were so close, and this was going so smoothly so far--which meant, of course, that he was just waiting for the other shoe to drop. He was well aware of how vicious the Aedolian military was, and of how foolhardy and insane capturing one of their military doctors was.

This was either going to work, crazy as it was, or they were all about to die.

[Tally]

"I hope it's nothing as mundane as ransom," August muttered.  Or a hostage exchange.  "Because that won't go well for you or me.  Remember those surveyors awhile back?  The ones held by that piracy syndicate.  Not that being jump-hijacked into the center of a star is a bad way to go.  Instantaneous actually, they wouldn't have felt a thing.  I'd just prefer not to be incinerated if given the choice."

He mostly said it to remind them, but then, he suspected this crew knew good and well what awaited them if they tried to negotiate with the Aedolis military.  It just never hurt to remind one's captors that, hey, just to let you know, my people would rather see all of us dead than loose face to a pirate crew.

Damn, though.  They'd already reached the docks and August heard nothing in his head but his own thoughts.  He scanned the crowds, looking for any familiar face.  If they got him on that ship, he'd be riding a whole different wave of trouble.

[Rhi-Rhi]

"Ransom?" Cecil actually smiled at that. That was cute. "Rest assured, you can rule that out. We're not interested in discussion, and you're not important enough to rescue."

He glanced around the docks as they walked, but only moved his eyes. The trick was to move like a predator, confidently, assuredly, and with purpose; few people would ask questions if you looked like you knew exactly what you were doing. So far, so good, with no sign of military reinforcements. That could change at any moment, however, and every second mattered.

Up ahead, Cecil caught sight of Vita, who was waiting for them near a nondescript starjumper. She flashed them a thumbs up and then boarded, letting them know it was clear, but Cecil still felt on edge, and knew he wouldn't stop feeling edgy until they were a healthy distance away from here.

[Tally]

August did his best to drag his feet without being obvious about it, which he mostly failed at.  His captors would not be slowed, and ever step they took toward that starjumper tightened the choke hold of worry about August's throat.

He held his breath for all seven steps up the ramp.

Nothing happened, and the hold closed up behind him.