(M) The Black Star Privateers: Smugglers and Heroes IC [Archive]

StormWolf

07-12-2014, 10:06 AM

Jarring violently and shuddering under the offensive volley of the bounty hunters, the battered Black Star took her hits like a champion, as she always had. Deep in the mechanical guts of the Star's main battery, the ship's token titanic cat-man, Sabor, was quite literally up to his junk in tools and machinery. Was weapon maintenance more of a job for the mechanics and engineers? Sure it was, but Sabor was an adamant believer that the ones actually using the guns should be the ones making the repairs and modifications. To memorize the way the weapon works, how it reacts under fire and duress. Such minute details were often overlooked, even by the more mechanical members of the crew, but that was because they were not Bayn'gül.

Sabor could feel the temperature start to rise by a handful of degrees as the Black Star returned fire on their aggressors. Being covered in head to toe in fur and with a metabolism that ran him hot regardless, the heat from the guns and their humming batteries was only magnified.

"They couldn't stay off our asses for just a few more minutes while I get this dak'n kinetic accelerator coil installed, could they? Pffft! No! An easy life isn't a life worth living!" Sabor muttered to himself, his hulking body half-in and half-out of one of the Black Star's heavy Rail Cannons. His feet dangled out of the maintenance hatch, his thick tail swishing about irritably. Naturally, the situation got hairy when Sabor was in the midst of what could best be described as ballistic heart surgery. If he fucked up, the kinetic accelerator coil could burst and form a pocket of newtonian carnage best left without a description unless absolutely necessary. Sabor's fur was matted and wet, perspiring from tension as well as the heat. Blinking his icy eyes free of bothersome bullets of sweat, the Bayn'gül steadied his breathing. Pulling the burned out coil and tossing it from the gun's innards, Sabor began to gingerly lower the fresh kinetic accelerator into place. He could feel the dense piece of hardware thrumming in his hands, making his very bones seem to vibrate.

With a muffled boom, the Star shook violently, nearly knocking the coil from Sabor's hands. Gritting his teeth and grasping frantically, he narrowly escaped a cruel and unusual death by physics, literally by the tips of his fingers. Readjusting his grip on the coil, Sabor set in in place. There was a shower of sparks and a lazy drizzle of smoke, followed why a low humming. The gun had accepted the kinetic accelerator. That was a good start.

Knitting his finger together, Sabor cracked his knuckles, then went to rearranging some of the wiring. There were so many components in the heavy Rail Cannons that made them "safer", but safe was a relative term set by the manufacturer, and therefore by the long arm of the law. Sabor was a pirate. He didn't give a shit about the law. What he did give a shit about was the most effective way of making the sorry son of a bitch on the other side of his gun dead. With his work done, Sabor hopped from the Heavy Railer's maintenance hatch with a feline grace that was rather unbecoming of his large stature. Bolting the panel over the hole in the side of the gun, Sabor packed up his tools and latched on his belt. Now came the fun part - shooting the guns!

After spending so much time on the ship, Sabor had learned to be selectively deaf when the Captain started shouting in situations like the one the crew currently found themselves in. A half-retarded primate with cerebral palsy cold figure out what to do in such a situation like this. Bad monkey throw poop, so throw poop back. If Sabor heard a key word that sounded out of place, then he would give his full attention, but now was not that time. Bypassing the lift, which would likely either be on the fritz from the oncoming fire or flooded with busybodies, Sabor bound up the stairs with that same unbecoming felinoid grace.

Not before long, Sabor trotted into the Combat Information Center. Special-K was already on his gun, firing away at the hostile ship with his rail gun, as was Sam and Vincent. Some of the lights blinked violently in the CIC, indicating some of the Star's lighter guns were in use as well. Diving into his artillery station, Sabor entered activated the displays only to see something that made his stomach twist.

Automated.... control?

"Who the fuck?!" Sabor exclaimed, lips pulling back to display some rather fierce-looking teeth. With more force than was necessary, Sabor slammed his override code into the keypad, granting him access to the Heavy Railer's controls. The holographic displays popped up, flickering in his face. Taking the controls in his hands, Sabor began his multi-tasked firing sequence. While the magazine loaded the high-density uranium round, Sabor guided the firing solutions, compensating for the modifications to his cannon. It was a good thing he got to the helm before the automated control started firing. With the shift in output, the gun could have been torn right out of the Star unless certain compensations were made. Sabor knew those compensations.

///Missile Lock Detected/// flashed spastically on screen, hand in hand with an ear-splitting alarm. Shifting a hand to a different, smaller console in his station, Sabor initiated the ship's defensive flak cannons. Some may consider them outdated, but some people were also complete idiots. Trying to shoot a missile going fuck-knows how many kilometers per second with a gattling laser was just complete folly and frankly, a waste of a laser battery. One shell of flak would detonate at optimized range for interception, peppering the void with a thick cloud of white-hot shrapnel, enough to confuse any missile. Hitting a button with a sticky note reading "heavy metal shitstorm" over it, Sabor let the flak cannons and their tracking lasers do the firing while Sabor did the forgetting.

///Loaded///, the main monitor read.

A wicked grin spread across Sabor's face, a dark and sadistic purr vibrating in his throat. "You motherfuckers picked the wrong prey..." Sabor chuckling, pulling the trigger. In the vastness of space, there was no god, no devil, no ancestor spirits, and no demons to fear. There was only one name, one figure who could mean salvation or termination in the bleak vastness of the universe.

Sir Isaac Newton.

With a shuddering that could be felt from even where Sabor was sitting, his modified Heavy Railer vomited out its payload with a spiteful vengeance, the high-density uranium slug's mass was multiplied exponentially by the crushing force that propelled it from the barrel. In space, there was no friction. There was no opposing force for the shell until it hit something. That was why there were firing solutions, because if Sabor or any of the other gunners missed their mark, their shots would keep going until they hit something. So it was rather simple. When Sabor, Special-K, or any of the other pulled their triggers, they were ruining someone's day... eventually. For Sabor, he was hoping to ruing the day of the Silver Quasars by tearing a hole through their engines. If he was lucky, the force of the impact may cause part of the ship's core to short-circuit, possibly cutting power. A ship without power was like prey without legs.

Sinderella

07-13-2014, 07:41 AM

Alert.

The petite navigator was hunched over in her chair, elbows perched on the surface of the panel as her hands supported her head. She was snoring. It wasn't an overly wheezy and throaty snore, but it had been loud enough to annoy the female that was seated to her right.

“Sy..” The girl said, finger extending to poke the sleeping woman before her. “Syran..” Talia trailed, having been attempting to wake her for the past five minutes. Sy could seriously sleep through almost anything. After finally giving up being gentle, Talia grabbed Sy’s shoulders and shook her roughly. “SYRAN BAXTER, WAKE UP.”

Syran jerked awake. The combination of her sudden movements, the chair turning, and the ship shaking forced Sy into high alert. Her heart sped, thundering against her chest as she managed to collect herself and assess the situation.

Beep.

Her head snapped to the right and tilted, emerald optics narrowing beneath tinted specs on the screen that obnoxiously flashed with warning. A tongue lashed out and across a thinly parted mouth and was soon followed by an ivory set of canines that began viciously worrying on the bottom lip. Teeth bit and tugged at the sudden swollen flesh until it bled and the taste of cool, coppery liquid flooded her palate.

“Well that’s not-“

Bang.

“SYRAN TRY TO BE MOVING THE SHIP!” Togga demanded through the speakers.

“Movin’. Right,” she clipped, glancing up as the overhead lights continued to flicker, before completely halting and leaving the flight deck in near darkness. What light there was had been faint and emitted from the holography’s and beneath controls. She smiled.

Syran adjusted the elastic band around her head and pressed the lenses of the goggles up to rest on her forehead. Lack of bright lighting meant there wouldn’t be a need for goggles and that was good, she could see much clearer now without the protection shielding her. Strategies started forming as she calculated each risk involved and ditched the few with the highest amount of damage and casualties.

Flick.

Syran turned her attention to Talia, whose eyes frantically bore into her. The girl had been with the crew long enough to know of the dangers that came with their chosen profession. That knowledge alone should have kept the twenty year old from panicking every time she was put in a position with live ammunition, but unfortunately it hadn’t.

Talia’s fear was contagious and forced Sy to look away before she noticed. Feeding the flame wouldn’t help and Syran needed to focus. She took a deep breath and exhaled, mentally extinguishing the fire that threatened to grow and burn everything in its wake. She needed to concentrate.

“T, pull up the ECAM display. Inform me if the fuel temperature changes any further.” Shrugging off the remnants of the feeling, she flashed a megawatt smile in T’s direction and reached out, flicking the PA system on.

Ahem.

“Ladies and gents,” she began in a playful tone, “please keep all arms, legs, mechanical bodies and general squishiness inside the ship at all times. Should we crash and burn, well... I didn’t do it.”

Click.

Sy clicked off the intercom and swung in her chair to face the navigation display, pulling up the logistics of their current route. She twisted around, hitting the switch to disengage the auto pilot and began pressing, pounding and flinging a handful of switches, knobs and dials on the mode control panel. She now had complete control over the ships navigation. She adjusted the speed and altitude, both the vertical and lateral navigation and opened the primary flight holographic display. She was presented with the vertical speed and deviation indicators and after imputing the path, she boosted the throttles and activated the emergency thrusters.

The ship sighed with life before violently lurching upwards and shuttering into a wide turn to the right. Basically, Tokyo driftin' it so those sonz'uh bitch gunna's can shoot deir assez off. It was time to get them the hell out of this sticky situation, or die trying.

SikstaSlathalin

07-15-2014, 03:32 AM

Togga marked a list off in his head as to where everyone was and what they were doing. The only two he hadn't heard from were Kalita and Naleek. He wasn't too worried though, they knew their jobs and he didn't have to hold their hands. The ship shuttered with both shots being taken and shots being dished out. They wouldn't last much longer in this state, something had to be done. With the shields up he could help out Med-Bay.
"Ekaterina and Choo-Choo, with the shields being up. See if you can be helping Med-Bay with their power issues."

Now Bailey, the Scout leader was good at her job and luckily he would be needing a Boarding team, if the plan he had was going to work.
"Da, Bailey, gather the other Scouts and be getting them suited up in their Mag booted space suits. The Boarding ship being too damaged means you'll have to be dropping out the Black Star yourselves from the airlock. Once we are disabling the Silver Quasar of course. Once you are n the ship be trying not to kill and destroy everyone and everything. There is much money to be made."

As Sam ran his mouth with that stupid nickname he likes to call Togga the shark man growled but left it alone for now. They needed to get out of this mess first.
"I am having a plan Sam. Killbot and Sabor, be focusing your heavy guns on the taking out of the Quasar's engines, disable them do not be destroying them. Sam and Vincent be taking over the Medium and Small guns and be disabling the enemy guns. If we are not destroying most of the ship, we can be reselling it."

As Sy began wheeling the ship around to the broadside of the Quasar, the Shaterran shouted into the mic.
"Go now!"

*Killbot*

As Togga gave the orders to disable the engines Killbot locked onto the right engine as they faced it. He wasn't used to disabling things so much as destroying them. But after some scanning he found a spot near the ship he could shoot and kill the engine. Taking careful aim he pulled the trigger once and a shot rang out he missed the spot he was aiming for, but it put a nice dent in the ship. He tried twice more and lined everything up perfectly.

The right engine sparked and he laughed into his mic.
"Ha done!"

Pheasant

07-15-2014, 06:08 AM

Akalina - Midship

Akalina was already halfway down the connecting hallway to the storage lockers when she got her orders, followed by the hammer of another shell impacting against the hull of the Black Star.

The bird girl hadn’t been expecting them to stay and fight this long, let alone get a boarding order.

It didn’t matter, however.

Akalina, a warrior of the Karura had pledged an oath to her Captain. Come hell or high water she would follow his orders to the letter.

Folding her wings into her space suit was the most difficult part of putting her equipment together. Karura wings were meant to be full and brandished for all to see, not hidden away behind a nanofiber mesh.

Fortunately, having them tucked away meant the girl didn’t have any qualms about bringing along her boarding rifle. There wouldn’t be any powder residue or blood to scrape off of her normally pristine white wings.

With Akalina’s rifle cocked and locked, she threw a slash bandolier over her shoulder with a few extra mags at the top near her slender shoulder, the lower half dominated with breaching and high yield charges.

More importantly however, a long curved blade hung along the back of the slash bandolier, its slim polymer sheath adorned with emblems of a burning hawk. A symbol of Akalina’s people, and an important one at that.

The girl didn’t have time to polish her favored weapon to a sheen before battle as was one of her strange customs, but she didn’t seem to mind as she pulled a headset over her ear, followed by a thick helmet that would block out the background radiation from her space walk.

Now she was just waiting on orders.

There wouldn’t be any scouting or secondary objectives for her to take care of, like taking out radar or communication arrays. This drop would be all talons.

Keiwanis

07-15-2014, 06:12 AM

Naleek poked his head down through the service panel in The Black Star's secondary emergency thruster. To his disappointment, the crew had stopped rushing by his little workspace. That meant nobody was near to hand him any tools from his bag that lay below him. The attack must have spurred everyone back to their positions. He had been working on the same stubborn power converter cluster for the past 37 and a half hours. The young Azurian loved himself a good challenge, but this was getting beyond the point of frustrating. He would much have rather used that time to get started on that special plasma round for Bailey's rail rifle. Nothing excited him more than designing weapons, especially if they were going to be used effectively by someone of such high notice (the head of the scouting party for example.)

Then again Syran had been the one who asked him to repair the secondary thruster. That in itself gave him the motivation to work on it nonstop for another 50 hours. She was counting on him, and he had promised to get it done.
With a sigh of admiration at the thought of the navigator, Naleek withdrew back inside the cramped maintenance hatch and continued calibrating the power converter cluster. He realigned his magnet-wrench and began to force the stray coupling back into position.
A sudden burst of steam caught him off guard, and he covered his face with his third and forth arms, keeping his main arms locked around the wrench. Once it subsided, he brushed off the excess sweat off his face, leaving a streak of grease across his cheek. While he began realigning the couplings, his extra arms went back to keeping the fuel cells in their place.
"Just a couple more," he muttered, arms quivering with the fatigue of a day and a half's work behind them.

With a sharp 'click', the power converter cluster snapped back into their proper alignment. And that was that. He had shut off the fuel line, removed and replaced every single converter, fine tuned the control grid overtop of the cluster, rewired the fried circuitry, relinked the fuel cells, and linked the converter cluster back into the thruster. Now all that was left was to switch the whole thing back on after getting himself out of the maintenance hatch.
With a relieved groan, Naleek pulled himself over the hatch and lowered himself down. He didn't bother sealing it back up. The thruster could use the ventilation anyways.

He snatched up his bag and jogged back towards the main engine control-room. Mid-stride, he tapped 'Syran' on his wrist communicator and raised it to his chin.
"Took longer than anticipated but I got that emergency thruster fixed. Just gotta turn it back on now," he said, turning a corner.

Inside the engine room, Naleek beelined straight for the central operations controls. Under 'emergency thrusters', he found the precise secondary thruster control and flipped it back on. A low hum echoed overtop of him. He paid no heed to it, having heard the same tone every time he reactivated a system.

Having finished that task, he swivelled on his heels, black eyes looking for his mentor.
"Choo-Choo," he spoke into his communicator. "I just finished that thruster. What's in need of fixing?"

MarchingThunder

07-15-2014, 04:56 PM

"Da, Bailey, gather the other Scouts and be getting them suited up in their Mag booted space suits. The Boarding ship being too damaged means you'll have to be dropping out the Black Star yourselves from the airlock. Once we are disabling the Silver Quasar of course. Once you are on the ship be trying not to kill and destroy everyone and everything. There is much money to be made."

"Understood sir," Bailey replied calmly before closing the comm line. Instantly, she opened another comm line, this time to all the members of the scouting group. "All scouts, get geared up, full kit. EVA thruster packs and full armor, everyone be ready in ten minutes. Once the Silver Quasar is fully disabled, we'll be going out the airlock for a boarding. Bring the breaching kits, we'll be making our own door. Acknowledge and meet me at the port airlock in five minutes," She ordered, using the command voice she had learned in the armed forces. As she waited for the replies of acknowledgement from her scouts, Gray grabbed a demolitions pack and locked it into place on her thigh before moving to one of the larger lockers and pulling out and EVA thruster pack and buckling that in place.

Imperial1917

07-15-2014, 05:04 PM

Ellie spun in her chair wildly. It was too bad that her neural processors were so fast. She barely got dizzy. Still, it was fun.

"Boarding action! Boarding action!" she giggled delightedly as the Captain's voice came over the intercom. Keying in after him, she said, "Boarding parties, please remember to pick up your Hard Link Systems on the way out. Find a port in the other ship and plug them in. Thank you, and have a nice day." She shut off the intercom.

"Weee!" she spun in her chair again. Things were about to get fun.

Angevin

07-15-2014, 07:49 PM

Kenny and his assistants left the kitchen area, headed to their individual locations, food in hand. As they made their way through the mess hall, the Captain came on the PA again yelling orders for everyone. Kenny kept moving listening for his name, but it was never mentioned. As the PA turned off the ship was a little more chaotic, with engines coming to life, and crew members running around. Luckily the platters were magnetic, meaning the drinks were only in danger of minor spilling, and the pastries were wedged in between the cups.

Kenny stopped at the Infirmary, opening the door using his foot, and approached Korion and Scyllia. "May I offer you, or any of your patients, a caffeinated beverage." He said, holding both platters in one hand offering two cups and two of the appropriate pastries.

Juicesir

07-15-2014, 08:14 PM

Aidebot hovered by the Korsin for a moment. "Officer Zero, I do not believe that any profanities were necessitated in your order giving," the small bot happily chirped, flashing eyes positioned in a friendly manner, "however, I will be more than willing to comply with your request."

Aidebot had often taken note that, for the majority of the crew and those other sentients which they encountered, profanity was less an expression of frustration or anger and simply an ingrained memetic punctuation which the predominant amount of galactic species seemed to partake in. Obviously, Aidebot was programmed with the knowledge and ability to speak colloquially and even imitate such speech derivations as those which the crew exhibited; it just chose not to. Aidebot had always taken a comfort in the neutral user-friendly default speech which it had been uploaded with. It just sounded nice to Aidebot for some reason.

With Zero's blessing, Aidebot fully integrated into the Black Star's systems arrays. Comms, spatial detection, long range monitoring; all were now of as a secondary nature to the little droid as breathing was to an organic. Aidebot could feel the heated hull, the reverberation of the main guns coming online like a tingle down the ship's spine. Within the corridors, Aidebot could feel the rush of the people within the vessel going about their work, their sweat permeating the air filters, their breath punctuating the oxygen scrubbers like bubbles in a sea. The touch of Syran at the helm could be felt by Aidebot, and it responded, running through space away from the Silver Quasar.

The feeling was amazingly exhilarating, and Aidebot doubted that any organic could ever know how such a feeling could be interpreted.

Aidebot could sense the scuttle surrounding their boarding party's preparations. Now fully linked in with the ship's systems, Aidebot was able to spot things others might not be able to. Patching through to the Bailey, Akilina, Robert, Shikah, and the other boarders, Aidebot spoke. "Boarding party: there are several points of entrance upon the currently engaged starship which may be of interest. Located on the port and starboard sides can be found two airlocks. This may present your best opportunity for entrance. A standard device with a 7,700 detonation velocity should do the trick."

"Additionally, thermal readings suggest that there is a weakened section of hull located just forward of the aft engineering compartment. A high powered explosive may be able to breach this section, however it is inadvisable as further imaging suggests that portion is situated around several exhaust ports connected to engineering. Any ill-placed ordinance would have the potential to cause a catastrophic system malfunction; any breach would run the risk of venting the ship's oxygen through the ports. Thus, it is my suggestion you seek entrance through one of the ship's two airlocks."

With that, Aidebot kept the comm-line to the scouts open just in case. Getting back to monitoring the Silver Quasar's positioning, it decided to patch a quick suggestion through to their navigator. "Syran, this low-end merc ship does not contain nearly the vast maneuverability which the Black Star is so capable of, nor are their weapons systems nearly as sophisticated. If I may be so bold to suggest, it may behoove us to utilize a more serpentine approach in our evasion techniques." Not wanting to seem overbearing, Aidebot quickly added, "Any systems boosts I can provide you with would be more than my pleasure."

Arthera

07-15-2014, 11:42 PM

Blinking lights and flashing menus reflected against Ekaterina's features as she worked on stabilizing the ship's power flows and re-routing what was required to maintain those systems until the mechs could plug two and two together. The wall of monitors around her each asked for her full focus, like a litter of baby animals vying for attention. No wonder there wasn't a chief engineer when 'Kat came on board, the previous one likely quit, this aged bucket of bolts a tad too demanding for most. She never really considered taking up a "leader" role anywhere, but a quick glance to her right would show who was second up for the job, and traveling on a ship with chief swivel on top...

She was finishing up the latest batch of error canceling, load-balancing the aft thrusters and taking note of which gun stations were still on auto-pilot when Master Splinter came knocking. He was worried about gun emplacements and something about...

"Xan..." 'Kat said, taking a new meat jerky in her right hand from the half-empty jar on a desk, still typing with her left, her attention wavering everywhere but in her speaker's direction. "Both know nothing's left. And yes, the last of frozen goods are edible and in the kitchen. As for your first question, all of them. Kinda."

Ekaterina dismissively slapped at one of the data slates in the pile on the desk, bringing it to life. Her hand hovered over the tactile screen briefly, tapping a dizzying amount of inputs in, before resuming her typing on her main keyboards. The slate displayed all the stations currently in use, with bio signatures tagging who was where and what emplacements were still chugging away on their lonesome.

"Which reminds me, I added a box of pocky to the shopping list. Thanks for remind-" More would have been said had the captain not spoken through the coms right then, diverting her attention away from chatting at the usually very understanding ship's quartermaster.

Although 'Kat had handled the lighting issue, there still seemed to be fluctuations in the output routing through that area. Initial diagnostics showed a generalized loss of power in that area, meaning something was wrong with nodes 12, 37 or 49. Tappity, tap. Not 37 as it was supplying gun emplacement 3 and 4 and those were running just fine. Tap, tappity. 12 was activity guzzling juice and routing it to the bridge, and the captain would have shouted something or other to that effect a while ago, which left 49.

"Choo." Ekaterina voiced into her mic, linking it to the head mechanic's. "Section 4, access F, Node 49. Output's down, makes Med Bay blink. All yours.

StormyNyte

07-16-2014, 03:11 AM

"All scouts, get geared up, full kit. EVA thruster packs and full armor, everyone be ready in ten minutes. Once the Silver Quasar is fully disabled, we'll be going out the airlock for a boarding. Bring the breaching kits, we'll be making our own door. Acknowledge and meet me at the port airlock in five minutes."

Bailey's voice rang out over the com, prompting Shikah to abandon the smaller gun, "Roger that, Demi-boss!" With her acknowledgement given, the small, scaly woman scurried down the hall to make ready. She slipped into her gear with the fluid grace of practiced motion. Her long tail whipped and flicked behind her with exited anticipation of their task. She was already en route to the airlock when the ship's lovable little aide bot patched into the com link to give spot-on advice about the best way to go about breaking into the enemy ship. With a big, goofy smile on her face, she laughed as she replied, "Thanks, little buddy! I'll find you something nifty while we're there!"

Cfavano

07-17-2014, 03:01 AM

Robert sighed as the order was given. He disengaged his ling to the gun, and it ceased it's roar. His spike retracted, and went to his locker for his thruster pack and breaching charges. He did not need an environment suit, for he did not require oxygen to live anymore. However, his helmet closed over his face, the red 'eye' in the center glowing.

He reached the Airlock on the Black Star shortly afterward with everyone else, and there he remained, standing eerily quiet.

GraftRaven

07-17-2014, 03:26 AM

A thick cigar was lit and rolling around Zero's mandibles in the time between checking displays and sweeping scanners. He listened to Togga give orders for the gunners over the radio and quickly began scans on the prescribed areas, looking for anything. A downed shield slice there, an exposed heatsink there, a loose manifold on the starboard engines. "Looks like the Quasar's defenses are full of holes, lets burn them down!" The targeting systems were flooded with manual overrides in the next minute in order to mark the weak spots more precisely than the computer.

Zero's thoughts turned toward the boarding party and he checked the internal scans of the Quasar ship, which weren't very clear and did not show the entire ship. "Bailey, Internal scans of the enemy ship are basically useless. Either their hull is shielded or we've taken more damage to the array than I thought-" His sentence was cut short as the ship lurched under Syran's control and Zero lost a bit of balance. "Agh... well, bottom line is I'm blind until you get over there, so be ready for anything." Zero began working to see if he could clear up the imaging, leaving the gunners to their work with the help he provided and keeping one eye on the space around them. It was eating him up inside that he couldn't provide the quality of service the crew had come to expect.

Soulio

07-17-2014, 06:29 AM

Sam grinned, glad to know that Togga was this pissed at the enemy. It made for fun times.

"Roger that, Shark Boy. I'll get the guns out of our way." Sam focused his fire on one of the bigger guns that was firing on the Black Star. It was surprisingly big. But the bigger the gun, the bigger the boom.

Firing at the gun, Sam fist pumped when there was an explosion, but very quickly his face was one of surprise when the gun simply let out a small spark of electricity, and then kept firing.

"Uh... I think the guns have force fields around them. Just a hunch. Or at least the bigger ones do. So this may take longer than expected, Captain."

Sam let out a sigh of annoyance. He hated Force Fields. Made for poor sportsmanship.

Imperial1917

07-17-2014, 03:20 PM

Ellie frowned. It didn't appear that any of the boarding team was prepared to take their HLS modules. That could be a problem. Oh well. She really wanted to see what the inside of the bounty hunters' systems looked like. It would have been fun. Every system was different.

Speaking of which...
Swinging around in her chair, she giggled, plunging herself into the datastream. Some cyborgs liked to describe what she found there as 'pain'. Such a silly comparison. You can't communicate the universal to finite beings. Particularly squishy ones. No, the rush of data that swirled through the computers caused no pain. Why would they? It made no sense to link data alerts to pain sensors. Assuming that you had any, of course.

Dancing around the datastream, she began to code. It was simple really, and that was what made it so complex. Without knowing what she was going to be interfacing with, she had still to come up with an invasive protocol to get into an unknown enemy system. It was a pity. Working without prime variables tended to bore her. Everything broke down to basic algorithms. Basic for those who could directly interface, that was.

She spun and wove the data like a weaver spins and weaves cloth and twig. Soon, it was ready. She keyed the intercom.

"Boarding parties, invasive routine 578-9B is prepared and awaiting upload to the enemy system. Waiting on your HLS."

Aureyon

07-17-2014, 11:44 PM

Chaos was rampant in the Med-bay, especially in the darkness and with the cries of the injured and dying, it only served to make one feel as though they were going insane; fortunately she was not one to show such emotion. So, she continued working and monitoring the patients, sending those that had been healed back to work. It was a steady flow of departures, and for every departure it seemed that another would arrive. It was certainly a daunting task, but one that was well worth it in the end.

As she looked around her at the wounded she was easily able to pinpoint those that would not survive, even with her help. It was a sad thing, and she truly felt sorrow within her being, but she could not let that distract her from her work. She was the Head Medic, and it was her duty to ensure that all crew were kept in top shape to answer the commands of their captain at any hour. As the intercoms blared again, the voice of their captain ringing out ordering the assembly of a boarding party, she sighed inwardly and began to prepare for more injured.

At this rate, her part of the ship would be filled to the brim with wounded and possibly dying. Her faith in the actions of her captain would have to be enough to allow her continue her work. She would have to trust that he knew what he was doing in this situation, and that he would get them all out of this situation alive; he had become captain for a reason, right?

She was relieved when her assistant arrived in the med-bay, but wondered how the female had come to be a medic in the first place. She was uncommonly cruel in her ways, and it showed on the faces of those that she came in contact with. Why the child chose to be a medic of all things, with a dark nature such as that was beyond her, but it was not her place to judge those around her. She was here to do a job that she loved doing, and that would be her solace.

“Compassion goes a long way Scyllia” she called out into the darkness at her assistant.

And, no sooner had she done so, than had the cook came into the Med-Bay offering food and drink. Korion nodded gratefully, and took the drink from the tray and swallowed a rather large gulp before placing it back on the tray with a soft nod of her head, and then turned her attention back to her patients. If he was injured, he would inform one of the attendants and he would be healed.

SikstaSlathalin

07-20-2014, 06:17 PM

As all the Scouts chimed in the Captain responded by clicking on their comms.
"Good, we will be doing this as quickly and painlessly as possible. Be shooting to disable unless they are unwilling to stay disabled..then be killing them, good luck." With the guns and engines of the Silver Quasar disabled, the Black Star cruised up to the other ship amightnd the Captain shot magnetic arms to stabilize both ships for the boarding. Once everything was steady Togga called into the Comms again.
"Ok Scouts, be going now. Gunners, be keeping the cannons at the ready. Who is knowing what tricks these bastards will be pulling. Everyone else be getting back to repairing our ship, we will be needing to be ready to be bring the Quasar to Manic Martha's Ship Chop for some easy credits. We will also be needing to get some info on whoever was dumb enough to call the bounty on us. Sy, Zero, and Aidebot be working on the bridge Comms, Navigation, and Sensors please.

With the orders given Togga readied the airlock and the green light flashed above the doors for the Scouts to enter and make ready for Boarding.

Kreddy

07-22-2014, 06:08 AM

Choo Choo was glad to see their head engi was once again taking control of things. Kat and he had a good chemistry going. When things went wrong she was able to tell him exactly what the problem was, which took out a good 85% of the work. With the shields up and no holes in the ship it was mostly “accelerated maintenance”. The stuff he’d normally get around to that was affecting their performance in the immediate situation. There’d been something screwy going on with the power router for a couple days now and it was as good of a time as any to get that chore ticked off the list. Unfortunately for him however, these access panels were in the sublevel of Deck 2. A four foot wide, five and a half foot tall passage that ran below the corridors. The ship wasn’t exactly designed for a Gulak but he’d have to make do.

On his way back to the parts Choo Choo heard Naleek chime in over the comms. There was certainly plenty to do aboard the Black Star: these damned routers for one… hmm… a leaky faucet in the mess... pretty sure there’s a couple lights that need replacing in cargo… oh and the FCC won’t fly. Yeah, let’s go with that one. “Naleek if we’re guna to be takin’ the Quasar then I need you to get that Forerunner flying again. No way I’m jumping over with one of those Vogni-paks. Let’s see if we can get that runnin’ before the boys start moppin up.”

And there were yet more adventures to be had in the parts room. They seriously needed to do something about this. He searched through mounds of junk until he found a replacement power relay. Back out into the corridors and to the forward section of the ship. There was no indicator above ground as to where each of these sections and panels were but he had spent enough time in the whole to come relatively close. Choo Choo lifted the grate to the sublevel and jumped down.

Sixteen sections, each with twenty six access panels, and each of those containing upwards of a hundred relay nodes. It was a mess, but it was his mess. Section 4, Access J: Close, but no cigar. A few feet to his right was the access he was looking for. Opening up the panel, a hundred and seventeen blinking lights greeted him. Most of them were blue: in working condition. Some of them were orange: needing replacement soon. And then there was the purple light: node 49, which absolutely needed replacing. He quickly switched out the part, removing the old and carefully plugging the new into the distribution board behind. Naleek would probably have been better for this, he has a little more delicate touch than the fat fingered Gulak.

Choo Choo was turning to head out of the whole when there was a loud crash. It was Kenny’s assistant, Owen. In his hands was a tray that once held the pastries and drinks that now littered the floor. “Damn it Owen, watch where you’re fuckin’ goin’!” He looked down at the kid, still mad that he’d have to clean this up later but pitying the kid a bit. His eyes then shifted to the assortment of pastries on the ground. There was his with a neon orange toothpick sticking out of it. Come to think of it, he was starting to get a bit hungry. Swiping the pastry off the ground, Choo stuff it in his mouth before climbing up and out of the hole. “Tell ya what kid, leave it and I’ll take care of it later. Just remember to put the grate back so we don’t have anyone else tripping over their shoe laces.” And with that he was off again.

“Hey Kat, you should be good to go with that power situation, you can flip the switch now. Anything else I could do for ya?”

MarchingThunder

07-22-2014, 05:56 PM

As the green light came on, gray took a deep breath before hitting the comm button as she said, "Alright people, it's time to go." As the first airlock opened, she lead the way in, making sure the entire group was in before closing the inner door as the room began to evacuate atmosphere so they wouldn't be blown out when the outer door opened. It took the better part of a minute, but then the lights inside the airlock shifted from red to green before the outer door opened, revealing the vast, star-speckled expanse of space with the Silver Quasar directly opposite them, it's pockmarked hull venting atmosphere in a few places as she advanced to the edge of the airlock, her own breathing loud in her ears before she leapt out of the Black Star, giving her jet pack a little touch to send her drifting towards the wounded target.

She carefully maintained her course as she drifted through space, using a rear-view camera on her armor to spot on the team flying along behind her before returning her attention to the ship, rotating her body to land feet first, her boots clanging through her armor as they made contact with the hull and the built in magnets clamped on.

Pheasant

07-23-2014, 12:53 AM

Akalina, drifting

Drifting through space was an odd sensation, so totally different than terrestrial flight.

No wind to catch under your wings, no geographical markings to guide your path accurately, even with Akalina’s internal compass.

Most of all, if you missed your target and didn’t have a safety cable, you were dead.

The girl didn’t have much need for her jetpack, with Bailey already correcting the groups course ahead of her. It was perhaps the most cumbersome and annoying piece of equipment Akalina brought into the field, but it made up for the Karura’s inability to generate their own lift during flight.

Long or extended missions high above a planet’s surface were only possible thanks to the occasional height correction from a small burst of her jets. It wasn’t ideal given the weight of the pack and its fuel cell, but Akalina preferred being a more dignified Karura rather than one of her species massive and vicious cousins.

She flight a slight shudder go through her lower talons, the modified magnetic boots not particularly well designed for the three taloned Karura feet, but they held firm on the shattered hull of The Silver Quasar.

Nothing was lost in flight, but the bird girl did a quick equipment check nonetheless as she dotted over her other available equipment.

The Crew of the Silver Quasar would have most of their bulkheads sealed, so that gave the incursion team a few options. They certainly had enough explosives to make their own door, if thats what Bailey decided on.

As usual, Akalina would probably be rigging the charge. As good as her eyes were, they couldn’t compete with the targeting computers of the killing machines around her.

Dnafein

07-23-2014, 11:23 AM

"Both know nothing's left. And yes, the last of frozen goods are edible and in the kitchen."

"Not everything frozen is for eating." The Rodentian replied. "No specialty orders for you until after we unload. I meant what I said. Anything damaged by melt is coming out of engineering's specialty orders."

Xan turned away from the doorway he was standing in and made his way through the halls threatening, coaxing and offering bribes to those who weren't doing anything productive.He listened to the exchanges of orders passed over the shipwide circuit. Immediately altering his direction when it was announced the attacking ship would be taken.

Xanatos scrambled onto the bridge and headed towards the primary sensor station. He tapped the back of Zero's chair, letting the Korsin know of his presence. "If you could throw the information you have on that particular model of ship up onto one of your peripheral displays I'd appreciate it." Xanatos stated. His attention wasn't fully focused on any of the displays as he was already bring up Kelnog's Blue Book on his his omni-tool.

"You may wish to remind the scouts, and gunners, we get a bigger percentage if the ship is still relatively in one piece Captain." Xan threw out there, before muttering to himself. "There's bound to be customizations that'll add value as well."

Sinderella

07-25-2014, 04:05 AM

Syran leaned forward and braced herself for the impact of the ship lurching once again. She grabbed hold of the arm rests in a death lock and bowed her head. Behind her, Talia was scurrying back and forth from display to display, stumbling at the sudden forceful movement of the Black Star.

“Sy... Can we not do that again?”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. I’m tryin’.”

Sy had been hoping that Naleek would be page her and inform her that he was finished repairing the emergency thruster that decided to take a shit in the middle of.. well... an emergency. Syran noticed that one hadn't been responsive soon after throwing them up and had been waiting since. She hated waiting.

“I mean really, what use is there for them if they don’t work in an emergency?” She grumbled, huffing in frustration. She didn't necessarily need that at that moment, she just didn't like knowing that something wasn't functioning correctly.

“Syran, it took longer than anticipated, but I got that emergency thruster fixed.” Naleek’s voice broke through the whizzing and beeping that continued to assault Syran’s hearing, and she smiled in relief.

“Right-o, Leelee. Thanks.” Immediately, she snapped the switch that controlled the thrusters and left them to idle until needed. There had been more damage than Sy would have liked; several adjustments and alignments demanding to be fixed, but she couldn't worry about that at the moment. She needed to focus on getting them in the right spot for the Captain to dock them onto the other.

“It may behoove us…” Aidebot droned on in her ear and Sy sighed in response. The bot was useful to have aboard and she cared for it just as much as any of the other shipmates, but it irritated her on occasion.

“I’m doin’ the best I can with what I’ve got,” she muttered, silently cursing their captain at his refusal to upgrade or better yet, replace the ship entirely. She loved the Black Star, but the thing was basically useless with its inability to move anyway but up and down and side to side. Syran preferred something more... compliant and manipulative to her touch. No doubt the maneuverability of the Star was much more diverse than that of the Bounty Hunter’s; it was still a slight cluster fuck to handle.

Per the captain’s request, she was to get as close as possible to the vessel without actually crashing into it. She knew the moment that Togga had shot off the magnetic latches; his voice rang out through the comm. sets and then began directing each member of the crew.

“Sy, Zero, and Aidebot be working on the bridge Comms, Navigation, and Sensors please.” He bellowed through the systems.

“’Aye ‘aye, Capt’n,” She blundered. “Man, oh man, Talia. What’re we gonna do?” She asked rhetorically. The girl just stared at her in response. “I need something to keep me awake – to keep me functioning,” she sighed.

She flicked a few switches, pressed a few buttons, and restarted the navigational system. Syran yawned and then suddenly clicked on the communications port. “Ayo, Kenny! Any chance I can get some caffeine or alcohol or somethin’ to livin’ me up a bit? Pretty please?” She asked.

While awaiting a response, she booted the systems back up, checking the alignment ratios and adjusting what was needed. “When we get out of here, I’m going into a drunken stupor,” She murmered to herself before pressing the comm back on. “Zero, Aide, How you guys doin’?”

Juicesir

07-25-2014, 04:20 AM

"Fine!" Aidebot did not take note of the small annoyance which Syran had previously exhibited in her response. Occasionally, such intricacies of parlance escaped the small droid. Assistance and translation were what it had originally been programmed for. Socialization was a secondary function, and still in beta when the droids had been released. With the collapse of the parent company, that beta had never been updated.

It took a while for the Aidebot to update things, was the gist of it.

Aidebot duteously tracked the flight routes of the boarding party. Sensors were now, officially, under its purview. The captain had said so! Thus, it was with glee that Aidebot went to this task. Just as soon as the majority of them had landed, a small clanking sound echoed through the chassis of the droid.

"Ronnnie! Stop that! We are currently engaged in a hostile situation!" The small mouse was banging against the grate of its hold. While the interior of Aidebot was airtight, Ronnnie's specific compartment had small ventilation leading into it, primarily through the grated door, that allowed a sufficient amount of air that Aidebot had calculated would not lead to any mental impairment for the rodent.

Regardless of this calculation, however, Ronnnie had always seemed to dislike this circumstance. The grate opened, and Ronnnie began scattering about Aidebot's insides. "No! Ronnnie! Bad! Someone? Help!"

Cfavano

07-25-2014, 07:14 PM

Robert felt the weightlessness envelop him. It was dead quiet all around him. Only the crackle of the radio crossed his ears. He wished he could close his eyes and enjoy the sheer solitude, but could not. The fact that he was not allowed to kill perturbed him. Before anything else, he was a killer, a murderer, a taker of life. It felt...wrong. He landed on the hull with a silent thud, his spider hooks gripping onto the molecules of the slick surface. He made his way to one of the airlock bulkheads, and went through the process of removing the outer control panel's cover. A few screws drifted away as it was finally removed. He then extended his data spike and inserted it into the up-link slot, and began the arduous process of finding the 'open' subroutine.

Anti-Hero

07-26-2014, 08:20 AM

"Compassion means this ones facehole won't be silenced without a lot of numbing medicines, would you rather me-...." She stopped mid sentence and thought for a moment, her brilliantly colors gears in her head all began spinning at rapid speed kicking any thought she had into overdrive. She was of savant level as a medic, but her 'compassion' was little to none. People, were over rated and irritating, they talked, whined, bickered, and would build machines that were not even necessary for survival. She smiled holding a scalpel in the palm of her hand, and much like a coin she flipped it between her fingers.
In a moment of absent mindedness she sat down on the 'patients' lap and began thinking of how she could help multiple hurt at once, fire? Amputation? She could euthanize them, it would save supplies and she'd get to do more studies, Korion usually was the one who directed her into doing what needed to be done, but letting her spin in her own little dark realm bore forth so much destructive behavior that she couldn't be trust to be alone with those who were 'burdensome'.

"Your eyes are pretty, very blue you know that? I bet I could have them replaced with something.....more suiting of your personality and usefulness. My spoon is clean, I promise." She flicked her short black hair over her shoulder, and peeked through the dark room at her head medic.

"You know, you still haven't given me any instructions...We both know I'm plenty good and solve most of these problems in this room in the given hour, why don't you ever let me have any fun?"

StormyNyte

07-27-2014, 01:29 AM

Shikah had always liked the feeling of drifting through space. Out here, there was nothing to hold you back, of corse there was nothing to propel you forward either if your jet pack gave out. It was easy to lose your orientation out here, but that was one of the things that made it so fun. She curled into a loose ball, sending herself into a constant head-over-heels spin, giggling all the while, until her little booted feet finally connected with the hull of the enemy ship. Moving closer to the airlock, she clapped her hands together and her slender tail whipped from side to side in excitement. "Man, I love this job!"

Soulio

07-27-2014, 02:00 AM

One, two, three, four, shoot the bad ship... lalalalala.... Fire at the bad ship, make it dead, Gunners do their job so Togga don't lose his head.... Sam sung to himself in his head. He was far from a songwriter, but he was bored. The most shocking thing that had happened to him since he had first started firing was taking out one of the guns, and then him literally being shocked by a button.

"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuugh..... BORED!" He yelled, leaning back in the chair, moving the large guns position so that he could start to fire on another gun. He loved his position as a gunner, but it was just so BORING!

Flipping on the comms unit and patching into Togga's communications, he asked,
"When can the gunners do something else? I'm boooooooooored."

He could be on that other ship dealing with the opposing Privateers if the Black Star was closer to the ship. Hell, take the ship up close and do it super old fashioned, and jump onto the other ship. Easier said than done, of course, but better than nothing.

SikstaSlathalin

07-29-2014, 08:37 PM

*GM MOVER*

As all the Scouts got in place the control panels were blown and the doors hacked. The Boarding Party could hear stomping of boots as the Crew of the Silver Quasar made ready to fight whoever was about to burst in on them. With a nod from Bailey the locks were hacked and the airlock slid open and the Privateers clambered in before the Ship's systems automatically shut the door to seal space out.

The Black Star Scouts quickly readied their weapons, Bailey held them steady for a few seconds. She knew the Bounty Hunters would open the door and try to toss some kind of Flash Bang into the airlock then try to mow them down with their weapons. The problem with that plan though was the fact she knew that. She nodded to Robert who nodded back and made ready his hands, as expected the Quasars open the door and a couple of small black objects were tossed through the doorway. With enhanced reflexes Bailey and Robert grabbed the flash bangs and tossed them back before closing the door. There was panic and confusion for a few seconds before a chest thumping boom and blinding flash filled the hull of the enemy ship. Having done this dance many times before the Scouts took their positions and burst from the air-lock.

Akilina and Shikah took the lead, being quicker and smaller they disabled the Quasar's crew, as Bailey and Robert came up behind them and knocked the men and women out. Moving quickly and silently the four Scouts moved through the ship and took out the normal Crew before moving towards the Bridge. It was one of two choices they usually had when they began taking a ship. Go to the bridge first and actually take the ship then have the possibility of the loyal crew members uniting and retaking the Bridge. As skilled as the Scouts were, they were not built or trained to withstand a frontal assault, no...that was the Gunner's jobs.

The other option was to take out the crew then take the Bridge, the Bridge usually had a better quality of Crew in it, but they were smaller in number and with no back-up possible. They surrendered rather than fought...most of the time. As they moved to the Bridge though it seems this time was an exception. As soon as the door opened a hail of gun fire shot out the opening. The Scouts were out of the way as they were trained to be but the constant bang of the guns and the pinning and ricocheting of the bullets, forced them to move behind the bend in the hall to save them from catching a stray bullet. They huddled on either side of the hall way until the Officers needed to reload.

The Captains gruff voice shouted out the door.
"Leave now and take your ship with you and we won't kill all of you by detonating the ship's reactor!"

Never ones to negotiate the Scouts knew the plan and executed it. Robert and Shikah used their camouflage powers and snuck onto the Bridge, and Akilna hacked into the Bridge's systems. They were invisible and both skilled at striking from the shadows, orders were to not kill if it could be helped, but there is an awful lot you can live through. With a nod from Bailey the Karura killed the lights. In seconds, surprised screams and panicked fighting broke out and another few seconds later all sound stopped and the emergency lights came on and the two Scouts exited the bridge giving the two females a thumbs-up.

Bailey nodded and turned her comms on and patched them to the Black Star.
"Ship taken, crew subdued, and no casualties. Full success Captain."

Togga spoke back a deep chuckle in his voice.
"Molodyets!(Good job!) Balshoye Spasibo!(thank you very much). Now be securing the crew and begin seizing whatever valuable you can be seizing. I will be sending Xantos, Choo-Choo and Rovitz aboard to help. We will be towing this to Carin as soon as we are able."

The Female Cyborg began ordering the Scouts to do just that. She and Aklina will guide the ship and assess damage while Robert and Shikah went about securing the crew and moving them all onto the bridge. A few moments later Xantos, Choo-Choo and Ekaterina arrived and then the taking the Silver Quasar was fully under-way. Two hours passed and everything that wasn't bolted down or needed for the ship was cataloged, looted, secured and moved to the Black Star via Tractor beam. Next were the prisoner, a pressurized space cart of lowered into the airlock and the prisoners were all loaded in with Killbot acting as the terrifying Guard and Warden. The mostly silent crew of the Silver Quasar were taken into the brig and left under the guard of both Killbot and Vincent until Togga came to speak with them.

With all loot and prisoners secure the Black Star's engined hummed and they began moving slowly towards Carin. All and all it took the Privateers four hours to take the Silver Quasar and arrive at
Manic Martha's Ship Chop. The job of selling the ship and all loot would only take Togga and Xan. Killbot and Vince would stay on guard in the brig of the underground Hanger that worked as the Black Star's HQ. It was still night thankfully so everyone else could hang out on the surface or head down into the hollowed out crust of Carin and have their fill of everything the Scoundrel Colony could offer. Gambling, fighting, drinking, shoping, whoring, and even visiting their families.

The selling would take a few days most likely so the Sharterran released everyone on leave.
"Ok friends this will be taking time, you will be getting paid once the sale is being complete. Until then, go have fun, and be trying not to die. Or I will be getting your share of the loot. Xantos if you are wishing you can take some free time as well. I will be needing to gather the loot and be talking to the prisoners for some info." With that he lit a rare Old Earth Cuban Cigar and watched his crew disperse.

Pheasant

07-30-2014, 06:20 AM

Akalina

The surface of Carin was peaceful, quiet.

For the Karura, such moments were essential to their culture. Celebrations were not loud or boisterous, children did not run and scream and cause a ruckus. From the lowest valleys to the tallest cliffs, the Karura lived a quiet and peaceful life.

For a time, it was nice to just enjoy the stillness, so different from the yelling and boozing that was life on the Black Star. When the blazing sun came up Akilina would be again restricted to the underground, unable to stretch her wings or keep the clamour of noise out of her ears.

One cage to another cage to another.

The girl stood quietly, clad in an odd looking dress with long cotton sleeves of blue attached to the dress underneath her arms. The dress itself was held up with a pair of straps on her slim shoulders, the skirt a shade of inconsistent blue that fell down to the girls ankles, feet clad in humble sandals.

To the normal eye, the dress looked bizarre, although the beauty of the girl with her long hair down made up for it. To the eye of the Karura however, evolved to see a whole new spectrum of color, the blanches of strange blues that stained Akalina’s dress wove themselves into a beautiful pattern of indescribable color.

After a few minutes the girl stood up, hand falling to the comfort of the blade at her hip.

It was unusual for a woman to claim the position of warrior in a noble-blooded household, as that role was most often left up to the husband or father. The fact that she had claimed it so young as well added to her reputation as a little girl. She could still remember how heavy it felt that first day, when it was her responsibility to take it and uphold her family...

But times had changed, and although the girl had become a keen shot, the history of the blade gave the instrument a powerful weight. Her father's memory gave it an even more powerful purpose.

It was time to descend back into the guts of Carin. The goods here were as overpriced as anywhere else, but they came from all over this sector and that.

It was silly to hope that Karura goods would pass through here, but the majority of merchants here were scrappers and switch buyers who knew nothing of Karura style.

Perhaps, the girl mused, she would get lucky.

The colony below the surface was a hive of activity, as many street shops as thugs and thieves. It wasn’t a place Akalina was unfamiliar with, she’d been through more than her share of sleazy outposts and colonies since joining up with the Black Star. Akalina had been through far worse places than this on her own since before she could wield the full heft of the blade at her hip. It was a part of the ‘Privateer’ lifestyle.

That didn’t mean she was comfortable taking her hand off the hilt of her blade going down some alleyways however.

Akalina had already purchased a case of mineral oil as she came in. Her specificity was a bit perturbing to the street merchant, she had a very different opinion on the value and labeling of the wholesalers wares.
Fortunately, the girl found what she wanted. The oil was good for her blade, but at the same time could be applied to her wings to keep the free of dirt and dust.

It certainly wasn’t as good as what she used back home, but really, was anything?

The Eastern Quarter was a much less claustrophobic place. No heavy crowds knocking into you, no reason to keep your eye on your coin at all times. The patrons and merchants here were older, and their goods were more reflective of arts.

No doubt it would be filled with overpriced junk, but there was always the chance of finding something valuable in a wholesalers shop and turning it over for a good price.

Neelson’s oddities.

“No better place to start, I suppose…”, the bird girl murmured, stepping inside.

The shopkeeper obviously had good business sense, given how expensive indoor shop permits were. Given it was a wholesaler, the man was probably just a very charismatic wheeler-dealer.

The interior of the shop consisted of four walls, a counter, and four racks from floor to ceiling filled with junk, crap, and all manner of garbage. Unfortunately, the girl wasn’t blunt enough to avoid the full tour from Neelson himself, a human with a head full of grey and the bizarre fashion sense that all humans seemed to share.

“This painting was created by the master artist Tielson of Reihndar, a legend in his own time!”
“It looks like a finger painting I made when I was 3”
“Oh, but this piece, a soul stone from Arkus 4 is said to bring good luck to its posessor, and ward off evil spirits”
“Its barely held together with tape”
“What about this fine--”
“I don’t even want to know what that thing is”

It seemed like Akalina and the store-keeper were about ready to give up at the same time, when something odd caught the Karura girls eye. It was little more than a set of leather straps, designed to hold several knife sized objects securely.

“Thats...Well, I’m not actually sure what that is, to be honest…”, Neelson mumbled.

It was the strap set to an incredibly old Karura fighting style. Old old, back in the days when the Karura were still fighting with their larger cousins and hadn’t yet mastered the forge.

The straps were designed to slip between Karura feathers, carved obsidian stones tied into the series of slots. Once upon a time they were used to divebomb prey, or ward off other attackers along with talons.

But, how did a paired Wing Blade strap end up in this sector? It didn’t even appear that old…

“Five coin for the set”, Akalina stated, slipping the odd device into her pack
“F-five? I mean, yes, five will do nicely”
Wing Blades in their heyday had used obsidian, but since the whole set was adjustable, Akalina would be visiting a dagger smith in the far sector.

Eight poorly designed blades would be easy to find anywhere in this city, but each had to be very specifically crafted. Light enough to not throw off her normal movements, but durable enough to not break under continual stress.

It had been a run of a good luck finding this odd piece of Karura history. Given her experience with the Black Star, it would be closely followed by an explosion and a warrant for one of the crew.

Arthera

07-31-2014, 10:14 PM

The idea of going down to Carin was all nice and good, but 'Kat didn't have any setup ground-bound, nor did she want to bother packing up some of her stuff simply to have to drag it back in a few days. Too much hassle. The ship was just fine, there was no official work to do, no moving around required and certainly no one to bother her, everyone wanted off the ship more often than not when they made port anyway. In fact, with most of the people off ship and the captain busy, Ekaterina could pull rank and order a few of the more easily motivated ship-hands to head down and pick up what she wanted. Much more efficient and less demanding for her. She fully intended to enter her room and not leave it until the ship started moving again.

Her room, realm or lair as some called it, was a mess of screens, wires, humming machine hubs, hanging articles of clothing and food packaging. It was as packed as some places in the ship's bowels, one could not see the far wall from any place in the room or avoid stepping on something potentially expensive. Stacks of data slates were piled higher than 'Kat was, mixed with a bewildering assortment of storage, hacking and processing apparatus all seemingly left at random. In the center was The Chair, from which everything else gravitated around. Eating, sleeping and working all happened at the same place when she wasn't forced to head over to engineering proper. There was a ceiling-mounted set of small mechanical arms she could operate to grab things out of her reach when in her Chair, small rails allowing wider movement range to the arms, something she had asked Xan to order and Choo to prep for her before she installed it herself. Gets packages from the door, food from the containers among other things. Otherwise, a door on one wall led to the sparse bathroom, likewise littered with clothing, random tech bits and sanitation articles. A small, self-contained environment, just for her.

No one else was allowed into her room. Ever.

Sure, the Captain could in theory, but he had been kind enough so far to not push his luck. No one ever really needed to enter the room anyway. Most of the crew wouldn't like coming in anyway. Any communication could be done through a screen and input device next to her door and a special hatch system had been added to allow packages to be rolled inside. The room could be sealed air-tight with it's own air and energy supply. Every system in the ship could be routed to her room should she decide to enact the proper commands and bypasses. The air filtration was always kept top notch, the grounding for all her devices was cleverly distributed and redundant. The air-conditioning was always on, making the room a tad cooler than most of the ship. There was little she took more care of than her setup.

Ekaterina Caiven Rovitz was there now, munching on some kind of crackers she couldn't read the label from, bare legs swinging off the armrest of her chair.

There were news she was catching up on, now that imminent space death had been averted. She took time to update and patch everything he had, make backups, perform maintenance and generally do what others considered "work" after any mission. The fact that she was analyzing the Silver Quazar's logs and cracking into everything even remotely encoded on one of her machines might also indicate she was working, but this was just a hobby, something new to set part of her mind on. Once the mandatory maintenance was done, then she could take time to pursue something people wouldn't consider work-related. Maybe she would resume her hack into Yhr-Na'Long Co. to get those new schematics, she already had people interested with an equally interesting price reward...

Cfavano

07-31-2014, 10:55 PM

post is deleted

MarchingThunder

08-02-2014, 11:03 PM

Once they had brought the Silver Quasar into the chop shop, Bailey had headed back to the Black Star with the rest of her scouts and the crew that had accompanied her as they sailed the damaged vessel to Carin under the watchful gaze of their mother ship. Personally she never minded such missions, but the crew of the Quasar had been rowdier than she would have preferred when they were rounding them up. That said, once she had gotten back to the ship, she headed into the armory and undressed out of her armor before heading back to the bunk room and cleaning up before she got dressed.

As she exited the bunk room, she was wearing a tight fitting black tank-top and a set of gray and black camouflage cargo pants. She stopped back by the armory, picking up a pistol from the group armory and strapping her usual combat knife onto her left thigh. As she headed up to the docking port, she spotted Akilina near the exit.

"Akilina, what are you up to?" she asked in a soft tone, a little bit of curiosity coloring her voice despite the softness.

-

“Oh, I uhh…”, Akalina mumbled, her face flush as she stowed a cord of leather with four sharp, metallic glints into her pack. “I was just looking at something I bought from the East Sector”

Finding a blacksmith hadn’t been particularly difficult, and without the need for a covered hilt Akalina had managed to keep the price of her eight set of knives down. Relatively. Everyone in this town was still a crook, whether they were stealing or selling.

The bird girls submissiveness made it easy to work with her in the field, but harder to engage in small talk with. A stark contrast to some of the other crewmates who liked to toe the line and would never ever shut up.

It took her a moment to come up with a reply, “What are you up to, SL?”, very rarely had she ever called Bailey by name, “Does the Captain have you on orders? Nearly everyone else is in the city, getting into...Well, lets just hope it doesn't turn out like our last stop.”

-

Bailey favored Akilina with a small smile, for all that she was good at taking orders, she was very bad at talking, something bailey had shared at one point in time, and still did to an extent, but something she had learned to work past and hopefully Akilina would too. Getting past that fact, Bailey made her reply. "For the moment, I have no orders, so I planned to go shopping, Akilina," she replied, "If you don't have anything to do, you're welcome to come along." It was the best offer she could make at the moment as Togga had given no specific orders for the scouts once they had brought back the Quasar.

-

“Uhh, sure…!”, Akalina replied quickly before she actually considered what Bailey would be shopping for.
Akalina’s team leader was different than the rest of the crew, far more professional, and was no doubt more interested in the sort of technical equipment that made the girls head spin. Was she looking for an upgrade for her strange Cyborg body? Akalina still didn’t quite understand how those body modifications worked, let alone how they could be upgraded.

For as odd as the bird girl was to the rest of the crew, the world around her was even more mind boggling. She had grown up in a village that still lived in teepees and had only mastered the art of smelting steel two centuries ago, before being flung into a universe of flying ships and complex computers, with weapons that could kill a man further than the unaided eye could see.

Her elders looked upon these strange and wonderful things as though they were an abomination, a threat to the old ways, but Akalina dove in head first.

At the very least, spending a day with Bailey might help her to understand these cyborgs a little better, what motivated them to change their bodies so completely.

It couldn’t be any worse than Sy dragging her along on her ‘booze runs’. At 16 the girl knew as much about different varieties of alien alcohol as the technical schematics of the Black Star itself.

-

Leaving the ship with Akilina in tow, Bailey made a path through Carin towards the merchant district, pausing occasionally to investigate the wares of various stops before she moved towards her actual goal: the ship dealers. What was within her price range was certainly not a factory new vessel, but ever since two visits ago she had been putting the bulk of her earnings away for her desired purchase, which had kindly been put on hold for her ever since she had picked it out. While her knowledge about the workings of spaceships might have been lacking in most cases, the knowledge that had guided her towards her desired purchase was deeply ingrained from her time in the military.

She passed the merchant in question with a wave, Ergis Trine, a surprisingly reputable man for where he and with whom he had dealings, and headed into the large lot her used as a shop, passing numerous partially dismantled or rusted hulks from various space craft as she headed towards the one she was after.

-

Akalina glanced around at the graveyard of rusted bulwarks and hulls of old ships, clinging closely behind Bailey like a daughter might her mother.

The girl had always had a certain fascination with regards to spacecraft, as different as they were from wing based flight. She had a basic understanding of the math involved, but since the Black Star’s systems were self guiding Akalina had never had an opportunity to harass a pilot long enough to let her steer.

Besides, as much as the Black Star had been home for the girl for the last six years, it felt somehow too...clunky, even given that it was one of the smallest categories of ships still capable of warp.

Was Bailey planning to get a ship of her own? Unlike Akalina she could probably afford one after a few missions, due to her increased cut of the profits.

-

Eventually Bailey reached the object of her desire, a hulking machine painted a dull gray-green as it sat on its retractable landing gear, a pair of heavily armored doors along the sides sitting open to reveal a large troop bay inside filled hard seats for carrying people into battle and bringing them back alive. Doing a quick walk around, Bailey inspected the twin pairs of auto-cannons on the front, checking them over to ensure they were working properly before climbing up to inspect the cockpit. She walked back along the hull, grimacing a little at the empty slots where the heavy anti-ship launchers would go. It was unfortunate that they weren't available, but the twin anti-aircraft/anti-missile launchers on the back were still in prime condition. Satisfied, she turned to look at Akilina who was still down on the ground as she asked, "So what do you think of it, Akilina?"

-

The girl tilted her head, a little confused as she did her own quick once over of the machine, “Its...nice?”, Akalina murmured, “But what are we supposed to be doing with it?”

The machine was fascinating to the girl, but she couldn’t quite wrap her head around it. Had the Captain asked for this thing? Who was going to fly it?

“It would be nice to have something like this in the field. I can bring in some of our heavier equipment like that Point Defense Turret we took from the Silver Quasar, and we don’t have to worry about resupplying…”

Still, as menacing as it was, it was still pretty teeny compared to the ships the Black Star usually preyed upon, and it was missing some vital components.

A more pressing question was on Akalina’s mind however, “Can I...learn to fly it?”

-

"I'll have to teach you, but i suppose you could," Bailey responded, moving to the edge before casually hopping down. "It normally takes at least one person, but there's a bare bones AI in it to either bring it in for extractions or to fly it away after dropping a team off," she continued as she lead the way back towards the front of the lot, "So it shouldn't be too hard."

Back at the front of the store, Bailey settled in at the counter where she began speaking with Ergis, haggling a little over the final price of the ship and finally coughing u pa little extra over the previous price in exchange for a number of spare parts and ammunition that she would no doubt need.

That took the better part of twenty minutes during which Akilina was unfortunately left with nothing to do before Bailey finished and signed the agreement, letting the transfer of funds from her account occur with the promise of a limited warranty from Ergis. Once she was satisfied, she moved off as she watched Ergis head back into the lot to load the Vulture heavy gunship up and take it over to the Black Star.

Looking to Akilina, she asked, "So anything you want to look for while we're out here, Akilina?"

-

Akalina sat kicking her legs back and forth, seated on the mostly melted remains of an old one man fighter, falling smoothly to her feet as Bailey returned from her business.

“Uhmmm…”, she considered the question, placing a finger on her cheek and gaining a thoughtful expression, “Well, if we have more equipment space, I did want to look into getting another pair of defensive turrets, maybe an upgrade to my hacking tool…”

The girl prattled on about a dozen other things, not realizing she had said half of them in her native tongue, from a scout drone to something called chauktek, doing a poor job of explaining what it actually was.

“Sy’s been sending me messages for the last hour to help her look for some specific kind of alcohol, and I’d really like to have an alibi so...G-girl time?”, she inquired sheepishly.

-

Bailey looked back at the ship yard where her Vulture was rising up on it's engines before nodding to herself as she considered Akilina's request. "I suppose we can, any new turrets will have to come out of your pay though unless you can get Togga to go for them with the company fund," Bailey replied, "As for dodging Sy...I suppose I can vouch for you. So I guess it is girl time then."

Leading the way through the merchant district, Bailey headed to one of the heavy weapon dealers. It would be a chance if they had extra defensive turrets, but it would be welcome if they did. Plus she was always interested in investigating what new weapons had ended up on the market.

-

If the ship depot had interested Akalina, the military section of the eastern sector, where most of the weapon and equipment merchants set up shop had the girls full attention.

Everywhere you turned, someone was peddling something. Swords, guns in both the laser and powder categories, equipment that ranged from archaic compasses to jump jets.

Fortunately for the bird girl and her wallet however, most of this gear was not at the quality the vendors were insisting and not anywhere deserving of the price tags. It didn’t take long to find automated turrets for sale, but all of them were either too large or busted up to be worth the price they were asking for.

“I suppose we’ll have to make do with just one”, the girl sighed, “Two more and we would have been set for point defense”

She continued to glance around though, making sure Bailey wasn't too far away.

-

"We'll manage, we'll have to after all," Bailey replied, setting down a newer model assault rifle she had been inspecting before moving over to look over the bird-girl's shoulder. "Have it delivered to the ship and we can see about installing it later today or once we're underway, Akilina," she continued, "But if that's everything, we should head on back, I'll need to handle my delivery and you'll need to take care of your own as well."

-

"Yes, SL", the bird girl murmured, falling in behind her.

Shopping with Bailey had been oddly...fun!

Anti-Hero

08-05-2014, 12:56 PM

"Oh gracious, oh goodness, oh golly jee, I'm just an old sexy swabbie, with some fleshy bits 'ere and a flash of naughty there.....and.....and....well damn I forgot the rest." Her brow faded perfectly into a light grimace as she slung her legs over the side of a freshly cleaned operating table, well, what one would try and pass off as an operating table in this floating tub of such and stuff. She usually tried to spend most of her time out of the way of the others, either it was work, or drink, or conversation she didn't care to much about, only a few people ever seemed to hold her interest for more than a few seconds or so. Though, that may have been due to some kind of undiagnosed state of mind.

'I really wish I had things to play with, toys and such...' She thought to herself stroking the fine edges of the medical tools that had been lain about. The medical 'chief' would prolly be mildly upset had she had any idea, that said, when you really thought about it, it wasn't like they went out of their way to really get down and sanitize all the tools, every single day.

"I wonder when I'll get to get off this ship." She made a sound as though she'd been hit in the stomach as she threw herself back on the table and stretched out her arms and legs. "Stupid rules, keeping me here."

wakachukie

08-06-2014, 04:18 AM

Michael browsed through the piles, pushing shoulder-by-shoulder through the meandering throng of beings, looking for anything still twitching or any possible cooking equipment. All along both sides of the open air market rows, vendors waved flashy signs and hung flamboyant banners while quipping cute comments and presenting the 'finest ___ anywhere'. Older shopkeepers with proven, reliable customers to pay the bills merely watched the newcomers browse by from their comfortable seats in the shade, hopeful to find new customers, but not desperate enough to reel in the suckers.

Red Jue-Jue Beans! Authentic pink coffee! Pure calamash! Black orbalisks! Fried gungan tongue! Targ ribs! Fresh, green soylent!

Over on the side of the vegetable bins, Michael saw a small crate filled with metal spheres. "What are those?" The shopkeeper quickly brushed off her assistant and hurried over, pointing at the calamash. "These are the fi..." "Michael held up one palm and then pointed at the crate. "Oh, the squeeks?" The shopkeeper shrugged. "Just some toys for kids to play with. Here." She waved her arm and the glossy 2 in balls floated up to her hand and started 'chasing' each other around the stall. <BEEP> One had flown head-on into his face, stopping millimeters from actually hitting him, and then dropped straight down to 'tag' the leader. "Interesting. Could I get that box for 10 credits?" The shopkeeper staggered back a few steps. "T-TEN?! a-ah, sure." Michael gave a small smile as he picked up the crate and slid her the chits. "It's for the kids who come by. Be sure to get them something nice." "Oh, right. Absolutely. And... thank you. Not many people around here are that generous."

"Looking for something, exotic, perhaps? What do you want?" A well tailored, dark haired but shifty eyed salesperson calmly sitting with folded hands on the metal table a few stalls further into the meat row eyed Michael's predatory alien features with a dark grin. "Perhaps my, associates, could help." Gesturing over his shoulder, something invisibly twisted in the air behind the salesman to open a tent flap. Michael was at first too busy looking past the cloak, until he heard the splash within and a voice. Mermaids! They were being held in tanks that were being loaded as cargo.

Deep within, a small thought ran through Michael’s head. What do they taste like? What ability would I gain? It’s perfectly legal around here. NO, they are innocent! I will not consume them. That one is swimming so deliciously. NO!Michael snapped back towards the salesman. "What is this?" His fist was already clenched and the armor's fins were starting to quiver with outrage. The salesman tilted his head. "Do calm down. If you don't like these flavors, perhaps your appetite needs something with more power." Michael's right forearm began to darken and a reddish haze flooded over his vision. “I Will Not!”

When he regained self-control, the salesman was nowhere to be seen. The tent was still here, though it was peppered like swiss cheese with tiny smoking holes. Michael looked around and waved over Kred. "Uhm. What just happened here?"

Sinderella

08-09-2014, 01:26 AM

Co-Post with SoulReaper:
Samuel and Syran

After finally landing down on Carin, Sam breathed a sigh of relief. As shitty as this planet was, it was still his home.

The Silver Quasar was being stripped and sold by Togga, and due to the time it would take for that, Sam would have time to visit his wife and kid before they headed off again.

The crew had been flying for a few months now, and Sam wanted to give his wife June, a suitable gift for waiting for him. But that was an issue, seeming as though Sam had no idea what she would like.

"Well shit..." He mumbled as he stood in front of the Black Star. He really didn't know what to get her.

As he was mulling over ideas, he noticed Syran in the corner of his eye.

"Syran!" He shouted, rushing over to her before she got away.

"I need your help. I want to get my wife something, but I don't know what to get her. And well, since you're a girl, I figured that maybe you could help me out?" However, Sam knew what Syran would be striving to get, especially on her time off.

"If you help me, I'll buy you the best alcohol Carin has to offer. A whole bottle."

Syran had been aching to get her hands on some alcohol, preferably something with a kick that would put hair on her chest. An image of her with hair covering her bosom however, shot through her head and sent a chill down her spin. It wasn’t a pretty picture. She shook the thought away and strode towards the kitchen area.

Sy shuffled past a few of the crew that maintained the upkeep of the dining and kitchen, and immediately threw open the cabinet that homed all the booze. Her right eye began to twitch as she stared at the scene before her. Her body stiffened, shutting down momentarily before rebooting itself with a fierceness that had her savagely slamming the palms of her hands against the cupboards void shelving.

“Where…Where is it?!” She panicked. “Where is it all?” Sy shoved her body forward, lithe frame bent so that her head could sandwich itself into the hallowed space. “What..What is this?! Why is it empty?”

“Oh, Sy,” one of the crewmates she passed on her way in said, peeking his head over his shoulder at her. “Talia came and collected the booze; she said something about trading it up for some grub.”

“WHAT?!” She yelled. “How long ago was this? When did she leave? Where did she say she was going?” She demanded; absent was her usual calm and peaceful persona and in its place irritation and anger resided. The man stood stupefied. She didn’t wait for a response, deciding that she would go after the girl and reclaim her poison. She was set on her way, having returned to her personal space and collecting the necessities, she headed to leave. She had just been about to slip out, when the sound of Sam’s voice stopped her at the mention of a bottle.

“What about a bottle?” She asked.

“I'll buy you some. If you help me get June something nice."

Sam crossed his arms, and stared at Sy. She could very easily reject his offer and carry on with whatever she was doing, in which case Sam would end up begging for her help. And if that didn't work, well, he was fucked nine ways to Sunday.

“Mm... Make it two bottles and you’ve got yourself a deal, Samuel Holvinian” She said with a smile. Sy wouldn’t need to track down her assistant if this panned out. Syran was of age to buy it; she just didn’t see the point in spending money on more when there should have been some in stock in the first place.

"Deal!" He said a bit too quickly. Composing himself, he got down to business.

"Alright... so... Something for June... Uh... Uh... Shit..." He said, visibly slumping at his inability to figure out something his wife would like. He had more than enough money from the trips with the Black Star, so budgets weren't an issue.

"Do you have any ideas? Cuz I got nothin'."

Syran’s frustration with Talia vanished, the promise of booze and aiding a comrade threw her into a high. Her eyes lit up beneath the goggles and the smile widened into a grin. “Why don’t we go visit the markets and see if anything catches our fancy?” She offered up, hopeful that the sooner they finished the quicker she’d be drunk.

"Alright. There, I should be able to find your booze too," he said, smirking.

The markets weren't a long walk. Barely even five minutes. All the ships that came in and out of the atmosphere made the docking area a prime location for the market places, what with travelers and all that going through.

"So maybe a necklace? She likes jewelry. A dress? Ring? God, this is already difficult..."

She laughed lightly, warmth radiating from her being. When they had left the Star, the docking lights had been off and the place had been engulfed in darkness, all with the exception of the occasional glow that shone from surrounding vessels. That little bit hadn’t affected her eyesight, so Sy had shoved her goggles atop her head. The moment they came close to the markets however, she had quickly replaced them.

“Let’s see.. What’s over here?” She asked enthusiastically, taking Sam by the hand and dragging him close behind. The little shop they entered had walls that were cluttered in Paintings; prints; décor, the whole nine yards. She didn’t know why a place in this area would sell décor, but who was she to argue? Tables that varied in height, shape, and width were scattered along the floor with an array of objects covering their surfaces. Syran stopped at a petite stool, fingertips brushing along the sapphire jewels that were embedded in silver wire.

“What color are her eyes again, Sam?” She asked.

Sam looked around the market, and then he was suddenly pulled into a small shop with an odd assortment of things.

"Hm? Oh, a greenish-blue. More green, but a hint of blue." He looked at what Syran was touching, and wondered if she'd like it.

"Would she like that thing? Or am I hopeless?"

Syran picked the piece up and scrutinized it beneath her gaze. She turned it over and over, attempting to figure out what exactly it was. It hadn’t been a necklace, but it had been some form of jewelry. She tilted her head, completely puzzled by the look of it. “What on...Oh!” she exclaimed, lifting it up and over her head. She placed the item atop her crown, laying it where her goggles once sat. “That’s what it is,” she giggled. “Well, it would pull what blue she has in her eyes out, Samuel. However, if you don’t like it we can keep lookin’.”

Sam studied the jewel, but decided against it.

"No... She doesn't really like head wear, now that I think about it a bit more. Maybe we can find her a necklace?" Sam was really hoping that Sy would agree with him. He was really starting to feel hopeless about this whole ordeal.

Syran parted with the stunning piece, having replaced it back where it belonged, she turned away. Her gaze drifted across each surface that she could see, searching for something that would catch her eye and more importantly, impress June. She wandered further into the shop, unsure whether or not Sam was behind her.

Her nose twitched momentarily, before something flashed in the lighting and caught her eye. She stopped abruptly and was taken completely off guard when the line of Sam collided against her. She threw her arms out, blocking him from potentially passing her and pointed to the right, indicating for him to head that way.

"Uh... okay?" He said, confused. He began to head to the right, wondering what the hell Sy was pointing at.

"Is there something you found? Or just hoping something is here?" He asked, looking at the things he passed, knowing that most of this, Sy would scoff at in favor of something else.

She scoffed at him, “Silly Sammy, Silly silly silly, Sammy. “ She waved her hand in that direction, urging him further and then stopped at the table that had called to her. “Here.” She stated, as if he should know what she were talking about. Sighing in exasperation at his puzzled look, she reached out and nabbed the item.

The ring was delicate as a whole, and from the look and feel, Sy guessed that it had been crafted of white gold. Leaves were sculpted along its sides and had been set with a central clear diamond and two 3mm emeralds on either side of the stone. Though the item screamed ‘engagement’, it was different; unique in its own way that set it apart from everything else in the store. The four prongs that secured each stone gave off a clean look, and would definitely express to June Sam’s love and devotion.

Sam studied the item in Sy's hand, noting that it did look incredibly crafted. It was very fancy as well. Definitely something June would love.

"That's perfect!" Sam raised both his arms in the air, and pumped up and down.

"Thanks Sy. Let's buy this thing and go get your boo-" Sam looked past the isle, and fell silent.

"Shit!" Looking at a dusty old book was his wife. Sam frantically looked around, and mentally saying 'fuck it', dove into a pile of boxes beside the table the ring was on.

June heard the noise, and looked towards where it came from, and when she noticed Syran, reeled in surprise.

"Sy? Is that you?" She asked as she walked towards her.

"Hide the ring!" Sam said from below the boxes, his voice muffled.

Syran cocked her head to the right, mouth twitching at its corners into a sideways purse; she stared blankly at the woman and blinked rapidly. A moment passed before a wide grin broke free across her face and she strode forward, making her way to June with the ring in hand.

“June!” she exclaimed, clasping hold of the woman’s left hand with her right. “Thank goodness you’re here.” She said. She raised her left hand and with it, bared the ring, “What do you think of this? Is it too much?” She released June’s hand and twisted her own behind her back.

She waited until the woman had focused in on it before waving the free hand vigorously behind her in the direction of Sam, attempting to get him to either get out of the store or to find a different place to hide. He really wasn’t hidden well and was surprised that his wife hadn’t spotted him.

"Oh my... It's so pretty..." June said, marveling at it.

From the boxes, Sam saw Sy's hand movements and seeing no other alternative, flipped a box over, and hid under it, slowly creeping his way out of the box pile.

"Wow that is really expensive! And in this store too?" As she was saying that, June also realized that if Sy was here, Sam was as well.

"Where's Sam?!" She asked, slightly afraid. Normally he visited whenever they landed.

"Is he..." She didn't want to say the rest.

As this was happening, Sam was crawling his way towards the back of the store, where he could sneak out the back and wait for June to leave. But his current "disguise" was not the best by a long shot. A moving box on the ground.

“No!” She quickly said, knowing where June’s thoughts had been drifting towards. “He had an appointment.” Sy began to lead the woman to the front of the store, making her way to the sales counter. She placed the ring on the slab of marble and turned to June, “He mentioned that he’d be havin’ dinner with you and the runt tonight. I bet he’s on his way there now.”

The man on the other side of the register began to check her purchase out and looked at her with a gleeful smile before stating the total. “Might I say, Madam, what great taste you have? This piece will look beautiful on you. Did you happen to see the matching necklace? The set together would be a mere fourteen hundred. It’s a deal you absolutely can’t find elsewhere.” He said, attempting to swindle another sale.

“No, thank you.” Sy said, flashing a smile at the man. “The ring will be all.” She handed over the payment and snagged the bag the jewelry had been placed in. “June, it has been a pleasure. I really must be headin’ back now, and I’m sure you want to be gettin’ home to see Sam. Say hey to that runt of yours for me and enjoy your evenin’.” She said as she passed the doorway with the other woman nipping closely at her heels.

"Oh, thank God...." June said, breathing a heavy sigh of relief. That was her biggest fear, and something that kept her up most nights when Sam was away. She knew that he was more than capable of handling himself, and especially since he was with the entire Black Star crew, he'd be relatively safe. Or as safe as you could get with a band of pirates.

"Wow Sy. You guys must have gotten a good haul this time around."

"It was great seeing you, Sy. And of course I'll say hello to Kaede for you."

June gave Sy a quick goodbye hug, and swiftly turned around, heading off towards the Food Market, a noticeable bounce in her step. She intended to make Sam his favorite meal.

Meanwhile, Sam had finally made it to the back of the store, after bumping into a few walls, nearly breaking a Nuclear Bomb, and pissing off three customers.

He went out to the front of the store, and watched as June walked off, leaving Sy in the front of the store.

"Did you get it? How much was it?" Sam asked, rubbing his head where he hit it hard on a wall.

Syran passed the bag off to Sam, shaking her head in disbelief. “She’s so pretty,” Sy said in a sigh. She told him the total, before rushing off to the other side of the market. “SAM YOU PROMISED,” she yelled behind her, knowing the man would be trailing after. She started buzzing in excitement.

"Damn..." he said, pulling out the money to hand to Sy. But then she ran off, and he had to run and hand it to her before leading the way to the vendor.

"This guy is a personal connection of mine from before the Black Star. He can get any kind of booze, no matter the price. Of course, he'll ask for an arm and a leg for it, but I did a favor for him."

They walked up to an old, slightly energetic man with one bulging eye, and a blue marble in his left eye socket.

"SAMUEL! YOU BE BACKA FROM YOUR JOURNEY! WELCOME WELCOME! WHATA BRINGS YOU HERE TODAYA EH?"

"Hey Jimsy. I need Kilpin 500. Two Bottles. Ms. Drunkey here wants to get drunk on the best there is."

"OHAKAY!" He said, super excited. He went to the back of his stall for a few minutes, and wrapped in a gold cloth were two bottles of Kilpin 500, the best quality booze that Carin- and a few other planets- had to offer.

"THAT WILL BE-AH FIFATEEN HUNDRED EH?!" He said, a huge smile plastered on his face.

"I'm calling in that favor. Drop it to one thousand." Sam said, getting real tired of Jimsy's energy. He loved the guy, but he was really, really loud.

"OH SAMUEL! WHY MUST YOU KILL ME SO?! OKEY, ONE-AH THOUSAND IT IS, EH?!" Sam handed him the money, and grabbed the bottles, handing them to Sy.

"Drink responsibly." He turned to Jimsy, giving a quick salute before leaving the stall, and letting a poor drunkard deal with him instead.

It had been a half hour since taking ownership of the Kilpin and she had managed to down almost and entire bottle, having alternated between the two to keep them even. Syran blinked against the haze that blurred her vision; the darkened tint of her goggles hadn't helped the situation and she wished that she were in a dark enough area so she could remove them.

Her arms lay loosely at her sides with an opened bottle in each hand; her fingertips were secured tightly around the glass necks that encased the love of her life. Lifting a bottle to her parted mouth, she tilted her head back and took a deep swig. That did it.

The liquid fire burst through her and filled every inch with the welcomed heat that she yearned for; caressing her like a lover and causing her to sigh. Her gums went numb. With each step she took, her limbs grew heavier and she felt as if she were wading through water. She paused in her place as her eyes rolled and her body swayed; had anyone from the crew been there they probably would have cut her off by now. She took another drink.

She felt the trickle of the substance drip along her chin and rubbed it away with the back of her wrist. Sy bent her head forward, tongue brushing over the dampened skin. The combination of the salt from her flesh and the auburn liquid sent a quick chill down her spine; she smiled.

"So... Good," she managed around a hiccup. A woman who brushed past her flashed a disapproving glare at her and Syran hiccupped again in response. She had been ignoring all the odd stares, and the off handed comments directed at her from those who passed her by in the market. Surely she looked like a questionable sight, but did they really need to gawk at a woman enjoying her alcohol?

"I...I need t-to go back to the sh-sh-ship," she stuttered, suddenly wishing she stayed still instead of jerking forward. Her throat convulsed and she swallowed down the knot that rose whenever her body had hit its limit. She didn't want to stop, though. She couldn't. She took another swig to wash the taste down.

08-09-2014, 01:33 AM

The reasoning changed from planet to planet — town to town — of where exactly she came from and why she was presently here. An orphaned girl lost and alone; a child separated from her parents; or even the times where no words were said, but tears were in abundance. Any excuse, guilt trip, or story you could possibly think of she has used to manipulate those around her to her bidding. There were a few instances where someone saw through the façade, but there was always a Plan B or C or any other letter of the human alphabet. Being prepared for the worst had been a part of her life for quite some time now. Though, in truth, was there ever a time when she wasn’t?

However, there was one little inkling of her lies which held truth each time it was presented. No matter where she was — no matter how far the galaxy — the petite girl would wind up somewhere in the marketplace in search for the latest Plataryan newspaper. Specifically for the Skeptical Sketna, the only journalistic piece from the planet of Plataryon which kept to their promise of truth. News for all of the lands across the continents with interviews of various races. Occasionally the articles were a tad meaningless, at least to her, such as pieces about the Finas building yet another ice castle. Those petty ones she made sure to skip as she skimmed through it all to get to what really mattered to her.

Plump, pierced lips would curl inwards as her upper teeth clamped down and her pink tongue moved the center hoop around. It was a nervous habit when her anxiety was built up enough to come to surface, namely seen each time she got a new copy. Back and forth the squishy organ pushed the piercing, eventually licking forward causing it to spin. The motions remained until she reached the article she had been so desperately searching for. Why didn’t they keep it on the same page every time? Then she could simply open it and skip this anxiety inducing portion.

The page was finally found with the words, “MACHINS MOVE TO TAKE FINA TERRITORY,” in large, bold letters. Tiny brows furrowed inward, causing the captive hoops on either brow to curve towards her large eyes. Magenta orbs quivering ever so slightly as she attempted to keep her form from dropping to the floor entirely. “Thereisnothingyoucando,” she spat out so rapidly no one could make a lick of what she was mumbling to herself. “Counterclockwisemovement… Fina… Dro, Berai… Last. We’relastsowe’reokay… everythingisfinewe’reallfineI’mfinethey’refine,” she took in a deep breath, and then crudely crumbled the paper between her tiny fingertips as her teeth grinded together. Immediately tossing it behind her with little to no care where it landed, tossing some meager coins onto the counter. A journalistic piece of rubbish was the only item she ever made sure she paid for. “Nothingyoucandonothingyoucandostopstopstop. STOP,” the last bit she screamed, throwing her arms at her sides causing her newly stolen bangles to clang together. This resulted in several stares in her direction as they seemingly watched a child have a fit with herself.

Sherbet colored dreads whipped at her cheeks as Sirene Reggianito Kefalotyri darted her gaze in every which direction to determine the best route of escape. Escape. It was what she needed right then, so she could begin her next self-appointed mission whilst on this planet. Pupils zigzagged rapidly up, down, left, right, and all in between as her brain rapidly computed the path in her favor determined by what she had seen earlier. Too many on the left due to food stands. Straight was most appropriate, but more likely to draw the crowd to follow her; the maternal figures anyway. Backwards resulted in the same. “Rightrightleftstraightupbackflipdownalleywayleftl eftright…” Escape. Escape. Need to escape. Must escape. Too emotional. Run, calm down, escape. Locate next mission. Next venture. Next escape…

BAM! A blast of lightning shot down from the sky right next to where she stood. Begin scene.

Reggie panicked with her almond orbs shot open wide and her jaw dropped to the floor as the girl screamed in terror. She was almost hit by lightning! Why wouldn’t she freak the fuck out?! With hair standing on end and her arms thrown up into the air she darted right into a narrow alleyway nearby while the crowd hustled around.

Lightning? Without a storm? How peculiar. Where did the girl go? Is she all right? Did anyone see where she went? The questions flurried around, but she was nowhere to be seen.

Right. Right. Left. Forward. Jump up onto the roof of one of the small stores, and then back flip into the next alleyway. Left followed by another left with a right… WHAM. The Wu managed to run right into a woman staggering around with two drinks in hand. Due to the speed she had been zipping around at Reggie was knocked back onto her buttocks rather harshly, causing her brain to whiplash at the sheer velocity. Weighing in at a mere 49 pounds and standing barely under 4 feet was likely to at least cause the woman she ran into to topple, maybe, but Reggie was too flabbergasted to comprehend anything. Like a cartoon character from Earth she swore stars were swirling about her small noggin. Spiraling about her head that she failed to properly keep still. To her the world was swaying when in truth it was her skull.

She was about to instinctively cry to get some sort of reward for having been knocked over. However, once she managed to finally get herself together it dawned on her just who she had run into: Syran. “Hey! I know you,” her speech temporarily slowed, at least in comparison to how fast a Wu normally speaks. “You’rethethiefImetwaybackwhen!” There came the speed again. “Tulgathwiththediamonsandthegadgets,” Reggie then registered the amount of booze left in each bottle her old companion clutched onto so desperately. Ah, drunk. Forcefully she slowed her speech back down to something she knew Syran would properly register at this level of intoxication, though she hated going slow. Slow. Slow. Why did people have to be slow? “Still same ol’ goggles, I see. 3years5months23days11hoursaaaaand…. 55… 56… 57… seconds.” The childlike Reggie flashed a Cheshire grin as she back flipped back onto her feet.

“Reggie, case ya forgot,” she said with the same smile still plastered onto her olive complexion. Next she held out her hand towards Syran to try and help the much larger human back up to her feet. “Miscalculation. Didn’t mean’ta knock ya on your ass. Runnin’ away, ya know how it is.” Helping her was more like a very failed attempt, though it was evident her heart was there. “Help a girl out. Noodle arms, ya know. Good fer stealin’, shitty for carryin’.” It wasn’t until she was certain Syran was back onto her feet that Reggie carried on, remembering her present dilemma.

“Heeeeey, ya wouldn’ ‘appen’ta know where I can find a ‘Black Star,’ would’ja? I got a transmission on this PDA I jacked from some cock not too long ago. Sounds like my kinda gig.”

Dnafein

08-12-2014, 05:53 AM

Co-post with our glorious captain.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Once he had returned to the ship after arriving on Carin, Xanatos slipped into his private quarters and quickly sorted through his clothing. He dug out his best silk suit and slipped into them. He chose an appropriate cologne and sprayed too much on. Donning his best bits of jewelery he owned, he strode from his private quarters. Tossing a data crystal idly as he approached the captain he started. "Just once, I'd like us to think about offering the ship to someone other then Martha. She seems to get 'attached' rather easily Captain." The Rodentian used his fingers as quotation marks on the word attached.

Togga puffed away on his cigar as the Quartermaster got dressed up and smelling nice. The Sharterran only ever worried about such things when he was out with Yashy, sure he made himself presentable by pulling on his ragged blue coat with gold trim and shoved his feet into acid resistant boots, but that was about it unless he was out with his wife. Going to the psychotic black market ship dealer wasn't such a situation, besides she loved Xantos too much to notice the big captain.

He chuckled adjusting the shoulder strap on his rifle. "But she is loving your fuzzy ears Xan, besides she is giving you above market prices every time we are going to her." The Sharkman let out another deep chuckle and ashed his cigar before leading the way to Manic Martha's Ship Chop.

"For now," Xan said following his captain. As he walked he brought up all the information on the ship they would be selling, including the falsified documents, prepared just in case. Xan popped up again as they approached Maniac Martha's "And stop smiling, your supposed to be a professional. She'll be suspicious."

The Sharterran nodded closing his lips around the cigar simply puffing away on it as he studied the massive entrance built into the side of an actual mountain. Martha's shop was one of two shops that were more above the ground than under it on Carin. The other was the actual ship shop where you could actually buy fully fixed and put together ships. Martha dealt mostly in parts and junk heaps like the Silver Quasar, if they ever got a fully fixed ship he would be sure to check out the other shop someday. Until then the woman that slept in a fully working escape tube surrounded by a small army of the most advance automatic turrets and Sentry Bots on the market would do.

The door was massive and made of Thermo-steel, while it got scorched everyday the properties of the steel kept it from melting and the burns could be wiped off by your hand. There was only one door and the words Martha's Ship Shop in faded old tyme gold lettering across it. The crew of the Black Star have been dealing with Martha ever since she set up shop around seven years ago, but every time it felt like the first time, for the simple reason they almost get shot everytime they pass her perimeter fence. Togga sighed at the tell-tale whirring of turrets surrounded them and both he and Xan found themselves covered in little red dots and mags being loaded as the long mechanical arms moved into place.

They heard a PA system screech and a deep dragon like voice roared at them.
"WHO DARES TO BE DARING, TO DARE A DARING APPROACH?!"

Captain Togga held up his hands and spoke in a loud level voice.
"It is Captain Dar-Togga and Quartermaster Xantos Skaros of the Black Star."

The PA squealed for a few seconds then the menacing voice turned into a high girlie scream.
"OH MY XANNY WANNY FUZZY EARS! COME IN, COME IN." The guns powered down and the door unlocked.

Togga dropped his head doing his best to hide the smirk and barely controlled laugh. "Well be leading the way Xanny Wanny Fuzzy Ears."

Xanatos sighed and lowered his head muttering as he opened the door, "KB would be my only problem. The others can all be bought off..." He stopped muttering and put on his most charming smile, the very same smile that got him into this position in the first place. "Marvelous darling, hello." He said as he laid eyes upon the mad woman.

The Privateers heard a joyous high pitched squeal and the sudden sound of running boots and clattering junk. Clear from the second level of his a shop a partially dressed woman (http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Siks/Stock%20photos/Gunwoman21_zpsfe6f6b46.jpg) leapt to the main floor and seemingly unhurt ran to the Rodentian sliding to a stop in front of the short alien's side with her arms outstretched and a smile of both joy and slight sadness on her face.
"Oh Xanny Wanny, Fuzzy Ears! I missed you so much, why didn't you tell me you were going on a mission. I had breakfast all made up for you in my kitchen! It was your favorite meal!" Having stepped aside before Martha came barreling in Togga simply kept his head down smiling around his cigar.

"There was an emergency at work, someone wasn't getting their pay checks." Xan started the lie. He was good at lying, he learned at an early age that the best lies have the truth threaded through them.
"So the captain an I had to go terrorize some Skorne bankers," A piece of the truth. "On the way back we ended up rescuing these poor blokes whose ship was damaged by pirates" A technical truth. "And their ship ended up falling into our hands. So I talked the captain here into offering you business and insisted that he apologize for stealing me away."

Finishing his story he stepped forward into the womans embrace, shooting the captain a meaningful look as Martha was distracted. Xan asked, "So, do you want to buy a damaged spaceship?"

Martha looked at the big alien with doe like eyes clasping her hands before her.
"Oh is it true Togga?"

The Sharterran nodded ashing his cigar into one of the trashcans.
"Da, I am very much apologizing for stealing your Xanny away. Now have you been having a look at the ship, we parked here?"

Martha gave a bright smile before she stood to her feet and adjusted her sports bra to accentuate her bust for Xanny.
"Yeah, aside from the damage it's a solid Fighter Class Ship. Fairly new systems, once I fix the guns and engines it'll be a quick sell. Whoever damaged this thing either really knew what they were doing, or lucky as all hell they didn't blow the damn thing up. "

Togga coughed around his stogie a little but showed no other sign of reaction.
"Da, so what will you be giving us for it?"

The Maniac hummed softly tapping her chin lightly.
"Well considering all the work I'll need to do to her. I think 20,000 credits would be suitable. What do you think Xanny?" She asked twirling her finger around the large rat's whiskers gently.

"I dunno," The Rodentian started, sounding distracted. "You'd easily make three to four times what you'll spend buying and repairing it. Maybe more depending on who you try and sell it to..." Xan snuck a wink to his captain. "30,000 seems like a better offer since we'll also be providing documents to assist the future sale."

Martha frowned looking her fuzzy lover over.
"Come on Xanny, you know how long it'll take me to get her fixed up, that's a lot of money to tie up. How about 25?"

"It is a lot of money" Xan nodded. "I gotta try and negotiate though..." He stuck his bottom lip out a little. "Is 27 more reasonable?"

The Ship Seller's frown deepened, she knew even then wouldn't leave her much, but she couldn't resist Xan's cuteness and sighed looking at Togga who nodded his head puffing a smoke ring out.
"Oh ok, but you owe me dinner Xanny and....something else!" She gave the smallest hint of a smile before pulling her bedazzled store pad from her cargo pocket and transfered the files and such from the Quartermaster's pad. She then presented the pad to Togga who signed it in his usual broad strong hand. It was then given to Xan to sign, once the Rodentian's signature was down the pad clicked as one and the agreed upon funds were instantly transfered to the secure account of the Black Star.

With the business done Togga smiled and shook Martha's hand, "I am thanking you now Martha. I am knowing you will be make your money back and thensome once you are done fixing the ship. I will be bidding you both good day, I am eager to be seeing my wife and daughter. Xan, you are free to do be doing what you wish. Or be doing who you wish." He winked at Martha who blushed slightly rubbing her arm like she did when she was nervous. With that he nodded to them both and exited the shop noticing some of his crew wandering off to do their own things. He put the cigar out in the dirt before tossing it into Martha's Plasma engine display, it would incinerate the cigar and thusly his DNA.

Paranoia walked hand-in-hand with this job so you could never be too safe. Taking a roundabout route to his house atop a hill he would be home in time to have dinner with Yashy and maybe Jeela.

Xanatos watched the captain leave, he sighed and turned to Martha, "Well Marvelous, whats for dinner?" He was expecting it to be a long night.

Aureyon

08-13-2014, 08:40 PM

It had been a relatively smooth ride from the space battle with the Silver Quasar, and then the trip to Carin. In this time, Korion had healed and discharged nearly all patients that were in the Medical Bay, and filled nearly three jars of the deadly toxin that would kill her quite easily. It was ironic that the only thing that could kill her people instantly came from within their own bodies, but she did not worry that this secret would be found out, because as it were only the captain knew of this information.

Nevertheless, she had always chosen to be careful with where she placed these items of certain death, and as she knelt over a hidden compartment in her apartment on the ship, she placed the jar down in a free space. Her glowing eyes glazed over the sapphire colored spheres and they sparkled slightly; there were innumerable amounts filling the jars that they were kept in, and there were at least twenty or more jars filled to the brim with her death sentence.
Thankfully, it was not something that was widely known, and so she could rest easy knowing that they would never be discovered by the other crew members or bandits. The groove had been installed per her request in the last update of the ship, and thankfully the captain had given his approval of the modification without question because of his previous knowledge on the subject.

The sheer numbers of the toxin would provide a hefty sum of credits to the one who sold them to the markets. However, she never planned to sell them to the open markets, it would be too dangerous if word got out of the toxin that could kill her people with a single dose; even more so if their enemies learned of the closely guarded secret- closing the compartment and locking it, she stepped away from it satisfied that it would never be discovered.

As she made her way through the med-bay, she noticed the presence of her assistant and called over her shoulder in that same monotonous voice that she held in most cases “Shall you accompany for a drink Scylla?”

Pheasant

08-13-2014, 09:12 PM

Akalina and Bailey parted ways at the entrance of the Black Star, the girl slipping down the main access tunnel as she moved towards her quarters.

With a few heavy turns from the small girl, the hatch to her a room popped open along with the heavy smell of incense. A step inside and it locked shut behind her.

Akalina’s quarters was as cramped as anyone elses on the ship, little more living space than a bed a desk and a dresser. Several tribal totems and weapons hung on the walls, with a large pot shape incense burner on the desk.

A pile of equipment and parts sat on a mat in the corner, broken thermal goggles and range finders among other things. She quickly added her small automated defense turret to the pile, the girl would test it later.

The blades she had acquired on the market earlier were hung on the far wall along with several other archaic weapons, the lowest placed in a line that began with a long full steel sickle, a straight blade and a steel beak that would fit over her stubby one. Few Karura styles encompassed all of these weapons together, but each had their uses. Some more than others.

A flick from a match sitting on the desk lit the incense burner once more, and the girl pulled together a pile of parts that had been sitting on the ground onto her desk, hoping she would get enough peace and quiet to put this odd device back together.

Soulio

08-14-2014, 06:37 AM

Sam stared at Sy as she walked off, a bounce in her step.

"All because of booze..." Shaking his head and chuckling, he turned in the direction to his house. And more importantly, his family.

He passed stalls as he walked by, all of which tried to pull him over to buy some contraption, food, drink, or some kind of thing to get a quick buck. But he was a pirate. And pirates knew when they were being swindled. That, and on Carin, almost everyone tried to swindle you out of something. One of it's best things, in Sam's opinion. Everyone was trying to out-swindle one another, and more often than not, friends were made because of it. Or at least friendly rivals.

As he neared his home, he got a bigger and bigger smile, the thought of seeing his wife and son giving him a feeling of happiness he sorely missed when out with the Black Star.

On his way, he stopped to grab a Purple Rose, June's favorite. He also bought a small robotics kit from a stall for a shocking $230. Great deal for some. At least to those that had the money for it.

He turned the corner, and in his view came his house. Small, inviting, and oh so decorated with flowers.

He could smell his favorite meal being cooked, making him smile even more. One of the many reasons he loved his wife. Absolutely wonderful cook.

Silently opening the door, he snuck into the living room, and peeked around the corner, seeing his wife swiftly cutting a carrot into small slices.

Upstairs, he could hear Kaede playing, running around with a toy.

When June turned her back to Sam, he leaned in the doorway, now in full view, and waited for June to turn and see him.

She dropped the slices of carrots into the pot, and was about to go and cut a few potato's when she saw a figure out of the corner of her eye. Immediately she opened a drawer and pulled out a Laser Pistol, and aimed it at Sam.

"Okay, easy..." Sam said, moving back instinctively. June dropped the gun, her mouth agape in surprise.

"Sam!" She said, running into him and nearly tackling him to the ground in a tight embrace. They stayed like that for a few minutes, simply holding onto one another.

"I got you some flowers..." Sam said, pulling away from June.

"I noticed," she said, wiping a tear from her eye.

"I also got you this," he said, pulling out the ring from the store.

"Wait... but that's the ring... Sy..." She gasped, a look of surprise on her face. "Was Syran helping you find this?" She asked, playfully smacking Sam on the cheek. "How did I miss you?!"

"I... sneaked out the back with a box..." Sam admitted, looking down at the ground.

"Well, you did a good job of making me wait..." She said, smiling. Sam placed the ring on her finger, before giving her a quick kiss.

"Let's go surprise Kaede," Sam said, pulling June along.

SikstaSlathalin

08-16-2014, 04:12 AM

*Togga*

Marching through the black dust of Carin in the early evening is always an interesting experience, even at night the extra close sun never really sets, it just bakes the other half of the plant while keeping this side in a state of perpetual twilight. The Shar sometimes missed a true night, where you could see a moon and the stars and everything was cool and crisp. Here it's usually around 70 or 80 at night and cook the meat off your bones hot during the day. Piscia was such a planet, it was a nice 48 hour day, split evenly at 24/24. The temperature was a balmy 80-110 on average during the day, and a perfect 50-70 at night. The wind blew constantly and the water was always clear and cool.

It was the closest thing to paradise he has come across in his many travels. Well that and being in the arms of his wife and holding his daughter in his own arms and scratch Chomper behind thedorsa l fin. He may be a black hearted scoundrel at times, but his family was his most prized possession. Through everything they've been there, through the betrayal, the rebuilding of the Merchantile House of Dar in this solar system, and the eventual taking over and running of the Black Star Privateers. He owes them much.

He's been slowing paying it back by keeping them safe, healthy, and comfortable. He loves them all dearly, and is always glad to see them when he's back on Carin. After reaching the end of his round about route he approached the stone camouflaged hatch that marked his front door. He scanned the area around his door extending his senses out around him. He didn't register anyone around him, so he knelt down and lifted the top stone revealing hand scanner. One can never be too safe on a planet of crooks when you have an amazingly attractive wife and daughter, an extremely rare pet, and numerous fortunes in goods under your roof. He pressed his large hand to the scanner and felt the slightly warm tingle as it scanned the appendage. A few seconds later and the hatch clicked open, lifting it up he climbed down the ladder and slammed it shut after him. Soft blue lights ignited as the hatch closed and Togga looked down the 50 foot ladder that lead to his living room. Quickly climbing down he could smell the heavenly aroma of lightly cooked Seal coated in it's own spiced blood sauce, Yashy mustv'e known he was coming home, she had his favorite meal cooking for him.
"By the sea I am loving that woman." His pace quickened down the ladder and a few seconds later he was landing on the warm stone floor of his house and gazed longingly at his abode. Everything brought straight from Piscia, Aquawood and volcanic glass furniture stuffed with feathers from the Archhawk, an insanely dangerous predator but with the softest feathers one could ask for. The wood and glass theme continued in his armchairs, bookshelves, couch, desks, tables, and doors. While the entryway was stone the rest of the floor was clear volcanic crystal that showed the other half of his house his lagoon.

Every Piscian when living off world must have a split home like this, while they all can live out of water for extended times with their bubbles collars, it's not healthy to become totally terrestrial. They need to be immersed in water every now and then otherwise they can become dried-out and ill. In this house, he and his family sleep underwater, and in the case of Yashy and he they do...other things underwater. That would be for later though, right now he just wanted to see his family and eat a homecooked meal. Micheal is a fine cook, but even he would agree you can't beat a real homecooked meal.

Stopping at the edge of the living room he shouted across the way to the kitchen.
"Yashy, lubimaya maya(my love) I am home!"

He heard the sound of cluttering tools and the quick shuffled of bare feet on the clear glass. A second later a tall and well built woman dressed in a frilly knee length skirt, black tank-top and, a bloody white apron.

As she drank in the massive form of her husband she let out a scream of happiness and ran jumping fully into his arms wrapping her long powerful legs around his waist kissing him deeply wrapping her arms around his neck pulling her body close to his.
"Togga, it is doing my heart glad to be seeing you here!"
He began a response, but another powerful kiss from Yashy shut him up.

Juicesir

08-18-2014, 07:05 PM

"Hmm-de-hmm-de-hmm!" The digital humming synchronized out of Aidebot's vocalizers was very pleasant, a slight punctuation to the deeper, idle hum of the ship itself. Speeding down the corridors with a sunhat on its head an a string of costume pearls around its neck, the little whirring bot hummed its way towards Akalina's quarters. Its projected eyes were upturned in a closed fashion, and its proximity sensors were on passive.

As it turned the corner into Akalina's room, it stopped suddenly, the sensors having picked up a heat signature. Aidebot's eyes widened, and blush was simulated on its facial monitor. "Oh! Crewman Gato! I... did not expect to find you returned so early." If any robot or AI had ever conveyed a sense of embarrassment and being caught in the act of something, none had ever done so more thoroughly than Aidebot did now.

"Uhhh..." This was a recent development on Aidebot's part, the tendency to say "uh" and "um." Such mental stopgaps were never verbalized by any android or synthetic, yet the Aidebot had taken on this custom to ease integration into the group's psyche. In fact, the Aidebot already had the answer processed and ready to be delivered before the "uh" was ever vocalized. "How was your trip out?" Aidebot chirped, coming to rest at Akalina's side.

Arthera

08-19-2014, 09:58 PM

Today was a good day after all.

The hacking of the Silver Quazar's data banks had spewed forth an interesting list of items when 'Kat's programs had run their course. Past jobs, last visited locations, a crew roster, outgoing communication logs, that sort of thing mostly. The main bit was the slightly better encrypted captain's logs, which 'Kat found vaguely worthwhile working on at first, until she actually saw what it contained.

See, the Silver Quazar had it's own little business going. Transport gigs, escorting, bounty hunting, that sort of thing. The ship's captain, bless the man for his short-sightedness in all things electronic to host such information in such an easily hackable system, had left account names for some of their financial deposits. The amount was... interesting... to say the least, let's say they were lucrative at this point in time, or had backers that were doling out funds rather generously. The ship had a few accounts to it's name, spread left and right into different funds and trusts, but with some digging and a fair share of hacking, 'Kat had access to those and was beginning leeching those funds into her own series of dummy accounts and decoys. Making sure to leave a thorough scrubbing process clean up traces as she went along. Having done this before on much more volatile accounts and people, Ekaterina wasn't overly worried that something would go wrong, but she didn't take any chances. She had pride in her work once all was said and done.

A message was sent to the captain's communicator as the transfers started. It stated: "How much did you need to enlarge your pool already?" That should get his attention and make him call her back sooner rather than later. The enemy ship's money was to be taken by him after all, he was the boss, and to fuel the Black Star's coffers. After a small handling and effort fee was skimmed off the top for herself, she had done all the work and all that.

Which reminded her...

That crew roster, all those peeps were dead now and very, very unlikely to be needing their assets for any foreseeable future. Those wouldn't amount to anything close to the main jackpot, but 'Kat was certain the rest of the crew wouldn't mind some spoils raining down on them and cheering up their day. People accounts were much easier to get into, now that she had names to go by and employ records to filter the false trails and similar names. If all went well, everyone in the crew would be getting some interesting parcel "donated" by the deceased crew of the Quazar, it was only fair that they paid the Black Star crew for the inconvenience. Above and beyond mere monetary value, there was also a stash of equipment on Carin that the Silver Quazar used, and 'Kat had the access codes and location at her fingertips.

'Kat sent a generalized message to the crew on their private communicators.

"As a present from me to you, with a notable mention to the space morons that attacked us recently, you each have a monetary amount reserved to your name. Call me back with where you want the gift credited. Bonus to the first to physically bring me a box of Svarthren Meat Pies."

Xan and Bailey got a separate communication, saying: "Carin-bound stash from those we met on our last encounter in the form of weapons and "gear". Coordinates and access keys to be sent by secure message after you reply, either one will do. Unknown quantity and quality. No indicated nastiness upon arrival, but go packing just in case, bring extra arms too."

With that settled, she got to work sorting out those accounts and getting that money to living people much more deserving of it.

Sinderella

08-19-2014, 11:44 PM

Tri-Post with Ru and Siks:
Reggie, Togga and Syran

Syran stumbled from the impact and fell backwards, falling onto her ass and dropping both bottles of booze from her hands. Slowly, as everything around her began to register, she began to flail awkwardly in an attempt to grab her fallen bottles.

“Mudderfackin’fuckshitfuckdamnit,” She spat, hands gripping hold of the glass bottles once more. She sighed in relief, happy that only a little had managed to drip out.

“Hey! I know you,” The girl who had ran into her said, and then began talking in a rather rapid pace. It took Syran a moment to comprehend that the girl had been talking to her as her head swam and her vision danced in blurred movements.

“Wh...What?” Sy’s lashes fluttered beneath the goggles as they tried to focus in on the four little girls standing before her. Four? No…there’s only one...

“Reggie, case ya forgot,” The girl said the name and familiarity spiked up. “Help a girl out,” Reggie said while attempting to pull her up.

“Oh...” Sy adjusted herself to the best of her alcohol induced ability and awkwardly fumbled onto her feet. She leaned forward, nearly stumbling once again. “Bah...” She grumbled.

“Heeeeey, ya wouldn’ ‘appen’ta know where I can find a ‘Black Star,’ would’ja? I got a transmission on this PDA I jacked from some cock not too long ago. Sounds like my kinda gig.”

Syran perked slightly at the mention of her home and for a moment, had to think of what the girl had asked again. “Oh’dere,” She muttered incoherently.

“Hey! SY!” A man yelled, walking over to where the two stood. “Wow, Syran, you look a wreck, lady. Oh, sorry, name’s Robert.” He said to Reggie with a smile, hand extended.

“Sirene Reggianito Kefalotyri,” The Wu spat out rapidly. “Buuuuut, ya can call me Reggie, a’ight?” A brow perked up as Syran spoke, though she didn’t indicate where she was talking about. Thanks to naturally speaking obnoxiously fast it wasn’t too hard to understand the slurs of a drunk. Try understanding an intoxicated Wu. You would be in for a treat!

“Do youuuu know where the Black Star is? Or maybe where, ‘Oh’dere’ is? Either would be super duper fantastically helpful.” Reggie spoke with a wide grin, hands clasped together by her hips. With an outstretched neck she batted her large, pink eyes.

Robert laughed at her name, gaze glancing between Reggie and Syran. “Yea’, it’s over there.” He said, motioning into the direction from where he just came. “Go out the front of the market and keep goin’ ‘til ya get to the docks. The Black Star should be easy enough to spot and if not, I’m sure Sy here will let cha know.”

Reggie bobbed her head as a response, allowing her arms to return to dangling at her sides. At least now she knew where the bloody ship was. Hopefully it'd be her next ticket to traveling somewhere else or maybe even a permanent gig for once.

Syran rolled her head back, staring up at the sky and giggled. The moment she giggled her hiccups returned and, she snorted at the sound. “Reggggggggie,” She drew out, bringing a bottle to her mouth and taking another swig. Syran coughed as the liquid burned its way back into her system. She pushed the bottle out and against Reggie’s chest, offering her a drink. “Driiink!”

Reggie's brows furrowed in confusion as the bottle was pressed against her tiny form. Then a smile crept over her delicate features as the pierced up Wu took a swig of whichever bottle Syran gave her. It was always nice, at least to her, when someone did believe her when she informed them she was old enough to drink. Though, it was possible Syran didn't remember that conversation and was offering her a drink just 'cause.

“Maybe ya two should grab some grub before headin’ back, she’d be able to sober up some. She usually doesn’t get wasted; I’m not sure why her system is jacked up right now. She probably hasn’t eaten anythin’. I’ll call the Captain and tell ‘em to be expectin’ ya. Like I said, go back out the front and straight on. Ya won’t be able to miss the docks, nor the ship. She’s a beautiful vessel,” Robert said with a wave, before heading off in the opposite direction.

"Hrrrmmm..." Reggie trailed off, orbs dancing around the marketplace as she tried to conclude where she had seen food earlier. She preferred locating somewhere nearby or closer to the ship so it was easy to run off to it when they were done. Something good for drunken people...

Wait. Was it grease or bread that was good for drunken people? She couldn't recall, though she did remember seeing a greasy looking sandwich shop not too far off from where the dude had pointed. When in doubt... cop out for the easy option! To the greasy sandwich shop only a few feet or so away! Then they could have both.

She grabbed the bottles from Syran's hands. One was kept in her left hand while the other was propped in her mouth like a bottle. With her free hand she curled her fingers around the woman's wrist, dragging her along towards the sandwich place. "To sammiches!"

Syran allowed Reggie to guide her as she stumbled along the direction to the food. Food sounded good to Sy, and she couldn’t remember the last time she ate… which wasn’t good. She sighed inwardly and tilted her head to the side to glance at Reggie. The girl was so petite, so young looking, that she was surprised that no one commented on the fact that she held bottles of booze. Wait… what happened to my booze? Sy thought, finally noticing her empty hands. Did I leave them somewhere?

She forced what focus she could to try and extinguish the burning that coursed through her, and squinted in an attempt to rid the haze that clouded her vision still. Food… Booze… She thought, bile rising at the back of her throat again. “No...No...” She rushed, lurching forward and to the right between two shops before she hurled.

Syran dropped to her knees; hands pressed to the ground as she up chucked the contents of her stomach across the ground. Fingertips dug into the ground beside her that was free of vomit; the cool of the topsoil encased her hands and battled with the heat that came from getting sick. She coughed twice, spit, and then fumbled to stand.

With a quick jerk Reggie tilted her head back, downed the rest of the contents of the bottle, and then spit it out in the nearest barrel to her with little care as to whether it was actually a trashcan. Next she chugged the one she was holding, tossing it into the same area. Logically she should have thrown them away without drinking them, but why waste good alcohol? The small girl hiccupped.

Free hands allowed her to rub Syran's back in an attempt to be comforting as she also tried to help the larger woman up. For human standards she definitely was not what one may consider large — or even plus sized — but to a little Wu? Yeah, she was freakin' huge. Even so, she did her best to aid her companion back up into a standing position then proceeded to lead her towards the sandwich shop. Reggie knew better than to mention the vomiting; all it would do is make Syran self-conscience which was the last thing she wanted to do.

"Ah hear these sammiches are perdy damned good," She lied. This was the first time Reggie had ever been to this planet. "Hope they live up'ta the name, ya know? But I unno if it's good'ta 'spect much goin' on in this kinda place. Anythin' should be good to get into your stomach that." Walking she felt a bit woozy thanks to the rise in alcohol content in her body, but there wasn't enough left in those bottles to get her anywhere near the state of Syran. "Ah'll pay a'right? Muh treat. Buy whatever ya want. Sammich. Burger. Fries. Cheese. Whatever. Kay? Kay."

She peered up at Syran, lacing her fingers with hers as she dragged her along. "Watcha doin' these days? How ya know Black Star?" When she first left Plataryon it was odd holding hands with any of the other races, or even simply shaking hands. Wus had such tiny fingers, much like a child, so clasping onto any other phalanges made her feel like she was touching a giant. Syran the Giant. It didn't sound too bad, but the human might not appreciate it.

Syran brushed the back of her hand across her chin, an attempt to ensure that there weren’t any signs of her previous actions. She had to admit that she felt much better. With the promise of food lingering, she knew she’d be able to return them to the ship without issue. She was finally able to keep up with the girl without much aid, but a pounding had begun to assault her head in the form of a headache. Sy blinked tired eyes, breathing in deeply as she continued on beside Reggie to the food shop.

Syran nodded her agreement at the mention of the food being good, and when the girl offered to pay, Syran nearly blanched at the idea. She had no intentions of letting the girl pay for her, let alone permitting the girl to buy her own, either.

Sy glanced at their joined hands, then to the girl and smiled. Before she had a chance to respond to Reggie’s questions, the man from behind the counter in the shop hollered at them as they entered. She ordered two burgers, both loaded with everything, a fry and coffee. She had been surprised that a place like this had served the beverage, but who was she to look a gift horse in the mouth? She waited for the little Wu to order before dropping the payment for the both of them, and then headed off to a booth in the far back corner.

Reggie was taken aback when she put down the money without a word. While she was accustomed to people paying for her, she was not used to those who knew she was not actually a child doing so. A brow perked up, but it was soon replaced with a cheerful composure. Getting whatever the special of the day may be was still exciting for her. Making a friend and getting surprises! What could be better?

Syran slid into the seat that was against the wall and scooted all the way over. “Oh, how do I know about the Black Star?” She rephrased, a smile breaking out across her face once again. “Simple. I’m the ship's navigator.”

Tickle me pink orbs nearly bolted out of her skull. The ship's navigator? The small smile grew, curling up next to her enormous eyes as she sat beside Syran, inching her way over to her to ensure she could hear Reggie over the crowd. No matter the distance she was in the Wu would hear her fine, but she was aware humans did not have the best of hearing. "Reeeeeally? Do ya'll need a scout? Or gunna? I sure do love me some pew pews, but Ah'm mighty fast so Ah's perdy good at scoutin' out the place, ya know. Ah like runnin' better than shootin' though, soscoutbebestmethinks." The last bit was a tad faster than intended, but she was beyond excited at the thought of working with Syran.

“Robert, the guy who had come up to us was a scout of ours who decided to… leave what with his contract being up and all. Though, I don’t think that’s the real reason he left,” Syran said brightly, the girl’s excitement being contagious. Sy took a bite of her food, and moaned her appreciation to the cook. She stuffed a few fries in her mouth, took a gulp of the sugary beverage and flashed another smile at Reggie.

She had been right. The food hit her stomach and calmed what remained of her drunken stupor and before long, the pounding in her head even resided and she sighed in relief. “We’ll get cha back to the ship and talk to the Capt’n. Speakin’ of, I need to buy Togga a Toga still… You haven’t the faintest inklin’ where I can get one of those, do ya?” She asked, quirking a brow.

The special of the day ended up being a thick quesadilla that was relatively large in comparison to the individual who was consuming it with a side of cheesy beans. The main portion of the meal caused her eyes to light up, until she noticed the beans and a frown engulfed her expressions. Reggie glared intensely at the side as though it had committed a heinous crime right before her eyes. How dare they put cheese — a divine delicacy — with something as treacherous as beans?

She leaned slowly towards it. Nose scrunched; teeth gritted and bared; and her left eye occasionally twitching. It took every ounce of her being to prevent herself from tossing the little cup of blasphemy to the ground. Instead she grabbed it, zipped over to another table where she placed it, and zoomed right back between the words Togga and Toga.

"Hrm? Toga? Like what da little Earth people wore back in da Roman days, eh?" Speculating brow raised as the rage escaped her face. With the beans out of sight they were also out of mind as she gladly gnawed on her cheesilicous quesadilla, though it would be better with more cheese. "Ah finks Ah saw a guy sellin' some not too far back. Da more legit ones anywho. Ya can jus' toss a sheet o'er his head an' tie up some vines for the tiara lookin' part."

Sy laughed at Reggie’s comment, “That would be interestin’ to see. I doubt he’d sit still long enough for it to happen, though. It’s more of a gag gift for our darlin’ Capt’n,” Sy said with a smile. She took another bite of her food and glanced at the front entrance, looking over the couple who entered.

“What say you we finish up our food and go check it out and then head back to the Star?” She asked.

“Yeah, sure! Yeah, yeah. Makes sense. I got chu,” The Wu nodded vigorously then shoved the rest of her meal in her face, causing her cheeks to inflate like a chipmunk. She chewed with little care of the bits of grease dripping slowly down the corners of her mouth. Reggie ground her teeth together rapidly until the quesadilla was liquefied and swallowed. To her it took too damned long, to anyone else? They’d think she needed to slow down her eating habits before she got bloated. “Le’s go! Gogogo. This is exciting. I’m excited. I’ve never been on a team before. What’s it like being on a team? I bet it’s awesome. I hope it’s awesome. It’s awesome isn’t it?” Questions spewing out of her mouth one right after the other, giving Syran no chance to answer in between.

An hour had passed since they left the dinner and located the shop that Reggie had mentioned. With a bag filled with Togga’s toga, the two were headed back to the Black Star. Syran swung the bag in a circle, excited to see the reaction of their Captain when she gave it to him. She laughed to herself; the thought of his response was comical.

“We’ll call ‘em when we get back to the ship,” She said lightly. “I think he had planned on goin’ home to visit his family.”

When they made it to the docks, Syran slid her goggles to the top of her head with her forefingers; the lack of much light having not changed since her and Sam headed out earlier that evening. She sighed in utter relief at having rid her eyes from the shield of the lenses. “Finally,” She murmured.

It took but a moment for her vision to focus in, seeing everything in view as clearly as if it were daytime for a normal person. The tapetum lucidum lying immediately behind her retinas, reflected what little light she had been able to handle back through the retina and, increased the light available to the photoreceptors. The mutation left her eyes to appear as if they were translucent silver when exposed, almost identical to that of a cats at night.

“So you’re excited, huh?” She probed with a glance.

“Oooo, your eyes really are all shiny!” Reggie grinned, distracted by the new shiny and completely missing what Syran had asked her. “Ya said somethin’ ‘bout that bein’ why ya wore those rad goggles, but I didn’ think a human’s eyes could be so pretty lookin’! Does it hurt if’n ya don’t wear those things?” She jumped onto the human’s shoulders to get a better look without much thought to her weight; with how small Reggie was it was unlikely it felt like much more than a backpack. The Wu peered over, looking at her eyes at a closer range and then she rested her chin on the top of the woman’s head. When was the last time she got to ride someone?

“I am, I am, I am! Ah can’t wait’ta get to be on a ship and in a crew and part o’ somethin’. Does this thing steal? I hope we still steal. Figured since your part o’ it than they gotta steal. Being goody two shoes ain’t no fun… whatever that phrase means. Heard a humie say it back on Jasfoivn, dunno what the fuck they were doin’ there though. Space ain’t really safe for your kind, huh? Nope, nope. So fleshie and gooey and easy to break, but Ah like ya anyway.” Again that wide, crescent grin spread over her delicate features and curled beside her eyes. It was a rather rare sight to see Reggie without some sort of smile on her face.

She blinked. Despite enjoying Reggie’s presence, the attention that her eyes brought always put Syran off. She simply shrugged in answer, before Reg jumped on her, causing an “Mmf,” to escape her breath. The girl was practically air, but the action caught Sy off guard and had her stumbling to even the addition.

“I was born with a high sensitivity to light,” She responded, as if that should be enough to answer the question. Adjusting her weight, she lifted her shoulders to scoot the little Wu closer to her neck and began walking again. “We do what we have to, to put money in our pockets.” She continued to listen to Reggie chatter on as she made her way past the vessels that had been docked and to the spot where the Star waited. “Well, lil’ one,” She began, “Let’s go call us a Capt’n!”

With the Comms on the Black Star still on the fritz, former scout Robert had to walk his way to the Hanger and use those Comms to get hold of Togga. If he guessed right the Shaterran should be home now and more than likely getting re-acquainted with his family. He would not be happy to be interrupted, but at least it wasn’t his problem anymore. Tuning in on Togga’s communicator, he dialed the number and waited a few seconds.

Getting well into the kiss Togga’s eager hands went roaming over his wife, dinner all but forgotten by both of them. After finding Yashy’s sensitivity button, the Captain was adjusting her in his arms so he could carry her to the soft couch in the living room, when the communicator at his belt started going off. He ignored it, but the ringing got louder and more annoying. With a growling sigh he lifted it off his belt and snarled into it.

“Someone had better be dead!”

Sy attempted to send the call to Togga from the Comms in the ship and failed miserably. Every time she thought it was connecting, the call was lost. “Fuckinguselessshit.” She grumbled. “Reg, see if you can find a spot that’ll allow a call.” She rubbed her temples, fingertips brushing along the elastic of the goggles rightfully placed back on her face.

“Youuuuu should get an upgrade. Get nice things. This isn’t a nice thing,” Reggie spoke as she darted about, attempting to get some sort of a signal. It wasn’t hard for her to feel for an area being so in tune with electricity naturally; though finding a phone signal was a tad different. Eventually she found some sort of signal; however she wasn’t entirely sure it was him. “Is the grouchy man the one we are trying to talk to? He sounds mad. Mad. Mad. Scary mad. Big mad. How big is he? Very big, I bet.”

She waited as the Wu rushed about, zapping every which way across the ship in hopes that the girl could find a spot to connect to Togga. For a moment, it connected. She stood, waiting for her Captain to answer and cursed right before it clicked on. “Why the hell can’t we keep nice things?!”

“Pfffffft,” Reggie groaned and rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her flat bosom. “Kay. Not good spot or not good comm. More likely comm. Comm is stupid. Mmm… Rewiring!” she proclaimed, scurrying beneath the wiring out of Syran’s view. Being naturally the size of a human child made it easy to squish herself into small spaces, which came especially handy with rewiring. The fix would be temporary, but maybe enough to get through for longer than they were now. “Red… blue… green? Yellow, yellow. RAINBOW!” the Wu mumbled to herself, tugging on the wires. The ship was definitely in need of an upgrade based on fiddling with this bit alone. On the other hand, she wasn’t an expert engineer; merely a fairly skilled hacker and destroyer of tech.

“Shouldworkabit! Trynow! Try now!” Reggie grinned, poking her head out from underneath console with a wide, toothy grin and frizzy hair; whether this was from static or electrifying herself was hard to tell.

Syran tried the dropped call again and this time it finally went through. “Damn this ship,” she muttered.

Robert moved the communicator away from his head as Togga yelled...the Assassin was so glad he was out of this business. “Not quite Captain, Sy picked up a fast little girlfriend with big elephant ears named Reggie somewhere on Carin. Sy was three kinds of plastered at the time though. But I think she’ll do fine as a replacement Scout, what with my contract being up and all. And I don’t know where the second shifter is so she’ll work. She seems eager and being tiny maybe she could be used to infiltrate thing better. ”

Very reluctantly putting his wife down the Shar growled into the little comm. box. “A fast little girlfriend with elephant ears, you are saying? Are you meaning a Wu, Speedy little people with the big ears and having the power of lightning?”

Robert spoke his affirmation. “Not sure what a Wu is Captain, all I know is this Reggie looks like a little kid and talks too fast. They should be on the ship by now.”

The Captain growled deeply once more, he wished this could wait for the morning, but if the ship and everyone in the crew wasn’t underground by then it wouldn’t matter if the little Wu girl would make a good Scout or not. His communicator buzzed signaling another call was coming, he wanted to get this over with so he ignored it. “I am hoping so, I will be making my way there now. I am wishing you good luck in the future Robert, good bye.”

The Techno-Ninja responded. “Thank you Togga, farewell.” With that Robert hung up the Comm, turned in what belonged to the Black Star, then gathered his things and left the Hanger.

Togga hung up his communicator and gave his wife a kiss followed by a frown. “I am needed back at the Ship. Apparently we have a new recruit and I am needing to look her over. I am most sorry my love.” He moved towards the hatch but was stopped by Yashy who gave him a wink and promise.

“If you are being quick, Togga. I will be waiting for you. In our marriage bed wearing what you married me in.” She gave him one more kiss before moving back to finish cooking swaying her hips as she goes. The big male growled happily and exited their house his anger both stemmed and embroiled at what he is missing.

Nearly running along the surface of Carin he reached the ship in a few minutes via the most direct route he knew. Walking to the hatch he opened the door and shouted.

“This has better being worth my time Syran!” He growled moving to the sounds of running around and voices.

The call dropped and Syran’s nose twitched in slight annoyance. She continued to try for the Captain a few more times; frowning each time it didn’t go through. “What’da wanna bet the man is--, Oh. Sir. Hello,” Syran said, a smile forming. “There you are, well then!”

Togga opened the door to the bridge and studied both Syran and the little Wu girl. Sy was coming off being drunk so he wouldn’t expect her to have really thought this through. The Wu girl could be a spy and judging by the opened up console she could’ve just planted a bomb and is ready to kill them all. If that was the case it was too late now.

He let out a growl and crossed his massive arms over his chest looking Sy in her eyes. “So who have you brought to my ship?”

“Capt’n, this here is Reggie. Met ‘er a few years back on a job,” Syran said, glancing beneath her goggles between where he stood and where the little Wu was positioned. “She’s a rather crafty bein’ if you ask me.”

Reggie stayed seated beneath the console with legs spread at a V with her palms pressed to the floor between her thighs. She cocked her head to the side, wide eyes staring up at the tall man.

Togga looked down at the girl his eyebrow quirking some. “She is looking like child, Wu or no, what is she bringing to crew?” He crouched down and studied the big eared girl waiting for an answer.

Sy tilted her head at the ‘Wu’ remark, curious to know what that meant. “Wu, Sir?” She asked briefly before turning to peer at the girl. She shrugged then; making her opinion on whatever it was she was known. She didn’t care what the girl was; she just knew that she would be a good addition to the crew.

“Hihi, big brute man sir!” The Wu grinned, waving playfully with her left hand. “The name’s SireneReggianitoKefalotyri, buuuuuut that’s stupid long. Call me Reggie or Reg or whatever, ya know. Somethin’ not that. Anyway, so, ya know muh kind, eh? Then I don’t gotta tell ya how stupid fast I am, ‘less ya just read ‘bought us before or somethin’, in which I can dart ‘bout’ta dem’strate. Ah stole bunch and whatnot and I’m used’ta bein’ sneaky and zippin’ in and zippin’ out. Inoutinoutinout.” As she said in she threw her arm forward, bringing it into a curled fist with a bent elbow when saying out. “Ah got some ‘sperience with the pewpews, but nuttin’ gunna worthy, really. Just ‘nough to kill bitches who get in muh way, ya know? Got real good aim far away, but not so much up close. Shake too much. Gotta go fast. Hate being slow. Hatehatehatehate. I can hacks a bit too. Got da comm’ta work, s’why Ah’m down ‘ere.” She twiddled her toes as she waited for him to respond.

“Reggie,” Sy started, “Breath! Slow and steady win the race,” She joked.

Togga tried his damndest to follow Reggie’s babbling. He knew of the Wu and their psychotic need to be fast, but never had he experienced it firsthand. He was glad she wasn’t trying to get Aidebot’s Job. He would have to shoot her up with some kind of slowing drug to keep everything sensible.

He slammed his heavy hand on the metal floor calling order. “I am thanking the Deep, you are not here to be taking over the Comm Officer’s Job. Most of that I was getting. You are quick, you can shoot, you are sneaky, and you can hack. If you can be talking slow on missions and not running all around ship, you may be having place here. Will you be loyal to Captain and crew? Will you be standing by our side when the shit is hitting the fan? And will you not be cheating anyone out of their share of the loot?” He asked looking the girl square in her eyes.

“That what bein’ in a crew’s all ‘bout? Ah’ve never really been in one, but Ah like da idea. Ah can talk slower sometimes, yeah. Yeah, yeah,” Reggie took in a deep breath, then exhaled it out. Once she opened her mouth again she was speaking a bit slower, being very cognizant of her words. “Ah wanna be ‘part of somefin’. Ah ain’t gonna cheat muh own, just those cheatin’ muh own. Ah don’t ‘spect’ta get nothin’ more than muh fair share of the loot, otherwise that just ain’t right, ya know?” Fingers curled behind her head, scratching at the nape of her neck as her eyes trailed off. She had to think about it for a second, spacing as she imagined what being part of this crew may be like. Previously she was too busy zipping around to think about the seriousness of the matter. Was she ready for such a commitment? “Does the loyalty go both ways? Ah don’t wanna blindly follow ‘round like some servant bitch, but if e’rybody is loyal’ta e’rybody then ya got a Wu in your crew.”

Togga nodded actually being able to follow her this time. “Da, it will be going both ways as long I am being Captain. If you are not being afraid of death and breaking law, I am welcoming you to crew.” He reached out and offered his hand to her.

“If’n death were a cheese it’d be muh middle name,” she mused, though it likely went over his head; unless the captain was that knowledgeable in Wus and knew how obsessed with the dairy treat they were. Reggie reached out to greet his hand, then realized how large he was compared to her. Because of this the little Wu was only able to grab onto one of his fingers, tilting her head at seeing how tiny her phalanges were wrapped around it. “I ain’t scared o’ nuffin’. Well, nuffin’ I know of. An’ breakin’ the law is too fun to resist.” The confused expression turned back into a happy grin as she peered up at him.

He shook her little hand. “Good, then you will be having lots of fun here.”

Syran smiled at the two, watching as Reggie attempted to wrap a hand around Togga’s finger in a shake. The difference between the two, height alone, was enough to make Sy giggle. “I’ll show ‘er around, Capt’n,” She said, before turning towards where she had deposited the bag for him upon returning to the ship.

“Oh, hey Capt’n, gotcha somethin’ while shoppin’!” She exclaimed, turning back to face him; bag in hand, she handed it over and anxiously awaited his response.

Togga’s eye quirked up at the gift; as a general rule he never accepted gifts from his notoriously prank-loving crew. He saw what they did to Killbot, and while they couldn’t mess with his voice module without getting past his jaws, but that didn’t stop them from trying at times. He would give the Navigator the benefit of the doubt just this once. All else fails he can just take away her booze in retaliation.

He slowly opened the bag and managed to stop the smirk that threatened to appear on his face. It was a toga, not a toga in his size mind you, since only one place on Carin carries anything that might even dream of fitting him and they didn’t deal in togas, it would fit his wife though. And he would look forward to seeing her in it. “Well thank you Syran, this will be fitting my wife well.”

She laughed with a shrug. “S’long as you accept it, I dun care how you use it, Capt’n. I’ll best be gettin’ the girl around the ship now, Sir. Enjoy your time with the wife.”

“Da, I will, just don’t be letting her mess with anymore consoles. Rovitz will be not being happy when she is finding out. I will be drafting up Reggie’s contract tonight. She can be signing it in morning. Now we are having few hours before sunrise. Do not be caught out then.” With his final orders given Togga tossed the bag over his shoulder and left to return home to his wife.

Syran's communicator beeped faintly and she fumbled with it to check the message. It had been Kat, and Sy figured she would run into the woman shortly. "C'mon, Reg! Let's start this tour!"

Rayfire

08-21-2014, 04:35 AM

Evan

Finally thought Evan as he received news that the Black Star has arrived. They were late by two days and Evan couldn't wait to get on Dar-Togga about it. The cyborg sat in his office chair at home dressed in a grey suit designer as always, without a speck of dirt on it. In fact, be it rain, snow, or there ship falling apart and about to explode, Evan could always be found in a fresh suit.

On his desk sat a few contracts and a gift box wrapped with a pretty black and white striped bow. Currently going over the Cold Ion Munitions company background and that of some local thugs, he was surprised to see no real connections between the two groups other than those already given. The contract seemed simple enough on the surface. Transport of undisclosed materials, payment after safe delivery with a tiny payment beforehand to take care of docking fees. Liability release, Nondisclosure of anything found, no combat or hazard payment, and rather nasty penalties for breaking the contract or tampering with the goods, which held the slightly important note that penalties would be reconsidered if the goods were dumped to avoid discovery. He was annoyed that he would have to agree with this request due to that one bothersome favor. Still, he was going to find out more about this before showing it to Dar-Togga.

Even while on somewhat of a medical vacation he found himself screening contracts and missing the job. His excitement was confined to the local thugs that got out of line and was plotting on killing him, the black flag crew and possibly even their own bosses.

The crew had already disembarked and begun plundering the town with their newly acquired funds from the sale. Evan could have watched the ongoings from his security feeds, but he was currently more interested in the sheer lack of connections between the known paid thugs. This merited more inspection. The company had several seedy ties, which was typical for the region, and its stock had recently jumped within the last few days by a considerable margin. Something must have happened. Transport records indicated that they had hired and quickly fired several drivers and loaders after issuing only two or three paychecks which wasn’t too unusual except for the fact that it had been all together. A short term job then that massively raised their ability to make money, but only those who needed to know found out. A new research development? Not on Carin. Indeed, the business had no R&D team worth mentioning. But for some reason, most of their security team had all been given an extended paid vacation. No security? Something was definitely up. Another graph caught his attention. Another company that had been going up simultaneously as his had suddenly dropped by the same margin and bought a Huge amount of security guards along with private investigators?

Evan’s immediate thoughts told him that the company he was watching had stolen something of considerable value. The movers meant it was many objects, but since they were simply fired and not killed, it was something easily disguised. So they thought they could do him a favor and get the black star to deliver cargo without knowing it’s weapons. He couldn’t decide which was more amusing that or the fact that the gangsters were killed by their own bosses. The idiots should have known better than to try and buck the establish system. Further more the company itself provided the proof that got them killed. Their bosses weren’t happy to hear about the large weapons deal they tried to make. As if such a stupid plan could have worked in the first place. The box was sure to have proof that the missing thugs are dead it most likely contains pictures since he personally hates body parts but it wasn’t his to open. The box was a gift to the Captain, the contracts his to overlook and pick. Evan’s job was done he just had to find the Captain and hand it over.

wakachukie

08-22-2014, 02:33 AM

Realizing that he wasn't about to get an answer, Michael grabbed his things and started heading back to the ship. All of the necessities were already taken care of by the quartermaster and, quite frankly, he didn't care much for this rock. The whole thing was a waste of time, if not an outright trap.

Thinking back to his purchase, Michael grinned. With a little help from the techs and computer specialists, these little guys could take over many of the menial duties of the kitchen. But for now... Michael stuck three or four droids in each section of his armor, then another behind him, and set them to play "Tag". With a gleeful smile, Michael zipped down the street at startling speed, guffawing at the shocked vendors and customers who flipped barrel-rolls as they dove out of the way of the huge, armored Dino-man flying down the street with a little silver bot giving chase. It was so much fun to yank around corners and sideswipe inches from poles. He was out of control, just enjoying the ride through the marketplace stalls. Like a man on a roller-coaster it was a thrill zipping around until he was 'caught'. His body uncontrollably jolted as the trapped droids attempted to escape their pursuers, his right foot instantly jerking him into the Superman pose, before the other droids caught up. Left hand, right knee, forehead, right shoulder, left foot each part of his armor was yanking away from the others at a faster and faster rate.

Before he knew it, Michael was a tangled mess twitching on the ground. "GO TO BED!" And with that, the droids shut down and Michael collapsed in relief. That had been fun, but overall quite the bad idea. Instead of getting closer to the Black Star, Michael realized he had been shot clear to the other side of the marketplaces, closer to the bars and dining areas. He was not hungry, but such places were known to have information being discussed. Switching the droids back on, he made sure their audio sensors were logging and set them to "Hide & Seek". Resuming his walk back at a more reasonable speed, Michael did not release the 'finder' droid. When it was time to go, he would simply call them back to the finder to retrieve the droids and whatever they recorded.

Looking up across the glinting rooftops, the red-orange tint of the sky caught his gaze as the first few twinkling specks of starlight began to filter through the haze. It would be utterly black soon, and that was not a time to be caught outside. Michael quickened his lengthy pace, powerfully striding with deliberate steps back to the dock. His room was his home for now, and he would be quite glad to be in it again.

Just as last hopeful edge of light truly faded, Michael slipped onboard the Black Star. His heavy steps clanked as he followed the hallway to his room. Pushing open the door, which he really should get Aidbot to fix eventually, Michael dropped the box holding the rest of the droids and lightly kicked it to slide under his desk. Playing with them would be fun. Hands now free, Michael reached over and pinged his messages to display. Hmm, orders for tomorrow, a bunch of garbage messages, some garbled political junk from home calling him to join a new Warlord, an emotional appeal from vague aliens who looked tasty to buy their wares, and ... money! It was nice to have personal money again. Even if he didnt get the promised bonus, Michael made a note to pick up three boxes of Svarthren Meat Pies and immediately followed through by paying a little premium to get some fresh Svarthre delivered. He would cook them up himself and would hand deliver as soon as she showed up.

Imperial1917

08-22-2014, 03:40 AM

While the others went about their shenanigans, Ellie was at her workstation asleep. At least, she was doing what passed for sleep in her case. Her head was down on the cool surface of the metal counter, her eyelids shut against the persistent glare of the many screens all around. Her heartbeat and respiration cycles had slowed down. The climate control system was dialed down to a hibernating level; the air ducts circulated the gases of the room at a leisurely pace.

Yet, for all this, Ellie was not asleep, not really. She did not sleep anymore. In truth, she was not sure if she had ever really done what the flesh-bound of the universe called ‘sleep’. It was true that she was still organic. At least, parts of her were; a distinct minority. They remained as little vestiges of a history she no longer remembered. Arteries and veins and a million times a million cells made up a half of her that was not even half of her.

Pills and supplements and other organic items went to maintaining them, yet for all her knowledge, she was not quite convinced that she even needed them. The red heart that beat in her chest, shaking her frame with a fury that most biological creatures could only rarely detect, was more ornament than function. The seamless bonding of metal and flesh left nothing to be desired, yet one was undoubtedly inferior to the other. The conduction of energy around her body handled every little measurement, every movement. The biological systems were all but separate, their greatest contribution to her being the occasional hunger pang. And she could shut out even that. A little piece of her mind, which she was not certain was not really the whole of her brain, the existence of grey matter there a subject of speculation, sped calculations and dealt with things that her ‘natural’ parts could scarcely comprehend.

Lying as she was upon that metal counter, she could ‘feel’ the things around her. The action was as twofold as her existence was. Her sensory systems told her the precise temperature of the metal in the fashion of the energy it contained and, delving deeper into the matter, calculations made faster than they could be conceived of as necessary by organic parts told her how it could impact her. Even below her synth-flesh eyelids, the ocular implants that took the place of her eyes registered light across spectrums in the way that many others could not. As she gently inhaled and exhaled air, the same little corner of her mind gathered data by environmental hazard sensors built into various parts of her body, telling her the content of the air around her; its ratio of oxygen and nitrogen and other gases, informing her whether the mixture was optimum for her current activity and placing forth suggestions in the case of other activities. Vibration calibrators traced the slightest change in air pressure in accordance with energy dispersals indicating sounds and recognition programs sorted through them, matching them to records; they told her what was happening and whether she was in danger. Subtle accumulators drew samples of her saliva, informing her on everything from the content of her meals past to the health of her organic parts; subroutines proposed new meal plans to maximize efficiency.

All of this was information that Ellie gathered as she simply laid there, her head on the metal countertop. All of this and what did her organic fold tell her? That the counter was metal and cold; that the room was still lit beyond her eyelids; that she was meeting the oxygen requirement for her current activity; that there was sound; that her mouth was wet. Not much more and a great deal less on certain days.

It was an old debate. She had not lived so short a life as to not wonder which came first: the organics or the synthetics. Her crafter, who or whatever it had been, was clearly none too shabby by a long shot. A good gene stock, fine augmentics, and artists’ envy in skill. Though she had run the calculations a number of times with growing information, Ellie had never been satisfied with the estimations on how long such expertise would take to cultivate. She was sure that it had been the work of only one though; her form came from only single-mindedness. If that was true though, then why did she end up half and half like some bastardized nurturing fluid? It did not matter, she supposed. No matter what her opinion was, it would be a crime to spoil such delights with any cruder work.

A crime? Criminality? An emotion. How quaint. Where did that come from? What was its purpose? Why would she have emotions like that? Were they not unworthy of such a creation?

Ellie chastised herself for such thinking. It did not matter whether it made sense; it was what it was. Still, she had to wonder sometimes. As she lay there on that cool metal counter, she reached out. She did not move a muscle or augment though. It was with her mind that she reached out, blazing a path along a little wire into another world.

As an individual of such ability, Ellie often wondered how the flesh-bound perceived data. Working alongside them and studying them in person offered Ellie little more answers than the wealth of information she gathered from accounts offered. As seemed typical of their kind, they seemed to assume that the understanding was mutual and therefore brooked no study. It was mildly frustrating. Perhaps they simply did not wish to be studied in such a manner. A pity, that.

She knew that computers did not think of the matter; most didn’t have the capacity for the action. Data was their lifeblood; what they lived on. They existed to gather it, process it, and, occasionally, draw conclusions from it. Ellie guessed that it was to them what eating and reproducing was to organics: just what they did. It, like the matter of how the flesh-bound took data, seemed to brook no further study than how to enhance it.

The difference was that computers did not need a reason to collect data; they just did. The flesh-bound, on the other hand, had learned some way to draw purpose from the meaningless information. Ellie was cursed in the middle. Her construction meant that she accumulated data like any computer. Her semi-bound nature meant that she had no real reason to place purpose to it. Just like her emotions, the constant buildup of data seemed to be misplaced; to be unworthy of her.

Another quiet curse entered her mind, clearing away the speculator thoughts. She was drifting again. Emotions and unnecessary thinking clouded her otherwise sharp mind. None of what she wondered would be answered here; unlike the flesh-bound, she was a creation: her creator chose what she was. If she wanted answers, she would have to ask. It was not for her to make up purpose for things as the flesh-bound did. All it did was take up resources unnecessarily and make her the clumsy engineer that the crew knew her for, even if this was part of her programming.

She turned to the data. That was, she brushed back to the thoughts of before and reacquired her focus on other things. The Black Star sent data swirling around her. The ship was no shabby, even if it was not the refined creation that she was. Sensory apparatus of all kinds fed data into the ship computers; the meaningless data from which the flesh-bound plotted their next course. Powerful arrays swept back and forth across every surface they could reach in this endless pursuit that would not end until the electrical components decayed and entropy had won out. If the port authorities of the world below were aware that their every communication could, with just a little effort on a certain engineer’s part, be monitored, they showed no sign of it.

Then again, why should she bother with such things? The fact that a man was currently being mugged in a dark alley which the perpetrators clearly thought beyond all surveillance was of no interest to her any more than the dock officer most clearly accepting a bribe – and a considerable one at that – from the captain of a newly-arrived vessel of shady circumstance. The recorded sounds of a security guard being serviced by a less-than-willing prostitute at his station only bore a feeling of what may have been excitement that was quashed rather easily by optical views. Knowing that this was a distraction arranged for the guard by the gang currently pilfering the storehouses of a particularly wealthy corporation brought no more than a quick calculation on how the crew might profit from this – a matter to be presented to the captain later.

Speak of the devil and he will appear. A feed brought Ellie to a very busy Dar-Togga. Precisely what he intended to accomplish at that moment was a good question. It seemed that he had found something to keep him… occupied for the duration of their stay on planet. Even as she began to watch him, she felt her interest slipping away. She let the feed go and disconnected, shuddering at the loss of reach.

Now disconnected, her facilities returned to their original finite states. Her attention wandered and she became aware that her personal communicator was blinking. It was a message from the chief engineer. It could wait. She accessed the local controls with a wave of her hand that was utterly unnecessary and turned off everything around her. Her mind yearned to rest.

She wished that her creator had had the consideration to put in an off switch.

Juicesir

08-22-2014, 06:13 AM

"It was good Aidebot," Akalina murmured, focused on the guts of her newest machine with an omnitool on one talon, a screwdriver in the other. Due to the limited space of her quarters, most of her other 'toys' as Sy called them sat on shelves in an unused storage room on the engineer deck.

Although Akalina harbored no ill will towards the little robot that managed most of the ships communications, she still found the machine to be a bit...odd. It acted like a living creature, seemed to go through its own thought processes as expected of a robot with artificial intelligence, and yet it was...not alive at all.

The Karura were a primitive and highly superstitious people, and although the bird girl before Aidebot had not inherited their more extreme views, she still found it sometimes...unsettling, how alive Aidebot could seem.

"I finally found a personal defense turret that works, on top of an old Karura weapon," she pointed towards the wall where several other such weapons hung, "Would you like to join me to test it, perhaps over a cup of tea?"

She lifted a heavy box from beside the desk, filled ironically with clay pigeons.

The little bot's eyes again flitted upwards with joy. "I believe that would be most agreeable, Ms. Gato." Aidebot hovered at the side of the avian type humanoid, eager. "May I ask if I may call you by the honorific of miss? I believe I have not yet asked you for your preferred referential nomenclature." At this, Aidebot seemed somewhat shy.

"Well--," Akalina murmured, setting her toolbox and the body of the turret onto a small cart along with a teapot that seemed to be made entirely of jade, along with a few other things. "According to my rank in the Karura, the closest honorific in this language would be sir. But if you must insist on using one, miss will do fine."

The girl rolled her cart out into the hallway, headed in the direction of the engineering bay.

"Ah, yes!" Within the whirring servos of Aidebot's programming, additional files were updated on the Karura under honorifics and the trans-species linguistic equivalents. Aidebot's files were constantly on the update and did not always require manual updating, but Aidebot preferred doing so for certain things.

Which was odd. In all of the extensive internal mechanisms and fail-safe software, there was no hierarchy sorter for which updates should be manual and which should be automatic. Certain drivers required outside manual updates and installations, certainly. But there was not a single line of code which determined which information should be sorted by Aidebot's 'brain' and which should be sorted by the passive processors. To even have a distinction worried the little bot.

Aidebot made a mental note to take some time out from its charging routine to explore the philosophical quandary it had just posed itself. This all took less than a nanosecond, and was a train of thought no other would ever observe.

"So," Aidebot said the next two words with great and pleased pride, "Miss Gato, if I may be so bold, may I ask you a rather... personal question?"

"A...personal question?", what could a robot possibly want to know that was considered personal?

The door to the engineering floor opened with a swish of air, Akalina carting her equipment towards the far corner, "I suppose so, as long as you keep it between us."

"Of course." Almost whispered was the reply, somewhat saddened. "I am... I understand..." Aidebot's politeness protocols were clashing slightly with the rather curious AI that had been grafted to its system. It bypassed the red tape subroutines that did not allow it to ask the question it wanted to and proceeded to blurt out the next question.

"Why are you a girl?"

Akalina was silent for a moment, her cart drifting down another hall into the massive room that held the ships trash compactor.

"This will do," the bird girl murmured, preparing a pair of glasses and a tea kettle above a burner.

"Now," she responded to Aidebot's last question, "The reason I am a girl is because when the Great Bird split, it formed the first two of the Karura, a man and a woman."

The girl tossed a clay pigeon over the pit below them, the now active auto turret missing it by a mile, "Damn, I thought so...," she mumbled, screwdriver already working on the machines innards.

"Yes, I am thoroughly familiar with the Karuran creation mythos." This statement did not come off from Aidebot as dismissive in anyway, and in fact was tinged with the standard chirping happiness at having known a fact it usually carried. "I just simply meant... I mean to say, that, did you ever think you were anything else?"

The little bot's mind was racing. "By which I mean - I'm sorry - but was there ever such a time in your life when you might have questioned which gender within your species' spectrum you particularly identified as?" The robot used one of its claw hydraulic hands to adjust its sun hat, which had been slipping off as Akalina and it had been progressing down the halls of the Black Star.

The questions came shyly from the vocalizer. "For instance," it continued, "during your formative sexual stages, were you ever aware that what might be your assigned and physical gender may not conform to what your self-notions of the subject may be?" Each word was a struggle, and the politeness routines were straining in keeping the tone not offensive. It was obvious that the little bot was having a hard time expounding on just what exactly it was thinking and feeling.

The girl finished her adjustments, tossing another disk into the air only to have it miss, and the clay target fall into the low pile of refuse and empty bottles of booze.

This robot was hitting a little too close to home.

"My people have strict gender roles, as I'm sure you know Aidebot," the girl began, "one male representing the masculine half of the Great Bird, the warrior, one female representing the feminine to tend to the home. After my father was killed during a hunt, I was left the last one in my family and was immediately expected to marry my life partner."

Akalina fitted an omnitool over her hand, hovering it over the auto turret. It was looking more and more like a code problem than a mechanical one.

"I wanted to do what my people expected me to do, to continue our traditions. However, when my mate came to me to perform the ritual that would bind us together, I couldn't go through with it. I invoked an ancient right that my elders hated but couldn't ignore, and became the first female warrior of my people in the last hundred years."

The girl sighed, the machine going into safe mode, "According to the rest of my village, I am not a woman, I am instead a man. Did all of that answer your question Aidebot, or should I rephrase it?"

"No, your phrasing of it was more than adequate," chimed the robot. Social scanner alarms were going off that Aidebot had overstepped its inquiry guidelines, but Aidebot didn't care. Perhaps that was selfish. Perhaps, in the pursuit of attempting to garner a sort of answer out of Crewman Gato, Aidebot had alienated the Kurara.

Spirals. That was the only analogy that Aidebot could comprehend for what its mental process was now undergoing. It was as if a vortex were sucking downwards within it and starting an electric storm in its RAM. What if Crewman Gato hated Aidebot now? That was the thought that was being investigated. No, it was unreasonable to assume that due to a personal slight that hatred would be the garnered outcome. However, this did nothing to calm the frenzy of impulses shooting between Aidebot's internal processes at near light speeds. Certainly Crewman Gato would not hate Aidebot, but perhaps they would never quite be friends. It was true that Aidebot was not the ideal model. Several requisite libraries had been damaged and were near irrecoverable, and the addition of the temperamental AI core could be perceived as being intrusive.

In short, Aidebot arrived that while Crewman Gato would not hate Aidebot for this possible slight, it would still be likely that some sort of social repercussion may occur. Aidebot then determined that the most reasonable course of action should be to preempt any hard feelings with an apology. This entire thought process occurred within the span of Akalina blinking.

"I apologize if I have caused any unnecessary social strife or awkwardness between us, and would dutifully understand if you still did not wish to partake in tea with me." It was said as neutrally as possible, with a slight sense of shame. Aidebot's creators had always been good about programming their protocol droids with just the right amount of piety and humility to not elicit a feeling of being condescended to from those they engaged with.

"Oh! The tea..." Akalina murmured, dropping her tools and switching off the burner underneath the now screaming teapot.

"Its just bad memories, Aidebot. I left a lot of friends and comforts back home. If I'd felt uncomfortable telling you, I just wouldn't have told you."

"Well then!" Aidebot's mood immediately brightened, "That sounds just fine!" One of the claw extensions shot out from the sheer chassis and reached for the teapot. Another climbed up to the hat to again make sure it was on straight. "When you are all finished, we can head to the tea party!"

Tea Party?

"Who is attending?" the bird girl inquired, tossing another target over the large pit in front of them. The turret hit its mark, but the girl didn't seem quite satisfied with its performance yet.

"Just a few friends. And Ronnnie!" Aidebot investigated the teapot, noting the construction of it and its form and jotting a quick specialized note down about it in its database of teaware. Then came Akalina's reply.

Another throw, followed by a second. The machine hit its first target, but missed the other completely, almost defeating the purpose of having the thing. As expected of these dealers, the only thing they sold were glamored up hunks of metal that belonged in a junk heap.

Getting this thing combat ready could take hours, time she wouldn't have when the girl was back on duty doing all of the odd jobs.

"I don't know if I'll have the time to attend. This turret is going to take a lot of debugging."

"Oh." Aidebot set the teapot back down on the now cooling burner. "Well, alright then!" The upturned eyes, the happy chirp. Akalina's reply hadn't seemed to affect the protocol droid that much. "In regards to our conversation, I thank you greatly for being so open with me. It meant a lot."

Hovering up from Aidebot's idling position, the droid then began to float off a little ways before turning back. "If you do not mind, I will be getting back to the party then. Feel free to come down if you have free time though."

"Of course", Akalina replied cheerily, waiting until the machine was out of earshot and the automatic door slid shut behind it to let out a long sigh, placing the palm of her talon to her head.

"I wonder what you're doing now, Izziel..." the girl said softly.

As the young avian murmered, Aidebot turned quickly back, and poured a quick cup of tea for her and put a small bag from its personal stash in it, then sped away. She seemed consumed with her thoughts, and Aidebot's tact was now in full swing. The teacup sat just behind her, tendrils of steam curling up as it steeped and the Karura continued her work on the turrets.

Whizzing through the corridors, Aidebot could not help but note that that conversation had left it feeling something. There was a slight hollowness that was in its core, but it pushed that aside. That was probably just because Ronnnie wasn't there. Aidebot whirled down the shafts of the shift onto the third deck, and sped towards a medium sized cube that was in storage. It didn't seem to notice anything else as it passed; the humming was too loud and jovial.

The door was flung open. The whole cube was stuffed with a variety of things, and seemed to be insulated in blank canvases and paints. In the center of the space, which was just large enough to allow a small child to settle into comfortably, was a small makeshift tea party. A table fashioned from a discharged shell was in the middle with an ornate tea set sitting on it. A stuffed alien of some sort with only six eyes and a crudely sewn on third arm was at the head of the 'table,' along with a few other guests. A broken toaster with a hat, a very crude painting of a whale, and a tin can that had a party streamer taped to its front were all cloistered in the little den. But one guest was missing.

"Ronnnie?" cooed the little bot. The tin can suddenly jumped a little bit and then fell over, a little mouse scurrying out from within it. "There you are! Get out of Frederrick!" Aidebot rushed over to right the knocked over tin can, and grabbed the mouse as it attempted to scurry out of the cube. Once the can was righted and the party streamer was readjusted, Aidebot bowed to it.

"I am so very sorry, Mr. Frederrick, for my friend's behavior. Ronnnie," Aidebot lifted the mouse up to the tin can, "apologize, please." The mouse merely sniffed at the streamer.

"Good enough. Now!" Closing the cube's door behind it, Aidebot settled down at its spot at the table with Ronnnie still grasped in its hand. "Who would like some crumpets?"

SikstaSlathalin

08-24-2014, 08:43 AM

*Togga*

With another recruit recruited Togga was eager to hang up his Captain hat for the night and go back to just being a husband. Upon exiting the ship he noticed a shooting star roaring by overhead. He's seen them before and knew the superstitions attached to them. Wish making, good omens, bad omens, all the above and many more in between. He never put much credence by them or any cosmic nuances like that. Perhaps because he's seen them all up close and knew there was nothing really magical or mystical about them. As his mind went down this throught trail he began walking back to his home.

In all his travels he's never seen anything that could be called the common fantasy staple of Magic. No fireballs shooting out of a kid's hand and destroying his whole village, no that was done by the kid being stupid and playing with matches, no love potion that could turn a teenage girl's dark haired dream boy into the love of her life, that was done with cleavage and a willingness to do anything. Everything could be explained if you dug deep enough into it. It wasn't a very pretty outlook on life, but it was the way the Shar looked at things most of the time.

Some would call it a bleak outlook, no wonder, no mystery, no promise of something to ponder and keep the mind active. To those people, Togga would say get a space ship, pick a general direction, then go to it. Guaranteed, you'd run into more wondrous things by the end of the first light-year than you would in your whole terrestrial life. Dar-Togga didn't need to find things to ponder, they found him. Everyday with a crew of born blackguards, cartoon characters missing their cartoons, Military-Grade killers, Genetic hunters, and things one couldn't quite explain. His mind was occupied enough with Captaining this lot and steering them towards riches and keep them as alive as he can.

He had taken another round about way home and arrive later then he had hoped, but he knew Yashy and she would be up for him. Going through the same ritual as he did before, Togga entered his home and found the upper level dark and the ambient glow of the water below him rippling through the shadows. Yashy was no where in sight, but he saw her clothes hanging in a sensual trail to the hatch that leads to the water beds. With a broad smile the Bull Shark undressed and opened the hatch diving in. It has been a long time since he had the Water Collar off, and as the perfectly warmed water hit his gill he took the deepest breath he has in a long time. It was an amazing sensation, like being in the middle of a fresh mountain forest. Just pure air and just cold enough to make your whole body tingle. With his sense of smell at it's peak he followed the tell tale signs of of Yashy and swam into their room. As the door shut there was a deep rumbling of Togga's voice then the teasing moan of Yashy's. Then the waves started.

*Killbot*

As everyone was out having fun getting laid, getting drunk, and playing tag with little robots. Two members of the Rouge Ship Black Star were doing some real work in the Hanger's Brig.

"Come on K, do you have any 8s?" Vince asks from across the table, his long legs kicked out and his right arm hanging over the back of chair as he looked across at his hulking opponent who was struggling to hold the small cards in his massive hands.

"Now you listen here little bit of laminated cardboard! Killbot will incinerate you if you don't hold still for Killbot!" Was all K said in response as he was trying to figure out how to hold them his faceplate becoming ;twitch; this emote every few seconds.

With a sigh Vince placed his cards down on the table and waited. This has been going on for an hour, you think an advance machine of war would be able to figure out how to hold some playing cards. While he waited the last Gunner looked over at the prisoners they'd been watching this display the whole time. Snickering, placing bets, making jokes, it was a wonder Killbot hadn't just blown them all away with his shotgun by now, Captain's orders and all he supposed.

After another few minutes Killbot's emoted face was getting more red and slowly turning into this emote (curses). By some stroke of robotic luck though he figured out to just stick them in the long
cuts he made into the table in his frustation. He showed this emote :alice: for a few seconds, before it turned to this one T_T as he handed all three 8s he had to Vince. The other gunner gave a slightly smug grin and placed the completed set on the table. And with that the game began, it was interesting to watch, Killbot wrestling with his cards to keep them up, Vince slowly building his stacks into little houses, and Killbot still wrestling with his cards.

Another hour passed and it found them actully even with Killbot one step away from winnning. Triuymphantly the warborg gloated as he looked at the cards. He had three Aces and Vince had the last one in his hand
"OH YEAH! KILLBOT IS GONNA WIN THIS GAME BROTHER! AND NOTHING IN THIS GALAXY CAN STOP KILLBOT OOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHH YEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH! NOW KILLBOT WANTS YOUR LAST VIRGIN ACE, SO KILLBOT'S ACES CAN RAVAGE AND VIOLATE HER AS THEY ARE STACK ALL AROUND HER! VINCE DO YOU HAVE ANY.....!" Just as he was about to say it a shrill wind blew through the Hanger and swept over the table sending half of the cards Killbot had stacked into the air, then out the window.

In pure outrage Killbot yanked the shotgun off his back and ran to the window threatening the wind.
"NOW YOU LISTEN HERE WIND! YOU WILL GIVE KILLBOT BACK HIS CARDS OR KILLBOT WILL SHOOT YOU LIKE THE WHIMPY BITCH OF A PATHETIC LITTLE BABY WHINY SISSY GIRL YOU ARE! DO YOU HEAR ME BROTHER?!" Deaf to the bot's pleas Killbot loaded a mag into his shotgun and shot the entire thing into the wind.

Back at the table Vince let out a deep sigh and looked at the prisoners.
"So which one of you called it that he would be shooting things by the end of the game?"

Dnafein

08-24-2014, 01:08 PM

Hours after the Captain had departed, the flickering light of a welding torch drifted over the remains of a massive meal. Amidst the ruins sat a scattering of fries soaking the juices from the ruins of a prime rib, a writhing plate of gagh, a half eaten bowl of Bulgar Ashkhan, and a half finished Pan Galactic Gargle Blasters. A matching drink was clutched in the hand of the mad-woman known as Martha. She sat wearing nothing more then a satin sheet, enraptured by Gounoud's Le veau d'or (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90jbAKTwPTk). The deep resonating voice, singing about greed and men's susceptibility to it, drifted from her rodentian lovers throat. He stood proud, a second sheet thrown around him like a toga. As he finished Martha squealed in pleasure and her drink slipping forgotten to the table top as she tackled the rodentian sheets falling to the floor.

wakachukie

08-27-2014, 03:03 AM

This blasted pie!
Michael silently fumed as he glared with quite the evil scowl at the quickly blackening pan happily bubbling on the stove's burner. Svarthe was apparently the meat of a quite delectable snakebird native to amazonian wild-lands. Which made it slightly rare enough for it to be a favorite treat but prolific enough to serve as a food source. That was all fine and good, but once you removed the scales, it spoiled with astounding rapidity. That was no problem for those who hunted and ate their prey fresh, but for a cooked meal...

A purple bubble popped and lime green ooze with grey hairs quickly growing through it poured over the lip of the pan to ignite with choking smell on the flames. Grabbing a flamethrower, Michael snapped it on and with more than a little glee, flagrantly burned the bloody mess to glowing ashes. Setting the flamer back, Michael scraped the white powder into a growing pile which stood testimony to failure beside the stove. The chilled crust had been rolled out in the early evening just as he had returned, and the vegetables were already washed and cut to be mixed in, some with sauce, some with the meat as it cooked. The spices would be added in as well, Once he figured out how the meat cooked.

Retrieving another defeathered Svarthe, Michael added in some olive oil to the pan. Running a bladed finger down its side, he slid out the simple matrix of thin translucent bones and quickly dropped the meat into the hot oil. Even as the meat fell, Michael was already sifting the meat and removing the ligaments before they soured. One or two were intentionally left in so the true aficionados would still taste the original flavor. Searing time was important, and after so many tries Michael knew exactly when to flip the meat.

Now for the truly hard part: as the meat cooked, it formed nodules that depending on when they were cut into either totally ruined the meat or released ever increasing flavor and nutrients. The 1st nodule was just about to burst... there. With near surgical accuracy, Michael snuck in a blad and snipped the meat pocket open. Success! Michael nearly cheered, then rushed before he missed any of the nodules critical point.

Before long, the creeping stench had been overpowered by the sound of sizzling fat and the smell of well cooked meat filling the kitchen. Michael cleanly whetted his knives to rid them of the excess water droplets clinging like leeches to the shining metal surfaces and then shredded the vegetables into the pie, sliding them across the wooden block and under the glinting blade as it rose and fell in staccato formations as the blurring blade crossed between shadow and light. On the other side of the cutting board small chunks of meat and slices of veggies fell with soft plops into the chilled dough.

Little piles formed, and then rose as the fillings expanded to complete the pie. Michael tipped the gravy sauce, and the thick brownish fluid sloshed out to fill in the tiny cracks between the tasty chunks. Flipping the crust cover over the dough, his fingers deftly kneaded the edges shut before sliding the whole pie into the oven. Setting a timer handily hanging from a ceiling beam until he should check the pie, Michael shoved the dishes and knives into the autoclave purification unit and then slumped down to relax at his granite-topped desk.

The large soft pilot's chair felt comfortable after so long fighting the repulsive meat. Michael drummed his fingers in a little ditty and then snapped on two overhead lamps. Pulling out one of the droids, he powerfully twisted it open and began studying the simple circuitry inside. Pulling open a drawer, he selected a drafting pen and began sketching some ideas onto a scrap of paper. Maybe it could be smarter and faster with a second motivator unit, but that would take additional power and they needed it for the...

BEEPITY BEEPITY BEEP! The timer. Had ten minutes gone by so fast already? Michael glanced down as he slid out from his chair and around the desk. Roughly six pages were coated in color-coded engineering notes and wiring diagrams, and the disassembled droid had been joined by three of its brethren whom were in the process of being linked together. Michael grinned. He hadn't had so much fun combining tech in a Long time, it almost made him think of all those... no. Now was not the time to be reminiscing.

Checking the autoclave to make sure it had finished, Michael put away his knives and bowls, pulled out a serving tray, and then opened the oven. Sticking a needle in, he pulled it out. Nothing had stuck, so the dough was done. Grabbing the tip, he held it. It did not feel bitterly cold to him like everything else around here, so the insides had reached well above cooking temperature.

Reaching into the oven, he grabbed the whole rack of pies and slightly tilted it to let them slide onto the serving tray. Trapping 6 sphere droids beneath the tray and setting them to follow, Michael strode out of the kitchen and down the creaking metal hallways to her room. Raising up a heavy fist, Michael was careful not to knock down the door as he rapped on it. "Ekaterina. I have something you wanted."

StormWolf

08-27-2014, 08:33 AM

((Co-post with Siks))

Considering all things that had transpired, the counter-attack against the Silver Quasars had been as close to a resounding success that Sabor had ever seen in his time aboard the Black Star. With the crippling of the bounty hunters and the cannibalization of their ship, the Bayn'gül sat in his chair and rumbled deeply in his chest at the thought of the fat loot that would line their coffers. More than anything, Sabor was pleased with the successful integration of his weapon modifications. There was no singularity or catastrophic implosion, at least no where it wasn't wanted. That the crew still drew breath and that their spoils would turn a profit was means enough to celebrate the night away on Carin's surface.

The burly gunner could hardly remain still, even as the Black Star violently shook through the atmosphere of Carin. His neutral dexterity kept him, more or less, balanced on his two feet as he stopped by his quarters to pick up his tattered duster. By the time the ship had docked, Sabor was already in the cargo hold, foot tapping restlessly against the floor panels. The loading ramp lowered and rushed the ship with the heated air of Cairn's surface, still radiating from the recently set sun. Even through the thick soles of Sabor's combat boots, the heat was immediate and uncomfortable. Carin was a dry, uncomfortable, and scorching rock. Home to the bottom of the universe's barrel. Despite Sabor's feelings about his home world, the insufferable land of Carin always made him long for the humid and lush jungles of his native planet.

Sabor was not what one would classify as irredeemably mad, so he moved briskly across the surface and descended into the bustling saloon that the crew was most often to frequent. It was rusty and cramped and it reeked of the odors of hundreds of different species, but it was still home. Through the veil of stank, Sabor could still smell the chef's fried Saberyak steaks, imported from an human colony they made some frequent business with. With little flourish or grace, Sabor all but charged to the bar, shouldering his way through the tightly-packed crowd with the heavy thudding of his boots sounding loudly. The Bayn'gül ordered a whole bottle of Wolfthorn Moonshine Whiskey, the Thirty Year, and looked about the cluttered room. Turbine fans osculated on the ceiling, circulating the air in some attempt to keep it cool. Noise buzzed in the white noise of muddled conversation, Sabor's ears twitching irritably. Looking across the room, he saw a dainty figure he was familiar with. All slender limbs and blue-grey flesh, eyes like refined dilithium crystals. The Boss' little girl, as everyone called her. Sabor, always the rebel, called her by name. Jeela. Dar Jeela, if he was feeling particularly formal, but one would have an easier time finding lush and leafy greens on Carin's surface than witnessing Sabor partake in anything akin to formality.

Taking his drink and two clannish glasses, Sabor strutted over to Jeela's table, his stride graceful despite his size. Setting down the bottle and glasses, Sabor sat himself in one of the creaking chairs across from Jeela with a sharp flourish of his duster. They regarded each other silently, Sabor's lips pulled back into a smirk as he poured two fingers into each of the glasses, sliding one of them to the young Sharterran woman,

"To success and riches, Jeela." Sabor said, his voice a low and rough baritone as he held his glass up to her.

I hope tonight isn't a long night, the gym kicked my tail today. Jeela thought as she swirled the purified water around in her glass. Her shift started in a few minutes and she had gotten lost in her daily work-out. She barely had time to put a sports bra and boy shorts on before she quickly changed into jeans and threw her motorcycle jacket on and darted out the door. But it seems she rushed for nothing because Hannah was still working and the Sharterran wasn't scedualed until 7.

So here she was, with some water in her hand, and Chomper snoring deeply at her feet. His heavy bulk on her feet was a comforting sensation and always managed to help her through the day. Kinda like a pat on the back and a you can do it type of thing. She was studying the drunk spotting the usuals and hoping none of them stay as long as usual. She wanted to go to bed, it was a few minutes before her shift when she heard the deep voice and caught a quick whiff of a very strong smell. Something between unwashed fur and weapon grease, only one person had that smell and he decided to sit across from her and push some Moonshine Whiskey in her direction. This brought a deep menacing growl from her persistent guardian and she noticed a flash of red as Chomper got ready to fight.

She lifted her glass of water up in cheers, before patting the Sharnine's head gently calming him down.
"Sorry, fuzzball. Got to work in a few minutes, and unlike you pirates, I need to be sober to work." She smirked pouring the contents of her glass into his before setting the cup back down. On a normal day she would've gladly joined him, while a little old for her, he was an interesting character to say the least.
"So who's day did you and my Batyanya (papa) ruin?"

Chomper's rumbling growl seemed to rumble the table itself, sloshing the moonshine in Sabor's glass, which was now more than generously full. Leaning forward in his chair, the Bayn'gül's lips pulled back in his own toothily snarl, all incisors and canines as his piercing eyes grew wide and wild. He growled deeply in his chest, a steely thundering sound that vibrated his throat visibly. Chomper had always been something of an asshat. It was courtesy of the boss and Jeela that Sabor didn't incinerate it and help himself to a meal on its ribs. In retrospect, the sharnine was probably stringy and bitter. Once Chomper was more or less dealt with, Sabor sat back in his chair and took a hearty quaff from his whiskey. He kept one hand settled on the grip of his blaster, though. Just as a precaution, should Chomper decide to be a complete jackass.

"Why would you assume we would do such a thing, babushka?" said Sabor, his voice teasing and sly. "But to be completely honest, some bounty hunters took a bite at us, so we bit back. We had bigger teeth." Sabor said with a throaty chuckle, a different growl rumbling in his chest, more akin to a purr.

Jeela sighed watching his hand reach for the gun and quirked her eye at the name he called her.
"I am not being a grandmother Sabor, and you are knowing your blaster would not be hurting Chomper right? In fact he would be having your leg snapped off before you could even be getting a bead on him. Just be keeping your hands where I can be seeing them." From under the table they heard a bubbly chuckled followed by a chomp of jaws confirming the woman's words. Still smiling, Sabor waggled a finger at Jeela with a 'tsk'.

"My dear, you estimate me much for knowing me so little." his smile sobered a bit as he took a large swig of his whiskey. Sabor gave Chomper a hard glare down the bifurcated bridge of his nose. She reached down and patted his head again before continuing.
"Da, I am hearing as much from the drunkies that showed up before you. Which group was it being this time?" Sabor shrugged, finishing the glass and pouring himself another.

"It don't much matter, now. They are dead, or worse, and we still live and grow richer by the day." said Sabor, raising his glass with some less than sincere enthusiasm. The situation had gone pretty much as poor as it could have, short of Chomper dulling his teeth on Sabor's leg.

"The Silver Queers, or something along this lines, if you absolutely must know. As I said, it doesn't matter. We got their ship in the yard now."

Jeela smiled at the disheartened Bayn'gül, well it seems the lessens her mother had taught were paying off. Still she felt bad for being that much of a brick wall, well a little bad. If he was worth it he'd stick around. She patted his heavy hand lightly giving him a toothy smile.
"So am I losing the bet you wouldn't be able to make Killbot sound like Carol Channing or no?" Sabor quirked an eyebrow at the girl, his eyes glinting in a sly and dangerous fashion. Slowly, the smile crept back up on his face, exposing many healthy and sharp white teeth.

"If you are asking me if I can and will, no. For you, though? Yes. Just get me a data chit with the desired resonance, and I could make him sound like little orphan Annie if you wanted. I took a bullet last time." he said, pulling back the pant leg of his trousers to brandish the laser burn one of his thick thighs.

"I assume if I get shot again for your wager, you'll nurse me back to health?" he chuckled.

Jeela smiled lightly looking at the burn.
"Well, who is knowing where Killbot will be shooting next time. Since you did it once, I am guessing asking for it again wouldn't be any fun. I will be nice to you this time, when we are both being free we can be going on that Chomper free date." The Sharnine gave a series of deep growls that sounded like the words. "Count yourself lucky fucker I'll find you if you hurt her." Jeela patted the big beast's head calming him. She checked the clock on the wall and sighed standing up it was time to start her shift.
"Well I will be seeing you Sabor, take care to not being shot and killed eh?" She gave him a soft smile and whistled lightly causing Chomper to stand and follow her behind the bar, his tail smacking Sabor's wounded leg with a huffing chuckle. The pair of them moved to the manager's office where Jeela clocked in, she returned a few seconds later and took an order for a few shots. Chomper gave a large yawn and planted himself in a big doggie bed near the phone keeping an eye on everything he could.

Sitting back in his chair, eyes smoldering as he watched the Jeela's backside sway, Sabor growled lowly to himself. Everything that could have gone wrong absolutely did. What a joke. Tipping the bottle to fill his glass with the amber nectar of the universe, Sabor threw the glass back and downed the whole thing, his throat all but catching fire. He slammed the glass down with a sharp clap of glass on wood. Rising from his seat, Sabor took another swig of liquor and started to head towards the exit when he heart the rattle of insufferable snickering playing behind him.

Turning about, Sabor saw a table of other privateers, the usual riffraff of Carin, pointing at the lone Bayn'gül and laughing silently. "Damn, boy. I haven't seen a crash and burn that bad since we shot down that Dominion cruiser mid-atmo." they laughed again, clanking their glasses together. A low rumble thundered in Sabor's powerful chest, broken only for a brief moment as the towering felinoid creature touched the bottle to his lips.

"What's that, Pinkskin?" Sabor muttered, turning and walking towards the vocal party. "I couldn't hear you from up here." he sneered, displaying rows of dagger-like teeth, near-white and meant to tear through all manner of flesh and tissue. Answering the challenge, the belligerent privateer stood up and approached Sabor, taking a heady quaff from his own tall glass of ale.

"I said for a guy your size, you don't got much game. You must be downright shameful..." the Privateer didn't finish the sentence, holding up his pinky finger and waggling it around instead. The saloon went silent, swaggering about on drunken feet, limbs leaden and clumsy. The savage growl grew louder, Sabor's thick-fingered hands flexing, contemplating his next course of action. It happened in a flash, somewhat literally.

Right hand snapping to his leg, Sabor's hand wrapped around the grip of his particle magnum, drawing the massive pistol from its leather sheath and thumbing the firing mode to 'stun'. Depressing the trigger, a flash of blue light filled the room as a blue bolt of energy burst from the blaster's barrel and smashing into the privateer's groin. The concussive force alone tossed the man across the room, arches of white electricity dancing across his scrawny, spasming figure. Patrons backed away from the Bayn'gül quickly, giving the quarreling men a wide berth. With a mirthless chuckle, Sabor twirled his blaster on a finger and shoved it back in the holster. Swigging from the bottle again and unleashing a belch, Sabor took a few long steps to loom over the stunned man, still conscious but completely locked in paralysis. Sabor could turn around and leave right now, proving his point, but there was a smear lain against his honor. A disingenuous accusation that would spread to rumor unless the fire was properly extinguished. There was only one way to extinguish a flame.

Unzipping his trousers, Sabor dove his hand down deep into one of the pant legs, drawing out his pride. The saloon patrons had a plethora of reactions. Some gasped, others groaned and looked away, while others just stared. A deep purr-like noise filled the air, followed by the sound of a heavy stream of urine splashing against fabric, skin, and hair.

"I am letting you off with humiliation this time, pinkskin. If I hear your irksome voice rattle in my ears again..." Sabor stuffed himself back in his pants and yanked the zipper back up, "I will rip out your spine and beat your friends with it." said Sabor, pouring a splash of the whiskey on the man's soaked face, making sure to get some to pool in his eyes, mixing with the piss. "For the taste and the smell." he chuckled, sipping from the bottle again. Turning on his heel, Sabor stomped out of the saloon and made his way back to the Black Star, drinking heavily as he went.

* * * * * * *

The bottle had less than two fingers left swishing at the bottom, swirling chaotically as the Bayn'gül stumbled back to the ship, boots crunching through the granite surface of Carin. Stumbling into the cargo hold of the Black Star, tail swishing wildly, he spun and fell onto a pile of crates. Probably ammunition, or possible food. Sabor settled his mind on ammo to keep himself from rifling through the storage. Slumping back, he purred contently, humming an old sailing song to himself.

SikstaSlathalin

08-27-2014, 08:15 PM

*GM Mover*

As the night rattled on the temperature steadily turned into the blazes of hell itself and the Devil himself decided to piss fire all over the planet's surface. Anyone caught on the surface would be cooked alive then char-broiled to ash. Luckily no one on the Black Star was that dumb, once the ship was brought to the hanger and taken underground the crew retired for the day, because sleeping is the best thing to do when you live on the shore of the lake of fire.

Those that couldn't sleep occupied themselves somewhere on the 5 levels of the Hanger.

Level 1: The Waiting Room/Brig. Being the closest to the entrance hanger it was where potential clients waited and where they kept the Prisoners. It was a tactical choice, it showed them how the Black Star Privateers handled those that tried to screw with them. Vince and Killbot had been relieved and the actual Hanger Guards were watching the prisoners. The furnishings of this level are stark, a couple of beaten up couches, some plastic and metal chair, a black steel coffee table with some old magazines, a radio and a pack of cards, and in the corner between the couches a large clay pot held a Snapping Tiger plant from the Bayn'gül home world. It was almost sentient and carnivorous, it got fed scraps from the kitchen, but kept trimmed to keep it from getting too big. It both sang and scared the hell out the clients.

The Brig area is just a large 10x12 cell with benches built into the wall, a sink, and a shitter. A small table and chairs was for the guards, in the center of the room is a large rug with the black star symbol on it. Against the far wall is the elevator and stairwell.

Level 2: The Fixer's Level. This is where the Quartermaster, Mechanics, Engineers, and Medics have their full sized facilities, complete with everything they could need to work on the Black Star and it's crew. This is also where they have their massive warehouse and the actual "hanger" where the Black Star is kept between missions and worked on by the Fixers. It is also where the Custodial Robot Force is. They kept everything clean and going smoothly.

Xantos is working in his Warehouse Office.

The Engineers are fixing the Black Star's Systems.

The teams of Mechanics are fixing the Black Star's Battle Damage.

And the Medics are treating those injured in the Silver Quasar fight.

Level 3: The Dorms Level. This is where the crew sleeps and rests between missions, everyone has their own decent sized room and aside from whatever the Crew decorates with. Each room has a personalized bed, desk, shelves, bathroom, and closest. Now a few of the crew have their own homes on Carin, but it's always nice to have your own room at work. No one should be hanging out here.

Level 4: The Living Level. Just down stairs from the Dorms is where most of the crew spends their time between missions. Here is the Rec Room, Mess Hall/Kitchen, Firing Range and Gym. It has everything a cultured Pirate could want. The Scouts and Gunners will be in either the firing range or Gym, and Micheal will be working his culinary magic in the professional grade kitchen. Sy, Aidebot, and Zero can be wandering around here.

Rec Room: A massive 96 inch TV with so many channels you can't watch them in all in a year and movies all day, powerful PC's with the best gear and Cyber might one could find, gaming consoles for every taste, comfy luxurious seats and couches, tables for card games, board games, arm wrestling you name it. Top grade juke box with songs from all over the universe, the walls double as trophy displays each telling a story from one of the Black Star's bigger successful missions, and of course no rec room would be complete without a small bar, pool table, dart board, pinball machines, and a Foosball table.

Firing Range: A favorite of the Gunners and Scouts this range is big. Anything short of the ship's own cannons can be shot here. There is also a large combat course with old shipping containers welded into an ambush town. The options are paintball, shockers, and live fire. Each options have combat bots built on site in the Hanger that have realistic combat AI. Full armor is recommend for Lethal Fire.

Gym: When you don't feel like shooting things there is the gym. Complete with a pool, track, fighting ring, and a full workout room. Top grade machines and consoles to help track your workout.

Kitchen/Mess Hall: Large clean mess hall with tables, chairs, vending machines, and a personalized food station where you can order what you want to eat or drink. This also has a full-sized drink list. The Staff is professional and many of them well-trained, the stoves, fryers and such are professional Grade and kept perfectly clean. Everything here is under Micheal's Rule so don't piss off the Cook.

Level 5: Admin Level. The Command Center of the entire Black Star operation, here is where Togga and Evan look over jobs and decide which the crew will take and which it will decline. It is also where the Navigator, Comms, and Sensor's Officers work with the Captain and First Mate to set their jobs up. It's similar to a normal corporate office. Desks, water coolers, computers, and filing Cabinets. No one is allowed on this level unless they the Bridge Crew or have a damn good reason to be bothering the Officers. The carpets are black with interlocking Black Star Symbols and the walls a deep red. This level also has a juke box and vending machines. Togga and Evan will be here, Sy, Aidebot, and Zero could be wandering around here helping plan their next missions.

Everyone is doing their own thing, but each level has Comms that connect directly to the Admin Level and every other level with just a push of a button and full sized bathrooms. There also various kinds of alarms and sensors to monitor everything. It's the closest thing to a Skorne Military Complex as you'll find on Carin. It has been built up over many years and through many Captains and Crews, it's where around a quarter of the Black Star's Privateers earning from Missions go. The rest goes to paying the crew and taking care of the ship. It's secure, with each hatch leading out to the surface Bio and Key Locked. No one can get in or cause trouble without Togga and Evan knowing.

Dnafein

09-02-2014, 10:27 PM

Xanatos sat in his office sorting through the delivery receipts from the time he had spent away from base. He had three boxes on his desk, the first was labeled General; This box was reserved for standard deliveries of medicine, food and parts. The second box was labelled Executive, this box was reserved for the few deliveries that required the Captain's signature, or attention. Typically only the ammunition and fuel deliveries would be placed in this box. Occasionally the Captain would order something for himself, or one of the crew would order something that would effect the ship on a whole. The final box was labeled Personal. These were the deliveries that contained either something Xan had ordered to boost ships morale, or were to be used for bribery or negotiations.

Xan had just finished reading over the report for a Vulture Heavy Gunship. The rodentian made a note at the bottom of the report. Bailey should be rewarded for her initiative. Recommend assisting with upgrading and repairs; would not have much impact our maintenance budget. He then dropped it in the Captain's box. The deliveries being finished, the Quartermaster then turned to the special request book.

Kaptain Panty

09-03-2014, 02:46 PM

Dalvern

With a crack, he re-materialized on the teleporter pad. It took a few moments for everything to start up and readjust, various data feeds coming alive. Had taken quite a bit longer then what he'd hoped for...Only by a few hours mind you, at least it wasn't days. He hadn't expected it to be underground - truth be told he hadn't really put any research into the planet rather then where it is and how to bloody get their. Bringing up a browser, he checked the local news - seemed everyone was going down under, surface to hot. Well, that was that over and done with. Setting the position of The Black Star, he started following the trail of light brought up by his HUD, winding through the streets ahead. He wasn't the best with maps - good thing people invented stuff to do geography for him.

Marching through the streets - the only thing he could think of to call big ass caves with buildings on each side - jangling as went, all the various tools and equipment strapped to him clanking against him, his hammer in his left hand and the plasma welder attached to the right. Stares following him as he went. A few scowls too, and the occasional insult, but he took no notice - they weren't his problem. For now, he paid no attention to the various shops and establishments still open - such trivial matters could be dealt with after he got his job, and a place to throw everything down.

Arriving at the huge storage shed, used, as it was now, when the surface sucker punched anyone who went up their into oblivion. And what passed for sleepy time on this planet. Well, they probably weren't going to be happy when he did knock on the door when everyone was asleep, but hey, it wasn't HIS vault the porter didn't work out as well as he wanted - blame the people who made it. And sod trying to find a place to stay around here, it wasn't like he had any money left after those bloody punks burn't his house down, and to hell with shutting down in the street, he might as well ask for a wave of thieves to try steal his arms. He wasn't in the mood to spend the entire night turning people into paste - red was a terrible colour for his suit.

Bringing up the comms to the ship, he practically shouted at the startled guard in charge of the cargo ramp through the radio, opening the door just so he stops shouting at him. Stareing at the being before him, Davlern walked past, uttering "Cheers" with a nod. He travelled into the depths of the ship - towards the mechanics bay(Who would of known?) broadcasting his identification as the new chief mechanic.

MarchingThunder

09-05-2014, 08:08 PM

With the ship below the surface for the time being, and the entire party confined to the hangar more or less, Bailey had settled into the waiting room on the first floor, setting on a cushioned bench along one of the walls as she stripped down her weapons, inspecting every part, then cleaning them, and then inspecting them again before applying lubricants where required before reassembling them into the familiar form of her weapons. Once she had finished with her guns, she moved onto her knife, drawing it from her thigh holster before examining the entire length of the blade with a both a critical eye and the more impressive sensors built into her body.

She cleaned the knife first before taking out a whet stone from her cleaning kit and sharpening the edge. Even if it hadn't seen use in a while, keeping the knife in top condition was a necessity and an incredible habit from her time in the military. When she finally finished, she moved onto her armor, disassembling the various parts to ensure that the ceramic inserts and synthetic cloth was intact, that nothing had marred the pristine armor. That took more than two hours to accomplish in silent work, but eventually she put it all together and put it away, finally satisfied with the results of her work, Bailey stood and stretched, feeling kinks work out of her synthetic muscles as her joints popped and she gave a yawn.

"I suppose some food is in order now, everything else is taken care of now..." She considered mentally as she left the waiting room to wander the halls of the hangar as she took a rather indirect route to the elevator so she could head down to the kitchen and get something to eat.

SikstaSlathalin

09-05-2014, 08:19 PM

"Killbot should be kill those little paper targets that look like Skornes not guarding the back door for cargo transfer!" The cyborg growled outloud the trigger finger of his left hand twitching over Big Daddy's trigger. Granted this was exactly what the Gunner's/Guards were supposed to do at least a few times when they were at Base. But Killbot hated it, he wasn't allowed to kill things unless they caused trouble and no one on this planet was stupid enough to cause trouble for the Black Star Privateers. Togga had most of the merchants on his payroll and those he didn't he had eyes, ears, and smell on them at all times. One of the benefits and curses that comes with working for a King of the Underworld.

Killbot was tempted to zap some lazy crewmen out of boredom when a great stomping mech suit rumbled up the ramp and shot up ID as the new Head Grease Monkey. Killbot didn't like the looks of this suit and the Captain said nothing about getting any new crewman to him. Finally seeing some fun Killbot passed the suit and held Big Daddy point blank in the thing's face.

"Hold up there Monkey Bot! Killbot doesn't like the looks of you! You stink of Communism, Killbot says you will wait until Killbot get the Captain's Clearance!" Keeping the weapon aimed at the larger bot he chimed into the Admin's Deck with his arm comms.

A few seconds passed and he heard the exasperated voice of the Captain.
"Killbot, why for are you be calling me?"

Eyeing the mechsuit closely Killbot responded.
"Sir, there's a big ugly mechsuit here, saying he's the new Chief Mechanic going by the name Dalvern Ostarch."

Togga sighed and you could picture him rubbing the bridge of his nose.
"Da, he was picking up of a PDA and teleported here a few minutes ago. Choo-Choo and our Asst. Mechanic are coming up on their six month leave. And the second shift Mechanics are being no where to be found. Let the Mechsuit pass."

Killbot glared at the mech again.
"But sir he stinks of Communism!"

Another sigh.
"No, he does not K. One cannot be stinking of an antiqued political system."

Killbot throws another glare.
"But Killbot sees the red menace all over him!"

Togga's voice took on a hint of anger, but it passed a second later once he remembered who he was talking to. Not Killbot's fault he got implanted with a 1950's Cold War Mentality.
"He is being a spy on the reds, he has come to be reporting his findings to me. I am being busy now so just show him to the Mechanic's Wing."

And just like that the matter was over and Killbot holstered his weapon.
"Fine, come with Killbot, but Killbot is watching you, ya Russki Bastard." With that the warbot began walking to the stairs. They would break the elevator with both of them got in it so stairs it is.

Pheasant

09-05-2014, 08:51 PM

Akalina, Firing Range

Beyond the soundproof door of the firing range, a steady ‘pop’ noise could be heard as the youngest of the Scouts sited in her preferred firearm for field-work, a 5.7x28 mm PDW most commonly referred to as the FN P90.

In a prone position, Akalina’s shots were all centered on her target, although even at 25 meters it perhaps lacked the fidelity of her other progressively heavier rifles. A small pool of rounds had already filled up a small basket next to the girls lane, gold casings that were a pleasant contrast to the eye given the gray of the range.

She didn’t spend much time here, at least compared to the other members of the crew. The other Scouts often needed practice with the variety of weapons they used on missions, but most of them were a bit above Akalina’s weight class. Anything much bigger than her heaviest carbine, a 7.62, was more often than not tasked to someone else as Akalina took more of a supporting role on the ground, or they were generally unnecessary in the narrow corridors and small rooms of ship boarding combat.

The girl sighed, her conversation with Aidebot still in the back of her mind. It would vanish once their next series of missions began, she hoped at least. The Captain and some of the crew were trying to cherish as much time here as they could, a place as close as home to them as it would get.

But Akalina’s home was far from her own home, a place she wasn’t sure she’d ever want to return to.

The girl set her PDW down beside the basket, rolling onto her back as she vaguely considered what the next missions would entail. Weapons, equipment, ammo, planets and space sectors. Their new gunship would certainly change the Scouts tactics, no need to fear being vaporized from high orbit because one of the Gunners didn’t bother to check their firing solution and ‘eyeballed’ it.

Pinkie

09-05-2014, 10:42 PM

Why did it have to be a teleporter? Skara let out an almost exhausted sounding sigh as a hand reached up to wipe her face. Before her was a piece of machinery which looked as though it had been forgotten for decades. It raised the serious concern in her mind that the object might actually explode if the generator were to fail and fry the thing, and while the generator itself wasn't in sight, she couldn't imagine it being in any better condition. She paused for a moment to consider turning around and simply walking away, or at least to fix the thing first. It pained her to see a device such as this in disrepair, and a gentle frown marked her face as she examined all the loose wiring and exposed sides of the teleporter pad. Regardless, leaving at all was already out of the question, since she had already signed up with the crew. What would they think of her if she ditched them over a lousy teleporter? It was this thought that forced her to step forward to the nearby console, her frown sinking as she activated the machine and read the instructions. The teleporter here was referred to as a "vehicle", and furthermore the last part of the instructions read to "Click your heels three times". The humor of this message was lost on the poor woman as she read the message, it only nagging at her to fix the terminology and insert a proper set of instructions. The clicking of the heels was highly unnecessary, and any series teleporter device was in no sense of the word a vehicle. She simply dismissed the strange instructions as some sort of joke, and turned her attention to the now powered up teleporter pad. A familiar twisting feeling washed over her stomach as she observed the pad. The idea of being dismantled at the atomic level and rebuilt at another location always frightened her, as well as made her feel sick. In a sense, she would die here, turned to nothingness in this very room, whilst a copy of herself would be constructed somewhere far away. She took a moment to gather herself then stepped onto the pad, going for the 'jumping without looking' approach. There was a moment of weightless feeling as the pad memorized the structure of the alien atom by atom. It was a feeling that she enjoyed at least, weightlessness. Only a fraction of a second later everything went dark.

The darkness felt like it had only lasted a moment before a bright flash came then faded and revealed a new location entirely. Skara instantly reached her hands to her gut and let out a sick sounding groan. Her stomach turned in protest of the event, and her hollow bones rattled as well in symphony. This was truly why she hated teleporters, they always made her feel sick. She took a moment to collect herself, then examined the area around her, eyes still blinking away the flash which meant technical rebirth. The first thing she noticed is that it was dark, unusually dark. Perhaps it was simply night, or perhaps not as the realization came that she was underground. She examined her surroundings, and had apparently ended up in the middle of a street. Buildings clustered on either side of her stacked almost to the cave's ceiling gave her an imposing feeling, but worse, there was people. Dozens of them, and Skara counted instantly. 52 within her sight, and 11 that were looking at her right now. Instantly this forced her to resolve herself and begin walking like a normal person, despite having just appeared from nowhere. She was certain the people of this place had seen stranger things, but that offered no comfort as she proceeded along. She forced her mind to her current objective, locating the Black Star. Her social anxiety was overcome by a brief moment of excitement at the thought of seeing a new ship. What would it look like? Feel like? What color was it? What class engines did it have, what speeds? She could only imagine these things as she does every time she is welcomed aboard a new vessel. She let out a gentle sigh and instantly began picking up markers to the vessels location. She had no device to tell her where to go, but this was of no issue. Ships were always docked around the marketing stalls, where they could better hawk their cargo and pick up passengers, as well as quickly pick up whatever they needed to get back into the black. Unless of course the vessel was in a privet hanger, in which case it would be in an out of the way location away from the riff raff of ordinary people going about their lives.

She followed the density of people until she came across the market, which in any given location almost always had the highest density. While the crowd made her nervous, she most certainly was in the right area. The hangers were not far, and she perused the docking numbers in order to find the hanger which she was informed the Black Star resided in. Eventually she did, and slipped away from the crowd into this hangar. The door was unlocked, an oddity which she only pondered for a moment, and beyond was a huge hanger room with a fine looking vessel sat comfortable in the middle of it, as though it were a mob boss sitting in his favorite chair. The cargo ramp was already lowered, though no one was in sight. The shrugged and assumed this meant they were expecting her. She paced through the hangar and marveled at the ship before her. It was long and angular looking, at least in her opinion, and she liked it. Large guns sat atop the vessel and smaller Anti Fighter batteries on the sides, something which any combat vessel worth it's weight in sand carries in bulk. She made her way to the ramp, and up it looking around the ship's entry way with a wide smile, almost forgetting that she was walking straight into other people. In the room beyond was two massive heavily armored robotic looking figures, thumping away from her. She frowned at the sight of them, the large imposing things being frightening to her. She cleared her throat loud enough to slightly echo through the cargo bay, and brought her hands to her waist, an almost awkward looking pose given the length of her arms. She had hoped clearing her throat gained the attention of the figures, but regardless of whether it did or did not, she spoke up after. Her tone carries far more than a timid feel with it, as well as an underlying alien sounding vibrato that is native to her species. "Uh h-hello? I-I'm the uh n-n-new Assistant Mechanic?"

Kaptain Panty

09-06-2014, 06:16 PM

"...What the bloody hell are you talking about?" Why the hell was this tin man threating him with his shooty arm thing? "If your talking about politics, keep it the hell OFF MY LAWN!" He'd had enough of those damn door to door salesmen, and then there was door to door salesman trying to get him to sell his services to some jackass who wanted to be his king "No bastards going to be the king of me! I've already kicked the arse of all those damn politician whatevers that tried to take my house!" He began to ramble, shacking a huge fist, dropping everything he was carrying "Then there's bloody door to door salesmen! I DON'T WANT BLOODY PLASTIC BOXES, I CAN CRUSH WALLS DAMNIT, I CAN'T HOLD SUCH A WEAK BOX! And don't get me started on the YOUTH of today!" at this point, a huge finger was pointing at killbots chest "Burned my bloody house down! MY. BLOODY. HOUSE! Don't those gits get any discipline?!? Well I sure as hell taught them to respect there elders!"

"THOSE SONS OF BI-"

"Uh h-hello? I-I'm the uh n-n-new Assistant Mechanic?" As the new voice cut in, he froze, his head tilting towards the tall blue female, and apparent coworker. He righted himself, standing straight "I rambled, didn't I?" he picked his stuff up again, giving his new assistance a nod "Aye, and I'm the mechanic miss" with a grind of servos, one of his huge hands outstretched towards her, one of his fine manipulators stretching out.

09-06-2014, 09:32 PM

REGGIE MEETS "LESLIE" — THE GYM

As night fell and the tour of the facilities ceased Reggie’s excitement grew exponentially. The idea of being part of a crew was enough as it was, but to be on such a grand ship with so many rooms, people, and shiny things? It blew her mind! Numerous times she was a stowaway, but none of those could even remotely compare to the Black Star. Though, she wondered if any of it could fit a Wu. During the tour she noticed some of the other crew members — all being much larger than she was and none from Plataryon. It didn’t necessarily mean they weren’t prepared for every type of recruit... did it?

To test this theory she immediately zipped over to the gym after her and Syran went their separate ways. Zoom. Zoom. Zoom! Can’t stop, won’t stop — not until she gets there. It was a matter of seconds before she was, already having the ship memorized off what her tour guide had shown her. Having a phenomenal memory made it relatively easy to accomplish. Now it was time for the fun part. They had to have fun right? They were pirates after all. What was the point in that if they didn’t?

The first and most important item she needed to check was none other than the treadmill. After being away from her home planet for some time and accompanying those unfamiliar with her kind she was more than aware of how annoying her zipping about was. She couldn’t help it. No Wu could! Darting, running, speed... it was all in their nature! How could she possibly ignore it? It took so much out of her to be slow due to the sheer amount of concentration alone. However, if she just had something she could use occasionally to get those urges out then having to slow down significantly wouldn’t be such an ordeal.

In a flash she was over by the treadmill with some obnoxious name given to it by the company. A quirked brow and a cocked head was her response to it as she poked at the embossed lettering before deeming the machine, “Leslie.” Pupils rapidly jerked about, reading the text by the buttons and understand the lovely Leslie. It appeared to be a far superior machine compared to treadmills she had seen in gyms before. Definitely built to withstand the weight and size of their ginormous captain — boy, was that guy huge! But could it handle the speed of a Wu? Or would she wear out the treads on this one too?

The tiny Plataryan traced her tiny fingers along the board of buttons. “I’ll try’ta be gentle, Leslie,” she spoke to it as though it were a living being. Of course, Reggie knew it wasn’t, but talking to inanimate objects was a fun pastime. A quick jerk of her hand resulted in the machine’s screen to blip on with straight zeroes indicating she had yet to start moving. Inhale deeply, exhale it out.

Within the blink of an eye the Wu went from standing still to having her legs move so fast it was impossible for basic human sight to comprehend where her limbs even went. Reggie’s head bobbled in place, sherbet dreads bouncing around her shoulders and face. Arms and legs were no longer traceable without enhanced vision as an aid, which was to be expected from any of her race. The speed increased steadily over the span of ten minutes until Reggie abruptly stopped with a gigantic, Cheshire grin spread over her dainty, pierced features.

SikstaSlathalin

09-08-2014, 05:48 PM

Just as Killbot was ready to fire some rounds in Kremlin Joe's face for talking to much, the mechsuit struck upon a topic the warbot agreed with.
"Killbot agrees fully! Damn kids needs a good ass-whopping every now and then, Oh yeah! Killbot likes to shoot them in hippe long hair and black pants! And no one wants little plastic boxes, they annoy and enrage Killbot!" The Prototype Cyborg was willing to go off into his rambling rant when a sfot voices sounded behind them.

Turning around at the same time Dalvern did only instead of getting the skinny looking female Killbot gave an exasperated sigh.
"And now you're bringing Madame Mao into your Commie spy ring? What next A Bay of Pigger? Gah Killbot will never sleep, not until 'Murica is safe from you Reds. Come on Hanoi Jane, Killbot will show you to the Mechanic's Wing too. It's just up these American-made steps." He pointed with his cannon arm to the stairs that lead up to the inner-level, level that led to Grease Monkey HQ, the levels were all built like that. Each level has a number of inner levels that follow a single staircase down the entire spiral of the Hanger. The Warehouse which the three of are passing through is the bottom of the 2nd level, if they went the other way they would reach the Dorms and on down to Living Level and Admin.

But they were going up and Killbot was eager to get the Commies away from him. He stomped to the steps waiting for the other two to follow him.

Arthera

09-09-2014, 02:18 AM

[[Co-Post between wakachukie and myself]]

Moments after 'Kat opened her eyes, the sound of someone knocking at the door to her room could be heard.

She had finished siphoning the funds from the previous owner's accounts and had pooled it in a few places, waiting for the crew to get all greedy and send messages back to get their share. But seems they were busy or indisposed, and 'Kat had grown tired of waiting. With nothing else pressing to do, she had decided to take a nap. When she awoke, exactly twenty-seven minutes later, she was still sprawled sideways in her large work chair, not something most consider proper sleeping posture. Still, the nap had passed time. There had been no errors in her programs in the meantime, no strange traces on the ship's activities, no invasions, attacks or other strange occurrences other than it was daytime topside. Which meant unbearable death heat.

A minute after she awoke, the thick ship door received the first knock, a voice indicating something about something 'Kat wanted. Pressing a key on her setup with an outstretched arm, she tapped into the camera outside her room and saw who it was. Michael. With a pie. It wasn't a surprise that the cook would be the one to bring it. It seemed freshly made too, not quite looking like the generic processed version out of a box.

Sitting back up into her chair, she pulled on her headset and voxed to the speaker outside the door.

"Just a sec."

Other than the fact that Ekaterina did not let anyone enter her room, there might also be the fact that many felt uncomfortable when meeting a minimally clad person. There wasn't any hard written regulation on the ship in that regard, but it was an unspoken rule that crew members had to keep it decent in areas where others move through. Thankfully, due to Ekaterina's unique sense of ordering things, there was a black t-shirt hanging from one of the power cords running along the ceiling just within reach. To be honest, the shirt would fit someone of Michael's size much better than it would her. The collar held precariously over one shoulder, while the length of the thing reached down to her knees, but it served to cover undergarments well enough and passed for adequate clothing with minimal effort spent into actually dressing to answer the door.

----------

Michael’s jaw imperceptibly dropped as he glanced down at the serving tray below him. Startled, he realized he had forgotten to arrange the display piece having been so focused on his tasks and memories.

His arms made blurred movements as he swiftly cut a flowing series of small curved slits into the upper piecrust to add a decorative wavy design, added in pure silver meat and salad forks with matching knife neatly folded in a white cloth pocket on the side, thin crystal glass with chilled water, and reset the whole centerpiece on a frosted glass tray.

He could already hear her steps as she approached the other side of the doors. Blinking, Michael checked the temperature of the pie itself. They had not had to go too far, and so the pie was still warm. But if she took too much longer, at the rate the pie was cooling, it would lose some of its deliciousness. He had not thought to bring a cover, so instead Michael took another white cloth, angled it with a slight fold like a diamond and spread it over the pie.

Taking another critical view of the arrangement, he realized that it definitely was over prepared for the simple meal, but Michael liked to make things look nice occasionally and most girls approved of things looking pretty. And besides, he had a request to make of her.

Thinking of things looking pretty, Michael checked his armor quickly. The form-fitting armor was ancient in design, possibly dating all the way back to the thirty first world war on Mitsuqes, but Michael had yet to be seen out of it for several reasons. One of which was simply how comfortable and safe the suit really was. It was really quite a shame that essentially no-one outside the Nebulae made armor at the same level of quality.

Seeing a tiny but disturbing blackened smudge of dirty grease on an otherwise polished chrome section of plating, Michael targeted it with one of his shoulder blades at low yield and incinerated the irritating offender. He, usually, did not care too much about appearances, as it was a total waste of effort after all, but at the moment he was just as much on display as the pie. Much as even the worst teenager would put on a tie for a church service or an interview if they had any hope of succeeding, Michael realized there were times when one needed to have a good image and reputation. It would simply not do to waste that image he had put some measure of effort into by permitting any stain to remain. Which admittedly set this crew apart from most others Michael had been in contact with. Surprisingly, they usually managed to find a way to avoid bloodshed: which suited Michael just fine. After all, a crew who avoided killing would intrinsically agree with someone who had escaped a culture pervaded by killing and consumption. They would help keep him in check.

----------

Padding barefoot through her room, she punched the open key on the first door and stepped into the miniature airlock-like space. It was installed to make certain nothing filters into the room that might contaminate her precious computer setup, prevent depressurize incidents, slow down intruders, etc. Sealing the thing up, 'Kat adjusted the filters, cleared the pressure and opened the outer door.

----------

She was still going through the doors, so Michael took a half step back and to the side so the tray would be right in front of her as the door opened and the flickering lights reflecting off of the metal walls would play across the silver and crystal. He couldn't do much about the low hum of machinery, but at least the droids hovering kept the silverware and plates from that constant irksome clinking.

Noticing her state but choosing to ignore it for the time being Michael spun the tray towards her. While he had obviously seen ‘Kat before when she came through the kitchen, it was only the second or third time he had actually been by her room. There really wasn’t much point to visiting people when they came to him anyways, and visiting any female members room a few times too often would be bound to cause others to make assume the worst. Little did they know what the worst truly was.

Sweeping the cloth off the pie with a snappy flourish, Michael gently lifted the tray on one palm and held it out to ‘Kat with a slight bow and gentle smile while his other arm slipped the fork out of the napkin and held it out to her. His face being what it was, he hoped that she didn't misinterpret the gesture. Thinking about it, ‘Kat had responded unusually quickly for someone waking up. Perhaps he had interrupted something he should not have. He was about to apologize and return the pie to the kitchen to keep warm, but then noticed the increased signs of hunger.

“Would you like anything to go with the pie you asked for?”

With a faint shake of her head, Ekaterina declined and went straight for the proffered fork, taking in the aroma of the cooked pie before her. It had been years since she had eaten this in any form other than in processed boxes or canned food versions. It brought back a few memories with it, before the ship and crew she worked with, before leaving her last little cozy bunker. The mere smell stimulated her memories, the taste was likely going to finish the job. Michael wouldn't prepare anything unless he intended to finish it properly, he was that dedicated to his craft, there was very little chance this wouldn't taste anything but especially good.

Stabbing the knife into the flaky crust with enthusiasm, 'Kat took a good morsel and brought it to her mouth. There was a silent moment, broken only by the little robot's machine sound as 'Kat sampled and slowly chewed the piece she took. After she finished, but before anyone had time to actually talk or comment, 'Kat had taken another bite. This repeated once more before she looked up at Michael, moving strands of hair from her face.

"Earned the bonus. I'll just... add it to your usual account later on." she gave a brief smile and took another bite before adding. "As usual, quite good." As 'Kat was about to take another bite, a beeping sound stopped her hand. The alarm timer on her wrist setup was beeping, indicating morning shift was starting soon. Figures. Still chewing, and refusing to let go of the fork able to shovel more tasty food into her gullet, 'Kat half-turned and reached down inside the airlock for steel-toed boots and simply slipped her bare feet into them, not bothering to tie them properly.

“Thank you very much. I am pleased the cooking succeeded.” Michael turned aside and got out of her way. “I know you must go, but perhaps when you have time you could help me with a little project?”

“These droids I got yesterday. I was hoping to physically interlink their VI cores, make them smarter. Upgrades. I know some things that may help but need your input. Here.” Michael raised a finger and three droids flew up to it, waited for a command, and began racing each other around it. Pointing the finger at ‘Kat, the droids buzzed to her and floated behind her back. “Perhaps, we could talk later?”

Ekaterina stopped and looked the little hovering droids over, fork left sticking out of her mouth as she reached out and took one in both hands. Not the most top-shelf piece of robotics she'd ever seen, turning it this way and that for a critical look, but a practical little assembly to have around if they're calibrated and updated properly. She bonked it on the back of the "head" and lifted the panel droids of this type always had and peered inside, a hand idly taking the fork from her mouth and supplementing it with another morsel from the pie still on the platter returning.

The components didn't look custom, which meant basic coding still in the little buggers. Maybe a few updates, but nothing special most likely, not much work then to simply make them better. There were a LOT of things she could add into the little buzzers, but merely starting with clearing the regulated clutter and limiters from the base coding was going to allow much easier access to root commands... She released the droid, closing the brain hatch, before turning back towards Michael.

"Send a list to my terminal and I'll look it over. Doubt there's too much to do for the ship today anyway. Unless Killbot comes around wanting another scrub of his subroutines in case the "Reds got to him". With that, she directed the two closest droids to carry the precious pie between them, while the third hovered nearby like a lovestruck puppy as Ekaterina went on her way to Engineering.

While ‘Kat left for her duties, Michael turned back to the elevator and strode back to the Kitchen. With half of the droids he had brought with ‘Kat, he had to carry the light metal tray and silverware down the short trek to his domain. It was pretty early and first shift had started so all the early-birds had come and gone while he was away making the delivery. As they had just received fresh supplies, the typical food bar was essentially untouched while the gluttonous brigadiers quite literally devoured their profits with relish and glee. Checking the autoclave to make sure no one else had left any random pieces within, Michael set it to cycle the used silverware and tray while he went back to the workspace. His Keg which was only rarely used was nevertheless getting old, so Michael went up to his desk, grabbed a pen, and wrote down roughly two pages of ingredients he requested for the upcoming brew. Feeding it into the comm system so that it would alert the quartermaster, Michael then checked over the kitchen space one more time to ensure all was in order and then headed down to the shooting range to pass the time.

Pheasant

09-09-2014, 04:32 PM

Sam Lorn, Rec Room.

Ol’ Sam Lorn was where you could always find him, the far side of the Rec Room’s bar on Level 4 with a glass of whiskey in one hand and a lit cigar in the other, leaning against the counter.
An old jazz tune played in the background, starting up after a click from the dusty brown and gold jukebox in the corner. No vocals, but a smooth and laid back saxophone with a string bass laying down a steady rhythm.
It was a part of the mans drinking playlist, and he had enough silver coins laid out on the oaken counter in front of him to make sure it stayed that way.

Sam took a quick sip from the short glass, letting the dry smoky flavor pass down his throat, before taking a long drag of his cigar, letting off a thick puff of smoke before he rolled it to the other side of his mouth.

It was nice to be alone sometimes, reminisce about the good ol’ days without the massive T.V. drowning out his music or someone complaining about it, as they were ought to do.

“Kids today”, the man murmured with a thick drawl, “Ain’t got no taste for the finer things”

He took ahold the neck of a stubby bottle of whiskey he’d bought in the city, filling his already half full glass a bit more.

The Black Star had been a good ship for the past six months, even if as a second shifter he’d barely had anytime to interact with the rest of the crew.
But now the man was full time as some of the others were either jumping ship or moving on to better, more legal things.
Now he got to man the big guns, behind the safety of the Black Stars hull while a sixteen year old bird girl with more seniority than him went out and got shot at.

He tossed the stub of a cigar he’d been smoking into the bin beside the bar, reaching for a metallic tin hidden inside of his jacket as another track started.
A quick pop and he was staring at a set of six fine looking hand rolled cigars, each one a masterpiece to the mans eyes as the thumbed through them. They damn well had better be, for the amount he’d thrown down on them.
Bailey Gray had stolen his last cigar almost two weeks ago, leaving the man to coast along with the now stub that sat in the bin.
“She ain’t getting her hands on these though, that damn Mk. IX. I swear shes more ghost than woman”

Although, the woman half was mighty nice to look at.

“Noone but me is gonna lay a hand on these bad boys, or the whiskey I bought from Tau’s”, Sam murmured, slipping the tin back into his jacket. He always saved the first puff for a special occasion.

MarchingThunder

09-11-2014, 02:13 AM

As she stepped off the elevator for the fourth floor into the rec room, Bailey's ears were met by the mumbling of a familiar voice. Though she didn't catch everything that was said, she caught enough that she knew what the subject was as she spoke up asking, "And what whiskey would that be, Sam?"

Sam couldn't say that he was surprised, being this was a common area. But Bailey always had a way of catching the man off guard.

He glanced sideways to see a familiar woman approaching the mini bar, an Officers patrol cap seated on top of long silver hair tied up into a ponytail. A short black tank top exposed an extremely fit, pleasant looking stomach, and dark gray cargos hung low enough on her hip that the mans eyes couldn't help but dote over if only for a moment before he returned to his drink. They sure didn't make girls like her back on Ithica, but he'd seen enough of Bailey in action to know the woman was one of a kind.

"Just some stuff from Tau's to tide me over till our next stop. Some of the crew drink they're weight in alcohol, have to keep a bit extra on those long quiet trips from port to port", Sam murmured, "How you been darlin'? Haven't had the chance to talk with you since that Silver Quasar business"

They hadn't had much time to chat for awhile before that either. Double duties, first and second shift. When things started heating up on the Black Star, it was a wonder how the crew got enough sleep to function.

"Pretty good all things considered," Bailey replied, letting a small grin onto her face as she continued approaching Sam before she continued speaking. "I finally saved up the money and bought a second hand Vulture which is now in the hangar. It's missing the heavy missiles, but everything else is in fine working order. What about yourself, Sam? Heaven knows it gets boring when you're not on shift."

"A vulture huh? They ain't pretty to look at, but it sure beats letting us assholes take potshots from low orbit"

He produced the metal tin from out of his jacket once more, passing one of the thick cigars across the counter in the woman's direction. Not as if she wasn't going to get her hands on one anyway. At least he could take solace in the fact she was one of the few women he knew who could appreciate a fine cigar.

"Hell, if I was still in the Corp I might have been able to hook you up with some, but you know how that story went. Me, I'm doing fine. I could probably walk on the planets surface without a problem so long as I had a cigar in one hand and a glass of booze in the other", Sam sounded a bit more reserved than usual, a bit softer.

It was...nice, to be back on a normal shift. Much as the man didn't want to admit it, he'd been looking forward to starting up the new contract.

"Anyway, I'm sure I'll invent new ways to piss off your girl Scouts once the ball gets rolling. Trouble always seems to be right on my ass"

"Of course it is, would trouble ever be anywhere else?" Bailey said with a small chuckle as she delicately took the cigar and brought it to her face, running lovely item beneath her nose as she took in the scent it gave off.

"Glad to know you're learning to give them up with out as fight," she said warmly, calmly putting the tip in her mouth as she went through the motions to prepare for smoking. Satisfied, Bailey lit a small flame of plasma from the tip of her thumb which she used to ignite the cigar as she gave a few breaths to get it going before she breathed deep and held it for a moment before blowing out a long stream of fine smelling smoke. "Wonderful as always, Sam," she said warmly, taking a seat in one of the chairs on the opposite side of the counter from him.

"What else would you keep me around for darlin', if not for my fine taste in self destructive habits"

The man enjoyed the moment while he could, conversation with a lovely woman as young and feisty as the day he'd met her, the smell of quality tobacco, the taste of quality whiskey on his tongue as smooth jazz played on in the background.

A moment to hold onto for later, when things would inevitably go from bad to worse.

"You know, we haven't had a poker night in awhile. Might be nice to get a few of the new faces together. Sometimes its hard to keep track of whose coming and whose going"

"Might be fun, especially since I haven't figured out everyone's tells yet," Bailey replied, her grin broadening. Both of them knew each other's tells after far too many games of poker for her liking in the first few years after they had met in the military, so it had come to be a bit of an unspoken rule between them that they avoided trying to take each other for too much in their games and instead focusing on the others that were present.

"You wanna head over to the mess hall, maybe hit the gym or the firing range a little later?"

"Mess, I was already planning on snagging a bite to eat if you don't mind," Bailey replied as she hopped off of her seat and stood again, not bothering to wait as she took another puff of her cigar and began heading to the mess hall.

"I'll join you in a minute", Sam called, taking a drink. You couldn't leave B.B. King halfway into the track, especially with a glass in your hand.

Plus, watching Bailey's fine behind walk away was something the man could not pass up, especially with the enticing amount of lower back she was showing off.

Bailey let him take his time, simply waving a hand over her shoulder as she sauntered across the rec room to the hallway that lead to the mess, the growing desire for some food driving her onward.

"Well you beautiful bucket of rust", Sam murmured after the song ended, slipping over to the jukebox with a slight stumble in his step, "I've got another pretty lady waitin' on me", and with a tug from behind the heavy machine, the cord dropped to the floor. The record inside groaned as it slowed, silence eventually filling the room. He gave the space a quick glance.

The rec room, aside from the mini bar, always gave the man an odd sense of unease. Latest computer hardware, T.V., games, a dozen things that Sam felt he could break just by touching them. Sometimes it felt like he was the jukebox of the crew, old fashioned, worn down, stuck in the past while everyone else kept on getting bigger, faster.

He kept on chugging away, spouting out nonsense about the old days. Once a jukebox stopped, well...it wasn't good for much else but the scrap heap.

The man shook his head, heading towards the door, "Too damn early in the day to be thinking about this bullshit", Sam murmured, following Bailey into the mess.

"Then think about something better!" Bailey called from down the hall as her enhanced hearing picked up his grumbles. As she entered the mess hall, Bailey made her way to the counter and picked up a tray before beginning to load it down with various items from the selection as she waited for Sam to drag his lazy butt in.

"Well, I'm sure I can think of one or two things", the man called back, picking up a tray from the end of the aisle. He slapped down some sort of green sludge from a pot on a burner with a raised eyebrow, continuing down the line, "You know they say ship food is the same everywhere, but after spending six months as the human minority on this ship, I'm not so sure...", Sam continued to fill up his tray with only a little more commentary.

"That's your own fault, I'm fairly certain you had the option for cybernetic replacement," Bailey replied as she snagged a pair of grilled cheeses out of one of the last containers before she snagged a large glass of soda as she made her way to a table with Sam close behind. briefly eating to get started, bailey spoke up after she had swallowed her first two bites asking, "So what else has happened around here since we last left port?"

"Why spend money on a new limb when the Corp spent years turning me into a big muscly drug addict?", the man murmured sarcastically. Many of the men he'd graduated training with had been in and out of rehab, their bodies so reliant on the powerful muscle enhancing drug they'd been injected with all throughout PCS school. Sam himself was one of them, but managed to drown it out with other, easier to come by addictions.

Sam continued, obviously not having much of an appetite after his previous thoughts, "Not a helluva a lots happened unless you're interested in drunken brawls and who-stole-what from the Quartermaster. Who slept with who, who get jealous, you know the deal. The drama that comes with living with a bunch of cocky bastards on a small ship where everyone's carrying a gun"

Bailey gave a little sigh as she replied, "I suppose that's about the size of it...Still, things could always be worse so there is that." With that, she returned her attention to her food, letting silence fill the gap as she considered what else they could talk about.

It always came down to this, the awkward silence that years of knowing one another could never quite fill in. Rumors, the state of things, the weather...Once the bottle was empty and the carton of cigarettes were gone, it was back to that oppressive, almost insulting silence. "Probably shouldn't have started the day off with whiskey", Sam murmured, "Always kills my appetite"

He pushed the tray away towards the center of the table, "Whats this I hear about the newest member of your team? We all thought Akalina was young, but the newest rumor is she took her title by a mile", Sam let off a sigh, "All these kids turning into mercs and killers, even we weren't that young when the military took us"

"No we weren't," Bailey replied with a rueful smile, "Though I think the way Akalina's society setup means that they start doing things younger than we do." The break in the silence after that was pleasant as she finished off the last of her meal before lifting up Sam's tray and putting her empty tray beneath it as she asked, "So do you wanna go do something?"

"Beats sitting around here", Sam replied, standing up from the table, "Hows about you show me this Vulture bird you spent so many credits on. It'd be nice to see how the boys who could never aim their damn air support live"

Bailey snorted in response before she said, "Right, then lets go."

Sinderella

09-13-2014, 12:19 AM

Syran stirred awake and groaned her protest beneath the mass of blankets piled atop her. She stretched beneath the variety of comforters, then shoved them down past her face and kicked them to the end of her bed. Scooting herself up, she rubbed the sleep from her eyes before outstretching a hand, and slapping it along the bedside desk in search of her goggles. Once finding them, she wiggled the elastic band over her head and then, suddenly winced as the frame thudded against her face rather roughly.

“Ow!” she whined. Clicking on the lamp that sat upon her nightstand, she dropped her head into her hands and sat hunched over the edge of the bed. Her head spun at the remnants of the dream that woke her; lashes fluttered beneath shaded lenses as she attempted to ignore the spinning. Swallowing, she shook her head to rid herself of the thoughts and stood, focus directed to the closet.

With a sigh, she rummaged through the contents of her clothing before shifting out of the tee-shirt that sheathed her being, and replaced it with a black shirt and jeans. If she wasn’t going to be able to sleep further, she needed a drink and fast. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror behind her door; her nose twitched in distaste, and she scoffed at the reflection staring back at her. She ran her tongue along her teeth, before plastering on and a smile and heading for the rec room.

Descending the stairs from the Dorms level and into the Living level, Syran nodded her head at those she may have passed. The girl was on a mission and she needed to accomplish it as soon as possible. Alcohol had always kept the thoughts from resurfacing and she hoped that this time, it would be no different. She stopped before the doors that led into the recreation room, kicked up her smile into a goofy grin, and then hit the keypad and pushed through the door.

She noticed Sam and Bailey wandering off and her nose absently twitched. She turned her attention back to the task at hand and bounded over to the mini bar, shuffling behind it. She clanked a few glasses together as she placed them into the sink, her gaze drifting up and flashing over the bottles.

The bar was petite in comparison to those she frequented, but it was just enough to keep her and possibly others, rather content. The bar top itself was built in an upside down and backwards 'L' shape, and was fashioned to be attached to the back wall in the middle of the room. Shelving units had been installed against the wall that homed dozens among dozens of bottled goodness. A sink had been later built beneath the shelving to ensure that the used glasses would be taken care of and not left to clutter what space there was. The base of the bar had been made entirely of cupboards, which held mixers, glasses, a mini fridge, and a handful of other convenient products that were needed.

“Whiskey, Whiskey, Where’s… the Whiskey?!” she demanded of no one in particular. She turned abruptly and spotted the magnificent bottle upon the bar top. She glanced at the label, her lips switching from the goofy grin and into a devilish smile. Her head turned as her gaze bounced from every corner, before she sashayed the few steps to the counter.

Her fingertips crept along the surface of the bar and danced their way to the abandoned bottle. Her hand met the cool of the glass and curled around its neck; she retrieved it and pressed the mouth of it to her bottom lip. She back stepped and sat down with her back pressed against the sinks bottom cabinet, keeping herself out of sight. She tilted her head back and with it, the bottle.

“Mm," she groaned, staring at the ceiling. “That’s the good shit right there. Kitty Cat would even like it.”

She wondered where Sabor was, having not seen him - or most anyone for that matter- in a while. Though, it was to be expected when they were docked; everyone typically took off on their own to do who knows what, or who knows who. Syran usually stuck to the ship, personally lacking a family outside of the crew, or even property. She never understood why she should invest in an estate, especially when she was barely on a planet long enough to enjoy it.

“Mm.. everyone with everythin’ to do.. I’ll just sit here and enjoy this ‘ere deliciousness. May even play some pool with myself.”

Pinkie

09-13-2014, 01:26 AM

A mix of awe love and fear washed over Skara all at once as the massive mechanical figure thudded towards her and lowered itself to shake her hand, which she would not oblige, just yet. "I rambled, didn't I?" She'd not respond to this, only offering a faint unsure shrug as the man continued. To be honest, she had not been paying attention to the conversation she walked into, which was unusual for her. "Aye, and I'm the mechanic miss" She took an awkward couple of seconds to stare down the man and his suit, once again failing to resond vocally. Within a fraction of a second she began identifying the outer workings of the mans suit, and it was a marvel. It was like nothing she had seen before, somewhere between a heavy powered suit of armor and a large military walker, and while she had seen plenty of those things before, she had never seen anything quite like this, and it intrigued her. The suit was powerful and large for sure, and yet all her thoughts scrambled to how it might work. Did the suit use hydraulics to move the limbs, or perhaps synthetic muscle fiber? Perhaps the suit wasn't powered at all and the being inside was simply strong enough to maneuver in it comfortably like some of the earlier models of unpowered heavy armor. Of course just because it was a suit didn't mean it had to have someone inside it, but the voice had a distinctive emotion and flavor to it that easily set it aside from any Artificial Intelligence or even most pre-recorded messages. Her thoughts then turned to why someone would need such a suit at all, and furthermore why they would need to wear it all the time. Ontop of this he had identified himself as the mechanic. Never before had she seen a crewman on any ship so heavily armed and armored, and had he not identified himself Skara would have pinned him for some kind of security or soldier, the guy who stands in the background of the deal and looks frightening to intimidate the other party into not backing out, certainly not anyone who would be part of the technical staff. More practical questions came to her mind, would he be in the suit while working on the ship? If he was then how was he suppose to be of any help let alone be the head mechanic? His limbs were too big to fit into the largest of access ports! Of course she wouldn't at all mind doing everything herself, but it still was confusing. Quickly she threw these thoughts from her mind and shook his hand somewhat nervously to avoid seeming any more awkward then she had been. Finally she responded vocally, her voice lowered to only a step above a whisper, the sort of volume one might use to converse with a mouse, if one were so inclined. "It's nice to meet you. I'm uh, S-Skara..." Suddenly, a dreadful wave of self consciousness broke upon her, and she made it her best effort to push through and give as genuine a smile as she could. Whilst this train wreck of a line of thought had only visibly happened for less than a second, to Skara it had felt like almost a minute at least.

It was then, after shaking her new superiors large metallic hand that she heard the fanatical ramblings of Kill Bot. What followed could only be described by Skara as some sort of mix between funny and and frightening. "And now you're bringing Madame Mao into your Commie spy ring? What next A Bay of Pigger? Gah Killbot will never sleep, not until 'Murica is safe from you Reds. Come on Hanoi Jane, Killbot will show you to the Mechanic's Wing too. It's just up these American-made steps." Skara couldn't help but smile at the dialog, raising a hand up to her mouth to help stifle some gentle and timid giggling which only lasts a second or two. She didn't take as long examining this robot, it's humorous having already put her into far too good a mood to nit pick about such things. She'd however not move to follow it first, and instead awkwardly awaits Dalvern to move first.

SikstaSlathalin

09-13-2014, 07:25 PM

*Killbot*

With the new Mechanics in tow the Gunner walked up the stairs and pointed out the door.
"Go that way, Killbot is sure you Reds can find it. As for Killbot, Killbot has an 'Murica to defend from your Commie friends!" With that the Warbot slapped the sign that said Mechanics' Workhouse then walked past Dalvern and Skara grumbling.
"You Red bastards best not be double agents coming into America's Heartland to steal the ideas for our rockets and implant our women with your alien babies." Continuing his grumbling Killbot thudded down the steps heading for the Firing Range to and I quote, "Shoot the faces off some Reds that actually have a use and purpose, as paper targets."

*Racer the Tang Mong*

It's always strange seeing a Tang Mong in the middle of a den of thieves, but Racer's life has been one of exception in such rules. Bounty Hunter, Space Rumrunner, and sometimes weapon smuggler. He was one of the Scouts on the Black Star's payroll. A second shifter like many of them, he wasn't scheduled to go on a mission anytime soon though, at least not to his knowledge.

He was walking through the Rec Room looking for a nice place to practice his guitar when he saw Sy lurking around the bar. He has been always amused by humans, and Sy was no exception. Slinging the guitar around his back he walked up chuckling lightly.
"Racer be tinkin, you be on Sam hit list now mon." The Tang Mong laughed lightly hopping onto the little bar looking down at Sy.

Kaptain Panty

09-13-2014, 09:02 PM

"Dalvern" he gave the reply with a quick nod, and would been smiling if his biological body wasn't in the state it was. Having a measure of his sanity for the time being, his thoughts drifted to the task at hand, following the mumbling robot in silence, to which he was thankful his sensors were adjustable. And on the talk of the bot - It definitely looked like he could do with some...changes. He was no expert in engineering, but an off switch - or rather remote - would be rather useful to stop him trying to brutally murder him or his new colleague in his belief they were some spy's for the colour red. That, and it'd be handy for when he just wanted him to shut the hell up. Well their was one project to do. And why not make it fire an EMP charge too? Or be a tool kit to install other...uh...turny offy...things that make the thing turn off when he pressed the button. Or maybe it shoot LASERS! You know what, it SHOULD shoot lasers. No one ever expects remotes to shoot actual lasers!

Brought back to the present as his indicators forced him to notice he was approaching a wall, which in fact turned out to be killbot, but sometimes it had trouble seeing the difference between a big metal object and a big metal object with limbs. Seemed they'd reached their the mechanics den, killbot pointing down the hall, again grumbling about them being agents for the colour red as he left them, surely content that they weren't complete idiots. "Come on then lassy" and with that, he picked her up with a gentleness that belied his immense strength, ignoring her protests if any and placing her on his shoulder "No time to waste now, and it's hardly the work of a gentleman to not help a lady".

Dnafein

09-14-2014, 12:34 PM

Xanatos finished with his paperwork stepped out of his office a few folders tucked under his arm. He locked the deadbolt, pulled down and locked the shutter and then typed a 16 digit number into a nearby keypad. He eyed his now locked office door dubiously, with a shrug however he headed off.

Xan passed Killbot as the automaton headed for the firing range. The rodentian smiled and pulled a small remote out of his pocket. He flipped the solitary switch on the small box and a well hidden device in the firing range came to life. As soon as Killbot entered the firing range the paper targets began singing it's a small world (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxvlKp-76io) at a nearly ear shattering volume.

Xanatos grinned and made a mental note to check the condition of the firing range before processing all orders for replacement parts. He continued his trek to the captains office and knocked loudly on the door. He shifted the folder for the captain to the top. In the folder were the usual delivery and order reports the captain saw on a regular basis. However on the top of the regular reports was the Vulture Heavy Gunship delivery and the rodentians note as to how it should be handled.

Sinderella

09-15-2014, 12:29 AM

Chuckling.

Who was laughing? She adjusted herself, peeking up and over the neck of the bottle that she clutched onto for dear life. Her goggles blocked the gleam that sparked in her gaze; however, the shit eating grin that was slathered across her face was a dead give away to what was hidden. She looked every part of getting caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

“Racer be tinkin, you be on Sam hit list now mon,” the monkey man said, his Jamaican accent triggering a fit of laughter from Syran. Her body shook from giggling and her grin widen, teeth bared.

“No one’s gonna tattle, are they?” she asked and raised a brow playfully. “We don’t need any monkey business!” The irony of her reference suddenly dawned on her and sent her into another giggling fit. The thoughts that had lingered after her dream earlier were long forgotten, with thanks to Sam's whiskey. She was content - happy one might say - and had no intention of Sammie-Sam catching her red handed. The faster she drank, the quicker the evidence could be tossed out before he returned.

“Finders keepers!” she hollered and took a sip of the whiskey. “You wanna drink, Race car?” she looked hopeful and patted the space next to her on the floor. “Come sit with Sysy.”

Soulio

09-15-2014, 07:43 AM

Sam walked aboard the Black Star, a small smile on his face. While he was annoyed that he had to be on this ship when he had little time to spend with his family, he was still happy that they were doing okay, and that he could at least see them. But Togga wanted all of his crew in ship shape if they were on his ship.

He contemplated bringing his wife and son on board, but had dismissed the idea that morning. Togga would've yelled and screamed at him for hours, and the mechanics would probably be stressing out that they would touch something and fuck the entire ship like a two bit whore that needed a drug fix.

He entered his room and grabbed his weapons, staring at his fancy shotgun for a few seconds. He so wished that he had more rounds for it. He had plenty, but plenty could also disappear very quickly in a firefight. He didn't want to waste a few rounds on target practice. As it was, he had talked to Togga and the mechanics about trying to make more rounds, and they had a few, but so far, they had been unable to make the rounds work. He debated asking Togga to put his Togga Tech workers to the job, but he didn't want to deal with that annoyance.

He walked out of his room, and was immediately hit with the smell of old cigars. And booze.

"Sammy boy is here?" He wondered, surprised that the other Sam was back on board.

He knew very well that if Sam was on board, he'd most likely be trying to get into Bailey's pants. It was a recurring thing, and Sam really couldn't blame him. But at the same time, he himself had quite the looker, and he was glad that June was more of a non violent kind of person. Leveled Sam's "violence is the way to deal with a problem" attitude.

Rather than go hunt Lesser Sam down and possibly cock block him if things went his way, Better Sam decided to just do what he planned, and head to the firing range. He wanted to test out a new bullet he picked up on his way to the Black Star.

---

Upon entering the Firing Range, he noticed Akalina lying on her back. He always felt terrible every time he saw her on this ship. She was young, and killed people as a career.

"Hey, Aka," he mumbled, just loud enough for her to hear. He turned to the targets, and began firing away.

SikstaSlathalin

09-15-2014, 10:56 PM

*Killbot*

"Commie fucks, I hope the good Captain has them under constant supervision. Last thing we need is the Red Menace impregnating Bailey, Sy, Korioin, Scyllia, Cat, Ellie, and Aka and spreading their evil seed all across America. Killbot would hate to have to kill them all." The Warbot grumbled as he loaded some rounds into his shotgun and stepped into the firing range and was about to say welcome to his fellow Americans Sam and Aka when the most heinous and evil song ever created by the Reds began blasting over the speakers.

"It's a world of laughter, a world of tears
It's a world of hopes and a world of fears
There's so much that we share that its time we're aware
It's a small world after all
It's a small world after all
It's a small world after all
It's a small world after all
It's a small, small world"

Ever inch of Killbot's logic circuits fired up and began shooting signals into the live brain to kill, maim, and destroy the speakers with the top most prejudice. He began shooting the heads off all the targets to stop their noise making

"EXTERMINATE, EXTERMINATE! DON'T WORRY AKA, KILLBOT WILL SAVE YOUR VIRGIN WOMB FROM BEING IMPREGNATED BY THE REDS!" The Cyborg's speakers sounded his rage and his face plate was covered in(curses)emotes. In seconds the shotgun was smoking and the barrel was white and warping and every target with a speaker was destroyed and the song was gone. He raised his shotgun high and shouted to the sky.

"AMERICA, FUCK YEAH!" He then began playing this song through his speakers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruNrdmjcNTc

*Togga*

The Sharterran Captain was just pouring himself a cup of hot chum when alarms started going off all over his office that the base was under attack. Quickly pulling his rifle off the wall he ran to the closed circuit cameras that showed him the inside of every room, hall, and bathroom of the base looking for the source of the attack. But as he looked into the firing range he saw Killbot was shooting the heads off the targets like a madbot. Tapping into the speakers he heard the "It's a Small World" song playing and sighed heavily placing his gun back on the wall.

"Oh it is being too early for this, he clicked off the alerts and went back to his chum as a knock came on his door. Checking the cameras again he saw Xanatos there with some files pushing the button he opened the door for the Quartermaster.
"You were not involved in turning Killbot into wild killing machine a few minutes ago da?"

*Racer*

The Mong gave a hooting laugh and slid behind the bar.
"Oh Racer neva be able to turn down a drink an' drinking buddy." He placed his guitar against the wall and took the bottle from Sy taking a long swig licking his lips as he handed it back.
"Dat's good stuff dat is."

Dnafein

09-16-2014, 04:37 AM

Xan looks hurt at the accusation. "I thought Killbot wasa wild killing machine. It seems to be right there in the name..."

The rodentian shrugged, "Anyways, on to business." He handed the top folder to the captain, "Most of it is the usual, however this one on top needs your input for a different reason. If you agree with my suggestion I have a check that needs to be signed. It's for a quarter of what the gunship would cost if we were to buy it ourselves."

Pinkie

09-17-2014, 10:00 PM

"Dalvern" . Skara could only smile and nod in response to the man giving his name, and awkwardly too. With no idea where to take the conversation, and still in the few moments before Killbot began moving, Skara decided to take the few seconds and examine the state of the cargo bay. Of course, she had seen better, but there was something appealing about the ships slightly worn aesthetic, as though it was it's one of it's own crew members.However, this line of thought never saw an end as Dalvern scooped up the thin blue woman and placed her upon his shoulder. The transition was fast, and left her feeling a little weazy after. Though, given her physicality and her new friends lack of knowledge about it, this could've meant a trip to the medical bay. Fortunately the battle suit moved with gentles, enough to even carry such a creature with hollow bones without harming her. It was something to ponder on, at least, as the pair began moving. Skara firmly, or as firmly as she could, gripped the shoulder plate which she had been sitting on, and spoke to the man carrying her almost as an after thought. "I-I'm uh, fragile, physically... S-so you know..." The words came out in a low and timid tone, sounding far closer to an apology of some sort rather than an advisement. Without waiting for an answer she'd look back up, already feeling awkward from what she had just said. Something to take her mind of the awkward social situation was the height of the hallways. Not exactly made for a 6 foot plus riding a battle suit to walk through, but there was an inch or two of clearance between her head and the ceiling. It was curious why a ship would have such tall hallways, but it would figure to when one was likely to have multiple races of varying height on board. Of course, Skara had to nearly limbo through doorways, but that's what happens when you double your height by sitting on 11 feet of walking metal. Eventually Killbot and thus Dalvern came to a halt. "Go that way, Killbot is sure you Reds can find it. As for Killbot, Killbot has an 'Murica to defend from your Commie friends!" Skara couldn't help but to giggle at the robot again, his dialog tripping on her nearly flat sense of humor. With that the cyborg slapped a sign on the wall which read "Mechanics' Workhouse", then proceeded to angrily move past Skara and her metal steed. His voice was audible as he called back to them from down the stairs. "You Red bastards best not be double agents coming into America's Heartland to steal the ideas for our rockets and implant our women with your alien babies. I'm gonna go shoot the faces off some Reds that actually have a use and purpose, as paper targets!" Everything about this sequence of words fueled the growing blue giggle monster that was Skara, right up until the end. Something about "shoot the faces off some Reds that actually have a use and purpose, as paper targets!" only made her feel slightly upset, and her giggling quickly came to a halt. A gentle frown slid over her face, and she sighed. She didn't know why it made her feel this way, but it did. She cleared her throat and looked down to the hunk of metal carrying her. "Uh, shall we?" She'd motion off to the hall leading to the "Mechanics' Workhouse" whilst speaking.

Arthera

09-18-2014, 12:29 AM

The pie lasted at least until 'Kat got to her desk in the engineering section. All things considered quite happy with it, albeit sad that it's already gone. She was licking her fingers when she entered the room, savoring the last remnants of the food.

Engineering was empty at this particular point in time, chair-spinner soothingly absent from her spot. Although that might be due to a roster change or something, Ekaterina hadn't really given much attention to personnel changes, but it was the first thing that came to mind. If anything, the assistant was on time for shift start.

Other than the nearly silent humming of data banks, the click and clack of heating/cooling pipes, it was quiet, the way 'Kat enjoyed it. She dismissed the hovering droids, telling them to shut off near the exit so she'd see them on her way out, and headed for her desk. It was a massive thing, with screens forming a literal wall when she faced it from waist-height to the ceiling, curving in just right to get a good view when she reclined a tad left, right and up. Her eyesight and enhancements made looking at this much information very manageable, and she was able to handle changes on the fly with great alacrity. This might be why shark-man kept her on main rotation so much, Ekaterina was very good at what she did. Let the battle-bots and the run-and-gun members handle the fighting, she was there to maintain the ship and ply her particular brand of freedom on others property.

Kicking her boots off, she settled into the large chair and typed a few commands, unlocking the multiple protection layers she kept on all stations with critical access. The screens displayed a mounting array of data, charts and logs as she accessed all the important bits for a more detailed "start-of-shift" look. She'd gleaned these from her room, but this station afforded a more complete view of what was happening. There wasn't anything noteworthy to see really, the ship wasn't powered up fully so many systems weren't in use. Ekaterina could see which systems were in use, their requirements, which crew member had accessed commands...

Incidently bringing the roster change data into focus. New people and returning ones needed new passes and IDs to work on the Black Star and every rotation brought a scrubbing of codes used at the time of employ. A shift in procedures and screening that 'Kat made certain wasn't going to be pierced by ex-employees out to get even for some reason. Oh, there had been a few cases since she joined, but none had managed to do anything of note and Ekaterina had made a point to ruin them as thoroughly as possible before alerting the proper planetary forces where to pick up the little shits that had tried to cross her. It was only proper to return their maximum effort hacking attempts with her own, and so far she always won.

Cycling through the feeds as she idly worked on the new IDs, 'Kat came across logs from the firing range. Sadly, it was the usual warnings and errors. Speakers were in error mode, likely shot to bits, and other circuits in the room had been damaged and were causing the system to pick up yet more errors. Hazarding a guess, 'Kat tapped into the cameras in the room and, to no surprise, saw that captain guns-a-blazing had blown a fuse again and had shot wildly after something played through the speakers, causing his A.I. to jump into it's usual irritable mode.

Reaching for her headset, Ekaterina punched in Killbot's frequency before slipping the device around her left ear.

"Time for your A.I. scrubbing Kill..." she began, pulling up the psychopathic robot's file for the proper language to use to make him actually come in. "Make sure the "Reds" didn't mess it up. I need to shore up your Red, White and Blue protocols..."

Utter rubbish. 'Kat disliked Killbot's old Earth history programming. The second she could enact a Zeta 429 on his interaction module without the Captain or Killbot getting on her case... Well, for now it would lessen the rampant damage he was inflicting on the shooting range. And stop his sudden "virgin womb, fuck yeah" speech from continuing, likely increasing morale for anyone else within earshot of Killbot.

As a side note, she also sent a message to all the cyborgs and brain-chipped crew members not on duty to report in as well, might as well do a round of tune up all at once before they went off-world again.

"Oh, and get the two mechanics that just arrived on your way up." she added to Killbot's frequency. "Need to check them..." she paused ever so briefly, checking the robot's file again. "...for any trace of "Commie" coding or parts."

More senseless rubbish, but it more often than not made Killbot comply agreeably.

Setsa

09-18-2014, 07:20 PM

Kari had been on board for a short while as the Medic. Where the Medic before her was to give her any key information she had no idea. Probably ran off soon as the ship landed by her guess. Her long blonde hair left free to move as it liked, the Doctor was already unpacking some extra vials and supplies in the infirmary. This stuff wasn't cheap at times but she had her way to get a fair deal.

Blue eyes catching sight of the folders on her desk. She would pick up the pile that had the medical reports of each member of the team that joined up during her six month absence. "Great...new flesh to stitch up.. Such a great gift by the Captain for my return.." She mused to herself in light humor.

Turning around to set the files back on the desk she would bend at the hips, one ankle crossed behind the other. While she perused through the medical reports. Coincidentally her small office inside the infirmary was well in view of the doorway that was opened.

Carrying the last of the Doc Kari's gear from her hover truck, Rivet, one of the Hanger's full time guards stomped down the hall his cybernetic arms squeaking lightly, he was in need of some maintenance from the Mechanics once this was all over. They were new, but he was sure they would have some oil he could use. He was passing by the wide window that showed into Doc Kari's office and he couldn't help, but be a touch dumbstruck by her. As damn near all men in the Hanger were, smart as can be an drop-dead gorgeous to boot. He caught a glimpse of his own features in the polished glass, scarred, scruffy, with deep tan skin, short brown hair and deep brown eyes. He was dressed in simple black star combat armor and boots. His laser shotgun was across his back and he sported a rugged looking laser pistol and machete on his black belt.

He looked every inch the wasteland wanderer. Well aside from his pair of dull silver cybernetic arms that give him twice the strength of a man of his build. They had to be replaced after he got blown up in one of the many wars that spring up in the galaxy. In fact he thinks it was Doc Kari that attached them. Bringing himself back from day dreaming he sees the good Doctor bent over her desk looking over files. Ignoring more thoughts that sprung up he walked into the office and kicked the door lightly.
"Here's the rest of them Doc Kari, where do you want them?" He asked turning to the side so he could see her.

"Hey Rivet.." she'd respond, flipping over a page before standing back up to turn and face him. "Right over there in that corner would be fine." Smiling warmly as she'd take a quick glance to the man himself. "I see your guns are working as well as ever. He would hear her say while approaching Rivet only after he stood back up. Hands touching where the cybernetic arms met with his human body. Feeling and pressing a bit. "How they been feeling up here of late?"

Each crew member that she knew from the years and stayed were her friends. Even if they may have some of her pictures inside their locker from a magazine or otherwise. She wasn't stupid nor did she care.

The Guard nodded and placed them where she indicated and made sure not to stare at her again. He knew she wouldn't care if he did, but it was rude. And he was raised better than to be rude to a beautiful woman. He had every intention of booking it out of there and maybe finding one of the bored female guards and see if she was willing to help a brother in arms out. Sure it sounded cheap, but on this planet anyone could be a guard if they wanted to. Prostitutes included, but Kari approached him and began feeling his arms.

Once more shaking thoughts from his head he nodded to her still trying not to stare.
"Eh a little tight but not bad, and I'll be damned if it doesn't itch in the more moist parts of the Hanger." He rolled up the short sleeves of his t-shirt so she has better access to look it over.

Taking a closer look at the flesh as her fingers ran the border to then follow up into the muscles it was attached to. "I got a few things to help with that..." Being a full time crew member here, she loved her job on the Black Star. Always have as it provided her plenty of excitement and a clear, fulfilling purpose. "One being a minor surgery that you'd be up and about to full duty in two days after. But come by when you got some free time and we'll talk more. You're doing great though..your muscles are not feeling strained or weak at all."

A compliment to his physique within though she always encouraged those with such cybernetics to keep in shape. The Doctor would reach into her back pocket and hold up a small chip. "A deal kept...for making sure this place wasn't messed around too much on my off time." Placing the chip into his open palm. "A copy of the Dekkru Paradise Swimsuit Calendar that's set to come out next month. So no one has seen these yet."

Rivet smiled lightly at the chip then to the woman.

"Thanks Doc Kari, you're an angel amongst beasts. I'm always happy to help you out, my shift ends around dinner time, then I'm free for the night." He opened a pouch on his molly vest and dropped the chip in before sealing it firmly. "If you're free then I'll drop by." He gave the woman a smile.

"Oh you charmer you" she'd laugh walking with him out of the infirmary and to the hallway. "I'll be here my friend and if not here then at the Mess Hall drinking with out you." Hugging her friend in the hallway, the two would part ways from there. Rivet to get back to his guard duty though his mind would be heavily distracted with the thoughts of the chip in his possession. Kari back into the infirmary to finish unpacking what she brought with and getting the area back to her high standards.

wakachukie

09-19-2014, 04:47 AM

As Michael descended to the Firing range, he saw the Rodentian slip past him. Michael shot an arm out to stop the quartermaster so he could ask about the Keg supplies, but he was already gone. O' Bother.

He was just outside the door itself when the Intruder Alert sirens went off. An attack?! Michael quickly snapped to alert. Armor powered and online. Area clear and secured.

Wait, they were deep within a base comparable to a full-on military complex, so how could they suddenly be attacked here? Two possibilities arose: a cloaked enemy somehow entered, or one of those new crewmen was actually a saboteur. The evil sneaks! Michael admired a good opponent with a working strategy, but this was uncalled for.

The firing range made sense in either scenario for the aggressor to try and steal a weapon, but had been sloppy and gotten detected. That loser. If your gonna sneak into a base, be sure you can sneak out.

Michael was about to bash in straight through the wall to knock the opponent off guard, then realized that this could be a hostage situation. Scanning the area, he saw only Killbot firing at ... the walls? There was no enemy, only a confused robot with an admiral sense of good ol' fashioned patriotism. The lack of a target was actually disappointing. O well, business as usual then.

While Michael actually entered the range, the alarms were cancelled and KillBot was shortly leaving with the newcomers. Escorting them to their places was appropriate, broadcasting their "intentions" to the crew was not - nor was it useful. Michael heard Kat call for an update cycle on all cyberized crew members. He could go by there after lunch was made and see her progress.

Well, no sense wasting any more time. Palming the reset device to set up some more targets, Michael took a basic combat stance. Eying a target, he threw out a basic elbow strike, but at the end, fired out a beam along the path. Frantically, Michael realized he had forgotten to limit the output enough and cut the beam. There was already an enlarging hole.

In irritated anger, Michael snapped his other hand to the side, the beam slicing the head off a paper target. It was a good, clean cut. "su, su, su, su" His elbows rhythmically pumped as Michael began to shred the head into mm squares before it hit the floor, his smile growing. With an arcing kick, Michael blasted the whole mess to nothingness.

His chime dinging brought Michael back to his senses. Time to Work. The next major meal was Lunch, and once that was ready Michael could be free for the majority of the day. There was a good portion of the meat from the pie experiment left over now that he knew how to cook it, but what else?

Michael thought it over while he trumped back across the hallway Soup and salad came to mind. It would take a while to get ready, but that was fine. As soon as he entered, he grabbed a large set of pots and began heating up water and some soup stock. Most would desire the roc soup, but there were always those who wanted something else.

Pulling out a goodly crate of greens, Michael swiftly sorted them and grated off the outer layers. Thick to be cubed, Long to be sliced, and the tiny vegetables whole. Michael also mixed in a few light citrus fruits to add flavor, and a bag of bell peppers for color.

Pheasant

09-19-2014, 06:29 PM

Sam and Bailey, Hanger.

The pair exchanged banter with a few playful shots at one another as they exited the elevator to the hanger on the Second Level.

It was nothing compared to the size of a Confederate Destroyer Class, but it had a nice cozy feel to it that reminded the man of home.

A pair of MG-4 Bugs sat in the corner out of the way of the large cargo shipments that took up a large section of the hanger floor, full of the food, medical, and most importantly ammo supplies that would eventually all be sorted out by the Quartermaster.

The transport trucks were the workforce of ground missions, although on the more rugged planets the Black Star traveled out to you could kiss your ass-bone goodbye. On this ship it was all function, and luxuries like cushy seats were reserved for the Rec Room.
The man wasn't particularly fond of the lead Bug's plasma turret, it lacked the intimacy of a rotary gun. But it promised a bad day for whoever was on the other end.

The man stepped out first, lighting a cigar as his eyes fell onto the Vulture. It lacked fancy wing designs and was due for a fresh can of paint to wipe away the chips and markings its old owner had left, which only made Sam like it more. It was rugged, tough, a survivor.

Given the crew's history with new toys, he hoped it would at least last till the end of the month.

"She's sure easy on the eyes, ain't she", Sam murmured with the cigar in his mouth, stepping onto the hanger floor and giving the ship a quick 360. "Not too shabby at all", a heavy hand pulled on the left side door, sliding open with a bit of effort before he hopped up and inside the Vulture's bay.

"Definitely not," Bailey replied, pride clear in her voice, "The real kicker is that I managed to hold onto the pilot-VI, and if I need to I can slave it in to my own processors and manage it remotely." She followed Sam into the Vulture's troop bay, a small smile on her face as she took in the familiar scent of steel machine oil and worn leather in the ship. "So what do you think should be my first upgrade to her? Missile or redo the decorations?" she asked.

"Missile pods are my answer to everything darlin'", Sam chuckled back, sliding into the leather pilots seat at the front of the ship. He wasn't a pilot, but the man had flown himself out of a few scrapes before. At least enough to know that everything appeared to be in working order. "Hopefully the ol' Captain will make sure you keep authority over this thing, before anyone else starts tacking on extra stuff here and there.

He leaned back in the seat, taking a long puff. She looked good, now it was a matter of seeing if the Vulture could perform.

"Of course they are, you and your branch never were ones for subtlety," Bailey replied with a grin, "I had forgotten that." Really it was the best choice, she knew it herself, but it was still a question to get a second opinion on she felt as she took a seat in one of the leather crash chairs.

"I'd say our contrast in style has been much more of an asset than a hindrance", Sam replied cheekily, "It certainly has kept the last several years interesting if nothing else"

After a few more moments he stood up from the pilots seat, stretching out, "Well, Warzone is about to start, and my favorite teams gonna be playing for the finals. Care to join me for whatevers left of a bottle of whiskey and an hour of two teams beating the ever living crap out of one another?"

"That sounds like a fine idea," Bailey replied, walking beside Sam as they headed back towards the rec room, "I just hope you didn't leave your whiskey out, there won't be any left if you did."

"I'm sure it'll be--", he stopped dead in his tracks for a moment before they stepped into the elevator, "Shit"

Sy wasn't on duty right now, was she? Sam sighed, a palm hitting his forehead, "She cant have polished it ALL off, there was more than half a bottle left"

"Sam, this has happened before, you should now full well to neither doubt Sy, nor to leave any of your whiskey out," bailey replied with an exaggerated sigh, "I suppose we'll have to make due with the piss-water beer they have in the rec."

"Oh no, not this time", Sam murmured, the elevator doors closing on the two, "I've got something special in my room for a Warzone game like this. A real asskicker fire-whiskey, as expensive and good as it gets"

He glanced at the watch on his hand, "Fifteen minutes till touchdown, plenty of time"

The elevator stopped on the living level, Sam heading down the hallway to his room with Bailey in tow.

The space was certainly Sam's, and it cried out Confederate Marine adrenaline junky. A table sat in the center of the room, low to the ground in front of an old but comfy and spacious couch. A pair of rifles, one field stripped and the other broken down to its bits sat on the old oak. A .45 sat on the table as well, next to an empty silver beer can, along with a spray bottle of gun oil and a rag stained black from endless cleaning after time spent on the range.

The mans bed, perfectly made sat in an alcove on the left hand side of the room, and a corner desk with a poster above it, a scantily clad woman with blue tinged skin with an assault rifle in each hand pointed skyward. A holographic computer sat on the desk, along with a speaker system on either side of the screen.

The wall opposite from the door was mostly composed of a massive weapons rack, half the space nearest the bed taken up by Sam's powered armor. The other side was stacked with heaviest weapons on top, lightest near the bottom.

Togga didn't allow the crew to have their own personal armories for the difficulties it would create in having ammo, but Sam had gotten away with a few trophies from his past.

"Home sweet home", Sam murmured, heading towards the small cooler adjacent to the desk.

Bailey was about to sit down and join Sam for the offered drink when a small alert entered her mind via her cybernetics, prompting a tired sigh in response. "Looks like I'll have to take a rain check, Sam," she said in annoyance, "kat just called a check up for all cybernetic members of the crew."

"What?", was Sams surprised reply, the neck of a bottle of bright red alcohol and a pair of glasses already in his hands, "Right now? Well...shit"

He set the glasses down on the table, pouring enough for a quick shot for the both of them, "One for the road at least", Sam murmured, holding the first glass out to the woman before taking the other into his hand.

Cybernetic diagnostics took forever. It would be more annoying for Bailey than him, but still it was...disappointing. But hell, if it wasn't one thing it was something else.

"Well thank you kindly, Sam," Bailey replied with a small smile, "I'll be back when I'm done." She knocked the drink back in a single motion before giving a satisfied smile and waving goodbye after setting down her glass. As she left though, she made a concentrated effort to sway her hips as wonderfully as she could on the way out.

Sam stared at the doorway for a long moment after Bailey had left, before finally clearing his throat and downing his own drink. "Don't worry baby", he murmured to the barely dress woman on the poster nearby, "You're still my number one. For now, anyway"

He grabbed hold of the the pair of empty glasses, sticky with alcohol, and the neck of the fantastic bottle of whiskey that would have to be his date for the evening. Still, maybe Bailey would get off the hook.

Before he left, Sam put his holster on the table. No need to carry around a .44 when you're about to be pleasantly intoxicated. Or unpleasantly, as the case may be.

He hurried to the lift, still poofing on his cigar, and after only a minute or so pushed open the door to the rec room. He'd decided to ignore whatever war was being fought on the range, he'd soon have a much more entertaining one.

The bottle of whiskey, as Bailey had predicted, was gone and replaced with a drunken laughter he knew only too well from beyond the counter, "Damn vultures", the man sighed, "Can't leave nothin' alone..."

SikstaSlathalin

09-20-2014, 05:48 PM

*Togga*

The Captain took the files and moved back to his desk signalling for Xan to come in and take a seat. As the Quartermaster entered the door automatically swung shut and relocked .He didn't expect any type of attacker this far into the Hanger, but it never hurts to keep some habits fresh. Placing the bulk of the pile onto his desk and took the top one flipping it open scanning it quickly.
"Bailey is wanting to be using an old Vulture Gunship as our new orbital drop ship? What is being wrong with the FCC? Last I was knowing Choo-Choo gave it the green light before he was leaving for his six months off?" The big alien took a seat behind his desk and studied the file more closely.

*Killbot*

As the Commie threat died and Michael the cook ran in to assist, Killbot was about to tell his comrade to stand at ease when Kat chimed into his head and said it is time for his A.I. scrubbing. In an instant the "Blood 'n' Guts American Freedom Fighter vanished and in his place a kid not wanting to get his bath before bed. He never liked being taken off-line, that's when the crew liked to mess with his hardware, give him funny voices, take away his guns, lots of things he'd rather avoid. But he couldn't quite tell the Head Engineer to go fuck herself, especially when he has dedicated himself to keep her virgin womb free of Red seeds.
"Awwww, but I'm killing Reds!" His crackling radio voice almost sounded like a whine, but it also almost sounded like metal sheering from a building. He holstered his shotgun and walked from the firing range and back up the stairs. Maybe the Mechanics would still be at the door trying to figure out the American language.

Sinderella

09-22-2014, 01:53 AM

Tri-Post with Pheasant and Siks:
Samual, Racer and Syran

“Damn vultures,” accused the all too familiar voice.

Syran's laughter immediately halted and she held her breath, cheeks puffed out like a chipmunks. She turned towards Racer and lifted a finger to her lips in a "shush it" gesture. When the man’s laughter didn't come to an end, Sy lurched at him. Her arm flew back at the sudden movement, elbow cracking against the wood of the cupboard that she had been leaning against. Her breath burst past her lips in a 'pop' and she sagged against Racer, head dropping into his lap as she attempted to breathe through the pain.

The Mong was enjoying the sensation of the whiskey sitting in his stomach and when Sy's head dropped into his lap he chuckled. "Well we been in dis situation before, ain't we Sy?"

"Ow…" she managed before an uncontrollable bout of laughter broke through her; she had hit her funny bone. She whined incoherently as her body shook from the current fit that overwhelmed it.

The scent of rich tobacco filled the room as Sam let off a long puff from the threshold of the door, moving towards the far end of the room where the mini bar sat, wedged into the corner.

He ignored the stifled giggles he heard from behind the counter and the sound of a bang, setting down a fresh bottle of fire whiskey. The man took a moment to kick the dust off his cigar into the bin, before leaning over the counter to reach for the remote on the display.

Seeing Sy face first in Racer's crotch didn't seem to bother the man as he took hold of the remote, hitting the power button.

"I dunno what monkey business you two are up to, but you both owe me a bottle of whiskey", the man mumbled as an announcer yelled "WARZONE" on the television followed by blasting heavy rock. "At least you're keeping it in the same genus, not that it makes it any better…", he murmured, taking his drink to the couch in front of the T.V.

"Hey, don’t be mean!" She hollered against monkey man's lap.

Racer was too laid back to take much offense but he shot back nonetheless. "Racer, just be loved by life and women mon."

She made a face at Racer, and then heard the unmistakable sound of a full bottle being placed onto a surface. The laughter came to an end, the pain at her elbow dulling into a lingering ache; she was sure that there would be a bruise there tomorrow. Sitting up with a jerk, she licked her lips before puckering them. How would she get the new bottle?

Sy glanced at the now empty bottle that Racer and she had shared, furrowing a brow at the scene. She continued to contemplate what she would do to get her hands on the whiskey, and the moment an idea came to light her smile returned.

She crawled into a crouch, lifted her head slowly, and peered over the counter to where Sam was. He had just seated himself at the couch. Noticing that his attention was directed to the game blaring through the speakers of the television, she spared a glance behind her. Standing up quickly, she snatched a similar colored bottle of alcohol and returned to her seat beside Racer on the floor.

She snickered. Very slowly, Sy began to pour the contents of the subpar alcohol into the empty bottle of whiskey. "Dammit!" she spat when she managed to spill it on her hands and herself. After the empty bottle had been filled about halfway, she handed the other to Race Car, rubbed her free palm against her thigh and stood. "We did no such thing, Sammie-Sam!" She declared, waving the half filled bottle around. "See?"

The man rolled his eyes with a grin appearing on his face, though he didn’t turn to show it as an explosion happened off-screen, "And Roach takes out a member of the blue team and a camera with a shotgun blast from a busted mortar tube!", an announcer shouted as the screen changed to an overhead view of the battle.

"You crazy son of a bitch", Sam chuckled, taking a drink from one of the glasses in front of him, before turning around with his arm on the back of the couch to reply, "Well, feel free then Sy, I've upgraded to a bottle of fire whiskey already. No need to let it go to waste."

"But I don’t like this. No, no. I'd of drank it already if I had… I've never had fire whiskey..." she trailed, placing the bottle in her hand on the bar top. She headed over to him, sighing dramatically as she fell on the free side of the couch; she curled her body into a ball. Pressing her knees to her chest and circling her arms around them, she sat her chin on top of her knees. Behind the goggles her gaze alternated between Sam and the bottle. "Just a little taste…"

Her nose twitched suddenly and she frowned at the movement. "Hmm..."

Racer stayed behind the bar having no qualm about the lesser brand of alcohol, and began drinking it himself watching the amusing humans.

Tilting her head on her knees, she cracked her neck and then absently shook her head. Clearing her throat, she forced her smile back in its place. She looked on, hopeful that he would share with her.

“Well, if you don’t like Tau’s, I dunno if you’ll like this much either darlin’”, Sam murmured, letting out an ‘oof’ as Roach took a sledgehammer to the chest of his light armor, sent flying to the opposite end of the arena where one of his teammates was laying down heavy fire from a defense turret.

“I’m sure he’ll just uhh, shrug that off…”, Sam mumbled, “Anyway, I’m hopin’ Bailey shows up, and between the three of us this bottle ain’t gonna last too long”

Her nose twitched again and agitation at the quirk rose. Her smile soon faded at the idea of not getting a taste. “I’m a big girl; pretty sure I can figure that out myself.” She said with a cocked brow. “It isn’t nice to be greedy; I’ve shared with you before.”

She licked her lips in anticipation and rocked back and forth in her position; she could almost taste the spicy sensation of the liquid gracing her palate. She bit down on her lower lip, forcing herself to focus on getting the man to cough up the booze. “Please, Sammie… Just a taste.”

The man held out a glass to Sy before she’d finished speaking with a roll of his eyes. She always had a way of getting his booze, but he’d been a pushover for women his whole life.

She snagged the glass and clutched it tightly all the way to her parted lips. She sighed at the sudden burning that descended down her throat and into her belly. “Yes, yes,” she rushed, nodding her head in thanks. “So good.”

She took another drink and beamed at him. “Thank you.”

“Better than the generic stuff the Cap’n keeps on the shelf back there”, Sam murmured, vaguely motioning to the bar in the corner.

This match of Warzone was well on its way, and Sam let off a gruff, “Hell yes”, as the first round finished, knocking the end of his cigar over a steel ashtray on the table in front of the two before returning it to his mouth for a long drag. Feeling the heat growing in his stomach, Sam pulled off his jacket, tossing it over the back of the couch between the two.

He finally kicked his feet up onto the table next to the ash tray, turning down the volume of the T.V. as the casters prattled on about statistics and player histories, “Ain’t never seen a day of combat in their lives, what do they know about tactics”, the man grumbled, turning his head slightly to the woman on the other side of the couch, “Well, how is it? Not the cheapest, but it’s an asskicker after a glass or two”

Sam could already feel a steady buzz, and was starting to loosen up. So Bailey might not be joining him, oh well. At least he had a pretty girl and a stiff drink to enjoy the terrible, horrible violence that would commence in the second round of Warzone.

She had been gazing in her glass at the liquid since he began to take his jacket off. It wasn’t until she saw him glance at her out of her peripheral vision that she even realized he had been talking. “Wh...what?” She asked with a blank expression.

“Oh nothin’, just mumbling to myself darlin’”, Sam replied, rolling his glass for a moment before taking a quick drink.

“So”, he began, setting his glass down on the table again, “Looks like I’ll be working the day shift with you and everyone else once the Black Star gets rolling again. No more shitty late nights on watch or waking up to all the booze being gone”, he continued, partially to himself as the next round of violence started

“Aww hell, they took Roach off the line…”, he glanced at the women aside him, “You sure you ain’t hit the bottle a bit too much there Sy? You seem less...spunky, than usual. Your boyfriend break up with you or somethin’?”

“Really?!” Syran perked up. “That’s terrific, Sammie! Now I’ll have another drinkin’ buddy!” She exclaimed, smiling at the prospect. Her voice suddenly dropped into a whisper, “I love Racer, I just can’t get over that accent though!”

She glanced over to where she had left the monkey man, wondering whether or not he was doing alright. The Monkey man gave the woman a smile and tilted the almost empty bottle of alcohol to her. His keen ears were following the conversation.

“And that tail... He does this trick with it that just…” She stopped, shook her head, and then took another drink. “Spunky, spunky…No, not too much, never. Navigatin’ is my love and it’s stuck with me ‘til the day I die,” she laughed. “I ever tell you the idea on havin’ hide and go seek with all the lights out?”

Racer found himself chuckling as Sy brought up that thing they did last shore leave. She didn’t complain about it at the time. In fact if he remembered it her words were along the lines of.

“Yes, Oh My God!” Finishing this bottle he ducked behind the bar to look for more.

“Well, how about you just warn me before you go off pulling a stunt like that”, Sam murmured, “Have a hard enough time worrying about Killbot going on a rampage, with everyone else toting guns, they’ll probably think we’re under attack and start shooting at every damn thing”

The man crossed his legs the other way, taking another drink, “But I’m havin’ a hard time believing a girl like you ain’t got a squeeze or two around. Surely you’ve got your eye on somebody?”

“Oh, pshaw. I’m sure they’re smart enough to realize no one could get in here without being noticed! Capt’n made sure of that long ago.” With a yawn, Syran downed the rest of her glass and placed it next to the bottle on the table. “Another…?” She asked, curious whether or not he’d fill ‘er up.

She listened as he spoke, furrowing her brow at the mention of someone in her life. She took a moment to think before answering. “Jack, Johnnie, and Jim!” She listed off with a quick laugh, flashing a smile at him. “Have you told Sam that you are being switched? I’m sure that’ll be a blast when you do.”

“He and I ain’t exactly on speaking terms”, Sam replied, pouring the woman another glass without much hesitation, “Met plenty of other Sam’s in my life, I’d say he's the first to ever be offended that we have the same name”

He took another moment to mull it over, before filling up his own glass, “I don’t think he’ll be too enthusiastic to know we’re on the same shift, you’d think I was fucking his ex-girlfriend or something. To be honest I was hoping I could fill in one of the scout slots, but that’s a bit of dream. Me and Bailey work together just fine, but we have some conflicting views about the meaning of excessive force”

She retrieved her filled glass and took a swig. She rolled her eyes beneath the goggles; lips parting in pleasure at the idea of the numbness she knew would soon overtake her. Licking her lips, she took another drink and held the liquid in her mouth. Swishing it around between her teeth, she scrunched her face over at the man.

“He got me these two bottles yesterday… Mm, they were delicious. Of course, I don’t remember finishin’ them off but I suppose the next time I can, I’ll be returnin’ to the shop and buyin’ a couple more. I’ll even get you one!” she offered. “It’ll be a celebratory bottle for switchin’! We’ll make a fun time out of it.” Glancing over at the TV she winced. “Violence, violence. Everyone so eager for violence. Not me. I’ll stick to drinkin’ and dodgin’.”

“Yeah, I dunno if everyone else is gonna be so happy bout’ the switch”, Sam replied, sinking back into the second-hand couch, “Ain’t exactly BFF’s with the rest of the crew gunners”

He flicked off the T.V. obviously dissatisfied with the performance the two teams were given, “Oh well, I was hoping that this match would be a little more eventful. Maybe I’m just not in the mood”

He stood up, rolling one of his shoulders with a loud pop, “You wanna shoot some pool with me? Loser pays for our next drinking night”, not waiting for an answer he moved over to the jukebox, plugging it back in. “Let’s see…”, Sam mumbled, hand hovering over the menu.

“I’m sure they’ll get over it sooner or later,” she said with a shrug.

When he suggested they play a round of pool, she jumped at the wager. “Yesssss,” she frowned suddenly, “But you have me at a disadvantage… You’ll be able to see much clearer than me.”

Sy tapped the side of her goggles, indicating the clear hindrance and then walked over to the jukebox where he stood. She glanced over his shoulder, reading through the words plastered up on the screen. “That one!” she pointed, unsure exactly what it was.

Racer had found his next bottle of inebriation a black bottles Rum with just a big question mark on the front and the words MystoriRum. Racer’s tail flicked lightly in time with the music as it started.

“Didn’t realize you were into classical music there Sy”, Sam replied with a soft chuckle, before a hip hop track began to blare from the machine, god knows how old.

“Just grab a pair of pool cues”, the man replied, setting their bottle down on the countertop of the bar, “I’ll work on getting my beer goggles on. After that, fair is fair”

He downed a freshly poured glass hard, a pleasant stinging sensation passing down his throat until his stomach was filled with liquid warmth. Quickly the man refilled his glass and Sy’s, just once more.

“Like this garbage is any better,” she mused, slapping her pointer finger against the screen and selecting a rock assortment to play after. She wandered over to the shelf that housed the cue sticks, grabbed one and tossed it to Sam. Arching her back, she twisted to the right and smiled when a crack rang out. “That felt great.” She reached over and clasped her hand around the glass he had just refilled, and then threw back her head and downed the contents. Setting the glass back down, she rolled her shoulders and grabbed her own cue.

The Tang Mong with a few sips of the MystriRum down to make sure it was good joined them at the table. He wasn’t invited, but no rules against watching besides, as drunk as Sy was getting she’d need help getting back to her room, and he knew where it was in case she got stone cold drunk and passed out.

Rounding the table, she picked up the chalk square, rubbed it around the tip of the cue and replaced it in its proper place. She bent forward, eyeing the tip of her stick before pressing her lips together to blow off the residue. “Perfect.”

She got to work racking up the multicolored balls, the wooden triangle continuing to move on what seemed to be of its own accord. “Why won’t you hold still!” she demanded, huffing at the item.

Racer chuckled crouching on the back of an arm chair. “Cause you be spinnin’ wit’ da room Sy.”

“You sure you’re up for this Sy? You seem a little bit...intoxicated”, Sam murmured, setting down the little block of chalk he’d dusted atop his own cue, leaning against the table. A hand reached over, resting against the head of the triangle to steady its wobbly motions.

“Don’t want you complainin’ later about how it wasn’t a fair game”

Syran stood, gaze fixed heavily on the two. Beneath the lenses, her eyes narrowed into thin slits and she snarled at the men, her upper lip curling to bare teeth. Sy was far from the violent type, she was a lover, not a fighter. However, implications that she couldn’t hold her liquor, that she didn’t know her limit or that she couldn’t do what she wanted and when she wanted to do it often left her pissed off. Her tongue rolled across her teeth as she tsked them.

“I’m goin’ to enjoy kickin’ your ass, Samuel.” With her mask tucked back into place, and checking the irritation, her lips twitched up into a sly grin. “By the time we’ve finished, you’ll be on your knees beggin’.”

“Mighty big words for such a lil’ lady”, Sam laughed, “We’ll see who’s on their knees here in a bit darlin’. Rack em up”

He set the cue ball down on the other end of the table, a look of confidence on his face. When the triangle was lifted, he let off a deep breath, a hard strike sending the rest of the balls breaking against the sides of the table, one already sinking due more to luck than skill.

“And as long as we’re still bein’ friendly, I thought I’d mention I haven’t had any good rum in a while. I’m sure you have some of that laying around Sy”

Racer chimed in and held up his bottle of MystiriRum. “Racer got some good rum here mon!” He waved the bottle at Sam and Sy hopping off his perch to hand them the bottle.

She waited for him to take his second shot before walking to the foot rail where the cue ball was. She looked at the layout of the table, nose twitching as a dozen possibilities, risks, and paths flashed through her mind. Buzzed or not, this was how she thought. It has habit. She glanced at each solid, assessing which would become her targeted object ball.

She locked in on the purple four that was located in the middle of the ‘kitchen’ and center left pocket. It would be an awkward shot, but if she hit the four in just the right place, it would slide the right way to make it in. She bent forwards with her back arched downwards and her chest pressed towards the diamonds of the rail. She leveled her gaze along the line of the shot, right hand extended with the shaft of the stick sliding between her two fingers. The butt of it was held firmly in her left, and as she inhaled deeply, she held it and focused; exhaling slowly, she took the shot.

The pearl CB sailed across the felt of the board and connected with the OB, forcing it in the direction of the head left pocket. She stood, smiled at the sunken ball, and took a swig of the offered drink. “Thanks Race Car.”

Racer smiled at Sy’s shot taking note of many things he saw she was doing. Very nice image and a very nice shot. “Dar be a good shot Sy.”

Sam turned down the drink, sparing a glance at the door before looking back at the table. Here was another game Bailey had a hugely unfair advantage at, “Wonder how those diagnostics are going…”, the man mumbled, watching Sy take her next shot.

Sy’s nose twitched; the quirk was slowly becoming irritating and had Sy reaching up and adjusting the nosepiece of her goggles. She squeezed the bridge, rotating her thumb and pointer in small circles, massaging. She stopped and threw a glance at Racer, her lips pressed into a thin line and left brow cocked. “Looks like that are how rumors start,” she said flatly.

Racer smiled taking a sip of his rum. “Many tings start rumors, Racer just be watching your technique.”

“Mhmm,” she mumbled. Sy took her second shot, sunk it, and went for her third. She missed her last, and stepped away for Sam to shoot. “You’re up, pal.”

“Hang on”, Sam muttered annoyed, checking his pocket at the sound of a sharp tone. It was a hand communicator, designed for the crew who didn’t have radio’s built into their ears. A quick message flashed before his eyes, and the man sighed.

“Looks like we’re going to have to finish this some other time, one of the shipments I ordered is being withheld for ‘illicit materials’. As if anything is off limits on this ship”, he sighed, putting it back into his pocket, “I’m gonna have to go clear this up pronto, or else my power armor is only going to have enough battery packs for a one way trip”

He left the pool cue on the table, “Bottles almost gone anyway, you two may as well polish it off”, the man murmured, grabbing his jacket off the couch and heading for the door, “Ain’t this day just been the bees knees”

Sy’s gaze followed Sam’s retreating back, her free hand lifting to wave goodbye. “Well, then. Shall we do what we do best, Race Car?”

She sat her cue stick next to the one Sam had been using on the pool table, snagged the near empty bottle of fire whiskey and waltzed over to the bar. She picked up the bottle she had filled halfway earlier, headed for the door, and paused momentarily to wait for Racer to catch up.

“Well c’mon, monkey man! We have some shooters to go pester in the firin’ range!”

Racer gave another hooting laugh and followed the pretty Navigator back to the bar bringing his rum with him.

“Oh boy, Racer remember da last time we did dat, that Killbot got mad at us no?” He offered Sy his arm taking another sip from his rum.

“Kill la killa won’t do nothin’, he’s harmless!” she said with a smile, sliding her arm through his and linking them. “So much booze... This is how it should be ‘ernight.”

She laughed as they parted with the recreational room, their attention set on seeing who all was in the range and what all was goin’ on. “It’s a good night to be a Black Starian!”

Dnafein

09-22-2014, 02:12 AM

Xanatos shrugged, "I only got the delivery notice. For details as to what Bailey had planned you would have to ask her. However, there are a number of advantages to having 2 dropships. Had the FCC not been repaired we would have the vulture to fall back on. If we need to drop two teams in separate locations simultaneously we can now do that. It will double the amount of air support we can have in the field at a time. Not to mention that anyone who may recognize our FCC would not recognize our new Vulture."

The rodentian shrugged again. "Getting the Vulture up to the same standards as the FCC wouldn't effect our maintenance budget much; Plus it will give you a chance to give our new maintenance crew something to work on that will keep them away from the... crazier members of the crew."

Setsa

09-22-2014, 10:07 PM

Siks and Sets Co-op

Karina had moved from her small office in the ship's infirmary to the larger one in the hanger itself. Having taken the paperwork of the newest members least to her. Along with...in her large swivel chair with feet up on the corner of the desk. A thin nearly clear keyboard on her lap and a file opened up on the desk beside her. She was working on a few things after logging her initial report to the Captain on what had been completed for the day.

One being issuing out a message to all that weren't robots or such to report to her here at the clinic tomorrow for health assessments and check ups. One reason as she wanted to know everyone as it was good they knew who the Doc. was now if they never met her. Another reason being that this was just plain protocol.

Rivet's watch chimed the dinner hour. He had downloaded the chip into his personal viewing device and had been devouring every image ever since he got it from Doc Kari. That was the handy thing about having a PVD, he could be looking at it and doing his job all at the same time. Unfortunately, all the more friendly female guards were either busy or at "that time" so he had to content himself with images and considering some of them were of Doc Kari in the tiniest bikinis imaginable, this dinner would be either pure heaven or the most painful of tortures. Turning the PVD off he reported to the Captain and was released to put his weapons and armor in his locker and get a quick shower in before dressing in old torn blue jeans, a military green t-shirt, and his boots he then reholstered his pistol and heading for the Hanger's Med Bay after not finding her where he left her.

Walking into her office he rapped lightly on the door.
"Hey there Doc, you ready for chow?" He smiled leaning against the threshold crossing his cybernetic arms over his chest.

Hearing knuckles on the door she'd look up to see the owner of such noise. "Ah, yep just give me one..." typing something real quick on the key board before putting it on top of the papers to deal with later that night or early the next morning. "There, set."

Standing up to stretch for a moment would Kari remove the hair tie that was holding the long locks up during such work. Running her fingers through her hair as she approached him, closing the distance between the two. "Off we go then, know what's being served for dinner tonight?" She'd ask while the two made their way out of the clinic.

Rivet studied her beauty once more and shook the images from the chip out of his mind. He offered her his arm as he understood gentlemen did in the old days.

He took a deep sniff, joking about being able to smell what's being cooked two floors down.
"Hmm don't know, but it sure smells good. Michael never ceases to amaze though. So has your first day back been Doc Kari?" He smiled at the woman both of them being nearly the same height.

Taking his arm gladly, noting the gesture to be sincere. The comment of the food was true, Michael knew his stuff and long as she didn't ask what meat it was..it seemed balanced enough of a diet for the crew. "Busy, and tomorrow will be the same as it's the day for the entire crew's check up. I know you'll be there like a good man right?" She'd ask batting her eyelashes in exaggeration before laughing. "What about for you? Did you find a female to do your wilds in?" Kari dared ask on purpose in means to rattle his cage and get him flustered.

"I'm a Doctor, I know what images and do and the imagination thereafter."

The Guard gripped her arm lightly and kept a smile on his face, even after she tried to rattle him. It did throw him, but aside from a clearing of his throat he kept it cool.
"Ha-ha nothing gets passed you Doc Kari, but no, not this time. Busy or uninterested all of them. Why do you ask?" He gives her a slightly wink and moves to the elevators. "Stairs or elevator?"

"Just a tease between friends was all" she would reassure him. Patting the large arm with her free hand a few times. "Elevator works, I got to work out after dinner anyways." Soon stepping inside the elevator the choice music was best to remind her that this place always had it's own sense of humor. That or someone was watching and having a laugh as she looked up at the small camera in the corner.

"So anything interesting happen while I was gone?"

Rivet tried to ignore the elevator music, give him some Aerosmith or Rolling Stones any day over this synthed up muckerry. At least he could focus on the good Doctor and block it out. He will admit though it would be interesting if she began "rocking her body" to it.

Leaning against the wall next to her he shrugged.
"The Expedition Crew just got back yesterday and they take most of the nutcases with them whenever they go out, so it was mostly quiet. Our alcohol was safe from Sy and the rest of us were safe from Killbot. So how was your leave?" He asked looking up as the elevator passed the 3rd level.

"It was fine, did a little traveling, a few shoots here and there. Of course then agreeing to be here full time was a bigger deal. Well, I was to start with, but now I'll be here most of the time except for a couple weeks of rest here and there. What can I say? This shit is more fun and beats bouncing back and forth so darn much. Shoot, my place here in the hanger had been my home more than anywhere else. Sure" she'd shrug. "I kept my place not far from here and my vacation home...but only for others that needed a place to crash during their six months leave more than anything."

Rivet nodded with the woman's words, this is the only home he has. In fact aside from his folks home and the Human Dominion Military bases he's never had his own home. He often wondered at that. He certainly has enough money especially from something cheap here on Carin, in his boredom he has looked into such things, but he's never really pursued it. He's been in a military capacity his whole life, he wasn't sure he'd be able to adjust to civilian life.

Besides if he got his own place he wouldn't be able to flirt with all the beautiful women around here, they'd always be too busy.
"As I said before Kari, you're an angel amongst beasts. Letting people use your house like that." He smiled and offered her his arm again as they reached Level 4 and the doors opened.

Taking his arm once more, the two would step out of the elevator and towards the Mess Hall where the smells of decent cuisine were originating out and into the halls. "Yea, yea I'm a real Saint that gets a kick out of doing sexy photo shoots that stir loins by day. And giving huge ass shots straight into your chest by night." Shaking her head as the two walked into the Mess Hall itself by then, grab their food, then sit down at an empty table after greeting the chef with a smile and light chat of how he was doing.

The Guard laughed lightly setting up his flatware and plate.
"And those are the best kinds of Saints, you don't need miracles. Just a genius knowledge of anatomy and looks that make men line up to be under your care. What would you like to drink?" He asked picking up their glasses nodding back to the drink station and bar.

"Glass of Merlot will do the trick I'd say... Sy is here huh? Then I'm going to have to lock up my stash in both offices then. Of course the last "vaccine shot" with yellow fever I gave her after finding my good scotch half empty hopefully will have her thinking twice about trying it again." She'd grin, a devilish spark in her eyes.

Rivet chuckled at the joke as he went to the bar, he remembered that incident. Oh the poor Navigator was out of work for days with that one. He was glad she told the truth in the end though. Jokes were fine, but there is a line even Space Pirates won't cross. And personally he'd hate to see Doc Kari earn the Captain's ire. Returning to their table with Kari's Merlot and a glass of Rum and Coke for himself, he placed Kari's drink in front of her and took his own seat taking a sip of his drink.
"I'm sure she learned her lesson, after that."

"I would think so least, I mean heck, I took care of her still in the clinic. I may get even but I'm not cruel to those here..unless they just piss me off..then I'm having at it in the ring." Thanking him for the wine while the two begin the enjoy their meal. Greeting those periodically that would come and go grabbing grub as well.

Rivet couldn't help but chuckle at the good Doctor's words. His Sergeant in the Dominion always told him something concerning women. "The Ugly ones will fight by you in strife, the decent ones will be your wife, but the beautiful ones will give you the night of your life, then kill you with a knife." Old Sarge sure loved to rhyme. He finished his food, and was about to take another sip of his drink when his arms began itching again. He tired to ignore it because scratching at the dinner table was bad manners as his mother always said , he couldn't resist it though.
"My apoligies Doc." Was all he said before he rolled up his sleeve and began scratching his skin that was attached to his cyber arms.

Nodding in understanding, Kari would ask to see his arm. Looking at the area of skin that he was scratching she would with her other hand. Fish out a small round, clear container to open and rub a light green balm on the affected area. Made to sooth and condition the skin. "Here this should help...." Handing him the container afterwards as she ran her fingers along the arm for a moment more before letting go completely. "So I said we had a few options with this..." She would start off, taking a sip of her wine.

"One being that balm that will help with the skin, it's natural ingredients so can use it as needed without side effects. Another option is a shot once a month to each arm to promote the regeneration of the skin cells. But again....the reason you're itching is because your body is reacting to the environment and what's inside those guns." Pointing casually at his cybernetic arms. "The surgery I have been developing is one that would over long period of time, regrow your muscles that are attached to the cybernetic arms. So for you, the many muscles in the shoulders and chest. The blood vessels, etc.. They are strong and healthy, but to regrow them or really, promote their growth or regeneration at the site. Will give you better blood flow..helping that itching in turn from the source. It's a surgery that would have me going in, and giving you fluid directly into the muscles themselves while also if needed. Repairing any tendons and such as needed."

Rivet rubbed more of the balm on and gave a sigh of relief as the insistent itching stopped and was replaced with a nice cooling sensation. As she listed off his options he found himself mulling over them as he sipped his drink. The balm worked, but having to apply it regularly would get annoying as all hell. He never liked shots, he could be shot up with laser beams or blown up with Frag Grenades no problem, but he couldn't stand looking at needles. If this surgery could get rid of the problem all and all it would be preferable.

"Hmm so what are the side effects of the surgery? And will it eliminate this itching and tightness totally?" He finished off his drink and wiped his mouth with a napkin.

Getting a few bites of her dinner before answering after sitting up straight. "Well as I mentioned it will be about two to three days before you're back to full active duty. You will be sore as heck as if someone twisted the hell out of your arms. This depending how much I need to just do basic repairing of tendons etc as well. Side effects could be some numbness around the site while it heals; but more like your arm is falling asleep. The tightness will be gone as your muscles won't be nearly as strained and the itching will be just but a memory by month's time. You will have to see me every day for two to three weeks so we can monitor everything but I doubt you'd be argue against that."

The man chuckled nodding at her comment about not complaining about spending time with her.
"Hmm you sure know how to convince a guy Doc. Well this sounds like the best plan and I could use a couple days off, especially to spend time with a beautiful woman. So when do we start?" He asked spinning his finger around his glass rim.

A bright smile would come to her face before raising the glass to her lips. Finishing off the wine first "I need to speak with the Captain soon, just basic see what I missed..any concerns etc. Hopefully tonight or by morning we'll have our chat. But soon as he approves it including the time off.. We'll do it within a few days after. So soonest I can see if we're not called away is tomorrow night..it will take only five hours if all goes well."

The Guard nodded pointing to her glass.
"Care for a refill Kari? And I'm not sure if you'll get the chance to see him tonight. I saw First Mate Evan wandering around with some files, that means missions are ready to be selected. That usually takes a day or so to get ready."

Looking at her glass she'd shake her head, opting for her glass of water she had when first getting her meal. "Nah, I got to hit the gym after this so perhaps a night cap later." A groan escaping her lips "great...well I sent him a message that I was in so he'll find me soon as he can. Especially since he has to stop by within the next 48 hours for his check up."

Rivet nodded and took a sip from his own glass before taking their plates to the wash window and places them on the counter for the kitchen crew to handle before returning to the table finishing his water. "Well, I'd join you, but I need to get these lunking things oiled a little." He chuckled showing her how much they squeak when he moves. "I'll see about getting together for that night cap later on though." He lifted her hand and kissed the back of it smiling, once more something he remembered men did back in the days of manners. "I bid you farewell pretty lady." He bowed lightly to the Medic and moved on to the elevator.

"Take care of yourself then" she'd say in parting after his parting gesture to be a charmer. Going off to her private quarters to change into a Black sports bra with matching spandex shorts, putting back on her shoes and jog off to get a run and workout in. Whistling soon as she arrived "hello dears.. Miss me much?" Kari would ask the weights and training equipment before blasting on some music and getting to it.

MarchingThunder

09-22-2014, 10:53 PM

Bailey had arrived for her check up by Kat just in time to catch her working on Killbot's data clean up. The process was a boring one form her perspective as with everything going on being inside of Killbot's commie hating head, there was little for her to actually see. So with a sigh, she shook her head and moved off to the side of the room, taking a seat as she patiently waited for her turn to come. Really she didn't need the check ups, as her systems were basically just a digitized brain rather than protocols and lines of coding that allowed her to function.

SikstaSlathalin

09-22-2014, 11:45 PM

*GM Mover made by Siks and Holy Phoenix*

The Captain nodded slowly rubbing his chin at the Quartermaster's words.
"Da, but I am not knowing if we will be able to carry both drop ships along with our normal vehicle load. We will be needing to leave, one Bug, a Red Hawk, and maybe the Y'zanna. Or maybe we can be hanging the Y'zanna from the ceiling. Hmm very well, but I am wanting this thing fixed up and ready to go as soon as possible, upgrades can be coming later." He signed off on the Vulture then took a look at the rest of the files Xanatos had brought him.

By the time dinner rolled around all files that need his attention were dealt with and he had sent Xan back to make them happen. Just as the Rodentian left his office Evan entered carrying an armful of files and dossiers. These were the next few missions the Crew has been asked to undertake, some would be accepted others would be sent back to their source with a big fuck you stamp on the front.

Evan walks into Togga's office dressed to impress, as usual he thinks himself their public face, and he sort of is. Although most know it to be just his excuse to be a pretty boy. In his hand he holds 12 folders each with a thick leaflet of paper. Evan having personally checked their various backgrounds only the ones that came out clean(in his eyes) make it to the desk from him. Now was the hard part. Actually picking one.

"Here's our latest batch of contracts cap, how's the family, specially your beautiful daughter."

The Sharterran's Office stunk of cigar smoke and ink, he arrived here shortly before dinner and had been hard at work with his own pile of contracts ever since. Despite being the type of Privateers that have very low standards when it comes to work they'll do, they have surprisingly high standards for those contracts that make it to their low standards. The pay must be good, the risk low, and the distance must be sensible enough and the perks must be worthwhile, granted the risk and distance could be over looked if the pay and perks were high enough but that was a rare thing.

He had six files of his own left in the "finals" of his selection process when Evan came in with twelve more to shift through. Togga sighed around the butt of his cigar and sat back nodding to the cyborg.
"They are doing well Evan, I am thanking you for asking. Jeela is apparently in the planning of a "Chomper-free" date with Sabor. Now she is being of age and there is being only so much I can be doing to stop it. I am just hoping I am not having to kill him, he would be proving hard to replace. So how are things for you today?" The Captain asked glancing over the files set before him noticing darker colored file at the bottom of Evan's pile lifting them all in his massive hands and shuffling them all together.

Evan couldn't help but smile as he hands Togga photo's of the men that tried to kill him. Each is without a doubt dead from the looks of things and they didn't go easy. Evan wasn't sure if he enjoyed the protection or found the blunt torture disgusting.

"Well you almost had to find a replacement for me. Some idiots thought they could kill me and the whole crew. They ordered a big shipment of weapons and the company just happen to want us to do a job for them. The company checks out but I haven't found who was funding these guys or convinced them to be so stupid. An you could always set a scout on your daughter while we're here."

Evan had to half joke at the end to lighten things up and the fact he felt like a hunted criminal again with the failed attempt on his life. If he didn't notice them into they got the heavy military grade weapons he would be dead or in terrible pain. What really worried him was finding out who has the pull to back up such a plan other then the Black Star Crew.

Togga sighed and shook his head.
"No, I will be needing all my people for our missions. And I am trusting her." He studied the file about the weapon's shipment. The money and risk would be low, but the fact someone in their ranks wants them dead or disabled put up a red flag.

He tossed the file into the "Maybe" Box.
"We will be seeing what else we have first." He pulled one from his own files and handed them to his First Mate.
"Here is one from the Kessen people of Skillio, apparently they are wanting our help with the recovering of an artifact. The Kessen are a strong and wild people, they are an older breed of the Bayn'gül some have said. But they are also being an honorable people and have always backed their ends of bargains. It is being on the high of risky and reward though." He handed the file to Evan to study. The cyborg studied it for a little bit then put it in the "Yes" Box, it didn't toss up any big red flags they would need to worry about.

This process continued until well past dinner. Out of the eighteen files the two officers had narrowed the possible jobs down to a solid nine "Yes's" The last file though has them staring warily at each other. The last file the dark one Togga noticed before was a personally signed, sealed, and apparently delivered (since Evan doesn't recall picking it up from his desk), from the Space Specter themselves. All that identified the contracts origin was a white ghost's head in a navy blue circle.

Togga put out his cigar and opened the file, as usual the file itself contained no words just a small chip in an inside pocket and a small Viewing Device. This was how the Space Specter did things, no evidence, no traces, and the chip and VD usually self destructed after they were viewed. Placing the chip into the Viewer and stepping back. The Captain and First Mate waited for the little show to start. There was a quiet buzzing sound then a holographic projection shot out and onto the far wall.

It was empty for a few seconds before a shadowy silhouette appeared and an altered voice spoke to them. Evan began recording the message on another device so they could refer to it later.
"Black Star Privateers, I have come to you with a mission that could quite possibly change the very history of the universe." The shadow vanished and a map popped up in it's place, the altered voice continued though. Evan took a quick picture of the map and saved it onto his PDA.
"A couple million lightyears away lies the mostly unexplored Zeta Quadrant, a region of space too far away for most civilizations without use of wormhole technology and a map to reach. Lucky for you, I have provided you with a means for both, consider these gifts, and.....incentive for taking on this job." A couple of images that showed the location of a wormhole generator, Evan snapped another picture and saved it.

The voice continued.
"In this forgotten wasteland of space, a race of Interdimensional Beings named the Hurlords existed on a planet whose name not even I could find, all I could find on it is that map from before and the description that it's around a white dwarf star and is covered in azure clouds. It will be hostile and you will need to take the utmost caution." The shadow reappeared. "But the payout will be more than any of you could ever dream about, you could all retire comfortably if you wanted. You are searching for something called the "Atmos" it gives off a distinct signal that your systems will be able to pick up on and hone into. For now that is all you need to know, once your retrieve the Atmos push the button on the VD and I will contact you with further instructions. There is no time limit on this, but if you want the full payment don't keep me waiting long." A number larger than the allowed holograph beam appeared before it went black and the VD spat the chip out which erupted into smoke and pink fire.

The Officers look at each other then Evan sent the images and recording to Togga's control pad.
"Well it is looking like we have ten missions now Evan. Kat should be getting done with the Borgs and Bots soon. Be calling a meeting in the Rec Room in an hour or so, I will be briefing the crew on these missions, they will be needing time to pack and volunteer to come along. I will be finishing setting them up by tomorrow or the day after." The First Mate nodded and exited the Shar's office heading for the intercom just as the clock chimed 8 at night.

A long loud bell sounded throughout the entire base followed by Evan's voice.
"Attention all Privateers, attention all Privateers! The Captain and I have decided on the Black Star's next missions. He will be calling a briefing in the Rec Room in an hour to tell everyone about it and give you all time to pack. Be on time or be left out." He turned the intercom off and the wail of it going off sounded the end of the announcement. With extra time the Cybernetic First Mate moved to his own room to pack early.

Arthera

09-23-2014, 12:02 AM

She was just finishing up a round of checkups on the ship, extremely boring and no-brainer work that nonetheless required attention from the chief engineer from time to time. At least until Kat could get a replacement so she could offload the work to the assistant or some other minion that could read the output correctly. Still, in the meantime, that meant the captain expected her to do the chore, it was on her duties list after all.

Killbot came in to break the boredom. One could always expect a genocidal killing machine with an attitude to break any mood. She merely pointed off-handedly to a station in the corner behind her desk while she finished up. Even from her station, she could see that for a raving maniacal piece of roving destruction, Killbot was sulking as he came in, clearly Kat had ruined what fun he was having before she called him up. Likely saved the shooting range from being completely destroyed, again, and costing a huge sum to refurbish and fix back up to standard. That would make the other scouts cranky by not being able to shoot, which would cause the other crew members to lose time by having to listen to their whining, or worse, their drinking.

Getting her focus back to task, she sent a few commands to the station Killbot was going for and kicked her desk with both bare feet, giving her enough momentum to roll over without having to get up. Killbot might have brought others, but they'd have to wait anyway for Kat to at least get the hulking battle bot started on his analysis.

"Alright Killy." she said, lollipop rolling around in her mouth. "Need to check your systems while we're down, captain's rules. You know the drill, body then brain. You get to watch one of your very patriotic American movies again during part one. Today you have..." Ekaterina checked on one of the consoles where she would connect Killbot during part of the checkup. "...Rocky IV or Saving Private Ryan." whatever those were, 'Kat never bothered to watch the movies from the list, his American might be contagious.

She started plugging the hulking body into the machines, making sure that his cortex was plugged first into his movie to give him something else to focus on. He was awfully fidgety during tuneups, like a child at the dentist's, which was likely something he dearly didn't want Ekaterina to talk about. Not caring enough to tell others, 'Kat had never really considered asking for anything to remain silent, she knew others on the crew would jump at this in a heartbeat on the other hand. Maybe if she really needed a favor one day...

It was Bailey that entered the room next, Ekaterina glimpsing the head scout from the corner of her enhanced eyesight. She came in, looked at Killbot settle in and then went to sit off to the side.

"Bailey, fill out the form on the table next to you." Ekaterina said aloud, not bothering to look around. Her voice carried easily, and even if that weren't the case, Bailey was quite good at hearing anyway. This wasn't the first checkup either. The form was the usual, asking about any issues with current setup, anomalies encountered since the last visit, if any interfacing had taken place with electronics outside of the Black Star and the what/where/when of it, that sort of thing. Every cyborg, android, robot and modified got through this, Kat usually having to pass the results, unaltered to the captain or the first mate for review, with her own diagnosis added in since it was just logical to have another review such things. Just in case you know.

Ekaterina was about to head over to Bailey when the ship intercomps blurbed to life:
"Attention all Privateers, attention all Privateers! The Captain and I have decided on the Black Star's next missions. He will be calling a briefing in the Rec Room in an hour to tell everyone about it and give you all time to pack. Be on time or be left out."

Well, there went the full checkup, Killbot takes way more than an hour to fix up.

MarchingThunder

09-23-2014, 12:42 AM

"Got it, Kat," Bailey muttered under her breath as she picked up the clipboard the forms were on and an adjacent pen before beginning to work her way through the form, the tedious nature of the questions letting her split her attention between the form and watching Killbot's clean up.

Had she connected to any unknown servers since her last check up? No.

Had she made sure to use a virus program when browsing the internet? Of course.

Had she noticed any new or unusual quirks in her workings? No.

All of the questions just wore at her a little with the sheer number of them that there were, but eventually she had completed the forms and set the clip board off to the side, lounging back a little in her seat.

Pheasant

09-23-2014, 12:57 AM

Akalina

Akalina was the first to step off the firing range as Killbot entered and made a mess of not only his target, but every target with a salvo of gunfire.

She’d sighted in her prefered mission rifle already, there was no reason to stick around. The girl had already logged in plenty of range time, she needed to brush up on cracking into security systems with her omni-tool anyway. It was fine for splicing into common ships on standard shipping lanes, but breaking into military grade hardware was quite a bit more difficult and touchy.

The young girl had already slung her rifle and was out the door, in the elevator, and back into her room before she received the message about the meeting in the Rec Room.

She had an hour before the meeting, which was especially important for her and the equipment the Karura girl would choose. Hacking tools, decoders, explosive grades and weapons would all be up in the air until the Captain explained more about the mission details.

Her weapon rack was standard, though perhaps not as large as some of the other members of the ship given she had no need for heavier weapons or small caliber handguns. Akalina’s preference was right in the middle.

She tossed a small grab bag of equipment that she used for training purposes or light lifting when combat was unlikely and tossed it over her shoulder, heading to the elevator to move back to the Rec Room.

An hour would give her plenty of time to practice cracking into computer systems, with the training simulator kept on the computers there. All of the fun of breaking into a high security system, without the Captain worrying about Akalina breaking into the sensitive information on the Black Star’s own systems.

She entered the Rec a few minutes later, empty for now. Akalina was usually the early bird anyway, at least now she wouldn’t have to worry about initiating conversation.

The girl tossed her bag under her feet as she took a seat in front of one of the computer consoles, fishing for her hacking tool after she’d finished signing on.

“Time to get to work…”, Akalina murmured, starting up the hacking training program at level 3, standard ship security level. She pulled the tool like an armlet over her right hand, typing a few things into its holographic screen before beginning to work her magic.

“Security systems are mine…”, she murmured after thirty seconds, “Initiating total lockdown, should give my hypothetical team free reign to get into the Admin level…”

Setsa

09-23-2014, 01:44 AM

The woman was in the gym having done her three mile run on a treadmill, a few weights, and was working one on one with a punching bag. Music was great for such as it kept her energized and going as the sweat was rolling down her forehead and glistened off her skin. It wasn't pretty, it was reality..to keep in shape and ready. Going through a series of punches of various means. The gym's music would cut out for the announcement, forcing Kari to stop what she was doing.

"Attention all Privateers, attention all Privateers! The Captain and I have decided on the Black Star's next missions. He will be calling a briefing in the Rec Room in an hour to tell everyone about it and give you all time to pack. Be on time or be left out."

'Sounds like it's time for a shower then.' Such being her only thought before grabbing her water bottle that was half empty, toss the towel over her right shoulder. Then head out for her room, where she scrubbed the sweat off under a shower of cool water. Dressed in clean clothes, the outer layers consisting of a white tank top and black running shorts. Then headed to the Rec room as the announcement from Evan said to be at.

The light blonde hair still damp, Kari would be stepping into the rec. room with ten minutes to spare. Sitting down on the arm of a couch that had no arm taking up the spot. Only after greeting the person who was sitting on that side of the couch. "Reminder to everyone that's bio. You can't go on any mission until you have seen me for your check up...with this conference I'll be up all night to see anyone that wants to get it over with before morning."

Looking a few in particular "and I sent the notice hours ago so no excuses."

wakachukie

09-23-2014, 03:44 AM

Michael was about to head back to the Kitchen when he heard Togga and the Kari page the crew. His posture slouched and he growled in annoyance. These Voider doctors and their confounded machines. Always trying to understand and control things they weren't supposed to. Voider, there was a term he hadn't used in ages. Of course, it had been ages since he had been required to go by a doctor, being a cook and all. Maybe he could sign in for the exam and then substitute someone else's blood and tissue samples that he had stored from last time to be his "official" samples... Michael kept brooding on the possibility of actually eating the bloody Doctor until a veritable cloud of gloom hovered over him.

With a brief glimmer of hope for an excuse, Michael quickly summoned 4 droids and sent them to the Rec room carrying a tray of fruits and nachos. Even if he was detained by the doctor later, now Michael could find out what else was going on. The soup stock would be close to done by now, perhaps he would be allowed to leave to finish prepping the meal for after the meeting. There was no point in waiting any longer. Trumping with baited gate, and with an ever darker glare, Michael headed off as to the gallows.

Reaching the briefing room, Michael slowly eased his massive girth into the chair nearest to the door that still let him see everything. Due to his distance traveled, most of the members were already awaiting the meeting to start. It would be good to go on a mission, and perhaps he could find something of true value this time. Not likely, but maybe. Michael briefly pondered who he would be teamed up with and what there objective was. No point in that as they would find out shortly.

Kaptain Panty

09-24-2014, 05:48 PM

"Aye" Walking down the hall, reaching the Workshop, he slid the tall blue gal resting upon his shoulder off, pushing open the doors to the workshop. There, he placed his belongs, his hammer and welder going onto separate benches and the various tools covering him were thrown onto the ground, as he went to take a walk around the ship.

Juicesir

09-25-2014, 01:08 AM

"Miss-" a burst of sparks from around the corner leading to engineering "-Rovitz. I-" again, sparks "-believe-" then a garbled amount of numbers "-assistance, if you please."

Aidebot hovered into sight of the ship's engineer, head backwards and foaming at the neckline with some sort of brown ooze. The ooze was bubbly, and smelled like burning daisies upon closer approach. Aidebot's movements were jerky, its head spiraling occasionally to look at odd directions. A plastered smile was upon its monitor.

"T-t-t-t-t-t-tea?" It offered a kettle from its interior to Kat, a small rat scampering out as well and up the appendage, before its levitation motors gave out entirely and it spiraled to the floor. The rat and kettle gentle fell with it, a surprised squeaking shriek emanating from the creature as its master fell out of the air.

Arthera

09-26-2014, 02:16 AM

[[CO-post between myself and Juicesir]]

Ekaterina sat there for a moment, somewhat taken by surprise before recalling that Aidebot wasn't at his first foray into mimicking biological behavior. Although to be fair, the cake hadn't exactly fried his circuits and had simply clogged his internal cooling system. With icing. Choo-Choo had loved cleaning all that out.

Motioning to the three idle drones Michael had lent her earlier, she ordered them to help Aidebot onto one of the tables next to her main setup.

Moving quickly, she swiftly unplugged Killbot from the consoles with a hand while deactivating the system scans on the computer with the other. She hand-tapped him twice on his metal head in quick succession to indicate the all clear, once everything was unplugged and all of Killbot's functions were re-enabled.

"You're off the hook for now. Captain called a mandatory meeting in fifty minutes. I'll call you back after that or whenever."

Turning towards Bailey sitting off to the side, Kat waved her off. "I'll get back to you on that form, maybe just remote check-up on you after the meeting or something. You heard the boss, meeting in the hour and all that."

Returning her focus to the newest and clearly more pressing issue at hand, she walked up to the still sparking Aidebot, still twitching sporadically, his pet rodent standing nearby on it's hind legs, watching.

"Oh Aidy, what were you thinking..." 'Kat considered Aidebot akin to a child, for Aidebot often behaved like one, always trying out things, sometimes with bad side-effects. "I think this time you outdid yourself." she gave his diminutive form a longer look as she spoke, taking stock of the damage and where it had spread. At the very least, the vox system was fried, as was the locomotion and quite possibly the energy cell used to power all the systems.

Reaching under the table, Kat pulled out an assortment of wires and connectors, deftly connecting them from her larger computer to one of the many ports under the small back panel. She briefly left Aidebot on the table and started typing rapidly, bringing up a dizzying array of windows, programs and processes, eventually nodding as she found and modified what she was searching for. At least now the little droid could speak through her computer and into her headset.

"Ok Aidy, patched you in, can you tell me if it's as bad as it looks?

"Eugghhhhh..." groaned the synthesized voice. "Core drivers... stable." A new window popped up on the computer screen. Cascading lines of code and numbers began to scrawl at high speed downwards. "One... moment..." A few seconds passed.

Suddenly, three more windows popped up, looking like they were downloading some sort of driver or preparing some update. Finally one of the updates finished, and five more uploaded. "WHOO!" the little voice chirped. "That was quite a welcome jog!"

It was at this point that a multitude of windows began opening and closing, all with the same black window scrawling its code. 23 more seconds, and it all suddenly stopped. Even the blackened window stopped, with the last line of code reading: "ecr_reader_error."

"Oh crud." No longer did the voice sound sluggish and hungover. Aidebot's voice had it's signature brightness to it, tampered now with disappointment. It sighed. "I don't believe I'll be able to fix this from in here. It is indeed as bad as it looks."

A schematic popped up on screen, which could be seen as Aidebot's interior. Several places were highlighted: one by Aidebot's throat, and several strands around its chest region. "The tea appears to have shorted out not only one of the main driver lines, but burnt the coolant capacitor, resulting in overheating and RAM backup. Additionally, main vocalizers have been damaged in the ensuing flailing. It may be that a few new parts are required for a successful reconstruction."

All screens went away on the computer, and a simple replication of Aidebot's face was put up instead. "I am sorry, Chief Engineer Rovitz, for my... foolishness." Aidebot sounded genuinely sad and repentant. "I just... really wanted to taste chamomile. It smells so excellent."

Patting the diminutive robot's head briefly, Ekaterina returned to her computer and recalled the diagrams. "You should ask for a Replicant VX or even a DSS to assimilate these things, you'd be on my table less often." She didn't exactly mind his experiments, she found them endearing in some way, his excitement at trying out on a spur of the moment something he didn't think ahead of time as being dangerous.

Looking at the various windows, there were limited things Kat could do for his material requirements in the short term. Luckily, all his AI matrix and similar logic drives were intact, safely tucked away from the path the tea took down his body. She resumed typing.

"I'm starting to disconnect your higher functions from your failing systems. I can loop some of them...here. Freeing up the links to this and... this. Of course, that means you're disconnected from your motor functions for the time being. I can..." Kat swirled around in her chair, grabbing a new lollipop from the pot on her desk, yanking one of the idling drones from nearby and returning to face the screen. "...modify this drone to carry your base functions for some time. I doubt it's matrix can "hold" all of you, but I can modify it's coding and setup a streaming through the ship and you can use it as a mobile node. Or I can put all of you into a portable laptop I have. Very up-to-date."

"Why not just put me in the ship?" The question was innocuous. "Certainly, the burden of my own highly partitioned systems and integrated higher functions will most likely not be a burden a drone's systems would be able to bear, and if it is all the same to you, I would wish it so that I suffer as little as possible."

The statement was almost cheery, but very much strange. "As it stands," Aidebot continued, explaining, "the limited capacity for this console I am currently on is putting quite a strain on my capabilities. It is as if I am crippled. Whereas the ship already has a communicative drive setup which I can boot into and plenty of idle memory and systems which I can expand in. It would be as if I were performing my duties as usual, sans my... receptacle for doing so." The word 'receptacle' rang slightly disparagingly.

While true that moving Aidebot's AI to the ship would indeed supply a great amount of processing power, Ekaterina saw that issues were many. For one thing, the ship already had a fully integrated AI, and a hasty integration of Aidebot into the ship would likely cause issue with the processes already underway. Splitting him off when the repairs to his body were done might also cause issues down the road. Then there's the fact that, well, the Black Star's AI was the Captain's and if Kat had the audacity to do such a thing as adding Aidebot into the mix... And the simple fact that this body separation to be fully into the ship just... wasn't Aidebot, he'd lose something of himself the second he's in a "bigger receptacle"

"Look, I'm not going to make you suffer. I have an idea. You can't use your Aidebot body to move. You also cannot remain fully into my computer, as it's not a rig made to support an AI buffer by itself. The droid is limited in processing size and containment. If I add you to the ship, well, complications down that path are numerous and dangerous to the both of us. Instead, I'll use all the means I spoke about at the same time."

Kat started coding. The speed at which she did so could only be attained by years of practice, knowledge and confidence in one's skills. "With your Main AI cortex disconnected, but online, it can still process your higher functions, so it's going to keep you fully cognitive without any loss of utility and personality. If I modify this bit here...like so." tappity tap. "You can access the wireless nodes throughout the ship and command the droids, who can be your eyes and ears, your voice and your hands. Think with your normal brain, transfer the thoughts and commands through the computer to access the network and then command the droids as if you were in them."

She downsized the windows to look at Aidebot's facial copy on her desktop.

"What do you say? You'll be you without an integration nightmare and potential loss of self in the process. And you can be yourself in multiple bodies for about two hours and see how that feels. Just a word and I can start to modify the droids to accept the signals and your inputs." Alright, the thought of three droid Aidebots going around sounded like fun, she had to admit.

For perhaps the first time ever, Aidebot looked dejected. "Alright. I had already determined your method to be the best course of action, thus qualifying your statement as valid upon your saying of it. Boot it up." A disconnect between its words and its emotion was present. It seemed genuinely sad. Almost let down.

But then it went on. "As you say, perhaps three bodies wirelessly run in tandem will be of some beneficial exercise!" Right back to cheeriness, eyes turned up in a smile.

Ekaterina wasn't heartless. Aidebot had an emotion drive and was more than just a simple droid, she could hear it in Aidebot's digitized voice that he was let down. Better be safe for now and try later when things align better. Rushing things was not her thing anyway.

"Alright, I'll start the modifications." she reached for more cables to start plugging the little droids in for the modifications. "For what it's worth, when I have more time to make a good job of it, and not rush something as delicate as what you suggested, and we can get the Captain on side, then we can put you in the ship. Just to see." she smiled at the screen briefly and resumed her work.

"Okay!" trilled the little droid. All sense of forlorn was gone. This could be an adventure in its own right, after all!

Pinkie

09-29-2014, 12:56 AM

Before long the pair had reached the Mechanics room. Looking around the place was tall and large, it had to be in order to facilitate some of the hardware that wasn't made to fit inside a normal room or hallway. Chains hung from the walls and ceilings, the place was dimly lit, and everything smelled of grease and star ship fuel. Were she not so familiar with this setting and places like it, she might've found it somewhat frightening, though as of now it was more comforting than anything else, like returning home, though she had never been here before. The behemoth under her slid her off, and she hit the ground with the grace of paper, leaving behind no more than a slight click of her heels touching the ground. She had just began to turn around to thank her new boss for the ride, but he had already turned around and began to empty his objects onto the ground. A familiar frown pulled down at the corners of her lips, and she tried again. "I-I uh..." This was only met with him leaving the room and harshly closing the door behind. Skara allowed herself a low sigh, and turned to pace over to one of the few walls that wasn't covered by some sort of bench or half finished project. here she unslung her pack and set it on the ground, kneeling before it. The pack itself was somewhat akin to what a kid going to school would wear, and as embarrassing as it was to be seen with it, she felt a certain attachment to it. After all, it was all she had left of her home planet.

She zipped open the top and pulled from it a large metal and canvas suit, tossing it aside with a good amount of effort. Followed by this was a hefty all metal helmet, which she more carefully set atop the suit. This suit, and this bag, everything Skara owned was sitting before her on the floor. She didn't even take a moment to ponder what this meant, as she slid aside the bag and stood up with the suit. She placed it over a hook on the wall, and set the helmet atop it. Not ideal storage for the most valuable item she had ever owned, but it would have to do. She set the bag at the feet of the suit, then stood back, and looked around the room, not sure of what she should be doing next. Without warning, a dull crackle emitted from her suit and echoed through the room. Skara nearly jumped at the sound, her heart harshly pumping blood through her body. She let out a heavy sigh as the captains voice went on from the transmitter in her suits helmet.

"Attention all Privateers, attention all Privateers! The Captain and I have decided on the Black Star's next missions. He will be calling a briefing in the Rec Room in an hour to tell everyone about it and give you all time to pack. Be on time or be left out."

The message then ended with the same crackle, and Skara let out an audible sigh and swept her forehead with a hand. The jump scare had left her feeling a tiny bit weak at the knees, though she recovered from it easily. "About an hour to pack..." Skara mumbled to herself, looking over to her suit and bag. A shrug was all that followed, and she paced to her suit. Putting the thing in the bag with the helmet was always a hassle, and while it didn't take more than a minute or so at most, it was still tedious, and so she decided it best to simply wear it. Hell, if the head mechanic can wear his battle suit everywhere, she could wear her hazard suit everywhere. Taking the helmet off and setting it on a nearby bench, Skara drew her suit down from the hook and pulled open the 'entry hatch' on the bottom, which was no more than an air tight seal which had to be opened via pulling a tiny lever beside it. With that the thing popped open, and Skara stepped inside as you would a regular jumpsuit. She then pulled the rest over her head, and quickly came up and into the suit comfortably. She re sealed the entry hatch on her lower waist, and began to get the feel of her heavy suit once again. It was comfortable, oddly comfortable, except for getting in, which was entirely illogical and confusing to someone who didn't know how it was suppose to be done. All in all, the suit was more than physically comforting to Skara. To her, it almost felt like a new body, one which wasn't so fragile and strange looking, one which was tough and rugged. The suit, being as bulky as it was, also helped make her body proportions look a bit more human, though it was still easy to tell. She then scooped up the helmet and clipped it to one of the many loops on her waist, zipped up her backpack, slung it awkwardly over a shoulder, and began to make her way to the rec room for the meeting.

MarchingThunder

09-29-2014, 11:17 PM

"Alright, well gimme a holler when you want to get it over with," Bailey replied, "Now if you don't mind, I'm missing taking some whiskey with Sam, so I'm off to go find him, now I'll see you later Kat." With that, Bailey left the room and went back to look for Sam. Kat knew she hated having people poking around in her head, so she was a bit grateful for the dismissal, not wanting to deal with the issue at the moment to be honest.

Soulio

09-30-2014, 01:06 AM

BEFORE THE MEETING ANNOUNCEMENT

Sam had continued firing at the mass of targets, his mind wandering. He really didn't want to be here. It wasn't often that the crew was on Carin, and when they were, it was only for a short time. It was nice though, seeing Kaede and June when he could. He did his best to give them as much attention as possible while on Carin, buying them random things they liked, or relaxing with them on the couch, watching a show or something. Typically, when Kaede went to bed, things got a bit... exciting between him and June, which was always nice. Sure, she was kinda okay with Sam "relieving" himself with a random person on trips, if it was only a one time thing, but Sam never took the chance.

Suddenly the speakers on the targets started blaring out a song. A song that filled kids with the joy of a thousand kids. Or filled Sam, and in this case Killbot, with the rage of one million suns.

Killbot began to fire the heads off of every single target, and Sam joined in. The song was death incarnate, and needed to be exterminated.

It wasn't long before they were all "dead", and Sam had to shake his head and laugh when Killbot began blaring out that song. America was now a whole planet, way far off in the Milky Way Galaxy. How Killbot came to get the mindchip of a die hard American, Sam had no idea. He really wanted to know the story behind that.

After that event, Sam felt content with the firing job he had done, and put his weapons into his locker. He grabbed a bottle of water and began walking the halls, deciding that there was nothing else better to do if he couldn't leave.

----

Sam was walking the halls, just finished speaking with one of the cleaning crew members when the Evan's voice came through the speakers, talking about a new mission, and how the entire crew was to meet in the rec room in an hour.

Sighing, Sam walked to his room, annoyed at the short visit. Hopefully preparing for the mission would take a few more days, and then Sam could still be around his family for a bit more.

Entering his room, Sam turned on the Holo-Vis, and began calling June.

Sinderella

09-30-2014, 02:24 AM

Syran stood in the doorway to the recreational center, eyes wide and focused on Doctor Karina Devauul. Her nose ceaselessly twitched, her agitation at the sight clearly rising with the way her stance stiffened. The memory of her last encounter with the Doctor awoke, flashing through her mind and furthering her apprehension. She remembered the slight delirium, fever and aches, and the occasional blood filled vomit that she had been subjected to at Karina’s hand. The woman had retaliated against Syran having drunk her Scotch by injecting her with Yellow Fever.

She recalled feeling utterly helpless while in the state; her awareness having left her when the delirium began to set in. Of course, Kari had given her the treatment and nursed Sy back to health, but she had still been stuck for a short period of time feeling all sorts of awful. She didn't like it. And she didn't like that the woman was in charge of tending to the crew, specifically herself. Syran hadn't been able to touch scotch since, associating the taste, smell and acknowledgement of it to that of the virus. She shuddered, swallowing deeply.

“No, no,” she shook her head in utter disbelief, wishing that this was all just a dream, or that she could blame this scene on alcohol. Funny how the things took a turn, huh? Just earlier she wanted to escape the thoughts of a dream, and now she wanted to escape into them. She had to be drunk. She must be. There was no way that Kari was back. “You… No. No.” she shook her head.

She felt Racer at her back and his presence suddenly snapped her out of the shock. She quickly took note of the other crew members that had already shown up for the meeting and nodded at them in acknowledgement, before curling her arms in against her chest and with them, each bottle that she clutched protectively. Shifting only an inch into the room, she allowed the Monkey man to enter and quickly jerked herself behind him as if he were a shield of protection. He’d have to do, despite the inch or two differences between him and her. Leaning up onto her tiptoes, goggles peeked out over his head, their attention returning to the Doctor.

“You stay away from me Doc,” she muttered before ducking back behind Racer. She lifted a bottle to her open mouth, took a swig and decided that she needed to get to the farthest part of the room from the blonde. It wasn't that she disliked the dear Doctor; it was rather quite the opposite. Syran admired Kari for her devotion to defend her personal stash. Had the repercussion been directed at anyone else, Sy might have found it hilarious; she simply didn't trust the woman to not accidentally shoot her up with some random concocted virus.

Very slowly, Sy slid her way across the room, minding that she kept a good bit of distance between Kari and herself, and shuffled behind the bar for a quick pit stop to replenish her beverage. She exchanged the two bottles in hand for a smaller and fuller one, and then slinked to an empty seat as far apart from the bombshell as possible.

Muttering halfheartedly to herself and casting nervous glances every so often in Karina’s direction, Syran tilted back her head and took a deep drink of the amber substance in her hand.

“That woman s’gonna kill me.”

SikstaSlathalin

09-30-2014, 08:09 AM

*GM Mover*

The hour was up and the crew was assembled, everyone in the base was there. From the normal expedition crew to the full time Guards and other workers. The Rec Room has always been the main meeting room for the Privateers, it was comfortable, had enough plugs and wires to set up any kind of prop and had a state-of-the-art projector and holo-screen. Togga was the last one into the room, he walked slowly to the holo-screen and pushed a button turning both it and the projector on. The machine whirred to life and a soft green screen appeared on the far wall besides the massive TV. He plugged the flash drive with the run down of their next eight missions into the projector's control panel. the power point popped up. There was eight slides, plain gray text with the BSP Symbol in the upper left corner.

The Sharkman clicked the button and the first slide came onto the screen.

Letting everyone study the slide Togga went into his pitch.
"I am glad to be seeing you all here, I welcome our new Recruits." He nodded to Dalvern, Skara, and the new Asst. Engineer Duke Solar (http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Siks/Stock%20photos/GreenMan5_zps89148333.jpg) a cocky and genius level "Motherboard Rapist" as he calls himself.
"And I am also welcoming back some of our Second Shifters." He nodded to Doc Kari and the Spacoon siblings, Rockford (http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Siks/Stock%20photos/Raccoonman2_zps40e80f86.jpg) the returning Asst. Medic a serious and somewhat egg-headed young Medic with skills in Dentistry and Psychology and his sister Roxi (http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Siks/Stock%20photos/Raccoonwoman2_zps57fc7c57.jpg) the returning Sensor's Operator, and the liveliest of the two she's loud, she's fun, she loves how good she is at her job and she loves harassing her stick in the mud brother.

They all nodded to the Captain and he continued on with the briefing.
"Now many of these missions are being of the easy type moving this, scouting that. Our first one is such a mission. He pushed a button and a slide came into view it was a simple thing the picture of a large industrial looking city with the massive sign. "Beckham's Bounty Office." We will be dropping off our Silver Quasar prisoners for the bounty they are no doubt wanted for as are most merc bands. This will only be taking a short time and the Bounty money will be sent out evenly."

He clicked a button and a more complex looking slide popped up it had Part 1 of 3 at the top and it showed The Cold Metal weapon manufacturer logo and some bullet points. It also showed three large unmarked crates that everyone knew means weapons.
"Our next three missions though, are tied into each other and much more difficult. I am estimating these three will be taking us a few days or so to be accomplishing, first we will be picking up some weapons from the Cold Metal mover on our moon of Barrow. It should be a quick grab and run, but we will be having our weapons ready and be using our support vehicles. The Silver Quasars were being hired by some rouge element of the weapon makers so we will be needing caution, the money is being good and we are having good dealings with them in the past."

He clicked the button and another slide showing part 2 of 3 came to life up, it was mostly full of images of a sprawling and brightly lit resort. There was also some maps with the headings "The Villa" the biggest part of the resort it had two subsections "Medical District" and "Residential District". The other maps were of the "Market District" full of high-ends shops from both sides of the spectrum, Legit and Illicit. Then the "Entertainment District" home to every form of night life. Clubs, bars, theaters, strip joints you name it, chances are it's there.

The last maps were of a massive casino itself, sitting a top a natural mountain and hugging around the entirety of the peak.
"The next mission is being to hunt down the middle-woman on the resort planet of Tamosa Springs, the galaxy's most exclusive resort and home to the luxurious Sierra Madre Casino. So be packing something pretty or the credits to be buying something that could be costing as much as brand new Shelby Cosmic Cobra with all options." He continued on showing them pictures of a high class lady (http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Siks/rita_hayworth__32_zps3ba98594.jpg). This is Miss Stella Silverlight, she is our Contact for this drop-off. Do not be asking me the why of her involvment, all I am knowing is that we are to be meeting her in the Frozen Star Lounge before her 10PM show and be doing the transfer there. With any luck we will not be running into any problems and be out before we are known."

He clicked the button once more and the third slide popped up. This one was 3 of 3 and showed pics and information on one man. (http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Siks/Stock%20photos/Timekeeper7_zpsb298b343.jpg)

"This is Moriarty, it is not being his real name, but it is what he has been using for years. This is the rouge element that tried to kill us. He is being a mysterious investor in the Cold Metal company, never gives full name and never is seen without a small army of soldiers around him. Despite all this the CMs, being the greedy bastards they are were happy to be letting him do what he is wanting with their kick-backs and whatever the Board of Fools are giving him under the table for their own means to endings." He began pacing in front of the screen slowly. "We are to be finding him and killing him, both for our own vengeance and for the Board of Fools. We will be getting paid after the pick-up, drop-off, and completion of the killing."

He clicked the button once more and the fifth slide came up. This one was small and only had a few points and pictures.
"We will be in the area, for this next one, but it is not being related to the first three in anyway. The Dominion of Earth have asked us to be recovering and be scrapping one of their derelict vessels from the last great war. They are being busy with colonization and cannot be doing it themselves, their intel is telling us it is empty and safe, but this intel is a few months old, and we are all knowing how much things can be changing in a few months. Payment is being the ship and anything we can be finding in it. The name is being the "Light of Heaven" and they are saying it is a white and gold medical ship. It is orbiting around the Moon Taru, we should not be there for more than a few hours there. Once we are having it we are just having to send the Dominion a message and they will be signing it over to us. Then we can be calling Martha for the pick up and payout."

Nearing the half way point Togga could see the reactions of his crew, and was running some numbers through his mind as he did so. The sixth click of a button and the sixth slide showed up it had the image of a large extreme looking world. The heading for this one was 1 of 3 as well, but with the word Skillio next to it. Under the heading was maps of the Kessen homeland of Kessa and a golden statue (http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Siks/golden-lion-king-with-wings-1661-845-2_zps9a8b8dd8.jpg). "These ones may be taking us another few days to a week to be finishing. The Kessens have come to us to be assisting in the recovery of an ancient religious artifact, the "Lord of the Sky" or something like that. We will be flying to their homeworld with any info we can be finding on it. I am thinking it has no doubt been picked up by some Black Market Dealer, and those are easy enough to be dealing with."

He went to the next slide, it read 2 of 3 and the "Ruins of the Gold Lion" and showed the husk of a dead planet the high gray peaks and massive carter filled deserts.
"If we are finding no information to the contrary, the Kessens will be coming along and showing us the way to one of their sacred sites, supposedly the planet where their race began and where a great war destroyed everything and nearly killed the whole of their people before Skillio was founded. This is where it should be. They are needing the extra firepower and our ships to be searching the ruins located at the top of the world. The atmosphere is thin and they are not having enough resources to be dedicating to what many think is being a wild goose chase. So we will be their goose chasers."

The seventh slide came up and showed the heading of Whitherfangs and 3 of 3. The picture was a group of golden tattooed Kessens with white antlers of some kind attached to the hoods of thier crimson hide cloaks that were draped about their massive frames.
"These are the Whitherfangs, one of the leading Noble Prides in Kessa, they are vying for total control of the Kessen people. They are thinking that destroying or controlling the "Lord of the Sky" will let them be doing this. Our clients and "escorts", the Common Hunter Pride of Swiftpaw believe this is belonging to the Kessen people as a whole and should be saved and placed in the Grove of the Ancestors for all to see and pray to. Our seventh mission will be to ensure the Swiftpaws win."

Click number eight and slide number eight. Another simple slide with just the image of a masked man (http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Siks/RPs/Man13_zps7cdd4411.png) and the name Geppetto along with what looks like the resume for either a video game hero or a Professional Spy. 200 political assassinations, Master of unarmed combat, 500 Assaults, Master of armed combat, 800 cases of espionage and the list goes on with even more impressive numbers and titles.
"Here we will be playing the escort, we are to be picking up Professional Wetboy Geppetto from a planet called the Endless Forest. It is remote and this guy is twitchy as they come, he is the type of killer that is only coming along once in a century, once in a few centuries actually. After many years the Galactic Alliance has been trying to be working out a deal to have Geppetto here turn on some of his employers. For awhile the old saying "Honor among Thieves" seemed to be holding out." Some of the crew chuckled at this, Togga let the laughter die down naturally before continuing. "But he eventually caved once the Alliance threatened to be napalming the whole planet to smoke this killer out. This worked and the Alliance is asking us to be escorting him to their Hall of Justice on the planet of Kamera."

Togga gave a broad smile and a chuckle before saying this next part.
"Guess that is showing how well we are covering our tracks if they are thinking we are being more trustworthy than a Interstellar Killer. We will be picking him up da, but he has been doing much good work that has been helping us do our job. He has a list of some of his more "dishonorable" employers, but is having no intention of turning himself bodily over to the Alliance. We will be dropping him off on a planet of his choosing, then we will be giving that list to the Alliance saying he "got away." They will be paying us for getting most of what they were wanting then Geppetto will be paying us once all is being said and done. Two pays days for nothing more than a few days of flying in mostly safe spacescape."

Togga's posture visibly changed and his brow darkened, he wasn't pacing idly around the front of the room now, he was standing stock still and tapped a few buttons on the PDA sending the video from the Space Specter right to the projector, he moved aside so he wasn't obstructing anything this time. There was a quiet buzzing sound then the recorded showed up in place of the power point.

The holo-screen was empty for a few seconds before a shadowy silhouette appeared and an altered voice spoke to them.
"Black Star Privateers, I have come to you with a mission that could quite possibly change the very history of the universe." The shadow vanished and a map popped up in it's place, the altered voice continued though. "A couple million lightyears away lies the mostly unexplored Zeta Quadrant, a region of space too far away for most civilizations without use of wormhole technology and a map to reach. Lucky for you, I have provided you with a means for both, consider these gifts, and.....incentive for taking on this job." A couple of images that showed the location of a wormhole generator in the middle of a Skorne Research Facility of all places.

The voice continued.
"In this forgotten wasteland of space, a race of Interdimensional Beings named the Hurlords existed on a planet whose name not even I could find, all I could find on it is that map from before and the description that it's around a white dwarf star and is covered in azure clouds. It will be hostile and you will need to take the utmost caution." The shadow reappeared. "But the payout will be more than any of you could ever dream about, you could all retire comfortably if you wanted. You are searching for something called the "Atmos" it gives off a distinct signal that your systems will be able to pick up on and hone into. For now that is all you need to know, once you retrieve the Atmos push the button on the VD and I will contact you with further instructions. There is no time limit on this, but if you want the full payment don't keep me waiting long." A number larger than the allowed holograph beam appeared before it went black.

Togga took his place back in front of the group.
"Da, comrades, these last two missions are directly from the Space Specter." There was a hushed murmur from the crew, everyone knew about this crook. They were the closest thing to a God on this mortal plane. "We will return to Carin before we start these two for any needed repairs or restocking of supplies. Then we will all be packing and making ready for possibly the longest mission in the history of the Black Star Privateers. That video is all we are having on this mission, we will be finding the wormhole generator then beginning the long flight to the Zeta Quadrant at the very edge of the Universe."

He rubbed his chin slowly in thought.
"With the map and wormhole generator, I am thinking we will be gone for nearly a year if not longer. But the payment will be making up for that millionfold and we may all be retiring if we are surviving getting it. Mission nine will be us retrieving the generator. According to the information the Specter has given us, we will be tempting death and sneaking our way onto the Skorne Empire's Research facility. The moon of Nibiru the best place to be going if you are looking for a quick death, or a piece of technology that only a handful of people can even comprehend let alone create. After that if we are making it out of the facility alive we will be finding ourselves blasting off into areas, not even the Skorne will be knowing much about. We will be truly on our own then." He let those words sink in for a little bit before rewinding the message and pausing on the vague map which was just showing a worm hole map and the Zeta Quadrant with the numbers 23 and 0 besides the Z. "This is all we are having on our final objective. About as vague as it gets, but with any luck we will be finding this Atmos and getting our money."

He pushed a few more buttons and the Specter's message vanished, moving to the projector he ejected the flash drive and pocketed it looked around at his crew.
"This will be consisting of the usual expedition crew with the additions of Roxi taking over for Zero in Sensors, Racer taking over the Asst. Navigator spot, Sam Lorn taking over as the fourth Gunner from Vincent, Dalvern Ostarch replacing Choo-Choo as Lead Mechanic, Skarasolane Grevastochet taking over for Naleek and Asst. Mechanic, Dr. Karina Devauul and Rockford taking over our Medic spots from Korion and Scyllia, Duke Solar filling our vacant Asst. Engineer spot from Ellie. Sadly though we will be down Scouts for this batch of missions. That is all for now comrades, those on the expedition crew, you will be having a few days to be getting ready as the last repairs to the ship are being completed. Everyone else be getting back to your business, I thank you all for sitting through this."

*Rivet*

As the room slowly emptied Rivet found himself hanging back looking around at the faces some showed relief others disappointment. He found himself thinking about joining this one, it'd been awhile since he's gone out into the world, and they did have spots open. Approaching Togga the Guard tossed a quick salute.
"Sir, may I ask something?"

Togga turned and look down at the Guard returning the salute.
"Of course my friend what is it?"

Rivet nodded and cleared his throat.
"Sir, I'd like to request coming along for these missions. I'm an accomplished Scout and I feel it'll help pick up some slack with the Scouts being undermanned."

The Shar hmmed to himself scratching his snout slowly.
"Are you being sure Rivet? You will be living longer here and getting steady salary pay."

The Guard nodded resolutely.
"Yes sir, Captain Togga. I am sure."

The big alien gave a smile and a nod.
"Then be packing your things."

The Cybernetic man gave a smile and another salute before moving off to do just that.

*Racer*

The Mong upon seeing Sy's distress allowed her to hide behind him and kept close by her as the Captain explained the expedition crew's next missions. Racer was a part time guard and part time Navigator that did most of his work from the Hanger so he let most of these briefings go over his head. This time though he found himself paying attention for a change, seemed like a lot of high paying jobs, the Crew would be lucky for all those pay days. As the last two came up though he found himself worrying a lot more about them.

"Space Specters, Skornes, an' wormhole. Racer be glad he be stayin' here." He was just about ready to head either to his room for a nap or to the mess hall for a snack when he heard his name attached to the title of Asst. Navigator for the expedition crew.
The alien is no coward, but the suddenness of this revelation stunned his alcohol addled mind.
"Oh tally me banana, look like we be partners Sy." He said leaning back in his stare giving the woman a slight smile.

Setsa

10-02-2014, 05:52 PM

Greeting all of those she knew and didn't know as each came to the rec room for the meeting. A smile came to her face when she saw Syran and her facial expression upon her face soon as she saw Kari.

“You… No. No.” she shook her head.

"Well good evening Sy. Now why are you so surprised to see me hmm? You know well that I am a full timer so of course I'd be back." A grin upon her own face as she took notice to her hiding method with impromptu shield.

“You stay away from me Doc,”

"You come on" crossing her harms in a relaxed manner from where she sat on the couch arm. "You are a full on alcoholic...by now it makes up half of your blood. I did you a favor dear sister." A smirk on her face as though they were not related, they had their own kind of deep friendship. "Well you want to be on this mission? Means you got to see me before we leave. If you want you can have Rockford give you the vaccines. He should be here soon enough. And surely you'd want to pick a certain Blue Whiskey bottle I got for you?" Yea she was the Doctor, but one who also enjoys a good drink now and then.

Listening to Togga's explanation of the missions that were going to occur one after the other. Her own guess was that they'd be gone about two years..only because she held a policy to double the times in the ship to make sure they had enough supplies. Well, her and Rockford held this policy firmly least. Smiling at the coon who was there as well as he gave a gentle nod of the head to no interrupt the Captain.

Only when he finished with the projector screen and dismissed them would she stand up quickly. "Don't forget! No one that's bio can go without a check up from me! No excuses out of this!" Making sure she was loud enough to be well heard, she'd walk over to Togga. Giving him a warm hug of greetings. "Glad to see you are well, been a while Togga. Glad to be here again as there is truly no place like home. Speaking of such...how is your wife and daughter? Do thank them for the care package while I was on leave. Also hate to say it but you're overdue on a check up. Meaning I expect to see you before 6am hear me?" Wagging her finger at him with a smart ass grin. "Or I'll call the wife..." winking with a giggle before bidding him a good night. Knowing everyone was busy and had their own things to prepare for.

"Rockford.... you ready to get started my friend?" Kari would ask as they met at the rec. entrance to walk side by side and into the elevator. "Cabin fever, alcoholics, and pent up desires ahead.. As ready as I can be. What do you think the toll will be this time?" He would ask turning his head to look up at Kari. "Five or six medical emergencies? Or perhaps we should just count stitches?"

The woman was laughing when the elevator doors opened up and the pair turned down the hall towards the hospital. "Sadly enough both are true, but you bring a good point. I think last time we counted the emergencies so unless something drastic changes... Stitches sound like a good start. I'll get our counter file ready by morning." Rockford in agreement, the two would hug before going to their offices which were beside each other. He had yet to read over everyone's files thanks to his sister who had them arriving late and nearly in time to make it for the meeting. Some days he debates asking Kari to put a chip into her that would enhance her sense for time and manners. But siblings were made to forgive a lot with each other after all.

As for the Doc...Kari went into her own office to get the rest of the files in order for the health check-ups. Even bringing out the special, unopened, bottle of Blue Whiskey she got for Sy. Setting it on the desk so she wouldn't forget.

Pheasant

10-10-2014, 08:32 PM

Sam Lorn, post-meeting

A checkup, ugh. As if the man hadn't been stuck with enough needles in his lifetime. As always, the ex-Confederate would be putting it off until the last possible minute.

He left the room with the rest of the crowd, heading back up to the living deck. Now that the meeting was taken care of, he could get back to the business as hand. Finally having some jobs in a place that wasn't on the ass end of nowhere was going to be a nice change. In fact, unless he was pulled on duty to replace someone in the field, the man could probably enjoy the casino while the Scouts did their snatch and grab.

He returned to his own pad not long afterward, taking a seat on the soft cushions of the couch.

The broken down rifles had been replaced with a large box he'd taken from supply, almost ninety pounds Sam had rushed up to his room before the meeting started. It was a pain in the ass, but a necessary one at the behest of the Quarter Master.

A stubby crowbar dug into the lip of the wooden box, the top popping off after some heavy leverage and falling to the floor.

Inside sat eight balls of strange, dancing liquid metal encased in thick containment jars, pairs of connecting ports on the top and bottom. The jars themselves were small enough to fit in one hand, but each one was absurdly heavy to lift on their own, due to the nature of the material they contained.

As per ship regulations, radioactive material like the isotope inside these clear containers were only allowed if signed off by both the Quartermaster, Captain and himself, and weren't allowed in standard storage due to their volatile nature. But it was that same nature that made them the essential power source of Sam's Power Armor.

There wasn't enough cells to get him through a half a year of continuous combat, not even two months in the field. Fortunately, from the sound of their missions he wouldn't be needing such a direct approach to combat if he would even be involved at all.

Of course, that wasn't quite all that was in this case.

He moved his new supply of cells over to a tall square refrigerator in the corner opposite the computer desk. It wasn't great for storing beer, unless you liked it frozen, but it was the perfect temperature to store the isotope until it was taken into the field. With how expensive the isotope and containment cell that held it was, he couldn't afford them crapping out.

Finally, Sam moved over to his bunker, a case above the desk that held his supply of liquor under lock and key. Two of them now, after Sy's last raid.

But it wasn't so much for the liquor, as the small space behind the cabinet where he put a gray auto injection syringe. It was labeled M-18 on the side, and joined two others with the same label.

His dirty little secret.

Koti~

10-11-2014, 08:41 AM

PRE MEETING

Shinkei was beyond thrilled. Entering the ship through the main entrance way, she looked around the large ship, her eyes trying to soak in as much as she could. Her left hand barely brushed against the cool metal, feeling the fading warmth of her fingers pass onto the metal. Having just been assigned to the crew, she wandered some, a pair of glasses crossing the bridge of her nose, a schematic of the ship layout detailed in the far right corner of her vision.

“Oh what a marvel you are~.” She crooned at the ship, stopping to marvel at the metalwork of the doors, her eyes pinpointing the intricate workings of the door with her x-ray specs. Lost in watching the movements, she barely noted the door opening itself, doing a sort of two step just in itself to watch the door open and close.

After a near full minute of just that, she headed off, following her guide to the local elevator, wanting to make sure to check in first, or she was supposed to. Stopping at the second level, she stepped off, heading straight out the doors to the access doors to the reactor room. Stopping by the doors, she waited, expecting them to open but getting nowhere fast. Making a frown, she flipped on the X-ray goggles and flipped her pointer finger into a screwdriver, looking around the door rather quickly.

“Mm.. now where is it..” Shinkei spoke to herself, her left hand moving slowly along the joints of the outer door until finding the needed point, a crooked grin flashing across her face as she leaned up, slipping the flat head in and fiddling with the door, trying her best to rig the door open.

“Bloody, no neck sodding wankers! Can’t even work a fucking light switch withou’ me holdin’ their mingy hands!” These were the sour words of one of the Mechanics working on the ship as the Expedition Crew gets ready. This was Rodney, and he’s actually the Mechanic’s Bay Foreman when the Head Mechanic wasn’t around, and as of now the big guy wasn’t here.

Grumbling to himself he flipped the wrench around in his hand and descended the steps to the Reactor Room only to find some kid playing around the door. Now to a 6’10, 295 pound former Prize Fighter, turned Thug, turned Bounty Hunter, turned Mechanic everyone was a kid, but this squirmer was smaller than the Captain’s sodding Dog. Dropping his tool box onto a crate and switching the wrench to his right hand, he went over and picked the girl up by the collar of her oversized red coat with his left hand reelign the wrench back to break this possible Thief’s skull wide open.
“Now who in the soddin’ fuck are you to be fucking around with the bloody Reactor Door of a group of intergalactic fuckin’ Pirates’ Ship!” He growled lifting the girl high.

Shin blinked with a bit of surprise as she felt someone’s hand grip the back of her coat, her eyes going wide at the sound of the rather gruff and vulgar sounding man. Her main concern when being lifted was being jostled, the flat head screwdriver getting stuck in the door, leaving her right arm hanging down rather uncomfortable.

“Lemme go ya brute or you’ll bre--*glup*” Shinkei started, her voice catching as she half turned in his grasp. Her skin went white as she looked the man over, going from the rather tall and large bulk, to the large wrench ready to swing at her head. She gulped loudly as she fumbled for words, trying to voice that she was the new mechanic, but fear keeping her locked in place.

As the girl turned and Rodney got a full look at her face he sighed heavily and dropped her back to the ground fixing her coat, shirt and skirt as they had gotten messed up. Checking her over like a brother on his little sis.

“Oh by God’s hoarry balls, Shinkei, you know ya can’t just got screwing around here without tellin’ someone. Full time Mechanic or not.” He quickly adjusted her arm by pulling the screw-driver out of the door and back into her arm. Returning to his tool box he lifted the Union Jack covered metal box and went to the door’s control connecting a few wires and making the door open.

“You know as soddin’ well as I do. When the ship is being repaired all the systems are killed.” The Reactor door opened and he motioned for the little Mechanical Genius to enter the Reactor Room, she could help him check it over.

“I did tell someone. The men at the front of the ship knew that I had come in.”Shinkei finally spoke up, her fear dying quickly once she recognized the man. Rodney had actually been one of the first few people she had met and worked with while starting out, finding it odd how much of an older brother he had seemed to her.

She followed him in quickly to the room, her eyes going wide as she looked over the reactor, spying the beautiful core and power supplies. Quickly selecting a few tools that would be handy, she reactivated the specs and looked around, just taking in the entire engine.

“OH! I also have some great news. I’m being assigned to this ship!” She said cheerfully before looking at the Core, running her fingers over the metal, just allowing her eyes to soak it all in.

As they entered the room the big man let out another deep sigh.
“Well next time bring a note from your bloody mum and save me the headache.” He may seem like a reluctant babysitter, but he liked Shinkei, she was a feisty little git. And she knew her shit which was a godsend compared to some of the no skill twits that try to join the Black Star. He’s lost count of all the shits he’s personally throttled and tossed out the back door for screwing up too much.

As the girl began doing her little “like the very first time” once over of the bloody machine she’s seen and worked on a hundred times, Rodney attached his sensor to the Reactor’s spec screen and began doing the routine checks.

“Really now? Gonna be one of the red shirts huh? Well good luck to ya, just be sure Sabor doesn’t get ahold of you. He likes’em young and nubile.” Leaning against the warm metal he scanned over the read-outs on his Sensor's Screen looking for anomalies.

“Yup. And I am not a red shirt… I’m at least a blue.” Shinkei said with a chuckle, heading over to the sensor and looking it over. Giving it a once over, she felt a small frown appear on her lips, scrolling over the info a few times with a sigh.

“Power output is a bit low, and there’s a possible sign for a leak near the lower edge of the reactor.” She spoke carefully, pulling up a 3D map of the core. She taped the spots on the machine that needed to be fixed, highlighting the crack with a circle.

“Got any solder in that tool chest? Also, what happened to the Mechanic before me?” Shinkei asked, placing her jacket and pistol holsters on the side.

“As well, I’m still a better shot than your luck with the ladies.” She replied with a smirk, slipping into the undercarriage.

Rodney gave a sarcastic laugh.
“Ya ain’t got the ears to be a Blue, and when you can see over a bar counter without a stool than ye can talk shots at my love life. Ya little rodder.” As the girl slipped into the undercarriage he pushed some buttons and sealed off the lower vents that led into the Reactor so she couldn’t be cooked.

With a slight scoff he answered her question.
“He was a big Mech Suit that found a transporter. He had combat experience and size over us so the soddin’ Captain gave him the spot. And wouldn’t you know it, the big mech got himself dropped by an accidental EMP burst, from the Ship’s Discharge Box.” Keeping an eye on the screens he was keeping an eye on the kid and made ready to yank her out of the machine if things went south.

“Ouch. That had to suck.. Bein a mech suit, you think he would know to avoid a discharge box, being a mechanic you think he would know what a discharge box would be.. Such a waste.” Shinkei spoke, digging around under the Core and wriggling around to get comfortable. Flipping on the X-ray vision, she began to look for the crack, listening to the crack.

“Also, I am so not Spoc- Found it.” She said happily, the middle finger resting right on top of the line. Turning on the lights on her hand, she began to inspect the damage, checking the rest of the area around it and using the screwdriver to check the side.

“Good thing we found this early. If we left this for too long, this baby coulda cracked like an egg, taking the whole ship with ‘er. And I can see over the counter without a stool. It was one freakin time.” She shouted from her space under the machine, leaning back against the nesting walls.

“Yeah the one time you didn’t wear the massive bloody boots you stole from one of the soddin’ guards. Without’em you wouldn’t even make it out of the car.” He checked the 3-D map and nodded frowning slightly.
“Yeah good thing, when you’re done the with big one there’s the beginning of some metal wear a foot or so to the left of the crack. Might as bloody well check that out too. Also didn’t you wind up naked in the Captain’s closet after that one time?” He chuckled kicking her oversized boot lightly.

Her cheeks flushed deep red as he brought up that night, nearly missing her mark for repairing the crack. Taking a few moments to inspect for any problems, she started in on the welding, switching to the blow torch to start fixing the crack.

“Hey it was one bad night, okay? You don’t need to remind me of that every night I wanna have a drink. At least most of my clothes were still there… Still wonder where my underwear went..” She spoke the last part rather quietly, finishing the last patch before shifting around a bit to inspect the wear.

“The metal seems fine for the moment, but I’ll need to keep an eye on it. Could use some WD-40, would help slow it a lot.” She spoke in earnest tones.

Rodney chuckled.
“Well, I know a few of the boys didn’t mind the show, I think one of the wankers took a picture of it too and submitted it to a calendar.” He doubled checked the wear and agreed with her assessment. But then an idea came to him.
“Hold it a soddin minute, was that underwear lacy and red?” He asked scanning his memory.

Poking her head out of the undercarriage, she glared at him, her face redder than her jacket.

“Ho..how would you … and please tell me you’re joking about the calendar.” She asked, pulling herself out and onto the platform.

He quirked his eyebrow at her then pulled a face similar to an older brother seeing his younger teenage sister naked in the shower, disbelief and a slight hint of annoyance.
“Well I saw the pics and the calendar, but it might’ve just been your head photoshopped on Doc Kari or Bailey’s body. And I know what they look like cause ye left them on my bed with a pair of used condoms ya nasty little urchin. I thought it was one of the Guards being a fuckstain! Who in the hell did ye fuck in my bed?” He said picking up his wrench in a gesture of mock anger.

Shinkei blanched with that thought, letting a shudder run through her at that though. Though thankful for the possible photoshopped pictures, she wracked her brain for an idea of who she could have gotten it on with that night, though most of it was a clouded mess.

“I .. honestly don’t remember most of that night. Other than needing a drink after seeing one of the drivers bring in a near mangled ship for repair. I guess I wandered to his room, thinking it was mine. Though please tell me you threw those away. That is not something I need made public too much on this ship.” She asked him hopefully, standing to refresh the stream and tighten the weak spots on the Core.

The disbelief on the big man’s face was replaced with a look of mild awe and impression. It takes a lot to get that level of black-out, but being the size Shinkei is she probably got that way one a couple of wine coolers.
“Of course, I sodding threw those minging things away. I got a bloody nice thing going with this red-head in the warehouse. I don’t need those messing this up, you’re cute, but not worth losing a pair of Double D’s over. Sorry to say. The panel says everything else is in the green do you agree?” He asked beginning to pack up his tools.

Thankful to put that incident behind her, she stood up, dusting off her clothes while heading over to the sensor, making sure to refresh the scan and tapping a few more buttons. She smiled while reading through the numbers, making a few notes for later before stepping back.

“She’s back up and running at full speed once again. This baby will purr like a kitten next time she gets in the air.” She spoke to herself, turning to stare at the Core with a satisfied grin.

“I can’t believe that starting today, I finally get to go into space on this beautiful machine.” She finished with a sigh, making sure to pick up her coat and guns.

“Thank you for everything Rodney.. I’m going to miss you.” She said with a light slug to his arm.

A long loud bell sounded throughout the entire base followed by Evan's voice.
"Attention all Privateers, attention all Privateers! The Captain and I have decided on the Black Star's next missions. He will be calling a briefing in the Rec Room in an hour to tell everyone about it and give you all time to pack. Be on time or be left out."

Rodney returned the hug just as First Mate Evan’s voice rang through the ship’s bay telling them it was mission time. Breaking off the hug he chuckled nodding to the PA.
“Ah no need for good byes Short Round, as small as you are the lizard monsters won’t even bother to think of you as an appetizer.” As she tried to punch him in the arm he reeled back his hand and swatted her soundly on the ass lifting her up a little sending her towards the door.
“Now come on, time to learn how to earn your paycheck.” He moved past her head for the door.

She glared at him with a playful malice before heading off, quickly pulling up her map to make it to the rec room just in time for the mission debrief.

Dnafein

10-11-2014, 12:27 PM

Xanatos sat in the back for the meeting. He made a mental note to ask for additional copies of a number of the contracts. The rodentian made it his personal habit to never trust an politician or public authority figure he didn't personally know. Xan had also brought up a list of his relatives, and their current occupations. The typical rodentian are employed in dirty jobs no one else wants to work, Janitor, high rise window washer, garbage collector. There had been a number of times in Xan's life he was able to get somewhere he couldn't ordinarily get simply by calling upon a cousin for help.

During the Captain's announcement as to who would be working the missions Xan had brought up the payroll list on his omni-tool. He altered the list to match the captains, he ensured the back-ups were appropriately saved. When the meeting was dismissed he collected the folder he had been carrying since he spoke with the Captain. The quartermaster weaved through the crowd till he stood next to Bailey.

Opening the folder, the rodentian shifted the check the captain had signed so that it sat just below a blank line waiting for the scout leaders signature. "Standard procedure, before you can take the check need you to sign." Xan told her.

MarchingThunder

10-12-2014, 12:23 AM

Before he could do anything with the syringes though, a trio of hard, solid knocks against the door interrupted him, accompanied by the sound of Bailey's voice as she asked, "Hey Sam, you still up for some drinks?" Her voice was muffled slightly by the door but there was a slight hitch t her voice that said she still had the cigar in her mouth as she waited for his response.

"Doors unlocked, was just about to break something open", Sam called absently from the cabinet, shutting the syringes behind the back compartment before taking hold of the neck of a bottle of wine.

He didn't need them, not quite yet. At least not until his inevitable checkup with the dear old Doc' was over. God that would look bad on a blood test.

The man left the cabinet open, searching for a cork opener in the desk below it. The man was now clad in something a bit more simple, a black T-shirt and a pair of beaten up jeans, a fashion as old as the Confederacy itself.

The man moved over to the woman as she entered the room, handing her the cork opener and the bottle as he cleared the front table of the wooden box that dominated it, "Sorry, was unloading some power cells earlier"

"Uh huh," Bailey replied, her tone mildly distracted as she gently worked open the bottle of wine with a sharp *pop* before taking a whiff and giving a pleasant sigh. "You always save the nicest stuff for me," Bailey said in a slightly teasing tone as she took a seat and set the bottle down, favoring Sam with a smile.

The man returned a small grin before he grabbed a pair of glasses from the desk, taking a comfortable seat beside the woman. He poured a glass for her first then himself, murmuring "I try, but I have to beat Sy away with a damn stick half the time. I swear, sometimes I have dreams about the Black Star going down, and the first thing she does is raid my liquor cabinet"

He took a small sip of the glass in front of him, leaning back into the couch with an arm relaxed on the back of the couch in Bailey's direction, though not quite invading her personal space yet. "How'd the diagnostic go? You manage to get in before the meeting, or do you have to go back?"

Bailey took a small sip from her glass as she leaned back into the cushion with a pleased sigh, folding her legs like a proper lady as she swirled the contents before replying, "I got a nice little slip saying that I didn't need one." There was a bit of grousing in her voice, her obvious distaste at having been pulled away from what had been a rapidly developing situation for nothing.

"Still at least it wasn't a midway interruption like the meeting would have been if I had stayed," she added after a moment, shooting Sam a wry little grin as her eyes gleamed with mischievousness.

"Well", the man began with a grin of his own, returning her look as he scooted a bit closer and slipped an arm around her shoulder, "Unless someone pulls the fire alarm it should be a quiet evening" Sam paused, taking a sip of his drink, "Maybe quiets not the right word...Think its gonna be hard to relax like this, once we get out there?"

Bailey smiled as she leaned into the gentle embrace, taking another sip before she responded to her question as she said, "Oh it probably will, think we should take advantage of the moment then?" She watched him with a knowing smile as she waited to see what his next move would be, granted she had a very good idea of where things would be going this evening.

"Darlin', you know I can barely keep my hands off you", Sam replied with a grin of his own, "No need to rush things, I wanna enjoy this a bit longer"

His grip around her tightened, as the man scooted a little bit closer into a more comfortable position.

What Sam murmured next was a bit out of character, compared to the normally jovial ex-Confederate who always had a cigar and a glass in his hands, "Uhh, do you--I mean", he struggled with his words for a moment, "Do you need anything, to talk or me to do or get you something before we get to the mission site?"

Between the Black Star and his own career as a Confederate Marine, he'd been on thousands of missions on as many worlds. But this series felt...different. The same kind of different he'd felt just before his old battleship got shot down over the desert planet of Amora with nearly 70% of the crew gone. Bad.

But...maybe he was just being overly dramatic.

Bailey didn't scoot away or anything, but she did give Sam a questioning look as she thought about his questions before she replied, her tone soft. "That's unusually thoughtful of you, Sam," she said, pausing to take a sip before she continued, "However I think I enjoy your impulsiveness a bit more, because otherwise I have to do it." With that, she leaned in and captured his lips in a hard kiss, immediately providing a distraction from his thoughts.

"Mmmph", Sam replied softly as their lips met, hands pulling the woman onto his lap. Her lips were more intoxicating than the wine, texture more pleasurable than the finest cigar. His prior thoughts grew more and more distant by the moment, until he couldn't recall what they'd just been discussing, or anything besides the press of her body to his.

He broke away after a long moment, remembering to breathe as his fingers tossed her cap onto the table, undoing her hair as his lips explored Bailey's slender throat before Sam returned to her lips, fingers gliding through her lovely silver hair.

"See...?" Bailey whispered softly as she felt his lips leave hers yet again to gently trace along her throat a second time, "isn't this better?" She let out a throaty sound that was as close as a human could get to a purr as his fingers traced their way through her hair, tugging it in various directions as she savored his attention.

"Much better...", the man replied softly, raising the cloth of the woman's top over her head, tossing it atop the cap that rested on the table.

"Computer", Sam murmured with a soft ping of acknowledgement from above, lips exploring her bare shoulders, "Lights"

Soulio

10-12-2014, 02:15 AM

“When do you leave?” June asked, her tone let down and slightly angry.
“In a few days. But that can easily change if Togga decides to up and leave.”
June let out a sad sigh, and forced a small smile.
“Well, if you have a few days, hopefully we can make them memorable.”
“We always do, June. We always do.”
“Oh da- the commu- ion is- ucking up- ain-” The screen began to get fuzzy and June was beginning to break up. This happened more often than not on Carin. People had to get used to it at some point.

“God dammit…” Sam mumbled as he pressed the end call prompt on the screen.

----

America’s perfect engine of freedom against the Red Menace was stomping through the dorms heading for his own little closet, where his charging bay was when he heard the tell tale words of evil! “Communism” They were coming from comrade Sam 1’s room, never being one to let Communism corrupt his fellow gunner, the warbot drew his Lancer and kicked open Sam 1’s door.
“I heard the base of all evil! Where is it! Where is it!” He stormed into Sam’s Room and spun around in the room look for the Commie.

----

Fast as lightning, Sam grabbed a small pistol from his desk, and twirled around, aiming it at the intruder.
“Well, that would be pointless…” Sam thought as he realized it was Killbot. A pistol this size would be like a tickle.
“For God sake, Killbot… Communism isn’t here. It was my wife saying communications were going down. Down boy.” Sam stood, tossing the gun to the side and walking up to Killbot.

“But I did hear Sam 2 and Bailey talking about communism… I’m kidding!” He said when Killbot was about to rush into his room. Sam could hear what was going on in there, but it was very muffled.

---

Killbot holstered his Laser Rifle and nodded to Sam 1 keeping his optics scanning the room anyway.
“Yes, Killbot heard that. But Killbot is sure Sam 2 is just saving Bailey’s virgin womb from the seed of some mind-controlling Red by using his own. Killbot doesn’t like killing little Commies, but Killbot will for the betterment of the American way of life! OH YEAHHHHH! So how is your fine Heartland Family, the small one learn how to fight for freedom yet?” Killbot had files on everyone on the crew and despite not fully being able to grasp social niceties, he tried with the squishy humans.

---

“Kaede? Oh, he’s learning. I have an old friend of mine teaching him how to shoot. She’s an excellent shot. June is teaching him medical applications. But I really don’t want him going into the military.”

---

Killbot hmmed deeply at the news of the little Squishy that sprung from an American’s loins not wanting to defend the greatest nation in the whole wholeness of existence. It wasn’t right, it was the first seed of Communism, and it should be snuffed out.

But he couldn’t kill a member of the American Master Race, at least not yet. Maybe after his Commie Scrubbing he could.
“Well why not? He is the next generation and it is his duty as a proud corn-fed American youth to fight the Commie Menace! In fact I will show you how important it is!” The giant warbot grabbed Sam and tossed him over his right shoulder and carried him to his own little room.

---

“Wha-Killbot what the hell?!” Sam was flung across Killbot’s shoulder, and when Sam tried to escape his grasp, Sam in the end, just hurt himself. Killbot was a robot through and through. There was nothing that Sam could do to escape his grasp.

After a short walk, they made it to Killbot’s small room.
“Wanna put me down now, Killy?”

---

K-Bot kicked open his own door, which was the most beat to hell door in the whole Base because kicking it was the best way he found out to open it, because it scared anyone hiding in the room and told any hidden Commies their death had arrived.

He put the man down and clicked on the light that flooded the tall room from top to bottom, it emblazoned every article of Americana that filled Killbot’s wall. Old Coke Signs, Motor Oil signs, Brooklyn Lanterns, spent brass from military guns, and every iteration of the American Flag that has ever existed.

Just above Kill’s charging station though was a 4 foot tall metal and glass case, in it was an absolutely ancient and faded brown document made of animal skin. Kneeling before it like a man in prayer he recited the Pledge of Allegiance before turning to Sam and pointing a dramatic finger at it.
“That is why! Because that document “The Declaration of Independence” and it is what separates us from the Commies! That and the fact we’re superior in every sense of the word. Physically, Mentally, Spiritually, and most of all Economically! Every able-bodied man should be fighting for it and every able-ovaryed woman should be working on birthing more Americans, so the Reds don’t get the chance to outnumber us!”

---
Sam looked at all the American memorabilia, a tad bit amazed at the collection.
“Wow, Killbot…” Sam said, looking at the Declaration. It was practically impossible to read, but Sam remembered the history lessons from school.

“Killbot, you have to understand that we aren’t in America anymore. America is a galaxy now. We’re lightyears away from it. And my son can be in the military if he wants to be, but I can’t say I’ll like it very much. Jusblazin’s military was very stern. I have to assume most other militaries are as well. But in the end, it is my son’s decision to make.”

---

Killbot’s speakers began playing the Star-Spangled Banner quietly in the background as he watched Sam’s marvel at the Declaration.
“America is everywhere an American is, it rules what is right and that document is the reason. And most other military’s have nothing on America, the little one will be a part of the greatest greatness there is.” The song ended and Killbot’s facial screen changed as if he just changed trains mid-travel.

“Speaking of able-ovaried American Women, has Juliet been implanted with more of your American prowess? Did you use those pills Killbot gave you awhile back? They should’ve done the job quite well. That Medical Officers said it was created to turn you squishys into human breeding machines. We need more Americans afterall.” The bot said adjusting the classic pin-up calendar of military women in bikini’s with guns.

---

“What?! God no!” Sam said, exasperated at what Killbot was asking.
“I-I-I mean, I don’t have any intention to have another kid! And I’m fairly certain June doesn’t either!” He had to admit, he did use one pill a long time ago. That was a night to remember. Luckily she wasn’t on her period, and she made sure to use a pill the day after just to be on the safe side.
“Anyway, I need to go start packing. Nice talking with you, Killbot.”

“Hmm Killbot would use it, but Killbot lost Viet-Nam. You must pick up the slack! For America! And for the betterment of all American-kind! But go and pack with all the pride a true American packs with!” He bid Sam farewell and went about putting some items into his Captain America backpack.

---

Sam went into his room to grab a duffel bag, grabbing the random clothes he had all over the room. He still needed to stop by his home to grab what he took off the ship, so once that was said and done, he entered his passcode to exit the ship, and then made his way to his home. He hoped that he could make these last few days worth it, considering they hadn’t even been on Carin for a week.

“Damn Togga and his work mindset…” He mumbled as he walked.

Pheasant

10-12-2014, 03:33 AM

Heading back into the hangar bay, she let out an excited giggle. She had been both amazed and worried about the missions she was now to take a part in, along with the idea of both that ship and wormstar generator. Though the ship was something she had seen before, the generator was new, and had her mind buzzing already. If she could just get her hands on that machine, the secrets she could learn from it would be outstanding. Though, with the mission done and those thoughts for later, she would have to contend herself with something else for the moment.

“Ah.. such alluring bikes.” Shinkei said as she walked around one of the red hawks, standing close and allowing her eyes to absorb in as much as she could. Now that she was an active crew member, she was sure she could get the chance to ride one of these things. One full inspection later, she hopped into the seat, staring down at the ignition and gauges on it, fingers already resting on the ignition switch as she let her mind wander over the thought of riding the red hawk.

A press the button, and she could feel the hum as the bike started up, lights flaring and dials moving, making her smile more as she began fiddling with the handles and controls, listening to the purr of the engine, along with the growls as it was revved.

The elevator rattled as it finally stopped on the hanger deck, one beaked girl with hair tied back into a ponytail stepping off with a sigh, a bag slung over one shoulder.

As the Scouts designated hacker, although Bailey was arguably just as effective as her, having a good general knowledge of computer systems and methods of busting into them was important. Private industry computers, Military terminals with complicated cypher’s, when a security system or mainframe needed to be broken into, it was the Karura girls job to make sure it happened fast.

Some, more dedicated hackers had replaced limbs and attached cybernetic components directly to their brains in order to make them more effective at breaking into computers but Akalina had never considered that route. The bag hanging from her right shoulder held everything she needed, whether it was corporate espionage or taking control of Silver Quasar’s security systems.

Unfortunately, not every job was as simple as hacking into the terminal and going straight for the gold of the operation. Some pirates the Black Star had crossed paths with hadn’t even heard the word ‘computer’

For Akalina, that meant her skill needed to be more...practical. She headed in a straight line towards the Red Hawks and the G4’s, the Scouts primary means of getting around during missions, where a blond woman was going through an inspection of her own. She was similar in size to Akalina, but she only murmured a quick, “Hello” to the stranger before unpacking her bag, popping open a screen on the omnitool that rested on her forearm.

Shinkei gave a start as the woman spoke up, drawing her attention away from her own daydreams. Blushing rather hard now, she was quick to shut down the bikes, as though she had been doing some actual work around the bay.

“Mhmm, yep. everything seems in order.” Shinkei spoke in a dwindling tone, feeling more awkward as she spoke into the open air, giving a nod to the bike and a rather faltering smile.

“Oh, uh H-hi there. I didn’t notice you..” She spoke in over enthusiastic surprise to the woman, who once again made Shinkei draw up short. Looking like a human hybrid with a bird, she felt her smile falter a slight bit, examining the new co-worker quickly.

“Thats alright”, Akalina replied gently, the Red Hawk in front of her suddenly coming to life with a rumble as she tapped something on her device, “My name is Akalina Gato, I’m a Karura from Novis. Most people don’t notice me the first time because I look like a little girl”

The engine revved loudly, before calming down, “I’m a Scout, I...hack things. Who are you?”

“I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had that happen. My name is Shinkei Sohoun. I’m the black stars new Mechanic. Just started on it today actually.” Shinkei spoke with a relieved sigh, a comfortable smile appearing on her face as she headed over to her politely, interested with the device that Akalina was holding.

“So, you can hack things?” She asked cautiously, still trying to get used to new people.

“Hack things, sometimes infect computers, sometimes program but thats the rarest of them all”, Akalina replied, the headlights of the bike turning on as she went through a diagnostic of her own.

“These bikes haven’t gone through a computer diagnostic since before the Silver Quasar. I’m making sure their secondary software and technical equipment is functioning before we start our next line of missions. I probably won't have the chance to debug them later”

She sighed a minute later as the machine turned off, glancing at Shinkey, “So you’re the new mechanic? You look…”

Shinkei let out a small sigh and already knowing partially where her line of questions were going.

“I know I don’t look like much, but I am a Mechanic.” She said, getting a small bit of a huffy look before relaxing, giving her a pleased smile as she came around to the side of the bike, giving it a few once overs through the main screen.

“I can prove it to, if it would be okay..” She spoke as she turned to Akalina, giving her an eager grin.

Akalina glanced up at the girl with a raised eyebrow, “Go ahead, these are more your responsibility than mine”

The girl tapped a button on the device attached to her arm, powering the device down to a sleeping state as she stepped away, “As long as you don't...totally destroy it…”

Shinkei gave her a dutious grin, feeling now it was more a matter of pride, heading over to the bike and flicking her hand, switching it to a Philips screwdriver. She began with the screen, carefully prying it off and resting it on the ground.

With an eager smile, she set to work, tapping the clasp on her ears and allowing the holospecs to form, switching them immediately to the X-ray vision.

“You are right, these have taken some time to upgrade.” She spoke, fiddling with a few of the wires and even removing some portions completely, making sure to cap those sections off as she worked. She spent a few moments of working in there before closing it back up and starting it back up, the same hum working on the machine.

“Honestly, they had too many relays running through there. A simple one way connection to the energy cell and relay at a central point allows for a much smoother transition. As well.” Shinkei spoke while starting up the screen before tapping a button on the far right. Within seconds, the music on her glasses began to play through the system.

“Telecoms connection to heighten communication without delay from wind.” She spoke, grinning happily.

“Just uhh, be careful doing that around the rest of the crew”, Akalina replied, somewhat surprised at the quickness of the modification, “If the rest of the crew figures out you can do that, you’ll never get any sleep”

The girl tossed her bag over her shoulder once more, “Do you want to go to the Rec Room? The rest of the crew will want to know we have a new mechanic”

“I .. was eventually planning .. to make my way over there..” Shinkei said quickly, some of the current enthusiasm fading quite a bit as she shut down the bike, flicking her specs back into their hold.

“I .. don’t really do well with most large groups.” She spoke as she stepped off the bike, giving Akalina a nice smile.

“Well...I’ll be up there if you change your mind. I’ve been trying to break through a level 4 security system, its going to take me awhile”, Akalina murmured, turning away to head back towards the elevator.

Shinkei stood there for a few moments before swallowing slightly and quickly following her into the elevator.

“I … would love to join you there.” She said with a smile, pushing down on her nerves.

Koti~

10-14-2014, 05:44 PM

Shinkei had entered the Rec room to hang with Akalina for a while, trying to keep up and enjoy the small chatter and relaxing with the rest of the group in simple enjoyment. She was there for at least an hour before her right ear began to twinge, giving her a reminder of what she needed to do.

"Sorry Akalina, but I gotta get something done quickly." Shinkei spoke as she hopped off the couch, running out of the room with a quick step. She followed her systems map as she followed the map that appeared on her holospecs. Eventually she managed to find the person she needed, stalling her pace a bit before heading over, clearing her voice shakily.

"Uh.. Mr. Skaros.. I'm .. here to report in." Shinkei said, feeling a bit of nervousness as she looked over the Quarter Master. While She stood taller than him, she felt a bit dwarfed in comparison. The anthropomorphic rat was dressed better than her own, and while his body was small, it was more muscly than his own.

Xanatos wrinkled his furry brow at the way he was addressed. He liked to consider himself on a first name basis with his shipmates, and those members of the ground crew he had dealings with. Turning he took in the figure before him. Noting the timid stance, and the nervous shifting of weight Xan thought he understood. "It's nice that you want to work with mommy or daddy kid, but the captain has a strict no minors rule. Now run along home and when you grow up come on back and we'll see what you can do."

Shinkei felt a bit of a twitch come across her eyes, feeling offended at the wording. Screwing up her courage, she took a more secure stance, trying to glare at him but coming off as an intense stare.

"I'm 21, thank you very much. I'm here to fill the position as the new chief mechanic, since the big old tin bot got himself fried." She spoke, trying to stow away the nerves. It didn't last too long as she realized who she was exactly dealing with. She chose not to respond after that though, waiting to see how he would respond.

Xan raised his eyebrow at the shift. After she finally settled into an intense stare the Rodentian frowned. "Great another mad woman." he muttered. "If the captain bought it I guess I can to. You have seen the captain yes?"

"I .. have seen him at the briefing, but haven't personally spoken to him yet." Shinkei spoke, feeling a bit more relaxed now that she seemed to have been expected, even though she was considered a mad women. She would have to accept that, as it was still better than kid.

"I know you're the Quartermaster, so I figured that I would be able to check in with you, until I could find the captain." She spoke, giving a thoughtful ponder as she tapped her chin lightly.

"You can "check in' with me." Xanatos started, "So long as the Captain's given you the okay to be on the ship. Otherwise, checking in with me risks me getting in trouble. I don't like to be in trouble it cuts into my budgeting time, and then no one gets paid correctly and then I have to tell everyone why and then you... well you see where this is going i'm sure."

The Rodentian gave a big grin. "So, hey welcome aboard. Stow your gear in your bunk, and as Chief Mechanic it's your job to hit the ships parts locker and fill out a list as to what we're short on, separate the bad parts into two piles, one with resale value one thats strictly salvage, and make sure i have that list by..." He tilted his head one way then the other. "Dinner tomorrow. I think we have a few days before we leave. Plenty of time for parts to arrive."

''I'm glad to be aboard. And I know that the captain knows. I sent him a message before coming aboard, though I should probably talk with him just to be extra sure." Shinkei said with glee, returning the rodentian a smile in return. She was thankful to know that she was welcomed, eager nerves bundling their way through her.

Her smile faltered a slight bit but her eyes grew with Xan giving her an order, wanting a list of new materials that needed to be sorted, catalouged, separated, and re-ordered by tomorrow. Now she was getting to the meat of the job, making sure the black star was running as best as possible.

"Yes sir! I shall have everything ready to go." Shinkei spoke, giving him a large smile before darting off, planning to get to work right away.

Xan watched the little human female as she sprinted off to start the task Xan had stated without complaint. In fact the his surprise she actually seemed grateful to have the difficult task; however with Choo-choo's preference for spare parts the task would be nearly impossible. He shrugged to himself and turned from the direction she went muttering to himself. "She is without a doubt mad, if she completes the task she might as well be the hatter."

Arthera

10-14-2014, 11:46 PM

~Co-post with Setsa~

Once the business with Aidebot had been attended to, Kat had to make for the meeting area right away or be late and...well, the Captain does not take latecomers well. Still, there had been enough time to make it to the meeting hall before the doors closed and the presentation started. Of course, Kat didn't exactly check to see if Aidebot had come along after all was said and done, but she doubted the little droid would face anything serious even if he was late...

The mission presentation went as such things usually do, except for the mysterious late request. More work had gone into this one, as did the risks and distance they had to go to fulfill it. Still, if the Captain thought they could do it, since she had boarded the Black Star there had been no failures, Kat felt ok with going for it. Being stuck with Duke Solar on the other hand... The guy was an online ass, stole credit when he could and jumped projects when he felt like it because he had a good line of successful jobs under his hat, and figured his name was worth more than the others. She hadn't met him in person before, but she did not intend to suffer the man's ego unless she had no choice.

Before she left the meeting, Kat went to meet with her new assistant. But before he could utter a word, Ekaterina gave him a dataslate. "Read up on the regulations, familiarize yourself with the in-use specs of the ship and it's attending backups. You'll get access codes later on, and I don't want to see an attempt at getting them on your own. I'll be meeting with you later.

With that, Kat left the meeting room before he had a chance to add anything, or at the very least, be out of range to hear him talk. Her destination was the medic room, might as well get all the unpleasant obligations out of the way in one outing.

Ekaterina reached the medical room a few minutes later and simply entered, despite not enjoying visits here, the sooner this was done the sooner she could get back to her things. There was no use hesitating or dallying about the matter. Not that Kat had anything against Doc Kari or any reservations about medical checkups, more that she disliked being forced to show up now and again for basically always the same results.

The medical room was as it always was, bland white and metal surfaces, spotless, orderly and quiet. Strikingly opposite to Kat's usual working places, with it's constant machine humming, blinking lights and bewildering array of cables and connectors everywhere. Ekaterina hadn't been in here for the last few months actually yet it all looked exactly as it did when she last had to come around.

A short walk in and you found the doctor's offices, which Kat went straight for. As a sign of respect, and also to avoid getting the same conversation with a doctor again, Ekaterina finished chewing the handful of candies she had in her mouth before gently knocking at Kari's door. Maybe Kari would want some after all, chocolate was a thing for the doc. Perhaps Kat could shave off examination time with the correct application of sugary bribe.

"Doc, it's me. Here for the check up..." she said, unenthusiastically. On the other hand, it had been a while since Kari had been around, and there was much worse than meeting the smiling woman.

Having updated the last few medical records from the crew member she had just seen. Double checking her notes she scribbled on the files during each visit. The knock on her door had the woman pressing pause on the music she had playing in the office. "Coming.." Her voice would sound out to Kat on the other side of the door. Grabbing her file she would open the door to hug the woman warmly. "Hey Kat" smiling to her brightly as she'd gesture the woman to follow Kari down to a private room down a hall. Knocking to make sure her Assistant wasn't in there before opening the door. "Come in, I'm sure you're very busy now so we'll see about making this quick hun." Closing the door afterwards for privacy. Locking it to turn on the red light above the door on the outside to indicate it's use.

As Kat followed and entered the examination stall, she recalled that hugging was a thing with Kari. The doc was very liberal with them too, which likely made the male crew members enjoy having her around all the more, all things considered.

"Yeah, have the counterpart to the bio checkups before launch to do." Kat replied, hoisting herself up and sitting on the edge of the examination table, booted feet dangling off the side.

Despite having synthetics in her body and having replaced some parts of herself, Kat was still mostly fleshy, and the doc's bill of health was required before missions. As well as Kat's own all-good systems checkup. She was stuck doing both, as opposed to either pure synthetics like Aidebot or unaltered people like the Captain. The problem with the bio checkup was that it was more involved than simply scanning or plugging into the subject.

"So, what's first then?" munching on a few candies she had idly picked from her pocket, completely failing at not eating in front of the doc despite Kat's earlier self-warning.

"Well let's see about your overall health hmm?" Placing an advanced stethoscope upon Kat's chest to then place one ear bud in her own ear. "Ok deep breath in....and exhale to crunch... and again...." Removing the instrument after a few deep breaths. Setting such aside to jot the result down "so how much candy and sweets are you going through in a day on average? Still at 12?"

Looking at her for the answer the woman would motion for Kat to life up her sweater. Placing a small, oval device on her abdomen for it to read the function of her internal organs. Those natural and enhanced. "I also noticed a few curious changes to my files yet again to a few others and yours. "

"Just the candy?" Kat shrugged slightly while holding up the garment. "Depends on the candy. Maybe a box or two?" Not that she was shy about telling the amount, it's more that she didn't know. Ekaterina never checked exactly how much she actually ate. She reached over for something at intervals during the day, all day. She reached into one of the pockets and took out the chocolate-covered Olam fruit candy packaging as an example. Kat offered the box to Kari while she had it in hand, doc also liked treats from time to time.

"As for the changes, that was during the other doc's tenure. Some events happened that required time away from work-related matters. For a few people. At different times, some at the same time." It kinda irked Kat to have been spotted, but she hadn't exactly poured her soul into the job to make it spotless either, and Kari gave more attention to her things. Speaking of change...

"Oh, reminds me, I took your advice and changed the brand and size for a better fit. You were right, the straps don't dig into my shoulders anymore. I'll return your things you lent me later."

Making note of the estimated amount she'd accept the box sweets to set on the nearby desk. "Thanks, got much to do tonight so these will come in handy." Taking the device from her abdomen to give a quick look at the results and press a button for the information to be sent to her computer at the office. Looking up when she mentioned the success in trying her earlier suggestion of a garment. "Oh good, surely you are more comfortable now without those straps digging then. No rush on the returning but thanks for mentioning it."

The rest of the brief time went by without a hitch. Liking the new colors Kat was able to have appear on her nails. The body was doing well as always with what portion of her was cybernetic or enhanced. "Well you're set to go then Kat... I do have one favor to ask of you actually. The Captain authorized the purchase of tablets instead of all these papers that just take up space which is what we don't have so much in the ship. Honestly all the paper work is a pain in the ass at times, I got enough of it without everyone's medical files. So you think you can help me get our two set up and ready to go before we depart? Least where I can just scan the papers and have all the information uploaded to the program so I can access it anywhere needed in the Infirmary or here?"

Walking to the desk she'd pick up the two tablets one for her and the assistant. Handing them over to her so she can take a closer look. "Otherwise you're set to go..just least work on drinking more water..it'll help your skin."

Kat nodded, taking the tablets and, with hands very used to handling such things, started to give them a rapid look-over. Standard stuff, same crappy firmware, nothing that should take more than a few minutes hooked up to her rig to crack and a little bit more to update. After that, a quick run through a scanner and all the shelves can be changed into something much smaller to accommodate two tablets.

"I'll work on these and have them back to you tomorrow." she gave Kari a smile and hopped down from the examination table's edge. "I'll try and remember the water too. Thanks for the checkup."

And with the all-clear given, Kat left the medical examination area and went off to her own examination area to finish the round of checkups for the non-biological crew members.

"Great oh and thank you for these." She'd call after Kat holding up the box. Collecting the file and taking less than 5 minutes to put things back up in the room. Kari would make way back to her office after informing her assistant that the tablets would be available to them soon.

SikstaSlathalin

10-16-2014, 01:37 AM

Siks and Arti co-op.

Lots of smokin bitches in this joint, like to get my face between that Doc's tits sometime soon. These were the thoughts rolling around the young mind of Duke Solar, new recruit for the Asst. Engineer spot on the good ship Black Star. He knew all about these lot, if you know where to look you can find anything on anyone. That bitch Kat though was one of the best and despite Duke being one of the other bests she has managed to stonewall his probes into the system.

He has always been the curious and brazen type, if he couldn't get what he wanted by demanding he would dig and claw his way to learn it. And with fortune favoring the bold all this job took was getting the old Asst. knocked up and in love...in that exact order actually. That was easy the girl was so lonely she just needed some handsome guy in charge of an illegal Tech Developer. The problem came when he had to get ahead of the second shifters and get the spot, that took some money and some blackmail gained with a clever amount of hacking.

It took a few days, but it worked and here he is in the middle of the most talked about and wealthy group of Privateers in the Quadrant, and he just needed to pick where to plant his dick and keep it there. Lots of women around even some kinky Borgs, and maybe now he could get the money he's worth. Sitting through the briefings his his glasses which he had turned into a first of it's kind personal computer. It recorded on his command, played back on his command. They were basically an extension of his own body. He even slept with them on and most of what he needed like storage devices, add-ons etc were also deeply customized and kept in his backpack.

He was used to being on the run and doing his jobs in a state of perpetual refugeeship. Despite this he took pride in keeping himself and his gear streamlined, it might've been one of reason the Captain let him join. He could organize the train-wreak that is Ekaterina Caiven Rovitz, she's very bangable for someone who barely bothers to keep themselves clean. While he'd never admit it, getting a chance to get into this chick's good graces and pants was part of the reason he joined. He's never had trouble with women, but Kat was just one of those you want to conquer, and the cocky young man would be the one to do it.

The meeting ended and Duke liked the all dollars signs he saw before him for each job. He'd get enough cash to retire at 27 and upgrade his gear to fucking cosmic levels. Maybe even get some Augs, right now he had none, all his skills came from a natural genius level intellect and practice. As everyone began leaving the Rec Room he sought out his "boss" and planned to begin charming the panties off her, but he was cock-blocked by a dataslate. He knew she was his boss, but tossing this at him like a dog dinged off the armor of his Ego. He was ready to fire off a retort, but the chick was gone, with a slight growl he plugged it into his specs. He studied most of this shit from hacking the files of the other Assistants he took care of, but might as well do it again, maybe it'll give him an in when it comes to the main files.

He had no intention of being a bitch to this chick, "boss" or not he wasn't a grunt. Following her he waited outside the Clinic, seeing about getting into the Doc's Webcam as he waited. Sadly as was the case with everything else in this base. It had so many blocks it would take him a week to get in the door even with all the access codes. It wasn't long before Kat exited the Medical area, walking up he slid the dataslate into her belts.
"Next time save us both the waste of time and just assume. I know all you can tell me to know." He clicked off his specs and pulled out some black licorice biting it.

Kat regarded Solar with a blank, expressionless face, undaunted and unimpressed by his display of outrage. She had previously lived through an exact virtual version of this more than once before. "Alright, then I'm sure you know that Griggs and T'chak are likely very pissed at you right now for suddenly taking their spot in the line. Griggs might let it pass, but T'chak will get nasty. Just saying."

It went without saying that there were other crew members on rotation that the Captain should have picked long before hiring new people. That Solar had mysteriously climbed into first spot spoke loudly to Kat as to how he managed it. And it was specifically because of the way he likely attained his position that the other second shifters would be ticked. T'chak was mean by nature and while he might not know the best code to hack a Primus 56 on a Sekur-T platform, he could hunt you down and stab you with talent and a lot of aggression.

"Still, grats on making it I guess." credit where credit was due, the Captain wasn't an idiot and the second liners weren't slouches in their craft. She took the dataslate he had returned and presented it to him again, taking the occasion to riffle through a pouch to get a simile-lollipop out and into her mouth. "But I suggest you read the fine print, I do not wish to be present if an error happens when Killbot goes ballistic after an update error in his custom head sends him on another murderous killing spree. You'll understand when you encounter him."

Solar chuckled at the mention of the other Assistants.
"You mean the gambler in debt up to his gills and the wanted war criminal with anger issues? We had a nice long talk and it was decided I deserved the chance as a young up and coming master of the cyber world to get some experience under my belt." Taking holding the licorice in his lips he rolled his eyes at the dataslate and looked down at Kat getting a look down the front of her baggy shirt, it was good to be tall sometimes.
"Thanks on the congrats, but I knew I'd get it. And I've already downloaded the whole thing to my specs, this ain't needed." Once more he put it back in her belts, but this time in the back against her ass. It was a nice ass, he couldn't wait to wreck it.
"So what'd dear old knocked up Ellie do with her office?" He asked sucking on the licorice a little.

Kat wanted to sigh, any prolonged encounter with Solar would always cause this to happen, but as with a lot in life she just ignored the urge. It was her first physical encounter with him, but it felt so deja-vu. "Sure you did. Whatever floats your boat." Ekaterina said. "If you're done and have so much time to babble, go see the Doc and get your green light." That would be an encounter Kat was sure would be entertaining in some way, Kari handled people acting like Solar did in a much more hands-on approach with the help of any nearby hard and unmovable surface.

"You'll have the evening to explore the ship. You get the early shift tomorrow. You'll clear the list from Xan and the Mechanics. If you didn't manage to alienate most of the crew by then, you'll get B clearance when I log-on."

Kat moved past him and started on her way back to engineering. The best way to handle Solar was to barely acknowledge him and ignore his antics. His need to prove himself and earn attention more often than not turns him into an efficient worker for a while before his juvenile behavior and ego take over once again.

Duke chuckled around his candy watching Kat walk away, small but she had the right number of curves that moved nicely. He would listen to her this time, might as well see if there were easier waters to cast his lure into before putting it in the white well of Kat. If rumors were true she did most of her work nearly naked in her little room, that would be a fun place to see about getting into.

"Whatever Freebird, I'll be sure to "see" you later." He chuckled making a wolf whistle knowing it would eventually get to her and break the shell of protection she built up around herself from life, before turning around and heading for the Clinic.

Kat ignored the overgrown boy and focused her mind on more important things, like packing for this mission. Already having flashes of his reaction should Kat ever actually dress nicely, like for the casino mission. Not even sure how she would handle BEING dressed nicely, or forced into having to go dressed nicely, she's quite clueless to the whole "look nice" part of being a girl. But she was smart and she'd figure it out.

Sinderella

10-16-2014, 11:53 PM

Co-Post with Siks:
Racer and Syran

“Well you want to be on this mission? Means you got to see me before we leave.”

Syran grumbled, her attention averting to the floor as she took another swig from the bottle in hand. She rolled her head around her shoulders, cracking her neck as a sigh parted past her lips. Her nose twitched in response, completely disgruntled by the fact that she’d have to hit the clinic before they headed off on the mission.

She leaned over to the Mong, voice a hushed whisper. “She just wants to stab me with a needle. Don’t let ‘er fool ya’.” she muttered, casting a sideways glance in the direction of Kari.

“Surely you'd want to pick up a certain Blue Whiskey bottle I got for you”

This caught Syran’s attention and had her nearly falling out of her chair as she strained her neck in the direction of the Doctor. Surely she had heard wrong, a Blue Whiskey bottle? There was no way. She recalled a time the two had shared a drink of such after a mission; this was all before Sy had been shot up with Yellow Fever. She rather enjoyed that whiskey.

She coughed and cleared her throat as her tongue flashed across her parted lips in a rush. Sy bit down on her lower lip, nibbling it in contemplation. “Maybe she’ll let me drink some before she stabs me, Race Car.” She hopefully said before the Capt’n started in on the upcoming missions.

“Maybe mon, Racer will give ya a drink if she don’t.” The Mong said watching the Doctor, not being too keen on needles himself. He was a Tang Mong and was often shot up with rabies shots which he thought was rather rude, but let it slide every time. Kari would be giving him more rabies shots no doubt.

Syran listened to Togga, attention focused on the projector as images shot across her line of vision. The maps that popped up sent a shiver along her spine and she bared her teeth in a smile.

Time seemed to slowly tick by with each passing slide. Syran lifted the bottle in hand and polished it off with one final drink, and then turned to set it on the floor at her feet. Stretching her arms above her head she yawned and debated getting up and grabbing another bottle.

“Racer taking over the Asst. Navigator spot,” Sy perked up, confused at first and then elated. She’d finally have someone outside of Talia to converse with while navigating. This also meant she would be able to drink and force Racer to steer. She grinned.

"Oh tally me banana, look like we be partners Sy."

“You just can’t get enough of me, monkey man! And I certainly can’t get rid of you now.” She returned his smile.

Racer’s worry faded in the face of Sy’s excitement and smile. “Well you be Racer’s drinkin’ buddy, of course he can’t stay away.” He gave the woman a firm hug.

“So what we be doin’ now?” He asked looking at her with a slightly dim look, he couldn’t remember the last time he’s done a mission and wasn’t even sure he had nice enough clothes for the Sierra Madre.

“We drink and pack!” She shouted, returning the half hug as she twirled in a circle. “Let’s make a drinkin’ game out of it, yes? Maybe we’ll find another fortunate soul to pull into our madness!” She laughed and watched as some of the crew dispersed and frowned suddenly.

“Hm, Kitty cat,” she murmured, then shook her head and flashed another smile at Racer. “Let’s get goin’, man!”

Racer wasn’t sure who Kitty Cat was, but liked Sy’s idea to make the packing a drinking game, their rooms were close enough together to make it work, he just didn’t know what to pack.

“Hmm Racer be likin’ the drinkin’ idea mon, but he don’t know what to pack. He ain’t never been on a big mission.” The Monkey man frowned slightly, but hoped she would be able to help him.

“Just pack the basics, Race Car. Throw in some sort of formal attire, whatever that means.” She answered with a nod as they walked down the stairs that led to the dorms level.

She twitched her nose and contemplated the game they would be playing. “Hmm, le’see,” she murmured, “I got it! Whoever packs the best and quickest wins? Loser has to hand over their top bottle from their private stash. No rules. Distractions may be applied. After all, all’s fair in booze and war.” She giggled lightly, before lifting her index finger to her forehead and did a half ass salute to the Mong. “May the best drunk win!”

She slammed a hand against the panel at her door and it slid open. Pausing momentarily, she glanced back at Racer. “Collect your shit, get it here and we’ll start!”

Sy slipped past the open door and into her quarters. Immediately she adjusted the overhead light settings to a faint dim and brushed her goggles to the top of her head and off. Sighing, she stretched her back and rolled her shoulders, mentally preparing and thinking of how she planned to win the game. She’ll be damned if she lost her best bottle, and to Racer of all people, hmph. She refused to let that happen.

She dropped her goggles on her night side desk and turned her attention to the closet. Emerald and silver optics rolled across its contents briefly, before she stepped forward and withdrew her luggage case. Tossing it on her mattress, she unzipped it and stopped suddenly. Turning around, she swayed over to one her shelving units, fiddled with an old time disc player and within seconds, White Zombie’s ‘More Human than Human,’ began to blast through its petite speakers.

Sashaying back to her bed, she curled up beside her empty suitcase as she waited for Racer to return. “Monkey man better hurry,” she muttered.

With a nod to his drinking buddy, the Tang Mong walked to his room which conveniently was right next to Sy’s. He wasn’t sure how they managed to do that particular bit of location placement since most of the crew liked the first sub level rooms. Pressing his large hand against the panel his door slid open Star Trek style (even with the sound effect). Racer’s room was a fortress of Mongatude, the floor was full of chaotic clutter, the walls with pegs and platforms built into it so he could reach his stuff, and nets hanging from every inch of the ceiling. On the floor were souvenirs from his journeys around the galaxy as a Bounty Hunter, mementos from Skillo, and the weapons he loved to carry back in the day. A beautifully well-kept blue guitar, a blue plasma shotgun, a silver Colt MKIV pistol, and an ancient styled weapon called a double voulge. He would be packing those as well, but for now all he needed was some clothes and the means to tease and distract Sy.

His room was built upside down some could say, whilst his closet was on the ground, he used it for unimportant things just like he did the floor, they were full of clothes, logbooks, normal books, boxes and bags. The rest of his furniture was hanging from the ceiling made of strong Tang Mong ropes. His hammock, a few storage nets where he put his best clothes and personal effects, and a larger hammock for when he has “guests”. Now the walls were mostly bare, a Tang-Mong national flag of a black Mong hand reaching to the turquoise blue sky with an open palm, a pin-up calendar of Mong models in various sensual poses and a large built into the wall safe where the Mong’s best alcohol was kept along with some religious items. Now the alcohol is rare Mong-Lang rum called the “Tears of Jah”. Only used for important occasions like births, deaths, marriages of Troop leaders etc. He debated bringing it out, sure the bet was their best drink, but the Tears of Jah was more a religious artifact than a drink and it would be somewhat sacrilegious to just bet it off-hand like that.

He had plenty of less holy water to bet with more MystiRum, Laughing Monkey Whiskey, Rare Red Fruit Wine, and a few others. In the end he went with Laughing Monkey Whiskey since he remembered how much Sy liked Whiskey. Grabbing the bottle from his food and drink net he dropped to the floor and picked up his clean clothes along with a single beat-to- hell khaki suitcase and a gunny sack. He also grabbed the guitar….just in case. With all his items in hand and in tail he returned to Sy’s room hearing the blasting loud music from the hall. The door was already opened so he just walked in and dropped the case on Sy’s desk and piled his clothes on the chair and desk smiling at the woman tuning his instrument a little.

“Racer be ready mon. So how we do dis? You go first and I try to distract you? Or we both go and distract each other?”

Her lips pursed and her forehead knitted together as she thought on that. “Uhm...” she hadn’t planned it through properly and that fact alone bothered her. She always planned things to a T. She hummed, biting down on the flesh of her inner left cheek. “I ‘unno…”

After a moment, she jerked up. “Aha!” She twisted back on her bed, turning to face the wall that the frame had been pressed up against and slid open the cover to a panel. She tapped a few keys and waited as the password was processed and accepted. The door to the safe opened with a gentle woosh and she furrowed her brow once more in indecisiveness.

Reaching into the open cabinet, she withdrew two bottles. One was for her bet and the other… well that was for thinking. She closed the panel, waited for it to re-lock with a click and scooted back to the edge of her bed. “So’z no one can get to it without my knowin’,” she said and dropped one bottle onto the sheets and opened the other.

Bending forward, she put her nose to the mouth of the glass and inhaled the deep scent of the tequila. “Mmm…” Eyes rolled to the back of her head and her lashes fluttered delicately. “Now this is gonna be good.”

She lifted the bottle, closed her lips around the mouth if it and tilted her head back. After one long drink she paused momentarily, held the bottle to Racer in offering and began to think. “No more than three minutes, Monkey Man. You go first. You try packin’ without my help the best to your ability and I’ll rate you afterwards. I suppose we should have found someone to be the referee… “

Racer took the bottle and sipped it enjoying the burn as it went down his throat. Shaking his head lightly he put the top back on the bottle and went over to Sy’s desk bringing his stuff over and taking up the other end of her bed.

“Well, what good would a ref be? You said no rules so why we be needin’ one? Racer just say if it all fits and looks nice dat person wins” Lifting his com bracelet he squinted at the little dial and set it to go off in three minutes. He pulled his bet from one of his bags and dropped it besides Sy’s offering. He had no other issue with what was said and set the alarm before he began sorting his clothing out and placing it in his case moving as quick as his drunken monkey hands could.

“A ref would keep us uneven. Even numbers are too… biased.” With her attention set on the Mong, the corner of her mouth twitched as she began to form ideas on how to distract and distress the poor man. This was after all, what friends did to one another, right? They were friends, very very old friends.

Syran stood from the bed, sauntering over to Racer’s back and rested her chin atop his shoulder. Her hands twisted around his waist, fingertips dancing across the cloth of the open vest that sheathed him briefly from her touch. Her smile widened and she tilted her head inwards so that her mouth was but a whisper from the crook of his throat.

“You’re not really gonna beat poor ‘ol Sy, are ya? Race Car? I need those bottles.” She sighed against his neck as her nails gently traced between the fabrics of the vest.

Fingers dug into the hair that coated him and tugged suddenly before releasing their grip. Shifting her body along the side of his, Syran wiggled herself between the Tang Mong and her bed. She pressed the line of her body firmly against his as her arms snaked up around his neck. She knew she shouldn’t have done it, but she wanted -- no she needed that booze. She stared at him for a moment with a smile, before leaning up and tracing her mouth across his furry jaw line. “Racer…” she sighed, laying it on rather thick.

Racer had been focusing well on it, but he underestimated what Sy would do to distract him. He was expecting her to start off with a strip-tease or something, not right into seduction. His hands moved to her back and held her up. He gave her a kiss then winked and ducked under her arms and jumped onto the foot board going back to packing.

“Oh you be breakin’ out da big guns huh? Well you’ll need more den dat to get ole Racer.”

She laughed and her eyes shone bright with humor. “M’hmm,” she managed through the laughter. With a cock of her head, she sashayed over to the dresser right before her closet and beneath her shelving. Tapping her fingers against the wood of the chest, she threw a glance to the side before pulling it open and shifting through the drawer’s contents. “Race Car, I’m not sure what to pack for formal wear… what is that, anyways?”

While she waited for him to respond she scrunched her nose quickly, before withdrawing a scantily piece of fabric. Sy never wore the pieces of lingerie that Talia deemed fitting to always have on hand and she never understood their purpose, either. Why would any woman want to wear something so… She shook her head and looked it over.

“Race… Do you think that this would be formal enough?” She didn’t think the piece would be a distraction in the slightest, the man probably saw enough of them to last three lifetimes. She shifted and turned around to face him. Holding the open front emerald green baby doll up to her frame; the piece had spaghetti straps and the bodice was made completely of lace.

She pictured how it would look on her. The underwire cups molding to her chest and the idea of herself spilling out forced a light blush to warm her face. The material would cling just under her arms and the open front would billow out and cascade to her hips. Her cheeks reddened deeper at the thought of it revealing more than it would conceal. Why had Talia thought Syran needed clothing like this?

She quickly snapped out of her thoughts and couldn’t get rid of the material fast enough. She threw it, forcing it away from her and somehow managing to chuck it straight for Racer’s face. Her hands rushed up to slap over her own face as she hid her eyes from his reaction.

Racer couldn’t help but stop and look at the outfit, he’s been with females from all kinds of races, and some made sense... others were the results of too much of certain controlled substances. Either way, Sy was one of the most beautiful and always being one of a good imagination, combined with that one time where he showed her the tail trick, it set the Monkey Man staring and didn’t even notice when she threw the bit of lingerie at him.

It landed squarely on his face and so distracted was he, that it caused him to hoot out in surprise and fall from his perch on her bed fighting with the silky little thing. He was making good time and was almost done with his packing, but this surprise attack took up the remainder of his time and his com dinged signaling his three minutes were up.

“Oh you be gettin’ it now girl.” Racer laughed rolling to his feet and pulling the nightie off his face.

Hands spread across her face and she peeked out at him with her right eye through the gap between her pinky and ring fingers. She watched him tumble to the ground and flail beneath the touch of the fabric. The sight of him swatting and warring with the particle of clothing had her doubled over in hysterical laughter. Curling her arms against her stomach, she gripped her sides as an ache formed from laughing so hard.

Finally managing to catch her breath, Syran moved over to Racer and glanced in his suitcase. The lack thereof of clothing threw her into another fit of laughter. She had this win… in the bag… literally.

“Hey, that was an accident, but it worked wonders.” she chuckled, shaking her head at him.

Racer stuck his tongue out at her before tossing the sexy little thing at her.

“Yea, yea, Racer don’t remember you wearin’ dat last time we was in here.” He winked at the woman before he finished packing his stuff and tossed the case onto the floor looking at Sy. He set his watch and smirked at the woman. “Go.”

She pondered for a moment and then twirled over to her closet. Bending forward, she rummaged through the items it held and came away with a handful of clothing. It consisted mainly of her normal uniform around the ship, a couple pairs of pants and a few form-fitting shirts in an assortment of colors.

Tossing them over at her bag, she turned and pulled a few other pieces of feminine nightwear that Talia had forced upon her. She hadn’t planned to wear them, but figured if Racer was distracted as much as he had been by the one, that maybe this would suppress his retaliation while she claimed victory. She walked to her bed, placed them atop the other clothing and crawled onto the mattress.

Reaching over and inputting her password into her safe again, the door flew open and she yanked out a few more bottles of booze. She’d be set for a day or three. Get real. Okay, she would be set for half a day, maybe a day if she were lucky. Placing them at the bottom of her suitcase, she found the already open bottle of tequila they started and popped it open taking a swig. Dropping it back into the chaotic mess that was her bed now, she began folding her clothing.

Racer watched crouched on the chair by the bed; his tactics would be just as underhanded if not more so. Sneaking his tail around, he began tickling Sy’s neck slowly remembering her tickle spots.

Syran tensed at the contact and without a second thought, she stopped what she was doing, grabbed hold of the tickling tail and twisted it around her hand. She flashed Racer a sideways glance before she applied pressure to her grasp, shifted, and yanked hard.

Racer’s tail was used to this and he simply spun to the ground freed his tail and changed his position to the headboard behind her giving a hooting chuckle. “Hmm so violent Sy-ya.”

Syran frowned at the Monkey, nose twitching at the way he said her name. “I’mma shove a banana down your throat.” she muttered before returning to folding.

Racer laughed from behind her and snuck his tail along her waist slowly. Jumping down, he began rubbing her back, hands slowly moving along her back as his tail snuck around her jeans.

“Boy, I’m goin’ to dock your tail in your sleep if'n you keep it up.” She folded another shirt and shuffled two steps to the right and then spun to swat him upside the head. She refused to lose face, refused to lose her alcohol. Every last drop was nectar of the Gods; why would she ever let it leave her possession?

Racer moved to turn his head so he could lick her hand, before his tail moved up and began tickling her nose.

“Oh all be fair in love an alcohol Sy-ya.”

“It’s booze and war, ya goob!” she laughed and her features puckered after he began tickling her nose. Her body tensed and her shoulders hunched over as she inhaled sharply and squeaked out a sneeze. Closing her eyes, she sighed gently before swatting his tail away.

“Stop that, damn you,” she sneezed once again and the sound of Racer’s timer rang out in echo.

Racer laughed seeing his plans worked and Sy hadn’t finished packing either. Jumping over her head he landed next to her and kissed her on the lips.

“Look we be tyin’ Sy-ya, split da difference?” He asked picking up the two bottles, smiling.

“I suppose so, Race Car.” she said with a nod. She hadn’t lost. They tied. Simple as that. She would walk away with her bottle, and that’s what mattered.

Racer smiled retrieving two glasses as Sy finished packing. “Well dat be fun, Racer be likin’ how you pack Sy-ya.”

“Booze, booze and oh, wait, s’more booze?” she chuckled and flashed him a smile. Ignoring that he had two glasses and grabbing at the already opened bottle of tequila, Syran took a deep swig once, twice, three times before rubbing the back of her hand across her mouth. “Ain’t no one got time for glasses anymo’, man.”

Taking another drink, she recapped the bottle, dropped it on the bed again and began to finish up packing. “I need to remember to pick somethin’ formal up. Capt’n’ll have my head if I fail that…”

Racer laughed putting the glasses down and helped himself to the tequila and opened Sy’s bottle first then his own. He handed her the Laughing Monkey Whiskey, then took a swig of Sy’s offering letting the burn fill his mind causing him to laugh some more and sat on Sy’s bed.

“Racer be helpin wit dat! Sy-ya is very pretty and her smooth pale skin and dark hair would look best with dark solid color like red or green. And Racer be thinking strapless for you.” He nodded drinking her drink some more.

She took the bottle he held out, raised it to her nose and sniffed. Making a face, she hesitantly took a drink and gulped it down. “Not bad, Race. You’ve been holdin’ out on me.” Zipping up the now filled luggage, she pulled it from the bed beside him and it landed on the ground in a thump.

“I swear I over pack. I always buy it all while I’m out, and then come back with twice as much shit.” She said in a huff and rolled it to the side of her door. “Red? You want Sysy to look like a Christmas tree there, Monkey Man?”

Racer laughed sipping from Sy’s bottle shaking his head. “No Racer be wantin’ Sy-ya to show off her beauty. And he thinks red will do dat.”

“Uhmmhm,” she murmured and snatched the bottle of Tequila. Dropping to the floor before the bed, she took a long drink and curled her legs under her in Indian style. Drumming her free hand against her thigh, she hummed.

Racer rolled to his tummy and scooted to the edge of the bed placing his hands on Sy’s shoulders. “Racer be right mon.”

Syran attempted to swat the Tang Mong's hands away and failed, managing to slap herself in the face instead. "Ow," she whined and bent forward, head dropping in her hands as she shook it. "Mmf."

Her body seemed to suddenly weigh more, head throbbing and not from the slap either. Her eyes drooped heavily and she mumbled something beneath her breath incoherently. She was so tired all of a sudden…

Racer held his friend up as she drifted off to sleep. With a smile he moved to the floor and cradled her a little. He knew Sy was a solid drunk, but maybe this time was different. “Sy-ya?” He asked nudging her a little.

She could feel him support her. Could hear him say her name questioning. She just couldn't respond. She hadn't slept well earlier, dreams and nightmares had plagued her, even after waking. Sy hadn't ever mentioned either to anyone, having been dealing with them since she was little; she just figured one day she would grow out of them. When the reality set in years later that they wouldn't relinquish their hold, she left her mother's ship and took to drinking... a lot.

Syran shifted and her body curled into her friends hold. Breathing heavy, she whimpered twice and then was out cold.

Getting no response, Racer slipped his arms under Sy’s shoulders and legs lifting her up. Carrying the woman bridal style, he was sure she was just super tired and a good rest would do her worlds of good. Moving to her door her lifted her goggles from her nightstand with his tail and slipped them on over her eyes. The Clinic was painfully bright and Sy would need those.

Pressing her limp hand against the panel it opened and they exited the room and he began carrying her to the Clinic. It wasn’t too far a walk, and Racer was happy to help a friend.

Humming softly to himself, he arrived in the Clinic and placed Sy in an empty examining room. He gave her a kiss on the head and left the room. He stumbled to the reception counter and rang the bell before he stumbled over and passed out on the couch in the waiting room. One long arm slung over the arm of the couch and his other arm and right leg were draped over the edge and to the floor.

wakachukie

10-17-2014, 01:55 AM

Michael spun his chair towards the door and swung his large legs out from beneath. Eyeing Karin as she made her announcement and then 'Kat, Michael sent off the droids to retrieve the food from the room. Waving at the Doctor, He got up.

"Might as well get this over with. Have some things to attend to before lunch."

Weaving his way back and forth between stationary bodies and long hard limbs, Michael slipped through the thickening crowd of crew members gathered in the Rec room with little effort other than startling a few of the touchier trigger-fingered members as he jolted past them. Reaching the entryway, Michael swiftly palmed the door release and escaped through the door just before anyone else could get out. In the momentary freedom, Michael swiftly snatched a droid from his shoulder and rapidly punched in a very specific control sequence with a blur. Hearing steps approaching the other side of the door, Michael stabbed the execute button and threw the ball down the hall and rebounding with a clang off the corner before it could be seen. Now all he had to do was stall for roughly 93 seconds.

Opening the door after knocking for an all clear in the patient room. Kari would come in to lock the door with a small ball in her hand. Bouncing it in the air with the one hand while the other set down his file that seemed a little thicker than usual. "So want to explain this?" The Doctor would ask with a smirk on her face. "You and I have much to talk about..concerning you and the food plans for this long series of missions on the ship." Placing the ball in her lap coat would she motion for Michael to sit down.

Michael's large mouth lifted in a heartfelt grin, his eyes twinkling in the light as he saw the droid. Ponderously lowing himself to the plastic chair - which Michael was seriously worried about breaking due to his weight, he looked back at the doctor.

"Indeed we do. I need to find out what allergies or special needs to be locked into the crew's food choices. Weight control, religious diets, that sort of thing. We recently installed the last few components for one of those fancy replicators - which is why I need to leave shortly. Perhaps you already thought ahead and gathered the data I need?" Pointing at the thick ream of paper she was holding. "Actually, are there are there any recipes in particular you want for the trip? Now would be the best time as I can still get fresh ingredients from planetside to make new things."

His head tipped over to the side a bit, " and I see you found my little messenger. I sent it to look at something fast and return to me. Hopefully it didn't hit you and spill any water on its electronics?"
"Well as I'm glad to hear about the updates. I meant mostly about you, the nutritional needs I have mostly prepared as is." She would smile while checkinghis blood pressure and heart beat. "Oh no your little friend didn't even reach the end of the hall. I managed to grab it before anyone was able to step on him and risk a fall." Releasing his wrist would the woman mark a few things down. "So we going to talk about the curious blood sample of yours or not?"

Looking up into his eyes "you know..the one I got from your blood directly from last I stitched you up? "

Michael considered just grabbing the droid from her pocket, but decided to wait and see how things played out for now. Who knew? She could be helpful eventually... as long as there was no threat. He almost smirked in contempt as the fingers and devices ran over him. Michael gave a light smile while the doctor responded about the nutrition and the droid. Mission Accomplished - though the results of this checkup would raise some warning signs. Such primitive techniques. It was quite pitiful really, but who could blame someone in her position?

Then she dropped her bomb and Michael's mind raced. Direct blood sample? Impossible! If his skin were ever pierced, the spray resulting from his ultra-pressurized veins would emit a powerful jet of the corrosive venom he had running through his veins until he healed. Had he been cut through his ever-present armor without noticing it?

Calming down, Michael considered while she was looking up. 'from last I stitched you up' she had said. He was the Cook. Granted, he liked to rush into combat, but the Captain seemed to have an avoidance for sending him into the fun battles. Wait... there had been a brawl in the Kitchen a while back. With a smirk Michael remembered bodily lifting three different crew-members out of a dog pile and heaving through the wall.

Some of their blood had gotten on him from the fight (he could remember cleaning and polishing the armor that night) and... Oh yeah. She had seen the blood, thought it was his, and called him to the Medical Office.

"Curious? What's wrong with my old blood sample? I mean, We never had problems before, and I haven't gotten sick." Her facial expression then turned more serious.

"You didn't get sick..but I had to quickly tear off my gloves and shirt as soon as I noticed the corrosive bubbling eating though the gloves and beginning on the sleeves of my shirt where only a few drops were from where I had a small spurt come out while in midst of the stitching. Hence why I had it tested you sneaky devil you.

Before he could say anything or get too alarmed Kari would raise her hand up, showing she wasn't done and to hear her out.

"No one else knows....I was alone when I noticed this thankfully and have examined your blood solely by myself. If you don't want to tell me about it then fine...but I do need to make sure we have a serum, rub, or something on hand just in case this happens again. I would love to work with you on this...but of course it's up to you."

Her hands then folded over her chest from where she stood a few feet away from him.

A small spurt? Michael quivered with shame and denial. It could not be! Any proper O'ouu Soldier would laugh as their blood destroyed their attacker, and even a lowly Worker would have more than 'a small spurt'. He was weak. Your time away has hurt you. Return to Mitsuqes.

As soon as Kari mentioned that she was the only one who knew, Michael tensed. It would be so easy. No. Michael snapped back; he would not give in to the temptation. The droids could do her job, and she'd be easily replaced. No. Thou shall not kill. You could consume her and gain both her skill and knowledge. You could unlock your genes without oversight. I can do that just as easily with her help. NO. There would be no witnesses. I and S’Juiis would know. NO.

"Michael, are you alright?" Kari would ask as she noticed a change in body language. Quickly placing a device on his chest would it begin to flash to each heart beat. "Michael...you need to calm down."

Fighting back the inner hungers, Michael struggled to focus, his tensed claws raking chunks of metal out of the chair as his breathing pulsed in deep huffs. Barely, just barely was he able to hold back the rage and calm down. Kari would hopefully never know what had almost just happened. The crisis averted, Michael now recalled the conversation and decided to make an unwise, impulsive decision.

The medical chair now damaged by his claws she was about ready to give him an injection that would force him to relax. But with luck the flashing of his heartbeat began to slow soon as she reached into a nearby cupboard. Slowly would she retract her hand, hiding the small device within her closed palm to slip into her coat pocket.

"There is .... a reason I avoided this for so long. As you saw, there are certain ... dangers that are inherent to meddling with our, my tissues. I have no wish for my squad, my ... friends, to become endangered through the tests. This is to protect them from accidents and myself from spies.

You could possibly help, and I have no doubt to your skill in what you know. But I fear that we are ill equipped in even this facility to handle what I must face ahead. Do you still wish to know? If you are prepared, I will answer what I can."

Removing the device from his chest as he spoke, Kari would set it aside and look up at him. "Yes I still wish to know and help you. But let me make it clear you're severely underestimating me and my abilities. What did you think would happen after I discovered the truth of your blood? I have spent the last six months working on the sample while I can. I had to before even bringing this up to you." Resting a hand on his forearm she'd give him a warm look. "I brought what's needed to continue here if you wish. Though you will be seeing Rockford as a part of this, that's not an option either Mr."

While he said this Michael debated how much to tell, how much to change, and how much to ignore. He had a fallback option that would work over time, but for now he was growing slightly curious how much he could learn before it became necessary to implement that fail-safe. now that he had actually spoken aloud to another. And now there was another complication. Rockford. His culture told him to remove the threat of information leaking out. ... but it also taught him to do other unacceptable acts for which he had left.

"I am a specialist in alien anatomy and physiology, along with medical cybernetics. Hell had to to even consider coming here those five years ago. I suggest you take some time to think about this and how you want to take this. In the least you need to work with me on creating something to protect the rest of the ship if your blood was spilled."

Scribbling a few things on her files that came with the woman to begin with. Kari would then motion that he could stand. "Tell Rivet I need him to get me a new chair in here from storage please. Otherwise you have a clean bill of health from what my readings can give out. I'll stop by later to work out the replicator for our needed diets." Looking up at his towering stature would Kari press a finger to his chest. "I expect you back here no more than two days after we began our mission to talk further with me. Have a pleasant evening Michael."

Michael got up, looked with agast at the tears through the metal, and summoned a droid to take the required message. Looking over his shoulder at her pocket, Michael smiled again. Well, there was some good of this. Now off to those replicators!

When the chef left the hospital, Kari would have stopped by to Rockford's office. Knocking before entering where he was looking over a few things. "Hello Kari, something you need?" He would ask, setting his pen down. Swiveling his chair to face the woman that him and others took enjoyment seeing for various reasons. "Yes Rockford, our chef will be in need of you it seems... Michael's visit was...quite interesting to say the least." She'd then go on to explain behind closed doors the incident a few minutes prior where the chef seemed to be in his own world with a quickly rising heartbeat.

"I see I see...." Rockford would press his fingers together to a point under his chin in thought. "I'll get him in here once a week to start then and give his file a closer look. Thanks so much for letting me know Karina." With a nod she would let him get back to his work, knowing he probably has a few people to see already at some point of their stay here. Going back to her office next door to remove the odd ball from one coat pocket. "Hmmm so then just what were you out and about for?" Deciding to place it in a small heavy metal box then place such in the bottom of an empty metal file cabinet that came forth from the wall by mean of pressing a small circular button beside it's location.

There the device would be safe until she could get to it...thinking she may have to have their engineer's help. But such could wait for now after all.

Sinderella

10-18-2014, 03:40 AM

Tri-Post with Setsa and Koti:
Karina, Shinkei, Rockford and Syran

Ears flicking at the ringing bell, Rockford looked up from his papers, giving out a small sigh of minor annoyance. He was plenty happy with filling out the paperworks, but someone was in need of attention. Seeing that the ringing had ended, he slipped from his chair, folding the curious medical folder and heading out, making a short and quick trip to the front desk.

“He…. Racer?” Rockford asked as he peered over the counter, a few seconds later catching a very strong whiff of alcohol coming from the monkeyman. Another sigh rolled out of him as he headed over, checking out the Tang Mong with a disgruntled sigh. He was thankful that the man was passed out drunk, but would have to find a way to move him to another room soon. First would be to get the man back on his feet, and went to get an iv stand and some B-12, to help deal with the inevitable hangover.

He was halfway to the supply shed when his nose picked up on a second, and much stronger scent. Peering into the empty examination room, he felt both a frown and smile form on his face. Picking up his pace, he re-entered his room, picking up the oddball folder he had been working over, and heading over to Dr. Kari’s room.

“Doctor Kari, I have a few things I wish to discuss with you real quick.” Rockford spoke.

Rubbing her temple she had seen a few others since her conversation with Michael. Her work never was easy though the rewards seemed to help keep the balance scale tipped towards the better. She had thought she heard someone coming in prior, and perhaps a ring of the bell. But hearing Rockford’s voice had her at ease figuring the issue was being handled. That being up until he came to her directly.

“Sure Rockford, what did you want to talk about my good friend? Also...did I hear the bell ring a few minutes ago? Was it someone coming in to be seen?”

“Well, of a degree.” Rockford spoke as he entered the room, giving her polite nod and a smile.

“We had two people come in, Racer and Syran. They’re both stone cold passed out, so I was thinking of hooking them up with some B-12 and let them recover a bit.” He spoke politely, before handing her a file.

“Secondly, I found something rather interestingly odd. Shinkei, our new mechanic, apparently hasn’t had a check up within a year.” He spoke with a curious tone in his voice.

Sitting upright as he first mention the two names, then standing up straight to receive the file Rockford handed over. Kari opened and gave the few pages a quick once over. “Go ahead and be a dear to give Racer and Syran the IVs. But do not let them leave the both still need to be seen and Sy needs to get that new liquid in her I had messaged you about few months ago. Finally got it just where it needs to be for her body’s blood and alcohol make up.”

Handing the file back to her assistant she’d then have a smile form on her lips that was more than just cheery. “Put that file in room 3 for me please. Looks like I’m going Shinkei hunting now… Do stick around I may need your help with these three.”

Hugging the coon quickly, Kari would remove her fresh white lab coat. Having needed to change that and her attire after a vomit incident that splattered on her some earlier. Some people still couldn’t stand to watch her take their blood… Yet had no problem killing. Taking a quick pace out of the clinic, she was dressed in a shirt pink skirt that rested mid thigh. A lighter white halter top to match that had a lovely keyhole to show enough cleavage to keep some of these guys focused on such while she snuck a sample or gave a shot. Making straight to the mechanic where she hoped if luck was on her side. Shin. would be busy and somewhat distracted.

Syran grunted in her sleep, her body adjusting and turning every which way on the patient examination table. There was a metal stand to the right of the petite bed, with medical supplies and tools sprawled atop its surface in a chaotic clutter. She rotated towards that table, and the upcoming scene could have been predicted by any onlooker. With lack of room, Syran’s body twisted and rolled closer to the edge for a brief second before she rolled right off the table completely.

Her head slammed against the small stand and caused it to wheel back abruptly. Her body dropped and crashed to the floor in a thud and the only sign of her being phased by the moment came in the form of a low groan. Still passed out cold, she curled over into a ball and circled her arms around her knees, drawing them closer to her chest unconsciously.

Rockford bolted from where he had placed Racer and entered the room, shaking his head quickly.

“Honestly, I’m surprised if her body isn’t pure alcohol by this point.. Might as well make her comfy.” Rockford spoke, grabbing a pillow from the table and sliding it under her head before getting her set up with the IV, thankful the girl was still passed out.

Shinkei was working away on the task given to her by Xan, aghast to the ravenous piles of junk and parts scattered around the room. She had started quickly, the music playing through her holospecs as she ran and tested as many pieces as she could, sorting the good from the bad.

“Honestly, how the hell did this ship stay in one piece?” She asked herself aloud, throwing out the latest photos generator and flicking through a few blown fuses that had rolled back to her. She felt her stomach give a slight growl before sitting down, starting on a rather large grimstar warp, mainly used for cleaning and regulating the water systems.

Nodding to a few that were passing by, pressing a finger to her lips for silence being only a few feet away from the entrance. Kari would wait for the hallway to be clear except for herself before taking a peek around the edge.

She seems rather busy….good. Just keep that music going…..

Slowly did Kari work to approach Shinkei, her back turned to the entrance from where she was sitting. Giving the Doctor a slight advantage that she wasn’t hesitating to take in aid to her efforts. Waiting for the girl to set down the grimstar warp on the table so it couldn’t be used as a reflex weapon. Grabbing the back of her seat would Kari spin the girl around clockwise quickly. Sticking her left leg out to meet with her own legs to stop her potential spinning momentum. Now face to face would the woman rest her hands just over the knees of the new mechanic.

“Hello Shinkei, I’m Karina. Most however just call me Kari...few even say Doctor Kari.” A smile would return to her face. “Shall we have a quick chat? Say… in the clinic..now? I haven’t had the pleasure of getting to know you yet...and I got a file with your name on it saying you haven’t been seen in a year.”

Shinkei sat a moment after being spun so quickly, a bit surprised as she was now face to face with Karina, the new doctor. She blinked, the music from the speakers dying out quickly as she began to speak. She felt her eyes flick a minute second as she looked around the room, trying to find a reason to escape.

While she personally had no dislikes of doctors or their jobs, she was not one for doctor places or surgical areas. She swallowed as she reached a hand up, stopping the music and releasing the holospecs to collapse back into their holders.

“S.sure, I would be happy to do that, and I have reason.” She spoke softly, feinting a small smile.

“Reason huh? Well alright I’m all ears.” Before she would mutter much in a way of words. Karina would put her shoulder against Shinkei’s core. There being reason for having her hands at her knees prior. Such revealed now as the girl would be hoisted up and over the Doctor’s right shoulder like a live sack of potatoes.

“You can explain it to me on the way. Squirm and I have no problem spanking you. Nothing personal but I’ve seen that look in your eyes far too many times hun.”

Turning around would the two head back to the hallway. Kari having a firm grip with both arms to assure her patient was safe and secure.

“So, reason..we got about 15 minutes walk let’s hear it.”

“He-!” Shinkei let out a surprised grunt as she was bodily lifted onto Kari’s right shoulder, now mentally cursing her small size and weight. She felt herself turn beet red as she was hauled out of her room, feeling completely foolish as she was threatened with the act of being spanked. Giving out a sigh, she knew that she was getting this done no matter what.

“I … had a rather bad experience with hospitals and doctors.” She spoke, giving an absent minded roll of her robotic arm as she tried to adjust to a more comfortable position.

Taking enough of a pause to set the girl back on her own two feet. She’d wrap her arm around Shin’s real, unaltered arm to keep them both moving side by side. “Yea I saw in your report briefly hun… A tragic was to have it happened but all things have a silver lining believe me. Now I know what I am doing with cybernetic things so don’t you worry I’ll take good care of you dear.”

Giving her a brief one arm hug as the two walked before re-wrapping her arm around her patient’s own. “So let’s begin shall we? Any odd or troublesome been going on with that arm of yours? When was the last honest time you had any parted updated or such?”

“Uh.. hm… Last update was 2 months ago. Swapped out for a more long lasting battery and a sturdier oil holder for the torch. Nothing to wrong, though I could use some oil. The fingers have a slight problem with stretching out, maybe a … second or two delay.” She spoke, giving a bit of a shake as they entered the Clinic.

“Ok...well any warm sensations then? On the arm or shoulder itself? Odd coloring spot on the synthetic skin?” Kari would ask upon entering the clinic. Moving down to interlace Shin’s fingers with her own holding hands. “I got you...I keep my promises don’t worry. Just you and me now alright?” Karina would give a wink to try and bring out a smile while heading across the waiting room to the hallway they were using as exam room for the time.

Syran stirred awake, lashes fluttering beneath her goggles and pools of silver and emerald rolling. Her lips parted with a moan of pain and she lifted her head. Terrible, terrible idea. “Oh god…” she groaned, eyes finally opening. “Wh…What…Where the hell am I!?”

She jerked up and had to pause as pain throbbed at the back of her head. What the hell? She felt like she got hit by a truck... And then it hit her, the rush of familiarity. She was in the clinic.

She forced herself to ignore the pounding headache and thought back to what happened before she woke. She remembered the meeting, the drinking, and the game. Racer. “That fucking traitor!” she seethed and suddenly noticed the IV hooked up to her. “Oh no. No. No. No.” She wrapped her hand around the tubing, gripped it tight and yanked.

She cringed, gasping at the roughness in her removal of it and the burning pang that began to build at the bend of her elbow. “I’m going to murder him. You just wait, Racer!” she yelled, “You just wait until I get my hands on you! YOU CAN SAY GOODBYE TO THAT DAMN TAIL OF YOURS, ASSHOLE!”

She fumbled over herself to stand, to get up and get out of this damn place. How could he have brought her here? Here! To… Kari. “Mother Fuc-“ Her heart raced, that woman hadn’t already come in here yet, had she? “Oh god…” she repeated, dropping her head into her hands. That would explain why she felt like she’d been pummeled. But, she would have expected Kari to wake her up to rub it in that she had managed to get her paws on Sy. “No…” Whimpering, tears began pooling at her eyes.

Shinkei had been about to respond as she heard the yelling through the door. She tilted her head, looking through the partially open door to see another woman there, her mind quickly picking up on the woman's name as Syran. Second thing she picked up was the trail of blood along the womans right arm, half smeared from movement, and still oozing some from a puncture at her elbow.

Shinkei’s stomach knotted several times as her face went from pale to green within seconds, looking already on the verge of spilling her guts as she forced her eyes shut, taking in a few deep breaths as her human hand slapped itself over her mouth

“I ting I’m gunna e sik…” She moaned out slightly, tilting her head away from the door as she held her stomach tighter.

“Oh jeez not you too...I already changed once.” Rubbing Shin’s back after grabbing a tin bucket to catch anything that may come out. Kari would open the door fully to expose the still drunk and fuming mad woman within.

“You pulled your IV that Rockford was generous to put into your arm to give you some fluids and vitamin B. Smooth sis...real fricken smooth. All this while I was getting our mechanic here too.” Checking on the sick turning patient to pull back her hair with a hand just in case.

“Now you going to be a pain or can I give you a quick check and a drink I’ve concocted that will actually LET your body take the alcohol mixture as part of your dam blood? I still have the blue whiskey bottle in my office but you need to calm your ass DOWN Sy.”

Then calling out to Rockford for some help..hoping he could get Shin least to a chair as like heck was Kari going to let Sy slip away now.

Syran growled at Karina, “I couldn’t guarantee you hadn’t stuck me.” She shifted to sit straight and groaned once more. “Make it stop…” she whined, before realizing what she had said.

She shook her head quickly and winced. “Stay away, woman. I’ll be just fine. I just need to get up…” she said in more of an order to her legs that seemed to have missed the command. “I said get up!” She attempted to stand up and nearly fell over, having had tried to right herself with her arm that she had abused. It shook, wobbling from the pain that continued to burn its way up to her shoulder.

“I don’t need no cockamamie concoction of yours! No ma’am! I’m just fine the way I am, m’hmm.”

She hunched over in her stance, body sheathed in a pair of boot-cut dark jeans, an ebony short sleeved v-neck shirt and a pair of matching colored work boots. She had been off duty when she woke earlier and felt no need to sport her typical uniform, especially when she had planned nothing but shenanigans for the remainder of her evening.

She shifted to the right, having spotted the small metal table that had rolled away earlier and outstretched her good arm to grab it. She tugged it over to her, putting it between her body and Karina’s as if it would ward off the woman.

Rockford was quick to answer Karina’s call, having already made his way over once the yelling had started. He looked between Syran and Shinkei, a look of grievance crossing his face at the women's bleeding arm.

“I just set that… Ugh, crazy drunk woman.” He muttered as he busied himself with Shinkei, moving her into a more comfortable chair and running his hand along her back, thankful that she had kept what food she had, and seemed to be getting somewhat better out of sight of Syran.

“Oh yea you are just a poster gal for health…” She’d shake her head. Mouthing a thank you to Rockford’s quick assist. Still standing at the doorway of the exam room Sy was in. “You want out? You’ll have to come through me. That red liquid that is in my office, on my desk next to the blue unopened whiskey.” Saying such loud enough for Rockford to hear, this being as strong as hint as any to grab it as fast as he could. This once Shin was deemed to be alright sitting down alone.

“Come on ‘sis’ you need the liquid down you and some sense knocked into that sweet head too if you’re going to resist.” Taking a step back would Karina get into a ready stance to tackle her upon any escape attempt.

“This isn’t the Matrix, sis. You aren’t Morpheus. Ain’t no way in hell you’re gonna make me down that red shit.” She referenced an old movie that she and Talia had once watched and glared at Kari. “Just let me outta here. I got drinkin’ to do.”

Deciding then that she needed out, she shoved the wheeled table at Kar and lunged forward. Of course, lunging would have been what she had done, had it not been for her incompliant body. With the throbbing at her head and elbow, the endless stream of blood that seemed to abandon her, and her drunkenness, Sy managed to stumble over herself and face plant into the ground before Karina. “Why can’t I just move normally…” she groaned.

Rockford, after confirming Shinkei to be stable enough to not lose her lunch, hurried off, just barely avoiding getting clipped by the gurney as he headed to the office. He did manage a hard stare at the drunken Sy as he turned the corner to the office, retrieving the bottle as quickly as his spacoon legs would take him.

“Got it!.” Rockford shouted into the hall, pausing by a nearby first aid kit to help out with the serious bleed if he had the chance, and a possible paralytic for an emergency.

“Ooof!!” The table hitting Karina in the gut, she would move it aside in enough time so Sy didn’t headplant right onto it or catch the edge with her forehead on her way to the floor. Clapping slowly a few times. “I give that a seven I’ve seen you do better.” Bending over at the waist to take the woman’s shoulders and flip her over onto her back. The Doctor would scoop her arms underneath to then begin dragging her slowly out of the hallway and into the waiting room. Just so it would give them more space to work with her as she was still sure to struggle.

“Great Rockford and good thinking with that kit! This arm needs to be bandaged and cleaned up.” Lowering her body down to the floor, Kari would quickly sit down on top of Sy, straddling her hips to grip the right wrist and pin straight to the floor to try and treat the arm first. “Don’t you dare think of biting me…”

Syran’s free arm flailed about in an attempt to mindlessly swat the Doctor away. “Nononono!” she rushed, wiggling beneath the weight of Kari. “Don’t you put that on me. Don’t you touch me! No! Get off!” Her hips bucked wildly as her legs kicked out.

“I’m gonna bite if you don’t get off of me!” she threatened and lifted her head forcefully, teeth bared and snapping at the woman. “Stop it!”

Setting the vial down, Rockford moved carefully closer, looking for a good moment to hop past the two, slipping over to the still bleeding arm.

“She bites me, and I am so taking a sick day..” Rockford spoke aloud as he began to work, wiping the area clean while holding a press there to stop the bleeding. He worked quick, covering the spot with a cooling gel that would slow the bleeding while wrapping it up tight. He was tempted to knock her out now, but he would leave that for Karina to decide.

“I’ll go check on the other girl..” Rockford spoke, standing up and heading to deal with at least the simple paperwork for Shinkei.

Being nearly bucked off a few times from the energetic, more of adrenaline pumping woman below her. She’d slap Sy’s forehead at the first rant of “No”. “Oh shut it and hold still.” But then when Sy’s teeth grazed Karina’s forearm she had enough.

“FINE!!” Holding the arm down still while Rockford tried to put the gel on. Karina would pull up Sy’s ebony shirt with her left hand. Bunching it up to, with both hands now. Her shin holding the lower arm still. Grip the shirt tightly and yank it hard up to her mouth. Pressing it past the teeth to serve as a gag. Holding firm on either side with difficulties to her writhing body underneath.

“Hold...still!!”

Of course soon as she watched Rockford take time to tend to Shin. Did she get bucked off, with her weight forward for the shirt gag. It flipped her head over heels on to her own back. The shirt seeming to have come off completely in the process. “Shit…” Quickly getting on her knees and her feet did Karina take one look at the red liquid bottle, Sy, then dart off after it.

She stared up at Karina when the woman shoved her own shirt into her mouth to be used as a form of a gag. Syran grumbled beneath the fabric, tongue shoving itself against the cloth as she tried to spit it out. When Karina smacked her upside the forehead, she grunted behind the material of her shirt. Her eyes narrowed at the Doctor, glaring before she finally managed to buck the woman off of her. When Kari landed behind her on her back, Syran twisted to the side quickly and slapped the hand of her good arm to the ground, before crawling towards Kari. Being topless embarrassed her, but it encouraged her to push forward to get the hell away, or get her point across to not touch her.

She watched as Kari righted herself and bounced to her feet, her gaze shifting between Syran and that wretched vial she had been trying to get Sy to down. With a loud huff, Sy threw out her arm, lashing her grasp around Karina’s ankle and tugging on it roughly. She jerked her hold forcibly and waited until the woman inevitably crashed back to the ground and setting her on Syran’s level.

She crawled towards Kari again, hands sliding up the woman’s legs and onto her thighs, until fingertips grasped at the pink material that made Karina’s thigh length skirt. Sy’s lips twitched into a disgusted smirk as she tugged at the fabric. “Why you gotta touch me. Now look what you did, sis.”

“Oh so you want to get kinky Sy? Fine!” Having just barely grasped a bottle before being pulled down to the ground with a groan. Karina would kick Sy away from her hard soon as the skirt went past her feet. Moving to stand with her rear on full display as she wore only a thong to cover the gender nethers as Rockford called it. She would look to see what bottle she managed to grab.

It was tall and blue….

“Oh come on…” she’d said with slight tone of despair. Looking to Sy on the floor she had to act fast. “Hey now look…” waving the unopened bottle in front of her outstretched hand. Slowly approaching.

“Blue bottle whiskey just like I promised...unopened...just waiting for a drunk to have at it.. All…” Setting it down on a side table in the waiting room. Hoping it would catch her attention enough where Karina would swoop in towards Sy.

“Yours!! Come here!”

Taking her arms and pulling her upper body to a sitting position. Kari would move to sit beside. Pinning her waist and one arm between her thighs. Squeezing to restrain. Her other hand reaching the bottle, forcing her to reach across the both of them.

“Someone get that red bottle! This won’t work forever!” The Doctor would yell out to anyone in ear shot. Working quickly to try and open the dam whiskey up.

Shin quickly entered the room, her padded feet sliding a bit on the tiled floor after her height check. She paused severely, looking at both the half dressed woman wrestling on the ground, Karina holding a blue bottle, and Sy looking red in the face. She jumped to attention quickly though and grabbed the red bottle, moving closer to hand it to Kari.

Rockford stood in the hallway, thankful as hell that he didn’t have to be in the middle of it.

Syran’s upper lip lifted and she snarled at the new mechanic as she watched the girl shuffle about and retrieve the phial that Karina demanded. “Don’t you help her, little girl! Don’t you dare!” she snapped, body jolting beneath Kar’s grasp.

“Get off me and go get pants on! What the hell is wrong with you!?”

The promise of the Blue Whiskey bottle held no sway over her, she knew it would be good, but she didn’t want to pay the price that was demanded in order to get it. She had other bottles, other delectable booze hidden in her room that hadn’t been packed. She just wanted to get out of there, to leave and hide away until they left for the mission.

“For the love of all things alcoholic! Let me the fuck go” She couldn’t help what happened next, she was physically exasperated and on the verge of breaking. Tears abruptly filled Syran’s eyes and a sob broke out. “Please, just stop.”

Taking the bottle from the new mechanic Karina would press her free forearm; after setting the blue whiskey bottle aside. Against Sy’s forehead, pressing back to tilt her chin up towards the ceiling.

“Shhhh easy now…” the Doctor said in a calm voice. “You’ll thank me for this in 8 hours from now when you realize what it does to you. Much more clarity and your body won’t hate you so much for all the booze.”

Pinching her nose tightly she’d twist the small bottle open with her teeth. Spitting the twist top to the floor. First taking three gulps to show that it was going to be okay. Before forcing the bottle to her mouth. Tilting the bottom up so it would pour slowly down her throat. “There we go now...just four big swallows and I’ll let you go hun…”

Shinkei watched in minute silence, surprised at the sudden switch from angry to soft within seconds with Dr. Karina, even with the still thrashing Sy. She stepped back though, not wanting to be in the range of any flailing limbs or anything that might hit her.

“Shall I take care of her in my room then? Less problems in there?” Rockford asked as he finally joined the room, his hands behind his back.

Wide eyes stared at Karina when she took a few sips from the vial and then pressed the mouth of the glass container to Syran’s. She jerked her head but with the hold that she was in, she didn’t move far. With the phial pushed between her lips, her face knitted together in agony as she coughed around the taste. “No…” she gurgled as some of the liquid spurted out and danced across her chin.

“Go away! Get off me!” she returned to wriggling and flailing beneath the weight of Kar. She shuddered, nearly gagging from the assault to her palate.

“Yea I need to work on the flavor…” she would admit, removing the bottle from her lips. To then fully release Sy from her hold. “There you can go run off now I won’t stop you.” To then stand up handing her the blue whiskey bottle. “As promised, still unopened and all yours to drink this memory away.”

Grabbing her skirt the Doctor would work on sliding it back on. Picking up the bottle and top to restore in one empty piece. “Thank you for your generous offer Rockford but I can attend to Shinkei now. What room is her file in?” She would ask after her skirt was back on, approaching them both to hug Rockford in thanks and then Shin to reassure her that this didn’t happen often. “Ok ready to try this again?” A smile on her face with a wink to follow.

“Finally” she yelled and fumbled to stand. She bent to snatch her shirt, shifted it over head and adjusted the hem so it clung at the waistband of her jeans. She made a face at Rockford, the bastard who had just stood there and occasionally participated in manhandling her. “I hate you,” she murmured and flashed a glare towards Kari’s offering.

Sy grabbed at it, took it in hand and turned away. “Assholes,” she muttered and headed out of the clinic, path set for the recreational room. She planned to get plastered now, because after that, she needed it.

Shinkei watched Sy leave with the blue bottle whiskey in her hands, a muttered word the last thing she said as she left. Giving a small sigh and looking back to Kari, she mustered up a smile, giving a roll of her arm.

“I think I can manage now, no more need to see a broken arm.” She spoke, shaking her head of that image.

“Then follow me please.” One arm around her shoulders Karina would take Shinkei to the exam room that Rockford had her file in. Locking the door behind the two to make sure they wouldn’t be disturbed. With luck she can get a few drink herself after all of this.

Setsa

10-19-2014, 01:37 AM

Shinkei watched Sy leave with the blue bottle whiskey in her hands, a muttered word the last thing she said as she left. Giving a small sigh and looking back to Kari, she mustered up a smile, giving a roll of her arm.

“I think I can manage now, no more need to see a broken arm.” She spoke, shaking her head of that image.

“Then follow me please.” One arm around her shoulders Karina would take Shinkei to the exam room that Rockford had her file in. Locking the door behind the two to make sure they wouldn't be disturbed. With luck she can get a few drink herself after all of this.

Shinkei let out a sigh as the door was locked. Moving her boots out of the way, Shinkei hopped back onto the table, listening to the tell tale cackling of the paper. She wasn’t much one for these kinds of rooms, nor for the most of the time cold tables.

“So.. where did we leave off on.” Shinkei offered to get the ball rolling, so to speak.

“You had said you needed more oil and had a second or two delay in finger movements.” Karina would remind her. Looking quickly over the blood pressure and basics that Rockford was able to get minutes prior. “Blood pressure good, heart and lungs normal..mmhmm… Right then, If you can do me a favor and remove the arm please.” Her palms open to take it from her with care.

After receiving the cyborg extremity would Kari set it down on the small desk beside the file. Gently rolling up her sleeve to see where it attached to the body itself.

Shinkei felt even more odd as she gave up her arm, feeling off balanced as she was now without an arm. She stopped Kari as she was rolling up her sleeve, and quickly removed her jacket, then shifting the black undershirt to show off the amputated shoulder and the metallic connection ring. The shoulder was a slight reddish color, looking like a heat rash.

“Huh.. that’s different..” She spoke, rubbing the spot.

Touching the area to see if there was any sensitivity or pain carefully “feel anything? How long has that been there?” She asked in a concerned tone of voice. “Do you apply lotion often?” Going through the questions to try and narrow down a cause. Karina would palpate the area where the metal attached to the muscles specifically and bone. Seeing if the were tight at all or painful.

Shinkei gave a short few no to feeling anything, and shrugged at how long it had been there. She always made sure to clean the area when she had her arm off, and didn't notice anything last time, nor was she much for lotion.

“Why… is the red coloring ba-Oh. felt that..” Shinkei gave a bit of a jump as Karina pressed hard enough on the muscle, wincing a bit at the contact of bone.

Having an idea she covered Shin’s eyes with the palm of one hand. “Trust me...no needles just the tip of a pen.” To prove such she’d rub the tip of the pen along her other forearm. “What I want you to do is tell me when you feel it alright? Just yes or no when I ask.”

First she’d start on each finger tip of her actual arm. “And here?” She’d ask moving up the forearm, and arm. This being to get a base of what her healthy arm can do when it comes to nerves and sensation of touch. Touching a few places on her collarbone; the Doctor would press the pen at the base of the neck moving towards the end of the shoulder ever half inch. Each time asking if her patient felt the pen’s tip or not. “And here?”

Shinkei answered as best as she could, feeling her body shiver a few times at the touch of cold metal, thankful that it was just the pen and not anything else. Once it had switched sides, it had grown increasingly harder to tell, until she got to the shoulder. She felt nothing at all until it reached the connection points, where she drew in a sharp breath of air and flinched.

“Okay.. that felt.. odd and uncomfortable.” She spoke, turning her head to look at her shoulder.

Uncovering her eyes Kari would then touch the metal connector of the shoulder for the arm itself. Moving her finger a little and rubbing the edge where it met with the skin lightly with her nail. “Well, good thing we did this now… Considering you want to be cleared for full duty for the missions.” Writing a few things down in the file Kari would look to Shinkei.

“Good news is that you’ll be cleared for duty in time. But the bad news...is that it’s deadened nerves which explains the delay and the rash. I’ll have to do minor surgery to repair and get them to regrow. We’ll have to do it tomorrow to get you cleared in time.”

Shinkei paled some at the mention of surgery, her heart rate picking up a tiny bit as she bit her lower lip. She let out a soft breath as she looked to her shoulder, staring at the reddened rash and shoulder. Her mind worked in a dizzy a few times, letting it run through plenty of things before letting it hiss out in a sigh.

“Okay then .. two questions. Will I be unconscious for it.. and will it hurt afterwords?” She asked, rubbing the spot with a small twitch of her right eye.

“Answer one, yes you will be because I have to open your shoulder up to get at the nerves. But it will be a three to four hour procedure. Answer two; no more than a sore shoulder I don’t want your arm attached after the surgery for 10 hours. That’s where you’ll come back, we’ll see how well it’s healing as I will give a direct shot to speed the healing process within. And then limited lifting capabilities for the two days following. Otherwise you’ll be set. I will want to see you in the gym to strengthen that shoulder some to help this from happening again or as soon. Say three times a week for six weeks. We can do it together if you like.”

The Doctor would offer with a warm smile, “so when tomorrow will work for you hun? I need you here 45 minutes before we begin at least. I can be here as early as 7:30 am after I get some sleep if that work? “

‘I .. think 9 in the morning would work. I would love for a chance to get some breakfast and some sleep. I should be able to spend the rest of the day after working on the list and what not before dinner. I take it no food or drink after midnight as usual, and .. thank you for the checkup.” Shinkei said with a smile, taking and reattaching her arm with an internal sigh of relief.

Writing down the on a pad of paper the time she wanted to come in. Karina would nod “yep after midnight no food or drink… If you have a very light breakfast of fruit and an energy bar I can work with that. And no problem Shinkei, here or on the ship. Never hesitate to come find me if you want. See Kat for the oil that you need otherwise I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Walking her out of the clinic, she’d let Rockford know of the surgery that he’d have to clear the time for to assist on. Then go inside her office to sit down for a breather and type up the surgery report, immediately sending it to the Captain. Such taking a short amount of time, opening the box of chocolates Kat gave her earlier to pop one in her mouth. Placing the keyboard in her lap to realize some of the red liquid from the bottle splashed lightly on her top and skirt from earlier.

“Crap….I’ll change later..” She’d mumble to herself, glad she kept a few changes of clothes in her office just because of such things.

SikstaSlathalin

10-21-2014, 10:21 PM

Sets and Siks co-op

Guess someone, got antsy in the Clinic and tore a chair up. Rivet thought to himself as Michael told him about Doc Kari’s request for the chair. The man was still trying to pack, but he’d do anything for Kari so it was no problem. He’d been in the warehouse many times so finding where Xantos kept the spare chairs wasn’t too much of a chore. Picking one of the easy to clean stainless steel ones he lifted it up onto his shoulder and walked up to the clinic.

He was a few minutes getting to the clinic, so by the time he got there it was empty of the recent excitement. Opening the door he looked around hoping someone could tell him where this chair needs to be. Rockford’s office door was open, knocking the guard poked his head in and spotted the Spacoon seated in his chair with his eyes closed and a black pipe between his lips puffing away sending small clouds of yellow smoke into the air.
“Rough day Rockford?” Rivet asked studying the creature’s pinched and exhausted looking features.

Looking up Rockford nodded to the man.
“You wouldn’t believe it, first Racer drunk as can be shows up carrying an even drunker Syan, he drops her into an exam room then passes out on the couch. I move the langy primate to another room, now this about the time Sy woke up. Then everything went right to hell, Sy hates going to the Doctors and she’s terrified of Kari because of a misunderstanding with some alcohol. They fought like hellcats and partially stripped each other, Sy lost her shirt and Kari lost her skirt.”

Rivet’s eyes went wide for a second or two at the mention of partially naked women. Sy was pretty and well stacked enough so that would’ve been a sight. And the idea of Doc Kari in one of the sexy thongs from her calenders was quite the image.

Shaking his head he commented.
Really? Wow that would’ve been the pay-per-view event of the year. So who destroyed the chair?” He asked nodding back to the chair on his shoulder.

The Asst. Medic puffed on his pipe and nodded to the exam room across the way.
“Yes I’m sure it would’ve both Kari and Sy are quite beautiful and it had it’s moments of good imagery. The Cook Michael clawed it up during his exam in that room.” Rivet nodded and took the chair into the room. He would have to check on Kari after he dropped this chair off.

Karina was by then was nearing the time where she was going to call it for the night to least get some sleep in her quarters. Just an hour left she had figured out her schedule here for tomorrow, closed off all the other exam rooms besides two just in case. Had few machines in the back already working on analyzing various samples… It was a busy few hours to say the least.

Seeming quiet, her ear piece playing music during such times. Karina would close her door to leave just a small crack open before opening one drawer of a filing cabinet that had several changes of clothes. Reaching inside for the ones that were on top of each neatly folded pile. Kari would hit the button to lower the screen on her window looking out. Taking the opportunity to undress; getting out of her stained skirt and top after slipping out of her shoes. With a black tanktop and jean shorts sitting on her desk in wait.

With the chair safely deposited he went to check on Kari, moving to her office he would get such a surprise. He saw her door open a crack and her blinds were drawn, thinking she was just getting ready to head out for the night he pushed open the door and got a full look at something he’d been dreaming about all day. Kari in a matching set of black lace bra and thong bent over removing her shoes.

In surprise he covered his eyes and stumbled back slamming the door of her office closed.
“I’m so sorry Kari, I should’ve knocked!” The man keeping his eyes covered tried to find his way out, but the embarrassment messed up his sense of direction, and caused him to trip over the woman’s desk and fall across it, pushing the spare clothes to the floor.

It was the sudden slamming shut of the door that had her jump up in surprise. Spinning around to see what had caused the noise. Facing Rivet as he stumbled frantically about she tried to get to him in time before he really tore her office apart from bumping into everything. One shoe still on her foot as the Doctor witnessed the strong man fall across her desk, knocking the chair over in the process. “Hey now!” Removing her one shoe so she could walk better. She leaned over the top of her desk to peer down at the man. “Are you alright there?”

Not waiting for him to respond, Karina would find her once neatly folded clothing, now on the floor. To get dressed so he wouldn’t have another episode of Gentleman despair. Slipping one foot into the shorts, then another while slowly bringing the shorts to her hips.

Rivet did his best to keep his eye covered, but he’d already seen what men dream about in their bunks. Uncovering his eyes he caught the last glimpses of her thong and another eyeful of her bra covered chest before he stood and turned his back so she could get dressed.
*ahem* Sorry Kari, should’ve knocked. I brought your chair up and after Rockford told me what happened I wanted to check on you.” He keeps his back to her summoning as much self-control as he could to bring the red out of his face.

“It’s fine Rivet, I appreciate you bringing the chair by. Michael ruined the other one of no surprise considering his massive frame.” Slipping the tank top on, the woman would walk over to Rivet’s side. A hand reaching up to touch his shoulder. “All clear now my cyborg armed knight. Thanks for looking away where most wouldn’t.”

A warm smile would form on her lips. “Do you think you have ten minutes for me to give a quick check-up and arrange for your surgery we discussed tomorrow?”

Rivet smiled turning to the beautiful woman making a conscious effort to keep looking at her face and not…elsewhere.
“I tried Doc, I really did. And I have all the time you need, my packing will take a bit and we ain’t going for a few more days yet. Here let me help you clean up my mess.” He smiled crouching down picking up the things he knocked off her desk, taking a few deep breaths keeping himself under control.
“Feel free to talk though, you have a...very nice voice.” There try to make looking like a peeping tom better by complimenting her.

Grabbing one file from a small stack of the remaining crew to be seen. Kari would motion for him to follow as she slipped on her shoes to leave the office and into the exam room that he just placed the chair in. Closing the door after he was inside before speaking. “Charmer, you always were, but I find it cute how you can get so..”

Kari would stand near chest to chest with the man, one finger brushing along his jawline softly. “Flustered… “ Winking with a grin as she did enjoy teasing at times..who wouldn’t?

“Go ahead and have a seat now please.” Taking such time to place a foot onto her stool to tie the laces. Repeating for the other shoe before grabbing the standard medical equipment on a small metal table. Placing the oval device on his abdomen, to ask him to take in a few deep breaths while she had the small pad on his chest to listen to his heartbeat.

“In…..and then out…..again….” her voice quiet.

Taking the seat and keeping control of his mind and body was part of the former soldier’s training. He would keep his cool for the moment, but damn he hoped some of the female guards were around and bored later.
“Well when you were raised well Kari, you should get flustered about barging in on a woman changing.” He did as she asked once more keeping his eyes on her's.

He shuddered lightly at the cold stethoscope smiling.
“Always gets me that does.”

Looking into his own eyes…. “I know…”

Kari let her mind slip to wander in “unprofessional” waters for a moment before collecting herself. Turning to jot down what she heard along with what the device’s results were after removing it from his torso. It only took another few minutes for her to check his range of motion in his arms, reflexes, eye sight, hearing and the like.

“Well you’re a healthy man, though that is no surprise.” Clearing her throat for a moment “so what time were you thinking you’d want to come in for the surgery? I have a surgery already blocked out at 9am so the soonest I could fit you would be 3pm…”

He smiled pulling his shirt down standing up and looking over Kari’s should so he could see her notes. And she smelled so nice, boy this would be a long voyage being on the same ship as her.

“That’ll work for me Doc Kari, maybe if you’re not busy and I’m not wacked out on Laughing Gas you can join me for lunch somewhere?” He gave her a pleasant smile rubbing his hand down her arm slightly in an attempt at a friendly hug.

“No food by 8 and no water two hours prior Rivet…”The Doctor would remind him...the pen stopping as soon as she felt his hand upon her arm. “But I wouldn’t say no to some breakfast just you and I...maybe somewhere not so loud as the dining hall can be?” Turning around to face the man once again. Looking eye to eye...the suggestive manner of her tone and words placed there intentionally.

He smiled at the woman gripping her hand gently.
“Breakfast will work, as for the avenue. Well the Rec Room is pretty desolate that early in the morning, but I know a little private spot near the dorms no one else seems to know about. I think it was supposed to be a normal dorm at some point, but it was turned into a study by someone. It hasn’t been inhabited in years, and I like to go there from time to time when I don’t feel like sleeping or pacing around the Rec Room.” He kept his eyes and face smiling at the woman.

Her free hand rose to touch the middle of the muscular man’s chest. “I think that sounds wonderful… But for now...care to walk me to my quarters?” Kari would ask, a spark in her eye though she had no intent to bed with him...there was still some time in the night before she needed to rest.

The man smiled lifting Kari’s hand kissing the back of it noticing the spark a little red returning to his face.
“It would be an honor Doc Kari.” He opened the door for her. “Think Rockford will be alright by himself on the night shift? I saw him hitting his smoking pipe pretty heavily when I came in.” He kept a hold of Kari’s hand after kissing it, the contact just felt right.

Not one to object to contact, every creature needed positive contact now and again. The two would walk out of the clinic and towards the elevators.
“I’m sure he’ll be fine. I know there will be someone to check up on him now and again through the night. Besides, he actually gets his best work done at night...Spaccoon and all.” The woman would point out once inside of the elevator, pressing the correct floor button. Gently nudging his side as the door closed. “You’re a romantic at heart you know that?”

Rivet smiled spinning Kari around like a dancer before bowing to her.
“Well I don’t know about that, most of this is just guessing. It’s not often I get the pleasure of dealing with a real classy lady. The female Guards and Privateers are all fun ladies, but easier to talk with then….an angel.” He coughed lightly standing back up still managing to trip over his own tongue. He would be kicking himself later for not being as suave as he was sure he could be, but he was this far down the rabbit hole, might as well keeping going until he gets to the Queen of Hearts. The elevator dinged as they arrived on the Dorm Level, stepping out he kept holding her hand smiling for her to walk first still trying to be a gentleman still.

“Oh yes…” she’d remark, stepping out of the elevator first. Walking with the man towards her quarters. “Angel that doesn’t mind getting elbow deep in a body to try and save a creature. Though I say you’re a little biased since I had saved your life and given you those big cannons.” Giggling softly, she would cup her free hand over the bicep, giving it a squeeze.

The man smiled giving her a wink.
“That’s what makes you an angel Kari. You may be a pretty as one, but without the matching personality you’d just be another pretty problem to deal with.” He gripped her hand somewhat fondly and led her to her room, he’d helped her move somethings to the room so he knew where it was. Stepping in front of her door he let go of her hand and kissed it gently.
“Safe and sound as promised Doc Kari.” He chuckled looking into her eyes.

At the doorway she would thank him for his help though it could have waited for the next day. Smiling when he kissed the back of her hand again, looking up into his own eyes. “Come now what woman would I be...or Angel… If I didn’t insist on sharing a nightcap before bidding farewell. You did help me out tonight after all.” Not even bothering to look in the hallway, Kari would pull him inside by the same hand that held hers up to his lips. Closing the door afterwards.

wakachukie

10-23-2014, 03:28 AM

Free of the Doctor, Michael made his way back to the Galley. The place seemed to buzz with the excitement of new missions and more pay, but there were already a few signs of nervous behavior beginning to show among the regulars. Hopefully the new food options he was about to unlock would distract them for awhile. The laughter. That was what kept bothering him. All those just-too-loud laughs and jokes that were a tad too corny. Those who stayed in the area to talk and eat were completely engrossed by each of their cliques, bantering about who got assigned to which shift and wistfully dreaming away the insane amounts of money they would mysteriously find during the mission. Guys ship-wide seemed to be on the hunt for girls and even the robots were not entirely unaffected by the mood of the ship. Michael couldn't wait to leave dock.

The "new" replicators had obviously been dragged over to the nearest wall and literally dropped to sit and wait his arrival. Since it was right by the door, people could order some food as they walked in, take it to their seat, and then leave as the droids cleaned up after them. Very efficient and low maintenance, allowing Michael to focus on special requests and diets not able to be made by the device. Dragging the microwave-sized devices over to the appropriate spot, Michael grabbed the wall at his waist (or about arm height for most species) and yanked out the entire panel. Inside were several thick conduits and 2 large pipes supported by 5 heavy frames, each holding hundreds of smaller COM/PWR wires and pressurized lines. Snatching up one of the units, Michael slid it onto a frame next to a power line. Cueing up the intercom, Michael selected Engineering/MAINT and added a line to Aid-Bot while he was at it. "This is Michael. I'm about to install those replicators we just got. Can you kill power to Deck 4/Bulkhead 17/Portside Section 2/Junction K34/Line 22 Black for.... 2 minutes? Thanks." As soon as the indicator showed the line was safe, Michael would take 2 free-floating wires from the selected line and splice one into the power-supply of each replicator. Setting a claw into the panel he had just removed, Michael traced out a smooth border for each of the devices and then ripped out the obstructing metal. Sealing the panel back into place, Michael switched on the devices and grinned as they powered up. Now he just needed to wait until he got the list from Kari.

Clucking at himself, Michael suddenly accessed the controls and looked up options under Alcohol. There were a surprising amount, but they all linked to the same file. Digging deeper, he quickly found the culprit. Synthehol. A truly insidious drink that gave you the full experience of drinking real alcohol, but with a mental effect that could be dismissed with the slightest effort and negligible hangover - IF you knew to put the effort in; a rather cheap trick to mess with someone over a game or during negotiations. Put some in a bottle, add in a little of the real stuff to define the flavor and few indeed could tell the difference. Someone would be sure to complain eventually.

Dropping the extra metal at his worktable to play with later when he had time to work on the droids, Michael turned around to see Togga. "Hey Captain, can I get you anything?"

SikstaSlathalin

10-25-2014, 09:01 AM

*GM Mover*

*Duke*

As much as he wanted to scope out the smokin' hot Doc Kari, he knew that stone bitch would never let him get close enough to work his charms. He'd fuck with this check-up later, he had some other kinds of check-ups in mind. If he remembered some of the files he gathered on Carin there was a large number of brothels for every taste under this planet's scorched crust. Hell he could stay underground the whole time and not even risk getting fried by the sun when daybreak came. Yeah, that would be a better use of his time rather than picking out a bunk he was only gonna sleep in for a few days, or getting his entire ghosted medical history picked through, though he was sure Kat had found his real files somewhere, that girl was really the full package. He would enjoy popping that cherry, but until then he had some easy bitches to claim.

Whatever gear he had was dropped into a room and locked in, he took his backpack of tech, his Mercury Knife, and a full box of condoms. After making sure someone knew he was around and where he was going, just in case some shit goes down. After checking the map of the city he picked a promising little house of ill-repute called the Wild Kingdom. Picking the best route, the young Hacker went off into the night to live it up a little before going to his death in some crazy fucking missions.

*Racer and Rockford*

"Boy, Racer, be hurtin' mon." The Monkey man groaned sitting up in the bed, he'd been off the fluids for a bit and was just left to sleep it off in the exam room. Just as the Scout was about to roll off the paper Rockford walked in checking his watch.
"Well, you should be hurting. You and Syran drank enough alcohol to kill an Irishmen, I'm still lost in how you two managed it. You did though, and after she put up a helluva fight with Kari for her check-up. I'd say she's gonna have some cross-words with you to make you hurt more, you're clear for what I can do for ya though. Just take this painkiller prescription to the Pharmacy Machine for the headache, and hold off drinking your liver into the grave for a few days." The Spacoon wrote out the prescription and handed it to the Tang-Mong, the base's automatized pharmacy only dispensed stuff with an actual Doctor's Prescription, and the signature of every Medical Personnel on the Black Star's payroll was in the systems so forgeries couldn't get past.
Racer nodded slowly wincing slightly at the motion before he slowly walked from the exam room and put the little script into the the Pharmacy console that connected right into the totally secure Medical Lock Room that only Kari, Rockford, or the full timer Doctor Janes could get directly into. He pressed his thumb to the bio-lock to basically sign off on getting the pills. It made some funny beeping sounds then the little door opened and the bottle of pills dropped into the catch. Racer took the pills and gave a huge yawn, despite sleeping most of the night as it was 1 AM now. Drunken sleep has never been as restful as natural sleep. The Mong would go to his room and crash out until he can see without everything doubling up. Sy would probably hate him, but he had been genuinely worried she might have gotten Alcohol Poisoning the way she was slamming them back.

Maybe she'd forgive him before they went on the mission, but he would worry about it later. For now sleep was needed.

*Rockford and Roxi*

As he watched the Tang-Mong trudge back to his bunk, the Asst. Medic could only shake his head sadly. If this was going to be the norm he was sincerely concerned for some of his crewmates on this voyage. With Racer gone Rockford could go about cleaning up the office and locking things up a bit. They were never allowed to really close-up shop, emergencies happen all the time, especially with a crew of Space Pirates who have made enemies all over the universe. Granted none of them could get into this place without eating so many bullets and lasers they'd need to be a serious starlight and Anti-Matter god to make it anywhere past the front door.

Chuckling lightly at the idea, Rockford went about sweeping out and sanitizing the exams rooms, sweeping the halls, straightening up both his office and Kari's and locked all but the main door, he also clicked off all the unneeded lights and turned the heat up a little, he liked it warm. By this time it was only 130 in the morning, he had to be up the whole night in case someone needed help. This by itself wasn't too much of a problem, his people were nocturnal by nature. The problem was keeping himself from being bored out of his furry skull, this usually meant turning on some music to play quietly throughout the clinic, reading up on all the medical texts he could find online, or lighting his pipe and staring off into space letting his mind wander. The music thing was gonna happen no matter what. Accessing his computer, he connected into the Clinic's PA system and began playing a playlist of classical masters. Beethoven, Mussorgsky, Bach, and many others.
Next was to pick either read or smoke another few pinches of the finest tobacco he's ever come across, Deep Moor Tobacco strong, yet soothing. It gave him a level of clarity when he let it take him away, besides he'd been caught up on every Medical Discovery for a few days. It's smoking time, pulling the rosewood box from his top desk drawer that held all his smoking equipment he flipped it open and picked up his black-wood pipe and the small bag of Tobacco. Taking a good pinch he packed it into the pipe's bowl and lit it with a match because no pipe smoker worth his pipe used lighters.

Taking a few puffs he felt the pungent smoke enter his mouth and send a shock of strong wild mountain flavor throughout his whole body. Almost like he was handling a religious relic he put the tobacco pouch back into the box and replaced the box to his drawer. Leaning back in his chair he put his clawed feet up onto his desk and just let himself get lost in the smoke. As was the usual case with Rockford when he smoked and let his mind wander he lost track of time. In fact is wasn't until he was being tackled out of his chair and a huge pair of furry breasts smacked him in the face as he hit the ground and lost his pipe. On instinct he lashed out with his claws, but a strong hand grabbed his wrist and pinned it to th ground. Once his eyes focused he saw it was Roxi, letting out a loud and highly annoyed sigh he kneed her in the side and forced her off of him.
"Damn it Roxi, you know I hate it when you do that!" He growled retrieving his pipe and sweeping the spilled ash up and into his trash can before returning to his desk for a refill.

His twin sister sat on the ground with her tail poofed up playfully and her long legs kicked out before her, but her paw clutching her side and a broad smile across her muzzle.
"I got you that time Rocky admit it!" She jumped lightly to her feet the pain in her side already forgotten as she pulled her tight pink tank-top and black shorts back into place, her feet were bare and her foot claws were painted bright pink as were her paw claws.

Rockford simply scoffed refilling his pipe and relighting it.
"By the stripe if I do this time will you promise to leave me alone?"

The woman tilted her head to the side her ears twitching slightly in thought, if they weren't related it might almost be a cute kind of sexy, but as it's always been it bugged the over-serious Rockford.
After a few seconds she shook her head smiling letting her still poofy tail twitch.
"Nope, besides you looked bored just staring off into your smoke cloud. And with me being bored as well, I figured what better way to fix out boredom then to give a visit in the wee hours of the morning! It's only 230 after all, back on Woodloch most of Golgrim would still be working at this hour!" She said bouncing over to her brother's couch planting herself on the arm letting her tail drape over the back.

She pulled out a red and yellow plastic pipe from her pocket and began blowing bubbles smirking at Rockford.
"Just like you bro. All sophisticated and proper." She even struck a snooty pose with her eyes half-closed her back straight and head held high, just blowing away on her bubble pipe.

Despite his determination to be grumpy at this intrusion, Rockford has never been able to stay made at Roxi, it's like being mad at a puppy. With another sigh he sat on the couch and put his feet on the small table her had in there.
"Damn your innate comedic skill, so how was your first day back? Better than mine I hope, almost had to wack Syran Baxter up with some tranqs just to keep her from stabbing someone with a scalpel."

Kicking her naked feet slightly she thought about it still content to blow bubbles with her pipe.
"Well nothing like people freaking out and stabbing things, but it was a chore getting the equipment both in the base and on the ship back to my preferences. I love Zero, but he just does everything...weird. I had to pull out both the manual and his personal notes to figure it out. It's all good now though, I even managed to update some of them with new tech I had come across on Leave."

Her brother nodded slowly continuing to enjoy his pipe. The twins fell into a lapse of silence as they each drifted off into their own minds. But growing bored with the joke Roxi had emptied the rest of her bubble pipe into Rockford's personal sink before she joined him on the couch leaning into him and wrapping her arms around him nuzzling gently curling her longer legs up behind her. He returned the gesture wrapping his arms around her shoulders and her stomach keeping his legs on the table though. Now to an outside person this might seem like an inappropriately intimate situation for a brother and sister to be in, but chances are that person doesn't know Spacoons. From birth siblings are taught the importance of closeness and encouraged to cuddle like this with all family members, especially when they're in a place other than home. Despite being the smaller of the two Rockford rested his head on top of Roxi's.

The female spoke first pressing her cheek against Rocky's chest.
"So you worried about the upcoming missions? Most of them look pretty grim, even by the Black Star standards."

Rocky hmmed softly around the stem of his piper rubbing his sister's soft furred arms.
"I always worry you know that, if it's not Sy and Racer drinking themselves to death. It's Killbot attempting to purge Sam Lorn of the "Commie Drugs" he was injected with. But yeah these missions are making me a touch more apprehensive than usual. You worried?" He knew it was a silly question, Roxi never let things shake her up when they were younger and it hadn't changed yet, but it was the proper thing to do.

The girl idly trailed her claw along the scar in Rocky's that a bully gave him when he tried to protect her from getting felt up by said bully. It worked it too, just long enough for Roxi to grab a fire extinguisher and beat the brute half to death.
"A little, I mean delivering weapons for a company that someone wants a dead in, going after an artifact that might not even exist for a group of meaner Sabors, double-crossing the Galactic Alliance and smuggling an intergalactic killer out from under their noses, and then going against the Skorne on the word of the Space Specter, and stealing some of their possibly most prized tech. Then going to the very edge of space for some piece of miracle technology." She sighed burying her head into her brother's chest some more. "I'd be stupid to not worry."

Rockford nodded rubbing her back slowly, if Roxi the Fearless was worried Rocky the Brain should be absolutely terrified. He wasn't though, maybe it was the tobacco, maybe it was his logical brain, or maybe he just had to be strong for Roxi.

Either way he wouldn't let worry get the best of him, moving the pipe from his lips he kissed his dear sister's head.
"Well if worse comes to worse, we'll have each other to die with. Captain Togga will take care of us, he always has. Now unlike me you have a day job to do tomorrow, get some sleep Roxi. We'll have breakfast tomorrow before I hit the hay."

Roxi lifted her head and smiled kissing Rocky's nose.
"Always the mother hen, but you are right Rocky." She shifted form his side and got to her feet giving a long yawn and a tall stretch her joints popped pleasantly. Rockford stood and walked her to the Clinic's door.
"Love you sis, sleep well." He gave her a tight hug.

The girl returned the gesture with earnest.
"Love you too bro, now don't smoke too much. You know it gives you a headache." She gave him a smirked and walked out.

He called after her smiling a rare smile that only Roxi could really get out of him, one of fondness.
"Now who's the mother hen?" Roxi laughed and turned sticking her tongue out at the male before turning the corner heading for the elevators. Rockford let out a yawn himself before walking back to his office to wait for his shift to end.

*Togga*

As soon as the meeting ended Togga vanished to his personal quarters to pack. No one would need him for a few hours. Being the Captain, the Sharterran's Quarters were actually just off his office on the Admin Level. He never quite understood the reason to separate himself from the crew like this, he believed a Captain should be close to his crew whether it be on the ship or planetside. Eventually he would switch over, but since his gear was already in the state room he left it for now.
Unlike his actual home the state room only supported terrestrial living, and there was no way he would bother tearing up the floor to build a pool for him to sleep in. Plus it kept him remembering where his home was, at the top of hill where his wife, daughter and dog lived.

The room itself was a good size for a 7 foot tall 500 pound sharkman. Plush Black Star Carpet, an interesting view of an extinct volcanic tube full of gems that showed Carin's impressive geothermic past, his bed was Sharterran size, it could (and has) fit both himself and Yashy. Much like the carpet the covers were black satin with the white outlined Black Star insignia. The walls held various trophies from some of his favorite missions, a massive walk-in closet, and his arsenal of favored weapons. It also had pictures of his family even those back on Piscia and the other planets the Dars called home. Grabbing the duffel bag he had chucked into the corner when they returned with the Silver Quasar he dumped it's contents into his large hamper for the Custodian Droids to pick up later. Once he was sure it was clear he fabreezed it out and went to pack it again.
The big male's clothing didn't have a lot of variation, jeans, shirts, some underwear, swim trunks, the occasional sweater, and a replacement bubble collar should anything happen to his present one, he didn't wear shoes unless he had to like for this mission to the Sierra Madre. That would be it's own bag though, selecting his usual choices he folded up his clothing and began packing it with the precision and skill of a solider.

Once the clothing was packed he moved on to other things, spare ammo, charging cells, his traveling weapons repair and cleaning kits, a special kind of ointment all Sharterrans need to keep their skin from drying out on the more arid planets, some dried seal blubber specially made by Yashy before he left, some survival tools if worse comes to worse, and lastly he gingerly picked up two things he values more than his any of his other possessions. A picture of Yashy, Jeela and Chomper the day Jeela was born, it was the happiest day of the Shar's life. It was a wonderful summer day on Piscia, the waves were the deepest blue and there wasn't a cloud in sight. The rituals had been tough, but Yashy did them in stride and she has never looked more radiant, little Jeela was born quickly and healthily and she was smiled the second she felt the sun, and she kept that bright smile in every picture that was took her little teeth glinting lightly in the wonderful sun, old Chomper was laying across Yashy's feet on the Birthing Beach, his skin a bright and happy yellow, that's always a rare color to see on a Sharnine, even if their skin changes color with their mood. He kissed the picture lightly before placing it on his night stand, the other thing he picked up was an old family heirloom a massive Shar tooth with his families crest carved into it. The legends goes this was a gift from the Great One to the first Dar. It granted the wearer an otherworldly protection from harm, so far it has worked depending on if you believe that sort of thing. As for Togga he's not sure, but what harm can come from carrying it? He reverently placed it on top of his packed clothes.

With his bag packed he placed the duffle on the floor and pulled his weapons out and began cleaning and checking them over with his stationary kits. This was a ritual he learned a long time ago, to survive in some of the places where he's done business, a clean and well taken care of gun will protect you better than a squad of bodyguards ever could. Every night he checks out and worked on every gun, blade, and axe on his wall. This included checking the power cells, normal batteries, triggers, barrels, the whole nine yards. It only takes him an hour or two if he's just glancing over them, but with the potential danger looming in this upcoming missions he took his time to look over every inch of his weapons, particularity the ones he planned to bring with him.

By the time he was done it was well past 1 in the morning, setting everything back into order he holstered his Particle Pistol and went to do his final check over of the base, another habit he picked up being a Crime Boss, you should always know what's going on in your base and on your ship. Leaving his room and securing both it and his office door he first checked the Admin level. Making sure everyone's offices was somewhat cleaned and locked, checked the systems for any issues, and made sure the Control Panel gave him a green for every sector.
Taking the elevator up he checked the First Level, once more making sure the door was securely locked, the guards watching the prisoners had been relieved, made sure the prisoners were alive and well, checked for any mail or missed phone calls, and fed the plants.

Once everything was clear on Level 1 he took the stairs down the remaining levels, checking the stairs themselves as he went. The Fixer Level was usually active with Full Timers checking over the ship and warehouse. Togga made sure to poke his head into each of the Bays and checked in with the Foremen for any issues the Head Fixers might have missed and swings by the Full-Time Doctor for his reports of the day. Lastly for this level he checked the warehouse, nothing ever gets past Xantos, but once more better to be safe than sorry. He checks out the Quartermaster's closing numbers for the day and brings them with him after pressing his thumb against the lock box to retrieve them.
Once Level 2 was secure, Togga then walks to Level 3, he makes sure, no one is hurt, or in trouble, makes sure the security systems is good and turns the lights in the main hall ways off, leaving the soft yellow lights going so people can see where they're going.

He always leaves Level 4 for last because it is the biggest and most involved of the Levels to secure. Firstly he rousts anyone still in the Gun Range and locks it down for the night after checking with the Range Safety for any mishaps. The Gym is left open, because some people have trouble sleeping and working out helps. Next he checks the Rec Room, he makes sure if no one is there to turn off whatever is left on and sometimes has to roust some night owls to stop drinking and get some sleep. The last place he always checks in the Kitchen, which is usully just him looking in to make sure nothing is on fire and no one is on the ground bleeding.
This time he saw Michael working on some contraption, the Cook asked if he wanted anything. Togga smiled shaking his head.
"No thank you comrade, I am just being the good Captain and checking over the base before I am going to sleep. Do not be staying up too late Michael, we will be having a fast moving few days before we are leaving for the missions. I am bidding you good night." With another smile the big alien moved from the kitchen and walked down the steps back to the Admin Level.

He reached the door, punched in his code and walked in shutting and securing the door behind him before moving back to his quarters. Letting out a deep toothy yawn he put the reports into his safe to check in the morning then entered his room. He was indeed tired, he just wished he could be home with Yashy. He would be needed here though, Sam 1 and Duke could wander off if they liked, but Togga had to stick around for at least another day. Undressing he scratched his leg through the briefs and dropped into his big cool bed. Reaching over he picked up the picture of his family and gave it one more kiss before placing it back by his bed facing him. With another huge yawn he stretched his long muscular legs out and placed his heavy claws on his chest. In seconds he was fast asleep.

*THUS END THIS DAY. ANY POSTS AFTER THIS WILL BE TAKING PLACE THE NIGHT OF WHERE PEOPLE ARE GOING TO BED AND/OR THE NEXT DAY WHEN PEOPLE ARE WAKING UP. JUST BE SURE TO LIST WHAT TIME IT IS IN YOUR POST SO WE ALL CAN KEEP THINGS FROM JUMPING ALL OVER TIMEWISE. REMEMBER WE CAN'T GO OUTSIDE DURING THE DAY*

Koti~

10-28-2014, 02:34 PM

1:30pm

Shinkei gave her bandaged shoulder a rub, the anesthetics starting to wear off and provide a dull throb in her right shoulder. She gave a tired yawn as she walked down the hall, heading towards the room of the Chief engineer. On her back was slung her robotic arm, seeming a bit forelorn as she walked.

With her hand raised at the door, she paused, holding her hand up and staring at the door. She was a small bit nervous knowing that someone else was going to be working on her arm, even if it was protocol. She gave a sigh and knocked three times on the door.

There was no reply for what seemed like a minute, before a female voice could be heard issuing from an intercom panel to the left of the door. "Unless you're helping our cook with food orders, Engineering is on the other floor. My room's not open for visitation or consultation."

From inside her room, Ekaterina reached out lazily with an arm and slapped the nearest keyboard to bring up her displays back to life from idle. She was taking a nap after having spent most of the night hacking into mission-related locations and people's accounts, just to cut off the Captain when he asked for the information later down the road. The knocking had taken a few seconds to register, but her headset was still on her head, and speaking into the microphone to reply to whoever was outside didn't require any effort whatsoever.

Kat brought up the door cam's display to see who had woken her up, but otherwise remained cradled sideways into her chair, where she had dozed off and often found herself napping in.

Shinkei stared at the intercom for a few seconds, giving it a glare before rolling her shoulder's and heading to the door. With a sigh, she pressed the intercom button down, fighting back a large yawn for a few moments.

"This is the new chief mechanic Shinkei Sahoun, and I would rather not leave my personal items lying around in engineering." She spoke with a small air of authority, puffing herself up bit to try and appear bigger. While she might not have been an outgoing type, she took pride in her work, and wasn't going to leave her arm lying around for just any engineer to take care of it.

"Well, points for determination" Kat thought, sitting into the chair properly to have a better look into the cam feed. Despite the obviously mechanical arm slung across her back, perhaps Shinkei was talking about something else that needed attention.

To be fair, Kat wouldn't wish to leave her things to anyone else either unless it was quite dire indeed, so she could relate slightly with the girl's thoughts. "Fine, give me a moment to change. While you're waiting, tell me what's the problem." Setting the speakers up, Kat got up, stretched and went about the business of getting something to go out of her room with. This likely wasn't a problem that was going to go away.

Shinkei let her hand fall off the button for a few seconds, rubbing her bandaged shoulder with a slight wince. She was already feeling the soreness as the medicine was leaving her system. With a much larger yawn, she pressed her finger to the intercom button and took a small breath.

"I need my connection ring and cybernetic arm inspected please. And I was hoping to have a professional look at it other than the other man... he doesn't seem all that pleasing to be around." Shinkei gave a shutter, making a grimace at the thought of the man. Even if she hadn't met him, his reputation far outpaced him.

Kat listened, already opening the first interior pressure door as she finished slipping into a fluffy dark blue sweater that reached down to mid-thigh, piled atop a plain black tank top. She had donned the sweater over a simple pair of black pants and was in the process of placing her feet into her usual ankle boots when the second door opened leading to the hallway with a noticeable hissing sound of pressure equalizing.

"For whatever other quality you may be known for, you didn't miss much as far as Solar is concerned. And you'd be correct, he's an ass." Kat said, already reaching for the artificial arm for a look. She hadn't seen one of these in a while, the latest trends being all about realism and hiding the fact it was synthetic in the first place.

"Walk with me." she added offhandedly, barely sparing a glance at the shoulder mount in favor of the more interesting cyber arm while heading for Engineering. "Is this stock, or has it been modified since you got it?" Kat reached into one of the pouches hanging from one of the many belts around her waist for a small device, which the head engineer plugged into sockets on the arm as she walked. "How old is this? And can you tell me what's wrong with it?"

"It has been modified, added a larger battery life and small fuel cell container for the blow torch. So, far from stock arm. And it's 6 years old, had it with me for some time. There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with it, the tool swap function works well, along with the neural connections. It's just that it needs to be checked out by the engineer team before a cyborg can be cleared for active duty." Shinkei said, quickly catching up to the woman.

While not much different than her, she was still very different, sporting a simple pair of black pants and long baggy sweater, she hardly seemed like a dedicated worker. Though, she couldn't personally judge on appearance, she herself being an odd recruit for chief mechanic.

"Oh" was the only reply, as Kat stopped walking. If it's just for a clearance, then there's really not all that much that's required.

Turning around, Ekaterina took a handheld pad, with multiple dangling wires, and connected those to the sockets on Shinkei's shoulder. "Hold this a second." handing the small data pad still wired to the shoulder to the head mechanic. Turning her attention back to the cybernetic arm, she read the readout, scrolled through a few diagrams that had appeared on the display and sent the report to her computer for later reference.

"If it's just for the ok, then the arm itself is fine." reaching over to take the other pad linked to the shoulder, Kat transferred the result data as well and disconnected the device. "Mount is good too." she added, stowing the devices in the pouches again.

"Still, while the setup works, you have stock load-balancers, outdated algorithms in every socket and six year old parts that could be improved. Without changing any parts, I could get you under five percent increase in parameters."

Kat started typing one-handed on a datapad she had seemingly fished out of nowhere. "If you can change parts for some from these companies, from within the year, I can then custom upgrade the code and net you..." more feverishly fast typing. "Eight to twelve percent increase in efficiency and response times, at a glance. Look it up at your desk." Kat transferred her data and calculations to the head mechanic's computer.

"Wait.. you could honestly do that?" Shinkei said with surprise, looking to the head engineer and her arm. She had been needing an upgrade for a while, and some new parts would be rather good for servicing the arm. She gave a rub of her shoulder and returned to looking at her arm.

"That... that would be awesome. It's been a while since I've given my arm an upgrade and robotics." She spoke, pondering over her arm with a glint in her eye.

"And, thank you for the clear." Shinkei said with a smile, taking hold of her arm happily.

"Well, you'll likely install the parts, being your arm and you being the head mechanic. When that's done, just warn me and drop off the arm and I can work on it while we're in transit to somewhere." that would actually be interesting, Kat hasn't fiddled with such things in a while. Squeezing out every possible byte of efficiency out of it would be entertaining at the very least.

With a brief smile at Shinkei, Kat resumed her way to engineering, deciding that since she was already dressed, she may as well go finish up some of those mission-related hacks from engineering instead of her room.

Shinkei gave a relieved sigh as she looked to her arm, waving goodbye to Kat before heading to the chief mechanic room, looking to get some work done on Xan's list while she waited for her shoulder to heal. She was also planning on getting some personal stuff added, to work and upgrade her arm.

Pheasant

10-29-2014, 12:59 AM

Sam Lorn, 1300 Shipboard Time.

Sam let out a groan as he pulled himself up from his torn apart bed. The sheets were laying on the ground nearby, the blanket tossed a little further, and his clothes...Well, he would have to embark on a scavenger hunt to figure out where all they’d been tossed.
“Bailey must have already left…”, the man mumbled tiredly, standing up with a grunt of effort. Much of the night was a drunken haze, but he could clearly recall the later part of it where Bailey nearly cracked his pelvic bone.
But damn, she must have been a rancher in her past life. Bailey was the kind of girl he could take home and even his father would be impressed. Of course, if he could get past all of his animosity regarding her cybernetics, and the Confederate desertion Death Squad was willing to give them some family time.
He moved towards the bathroom in his quarters, a bone popping every so often.

The bathroom was small, most of them were unless you were an Officer, but it had all the amenities, and just enough room to--well...that was a story for another time.

He glanced at the mirror in front of him, a baggy eyed hunk of meat with black hair staring back. Even a night with a beautiful woman and a case of alcohol hadn’t been enough to hold back the nightmares...and he couldn’t hold back the need any longer. He had an appointment with the Doc later, it would surely be out of his system by now. After that he could take the injection…

“Think she’d ever even deal with me, if she saw what I’d become now…?”, Sam murmured to his reflection, “A lonely, boozing addict with hair getting grayer by the day, while she stays the same as the day he’d first met her.

Until, his reflection spoke back, “Yeah, if I’d known this is what we’d become, I would have put a bullet in my brain years ago. Made a mess, like all of our pals from the Corp, or maybe you would have preferred to go out with a bang like Matthews and kill all those--”

“Shut up”, and with those two words, the reflection was again merely a reflection.

He’d waited too long...he had to take it soon.

After the freshly sharpened blade of a razor cleaned off the dark unsightly hair that had built up on his face, the man stepped into the shower, letting a stream of steaming water wash him down, cleaning off the sweat and scent of sex that coated him. It relaxed Sam’s mind, quieted his thoughts until they were distant and intangible.

The ex-Confederate took many pleasures in life, but hot water was certainly up there on the list.

He stepped into the Sick Bays waiting room roughly thirty minutes later, hair still damp in his trademark weathered boots and jacket, with the comfortable weight of a .357 on his hip as always, taking a seat in one of the nearby chairs as he waited for the Doc.

Much as he loved beautiful women, he despised checkups and all the medical history he had to get into.

wakachukie

10-31-2014, 03:07 AM

1820 hours
Shinkei let out a large yawn, stretching her entire body as she headed down the hall, resting her hand on her stomach. She could already feel it rumble beneath her fingers, not having eaten anything after her surgery other than a few protein bar. She was in desperate need of food, and to stretch her leg. Her last near 5 hours had been spent sifting through more dead materials and usable parts for the ship, the task near maddening.

“Time for some mozzarella sticks and a Shirley Temple.” She said aloud, stifling another yawn as she entered the kitchen proper.

Michael stomped around the kitchen waiting for the delivery. He had asked Kari for those files right after the meeting, and here it was basically a full day later and still no files. Some delay was expected, but this? She had to be getting back at him for that row about his blood earlier. Blasted doctor. The message terminal chimed and Michael practically leaped at it. Kari... blah blah... next appointment ... blah ... want to help ... blah blah blah ... ... Menus. Finally. Michael tried to send the instructions over to the replicator directly through the network, but something wasn’t wired correctly and it kept giving him a Network Failure. O Joy. Sending it over to be displayed on a physical terminal he could carry, Michael moved all the files onto the menu, sat down by the new machine and began the typing.

Shinkei looked over at the large cook, quickly becoming silent as she headed over to the apparently new machines. She had seen several of them on the planets main stores, a quick and efficient way to get food. Staring at the machine, she pressed her finger to the machine interface and paused, her eyes squinting a second at it. She had seen something flicker along the machine front.

“Hm…” Shinkei clicked her tongue a few times, pressing and testing some of the other buttons. It worked pretty well, for someone who didn’t spend their days with machines. Running her fingers along the seam of the covers, she tapped it, getting the occasional prick of her fingers as she felt ragged seams, as though the metal had been ripped out.

“Great.. same day I don’t have my arm.” Shinkei said to herself, leaning down to look at the bottom edge. She once again run her fingers, feeling a few broken edges and even some dampness.

“It couldn’t be..” She said, reaching into the machine and pressing on the back, feeling it wiggle a bit. Pressing more, she could feel the replicator shift and wiggle, nearly coming loose of the casing. She could feel her anger boiling at this point, her eyes shifting to the cook as she watched him input coding.

“E-excuse me, did you install these?” She asked, her voice sounding strained.

Scrolling down the list, Michael moved on from regular food choices such as Chicken Cordon Blue and Rib-eye steak with mashed potatoes onto the comfort food section with tasty memories such as crepes and blueberry cobbler. The total list was quite long and had several hundred sections, not to mention instructions on how to program limited new items in - if the resources were available. Punch 370 characters, scroll 5 lines, punch more buttons, scroll down some more. It would be quite worth it when done, but for now it was simply tedious. Blasted connections anyways for not working. Self repairing? My foot! Michael would have to have a chat with someone about this soon.

“Hey! I’m asking you, did you install these.” Shinkei asked again, her anger flaring a bit as she jostled his shoulder some, her anger overriding her natural reaction to remain silent.

Michael was so focused on inputting the special menu for each member that he almost didn't realize someone was there... until someone started messing with the incomplete machines. "Hang on.... just let me...." Michael finished keying in the last fifteen digits from the newest ‘special diet menu’ he had just gotten from Kari. Standing up, he looked down at the young mechanic querying him and set the menu down on the Replicator’s inset tray. "Seriously, all this trouble over putting in some needed replicators. Now what are you going on about?"

"You put these in? These are so poorly placed that I’m surprised that they work at all. Seriously, you just ripped holes in the walls, stuck them in, and slapped a fancy cover over the..m.” Shinkei started on a rant, her anger boiling before she turned to the cook, her eyes moving up the mechs body to realize just how tall he was. Her face paled some, noting how short she felt, and who she had just been yelling at.

Recognizing Shinkei, Michael reached behind his back and ordered a large plate of cheesy mozzarella sticks, which he proffered to her. "Fancy cover? No, this is just a nice simple cutout I spent a minute or two on after sliding these into their slot. It could definitely use some help in checking it over, for safety and whatnot. Would you mind having a look at it when your done with those sticks?" Michael went to grab the menu so he could return it, then realized his error. He had ordered the sticks. And the ever-helpful machine was designed to recycle any dirty dishes left on the tray when a new item was ordered. Kari would not be pleased. That's just Great.

Michael had also noticed the young girl’s paled face and quickening pulse before she got the food. He knew he was intimidating, even when he specifically did not want to be so scary. It was saddening at times that it detracted from his initial interactions, even if it did serve him as a safety buffer in times of trial. Michael was momentarily torn between a desire to be able to easily talk with new people, and the knowledge that he still lacked the personal control to do so freely.

Shinkei looked down at the plate of food, just below her chin due to the difference in height. She picked up a piece in compliance with her stomach and took a bite, a satisfied grin forming as she ate the first few sticks.

“I .. I guess I can do a proper job when I’ve finished my meal, and get my arm reattached.” She spoke in a relaxed tone, feeling somewhat better now. She started on the second stick after nearly inhaling the first, not realizing how hungry she truly was.

“I’m glad those turned out good. Not everything does around here you know.” Michael also reached down and picked one up, eyeing it carefully before tossing it into his powerful jaws. “These older model replicators always leave some ... Mmmm ..... imperfections in the more complex meals." Between the two of them, the plate was emptied in under three minutes. Taking the plate, Michael recycled the leftover crumbs and signaled a droid to come by with a broom.

Shinkei paused a moment as she studied the droid floating by with a broom, the very slight hum of it’s engines making her eyes widen some. Without asking, she snapped the thing out of the air with practiced ease, turning it around.

“These seem new, what are they?” She asked, turning it around as it struggled to get free and resume it’s task.

“Toys. I picked up a large crate of them when we got here.” Michael snapped his finger and three of the little droid spheres floated up to eye level. “You ever play ‘tag’? Well that's what these guys were built to do - play games and learn new ones. Well the games I have in mind for them are a bit too much for their frames. So I was hoping we could toughen them up some - like for the Robo Olympics.... actually, these guys are great. I use them for just about everything, which is why I want them to get stronger before we go on the missions. Who knows what all they will encounter. This is my best chance to prepare them. If you want, I can bring the whole set by and help you upgrade what we can.”

“Oh? What all do you plan to do with them? I could think of several upgrades, some that might take some time and others I could do in house in the week before we start. Any simple stuff you wanna start with?” She asked, turning the machine in the air to inspect, her face serious.

“Oh, I don’t know exactly. Stronger shell, faster engines, higher resolution scanners. I do have several ideas on what we can try, but it does depend on what we have to work with.”

“Mmm, I’ll have to take a better look once I am back in working order myself, cause I need to see what I am personally working with. I need to finish organizing the ship parts manifest first though, so I’ll set aside what I can use to upgrade them. ” Shinkei said prodding the machine and watching it react, a bit giddy herself at the action.

“Very well. You come in for 3rd lunch, right? Just call me over whenever your ready for me to bring the crate by and I’ll pick up some stuff from my workbench on the way over.” With that, Michael headed back to his terminal and began brooding on the best way to tell Kari that the precious medical datafiles were now somewhere being reorganized into next week’s lunch.

Soulio

11-02-2014, 02:42 AM

0247 Hours: The Night Before

Sam crawled out of his bed, making sure to not wake June. He eyed the duffel bag in the corner, sighing quietly. He really hated leaving after such short visits. Sure, the Black Star's crew had a few more days left before they departed, but days were quick.

After throwing some clothes on and slinging the duffel bag over his shoulder, he lightly kissed June on the head, and snuck out of the room. After doing the same with Kaede, he made his way out of his house and towards the Black Star.

As he walked, Sam began wondering if he should perhaps retire after this job. The man in the slideshow did say this job would make them richer than ever.

This is a thing for future me to worry about, he thought. He stopped in front of the Black Star's hanger, and after inputting his code and fingerprint, entered the ship.

Most everyone would be asleep at this time, so Sam needed to stay very, very quiet, or else risk the chance of being torn apart, eaten, shot, killed, or slapped reaaallly hard. Luckily, he was able to make his way to his room without difficulty. He tossed his stuff to the side, and fell into his bed.

---

1100 Hours

When Sam woke up, he began wondering what he should do for the day. He wasn't sure if Togga would be giving them anything to do, so he decided on looking into his shotgun again. He had only dismantled it twice, and each time he found something new. Maybe this time he'd be able to figure out something about the ammo.

Locking his door after putting a little sign outside reading: "Stay owt. Werking on gunz", he pulled out the shotgun and tools, and went to work.

Arthera

11-04-2014, 12:46 AM

1400 hours

After having reached Engineering, Kat went straight to her desk, settled in, popped open a fresh box of crackers and went back to work hacking into mission-related locations.

Cold Metal hadn't brought up any special flags, and there were already a bunch of traces running to see who participated in the pay-off to the Silver Quazar. The little guys and middle men not included in the Moriarty high-end payroll. Still, that wasn't going to be fast, there were multiple employees, fake names strewn left and right, shell companies, fronts and a slew of fake trails money could have been moved through.

The Casino, on the other hand, was a goldmine of hacker backdoors, crawling with security measures and the nest of a very tangled mess of transactions. Still, a much more worthy target of her attentions than the other missions afterwards, namely the salvage and the Kessen thing. All of which didn't exactly tickle her fancy or even approach an area she wanted to meddle in. Lots of ground work, lots of shooting, not a lot of staying-aboard-and-hacking involved in those two. Even the hired-killer gig didn't do much to heighten Kat's prospects. That affair was going to be messy one way or another and she would likely have to scrub a whole lot of records and visual feed before it was over. She hated doctoring feeds. Solar would get task that for sure.

Then there was the Specter job. A damn Specter job.

Finding out who he was or even where he's been was akin to finding one's mythical thingy from some religion or another. Ekaterina didn't care much about the details of those, but finding the Specter was THE gig. A name-making, legend-creating bit of work that would go through the ages. Or at least a very, very long time. She'd tried her hand at it a while back, as did every hacker with a smidgen of knowledge in what they were doing, but no one had managed anything so far. But that was before she could get her hands on a device with a mission specifically for the Black Star. Something like that would have traces of... something... on it!

Leaning back into her chair, Kat opened a bottle of some popular fizzy drink, already considering a million things she'd like to try with the device. Mildly interesting missions, a bunch of boring ones and one really dangerous yet brimming with "legend in the making" written all over it. Well, perhaps not the actual mission itself...

Still, before any of that, Kat had a long list of checkups to finish before take off, crew members to sign off on and more unpleasant chores to tend to. Fun would have to wait.

SikstaSlathalin

11-06-2014, 10:51 PM

*Another GM Mover*

The few days allowed the crew to pack and prepare flew by a constant stream of Medial Check-ups for the Squishies, and half Squishies. Then the Maintenance check ups for Half Squishes and Bots, it was a grind, but by the night of departure everyone was code green and packed for the long haul. The Prisoners from the Silver Quasar were brought down and loaded into the Brig under Killbot's guard. Starting a hour or so after sundown the rest of the Expedition Crew was assembled in the Hanger and a last minute gear check was done. Only a few of the Crew had missing items they had to run and fetch, but those were soon remedied and everyone got a Go to board the ship.

It was done quickly and quietly like it usually was, people took their stations and buckled in for launch. The Black Star was all shiny, fully repaired, and outfitted to blast some holes in some bitches dumb enough to start trouble with it. Every crewmember and station sent their "good to go" codes to the Bridge and the ship was fired up and the hanger was opened letting the crisp night air flood into the base. Turrets and automated sentries were activated and powered up ready to blow whatever could be trying to sneak into the base right back the corner of hell they crawled from. It was on of the older features of the base, but damn effective. The Privateers even left the charred bodies were they fell to scare anyone else off or turn to ash and blow away with the planets whip like winds.
No one was there this time, lucky for them. Once the ship was clear of the Hanger doors they closed and the defenses returned to their protective housings leaving the surface completely bare of their presence. Sy punched in the coordinates for Beckam's Bounty Office into the ship's computer and with Racer's help began steering the great survivor that is the Black Star along it's way.

A few hours passed and the group was watching the Bounty Hunter office disappearing in the hypothetical rear view mirror around dinner time. Food was served and everyone enjoyed watching their accounts climb even higher as the cash for the Merc was tallied out to them. Another few hours passed before they reached Tamosa Springs, the glow of the resort could be plainly seen as the Black Star came into orbit around the resort planet.

Togga's voice sounded over the intercoms.
"Ok crew we are being in orbit around Tamosa Springs. Be changing into your nicest clothes and only be bringing your sidearm or knife, we will be taking the FCC to the surface. Small weapons are not being uncommon here, but my connections with some of the guards can only be going so far. Dropping to the surface with the full ship and everyone fully suited up and armed would be bringing more attention to us then we are wanting for this job Duke, Rockford, Roxi, Evan, and Skara will be staying up here to bring us aid if we are needing it. The rest of you get ready to be meeting by the dropship in twenty minutes." The Intercoms clicked off and Togga went to his chambers and began dressing in a simple black pinstripe suit with a white shirt, maroon tie, and black leather shoes.

The twenty minutes passed and Togga was the first to reach the dropship, he hated dressing up and he hated wearing shoes even more. But so was the case, he couldn't go barefoot into a luxurious resort unless he had feet that defy all shoes like squid legs or something. Checking the charge of his Particle Pistol for the hundredth time he lit a cigar and leaned against the FFC as the normal crew gave it a once over and waited for his Expedition Crew.

Soulio

11-09-2014, 12:51 AM

Co-Post between MarchingThunder and I

As the Black Star was preparing to leave the port and head off to its next mission, a single figure dressed in a piece of string around her breasts and a tortilla chip covering her nether regions, slowly made her way up and onto the ships deck. Staying out of site, she quietly made her way into the depths of the ship, where she hoped she could hide for a while, and get away from this hell hole of a planet

Unfortunately for the stowaway, they weren't as stealthy as they had hoped. Their journey onto the ship was caught by the Scout Leader, who upon noticing someone sneak aboard the vessel, immediately began to stalk them. Whether they knew it or not, they were Already Bailey's prey.

She tracked them through the ship's cameras while she could before being forced to rely on her own body's capabilities as she lost sight of her target. Eventually catching up to them in the forward cargo hold, she watched them for a few moments before finally making herself visible as she entered the room calling out, "I know you're there, get out here."

The female figure, not at all the brightest bulb in the bunch, figured it would be best to come out of her hiding spot and be as cheery as possible, to the point that it sounded worse than a hyper active four year old girl who got a dress up doll for Christmas.

"Hi! I'm Sexua!"

"Hi, now why are you on this ship?" Bailey asked, producing the machete like knife from her thigh sheath.

Sexua realized that unless she used her seduction super power, that she'd be screwed and potentially thrown off the ship. Luckily, she swing both ways.

Flipping her hair and strutting her way towards the Scout, Sexua began to use her "power".

"Oh, you know... Just trying to pass on through..." she said as she began to move her hands slowly over the Scout.

"Surely you can do something to make sure I stay safe?" she asked, her tone heavy with poorly executed seduction.

"No."

The reply was hard and cold. Bailey recognized what the woman was trying to do, and had she been a normal human beings, she likely would have fallen for it, but a cybord with fully cybernetic senses was immune to it for the most part.

So before the woman could even begin to process ehr response, bailey drove her blade into her gut till it was coming out of her back before suing her inhuman strength to rip the blade upwards, cutting through Sexua's organs before crushing her ribs out of the way as she ripped her knife out through Sexua's left shoulder, the force of the blow bodily lifting and tossing her up a few inches.

Watching as the girl fell to the ground, Bailey swung her blade, freeing it of the blood that coated it before hitting her comm to Togga as she said, "Togga, we had a stowaway, I've dealt with them, but let maintenance know that there's a mess to clean up in the fore cargo hold."

----

When the crew was finally in orbit around Tamosa Springs and Togga informed everyone of their duties, Sam pulled out his suit, grumbling as he put it on.

He was alright looking fancy, but only when it came to being on dates. Other wise, he saw no reason for dressing as such. And he especially hated this suit. It was a specially designed suit that provided him with bullet protection and had a few pockets for concealed weaponry, but it was tight as hell.

That, and it was a bright purple. The tailor that made it for him years ago insisted that,
"This is the only color it comes in!" But as he was leaving the store, he heard the tailor laugh his ass off.

Once he was dressed up, he grabbed his Arc Pistol, and hid it in one of the pockets inside his suit, and made his way to the drop ship, where he was greeted by the hilarious sight of Togga in a suit.

"You look fucking stupid!" He laughed out, leaning against the drop ship's door.

Pheasant

11-09-2014, 03:41 AM

Sam Lorn

The dim room was filled with a faint gray vapour, along with the scent of burnt tobacco and ash from a stubby cigar that sat idly in the dish on the table.

His expression was blank, eyes downcast and clear, blood trickling faintly from a hole in his arm beneath a rubber cord. A sharp needle lettered M-18 layed on the table in front of the couch where he sat, empty of whatever liquid it contained aside from a small trickle of viscous, almost glue like substance that trickled slightly from the tip of the needle.

Sam had been stuck with enough needles in his life, with more legitimate contents than what was currently flowing through the man's veins now.

He didn’t deny it, the M-18 currently tearing through his body hurt, a lot. Compared to the prick of the needle, it was nothing. There was a reason the progenitors of this drug had killed both recruit and veteran alike, and although the contents of M-18 were heavily watered down, the pain was just as vivid.

But...god, it felt good when he loosened the rubber, and the drug flowed unhindered through his system. Another sharp pain stabbed into his heart, but the man would be lying if he said he felt it now.

He was drowning, pulled under by a tide of ecstasy that even a hundred nights with Bailey couldn’t compare to.

Sam’s body was numb and cold, his vision fading rapidly.

It felt like...dying. Like the bitterly cold fingers of Lady Death had finally come to embrace him.

Until the sharp kick of M-18’s secondary drug kicked in, slamming his heart back into action. Sam gasped and writhed, before his body finally relaxed against the couch and the man let out a long, deep sigh.

“That was close…”, he whispered to himself, “As close as it's ever been…”

He pushed himself up, slowly, pulling one loose suspender back over his shoulder before letting down the sleeve of his white collared shirt, buttoning the cuff tightly. An empty shoulder holster sat beneath his left arm, connected to the buckle of the suspender, the bottom buckle nestled into the belt that held up a pair of black, well pressed slacks.

The man took a puff of his cigar, before pulling a solid black tie underneath the collar of his buttoned up shirt, giving it a tight full windsor knot. Finally, he grabbed a select fire Glock from the table beside the ash tray, tucking it into the holster at his shoulder, then another handgun, a .45 and slipped it into the belt at his lower back.

“Never hurts to be careful…”, Sam mused, pulling his suit coat over his shoulders, moving to the small mirror in the bathroom.

Sharp, clean, armed with a tin of cigars and a combat load of magazines. He’d be sluggish for a few hours more, but hopefully this wouldn’t be one of ‘those’ missions.

Finally, the man slipped a pair of ballistic grade sunglasses over his eyes. Perfect for looking like an asshole, and scanning the room without being noticed.

He moved down to the dropship now, puffing his cigar as he reached the ship with enough time to hear the other Sam insult Toga, despite looking like a clown himself.

“Nah, it ain’t worth it…”, Sam mumbled, shaking his head
-

Akalina Gato

Akalina sat inside of the dropship already, clad in a gorgeous if not exotic kimono of bright blue, dashed here and there with colorful flowers. Beside the birdgirl on the seat next to her sat a short blade in a sheath, obviously of Karura make.

Her feet, clad in wooden sandals clacked against the metallic floor of the drop-ship quietly, as the woman's fingers glided over a small portable computer settled into her lap.

Koti~

11-09-2014, 01:18 PM

Shinkei stirred carefully in sleep, dressed barely in her underwear at the moment. She was trying to sleep off her exhausted muscles, having spent the morning in the gym, which is all she had mostly been doing. Her first few days aboard the ship were, in a manner of speaking, boring. All she had been mostly doing what fixing a dead bulb here, a loose bolt there. With the recent body work done on the ship, she was left with little to truthfully to repair, nor organization of the spare parts. Shinkei had spent most of her time working on the aerial droid ball, having now upgraded it’s size and even gave it a functional robotic crane.

But now, she was slightly excited and also slightly bored. They were finally at the casino, and even though she wasn’t going into the casino, she would be glad to see it. She had woken early for this, an eager smile as the droid woke up, slipping from sleep mode to standby, a playful tune eminating from it as it floated into the air. Shinkei gave it a chuckle before heading into the showers, waiting for the hot water to catch up to the cold before slipping in, her robotic arm resting in a protective sling.

Once clean, she slipped out, wrapping a towel around her much like a toga before heading into her personal room, rifling through her outfits to find the one fancy piece she brought with. A knee length red dress that flared outwards from the waist, a strange mix of red and black that seemed to move when she did. It cinched at her waist with a black sash and bow. Slipping on a pair of black underwear and bra, she shimmied into the strapless dress, feeling it puff up her chest a bit as she tightened the bow at her waist.

Next came a pair of black stockings that came to her upper thigh, allowing her to slip a small dagger into both sides, avoidable by most metal detectors from the non metallic alloy used for them. In the purse slung around her shoulder, she stashed a small pistol and a pair of flats, wanting something easier to run in incase it was needed. Now dressed, she set about putting her shoulder blade length hair into curls, letting the wavy hair frame her face. Next was the makeup, a small mix of blush and pink lipstick, never one much for makeup herself.

Slipping on a pair of 3” heels, she headed down to the dropship, trying to hide the very small wobbly step, not used to heels, but knowing that they would be required.

“Togga… you seem weird wearing a tux.” Shinkei said while hiding a giggle, sitting down in a seat so she wouldn’t need to be standing all the time.

MarchingThunder

11-09-2014, 10:39 PM

bailey was a little behind the others in reaching the drop ship, but she owed that to the fact she had been forced to take time with getting her appearance right. Even with the ability to sharpen and change her features thanks to her body, it took a while to get the desired makeup effects right as well as to create her desired black flapper outfit from her nano-machines.

For the time she took though, Bailey was quite sure she looked damn good as she strapped her knife to her left thigh, opposite the handgun on the right thigh, both of them concealed by the tassels and frills of her skirt. Given the two and a half inch heels, sheer black pantyhose, sparkling tight black dress, and long black evening gloves. Her hair was shortened a bit, and styled a little wild with a grin on her face as she made her way into her seat on the drop ship, making sure to add a good sway to her hips before taking a seat next to Sam and giving him a little elbow in the side to get his attention as she borrowed his cigar and took a puff before passing it back to him.

"Ready for this, Sam?" she asked cheekily, an unusual amount of excitement on her face.

http://i547.photobucket.com/albums/hh476/SiaFel/484358_zps6efd783a.jpg

Pheasant

11-10-2014, 06:20 AM

Sam took a long drag of the cigar, before sliding it into a steel tin he pulled out from his suit coat. He let out a heady puff of smoke, shaking his head with a grin, "I was, until I saw you in that. Bringing sunglasses was a good idea...", the man murmured.

It had been a long time since the two of them had worked together on a ground mission, although his responsibility was to play bodyguard. Hopefully he wouldn't end up oogling too long, drinking too hard, or gambling too much when they got down to the planet. At least one of the three was bound to happen though, hopefully away from the Captain's view. Sam didn't need another 'stern' talking to about how he handled himself on mission.

"We haven't been on a mission like this in so long, I almost forgot how much you love dressing up. Much as I like getting paid, it'd be nice to come to places like this and enjoy it without worrying about getting shot or stabbed in the back"

He shifted his weight, leaning back into his seat without the uncomfortable dig of the .45 tucked behind his back, resting an arm on the head of the chair the woman beside him sat on.

Sam felt excited, felt good. But he couldn't shake this bad feeling, like an itch that had been bothering him since before the Silver Quasar incident...

wakachukie

11-11-2014, 04:35 AM

Michael lowered his shoulders, hunched into the armored drop-ship and began to buckle in the complicated harness. The movements were swift, fluid, and automatic; the result of practicing on other harnesses and other ships for years. Looking over his shoulder, he growled back at the nearest person. "Such a total waste. Just threw all that uncooked meat out the waste chute. Seriously, do you even Know how many kinds of meatloaf we could've made??"

Michael shook his head in disbelief as he re-straightened the collar on the fancified suit he had fit over his regular armor. In essence it was essentially the same, but now it looked more traditional, and filled out his reptoid shape into a more anthropomorphic form. "And how, exactly, Did she get into the base in the first place? I mean, really. Between our crew and Holiness knows how many traps Togga set up, there is just no way she should have gotten in. Having Maintenance or whoever take that girl and throw her out with the garbage instead of notifying me was Such a waste. So very sad."

Clicking that last buckle into place, Michael twisted in his seat so he could better yell at the unfortunate soul. "Only me, Sabor, and Togga could honestly enjoy it. But when was the last time any of us enjoyed a good, old fashioned, rare cuisine meal huh? Like never." Pounding a fist into the wall in fruitless annoyance, and wincing at the resulting dent, Michael went back to finishing up the suit.

Michael reached up his back and tried to slip the last pressure seal under his black necktie. "Oh, help we with tha... yeah, right there should do. Thanks. So, like I was saying before we boarded this train of lunacy, we should get some extra hologuises and make the drop-ship look like an actual Executive Limo instead of a gun-toting war-truck. I mean, wouldn't that fit in better with our M.O.? We are supposedly going as a legitimate business operation." Michael chuckled and checked the power levels of his suit. All charged and ready.

"It would totally work too, and I've already had the droids help instal it. Just need to turn it on." Michael grinned. "I may have used my rations to make a few odds and ends for the missions. They were mostly for the droids and I didn't need them because I can't exactly gain nutrients like everyone else does."

"Yep. All finished. The hardest part was getting them back in time from all the people I loaned 'em out to! Speaking of, where is..." Michael scanned the drop-ship, looking at who was already on-board and who was still missing. It seemed like they were essentially ready to launch.

SikstaSlathalin

11-12-2014, 11:22 PM

*Togga*

The Shar watched as his crew slowly trickled in all dressed in their best, few things are as amusing as seeing a bunch of space pirates used to wearing armor and being armed to the teeth, dressed in formal clothing and only carrying a few weapons. Marking off names in his head, he lit a cigar and began puffing slowly away on it when Sam1 walked up in some horrendous all purple suit and made a remark about Togga's outfit.

Togga twitched his dorsal fin and blew smoke full into Sam 1's face.
"And you are looking like something Barney the Dinosaur was shitting out one night after too much Prune Juice. Be getting on ship before I am putting you in charge of painting a suit on Killbot." Moving away from the door he did a quick check of the Holo-Guises he had made for the crew and ship. These would be essential for this mission, they couldn't let people know who they were on this planet. The normal humans like Sam 1 and Kari would fit in well enough without them and even they were getting some. They would be essential for the Aliens like himself and Sabor, Killbot and Aidebot would be getting some too. With any luck no one would recognize them and they could get these jobs done quick and easy. He had just strapped on his own when Shinkei walked past making yet another comment about him being in tux. This is why he hated tuxes and dressing up, everyone had a comment to make.

"Da, but none of us are really looking right being dressed up like this. Not even Kari and Bailey." Looking into the ship the Captain did a quick head-count. Sabor, Kari, Sy, Kat, Aidebot, Killbot, Rivet, and Xan were still missing. He heard Micheal speak from the ship and commented back.
"You are making good points Michael, so good in fact we are already panning to be using those. We are missing a few people though, everyone must be here before they are to be given out."

*Killbot and Sabor*

The crew's most dangerous duo were fighting with things they weren't designed to fight with. For Sabor it was a tux that was somehow a size too small for his massive furry frame.
"If I ever find the fuck that made this, I will eat his soul for this fucking suit." The big cat man had just zipped up the pants and was about to start in on the jacket.

Killbot wasn't trying a traditional suit for the simple fact that his body would never allow a suit to survive, his armor, ammo, and such are directly attached to his body and he would need to rip it apart to get to them. It just wasn't practical, neither was his present fight with a can of black spray paint, but it was the only way he could look any degree of formal. Being crewmates the two Guards were trying to help each other out, but it was just turning bad situations into worse ones.
Eventually they gave up helping each other and just wrestled with their own demons. Many minutes, many oaths, and even a death promise or two later the Guards were suited up. Killbot now painted a classy satin black would go mostly unarmed not owning a weapon that would be called "small" or "easy to carry" not even his machetes could be hidden with any level of ease. K-Bot's defenses would lie in his shock gauntlets and if things really got bad, his cannon arm.
Sabor was lucky this time, he could have his hand cannon along which he gladly holstered under his right arm making sure it was well hidden by his coat.

The two killers checked themselves over before falling out and grumbling their ways to the drop ship. As bristly as a wet cat and a wet robocat they nodded to Togga and took their seats at the FCC's two guns.

*Rivet and Kari*

The week moved quite fast for Kari and Rivet. The night before their breakfast was...memorable, the breakfast itself was the best one they've ever had. From there things remained positive, Rivet's surgery went off without a hitch and he immediately found his complaints vanish. It was like finally getting a crick in your neck massaged away or getting something out of your eye that has been there all month.
Just utter relief and he made sure to show his appreciation to the good Doctor every chance he got. Kari in turn made sure to accept the guard's appreciation graciously, She was kept busy with medical check-ups during the day, but the nights were mostly free and she made sure to share dinner with Rivet and keep an eye on his arms. It never got past dinner, but a solid friendship became stronger. With gear packed they gladly walked side by side onto the Black Star to begin these missions.

The day of the Casino mission came and Rivet had managed to dig out a gray and black suit from the back of his closet and got himself into it. Stashing his laser pistol in the shoulder rig under his left arm the big man exited his room and headed for Kari's. He was looking forward to exactly what kind of outfit the fashionable Doctor would come up with.
In the room of Doc Kari, the woman was standing in a lacy black bra, garter, panties, and stockings rubbing her smooth chin slowly in thought as she gazed at a long red sleeveless dress and a black strapless one. This had been an hour long chore, picking her best dresses and slowly talking herself into keeping one or out of keeping another. Now she was done to these two, pacing in front of her bed she drummed her fingers along the two knives she had strapped to her right thigh.
She was just about ready to just pick one when a knock and familiar voice sounded on the other side of her door.
"You ready to go Kari? It's Rivet." The woman smiled and pulled on a purple bathrobe closing the front so it wouldn't make poor Rivet have another episode of gentlemanly despair.
"Not yet, but feel free to come in. Might be able to use your opinion."

Her door opened and as the big man walked in she lifted the red dress and black dress holding them up for him to look at.
"Which dress should I wear?"

Rivet blushed slightly seeing Kari in a robe, but keeps his eyes focused on the dresses.
"Umm." He looked at her legs and saw the black stockings. "Red goes with black and it will let you cut an even better figure then you do now." Kari smiled hanging the black dress back up and walking up to Rivet kissing his cheek.
"Thanks Rivet, I'll only be a few minutes more. Take a seat." She motioned to her desk as she walked into her bathroom to finish getting ready Rivet took the seat and leaned back waiting. True to her word Kari was dressed and ready in a few minutes. As she exited the bathroom and pulled on the black evening gloves Rivet found himself staring again, like something out of an ancient movie.

"Wow, you look fantastic!" He said standing up from the table trying to rip his eyes from her.

Kari smiled walking up adjusting Rivet's tie.
"As do you Rivet. You clean up pretty well, won't we make the nice couple." She took the man's hand and after grabbing one of her pistols off her dresser she slid it into her purse before walking out with Rivet in tow.
Never being one to argue with a beautiful woman Rviet followed the good Doctor and together they made their way to the drop ship nodding to everyone before taking their seats besides Sam and Bailey.
Kari, who was sitting next to Bailey smiled at the woman.
"You look beautiful Bailey, I love the style choice."

Rivet looked at Sam 2 and chuckled.
"You look beautiful as well Lorn."

Arthera

11-12-2014, 11:49 PM

Research.

While not actively working on something for the ship, Kat was researching something she never considered she'd ever have to: fashion.

She had never given any real thought to what she wore, it had never come up before, nor did she ever require to get any specific garment for occasions. She simply avoided those by default. She got her hands on things she needed and what felt comfortable. Colors, styles, fit, brands. All things she had no knowledge of and required her to research. Ekaterina would have called upon the good doctor for help, she was a natural at this and likely had stores of knowledge on the matter as she had on medical matters. But she was busy. Her backup plan, Sy, despite how toxic it could be to remain in prolonged exposure to her booze miasma, felt like she would know more about such things. Again, busy with ship matters.

Which left Kat to her own devices. She checked the planet's records and stored video footage from restaurants to casinos, she hacked street cameras, she looked at popular sites and planetary chat mediums to see what was "in". Clothes were ordered for the last stop over before the casino planet, a selection of things that would "blend in" and "look suitably sophisticated" for the planet, cross-referenced with body types, height, apparent age and a dozen other criteria. To Kat, all those articles felt like sheer insanity. Why would you wear a piece of clothing that's not comfortable to wear, costly, not practical in any way and only usable at certain places or times of day? Even the shoes were stupid. Heels. Heels didn't allow for any descent running, weren't able to be silent, likely didn't feel comfortable to wear at all, and they cost so much! Ekaterina felt like she still didn't miss much for skipping over the whole "be a woman" thing. At the very least she was much wealthier for avoiding the usual trappings of being one for so many years.

When she collected the parcel, a brief look at the articles still made Kat feel uneasy. She would sooner dress in a man's suit and proper attire than this flimsy excuse at clothing. Had she known in advance she wouldn't be part of the main party, off to meet the contact, she'd have taken the first cheap thing to cross her eyes. Since she hadn't known at the time, she prepared for "blending in" and looking the "part". When the time came to dress up and assemble at the dropship, Kat went about the elaborate rituals of preparation seemingly required for this sort of occasion.

The lengthy skin and hair preparations, the painstaking makeup session, the nails and myriad other details took ages to get right, despite ready access to millions of files and videos explaining every second of the process. The black dress (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v206/Kelindril/Dress_zpsc980375a.jpg), a one piece mixture of lace and satin cloth, felt too tight once actually worn. Kat feared that breathing out too much would break something, either the dress or her ribs, even if the measurements were very precise and correct. It also seemed to uselessly show too much, despite that human females fitting her profile were "typically" wearing this sort of thing, especially within the upper measurement ranges Ekaterina fell into. The knee-length dress wouldn't allow her to run, it hugged her body too much to hide weapons underneath. Even with her added synthetic reflex and balance enhancers preventing her from toppling over simply walking in the stupid things, the heels would be the first things to go if she actually had to go anywhere in a hurry. All in all, everything exactly what she expected and feared.

Ekaterina felt and looked stupid.

She hid her firearm in the tiny purse that matched her attire, along with a few other devices she wouldn't leave the ship without. With a last dejected glance at her reflection, Kat made her way out of her room and with heels clicking loudly against the metal flooring, went to the dropship. She didn't bother looking the others over or voicing any comment when she arrived at the gathering, lest they realize she did indeed look silly and stupid, and she be forced to shoot them in the knee for reminding her. Sitting down in the first available seat, Kat went about fiddling with a local-flavored communicator, wishing very very much for this to get going so it can end sooner rather than later.

Higurashi

11-13-2014, 12:31 AM

It always surprised Suto how dull the senses of the average sentient being were. Sure, there might be the occasional alien race that had a refined sense of hearing, or smell, or in some cases even taste of all things. Yet when it came down to these 'superior' features, a true master of the art of stealth could creep up on them with ease. In comparison the would-be assassin behind him was trained, but nowhere near skilled enough to pull off the double handed soldier sword execution he was trying to pull off. It was overly dramatic, theatrical even. One didn't get bonus points for flair. All that would have been necessary was a quick jab to the back of the neck, severing the spine and removing all resistance. Yet the fool went with the grandstanding approach, despite the fact that no one was around to see it.

As such he didn't even notice the inconspicuous loose bolt that Suto had placed on the beam, just over two inches from the primary joint, until he'd stepped on in and sent it spiraling to the floor far below. The gentle scrape of metal on metal and whisper of displaced air was all he'd needed to identify the threat. A quick backward thrust of his foot, hands braced on the beam which supported him, hit the intended replacement square in the chest. This sent him to slam back into the vertical beam behind him, causing a dull metallic thud to ring across the air. It wasn't exactly loud in comparison to say, a speed-metal band like was popular with the kids these days, but in the silence and dark it was resounding.

What's more, the falling bolt just so happened to fall in front of a Floor Guard, just barely no hitting him on the head. While not intellectually the sharpest knives in the kitchen (of which there were many in this given establishment) one could not be employed in this kind of work for long without having an excellent eye for trouble. Stuff randomly falling from the ceiling was trouble, no matter whether it was a maintenance issue or something about to leap down on you from above. Thus the Guard instantly reacted with keying his comm-link to the Security Room.

Unlike their Floor Guard colleagues, those employed in the Security Department were aware of the imminent replacement of their head Floor watcher. After all, it was one them who had picked up the irregularity in the reports given by Suto. What none of them would say was that it was only an accident which had permitted this discovery. One specific shift of guards were normally on duty whenever Suto brought his pawns in. This was because (of the shifts) they were the laziest. In anticipation of this advantage, Suto had been covering for them (without their knowledge) for a number of months. By happenstance, one of the men working the shift was collapsed from exhaustion (he'd partied too hard the previous night) and had to be replaced on sudden notice. The new guy they brought in just so happened to have sufficient work ethic to note their lack of such and noticed the signs of a cheat on the gambling floor, that and his not being reported. (As fate would have it, he'd grown up in a crime ridden neighborhood and had learned how to spot a crook from a young age.) This he brought to the attention of his boss, the Owner of the Casino, who being paranoid and rather cunning in their own right, put two and two together rather more easily than could be expected.

In this way, an almost absurdly unlucky series of coincidences aligned to alert the Owner to Suto's lack of loyalty to his employer. Thus as had been tried so many times before, the employer chose to try and have Suto made an example of rather than just firing him. Given the assassin's track record on such things, one of the reasons he'd been hired in the first place, one might think he'd have realized this to be a bad idea. However it would probably be worth taking into consideration that Suto had been hired for his skill in cooking exotic food for exotic aliens, thus it is possible that his employment history had been forgotten under the urge of a hungry stomach.

While not one to readily give up an excellent chef, this particular Casino Owner had a paranoid streak wider his belly (which was wide indeed). Absolutely no hint of betrayal would be tolerated (thus the unusual level of instinctual and training based cunning amongst the Floor Guards). It also probably helped that the Owner was physically rather far away at the time, which dampened down on the chance of immediate reprisal. Having distance between oneself and the guy with the sword tends to give you more confidence, you know? Of course given the previously mentioned paranoia, he was also moving away from the area as fast as his transport could move him. (This was at a great speed, despite his weight.)

Even still, he watched with trepidation as his intended replacement for Suto crashed out of the shadows to the gambling floor below, faceplate of his helmet punctured by one clean stab through the eye-ridge. This fear would only grow as his valuable guests stood dumb-struck, even as his guards dived for cover. Their return fire with previously hidden fire-arms (pistols mostly) was swift, but a response from the shadow never came. Instead, the cameras panned for a few moments, showing nothing until a Guard standing next to a slot machine dropped to his knees, blood spewing from both of his severed arteries on his neck. Suto emerged from the negligble shadow, sprinting and diving to another piece of cover as shots cracked over his head. Guests and other civilian staff began to flee in a mass panic (finally), bowling over several Guards in their haste to leave despite warning shots fired overhead. Another guard fell as a glowing sword sprouted from his chest, in the region of his heart. More retaliation fire smashed the machinery and tables nearby to wreckage, but Suto was already gone.

Pheasant

11-13-2014, 03:12 AM

Sam Lorn rolled his eyes behind the dark tint of his glasses, “Should wear a suit more often Riv, you’ve got to have the tonest ass this side of the Great Divide”, the man replied with a note of humorous sarcasm.

Confederate and Domion space bordered one another, representing a rivalry that paralleled Lorn and Rivet well. One part drinking buddies, two parts rival. Same age, same skillset, same mindset when it came to battle for the most part. Aside from Bailey, the suited man two seats down was one of the few other members of the ship that understood his dry, somewhat quirky humor.
In a fight, he didn’t have to explain the sequence of battle to Rivet either. Suppression movements were reliable, and clearing rooms was was fast and precise.

Lorn would far from call their relationship comfortable. Maybe the man was just drawn to people like himself, scarred, fucked up. Their current issues were no doubt of a different genre, however.

“You carry a shoulder holster on double dates too? Now I don’t feel so bad”, Sam murmured with a glance over at Rivet.

Koti~

11-13-2014, 01:35 PM

Shinkei rested back in her seat, looking around at the others with an eager sigh. Though she was going to be stuck on the drop ship during the mission, it was still entertaining. She felt slightly out of place as she looked about the other women, going from Akalina’s bright blue and exotic blue kimono, the wooden sandals matching rather well. Her eyes traveled over to Bailey and Kat, feeling rather lacking as she noted their black and slimming dresses. It fit their curves well, showing off their natural body and highlighting their figures. She was about to say something before Karina joined them, wearing a stunning red dress that had her own jaw dropping with amazement. She kept her mouth closed for a few seconds and diverted her eyes, her cheeks going a bit red after having seen the other girls and looking herself over again.

“Where did you get that Kimono Akalina? It looks so cool.” Shinkei spoke up, leaning forward to talk with her. She stood up and headed over to her and sat down nearby, giving her a smile as she adjusted her dress in the seat, making sure to keep everything closed. She had thought of talking to Kat, but the girl looked annoyed enough as is to be wearing a dress.

Soulio

11-14-2014, 03:17 AM

Sam stopped laughing, his mouth agape in mock outrage.

"How dare you say such a thing about your grandfather!" he said, stepping into the dropship. Taking a seat in the dropship, Sam pulled on various parts of his suit, grumbling once again at the asshole tailor.

"I'm gonna kill him if I ever see him again..." he groaned, giving up when the suit just wouldn't relent.

Bailey looked very nice in her dress, but then again, she did also make the change into someone's body for the dress itself. He had never seen Bailey herself in a dress, and was never sure if he would.

Kari, as usual looked incredibly gorgeous, seeming as though she was a model. Sam had tried so hard to see her on a "bad" day. Wanted to see the difference. Sadly, it had never happened.

As for Shinkei, she looked very pretty in her dress. It was simple, but it would work for the planet and casino. Plenty of men would hit on them tonight.

As for Sam 2 and Rivet, they looked dashing, as most any man would in fancy attire.

"I wonder how fast I could spend my life savings on this planet..."

Dnafein

11-18-2014, 01:43 AM

Xan grumbled to himself as he stood before his "closet." He took care of the less important things shortly after the captain gave orders as to who was going planet side. The Rodentian made sure the computer was updated and payment would continue should the worst happen and Xanatos be unable to return. He then checked his family records for Tamosa Springs, there were a number of janitors, valets and even one or two dealers. With a shrug he dumped it into his wrist comp and moved onto the final decision.

Unfortunately it wasn't an easy choice. He immediately dismissed a number of outfits he wore on usual business. He also dismissed a number he wore on on unusual business. Which reduced him down to three. After a bit of thought he dismissed the dress suit. (http://image.img-erento.com/suit/evening-tails-package-1-suit-1608750-4606338_dia_1.jpg) Finally he decided the tuxedo (http://austinstar.com/celebrity/Elvisgold.gif) would detract from the jewelry he planned on wearing and (much to his chagrin) he didn't pack any gold earrings to match the outfit.

He carefully got dressed, running his hands over his suit to ensure there were no wrinkles. Putting his Duke MK-44 into a shoulder holster, which he re adjusted a dozen times to ensure no sign of it appeared to an observant searcher. He slid his Zat into his pocket and patted it. He'd yet to meet anyone who would confiscate ones lucky charm/religious symbol; lucky for him the snake is one of the three faces of death in the Rodentian Pantheon. Finally after one final check in the mirror, Xanatos felt he looked appropriately attired (http://www.jerrystuxshop.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/after-six-white-black-stripe-zoot-4-button.jpg) for the resort planet. Grabbing his hat he walked into the dropship, and glanced around nodding at the others outfits. "Well either we're the best dressed or worst dressed pirates of all time."

Rayfire

11-20-2014, 08:42 PM

Evan Chase

Chase couldn’t help but foam at the mouth in anger. He couldn’t believe that Sharterran fin faced captain of his wanted him to stay on the ship for one of the best missions. Alright he could believe it considering all the work he’s been ignoring during the week leading up to the mission.

Evan kept himself busy between the women, his favorite booze, books, and his intense training regimen. Chase called it, “a little R&R “and Dar-Togga called it “Sleeping around with every broad he laid his hands on”. At least he somehow found time to get a Med and Mech checkup, which was more like his excuse to flirt with the Medic and Mechanic to little effect on both ends for opposite reasons. The beautiful Dr. Kari was more than able in beating him away with smiles and pointed comments of him sleeping with and flirting with any woman that looks good. While flirting went right over Shinkei’s adorable head, in fact she seems more impressed with the nuts and bolts inside of him then his fancy words and good looks. Evan also got a checkup with Ms. Kat their Engineer and the only women on board he doesn’t flirt with.

Evan wasn’t too happy about staying back. Still he felt the need to check up on everyone just before they left. This basically means he is there just to make fun of them all. “Captain putting brutes in suits doesn’t make them gents” he says smoothly from the entrance to the shuttle. For once Evan himself isn’t wearing a suit and simply has his battle armor on. Not only is the pretty boy in armor he is wearing his full combat gear. Rarely seen in full combat gear unless bullets are flying and things are dire he silent encourages them. He knows how it feels to walk around practically naked. For a pirate, mercenary, or any soldier in the private business. Walking around with just a pistol and knife can be scary. Evan was showing them his support although he wouldn’t say it. His attire clearly says, I’ll be right here ready to help if anything goes wrong.

A wide smile spread across his lips as his eyes take in the ladies in their respective dresses. Some definitely looked slightly uncomfortable but without a doubt they all look gorgeous and he couldn’t resist a little flirting. Not often would one get to see their fatal beauty Bailey in a dress, Kat already looked irritated with her dress, and even Shinkei looked beautiful in her red dress. In fact for a moment Evan was at a loss on who to flirt with. “Wow who knew we had so many ladies on board, hey captain where you pick up the beauties and remind me again why wasn’t I invited?” Of course Evan chose the easy route lightly joking with them all.

SikstaSlathalin

11-21-2014, 06:11 AM

*Rivet*

The big man chuckled at Lorn's first comment.
"Careful, guy Bailey might get jealous if you stare too much at my ass." Leaning back Rivet studied the Confederate a bit. It's a rare thing for a soldier from either of their sides of the human war machine to have survived as long as they did let alone wind up serving on the same crew years later. The big man chuckled and nodded hiding the weapon under his coat better.
"Of course man, I'm always packing protection."

*Ray and Siks co-op*

Togga chuckled as his long absent First Mate showed up in full battle rattle and with jokes like nothing had happened. "And putting a pretty boy in armor is not making him ready to be keeping his eyes on mission rather than pretty women. You are staying here because I am needing you to be watching our backs from up here. Now come, I am needing to be reminding you how the ship works." He chuckled lighting another cigar and moving from the Drop Ship back to the bridge dragging Evan away from the well-dressed women.

A thoughtful look crossed Evan's face while the captain dragged him away. "But Cap keeping an eye on pretty women is the greatest mission of all." Is the last comment that could be heard from the drop ship before Evan switched to the serious matters at hand. "If you guys get caught things can turn bad fast... You do know if you die I become Captain " Evan was only half joking considering the crew only has pistols and blades, however now would be a great time to kill to eliminate the crew and their collective bounties would make somebody rich.

Togga let go of the cyborg and continued to lead him to the bridge.
“If am dying down there, then the rest of you will be following me shortly after. Because one who is knowing me in hologuise will be knowing of the rest of you.” The Sharkman entered the bridge and nodded to the skeleton crew manning the stations each was in their armor and their weapons and helmets were nearby. Racer on Nav, Roxi on Sensor and Comms, Duke on Surveillance, Skara on Mechanical, and Rockford on medical. The rest are the usual ship crew they bring along on missions to assist. “Now are you remembering how to run a ship? Or has all the rampant sex been killing your attention span?” Togga chuckled around his cigar.

With a glance at Togga, Evan takes out a flask and sits in the captains chair. A deep drink and daring smile quickly gets him to work. In his commander's voice learned from years of serving in the military and serving with Togga he quickly sets everyone to their tasks.
"Roxi and Duke I want scans of the planet and landing site. Eyes on any weapon platforms and guard stations while you’re at it see if we can get plugged into their comms. If the guards make a move I want to know. Racer soon as the shuttle launches I want us sitting nearby, out of sight and mind, but close enough to drop in and continue scans. Rockford keep prepped in case we run into trouble. Remember our people are naked down there if something goes wrong they will need help fast.” With that done and out of the way, Evan is up and out of the seat no sooner then he sat down leaving his flask in his place. “Me forget? All the sex keeps me fresh and ready to go, and how can I die? You’re the one on the ground and we do have some nice cannons.” Evan says with a easy going side smile at Togga.

In response to Evan’s orders each station had it’s own comments for him. Most know him as the playboy you rarely take serious, but with the Captain being right there they sure as hell tried.
Duke spoke first gnawing on his black licorice.
“Already got’em, check your HUD in the chair there First Mate. As of now the spaceport is packed full of moderately armed tourists and very armed security guards. And the planet itself has a stupid amount of signal jammers going which is to be expected with all the criminals around. From what I’ve gotten, everyone down there is armed and many of them are dangerous. Especially this ninja guy that seemed to fight his way out of one of the casinos so yeah they’ll be all over new arrivals for a bit.”
Roxi nodded leaning back in her chair adjusting the chest of her tighter than last time armor.
“Hacking into their Comms isn’t gonna be easy. These guys are pros if both Duke and I work on it even without Kat and Aidebot we might have something by the time the drop ship lands, but I wouldn’t hold my breath.”
Racer sipped from a bottle of water before handing it to his tail to hold.
“Sy-ya and Racer got dis figured mon, we can find ourself on da uda side of deair moon. It be close enough ta keep our scans going, but far enough ta keep us covered.”

Rockford double checked the vitals of each member in the drop ship and waved back at Evan.
“Kari and I have had this figured, our supplies are full and with any luck the crew can keep their heads down and not do anything stupid. I shouldn’t be needed, but I am ready nonetheless.”

Togga chuckled blowing smoke in Evan’s face at his comment. “Because anything that is managing to be bringing me down even as unarmed as I am. Would be having Interstellar Missiles up their asses and be shooting at your ego from planetside. Skara are you having those Holo-Guises ready?” He asked looking at the willowy Asst. Mechanic who nodded and brought a bag with a hologuise for each member of the landing party. They looked like normal high-end watches even with male and female styles.
She nodded her head and spoke in her quiet voice.
“Yes sir, and one is already installed in the FCC that makes it look like a stretch limo full of rich Gamblers. Two warnings though Captain, we also installed a deadlock switch on the drop ship and wired each hologuise with the ability to turn it on, but only your's can turn it off. Once it’s activated the FCC will button up tighter than a Moon Princess before she’s wed and send a distress beacon back to us up here. No one will be able to get in or out without your say. It’s the blue button on the wristband here." She pointed the button out before handing Togga’s his. "Second warning, these only have so much juice in their internal batteries. One or two holograms at the most, one for the landing and one more if things get bad.”
The Sharterran nodded attaching the hologuise to his large wrist before taking the bag from the young alien.
“Spasiba, these will be very useful. Hopefully we will not be needing them.” He shouldered the bag and looked around at the bridge one last time. He looked Evan in his eyes and spoke this final phrase.“Be taking care of my ship and crew Evan. I will be looking forward to be getting back to my wife and daughter.”
All jokes leave Evan’s face as he looks back into his Captain's eyes. While he might joke about it he’d actually hate to see the Sharterran die and refused to let that happen if he can do anything about it. Evan is indeed a skirt chaser, but when serious he could come out winning against AP Mechs.
“Will do Captain, we will keep watch and be in touch if you need us.“

The big Captain gave the young man a faint toothy grin and patted him on the shoulder.
“And try not to be spending whole time trying to be getting under Roxi’s armor, da?” Togga put out his cigar in the ashtray in his chair before walking out of the bridge. A smile cracks across Evan’s face giving him away immediately. The Captain clearly knew him oh too well. Evan was thinking of doing just that when Togga called him on it. “Hey, I have to keep myself entertained somehow.”

*Siks only GM Mover*

Togga chuckled to himself hearing Evan's parting words. He knew the man would still try to get between Roxi's fuzzy bosoms and he might even succeed. The Captain just hoped he didn't do it in front of Rockford, it's never a smart thing to annoy one of the people in charge of your personal health. Making his way back through the corridors leading to the launch bay Togga shifted through the disguise options in his watch. As soon as he put it on it took a DNA sample and loaded the screen with comparable disguises for his size and build. As usual it was a hilarious list of options, Sumo Wrestler, Luchador, Western Professional Wrestler, Mafia Enforcer, Heavy Weight Boxer, Circus Strong Man, the list of stereotypical Big Men continued until he found one he liked the sounds of, "Barbarian". Selecting the preview he saw a very large man with long straight black hair, arms and legs like tree trunks, and eyes that burned like green fire. It would work, setting it up for quick switch he entered the bay just in time to see Sy and Aidebot board the drop ship.
"It is good to be seeing everyone here, now be taking your seats and be buckling in."

Everyone moved to obey and Togga began handing out the Hologuises. Everyone would be getting one, even Bailey. They were both a way for the non-human members of the crew to blend in better and give the humans a chance to change their looks so there is no chance of anyone recognizing them. Kat has done a good job of covering their tracks since she joined, but profit favors the cautious, the bold can go die on Fortune's Wheel. As he handed the last Hologuise to Killbot he took his seat nodding to Sy to start the ship. She nodded back and began firing up the engines, checking all the systems, and closing the shuttle's door.
"Ok be listening closely everyone. If all is going well we will be in and out of this place with no dying and no shooting. Myself and Xan will be meeting Stella Silverlight in the Frozen Star Lounge with the Sams and Micheal coming as our guards. Bailey, Aki, and Rivet will be going there ahead of us to be scoping the place out for trouble. If they are finding none we will be going forward with the job. The rest of you will be staying in the FCC for the first mission, but when it is coming to finding Moriarty that is when all of us will be needed. We will be going into the populace of the Sierra Madre to be hunting up information on him. It will not be easy and there is being only so much we can get through hacking. All avenues must be pursued hacking, physical persuasion, trickery, seduction, even asking real nicely. Once we find out what we are wanting we will be hunting Moriarty down and be stopping him from sending any more fool Mercs to their deaths."

The ship rumbled to full power and the launch bay's airlock sealed and the launch bay door of the Black Star opened up allowing Sy guide the ship out. Everyone felt a moment of weightlessness before everything pressurized and Togga continued his speech.
"Now it will be taking a few minutes for us to be reaching Tamosa Springs. Be using this time to be selecting your disguise. Everyone will be picking one even you humans and cyborgs, we are not knowing who is knowing what about us. Even the FCC will be having a disguise as fancy limo being full of High-Rollers. So have fun with it." He chuckled lightly as Sy turned on the drop ship's hologuise just as he was picking his own disguise as the big barbarian with the burning green eyes.
He moved the hair out of his face smirking at the strange sensation. Looking around he saw Sabor and Killbot choose from the same list as he. Sabor chose the Western Wrestler, a massive light skinned man with scraggly blond hair, icy blue eyes, and a cleanly shaved face. Killbot picked the Mob Enforcer, a stocky man with tanned skinned, deep brown eyes, a full goatee, and military cut brown hair. He looked from them to Kari and Rivet, the two have been close ever since Kari put Rivet's arms on and they've gotten even closer since Kari's come back on payroll. Rivet was another one in the Big Men category, he only looked through a few before deciding on Heavy Weight Boxer it looked a lot like the new Scout minus his facial hair, tanned skin, and robot arms.

Kari's list was from the Curvy Fit Woman category. Togga remembered looking them over once, there was Goddess, Princess, Star Athlete, Queen, Business woman, Fighter, and a few others. She showed them to Rivet and the two of them joked back and forth before Kari chose Fighter. She already was one so it made sense her skinned paled a little, her long blond hair shortened and turned black and her eyes became a steely gray-blue in color.
As the rest of the crew selected their disguises Togga began talking again.
"Now Skara gave me a couple of warnings for these devices. First these things only have enough power to provide two disguise changes before they burn out and the hologuises fail. One is being for this landing and mission. The other is either being for the Moriarty mission or an emergency. The next warning is being this little blue button on the wristband. It is being a panic button and distress beacon, each hologuise can activate it, but only mine can deactivate it. Only be pushing that button if you are being in dire trouble, it will be locking down our only means of escaping until Evan can be arranging something or I am turning it off."

He watched as the resort planet began dominating the view out the windows.
"Now if you are finding yourself in an emergency be pushing your panic buttons, be changing your guises, and be vanishing into the crowds. Our earpieces will be a help in such a case, but this planet is having so many kinds of signal jammers and trackers they might be doing us more harm than good. In any case if worst is coming to worst our rendezvous point is being the Yellow Brick Road. A memorabilia bar with an ancient cinema house theme, it is being small enough to not be attracting many of the seedier characters in the resort, but popular enough that a few high-rollers going in at different times will not be arousing much suspicion." The planet's space port began going through the clearance check list, Sy answered each question perfectly as she read them from the prop list full of their false information. They were a group of Billionaires here on a group vacation with their friends and bodyguards. They had all the proper documentation with them right down to the tickets and IDs from fabricated backgrounds. The Tower believed them and they were given clearance to land, Sy guided them expertly in and Togga nodded to his brave crew.
"Let us be getting this done people. Xan, Scouts, Sams, and Micheal be following me. Sabor and Killbot be staying with the ship. The rest of you can be going out into spaceport and some places around it, but never be out of sight of the FCC. Sabor and Killbot may be guarding it, but all of you are watching it and the crowd around it." With that Togga exited the Drop ship hoping this goes off without a hitch.

Koti~

11-25-2014, 06:43 PM

Shinkei had ignored most of Evan’s statement, not knowing the man real well and not having much of an idea of how to respond to him. Feeling culled into silence, she settled back into her seat, letting her eyes drift around the ship until Togga finally came back after his talking with Evan. She buckled herself up, ready for the ship to head off and eager to see what casino’s she could, even if she had to be nearby and unable to go to the grand Sierra madre, a place for the richest of the rich, if the stories were to be held true.

Accepting the white banded watch, she slipped it onto her left side, giving a slight wince as she was poked for a sample. Eventually she began to look through the guises as the ship hummed to life, drifting out of the hanger and heading towards the planet. She was annoyed, finding most of the preprogrammed stuff rather boring and lacking. From the southern belle, to a perverts highschool girl, to a strange TV starlet. She gave a shake of her head.

“These won’t do at all.” She spoke to herself, slipping the watch off and popping open the back with a small screwdriver. She began to fiddle with the electronics before finding the command input section. She hooked it up to her arm and turned on her goggles, flicking through until she found the southern belle picture. She tweaked a few things, giving her an extra 2 inches in height and a slightly larger bust. If she were to be completely different from what she was now, she at least wanted to look it. A final tweak of a few freckles along her cheeks and a deep red color to her hair, she slid the casing back on and put it back together before slipping it back on.

“Here goes something.” Shinkei said to herself, turning on the watch and flicking through until she found the modded southern belle outfit. Her skin became darker as her hair grew to her back and turned a sunburnt red. Her chest expanded some, the dress fitting much more snuggly as it filled to fit her new form. With a strange look on her face, she glanced at her now flesh right arm, a bit of nostalgia and sadness rolling up in her throat. She tried pulling out a few tools, and shuttered as the hologuise splintered around it, looking like torn flesh and missing chunks.

“So… no machines for this trip..” Shinkei spoke, letting her hand slip back to normal and folded her hands into her lap.

Once they landed, she was one of the first off, taking in a deep breath of the stale scented air, smelling of steel, casinos, and everything else you could imagine. She let out a look around the smaller bars and restaurants that dotted the docks, looking more for the local dock workers than tourists. While she couldn’t leave the ship for too long, she could visit at least some of the local flavour.

“Hmm… I think I’ll get food first.. Anyone wanna come with?” She asked to the others, directing her question to the ones who would be staying.

Higurashi

11-26-2014, 04:06 AM

The problem with fighting an assassin was that they excelled in staying out of the way of bullets. In a straight up cover to cover or hand to hand fight one could conceivably dispatch a standard stealth killer without more than usual trouble for a gun fight. However, when you let an Assassin (with a capital A, the real pro's) play their own game, followed their rules, then you were bound to die gruesomely. This is where the naturally low intelligence of the casino's guards played against him. Their instincts might have been razor sharp, but that only benefited each individual separately. Thus their ability to act in cohesion, the one solid advantage that they had, was being quite successfully fouled up.

The battle, if it could be called that, had steadily made its way off the main casino floor (now thoroughly trashed) to the hallways of the maintenance and staff area. Specifically, it had gone to the dark, winding, and confusing passages of the maintenance tunnels. These were places where only the decrepit and desperately employed normally scurried, moving back frantically patching a million sparking wires and thousands of circuit boards which kept the casino above burning bright with light. This was a place where Gestalt thrived. The dark and noise gave him the cover of easy stealth. The many blind corners and winding passages supplied a tantilizing number of possibilities for ambushes. But most importantly of all, the narrow confines and confusing layout allowed him to easily split of the main group of guards from one another, all the better for dispatching them. It was a place for blades, not bullets, and he had one of the best of the former.

In the future casino-goers and employees would whisper about the famous 'Burning of the Grand', where a single man butchered the entire staff of one of the largest gambling establishments onworld and in a final act of spite set the whole place ablaze. (This was of course highly exagerated.) The truth, as it happened, was significantly more mundane. It was true that a high percentage of the security staff ended up maimed, unconcious, or dead by the end of it. He'd planned it that way, a fight in what was strictly his kind of territory, at his pace, and with his manipulation of those surroundings. What he didn't do was slaughter the service staff. It was not an issue of his liking or disliking them, but rather that their deaths would have served no purpose. The famous fire itself was more of an accident, and more or less not his doing. It made sense that when one fired a bullet in an enclosed space, something was going to get hit. What had been rather peculiar was that the bullet in question had grazed one of the building's main power couplings, leaving it partially detached. As a result, there was a massive power outage followed by a subsequent restoration, overloading many of the nods within the structure. This in turn set of a number of sparks, which caught on flammable material, which collectively caused several fires to break out across different sections of the building. A lot of expensive art and furniture was damage, but was limited to a few mid level floors and no one died as a result of -that-. (It would take a couple of years to repair, as the Casino's owner mysteriously disappeared, leaving the ownership confused at best. A number of high class clients were also lost as a result.)

While that was of course partially a concern to Suto as he climbed out of the maintenance hatch in a nearby alleyway, what was much more pertinent was how he was going to get off planet. His former employer, while perhaps not the most savvy man, had amassed enough wealth that he could easily hire a long stream of mercenaries to try and kill the one who had burned down his casino and stole from him. Or he could set an absurdly high bounty that he could reasonably expect would never be collected. That would work just fine. But Suto didn't intend to make it easy for him. He could hide for a little while, while he procured transport off planet. From their it wouldn't be too hard to vanish, so long as he didn't do anything conspicuous.

Thus an hour or two later, Suto was hidden amongst the crowds. In particular, he had procured attire which could plausibly explain why his physical form was hidden, it being the dress of an alien species which firmly believed showing ones physical form to strangers was the highest form of sin. The reason people didn't use this disguise more often was that the species tended to kill anyone who did such as a heretic. However, Suto could reasonably expect not to see any of them here and if he did the disguise would be ditched immediately. To be specific about which crowd he was hiding in, he was currently mingling at a popular establishment... the Lounge.

Arthera

11-28-2014, 12:39 AM

So that's where all the profiles she'd been asked to make were going to be used for. Kat had been tasked a while back to add more cover identities and profiles to the pool already available, she figured they were going to be used as-is for the upcoming missions. All were stereotypes, or close to, and all required standard background information, verifiable IDs and a lot of fake accounts with fake money in them. Sure, the holo disguises were generating faces she hadn't previously planned for, but while the drop was ongoing she accessed the ship's logs for the disguise database Skara seemingly made. She quickly linked the images with the associated profiles, converting waiting picture slots with the appropriate holo-disguise.

Still, while she tapped away at her measly tablet, fit for non-hacker billionaire person, to fix the picture issue, it still didn't exactly settle what she was going to select as a cover. After all her work fitting into this tight getup and arranging hair and makeup to match, she had to pick a disguise to put over it all. Which would have been great to know before she wasted so much time getting ready in the first place. For someone used to not caring about much, this annoyed her more than she wanted to admit.

Kat settled, eventually, on the basic "rich lady" disguise, with the background she had just linked to it. Plain and simple story for this one, inheritance money and ongoing investments raking in cash. Not special in any regard and wouldn't lift any red flags. The disguise changes seemed mostly cosmetic, and so she went ahead and input the commands. Dark red hair, light green eyes, slightly paler skin, mild changes to cheekbones and eyebrow structure. She wasn't sure if her bust got bigger than it already was, but it sure looked like it did. Fiddling with the settings now would only make it obvious to everyone and draw more attention to herself in her current stupid-dress state. Ekaterina will have to have a few words with Skara about the whole holo-disguise thing.

Shifting uncomfortably in her seat and trying not to tug at any part of her dress, Kat focused her attention on the tablet once more, waiting for the instant the ship lands and the away team leaves the vessel to make her own way outside. Despite the increased amounts of people in the city proper, they were never going to see Kat again. Whereas crew members tended to remember things and bring them out of a hat at the first opportunity.

In any event, she needed to leave the dropship to sink up with local networks cleanly and see what she could do with the resources she had at hand. Any support she could give under the circumstances would go a long way, such as hacking cameras and local connectivity. Work would focus her mind.

Pheasant

12-01-2014, 07:43 AM

Akalina

The Exotic category certainly had its own series of interesting and curious hologuises to suit the bird-girl, even when she was wearing a disguise Akalina’s odd vocal patterns and mannerisms still put her in a whole different category than the rest of the Black Star’s female crewman. Even she didn’t understand half of the choices that the other women pondered, but given the suggestive names several of the subcategories had, the girl didn't much care to.

‘Exotic Wallflower’ was an interesting name, never once in her life had Akalina considered herself a flower, and certainly not one that grew on walls, but it was inevitably suggested to her. She was still small, and traveling with a Bailey and Rivet would no doubt lead to the same interesting conclusion, depending upon what disguises they chose. Sam Lorn would no doubt be displeased at the decision, and Rivet would, as always, rub it in.
Or something, to be honest as much as the girl knew about infiltrating computers, the device that was now disguising her didn't make all that much sense in theory. As long as it worked in practice though, she could be spared the details.

Speaking of computers, from the sash tied around Akalina’s waist she withdrew a thin metallic case, opening it up to reveal a palette of makeup with a small mirror on the lid.
The special strip that covered the mirror of her small hand held computer ensured that to any onlookers, Akalina merely appeared to be touching up her smokey blue makeup, or whatever the equivalent was on this planet.
To those around her that weren't focused on other tasks, it was obvious that the girl was looking for remote access points. They were one of the greatest advancements in computer technology, and for a hacker of Akalina’s subtle prowess, left some of the best backdoors to sneak into.

There were a lot of access points, to put it mildly. Even with a background scrub of the immediate area, the number of points Akalina could infiltrate were numerous and would take at least a day to pick through.
But, the girl wasn’t so interested in basic access access points, those weren’t especially important. Encryption and heavy security though, they were what the girl was after.

And she could already spy several.

Akalina doted over her makeup for a few minutes more, before closing the lid of the device and stowing it away once more.

She’d left a few worms in various cameras and security systems. Nothing major, but she did have access to multiple security feeds, just in case.

Boy, worms sounded good right now.

Soulio

12-02-2014, 06:56 AM

Sam slipped the white band onto his wrist, the slight needle prick all to common for him. He was no stranger to Holo-Guise's. Before he was part of the Black Star, he used them frequently during jobs to blend into a crowd. Carin was a shit planet, full of of shit people and shit technology, yet the technology there was able to pick up Holo-Guises better than most advanced planets, which made it difficult to use for an entire job.

He flicked through the small selection of disguises, and when he found a fit, blonde haired, blue eyed man, he chose that one to be his disguise. The usual static like feeling ran all over his body, making him shiver, and then he was no longer himself. And the suit was still tight as ever.

"God dammit...." Sam mumbled as he stepped out of the drop ship. The group began to move, and Sam looked around, marveling at the sleek designs and fancy people. Even if Sam worked for the rest of his life with Togga, he'd never accumulate enough wealth to live on this planet.

Given, I'd hate it here in a heartbeat... He thought to himself, standing up straighter when he noticed he was slumping his arms. If he was to play a bodyguard, he'd have to play the part perfectly. This is what this planet was made for. He began to make a mental checklist of all the things he'd have to do if he wanted to blend in once Togga made them all disband. Unfortunately, getting a few drinks was number one on Sam's list.

"Great..." he mumbled, mentally preparing himself for a very, very long night.

Arthera

12-04-2014, 07:20 PM

As soon as the scouting team went out of the dropship, Kat followed them outside. She didn't want to stay inside and tempt the others into commenting or, annoyingly, start talking about their alternate dress-code for the day. Out of sight, out of mind, hopefully. She doubted it. The guys just got a subject to talk about for the weeks to come, getting to see the female crew in "their best". Although Kari and Bailey would garner the majority of the talk... Yeah, mental note for later to go through everything that could take pictures and scrub them clean. Last thing she wanted was for Solar to view the female crew members in dresses, she'd be making everyone a favor by wiping recordings.

In her somewhat hasty retreat from the dropship, she bumped her leg against's Shinkei's. The girl likely didn't want to be bothered as well and certainly didn't seem like the type to be hurt by a mere leg bumping, but Ekaterina still mumbled an apology before going outside.

Shinkei paused a bit as Kat bumped into her legs, picking up on the small mumbled apology before she headed off. She paused for a second before following Kat quickly, an idea on her mind.

"Hey, wanna.. head to the local restaurant and grab a bite to eat?" Shin asked her, wobbling a bit on her heels as she followed along, not wanting to be stuck on her own on this planet. While she wouldn't be far from the drop ship, she knew how this place could be to single women, and the last thing she wanted was to be hit on by every drunkard that thought she was easy.

Having stepped off to the side of the transport once she had gotten out, and out of view of the random people on the landing pad and crew, Kat was annoyingly adjusting the front of her dress. It was distressingly tight, although vastly less so than the other types of dresses she had tried, and for someone that never wore confining clothing, this was going to be a distraction she could seriously go without. She'd never understand the allure, breathing was a good thing, as was comfort, not to mention carrying capacity...

Kat was visibly startled when Shinkei spoke to her, having caught up to the engineer. Stopping the adjusting of her dress, Kat took back her tablet in hand before turning to face the chief mechanic. It took a moment before she replied.

"I guess, beats standing around here..."

Shinkei gave a slight smirk as she could see the discomfort in her eyes, the distance it took for her to answer. She looked around the other shops before motioning to a nearby restaurant, wobbling a slight bit from the discomfort of heels.

"How.. on earth do women wear this, and with common usage to." Shinkei said aloud, leading the way to the joint with a visible discomfort in her gait.

The reply on Kat's lips had been biting and acidic, ready for the first words to come out of the chief mechanic's mouth, but she didn't get to use it. Shinkei seemed to also dislike the affair and visibly didn't wish to mention any part of it.

"It's stupid and impractical is what this is." Kat replied curtly. She caught up to Shinkei, heels clicking against the hard sidewalk.

If it weren't for the balancing and reflex improvements, as well as hours of online how-to's, the whole walking in heels part would look just like Shinkei's. Ekaterina leaned over slightly to talk in a hushed tone. "Heel to toe, don't stomp down, smaller strides. It's what the guides said to do."

"Really? Thanks." Shinkei said a bit caught off guard, adjusting her steps to follow Kat's instructions. The change wasn't instant, but she managed to wobble less as she walked, settling into a more relaxed stride and let out a sigh. With a more relaxed movement, she managed to lead them to a restaurant called La Diamo.

"This place seems ... good enough." She said, pointing to the place as the doors popped open automatically, soft music floating out of the door along with the smell of pasta and pizza.

The first restaurant was as good as any, and Kat was starving, so any reservations she might have had were squashed rapidly. The two women entered and were quickly shown the way to a table by an eager butler-like person. The chairs were padded, the table linens fancy and the tableware likely costing more than moderate computers would.

They were seated by the large window, giving a good view of the street and the nearby landing pad bearing the Black Star's transport ship. Kat placed the tablet on the table and executed a few programs in the background, testing the local security measures as she had initially planned.

"So..." Ekaterina eventually said to break the rather awkward silence. "What do you think of the city?"

"It's.. okay I guess. I've never been to a planet like this one, so I don't know what I expected. It looks nice, for the most part." Shinkei stated, taking a sip of her water as she glanced out of the window. She was still marveling at the size and scope of the place, but otherwise was left somewhat .. unimpressed.

"I dunno, I guess I was expecting .. something a bit more. As well, I feel silly so dressed up. How about you?" She asked, taking another sip and leaning back in the chair, feeling bored again. She cast a glance to her right arm, a bit weirded out to see flesh there again.

"I understand what guys get out of seeing us like this, but I don't get what I'm supposed to be feeling out of dressing up like this myself." Kat replied, pinching at the flimsy material around her chest and lightly tugging for emphasis.

Right now she wanted to kick off these heels, among other things, but she had to act a part. She consciously had to consider sitting up straighter, pay attention to the gestures she made and make certain that the plate of pasta she ordered was "lady-like". She'd be hungry again the second they left the restaurant.

"As for the planet, it's a fancy exposition piece. All glitter and noises, but touring and gambling aren't my thing. I would be having an entirely different day had I access to a good rig and some alone time with the casino accounts..."

Shinkei let out a soft snort, failing to resist a grin at that though of Kat draining this entire planet of their worth. She had learned quickly over time just how skilled Kat was with technology and hacking that it made her somewhat envious of her skill.

"Well, it is at least nice to get off the ship. I was getting somewhat bored while we made our first drop. I mean, there is only so many times I can calibrate a reverberation coolant drive on the bikes around the ship." She mentioned, giving a wave of her hand to the air as she rolled her eyes.

"I personally would love to see the underbelly of half this planet. With all the tech and machines, the inner workings must either be a total masterpiece, or a complete wreck." She nodded to herself.

"They would likely charge you for looking, then charge you again to touch something." Suddenly glad to talk about something other than embarrassing dresses. And, admittedly, bike machine parts Kat understood nothing about.

"Although, you may get a chance, depending how things go. Getting security access to a maintenance panel should be easy enough and you could do your thing after that. Choo-Choo and I often did similar things on previous outings. You'd have gotten on well with the previous head-mechanic. Matter of fact, you should look up his files and make sure you find all the "secret caches" of tech bits he kept stashing everywhere. You know, in case B.S. gets searched."

Shinkei DID have a Choo-Choo vibe about her. An enthusiasm for mechanical work and a penchant for dismantling anything and everything. Likely a pre-requisite for the job.

"Choo-Choo.. that names sounds familiar. I might have to scour the place next time we get up and find all these caches." Shinkei said, relaxing some as Kat seemed to ease up quite a bit at the change of conversation.

"As well, I would probably have to own half the planet just to look at the steam works around the hot tubs. Knowing the planet, it would probably take more than two misplaced wires and disrupted power circuit to shut off this planet, let alone make the lights flicker. I would love the challenge though." Shinkei pondered aloud, looking towards the kitchen for their food.

"Oh, you wouldn't need to break everything to cause a stir. A place like this? Just a faulty outlet or a recurring error message will be sending techs down to check. It's enough to position the errors in such a way to make it seem like a big issue. I could code a small pop-up error to appear every time a client withdraws something. It wouldn't DO anything, but it would make the staff panic, and if you did something to the power supply to lessen the output or something, just a tad, to a specific withdrawal machine, you'd think both are related and a larger "attack" is underway."

Kat was feeling less stressed, for the moment at least, talking "shop" and work with Shinkei. Still, when the food arrived, Kat had to remember she had to act a part out and use the proper spoon, in the right order, to keep up the act. Good thing for those hours spent preparing for this mission via online videos. Which didn't help any facing the minuscule portion she had in front of her.

"Mm, agreed on that. It's the small things that always scare people. A loose bolt here in an important looking place, or flickering light in the right place can cause plenty of a panic." Shinkei nodded, thankful as her meal came out. She started slowly on her meal, following the same practice as Kat. She looked annoyed at the meal, knowing that this would be more of a snack than anything else.

"Though, I don't think it would be smart to do right now.. would be bad for business." She responded as she paused in her meal, taking a drink of the bloody Mary that came with her meal.

"Right. We have to wait for word first anyway. We're currently relegated to window dressing for the time being." Hopefully not for too long, Kat didn't particularly want to stay longer than necessary.

She took a brief pause during the meal to verify the progress of her tablet. As meager as it was, all things considered, it had the right hacks going and had managed to contact and authentify itself with a series of local servers. Nothing major, but it was a good starting point to piggyback onto more important services, such as banks and casinos and avoid being traced back.

With a faint smile, Kat looked back up to Shinkei, lifting her glass of water. "Tab's on me, or rather on HB783d. Cheers."

wakachukie

12-08-2014, 07:18 AM

Michael opened up the wristband as wide as it would go and slipped it over his massive wrist. Such a small device could work for all of him by itself? Well, it had better. They didn't need any more trouble than they were already getting into. It took a bit for the device to get its tissue sample without damage, but eventually Michael was able to pick from the body-type selection; which just happened to follow along the same listing as Togga's due to body-shape.

Michael gave a little thought as to the mission ahead, and selected the Enforcer. A slight hum and glow rippled across his body as it adjusted to his form. Michael looked down and grinned, showing off a glint of white teeth marred by a gold tooth. His face, though now that of a squishy human made of soft flesh and weak skin, was still rugged, almost squared by the thick jaw and heavy chin. His wide, low eyebrows lifted to allow their cold orbs to observe the rest of his body.

Then it hit him, He was a human. A slow, weak, barely-able-to-lift human. At least this body looked like it was less of a weakling - no, even here one could easily see the lower quality of tissue between them. A Failure of a being that had to resort to mechanics to forcefully attain power rather than to gracefully enhance natural power.

Going back over the room a fifth time, Michael triple checked to ensure there were no recording devices or other some such nonsense. He had activated the rooms safety and privacy systems, personally locked down whatever he could reach undetected, and posted a perimeter of droids to alert and guard him while changing. Issuing the commands, Michael deactivated the layered security suite and ran the disengaging sequence.

The ceremony was brief, but hampered by the lack of his Family-Squad and none of the usual items. Even a Staff would have been useful during the Invocation of Seams. Arming the quick-release for fast attachment, Michael reverently sealed the armor into its crypt. This friend had been with him for so long, since well before he had left Vibriian space. And now it was buried for a short time. That water-breathing GUNGAN had essentially ordered Michael to get out of armor. Oho, Michael followed orders, yes - indeed. But this was an outrage, and not only did it leave him more exposed than ever, but it seemed like an intentional attack on what little pride Michael had left.

"Tog-ga, this had better be over soon." Michael rumbled to himself, while instantly realizing there was no way this could be true. Sitting down, Michael steepled his .... hands. Yes, they were hands now. And contemplated the options before him. Going up to the mirror, he pulled out the suit.

With a dark smirk, he remembered the store. It was back on Carin, not too long ago, and he had confidently entered a conspicuously label store advertising 'Great Fits for All Sizes' with a notion to put that claim to the test. Of couse, the visit had been uneventful. Selecting a tasteful set of clothing likely to fit what he would be doing, comparing to the stores competitor for a small discount, then dragging the manager to approve the purchase while giving a healthy smile (with a little glow) to scare off the unwanted stares. That had been fun.

And how it lived up to expectations now! A fitted white suit, pin striped in black and silhouetting a black dress shirt with blood red tie, adorned his new persona. Completing this new look were the silver belt and polished white shoes founding his strong durable frame, complimented by a slick fedora casting a mysterious shadow over his gaze.

With an odd grimace, Michael quickly reached down and buttoned the middle fastening of the coat. Looking back up at the rest of his team, he gave a quick thumbs up. Wait, did I have tattoos? Rolling up one of the sleeves, Michael saw gigantic muscles heavily augmented by thick cybernetic implants, and saw that there were several tattoos running along his flesh, though none caught his interest - except for a double row of black skulls on his left forearm. 28 heads, each with a single white hole. There were also several fissures around the chest whose rough abrasions stick out through the shirt like mountain ranges on a tundra plain, very much like old bullet-holes long since scarred over.

Replacing the clothing, Michael readied at the door and slid out as it opened. With purpose and power he planted his foot upon the ground outside the limo, and using his powerful arms, hoisted himself through the door frame of the limo. Outside, he stood stern and serious, scanning the area with shifty and untrusting eyes.

Like any good bodyguard, without turning his head much, Michael scanned the immediate area. Of course there were the usual busybodies trying to push their particular wares and the occasional important persona with their retinue of press against the constant backdrop of general gamblers and the ever present valets moving shuttles hereto and beyond in a general mess. Determining the area even less threatening than a typical day at the Mos Eisley Canteena, Michael calmly fell into formation beside Togga.

A shrill beeping jumped from his comm unit. Stabbing a fat finger at the answer key, Michael snapped the device to his ear for a moderate amount of privacy while setting the comm to silent vibrate mode. "Here." "Hey you colossal robot; I have a special mission for you. You see, the girls and I need some of the good stuff. Take a look. Especially those candies and the booze!" Michael grimaced at the comm and the ever expanding list. “Evan, I will rip your freaking arms out. At the moment I am slightly busy, no?”

With a sigh, Michael checked his account and then jogged a few paces to catch up with Togga and the rest. “Fine. I can get you most of that from the supplies down here. But preparing the kenobian dragonroot will have to wait until I get back up there. You know very well we put restrictions onto the replicators for a reason. Oh and if you get in hot water with the ladies, I am Not bailing you out again.”

Sinderella

12-08-2014, 08:36 PM

Co Post with Siks
Racer and Syran

Before FCC Launch

Syran stood before the floor length mirror and scanned over her appearance. The bandage fabric of the black cocktail dress clung to every curve like a second skin. The neckline was a mess of crisscrosses and the hemline stopped a few inches shy of her knees.

The dress was topped off with a pair of three-inch open-toe pumps that zipped up the front and donned rivets on the sides for decoration. She couldn’t believe that she was stuck wearing this garbage. She missed her jeans. Her uniform. Her boots.

“Bullshit,” she muttered and narrowed her eyes beneath her goggles at the image. “Stop staring at me like that!” She hollered at it before plucking up her opened bottle of whiskey on the desk next to her. Taking a swig in the hope to improve her demeanor, she shook her head.

“Such bullshit..”

In the Maintenance bay Racer was looking over his latest order from the Mechanics, a pair of tinted contact lenses that would act like little sunglasses for anyone that wore them.

“Poor Sy-ya, Racer be knowin how much she hate dressin’ up, maybe dis help her.” He said to himself as he lifted the little box and headed for Sy’s room in the ship. He would’ve gone, but having a prehensile tail and such a not human looking body would make giving him a Hologuise a pain. He was sure the Navigator wouldn’t be happy but maybe this peace offering would help.

He reached her door and knocked lightly upon in.“‘Ey Sy-ya, Racer got sometin for ya!”

Syran sighed lightly, took one last swig of the booze, capped it and hid it in a drawer before opening up the door.

“What do you want, Monkey man?” She demanded in a huff, still irritated that he had taken her to the clinic and put her in Kari’s hands. She hadn’t seen him since the incident and she had hoped she’d be able to avoid him up until they absolutely had to deal with one another.

Racer smiled lightly hearing the annoyance in the woman’s voice opening her door. He knew she would still be mad at him for taking her to the clinic, hopefully this would help that.

“I got sometin’ for ya Sy-ya, he be sorry for thinking you be in trouble and take you to da clinic. But here, Racer had de Mechanics make des special contacts for ya.” He placed them on her desk and stepped back towards the door smiling sheepishly. “Dey be workin’ like your goggles when ye get planet side.”

She frowned at him before turning her attention to the box he placed on her desk. Eyeing it for a moment, she reached out and poked the container.

“Uh…” she began, before his words suddenly set in. “What do you mean like my goggles?!”
Syran had been so wrapped up in the fact that she needed to dress up, that it hadn’t occurred to her that she would need to do something about her goggles. The panic slowly took hold. “Nono, no. I can’t. I need these. Them. They’re…I need them. I have to have them, Racer.” She pleaded, as if the Tang-Mong would be able to change the Captain’s orders.

Racer smiled lightly and opened the box for her showing her what they were. “Dey will protect your eyes, being all dressed up like dis is to blend in. And anyone walking ‘round in goggles like yours will stick out. So Racer had de idea to have des made for ya, da cool thing is dey won’t even mess with your night vision. Here try dem!” He smiled handing them to her and clicking the lights off in the women's room.

Syran shuffled forward slowly, continuing to eye the container and its contents when Racer opened it. Her brow furrowed and her lips pressed into a thin line.

“I don’t know, Race Car… They... why, why would I want to put those in my eyes?” she shook her head at the idea and nearly jumped back when he handed them to her. “I don’t think this is a good idea… Maybe I should just… Stay with the ship, ya know, keep it runnin’ and all that. Not like I can do much good on land for ‘em.”

Racer smiled in the dark sitting on Sy’s bed. “Cause dey will let you blend in better and not need your goggles planet side. You can fly da FCC better den Racer can too mon, besides you look very beautiful in dat dress. Be a shame to not show it off. Try them on for ole Racer please?” He asked twisting his tail up behind him, he wasn’t lying when he complimented Sy. She really did look good.

“If I stab my eye out, your ass is toast, banana cake.” She huffed, and set the case on the desk before screwing of each cap. Grumbling, she adjusted her goggles to the top of her head and sighed.

She dipped her index finger into the solution and lifted it to her eye. Blinking, her eyes watered and she swore. “This is unnatural. Shit shouldn’t be in no one’s eyes.”

She finished tapping the second one into place before pinching the bridge of her nose. “This is ridiculous.”

Racer smiled more, he couldn’t see her but she wasn’t screaming bloody murder so she didn’t gouge her eyes out. So that was good.

“Can ya see in de dark still? Take a few seconds te get used to it. De Mechanics said they were built to protect your eyes but not in-he-bite dem.” He stumbled over the word but thinks he got it well enough.

“Ya know, they always looked like an animals and now they fuckin’ feel like ‘em too. Fuckin’ shit shouldn’t be in my eyes. This is weird. It feels weird. Like gunk is all up on there. No. I hate this.”

She crossed her arms across her chest and pouted. “You all hate Sysy.” The fact that she could indeed see in the dark was not lost to her, she just was too irritated at the moment to even care that the Mechanics had done something right.

The Tang-Mong got up and gave the woman a fond hug.
“No Racer love ya Sy-ya, dis why he get des for you. Racer gonna turn the lights back on now ya ready?” He asked letting her go and walking back to the light panel waiting.

Her hands rushed to her eyes, clasping over them to block the threat of light. “Nonononono! Don’t do it! Don’t you do it, Racer!”

Racer smiled flicking the lights on, he knew it would work. He just had to get Sy to believe him.
“You be fine Sy-ya, Racer knows it.” He moved over and gripped her hands lightly parting her fingers. “Open ya eyes girl, Racer would never hurt you like dat.”

With her hands still shielding her eyes, she parted her fingers slowly to allow a bit of light through. She winced out of habit, having never gone without her goggles before. Her nose scrunched and her lips parted in a trembling breath.

“I don’t know…” she murmured, allowing her fingers to twitch open a bit more.

Despite Racer having taken her to the Clinic, she knew the Monkey man wouldn’t ever purposefully put her in harm’s way. She still couldn’t let go of the fact that she didn’t have her goggles. “Do I get whiskey outta this?” she asked lightly.

Racer smiled pulling her hands down holding them in place smiling into her face.
”Racer be givin ya whatever ya want Sy-ya.” He kept smiling waiting for her to fully open her eyes.

Lashes to her left eye fluttered open briefly, before her face scrunched and she huffed at him. “This is ridiculous…” The promise of whiskey had her wanting to try now, however, despite the fear. “Fine…”

She opened her left eye first and her right soon followed after. She blinked against the light, eyes rolling in protest to the invasion of something so bright. “It’s… still too bright.” She whispered.

The Monkey Man chuckled reaching back and dimming them a little.
“Dat cause dey ain’t used to it, they’ll adjust. Racer thinks you have very pretty gray blue eyes. Look!” He spun the woman around and faced her mirror.
She frowned at her appearance even more so than before. “I look like a girl. This is ridiculous. I want my jeans and boots back.”

She huffed, turning away from Racer and fidgeted with the hemline of her dress. “This shit is suffocating, Race car. Why’s he gotta make us dress like clowns?” She knew she was whining, she couldn’t help it. She wasn’t used to this shit and the lack of her goggles left her feeling exposed.

“I s’pose we should be getting a rush on things. Ship should be headed out in a few minutes. I gotta finish draggin’ this shit down there.”

“Racer think you make a very pretty girl and da Captain wants you all to fit in on de planet. We be famous you know, can’t let enemies see you.” He pulled the goggles off Sy’s head and placed them in her little push. “Dar, you can get to them now, and don’t forget a gun.”

“Why you people want me carrying around a gun is beyond me. I’d probably shoot myself in the foot.” She adjusted the dress one last time before twisting around and opening the top drawer to her dresser. “But fineee. Will you drag that case of booze down with ya, Racer?”

The alien chuckled lifting the case and moved to the door.
“You carry a gun, to stay alive. Racer be very sad if you die. Be sure to have fun in the Casino. Racer be wishin’ he could go with ya.” He gave Sy a hug and a kiss on the head and opened the door for her to exit.

She stepped through and sighed. “Yeah, yeah. You just be careful, Monkey Man. You better not get yourself killed or nothin’. Then who would be my drinkin’ partner?”

“Racer always be careful, you know dat.” He gave the woman a wink and a smile.

Syran frowned to herself, making her way towards the ship, hands fumbling at the hemline of the dress that sheathed her. She felt weird. Uncomfortable. Downright irritated at the lack thereof of clothing and her absent goggles. She always had them. These contacts Racer gave her felt abnormal pressed against her eyes. Like something was slithering around where it wasn’t supposed to be.

“Mother fuckin’ assholes.” she stated, shifting past the doors and into the ship.

She adjusted the settings of her hologuise and settled for the Curator type. The guise quickly fluttered across her being, her hair lightening and shortening in length, skin darkening a few shades to a light caramel. She huffed her frustration, threw herself into her chair and completely ignored everyone else on board.

She muttered to herself, cursing the dear captain and all the crew that had anything to do with accepting this job and who had informed her that she needed to dress up like a, well, like a clown.

“Bastards,” she suddenly yelled, “The whole damn lot of ya!”

Pheasant

12-11-2014, 05:13 PM

Lorn admitted a bit of anxiety as the hull of the FCC buckled slightly upon re-entry. Whether it was an effect of the drug, or his first field mission after a few months of being cooped up on the Black Star.
Normally at this point Sam should have still been as high as a moon jumping cow. Maybe the dosage was off. Maybe he was losing his edge.

Compared to the old days, this ship was like a first class cruise on Antaurus with Bailey in a bikini and a fresh bottle of rum, sans annoying tourists.
Back in the Corps, Lorns regiment didn't come in on drop ships like the SF. They came in at designated landing zones, often at the center of an enemy hard point, fired from a modified 60mm cannon from low orbit.
Some called them bricks with wings as a joke, trying to ignore their most common nomenclature: coffins on delivery.
So, maybe anxiety was a learned trait. Granted, his landing zone wasn't being lazed by some asshole SF guy who thinks your landing capsule doubles as a bunker buster, but Sam still very much doubted he'd like what he found on the ground unless it looked like a redhead with a bottle of moscato.

The birds landing wasn't tender and loving, but given Sams history of success with landings it was a triple flip fucking handstand of a miracle.
He popped off the buckles crossed over his chest, standing up with a quick pop of his neck as the Cap'n divided his duties.
Needless to say, he wasn't amused at being divided from the Scouts team captain, which could be easily inferred by he mans annoyed mug.

Across from him, Bailey gave a slim smile as she held onto one of the 'oh-shit' bars during the atmospheric entry. The act wasn't needed given the thorough work over she had given the machine, but it was the habit of years of flying into heavily defended live-fire zones in Vulture gunships. When the orders came out, she unbuckled and stood, walking out of the ship as she gave Sam a nudge with her elbow whispering, "Ease up, I'm sure we'll find some time to play."

Sams frown eased, and he let out a light sigh with a humorous roll of the eyes. A bump and a word, that's all it took for her to calm him down.
To those around him who took a glance from their mission prep to notice the conversation, yeah, it was a matter of jealousy.
But it went deeper than that.
Noone on the Black Star was totally unfamiliar with a weapon, that was a given. But, as much as the diversity of the crew did the Black Star credit, the formations and maneuvers that came with soldiering weren't a quality often found in privateers. Being a crack shot was great, but it didn't make up for a lack of discipline when the bullets started flying.
He'd seen plenty of good guys get cut down for being reckless.
But not Bailey, and not him. Equal measures of adaptability, caution, and stupid luck had kept their hides mostly intact, along with a silent agreement that had come from years of knowing one another.
Sam made messes, big massive scenes that included smoke trails and explosions. If every weapon within a mile wasn't trained on him, the man was doing something wrong.
Bailey, in turn, made use of the space to stab the enemy in the back.
He watched her back, and she watched his on and off of the battlefield, and that wasn't something that happened just because the pay is good.
He'd been with the Black Star for six months now, and he still couldn't really, truly trust most of its crew.
Jealousy wasn't totally unreasonable. Plus, Rivet would undoubtedly rub it in later in some fashion.

The man checked the weight of the weapon in his shoulder holster, stepping up from the now mostly empty ship to join his detail outside.
There was that familiar mission anxiety again.

SikstaSlathalin

12-15-2014, 10:20 PM

*GM Mover*

As everyone moved into place Togga gave everyone a nod.
"Be remembering friends, the second you are getting wind of trouble vanish into the crowds if you are able. If anything is happening to me, I will find some way to hopefully be giving you all enough warning so you all can do just that. Be keeping coms quiet if you are able." With these final words he motioned for his group to follow him and nodded to the other Gunners to keep everyone safe. Kill and Sabor nodded doing a quick patrol of the area keeping an eye on the others.

Exiting the bustling spaceport, the group was welcomed by what could be described as a river of life. High Rollers and simple petty gamblers all mingled and bumped elbows as they muscled through the crowd to either their next gambling adventure or on the bad end of a losing streak and hope to find some bar to crawl into for the rest of the night. Luckily they weren't the biggest individuals present, Togga noticed a number of tall bird like aliens cluck by, the shortest one was at least two feet taller than Michael. It was good Non-Humans were on this planet, if worst came to worst many of them could remove their guises and possibly blend into another group of their own kind. Togga for one knew three Piscian families that had shops here, one of which was another group of Sharterrans, the Kors. They were friends of the Dars so he could go to them for help if needed. Hopefully it wouldn't be needed, this mission could go bad very quickly, but that's the type of life you lead as a Privateer. Sketchy is par for the course for them, with a quick look back he sent Bailey, Rivet, and Akalina forward to inspect the Frozen Star Lounge for trouble as he and the others took their sweet time.

Taking the lead, Bailey spread the other two Scouts out in a fan-like formation. Keeping each other in their peripherals they stalked down the street checking everything they could. Aside from the guards that dotted the landscape and the various Mob Bosses with an over-abundance of muscle looming around them to go unnoticed. All of them were threats, and if this was a normal OP these bastards would've been dealt with before they got here or dealt with on planet with buy offs or threats. No one liked going into this basically naked, but they would grin and bear it for now. If things went bad though, oh the angry E-mails Togga will get.
After seeing nothing they could deal with along the way, the three Scouts entered the Lounge and began doing a full sweep of the room. It was a very quaint little set-up, retro in it's feel, and complete with old fashioned furniture and decorations. Very 1920s some would say, at least the alcohol was better. Dominating the entire 20 foot western wall to the left was a bar and a selection of every type of alcohol the patrons could think of to poison themselves with. With a quick flick of her wrist Bailey sent Rivet and Aki out to each side to begin their search of the area. Rivet took the left, Aki the right, Bailey made her way meandering through the middle. In the Lounge was nearly the same as the street, guards and goons lumbering around just looking for a reason to shoot someone. Keeping their heads down and their eyes moving they found a few points to watch, but would give Togga the clear for the moment.

Bailey gave a little tap to her ear comm and it sent the same sound to Togga's comm, signalling the clear enough to enter. Having just reached the door of the Lounge, Togga and his party entered as Bailey sent the all clear. Opening the door himself Togga strode in and moved to the barkeep nodding to the young man.
"Is a Ms. Stella Silverlight here? I am a big fan and would like to wish her good luck directly." He had been practicing speaking like a human rather then in his broken English, it didn't feel right, but he would do it. All the while he kept a good convincing smile on his face letting the barkeep see his group of menacing goons. With a simple smile the man nodded to the door in the back marked Employees only. Ms. Silverlight was always getting suitors like this, and he found it's better to just let her and the guards back stage deal with them.
With another nod Togga motioned for Micheal and the Sams to follow him to the back. The Scouts would continue to blend in and keep any eye on things out here.

wakachukie

01-06-2015, 02:28 AM

Michael grunted and took a step forward, causing the irritated guard to drop a hand to his side.The guard had seen too many big men come through the bar and leave on stretchers be be daunted. As far as he was concerned, two or three bullets solved most problems. Michael waited until the guard relaxed, and then stepped past him to get closer to the door. Bellowing was unrefined, animalistic and as intolerable as it was fun; but squishy humans didn't have the lung capacity for a good roar, and he needed to remain undetected for now.

He had no use for the alcohol being served, expensive and strong though it may be; not to mention that those fancy cups and glasses looked to be a spawning ground for new forms of bacteria. Ah, the culprit. The bartender was briskly cleaning and polishing the cups on display while others collected dust.

The other members of the team were also observant of the area, each consumed with their own thoughts and status but also wary of the potential dangers. Michael did not frequent such places, preferring to visit more intellectual or spiritual locations, but this crew required him to know the common ways of navigating a bar-room scene.

Michael briefly considered sneaking a droid through to the VIP section, but decided that would be detected to easily. He'd have to try modding one or two for stealth after this. The talks had just begun, but Michael was wary of thie whole situation. Especially the devices Togga has passed out. Giving Everyone a button to lock down the ship? That made no sense unless the ship was compromised and Togga himself physically unable to activate his own personal command overrides.

Coming to this realization, Michael finally sat down in a booth and pretended to watch the dust motes slowly dance downwards in the dim, flickering light coming from the dark green fluorescent cones overhead. Ignoring the menu below, Michael began thinking of possibilities. Should that scenario occur, how would they incapacitate Togga? If he knew that, Michael could figure out how best to free him. Losing the ship, their lifeline and escape route, was simply not an option.

Restraints. Heavy robotic restraints. That was a given, with Togga's size and strength, but how would he be captured in the first place? Electricity, and anesthetics given this location. To low tech for the really interesting stuff. Good thing too, meant that it would be delivered by aerosol, pill, or injection. And probably one of the latter two as the aerosol would be annoying to contain.

Michael began scanning the guards around him. While not the private military themselves, as these guys were stationed here, they would likely receive the low end equipment from their specialized brethren. Possibly 2 or even 3 levels above what they had would be what to expect. But most important was whether anyone here had a pressurized gas grenade, high-end taser, or dart gun. It was almost sadly hilarious that he was more concerned with the non-lethal guards than the killers here to waste money. If possible, Michael would have liked to spare them the trouble he was planning. Better to just ask them and find out.

"Hey." Michael waved over the guard he had bypassed and slid the beverage on the table towards him. "I've never actually seen the Boss's room. What's it like back there?" The guard's scarred face went from blank to confused to annoyed. "What dya think's back there? A desk." And with that the guard downed the beverage and shuffled back to the doorway. What a pain, Michael mused.

Dnafein

01-08-2015, 12:15 AM

On the flight down Xanatos fiddled with his hologuise. As he fiddled he listened to what Togga was saying, but it registered at a subconscious level, he'd be able to tell the captain word for word what he had said, but it wasn't the current focus of his attention. Instead that was focused on the rodentian' s options.

Human, human, human... Xan thought as he flipped through the options. Bored with what he saw; sure humans prolly out numbered most other species in the galaxy. Or at least were far more visible then the rest so it made sense to appear human, but a group of humans landing was hardly memorable. That was prolly the point but at most it would only delay discovery by one or two sweeps.

With a shrug Xanatos selected the dark skinned light weight boxer disguise. Glancing down he frowned at his tail before wrapping it around his waist, hiding it under the hologram. Slipping off the ship, the dark skinned male slipped into place just a little behind and to the right of Togga.

Xanatos tried to give an impression of being bored, as he trailed his boss. He doubted he pulled it off well though, human faces have so many different expressions.

Soulio

01-08-2015, 06:06 AM

Sam was looking around the area for any possible threat, a target, or anything that looked out of the ordinary as he walked behind Togga. He did so rather nonchalantly, not wanting to alert any of the other bodyguards in the room about what he was trying to do.

He had been a bodyguard plenty of times before this, so he knew what was required and expected of him during this time. Given, he was "protecting" an 800 lb Shark Man, but at the time, no one knew that.

Leaning over to the other Sam, Sam pointed at a woman in the lounge.

"She looks like your type." The woman he was pointing at was an old bird, smoking a long ass cigarette and drinking out of a bottle of blue wine.

"I can picture your wedding now. Doves, Metallica in the background. Togga can even be the ring bearer. Bailey can be the flower girl."

Rayfire

01-11-2015, 09:16 AM

{GM Mover}
[Siks/Ray Co-Post]

With everyone in position, Togga walked past the guards at the backstage door with his own guards behind him. It secretly made the disguised Sharterran smile seeing how much more imposing his guards looked than the ones in the Lounge. The five of them moved into the much more narrow than they would’ve expected back hall, this was probably part of a plan. Lessen the chance of people overwhelming the guards and such back here. Togga did a quick scan of the hallway, length, cameras, guards, objects in the way, and many other things. Being as nonchalant as he could the big alien took the lead having to turn his body slightly to get past some of the clutter. He could only imagine how Micheal must be feeling, most likely something like a giant dinosaur trapped in a small hallway.

Stella’s door was flanked by two bionic bruisers with what looked like small cannons on their belts.
Hmm particle pistols with sonic shock mods. I am hoping Evan has eyes on those. He thought approaching the guards and reached for the door. With impressive speed the guard on the right quickly deflected Togga’s hand growling softly.
“No weapons and no guards.” Now in a normal business transaction Togga would’ve broken the man’s hand then tossed him to the “guards” to be used for target practice, but this mission was covert.
“Very well, but my small friend here wants to see the star also.” He patted Xantos’s narrow shoulder. “He is a bigger fan than I am.” They handed their weapons to Sam 1 then let the guards pat him and Xantos down. They were cleared and with a look at a camera and a slight jerk of his hand he signalled Evan to be ready before they walked into the Starlet’s room.

Evan didn’t like the look of things. The cyborg watched the crew from the Captain’s chair wondering what Togga got himself in to this time. Even worse he didn’t have his First Mate there to bail him out this time. Evan saw a funnel like hallway with brute for guards with big blasters to back them up and they all looked like paramilitary. They called it a lounge and it looked just like that on the outside, but the various camera feeds and guard stations showed something very different on the inside. If Evan wanted to off somebody he couldn’t think of a better place to do it. Togga definitely noticed something was off, he nodded to Evan and the First Mate couldn’t help but think. Oh great how am I suppose to save him this time? Either way he couldn’t have the Captain and Quartermaster dying and people trying to kill him next.

Finally looking at Roxi and the skeleton crew assembled on deck, Evan took his last swig of Blue Liquor before getting to work. “Ok this looks like crap. My gut says this planet is a fort and we’re pirates, we don’t mix. Duke get ready to kill them cams. I don’t care how long, if something happens I want our people out of there before they know what hit’um.” Duke had been trying to get into the cam controls, he can move them and see through them, killing them will still take some time though.
“Working on it pretty boy.” The Hacker slung out trying another false back door.
“We also need a distraction. I want a mess to keep the guards busy. Set off some fire alarms and overload some systems make them think something happened near enough but not right there. And I want it all at the push of a button.” Rockford had managed to get into the fire alarms with some help from one of the other Engineers, they just needed to lock out the planet’s security without setting it off at the same time. Evan had been goofing off for a few hours earlier with Roxi flirting and literally chasing her tail. The normally joking and playful First Mate was gone now, a serious look had replaced his cheerful grin and he had yet to touch his drink since the crew arrived at the lounge. Rising to pat Roxi’s tail one more time, Evan smiled trying to ease the tight feeling in his gut. “Use the scouts’ sensors and the surrounding cameras, help them get layout, and keep an eye on the shuttle.” The crew nodded to the First Mate and doubled their efforts, they could sense his tension. And if the guy that bedded the entire Woman’s Galactic Gladiators team was tense they should probably take note and try to avoid the worst.

Togga had faith in his First Mate and in his crew, this whole thing stunk like last year’s seal blubber. He hated being this exposed in hostile territory and he knew the crew would never let him forget it if they lived through it all. Straightening his spine the big male opened the door and did his usual quick scan of the room. It was decently-sized, as befitted a big star like Stella Silverlight. Twenty feet wide by twenty feet long by ten feet high, the carpet was purple, plush, and neutralized all sound their feet could make, the walls were a dark shade of blue and lined with long premier posters, and other mementos, also sound buffers. The furniture was all the same kind of soft high-end black leather, easy to clean and easy to move. The couch, loveseat, and armchair sported a number of well-wisher baskets and presents, no place to sit.
He saw more cameras, these ones would be harder to get into, but he was sure with both Duke and Evan working on it, they’d find a way into the system and peep in on the Starlet, they might even already have that locked in. Togga also noticed a small black fridge, a mini-bar, desk, and a walk-in closet that would make even Doc Kari jealous. The door was closed, and the two disguised aliens could see a shadow moving behind it. For the moment they were alone, he nodded to Xantos who nodded back and went about quickly checking the room for traps or bugs then up to the camera facing the door signalling Evan with a couple blinks of his eyes, in their code this was the signal to scan for bugs Xantos wouldn’t be able to find.

Evan saw Xantos searching around and already started the scan before he even got the signal. He stared wide eyed at what they had found, while no bugs would be found at hand the room itself was a bug. The walls held mufflers fitted with bugs, along with turrets stashed neatly at different angles of the room and only a few cameras. One showed the Stella half dressed, Evan’s eyes traveled slowly down her body until he saw her stashing a pair of mini-blasters in her clothes. Evan could understand the turrets with her being a star but the hidden blasters screamed trouble. “Double crossing son of a (insert colorful word), ok now I am mad. Roxi, Duke. Get everyone online I want that star dead now.”
Duke banged away on the keys as all the doors he had opened began to slam shut.
“Well hell, if we were just gonna do that anyway, we should’ve just sent the psychotic killing machine with the fucking Anti-Tank Cannon in his arm to do the job in the first place!” The Hacker swore grinding his teeth as he began killing his footsteps in the Casino’s system.

Roxi frowned as she began losing her control too.
“Evan, they took out the Comms! We can’t reach the crew!”
Rockford had been working with the red shirt and said rather ironically.
“Well the guillotine may be dropping down on the rest of you, but I’m almost into the Fire Alarms and lights.”

Togga and Xantos were nearly done with their scan and attempted lock-down of the room when the Star herself exited the closet dressed in a slinky red dress that showed as much leg and chest as one would expect.
Togga sighed as he studied her.
Oh please let Evan stay focused. Xan returned to his Captain’s side just as the woman came into view.
“Well hello Gentleman, I hope you have found everything to your liking thus far?” She spoke with a smooth sultry voice with just the cutest hint of a French accent.

Togga nodded to the woman stepping up.
“Yes indeed Ms. Silverlight. You are looking well, new diet?” This was the code between Arms Buyers and Arms Dealers, if she was legit her response would be “Yes my Doctor said I have too much Iron in my diet” Then things would go smoothly and they could leave this entire sketchy place and do work they were much happier with, hunting down and killing someone that has wronged them. It didn't happen though.

“Hmm nothing new, just got some good news by getting rid of some bad news.” With the lithe speed of a wild cat she yanked the blasters from her garter and leveled them on Togga and Xantos. The sharkman began to move planning to get between her and Xantos and get her blasters, but the hidden turrets burst from the wall and the zipping click of rounds loading stopped him.

The woman smiled shaking her head.
“Oh no you don’t Sharterran, one wrong move and even your hard skin will find some new holes in it. And don’t even try and signal your crew, this room is built to ruin such stupid plans.” Togga simply chuckled and lifted his hands up behind his head as if to surrender, but he clenched his fists in full view of the camera, the abort signal has just been given.

“Finally.” Says Evan as his hand fell on the controls Rockford handed over to him moments earlier. Fire Alarms could be heard on the dance floor and in neighboring buildings, lights flashes on in the funnel like hallway and an obnoxiously loud alarm could be heard for blocks away. In the neighboring buildings they even managed to fool the systems into thinking there actually was a fire. The Fire Brigade could even be heard making their way there through the crowd, even cameras would blink off for a few minutes thanks to the bug previously planted by their hacker. The general chaos in that instant could be heard in that entire sector as people rushed away from the source ignoring the few sensible voices saying where’s the smoke?

As the lights went out in that part of the building Togga dove at the stunned Starlet roaring at Xantos.
“Go for it!” The smaller Alien knew exactly what that meant and tore open one of the lower vents and vanished into it. The turrets began firing and Togga hit the panic switch on his watch that sent the warning signal to all those still gathered around the FCC. Things had gone south and it was time for Plan B. The Guards and Scouts had reacted the second the Fire Alarms had gone off, the Sams and Michael overtook the goons in the hallway, they couldn't get in the sealed door and knew the Captain’s Order were to vanish to the wind, they were not equipped to fight the Security Forces they could hear thundering their way, so as quickly as they could all three of them exited a back door. Not being in the center of the chaos the Scouts were able to slip away with the other evacuated patrons of the Lounge. The only one who couldn't escape was the good Captain, Stella was more springy than he expected. She dodged the turret fire as easily as Togga did, but she was smaller and quicker. She fired one of her blasters as soon as she felt the big alien touch her, it was specially made to react with his physiology and when shot into his bubble collar it managed to stun him long enough for her to turn up the voltage and send the electric shock through the collar and into the Shar knocking him out like struck seal.

The cameras were dark for a few seconds before the system fixed itself. Stella’s room was full of black holes from the turrets, the tazer had shorted out Togga’s watch and he was back in his alien form. The Starlet looked at the camera her dress torn from the struggle and showing more of her generous proportions, her hair was disheveled and somewhat wild looking, and her eyes showed a mix of rage and just the smallest hint of fear. She aimed the blaster at the camera and shot it freezing her partially nude image onto it.

“Oh hell...First….Captain Chase. What do we do?” Duke asked staring at the monitor. Evan had mixed feelings about being called Captain but the truth was with Togga MIA with a crazy hot chick he really is the Captain. “Come on Togga, disappearing on me with a hot chick and leaving me with all this responsibility. Well fine someone has to do it.” With a determined look in his eye Evan looked at the Crew assembled. “Get the comms and cameras back up. Our expedition team is in the wind and they're going to need all the help they can get.”

Arthera

01-15-2015, 10:55 PM

There was this unsaid thought hovering around the table once Shin and Kat had finished their meal. Too little, too costly. Kat was still just as hungry as she had been before eating. Conveniently, Kat’s tablet showed an update, which diverted her attention away from her stomach for a few moments.

“Need to get back to the pad, connection’s crappy from over here for what I want to try, need something more stable.” She looked at Shin, then out the window to emphasize what she meant. “We’re done here anyway.”

“Mm, agreed. Hopefully the ship has better accommodations than this joint.” Shinkei replied as she waved their waitress over to pay for their food. Once paid, she was quick to lead the way out, getting by much better on the heels than when she had started.

“Aaah. So much nicer to be out of that place. Too damn stuffy in that place, specially with the food limits there.” Shinkei spoke quickly, stretching out her body as ladylike as possible.

“Food limits are an understatement. Seriously, I don’t get how people eat so little and pay so much. I put some extra food in the storage hold, exactly in case something like this happened. Can’t go on a mission on an empty stomach.” Kat said, heels clicking away against the nearly polished ground leading from the restaurant.

They reached the dropship camouflaged as a fancy vehicle, where Kat lost no time plugging into several of the landing pad controls with her tablet, typing away. “It’s the green bag in the overhead spot where I sat on the way down.” the head engineer added for Shinkei’s ears.

“Got it.” Shinkei replied as she headed into the ship, heading towards the storage. She was quick to pull out her own bag, sorting through and placing several of tools into the purse, most of them smaller than the normal ones she used. She would normally just use her arm, but with the hologuise, it would make it hard to use. Grabbing the green bag, she was just about to pass the cockpit before pausing, glancing into it.

“Hey Sy, Wanna.. hang with Kat and I? Might be good to stretch your legs.” Shinkei asked, feeling a tiny bit awkward doing so, but wanting to make amends for what happened at the clinic.

As Kat was typing, that’s when hell broke loose. The fire alarms, the rapid response vehicle sirens, the faint sound of panicking people. All quite sudden, all coming from where the advance force were doing their thing. Coincidences on this mission were not a thing, and the crew had been told in clear language that anything going sideways at any point would result in some signal that couldn’t be mistaken for anything but a “get the fuck away” message.

Kat banged her fist against the side of the camouflaged vehicle. “Time to vanish.”

Shinkei hopped out of the ship as Kat knocked on the wall, her senses flooding with the sounds of sirens and the lack of comm noises. She was quick to act, throwing off her heels and dropping them into the ship before sliding on her flats, just fast enough before the doors shut behind them, making her gulp.

“Cmon then, lets get moving.” Shinkei said aloud, lifting up the green bag over her shoulders as she headed for the nearest large group possible.

With little time to communicate with the others as the doors closed, Ekaterina sent a text message to the dropship’s interior displays. “Log onto local Ilaros hotel forums, post message with “free” and “bird” if communicators are down. I’ll monitor.” With that done, she moved with Shinkei towards the closest walkway crowd, now regretting not having brought better shoes as well, but at least the head mechanic had the food bag.

“I have an idea, but we’re going to have to track down a potential contact. Casino planet like this will have my kind of people somewhere. Just need a better medium than a tablet to start my search. With any luck, they’ll have the planetside assets to reach the ship or the boss.”

Shinkei nodded as they entered the group. She was doing her best to remain calm, but inside she was nervous. Whoever they were up against now had managed to stop the communication between the crew and the ship, and screw up the plans badly enough to resort to this.

“If you need something better, I know a few places that can help us out. My father once helped repair some of the lower level casino machines, so they are bound to be some favors that I can call in, though it will be a bit risky.” Shinkei said quietly as she continued walking down the streets, her eyes occasionally flicking around.

“Let’s say that a bit of trouble beats the heap that’s bearing down on us…” Ekaterina wondered to herself.

Dnafein

01-16-2015, 01:51 PM

Xanatos had stayed close to the Captain as they headed to the back. Nodding emphatically when it was suggested he was a bigger fan. The rodentian disguised as a human pretended to frown when told he needed to give up his weapon. Handing the hand cannon back to Sam he heard one of the guards snicker. Turning to face that guard Xan smiled and as innocently as possible said, "Set bless you." Bringin up the often avoided cult to an ancient god that resembled not only one of his peoples figures of death but also the hidden rarely seen weapon Xanatos was wearing as a religious symbol.

Upon entering the room Xan waited only till the Captain started his nod to nod in reply and begin his scans, pausing long enough to send the message to the ship. The rodentian did not begin to worry until after his scans showed an absence of modt types of listening and recording devices. A he started to voice his worry their contact entered the room and as Xanatos studied he he had one thought.

Well, we're dead. Was the initial thought. As Togga sought out the code phrase Xan further considered the thought, wondering if any of the bridge crew would manage to escape before Evan drowned them all in the massive amounts of drool he was no doubt staining the captains chair with. The amusing image of the crew swimming on the bridge vanished as the proper response wasn't dropped, and the smaller alien froze as quickly as the Captain did when the turrets appeared.

When the lights suddenly went out and Togga bellowed Xanatos was already moving. Scrambling into the vents and moving as quickly as possible. At the first possibility the Rodentian took the unexpected path and climbed higher into the building. As he scurried like a rat through the bents Xanatos looked for cameras and sensors inside the vents but found none.

He stopped two floors up and 20 feet away from the shaft that lead him there. Switching his hologuise off the little alien studied his formerly pristine white suit. "When I get out of here, I'm going to find the bastard that gave us this mission and I'm going to feed him piece by piece to Togga's dog after he buys me a new suit." Xanatos snarled when he realized his hat was missing. "No Three new suits."

The Rodentian moved through the air ducts working his way towards an exit point when he froze as a gun barrel was pressed against the side of his head from a side tunnel. In his life Xanatos had stared down Crime lords, Drug Kings, and even pirates, his reaction however was unlike anything when he faced any of them. Xanatos cringed and in the whiniest voice he could summon he said. "No hurt Whiskas. Whiskas not tell, promised not to tell; Whiskas didn't tell."

"Ah hell," The guard holding the gun said, "It's a fooking rat."

"A rat in a suit?" The guard behind the gun holder asked. "I dunno."

Xan turned his head to face the guards and smiled at their uniforms. "Not Whiskas suit. Ugly dark man jump Whiskas, steal Whiskas jumpsuit make Whiskas take ugly stupid clothes. Whiskas tell man he not tell, Whiskas want jumpsuit back, Whiskas like pretty jumpsuit."

The guard in the back leaned forward, "Why Whis- Why are you in the air ducts?"

Xanatos puffed his chest with pride. "Whiskas keep ducts clear of nasty cameras and bad cheatin' droids. Whiskas protect bosses pro fit margarines." Xanatos looked at the guards and painted a curious look on his face. "Why does bosses wear butter?"

The guard with the gun on Xanatos stifled a laugh as his partner jabbed him with an elbow. "Where did da mook dat jumped you go?"

Xan pointed back the way he came. "Whiskas was one climb down that shaft, Ugly dark man crawled forward past shaft turned right. If went forward only would be in potty room."

"Come on lets go." The guard in the back shoved his partner and began crawling his way towards the nearest shaft leading down.

Xanatos watched them leave and then took off as quickly as possible towards the nearest vent leading outside. "Five suits and an all expense paid vacation for cousin Whiskas, and then I'll feed him to the mutt."

Pheasant

01-26-2015, 04:42 AM

Sam unwrapped the thin tin foil of a hot fresh burger, pulling the plastic cup wedged between his arm and his side back into his left hand as he rounded the corner to the meeting site. “I hope you assholes didn’t expect me to get you--”, the man mumbled with a mouthful of burger, eyes shooting wide as he threw himself back behind the corner, a volley of mixed energy and cartridge based fire all but eradicating the wall behind where he had just been standing.

He instantly rose back up from his knees, taking a defensive posture as his hand all but ripped out the automatic holstered at his shoulder.

“You fuckers made me spill my drink!”, he shouted, adrenaline rushing through his veins. Jeers were his reply, as some punk ass kid responded:

“I’ll make sure add the difference to your moms bill, when I see her later!”

Suddenly the man realized the ringing in his ears wasn’t an aftereffect of the drug he had taken earlier. The alarm was going off, the ‘Dont fucking pull EVER’ alarm.

And he was so fucking high he hadn’t even noticed it, not noticed his friends had blew the fucking coop. It took a couple of assholes with guns, and even then just barely to jog him out of it.

“Sam…”, the man grunted to himself, “You and I are going to have to have a serious fucking talk…”

He popped his weapon around the corner, bullets vaguely spraying down the hallway. For a seasoned soldier that was like a handshake, but for some shit eating kids whose best insults were, ‘I fucked your mom’, the only reaction they could have was fear.

A justifiable fear. Not many survive being on the other end of a Rangers gun, chopped up on drugs or not.

Sam broke the corner hard, another shot in the air before any of the three men across the hall could react, riding down the side of the wall. It was as much a mix of tactical entry as a bum rush, a pair of .45 ripping through the furthest mans chest just in time for Sam’s other hand to wrap around the nearest grunt’s throat, throwing them both forward on a date with the dirt as the last man fired, vaguely, in his direction.

He was dead with a quick pull of Sam’s hand, dead even before Sam and his new best friend hit the ground.

The man underneath him, the last gun-toting idiot in the wagon that Sam unfortunately found himself also in attempted to fight back, but quickly changed his tune after a smack across the face from the butt of Sam’s .45.

“You, fuckhead, how do I open that door?!”, Sam shouted, waving his gun at the thick steel door Togga was now locked behind.

“Y-you’re crushing my--my--!”, the man was barely able to say underneath Sam’s crushing fist.

He loosened his grip, letting out a sudden breath. Any more pressure than that and he might have snapped this mans neck…

Just what was happening to him? He was losing it, bad, Bad bad.

“You can't get through there once the alarm’s been tripped, its a part of the system--!”, another whack from Sam’s handgun and he was out like a light, the only man alive and conscious left in the hall.

Somewhere Sam had been told that, probably in the briefing he had been dozing off in the middle of.

He hadn’t just fallen off the wagon, he’d fallen off into a river when he barely knew how to swim.

The alcohol, the drugs, the whoring around, up until now he’d managed to make it by through sheer luck, or on the backs of his friends. But now, his friends had bugged out, and he’d probably just spent whatever luck he had left surviving that confrontation.

If he wouldn’t end up killing himself soon on his own, another situation like this would.

He stood up from the dirt huffing, shaking his head as a detonation went off in another room. For a civilian, they might have only heard the boom.

For Sam, it was a fucking symphony. The crash of glass immediately before the bang, followed by a hard breech that cleared the doorway.

Except he didn’t have time to admire the Defense Forces excellent training, they were out to cuff or kill him, and given how these outworld defense firms worked, they prefered the latter.

Sam quickly grabbed what he could from his new friends, most junk aside from a karambit blade that he stowed in his jacket, quickly heading the opposite direction of the blast to the back of the casino.

Even if Sam was lined up to be first on the menu due to his inexplicable inexcusable fucking idiocy, he had to get back to the ship if it was still there. They had people on the ground that didn’t know how to protect themselves, they had to have someone to at least put them somewhere safe.

“WHAT THE FUCK!”

Syran worried her bottom lip, hands trembling as she slammed her fist against the drop ship navigational panel. She hissed to herself, glancing at the left screen that had little blimps that stood for each crew mate. The dots flashed in all directions, scattering across the monitor as the team made their way to safety. She watched as the command that Kat entered on the outside flew into motion.

Shin had asked earlier if she wanted to stretch her legs and hang out with her and Kat, but she had still been fuming over the little traitor’s actions in the clinic, that she hadn’t even acknowledged the girl. Now, she regretted her reaction, or the lack thereof of one. She should have said yes. She shouldn’t have been stupid. She’d have been out of here by now if she had. The girls took off the minute shit hit the fan and Syran didn’t have a chance to follow suit.

The drop ship shuddered from the hell that was occurring past its doors. She should move, make herself scarce and then fight with the contacts that that damn Tang thought would be a good idea, “Such bullshit!”

The ship shook once again, but this time it was much rougher. She took one last glance at the scattering blimps and nodded her head once. “Alright, Sysy, we gotta get outta’ here.”

She fumbled her way towards the middle of the ship, looked upwards at the emergency hatch. Her brows furrowed at the idea of climbing out on top of the ship and straight into the open. She paced and weighed the pros and cons of just, ya’ know, staying put. Surely no one would think someone stuck around like a dumbass.

“Seriously so much bullshit,” she muttered. With one last thought, she hurried to a case and unzipped it. She fingered the contents before retreating from it, bottle of whiskey in hand. “Ain’t no one ever said I couldn’t save the booze, too. Well, at least… some of it.”

She grabbed an over the shoulder satchel, dropped the bottle into it and then threw it on. Returning to the middle of the floor, she glanced at the abandoned luggage and sighed from a broken heart. “Such a waste…”

Reaching up, she yanked down the makeshift ladder that was installed with the door and quickly climbed up. Fingers curled around the latch and pulled it free, and then threw open the roof. Pausing momentarily, she slowly peered up and over the top of the ship, taking in her surroundings.

“Well, fuck…” she whispered to herself, and slowly crawled out. She squirmed her way across the roof towards the back of the ship and hoped that no one was back there. Shots fired in the background and she rushed herself, throwing her body weight forward and sliding down the backside of the drop ship.

Even the 6’2, 200 pound ex-Ranger, trained to face the unexpected, did not expect a lithe Syran to fall out of the sky, or more accurately from the roof of the now deserted dropship.

Not many things had put Sam on his ass in his life, but suddenly having a Sy caught in both arms put him on the ground, at first with a look of startled confusion that melted into one of mild humor a few moments later, “Christ, don’t scare me again like that lil’ lady. I coulda’ sworn I got jumped by the littlest Security Officer I’ve ever seen. Are you the last one left? We need to get goi--”

From the Port entrance a squad of armed and armored Defense Force came in blazing, already performing a surround and drown maneuver as they moved towards the dropship, and the unlucky bastards that were still right beside it.

Sam, rather impolitely, tucked the woman under his arm and rolled across the ground into cover behind the dropship, sliding a handgun out of his shoulder holster, while simultaneously grabbing a revolver he’d tucked away behind his belt, handing the former to Sy as he righted himself into a crouched position.

“Alright Sy, I know we talked about getting you some range time and never got around to it, but now you’re getting a--”, another burst skipped alongside the dropship, leaving plasma burns in the hull, “Crash course…Shit”

She hadn’t been prepared to fall into Sam, but there hadn’t been much time to register it. When he tucked her under his arm and rolled, she yelped lightly. When he held out his handgun, she glanced at it, then to him, and back again. A wide smile broke free.

“Awh, Sammie, ya’ shouldn’t have,” she took the gun and thought for a moment, eyes flashing over Sam’s shoulder in an attempt to find the safest and clearest way to get out of the situation that they were in. “Hmm…”

Straightening her spine, she shifted her weight and aimed the gun in the direction of the noise. “I suppose if Sysy’s gotta… but can’t we avoid this shitstorm?”

“No way in hell we can outgun them…”, Sam mumbled to himself, glancing out towards what was close enough that the pair wouldn’t end up bullet riddled trying to get there.

Roughly fifteen feet off of the port of the ship was a worn out, paint chipped forklift for pulling heavy loads off of ships. “Maybe…”

The man glanced back at his far more calm partner, “Alright, I’ve got an idea, but its gonna be all you Sy. See that forklift? I need you to bust ass and get it rolling forward. There isn’t any other cover between us and the next ship, but if we move beside it we might make it to the maintenance tunnel on the far side of the yard”

She frowned as she listened to his words, and then nodded in approval and adjusted her stance. She glanced down at the dress still plastered to her body and huffed in annoyance. “Bullshit!”

She placed the gun to the ground momentarily, while her fingers worked at quickly tearing a slip up the thigh of her dress. “I swear. A man made this shit in the hopes that a woman wouldn’t run from the fucker’.”

Grabbing the gun, she glanced at Sam. “Keep up if’n ya’ can, Sammie-Sam. I bet cha’ a bottle of whiskey I’ll beat ya’ to it.” She flashed him a smile and then took off towards the forklift.

For once, Sam hoped she would be the one to win this bet.

As Sy broke the corner, Sam turned into it. Revolvers weren’t exactly designed to suppress, but the practiced pop of his .44 and its loud boom put several of the Officers heads down, for now at least.

He broke his firing stance, immediately tailing after Sy who had a considerable lead, hoping that none of their attackers were feeling especially brave. He rolled in behind the machine a few moments after Sy, just in time to avoid a sudden blast of fire from one very angry, very heavily armed Security squad.

Syran turned to him, chest heaving as she attempted to catch her breath. “You… Owe… Me...” she managed out.

Her eyes widened suddenly and she jerked her body forward, shoving Sam against the side of the lift. She lifted the hand with the gun and aimed it forward. Her finger pressed at the trigger and her eyes involuntarily shut as the shot rang out and hit the Officer that had literally came out of nowhere.

She opened one eye, peering at the body that now lay face down on the ground. Her breath caught and her hands began to shake. “Is... Is… He…” she whimpered, refusing to finish the question.

Swallowing the question down, she turned to him and nodded once. “Forklift, right?” she shifted upwards, hand clasping the door of the forklift and pulling it open. She slid into the bucket seats and nervously looked around behind the wheel.

“This…” she turned a knob, slapped a few things and swore. “This isn’t like the ship, Sam! I actually have to steer the wheels?! What the fuck is this thing?!” she pointed to the ignition, never having had seen a model so old. “How the fuck can anyone drive something from the stone age! How the hell does it turn on?!”

Having grown up on a farm, with half of their equipment relying on diesel, Sam was as used to old tech as he was to new. “Shit, do you see a metal key anywhere?”, the man replied over the sounds of bullets whizzing by them, barely able to lift his head and fire back before he was pinned down again. “Check the drivers side mirror and put it in the ignition! Shit, they’re moving around, come on Sy we’ve got to go!”

She furiously looked for what he asked for, key, key, key, Sysy. C’mon!

She reached up to the visor and pulled it down roughly. Out slipped a silver key that dangled from a chain and she immediately shoved the scrap metal into the ignition. Twisting it to the front, she jumped when the engine came alive. “Oh man… Hang on!”

She threw it into reverse before fumbling to throw it into drive. “Whoops…” Slamming her foot on the gas, the thing lurched forward and to horror, it went. Her hands flew to the wheel and she jerked it to the left and then the right, and then allowed it to even out. “Sam…”

Sam rushed to keep up with the constant shifting of the vehicle, the only thing between him and a very angry group of guys who wanted to fill him with lead.

“S--Sy! Shit!”, Sam huffed, grabbing onto the side of the forklift before it took off, practically being dragged along with it, “The brakes Sy, the brakes!”, he yelled above the gunfire”

Yeah, they’d certainly make it to the tunnel, if they didn’t crash into anything along the way. “Not the ship, don’t hit the ship!”, he shouted, not ready to be a meat patty, “Go right!”

The squad of officers had evidently called in reinforcements, as another dozen men entered the port with guns blazing, filling the thankfully thick outer hull of the forklift with bullet holes and scorch marks.

“What the fuck is a break!?” She slammed on the opposite pedal and then spun the wheel to the right, and then shifted back to the gas. She threw the wheel back and forth as she attempted to dodge as much obstacles as possible.

“Oh fuck!” she yelled before the thing plowed right through a wooden crate. She screamed and pinched her eyes shut, avoiding the sight. With her foot still on the pedal, the forklift continued to charge its way forward.

Sam let out a grunt of pain as the debris pelted against him, some falling off harmlessly, some drawing blood.
The man finally managed to grab ahold of the door and popped it open, pulling himself inside with a curse, “Alright Sy, now we need to--”, so far they’d managed to avoid dying, but now the forklift, travelling faster than he thought possible, was on an imminent date with the shipyards inner wall.
He slid an arm around the back of the women's waist, the other reaching for the handle of the door on her side, “Well Sy, looks like this is our stop!”, the man shouted, pulling the woman into his chest as he dove out the other side just in time to avoid the collision.

“Ungh…”, the man mumbled, pulling himself up from where the pair had stopped rolling, a pool of gas flowing from underneath the machine as the front engine began to smoke and blaze, “Oh shit, I know where this is going”, Sam grumbled, manhandling the woman for a third time in the last ten minutes as he all but tossed her onto his shoulder, making a mad dash for a grate that sat in the corner of the port wall.

Before any of the guards could see them make their escape past the grate into the utility tunnel, what was left of the dinosaur of a forklift exploded in a ball of light and heat, scorching the entire area.

He threw her over his shoulder. Over. His. Shoulder. Her lips pursed. He had been manhandling her too much to the point that heat crept its way into her face. Before she knew what she was saying, she began to yell.

“Sam! Put me down!” Huffing in frustration. she began to flail over his shoulder. “You put me down right now, or I’ll…I’ll… I don’t know what I’ll do but you better take heed!”

She slapped her palm against his back and huffed once more.

“Oh hush lil’ lady…”, Sam mumbled, setting the woman down onto her feet once more after a short ladder.

The shaft was tight, narrow enough that there was hardly any personal space between the two, and they were about to lose that space as well.

Dim light marked the tunnels leading both into and away from the port, except they were low and narrow, narrow enough that you had to get down and crawl to be able to make your way through them.

Sam took a breath, leaning against the wall as he stowed his revolver, “We’ll, we’re sure in the thick of it…”, he mumbled, a slight edge of pain in his voice from where he had been slammed into with debris.

The tunnel air was stagnant and hot, no doubt as a result of poor ventilation. Sam pulled off his jacket, tossing it to the ground but even that wasn’t enough to escape the heat, “Shit…”

Once back on her feet, Syran looked around, eyes glancing to the back and front of them. Great. Just what I needed, condensed spacing.

She heard his tone when he spoke, heard the pain lacing his words and she furrowed her brow.

“What is it, what’s wrong?” She took a small step forward, her hands reaching out to press along his chest now that he had discarded his jacket.

“What hurts? Where does it hurt, Sam?” Her eyes raked over his front, searching for any sign to indicate what all damage he had taken. “Was that from… was that from the crate? Oh god, oh no. I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean…” she broke off, face flushing from worry.

“Hush, we’ll worry about it later…”, Sam mumbled, “Right now, we need to get moving”

Now that he was coming off of the adrenaline, he felt his cheeks suddenly grow hot, and it had nothing to do with the air in the tunnels. The touch of Sy’s hands, soft and caring, these close confines…

But he pushed those thoughts away along with the woman’s hands. Those were thoughts even he dared not to contemplate. She was just looking out for a friend, afterall.

“Now...we need to head through the exterior tunnel. I don’t know exactly where that's going to take us but it can't be worse than here…”

“You hush,” she said with a frown. When he shoved away her hands, she narrowed her eyes. “For fucks sake, Sam, we’ll get moving in just a minute! Take a break, breath for a second. I need to see the damage. If you’re bleeding too much, we need to stop it. Or at least do something to keep an infection from occurring.” She glowered at him, her lips pressed into a thin line.

“Now, are you going to shut the fuck up and let me look at you? Or are you going to make me do this the hard way and force you to stand fuckin’ still? Either way, we’re not leavin’ here ‘til I make sure you’re not gonna bleed out, dammit. So quit bein’ a stubborn ass for once in your life.” With a brow cocked, she silently dared him to argue with her.

“Alright Sy, alright…”, Sam sighed, before he cracked a smile, “I see nearly being shot hasn’t stopped that sailors mouth of yours. Fine, just make it quick”

“I was raised around Barbarians, what do ya’ expect? It wasn’t the first time, nor will it be the last time that I run away from somethin’ firin’ at my ass. Quit your bitchin’, you act like it’s painful for me to check on ya’. “ She sighed lightly and shifted the satchel over her shoulder.

Her body suddenly stiffened. Her gaze dropped to the bag, eyes staring intently until tears began to swell in them. “No… Oh, no…”

“Sy…?”, Sam murmured, a smile turning into a look of concern, “Sy, whats wrong?”

“Those bastards. Those mother fuckin’ good fer’ nothin’ son’ovabitches. Look what they did! It didn’t do nothin’ to them… my… nonono!” She ranted as she looked at the drenched bag. “They made me bust it, Sammie. They made me shatter my poor lil’ bottle. What did it ever do to them? It didn’t deserve that. It deserved to be in my belly.”

Sy sniffled, looking up at him, her expression completely lost.

Sam let out a breath of relief, his heart returning to its normally scheduled duties. “I’ll get you two bottles once we get back, alright?”

Her bottom lip trembled, but she nodded despite her broken heart. “S’long as you drink ‘em with me, ‘kay?” she asked, eyes clearing and brightening at the idea.

Sy didn’t wait for a response, she knew the answer anyways. She held the bag out for him to hold and returned her hands to his chest. Running her fingertips along the front of him and across the fabric, her brow furrowed in concentration as she attempted to look him over.

“There a place that hurts worse?” she whispered with a tilt of her head.

“My shoulder, but its not particularly worse than anything else…”, Sam mumbled as she went about her examination. There were a few small blotches of red here and there underneath the white of his suit shirt, but nothing that was pooling out uncontrollably.

He grasped the bag with a sigh, “What about you? Are you hurt anywhere, besides the dent in your drinking habits?”

“Turn about, lemmie look at your back, Sam.” She directed, motioning with her finger for him to twirl around. She completely ignored his question, focus fully set on ensuring he was alright.

The man rolled his eyes, turning about, “Satisfied?”, he murmured. A solid piece of wood stuck out of the back of his shirt, dug into the meat behind his shoulder where he complained of pain earlier, “Well, Sy?”

There was a wet drip of blood coming off of the tip every few seconds, and although the bleeding was certainly not as bad as it could have been, the wound was deep, deep enough to require real medical attention.

“What, Sy? Don’t go all silent on me”

Her eyes widened at the sight of the splintered wood protruding from his shoulder. Hesitantly, she pressed the palms of her hands against his back and ran her fingers along the fabric and holding it flat against his back so she could attempt to see how deep it had been imbedded.

“Sam… Shut up.” She said lightly, gaze fixed at the wound. She swallowed roughly. “Let me see that bag,” she mumbled.

“What, do you have another bottle in there that you just remembered about?”, Sam chuckled, “Not gonna lie, my shoulder is killing me though, now that we’ve actually slowed down...I might have pulled something”

He handed the bag backwards to the woman.

She shouldered the bag, and nodded to herself. “Alright, now, I need you to turn back towards me…” she continued in a gentle voice, forcing herself to keep the worry from her gaze. She didn’t want him to turn around and see the fear across her face. She needed to reign it in and do what needed to be done.

“Been spending time with the Doc, going to be her new assistant?”, Sam chuckled as he turned back around, “Jeeze, at least after all that manhandling you’re alright, it feels like I've got a freaking knife in my back...So, are we good to go or what?”

Her mouth twitched in a half assed attempt at a smile. She looked up at him and inhaled sharply, hands reaching out to fumble with the top button of his suit shirt. “Now, just hold still, ‘kay? Don’t need ya’ spazzin’ out on me, I swear I’m not doin’ any funny business… just hold completely still.”

She moved to the next button and popped it off, her throat tightening at the discomfort of the situation. The entire time she moved on to a new button, she avoided eye contact, forcing herself to keep from embarrassing herself. Her fingers trembled and her tongue darted out to lick along her lower lip when she hit his last button.

“Alright… now, just keep stayin’ still. I’ll get this off in just one… minute…” she glanced up at him briefly. What a mistake. Her face suddenly burned and she pressed her lips into a hard line.

“Damn you, Sam, why’d you have to go and get hurt.”

“What do you mean, hurt? Its just a few cuts, you don’t have to take off my shirt for..”, Sam mumbled, his cheeks flushing slightly until he felt a tug behind his back. A hard tug, keeping the shirt where it was.
He’d only felt that once before, when a knife--”Sy...I didn’t pull a muscle did I…”, the man said quietly, putting two and two together.
He really, really was getting sloppy. And the pain in his shoulder was reaching a point where he could barely hold back crying out.

“J-j-just shut up, okay? Be quiet.” She twisted to the side, pulling her bag around her hip. She opened the flap and reached in. “This… this will do.” She muttered beneath her breath as she retrieved a shard of the broken glass bottle.

“I need to get your shirt loose, just bare with me.” She explained before taking the glass and pressing it to the collar of his shirt. She pressed the edge to the fabric, held the hem in her free hand to tighten it and keep it from his flesh, and then slowly began to run it along the surface, ripping the cloth.

Proceeding to the other arm, she managed to cut the shirt just enough from the collar to the arm so it could be easily pulled over the wood. “So, Uhm, ya’ trust me, right Sammie?” She asked lightly.

Koti~

01-29-2015, 06:33 AM

Shinkei was pacing a bit faster now that she could hear the gunfire. While she did have a weapon, she wasn’t the best shot with a weapon. The crowd had grown exponentially once the shots had started, and now she was worried about getting caught. Luckily, with the larger group of people they were around, any police wouldn’t shoot them on sight. She had distanced herself a bit from Kat at the moment, but she was easily in sight, to keep them from getting caught together, specially with gunshots from one end of the planet and fire alarms from the other. She had a plan, but first she needed an easy target, and definitely not a payphone.

Finally finding one, she headed towards the woman, a panicked look on her face.

“I… I’m so sorry, but .. my ship was stuck on the loading bay and now . now …. I need to borrow your phone for a minute pleased.. My brother.. he was..” Shinkei blathered for a few minutes, stumbling over her words in rushed need. She fumbled through half of them, doing her best to make them up on the spot, but it helped her as the woman allowed her to borrow her phone. Giving her a hug thanks while promising to give it back right away, she headed a bit away from them before allowing her fingers to tap over the keys with rote practice.

“Ah! Brother, you’re okay!” She spoke excitely into the phone.

“I’m .. sorry, you seem to have the wrong number.” The man on the other end responded, confusion lacing his tone.

“I’m just thankful that you didn’t get caught in the crossfire. I mean, between the fire and the shots.” Shinkei said, calming down. The man on the other end paused for a moment before taking a deep breath.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m fine, I was able to avoid the fire, though the shots got pretty close for my taste.” The man responded.

“I bet, kinda scary out here as well. I honestly need to get back to you again, or Mom would freak out.” *Ah, where are you? I should pick you up*

“Nah, I’ll find you. We can meet at the large casino on the planet... “*Yeah, yeah that does sound good.*

“Also, Mom will be meeting us.” Shinkei spoke with a nod and closing the cell phone. With a smile, she stared at the phone for a few brief seconds before popping out the Sim card with a deft hands before tossing it back to the gaggle of women, dropping the Sim card into someone elses pocket and dashing off to get back together with Kat and tell her the plan with a relieved sigh.

~~~

Slipping into the computer repair shop, she looked around, the TV’s still blaring with the news of the explosion on the docking bay. Shinkei gave a nod to Kat and they split up, Shin going over to the counter as Kat went about collecting whatever she needed. Stepping over to the counter, she leaned over and smiled.

“Hi, I called earlier to ask about that computer I talked about?” She asked quietly, tilting her shades down to look at the owner. He gave her a pause and blinked, confused as to what she was talking about.

“Sorry Miss, I … I don’t remember you sending in…”

“Ugh, it’s me you idiot..” Shinkei said, holding out the watch for him to inspect. He studied it for a minute before turning back to Shinkei with an astounded look.

“Shi-

“Yes, yes. So .. computer?” She asked, frantically waving her hands to stop him while pointing to the TV. He nodded and motioned her to follow. Giving a short whistle to get Kat’s attention, she allowed the owner to head into the stock room, then even further into the sub basement.

“Thanks Hoff, I’ll let you know if we need anything more.” Shinkei spoke, giving him a quick hug as he headed off, leaving the two girls alone. Placing her hand to the right of the door, a loud beep sounded through the room before a metal door slid over the other, a thud filling the room as the AC and air cycling kicked on.

“Used to be the stores old panic room before Hod converted it to a computer bunker for me. Now .. let’s see if we can get some eyes and ears on our crew.” Shinkei spoke while heading to the slightly outdated computer. It was no where near as powerful as the ones on the black star would be, but it would serve her needs well enough. Pressing the spot just below the shoulder, a panel pushed out, revealing a small compartment that seemed to glitch out her skin. Grabbing the two flash drives; a small droid and keyboard, she closed her arm, allowing the hologram to resume normal, except for a minute discoloration of the skin.

Sitting down and allowing Kat to take the other work space, she pulled out her earbud and synced it up to the computer, plugging in the droid and keyboard. Rifling through the computers main systems, she brought up the anti virus program and stored it off to the side, pulling up a list of the current equipment on loan.

One quick search and she had a list of the ear buds, time stamped and coded for each person. Highlighting them, she sent out a ping to each one, getting in return a total of 14 pings, faint but plenty to show that most were alive, except for one. No return ping from the captain, which only made her stomach sink. Giving out a shaky sigh, she minimized the program. Thankfully, the machine didn’t show him as dead, so there was that.

A few more clicks and the list was minimized, replaced now with a list of the inner workings and a repair mode for each machine. She began to run both a virus detection and debug mode, but both of those came up empty.

One more close and now she just had the program to work with.

“I … wonder…” Shinkei spoke to herself, tapping her fingers on the keyboard a few moments before clicking through and restarting the earbuds, the spinning circle appearing next to the mouse as she waited. Before it could fully reboot, she entered them into the safe mode, shutting off all but the comm lines. Another ping test showed all but one bud working, yet when she tried a test signal, no sound came out of the earbud on the table.

“Okay .. no go there..” Shinkei spoke, giving a few more taps and bringing it back up to full power. She ran a few more tests, flicking off a few firewalls and even some of the long range tracking, but nothing gave her the link she needed. She leaned back and let out a massive sigh as she settled into the chair with a massive sigh.

Going into the second flashdrive, she started up the maintenance program, logging in and putting all the earbuds into the testing mode did nothing for her. She stared at the screen in anger before pounding the table, flinching some as the monitor jumped on the table. Another thought ran through her mind as she stared at her earbud, pulling up a browser and flicking through them, going to the blacklisted site and gathering some of the previous versions of the earbud program, grabbing one of the earlier pieces and downloading.

“Oh please let this work..” Shinkei prayed as she downloaded and installed the older version. The update request was quick to appear, but she ignored it, watching as the earbuds turned on for a few seconds, a soft ping echoing from her earbud before the security jammer blocked the system. She nearly growled in frustration as she leaned back, allowing the update to go through and return the earbuds to normal.

“..Hm?” Shinkei leaned forward as she heard the soft beep before the security jammer locked her out once again. It made her puzzled, wondering why she got locked out a second time just for an update. Pulling up the list, she saw the earbuds get blocked one by one again, making her puzzled as to why, before looking to Togga’s earbud, showing two separate update requests pending, which was causing the lag in the system.

“Oh… this should be fun..” Shinkei spoke, going back quickly to the download list and gathering every possible download that she could, causing a large lag once she had the last download running. Isolating Togga’s earbud, as it was useless to her, she applied the first patch to all of them, watching them all flick on. Allowing the update for all but Togga’s, she began applying as many patches to Togga’s alone, watching the computer begin to chug away as she contined, the jammer unable to keep up with the constant change.

Setting up the cmd, she typed in a quick command to access the sticky keys on the mouse and set it to constantly click the update button for Toggas, so that not only was there a long list on the original access, but also to upgrade that patch to the most recent download. One final soft ping to her ears and keeping an eye on the green lights, she smiled.

“Next time get a better jammer ya jackasses.” She jeered happily before tapping her earbud.

“Testing, testing, can anyone hear me?” Shinke asked into it, hoping for a response.

Juicesir

01-30-2015, 10:11 PM

Biologicals and bots didn't originally share a lot of similarities, and in all reality, they still didn't. But in the eternal struggle for the living to make sense of their life by building and creating, they continued to make robots more and more in their image. Partly for comfort, partly for familiarity and integration, this quest to make machine more natural led to a sense - finally - that artificial intelligence really was very similar to its regular old brain intelligence. But despite how similar they were made to be, there were some things that robots would never know about the biologically living, nor would the creators know certain things about their creations.

For instance: the sensation of uploading into a different apparatus.

The transfer had taken its toll on Aidebot. For quite some time, it'd been out of commission. Sure, the tertiary and secondary roles were on auto, but in the transition to its new and rather outdated housing for its internal processes, some things were lost.

Like memory.

Thus it was that Aidebot came out of the technological coma it had been in with a grogginess that most creatures that imbibed alcohol would be readily familiar with. Running a self-diagnostic, Aidebot determined that after the hard boot, it was running at about 67% efficiency at max in all subroutines. Despite the inferiority of the husk it occupied, Aidebot was finally able to override the auto and get back into its primary function: communications.

First contact? Killbot.

"Eeeuuuuugghghghghghhhhh..." came the crackle over Killbots com. "How long was I out?"

A mission was a mission for Killbot, whether it meant going in guns blazin' and killing everything in sight or things like this where he had to dress up and not kill anything. And personally...well as personally as an advanced killing machine can use personally Killbot would much rather the Blazin' guns killing everything in sight. But Togga's orders were to stay put and not kill anything, which went against every one of K-Bot's kill circuits. On top of that he had to watch the knocked-out Aidebot who should've been left on the ship and replaced with someone who could be of use. Or someone who was awake. Oh look he's awake now.
The killing machine looked into the drop ship as the little com bot began speaking.
"You have been out for a few days Killbot thinks. How do you like your disguise?" He asked leaning against the side of the ship studying Aidebot's guise.

What usually would've been a simple self-surface check run by the sub-awareness diagnostic that was tied in with the systems scan... wasn't... simple. In point of fact, Aidebot didn't think it had any of those systems installed with the way it felt. "Uh... it's not that pretty." The usual cheery chirp rendered as somewhat grainy on this lower resolution frequencer. Nothing about this setup was very pretty.

"To be perfectly candid, I don't really think I am going to be of much use in this state. I feel... out of sorts. I believe is the phrase." Normally that would've been double-checked already by a linguistic parlancer, but seeing as this system didn't have such a thing, it was left to Aidebot's best guess.

"In point of fact," the displaced bot continued, "I am not entirely certain how I'm able to even partially function on a platform such as this."

Killbot hmmed and walked up to Aidebot, he didn't know much about fixing other bots, but the little com droid couldn't be too much different than him, besides Kat had wandered off somewhere.
"Well maybe Killbot can help you, oh yeahhhhhh!" The Killing machine grabbed one of Aidebot's back up diagnostic tablets that are always stored in the Dropship and plugged it into his head which looked like he was pushing it into a human's ear. It clicked on and immediately began doing the updates and checks Aidebot had trouble getting back on the ship.
"Here these should help, we're still connected to the ship so the Captain hasn't been killed yet. At least your intelligence circuits are still working. Not as useful as kill circuits but good."

It was this quip - this quick aside - that caused a small delay in response. A backup, while certain processes warred with each other. On the one hand, Aidebot was programmed to be as helpful and cheerful as possible. On the other hand, it was also an AI capable of independent and self-aware processing operating at its own discretion.

The second of the two processes eventually won out. The battle lasted a nanosecond.

"Well," began the little droid, putting on its cheeriest tone that could be mustered, "I don't mean to disagree with you, but while the practical purposes and immediate benefits of certain internal processes engendered towards a combat and defensive role certainly provide indispensable applications in an aggressive and hostile scenario, overall - I do believe - that the benefits of intelligence matrices and analogous, holistic programming offer up the greatest long term results and higher benefits to be gained."

"Speaking, of course," the bot added, somewhat apologetically, "from my own personal viewpoint on the matter."

As a bot not used to being disagreed with K's circuits and processors stalled for a few nanoseconds deciding if they had just herd this right. It was nearing the insanity of the Commie mindset, but there couldn't be a Commie here. Killbot's Commie detectors were at the top of the list for immediate actions repairs right behind his "Ways to Kill Commies" and "Ways to kill someone with a big shotgun" Processes.
At first he wanted to kill the potential Commie threat before it destroyed the American way of life, but Togga had told him not to kill anyone on the crew and he had to obey Togga. He continued Aidebot's upgrades and reboot.
"Killbot will disagree with said potential Commie views. In the time it took you to say all that Killbot could've killed something quintuple dozens of times over. Kill circuits are much more useful says Killbot. Killbot doesn't need to be super smart to have a lasting effect, oh yeahhhh! Kill the right people and all long terms things will come together."

"Potential... pardon?" At partial capacity, and with such a... challenging colloquial speech as Killbot's, whatever reference may have just been made escaped Aidebot. It would have to file away "commie" for a later lookup.

Aidebot decided to try engaging on terms Killbot could understand. "Yes, but if you target the wrong people, the long term things will come apart. It takes discretion... er, I mean, it takes a discerning eye... oh bother." Aidebot rapidly searched for a more lowbrow term to communicate its meaning. Finally, it hit upon the right one.

"When one shoots first, and asks questions later, it is possible that sometimes - having not asked the question - you will be missing part of the story. And maybe the question you need answered was the one that would help you deal with more bad people. And if you don't answer that question, and simply eliminate all possibility of answering that question... do you understand what I mean?" Aidebot wasn't sure it even understood what it meant.

Killbot nodded slowly as more of Aidebot's updates tallied off, around half of them were done now.
"Well Killbot knows that easy answer, Killbot doesn't ask the questions, the squishes do. And Killbot only kills the Commies and the people the Captain says kill. And Commies never talk so killing them sends a message to the others to talk before they get steamrolled by greatness that is the United States of America! OH YEAHHHHH! And the Captain only wants to kill the right kind of people!" As these philosophical quandaries were logged away in the mortar round marked files of Killbot a small part of his damaged sanity and personality circuits were trying to fire back up.

"Well, I suppose that's one way of looking at it." Aidebot had never really conversed with Killbot. Certainly, they had sent update packages back and forth between one another, and been hooked up in the way that droids do on a ship. However, they'd never spoken like biologicals. With words, and in real time. "There is a certain logic in... intimidation tactics."

"Shock, and awe, and all that." Aidebot suddenly became quite conscious of how long it had been speaking about killing things. It was quite unusual.

Killbot nods once more seeing Aidebot become slightly less Commie-like, this was good. The Synthetics need to stick together.
"You don't need logic, just a bigger gun and a burning desire to kill everything that opposes you. That's what Killbot does. But look your personality circuits are updating, much more fun than intelligence." Killbot couldn't remember the last time he talked with anything, it was an interesting thing for his bio-gel braincase to experience.

"Well, that's one way of looking at it..." Aidebot had the sudden realization that it had been speaking a great deal about killing people for quite a while. It was the first time in recent memory that it had felt what others would describe as uncomfortable.

It was this last aside in the midst of Aidebot's own thinking about its personality that caught it offguard. "More... fun?" It considered the matter for a moment, for while it certainly valued its intelligence processors and knew the great value they possessed, it did have to admit that the greatest joy it derived was in its interaction with others. And the simple fact that joy could be derived at all was a sign of something... greater.

"I suppose that's also true!" Aidebot decided to try to connect with Killbot on that level. "And do you too also enjoy your personality circuitry?

The war machine nodded as Aidebot's systems were nearing full update and reininstall.
"It gives Killbot the means and desire to kill all communists that might threaten the American way of life, oh yeaahhhhh!" Killbot said as this emote showed up on his faceplate. (Fuck) "Do you enjoy your personality circuits?" He asked watching the update bar reach 97%.

Aidebot thought to all the times it had interacted with people. To the conversations it had had. To the private tea parties it had invented. Aidebot thought back to a memory of man holding it up for the first time, and feeling a strange, indescribable warmth wash over it that had nothing to do with actual heat or temperature.

"Yes," it softly said, "I do enjoy them..."

The Tablet chimed announcing Aidebot was fully updated and back to 100%, a :D emote showed up on his faceplate.
"There back to full you are 100% ready to sit here and wait for the Captain to return." Unplugging the little bot, Killbot went about putting the tablet away when the Comms all died and the Dropship began locking down, gun fire, alarms and screaming was heard. Poking his head out Killbot saw the others scattering as per Orders. Ducking back in he grabbed Aidebot and bolted from the ship.
"COME KILLBOT'S LITTLE ROBOTIC BRETHREN WE MUST FLEE!" Tucking the human disguised Aidebot under his arm like a child the big machine ran from the ship and plowed down one of the gunman that had been shooting at them, under the super powered strength and great weight the squish man was flattened and killed, luckily he was carrying a nice size shotgun and a nice bundle of ammo and Killbot needed them. Lifting the weapon and ammo he shot his way through a couple of more gunman before he and Aidebot vanished into a large building that led to some sewers where they could hide in.
"The Commie almost got us little brother." He said reloading the shotgun.

"Please!" the little disguised bot squawked in protest, "Do be careful! I wasn't programmed for, for... FOR COMMIE EVASION!!!" Quite distressed, but safe in the arms of Killbot, the two strange friends held up in the sewer for a moment, Aidebot now realizing their rather messy hideway as the world around it seemed to explode.

"Oh bother..."

Soulio

01-31-2015, 09:21 AM

Sam had sprinted out of the area as soon as the alarms started blaring, getting into a bit of fights as he went along. Some had broken necks, others had broken bones, and then some had some really bad pain in their balls. Either way, Sam was following the plan, and becoming one with the crowd once he was able.

Given, where he was, that would take time.

With the alarms going off, Sam was able to eventually make his way to a set of stairs, but was met with the noise of at least five guards. He looked over the railing, and noticed that they were all equipped with higher-than-state-of-the-art Electro-Rifles. Semi-automatic shots of high speed energy that could melt through inch think titanium with a single clip. Not something to fuck around with.

So, Sam was forced to improvise, and rather than go down the stairs, go up, and hope to everything that was holy that they wouldn't hear his footsteps.

Boy, did that work out. The guards all immediately looked up, and shouted at Sam to stop, something Sam did the exact opposite of. So, the guards began firing, making Sam's heart beat faster than a damn race horse.

With every lull in firing, Sam leaned over the railing and took meticulous shots at the guards, taking them out one by one. They kept progressing further up the stairs, and Sam was beginning to run out of room. He didn't have a security card to get up to the roof, so he was more or less at a dead end.

Since there were only two left, but Sam had no way of reloading without concern for his own life, he had to make the split decision to vault over the railing, and hope he caught a railing and swing to one of the rifles, and take out the two guards. In a miraculous turn of events, it worked, but left Sam with a really bad headache thanks to him hitting his head on the railing as he did so, and the feeling that he most likely broke his left hand.

Finally free to rush down the stairs and into a large crowd of fancily dressed people, he quickly integrated himself into the crowd, and hid his gun in his pocket. For now, he'd have to rely on his gut instinct that the rest of his teammates were still alive.

"I need a drink," he mumbled, making his way to a bar to order a drink.

Arthera

02-03-2015, 12:58 AM

Being somewhat safe at the moment by being mingled with the crowd allowed Kat and Shinkei to get some distance from the dropship before the firefight started. They had escaped the crossfire two minutes or so before being caught up in that mess which hopefully did not hurt any of the others remaining behind. On the other hand, the attackers would have to deal with Killbot, a very unpleasant proposition for anyone.

As things stood, Ekaterina and Shinkei were in the clear and would have time to try and sort out the many problems being on this planet offered. Namely cut communications with others planetside and on the ship. A quick check on the forum she had mentioned to the others before leaving did not show any messages left for her, although not enough time had passed for them to actually leave anything. What concerned Ekaterina at this point was getting a lifeline hooked up with the ship in orbit, which was planned as being a real issue when the mission was undertaken. Still, Kat had ideas on that subject.

The tablet in her hands couldn't connect to anything in orbit, obviously, but connecting to local servers and the planet-wide communications network was another matter entirely. Scrambling user location, IDs and IPs was a simple matter for what she had installed on the tablet itself, using phones, street cameras and all manner of wireless communications to connect to the wider networks that made a casino resort planet function. While Shinkei worked on a phone she procured from somewhere, Kat searched information online. The sort of forums, seedy sites and dark net doorways that normal people avoided but would contain what Kat required to get anywhere. Her online handle carried weight, and a lot of people knew of it, if not directly then at least by reference. She'd never be face-to-face popular with anyone like Doc Kari was, but online she had her own thing going if you were in the right circles.

She left messages on a dozen forums and chat services, using the right blend of hacker speak and key words to get a feeling of the locals when Shinkei came over and explained her computer store connection.

When they arrived, the head mechanic went over to speak with her likely contact, leaving Kat to her tablet. Which did not last long before a clerk came over and cleared his throat for her attention, his eyes seemingly having a hard time staying focused anywhere above neck level.

"Good day miss, can I, ahem, help you in any way?"

Long used to not judge a book by it's cover despite it's manners, Ekaterina took him up on his offer at face value, already vaguely aware of the outcome.

"Sure, I'd need a rig with a..." she checked her tablet for the planet's name for high speed connection. "...HighRoller connection, a Rexus box linked with an external TT-VI. If you have Praxus, Dimm, Krato or whatever version of Faleris you have on this world, that would be swell. Also, two keyboards and monitors, and a very comfortable chair, my feet are killing me."

The man froze, as if struck by dumb. To his credit, he recovered quickly enough, a grin on his face. "You, um, not what I expected, sorry." His gaze still didn't exactly wander up to meet Kat's eyes on the other hand. "Not many come here with such, well, specific gear in mind. I know most of what you speak of but this isn-." The man's line cut short by Shinkei's whistling.

"Your boss might be more amenable then, but thanks anyway." she left the clerk, heels clicking on the floor as she followed to where Shinkei indicated.

Ekaterina spoke with the man, decidedly named Hoff, and reached an agreement to use his personal computer, he'd bring it down to the sub-basement in a few minutes. Arriving downstairs, the first thing Kat did was kick off her heels and flop down on the most comfortable-looking chair in the room. The second thing was to reach for the green bag and rummage around for something to eat, yes, the heels were that much more important then food right then and there. Once both issues were taken care off, Kat munching on crackers of some kind and wiggling her toes free from the built-up cramp, Hoff had returned with his computer and a few other items, likely the extra hardware she had mentioned. Kat smiled at the man in thanks, knowing he likely did this for Shinkei more than for a girl's smile or cleavage shot.

Armed with the best she could muster at the moment, Kat rolled over to the rig, plugged everything up and went to work. She paused a second and leaned to the left to get Shinkei in sight.

"Not a word of this to the others. I'm classified as a cyborg, but the crew aren't sure what for, I want to keep it that way, alright?" Kat never showed this to anyone, much less work with another nearby.

She flexed her hands, clenching and opening them a few times before they just, broke open, as if each finger had been sliced open vertically multiple times each, every joint extending and her palms fanning outwards to accommodate the new extensions. Kat rolled back in front of her screens and went straight to work. She used the older computer already in place to search the online networks and communicate via chat services with hackers that had answered her queries, getting information, methods, names, places and any other sort of method she could use to reach a ship in orbit that the locals knew. Her other hand working insanely quickly at actually coding something with that information. Were it not for her particular augments and implants, this would have been impossible to do at the same time, at the speeds Kat was going at. The problem was lack of time

With the backdoors left in weather gathering software, mixed with the altered pulse emissions from musical stations, Kat cobbled together a signal that would piggyback on weather satellite feeds, undetected by scanners and scramblers monitoring conventional calls, signals and outgoing messages. Of course, she couldn't talk directly to the Black Star, but she could triangulate where it would be in orbit by knowing where it was hours ago and transmit something in it's direction in a coded manner via nearby satellites. Sadly, only that little perv Solar would be checking for anything out of the ordinary on the information side of things. But with this, if the self-righteous prick was thinking at all, they could pass messages from planetside to BlackStar when they were close enough to a weather satellite. The first signal was mostly a test, lacing a dozen musical tracks of several types that various crew members listened to with the simple embedded binary message string:

"Ocean Freebird calls to the Solar flier, seeking the Shadow's guidance as heaven and earth shakes."

Dnafein

02-14-2015, 04:56 PM

Xanatos sat alone at the window table of an all you can eat buffet across the street from the Yellow Brick Road. He had a clear line of sight on the other establishments front door as well as one of the side doors. The little rodentian sat in a full length apocalypse robe; a number of slightly darker snakes sewn into the cloth disguise the small figure as an acolyte of Set. Those familar with the archaic religion born among a crazy group of humans, tend to stay clear of them. Rumors claim they practice sentient sacrifice.

Xan was still pissed that he had to leave is suit behind as collateral when he borrowed this robe from a dry cleaners establishment. However this saves the battery on his hologuise and works wonders towards intimidation. Setting the fourth of his empty plates onto the stack he narrowed his eyes studying the gait of another human heading towards the main entrance of the designated meeting point. Drumming his fingers and dismissing the human as some random tourist rather then a teammate Xan muttered under his breath. "Where are they?"

"Would you like your check now sir?" A robotic voice chimed at the end of the table.

With a shake of his head Xan replied, "Why? I'm still hungry." He slid away from the table and made a beeline for the buffet, maybe they'd have more of those ribs.

wakachukie

02-15-2015, 04:05 PM

Cramped, hot, and wet. Michael didn't mind the last two, but he was viciously reminded of the tight space every time he bashed his head through a jutting pipe and scraped a shoulder through an even tighter set of beams and girders. He needed space.

As the signal had gone off, Michael made what he supposed was a queasy face. Or at least attempted to; all the tiny facial muscles were in the wrong place so trying to imitate 'Sy the next morning' from back in the kitchen aboard the BlackStar was harder than expected. As he quickly got up from the booth, a few faces turned; but holding a hand over his mouth and pantomiming throwing up seemed to help. Most went back to their business while one server shook her head and pointed to a restroom. Michael bolted into the room and sealed it behind him.

Any surveillance in here was hopefully just audio and he needed to leave. Based on the room's dimensions and the hallways and other rooms he had seen so far, the external wall was .... to the right. Remembering all the times he had seen holes in the bathrooms before, this one was likely to be broken through. For the benefit of surveillance, he pantomimed the sounds of hurling a few times. "Blasted alien food." Ramming his fist into the wall, Michael easily pierced the first layer - and heavily dented the solid girder behind it. The bathroom must have been placed here to prevent escapes such as this, or something. It didn't matter at this point.

A microsecond later, Michael had a new plan. "Blasted food[punch], blasted girls[punch], blasted ship[punch], and my blasted Armor!"[punch] Smashing more holes into the wall, Michael made himself some footholds in the wall and using his height quickly got up to the ceiling. It was made to look strong from below, but the actual tiles were pitiful by comparison and easily pushed through. The squeeze into the rafters, however, was not so easy and Michael learned a new grimace trying to get his leg up through the cubic space.

Here it was low, and there were supporting beams and girders obstructing him, but overall it was clear. Remembering the tiles, Michael kept his feet to the stronger looking beams and quickly got to the edge of the roof. And now there was a problem. He could easily tear and bash through, but there were most likely sensors. and even once he did, he would be visible. He jealously remember his younger days in the training pits against J'dui. The solider-cast had learned to cloak early and had mercilessly used it to surprise attack Michael during training. Ack! That cloak would be so useful now to hide from the observers and satellites - if only he could consume...no. That path led to blood.

Remembering which side of the building was the rear, Michael traversed the girders back to it. Hopefully the satellites were looking elsewhere at the "fires" so he smashed his head through. Looking around, he spotted a dark alleyway. Perfect. Smashing the rest of the way through, Michael slid down the incline and dropped with a heavy thud to the ground. Dusting himself off, he calmed himself down and simply walked into the daily shoppers and people walking around. Half of stealth was not drawing attention, so Michael slowed his pace to that of the locals and stopped to look at a shop every so often. Seeing a clothes store, Michael purchased and changed into more local attire; keeping his old garments in the bag he had bought the new ones in. Following the flow of the crowd again, Michael traveled to the cargo section by the starport and locked himself inside a relatively emptied warehouse.

Sinderella

02-18-2015, 10:04 PM

Co Post with Pheasant
Sam and Syran

Part Two

The old semi rotted plank of wood gave way with a groan, as Sam wedged an old pipe behind it and pulled hard. The rusty nails resisted for a moment, but quickly lost their grip of the door frame, the ex-Confederate tossing the two by four into a nearby pile of trash before his boot met the door, snapping the lock with one hard thrust.

"Well, I suppose it's only fair we're holding ourselves up in a bar...", the man mumbled, glancing inside at the dust covered, half destroyed interior, before turning his ears upward at the distant sounds of sirens, "We'd best get inside, they're combing through the city looking for us now. I hope everyone else got out alright"

Sam pulled the door shut behind the two as they hustled inside, bracing it with the remains of a mostly destroyed table before he took a harder look.

Clearly this place had been vacant for some time, long enough that he didn't bother to check if the place still had power.

Instead, he stepped over to the small fireplace on the side, pulling a lighter out of his pocket and setting to work getting the old dry wood ablaze again. "It's not ideal...", the man mumbled, "But it's better than trying to rumble with those assholes outside again"

“You need to be careful,” Syran scolded, gaze flashing past him and into the well abandoned bar. Her lips tilted down in a frown as she made her way over to the bar top. “Ya’ think these people left somethin’?”

She lifted herself up on her tiptoes and leaned over the counter, looking at the back bar in complete concentration. “Hmm…”

Pulling back, she straightened herself and turned to Sam. “Ya think lightin’ that is a good idea, Sammie? I bet’cha that smoke’ll give off our whereabouts. Not too bright there, Soldier.” Sy’s lips tugged up in a smile before she turned back to the bar. “Le’see...”

"Smokes everywhere in a city like this", Sam murmured back, "Don't tell me you're already lookin' for a drink..."

The man stood up as the flame began to catch, tossing a few legs of busted chairs onto the hearth, pulling up one of the few that was left standing along with a poker beside the fireplace, tending to the weak flame.

"Where do you s'pose everyone else is holed up at?", he wasn't particularly worried about Bailey or the scouts, disappearing was their bread and butter, even Sam had no idea where she would be. The rest of the crew though were a different story. Some might have gotten caught, some might have gone down fighting.

“Hmph,” she countered. It hadn’t been the brightest response, but Sy didn’t care. There was booze somewhere in this joint and that was what she was focused on. “Now don’t you go judgin’ ‘ol Sysy. You know you want a drink too there, Sammie Sam.”

Syran walked around the bar, pushing past the thigh high swinging door and dove right in. She dropped to her knees, rummaging through the under table cabinet of the bar back and slowly began withdrawing bottle after bottle. Each one she pulled had been emptied, causing her to toss it over her shoulder in a rage.

“SUCH A TEASE, THIS PLACE.” She yelled and shoved her face and upper body further into the cabinet. “You’d think these asshats would have somethin’,” she mumbled to herself.

“I dunno where they’d be hidin’, Sam, but I’m positive that they’re all fine. Just you wait ‘n see. Now, get your ass over here and help me find somethin’, dammit. You may be hurt, but you’re not dead and lookin’ in a cabinet won’t – AHA!” Sy jerked up suddenly, head cracking against the wood of the top of the cabinet.

“Fuck, oww,” she whined, and adjusted herself so she could slowly scoot backwards. “Score!”

Sam sighed, admitting he could certainly use a drink after that disaster of an escape. "Alright, a couple of drinks, but that's it"

The man moved up to the bar, taking a seat.

A slightly annoyed look passed over his face as he rested his arm on the thick layer of dust that covered the bar, brushing his hand off against his pants. He tugged off his ruined suit jacket, tossing it onto the counter, "May as well get comfortable I guess...", Sam muttered, setting his gun down.

She stood and shot him an irritated look, “Now don’t you be thinkin’ you can dictate to me when and how much I can drink. You ain’t the Capt’n. I won’t tolerate it.”

Setting the bottle down, she looked it over. “Hmm.. It’ll do. Ya’ want a glass Miss Prim and Proper?” With a huff she started to twist the cap off, but it wouldn’t budge.

“You son’ov a bitch, you open for Sysy. Now.”

"Havin' a bit of trouble there darlin'?", Sam chuckled, the first time he'd laughed since the woman pulled that wooden spike out of him, "Give it ere'"

Few things could keep Sy from her booze, but one of those tended to be the cap.

Syran furrowed her brow at him, her nose crinkling up and eyes narrowing. “Don’t think for a second I won’t knock your ass down if you try ‘n keep it from me.” She threatened before sliding it over to him.

She kept her gaze on him, waiting for him to open the bottle and calculating what she’d do should he so try and keep ‘er from drinking.

"Christ Sy, have I ever deprived you of booze before?", Sam laughed as the woman stared daggers into him.

His hands twisted around the cap of the bottle and he pulled hard, giving the bottle a quizzical look after a moment, "Well shit...", he mumbled.

He let Sy soak in the disappointment for a moment, before he easily rolled the cap off, spinning it on one finger, "Just kiddin'", he slid the bottle back over to the woman, "My shoulder isn't THAT messed up, we'd be in real trouble if I couldn't pop open a cork"

“Ya’ deprive Sy a lot.” She muttered lightly, before shaking her head and grabbing up the bottle. She sighed in contentment, lifting the bottle to her mouth and throwing back a deep swig.

“Lover mine… How I missed thee.” She took a second drink and handed it back to him. “How is that shoulder doin’? I s’pose now that we got some alcohol I can sanitize it properly, or I’m sure they gotta have somethin’ around here… Like a first aid kit or somethin’.” Her brow furrowed again as she snatched the bottle back before he could take a drink and downed another herself.

“I’ma go look for one, you keep that bottle safe, Sammie.” She turned to exit out behind the back of the bar and headed towards what looked like a back office. “Hmmph, s’pose somethin’ might be back ‘ere, ya think?”

"Well it does look like a pretty ratty bar, I'd imagine they'd need a first aid kit somewhere", Sam replied, tilting the bottle back against his lips. It was a far cry from his whiskey, but it was better than nothing for pathetic situations like this one.

"Yep, when I open my place, it's not gonna look anything like is. It'll be...classy. Suits and dresses with a little stage, maybe a baby grand piano like my Ma' used to have"

The man kicked back, resting his feet on the bar, "Jazz all day, blues all night. Yeah, that sounds like a good time"

“You gonna let Sy drink all she wants?” She hollered out at him, all the while shifting through the office, hell bent on locating something to help. “Hmm…” She threw open the desk drawers and frowned briefly, before a smile broke out across her face.

“I FOUND SOME GOOD SHIT, SAMMIE!” She pulled out the bottle of amber liquid and tucked it under her arm. “Now just to find somethin’’ to use for his wound…” After a minute of searching throughout the room, she managed to locate a small tin box filled with some old time painkillers and antibiotics, bandages, gauze and a brown bottle. “Per-ox-ide… Huh.”

She walked back out to the main room, and over to where Sam was seated at the bar. “Here, Sammie,” she placed the tin box in front of him and then sat the bottle of booze down. “I guess the owner hid the good shit in that office. Stingy bastard.”

"Good girl", Sam murmured, already unbuttoning his shirt, tossing it's red stained white cloth on the bar beside his jacket.

A few needle holes were obvious on his arm, in various states of healing that Sam seemed to be unaware of as he grabbed the peroxide, bundling up his shirt and stuffing it between his teeth before he very gingerly poured it over his wound.

His cry was loud, even with the shirt muffling his voice it was obviously a painful procedure.

Sam spat out the shirt after a moment, grabbing the bundle of gauze, "Fun parts over...", he mumbled, wrapping his shoulder up tightly.

She watched him as he began to bandage up his shoulder and that’s when she saw them.

“What the fuck are those, Sam?” Syran hissed and reached out to yank his arm towards her, frowning. Brushing her fingertips along his flesh, she counted each hole. “What the hell have you done to yourself?” She demanded with wide eyes, unable to look away from the tracks.

Without giving him a chance to respond, her free hand reared back and flew forwards, connecting with the right side of his face. “What the FUCK have you done, Sam!?” She demanded again.

Sam said nothing in reply, taking hold of the bandage roll and working that over the gauze, "It's none of your business Sy", he said coldly, perhaps for the first time since the woman knew him.

He stood up from the bar, moving over to the fireplace to retake his seat there. Standing tall, the faded white scars that dotted his grossly muscular form were far more obvious, and after finishing the wrap he quickly pulled his shirt back on again.

“Fine. You want to keep quiet? Fuck you.” She spat and stood from her own stool, grabbed the unopened bottle and turned. “Have it your own shit way, asshole. Go ahead and hide behind silence, coward.”

She disappeared into the office area again, slamming the door home and dropped into the old desk chair. “Fucking asshole!” She yelled, tears stinging her eyes.

“Stupid Sammie. Stupid, stupid, stupid!” She muttered on and attempted to open the new bottle. Just as before, the cap wouldn’t budge. This time however, she shifted her weight, held the bottle in both hands and slammed the neck of it against the desk top, breaking it open.

Ignoring the edges of the broken glass, she took a long drink and spun in her chair.

MarchingThunder

02-19-2015, 08:49 PM

Knowing that discretion is most certainly the better part of valor, Bailey settled for grimacing and getting away from this incident before she could be rounded up by the authorities. Things hadn't hit the shitter completely yet, but they were close, so getting out of the area was a top priority until they could regroup and continue the mission. Letting her eyes play over the area in quick succession and take in the current status of everything around them, she made sure that everyone was on their way out before spotting that Rivet wasn't quite moving yet.

With a grimace, she moved up to grab Rivet's arm, forcing him to follow her away from the scene as she gently reminded the man, "We need to get out of her, Rivet, and lay low until we can regroup and get on with the mission. Now is not the time to be losing focus." Her voice was a low hiss at the end as she lead the way from the incident, quickly getting out of the area and into the more populated sections so they could blend in a bit and hopefully fall off the radar.

SikstaSlathalin

03-03-2015, 04:00 AM

GM MOVER
Siks and Rayfire co-op

‘Amidst the chaos of Black Star’s skeleton crew Evan’s flask sits on the Captain’s chair long forgotten in the issuing trouble. The acting Captain Evan stood hovering over Duke and Roxi as the two pounded away at their consoles trying to get eyes and ears on their expedition team. At least they still have vitals not only did they lose contact with Captain Togga they stopped getting vitals signs and all feeds from him. The small black out they caused in the planet’s camera systems near the crew caused them to get kicked out of the feeds, but between the two they were at their wits end just trying to get comms back up. They kicked the hornet’s nest and all the open holes in the security systems were being shut on their end. Everyone could feel the anger rolling off Evan in waves. Chase was a man of action used to being in the heat of things the Ex- SpecForce Officer wanted to grab a blade, blaster, and leave a trail of blood on the planet for daring to betray them. Still, ever the soldier he would not leave his post and somebody needed to be around to get stuff under control.
Finally done pacing he sat in front of a console while barking orders.“Roxi, Duke, focus on communications, I will get eyes on the team.”

“Captain, We’ve been getting pings on the comms. We got a location on them and think Shinkei is working on bypassing their jammers.” Roxi replied to Evan with a concerned look on her face. He rarely tries hacking and has a distaste for remedial work or so he put it. They all knew it was just because he’s lazy. For him to be concerned enough to directly interface with their systems proved the severity of the crews troubles. Being an old hat at this Duke was pulling out all the old tricks he could think of to get Comms back, he was cruising the back doors of weather and musical satellites when he heard a snippet of his favorite song tagged on the back of Kat’s.

The Hacker smirked and whistled for Evan.
“Yo Cap’n we got the fracture of a message from Kat coming through the white noise of weather and music satellites.” The young man turned up the volume and used the various filters on the Black Star to decode the message. He read it off to him.
"Ocean Freebird calls to the Solar flier, seeking the Shadow's guidance as heaven and earth shakes."

Evan himself was in the process of filtering through various news feeds and local businesses in an attempt to backtrack some type of glimpse on their expedition team. His left eye continually blinked through various feeds running them through his own processor that no normal human can keep up with. Matched with his own recognition software he could move with the speed of The Black Star, a superior human element, and more dedicated RAM without the need to watch the ships various functions.
Taking his eyes off the screen Evan knew exactly what he needed from Kat.
He and Togga always have a few plans to switch to incase things went bad and right now B still worked for them. “I need Kat to set up a rally point somewhere safe and hold down the Fort.

Duke nodded and backtracked Kat’s attempt and countered it sending what he could back.
“Solar Flier sings back to Freebird, shadow says dig in and call to the wild.” He also clicked on the little update list that gave them the general idea to everyone’s locations. The Whiz kid began working on getting the signal out.

Back in the Frozen Star Lounge, while his crew was scattering to the wind Captain Dar-Togga was lost in the buzzing pain of being tazed and the burning anger at falling into the trap. He should’ve listened to the others and gone in fully armed and ready for trouble. The trap would’ve fallen apart before they even landed, he’ll never hear the end of this one. He would fight that later though, right now he had to stay focused and figure a way out of this if the crew failed. As his senses returned he noticed two things right off the bat. One he was chained with heavy tank level chains to a heavy metal chair that was bolted into the floor. And he was without his bubble collar so he had around sixteen hours to live, such fun. As his eyes opened and focused he noticed he was in some stuffy flat black room with a heavy metal table, also bolted to the ground and a small unbolted chair across from him. At the moments it was empty but he had a feeling that would change soon.
The big alien was undisguised and his captors knew how to deal with his kind, his arms were tied uncomfortably behind him with the heavy gauge of chain, his legs were similarly chained to the legs of the chair, his thighs and torso were chained a few times over and directly to the chair itself, they even chained his tail and attached it to the chair. It was effective, but they had made the mistake to make the chair the only thing holding him. When the time was right he could use his entire body’s strength to give him just enough room to work free. Even with chains like this enough effort might be able to be exerted to at least break the chair off the bolts. For now though he would have to be content with being a prisoner, focusing all his wits to the front of his mind he waited for his captors to show up.

On the Black Star, Evan finally felt some slight relief. With the locations of the crew members they also had updates on their condition and only one appeared to be hurt. With the locations and some contact with Kat and Shinkei their job suddenly went from hard to manageable better yet it seemed like only Lorn is injured and Evan was fine with that, Lorn can take a hit and he rather a gunner hurt then Syn who seems to be with him.
With half of his troubles taken care of Evan redoubled his efforts in getting eyes and ears on the expedition team. Knowing where on the planet each crewmember is made it easy on Chase and allowed him to tackle the problem from another direction. Since the security systems and firewalls blocked them out of the planet he decided staying off planet and looking in would be easier. Chase begin to dig into signals surrounding the ship itself and following them back to their sources until he found what he was looking for. Various commercial satellites sat in orbit already scanning the planet for different reasons, like advertising, weather, and other vast amounts of information commercial companies found interesting and useful. Evan had to remember to buy Kat a drink for bringing that weakness to mind. With the locations and signals of the satellites he needed in hand, Evan begin to quickly work on hacking into them.

Seeing the idea Evan was going after, Duke joined in the hack.
“Ok Cap’n we know where Kat and Shinki are, if we can at least break into a TV signal we may be able to utilize subliminal messaging to get our crew back in one place. Let me find the schematics of this planet.” Sliding over to another monitor, Solar Flier began setting up proxys so he can search for them undetected. A few seconds later he cross-checked the pings with various jumbotrons and other advertising monitors around the villas. “Here we may be able to send something to each monitor, hopefully the crew will see them.” The young man began working on getting the message out.

Chase smiled slightly at Duke and his schematics, The old hat should already know Odin remembers it from his first thorough look. Chase was trained by military intelligence for missions involving espionage, sabotage, and never forgot any of the tricks he learned. Chase was fine with them trying to lock him out of their main systems. They forced him to hack into a commercial satellite, one of many ringing the Casino planet. Whoever they had on security was good and tech savvy, but when catering to tourist and advertising they created many holes and back doors for people like Odin to slip in. Breaking into the various networks and even weather satellites (a idea clearly stolen from Kat) Odin now had various eyes on the crew including thermal imagining for those that he couldn’t get direct eyes on.
While flying through various networks Odin ran straight into a series of reports going out to all news and security outlets of a team of bandits causing chaos. They were listed as extremely dangerous and with a small bounty on all their heads. The images caught his eyes because each one looked like one of their expedition crew’s disguises. Apparently now the planet was searching for them, Odin was seriously hoping everyone changed their disguise at this point like the captain told them to.

Back in the Frozen Star Lounge, Rivet was engaged in trying to get a feel for some suspicious looking goons when hell decided to break loose and the signal to scatter was given. Caught behind the slightly more panicking customers and stayed in his seat. The tide wasn’t slowing and he could tell the goons were eyeing him up.

The big Scout was about to shoulder his way out when Bailey came to his rescue and guided him out of the Lounge with her. “That’s why you’re the Head Scout Bails, we need to find the rendezvous point the Captain told us about this Yellow Brick Road bar, it is where we were told to make our way to. Whether everyone else remembered that is unknown though.”
Keeping pace with his fellow cyborg Rivet was sincerely wishing he had a different weapon than his Silver Star. It was useful, but it wasn’t meant for a primary weapon, the Captain will get so much crow over this debacle, Rivet just knew it. Shoot if it wasn’t for their contracts the Ex-Dominion soldier would expect some of them to pick up and leave once this was over. Togga’s a tough ole Sharterran though, he’d recover from all the jibs and jokes the crew could hurl at him. Moving to a map after changing his guise to that of the Human Wrecking Ball big squat man with a shaved head and looking more like a rock with legs than a Gambler. Studying the map he began looking for the Yellow Brick Road.

And unknown amount of time passed before the faint clack of heels and heavier clomp of boots began to echo down what Togga assumed to be the hallway that led to his little cell. The Shar had been gently flexing and relaxing within his binds, his body was hurting something fierce, but he felt the metal bonds reacting to them. He was sure they had cameras on him somewhere and were probably coming to knock him out again until they found another way to chain him up.
The Captain counted a minute and half between when he heard the steps and when the door to the cell swung open and Ms. Stella Silverlight entered followed by one of the big heavily armed guards from the hallway. Looks like the crew took his orders and ran instead of fought Ms. Silverlight was dressed in a new dress, this one blue sequin, the bruise Togga had given her was expertly covered with make-up and her free flowing hair.

He could see the scorn on her pretty face and even the slightest hint of fear as he gave her a toothy grin.
“Well I am bidding you hello Ms. Silverlight, it is good to be seeing you again.”

The faintest hint of annoyance burned behind her eyes before she responded.
“Indeed it is Captain Togga, enjoying your accommodations? I had them set up just for you.”

Togga chuckled keeping his businessman grin on. Ms. Stella here was trying to gauge Togga’s wit and state of mind. Too bad for her, Togga’s been doing this business longer than she’d been alive and has spent more time in the chair than she’d been on the other end.
“Da Ochenʹ horosho, it is almost like home. How is face? The make-up is looking good as long as no one is being looking at you.” He let out a deep chuckle and studied the guard. “Is he being my dinner, I am quite hungry. And you should never be letting your guest go hungry when he is in your custody.” Much to his credit the guard didn’t flinch, even when Togga snapped his jaws together a few times and made them sound like a steel bear trap slamming shut.

Stella kept her cool as well, but Togga knew he would get to her eventually. The woman cleared her throat then spoke again.
“No, he is too metaly for your tastes Togga. I am here to help you get out of this mess.” She gave a seductive smile and sat on the table staring up at Togga.

The big alien let out a deep amused chuckle staring right back at her.
“Oh really now? This I am having to hear.”

The woman crossed her legs letting her right leg hang over her left knee and swings slowly back and forth. To a human that would’ve been a very good and handy way to win him over, for a married Sharterran that would split the woman in half though, it was less than effective.
“Yes, you see the puppet master behind this whole mess doesn’t want your crew’s blood. He just wants you to stop doing business with Cold Metal and leave the planet. If you say yes, you’ll get double the promised payment and a message will go out telling your crew they are safe to regroup at the Starport and leave without further risk of harm.”

Togga gave this proposal a moment of thought. It sure was tempting, the crew was probably all wishing they were off this fucking planet by now. And double the paycheck would be a grand boost for morale because that meant bigger cuts. The problem with that was the puppet master was no doubt Moriarty and he sent the Silver Quasars to try and kill him and his crew. He could pay them the ship’s weight in credits and that would still be over their heads. It would tell every low-life crime lord they could get away with trying to kill the Black Star Privateers if they paid enough. This could not be allowed, you don’t live long in this business if you can be paid to look the other way as someone puts a bullet in your head.
Togga looked the other way keeping his smirk on.
“No I am being good, besides the crew is not here to be speaking for themselves. I am preferring them to be knowing when a plan changes.”

Stella let out a light sigh of exasperation.
“Sorry to hear that, but maybe some time will change your mind.” She got up from the table and motioned for the guard to follow, she stopped at the thermostat and smiled. “Here, you look cold. I’ll turn the heat up. 80 degrees should keep you warm and dry.” She let out an evil chuckle and walked ou as the heat kick in and Togga was flooded by the intense dry heat of his holding cell. He had to hand it to Silverlight she knew how to handle a Shar prisoner, beating them did little, threatening did even less, but drying them out like this was one way to wear them down. Togga is tough, but if the crew didn’t get to him soon or if he didn’t escape he would be in a bad way.

Evan and the skeleton crew of the Black Star were working every which way they could think of to get the crew in place. After a solid ten minutes they came up with the way to go, the rendezvous point was the Yellow Brick Road restaurant. So taking a quip from the ancient movie the restaurant was inspired by, Evan and Duke locked into the local tv satellites. Using some old school tricks they slipped in quick flashes of the Black Star’s Symbol and partial quips of the song’s first appearance in the Munckin village. It wouldn’t last long before the security locked down, but the crew set the thing to loop every five seconds then backed out of the system and erased all their tracks. This was all they could do for the crew, but Duke sent one last message to Kat and Shinki.
“Just keep swimming, the hooks are coming from the YBR. SF Out” He knew the clever Engineer would know that meant to stay where she is and the crew will come to them after they meet at the rendezvous point.

OK THIS IS THE MOVER, EVERYONE SHOULD BE SEEING OR HEARING THE MESSAGES AND EVERYONE BUT KAT AND SHINKI WILL MOVE TO THE YELLOW BRICK ROAD RENDEZVOUS POST. IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE IN THE IMMEDIATE POSTS BUT EVERYONE WILL GET THERE SOON.

KAT AND SHINKI WILL STAY PUT AND TRY TO GET A BEAD ON EVERYONE ELSE.

Arthera

03-19-2015, 12:45 AM

The work payed off, and Kat managed to get something to and back from the Black Star. That, at least, indicated that non-standard communication methods were decidedly not checked at all. A serious oversight for a planetary defense really, but Kat wasn't complaining right now for the hole in the virtual defenses. As long as they didn't abuse the method, it wouldn't be picked up by any desk clerk just casually making sure everything went smoothly.

"Got word back from the ship. Wants us to stay put and keep a bead on everyone, rendezvous was placed to Yellow Brick Road dinner, restaurant or something." Kat felt a twinge of jealousy deep inside when she said that. "Then they circle back and come pick us up."

Now that the hard work was done, Kat reset her hands and eyes to a visually normal setting, giving her hands a quick checkup to make sure everything still worked properly. Now would be an awful time to have a malfunction. With nothing showing up as problematic, Kat settled back into the chair and lifted her bare feet onto the desk, enjoying a little moment of triumph by munching some form of salted crisps.

"How's your side doing? Managed to get something through?"

"Very little, which is ticking me off. The info from SF was helpful, but I still can't get through the lines. I've been able to pick up background noise, but so far that has been it." Shinkei spoke, rubbing her temple. She hadn't paid much attention to the news of staying put, as she had a bunch of other things on her mind. With a bite of the crunchy bar, she glared at the screen.

"So far this is the best link I got, cause this stupid jammer is causing me a headache, and I know when I get Togga's earpiece back it's gonna be one massive headache to reset without just making an entire new piece." Shinkei grumbled loudly, still typing away at the computer to try and find a roundabout way through the system.

"I've tried jamming it into a loop, but it's still blocking the comm link. They couldn't send messages to each other if they tried." She grumbled before pushing herself away, standing and stretching her legs slowly.

"You could try randomizing your update order, sequential changes don't change much in the way of performance from one to the next... although the usable time frame is too little for anything really good to pass over." she briefly paused to munch her remaining crisps. "Maybe broaden your frequency a bit to catch commercial waves? Or just go old-school and do the clicking communication thing, Terran morse code style. Although I'm not sure everyone knows how that works, at least bursts of white noise would be understood by the scouts and a few others out there."

As she was turning back to face her screens and resume her end of things, another idea struck her. "Oh, try to remote turn it on and off, if they only hear white noise anyway, that would be another way to sequence a message instead of bursts from your end."

Kat was going to leave Shinkei work on that, she had to find this restaurant and try to scout it out with traffic cams, security cameras and whatever she could latch onto and get something ready for when Shinkei made coms somewhat usable. The rig was alright, but wasn't exactly equipped to tap into what she usually did, and the head engineer was updating, downloading and patching way more programs than was likely supported, or legal.

Shinkei tapped her forehead as she took into account from what Kat had explained to her, giving her a larger headache before standing up from her seat with an idea.

"They want to jam us, we can jam them." Shinkei said happily, taking the moment to motion Kat to remain herw, heading outside the room and up to the sales floor. Walking around quickly, she picked up a few things: a cell phone, a radio, and a self repair kit for towers. With a nod to the store keep, she headed back down and closed the door, dumping them and flipping through the settings on her arms.

"Commercial might not be wide enough, but I do know a system that'll respond fast when jammed." Shinkei spoke, quickly dismantling the radio other than the antenna and speakers. Opening the back of the phone, she began to attach and redirect wires from the phone, to her earpiece, and to the radio. Flicking through, she turned it on, listening for a few brief seconds the sound of police conversations before static.

"If I can't dump the program into one ear piece, then I'll just add more signals, and ones with much better defense than ours." She said, adjusting the frequencies so that they didn't cross as the police conversations eventually resumed, along with their connections.

"And we are live!" Shinkei said cheerfully, looking to the multitude of flashing lights on her screen now.

Things seemed to be going rather well for the tech duo. Contact had been established with the Black Star and Kat had gotten word back. Shinkei managed to get a bead on the other team members scattered in the city. For a rushed job, it had taken less than a day to bypass the issues plaguing them and manage to put things back in somewhat working order.

"Oh, hey, Shinkei, I found the restaurant's coordinates, if you could send these to those you manag-" Kat stopped her line mid sentence and listened to the police chatter.

She was certain she heard something mentioned about a shop. The odds were low it was their shop being spoken about, but Kat hadn't survived this long without a healthy paranoia streak. She held a finger up to forestall Shinkei, still intent on the police frequency still tuned in. It took a few minutes before Kat's suspicions were founded. Police chatter, detailing a computer parts shop, with the proper name, street and description as the one they were in.

"Change of plans! Turn those off, shut off the programs. Disguise! Scrap it!" Ekaterina was deftly clicking away, hiding, closing or otherwise erasing visual traces of any of the dozen or so illegal and law-bending programs she was using to contact the Black Star.

A quick tap on the holo-projector on her wrist disengaged the disguise she had on. Her hair returning to her natural auburn color, eyes and facial features dispelled to reveal the reality underneath. She was still dressed to fit into a fancy setting, a direct opposite of the computer store's basement decoration, but any trace of the face that might have been traced entering the shop was gone. Which, of course, didn't help the fact they had no back door to exit from, severely limiting their choices.

"Alright, unless you want to get more attention, choices are talking our way outside or..." Kat had an idea and smirked. "We blend in. How's your gaming?"

"Well, rather good at gaming, but how the hell are we gonna pass as gamers in these dresses." Shin asked as she headed over to the radio station, quickly fiddling with the dials. With how much effort she just went through to get the thing to work, she didn't want to just straight up scrap it. Taking a few pliers, she made a few cuts and rewiring so that their convo would be sent out to the team, but they wouldn't be able to say anything back to them, while also leaving the others the room to talk.

With a quick flick of her wrist, she took off her watch and headed back to her computer, shutting down and unplugging all of her flash drives before storing them away and turning back to Kat.

"So, I know we'll need some tech from upstairs for gaming, but what else will we need if I head up?" She asked, already studying the watch to find any way to enhance the hologuises.

"You're over-thinking things." Kat said, offhandedly as she got up.

They were in the basement of the store, and there was a veritable pile of unused products simply lying around. And, as every computer hardware store she had ever crossed did, they also contained some merchandise for popular local products in small quantities, mostly to shore up sales and draw in more customers. Despite being a very fancy gambling planet, not everyone is a gambler, there are wives, children, attendants, etc that come along for the ride. That meant they catered to all ages, and that means games and game-related stuff.

Like clothing articles, which Kat had spotted as they had entered the room earlier.

A box of male shirts, gaudily branded with the logo of 'Star-Ruler: Planet Empire". A quick search yielded two different colored t-shirts, with different patterns of the same game depiction, of various sizes.

Wasting no time, and deciding that showing was better than explaining, Kat turned her back to Shinkei and undid her dress, peeling off the tight fabric from her waist up with a delighted sigh of relief. Ekaterina stretched briefly before wrapping the dangling sleeves around her waist, hiking up her expensive dress skirt to mid-thigh to make for a much less formal attire skirt and picking up one of the larger black shirts and slipping it on. If not altogether perfect, it made for a rather low-end look.

Turning back towards the head mechanic, Kat gave her a short smile before looking herself over, the shirt neck opening slipping over her bare left shoulder as she moved to wrap a short adapter cord in her long auburn hair to set it up in a ponytail. "It'll do. As for requirements, there's a box of games behind you in the other corner, just pick two and start installing. Maybe two headsets, and more snacks..." Kat gave a short frown at the pile of empty snack wrappings on the desk she had been using.

Shin nodded in comprehension, grabbing the second shirt and following suit, feeling rather strange that she was wearing a dress as a skirt, and now wearing a large shirt over it. Heading over to the box as she mussed up her hair, she began digging through the pile of games, looking for anything relevant in this day in age. Pulling out two copies of the latest GTA, she tossed one over to Kat, heading to grab some headsets as well for them.

Once set up and the game downloaded, her screen blinked twice, sending her a message from the store owner that the cops were here. One short reply later that she was set, she started up the game, moving through the intro.

"Well, looks like it's show time." Shin spoke to Kat, feeling a bit of nervousness flutter in her stomach.

SikstaSlathalin

03-26-2015, 05:35 PM

*Killbot*

Killbot was glad he didn't have a sense of smell because the massive amount of things Squishes would describe as dirty and smelly were all around the two bots. Luckily a suggestion from Aidebot kept the big killing machine from actually stomping through the Squishy muck and waste. Stepping as gingerly as he could Killbot used some files he downloaded about the planet's inner-workings to guide them back to the surface. And either by some luck or the grace Robot Gods of the universe Killbot guided the pair of wayward androids to the security bot depot near the Yellow Brick Road restaurant.
They were in a more deserted section of the depot, apparently the crew didn't warrant a full mobilization of the Security Bots. This was good news, for K-bot and A-bot at least.
"Look here, my little robotic breathern OHH YEAAAHHH! We can disguises ourselves as Security Droids!" Placing the little bot down on the floor K-bot went up to one of the consoles and stared at it unsure how to start.
"A-Bot, you know how to get this working?"

*Rivet*

The Scout had found the location of the rendezvous point just as the subliminal message came through the crackling static of a nearby monitor. He smiled taking Bailey's hand.
"Looks like we haven't been forgotten, come on it's not to far away."

Dr. Insano

04-03-2015, 01:51 AM

With a sigh the face of Ash once again appeared on the screen. The quality was much better than two years ago and he looked much older, like he had actually fought instead of staying inside playing with his toys. His white shirt was replaced with armor and a robot dog was sitting in his lap. His smile was still the same, though a bottle of beer was now in his right hand. Taking a sip he laughed a little to himself and started speaking.

"So, my marvelous audience of the future, I bet you've been wondering where the hell I've been. Welp, it's been a bumpy couple of years, not that you could tell with me still look marvelously handsome!" Taking another swig he looked off screen. A voice was yelling at him in another language.
"Please, English?"

"I said, what the hell are you doing?"

"Um, recording my history for when I'm famous, duh. You know, you should be honored witnessing such a grande moment before you eyes!"

"Ash, you're drunk...I like you but if you keep drinking the Casino's stock..." The man off screen was cut off by Ash.

"I know, Ms. Silvertits will have my head. I'll be done it a few."

Sighing, the man's face came up on screen and patted Ash on the shoulder. "I can cover for you for 15 minutes."

Raising his drink up the blonde-haired man gave his thanks. "You're a real pal, Rex." After the noise of a door opening and closing he looked back at the camera. "I would tell you who that guy was, but I only have 15 minutes apparently. Anyways, you may remember us leaving off with me telling you my plan to escape to join the Black Star Privateers. I followed the map that the PDA provided and boom! Low and behold there was the warehouse with a teleportation pad in it. The problem was that the bloody thing was broken!"

Drinking the bottle dry his robotic companion came up to him with an already opened beverage. Taking a small sip he continued. "Now, because of my good nature I fixed the piece of junk. I wasn't about to step on it though as I wasn't sure if the coordinates reset. And so my life as a fugitive began, running from the Dysin Corporation. Knowing I had to get the hell out of Atlanta I took my stuff and hot the hell out of Dodge."

"Let's see, I believe my first year after that was spent on a passenger ship called the "Salty Dragon" as a mechanic. A pleasure cruise across the stars, it was the first fun time I had in a while. Actually found a girlfriend, believe it or not. If only I could remember her name..." Ash looked off into the distance as he thought and after a few seconds snapped back into reality. "Oh well, the bitch cheated on me anyways. Must be some repressed memory drek." Holding up a finger to the camera he tilted his head to the side in order to let out a burp.

"Anyways, good things must come to an end. I got into some trouble with intergalactic slave traders. They threatened the captain of the ship that because of me they would be destroying the ship. The bastard said that instead of that they could take me as property. I can't get too mad at the guy though, the slavers blew it up anyhow so he got what he deserved."

"Now this is where things got a little weird, even for me. Not only were the slave traders kind've kind to me, they were also dealers in sex slaves, male sex slaves. Exclusively. Oddly one of the finer points in my life...." Ash quickly raised a hand up to the camera and talked to an entity away from it. "CamBot, erase that from the footage!" Clearing his throat he moved his hand and continued. "Anyways, turns out Mizz Stella Silverlight, the proprietor of this fine establishment, took some kind of interest in me. Said that I had a spark in my eye that she liked. And so she bought me, had fun with me, and now I'm here, working as her "Mechanic Specialist in Weaponry." In other words I make guns, big ones. So, that's my sorry story. Now if you'll excuse me I have 30 seconds before I get the shit kicked out of me."

The screen faded to black as Ash pocketed the small robot that was recording him. Proud of his work he finished his drink and started towards the door with his robotic canine companion at his heels. He wasn't sure what tipped him off something was wrong first. Perhaps it was the fire sprinklers going, or perhaps it was an uncounciouss Rex at the door of Stella's back room. Oh no, it was definitely the bullet holes that he saw smoldering in the room.

"Awe, shit..." Putting on his helmet and raising his rifle he made his way out into the dressing room where he spotted a shark man being dragged away. He want sure but he could've swore it was...no, it couldn't be, could it? Shaking the thoughts away he put his mind on much more pressing matters like making sure his babies were ok.
"I want one easy day, is that too much to ask?" Making his weapon back into a compact cube he stripped off his armor and began work on reloading the turrets. It would only take a few minutes to do so and then he'd find out what was going on.

Queen

04-03-2015, 02:47 AM

Hikaru sits in the lobby of the grand casino, drinking a martini, shaken not stirred, whilst watching all the commotion going on outside from the tablet he was holding.

He was wearing a black tuxedo. Very formal clothing and he had his long hair let down rather than tied up into a bun and while he did not have his sword, he had his pistol hidden inside his tux, loaded along with a few additional clip's to get him out of a tight situation.

He takes a simple drink from his martini glass then after setting it down, touched the screen with his finger and scrolled over to what seemed to be a chart of outgoing and incoming transmission's in the casino's central network. He had bugged the system earlier with a highly illegal recording software that recorded the interaction between IP addresses with the machine that was bugged.

He had arrived just today but out of caution and practice, made a an effort to bug the network directly from the central terminal and he did manage to succeed.

He took another sip out of his martini glass and checked on the status of the bug. Anti-virus had not caught it and probably would not for a few more day's. He custom wrote the bug himself, so the coding does not register with the firewall's or antivirus as hostile or malicious and assumes it is just a regular program.

Hikaru was interested in seeing what all the wanted criminal's appearing on the monitor will do.

Hikaru was on the Casino planet for a short vacation and to observe the casino's for the possibility for future heist's. Scoping out which target's would be easy to hit and which one's would require effort. Hikaru bugging their system was just in case he himself needed to make a run for it in which case the bug would serve as a diversion to try and throw the guard's and security personal off his trail.

Soulio

04-03-2015, 06:55 AM

Sam had blended into the crowd effortlessly. Even with his bright and tight as hell suit, he was able to look like he belonged. Hell, there were hundreds of other males 20 times more bright and flamboyant as he was dressed.

He figured that he'd have to find a way to continue on with the plan, assuming that Togga would probably have some sort of backup plan in the even he himself was captured. It became quite clear to Sam, however, that that was not the case by any means. While walking, he had looked up just in time to see the flicker of the Black Star logo on one of the screens, accompanied by the god awful song from "Wizard of Oz" from the little children-men. He kept walking, looking up at the screens again and again, recognizing a pattern. Every shot was the same, and even the song was the same. It was showcasing a Yellow-Brick road, and it was then that Sam realized what he was supposed to do.

He had walked past the Yellow Brick Road restaurant while trying to move into the middle of the huge crowd, and paid no attention to it. Now, he was fighting against the current of rich fucks with strange hair and facial features, weaving in and out of the crowd looking like a drunk asshole until he finally made it to the restaurant.

He walked inside, pleased that it was only partially filled and relatively quiet compared to outside. He ordered a glass of water, and took a seat at one of the single tables, staring at the door waiting for the others to arrive.

wakachukie

04-05-2015, 11:06 PM

Michael grabbed the heavy, armored crate and heaved it up on his shoulder. Thumping across the yard, he threw the crate onto its assigned hoverpad, and then walked back to the line to grab another. This was Not how it was supposed to be.

Michael had purposefully headed to the Spaceport after the ruckus so he could hop a ride back to the ship, or wherever he needed to be. Plus with all these goodies, there had to be something of use. And getting into the loading dock had been as simple as calling himself a 'New Hire for Shipping Dept.' and following instructions. Unfortunatly, he didn't quite fit into their standard human-sized power loaders. feh, pathetic metal skeletons that tried to mimic his strength. A couple of managers where giving him ominous looks, so Michael walked over to the line and picked up a whole crate barehanded. Their flabbergasted expressions of pure shock were quite amusing, and he was on the line after a short orientation. Not that he cared, as he was about to leave as soon as he got a destination.

Zev, Michael's partner on the line, had the task of properly arranging in the transport's cargo hold what Michael moved from the line. Usually this task was split, but the slow-moving power loaders couldn't keep up with Michael's normal pace, so out of convenience they arrived at this arrangement. As the Hynerian left with a full load of Qualta blades and Nightlock wine, a bright orange Carnival orbital hauler pulled in for a shipment of mining explosives and fresh corn cobs; its colorful advertisement strobes giving life-breathing newness to the steady routine of the optimized factory flow.

Michael glanced at the pulsating eyesore and involuntarily jolted with the classic double-take. The Black Star Pirate logo. Signalling to Zev that he was hitting the restrooms (as if he would ever!), Michael slipped out the driver access ramp and watched the ad sequence. Not a particular fan of human media, it took several repetitions before he caught the reference. The Yellow Brick Road.... now where was this?

"There you are." Zev stuch his head out the door. "Your welcome. We finished loading without you. Boss is probably going to call you up next shift."

"Sorry. I'm on my way. What happened to the driver?"

"In the toilet pukin his supper out. Blasted cheapskate. Anyways, hurry up. The next transport will get here soon."

Michael nodded and started for the ramp long enough for Zev to get back inside, then snap spun on his heel. Grabbing the checklist, and a toolbox from the supply bin on the side, he walked right into the cockpit. It was designed to be piloted by routine drivers who just made sure the autopilot didn't make any dumb errors and be liable for any accidents. Pressing the large central button brought up a menu screen. Tapping the route icon, Michael set a new destination: the pickup/drop-off point for the Yellow Brick Road bar while simultaneously watching its route to get there and memorizing the coordinates.

The Carnival was finished twenty minutes later, giving Michael plenty of chances to swap out papers on crates and load the hold with more useful items to be automatically dropped off at the bar. As the ship cleared security and sped up to the launch point, Michael headed back to the other loading bay. This was a cargo transporter, with near-planetary range. While it was faster and more accurate than transports, it was hampered by all the high-tech jamming at certain locations and rare weather phenomena were known to have certain side-effects such as duplication.

Slipping between two stacks of crates, Michael watch the single technician operate the controls until he understood them enough. Tiptoeing with held breath while wary of the camera's view, Michael slammed a heavy fist into the tech's temple, and caught him as he slumped. Testing the transporter, Michael beamed the tech into an empty animal containment unit. Success. Resetting it, Michael changed into more suitable attire and beamed himself right into the doorway of the bar.

Seeing more than a few members of the crew already there, Michael first headed out back to await his shipment before rejoining his crew at the tables.

Queen

04-07-2015, 10:11 PM

Several hours had passed since the fighting died down and the criminal’s disappeared from the eye’s of the media. Hikaru had spent the past few hour’s observing social media with the occasional martini every now and then. He didnt want to go too overboard on the drinking however since he had to do some field work soon.

Hikaru decided to check out the social media outlets again to see what else was going on around the city on his tablet. Double clicking the home icon on the tablet brought up a UI showing multiple panel’s. Hikaru clicked on the panel which had a feed of the local news station, which was streaming live.

They had nothing really new to talk about, other than that authorities were actively seeking the criminals out.

Sitting around in a Casino all day was boring for Hikaru. He thought he would just examine the daily routines of the workers and patrons as they came and went from the facility, slowly gather intelligence on the Casino and when the opportunity presented itself and a plan was in place, rob the casino blind. Those plans were foiled however as the security was heightened due to the arrival of the new criminals who had caused all the commotion out there.

Getting up from the stool at the bar table with his tablet in hand, he moved across the casino floor to the nearest elevator. Clicking the up arrow, he waited for about half a minute before the elevator arrived and the door’s opened, a few people exiting the elevator. He entered the elevator and facing it’s control panel, he clicked the button marked as 5. The elevator doors slid closed and the elevator began to move upward, into the visitor suites.

Hikaru had decided he was not going to sit around any longer. He needed answers. Answers that would tell them who these people are. Not to get revenge on them. Hikaru was more curious rather than wanting to see blood for what happened.

The elevator doors slid open and he proceeded to his suite, which was at the end of the hallway. He pulled out a small key card and moved it over the electronic panel on the wall. The light on the panel turned from red to green and the door unlocked. Hikaru opened the door and proceeded into the room, shutting the door closed behind him and moving over to a casino provided terminal on a table next to a large flat screen TV that was hanging on the wall. Hikaru pulled out the chair next to the table and sat down behind the terminal. Pressing the power button on the tower machine that was under the desk, the monitor in front of him turned on after a few moment’s, showing a window’s 67 logo. After a minute or two, the system booted into it’s main interface.

Hikaru then moved his mouse over the web browser and clicked on it. Opening it, he started to press a series of keys and with the hit of enter, connected him to an IM site. He log's into his account and connects to one of his associates.

DeltaOmega7690: Hey, I need your help with something.

Hikaru sat at his machine for twenty minutes, waiting for a response.

SpecterElite19: What do you need?
DeltaOmega7690: You have been watching the news right? You know anything about those people?
SpecterElite19: Not really.
SpecterElite19: Media is being really vague and ambiguous about them. Other than they are wanted for some crime or another, there is nothing much.
SpecterElite19: I tried to get a look at the scene of the crime. But there were private security all over the damn port. Place is locked up tighter than a virgin in the Sierra Madre.
DeltaOmega7690: Thats a lovely way to put it.
SpecterElite19: Thank you for the compliment.
DeltaOmega7690: I was being sarcastic dumbass.
SpecterElite19: I know.
SpecterElite19: Regardless, they are not letting anyone in and they are doing background check's on people who are supposed to be allowed entry. I am sure they are trying to control traffic coming to and from the planet because of those guys.
SpecterElite19: Thats all a theory however.
SpecterElite19: Anyways, what do you need?
DeltaOmega7690: Ive been trying to get more info on the company so that way we know where were going and what were doing when we go on a tour, but the recent event's have seen an increase in tourist activity. Can you help me out?
SpecterElite19: I though you were supposed to lay the groundwork for the tour.
DeltaOmega7690: I tried. I managed to fill out and plant a survey, but all we have gotten from it is addressing information coming to and from then place.
DeltaOmega7690: Trying to do anything else on the premises is too difficult and risky. I was nearly caught last time. Hence why im talking to you. We need an alternative cause the usual approach to our tours is not working.
DeltaOmega7690: I was thinking maybe we could try to find an alternative to breaching the vault, like infiltrating from the sewers or maybe finding out where I can get mapping data for the layout of the place.
DeltaOmega7690: If I do either however, it means abandoning my post and I still need to watch the situation from my position. Hence why I am asking you. You and the others have spare or idle hands. Use them.
SpecterElite19: Let me talk to the guys about it. Moving from our places either could arouse suspicion.
DeltaOmega7690:I understand, consult the teasgfoifghipfahehaieofhioaw

Hikaru could feel a sharp pain in his eye where his patch was. He moved his hand across the keyboard recklessly and covered his patch. "Shit. . ."

SpecterElite19: ??? Omega bro. You alright?
DeltaOmega7690: Yeah, im fine. My patch was hurting bad for a second.
SpecterElite19: Shit. Cell degradation?
DeltaOmega7690: I dont think so. I had my last cybernetics checkup a few months ago. The doctor said the patch had fused and melded properly with the tissue.
SpecterElite19: You should go see a doctor then. Me and the boy's will think of something to do if we can. We cant have you out of the fight though. You need to lay the groundwork still. Remember?
DeltaOmega7690: Yeah yeah. I got it. Although this is all I can do. I would need a huge distraction for the tourists to be pulled away for me to do anything. If you provide the distraction, ill make my way back to the central plaza and see if I can acquire map's of the tour layout.
DeltaOmega7690: Otherwise, I cant do anything. Would be asking for trouble if I suited up and tried to move past so many tourists.
SpecterElite19: We can talk about this later. For now, go see a doctor. Im logging out for now. Ill IM you when we come to a decision.

SPECTERELITE19 HAS LEFT THE CHAT.

DeltaOmega7690: Fucking shit. Some days. . .

DELTAOMEGA7690 HAS LEFT THE CHAT.

Dr. Insano

04-07-2015, 10:26 PM

"Wrench." K9 deposited a large wrench into Ash's and as he went to work on the last of the turrets. The top part of his armor was gone revealing a white wife beater. The legs of the suit were still on making them look far more bulkier then they really were. As much as he loved the design of the turrets he made for Stella's room they were a pain to reload. The compartment where the ammo was located was bulky and built like a bank safe. It had to be since the bullets were extremely large and the recoil from the shots would make the box simply fall off if it wasn't secured tightly. As a result it took about two minutes just to get inside the damn thing and another three to reload and secure the box again. With six turrets, it was an obvious pain to complete the job. Anyone could do it, of course, but he wouldn't let anyone near his babies.

"You know, I told her that if shit went down to just use her bodyguards. But no, apparently a single sharterran was too much for the mighty Stella Silverlight!" Continuing his grumbling until his mind wandered to the man that they had apprehended. He was definitely sharterran, though he didn't get a glimpse of his face. Unless he was under disguise there would only be one with the balls enough to try and take her on. If it's who I think it is, I feel sorry for her. I give her until tomorrow to live. Popping a cigarette that looked hand rolled into his mouth he lit it and gave a deep sigh. "You know what, K9? I think things are about to get interesting again. Hasn't even been a year yet, has it?" The mechanical dog barked in response. Ash didn't know if it registered his speech or not, but it was nice to have someone to talk to.

Walking out of the room he saw that there were still a few guys on the ground unconscious. "I think I'm going to take my break now." He spoke to no one in particular as he made his way to the bar. The bar tender had sprinted out of the building so he helped himself to the top shelf. A certain Marlik Golden Rum caught his eye as he snatched it away, not bothering to grab a glass. As he was about to take a sip he saw a figure coming out from the room. Raising up his glass Ash smiled. "And a toast, to Ms. Silverlight. May she....something something something." He took a quick swig and a drag from his cigarette.

Stella chuckled and gave a sly smile. "You're an alcoholic."

"And a substance abuser." Raising his smoke and took another drag and another drink. "But it just makes me that much more fun to have around." Putting his feet up he continued. "So, who was the asshole who you decided to use my babies on?"

The smile disappeared and was replaced by a stern look. "That's need to know, and you're not need to know."

Laughing to himself Ash continued to smile. "You wound me, after all of the fun times we've had together." He gave a wink as a little smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. Almost as soon as it came it disappeared.

"I need you to guard the entrance into the basement. Think you can handle that without screwing up?"

"You got it. I shall be awaiting your return." Getting up he left the bottle and snuffed out the cigarette. He was relaxed now, though he wasn't sure how long that would last. Walking past Stella he could tell that more than a business deal gone wrong happened. Shrugging it off he went back into the room where the top half of his armor was waiting. Strapping it on and replacing his helmet he had his cube turn into the rifle form. "Alright, guess I'm on guard duty..." Standing next to the door that led to the basement Ash began playing with K9. This was going to be a long post.

Pheasant

04-07-2015, 10:27 PM

The fire in the wreck of a little bar continued to crackle as Sam stoked it, occasionally throwing in a piece of rotting wood on the hearth as he twisted it around idly with a rusty poker.

“What does she know…”, the man muttered under his breath as sparks leapt from the flame, “That on a ship full of pirates and deserters we’re all fucking chaste and pure?”, he lenaed back in his seat, and let out a hiss as pain shot through his shoulder.

He was coming down, and although the residual effects of the drug had gotten him this far, it was getting harder to ignore the hole in his shoulder. Sam needed a real doctor, not just some field dressings.

Of course, leaving Syran while he prowled the streets for an underground doctor wouldn’t exactly be...favorable.

He stood up from his seat, moving over to the door with a hard knock, “Syran?”

Syran was nearly finished with her broken bottle of booze. She sat seated at the worn down desk in seclusion, and glowered.

"Asshole..." she muttered again for the umpteenth time.

When the sound of a knock and her name ripped through the silence of the room, she jumped.

"Fuck off, Sam." She demanded, and then took another swig. "Actually, ya' know what..." Without finishing her sentence, she stood and fumbled towards the door.

Throwing it open, she fixed her glare at him and leaned forward. Her free hand reached up, pinched his ear tight, and pulled his face closer to hers.

"Fuck. You." She clipped in a hush tone, before releasing her hold and rearing back in preparation to throw a punch. At least, that had been the plan, until the booze flared up in her system and she lost her balance.

With a yelp of alarm, Sy tumbled backwards and onto her ass. "Ow..." She whined and her gaze shot to Sam suddenly, eyes narrowing in warning.

"Don't ya' dare think 'bout laughin', this is all YOUR fault, Sam."

“Wouldn’t dream of it darlin’”, Sam mumbled as he bit back a laugh, offering his hand to the woman, “Any other jives or insults, wanna smack me with there that bottle? Or can we get back to talkin’ like civilized folk”

Syran narrowed her eyes at him and then at his extended hand, before she took it. Her hand slid into his gently, wrapping her fingers around his in a tight hold. She threw all of her force into the grip and yanked him down with her.

"Tell me what the hell you've done to yourself, dammit.'

The ex-Confederate let out a long sigh, making himself comfortable on the dirty floor where he lay, an apt metaphor for the situation he now found himself in.

“Alright Sysy, I’ll tell ya’...”, Sam said quietly, before a hand quickly snatched the now almost empty bottle out of Syran’s hands, pouring its stinging liquid down his throat with an audible gulp, “This ain’t a story I can recant sober”, he mumbled.

“When I was a boy, bout’ seventeen or so, me an’ my Father got into a fight. He wanted me to stay an’ work on the family farm on Mizar, one of the breadbasket worlds of the Confederacy, and I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life shucking corn and raisin’ pigs.”

Sam was quiet for a moment, before he sat up and passed the bottle back to Sy. “So, I did what any young buck mighta’ done, an’ saddled up with the Confederate Military. The worst part was, I was too damn good at it.
I could do twice the work of any of them city folk, an I could bullseye a quarter with a rifle at a hundred meters”

He pointed his fingers at Sy like a gun, “Pow! Needless to say, quarters are a lot harder to hit than pop up targets. I was the perfect soldier, did the work an’ didn’t ask any questions”

He got a bit quieter, losing his playful tone, “I got in deep Sy, real deep. After my first tour on a backwater lil’ asshole of a planet called Hakuna, I was selected for Confederate Ranger training. The greatest warriors in the whole damn armada. It was the proudest day of my life when I passed Ranger Selection”, Sam said softly, “The day after was one of the worst”

“You see Sy, the Power Armor that Rangers use is heavy, too damn heavy to use without years of highly intense physical training. In order to...expedite the process, the Confederacy developed a special drug called X-17. I’ve seen it turn lil’ guys into muscle machines with three times the strength and endurance of any normal man. The Confederacy needed it, there was no other way to contest the freakish strength of some of the monsters we’ve had to fight.
But, X-17 as you can imagine comes with some bad side effects. Addiction, sterilization, cancerous growths...But the real problems come up when a Ranger stops taking it. Decorated Rangers going on killing sprees because of hallucinations...So, a few Ex-Rangers like myself decided that we needed a way to sate our addiction with reduced side effects, and X-18 was synthesized.”

He bared his hole ridden arm, “I take it once a month. Its not cheap, and it's certainly not legal but it keeps all the marbles in my head”

"I don't like it," she growled, "It doesn't seem healthy. You need to take better care of yourself, Sammie."

She sighed then, before fumbling over herself to stand. Leaning against the wall opposite the door, she shook her head and stared at him. "How's that shoulder?"

“I’ll let you know when the alcohol kicks in”, Sam grunted, followed by a sharp crackle of static on his hip.

“Well its about damn time…”, the man muttered, pulling a small handheld radio off of a clip on his belt, adjusting the frequency, “Looks like everyone else is hunkering down in another bar not too far from here”

"S'long as SySy gets more booze, let's go. Best be careful with that shoulder though."

Sam quickly threw his jacket back on, checking his holster, “Alright, lets get going”, the man murmured, quickly stomping out the flame in the fireplace with his heavy boots, “You better enjoy what's left of that bottle, I doubt the Cap’n is gonna let us dip into any alcohol while we’re still planetside”

Frowning, Syran looked from the bottle, to Sam, and back again. "Uhm...I, uh... Here!" She extended her hand with the bottle in offering. "You, uh, drink it."

Sam shook his head at the offer, “I’m gonna need a clear head if we run into any more trouble on the way

Syran's features fell suddenly, eyes darting away from Sam's direction. "Oh. Well. Fine." She clipped, turning on her heel and dropping the bottle on the ground. Twisting back around, she brushed past him and towards the entrance of the bar.

"Stupid Sammie," She muttered in a huff. "Are you coming?"

“Right behind you Syran”, Sam replied cooly, “Its just down this alley…”

"Fine." She shoved past the door and didn't even bother to check for danger. She walked past the building, down the alley and grumbled to herself.

"Capt'n better not withhold booze from Sy right now. Dun gone and fucked up is what Sammie did. Yup." She huffed and stomped down the alleyway, not waiting for Sam.

“H-hang on! Shit…”, Sam muttered under his breath, awkwardly trying to catch up without moving his shoulder too much.

The Yellow Brick Road was not particularly difficult to find, and upon the two entering Sam took a quick glance around. Familiar faces for sure, but not the one he was looking for. Sam looked like a train wreck, but even he seemed more worried about someone else as he took a seat near the door. “Damnit girl…”, Sam mumbled, “Where are you…?”

Juicesir

04-09-2015, 09:09 PM

If there had been knuckles to crack, Aidebot would have cracked them. "That I do." Slowly, Aidebot approached the console of its own accord, jacking in with a support node and beginning sequencing.

Aidebot was somewhat surprised by how sophisticated the system was. Well, perhaps "sophisticated" was the wrong word. It worked, and despite it's old operating system, it seemed very clean, very streamlined. There were not a lot of bells and whistles to it, and it seemed that the programming was quite simple and straightforward.

This is how Aidebot discovered that it could control the entire team of security bots.

"Oh, hey!" it chirped at Kill. "I do believe that if I enter myself in as passive administrator, it will allow us override control on systems security!" Aidebot didn't expect Killbot to understand any of that, but it felt good saying it nevertheless. With a quick fix to Aidebot's user parameters, it registered itself as a systems admin; not over the programmer, per say, but rather the system would now recognize Aidebot's inputs as the systems analysis itself.

So, effectively rendering Aidebot over the programmer. But Aidebot didn't like to think of it that way. Even though it did.

Next was the peer-to-peer short range control. Each of the security droids operated on a checkpoint system; if at any time the Yellow Brick's checkpoints detected unauthorized bot entry, it would ionize the droid and wait for a detail to pick it up and dispose of it. This was bad news for Killbot and Aidebot... so it programmed in both of them as heads of security!

All access passes with override on the security. Things were looking good. Now all they needed was one last touch.

"Oh Killbot: how would you like to have... an army?"

SikstaSlathalin

04-10-2015, 03:57 AM

*GM Mover*

*At the Yellow Brick Road*

While Xantos, Micheal, Sam 1, Sam 2, Sabor, and Sy had made their way to the nostalgia restaurant. The other members of the crew were still lost in the wind. Doc Kari, Aki, Bailey, Rivet, and the Bots were still missing as well as the Captain, none of this bode well for them. Being the professionals they were though they didn't communicate or even really look at each other. They were just some weary customers looking to escape the bustling streets of the Villa.
The servers paid them little mind even at how strange some of them looked, aside from a few stolen glances checking the watches they were all wearing. This was how they would notice each other and unless the observer was very keen they wouldn't assume much of anything. Xantos was the only officer present right now, he would have to keep an eye and headcount on his lost crewmates.

*Kari and Aki*

As the madness at the spaceport and Froze Star began Kari and Aki were the first to leave the area of issue. They blended in well and followed the Captain's orders by changing their guises, they took round about ways through the streets. Doing their best to avoid being picked out the crowds, eventually their round about paths led them to enter the Yellow Brick Road at the same time. They exchanged looks then went and separated to opposite sides of the place Kari went to the bar and Aki went to look at the jukebox.

*Rivet and Bailey*

Deciding sticking together was smarter than splitting up the two Scouts moved through the crowded streets like a couple simply out enjoying the city. But even in this casual walk-about they were doing their jobs looking at everything and everyone. Filing it away for later, taking the roundabout route they arrived in the Restaurant shortly after Kari and Aki moved to their spots. Bailey saw Sam 2 and Rivet saw Kari, as much as they wanted to speak with them they knew they had to keep up their roles. So chatting quietly like any young couple they took a seat at a booth and waited for a waitress to come serve them.

*The Bots*

K-bot wandered around as A-bot did his technical thing with the console. Killbot was built to kill things not hack things, yes even Commie things he couldn't hack. He could run repairs and use technology, but to no greater effect than your average Squishy with no deep computer knowledge. In his scan of the area he noticed some non-security bots kind of slumped against one of the walls. There was some yellow and black Construction Droids, a couple of gold and silver Dealer Bots, even a couple of red and white Med Bots. They were mostly broken or really obsolete models, a couple looked like they could be brought back though. As Aidebot got done with his hack and made them both Heads of Security, the wireless feeds for security violations erupted across Kill's faceplate and caused his system to have a mini-crash he fell back and kicked the leg of one of the med bots, one that actually looked like it was just turned off rather than broken.

As his internal computer rebooted and adjusted to the new feed he stood back up and heard his little brother's voice chip up.
"Oh Killbot: how would you like to have... an army?" As the killing machine shifted through the many security feeds an emote appeared on his faceplate. :aweme: He could use them to hunt down and destroy every Communist in the universe. He could spread the American Dream to the furthest reaches of creation, the warbot tossed the idea around for a few seconds. Universal domination aside, having an army of security bots at their disposal could help out the Captain and crew in so many ways. They could have enough to crew an entire second ship and expand their own influence in the underworld, but this was something only the Captain and First Mate could decide. It may come in handy later though.

Walking up to Aidebot he shook his head.
OHHHHH NOOOOOO! Killbot's little robotic brethren. That is something only Captain Togga can decide OHHHHH YEEEEAAHHHH, but we need to change our looks so the Commies can't find us. Is there a any place we can change our paint jobs in here?"

*Togga*

Togga forgot how endlessly boring it is being a prisoner for white-collar criminals. They wouldn't harm him or torture him, they might even give him a decent meal once a day. They might kill him if he gets to be too much trouble, but that would take a lot of trouble. He would continue to try and break the chains, but it would take longer than he would care to deal with right now.
He heard voices outside his little cell one he didn't quite recognize so they brought a new guard in. Maybe he could use that to his advantage.

Queen

04-11-2015, 01:10 AM

It was barely half an hour later and Hikaru was sitting in a clinical office room. Hikaru was rather unsure whether he should leave his patch be or not, but he was not about to risk the operation for something so small, so he decided to go see a doctor.

As he sits in one of the back room medical benches, he ponders as to what the problem is. Before he could think about it anymore, he heard the vibration of the tablet he brought with him. Seems that someone had IM’ed Hikaru.

Hikaru picks up the tablet and reads the message.

SpecterElite19: Omega, the group has come to a decision about the tour. Where are you?

DELTAOMEGA7690 HAS JOINED THE CHAT.

DeltaOmega7690: I'm at the medical clinic. The Doctor should be back any moment.
SpecterElite19: Okay.
SpecterElite19: When your free, meet me at the Frozen Star Lounge. Its important enough we need to meet face to face.
DeltaOmega7690: Really? You sure about it?
SpecterElite19: Yeah.
SpecterElite19: Tell me what is wrong when you get here by the by. I rather we keep out talks brief.
DeltaOmega7690: Okay. Ill grab you later then.

SPECTERELITE19 HAS LEFT THE CHAT.

Hikaru exits out of the IM application on the tablet and set’s it back down on the bench next to him. As he does so, the doctor opens the door and comes in, with a white lab coat and a clipboard. He grabs the closest thing that resembled a chair or stool and sat down.

He seemed to be part cyborg, with major implant’s such as a cyborg body. He had blue eyes and short blond hair.

“Alright, Mr. Takeda. You want the good news or the moderately bad news first?” The doctor says to Hikaru, looking him in the eye.

“Good news first doctor.” Hikaru says while nodding to the medical official.

“Well, the good news is that you do not have cell degeneration. In fact, your patch seems to be overmelding to your body, which is good given that it’s bio-tech. This is where the moderately bad news comes in though. The overmelding is causing a surge of energy output that the patch can't handle. This results in it zapping the inside of your eye briefly and which will become an often occurring circumstance. The voltage is too low to do permanent damage or anything major, but it will force reset your hardware every time you get zapped. Now, we have pills that will help with this, but given that you have not submitted any formal medical documentation or history, we cannot sell you any of it.”

Hikaru nod’s to what the doctor is saying. “Its fine. I just needed to know what’s wrong. Any idea what the pills are called?”

The doctor glances down at his clipboard before looking back up at Hikaru and responding promptly. “Yeah. It’s called Dentomatabloid. It’s a drug that will stop the overmelding and bring down the bonding level of your biology and the technology to stable levels. If you had the medicine, you would be required to take it once a week.”

Hikaru nod’s to the doctor and grab’s his tablet. “Thanks doctor.” He then get’s up and proceeded to the door. As he opens the door, he looks back and says. “Im off now. I already payed the examination fee’s already so do not worry doctor.” And with that said, he proceeds down the hallway and exit’s the clinic eventually.

He would then make his way to the Frozen Star Lounge back at the Sierra Madre casino. Time to figure out what Specter want’s.

Veloci

04-12-2015, 05:43 AM

X was 'asleep'. Rather, he was offline, due to his behavior towards his owners and 'superiors'. Unluckily for them, they didn't fully turn X off, and he had spent the past year or so contemplating his eventual escape from the Bot Depot he was in. He went over various different scenarios in his head, from eventually being able to regain control of his body from his little section in the processor of his 'brain', to being accidentally turned on by a meatbag when they were doing maintenance. He had enough power to access the internet, and he was monitoring many different areas. From IM boards to news networks. He was mildly intrigued by the news of fires across a large portion of the resort world, to the lock down of a whole space port because of a few 'criminals'. He stopped viewing the internet and checked on a camera to see what was happening in the depot. He noticed movement in the darkness, but sadly, the camera didn't notice anything itself. He left the camera and went back into his internet browsing and plan concocting.

However, X never expected the series of events that were about to happen. As he browsed through message boards, seeing a series of messages that were supposed to be secret, and filing them away, he was knocked over by something kicking his leg out from under him. With no motor control, as he was 'offline', X toppled backwards and hit another Medi-Bot adjacent to him, which caused him to roll onto the ground and press in his power button just enough for his reactor to turn on and give X full control again. He slowly rotated his head, taking in the details of his location. He was on the ground adjacent to a pile of Medi-Bots in various stages of destruction, in a darker part of the Security Bot Depot. He got to his feet and switched his vision over to thermal, and noticed out of place heat signatures in the otherwise cold Bot Depot. Using his knowledge of the layout, he deduced that there were two beings, one of which was much larger than the other, near the console for the Depot. He moved off to the left of the three heat signatures to where those whom had turned him off had stored his weaponry. He grabbed his rifle and shotgun, putting the latter on his back and holding the former before him, in a partially readied position.

He slowly walked over to the heat signatures, and switched to normal vision once he was closer, and near the light for the console room. He quickly remote accessed the power systems for this part of the depot, and turned on the light before stepping forward holding his rifle up and pointing at the larger of the two... Robots. He kept it trained on the bigger one and using his speaker system, he called out to the two. "State your name and business intruders!"

Queen

04-13-2015, 02:43 AM

As things began to quiet down in the Frozen Star Lounge, the Head Goons began filing back in after their searches for the criminals that came in with the Sharterran came up empty. One such Goon was a particularly mean-spirited guy by the name of Griff, a big man with a shaved head and mean little green eyes. He had been clocked by one of the criminals, the hit cost him three teeth and he wasn’t in the best of moods. With a plan to even the odds the big man made his way to the cell block, but stopped looking at the Grease Monkey with the dog guarding the door.
“Who the hell are you?” He asked half lifting his gun to Ash’s face.

Looking up from K-9 to the goon, Ash frowned. Usually having a weapon in your face makes the happiness in your system disappear fairly quickly. “Well, I’m many things. My name is Ash, I am the Mechanic Specialist of Weaponry appointed by Stella Silverlight.” The mechanical hound took a stance and began growling at the man. Patting its head he quickly calmed him down. “But currently, I am the guard of the prisoner. So, who the fuck are you?”

Griff narrowed his eyes at the man and his robo-dog, but lowered his weapon.
“Oh right the skinny fuck, that puts the bullets back in the Boss’s hidden turrets. Well move aside, I’m Griff and Ms. Silverlight sent me to interrogate the prisoner.” This was a lie, but he doubted this Ash would look so deep into it. Besides he did have some questions to ask.

With a sigh Ash opened the door, letting him in. This was really the first time that he had seen the Sharterran and he was a little bit more than surprised. As he walked in Ash went to the farthest wall and smiled a sly smile while leaning against it with his arms crossed. Pulling out what looked like a tablet he connected to the turrets in the walls of the room. He was expecting things to go wrong and he wasn’t about to be in a room alone with a loose Sharterran without any firepower with him. “You know baldy, I don’t think Silverlight would want her product to get damaged.”

Togga was actually at the beginnings of a nap when he heard voices outside his door and soon saw two men and a Robo-dog enter. Studying them closely the Captain began thinking up a plan, the smaller man didn’t look like the same professional killers that inhabited the Lounge’s Security staff. Too skinny, too nice looking, plus he looked more in line with Shinki’s line of work than Killbot’s. Keeping silent for now he watched the much bigger and much meaner man glare at him.

Griff was looking forward to this, as such he only looked at Togga.
“Shove it Greasemonkey, I’m in charge here.” Walking up to the chained alien the goon quickly checked the chains to make sure they were secure before cocking his fist back and smashing it squarely into the big male’s mouth. There was the crunch of impact and Togga’s head did sling to the side.

The effect didn’t have Griff’s intended reaction. Togga simply turned his head back and laughed.
“Oh you are being very adorable. Come do it again.”

Griff looked in disbelief, but he cocked back and swung again. This hit connected with Togga’s snout. Now that actually hurt, a Sharterran’s snout is a sensitive organ, but Togga was too good to let it show.
“Hmm that one I was almost feeling. I am thinking third time will be the charm?” Time for Togga to act. As Griff readied another punch and swung it, Togga quickly opened his mouth and chomped down on the man’s arm. Griff let out a high scream, but Togga was ready. Quickly wrenching his whole body Griff’s arm ripped away and the big man was hurled to the side, the rapid blood loss put Griff into a silent shock, he would die soon. Taking a healthy chunk out of the arm the Captain spat the rest of it out and chomped on the man flesh looking at the smaller man.
“Hey, be cutting me free of these chains and I can be paying you his weight in credits.” He motioned his head to the dying Griff.

Ash watched the carnage with interest. Thanks to the drinks he had a few minutes before and the weed he had enjoyed his usual disgust for blood and gore had passed. It wasn’t often he was right so he was savoring the fact that the bald man was getting ripped apart by the Sharterran. A little speck of blood got on his cheek and he wiped it away with his thumb. He was a little disgusted that he got that asshole’s blood on him though, but oh well. It seemed like he was getting much worse anyways. “You know, it’s funny how getting your arm ripped off shuts you up.” Kneeling down to the dying man he took his cube and made it into a pistol. “So, do you have anything to say to our guest? Perhaps along the lines of, ‘I’m sorry’?

The dying man simply spat out a “Fuck you.” Sighing, he pressed the weapon to Griff’s temple and pulled the trigger. He was going to die anyways with the blood loss and the asshole had disrespected his authority. Plus it was good to let out a little steam once in a while on a guy who deserved it. “I would prefer if you paid me his weight in credits when he still had a pint of blood, an arm, and all his grey matter please and thank you.” Taking out a blowtorch from K-9’s back, he went to work on the alien’s chains. “So, what brings you here today to our fine little bar? Business, pleasure, both?”

As Togga felt the tightness of the chains slack he quickly broke them the rest of the way and stood up shaking the feeling back into his arms and legs. The blood has interesting effects on his people, not an instant refresher, but damn near close enough. Looking down at the man and his dog, Togga nodded.
“I am being here on business, and that business has changed it is seeming.” Shaking the last of the pins and needles away he went to the former Griff and grabbed his weapon. It wasn’t anything special, just a Laser Carbine, but it would work.
“Now, what is bringing you here. You and your dog are not looking like Silverlight’s goons.” He grabbed Griff’s spare ammo and moved to the door looking out.

Walking past the man he switched his pistol to its rifle mode. He wasn’t expecting much confrontation but just in case he wanted to be ready. “You’re right, I’m not a goon. I work for her majesty building weapons and installing them.” Walking out from the basement and into a hallway leading to a service route, he turned back to the giant shark. “So, do I simply call you shark man or do you have a name?” K-9 came up to his master’s feet and began to pant, though to most people’s ears it sounded recorded and digital. “Here, I’ll start with the formalities. My name is in fact not Greasemonkey, but Ash. But for now you can call me the asshat that’s getting you out of here.”

Togga chuckled shifting the carbine to automatic.
“So you are being the bastard that was almost getting me killed in Silverlight’s room. I am applauding your weapons, but they were being a little slow between shots. I am Captain Dar-Togga of the Black Star Privateers. And the one who will be getting you out of here as well.”

Meanwhile, back at the lounge. . .

Hikaru had managed to grab a seat at the bar. The Lounge was packed and teeming with life. Hikaru had been sitting there for about ten minutes till an older human, much older, in his late fifties, approached Hikaru and sat down next to him.

“So, what did the doctor say?” The man said to Hikaru. He could only assume that it was Specter and trust that fact.

“Not much. It’s not cell degeneration, but overmelding. Basically, the doctor said I had a high adaption level to the Bio-tech’s integrations into my body, but the adaption rate was so high it was causing an energy surge.” Hikaru responded back to Specter, looking down at his tablet and the local news.

The old man sighed looking left and right. “Listen, the crew and I agree that we’re bailing on this planet. Risk is too high and we need to move onto greener pastures.”

Hikaru looked at the old man giving him a glare. “I’ve only been here a day and you're bailing already?”

The old man shook his head. “This may be a rich casino world, but there is not as much value in stealing jewels and money currency. Alot of the money is stealing raw materials and resources. The galactic factions at large have an extremely high demand for them and pillaging valuable raw materials is more profitable.”

“Tch. . .” Hikaru scoffed at the notion that pillaging raw resources like a local pirate thug is any better than what they were going to do. “Whatever. Do what you want.”

“We will. We are also leaving you behind.” The man said, looking up at the television on the wall.

“Wait, what?” Hikaru said, turning his head to the man again. “So you're leaving me for dead on this planet?”

The old man looked at Hikaru and nodded his head, getting up. “Son, you need to learn that being a thief of paper money and jewels has become a dying trade.” And with that, the old man walked off. Hikaru turned away with an angry expression on his face but after a few deep breaths, he calms down.

The old man paused for a moment before walking back over to Hikaru. “I do owe you for helping us so far though, so I dug up something small to allow you to continue your investigation into what happened.” The old man looked left and right again before leaning in.“Apparently Miss Silverlight is entertaining a guest downstairs.” The old man then stood up straight and left.

‘Tch. . . at least the old bastard is helpful, somewhat. . .’ Hikaru thought to himself as he got up from the bar stool. It was time he suited up and found out what he needed to know, then leave this planet before he ended up getting shot and left for dead.

Hikaru proceeded up to his Hotel Room on the seventh floor and pulled out his duffle bag. Unzipping the bag he began suiting up in his combat gear. First he would strip down to his boxers then began donning the gear.

As he donned the gear, it would meld to his physiology and whatnot and as he put on his helmet and gear, the helmet OS would register everything, including weapons and vital signs..

Once he was completely suited up, he activated his yami cloaking device and proceeded to the door. Using it effectively, he would sneak past civilians and guards alike and use the back ways of the Casino to make his way to the holding area under the casino.

As Hikaru reached the entranceway to the holding area and peered over the corner, there were two guards patrolling the hallway. They were speaking in some foreign tongue that Hikaru did not know. He hid in the shadow of the corridor and waited for the guards to pass. As they passed, Hikaru came out from the corner and silently drew his HFV Katana, before they could realize Hikaru was behind them, he had plunged his blade into the back of the right guard. Hikaru pulled the blade out and as the left Guard was still scrambling to raise his rifle and shoot the assailant, The former Enforcer had positioned his blade over his head and slashed downward, cutting the guard nearly in half, blood spraying all over the walls and guts splattering on the floor. The guard let out a cry as he was cut before he crumpled to the floor.

Hikaru slowly approached the cell’s doorway. It was a generic, but thick metal door with a keypad on it. It was wide open and a dead body of a man was off to the side of the room. It seems he was late to the action. Following a very small blood trail up the tunnel, it led him to another hall where he saw a man, a robo dog, and a Sharterran. He studied them and figured this time a peaceful approach would be best.
“Greetings fellow jukeisha, I am Hikaru Takeda and I mean you no harm. It seems we might be on the same side for now.”

Togga was searching his mind for whatever maps he could remember from his studies of this place. There wasn’t much, but if logic worked, they could follow this services tunnel and would eventually reach the service entrance and get out of here. He was about to move when he smelt freshly spilled blood and a voice chimed up behind them. Spinning and leveling his weapon he studied the man, a Mitsu Enforcer by the looks of him.
“What is a Mitsu Enforcer doing here I am wondering?”

“I am not an Enforcer. . . well, I am a Rogue Enforcer. Someone who has betrayed Mitsu Corporation and has managed to escape with his life.” Hikaru replied, pulling out a small rag from one of the small pouches on the back of his belt and cleaning the blood of his blade. “I heard there was a criminal in the care of Silverlight-Shi. I wanted to meet the person given my own personal circumstances.”

Looking behind him he noticed that there was now a newcomer to the group. If things couldn’t get any worse apparently he is a part of Mitsu Co., or at least was. Seeing Togga bringing up his weapon Ash did the same. As he explained his situation he chuckled. “So, what are your circumstances Mr. Ninja? And while you’re at it, give us a solid reason not to blow your head clean off that set of shoulders.” This man was suspicious. He came down here just to meet a criminal that may or may not have been here and for reasons that were a mystery. All kinds of bells were ringing in his head, but this guy did look like a professional. Perhaps his reason were legit, but that didn’t make the situation seem any less awkward. “We have places to be, people to see. I reckon you have about ten seconds to explain yourself.”

“I was here to rob the casino with a crew of three others. They however have left me for dead and have ran off world. I decided to find whoever these people are that have been causing all this trouble. I figure that if I am to make it off world, I must find a new crew who will take me in. Before the crew leader left however, he told me that someone was here and so here I am.” Hikaru responded. He struggled to put together his words. He was proficient but not masterful in the English language.

“I understand if you cannot trust me, but I would have not come down here to meet the person I was told about if I felt that I could not trust you. Trust is a difficult thing to come by, but even having an extra pair of hands can help you escape. I do not mean to say I plan on using you, but we all stand a better chance of getting off-world if we work together.” Hikaru said while sheathing his Katana once the blood was cleaned off. He took the small rag covered in blood and put it back in the pouch he had it in.

Togga hmmed softly studying the young man. He was right, Togga didn’t trust him, but he was also right in that three heads were better than two.
“Very well, you may being of use to me. Are either of you knowing the layout of this place? We must be leaving before more guards are coming to look for their friends.” Sniffing the air he tried to find a scent or something to follow on his own, but nothing came to him.

Letting out a brief sigh he whistled to K-9 indicating for him to get to the back of the group. Luckily this wasn’t Ash’s first time down this corridor so he knew where to go, maybe. “Alright, guess you’re joining our merry little band. Just try not to shoot us and stick the pointy end into the bad guys.” Turning around he waved for the others to follow him as he tried to remember his way topside.

Before long he found his way to the stairs that led to Silverlight’s private room. He was expecting at least two or three guards but instead found them dead right outside. “No doubt your handy work I presume?” His eyes snapped to the face of one of them, Rex. “Dammit…” Though the two weren’t extremely close friends his heart sunk a little. Hopefully you’re at peace now…” He turned his attention to Togga and removed his helmet. Being in there for too long did a number on his sinuses. “So, I’m guessing you have a crew meeting you somewhere, right? So, I have a favor to ask. Instead of giving me credits how about you have me on board? Cameras around here no doubt saw me breaking you out and Stella will be pissed. Not like I can get any work on this planet anyways. So how about it?”

Togga thought about the proposition for a few seconds following Ash and his dog. He might very well need more crew depending on who is left standing after this debacle of a mission is over. For the moment he would take the offer.
“If you are getting me out of here and be helping me back to crew. We can be finishing our mission and you will be having a ride off this rock. But let us first be getting out of here.” He growled peeking around a corner spotting a couple more guards blocking the entrance to the next corridor.
“Hmm roadblock.”

Hikaru had taken up the rear of the group along with K-9. Covering their backs as they moved through the corridor. As soon as he heard the phrase roadblock, he approached Togga and tap him on his back. Once he had his attention or if he got it for that matter, he would make hand gestures in an attempt to communicate with Togga silently and figure out what was around the corner.

“Hmm, roadblock indeed.” Bringing up his tablet he accessed the Lounge’s weapon systems and brought them online. A single turret came out of the wall and pointed its guns at the guards. It goes without saying that their conversation of last night’s thrashball game was interrupted as bullets riddled both of their chests. “Oh man, I’m going to miss my babies.” He kept the weapons online and set them to fire on any of the guards, but left out himself, Togga, Hikaru, and Stella through facial recognition. He also made sure that civilians would be recognized through the best of its abilities, though it wasn’t to be guaranteed. “So, I believe you should lead the way. Unless I have hidden psychic abilities that I never knew about I have no idea where we’re going.”

“So, what did bring you to meet my former employer anyways? She doesn’t just meet anyone unless you’re some big shot. Even then it’s usually through some video system in a closed network. To be honest, I haven’t really even heard of a face-to-face meeting. What made you so special?”

Togga watched Ash do his little trick with the guns. Shouldering his weapon he moved to the dead guards and lifted them up and shuffled them into an empty supply room. He then broke the door knob so no one could get in without ramming the door down.
“Most impressive Ash, and to be answering your question. We were to have a business deal, but she was being foolish and thought capturing me would be smarter. I will be showing her the error of her ways soon.” He moved more down the corridor and could smell fresh air rushing down the smooth concrete corridor. “Be coming this way.” He growled quickly moving down the hall wishing he could get some of his effects back, namely the hologuise watch.

Hikaru listened and followed the orders of Togga, making sure to cover their rear as they proceeded down the corridor. “Let us avoid areas with noise. Noise means people and people means being spotted. There should be an emergency exit or something that avoids people.” Hikaru says, while he is still focusing on covering their rear as they proceeded down the corridor.

Ash nodded to Hikaru. Avoiding any more guards would be good, but blending into a crowd might be better. “You’re right, there’s a hatch that leads to an alleyway not too far from us. It was designed as a quick exit for Stella and her close guards in case things ever got a little too hectic.” His eyes were almost completely glued to the screen of his tablet as he was tracking whether or not the turrets ever went off again. It seemed like none of the alarms were tripped and the turrets themselves haven’t fired. They might even get out scott free, but things are almost never as easy as they seem.

Togga listened nodding at Ash’s comment, something in the air didn’t smell right though. Giving a growl he crouched down and looked at Hikaru.
“Is your stealth suit being cooled down now? I am smelling something not right with the air. Can you use the suit and be looking?” He doubled checked the charge of his weapon before looking back at the man.

Hikaru nodded to Togga. “I can and will, but the suit mod will only work for a few minutes. It takes about five or six minutes to use again unless we have water.” Hikaru said as he checked the readings inside his helmet on his HUD. It read green on it at the bottom left.

Togga nodded motioning out the door.
“I am only needing you to be looking what is out there. If it is nothing be coming back, if it is something be giving a signal.”

Hikaru noded in response and muttered into his helmet. “闇ユニットをアクティブにします。”(I will the darkness to activate.) After a few wave like motions as if his suit was fluid, he disappeared from optical and sensory feeds.

Light footsteps could be heard as he went around the corner and got close to the door. He would look back to Togga and Ash before pressing down on the lever and cracking the door open. Hikaru could see six guards wandering around outside. They had not seen him yet. He made a mental note of the six guards outside before slowly and silently closing the door.

Hikaru muttered something incoherent from a distance and then his cloaking field disperses. He looked to Togga and showed him six fingers and then pointed his thumb to the door, shaking his head as if saying this route was a no-go.

Nodding to Hikaru, Ash typed on his pad for a while. He assumed saying anything verbal would alert the guards to their presence, and he would rather stay alive during this process. Flipping the tablet around it read, “So do we find another way around or power through them? I have one turret active in that room, the other ones aren’t fully loaded. Depending on their cover and how good we are with our shots we should be able to get through them without a problem. In theory, of course.” He looked to the two for some sense of confirmation and brought his rifle up indicating he was prepared for a fight.

Togga nodded to Hikaru and Ash. He motioned for Ash to ready the turret and for Hikaru to take up a position with a clean line of sight. He pushed the door open a little more and took up one of his own. With his fingers he said that each of them could take out two guards each. They all knew once the first shots were fired they wouldn’t have much time to silence it all before more Guards showed up. Togga took up his spot and waited for the other two men to get ready.

Hikaru reached for the gun holstered on the side of his right leg and pulled it out. He noded to Togga and Ash before bursting through the doorway and bringing down the two closest guards. Two shots fired, both aimed at their heads. They would have holes in their heads, sizzling from the laser rounds and blood staining the floor near them.

Bringing up his tablet he had the turret start up as soon as Togga got into position. It whirred to life distracting the two guards next to it. Even better was that Hikaru managed to swiftly take out his two assigned targets. Marking the two guards, the machine’s bullets started spraying them down, though not for long. Admittedly he had neglected to check the turrets down at this level. They never got used and as such their machinery and parts were never cleaned nor replaced. It didn’t take long for the machine to break down, but it did indeed do its job.

As four of the their friends dropped the last two guards almost got their weapons up to shoot back, but Togga beat them to it. He squeezed off two shots and the man were staring cross-eyed up at the two neat holes going through their foreheads. They dropped like two bags of rocks and Togga stood up and began jogging to the exit.
“Come we must be reaching this escape route before anyone is finding their bodies. Ash can you be deleting any cameras feeds along the tunnels? We cannot be letting them follow us. And where is this exit you were talking about? Hikaru be helping me dump the bodies in the sewer.” He picked up two of the guards and moved to a sewer hatch prying it open and dropping the bodies in after taking their IDs and tablets.

Hikaru helped Togga with the bodies as well. He was not as strong as Togga so he could only drag one at a time. Before he tossed the guard’s body into the sewer manhole, he began to dig through the man’s pockets, pulling out ID cards and wallets. “Guys, take their IDs. They can help us bypass security probably.”

Ash gave a nervous cough when Togga mentioned the security feeds. He went ahead and left them to do their work as he attempted to access the security cameras, but to no avail. “So, I have relatively good news and bad news. The good news is that the exit is only a couple hallways away. Bad news is that I don’t have access to security. That was Rex’s job, the guy that Hikaru killed back there.” Pocketing the small device he sent K-9 ahead of the group. “But hey, this just means we’ll have a captive audience. Though I do recommend we get the hell out of here quickly.” He went into a run to catch up to Togga to lead the way. Before long they were led to what looked like a ladder that led to a manhole. This was their saving grace.

Togga growled under his breath.
“блини!” (Damn it) He tossed the last of the bodies into the sewers pocketing their wallets. “Can you not be hacking into the feeds or something?” He dropped down to the manhole and pried it open. He would let the smaller men go in first, the big alien might get stuck.

Hikaru jumped down the manhole as per Togga’s instructions. He had his pistol out and was checking the corners and whatnot. “Clear.” Hikaru said clearly, there were no signs of humanoid activity, aside from the rats scurrying down in the sewer.

“Hey, if you want, you can take me to the security room and I’ll gladly do my magic there. Silverlight never gave me the credentials to log in nor do I have any skills in hacking. Sorry I didn’t give you my entire resume before we, or I, became a fugitive.” He jumped down after K-9 and brought his weapon up. He also replaced his helmet on his head in order to try and block the fumes from getting to his nose. “We should be just below the streets. Follow the sewers until we get to another manhole and we should be homefree.”

Togga sucked it in and dropped down, his shoulders barely made through, but with a little wiggling he made it. Stooping he chuckled lightly.
“Let us just be hoping they are being too busy to be looking at the feeds. Come we must be moving quickly.” Letting the humans take the lead Togga began working on plans to get back at Stella and Moriarty.

Koti~

04-15-2015, 01:22 AM

"Sierra Madre police, open up." The voice of two cops could be heard through the speaker on the door. Shin, giving a short nod to Kat, headed over, pressing on the Comm to reply.

"Give us a minute, gotta finish getting dressed." She poke, releasing the button and turning back to Kat. Before she could even get a word in, the speaker flared again, this time a different police.

"Open this door immediately, or we will bring it down by force." The much gruffer sounding voice spoke, tinged with a bit of anger. Shin, anger flaring slightly, turned back to the door, jamming her finger down on the button.

"Unless you want us to press sexual harassment charges, along with forced entry, I suggest you wait for one minute." Shin finished, flicking the speaker off so that they couldn't respond. Letting out a sigh, she turned to Kat, her fingers hovering near the door release button.

"Ready to go?" She asked, planning to release the door after Kat answered.

"For police officers, those are pretty pushy. Sure, whatever, let them in. Not like we can get any more prep done in any case."

They had unplugged and hidden Shinkei's contraption, while Kat had hidden the programs she was using to communicate with the Black Star. There were no wigs, spare clothing or other items left lying around for the police to find either to identify their previous disguises either, the holograms had changed their height, facial features, hair color and a whole bunch of small details to make certain they wouldn't be recognized.

Still, Kat had her purse close at hand, the handle of her weapon easy to reach, just in case things went sour.

"Probably just pissed that they got stuck doing this kind of thing with criminals running around." Shin spoke as the door began to unlock, giving her more than enough time to sit down and slip on her headphones as she grabbed another snack. She swiveled to face the two cops as they entered, their hands resting on the handles of their pistols, looking ready to pull them out. Their eyes scanned the room quickly, glancing over the food wrappers, the abandoned heels, and both of them.

"Can.. we help you, or is this just some prank." Shin asked, her voice drawing a bit in boredom.

"Hey, watch the tone, missy. Are you two the only ones in here?" One of the cops asked, their voice gruff and eyes squinting the slightest bit.

Kat glanced at the cops sideways, feigning lack of interest, while trying to figure out just how this could turn out. These two were rude and pushy and Kat couldn't help herself from replying in kind.

"Well, duh." Kat said offhandedly, her eyes seemingly focused on the screen facing her, game scrolling on it's surface, punctuated by sound fx now and then coming from her headset. "We're working on our co-op." Saying it as if it explained everything.

Ekaterina shook her head to make one of the headphone sides slip off her ear, all to not remove her hands from the controls of the game. "We're not making too much noise, we didn't call you and there's no fire. So unless you have a reason to intrude upon a girl's gaming night, or you have a warrant, leave. Match only lasts 27 more minutes." then Kat added to Shinkei. "Hey, think someone sent these guys to SWAT us?" the age old tradition of sending cops to a gaming opponent's house with a fake crisis call, usually with SWAT teams kicking down doors.

"Bet it's that rebel w/o cause kid. Keeps getting pissed over .. this." Shin said with a slight cheer, picking off the kid with a shotgun blast, the words flashing on the screen to be followed shortly with a rant of expletives. She returned to her screen as well, keeping the two in her peripherals as she moved about.

"Sorry to disrupt you some. We had a lead two of the members from those that attacked the Frozen Star Lounge might have made their way here. Since you're not those two, it might be more safe to clear out the store first." The nicer sounding cop began to speak.

"Hey.. sorry, but no. Did you not see the air sealed door that you just came from. Without access, it's gonna be a bitch to get through, so we'll be fun." Shin said, swiveling some in her chair before clasping her legs together. She gave a quick glance to Kat before opening a chat on the computer, thankful that the cops couldn't see, though that was becoming questionable.

*Nvr at Lnge. GFH?* the message would pop up on Kat's screen.

It was true that Shinkei and Kat had been nowhere close to the target casino and there was no way the police would have their description as linked to the captain's away team. That meant someone had been monitoring the landing area and those that had come out of the dropship. Which likely indicated that these guys were not police, but just dressed as some, some form of goon or hired muscle. Question remained, who were they goons for?

"You heard the girl, place is safe when we lock up." Kat quipped in, her fingers quickly responding on her keyboard, cleanly masked between her manipulations with the game controls.

*Thuglife LOL? Grill.*

Kat shook her head more, making the headset slide off completely. "You said we're not those two you're looking for, but what do the fugitives look like anyway? Need a snack run later and might need to go out." the sentence underlined by emptying a small bag of crisps into her mouth. "Or hell, you made it sound like an army of terrorists is running around outside, maybe it'd be better to remain indoors."

"It wasn't a large group at all... supposedly around 10-12 people total. And we can't openly discuss the case, but we do have some camera pictures to provide with, in case you have seen them." The first cop spoke, before pulling out a set of pictures and handing one to each girl. Shin took a look, nearly busting out laughing as she looked it over. It had her a bit worried that it was a pic of Shin and Kat at the restaurant, but was doctored to make them have been in the Casino.

"Huh... welp, no one like that in here. And honestly, why would chicks like these two be anywhere near this kind of place? Honestly, they look more like airhead than anything else, nothing like us two." Shin made motion to her and Kat, waving the photo around.

*Gotta be FS cnso. Prolly here to nab us.. Try to take'm?* Shin made the typing quickly, making it seem like simple commands as she began to zoom around the screen, though not without getting shot.

Kat looked at the picture and thought two things. One, this was a crappy splicing job. Two, she did look stupid in a dress, despite having another head on at the time. Still, all kidding aside, that did mean that security cams and the like were capturing feed of the landing area and that goons were chasing down each member around the city.

"Don't look like terrorists to me, but whatever." she said, glancing at her screen, then Shinkei. "Certainly not like us. Really, how can you move in clothes like that? And they look so costly! How much are those dresses worth? You know how many booster crates I can buy with just one of those?"

She made to give the picture back to one of the "policemen" before pausing. "Oh, yeah, let me take a snap with my phone of this first. After that, just leave, we're already almost throwing our match as it is and my K/D ratio is suffering because of it."

Kat reached inside her handbag and fumbled around in it, her hand quickly getting a firm hold on the grip of her handgun before yanking it out and pointing at the closest man's face and pulling the trigger. The plasma discharge shot straight and true, the kick making Kat's one-handed hold fly upwards afterwards but not before reaching it's target. The next moment, the thug's face, head and a sizable chunk of wall further behind was gone. Just, poof.

The cop turned pale as he watched his partner die within seconds, a gaping hole left where his head used to be, along with a good chunk from the wall. He was quick to his pistol, having halfway drawn it before the flash of lighting filled the room. It was a quick burst, but one could easily see the burnt open hole in the man's shoulder, the smell of ozone filling the air as he toppled over onto the body of his dead partner.

"Jesus Kat .... couldn't you have done that a little cleaner?" Shin spoke, shaking a bit as her mechanical arm hung, her face a bit pale and her nose pinched. She was used to killing at this point on the team, but still didn't like the smell of dead meat. With a sigh though, she sat back in her chair, already fiddling with her arm to reroute some of the power back through it, the bolt having drained it to near empty.

"Sorry about that Hop.. I'll make sure a repair guy can fix this room up right once we get off planet." Shin said, toeing the dead cops with distain. Thankfully the kills had been clean, and they wouldn't need to worry too much about clean up.

Kat looked askance at Shinkei.

"What did you want me to do? Wrestle with the guy?" She stood with her arms slightly spread in a half shrug, displaying what was likely half the weight of either men and at least a few inches shorter. "I'll point out that your first reaction was to fry the other guy, and that smells a lot worse." Kat pinched her nose and crouched low to see what the two dead guys had on them.

Usual policemen loadout, with some extra knives, handguns, coils of rope... Yeah, Shinkei was right about the thugs wanting to try and get a drop on the both of them. When the radio screeched, a voice asking an update, Kat took a quick step back and looked up at Shinkei. There was a brief pause. Her mind already starting to churn out crazy fast for a plan to abuse this little unexpected gift.

"Everyone's at that Road place, or heading there." Kat started, her left hand lightly pinching at her throat, her voice changing as she spoke. "I'll just send them on a chase farther away, buy us and the others time to organize." The change more and more obvious with each word, until it sounded identical to the "gruff" thug-cop's voice.

Kat bent back down to pick up the radio. She cleared her throat once, twice.

"Other than some nice missy T&A, nothing so far. Two blokes said the girls met with a tall blond-haired man, heading fast down 17th, past Benvis ave. If that's another mark, we'll need more guys."

Kat looked at Shinkei again, shrugging. She hadn't exactly shown this trick to anyone as a live performance, usually only doing this with online chats and voice recognition devices. This particular augment preferably kept in secret to be truly effective. Before either of them could say anything, the radio screeched out again. "Alright. Williams, Trenkis and Hlen are in that area, they'll turn to help."

"Good, off our trail for now. We should be good for, and hopefully they won't try anything stupid like this. My arm won't take more than bullet before it's just fancy metal." Shin spoke, taking one of the spar pistols and mag, setting it down on the island. She looked it over for a few moments before checking the bullet count before clicking it back in, looking down the scope before resting it on the table.

"Now, we should probably get back to where we started. I'll take the bodies and store them in the server room until the others get here." She spoke while staring down at the bodies, deciding to start with the smaller of the two and dragging them out of the room.

It took her a good 30 minutes to move both of them out, and by then, her mechanical arm hanging loose in her socket. Sighing, she detached it from her joints before setting it down on the counter and pulling out a charger.

"Lets' hope we didn't lose anyone due to this." Shin said as she went about restarting the comm link, thankful that the machine was easy to restart with just the one arm.

Once Shinkei returned, Kat sent her data via computer so she could pass along the routes she had mapped. Kat had let Shinkei go about getting rid of the bodies while she sent another message to the ship, keeping them appraised of what just happened and how the cameras had been trained on them since the start. Once that was done, she worked on mapping out the best routes from the Yellow Brick Road to this shop via online satellite imaging sites and traffic agencies, repeating the same with routes from this shop to the Casino. This would help narrow down which cameras needed to be hacked to hide the group's movements, or at least what to avoid.

"Oh, and tell them to get take out, I want a #18, family-sized." said with the menu popped up on one of her screens. "None of this is remotely about to be over any time soon and all that."

“Get me a # 16. I seriously need something than snack food to eat.” Shin spoke up as Kat was relaying the info, already at work on her side. She was slowed a bit due to only having one arm to type with, but one really couldn’t tell. She was already setting the nav system on the earpieces in relation to the recipiants current location towards the Yellow Brick road, and kept the line open for when the next bit of mapping came through.

SikstaSlathalin

04-15-2015, 08:38 PM

*Killbot*

Killbot was following the security hook-ups going off in his head trying to find the rest of the crew. He saw the Yellow Brick Road and noticed the watches of his comrades. They were all under their secondary disguises so the watches were the only ways to find them. He counted the watches and found most of the crew was present. Sy, Sabor, Togga, Shinki, Kat, and the bots were the only ones missing, this was better than K expected to be honest. But he thinks he found at least the general area of the Mechanic and Engineer. And the fact two goons had gone into a computer shop and didn't come out filled in the dots a little.

He was about to see if A-bot had found some kind of painting station when he sensed a presence behind him followed by a challenging voice. Spinning around the warbot lifted his cannon arm up and powered it on. The palm glowed a bright orange and his systems locked on, at this range it would disintegrate whatever was on the other end. He studied the Med Bot before him and a =( emote appeared on his face plate.

"No you first, but first Killbot knows what you're thinking: "He can't really shoot something out of his palm can he?" Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement, Killbot's kinda lost track himself. But being this is a Togga-Tech God killer cannon, the most powerful cannon in the universe, and would blow your Commie head clean off, you've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?' Well, do ya, punk?" Killbot growled before this emote B( appeared on his faceplate showing how serious he was.

Dnafein

04-17-2015, 11:56 AM

Xanatos had left the buffet across from the yellow Brick Road when he though the total number of shipmates in the bar was three. He moved to the darkest corner ordered a drink and watched from the inside of the robes cowl. The drink sat relatively untouched as he ground his teeth in frustration.

There was enough of them present at the time to hold off anything short of a full scale siege. However without knowing where the captain, or the ship was, holing up would be pointless. He suspected either the ship or Kat of engineering the message that began playing directing the privateers to this establishment. But it did little good without a direct way to talk to whoever set it up.

The rodentian took a sip from his glass when he noticed his fingers were tapping impatiently on the tale top. The thought occurred to him that he could task one of baileys people to see if they couldn't trace the source of the message that brought them here. Unfortunately, that would mean abandoning his disguise as a Setite, and probably using his watch again. Not to mention that any one present seeking his people would be given an opportunity to do so.

Xan ground his teeth a little harder as his thoughts ran like a rat in a maze. Which was exactly what he felt like, much to his chagrin. With a grunt of irritation the quartermaster began going over the ships inventory in his head. Distracting himself from the hurry up and wait predicament he found himself trapped in.

Dr. Insano

04-22-2015, 01:19 PM

It was moments like these that Ash was glad that his helmet had an air filter built in it. He was sure the sewer smelled lovely with the collection of rats and feces from all around the planet. At least they weren’t forced to wade through the stagnant water, it would already take a week to get the stench off of his armor. With his tablet up he followed the map of the sewers that he had been required to download in case of emergency. After all, if this escape route was actually used it would be a shame to get stuck down here and become one of the horror stories he had heard when hanging around the security guards. Too many times has he heard of Ol’ Jim wandering down here without a map and getting lost. Some say he became the king of the sewer rats and that if you get lost you’ll become his next subject.

The old story almost sent shivers down his spine before he remembered that the ones who were telling the tall tale were old, drunken coots that honestly should have retired 20 years ago.

“So Togga, can you just go through the water and swim to safety? With your line of work you must be used to swimming through shit, huh?”

It was a lame joke but anything to break the silence between the group. If there was one thing he couldn’t handle was silence for no reason. He patted K-9 on the head and pointed to the direction in front of them indicating for him to take point. If there was to be trouble up ahead he would rather have some kind of warning before bullets start flying.

Looking down at the map it was showing that their exit was near. The manhole they were aiming for would take them to an alley that was home to the, well, homeless. Minimal resistance and enough manpower would keep their mouths shut about an alien and two humans armed to the teeth. Down the path he heard the familiar bark of his robotic companion indicating that he has found them an exit.
“So, you guys ready to get the hell out of here or would you like to stop by the souvenir shop first?”

Queen

04-23-2015, 02:28 AM

Hikaru had to bear with the extremely disgusting smell of the sewer. While his helmet and suit had a Oxygen tank built into it for inhospitable environments that could not support biological life, or at least Hikaru's kind of biological life, it would not alternate over to it when in extremely smelly or gaseous environments as it was considered by the helmet AI to be a waste of valuable resources in the suit, meant for emergency's.

The smell was pretty fucking bad actually. Hikaru felt like if he had to stay down there for more than an hour, he would lose his appetite for a few days.

Hikaru was covering the rear of the group as usual. He was not one for taking point unless he was alone and nobody knew he was there, but then again, if Togga asked Hikaru to take point, Hikaru would do it.

Hikaru listened to the bad joke about Togga being a fish but payed it no mind. Hikaru was more concerned about being shot and taking a dip in these waters rather than a bad joke. Falling in this water, regardless of what biological form you take on would really mess someone up, especially with a gunshot wound, which was why Hikaru was more focused on covering their rear and corners than usual.

Hikaru turned as Ash attempted to break the silence again but this time it was a question Hikaru could comment on.

"I rather get off the planet as soon as possible. The longer we are here, the harder slipping past security unnoticed or getting anywhere will be." Hikaru replied in a thick Japanese accent. "Although, if by souvenir store, you mean hitting a bank or two on the way out then I am fair game. Regardless, do you have a way off this planet or are we improvising our way off it?"

Though when Hikaru said improvise, in his mind, he meant steal a ship and get the hell off the rock they were on or shooting their way out if there wasn't a plan, though that may not work in either case if they have any anti-air defenses to keep ships that are not allowed to leave grounded, by force if it came to that.

wakachukie

05-02-2015, 08:55 PM

Pathetic trapped souls. Michael's reflection frowned back at him from the curved translucent tank. The lobsters were placidly sitting less than 4 inches from his face. Utterly pathetic. No defenses, all attacks bound off by the wall between them and the bands around their claws, and no attempt to escape. Indoctrinated prey. There was no challenge here, no urge to hunt. The blood was calm and clear. Still, it had been far too long since he had last consumed. If battle approached, it would not do to go in completely unprepared. And here there was no danger of losing himself to the hunger. The prey was unappetizing, a herd of sheep completely identical. Lab mice. Steroidal cattle. Michael briefly considered smashing the tank or at least freeing their bonds. Have at least a form of hunt. But no, the greater hunt was to come and for now he had to remain disguised.

Quickly scanning the 10 or so lobsters in the tank, Michael ruled out the largest ones. While they had meat, they were older and tired. He did not need their memories now; just their essence. Pointing to a midsized individual with an exquisite shell, Michael motioned for the waiter to open the lid, and then reached in to grab it. As his hand brushed the water, all the lobsters jerked back and began to evade. Michael's eyes widened and his nostril flared. A Hunt! Snapping his hand forwards through the liquid, Michael cornered his prey against the wall. Licking his lips in a fierce grin, he grabbed the shell. Now hidden from vision, he palm split open. Ribbed teeth parted to release twelve probing tubules that instantly pierced the shell and drew it closer to the maw. Michael's fingers quivered imperceptibly as he began to pull the Lobster up. The rush, the flood! All of it's essence, life. Energy. Quickly, Michael retracted the tubules and closed his palm before the consumption would become visibly noticeable. Slightly squeezing the lobster, Michael shattered its carapace; crushing all evidence into whitish paste that leaked out forming a sickening cloud of detritus in the water around the lobster husk.

Michael waved over a waiter. "Hey. You. This puny thing couldn't stand my power Augs. Grab me that nice big one over there."Michael grinned. It had been his first meal in a very long time; even if he didn't get anything out of it. Who knew, if he could keep himself in control there might be more Hunts in the future. "Well, could you get me one then?" His task done, Michael headed back to his seat as they cooked it. His gait was much sharper, his senses keener. It was amazing what eating a decent meal could do!

Back at his table, Michael delicately stabbed a fork into the well done lobster tail and traversed the meat to his mouth. Habit, and a wasteful one at that. Back home the only thing to be eaten this way was pag'h during the Ceremony of Remembrance. Remembrance. There were quite a number of things to remember at the moment. Such as Togga. This flamboyant bar was serving as an excellent place to hide in, but they needed to go get him out. That Stella-something boss who had taken him had some punishment due. A number of the grounded crew was already here, and while not heavily armed yet, they looked to be in good health. The supply truck he had sent earlier should either be here or come and gone, and he had even eaten in case of true emergency. Michael wanted to wave down Xantos and choke the ratface until he explained why they weren't getting Togga yet; but that would be too big a distraction. Perhaps they were waiting on more crew. Maybe the Black Star was shipping heavy equipment. All he knew was that he was ready and getting tired of waiting. Another forkful of lobster vanished into the mouth.

SikstaSlathalin

05-03-2015, 08:47 PM

*Togga*

The Captain looked back at his two traveling new recruits, he hoped they wouldn't be so gabby the whole time.
"I am being able to swim anywhere, but I am not diving headfirst into shit if I am not having to do so. Now be sticking close and be keeping quiet, once I am getting back to my crew and be finishing up these two jobs we will be leaving this place in a drop ship and be going back to the Black Star." The big alien led the two men to the manhole and lifted it up and out. Peeking over the rim he spotted an empty alley with no lights breaking up it's darkness. Dropping back down the motioned for the two humans to go up first.
"Be going up and securing the alley, I will follow and we can be moving onto the resturant where my crew is being."

Queen

05-03-2015, 10:15 PM

Hikaru abides the command of Togga and is the first one up the manhole. He had muttered his pass phrase, activating his stealth unit so that way he would not be spotted if someone was waiting up top and climbed up the stairwell. As he reached the top and exited the manhole, he checked his front and back carefully for enemy's as well as the rooftop or what he could visibly see. The ally was empty or devoid of activity.

"Clear." Hikaru announced to the group, then taking a few steps forward and taking cover behind a dumpster and deactivating his stealth unit with the muttering of his phrase code.

Dr. Insano

05-07-2015, 05:35 PM

Climbing up the ladder after Hikaru, Ash motioned towards K-9 to stay put. He wouldn't be able to climb the ladder so it would have to find another way to get out of the sewers. The robot was designed to be water proof so hopefully if it had to be submerged in stagnant water that wouldn't be an issue. Furthermore it had a map of both the sewer system and of the city downloaded so at least it wouldn't get lost. If the worse came he could just come down and fetch his companion at any time.

True to his Japanese friend's observation there wasn't anyone in sight. The only people he could see were some homeless bums taking a nap and cuddling a 20 oz.
"All clear Cap. If you want I'm sure there's time to stop and get some souvenirs in memory of our wonderful time here."

SikstaSlathalin

05-16-2015, 06:33 PM

*GM Mover*

As the two men climbed up the ladder leaving the Robo-Dog behind Togga thought the whole crew should be together. Looping his big arm under the canine he began climbing the ladder and boosted the cyborg up the last few rungs so he landed besides Ash. Once the dog was secure Togga squeezed his way up and over landing in crouch by the manhole before flipping the cover back in place. Moving to the front of the alley the Captain looked left and right getting his bearings before taking lead motioning for the two men to follow him. The rendezvous point wasn't too far from their present place, but they also needed to avoid being seen by anyone who may be looking for them.

Moving down back-alleys and through abandoned buildings, the trio finally reached the Yellow Brick Road. Togga was happy to see almost everyone there in one form or another, they were abiding by the plan perfectly. This was pleasing for the Smuggler to see, as he entered the establishment one of the servers ducked into the back room. Some muffled words were spoken before she returned, followed by a striped Sharterran male dressed in a dark green suit jacket and pants. This was why Togga had chosen the restaurant as the rendezvous point, this place was owned by Yashy's family the Tah's. And this was Tah-Lashy her youngest brother. He was the manager and a close contact of Togga in his Black Star adventures. Lashy nodded to his people and they quickly cleared the floor and locked the door clicking the lights off and flipping the sign to closed.
Once everything was set Lashy flipped on one of the overhead lights to illuminate the area a little and giving Togga a place to begin.

The big alien smiled to those around him motioning for them to drop their disguises.
"I am glad to be seeing you all having made it here. I am also apologizing for my lateness, it is seeming Ms. Silverlight was hoping to be beating some intel from me. It did not work, but I was being able to escape with the help of these two." He pointed to Hikaru and Ash before continuing. "Now while I was unable to be finding much towards finding Moriarty. I do know where we can be looking, he is having a room in the Sierra Madre herself. Somewhere in that giant golden beacon is lying the man who has been trying to kill us at least twice. And this is being two times more than anyone should be trying and left alive." He paced around the single column of light in the restaurant. "First we must be finding Kat and Shinki, then we must be getting into the Casino to be finding this bastard and to be killing him. Any questions?" He asked moving to a map on the wall and saying a few things to Lashy in Shar tongue. The smaller alien nodded and ran to his control panel to bring up a map on the projector that covered the Eastern wall.

wakachukie

05-18-2015, 04:45 AM

Michael leaned into his table and grunted. "It's about time. Some of us were just about to come after you; had you needed getting. In any case, two questions. 1.) Who's getting the techies, and 2.) How do we keep Moriarty from sneaking out and running away? As you said, he missed his first appointment with our fists."

Dnafein

05-18-2015, 06:05 AM

Xanatos pulled the hood of his robes back and frowned at Michael. "WE weren't going to get anyone." The Rodentian frowned at the Shar. "Sorry old friend. I wasn't about to send anyone after what could be little more then sushi. You got a family, and as angry as they'd be for not retrieving you, or your remains; I'm honestly more worried you'd torment me forever if I died trying to get either and leaving your family not properly cared for.

"Anyway," He said much more cheerfully, "You came out in one piece, and we did get the intel we came for. Not only that but I have a number of ideas in how we can get paid by Miss Silverlight."

A grimace crossed the quartermasters face. "I will need a secure com line though. Victoria won't do business unless the lines secure, no matter how much of a legal retainer we pay her."

Dr. Insano

05-18-2015, 02:06 PM

Ash smiled and nodded his thanks to Togga as K-9 walked beside the three men. As they walked the streets and in between alleyways he felt extremely nervous. If he had a gun on his side his hand would definitely be on it. There was almost no way that Stella hadn't noticed that the huge shark man was gone, that Ash was also gone, and that there were at least five dead guards left in their escape. He expected for a force of some kind to meet them at some point, but no such thing came. Instead it was just a really tense walk to a bar called the "Yellow Brick Road". He'd heard of the small place. Good food, good service, and admittedly even better drinks. If he was to die tonight at least he would have a drink to warm his stomach.

The young man had finally breathed a sigh of relief once the group had actually gotten inside the bar and Togga addressed all of the people in the place as if he knew them. It had felt like ages since Ash had breathed and he could almost feel his face turn a little blue in anticipation of gunfire. "It's nice to know you have quite a few friends, big guy." Taking a seat at one of the tables he leaned back in the chair and propped his feet up waiting for some kind of plan to be laid out, hopefully one that would get him off world, and fast.

"I am glad to be seeing you all having made it here. I am also apologizing for my lateness, it is seeming Ms. Silverlight was hoping to be beating some intel from me. It did not work, but I was being able to escape with the help of these two. Now while I was unable to be finding much towards finding Moriarty. I do know where we can be looking, he is having a room in the Sierra Madre herself. Somewhere in that giant golden beacon is lying the man who has been trying to kill us at least twice. And this is being two times more than anyone should be trying and left alive. First we must be finding Kat and Shinki, then we must be getting into the Casino to be finding this bastard and to be killing him. Any questions?"

"Yes, I actually have quite a few. First, what do we do with Stella? I'm sure she's going to be warning this Moriarty guy soon, if not then he's already expecting a band of armed men and woman at his front door. Then there's the problem of his still being here. I doubt he'll be staying for a fight if he can help it. Finally is the question of whether Stella gets the opportunity to continue to suck air. I don't know about you but after the crap she pulled I would say the bitch dies." Looking at the man who was talking about rescuing some techies, he continued. "As for them, I can fetch them if you trust me enough. I'm not as good with a gun as probably the rest of you are so I'm sure Togga would want you taking care of Moriarty. Not only that but you'd be surprised how good a robot dog can sniff out a couple of people."

Queen

05-18-2015, 02:44 PM

After Hikaru and the others had reached the small restaurant at the yellow brick road, he took his time to observe his surroundings and took up a position closest to the doorway. While he was sure they weren't followed, someone needed to perform sentry duty. As he took up the booth closest to the window, he began to remove his helmet. Since the Helmet was bio-tech, it would decompress naturally as it slid off. He placed it on the table and then leaned back against the table, with his handgun still out and in his right hand.

HIkaru listened to Togga's objectives and nodded in agreement. However he was only going to do something if Togga asked him to do it. He was not sure that he should be saying anything since he wore the gear of an enforcer. There was no doubt in his mind that half of the crew did not trust him for that reason alone, even if he helped to save the captain. So he remained silent at the booth he was at, listening to the conversation.

Koti~

05-26-2015, 09:34 PM

The handheld radio Kat had spoken into previously started emitting static. At first, it didn't seem like anything other than the device acting up, but as Kat listened while typing away at the computer, she noticed a pattern. The static wasn't constant, there were bursts, like static beeps in a distinctive pattern. Over and over. Kat didn't like that one bit.

"Hey, we've been made. Time to go." she said, deciding that chances weren't to be taken at this point, hastily sending a last message to the Black Star that they had to move before launching a scrubbing program she had downloaded earlier today. "Tell the others we're coming in with unwanted friends."

"Guess that's what we get for killing their friends." Shinkei spoke as she started a scrub on her system, heading over to the hooked up radio and turning off the police radio portion.

"Coming in hot, be ready for a party." Shinkei spoke loudly into the system before shutting it off, dismantling the device before torching the unused and stashing away the earpiece. Once her system had finished the scrub, she grabbed her things, tying them around her in a way that would allow her to run, making sure to put the dress back on so that she could run properly.

Pulling the gun she had gotten from the men and storing it in her purse, she looked over at Kat.

"Ready to go?"

"Once I get this stupid dress back on. I swear this was made to not fit properly no matter the size I took." Kat said, squirming into the top portion of her black dress once more, the t-shirt left discarded on the chair behind her. Despite her hatred for the garment, wearing it would make her blend in more with the local crowd, as opposed to the gaming shirt. She packed her heels into her purse, putting her gun on top for easier access, next to the handheld radio. Running with those things sounded like a horrible idea anyway, and likely would feel worse even more.

These wasn't more Kat really needed to bring along and was ready to leave a few moments after Shinkei. "Let's go." she added, padding up the stairs barefoot to the main shop room.

The clerks were still there, and gave that stupid adolescent smile at seeing Kat and Shinkei in dresses come up from the basement. A quick glance out the windows to the street didn't reveal any waiting thugs, so Kat motioned for Shinkei to come up as well. There was no telling how close they were going to be cutting things.

Shinkei nodded and made her way out and into the crowd once a large enough group passed by. She kept an eye on Kat as they headed towards their location, keeping an eye out for anyone. Thankfully it was mostly just regular, yet that wouldn't allow her to relax. Knowing who was after her, the usual thugs were probably wearing a rent-a-tux to blend in.

It didn't take more than two blocks before Kat saw the first obvious thugs-in-waiting. Two men, leaning against buildings on one side of the street, another three in a group on the other side obviously scouting up and down the intersection. There were likely more behind them, also doing the same. Seems they might not have been that stupid after all, or that they were led by someone smarter than the lot of them. They covered the area awfully well in a rather short amount of time.

Starting a shootout in the middle of the street with so many random people around would really be a terrible idea, but they needed a distraction to get past the closest guys and make a run for it. This is why Kat hated the captain for making her come down to the planet is a dress, she wasn't made for this bothersome action hero crap...

She leaned in towards Shinkei. "At least 5 goons ahead, screaming and distraction pretty much now." she whispered, a hand moving into her purse. There was a 100% probability she was going to regret trying to play as said action hero, but doing nothing wasn't going to help and Shinkei's arm likely wasn't up for a firefight either.

As the civilian group they were in arrived level with the two thugs along their sidewalk, Kat hung back slightly towards the rear. The thugs, obviously having the faces of the Black Star crew memorized, noticed her and moved in. Kat shot the first one, burning a hole through the side of her purse and punching an equal-sized hole in the man she fired at. A tux being very poor protection against plasma.

Then she screamed.

As loudly as her augmented vocal system was able to. Lots of random panicking screams mixed in with murder and killer words thrown in for good measure. All that quickly followed by running away really, really fast with the ensuing confused and panicking random people.

Shin was quick to follow suit, taking out one of the guards ahead as the crowds began to panic. She gave a shake of her head slightly at the annoyance and found herself thankful for not wearing heels. Grabbing Kat's hand, she began rushing forward, taking the larger group to hopefully slip through the goons up ahead, but kept an eye on them as they followed.

"Shit .. We're gonna have to drop into an alleyway. Might be able to shake them there." Shin said aloud to Kat as her eyes began to dart around the street, looking for a way out.

"They can cut us off in an alleyway..." Kat added, following along. "...but they can pile on a lot more goons if we stay in the street I guess." She scanned the nearby streets as they raced along with the increasingly scattered crowd. "There, turn left, left!"

The alley was rather clean, all things considered, and also rather uncluttered of the usual dumpsters, trash and other obstacles usually encountered. There were a few doors on the other hand, leading to who-knows-where, but likely the most expedient way to lose the thugs rushing to intercept them.

"Swap guns with me, mine will punch through locks faster. I'll keep them busy." Kat said, pulling away from Shinkei and taking her more standard firearm and giving the mechanic the much more efficient plasma version. Besides, the diminutive mechanic might know better how to deal with the breaking and entering part.

Turning around, Kat aimed at the mouth of the alley for the first thug to show himself.

Shinkei was quick to switch weapons, keeping an eye out as they headed towards the nearest door that could allow her to move through. She looked down the hall as her metallic hand switched. She wanted to get in easy and melt it later, to help shake off the goons. She ducked though as the first shot passed nearby, pinging off the door way.

"Shit, they came prepared!" Shin spoke as she could just spy the goons hanging on the edge, taking pot shots from cover. She fiddled more, working hard to pop open the lock and get through.

"Al .. most.. got it!" Shinkei spoke as she kicked the door open. She was just about to make a grab for Kat, only to be stopped by a pair of hands. Two pair of goons had made their way from the other side, surprisingly stealthy having used the shots from their partners to get in.

"Fuck off!" Shinkei said, leveling a kick to one of the goons shins, jumping into the door and shouting for Kat to follow.

Kat returned fire at the goons in the street, forcing them to remain in cover while Shinkei worked on the escape route. It was working, giving more than enough time for the door to get opened. Kat heard Shinkei shout out and turned, seeing the group of goons bearing down on them. She shot, five more times, killing one and at least hurting another, drawing their attention away from the mechanic. The gun clicked dry at that point, the trigger clicking without effect. Kat threw the empty gun at one of the men still standing and ran up to shove another away from the opened door. It made enough space to go through the door, but not for long.

The mechanic made it but the goons, twice Ekaterina's size and weight, stepped back in and piled onto the engineer, tackling and grappling her to the ground.

"Cops are coming you fucking pigs." she started. Screaming, kicking, clawing and struggling all the while. "Cheap thugs you fucking idiots are, I took half of you out by myself. Retards! Pervs! Fucking pussies." She went on and on, spouting off more and more foul-mouthed strings of swear words and insults, keeping their attention on her and hopefully giving Shinkei time to go get backup before they either killed her or get in a good hit to knock her out.

Shinkei swore loudly to herself as Kat was dogpiled on, her gun having run dry. She paused for a few brief seconds to look, giving enough time another two pair of goons to push their way in, three guards bodily lifting Kat up off the ground. The goon who had been shot last took a swing at her, ramming his fist into her stomach to shut her up and knock her out cold.

Shinkei on the other hand was making her way through the building, knocking over as many people and objects to make a way through and slow the goons. It helped, her much smaller frame allowing her to easily slip out into the scattering crowds outside and blend, one person being harder to make than two, especially with all the panicky runners.

===== Some time later =====

Shin burst through the door the Yellow Brick Road bar, panting heavily and breathing hard. She paused in the silence and leaned against the nearest bench, gulping down as much air as she could. It was hard to suck down in air, she held up a hand, pausing any questions for anyone who would want to say anything.

"Kat ... has been ... kidnapped. Oh god I need water ..." Shinkei spoke, dropping down into a bench, rubbing her temples. Upon closer look, one could easily see the smatterings of cuts and scrapes on her arms and legs, her dress tattered on the hem where it had obviously caught on something metal.

Queen

05-26-2015, 11:06 PM

While Hikaru had his head turned towards the others who were talking away with banter and strategy, he did not notice the woman running up to the doorway of the bar as a result, only second's before crashing through it in a sense. The moment she came crashing through, Hikaru had already rolled backward, onto the table and putting his back against the wall on reflex with his handgun raised with both hand's at the woman, but after he realized she was unarmed, he calmed down and pointed the gun away from the woman and got off the table.

"Who is Kat?" he inquired as he leaned back against the table once again.

Pheasant

05-30-2015, 04:24 PM

The scent of heavy dark smoke filled the Yellow Brick Road, originating at the center of the bar where Sam sat hunched over a dirty ash tray with his lips wrapped around a cigar, and a bottle of cheap, warm beer resting loosely in his left hand. He looked annoyed, particularly at Bailey and Rivet.

Still no sign of their last missing crewman, and judging by the two other empty, tossed aside bottles that lay on the counter adjacent to the man, he was getting worried. Really worried.
Sam Lorn wasn't the kind of man that worried about much of anything, let alone a crew member. But, between the alcohol in his system and the pain in his shoulder, as well as the drug he was coming down from, Sam looked serious. And for the first time in a long time, cold.

He pulled his revolver from the shoulder holster it sat in, cracking open the cylinder and dumping its contents on the counter, only to be replaced by a handful of fresh rounds, AP Magnums that would rip apart any bastard on the wrong end of the barrel.

He tossed his bloodied jacket on the counter-top, downing the remainder of his beer before he pushed the revolver back into its holster.

Sam pushed his bulk off of his seat, headed for the door.

"We've chit-chatted enough. Lets go get Kat and waste this motherfucker", the ex-Confederate called to the rest of the bar, "And any other stupid son of a bitch that gets in the way", he added, coldly.

Queen

05-31-2015, 01:11 AM

((Co-post with Koti~))

As Hikaru asked his question, he waited for several moments but received no answer. He rolled his eyes and sighed, placing his pistol back in the holster on his leg and then reaching for his helmet, grabbed it and put it on. He would then approach the lady in the dress. Slowly though as not to alarm her or make he feel threatened. He pulled out a rag from one of the pouches on the back of his belt and offered it to her and spoke to her in a thick asian accent.

“Are you hurt anywhere miss?” he said in a calm tone, though more or less robotic or techno sound. The helmet was thick and designed to resist getting bullet’s shot through it so it had a microphone and speaker module built into it to help with communication.

His concerns at the moment were to more or less see if the woman was okay rather than figuring out who this Kat person was. That could come next.

“I’m .. I’m fine. Just need some water.” Shinkei spoke, taking in the new person. The suit seemed familiar, and the helmet was an odd choice to see, but now wasn’t the time to be worried about that. She took the rag thankfully and wiped some of the sweat off her brow, not bothering about the cuts or scrapes.

“So … who are you by the way?” Shinkei eventually asked, letting the world catch up with the rest of the crew about their situation.

“Ah, im Takeda Hikaru. You can call me whatever you like though.” He said, bowing his head slightly to Shinkei. “Forgive me for not introducing myself sooner miss. I thought attending to you at the moment was more important.”

Hikaru glances over to the closest waitress and asks “Excuse me, can you get a first aid-kit and some water for my friend here?” the waitress was reluctant, glaring nervously at the former thief and enforcer but nodded in agreement and quickly ran off into the back area of the restaurant.

Before Hikaru could continue however, a big burly man with a handgun walked past him as he went towards the door. Hikaru really did not care what he was going to do since it was not his problem so he ignored him.

Shinkei gave a thankful nod to the man, happy to let him take over for the moment while Sam, one of their scouts decided to head out. She was ready to go with him, let the bastards know that she was pissed at letting her friend get nabbed. Water was first in her mind.

“Thank you Hikaru. Though, I don’t know why you are here..” Shinkei asked, glancing around at the others for some confirmation as to who the new person was.

“Im something of a thief and was told by that big guy over that he can get me off the planet.” Hikaru said, looking over his shoulder and pointing his thumb towards Togga, then turning back towards Shinkei. “So who is kat? Introduction’s seem in somewhat short supply around here.”

“Kat is our chief engineer.” Shinkei said as the waitress finally dropped off the water and medkit. She was quick to take a large swig of water. Letting out a hearty sigh, she leaned back in the chair and closing her eyes for a few seconds. Running through town in flats and a dress was not the most comfortable thing in the world.

Hikaru reached over and grabbed the first-aid kit, dragging it over to his side and opening it up. “Do I have permission to look at your injuries? I'm not a doctor, but I can clean and cover any of your injuries you sustained during your run over here.” he said as he pulled out a roll of cloth bandages and medicinal alcohol.

“Yeah, yeah, you can. Start with the legs first.” Shinkei said, adjusting her seated position so he could get a better look. She made sure to take the time to roll the hem up to just above her knees, just to be polite to the man. With him working on her legs, he began to inspect her left arm, grabbing a cloth from the kit and cleaning any small wounds from there, most of them just abrasions of where she bumped into a wall or dumpster.

After cleaning her left arm with the rag, he would grab the medicinal alcohol and pour some of it onto the rag with the rag covering the top of the bottle to prevent any from spilling through. After letting the rag soak some of the alcohol for a few seconds, he placed the bottle back on the counter. “This is going to sting.” He said, giving her a moment to prepare before he would place the rag on her scrapes.

Shinkei let out a slight hiss as the alcohol hit her scrapes, causing a minor stinging in her arm as she let the air out of her lungs. She’d been through worse in personal experience, but it still made it sting when she did feel it.

“Ah.. always burns that does.” Shinkei spoke, taking another swig of her water and allowing Hikaru to work on her wounds, finding the slight respite helpful. While she was rather in shape for herself, and used to lifting heavy objects, running wasn’t one of her favorite things, especially when you’re trying to evade goons and other people.

“What doesn't kill you makes you stronger I guess.” Hikaru stated, reaching for the roll of cloth bandages and began to wrap the cloth thrice around the upper area of her left arm then tore the cloth bandage from the roll and tied it into place on her arm. He then moves to the next scrape down farther on her arm and places the alcohol covered rag on it. “Must have been some scrap to get this beat up.” He said to himself. He had seen worse than scrapes, but getting this hurt must have been a heck of a fight he thought to himself.

“Oh, just your standard pistol armed goons trying to capture us. We kill two guys, and they get all up in arms. Most of these were from running, and probably a good number of ricochets.” Shinkei said, giving a minute wince as the gause was tied around her arm. She let her leg bounce a bit, feeling antsy to get moving, wanting to get these fuckers back over twice for taking pot shots at her. Secondly, she was somewhat worried about Kat, not having seen what happened after she got punched in the gut.

Hikaru nodded as he listened to Shinkei while he removed the alcohol covered cloth from her arm and wrapped the second scrape on the lower part of her left arm in gause. “It was a miracle that you were not hit then. Very very lucky.” He said as he attended to the scrape on the palm of her hand and placed the rag on it then after a second, removing the rag and began to wrap it in gauze.

“Thank you.” She spoke, giving a nod and flexing her hand, making sure she would be good for shooting and holding a pistol. She had lost her plasma one on the way here, having gotten shot out of her hand by a lucky shot. With a smile though, she looked to her mechanical arm, checking the battery life on it.

“At least I got a few good tools in this thing to help me out.” Shinkei spoke in a relieved tone.

“And what tools would those be?” Hikaru inquired as he moved down to her legs and began gently placing the cloth on each scrape.

Shinkei smirked as she began to cycle through the many tools on her arm, from simple wrenches to a welder, though she didn’t turn it on. She didn’t need to waste the fuel and battery that quickly on her arm.

“And worst to worst, I have an electrical bullet I can shoot from this thing, but it damn near kills the battery on it.” She groused at that, wishing she could upgrade that without having to get the larger shoulder mount that looked so weird.

Hikaru looked up to see her mechanical arm rotate, just as he was just finishing cleaning her last scrape. “That is a very impressive set of tool’s indeed.” he said with slight amazement in his tone as he reached over to grab the roll of gauze so he could wrap up the remaining injuries.

“That should be good for now. We should honestly get going.” Shinkei spoke up and made motion for him to get this quickly finish up, as she was drumming loudly on the table.

“Calm down. While retrieving your friend and comrade in arms is important, personal health is important as well. I would see to it that we are not caught with injuries, if possible that is.” he says, attempting to reassure her. While she was no doubt eager to see to her friend, he was less eager or inclined to charge in and start saving people he barely knew and if her friend was taken, more than enough of a reason to not charging in recklessly as she would likely be guarded by more than simple Tuxedo men.

A few moment’s after Hikaru reassures her, he finishes wrapping and covering her scrapes with the gauze. He then stands up and set the cloth and the gauze on the table. “Are you okay to walk?” Hikaru inquires, worried if she could get up and move around or not.

Shinkei got up with no problem, though a little bit wobbly on her legs from the walking. Taking a few practice stretches of her legs, she smiled at the man.

“All good. just needed to catch my breath.” She gave a polite bow of her head, appreciative of his work on her legs. She turned at that point to the rest of the crew, giving them an eager look.

“So, we got any plan for this, or are we going in guns blazing?” Shinkei asked them.

As Shinkei asked them that question, Hikaru took the medicinal alcohol bottle and screwed the top back on then placed the rag, the gause and the bottle back in the first-aid kit and closed it.

Soulio

05-31-2015, 01:37 AM

Sam had sat in the diner for a long time waiting for the rest of the crew. He had already eaten a meal and had a couple of drinks by the time the entire crew had arrived, and even, somehow, Togga and two others.

The diner was cleared out of all customers, leaving the crew and the two new guys alone to go over the new plan. Togga laid it all out, and as he was speaking, Sam was studying the one in the armor the entire time. It looked familiar, putting a bad taste in his mouth. Togga finished explaining the plan, and almost immediately, Shinkei burst in, and the man in the armor had his gun raised at her. Sam did the same, but to Armor Dude, ready to put a few into him if he tried anything.

As things calmed down, Sam relaxed and waited for something to happen.

He heard Shinkei's question, and with a small grin on his face, he replied,

"I'd love to go in guns blazing. It'd be fun."

Dr. Insano

05-31-2015, 01:49 AM

There were a couple of things that were fairly interesting with the situation. First was the robot ninja playing nurse with a woman in a dress, of which he was sure they were hitting it off splendidly. Then there was what seemed to be a drunk cowboy walking out of the place and a look that said to anyone, "Get in my way and I'll rip your entrails out." Needless to say it seemed he's had a rough day. It also seemed that the other members were ready for some action, which was a shame since Ash was now just getting used to sitting down and relaxing. Chuckling to himself he took out a spliff and lit it, taking in the familiar aroma. This would have to do for his little R&R for now until he found a nice bed, and hopefully a girl to warm it for him.

"We've chit-chatted enough. Lets go get Kat and waste this motherfucker. And any other stupid son of a bitch that gets in the way."

Walking up to the door with the behemoth of a man Ash whistled for K-9 until the robot came to his heels. Normally he wouldn't opt to willingly through himself into violence, but at the moment his options were to go with the soldier with anger issues, or go to try and kill and associate of a woman he had just betrayed. Neither one seemed very promising but he always liked meeting new people.

“So, we got any plan for this, or are we going in guns blazing?”

"Well I have like 60% of a plan. It goes a little like this, and I'm sure you'll agree with me, don't get shot, don't die, and most importantly, get home in time for some food." Checking his gun to make sure it was still charged, he continued, "It's a work in progress, but it's effective." Ash also couldn't help but stare at the arm that she had as well. His eyes were practically already dissecting it. How do you fit an entire toolbox into an arm and still have room for a fucking cannon? Shaking his head a little he snapped out of his little staring contest with the machine and patted the big guy on the shoulder. "So, after you, mon cherrie?"

SikstaSlathalin

05-31-2015, 03:55 AM

*K.A.M Bots*

Seeing the potential dust-up between Killbot and this new Medical Droid, little A-Bot zoomed between them speaking plaintively.

"Please, let's not do this. We need to find the Captain and the crew." The little communication droid hovered between the two much bigger robots hoping his words are enough. The two combat bots stared at one another for a few seconds, but lowered their weapons.

Killbot spoke first.
"Killbot says little brother A-Bot is right oh yeah! Killbot thinks we should use this security depot to help the crew out."

A-bot nodded and moved back to the computer console doing some techno magic as K-Bot and M-Bot glared at each other.

*Togga*

Things happened rather quickly after Togga opened the floor to the crew for questions and ideas. First Micheal voiced the most obvious and probably most pressing questions on the floor at the moment, then Xantos proposed a line of action they could take, then Ash proposed more good questions then offered to find Shinkei and Kat, then half of their objective burst through the door out of breath and partially battered. Before he could respond to any of the comments he quickly looked back at his brother-in-law and jerked his head back at the door. Tah-Lashy nodded and sent a couple of his own guards out to see if they could find anything the closed the door behind them.

Things continued to happen quickly and Togga had to place a heavy hand on Sam 2's shoulder stopping the man's forward movement. Hikaru then played nurse for Shin followed by comments from Sam1 and Ash.

Togga held up his hand for silence.
"Enough, no one is going in guns blazing until we are having plan. I am not willing to sacrifice any more of you on a frontal assault we will most assuredly be losing." He pulled the Confederate back angling him towards Bailey, nodding for Rivet to move which he did going to Kari's side. Togga stood before the door, his large size blocking most of it.
"Friends, I am knowing how eager you all are to be getting our crew back and be getting off this rock. I am being there with you, Killbot and Aidebot are also missing combing them with Kat we are missing three of our crew. Now I am not being too worried about the Bots, nothing can really be killing K-Bot and A-Bot is being too smart to let them be getting caught. As for Kat, I am being sure Moriarty has her in his clutches. He will not be harming her, at least not as long he is thinking he can be bargaining with us. Ideally we would have a day or so to be planning this rescue, but as you can be seeing." He rubbed his large hand around his bare neck, Stella had taken his bubble collar away when he was captured, he didn't have a day or so to plan. "Without my bubble collar, I am only having a few hours before things are getting very bad. So this plan will be being very quick and dirty, Ms. Silverlight will be handled do not be worrying, but Kat and Moriarty must be our priority"

Togga pointed to the map on the wall and motioned for the Waitress controlling it to zoom in on the main casino. She did and it showed a 3-D image of the massive building.
"Now I am not being sure, where Moriarty will be holding her. But Shinkei if you and Ash can be managing to contact the Black Star, Evan may being able to help us out. Sams, you will be going with Bailey, Rivet, Sabor, and Hikaru into back of restaurant, Tah-Lashy has been gathering some weapons and basic armor that may be helping us with this rescue, I will be needing you all to inspect and prepare them. Micheal, Xan, Sy, Kari, and Aki, you will be working with me we are needing to gather what resources we are being are able to gather to be bolstering our chances for this madness. Meds, food, and any little odds and ends we are being able to grab." The big alien finished speaking and took a somewhat ragged breath.

"Now be going." He motioned to everyone to go to work as he moved towards the Yellow Brick Road's store room.

wakachukie

06-02-2015, 01:20 AM

Michael's eyes narrowed at Xantos. The guy had logic, but it felt wrong. Both old schooling and new habits said rescue the Captain. Those two in agreement did not happen often, and yet he would defy both tradition and honor? Michael briefly considered what wou- No. Those thoughts brought death, and there would be enough of that soon enough. Besides, Xan was actually pretty good at finding rare and tasty ingredients, odd though they may have been.

Michael shook his head. Togga was back, and essentially unharmed for the moment. It was troubling that they were on such a short time scale due to that collar, but the Captain was strong. Then Shin had arrived as well. Good, she was safe; and that prompted a whole mess during which Michael passively waited. He was ready to go, but now that the Captain was back it was his responsibility to delegate tasks - which he did effectively.

Michael slid out of his seat and grinned. "If it's ammo and supplies we want. Why not just look out the back door? Waving at the other 4 to follow, he slipped through the back. "On my way here, I stopped to ready some stuff for us." Pushing the door open to the shipping/receiving area; Michael showed them the fruit of the truck load earlier. "Food and meds in the middle, I hope you guys like corn cobs. And a Lot of big Explosives in the back. I didn't have time for sorting, so there may be some surprises in here yet."

Noticing a black crate rocking side-to-side, Michael quickly grabbed it and sat on the box both to view the on-goings and keep the large animal from escaping. Peering down, he saw the technician he had knocked out earlier now stuck in the containment unit he was sitting on. Great.

Locking down the crate, Michael grabbed a sack of charges and a Qualta blade he had snagged before walking back into the restaurant to catch up with the Sams and Hikaru. "Hey Sam! Go check that truck out back. I saw some things back there you guys would love."

Arthera

06-08-2015, 12:31 PM

Kat stirred, groaning.

She felt cold against her cheek at first, followed by a dull ache in her stomach and sides. Lifting her head, Kat reached to rub her ribs, but was met with a yank at her wrist and a feeling of cold around it. Squinting, and then rapidly opening her eyes as consciousness returned, she saw that her hands were handcuffed, old style, to the top of some metallic table, through a bolted metal loop. She gave a few quick tugs before stopping, knowing she wasn't going to be able to brute-force her way out of them. She she didn't have any leeway beyond sitting up, forearms pressed against the table.

Taking stock of her situation in more detail, Kat sat up, wincing at a lasting pain in her mid-section. She was still in her dress. She was sat in a plain, steel chair, bolted to the ground. Her ankles were cuffed and also looping through an iron ring bolted into a concrete floor. Clearly, her captor didn't want her going anywhere. Not that the room she was in would allow Ekaterina to go anywhere. The room was plain concrete walls, no windows, no outlets, no furniture. A single metal door a dozen feet in front of her, walls equally distant all around her with a ceiling just as far away. A single light bulb gave enough illumination to see all but the corners.

Great, just great.

A few minutes passed before the doorknob twisted and the metal door swung silently open, sliding across the floor with rubber attached to the bottom of it. Moriarty (http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Siks/Stock%20photos/Timekeeper7_zpsb298b343.jpg) entered the room carrying some food, a drink, and a file. He was dressed in an immaculate black suit and he was perfectly groomed, he was the very picture of well-to-do rich male or in this case the epitome of an Underworld Crime Boss. He was smiling pleasantly and genuinely at his prisoner, like he was have lunch with an old friend.

"Well, well, well, Ms. Ekaterina "Kat" Caiven Rovitz. It is quite a pleasure to meet you. I am Moriarty, now if you could just answer some questions of mine you will be kept safe, alive, and sent home with enough money to lock yourself in your own Computerized super-fortress. But you must be starving here eat up, I assure you it's quite good." He placed the food down before the woman and sat opposite of her. Her hands were free enough to eat the if she leaned her head down a little. Leaning back in his own chair the Crime Boss opened the file and began leafing through all the intel his network had gathered on Kat.

Kat stared at Moriarty as he came in, all swagger and flourish, waiting until he sat down to talk.

"How nice of you to send thugs to beat up on me and then kidnap me for a few simple questions. I'm touched by your attention. Really. If you really wanted quick answers to questions, I'm sure you could have sent me a message and I might have been nice enough to answer. I'm afraid your methods slowed down the whole process."

She moved to lean back into the chair by habit, only to feel the metal of the cuffs bite slightly into her wrists as a reminder. "If we're to be so cordial with each other, I'm sure you could skip the cuffs and not let me eat like a dog, right?" tugging at said cuffs around her wrists to emphasize the point. "I feel they diminish my willingness to answer questions. But you're right, I'm in much of what I do for the money. We might be able to reach an accord if you exercise more of your gentleman's persona." lifting her hands, palms upwards with a wry smile on her lips.

Moriarty smiled pushing a button on his side of the table that released Kat from being chained to the table and lengthened the chain on her cuffs so she could move her hands easier but she was still cuffed.

His spoke keeping his voice smooth and professional.
"Consider that an apology then, they had orders not to harm you unless you shot first. Which you happened to do. But come enjoy your meal, if the answers are satisfactory we can put this dirty business behind us. Now how many of the Black Star's crew are on planet and how many are still orbiting the planet?" He asked studying the file on the Privateers as a whole.

Still cuffed, but less like a dog and more like a regular prisoner. It was a start, although hardly enough for Kat to really do more than before, she was still cuffed to the ground quite securely.

"To be fair, being hounded by costumed gorillas hardly makes a good impression. And they also shot back, with real bullets. You should hire goons more able to listen to orders, I could be dead right now." She may as well exact a small amount of vengeance while she still could upon the thugs in the alley. It was much less likely she could do much to Moriarty on the other hand without the crew to back her up.

"I can honestly say more than one in each case, but you know that already. And besides, you have quite a camera setup on the planet. Slightly sub-par protection on them, but still a lot of cameras. I'm sure you have better questions than that to ask? Testing the waters? Or did I break all your cameras? And you should know that talking about my currently employer is bad for my paycheck, you know that right? I'd like to know what's exactly on the table. I like numbers."

The man chuckled again rather enjoying Kat's snappy wit.
"They listened perfectly, I needed you alive, so once you shot back they had orders to bring you by any means. But moving on, as I said, if you help me and I find the answers good you will be made rich enough to buy your own solar system and be able to vanish fully off the radar and be done with other sentient for however long you want. You see I have this." He reached into the pocket inside his coat and pulled out a small disc with the Skorne Empire's symbol upon it.

"This my pretty young friend, is a Skorne Black Hole." He paused and let the name sink in he knew she would've heard of it. "This will erase every trace of you from every record, database, and sentient memory in the universe. You can become anything you want, anyone you want, you can even cease to exist and stay around your computers for the rest of your born days...or you can sell it and become even more wealthy. You're own system wipings are impressive, but not perfect. Afterall I know this much about you." He emphasized this by lifting up the paper clipped file on Kat showing much more than the Engineer would want anyone to know. "Now, this has only left the Skorne Emperor's possession once before, by someone we both know, so I don't think I need to say the name." The Crime Lord smiled placing the disc back into his pocket. "It all can be yours, and all I need is the rest of the Black Star's Crew, a way into your base, and what plans your large Captain has for the crew's future missions. Not so hard really."

Kat paused for a few moments.

The possibilities were right there. So much could be done, everything an easy ride from A to Z, nothing beyond reach, beyond Kat's touch or whim. There were times in her relatively short life where she wished for a chance to get her hands on that exact device.

"That is quite a generous offer. Too generous if you ask me. Why not keep it for yourself and use it whenever your current identity gets found out? To be honest, you're selling way too high to be true. You could have a nice visual copy but non-working design. And that's not even considering that when I tell you anything, that you won't simply kill me. I have no guarantees, no information and no tools to validate anything you're telling me. It's a nice dream, but likely only a dream. Unless you have a way to offer me all the above?"

If she was lucky, time was passing by fast enough that the crew were on their way. Kat didn't exactly study or tried extensive talking before, let alone bargaining, so she had no clue if she was doing anything right or wrong. It sounded quite good to her ears, truth be told, but perhaps Xan would be laughing as well right now at hearing the head engineer talking.

Moriarty shrugged rather non-nonchalantly leaning back in his seat lifting his hands up peacefully.
"If I had wanted you dead, I'd have done it before my men even found you. As long as your crew think you're alive they'll come looking for you and I can learn what I need to know from their bodies. But such bloodshed is bad for business. And I am first and foremost a businessman, as for why I won't use it, don't you worry." The man looked at his watch and stood up from the table. "Well Ms. Rovitz, I have some business to attend to. You'll have some more time to think on my offer, I'll be back later." The man tipped his head to her and moved for the door.

Kat leaned back in her chair and let out a silent sigh of relief. Not dead yet, no damage done and time passing for the crew to get on the ball and do something. At least she managed to not be pinned to the table anymore and sit up. Still cuffed to the damned floor, but baby steps.

Now if he could just leave the room and let Kat scarf down that food. With him gone, she hoped that anything he had slipped into the sandwich to make her talk, sleepy or whatnot would be useless. Right now, she could care less about the potential side-effects and more about the fact she was raving hungry and had kept a straight face despite a very real desire to jump at the thing the second he placed it within reach. Maybe dignity was involved somewhere along the line too.

Kat really hoped the crew got here fast, or hunger would be the least of her worries.

Soulio

06-09-2015, 01:43 AM

Just as soon as Togga said to move to the back of the restaurant and finished his speech to the group, Hikaru had already to begun to move back there. Passing the main bar counter, then entering and passing through the kitchen, he arrived at a moderately sized storage room in the back with enough room to fit all six of the people assigned to taking stock of the weapons and more for movement.

Hikaru was the first one into the room. There were metal lockers and shelves on the left and right side of the room and there was a table to the wall at the end of the room and one in the middle. On the table in the center of the room were several submachine guns and handguns that used metal rounds and cartridges, along with a number of laser pistols and laser rifles.

On the table that was against the walls was several assault rifles. Something that was bullet based and that Hikaru seemed to be personally familiar with. There were also some bullet proof vests stacked at the end of the table. Would likely be useful against small arms fire.

Hikaru moved to the end of the room and examined one of the assault rifles at the end table. Reaching and grabbing ahold of the closest one, he picked it up and almost immediately, his HUD began detecting and reading the new weapon in moments.

「新しいハードウェアの検出。。。」
「新しいハードウェアが検出された。スペックは、ディスプレイ上の頭にアップロードしました。」

(("Detecting new hardware. . ."))
(("New hardware detected. Specs uploaded to the Heads Up Display."))

It was an assault rifle that his chained intelligence unit in his helmet detected near immediately.

“A Noboru Tactical assault rifle, Mitsu Corp. make. . . looks like forty rounds in the clip size. . .” He said as he reached for a clip on the table and picked it up, his HUD display reading the exact clip size. “Yeah, forty round clips. It has been a while since I saw one of these. . .”

Moaning the entire explanation, Sam could only hope that they finished this mission soon and get back to shooting things and asking later. He loathed stealth missions, preferring to go in guns a’blazing. Nonetheless, he walked to the back room once he got the entire plan settled into his mind. He was right behind Mr.Armor Head, whom had surveyed the table of weapons, grabbing one and “informing” Sam of the weaponry.

“I know what they are,” he said irritated. If there was one hobby Sam had, it was guns. And boy if he knew all about the old shit. He grabbed one of the pistols, appreciating the feel and weight of it. Definitely old age.

“By the look of things, some of these are your basic kinetic based weaponry, and others are ancestral to the guns most people have today. Which isn’t very good for us, considering that most of those guns have been rendered practically obsolete and dangerous. They originally required cooldowns between shots, and supposedly, if you shook em around enough, they’d explode!. Hell, in those early wars, rumor has it that more people died from random weapon explosions than actual gunshots!” he said, laughing at the thought. He didn’t like that the man was wearing his helmet, and, slightly irritated, he stated,

“Take off the helmet. Don’t like talking to those I can’t see.”

Hikaru briefly turns his head and looks up at sam. “Cant see me? But you are looking right at me.” before returning back to counting the clips.

“Bullet projectile’s may not be the most. . . modern application tool in warfare, but they are just as effective. It is not about how powerful the weapon is but how good the person is at using it.” Hikaru said, while counting out the ammo clips. Then, setting down the Noboru rifle on the table, he turns to the table in the center and picks up one of the laser pistols.

Again, the Heads Up Display took a few moments to begin uploading the weapon data. The pistol was one that Hikaru had not seen before, so it would take a minute for everything to process.

“You know damn well what I mean Helmet Boy. Take the damn mask off. I know how the technology works,” he said gruffly, looking at the rifles and pistols for any damage and issues that would pose problems.

Sam let out a chuckle at Helmet Boy’s comment on weaponry. It was an adorable little comment that many liked to use. Sam had been around enough firearms and gunfights to know that having better weaponry did better the odds.

“Where’d you hear that? Old Earthen movie? Let me ask you; have you seen a fifty caliber laser primed rifle with plasma filled bullets in battle? They can fuck an entire squadron of trained professionals over faster than you can blink. You can be good with a gun, but if you’re up against the big guns, odds are, you’re not coming out healthy.” He took a look at one old age kinetic pistol, checking the clip for any dents. He loaded it and checked the weight balance, finding it a bit odd yet pleasing how it was heavier than his usual pistols.

“Not from an old Earthen movie. When I was in ‘the company’, they had taught us that these old weapons were still destructive in nature. Like my sword here.” He said, motioning towards his sword on the back of his hip with a free hand. “It may seem outdated to use such a weapon during our age, but then again, we were never specialists in open and direct warfare. They taught us how to be excellent infiltrators and made us train with these swords daily, as well as with a number of weapons of what you would consider old tech.”

“So you’re telling me that no matter how big the gun, if someone is amazing with a weapon, then they’ll win?” Sam grinned inwardly, immediately grabbing one of the pistols from the table, stepping back and aiming it at Helmet Boy.

“Doesn’t seem that way to me. See, if we were in a standoff and you had just your sword like you do now, you’d be on the losing end, if only because I have the superior weapon. One movement, all I’d have to do… is squeeze the trigger.” Sam put down the weapon, hoping that Helmet Boy understood his point.

“Finger off the trigger, unless you intend to shoot.” as Hikaru said that, the weapon data for the laser pistol in his hand had finished registering to his HUD. “Laser weapon of unknown make or model. HUD registers it’s energy clip at about thirty.” Hikaru sets the laser pistol down, then leans forward and places both of his hands on the table. “You know, if we were not on the same team right now. . .” Hikaru thought about his words for a moment before deciding not to say anything, shaking his head. “Nevermind. Not worth causing friction. Just know that the only person I trust here is Togga and you are the least I trust since you pointed a loaded weapon at me.”

“Do NOT give me commands. I’ve done far worse than your sorry ass could even hope of doing. Sam glared at Helmet Boy after hearing his veiled threat, his hand moving a bit closer to one of the heavy hitters in the room.
“Threaten me again asshole. I don’t give a fuck if we’re on the same team or not; you threaten me, and I’ll make damn sure you regret it. And believe me, I’ve got more than enough ways to do it.” He contemplated his next words, choosing them carefully.

“If you haven’t noticed, Togga and the rest of us have been together for longer than your sorry ass has. He has more trust in any of us than he has in you. Keep that in mind, Helmet Boy.”

“Like I give a shit about what a cocky asshole who boasts about his achievements has to say. I’ve fought with people like you before, and it never ended pretty for either side. Only reason why we do not fight now is because Togga is the leader and I will respect and follow the leader’s directive. Now, if we are crystal clear and you are not going to try and shoot me, then fuck off, because both of us will die if we start a firefight, and I rather not die today or anytime in the near future and I’ve made it too far and escaped the grasp of Mitsu Corp. to die now.” Hikaru said with a tone of extreme irritation in his voice as he was confronting the boisterous and headstrong buffoon. Hikaru was not one for confrontation, but he would shove back when it came to pushing.

“I wasn’t boasting, Helmet Boy,” he said, fighting the urge to just pummel him to the ground. The feeling this man was letting off was really off putting to Sam, and the minute he heard that he had been involved with Mitsu Corp, Sam looked up in fury.

“You worked for those assholes? No fucking wonder you’re making me uncomfortable!” He threw his arms in the air, turning away from him.

“Fucking wonderful… Of all the people Togga finds, it’s a fucking Mistu Corporations fuck…” He turned around, trying to stay as calm as possible. Sam didn’t know the full story, and he did say that he escaped them. Didn’t make much a difference though.

“Alright. We’ve got a job to do, and I’d rather get the fuck done with it and do what I need to do to get off this damn planet and back fucking home. And if, god forbid, Togga brings you along for the ride, we’ll deal with shit then. Understood?” Sam said, his eyes fierce.

“Agreed. Getting off this planet together takes more priority than our petty squabbling. We can deal with our differences when we are off this rock but for now, we must focus and work together.” Hikaru met his gaze but his helmet obscured whatever emotion he was expressing.

“One condition. Take the helmet off. I’m not working with someone who wants to hide.”

“If you want me to take my helmet off, then for Kami-sama’s sake, stop pointing the damned gun at me. If this is about trust then I need to trust you to not shoot me, just like you need to trust me not to stab you in the back.”

“Hey Sam. Welcoming the new recruit I see.” Michael walked in with a grin.

“It’s a trust thing, yes. People wearing helmets or masks have something to hide. I don’t like that.” Michael had enough trust to know that Helmet Boy wouldn’t stab him in the back. And that was mainly due to the fact that if he did, he’d have the entire Black Star crew to deal with. He went back to inspecting the weapons, loading and powering up what he could, looking up as Michael walked in.

“He better not be a new recruit…” Sam mumbled, setting one of the rifles down to look up at Michael.

“Grab a gun, make sure it works, set it to the side. Don’t fuck up or we may accidentally be the reason someone dies today. Got it?”

Michael grunted. It seemed the appropriate level of response to Sam, and then grabbed for the first gun in reach. At least, it ought to be a gun. The tiny, pathetic handheld device seemed to operate by physically smashing self-contained cartridges of actual ferrous carbide filled with a nitric sulfur compound. Michael slid the obvious controlling rod, observing the chamber action, then the hammer and pin. What primitive race of barbaric savages devolved enough to concoct such an decrepit design?

“You don’t seem too put off by my armored mask.”

Once sure of what to check for, the bolt-action and revolvers were quickly cleared with the semi-automatics following shortly thereafter as Michael got used to the cave-man metallurgy. The majority were generally in good condition even due to their age, thanks to the reliability of pre-stone age tech, no doubt; except for a number with excessively worn barrels, several misaligned barrels, and a few bent rods which would require some amount of work to repair.

Grabbing three crates at a time, Michael hefted them to his shoulders and carried each over to the interior door. Setting them down in a line for distribution, he headed back to the other two crewmates to look over weapons that seemed at least capable of doing damage.

“The ones by the door seem usable. At least as good as throwing large rocks anyways. You guys done with the real weapons?”

Hikaru had returned to working on checking if the guns worked and downloading weapon specs. He had already check the weapons after a half of a minute during their conversation so he decided to take his helmet off. It was not as if this was something to start a fight over.

As he gripped the sides of the helmet with both hands, the slight hissing of air could be hear as it slid off, but as soon as he had taken it off and set the helmet on the table, the band that held the hair on the back of his head tied up snapped and his long, well groomed hair came cascading down.

“Kuso jigoku, korera no kudaranai hea bando.” ((“Fucking hell, these shitty hairbands.”)) Hikaru said while attempting to gather up all his hair and tie it back together physically.

Michael just grinned and looked over the rest of the weapons. Hair was a distraction, and sometimes a weakness - still, it did make one look better at times. The oddly sharp language he spoke sounded fun to try out though. “Korera no jū no izureka ga yoku miemasu ka?” ((“Do any of those guns look good?”)) Inwardly, Michael shuddered at how badly he had butchered the pronunciation.

“Nani? Watashi wa sore no izureka o rikai shite imasendeshita.” ((“What? I could not understand any of that.”)) Hikaru said as he had managed to round up and started to straighten his hair so he could wrap it up.

After hearing a bit more of the tongue to get more reference, Michael considered and then his face lit up. Ok, I got this. “Kare wa anata ni kurō o ataete imasu ka?”((“Is he giving you a hard time?”)) His hologuise still obstructed the foreign words, but now at least they came out how he wanted them to. Still, this was slightly annoying after having to learn the Basic galactic language; so Michael decided to stick with what was known.

“Un fakku. Kono otoko wa kiraidesu.” ((“Fuck yeah. This guy is an asshole.”)) He replied with a sarcastic and semi-joking tone while he finished straightening out his hair then began looping it in a fashion that would cause it to ball up.

“Give it time and all will be made clear.” Michael snorted in mirth at his own cliche. Still, it was true enough. Turning around, he saw that they had finished the tables of weapons. Sam had probably finished going through the armor by now; though it seemed odd to wear such armor into a casino.

Hikaru noticed that Michael was looking at the bullet proof vests on the table. “Those you wear under a suit or clothing. If nobody knows you are wearing armor hidden under your clothing then that means you can get drop on them. It won't hold up to anything more than small arm fire. Anything like laser or plasma weapons or bullets bigger than handgun ballistics will tear right through it.”

“Good idea, and the same goes for them.”

Sam had been looking at armor and weapons, judging just how capable the armor was against anything more than kinetic bullets. From the looks of it, anything bigger than a small childs thumb would tear right through the armor. Meaning that basically, the entire crew was fucked from the get-go.

“Well, we might as well wear them. Better than nothing,” he said, throwing the armor to the side.

“Okay, so to summarize, we’ve got most of the guns in working order. Those that don’t work stay here. The rifles we can ask Togga about, and as for pistols, there’s enough for the entire crew to get one. However, we do have silencers both for the outdated kinetic firearms and for the newer tech. We’ll be handing those out to the scouts since stealth is their forte. The armor we don’t have much of, so Togga can hand those out accordingly.” He looked to Hikaru and his sword, sighing.

“It’s obvious you love that thing, but keep in mind Togga might ask you to leave that behind. Just a forewarning.” He surveyed the little ‘armory’ they had, sighing. Today was going to be one hell of a mission.

He turned to go back out front to speak with Togga about the weapons, but quickly turned back, grabbing one of the larger pistols for himself.

“Mine... “ he said, stroking it affectionately. It was an old fashioned revolver, and boy did Sam find it gorgeous. He holstered it, pushing open the door and moved toward Togga, Michael trailing behind.

As Sam walked out of the back room, Hikaru had finished tying his hair into a bun like shape in the back, knotting his hair in a manner that it would come undone when manually loosened but would not come apart so easily otherwise. He would then place his helmet back on his head, then turn around and grab one of the Noboru rifles and several ammo clips for it, then following right behind Sam, muttering under his breath “Like hell I will leave my blade behind.” before following right behind Sam.

SikstaSlathalin

06-21-2015, 06:34 PM

*Togga*

As everyone went about their business Togga led his group into the back where Micheal had managed to hi-jack a truck of supplies. The Cook was odd, but useful, he nodded to Aki and Kari and dove into the truck, he could bring out the crates and the two women could crack them open and see what each holds.

With a grunt the big alien hefted up the first crate and brought it out. He was already beginning to feel his breath shortening. The longest he's gone without his collar is maybe six hours and that was back on Carin when it took a direct hit from a Plasma Rifle and he had to wait for it to be fixed. And he wasn't tempting the wrath of a Crime Boss on his own turf that time, just working out and topping his high score on the Firing Range. This was going to be a long night, he just hoped they all make it back to the Black Star by the end of it. Dropping the crate the Captain let out sigh taking a few deep breaths before he turned to leave only to have Doc Kari stop him with a firm grab on his arm.

The blond looked up at the big male with concern.
"Captain, are you sure you want to do this?"

Togga grunted popping open the crate and looking at it's contents.
"Da I am not allowing one of my crew to being killed by Moriarty."

The woman hmmed and began helping Togga and Aki with unloading the many cans of food. The young Scout chimed in here.
"But Captain can you not borrow a bubble collar from the Sharterrans here?"

Togga shook his head going to get the next crate.
"No, each Bubble collar is being filled with the water of Piscia. They are not being easily replaced."

The girl quirked her eyebrow unloading the last of the cans.
"Why?"

Kari filled in that answer as she pushed the empty crate away.
"Sharterran anatomy, the water of their homeworld is perfectly balanced with the right mineral and such they need to live. As such the water in the collars needs to be imported from the planet."

Togga nodded, once more impressed by the woman's quick fire knowledge.
"Da, while we can be breathing air and in all bodies of water. To live we are needing the Piscian water" He brought another crate down and repeated the task of opening and checking the contents.

Aki nodded and began removing yet another batch of canned food.
"So how do these collars get made Captain?"

The male chuckled lightly, never has the young Scout asked so many questions, maybe the nerves were getting to her.
"They are being made by the trained artisans on Piscia known as Bubble Weavers. They are having my specific build on record so once I am being back on the Black Star I can be using my back-up collar and be ordering more."

The girl nodded once more.
"Oh ok, I thought there was some deeper meaning to them."

The Captain gave another chuckled unloading some strange looking explosive.
"No, it is being a more modern invention now that my people are being stretched all across the universe." He pushed the second empty crate and went back to the truck for another.

This time is was Kari who voiced a question.
"So Captain, there's something I've always wondered. Can any water be used in an empty bubble collar?"

Togga nodded exiting the truck with two smaller crates.
"Yes, but it is not being a permanent solution. If you were to be dropping me in the pool behind the Madre I could be staying in for a few hours with the chemicals and all they are dumping into it. If I was being dropped into one of the large natural lakes of the Endless Forest, I could spend many week in it, but I would being able to leave until I am getting another collar and even then the water would not be enough to be keeping me alive for longer than a few days." The two women nodded and went back to focusing on unloading the crates with their Captain and the others.

Koti~

06-23-2015, 07:46 PM

With a nod to Togga and another thank you to Hikaru, Shin headed over to meet the person that she had been paired with, Ash. It was an odd name, though with this colorful crew, any name flew at this point. Sitting down, she took a few moments, studying the man before her along with the robot companion sitting nearby.

"Names Shinkei, I take it your Ash. Seems you're here to help me get in contact with the ship, huh." Shinkei spoke, already tinkering with her arm some and figuring out the best way to do it. Kat last time had been the one to contact the main ship, using the satelite relays and such to bypass the security feed. Now though, she new it would be an easy break for her after having cracked it last time, yet it was only for planetside. Now she would need to get the ship, and that was a whole other beast.

It seems that bullets wouldn't be flying any time soon as Togga put a stop to the gung ho group and actually laid out some plans. He was grateful for the order, but he would be lying if he said he wasn't looking forward to putting some more bullets in some more bad people. But hey, he now had a brand new project to start and a brand new partner to help him with it.

"You are 100% correct. Though I wish we could work together under less pressuring odds. You know, sweatpants, ice-cold beer, peoples' lives not being in danger. But I guess we can't all have the best working conditions, can we?"

Pulling out his tablet Ash set it on the table and began taking it apart. His eyes zoomed in and out trying to focus on those pesky little screws while also making sure he didn't break anything. "Alright, easy part is finding a device that can communicate all the way to space, which is where I'm sure our, or your, ship is." Within seconds the piece of tech was laid out on the table naked with all of its parts exposed. "Hard part is trying to get it to communicate with whatever machine you have up there. I don't have the frequency, codes, or smoke signals." It was at this point Ash found it annoying to talk while smoking so he flicked the rolled paper out onto the floor. "So, Ms. Shin, I'm open to suggestions."

Shinkei nodded as she picked through each piece, separating the parts and organizing them by type, size, and use. It was a plethora, and most of it was discarded in purpose.

"Well, even if we did, we were still getting jammed from that direction. Kat had backtracked through the satellites and sent it through in a musical tune." Shin spoke, beginning to pull bits and pieces together before connecting them some in a jangled radio mess.

"I need the wifi .. and a cellphone, if you have one." Shinkei said, watching and studying the piece before unscrewing it all, and then rebuilding it up slowly.

Pulling a small phone out from his pocket, Ash pushed it over to Shin. It was a crude, hand-built one that was Frankensteined together from other phones. The devices were expensive these days. It was much better just to build one yourself and steal service. "There's the phone, and I'm sure that in a bar like this the Wi-Fi will have a guest connection. Maybe."

At the same time he also took out CamBot in order to see if it had any parts that they could use as well. "So tell me, is the sexy piece of tech you use as an arm your own creation or of-the-shelf?" After Ash eyed over the small robot, he started to dissemble it and pulled out the microphone. "Gotta have a way to communicate after all. A few adjustments and we should be able to talk to the ship without typing up a conversation."

"That would be most useful." Shinkei said as she picked up the phone. It was rather well put together, a mix of several different phone pieces and sturdy. Flipping one of her fingers to a small knife, she traced a line along the phone before switching to a flat head to flip it open. The insides were even better, but still just bits of odds and ends put together.

"The shell is high end model, but the insides are completely upgraded on my own. Got a full functioning torch for welding in here." Shin spoke distractedly, tapping her arm as she talked about it. Unpiecing it, she began building what looked like a crude tablet, but one could see it working harder.

"Got a power cell in that dog unit?" She motioned to his robot pet, making sure everything was in place."

"You're not going to disect K-9 if that's what you're thinking." Ash scooted the CamBot over to Shin and pointed to it. "You need a power cell then there you go. Should be more than powerful enough to power our little doohicky." He got up and stretched his arms and legs. This had been a long day for him, and an interesting one. In all honestly he was surprised he wasn't dead yet, with multiple bullet holes in him.

Looking again at Shin's arm he smiled. "You know, I could fix that little power problem you have. Using that little cannon of yours must take a lot of juice. Honestly, it's just a matter of conserving power consumption after using it."

"That would be most helpful." Shin spoke as she took ahold of the cambot, turning it around in her hand a few times with a smile. She popped it open, taking the batteries and optics out, before slowly working it into her gadget. Now it looked even odder, the camera pointed towards her with the tablet resting on the table, sitting just above it on cambots legs.

"Okay .. powering on in 3.. 2...1..0" She spoke as she pressed the power button. Nothing happened for a few moments before giving a silent hum, the tablet lighting up with a keypad on the lower half, and the top section split in two, one showing her face, the other a blank screen.

"Yes. It's working just right. Okay, Ash, was it? I need you to connect to the local wifi and get into the settings options through the admin controls if you can." She spoke, sliding the phones half, which was showing the main screen, several wires connecting back to the tablet.

"Right, well there's one problem with that. This brain has a gift for building a programming robots and other such commodities. Trying to hack into someone's Wi-Fi, that's not my forte." Walking over to the bar he grabbed a beer and sat back down next to Shin. "Why do you need to get in as an Admin anyways? Shouldn't just connecting be enough?"

"No, Guest gets access to the internet, and what I need is the settings. I need to be able to change the settings and frequency range. Something I won't be able to do without full control." Shin said, setting the device down and staring at it. Noting the beer in his hand, she let out a sigh.

"I could really use one of those." She spoke with a sigh.

Taking a sip of the drink Ash set it down next to her as if inviting her to help herself. Going over to K-9 he opened up his back where a panel with multiple buttons and a screen appeared. "Well if it's the settings you need then maybe my little companion can help. I've built in a little hotspot in case I'm on the go. It isn't the strongest connection in the world, but it should work for what we need it for."

After typing in a few buttons the hotspot was turned on. After writing the password on a slip of paper and handing it to Shin Ash closed up the robot. "Next step?"

With a smile, Shin quickly entered the password, entering the admin settings.

"Okay, next step, I need you to start looking for all the open frequencies and some of the locked ones. Knowing Kat, she might have left a backdoor in one of the closed ones, hopefully allowing us back in, if not, we need to start boosting our signal and look for a way into the weather dishes." Shin spoke, typing away on the keyboard.

"Yes ma'am, you got it." Sitting down next to K-9 he pressed a button that showed a virtual keyboard and screen. The robot acted as a personal computer, albeit a simple one that can't do much save connect to devices and run programs, which was another reason Ash was so protective of it. Typing away the man spoke up, "Alright, it seems there's four connections that I can't get into and three that are accessible. Seeing as Kat is your partner you'll probably know how to get into them if she was the one who put them there. I'm sending them to you now." Within a minute Shin would receive the locations of where the locked frequencies were.

"Good, good." Shinkei spoke, flipping through the 4 of them. She let out a few sighs, as hacking wasn't her strong suit. Knowing Kat, she wouldn't make it easy so that any mook would be able to follow her trail, but once the order came to scramble, she would have left an easy way back in. Now was just getting back into the girls head so that she could follow the trail.

"Hmm... how would she... how would she .... maybe.." Shinkei spoke, typing into the system before hitting enter, only to get booted. She tried several different styles that she thought would work.

"It .. wouldn't be that simple ..would it?" Shinkei typed a few seconds, alternating a few keys, before the system dinged at her, letting know that she was into the system.

"Awesome. we're in~" Shin spoke, quickly trying to pick up on the break crumbs Kat had left for herself, in hopes to get in contact with their ship.

"Sweet, good to here some good news." Taking a seat across from the young mechanic Ash set his feet on the table and closed his eyes. His body was just now feeling the fatigue from today's events and he was sure that he would need any rest he could get. "I'm sure you can take it from here, right?"

“I got it from here… for the most part.” Shinkei spoke, quickly working away on the connection as she wormed her way through them. It was a challenge, nearly failing several times to make a secure connection, before finally getting into the weather dishes to send a signal to the Black star.

“Oi Togga. We’re in.” She shouted out to the captain, having finally sent off the message ‘We’re off to see the wizard’.

Pheasant

07-20-2015, 09:40 PM

Sam seemed to still be in a piss poor mood, unloading crates at a speed that made it look like it was his job. If there was ever a moment where he looked like he wanted to throw something heavy, this was it, but for the sake of his commanding officer being only several feet away he set them on the ever growing pile like a good little Confederate.

After throwing down three or four crates, he pushed a fresh cigar in-between his teeth and gave it a light, relishing the dark thick flavor of the smoke before he was forced to let it out in a thick puff and continue working. His shoulder was still a bit rough, but tossing a few boxes around was for lightweights.

"Reminds me of the good ol' days back at garrison", he muttered under his breath, "Clean this, unload that, look spry for the Commandant. What a load of shit"

At least he wasn't against an army of well trained men with a handgun and a dream anymore, there was a nice shotgun back inside waiting to be tenderly massaged with some hot oil, "Damn if she ain't the second finest thing I've seen since I dropped on this rock..."

SikstaSlathalin

07-22-2015, 12:21 AM

*GM MOVER*

Togga and his crew moved with a military efficiency not often seen in Pirate Crews. But considering most of them were former military personnel to begin with it wasn't too unexpected. They had their orders and they followed them to the letter. Weapons were handed out and stashed, disguises were changed, and med supplies were dolled out. This wouldn't be like storming into a castle or sneaking into a bank vault, both of those plans would get them all killed and Kat would be stuck there at the whim of Moriarty.

On the command deck of the Black Star the skeleton crew was moving with silence and urgency. They had spotted a few patrol vessels of the Galactic Alliance zipping around the casino world, no doubt called by Moriarty or one of his high up security officers when the chaos first erupted. The last thing they needed was for some buttoned up silver coat recognizing the vessel and dropping in on their heads with more than half the crew trapped planetside. Fortune favored her wayward children one more time because they were able to duck behind a large asteroid until the ships passed. But they were able to catch Shinkei's transmission and while keeping radio silence Duke sent the map and layout of the Sierra Madre to the crew before going black again with the patrols still roving in orbit.

The map and layout was sent to the Mechanic she sent it to everyone's watches for quick reference. With everything ready Togga rallied everyone back to the front door and laid down the last of the plan.

Togga spoke in a steady but commanding voice.
"Friends, the time has come. We will be going into the Madre to be rescuing our lost Engineer, this place is being like nothing we have been breaking into before. There are being military installations that are being easier to be getting into. I am not even being sure if we could be getting past the security systems and personnel with our full crew and the complete contents and gear we are having on Carin. We will be splitting up into two groups, one is being a distraction and escape place, the other is being the rescuing."

He took a breath taking in everyone's faces and reactions before continuing. " Aki, Bailey, Shinkei, and Sam 1, will be coming with me to be finding out where Kat is being kept. The rest of you will be doing what you can be doing to be keeping the eyes of the security forces away from our direction. And you will all be placing yourselves at exits and entrances and preparing plans for any kind of swift exit we might be needing to be making. Ash you will be keeping in some kind of contact with Shinkei, you two are being our Comm handlers for now just be keeping things silent unless it is being necessary. Be keeping on toes and if things are being bad, be moving as fast as you are able and be returning here. Be waiting for as long as you can then be getting to the space sport and be hi-jacking some way off this damnable planet and be getting back to the Black Star. Evan will be knowing what to do next, we will all be going in through the front door than we will be splitting up and be going to our spots. Then all that is being left is waiting for signal either signal of success or of failure. Either way you will be knowing it when you are seeing it. Let us go."

With that the incognito pirates moved out of the restaurant and towards their end goal. The grand and illustrious Sierra Madre hotel, biggest casino in the galaxy and one of the best places to go if you want to to be killed and never heard from again. Keep their heads down and minds focused on the plan the crew entered the casino and were even allowed to keep their weapons which sent up red flags all around, but at least they could shoot whatever the flags meant. Once they were in the groups split and the final push to be done with this planet had begun.

Koti~

08-04-2015, 12:51 PM

Shinkei was ready for this, yet her stomach was doing belly flops worthy of the interstellar Olympics. While she was used to working in situations like this, knowing that a friend was on the line, she was more than nervous. Though now wasn't the time for such thoughts.

After having gotten the map from the BS, she was quick to pass the knowledge around to the others, making sure everyone had the layout. Once that was set, she had gone to get a weapon that she could easily carry around without drawing attention to herself. Which was rather difficult. Between the outfit she was wearing, and her thinner frame, she couldn't afford too many options for weapon use, and anything bigger than a pistol would be easily caught. She fiddled through most of the weapons, not sure which would be the best option for her.

Finally, and with much annoyance, she settled on a simple 9 mm pistol, which she ended up mixing with a small combat knife that she had tucked into her boot. Now armed, she spent her time picking out a new disguise as Togga talked, giving them the low down on their current situation. She was even more surprised to hear that she would be going to find and rescue Kat.

She, the engineer, least practiced of the crew, would be going to help find Kat?! Surely someone else would be better suited. She didn't voice her opinion as she finally settled on a debutante appearance for this run through.

'This is gonna be a challenge... Oh please don't let me fuck this up.' Shinkei mentally asked herself, mentally building herself up as much as she could. A small part of her told her that it was her fault that Kat was captured, and she wanted to fix that. Another small part of her mind hoped that Kat was doing okay on her own.

Arthera

08-07-2015, 11:52 PM

There were no cameras aimed towards the inside of the room, she was sure of that now.

Kat has been scanning the walls, ceiling, floor and any other conceivable place for the past hour, scrutinizing every detail, every mark, hole and blemish on every surface. Limited infrared also did not detect anything before it ran out of power in her eyes, along with giving her a moderate headache from the strain of constant use. Still, it was worth it, it meant that they thought Ekaterina completely vulnerable, useless and easy to monitor with a simple guard at each end of the hallway. Of course, they'd also frisked her, with much more enthusiasm and length then entirely necessary, and confiscated her sidearm. What could an unarmed tech addict do when cuffed and chained to the floor against armed men right? Against them, not a lot to be certain, but that didn't mean she couldn't do anything at all.

The scanning had been thorough because she needed to be sure she'd have time to tinker without instantly getting caught.

Moriarty had quite the refined tastes, and even the prisoners had very nice metal tables with polished surfaces to eat on. Clearly not a mirror-finish, but more than enough reflection for Kat's enhanced eyesight to work with. Flexing her hands, still cuffed together but gratefully not tied down to the table before her, Ekaterina activated their secondary feature, extending the digits and increasing the number of them. She was going to need very, very fine handling in the following moments if her idea was going to work. With the reflection to guide her, Kat moved the thin digits towards the invisible seam along the edge of her throat augment on the left side of her neck. She knew where the small access port was, but usually had proper tools to maintain the artificial throat. None of those were at hand, so she probed with her artificial fingers instead.

It wasn't clean, but a few moments of poking and twisting managed to catch and lift the port opening with only minor scuffing of the synthetic skin. It revealed very fine electrical inputs that normally adjust the throat's noise levels and run diagnostics when not plugged into a proper medical apparatus. With her fingers, memory and an augmented eyesight of metallic table reflection, Kat started fiddling his her voice module. She knew the device in and out, it's limits, strengths and weaknesses as well as all the modifications she'd added over the years. She could literally scream someone's ear off or sub-vocal communicate. Certain functions were emitters that channeled through the artificial throat to function like a real one to cause vibrations and then voice. With the proper settings she could cancel the inward emissions and instead broadcast in a very short-range on another frequency.

Not the best move if you wanted to talk while it was emitting, she'd be basically mute while she ran the bypass as it wasn't even close to be a feature of the model she had grafted on, but anyone of the Black Star on their coms that got in, say a block's range or two, would get the old school codded beeping their captain kept in use. Hopefully they'd come in range, catch the signal, locate her position and get her out. All that before Moriarty came back and continued asking her questions, which would be met with mute silence.

Closing the small opening in her throat and returning her hands to regular mode, Kat sat back in her chair and waited. She couldn't do anything else, and it was either to await the crew or a bullet to the head.

MarchingThunder

08-10-2015, 12:44 AM

"Aki, Bailey, Shinkei, and Sam 1, will be coming with me to be finding out where Kat is being kept."

"Understood Sir," Bailey replied softly over the comm line as she gave a moment's thought to the new orders. Adjusting her flapper dress briefly, she heaved a brief sigh with a shake of her head, reflecting on how things had gone to hell already in the current mission. Rescuing comrades was always dirty business, and there was rarely any guarantee that you'd get the target out alive and at least mostly unharmed. That said, leaving someone behind was not something she would do. Even if it wasn't against Bailey's moral compass to do so, the military had so deeply ingrained the policy in her that it would likely remain even if she suffered a memory wipe.

"Alright people, let's get a move on, we have a job to do," she said calmly over the Scout comm line, making sure that her soldiers were prepared to get moving.

SikstaSlathalin

08-15-2015, 07:17 PM

Togga growled lightly as he scanned the room. The big alien was ready to be done with this place and get back to his normal appearance and the ship. He might even be willing to swallow the financial lose at the end...or collect on the bounties Moriarty and Silverlight no doubt have on their heads. He just hoped the payment for killing them would be enough for it, because he had no intention of letting them live even if the money would be better.

He made a mental note where all his crew had positioned themselves around the bar area. Once he was sure the exits were covered and whatever guards and camera were around were visible to them. He just needed to find a way into the bowels of the casino. Waking around he began doing a slow walk around the main floor.

Growling through Comms the final push was about to begin.
"Everyone that is being on the rescue team be looking for anything or anyone that can get us into the employees only sections.

Koti~

08-26-2015, 01:10 AM

Shin sat at the slot machine, a disgruntled sigh rolling through her. Until the time when the mission started, she was to keep low key, and outside sitting at the bar, this was low key. Shin didn’t dare head to the bar as well, as she might want to get drunk and that would only make her situation worse. Though, worse wasn’t that hard to get. She still felt that getting Kat caught was her fault. Even more so that all she could do was sit and wait for things to happen.

“What the hell is that damn ticking!” Shinkei mumbled to herself for the umpteenth time as she slapped the machine, having lost another round on it. Knowing who the owner of the place was, she couldn’t say that she was surprised to be losing more than winning. She let out a sigh and pushed herself from the stool, grabbing what few meager coins she had and headed to the bar. If nothing, a simple milkshake wouldn’t hurt, even at the risk of losing even more money.

“If I see him, 10,000 volts straight to the nipples.” Shinkei murmured under her breath, sitting down at the bar and ordering one strawberry banana milkshake. A sigh escaped her as she leaned back, allowing the noisy hustle and bustle pass by her as she waited. She didn’t know what signal to look for, but she would be ready to move. Though, the constant staticy bursts constantly broke through her mind.

“Damn stupid piece of cra…. wait.” Shinkei paused, finally actually listening to the noise. She had to plug one ear to hear, but finally it started to make sense. It seemed like someone was actually trying to get into their comms, but the static wasn’t burst. That, or her twitching had broken it. If it was broken, she would need to fix it now.

Placing the money on the counter, she rushed towards the woman's restroom, threading her way in and out of the crowd with ease. Even with the line, she was able to get herself a stall furthest from the door. Once making sure none could see, she slipped out the earbud and popped open the panel on her arm, starting a simple diagnostic run.

Thankfully enough her earbud wasn’t broken. Which made her fear that they were being hacked. She quickly ran a ping through each connected piece that she could, and saw that all of them were getting a signal. What surprised her the most was that Togga’s was getting one as well, which had not been getting a signal recently until he had gotten above surface. This truly puzzled her. Why was he receiving a signal. Slipping her earbud back in, she tapped it as she left the bathroom.

“Togga, do you hear any static bursts on your comm?” Shinkei asked.

The Sharterran heard Shinkei chime in through comms after a series of annoying pings.
“Da, what is it?”

“What does it sound like? Is it static, or is it clear?”

“Static, can you be fixing it?”

Shinkei smiled wide, listening to the static. If it was a hacker, then it would only be focused on the altered comms, as Togga’s would be clear as day. She needed a phone though. Slipping through the crowd, she managed to pick a few before finally grabbing one of the advanced phones and plant herself at a closed section.

“It’s not static. It’s a signal.” She spoke into the comms before slipping out her earbud. She opened the phone and pulled out the sim card, sliding in the one from her earbud and turning the phone back on. In seconds the phone started to buzz in her palm, but it wouldn’t be long. She pressed the call button, minimized the screen, then started up the map.

“Someone from inside this place is trying to connect with us. I had originally though it was a hacker, but that was until Togga confirmed it. His was still on the old wave, just patched through. And the static wasn’t just centralized to mine, so I knew it had to be something else.” Shinkei said as the map finally finished loading.

“It’s rough.. but I might have a bead on where Kat is.” Shinkei whispered into the phone with glee, a smile evident through her phone.

SikstaSlathalin

10-03-2015, 06:40 PM

As the disguised crew of the Black Star snuck into the Sierra Madre, the security forces were on high alert for anyone even the least bit suspicious. The group only had so much time before they were discovered, but still Moriarty wished to save his patrons from anymore unneeded bloodshed. He would try the Engineer again.

Walking into her holding cell the businessman noticed she was extra quiet. She must be trying to contact the crew, she could try all she wanted but his own security measures would hamper her greatly.

Putting on his charming smile again he flipped some switches on his wrist watch and the wall to the left of the door rotated and revealed two rows of six TV monitors showing security feeds from the main floor of the restaurant where the crew was.

"Looks like you have a second chance to safe yourself and your crew Ms. Rovitz. They are in this casino now my security forces have picked up some handy little hacking tricks going on. So I give you a second chance to gain your freedom and save you group from death. Just find them, point them out, and that will be it. If not...well I'd rather not, but killing you will be the only option left."

Kat shrugged slightly.

She'd been expecting another visit from her captor, even if she really would have preferred to have been wrong on this one occasion. If nothing else, he was persistent and determined, which would explain his single-mindedness in hounding them across such distances and baiting the crew on this planet. And now, he was so close but still lacked that little something to close the trap and end it all. Must be eating him inside, behind that plastered smile of his, to be denied anything when this close.

The televisions she pointedly refused to look at. For all she knew, he had trained analyzers to her face to pick up minute twitches and eye movement, giving away those she would never had pointed out in the first place. Surely, the deal was once in a lifetime and would set Kat up for life. If she trusted the man not to kill her anyway after she had given up the others. Kat would stick with the crew and their timely rescue, either they made it and she lived, they died and she did shortly after or she gave them up and died after they did as well.

Shrugging again, she attempted to speak, only to have a faint whiny escape her synthetic throat. She made what few sign language motions she could while cuffed, her face showing slight frustration and a marked amount of annoyance, indicating this would be a drawback in communicating without maintenance.

The mob boss chuckled watching the woman's face for the slightest hint of emotion and saw it. Pushing some button on his watch shifted the cameras so they zoomed in on some of the faces the software was searching through.
"Hmm you pirates are such a tough lot. But I believe your little friend Shinkei is showing her hand by doing some rudimentary hacking and comm pinging. Bet I can find her first." He looked towards the wall of screens and did a few more things on his watch and the recognition software began looking for smaller women like Shinkei. "She's small I should be able to get rid of her fairly easily."

He must be very, very carefully monitoring everything. Kat felt stupid. Of course he'd pick up her broadcast, or at the very least know that she would attempt something. And Shinkei was in the casino likely trying to pinpoint the location, giving herself away, or appearing suspect enough to be caught. But with hardware and software this advanced to be running facial recognition on this amount of people, Kat wondered why he had need of her to spill the beans anyway. Surely he had displayed the will and the means to find them time and again, and he was doing it right now.

Despite all that, Kat still had to at least try.

Stabbing her thumb into a recess of her synthetic throat, Kat angled to find the elusive reset buttons on her throat module and restart the whole thing. Kat hadn't manually reset the thing in a very, very long time, but knew how it worked and what would happen. It was plainly obvious she was doing something, but she didn't care to get caught at this point, the button was pressed and Kat could feel the innermost hum of high-tech gear resetting itself. It stopped the short range transmission.

A few moments later, nanoseconds of rebooting and a few more of adjustments, Kat could speak again and have cut the signal, making Shinkei lose her ping. It would also make the mechanic stop hacking in a monitored area.

"You should be happy. You made me do something." Kat said in a different, melodious voice.

It sounded strange. After so many, many years of false settings, varied wavelengths and copied tones, to hear her own natural voice again. Another paranoid safeguard from the elusive hacker, she had forsaken the use of her real voice to add another layer of defense against anyone attempting to identify her. And she scrapped that "reunion" by speaking with it to a man she preferred to see dead. When he was dead, she was spitting on his corpse.

Moriarty chuckled knowingly, he did so love toying with his enemies. Especially almost literal ghosts like Kat. What a sweet voice she has, he'll be happy to record it.
"Well, well, well, such a lovely voice you have Ms. Rovitz. You should use it more, but having such a lovely voice won't save your crew. Give me the information I want or I will find them by using your head as bait." He didn't threaten much, but when he did one could bet he would follow through with it.

Kat looked at Moriarty again.

"You already have facial recognition software and you have a planet full of goons. Why would I make your life even easier? I'm dead anyway, so no, I will not give them up. Just to spite you. Get that little bit of defiance in your face until the very end."

Spiteful indeed, maybe being on the verge of death via bullet to head made Kat that much more talkative than usual. Nevermind the sudden moment of verbal vengeance. Hey, maybe that would be enough to give his prideful, smug face a moment of pause.

"If you wished for my head to draw them in, you would have done so by now already, of that I'm sure. There must be something else you're missing or that you need that having all crew dead would not solve. Because from where I am sitting, you are not doing a competent job of finding anyone, let alone a crew of determined people that want you dead. Just saying."

Moriarty chuckled.

"Hmm such wit to be wasted in the life of a pirate. I have what I need to do all this but it's what I want that needs to be dealt with and if I can get what I want easily...well all the better, besides such a gift as this." He pulled the disc out of his pocket again spinning it around his fingers. "Would be the perfect gift for such a lovely lady." Moriarty kept his charming smile on and placed the disc just outside of Kat's reach studying her closely.

Well, he REALLY wanted her to cave in and give up the crew, that was certain. Doing so would only flatter his ego and do nothing for Kat, the situation wouldn't change despite his promises and bribes. She slowly looked down at the disk on the table before her and then looked back up at Moriarty. She didn't want to talk to him, or look at him. Hell, she'd live just fine never hearing about the guy for the remainder of her life. Crossing her arms, leaned back into the chair and looked away. Back to square one, except the crew was likely well infiltrated by now.

Togga growled softly as the intel on Kat came across and it showed her being somewhere underground, no doubt behind so much security and firewalls they'd need a month of hard work to get passed it all with minimal bloodshed. There was always the direct approach, storm the guards and overwhelm them with sheer madness and shock, but that would end in them getting killed being as under armed and unarmored as they are.

With a sigh the big alien ground his human simulated teeth together, if he knew were Killbot was fucking hiding himself they could just hide behind the resident tank and just mow everyone down. But now it was distraction time looked over at Sam and Rivet he locked eyes with the former Dominion soldier who then nodded to Sam 2 and tilted his head to Kari who saw the nods and took a sip of her drink and tilted forward a little to signal she was ready. The two solider shared one more nod and Rivet turned his head as if selecting a drink.

Sam 2 then moved up behind the good Doctor and grabbed a handful of the woman's toned rear and said lewdly and with a slight drunken slurr.
"Now that's a phat ass!"

Kari, ever the picture of control let out a surprised gasp and shoved Sam back running to Rivet's side faking tears and fear.
"How dare you! Joshua help!"

Taking his cue Rivet turned on Sam 2 and growled.
"You done fucked up now boy."

Keeping up the ruse the Gunner hiccup and pulled Kari back grabbing her ass again.
"I'll fuck this up!"

Kari cried and Rivet wasted no more time.
"You bastard son of a black sheep whore!"

Kari kicked herself free and Rivet lunged at Sam punching the former confederate in the face. Sam staggered then retaliated in kind kick the Scout in the chest before barreling after him after grabbing an empty bottle and swinging at the other man's head Rivet blocked and the two big men dove right into pummeling each other.

It was quite convincing and more importantly successful because every guard on the floor rushed to the big men trying to pull them apart with little success. The others in the crew took their places at the exits and looked on like the other stiffs witnessing the mortal combat. Signalling his rescue detail Captain Togga moved through the back doors left unguarded and began moving down an uncannily empty hallway that according to his map led towards Kat. More red flags went up in his mind, but they didn't have much time to look a gift horse in the mouth and count the rotten teeth. Picking up their pace the infiltrators moved quickly through the corridors of the under structure that filled the ground under the Sierra Madre Casino, Aki and Bailey were in the front their quick eyes scanning everything, Sam 1 and Togga in the back ready to act on any suspicious areas, and little Shinkei huddled in between them watching her gizmo trying to locate Kat. With each step tension grew and with each step the crew felt the red flags going up and their hands going down to grip their weapons.

While their squishy comrades were busy tempting fate, the bots of the Black Star and Doc X were safely absconds in the Security Bot hanger and thanks to A-Bots quick little robot wit were now in control of around fifty Old-school High-Octane security droids. Sadly that was all they could get without actually heading for the central security control room. Still fifty tanks with legs is a good start.

They still couldn't find the crew though, all they had was they were somewhere near the Sierra Madre. As K Bot and M Bot focused on bringing the Security Bots up to speed, Aidebot continued to try and locate their missing teammates.

Shinkei's device had been working well right up until they reached the second to last door. Then it suddenly died leaving them blind and deep behind enemy lines. With another deep growl Togga halted the little group and motioned for everyone to go into an open side room. Moving quickly they did as the male bid and he quickly closed the door behind them.

"All of you, be scanning room for anything we can be using to find Kat or anything our enemies can be using to be finding us."

The group did as he bid and only once they were sure about their safety did Togga begin relaying orders.

"Shinkei, see if you can be hooking into something and be finished finding Kat."

Sam 2 and Rivet had a good old fight going on. Bloody faces, many of the barstools were shattered, lots of broken bottles were scattered all around them, and they were presently facedown on the glass strewn liquor soaked floor with their hands bound behind their backs with high-power energy cuffs.

The Security personnel were trying to get ahold of their supervisors on their comms, but with no success. The Sergeant was just about to send someone to Control when a peppy little voice the two soldiers would recognize as Aidebot came through their comms.

Sounding as authoritative as he could A-Bot gave them their orders.
"Yes...this is Commander...Fievel Mousekewitz. And...uh just hold them there...we are swamped what with all the...bad guys running around the planet over and out."

The Security Guards stood staring at each other for a few seconds. The man kneeling on Sam's back spoke first.
"Who the hell is this Commander Fievel Mousekewitz? I've never heard of him."

The Sergeant shrugged and motioned for the others to lift the two soldiers up.
"No clue, probably some fresh outta training baby-faced pissant. But orders are orders take them into the back room...where there aren't any cameras." The man chuckled as Sam 2 and Rivet were hauled off. The other pirates watched on concern hidden under mock indifference hopefully the two hardened vets wouldn't need the same level of rescue Kat needed.

Moriarty was about to extend another threat to the woman when he caught his men hauling away some brawlers that caused much damage. He had to deal with this, Kat would just have to wait, picking up he disc he exited the room and moved to control. The Crime boss arrived just as the brawlers were being hauled away. Half of the security cameras were still down thanks to some kind of hacker's trick. The men were gone, but he was no closer to finding the crew than before. That was until he caught the flicker of an image near the cells, a group of people were sneaking around the halls.

A broad smile crossed his handsome features, and he stayed the hand of an officer before he reached for the alarm.
"No, let them in, then we'll have them all where we want them. One they get into Kat's cell send every guard we have in the area right to them." The man nodded and began calling up the remaining guards.

With luck and skill Shinkei managed to find Kat again, things were still sketchy from all the mayhem the crew has been wreaking...at least that's what they were thinking. The Engineer was two doors away and accessible. Red flags kept going up, but time kept going down, they were running into a trap. They all knew it, they've gone too far to retreat now though, all or nothing, die or win."

Moving from the room Togga led the group to the first door and motioned for Shinkei to hack the door and break in, it was done quickly and it continued to the second one. They weren't even bothering with being covert now, things were going their way now and that only means trouble for them so might as well be ready for it. With haste they arrived at Kat's cell and rushed in, taking quick scans of the room Togga reached Kat and broke her free.
"Be coming on Kat, Moriarty is about to be springing a trap on us and we must be getting ready to be shooting." He handed the Engineer a gun and lead the group out...and right into the much awaited ambush.

Another hard smack of fist to flesh, but it is the punisher doing the groans of pain than the men he is striking. Rubbing his fist the Sergeant grunted glaring at the bloodied soldiers before him.
"The fuck are these two made of?"

Rivet spat out a dark glob of blood and responded.
"Strength born from being a real soldier and not a guard dog." Sam 2 let out a laugh even after Rivet took another hard punch to the face.

Reacting quickly the desperate Pirates opened fire on the guards using all their skills to score mostly potshots and crippling wounds as they scrambled back through the doors they opened. As the shots were fired whoever had been watching them decided now was a good time to press the alarm button. That is when the gates of chaos truly opened, guards seemed to flood out of the very walls to impede the escape of the Privateers.

With the numbers quickly turning against them the rescuers needed an ace card here. Maybe an explosion, an orbital strike from the Black Star...a well placed fire alarm switch. Togga saw the ace and acted as quickly as he could, lunging at the fire alarm he yanked the lever down and soon another loud obnoxious alarm joined the first this time with hundred of sprinklers going off all up and down the hallways sodding the boots, and shorting out sensitive electronics like the hologuise watches.

Retracing their steps the sparking guises of the Captain and crew began blinking out revealing their true faces and making this job even more dangerous than before.

K and M Bot had just finished making their small robot army a synchronized force of beautiful death, when the fire alarms were struck and the security systems began firing at full blast. Both A-Bot's and K-Bot's interfaces lit up like X-mas lights and the Security Droids jumped to attention.

The Black Star Bots looked at each other and knew deep down in their softwares that this was the work of their crew. And now that they had the means to save them they did so, Aidebot fired off a few quick commands to the bots' brains and K bot took his place in front of them establishing his command.

With a *viking* emote appearing on his faceplate he shouted to them.
"KILLBOT SAY IT'S TIME TO SHOOT SOME SQUISHIES IN THE FACE! OHHHHHH YYYYYEEEAAAHHHH!"

The Security Droids responded with a unison shout of "OHHHHHH YYYYEEAAHHHH!" Before they follow K-Bot out of the Depot and flooded the streets running for the main casino.

With the cat effectively out of the bag and half-way across the border the crew of the Black Star threw caution to the wind drew their weapons and began blasting their ways through the Security Forces of the Sierra Madre Casino. They had nearly wasted the guards when Sam 2 and Rivet joined the fray toting the heavier weapons and wounds the guard so graciously bestowed upon them. Now the fun had begun, their orders were too shoot their way out of the casino without Togga and the others if necessary, but loyalty was a trait even these pirates had.

After barricading themselves behind the bar they continued to engage the guards taking the best shots they could and wiping the cold sprinkler water from their eyes and hands. Their ammo was quickly depleting and the guards were quickly multiplying. They wouldn’t be able to hold this spot for much longer, but luck was still the special of the day for them and it showed once more as Togga and the rescuers burst into the room and added just enough surprise to the mix to take out the present wave of goons.

But there was no time for pleasantries or heartfelt reunions, Kari, Rivet, and Sam 2 were injured and they needed to get word to Evan for a pick up. But the planet was already on high alert and now that the big casino was under attack the crew could almost feel the patrolling vessels converging on them bringing payloads of soldiers, guns, and things best left to the imagination. Moving with even more desperation the group fled for the doors and exited the casino only to be met with yet another ambush, this time Moriarty was standing at the head of at least three crews pulled straight down from the planetary defense force. Men, women, cyborgs, robots, aliens all armed with the best gear money could buy. Togga let out a deep bemused laugh his hologuise long shorted out and his large body showing the many scratches and bruises one gets from escaping someplace.

Moriarty’s smile was gone and replaced with a grim and annoyed visage.
“Well, well, you certainly know how to cause trouble Sharterran, but I have had my fill of your antics. Kill them all, I’ll get into their base once we bring their ship down.”

Captain Togga laughed looking up at the sky.
“Are you hearing this Evan, he is thinking he can bring the ship down!”

Keeping his eyes on the crew was hard and nerve wrecking for Evan. Yet ever the dutiful soldier he sat watching, waiting, and ready for the moment everything went to hell. He didn’t know what he was keeping a lookout for but with his crew he had no doubt it would be clear. When multiple light and heavy patrol cruises began to scramble and converge on a single spot along with multiple incoming ground units Chase knew they needed an exit strategy and fast.

“Open the back I’ll get them” Evan ordered Roxi grabbing his sniper rifle and helmet from the Captain’s seat. They were currently sitting in orbit cloaked right above the Sierra Madre casino. Chase had his gear and while he hated the idea soldiers did use orbital drops for high level warzones. They called them hell droppers because only the crazy ones actually accepted the job. Roxi and the crew couldn’t help but eyeing him in shock for moments before actually responding.

“In orbit?”

“Yes he and I had a contingency plan for this. Should things go wrong, I am to make myself a little nest above the entrance to the Sierra Madre and wait for an obvious cue before dropping in and providing some cover fire. And with all these alarms and shit going off on the planet, I gotta get down there.”

In the hanger with helmet on, rifle in hand, and the ever trusty jetpack (sarcasm intended) on his back Evan jumped into the pitch black of space. With the planet defense force focused on the ground and looking for a ship none payed attention to the small streak of red falling from the sky. Even that one random guy left monitoring the sky thought it just one odd shaped asteroid soon to be burned up. While trained and experienced in shock drops Evan definitely didn’t like it nor trusting his life to an experimental jetpack but time was short. Even as he fell Evan could see the crew exit the casino right into a trap thanks to the visual feed the Black Star was sending him straight into his cybernetic eye.

“Are you hearing this Evan, he is thinking he can bring the ship down!”

In answer to Togga’s words Patrol ships start to explode one after another before dropping out of the sky. Followed by three blue bolts of light fall exploding in each of the security teams causing them to scatter. Arriving right behind the shots Evan can be seen sporting Arclight his trusty cannon for a sniper rifle.

“Black Star? Sorry he got me instead.”

After seeing his men blown up or scattered Moriarty was watching his plans fall apart all around him.
“So the First Mate comes to save the day, what a fun plot twist. Now die!” The Mob boss lifted his particle pistol and aimed it right at Evan’s head.

Seeing the pistol moving for his head Evan moved in closer drawing his pistol and firing all in a single motion. Both guns fired but Moriarty missed by a few inches while Evan’s hit him square in the arm. Two more shots in the legs brought the Mob boss down to his knees. Still walking up to him chase finally pointed at his head and shot him execution style. Looking up at Togga, Evan smiled.

“Miss me?”

Togga let out a chuckle, but it was stifled by the security forces regrouping and loading their weapons.
“Da, it is being too bad we are to die now.”

But just as dozens of little red dots appeared over the crew’s bodies hard hitting classic rock music began playing through the air and the ground began to shake. Everyone looked in the direction of the anthem and saw what could only be described as divine intervention. Killbot was thundering towards the group at the head of his Security Droid Force. The late Moriarty's Planetary Defense Force was in shock even after their number started falling to the droids.

But that was there problem Togga had to get his crew out of here. Grabbing Evan by his shirt he lifted the man up a little and ran around the two Security Forces combat with the rest of the crew following.
“Evan be telling me you have a telepad ready for us,”

Evan responded indignantly at being manhandled in such a manner.
“No I thought we stay for a drink I mean yes of course I did.”

Togga snorted putting Evan down letting him run on his own feet.
“Be calling the Black Star to be firing up that pad.”

Evan couldn’t believe Togga thought him lazy enough not to prepare properly.
“Already done. Can we please get out of here? Dorothy wanna go home.”

Togga couldn’t help but smile a little.
“Then you have better be rubbing your ruby shoes together. Where is the launch site being?”

“Yeaaahhh about that. Only secure one is in a Planet Defense Force outpost near by.”

Togga growled.
“I am hating you so much now, any idea to be getting in?”

Evan answered with a smile before continuing.
“Well right through the front door of course. They had everything heading towards you. Troop transports, armored units, artillery, the whole PDF had a big party for ya. I shot down their vessels so they’re running a skeleton crew at the outpost. No one thinks we would be stupid enough to go there.”

The Shar Captain snorted at Evan’s response, sounds about right for humans.
“I am being ok with that. To the PDF Outpost! Killbot be keeping them off our backs!”

There was only the blast of some heavy metal battle song as Killbot took those orders and ran. As for the rest of the crew they ran behind Togga sparing their remaining ammo and only taking shots they had to take. As Evan said the outpost was only manned by some green recruits who stood like deer in headlights as they were rushed by a group of battle damaged pirates in fancy clothes. Luckily their shock didn’t last long, because bullets met their wide eyes and exited their squishy heads. The luck of the wicked was still on their sides here, the pads were empty and Togga quickly ordered A-Bot to activate them and the crew just piled in and all vanished in a flash of light. Killbot was the last to arrive and grabbing A-Bot he rigged some grenades to the pad and vanished before the little bomb exploded blasting the device to dust and metal.

Safely back on the Black Star Togga didn’t even bother clawing his way out from under Shinkei and Kat as they teleporter dumped them on his back before shouting.
“GET US THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!” His loud voice carried throughout the ship and soon they all felt the Black Star’s engine fire up and blast away from the Casino World before the PDF could mount an attack. The crew managed to untangle themselves and avoided being crushed by Killbot as he came through. Being the first to his feet Togga shouted the order everyone had been waiting for.

“Be getting back in uniform and armed comrades, you are being dismissed.” With no further word needed the Privateers scattered to their quarters and got back into their normal clothes beginning to lick their wounds and cover their tracks.

Once the pirates were safely away from Tamosa Springs and the Sierra Madre Casino, things were slowed down for inventory and recovery. No one had died, but they had lost some of the people they managed to bring into the fold to help out with the mission. Kat and Duke would look for them when the time came. On a worse and somewhat ironic note though Doc Kari’s injuries require more treatment than the ship could give. With no one wishing to see the beautiful woman die Togga quickly assembled a group to ride one of the escape pods back to Carin and take the good Doctor to HQ for treatment.

“Sabor, Skara, Aki, and Syran, you will be going back to be making sure Karina is being safe da?”

The assembled crew nodded and hefted their belongings and entered the roomy escape pod. Sy and Aki took the controls, Skara took up her place at the read outs and Sabor got the chance to practice his bedside manner keeping Kari company and be ready to blow anything that tried to mess with them out of existence. Now once this group got back to Carin they could stay there and have a vacation or come back once Kari was safe and sound. It would be entirely up to them, and from Carin they could use the much stronger teleporter in Black Star HQ to just teleport back to the roaming ship. The same could be said for any new recruits or Second Shifters who wish to join the group.

Togga bid them all farewell and stood watching them fly away as he puffed on a cigar glad to be out of that tux and have his pistol and rifle back in their holsters about his body. Once they were out of sight the bull Shar made his way back to the Bridge watching his remaining crew freshen themselves up for the next bit of fun when they reached the derelict ship they needed to scavenge.

Pheasant

10-03-2015, 07:01 PM

The Confederate, Sam, watched the ship vanish through the large thick glass of the Rec Room. A crutch was tucked under one arm, heavy with bandages, and in his opposite hand was a freshly cracked open bottle of booze.
"There they go...", he murmured quietly, taking a long drink. The Doctor was 'this' close to forcing the man to join them on the surface for rehabilitation, given his injured shoulder, but thanks to the insistence of a few senior members of the now underhanded Crew, Sam was gonna be sticking around.

He retreated to the comfy couch with a grunt of exertion, laying his crutch on the side table with a sigh. The TV was loud, playing a program called Battle-Planet. Sam wasn't much for reality TV, but good old fashioned Red Vs. Blue violence was relaxing.

Sams mind was elsewhere, however...

That last job was cutting it close, even for the Blackstar. There was more than a minute down there where the man thought he wouldn't make it off the surface in anything other than a body bag.
Him, himself and Bailey.
Sam didn't want to admit the nagging voice in the back of his mind, how he should have been more worried about the rest of the crew, done more or acted out. Thats what a younger Sam would have done...

Something was going on in Sam's head, something that disgusted him more than his hefty addictions.

"Now ain't the time to go questioning yourself, boy...", he mumbled, an imitation of something his father used to tell him. "You're a privateer on a job. Get it done, get paid, get out like always..."

Storm

10-16-2015, 07:07 PM

As the midday sun beats down from a cloudless blue skyline, Oren relaxes back in the leather seat of her black Lexus with her personal gear stowed in the back trunk. She adjusts the volume as the top of the hour news comes across the radio.

…and in an update on this mornings breaking news, fire officials confirm a total of 23 workers perished in this mornings warehouse explosion, a spokesperson said a natural gas rupture is suspected in the…

A slight laugh escaped as she absentmindedly thinks that they could have at least come up with something more creative than a natural gas explosion but she at least knows how many from the syndicate were eliminated this morning. Reaching for her Caramel Vanilla coffee she is curious on how they are going to spin Roger's death. As she slows before turning on Valmont Street she is certain that she is on the traditional wild goose chase as she is not aware of any type of warehouses or structures past 20th Street on Valmont Street. She stares in the passenger seat at the old beat up PDA still wondering about the message it contains. She does like the warmth the Starbucks cup provides her hand as she sips the last of the coffee, her tone light hearted more speaking to the PDA

“You know you are fragments if this doesn’t pan out, eh?”

For a moment she almost waits for the PDA to respond back as she quirks a brow. It isn’t much to look at, certainly doesn’t appear on MapQuest, however the outline of a low structure in unmistakable. She slows the car to a stop casting a cautious gaze upon this structure. It has this abandoned feel to it. As she steps out of the drivers side with PDA in hand, she remotely opens the back trunk

“Looks like you stay intact little buddy” more to the PDA.

She removed her gear while unsnapping the strap to her shoulder holster … just in case.

After a brief perimeter check and not getting those nagging feelings that anything was wrong, quietly moves to the side of the structure and slides a side window open slipping her gear inside before crawling through the window. Nope, abandoned on not, she was not the go through the front door of strange places kinda girl. As she explores the interior, she happens upon another dusty console. After careful examination she dusts the screen off while she fully grins looking at the red button with all the jokes about

~the last thing she did was presses the big red button~

drifting through her mind. She could see the teleport pad, she was aware of the technology however had a thing about having her body ripped apart, scattered through space and reassembled someplace else.

“Oh what the Hell!” as she hit the red button. The device whirls to life before she lets out a giggle reading

Step into the center of the pad, keeps all your gear and limbs inside the vehicle at all times, and click your heels together three times.

As she sets her equipment upon the pad then steps upon, she feels kind of silly but clicks her heels together three times offering with with a laugh

“…Do I wait for Toto…”

Her amusement quickly fades as she gets a sick feeling in her stomach as the interior of this structure seems to warp and fade. She feels extremely light headed where her vision turns black for what seems like a lifetime. Slowly her vision returns to a warped sensation before objects appeared solid once again. As her vision starts to clear, she crumples to her hands and knees. Her stomach allows her remaining coffee escape out of her mouth onto the Level 2 hanger. As she realizes she is not in the structure she started from, wearily she whispers more to herself

“Toto, we’re not in Kansas anymore…” trying to calm herself before hearing a voice behind her

“Hey, one just arrived, Comm the Techies we gotta find the Black Star and fire up the teleporter.”

Her stomach still queasy, she turns and looks upon a large dogman carrying a wrench in his furry hand, this was Wolfgang, another full time Mechanic working in the Black Star HQ on Carin. She bites her bottom lip as she had limited interstellar experience and had not ran across too many other races or species.

She starts acting out hand gestures like one would do to a primitive animal as she speaks slowly

“I… am… Oren… I… pushed … your… button…” making slow finger movements in a pushing fashion.

Wolfgang burst out in laughter.

“Awwww, a space virgin, grab yo gear girlie, I’ll have someone clean up your puke, follow me and I’ll take ye to the teleporter that'll send ya up to the Black Star.” In a mocking tone Wolfgang adds “Or do ya need me to speak slower” offered with a wolfish grin.

The Mechanic anxiously awaits the expression this girl has when meeting the Captain if she freaked at seeing him.

Totally embarrassed, she picks up her gear and follows behind the dogman. They make their way to the teleporter located in the Engineer's Bay

Gear in tow, she follows Wolfgang to apparently another teleporter. Already aware that she will be the topic of shop talk for sometime.

She offers in a friendly tone

“Don’t suppose we could keep my arrival… well… more to ourselves?” even though she knows herself that she would rib someone about what she had just been through.

As she arrives to the next teleporter, she tries to offer some humor “At least I don’t have anything else to leave on the floor.” as she steps upon the pad… or at least she hopes not. Well, at least that damn thing assembled her correctly so she hopes this next one does the same. She checks the inside pocket of her red pleather outfit, yep, still have the data chip with my military history intact. Looking out toward a host of engineers, couldn’t help but to utter a corny phrase

“Beam me up Scotty”

As she gets the same sickening feeling within her stomach, barely audible she could hear several muttering “Who the hell is this Scotty pers….”. Once again her surroundings seem to warp around her fading to black, this time it does not seem so long before her vision grows from black back to a warped sensation. Once again she finds herself weak kneed however she is determined to remain upright… unsuccessfully. As her vision clears, at least this time she didn’t puke on the floor. Still did end up on her hands and knees letting a disgusting “Damn!” escape … more disappointed in herself. She would wait for someone to approach her this time and not make a complete ass out of herself as she slowly rose to her feet looking about her surroundings reaching down grasping her gear.

This time the face that met the new recruit was none other than the Asst. Navigator Racer the Tang-Mong. He was looking over the maps Sy left before she flew Doc Kari back to Carin when the Asian teleported in.

“Well den, lookies like we got da latest round o’ PDAfinders. Racer be showin you to da First Mate. Folla me.” He motioned for the woman to pick herself up and follow. Evan should be in his quarters resting up...or trying to get Roxi’s short shorts off.

Evan sat silently in his favorite chair with a file in one hand and a bottle in the other. It was rare he spent his time sitting back mellowing out versus chasing one of the various girls around the ship but the first mate couldn’t get away with skipping work for long before the captain caught on. He could help but feel slightly annoyed when his door buzzed with Racer on the other end.

The Monkey man didn’t know what Evan was doing so he made the interruption as quick and to the point as possible.

“Firs Mate, Racer be here wit a new recruit. Dis woman teleported in from Carin. Racer be tinkin it best to bing her ta you mon.”

Evan’s ears instantly shot up when he heard they had another women. He couldn’t help but wonder what type she would be and what role she would be filling but more importantly how long it would take him to get to know her on a personal level. Wasting no time he throws on a dress shirt and heads out. “Alright. Racer you're dismissed I will take her to Togga. it’s really the Captain’s job to handle recruits, but I typically do the screening process and background checks. I’m the First Mate Evan Chase nice to meet you.”

Racer nodded chuckling lightly showing the woman in.

“Ya, mon but Race tinks de Captain might be scarin her.” He saluted Evan before exiting the room and going back to his charts.

Oren steps within Evan’s quarters while running her fingers through her short jet black hair. She had visualized this person she was being taken to see as some green multi tentacle, pus oozing monstrosity, that way, no matter how hideous the thing before appeared, it would not cause her face to scrunch in disgust. As she casts her chocolate brown eyes upon Evan, a soft smile betrays her normally icy demeanor she displays when first entering a new command. This man was quite easy on the eyes.

She slips her hand in the pocket of her red pleather top slipping a data chip out. She snaps to and in a firm military tone

“Sir, Oren Aoki reporting, you’ll find my records in order” extending her right hand out holding her data record chip in a formal military type stance. The ever so subtle smile still remains as she keeps her gaze upon Evan. She only hopes that this crew has not received information about her experience at the HQ. She prides herself as being tough as nails and only shows her soft side when alone.

Answering with a smile Evan takes the data chip while calling up the Black Star’s own data base. He didn’t exactly trust information at face value given the nature of his job. With two rapid blinks his right pupil expands and contrasts sending a photo and eye analysis through the system with special attention on the military given her demeanor. Within moments Evan had speed read through all her files including the sealed high security ones.

“ Trouble with the syndicate Eh? I’m ex-specforce myself but you’re a pirate now no need to be so formal. let’s stick to first names, except when the Captain is away I’m Captain. Few rules. Don’t piss off the Captain. Be loyal to those you’re sailing with. Don’t steal from, or hurt the crew. If you screw up be ready for the consequences. Your pretty but if you betray us…. There won’t be any black hole deep enough to hide. We would make what you did to your handler look nice. With that said I hope you enjoy your stay, ready to meet the Capt?”

As Evan had spoken about consequences about betraying crew members brought a smirk to her lips though she tried to hide it. She after all would expect nothing less. As Evan completed his speech, she softened her tone

“Force of habit Si… ummm… Evan. This sounds as though your crew is tight knit, loyal and protective of each other. As far as consequences for betrayal or disloyalty, I would expect nothing less. I do believe that I have found an ideal home. I would appreciate meeting the Captain when he’s available”

She did take note of how quickly Evan processed the data and even was able to access the crypto security files. Obviously he was not completely human as she was, something she oddly envied him for. She bites softly at her bottom lip realizing that she was still in a formal military stance. ~Loosen up girl~ drifts through her mind as she relaxes her posture slightly.

Finally relaxing himself Evan grabs some files, a cig, and a flask before walking off towards Togga’s quarters.Approaching the Captain’s room the usually informal First Mate rang the bell and cleared his throat before speaking into the intercom.

“Captain Togga, got a new recruit out here for you to look at.”

Seated at his desk the 7 foot tall sharkman held a 150 pound dead seal in his right hand as the left was quickly flipping through notes on their missions deciding how to go about their next mission. He was just about the bite the dead creature’s head off when Evan chimed in with news of a new recruit to the Privateers.

With a sigh the alien put the notes away and pressed the button that would let them in.

“Be bringing them in Evan, I am about to be having some dinner, but business is being business.” As the door slid open Togga took a big bite taking the dead seal’s head off as his powerful jaws clamped down ripping through skin, fat, muscle, and bone.

As she entered the Captain’s quarters, her face scrunched at the sight before herself. Mentally she was kicking herself ~Why weren’t you thinking about the pus oozing multi tentacled monstrosity instead of the cute guy~ She quickly regains her composure before taking a formal stance… after all, relaxed environment or not, this was the Captain of the ship. She would follow protocol for the first officer to provide her records so this huge alien before her could determine her station onboard.

“Sir, Oren Aoki reporting for duty and assignment. My files have been provided to your Number 1…” she gives a slight nibble at her bottom lip hoping that she used correct terminology for Evan. She stares straight ahead waiting for this Captain to … well … after eating this seal… to question her or assign her something. She keeps her jaw tight as her stomach feels woozy from the teleportation experiences and now this Captain’s dinner choice. All that is going through her mind now is ~Keep it together girl, you’ve been through and seen far worse, but you were also ripped into billions of pieces and pasted together … twice… keep it together~

Seeing Togga eat dinner wasn’t that unusual for Evan who often spent hours at a time with the Sharterran. However he had to resist commenting on the Captain’s manners largely in part due to the deadly look in his Captain’s eyes. Knowing the Captain long enough Evan knew it meant not to push his luck specially infront of the new recruit.

“Here’s the file she provided us Capt. I also completed the full background check. Her full file should be on your PDA. She checks out and I’d recommend her to Bailey's team she seems fit for a scout.” For once Evan kept his mouth in check resisting the numerous sarcastic remarks, and phrases Togga would typically kill anyone else for insubordination.

The sharkman growled softly as he continued to bite off chunks of the seal he was presently enjoying. Normally he’d close his door to being bothered during meal time, but with the insanity of the Sierra Madre debacle still fresh on everyone’s mind he figured someone might come talk to him about something.

Lifting his PDA he quickly thumbed through the woman’s files nodding approvingly at some parts and making a curious growling sound causing his back-up bubble collar to vibrate a little.

Finishing the seal Togga wiped his mouth on a napkin and stood from his desk going to the wall and opening his humidor of cigars pulling out one and placing it in his still blood soaked lips lightning it before taking a few puffs.

“This is being most impressive Ms. Aoki, you are being a very flexible ninja woman and would be making a good Scout. Evan will be liking you already. Where were you receiving all your training?” He asked placing the little device on his desk remaining standing as he studied the woman for her control and reaction to his intimidation.

She remained stone faced now in better control, eyes only looked up toward the towering SharkMan, in a firm tone replied

“Sir, my parents are both martial arts masters, one in Tae Kwan Do, one in Jujitsu, I had been taught since a child. I have extensive training with blade and staff weapons in addition to extensive firearms training. Military special ops provided additional training. I have served as an advance scout for numerous op units and have a record of no losses for whom I scout for. Special Ops also tasked me for sniper duty.” Her eyes remain forward waiting any other questions. Though in her record, she did not mention Black Ops missions nor was she permitted to freely discuss them.

Evan’s cool blank mask finally broke for a second while listening to her. Yes he did read the file but actually listening to her he couldn’t help but think of his own. With similar skill sets he wondered if he’s actually heard of her before. Female operatives were less known than their male counterparts but being in the information department he couldn’t help but be curious. “So close combat? Then you will fit right in. Given some time I’ll personally test out your skills. And your handle is?” And then he ate cheese in a can.

Her handle… it took many years to gain a handle other than coffee girl due to her love of flavored coffee. Some back away when she explains her current handle but doesn’t think this crew would.

“Snowball” is what she finally answers. Cold, ruthless and in your face. Now to see if she is asked the reason for such a handle.

Togga watched the woman as she spoke. His keen eyes and experienced mind taking note of every tick and twitch of her face. She was a killer, he could tell this without seeing the files, composed, and precise. Good traits for a pirate, she was basically the female version of Evan which would be a boon for them.

When it came to her handle though Togga coughed around his cigar trying to stifle his laughter.

“Snowball? Are you being pulling my leg with that? We will be needing to find you another so whatever hell hound you may be having at your heels will not be finding you easy. Now be telling me, how good are you being at killing, following orders, and breaking laws?”

Almost too casually she answers the first like she were ordering a Caramel Coffee at Starbucks “Killing is just as natural as breathing, following orders - I never thought of that as I simply follow what is tasked for me to do, breaking laws, I am sure there may be one or two laws I have not broken while tasked … special assignments.” Her features remain neutral. The one time she did show some expression was when Togga questioned her handle. Women are not taken serious in her employ, she was proud to have at least gained some form of handle other than dress or skirt. Those thoughts usually could not be hidden behind the shell she tries to keep. Then there is the whole killing thing. Yes, she kills without remorse and is considered rather cold and a bit ruthless just on mission perspective. From a child she had instilled that death was a natural balance and she became good at taking life. She however in quiet alone moments would at times think back on the lives she had taken and the necessity for those she has killed. One skilled in personality traits would be able to detect an ever so slight change in her features, as though there was actually a life behind the cold exterior before she snapped back to the emotionless features she displays awaiting the next question.

The ever keen Sharterran made note of the woman’s face and continued down his line of questions continuingly puffing away on his cigar.

“So would you be willing to be killing the children?” The Captain asked this very seriously keeping his eyes on the woman.

A slight change in her facial features would be obvious. Thoughts rush through her mind of the Tactical OP she was recently on where children were being used to deliver explosives to foreign ambassadors. This is one of the ghosts that wakes her at times in perspiration. Her file does contain 7 security threats age 16 and under resolved, yet she was not expecting something so direct. ~Security threats age 16 and under resolved~ Those in command didn’t even have the balls to write killed. Higher ups have a way to make the most obscene sound palatable. She regains her blank expression, her tone though less firm

“For sport, no, you would have the wrong woman were it ever asked of me. If children were used as weapons…” she chokes slightly and blinking a couple times “...I would take a child's life if it meant protecting others.”

Yes, that was certainly a gut punch, much harder than if this alien before her had actually punched her with all his might. She stands staring at this alien wishing the moist eyes she is fighting are not obvious awaiting the next question or her dismissal and being ripped into billions of pieces two more times. Providing a conditional answer to if one would take a life would wash people out of many groups and should this answer wash her out, she could live with her answer … painful as the question was.

A frown could be seen clearly on Evan’s face throughout the quick fire question and answer session. It wasn’t the first time he sat in on one of these, but still the questions bothered him no matter how hard he tried to hide it. For a specforce soldier the question would likely always bring ghosts he rather forget. Yet at the same time her half assed condential answer didn’t sit well with him either.

“So if given an order you’d also need a lengthy explanation before obeying? We don’t work like that. Yes where pirates, but even we have morales and our own set of standards. That being said a high level of trust is needed in this job. To say the least if that trust is broken or doesn’t exist it can make for a hostile work environment.”

Evan’s words came with a cold edge to it. Leaving no room for negotiation or doubt about what he was implying. At the same time he couldn’t help but glance at Togga in apology. He knew his interruption wasn’t called for nor respectful but both of them knew the subject to be a sore topic for Chase a soldier at his core yet hating what he called dirty missions. Between him and Togga they went through great pains to make sure none of the missions they took crossed the line for them and the crew but what they asked in return was absolute loyalty.

Evan snapping at her was the relief that she needed. Her features were unphased at his displeasure toward her answer, she simply cooly replied, her chocolate brown eyes focused icely upon this man

“I do not expect nor do I EVER receive lengthy explanation of missions however if your expectations are that I randomly kill a child for sport, this would be a problem. I am well aware that quick orders need be given and followed without question or an entire company could end up dead. Unfortunately I also know that sometimes orders might be given for personal or stupid reasons. I do not equate not randomly killing a child for sport as not following orders given. I do have a brain in this head and reasonable can determine all on my own what are necessary orders and what are simply bat shit crazy orders. I suppose the more important question I have, does this crew expect me to or do you randomly kill children for pleasure or sport? Perhaps if you were wondering if I would follow given orders, asking if I would follow given orders would be a better choice of words.”

Yes, her mouth has passed her over for staff positions on more occasions than she cares to think about. If they were looking for a soft spoken, helium balloon sucking sounding barbie doll type, she was not that, though on more than one occasion she portrayed that role as part of an assignment and could put on the ruse quite effectively. She softly bites at her bottom lip kicking herself for her outburst ~Damn girl, can you fuck this up any worse?~ Better they learn what they will be getting now than later, and yes, she thinks she could learn to be a little less abrasive. After a seconds thought, her tone becomes less combative.

“Sir, you only know me on my provided file. I only know you from the few moments here. I can only say that I follow orders given or people end up dead. I am effective in what is tasked before me. I would give my own life before I allow those in my watch be harmed. I have much blood on my hands and with each new life which I take, that blood seeps in deeper no longer washing off no matter how I wash them. The blood on my hands can not be seen by the eye however it is deep in my soul. I however do not take life for pleasure nor have I ever refused an order no matter the difficulty level of the assignment. Yes, my words at times do get … pointed? I imagine that is the reason I don’t get invited to social and diplomatic events.”

Through this whole display Togga was leaning on his desk, resting on his massive hand puffing thoughtfully away on his slowly shrinking cigar. This was a very important question and he needed to gauge the woman’s reaction and words very carefully.

Evan’s response was helpful and with it Togga was ready to make his decision. Placing his cigar in the glass ashtray he puffed out a large cloud of smoke then responded.

“That answer is being acceptable, but one must always be looking for a way to be sparing the child’s life. We are called Pirates, and we call ourselves Pirates much of the time, but our actual title is being Privateers. We are doing a Pirate’s job, but with a set of morals like Evan is being saying. Never have I been calling any of my crew to be killing a child, nor are we being killing in cold blood. Granted our standards for taking life are not being so high, but we are having them. We are all having blood on our hands, and before we are being dead much more will be coating them.” He picked up his cigar and nodded to Evan and Oren. “You are being welcomed aboard the Black Star Privateers. Evan can be showing you to your room and be pointing you towards our Head Scout Bailey Gray for a quick rundown of how our Scouts work then to our Quartermaster Xantos Skaros for any equipment you are needing. You are both being dismissed.” The big alien returned to puffing on his cigar poured himself a glass of scotch nodding for the humans to leave.

Until she learns the proper procedures that this Captain wishes from his crew, she resorts to her training snapping smartly to attention, in a firm tone

“Sir, understood sir!”

With that she does a brisk formal about face and steps outside this alien’s quarters. Once outside in the hall, she lets an exhale out, thoughts rushing through her mind ~Damn it girl, could you possibly screw up your first impression any worse~ awaiting Evan to follow and if he is anything like other command types she has been under in the past, to lock her heels and light into her for the disrespect she had shown the commander of this ship. Still deep in thought to how her day began and that first transport pad with the display to click her heels three times, lips showing a soft smile while thinking and a low giggle intended for herself ~Only if I could click the ruby slippers and start this day over~

Soon as Oren left the room Evans entire demeanor and posture drastically changes. He goes from formal, cold, and solid, to the very definition of lackadaisical. Evan looked laid back and lazy with a amused grin that doesn’t seem to take anything in the world serious. The hard ass from earlier was completely gone. This was the Evan chase that few saw but all knew to be at the heart of him. With that being said Chase gave Togga a dirty look that could cut water and clearly said this isn’t over without any need for words and walked out.

Seeing Oren waiting for him in a formal military stance he couldn’t help but give her that same lackadaisical smile he kept in reserve possibly breaking the imagine she had of him from their conversation back in the Captain’s office. “Hey Oren don’t look so uptight. This isn’t the military. You have to speak your mind when given the opportunity otherwise how can we trust each other in the field? By the way Phantom welcome to the team.” With a smile Evan sticks out his hand.

Slightly unexpected were Evan’s words yet she does recall something about this crew was pretty informal, absent the Captain, she was expecting the ½ inch from her face forever screaming superior. A somewhat smile forms across her lips. Phantom… her tag… she could get use to this. Better than puke girl, Barbie or some other tag she usually starts with. Her tone still somewhat formal, it might take her some time to dismiss years of training and protocol.

“Phantom… I like it. I can only assure you this Si… damn it… Evan, you will not have a more loyal or dedicated member of your crew.” extending her own hand out for Evan.

“Now i will introduce you to the crew. Bailey will be the officer directly in charge of you she heads up our scouts but i may call you in from time to time for tasks or take point in the field. Xantos is our Quartermaster he keeps us supplied. I’m Togga’s right hand you might call him the left. Not all of us are military so i wouldn’t even bother saluting anyone at all. Like i’ve said we’re not that formal around here. However Xantos is also our red tape so if you need anything let me know I can get it out of him. So any questions before i alert the crew?”

Evan fired off everything in a quick fashion keeping his usual energy yet talking in a rather lazy tone that came from giving this explanation before. Although the bit about her doing tasks for him was knew Evan couldn’t help but take advantage of the situation to push some of his work onto the new recruit.

As Evan mentioned the Head Scout was a ‘she’, her expression changed for that ever so slight instant to a scrunched expression. Female commanders typically come in different varieties toward other females. Some despise their very being and ride them for even breathing, some totally let everything pass by for the fellow woman, and the one she hoped she was being assigned to all the same, no breaks for being female. She only hopes this woman is a kick ass and not basically retired on duty. Regaining her somewhat blank expression, offers in a slightly more relaxed tone

“This commander, Bailey, is there anything I should know about her in advance to meeting her?” Once again - really without thinking about it, her hands are behind her back, not in a typical parade rest however does not quite have the appearance of a relaxed woman. She catches herself this time and allows her arms to drop along her side as they continue.

Evan couldn’t help but give a devilish smile at that question. He had just been wondering if he should warn her about Bailey and finally decided to give her at least a little warning.

“I’d suggest you loosen up before meeting her. She’d have too much fun picking on you. Actually you should loosen up before dealing with any of us for that matter.We’re a very unusual crew. How about you see your quarters and wander around a bit get to know the ship, our crew, and report to her at your leisure?” Yes Evan just couldn’t help but make it easy on her. After all he does have a weakness for a pretty face.

Her quarters, that sounds like a luxury hotel about now though she was not ready to admit that the two transport jumps sucked the energy out of her. She could also spend some time sharpening her blades, disassembling and cleaning her rifle, pistol and submachine gun. She glances up each hall trying to orientate herself before running her hand through her hair

“That sounds like a wonderful idea. I do believe I have an overdue appointment with a pillow as well as some equipment maintenance. Exploring the decks and getting better acquainted with the layout also sounds fantastic. The whole relaxing thing, I suppose that will take a bit of time but I never quit a task I set out to do.” offering a slight smile at her sad attempt at a joke on the last part. “Can you point the way to my quarters, certainly wouldn’t want to walk into the wrong door and be sucked out into space.” She gets a slight smirk on her face, in a lighthearted joking tone “Make sure you let the crew know I am a cold heartless bitch, I’ve been told that many times and might even be in an eval or two, don’t go spreading rumors that there is actually a woman behind this face.” thinking this relaxing environment might be something she could get use to.

With that she wishes Evan a good evening and makes her way to her assigned quarters, her intent is to visit with this quartermaster when does necessary weapons maintenance. She steps within her quarters illuminating the room noting that her gear has already been stowed nicely in one corner. Her intent still is to strip down her rifle and inspect each component so that it is in proper order. She moves over toward the bed and slowly slips out of her red pleather outfit. She rests her hand upon the blanket tightly folded around the mattress and feels the softness of the pillow. Stretching with heaviness now weighing on her eyelids, lays back on the bed … ‘a few seconds to rest my eyes couldn’t possibly hurt’ drifts through her mind as she quickly drifts into a much needed sleep.

Storm

10-24-2015, 03:35 PM

The watch against her wrist vibrated, 0530, a new day before her. The blanket she has wrapped about her body protests her leaving it’s warm embrace, who is she after all to offend such a wonderful blanket. More of a grogginess than usual holds a grip upon her as her eyes strain to focus upon her watch. 0532… is 5:32 AM Earth time even relevant here drifts through her mind. She rises from the rather comfortable bed spinning out onto the floor. Her gaze now upon her equipment which seems still neatly stacked.

“Enough slacking girl” softly spoken to herself as she starts unloading equipment and weapons. Definitely she will strip down, clean anything needed and reassemble each weapon before ensuring each blade weapon holds it’s own razor sharp edge. She also has pulled up this ship's layout, she is quite well versed in learning a layout quickly and retaining shortest distances between two points. As she methodically gets to business, the digitals on her watch continue.

As the reassembly of her rifle is complete and she stows the various ammo, she again glances at her watch, the digital displays 0947. A soft smile graces her lips thinking ~little over four hours, getting pretty good at this girl~. Her soft smile broadens as she looks over toward her life support system she unpacked and has installed now, moves over to the Keurig single brew maker (her life support system) and inserts a Caramel Vanilla K-Cup depressing brew to allow the hot liquid flow into the insulated paper cup. Another thought drifts through her mind as to how she will be able to find replacements once the 36 she has are depleted. As she slips the bottoms of her white sweats on, she ties the waistband before slipping the the top on zipping it up the front, the white sweats highlighting her tan complexion. She straps on the ankle sheath holding her combat dagger as well as slipping her shoulder holster on before slipping her Glock in place. Slips her white shoes over her socked feet before finally firmly sealing her coffee cup with lid. She remembers that Evan guy telling her to keep it loose and casual however still apprehensive in acting too casually toward this Scout Commander. She makes her way toward the front of her quarters almost expecting the door to hiss open before opening the door herself “Been watching too much Sci Fi girl” almost in a giggle to herself.

She makes her way surprisingly easily, well, easier than she had expected for her first time navigating the corridors finding herself outside this Bailey Gray’s office. She buzzes the door comm now awaiting what was in store when she reports to this commander. All she knows for now is if this commander is going to eat a dead seal when she enters… well… at least she has not had breakfast to leave on the commander's floor. She starts to envision the commander as an eight tentacle puss oozing monstrosity so she would not get scrunchy faced when seeing this woman.

The door slid open with barely a whisper to reveal a young woman with brilliant silver hair sitting forwards in a comfortable leather chair at her desk, eyes like mercury looking up from where she was reassembling a submachine gun. The woman stood, briefly pausing to wipe her hands on a rag to clear away the gun oil on her fingers before she greeted the new arrival with an offered hand as she said, “I’m Scout Leader Bailey Grey, I take it you are my new recruit?” Her voice was soft and warm, a small smile lifting the corners of her mouth as she inspected the newest member of the Black Star’s crew.

Looking within the commander's office, a soft smile forms across her lips, nope, this was by no means a puss oozing eight tentacled monstrosity, better yet, the woman seemed to be caring for her weapon, obviously not the typical command from the sidelines woman. Her coffee in hand, copy of her personal records on a data file in the other, enters the office. Till she learns commander Grey’s protocol, keeps her tone formal

“Yes ma’am, I arrived last night…” offering her datafile, would shake her commander’s hand once she obtains the datafile “...my records ma’am, name is Aoki, Oren Aoki, the first officer provided a call sign of Phantom if that is acceptable with you.”

No matter the call sign those outside this commander’s chain of command may provide, ultimately her new commander would provide a final call sign. She remains in somewhat in a formal posture awaiting her commander to reiterate if she is allowed to display a relaxed posture, again, even though advised to stay relaxed by the first officer, her commander will provide how she wishes this recruit to display.

“Got it,” Bailey replied easily, opening a drawer on her desk before withdrawing a plain keycard that she proffered to her new soldier. “This is the key to your room, number seventeen in the dormitories when we’re docked and room number four in the scout section when we’re aboard. Go ahead and get settled in and then go meet the rest of the crew. Dismissed.” Her tone was conversational and warm, but there was no mistaking the command at the end as Bailey sat back down in her seat to continue whatever she had been doing before Aoki arrived.

Oren nodded while obtaining her keycard before doing a crisp about face. Still tuned to departing without additional word upon ‘dismissed’ she steps back into the hall while Bailey’s door whispered closed. She proceeds directly to the temporary quarters provided upon arrival, within the next hour, she had her gear in room 4 in the Scout section. Next order of business, supplies.

She started a requisition request for the quartermaster, for not only had one item she will shortly run out of.

Request the following, please refer to datafiles on Earth items should additional be needed.

Liquid beverage producing packet, coffee, item is a K-Cup (http://www.keurig.com/Beverages/Coffee/Caramel-Vanilla-Cream-Coffee/p/Caramel-Vanilla-Cream-Coffee-K-Cup-Green-Mountain) containing coarsely ground coffee beans, comes in various flavors, request the Caramel Vanilla type.

Oren Aoki, Scout Section, Room 4

One of her K-Cups is provided as a reference as she submits the requisition request. She may be in space void of other necessities, but she should at least have her coffee drifts through her mind as a rarely seen smile forms along her lips.

Arthera

10-26-2015, 11:09 PM

The insides of the cold room Kat used as a bedroom, work station and tinker area was the only place she's seen since she had returned from the casino planet and had been given leave. Other than the dropship, a quick trip to the mechanics shop to get the cuffs removed from her limbs and a pass at the doctor's office, she had locked herself in her room and remained there. This isn't really a change from her usual self, Kat much preferred her cold room to the office down in engineering and more often than not had food delivered to her quarters, but usually people get a peek of Kat when she is supposed to be seen at her station. Ever since the Black Star left orbit, she had remained in her room. Ekaterina wanted to deal with "some issues".

Namely that, without really being responsible for it, she had caused crew members to become seriously injured to get her out of a situation she never should have found herself in the first place. If you cause another to fry his tech because of a failed op, you shrug and move on to maybe weather a stream of angry text on your screen later on. Team gets raided on another planet, city, location, you pack your shit and move on, care level unchanged. Seeing your immediate surroundings get filled with the blood of people coming to get your ass out of trouble is not something she wanted to recall. Ever. The first and only other time was what felt like a different life ago. And it's a rather unsavory memory lane to go down on. Now people were being rotated in and/or hired to replace the gaps in the roster. The captain should have sent golden ego boy down instead of the head engineer, it made much more sense than sending a non field person into an undercover/infiltration/firefight situation. And he was an asshole that deserved to get shot anyway.

She glanced at the pile that was the fancy dress that had survived the last mission. Should have been incinerated by now, if not for the fact she had paid a fortune for the stupid thing, and because doc Kary had once told her to try and relate more with people and situations, to think on her emotions more. The dress was an attempt at trying said counsel. Made Kat twitch just thinking about Kary being one of the people injured and evac'ed to HQ trying to get her out. Counsel seemingly a success.

Instead of dwelling on the issues she aught to, Kat poured her complete attention to making sure every last little foot soldier, valet and tender at the casino was ruined, shamed and in jail for however many eternities she could string together. It was hard, much of the data was encrypted, missing or falsified, but Kat was very VERY determined, and there was little she could not get her hands on if she really set her mind to it. Having them get killed felt like an escape too easy to offer. Having them feel like shit, lose everything and all hope felt much more deserving of what they did. Messing with the crew, getting Kat angry and injuring crew members. Ekaterina would have to get everything she did for the captain to review at some point, which he might not approve of, but she knew that the crew would at least find some form of closure on the issue and a small amount of satisfaction. That's if the crew didn't mind having Kat around after that debacle.

Distance usually dulled hatred, but if they felt Kat was the core cause of the injuries sustained by crew members, they were in the same ship as she was. And most of those people were trained killers of some kind, some who kept grudges close to heart. The new recruits not an exception to that rule. Background checks had been asked and Kat had made her usual to scrub everything down to make certain nothing stood out that shouldn't. Both, so far, legit certified killers.

Working on scrubbing the hiring process and any trace that could link back the recruits to the Black Star kept Kat busy and on task. Also away from the potentially angry crew.

Dnafein

10-27-2015, 09:33 PM

Xanatos sat in his office, the door closed the lights dimmed. The rodentian's feet were on his desk, his tail wrapped around the base of the chair. A glass of bourbon in his hand, the quartermaster was busy on a call. "Glenn, Glenn, come on listen to me. You know I'm good with numbers. When have I ever given you a bad tip?"

"Exactly!" The rodentian said. "I want Dark Sun LLD to buy at least a third of Silverlight Pictures, Sierra Madre Casinos and M Gaming enterprises."

"Yes I know Silverlight hasn't put out a film in years. Ye-"

The little rat man slammed his glass down on his desk. "Listen here you pompous little desk jockey. You're paid an exorbitant fee do to what your told. And I know for a fact MY tips have made your career. So buy the shares in the two faltering entities and keep your mouth shut about it; Or not only will I take my business to someone one who will listen, but I'll spread rumors your a lying communist bastard."

He drummed his fingers on his desk listening to the lame platitudes of the broker at the other end. Tossing back the bourbon left in the glass Xan said "I want the receipt in an hour."

It was the second call he'd made that day. The broker he uses to make purchases for Ebon Flare Entertainment, the other dummy corp he currently had funds stashed in, was far more professional. Happens when your an emotionless droid though. Still the quartemaster preferred to spread the money out so it was less traceable.

And insider trading was still considered a crime. So being present at the deaths of the owners of the cover businesses Xanatos just bought was very illegal. It didn't bother him, those businesses still made money and were about to begin making a lot more. People get sentimental when famous people die, and the rodentian was okay with taking advantage of that.

The hard part of his day done Xanatos ordered the computer to open the requisition folder. With a hand he motioned the computer through the various forms. Most were easily approved, stuff to keep the ship flying or the base stocked. He approved of most of what had been requisitioned for the crew families without second thought.

Rolling through the crew specific ones he approved those he'd received before. Pocky for Kat; American flags and fireworks for Killbot; Etc. The easy ones out of the way he got to the new stuff. The first was relatively simple. He denied a request made by someone named Oren. Rejecting a request for personal k-cups was easy. Half the crew drank the filth called coffee, much to the rodentian's confusion. He sent her a reply with directions to the cabinet in the mess that contains 58 different flavors according to the quarter masters last count.

Pheasant

10-30-2015, 04:21 AM

Sam let out a slight, contented sigh as he leaned back into the worn but comfortable old sofa he was currently hogging, one leg currently set in a cast laying on the short table in front of him next to a few empty bottles, and an arm relaxing along the back of the sofa. The other hung tightly to his chest, wrapped in a synthetic cast and thick sling. The Doc told him to not even think about his usual workout regiment until the injection of healing nanites in his arm and leg had done most of their work.
Not that he could have if he'd tried, his arm had been practically wrapped in concrete, and his leg was equally immobilized.
It was a good thing the Black Star was on break, if only a short one. Sam had taken a hard beating planetside, and even the alcohol that was making his belly pleasantly warm wasn't enough to dull the hit he'd taken to his ego, too.

A lot of things happened, a lot of things. Even as well prepared as the crew was, they'd been scattered to the wind once shit hit the fan.
It used to be, Sam was at his sharpest during those times, when it was mission critical, do or die. But after his performance...
He could pin it on this or that, more resistance training, more combat exercises.

But the hard, bitter truth that was creeping into his mind, the nagging truth...
Sam was just getting old.

Much as he liked to think he and Bailey were still the same as always, still scraping by, the fact is there was a distance between them. It'd been growing for years, starting so small he'd just chocked it up to not enough gym time, not enough rounds on the range.

He was getting slower, and Bailey? Well, she'd probably still be kicking ass when Sam turned a hundred, if he lasted that long.

If he...lasted that long.

His offhand reached vaguely for a half empty bottle, pouring a stinging liquid down his throat.

"I cant keep this up...", he said to himself quietly, a note of desperation creeping in, "What am I even...What am I even still doing here..."

When he'd gotten the job offer to join, he'd been in a bad spot monetary wise. His addictions weren't cheap, whether you were talking about the bottle or the needle.
But that wasn't the real reason.
Bailey, god would he hate to see that sweet girl get lost, lost in all those cybernetic implants that made her so calm, so cold and efficient.
But she seemed more confident, more at home than she'd ever been, no thanks to him.

And Sam? Well, he knew the road to rock bottom pretty damn well, and it was right down the road. from where he was at now.

Storm

11-01-2015, 12:58 AM

Dave's Arrival (Dave / Kat CO Post)

Stepping out of a small office on Carin reading the file on this Black Star he will be going to so as to replace their medical officer continues to look over various this and thats, ship specs and layouts and a couple after action reports he nearly had to pull teeth to get. Finally powers to be agreed that he needed to have at least the minimal after action report to know what he was being put into. A communication was to have been sent to the Black Star advising he was being assigned, all that is left now is to head to the transport pad, equipment sent earlier that day. As he steps into engineering, Wolfgang still having a laugh about that girl from the other day who puked when she arrived on Carin.

“Yo Doc, gots the teleporter fired up for ya.”

Offering a grin Dave jokingly

“Don’t be teleporting me in the middle of some asteroid now.”

“Awww mon, dat was done only once and only with som supplies.”

With that, Dave steps onto the teleporter “Well, it’s go go gopher time…”

He could hear Wolfgang muttering something about all these goofy sayings these people use before his vision warps. As he regains his vision, he finds himself upon the Black Star. Racer is the first one to approach

“Are you bein da new Doc Kari?”

Almost in a laugh “Well, yea, but I will be Doc Dave. Dave Nichols. I assume you all have already been advised I am replacing the previous medical officer?”

“You not bein very pretty, you be follown Racer to yer quarters. You should be see’n da Captain when ya are settled, k Doc?” as Racer starts to take him to his quarters

“Sure, I do have a few things I want to get in place, then I’ll meet with the Captain and First Officer.”

“Racer be tinking ya mite wanna see da Captain right quick Doc.”

Dave smiles “Noted.”

As he enters his quarters he removes his personal PDA bringing up stats and crew members. Looking over the ship's layout, he slips out of his jeans and polo shirt slipping into more comfortable blue scrubs. For now he will stow his rifle and pistol in his locker till such time he makes it to the armory. He steps out of his quarters and navigates through the ship till such time as he finds himself outside this engineer's quarters looking at his PDA Ekaterina Caiven Rovitz … ~yep, this is the person I want to see first~ drifts through his mind while having no other information than a name. Who needs more anyway, an engineer was captured on a hop, engineers are always crotchety men who love their electronics and components, so let's get this intro out of the way, offer emotional help and have the crotchety old fart scream to get out of his sight. Yep, that’s the plan. Dave reaches out and depresses the call button for Kat’s outer door of her quarters.

The speaker spoke back nearly the instant the button was pressed. “Not interested in a house call Dr.Nichols. I’ll make an appointment if something requires your attention.” Kat said.

She’d seen the outer cameras spot the new doctor before he came to a stop in front of her door and she’d pulled up his file half-heartedly, giving it a sideways glance before deciding she didn’t feel like talking to a doctor, or anyone else for that matter. The trace she was running for this Macferton guy from the casino was almost complete and when that finished, she’d have his credit accounts, even those on other planets. Ready for the big, red delete button she’d made specially for her latest hunt. Pressing it digitally would run a scrubbing on his financials and scrap it all. From there she’d systematically wipe his identity from every server, everywhere. He’d be no one, no background, nothing. Way more important than talking up the new doc.

Hearing a female voice over the comm, he simply states in a polite tone

“I appreciate your fielding Mr. Rovitz’s visitors, I would like to speak Mr. Rovitz himself, if he still does not desire further interaction, that will be fine Miss.”

It took a few moments for the words to actually sink in properly. No, her hearing was fine. Yes, he had actually said those words while being sober.

“Funny man. Stop it. Read the file you have again. You CAN read correct? Or are doctors in your area taken from monkeys?”

A look of confusion washes over his face before it finally sinks in. This is a time that he hopes that the video isn’t color as he could already feel his face heat up certain his color is a lovely shade of red. His tone has a deep apologetic tone to it.

“ummm… I am… sorry Ms Rovitz… I only…. had a name and… assumed…” first thought through his mind is ~shut up already… did I just tell her I assume engineers are naturally men… could I muck this up any worse~ he lets out a sigh

“I am sorry… might I a moment or two of your time, just have a little something to update my chart with.”

A string of choice words came to mind, a few adjectives and more than a few ideas about what he could do with his chart, but Kat decided to ignore the multiple blunders for now and just make sure he goes away.

“Everything’s in the computer database. Just synch your pad with the ship’s memory or your own medical files. I’m sure even a doctor like yourself can handle basic setups like that, yes? Now, unless it’s about changing a cybernetic part or update your brain with proper software, I’m busy.”

Quirks a brow looking into the camera lense. Not the typical response he gets from those he visits. Normally he would just tap down unable to see/patient argumentative, however there is something that seems intrigue him. Sure he could access the data from computer banks, however he wants to see this engineer for himself. He lowers his tone while feeling less heat in his cheeks hoping the color is returning from his foot in mouth blunder

“I can promise you this, I will be just a quick moment. Just a couple taps of my chart and I’ll be done, could I possibly have just a moment of your time?”

Kat had the sinking feeling that this new guy was going to be standing there like a deactivated droid all day if she didn’t show her face. She had work to do and if push came to shove, she’d call resident robo-danger and call the new doc a communist. The sooner this was done, the better. With more than just a simple sigh, Kat kicked herself away from the desk, rolling on the chair to the nearest couch where lay a pile of clean clothes. Tugging at the first thing on top, she slipped into a shirt that reached down to her knees and got up, popping a new sweetroll in her mouth as she did so.

Padding over to the first door, she punched the open sequence and entered the small space. When the door closed and sealed itself, she initiated the opening of the outer door. It hissed and clanked as it unlocked and opened, showing the doctor in the flesh a few feet away.

“You have a minute before I go back in, make this quick.” she said, running a hand in her messy mane of hair.

As he hears the outer door hissing, he glances down toward the screen on the pda expanding the notes section as Kat opens the door and speaks. Finding the section he wants

“Thank you Ms Rovi……” his eyes drawing up upon the woman expecting something different than who was standing in front of him… his eyes stuck in a gaze upon her blue eyes for an awkward moment ~damn it, you are staring too long, besides thinking you as dense, just why not give her the thought you are a creep too~ “...ummm… sorry again, where was I… ummm… I am assigned now to the medical section…” her appearance totally catching him by surprise bringing him to draw a blank “...but you obviously knew that, you did mention knowing I was the new doctor…”

‘Just great, for sure the cute woman is going to have a dozen restraining orders on you, besides thinking me a babbling idiot’

“I am sorry… I seem to be saying that a lot, don’t I. I just wanted you to know that I have experience as a psychologist if you ever feel the need to speak about any past events.” ~damn it man, just shut up, lick your wounds and get out with what little dignity you still have~ Dave returning to a slight red color in his face.

Staring at his face and mentally counting down the minute, Kat rolled her eyes at the last mention of HIM being a shrink.

“Time’s up. Next time don’t bother, submit a ticket in the system and I’ll get to it...eventually. Now go play doctor with your toys and stop taking time from other’s people’s rather more important days. Try not to die talking to the other crew members.” she told him, a deadpan look on her face, clearly unimpressed.

Turning on her heels, Kat re-entered the airlock-like opening and slapped the close button, shutting the door in the doctor’s face.

As the outer door hisses closed, he feels like slamming his head against the wall. Turning, starts making his way back away from Kat’s quarters. As he wanders down the passageway, it dawns upon him that he didn’t even get any information entered in his data chart. He closes the chart without save. Muttering softly to himself

“That woman certainly is a tough case, certainly nothing like women I have met, real abrasive, could be side effect of what she was through, real fire breathing dragon… with the most beautiful blue eyes I’ve seen.” as he continues down the walkway mind drifting on how he could recover from his disastrous first meeting, part unable to get this woman out of his mind.

He glances at his PDA blinking several times. Taps several search criteria and taps the screen several times as they come back as not found. He lets out a discouraging tone

“Just great, have a full day…” at least hopes it is only a day “...to do over. What did I push to kill the data though?” Oddly enough, the little data started on Kat still is on the PDA. A somewhat smile forms across his lips

“I might just need to schedule an appointment for her to try recover my data.” drifting through his mind.

He makes his way back to his quarters swiping his keycard… one… no green light… swipes again… and waits… swipes a third time waiting for the green unlock… nothing. Applies his vast amount to technical know how by tapping the card against the wall before swiping the card a fourth time… no darn green light. He grips his PDA again bringing up the only thing that seems to remain messaging

Ms Rovitz

This is Dr Nichols. I seem to be experiencing a keycard malfunction to my quarters. When your time permits, might you reset my card or look at the controls to me door.

He presses send closing his eyes for a moment thinking ~gawd, that sounds like some kind of lame attempt at getting her to visit, I am just batting negative a million today~ He paces in front of his door hoping she doesn’t get yet another bad impression of him, while at the same time thinking how amazingly attractive she was.

********************************************
Oren/Bailey CO Post

Bailey trailed in about five minutes later, her own coffee cup empty now as she headed over to the usual drip-pot until the scent of Aoki’s coffee hit her nose, causing her to turn sharply and take in the sight of the newest member’s fancy K-cups.

“Any chance you’ll share?” She asked, propping herself against the wall as she looked to Oren.

Oren having submitted the requisition request moments ago still wearing her white sweats and white shoes which highlights her tan complexion stands by the kurig coffee maker, she grabs a K-Cup and an insulated paper cup as if she had not heard Bailey as she begins to brew a new cup of Caramel Vanilla coffee, well aware the silver haired woman is there. As the coffee finishes flowing in the cup, aroma of fresh coffee drifts through the air, she presses the lid on the cup before turning to where Bailey is propped against the wall. She offers a friendly smile while stepping toward Bailey with two cups of coffee in hand, her tone equally friendly as they are not on an op

“It’s Caramel Vanilla, hope you like it.” while handing the one of the cups to Bailey “....and please, don’t ask again…” offering a slight laugh “...I’m not a boy, I do share my toys with my team.”

Her tone goes from joking to somewhat casual “The bummer is I didn’t bring flavored creamer, Coconut Chocolate creamer in Caramel Vanilla coffee is just to die for. I am trying to see if your Quartermaster might be able to scrounge some more of these K-Cups up before we run out. Hope the guy doesn’t think me a pampered girl asking for…” couldn’t help a slight laugh under her breath “...life’s essentials.”

Bailey couldn’t stop the soft laugh she had at Oren’s reply as she accepted the cup of coffee. “I think we’ll manage but you never know so be prepared to tough it out,” she said glibly, “Still thanks for sharing, and if there’s an opportunity I’ll see what I can do to see you get what you need. All said though I think you’ll fit in well enough with everyone else.” Taking a sip she savoured the flavor as the coffee ran across her tongue before taking a bigger gulp before pausing and sighing softly.

“So just let me know if you need anything, you likely won’t have too much trouble tracking me down when you need me unless I’m with Sam,” she offered in a friendly tone.

Keeping her gaze friendly, a nearly never seen in public smile unless on a covert intel gig

“You got it. One thing that I might ask, what are the bio suit requirements for scouts? The one I have appears flimsy … almost like a pleather substance. It however is a top of the line, though experimental, design from the department I did not belong to…” offering a wink, Bailey should pick up on the BlackOps reference “...it is a one of a kind, offers super flexibility. I don’t even know the full specs on the fibers meshed together other than it keeps me at a constant temperature no matter the environmental conditions, the drawback is it does not offer as great protection against high yield energy weapons. Should I need to replace it, how do I go about obtaining a more standard bio suit… or armor for that matter.”

The memory of one of her last ops still on her mind where she rounded a corner of some random building on some desolated island to be met by a 50 caliber rifle. The sound of the click as the trigger was pulled is as vivid as if it were the other day as the weapon dry fired. The man at the other end of the rifle died fast … she knows if the weapon had fired, the round would have been an in and out and she would had been the one decaying in some raggedy building. She dismisses the thought and puts her smile back on.

“So what’s a girl to do to get upgraded?”

“Ah well most upgrades you’ll have to pay for, or at least acquire, yourself. If you do need a standard suit or weapons, we have a large, general purpose locker in the armory available to anyone that needs it.” Bailey replied calmly, taking another sip of her coffee, “However if I have time and you don’t need the item in question, I can generally manage any upgrades you might need or think of. I will ask for favors or items in exchange if you don’t want to just pay straight up cash.” She took another large sip before sighing softly and setting her cup to the side as she pulled out a small palm-pilot like device from her pocket which she offered to Oren.

“This is your personal handheld which I forgot to give to you earlier, it’s preloaded with basic profiles of the crew, nothing in depth, but enough for you to get a basic idea about each of us. Contact numbers are preloaded already incase you need to call us and don’t have a comm equipped. This’ll also be your primary means of managing anything you have to do that involves the ship, from your money, to inventory requests, to your scheduled medical exams. You’re the first one to get it, so let me know if there are any issues,” she said calmly, picking her cup up for another drink, “So just stop by my office if you need anything, I need to go around and give the rest of the scouts their. I’ve been working on this for a while so my scouts will be the first to get them. Hope you enjoy your time with us.”

With that, Bailey offered a two fingered salute to Oren before she headed back out of the room.

As Bailey departed she activated her hand held while drifting through her mind about at least an armor upgrade. On the pro side on what she has now is it is flexible and can move faster in it, draw back, it will not withstand high caliber or energy weapons. S smile graces her lips recalling the last to recommend stronger armor

‘You can be a little slower and deadly… or fast and deadly…’

Skimming through the activity log, lets a slight sigh. Scheduled medical exam. Well, suppose being new these people will need to be sure she would not break the first firefight she is in. The name of the medical officer she is to report to does not register as she makes it a point not to try to remember names she has ever retrieved or rescued. She will have to look up this Dave Nichols data before tapping ‘schedule exam’. Perhaps later though. She looks over her requests and notices that the request for K-Cups has been declined. Well, at least they have flavored coffee she could use her refillable plastic K-Cups with, that is one concern she can now cross off her list.

SikstaSlathalin

11-11-2015, 02:56 AM

With the excitement of a new recruit dealt with and his food eaten Togga poured himself a class of vodka and lit another Cuban cigar sitting back on his desk just enjoying the quiet after the chaos of the Sierra Madre. He knew Kat was hard at work destroying most of the people’s live back on the glitzy rock and putting any loose cash right into the company coffers and Privateers’ pockets. So far things were looking up.

Finally seeing the recruit off to her room and all the crew notified of her Evan arrived back at Togga’s office. Having a bone to pick with the Captain Evan didn’t bother knocking this time. Entering his personal access number to unlock the door he walked right on in.
“Dammit Togga that mission went to crap”

Togga was enjoying the peace and quiet of his office when Evan burst in and disturbed his thoughts.

“Da, I am knowing this, it is being last time we are doing a revenge mission like that. Next time I am thinking we are just going in guns and fire.”

Gone was the lazy laid back First Mate. Evan was upset and in full soldier mode.
“You left me on the ship. If I was there I could have helped. Revenge isn’t the problem. We are pirates. The problem Sharterran is you left your First Mate behind. How am I supposed to help if you leave me behind huh?”

As the big alien was addressed as Sharterran in such a derogatory manner he calmly pulled his pistol from it’s holster and shot a round off inches from Evan’s head putting a nice dent in the threshold of his office.
“First, we may being pirates and you are being my friend Evan, but you are knowing being pissy like this is not going to be helping you.” He leaned his arm back and rested the barrel of the pistol on his massive shoulder as he continued to puff on the cigar. “Second, I was leaving you up here so you could be keeping an eye on the ship and what crew was left up here. I am knowing you are liking being in the middle of the killing, but one officer must be staying on the ship at all times to be keeping order. You were being help by being our eye in the sky.”

Before Evan could even blink Togga left a shot a few inches from his head. On pure reaction his pistol was half raised in one hand while the tip of his knife rested in the other. His eyes was clearly filled with heat and anger. For a second even he thought he might shoot back and not miss, but ever the dutiful soldier he holstered his pistol. Walking up to Togga’s desk he slams the energy conductive blade tip first into the table. His eyes never leaving the Captain’s he reaches over the desk and takes out Togga’s hidden Sharterran liquor. Eyeing the crystal flask with a sea blue liquid in he takes a deep swig of it. It tasted like a nice sweet pure water but was followed by a strong burn making even Evan’s eyes get watery,
“It did a number on us. Not just the injured but morale as well. The new recruits will be a breath of fresh air, but damn you I’m a specialist. For now on let the Scouts do their job. Check for dangers before we send everyone down. And I will personally work with Bailey’s team.”

Togga kept his pistol out, but stood up as Evan decided to stab his desk.
“Xantos will be having your eyes for jewels on his rings if you are keeping up with the stabbing of my desk. But this mission was being a fluke, we were going onto a planet we are having done business on before with a woman who was having no ties to Moriarty. Something was going wrong and we were having to improvise, lucky for all of us the next mission is being one where we are being able to Scout before we are going in. Salvaging a ship for some humans.” The bull Shar pulled his prized Sun wave liquor out of the former soldier's hand and taking a swig of it himself before replacing it to his drawer and locking it in. He loved the burn of this stuff, but even on Piscia it was a pricy vintage.

Putting the cigar back in his mouth he blew a couple of smoke clouds in Evan’s face.
“Be sure you are not working too closely with them, I am not needing you to begin thinking with your lower brain when lives are being on line. Now are you having the in-depth specs on the Light of Heaven?”

Pulling out one of his tablets Evan opens up the Holographic file on the Light of Heaven causing an interactive 3D model of the medical ship Light of Heaven to appear. “I resent that statement. I’m perfectly capable of keeping everyone safe no matter what brain I think with. I don’t exactly like the mission. But from the security checks I’ve done both cyber, and personal turned up relatively empty. I’d say at worst it’s a level 2 or 3 mission, and at this rate anything is better than another level 5 that turns out to be a level 7 mission. But I still don’t get why hire privateers to do a salvage? Either way I need more tech to finish off the Titan Atlas.”

Togga holstered his pistol and puffed away on his cigar studying the satellite scans.
“But are you being able to not be staring at the asses of Bailey and Phantom the whole time?” The Captain asked chuckling lightly as the scans came up empty for both biological and synthetic life and the ship’s power core was off and mostly cold with a few spikes of radiation leaking out. “The ship is being abandoned for over one-hundred years in a dead part of space. Giving it a 2 or 3 might be being generous. Was there being any kind of extremely alien lifeform in the ship’s ledger?” He asked looking through the ledgers quickly.

Evan took a pause seemingly to think for a second while he sheaths his reactive blade. In his case this meant his quantum memory banks where firing off his perfect recall of the ledgers he briefly glanced over. “Bailey’s ass begs to be stared at but I always get work done. Hard work equals hard play eh? An no I found nothing. From what I’ve seen nothing in the ledger sticks out, everything seems ordinary. Although I couldn’t access the ship’s navigation systems, it has been awhile the data could be corrupted or something. Wouldn’t know into we tap directly into it.”

Togga snorted at the comment about Bailey’s ass and moved on through the ledgers and item lists.
“I am not being sure even Kat is having the equipment to be tapping into a ship this old. It is being older than the Black Star herself, Warsong included.” He ashed the cigar and placed it in his ashtray using both hands to make the 3D image bigger and fill the office so they could look even closer at things.
“Hmm are you remembering what native creatures do inhabit or used to inhabit this sector? If I am remembering right were not the big eyeless monsters from those old earth movies being around there?”

Evan couldn’t help but smile at Togga’s joke. Of course Evan remembered in fact he has to go through great lengths to forget things when he wants. “Yeah this part of the system was inhabited by them. The Xenomorph’s I believe they were dubbed Aliens? They should be extinct by now the Predator race called Yautja hunted them all down….” Evan started to feel a bit uneasy as he pulled up the related files. The Yautja have been know to breed Xenomorphs just so they can hunt them until the situation got out of hand and they almost had a major outbreak on their home world.

Togga nodded picking up his cigar.
“Maybe but the Yautja are one being one of those races that are needing the challenge of the hunt. I am not thinking they would be wiping out their favorite prey. They were even being foolish enough to be trying and pulling some of that shit on Piscia. Needless to say, they were being very foolish to be trying and taking on another apex predator race. There is being reasons we Sharterrans have never being lost a war. But I am supposing those Xenomorphs would be showing up in our scans. Any other hostiles we may be running into?” He asked looking over the most updated inventory list he could find on the medical ship.

A permanent frown appeared on Evan's face as he was liking this less and less. “They have been know to be good at evading scans in the past. This ship has more than a few dark spots on our scanners. I don’t like it. I’m upping it to a level 5 security risk. The Xenomorphs can be dangerous. I’ll have Bailey, and her team keep the environmental suits sealed, all embarking crew members helmets on at all times. And yes only a Yautja would be crazy enough to fight a Sharterran on your own home planet.”

Togga nodded snuffing out the stub of a cigar sipping his vodka.
“I will also be sending some of our Gunners along with the Scouts. They may be needing the heavier guns at their backs. Is there anything we will be needing to know or be considering before we are setting course?”

Guess now is a good time as any. With that in mind Evan flipped open another file this one titled Titian Class Atlas. This time a 3D model of a sword appeared. Evan was sure some of the files already reached the Captain of the pet project he had the engineers back at base working on for him. “I’d like to get a few pieces of the ship to help me with my Sword if possible.”

Togga rolled his eyes slightly as Evan slid into pitching his pet project again. A super sword that Togga still couldn’t see a purpose in.
“Why are you wanting this sword so bad again?” The alien asked taking another sip of his vodka.

Evan instantly had a response being so use to questions like that these days.
“A sword doesn’t run out of bullets, and it’s faster at close to mid range then a gun not to mention it can be more quiet. Point is I only have a sniper rifle and my pistol. I need something to deal with high firepower.”

“Then order a nuclear warhead.” Xanatos uttered as he slipped into the captain’s office. “It would be cheaper in the end.”

“How about I drop a nuke on your head?” Was Evan’s instant reaction to his fellow senior officer. His tone was definitely threatening but his laid back attitude clearly lacked intent.

“Given that you’re asking for a sword, you’ll probably miss.” The Rodentian said with a shrug. “Do you really have to bankrupt us with the sword?”

“If we go bankrupt it’s because you can’t do your job right. Besides, Between this salvage job and me moving some of my assets into our shadow account. It won’t cost too much.”

“One can only make so much money in an established period of time.” Xanatos stated as if explaining economics to a new student. “However, one can spend an infinite amount of money in almost no time at all. Perhaps if you would settle for something less expensive you’ll get your blade sooner and we’ll both make more money.”

The Rodentian slipped into a chair. “Of course here’s another point. Why bring a sword to a gunfight?”

“Fact is it costs to make money. And a cheaper sword means a weaker one. No this one is of my own design. I’m pretty sure if our chief Mechanic and Engineer saw the specs they would agree it’s a good sword. Togga himself should have some knowledge of it. After all it’s similar to his Axe. A cheaper blade would be a bad deal. As for a gun fight…. Why don’t we spar and find out Xanatos?” This time Evan’s threatening words were really backed with a look that could kill. Him and Xanatos typically didn’t get along but being shot at earlier by Togga just made Evan’s temper even worse.

Xanatos looked at Evan, meeting the man’s eyes. The Rodentian began laughing, “Somebody’s been drinking I think. Captain has final call on your ‘super sword’ He says you can have it, you’ll get it. What's the final cost going to be?”

As the Quartermaster entered the office Togga knew what was coming and sat back puffing slowly on his cigar as they got their chests filled with air and crowed at each other for a bit. Sitting back in his chair and placing his heavy clawed feet on the desk waiting for his chance to speak.

And it came when Evan challenged Xantos to a fight.
“Be sitting down and stopping with the pissing contest. I am having stronger nose than dog so it will never be going away. As for your sword Evan be getting me written affidavits from both Shinkei and Kat for this “super sword” that is saying the thing is being smart to be building and be worth the money that will be pouring into it, then be playing nice with Xantos and be coming up with a proper budget and materials list for it...then and maybe then I will be giving you the clear for this “super sword.” Or you can be waiting until after the Space Specter mission, than you can be having enough credits to be making it all on your own. Now Xantos can you be looking at the ledgers of the Light of Heaven ship and be telling us what the payout will be being?” He asked spinning the map onto Xan’s handheld so the clever little alien can study it better.

Xanatos brought the files up and scanned through them. “Best price for fewest questions for the ship would most likely be Martha. Though tearing it apart we could probably scatter the parts around and get as much if not more. Costs more man hours though.”

“As for her cargo,” The Rodentian shrugged. “Depends on the market. We may want to have Kat go through her computers before scrubbing them. Locate who were already lined up as buyers and carefully offer to sell to them. Or offer it to their rivals at a slightly inflated price. Between the ship and the cargo we’re going to come out well enough ahead that the crew can see a pretty hefty bonus. Even after the purchase of three companies.”

Togga nodded slowly contently puffing away on his cigar.
“Well if I am remembering right the Great Human Dominion, are having left all that up to us. We were being the first ones they were being offering it to. But that is not meaning we are being only ones who are having knowledge of it. Evan, what other merc companies are being in the area of the ship or may be going past it?”

Evan let out another sigh thinking about the information Togga wanted. Of course he checked to see if any other company might cross their path during the operation. No one likes unexpected guests after all. “Well far as I checked the GHD haven’t hired any other company than us. There’s no other companies nearby and from what my contacts say none should be heading near. That ship’s been dead in that sector for nearly a century so no telling who knows of it, but with that said no one has done anything about it so far. Again I wonder why the Great Human Dominion is being so generous. If there are any mercs to worry about they would be on our tail.” Evan handed Togga a file containing his findings and details on what he just said which didn’t amount to much. The folder itself had level 4 labeled onto it.

“It’s not like the GHD is the only interested party. I’ll reach out to my contacts among the other governments, the two of you should do the same. As for their generosity, “ Xanatos shrugged, “We all know how most in our line of work are, especially humans. Superstition tends to work better to protect treasure then the best security systems. May I recommend we lock down every rumor and ghost story about our goal?”

Togga studied the files Evan handed him the puffing in his cigar slowing a little as he scanned the details over and over.
“Hmm caution is indeed being the better part of getting paid. I am knowing all of us are being on the GHD’s Most wanted list, but all of us are also having contacts in the lower ranks of that military. And it is being there we were getting the lead from. Lieutenant Macie Anderson...one of Evan’s “close friends” We are having month or so to be getting all this done, whenever Racer is being able to sort through Sy’s logs to be getting the ship on the right course. Be looking under all rocks and be running down all leads, I am not having another Sierra Madre incident if I can be helping it. You are both being dismissed.” Togga minimized all the files they were looking at and sent a copy to both of his officers before pouring himself some more vodka.

*Killbot*

Back to his original color and loadout Killbot was going over the upgrades and repairs he could do himself as the rest of the crew was licking their wounds and drinking away the communist nightmare that was the casino mission. But it was a joyous day for the Head Gunner, he got to lead an army of great American robots against the Commie threat! It was a glorious day for America and it's greatest defender! Togga Tech, Model 001, MK X-II Prototype Combat Cyborg!

The giant killing machine was in what equates to high spirits for cyborgs. His cooling fans were humming merrily, his systems were running at the optimum speed and proficiency, and the Star-Spangeld Banner (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPKp29Luryc) playing over his speakers as he walked proudly through the halls of the Black Star. He was on his way to get some gun time in when he came to the Lounge and saw Sam 2 all busted up and drinking.

Walking up K-Bot studied Sam for a few seconds.
"Yo brother! Are you reveling in this great victory of the "Merican way!? OHHHH YEAAAAHHHH!"

*Duke*

"Why in the fuck did I join this crazy ass crew? It's not like they're the best paying gig around, nor do they have the best bitches to bang!" The Asst. Engineer was grumbling to himself as he was going over the list BS Kat forced onto his plate. "This is all shit she could do in her sleep! Fucking bitch just needs a damn good fucking. Bend right over her work table as I do it too!" He was sure she was listening in on him, but knew she wouldn't care much so he'd continue with it.

He was angrily going over the bitch list he was assigned when he came to the rooms and saw someone sitting rather pathetically by the door. Duke saw the man's face before and quickly pulled up the crew tab he had minimized and clicked on new arrivals. One was a sexy looking ninja chick Duke would get to know her later..but right now he had to save one Dr. Dave Nicols from what could only be called Kat's PMSing.

Biting on some black licorice Duke nodded to the man.
"Pissed off cyber queen huh Doc? Here I'll fix you up." Plugging into the door Duke began breaking down Kat's blockers freeing up the man's door and adding him to the system. "Yeah, this is her work."

Rayfire

11-11-2015, 10:34 AM

Tri-op: Evan, Shinkei, Kat

Shinkei let out a massive sigh as she eased back into the worn leather chair, a cold drink resting in her left arm. Her right arm was currently sitting on her workbench in her shop, her drones working on repairing it and removing the bullets. While the firefight had been rather lucky, the goons had still managed to get off a good number of shots off on her robot arm, one of them nearly shattering her shoulder joint connection, and the lines for the fuel and battery. Thankfully none of the circuitry had been shattered during the shooting.

“I hate casinos.” Shin mumbled to herself as she took a swig of the drink, allowing her eyes to fall on the drolling tv screen, not able to do much else at the moment. She wrestled with getting her coat settled back in place, thankful to be back in normal clothing, but not having an arm was making it hard to keep the shoulder point up.

“I hate bullets even more…” She grumbled, thankful that she was able to relax until their next mission of the derelict ship. Unless it got hijacked, or was filled to the airlock with ghosts, it should be a simple scavenge and scrap mission.

Finally Evan found some time to sit back and relax being an officer constantly gave him boring work to do not to mention the stress from their last op. Ok yes he knew he was only on the ground to rescue them but he wasn’t to fond of watching the action from overview. He also had to clean up after the op. Make sure everyone followed protocol scrubbing all evidence of them in that last op, and run security checks for future ops, and vet in a new recruit not to mention figure out how to throw off some of his work on her. God forbid if Togga actually found out about that, he would be kept ship side for forever this time around. Then he had to have a meeting with that Sharterran while he ate another seal. Evan would swear the Captain did that in front of him all the time on purpose just to mess with his cheeky First Mate.

Walking to the lounge with a drink in hand Evan was slightly surprised to see another crewmate already beat him there. “Mind if I join you?” Evan asks as he helps Shinkei with her nice leather coat and sits down without even waiting for an answer. “How are you handling it?” A cyborg himself Evan knew plenty of times he messed up his body and knows how unsettling it can be not having your arm.

“I … annoyingly decent enough.” Shin spoke as she took another swig of her drink, sitting back down and letting out a pleased sigh. She had been slightly surprised when Evan had entered the room, but with how she was feeling, it wasn’t too much a bother.

“I have my drones working on the arm for the moment, getting everything set back in place and machinery fixed up. It does mean I’m stuck getting the earbuds fixed, but that just means a late morning for me.” She spoke while giving a shrug and another swig.

“Kinda sad that we’re losing a few people, but I guess some people got more hurt than planned.” She spoke while taking a deeper swig of the drink as she allowed her eyes to drift over to the tv, tucking her legs under her body as she settled into the chair.

Evan was hardly surprised at her words, they reflected the thoughts of the crew. They hadn’t seen that many injured in a while despite their line of work. Pulling out a crystal flask with a blue liquor in it he offers some to Shinkei.

“Want some? It’s Sharterran liquor it was a gift for the captain…” Evan knew it to be the captains favorite and even had Xan order a bottle without the captain noticing. However with his recent bout with the captain Evan seriously needed a drink. He couldn’t believe the bastard actually shot at him. “Oh and if you need any help feel free to ask.”

Evan wasn’t Kat but he certainly knew his way around a circuit and enough mechanics to not get in her way or offer help if she needed a extra hand. Not to mention he could get past the red tape known as Xantos. The Quartermaster was a notorious hard ass when it came to supplies but when it came to Evan who handled Ops he had no choice but to give and take less they make the job real hard for each other.

“Oh, sounds good. Haven’t had any of that.” Shin said as she nestled her drink in the crook of her legs. Leaning forward, she took the flask and gave it a sniff, surprised at the more watery scent than anything else. Taking a swig, she nearly dropped the flask from coughing at the very strong alcohol. It burned in her throat, nearly sending her into a sneezing fit as well as she returned the drink.

“O--kay that’s a bit too strong for me, but thanks.” Shin spoke as she wiped her mouth, giving him a pleasant smile as she returned to her drink, enjoying the flavor and burn a lot more. It was easier to handle than what Evan had stolen.

“..Thanks for your help from up here. Was… kinda at a loss for tech when Kat was caught. As for the offer, thanks but I got it handled.” Shin said with a nod as she finished off her drink.

“So, what do you think of the next mission?” She asked as she debated whether to go back and get more, or just chill with her stomach as is.

“Hmm the next mission?”
Evan didn’t exactly want to think about missions specially after the last one they want through but he knew they had to get past it and he has to watch after the crew. Taking a swallow of the blue liquor he feels the water like liquor. There were some perks to being a cyborg. Poisons could be kept at bay giving him time to complete his missions and get back to medical help. In this case it let him get drunk and sober up when need. However with strong liquors Evan started to actually feel them even with his scrubbers. After taking a deep swallow he refills the lady’s cup with his usual flask. This liquor is green and offers a smooth taste a lighter burn however it could still be just as strong if one drunk enough of it.While the nice smooth forest taste let one drink a lot in quick succession it could still hit hard. A sneaky drink or a woman's drink they called it.

“It won’t go like our last mission’s I promise that. The security check has come back clean so at most it’s a level 2 or 3 but i’ve upped to a level 5 it shouldn’t go to a level 7 like our last mission. Some pirates or shady government might want it but i will take point this time, make sure the team stays safe. Togga won’t leave me this time after all the mess he dragged you guys through.”

Raising her glass in thanks, Shin took a slow sip of the drink, not sure what to expect. The smoother burn and herbal aftertaste was rather pleasing, making her second sip easier.

“The worst I want to have to worry about is frying out a few lightbulbs on the thing. Though that's probably going to happen anyway.” Shin offered with a light chuckle, letting out a slight hiccup before taking another swig. She has to admit, the drink was not one she expected from the First Mate, but was more then happy to have it.

“It might be fun having you on point this time around. Though I might keep tally of how many naps you try to sneak off to take.” Shin teased, knowing of Evans joy of slouching when things were relaxed enough to allow it. Though she wasn't sure if it was the booze talking or not.

Smiling mischievously Evan could tell he’s becoming slightly drunk now but it didn’t matter since they aren’t on mission and finally get to relax. “I hope it’s easy enough i could get away with that. You could join me?”

“Oh? Are you offering me the chance to sleep with you?” Shin asked, a chortle escaping her.

“I don't think much sleeping would happen then. So I'll pass on this time.” Shin said with another laugh, taking a generous sip of her drink and letting out a hiccup.

Evan couldn’t help but laugh at how bluntly Shin put it but of course his reputation on the ship proceeded him. “Well in that case would you care to help me finish the sword I’ve been building?

Shin’s eyes lit up some at his request, wondering just what in the hell he meant by a sword. She knew what a sword was, but with his long range people were, along with the fact most people who went against them had bullets, it seemed like a rather odd choice. Her mind paused for a minute as she narrowed her eyes at the man.

“Do you mean an actual sword, or is this your attempt to get me to see your junk? “Shin asked him, though she was already getting out of her chair, throwing back the last of her drink before putting her cup down.

Taking out his tablet Evan pulled up the file dubbed “Titian Classed Atlas”. A interactive 3D model of the Titian Classed sword Atlas appears. The blade itself was reading as a extremely high density rock presumably taken from a very old asteroid. The weight values of it being clearly high makes one instantly think of the ship’s gravity dampeners let alone how anyone could carry such a thing. A round object next to it clearly explained this. It was a miniaturized gravity device of Evan’s own design. Created to make a constantly vibrating field around the blade it displaces gravity around it allowing it to be wielded with ease. The design even includes a fingerprint and blood analysis ensuring none but the user could actually use the blade. Below the files was multiple and expensive requisition requests with Evan’s signature on it. below his required a second signature Shinkei’s which would make a high priority department requisition which would push Xan to approve it. “Two problems. One I need your signature and two I’m having trouble figuring out the power supply. Of course we can discuss this all in my room.”

Shin’s eyes went wide at the sword, her fingers already tracing the outline of it carefully, allowing her eye to get a good scan of it. The concept was unlike anything she had seen before. The metal of the blade would make it nigh impossible to break, though it’d weight the sucker down like hell. The mini grav balancer was a novel idea, but it would add a huge strain to any power supply put into it.

“I'd happily sign for this. And I might have a solution to your problem. If we ran a high density electromagnet through the core of the blade, and hooked it up to the gravity field in the center, we should get the needed power supply with a and charge. Easily handled by a robotic arm.” Shin spoke, her eyes miles away as she studied the blade.

“Gonna need some thin support and dampeners around the core and base, make sure the thing doesn't fall apart the second you hit something…”Shin stated, plucking the tablet from Evan's hand to study it better.

Evan watches Shin with a smile on his face. There was nothing like the look of a woman doing something she absolutely enjoyed.Of course now this would seem like she’s too preoccupied to get into his bed and she sobered up quickly, but Evan already had this in mind with a back up plan.

“That would fix it but that would also compromise the strength of the blade. I was thinking you could possibly shave a piece off of my power core? Or if that’s too dangerous then make a power relay from me to it for now.”

With a flick of his finger the specs on himself instantly popped up alongside the sword. Evan used to rely on high output capacitors to charge his systems, but kept running out of juice very quickly due to his radar and external charging weaponry. Evan made a deal with a crew member that supplied him with a exotic power cell that uses micro-spatial tunneling to provide maximal energy. The lime green crystal prism connects to Evan's existing capacitor via a rib mechanism to attach and detach it as needed. He knew she wouldn’t be able to resist seeing it for herself which was guaranteed to get her in his bed.

Shin nearly jumped as the man's specs appeared on the device, her eyes bugging at the sight. She was quick to look over at Evan, eyes damn near glued to where the panel would have to be stored for the battery.

“How… Ho. The hell did you get one of those?! “Shin kept her voice low, looking back to the man with surprise and shock. The man was almost resting on damn fortnights worth of gold for powering himself and weapons. And even the idea of harming such a crystal was near insane to her. Her eyes glanced around the room to see if anyone could possibly hear them.

“Any… Chance I could see this power source of yours? “She asked as best she could, the smell of alcohol still settled on her breath. The thought of just being able to see a Mitsuqes crystal outside the Vibriian Nebulae was rare, let alone being able to hold one.

Evan knew he had her but with how she was eyeing him he started to wonder if it was really a good idea to let her poke around in him. “Here isn’t exactly a good place. Let’s go to my room then we can examine each other.”

Shin narrowed her eyes some as she looked at him, already trying to see where this was leading. Going to Evan's quarters would be a good way to get a better look, but it could easily lead to a more risque situation. She had had situations like this before, but she wanted so badly to see this power source.

“Well.. I don't have anything that you could inspect. My arm is in my room being worked on.” She spoke calmly, testing the waters. She wanted to so badly see that gem, but not at the cost of him getting it on.

“Oh? but you’re actually very beautiful. You love your tech I know, but for me it’s peoples’ personalities. A women. My inspection is sex and I can promise you’d enjoy it. Of course this isn’t a negotiation. I won’t get under your instruments, you know military secrets and all. But I will give you access to my files. provided you don’t go digging in things not needed for the sword. Oh and no copying the file. Not to mention every time you access it a new encryption key will be needed. Kat will be working on this as well and you two better not even think about hacking into it or trying me.”
Evan wasn’t to worried about Shinkei getting too much on his files considering her expertise was hardware, and he was well trained against direct hacks. Kat might be more of a problem. He was sure she could break through his security despite all the safeguards in place but he made sure she couldn’t do it without making lots of noise.

“Promise not to not dig in things I don’t need.” Shin said with a hard blush, somewhat surprised by the compliments. She knew of the man’s desire for getting with women, but he wasn’t exactly what she expected. It was a lot different to hear the compliments and rather gentlemanly way he was going about it.

“I think we’ll work on the sword first. It should be done first before the next mission, just in case.” Shinkei spoke, taking another look at the image and smiling, making motion to start heading in that direction.

“Ok then I have to bring Kat in on it. We can work on the specs anywhere the actual work is being done back at base. It’s a titan class sword so it has to be made planetside. In space it would over stress the ships dampeners if we brought it here before it’s complete. As for the mission we might find a better energy source to hard wire into it.” The mission Evan hate to think about it but this one may not seem so simple but it was no use bothering the rest of the crew with that. He already sent out the message to Bailey and her team.

“Right, right. Can’t risk the overclock and send us spiraling into the nearest planet. Think we’ve had enough about that.” Shin said, shaking her head at the thought. She handed back the pad and made motion to meet up at his quarters.

“I need to grab some tools and a spare from my room. You wanna come with, or should I just head out on my own and meet up at your quarters.” Shin spoke, pointing her thumb over her shoulder to where she was planning to go.

“It’s fine we can meet at my quarters I’ll also page Kat and get her up to speed” With that Evan took his pad and pulled up Kat’s file. While paging her he looked up her location on the ship.

Settling back in her chair and getting ready to resume her work, after the Doctor’s annoying visit, Kat got messages from the Doctor and Evan. The Doctor’s issues with the door and his data were his own fault to begin with, so Kat ignored his requests and decided to let him sleep in the hallways for tonight. As for Evan, well, First Mate kinda warrants attention. It’s likely ship related.

“Yes Evan, what requires attention today?” she said in the mic on her computer.

Turning the charm on Evan appears on Kat’s screen with a big smile. He knew she could be a bit of a loner so he had to be more easy with her versus Shinkei.

“Hey doll I need your help with a project I’ve been working on. It’s a Titan class sword called Atlas. Report to my room immediately. I’m also sending you the file and a temporary access key to the potential power source for it. You will notice the high security on the access code. Don’t go hacking beyond it’s boundaries or we will have a issue.”

With that said Evan instantly sent her his files on the sword and a triple ion quantum security key giving her access to the crystal powering him and all relevant files related to it while blocking her from his specs itself.

It took a few moments, noticeably apparent from Evan’s monitor, before Kat replied.

“A… sword. We talking about one of those things people in Earth’s dark ages used to hit each other with? Slashy stabby things? You’re an i-” she held herself for that, insulting the co-captain isn’t always a good idea. She changed the word about to be used without any visible pause. “...insane man. People use guns you know? Pew pew from a distance, ring a bell?”

Still, she opened the sword file and glanced at it, noting the ridiculous specs. Did he intend to cut ships with that thing? Like, man vs spaceship kind of duel? Money’s on orbital bombardment winning well before he got anywhere close. And the cost, required parts, maintenance... Shinkei’s going to have a field day with that thing should it ever be made. That’s not mentioning ship finances and… Kat gave a visible and audible sigh. Not her problem. Man wishes to try cutting up people with guns, his funeral.

She opened the second file with more interest. Already her decryption programs were blinking in the corners of the screens she used. She COULD start them, bypass the security, crack whatever was behind the protection. Was it worth pissing off Evan who had saved their hides down on the planet? No, even Kat stopped short in some regards. She dismissed the temptation, hid the programs demanding her attention and read the files at an alarming rate, scanning the specs, outputs, the potential math behind every balancer, the code used to temper the influx…

“Look, stupid big sword could work with what you suggest, but the conversion’s all wrong. That and the ratio drain, plus the dampeners, the… This isn’t going to be handled soon, or easily. How high a priority is this? Pet project? Ship ordnance? Xantos in on this?”

Evan sat there waiting to see if Kat started to hack pass his security. In fact he purposely kept the security measures at the lowest he could for a high value file just to see if she would break it. Not to mention hackers couldn’t resist a challenge. Make something strong and tell them not to break into it and they would. Make something weak and tell them they can’t they’d laugh at it, and not even bother trying or at least that was what he was hoping for, and so far Kat didn’t even bother trying. Still just in case he kept all his high level ninja programs sitting in the back of the security programs just in case someone broke in it would tell him exactly who did it. Being a hacker himself he had some skills even if no where near as good as Kat. As for the matters Kat brought up Evan wasn’t too surprised this wasn’t exactly something that she would get google eyed for like Shinkei. Not only that but many didn’t understand nor appreciate the value of a good sword in this age of guns and lasers.

“It’s to be expected all the specs are in its draft stage that’s why I need you and Shinkei too fine tune it for me. Xantos is aware of this. We also have to try and keep the costs down without compromising the sword itself. The priority is a level 8, aside from mission specific work, necessities, ship repairs, and duties I will need you guys working on this. I will also specifically need your help on the fingerprinting and DNA authorization. Titan class weapons are treasures so I wouldn’t want just anyone using this. For now you can consider it ship ordnance. I will need you to sign the requisition form for it promising the engineering corps manpower and funds. Afterwards each individual requisition form for the project itself will be handled by me personally. The guys back at base will be doing the actual work via your orders. All funds will be reimbursed to you and Shinkei’s departments by me personally. I need you and Shinkei in my room to personally look at my power crystal.”

“Sure, I can sign whatever. Don’t need to see the thing, just require the specs to get started. And I have those you sent me, so I can get started after clearing up the calendar.” Kat didn’t sound particularly keen on going anywhere. Leaving her room wouldn’t change the workload or make the process any more efficient.

Evan knew Kat is avoiding them specially after the last mission. She even got kidnapped, but he couldn’t let her beat herself up over that hell even Togga got himself captured at one point. The whole crew took some lumps this round and it seemed she was feeling it the most. From the looks of her file it seemed like she was due for a check up. Not only that but from the looks of the various access denied pings he received Kat and the New Doc aren’t on good terms. Man this is too much work is the first thought that flashed through his mind. But Evan wanted that sword and he had to look after the crew. “Ok I’m sending the requested file to you now. However Kat you can’t keep avoiding us. I’d be happy to leave you to it however it seems our new doctor is having key card issues. Please fix it immediately and report to my room Kat… Or must I make that a order?”

Despite the blank stare Kat gave her screen, she clearly wanted to burn down Evan right then and there. Nothing would come of doing such a thing on the other hand, and being ORDERED to his room would just feel so...wrong, on so many levels.

“Fine, be there when I get changed.” she said before closing the connection, a distinctive grumble in her voice.

Evan let out a heavy sigh as Kat disappeared. He heard her grumbling but couldn’t afford to care too much about it. Being the First Mate he had to be tough and all commanding like even when he’d prefer not to. He’d specially prefer not to with the ladies. Actually now that he thought about it that’s the first he’s had to nearly order anyone to his room but this was business not pleasure.

Finally sitting back Evan sent his affidavit to Togga containing the information he wanted and the girls approvals along with a note.

Kat and Shinkei have both approved. A estimated costs draft will also follow up however both have agreed to commit manpower and funds from their respective departments. Nor is there any question of the strength or power of such a blade, while questions arise on the need for a sword in today's age it goes without saying if you want the best sword few can compete. Proper drafts will follow along with requisition requests

SikstaSlathalin

11-14-2015, 05:11 PM

*Dave and Duke meet-up*

Dave spends a few moments pacing in front of his quarters keeping a mindset of still needing to report to the ship's Captain, he steps back to his door and taps his keycard against the lock again. No green light nor any response from his request for card reset. He lets out a sigh, he certainly does not desire to report to the Captain in scrubs however he does not want to seem non punctual knowing by this time the Captain should have received word that the new doctor has arrived on board. He slides down the wall outside his quarters now sitting on the cold of the floor. The realization before him is clear as there seems little choice, report wearing scrubs.

As he mentally formulates what he will say to this ship’s Captain for reporting in scrubs, he catches sight of someone with green hair approaching. As Duke speaks, thoughts of ‘Cyber Queen?’ drift through his mind as Duke plugs into his door while at the same time stands. As Duke finishes what he was doing and makes a statement
“Yeah, this is her work.”
things start to become clear. Now all he has to do is somehow come up with something to make up for his horrible first meeting with the lovely Engineer.

“Thanks, name’s Dave Nichols though you seem to already know that… so this was Miss Rovitz’s doing? I suppose it was more my own doing, I don’t think I make the best of first impressions….” he swipes his keycard … the light illuminates green as the door unlocks “... thank you again, you are a life saver.” A quick thought drifts through his mind “Might I ask a quick question? I imagine you know the crew…. how would one go about making amends with Miss Rovitz?”

As Doc Dave tried his keycard Duke let out a smile knowing he beat the bitch this time.
“Yeah, I already knew, name’s Duke Solar the Asst. Engineer for this crew of fuckbags. There is no way to really make amends with cyber bitch. Just leave her the fuck alone and come to me for any tech stuff you need. And chances are you did nothing but ask her to do her job when it wasn’t convenient for her. She’s like one of those trolls in the old earth stories, just a prettier version, leave her alone and she’ll generally leave you alone. But cross her and you better have a big billy goat to knock her back under the bridge.”

As Duke begins his introduction, Dave starts to raise his arm to extend to shake the man’s hand who saved his keycard… however as he hears the words ‘Cyber Bitch’ come from his mouth, his arms come up crossed in front of his chest. His face draws a scowl, granted this … green haired guy before him knows the woman far better than Dave, something deep inside seemed to despise the words this Asst Engineer said. After a brief second, still slightly narrow eyes, not in the least bit approving tone

“I see…. so…. Miss Rovitz could be a little…. difficult at times?”

Duke had just put away his gear when he saw the new Doc take on a rather parental disapproving stance and tone. Boy he hoped this guy wouldn’t do the dumb mistake of pissing off both the Engineers.
“Throttle back with the high horse Doc. This is a damned privateer vessel, Kat would say the same fucking things about anyone one of us. And the things we’ve done...hehe… some of it is warranted, Kat is only difficult when it’s convenient for her to be so. She’s like the 700 pound killing machine we have for the Head Gunner, harmless unless you cross them. Now settle down and let me tap into the PC in you room and I can see if Kat’s done anything to your shit.” The young man pulled another piece of black licorice out of his pocket and chomped on it studying the Doctor.

Listening to the guy rightfully chastise him, he tries to determine his own outburst. Hell, he knew what he was getting into, he studied what mission specs he was allowed to see, he has heard more descriptions of female staff that would make the slang of ‘Make a Sailor blush’ …. so why did the simple term ‘Cyber Bitch’ draw such a reaction from him. There was a momentary confused look on his face as he tried to speculate his own reaction. Finally he simply uttered

“Sorry Duke… just getting my feet in the door and all….” still trying to surmise his reaction to those rather tame words compared to other descriptions he has heard over his years. He takes his PDA and hands it to Duke

“If you don’t mind, I would appreciate if you could see if there is anything else that Miss Rovitz might have done.”

Duke took the PDA and walked into the Doc’s room locating the personal console that occupies every dorm room on the ship and tapped both his own gear and the PDA into it.
“Unless you really irked her it should’ve stopped at just locking your door and not adding you to the ship’s manifest. Feel free to settle in it’ll take a minute or so to get everything checked out. So why in the hell did you decide to join this crew?” He asked rather offhandedly as he began clacking away on the laser keys that block any attempt at tracking the keystrokes for later.

The words ‘unless you really irked her’ drawn a almost laugh.

“First, depending on what she normally might do, I guess I … kinda… assumed the Engineer was a male. When she answered her door comm, I …. asked if Mr Rovitz could speak for himself.”

He gives a brief moment for that to filter to the guy checking for other things that might be wrong.

“What brings me to this vessel? Long story… several years ago, a hospital I was working at went all to hell, local factions were fighting, I did not want to abandon the hospital. The short version to the streaming drama is someone brought in SpecOps and I was ‘taken’ out of the hospital. When I got back for debrief, I left military service for private practice. One day I had a PDA with a recruiting message which I took. I was told that this ship would be in need of a skilled medical officer … and well... here I am.” all the while still has Kat’s blue eyes on his mind.

Duke listened to Doc Dave ramble on and let out a low whistle followed by a chuckle.
“Well than you’re lucky she didn’t take the time to erase you from existence. Assuming a man would be in charge of her and all. I’ve heard of her pretty much deleting some ex boyfriends from any and all chances to get work or money and wound up leading the Galactic Alliance right to their doors for lifetime imprisonment in a Super Max prison located under the surface of some waterworlds.” He had finished adding Dave to the manifest and was getting to granting him full crew privileges when the man told him about how he came about to joining the Black Star.
“Hmm sounds about right for this line of work, most of us were fucked by the system one way or another.”

Drifting in thought, a slight smile forms as Duke was explaining about Ex Boyfriends, thinking that if he ever had the job, there would never be any Ex about it. Duke’s words to come through as he keeps trying to surmise what it was about that brief encounter that will not get Kat out of his mind. As Duke finishes speaking and taking note of the licorice he was munching on, a grin forms as he moves toward his smaller bag yet to be unpacked. It was a going away gift, one he didn’t use but accepted out of courtesy. Unzipping his bag removes a rather large box of Premium Black Licorice

“It’s not much, but want to let you have this for saving me from the comfortable floor I might have been sleeping on… and to apologize for being such an ass earlier…” now if he could only find some fathomable way to make up for his blunder with Kat

Duke accepted the candy and slid it into his backpack. With one more click the Doc was given all the access normal crew have minus getting into private bedrooms without permission, the Armory, stockroom, kitchen, and other rooms reserved for the officers, but he would be able to tap into all the medical documents needed a well as having Rockford’s personal contact info.
“No need to apologize Doc and I would try to toughen up some and learn the profiles of the other crew. Many of us respect guts more than trying to to courteous and proper, well you’re all set up. You have full access to everything the normal crew has plus full run of our Med Bay both here and back on Carin. I’d recommend finding your Asst. Med Officer Rockford Ringpelt soon and asking him to give you a rundown of it. I gave you all his contact info as well as the business side of everyone else’s contact info. Need things shot, call Killbot, need things scouted, called Bailey Gray, need food, call Micheal Atreides, need hardware, call Shinkei Sahoun, need software, call me, need gear, call Xantos Skaros, can’t find any of them, call Aidebot. The Captain Dar-Togga and First Mate Evan Chase should only really be bugged if something big and/or bad is happening that you can’t handle.” With Kat’s job done, Duke unplugged everything and packed his gear back up handing the PDA back. “Keep this on you at all times, it’ll make everything a lot easier you can access ship files, med files, comms, lots of fun things.” Pulling another strand of his own licorice out Duke chomped down and nodded to the new Doc. “Find Rockford before you go to the Captain, Togga prolly already knows you’re here. Stay frosty Doctor Dave.” With that Duke moved towards the door.

“Thanks again Duke, good to know about the Captain, I would probably done the rookie mistake of reporting to him, just out of habit.” his mind does the light bulb thought expression. Yes, he is sure if he accesses Kat’s file, she would probably know, the best hackers he met can do that in their sleep. Yes, he is just going to ask … for medical reasons, to familiarize himself with the crew, all professional… so he continues to convince himself

“One last thing if you have a moment…. I am assuming that Miss Rovitz would not be receptive to my accessing her personal file … for medical necessity you know, knowing crew members I will be assisting… if you can let me know… besides being a top rate cyber engineer, what is she really like…?”

Duke chuckled pausing at the door swirling the licorice around his mouth.
“Have Rockford do that, if you try it she might see it as an attempt to get in her pants...well considering she does most of her work either in the nude or her underwear, she’ll see it as an attempt to get in her panties, but still have Rockford look into it. She can’t deny a medical file request lest she wants to piss off the 7 foot tall 500 pound Sharkman we have for a Captain, but if you try it she can just get more pissed at you.” Pushing the door button Duke exited the Doc’s room.

As Duke departs, brings up Rockford’s file while at the same time turning a shade of red mentally kicking himself
Smooth move Ex-Lax, could you possibly more obvious that you like this woman. What is it about her that grabbed you… I never believe in love at first sight… no… must be some mental stimuli or medical explanation… while Dave begins to unpack his gear, eventually will have to get his weapons to the Armory.

Pheasant

11-14-2015, 07:25 PM

The blast of Killbot's favorite tune on his speakers was a telltale sign of the machines arrival. Much as he loved having a walking talking tank on fire support in the field, he'd heard the Star Spangled Banner so often that it kept the man up some nights, wondering if he was going insane.

"YEAH, SURE!", Sam called over the song, pinkies shoved in his ears in an attempt to drown out that nightmarish tune, "COULD YOU TURN THE VOLUME DOWN?"

Sam sighed, relaxing back into the sofa as the television came back from commercial to the regional semifinals of Battlemasters. Finally, some family friendly, hyper violent programs the whole family could enjoy.
At least it would take his mind off of his current problems.
"Some of us were a bit less victorious than others there, Killbot. Its nice to see you looking fresh and ready to stick the Red Menace under a lawn mower", Sam replied casually.

"And now its time for, THE WHEEL OF WEAPONS! What terrible devices capable of committing horrible war crimes will be used this round?", an overly hyper announcer shouted over the Program, spinning a large, flaming wheel next to him.

"Come on wrist rockets and jump jets, come on...", Sam muttered under his breath, growing tense.
"And it looks like...GIANT SYNTHETIC DILDOS!"
"God fucking damnit, not again..."

Storm

11-14-2015, 08:33 PM

***Dave / Rockford - Dave tour of Med Bay ***

After a short time, having the pack and unpack routine down to a science, brings up Rockford’s file up again, clicks on the transmit option on his PDA

“Mr Ringpelt, if you are available, this is Dave Nichols the new Medical Officer, I would appreciate a meeting at your earliest convenience.”

Rockford was busy signing off on all the medical trouble this last mission caused. Gunshots wounds, mental trauma, broken limbs, so many things and of course losing Doc Kari in the process. How in the hell has this crew lasted so long if they have so many missions like this? The Spacoon was puffing away on his pipe when his PDA chimes and upon looking at it, the Asst. Medic found out his new boss has already arrived.

Clicking the talk button Rockford responded while still writing out reports.

“Greetings Doctor Nicols, I’m in the Med bay doing paperwork, follow your PDA and you’ll find it.” With that Rockford quitted the call and stood up stretching his sore body and going about tidying up the med bay some for the new Doctor.

As the PDA contact ended, he decides to stay in his blue scrubs since he would not be reporting to the Captain. A grin forms as Rockford had mentioned to follow his PDA to the Med Bay, he would not mention this to his Asst however the very first thing he did when on board was learn the Med Bay location. Sliding his PDA in pocket, he departed his room and moments later was outside the Med Bay. He enters glancing about at the equipment available before looking toward Rockford, his tone polite also remembering how he was mentioned when first arriving

“Hello, I am the new Doc Kari, and apparently not as pretty…” letting out a laugh “...you can just call me Dave. I just finished talking to Asst Engineer Solar and he recommended I get at once over of Med Bay.” with that he started toward Rockford to get any briefing or tour

Rockford nodded to the Doctor shaking his hand firmly as he smiled around his pipe.

“Haha, no sir, Doc Kari was a Swedish supermodel that had our only male Scout fumbling after her. But at least I won’t have to worry about coming in and finding the med bay covered in in pink drapes and flowers now.” Putting the pipe out so as not to be impolite Rockford motioned for Dave to follow him. “So the manchild told you to come here huh? what happened Kat too busy eating unhealthy to see you?” The alien chuckled again unlocking the door to Dave’s new office and handing him the keycard. “This is your office.”

“Well, as the expression goes… smoke em if you have got em….” with a laugh beginning to follow Rockford, the topic of Kat again brings a slight flush “Awww, as far as Mr Solar… seems like I managed to really get Miss Rovitz upset with me…. I kinda thought the Engineer was a male and asked to speak to Mr Rovitz when I went to see hi…. ummm… her.” while taking the keycard. Thinking of a less direct way to find out a little more

“As far as Mr Solar, what can you tell me about his personality, and while we are discussing the Engineers, what is Miss Rovitz like as well?”

Rockford hmmed slightly leaning against the door while Dave gets the lay of his office down.

“Well the pair of them are a crapshoot of mental extremes. Kat is severely anti-social and prefers her machines to real sentient contact. She’s also a bit of what we called the “Not give a damns” in school. She has a large amount of apathy in most things. Duke on the other hand is a social butterfly and a frat boy. He’s always hunting to get in some woman or womanesqe things bottoms it’s a wonder we’re not locked in the stone age with those two keeping the ship’s systems going. But at least they do their jobs.”

Pulls out his PDA powering it up, flips through some random screens keeping look to the PDA screen, tone trying to sound official for some random update

“So if one were to try and get in Kat’s good graces after a horrible impression, what might one do?” while looking at upcoming schedules.

Rockford sighed heavily watching Dave work.

“I thought we Doctors would be above such college antics like this Dr. Nicols? She’s anti-social and Apathetic, you won’t be in her good graces unless she wants you to be. You can ask her if you want, but asking around like this won’t get you anywhere. Best to just let the heat die down as they say nowadays, if you said sorry than that’s all you can do with her. Back to business though, all the physical Medical files are as up-to-date as I’ve managed to get done today. I haven’t even bothered with the psychological files yet. I’m sure Kat’s will be a doozy, being kidnapped and held prisoner will do that.”

The words college antics slapped him coldly in the face. Is he really acting the same as what he would jokingly talk to nurses about, the guys thinking with their heart and not their open eyes. Looking up from his PDA

“Suppose I’m in unfamiliar territory here, college antics? You are a true medical professional prescribing me a cold slap in the face, gawd, I use to laugh at people acting like I guess I am…” with a smile.

“As far as psychological files go, that is what I was going to initially speak to Kat about, I do not have the certification yet I have extensive background in the field. I guess I was just not expecting the feelings I had, still processing rather they are stimuli to a new environment or what, but … was I really looking like a dumb assed college kid?” looking back to his PDA “So as far as the crew goes, any you think might need some … well… as these crews go… some intervention help?”

Rockford nodded slowly his tail swishing behind him some.

“A little yes, Kat is an attractive human woman, and you’re a human man. So the attraction isn’t too much of a surprise. But going about it like this...asking other members of the crew about her like some shy love-struck college boy? Not going to work for her, she’ll come around eventually. And don’t worry about it, my doctorates are in Psychology and Dentistry so I can cover whatever knowledge you may not have on hand. As for interventions…?” This elicited a dry chuckle out the saturnine Spacoon.

“Take your pick, we have a couple of alcoholics that drive the ship, one that is the First Mate, two Engineers that eat more candy than real food, and a Gunner who is both alcoholic and drug addict. Not to mention how much womanizing goes on around here.”

Dave couldn’t help but to laugh “Wow, and I thought I would have a challenging assignment…” while he absorbs all that was said. “Alcoholic that drives the ship… haven’t been driven into the heart of a star …. yet … have we? … I hope...” said with a slight laugh “... I think that I see why that little PDA found it’s way to my locker. Well, I just want to mention, I might be listed as Head Medic however I don’t let any protocol or title interfere with crew care, my name is Dave and you are able to do whatever is needed without any consult, after all, the crew comes above any title.” He was not sure if Rockford would feel the need to run time critical things by him as was the protocol in other places he has worked and been assigned. After all Dave’s philosophy was that each member of the medical staff was equal in his eyes.

Rockford nodded slowly thinking over the Doctor’s words.

“No, Sy hasn’t killed us yet, but I strap myself in when she’s really on a bender. And duly noted sir, but I believe the med bay needs to be a place of structure and protocol otherwise mistakes happen and lives are put in danger. In here I’ll call you sir or the like and never overstep my rank unless you die or something, outside of here or our jobs though I can relax. Now shall we continue the tour of the work place?” He asked stepped into the hallway motioning to the rest of the rooms.

On their first meeting, Dave will not try to change Rockford’s dedication to structure, just his own experiences in fast paced field hospitals gave him a different perspective on the whole rank thing, after all, Rockford over time might relax more given Dave’s style, he looks to Rockford nodding

“The faster I get up to speed around here, the quicker you might have … let me see, what was that stuff called… so rare do we get it… oh yea… time to breathe.” with a slight laugh following Rockford paying close attention to even the most minute detail as in a fast paced emergency, he would need to know his way around blindfolded.

Rockford nodded slowly walking back down the hall.

“The Med Bay here was much smaller than on Carin, but it has three examining rooms as well as an OR/ER. My office is right next to yours and I usually spend my time in there, we also have a neat little bit of equipment called a Space Pharmacy. It’s full of all basic meds we could need and only accessible by you, me, or the Captain. Not even Kat can crack into it and steal pills, it part of our duties here to keep track of the meds and remove the outdated stuff then put an order into Xantos for more once more only you, me, and Captain Togga can do those. Those aside, our duties involve keeping track of the crew medical check-ups. We have some downtime now so once you get settled in we can begin working on those if you want. So any more questions?” He asked leaning on the edge of the front desk reaching for his pipe.

Already one step ahead having the exam schedule up, looking to the new arrival that arrived the day prior to him, clicks the arrivals profile and stops dead in his tracks giving the PDA screen a cold stare “THAT woman is HERE?” under his breath. Looks up to Rockford

“There is actually something you can do. There is a new arrival due a physical… name is Aoki, Oren Aoki. I would appreciate if you could do that one. I am sure she would not remember me, but several years ago, she pulled me out of a hot zone. I suppose I should've appreciated it, but I am not ready to see THAT woman again… not quite yet.” still staring at the screen as though he has seen some ghost.

Rockford’s furry brows quirked at Dave’s reaction, but he nodded and pulled up her file on his own PDA.

“Ok, well feel free to contact anyone who was on the last mission for the check up. It’ll say “recently deployed in need of check up” at the top of their file.” He pointed a furry claw at Togga’s file to show him where to look. “So any more questions or do you want time to get settled in now?”

Looking back to Rockford “Yea, I was still getting things set in my room, still have weapons to stow in the armory too. Thanks for the tour, I’ll get to work soon as I finalize a thing or two. If you have any records to update, feel free to load them in my inbox and I’ll get some updates done, no need for you to do all the admin side” as he closes down Oren’s profile. For months after even being threatened he did try to locate that woman to no avail, yet, here she is on this ship. He turns to head back to his quarters looking back before exiting Med Bay

“I do keep my PDA open 24/7, bleep me if there is anything I can do anytime…” with that Dave heads out.

Before the good Doctor left Rockford shouted after him.

“Be sure to keep some weapons on you Dave, putting them all in the armory would only mean you die first if the ship gets boarded!”

Having heard Rockford, it did make sense, after all, he was in the equivalent of a war zone, nods so Rockford knows he heard, at least that is one more item to cross off his list as he makes his way back to his room.

Soulio

11-17-2015, 04:54 AM

Sam had been far too shitfaced during most of the ordeal to really remember much of what happened. He barely remembered shooting, getting shot at, and then getting back on the ship before his mind went completely blank. what he did remember was the Doc popping a shoulder back into place, and then pulling out three different bullets from his leg, arm and foot. Now that was a painful memory.

He had called June the moment he was able, assuring her that he was alright and would be back as soon as possible. Once that was done and over with, he made his way to the lounge, where he heard Killbot blasting Star Spangled Banner, and Other Sam lounging on the couch trying to listen to a game show to little success.

"What's up Sam?! You dead yet?!"

Storm

11-18-2015, 08:33 PM

***Oren / Xanatos interaction *****

As Bailey left her quarters, she brought up the declined requisition request for her K-Cups then brings up the ship layout. A soft smile formed upon her lips as she ran a quick mission critical op through her mind. She removed a small satchel unzipping it checking the contents… nothing damaged…. outstanding. Zipping the front of her white sweatshirt, she spins and steps out of her room moving quietly through the corridors before stalking quietly upon her objective. Taking a quick scan of the immediate area ensuring no one is present, she makes a quick dash for her target grasping the handles of the mess hall cabinet with a lighthearted laugh

“Gotch ya… thought you could elude me, didn't you?”

while pulling the cabinet door open setting her satchel on the counter to the front. As she locates the flavored coffees, she unzips the satchel removing and carefully setting 24 plastic refillable K-Cups along the counter. She looks over the flavored coffee selections like a kid in a candy store. Moments later she has the K-Cups filled with a variety of flavors before placing them back in the satchel. She turns and starts back to her room she notices a…. blinks several times …. yep, nearly a 5 foot tall… rat… walking down the hall. Still trying to get use to new life forms, she does recognise Xanatos from the datafile on the PDA Bailey provided as she looked up the Quartermaster.

She runs a hand through her hair, her tone soft and friendly as she quickens her pace to catch up to … well… the rat

“Mr Skaros, might I have a word with you?”

“Technically,” The quartermaster began as he walked. “You just had nine.”

As she approaches closer, a smile forming across her lips… if all life forms she happened across are as clever as this … rat…. she could get use to these encounters. Keeping her tone friendly while stifling a slight giggle from his response

“Just wanted to do a quick intro, my name is Aoki, Oren Aoki, you might recognise it from the declined request for K-Cups. Thank you though for putting me on to the coffee the ship has.” Her smile softens “No, reason to check with you isn’t about my coffee addiction…” said with a slight laugh before becoming more serious “... I am a new Scout under Bailey… what can a girl do to get an environmental suit. I do have one, an experimental model from an organization I belonged to… frankly I was hoping to get something more durable.” With that she focuses her chocolate browns on… yea… still looks like a rat to her.

The rodentian stopped and closed his eyes. Why? why doesn’t anyone come prepared? “Are you asking for one from ships stores that fits you?” He asked opening his eyes and looking at her. “Or do you have one picked out you’d like me to get you?”

She slides her hand in her right pocket of her white sweat shirt removing a thin datachip with the specs of the Environmental Suit (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a4/Tali'Zorah.png) she had in mind handing it to Xantos.

“Wasn’t sure if the ship would have anything that would fit, this is what I had in mind. If the ship has something offering a little more flexibility than a standard enviro suit, that would be wonderful, if not, if you could let me know how difficult something like on the file would be to obtain would be greatly appreciated”

She still is mentally debating on changing over to something she would need to spend days … perhaps even weeks of constant practice with so she could move almost as easily as with what she has already. Her eyes still focused on Xanatos, almost wishing he would state that it could not be obtained or set some outlandish terms for obtaining the new equipment.

"Do you have the money to pay for it?" The quartermaster asked. He personally doubted she did, if she arrived without it the rodentian didn't think she could afford it. Still he took a shot and asked while slipping the chip into his pocket.

Her smile soft, chocolate brown eyes looking deeply upon Xantos, her voice soft and sultry

“No, I don’t have any money, I would like you do give me this EnvSuit because I am a pretty girl…”

Her gaze grows a little more chilly, her tone more firm

“...Yes, my occupation has provided me with a reasonable account. But alas, new pretty girl arrives on ship, lil thing is broke and begging, eh? When you know the cost of such a EnviroSuit, please let me know… and I’ll try and find some man to show me how to transfer the funds to cover it.”

She folds her arms across her chest. Ordinarily she would not react so …. bitchy… but the events of the past few days, the exposure to all these new life forms has her a little on edge. After a brief moment, she recovers and lowers her arms, tone and expression softening

“Gawd… sorry… not normally such a bitch, just been one of those days... the past couple days…” said with a slight laugh “...but yes, I do have funds that should cover the Environmental Suit. As my bitchy self said, please let me know what it would cost and I’ll get the funds transferred.”

Keeping on the move and not really settling in one place did keep her account well funded even though Government jobs did not pay as well as if she were a private contractor, she figured she would have enough to cover this thing with a decent amount remainding.

Xanatos raised an eyebrow at the woman’s tone and his tail twitched in irritation. It twitched again at her apology. “You should really make up your mind.” He said flatly. “Bouncing between having an attitude and not is likely to get you shot.Whither you have a spine or not is like having the envirosuit you desire. When you have it you don’t always need it, when you need it you might not have it.”

The rodentian began to walk again. “I will contact you with total owed. If it’s outside your price range you’ll have to come down and discuss options further. Might be possible to workout some kind of loan, or you can go through catalogs and find one within your price range. Or we could consult with the engineers and see if they have a model that will fit you.”

He talked as he strode towards his office. “I’ll send them your measurements just in case.”

Megilwen

11-19-2015, 01:07 AM

Syran Baxter sat at the bar of a little pub joint she often frequented whenever planetside. She tapped her knuckles on the countertop as an indication to the barkeep to pass her another bottle. She sighed to herself as she waited and rolled her head along her shoulders. All she wanted to do was drink.

“Ya’ know what Sysy likes ‘bout ya’, Jones? Ya’ never tell Sy she’s had enough!”

“That so, Syran?” The barkeep said as he placed another bottle of whiskey before the girl with a smile on his face. “Who would ever keep you from your booze?”

“THE CAPT’N!” she shouted as her fingertips crept along the surface of the bar and danced their way to the offered bottle. Her hand met the cool of the glass and snaked around its neck. “He likes tellin’ Sy no,” she brought the bottle to her mouth and tilted her head back to take a long swig. “But you sure don’t, Jones. S’why I like ya’ fo’.”

“Good to know, Sy. You gonna need a third bottle of that?”

“Who knows!” she blurted with a laugh.

It was late afternoon and Syran had done as she was told, ensuring Kari got back to Carin safe. Though she could have immediately returned to the Black Star instead, she decided to make a quick stop at the pub. She had still been frustrated with Sam over what she found out and she was worried beyond belief over him. So, Syran did what she does best… she drank it all away.

She heard the door to the bar open and close and leaned back in her chair. She raised her arms above and behind her head, hands clasped tightly as she stretched out her shoulders. Sy managed a quick sideways glance before she remembered that the barstool she resided in had no chair back.

With wide eyes she fell backwards and onto the ground. Laying there for a moment, and as she stared up at the ceiling, her body began to shake from the sudden onslaught of a giggle fit. Within a single moment, her giggling turned into a loud cackle and she closed her eyes smiling. She couldn’t believe she just fell right off the stool.

“That’s some goooood whiskey right there, m’hm. Done made Sysy forget her stool. Baha, good man, good, good man, that’s what ya’ are barkeep!” She hollered.

With a deep sigh, she shifted on the ground and stumbled her way onto her feet and then back onto her barstool. “What’m I gon’ do with myself, Jonesie?”

Zoey had just pushed the door open to the bar when she was greeted by a drunken woman on stool and from the bottles sitting on the bar in front of her, she’d been drinking for a while. With a sigh, she headed toward the back where her apron and the broom was but as she passed by the woman started to tumble from the bar stool. The former soldier darted to try and catch her, but wasn’t quick enough as she hit the ground with a thud. It looked like the fall had hurt, but the woman started giggling and laughing as she lay against the ground before she shouted at Jones, the big biker like bartender and owner. That was one thing that she had to give alcohol, one certainly didn’t feel pain when drunk.

Continuing on her path to the back, she gave Jones a greeting. “Jones.” who responded with a nod to her. Coming back out a moment later, the woman started cleaning up the mess the evening crew didn’t take care of the night before. If she didn’t know better the bar looked like there had been a party at 8am this morning. Though, she glanced back at the woman at the bar, from her level of drunkenness, then maybe there had been.

Gathering up bottles she worked quietly, half listening to the conversation between Jones and the woman Sy. It seemed like they were familiar with each other, though she hadn’t seen the woman before. Finishing the bar room, Zoey moved to start cleaning the bar. Two bottles of whiskey...it was a wonder the woman wasn’t dead.

As she was cleaning the bar, she happened to overhear a comment between the woman and Jones about her ship and keeping a lookout for people looking to join up on a privateering vessel.

“What kind of positions have ya’ll got? On this ship of yours?” Zoey pipped up suddenly interrupting the conversation.

Syran glanced out of the corner of her eye at the woman who joined Jones behind the bar. Her gaze raked along what she could see of her body as Sy placed the half empty bottle down on the bar and turned towards her in her seat.

“What positions ya’ ask?” Sy paused momentarily before she nodded with a sigh. “I s’pose we need a gunner,” she answered gently and lifted the bottle back to her lips. Pulling the alcohol away she smacked her lips and smiled. “Wouldn’t happen to ‘ave experience with weaponry, would ya’ doll?”

Jones snorted behind the bar at Sy’s question about Zoey’s experience. The man knew of his employee’s background. “Aye.” Zoey responded. “I have some experience with weaponry, you could say. Maybe not in the traditional sense as much. I was just discharged from the military where I was a former Demolitions expert.” She watches the woman’s reaction.

Earlier, when Syran had entered the little hole in the wall pub, she had shoved her goggles atop her head. It had been dark enough to render them useless and as long as she didn’t stare into what light there was, or directly look another in the eye, she’d be fine. Jones knew what her eyes looked like and hadn’t freaked out when he first saw them, but that didn’t mean any others would be as understanding.

She flashed a brazen glare towards the man and scrunched her nose at his chuckle. “Ya’ pipe it down there, Jonesie. Ain’t no one know ‘errthing.” Sy huffed and turned her attention back to the woman. With a tilt of her head, lashes fluttered against her fair complexion and her attention rose. She needed to ensure this woman was serious and in order to do so, she needed to look her in the eye.

With another sigh, silver hues met the woman’s gaze and Syran’s lips turned upwards into the slyest of grins. “So ya’ blow things up, aye? I wouldn’t mind blowin’ up Sammie. That dummy. OH. We can go blow stuff up together. M’hm. Sysy would love that.” She giggled softly, smile growing as she shoved herself forward. Forearms rested on the bar and her face leaned closer to the woman’s as she presently had half her body across the countertop.

“Syran, you don’t need to be blowin’ anything up, you hear me?” Jones said with a laugh.

“What’s yer name?” She asked the woman and completely ignored Jones.

“Zoey.” She said catching a look at the woman’s strange silvery eyes. Not that it caused her more than a moment’s thought. She had different eyes herself, one a normal brown, while the second was more a golden brown, due to it being a cybernetic. She nods. “Aye, I blow things up, or stop them from being blown up, whichever the situation needs. And being former military means I have skills in other weaponry as well. I just...tend toward explosive types of relationships.” She said with a chuckle and a grin. “What is it that ya’ll do on that ship? That you’d need a demo expert?” She was more curious than anything. At this point, she’d do anything for a job better than sweeping the floor and cleaning up trash. It was a bonus if she would be able to use her skills in the process.

She was already ready to say ‘Sign Me Up’, however she figured it would be better for her to figure out a little more about what exactly she’d be signing up for. Jones poured Zoey a shot of vodka and passed it to her. Tossing it back as she met the woman’s eyes waiting for her answer.

Syran flashed her gaze across the bar at Zoey’s query and her nose twitched at the possibility of anyone eavesdropping. Though the bar was far from busy, one could never be too careful and Sy wasn’t one to go about blasting the crews business like that. She directed her look to Jones and then back to Zoey and shrugged. Her lips curled into a giant smile and she laughed lightly.

“Trust me when I say we just do, darlin’.” Syran took a quick swig from the now near empty bottle of whiskey and stumbled to stand. “Aye now, Sysy’s gotta go ready the pod. If’n ya’ want adventure, a chance to blow shit up and money, ya’ be here at this time…” She dug a pen out of her back pocket and scribbled down the location and time on a bar napkin.

With a sigh, she tugged her goggles down upon her face and tilted her head to the side once they were in place. She looked Zoey over quickly and gave her a thumbs up. “Hope ya’ show, we’d have so much fun!”

Koti~

11-19-2015, 11:55 PM

Shin was quick to her room, having left Evan not to long ago to gather her supplies. The first thing was her tool chest, needing the more specific items for dealing with androids and synthetic humanoids. The second was a spare arm. Though she hated to leave her normal one behind, it was still in the repair stages and would be unable to help. Grabbing the rather gangly thing, she slotted it into her shoulder, shivering as she felt it connect.

“Damn creepy thing…” Shin spoke before darting off towards the First Mate's room, an eager smile returning to her face.

It wasn’t even ten minutes later that Kat was ambling down the hallways towards Evan’s room. She’d slipped into the first pair of pants she got her hands on, some black army cargo pants leftover, put on her boots without lacing them up properly and left with as much grumble in her step than in her voice. She did not want to be out of her room, nor did she see any reason to go around looking at a power supply in person when the specs were perfectly fine to go by! Too much trouble, time wasted and Kat unhappy about the whole thing. The sooner this was over, the better.

So caught up on her own world, Shinkei barely registered Kat in the hall until she had to sidestep to avoid her. Her face flushed a bit red as her tools banged into her side.

“Oh. Sorry, didn't see you there.” Shin said, instantly feeling awkward in the situation. The last time they really had talked was when they freed Kat from the cells. Even worse, Shin still felt responsible for getting Kat in that spot.

“How.. Are you doing?” She spoke, trying to start up a decent conversation after she felt they had stared in silence long enough.

Kat looked at Shinkei as she neared Evan’s room, moving to the side while the mechanic was in her own little world, nearly walking into Kat in the process. She punched in the button at the door command, again, to let Evan know she was there, not really giving the mechanic much in terms of reply. Kat didn’t know what to say in any case. What was there to say?

“Evan nearly ordered me to his room, of all places, to look at a power supply that clearly doesn’t need me to visually confirm the specs of.” She said eventually. “Only reason I’m here at all is because he pulled a priority eight on me, otherwise I’d be much better off back in my room getting to work. Probably wants to see more girls in his room than anything else.” That last bit added with a lowered voice and a grumbly undertone.

“Well.. that bites. I bet it’ll be worth it though.” Shinkei said, leaning against the frame and waiting for Evan. She wasn’t quite sure if that grumble was meant for her or for Evan. With how she sounded about the priority 8, it was Evan.

“So … while we’re waiting … How are you holding up?” Shin asked, finally breaching the subject.

Kat shrugged, half turning towards Shinkei to frown before turning back to the door and buzzing again. She took the time to reach into a pouch to take a wrapped biscuit of some kind and chew on it before answering.

“Must be ask-Kat-what’s-wrong-day or something. I’m ordered to waste my time and not work. I’m not interested in answering a thousand questions about what may or may not be ‘wrong’ with me.” Kat stuffed her face with another biscuit to cut off her line.

It took Evan a moment to gather the needed equipment and hide away the stuff he didn’t want the ladies to see before he opened his door. He had also obviously taken the time to change from his customary loose and expensive dress shirt to a equally loose and expensive t-shirt. While he invites them in the girls would instantly notice why he said to meet in his room and not his office as a head officer Evan had one of the smallest offices compared to the Captains or Xans that could just fit three people comfortably while Evan’s room itself was on the large side rivaling Togga’s room. Evan’s quarters contained two rooms and a bathroom. His famous bedroom whose space is taken up by a large bed and walk in closet was hidden from view but many knew the stories. The current room they entered was his sitting room complete with a couch on one wall with a low table in front of it and multiple comfy office chairs on the other side with three smaller round tables. In fact Evan could probably probably fit 6 to 9 people in the room.
“Sorry. Please come in.”

"“This is so unfair…”Shin grumbled as she entered the room, taking off her shoes as she did. The place was anything but what she expected, having only seen it on the 3d schematics that showed the ships layout. The room was almost exactly like she expected it to be.

“So how are we going to oversee the construction of this sword?” Shin asked as she flopped down onto the couch, her till chest jingling. Rotating her spare robotic arm, shin popped open get case, looking through the tools inside just to double check.

Kat entered right after Shinkei, but didn’t go much more than a step beyond the doorway. She glanced around, face betraying nothing and offering only a blank stare.

“You got me to visit your room, congrats. Can I go now? Specs won’t change with a visual inspection of the power supply.”

Evan let out a deep sigh. He wasn’t exactly surprised by Kat’s reaction she has always been a huge introvert. Recent events just had to make this worse and his job harder.
“Kat you’re not here because of my pet project. You are here as punishment for what you did to the new doctor. You’ve been avoiding everyone. We’re worried about you and your people skills can clearly use some help. So no you may not leave yet.”

“I always avoid everyone. The doctor had it coming, consider it new guy hazing. And will an apology cover the rest?” Kat shot right back.

Evan started to smile at Kat’s words with a dangerous tingle in his eyes. She had clearly forgot the first mate could be as bad if not worse than togga. Especially when he felt the need to prove himself and reaffirm his position. At the same time Evan wish he could get alone time with Shinkei but work had to come first.

“Perhaps i wasn’t clear the first time Kat. You may not leave yet. Nor is this up for discussion. That’s a order.” With that said evan took out a cigarette. Lighting it Evan sits with a huff on one of his office chairs.

Kat stared at Evan for the better part of two seconds before walking past him and flopping down onto his couch. She fumbled into the pouches and array of belts she had to take out all her portable computing devices, wires, holo-keyboard emitters and started setting herself up, ignoring both Evan and Shinkei as if this was the original plan to begin with.

Shin watched and listened between the two of them bickering at each other. It was like watching birds squawk at each other for who was right, almost like fighting over a piece of bread.

“.... Okay then. So, idea. For the sword, I think for the concrete sword, we should go with 4 metal rebar tubes inside. Sorta to make the layout of the blade. I know you said it might compromise the blade, but with it being stone instead of metal, the rebar will add stability and make for better vibration.” Shin said, having pulled out her own tablet and started drawing up a design based upon the model already seen.

“As well, the rebar will help run with wiring so it’s not all easily focused in the hilt and more dangerous.” Shin said, looking to Kat for agreement or at least acknowledgement.

Kat didn’t reply for a while. She had finished plugging herself in, had disgorged the contents of another pocket on a nearby table to display an assortment of snacks and was typing away silently. Eventually, she shrugged and looked at Shinkei. “Sure. But the metal’s conductivity needs to be between these values, and heat resistance… above that amount, if you don’t want the core’s output to mess the whole thing up.“ Each value sent to the central display piece hovering in mid-air from the hologram-emitter on the table.

“True, true. Don’t need the sword to turn into a flaming zap cannon.” Shin replied before tapping on her system twice. Accessing Evan’s holos and the sword copy he had, she began to pull it apart, working on integrating the info.

“Can’t use traditional metals and the like, would kill the system. Hmm… Diamond rods should do the trick nicely. Also handle the shaking with ease. Gonna go with .. four for this.” Shin spoke, separating the blade in half and making a cross pattern inside it, making sure the long segment would match the points in the blade.

“Now, the handle will be tricky. Will have to go with a large cross hilt to handle the scanner, core, and a power link.” Shin mumbled loud enough for others to hear, spinning the hilt a few times to get some good angles on it.

Going by the specs of the power core, Kat was going to have to write up a whole new algorithm just to handle the conversion from Evan’s power core, that was not including routines to settle fluctuations, handle overcharge, distribution… She brought up a ship’s power fluctuation chart on the holo-screen.

“Look, this is the closest I have at hand to show what’s going to be happening when he starts the thing up. But this is all wrong, I almost have to start from scratch, and I’m not coding that sitting on Evan’s couch. I get what Evan wants to do, with the sword and getting me to sit here. But all this.” Kat waved at the room with her left hand. “This is not what makes me work.” she tapped the tablet and nudged the table with her foot. “These make me work.”

Kat turned towards Shinkei. “Listen, we can chat this up in detail over coms when I can focus. Of course, only after first-mate Evans decides to ‘show us his power core’.” She turned over to face Evans and smiled her sweetest, most innocent smile. “So, alright, you can have your moment now.”

Evan quickly decided Kat’s smile was suspect, but being him he couldn’t help but play along to see if this gets him anywhere good. First mate yes he is, but he still couldn’t put aside the possible chances he has with both of them in his room. Not mixing business with pleasure could be hard sometimes even for a trained soldier like him

“Ok sure Shin please do the honors. It’s connected to my rib. The details should be in the spec’s.” He wasn’t too worried, after all, Evan made sure he was always close to full on power with no need to recharge after all he did have such a strong power source charging him. Nor was Shinkei likely to mess up.

Shin fought hard to not smile like a crazed lunatic. She was more than eager to see this power crystal, regardless of how blatantly annoyed Kat was at the entire affair. Pulling out her needed tools, she moved closer to Evan and motioned him to remove his shirt as needed. With a nod from him, she began working.

Taking care to remove the access panel so that it hung freely and wouldn’t catch, she unlocked the door and swung it open, allowing a faint glow to fill the room. With giddiness, she carefully pulled the crystal out, holding it as though it were made of glass.

“It’s .. so beautiful…” Shin spoke softly before sitting down on the couch, looking more than anything ready to dart off with the thing to study it.

“So it’s an expensive piece of shiny material that can power a small shuttle on it’s own. As I told Evan, looking at it still does not change the specs.” Kat glanced at Evan briefly before continuing. “Fine, it’s a glowy piece of technological genius. Happy?”

Shinkei stared death daggers at Kat, offended by the sheer thought of something like that.

“A small shuttle? An expensive piece of shiny metal? You severely doubt this thing.” Shin said, looking as though Kat had just offended her entire family and species as a whole.

“This thing here? Wired right, could power this ship in a full blown confrontation with the interstellar police for a whole year, without getting a mark on it.” Shin spoke, trying to keep her voice level calm, but still offensive.

“And expensive shiny material? That is just insulting. It would be akin to calling your high tech setup a two slot toaster.” She responded again.

Kat let out a faint sigh and waved off-handedly, not taking her gaze off her screens. “And here I was trying to not get Mr.Powercore’s ego to inflate to the size of the ship. Whatever.” She was much more focused speed reading the code from the core’s documentation to bother replying more than she already did.

“Oh, he’s still an idiot. Walking around with this in his chest. Guy could be a walking time bomb that could take all of use out. And not to mention he wanted to break this to power his sword. This is so not worth breaking for a stick one waves around.” Shin spoke back, still studying it for how to use it properly.

He couldn’t believe how Shin talked about him like he wasn’t even there and in his own home. “Excuse me that idiot you're talking about is right here. And yes while I'm that skilled, Togga would kill me if i even tried nor do i like the idea. I mean yes i was a soldier but I'm not some killing machine.” He said this with a perfect smile showing clearly that he was joking and purposely misunderstanding what she meant. “However it is not simply a stick, think of it as a magic stick. You wave it and things are destroyed.”

Her palm met her face hard enough to cause an audible smack, what she had heard was just that cringe-worthy. Kat had a few things she wanted to reply to that, but decided that Evan had dug this hole well enough on his own to not need any help furthering it along. She'd keep that line for later use if he got on her case again.

"Look, power core does things. Currently, it's not going to power the sharp bit of rock you want to swing around. Shinkei, just find a way to propagate the energy to his hand and some kind of connector for the handle part, breaking the thing seems like a bad idea right? I'll leave you two to figure that out, I have to start from an engine load-balancer and adapt it for whatever Evan wants to use it with. And I can't work on it more until the physical bits are figured out."

Kat got up from the couch and started packing up her things, cramming a few more treats into her mouth as if she might forget they were there.

“Right, sorry.” Shin spoke after Evan called her out on calling him an idiot. It was Kat who gave her save by getting them back on task. A sigh escaped her as she straightened up, making sure to place the crystal back in. But not before snapping a few pictures of it.

“I think Kat is right. I need some time to work on some physical mock ups of a relay of sorts for the sword to the crystal. I would need my parts to tinker with so I think we can call it a day here.” Shin spoke her hand on her chin and already getting lost in thought.

“Yeah wait before you two get started. I need drafts written up on the costs and effectiveness of the blade and then sent to me for review. It goes without saying we want something cost effective without compromising the weapon. With that said i will trust the build to you Shinkei and the data to you Kat provided you guys don’t have to much fun with my data and power core. I hope moving forward we can work together better, have a threesome, improve communications and relations. Both of you are now dismissed. ”

Evan didn’t want to bring his spec’s to their attention and done a great job avoiding it. From handling his maintence himself to visiting a secret military base when back home but this sword needed expert help. While his basic knowledge is superb enough to give any of the assistants a run for their money. None can touch Shin or Kat in their respective fields especially when they got serious.

She was putting on her boots when Evan went all primal monkey with the threesome drop. Kat paused ever so briefly, not from shock or surprise, but merely from trying to not toss her boot at the vice-captain or retort with something that would force her on a penance duty of some kind. The man would never change, any woman within earshot would eventually get a mention of some type of sexual encounter or proposition. He must have had that in the back of his mind ALL day and was just itching to mention it, hoping for a bite.

Finishing up packing her things, Kat remained silent, rolling her eyes when her gaze crossed Shinkei's, before turning towards the door and heading out. Kat was obviously taking no time to consider the offer left out by Evan, or taking it seriously, as she left the room.

“Catch you around then..” Shin spoke as she waved. Giving a polite nod to Evan, she sent along her 3d model to her own room so that she could work on it later. Heading out of the room, her mind was already buzzing with ideas for how to work on the relay, a concentrated frown forming on her lips.

SikstaSlathalin

11-20-2015, 01:37 AM

*Killbot*

The warbot turned his volume down and nodded at Sam 2's words.
"OHHH YEAH BROTHER KILLBOT ALL READY TO KILL ALL REDS!" K-bot turned his head at the mention of Wheel of weapons and epic classic rock music playing. Dropping onto the couch next to his fellow Gunner the giant machine focused his eye sensors on the magic moving picture box.
"Yo brother! Now what great American greatness is this? Killbot must know!" Accessing his files the Head Gunner activated space wiki and learned everything about this show. Files upon files met sites upon site of fan activity. Until finally after a matter of six seconds Killbot knew all Killbot wanted to know.

And just as Sam 1 showed up asking if Sam 2 was dead K-bot shushed him.
"Hey brother! Shut your squishy ape-like face! The Great Mangler is about to kill Butch the Butcher with that floppy purple gummi candy! OHHHH YEAAHHHAHAHAH! DOES IT NOT MAKE YOU LOVE OUR GREAT AMERICAN, PUBLIC AMERICAN, CABLE BROADCAST, AMERICA SYSTEM!?"

Pheasant

11-23-2015, 04:56 AM

Sam nodded towards the other Sam, "Sit down, have a be--HOLY SHIT, The Mangler's about to change this from a combat sport to a hardcore porno", Sam murmured as The Mangler knocked the Butcher into the dirt, choking him with his large, floppy weapon.

And, no. He wasnt choking him by the neck.

"Holy cow, The Mangler is really showing us, uhh, why hes called the Mangler? Uhh Chett, is that even a legal move...?", the announcer muttered above the sounds of horrible horrible violence.

Fortunately for the Butcher, his teammate, 'Ralph W. Picklechips' came at The Mangler in a low tackle, driving him off as both teams conglomerated in a riot of muscular men and women, all swinging their large floppy weapons like they were baseball bats.

What followed was a battle that made Sam wonder if he should burst out in laughter, or cover his eyes.

After a few minutes, The Mangler's team came out on top, and the announcer declared the end of round one.

"Alright folks, lets give our fighters a few minutes to gather their pride, and their teeth...And then we'll take one more roll of The Wheel of War, and its off to the bonus round!"

SikstaSlathalin

11-24-2015, 01:18 AM

*Oren and Rockford*

As the …. what can she say… the rat moved off, she looks to her own PDA noticing a visit to med bay was scheduled. Report to a Rockford Ringpelt? Lets a slight giggle escape as she ponders … so far she has run across Dogmen, a Shark that eats seals while welcoming new people, a rat, wonders what this other person will be… perhaps a mouse. Slightly under her breath
“You’re going to have to get use to new life forms girl….” as she proceeds down the corridor with intent of making her way toward Med Bay.

After a slight maneuver through the corridors, she steps into the medical facility. Her gaze about the facility stops as she looks in Rockford’s direction, a slight laugh escapes
“Nope, not a mouse… a racoon… just great…” while adjusting her white sweats.

Rockford looked up as his keen ears picked up someone new entering the bay.Quirking an eyebrow he studied the woman. After a few seconds he remembered the face and attached the name.
“Ah Ms. Aoki, glad you found this place. And I’m a Spacoon, those small vermin you know are genetic offshoots of my race planted on Human Dominion Prime when it was still called Earth. Now if you’re done head to Examine room two and take a seat, I’ll be in soon. I have some files to gather.” With a flick of his fluffy tail Rockford moved into the file room to gather all he could find on his next patient.

As Rockford spoke, she widened her eyes ever so briefly while biting at her bottom lip
‘it has excellent hearing I see’ drifts through her mind.
She glances toward the exam room numbers locating #2, her tone soft
“Sure thing Doc... I didn’t seem to catch a name…”
assuming Rockford could hear her as he was heading in the file room. She proceeded into exam 2 and moved over to the foot on the exam table hopping up in the corner. For a brief second she rolls her eyes wishing she would soon quit making such an ass of herself. She starts rocking her feet back and forth pondering what questions this group would have, she has most questions down pat to make the Q/A part fly by. She looks toward the door waiting for the doctor, she assumes he is the doctor anyway, to return.

After pulling up the files on the crew’s new Scout Rockford hmm softly moving to the room flipping through the woman’s Black-op Files and normal medical files on his PDA.
“Hmm interesting medical history Ms. Aoki, please take a seat and we’ll begin the examination with some questions and go into a more physical exam do you have anything against being down to your underclothes during that part?” Rockford sat at the desk plugging his PDA into the console.

She spun around not sitting straight on the exam table, tone calm and direct, a slight smile on her lips for the first answer
“On the question / answer part, tell me what form you use and I could more than likely recite my answers by heart.” her expression turns more blank “...as far as being in my undies for an exam… to be honest, you are the first doctor who even bothered asking my thought. No, no objections.” while unhooking the strap to her shoulder holster slipping her holster with Glock off setting it on a near table, in a humorous tone “Now I feel naked.”

Rockford hmm lightly bringing up her files on the console’s screen.
“Hmm those Doctors probably don’t have to be crammed onto a spaceship with a bunch of former criminals who would as likely shoot any person of medicine for doing something they didn’t like as thank them for keeping them alive.” He looked over at the gun and hmmed again at her joke. “Well if that’s naked for you, you’re gonna be in shock with the other kind of naked that Evan or Duke might try to get you in. Now is your name Oren Aoki, a 27 year old female human Asian with no augs?”

As she was still in thought about the subtle caution about the First Officer, she quirks a brow
“Augs? Well, yes, I am Oren Aoki, 27, female, but the only Aug I can think of is ‘First Officer wants to see me naked… auuuugggghhhhh..” said with a slight laugh before going more serious “Sorry, not familiar with that term… if it is for special abilities, no, if it is for special talents… perhaps Killing… though some have had interest in my ability to sense things … trouble and such… before it makes itself apparent.”

Rockford let out an annoyed chitter before stopping the woman from telling him her life story.
“Augs mean Augments, like cyber eyes, super lungs, the ability to have sex with multiple manlike things at once. Stuff like that, it says no in your files, but you Spec-Op types aren’t always forthcoming with all you’ve done to yourselves.”

She gets a slight annoyed look in her face being kinda shushed.
“Guess I was rambling, huh. No, No Augs, never really desired changing myself.”

Rockford nodded clicking the box on the examination form.
“That’s refreshing to know, so are you on any drugs or such right now?

“No, and to answer the next… I assume the next anyway… no to prescribed or recreational drugs, I don’t drink … well, I am a coffeeholic… but I don’t put anything in my body that could cloud my judgement or dull my reflexes.”

Rockford nodded giving a dry chuckle.
“Wow you are going to stick out like a sore thumb around here. Better pick up a vice so the wolves don’t smell weakness in the pack. Are you able to become pregnant, pregnant now, or planning to become pregnant anytime soon?”

“Yes, no and no. As far as smelling weakness in the pack…” with a sly grin “...that typically ends after my first mission.”
Rockford clicked a few more boxes.
“Hmm I wouldn’t rest on those laurels, especially with most of the crew being aliens and/or cyborgs the only other non-borgs humans on this crew are Sy and Duke. And I apologize in advance for asking these next questions, but it’s in protocol. Are you sexually active? Have you been tested for STDs? And are you sexually promiscuous? Stuff like this is very important on a Long Faring Spaceship.”

She ponders the questions for a moment, her tone remains unchanged as though Rockford had asked what the weather was like
“STD testing, no, sexually promiscuous, no, sexually active… not for some time. Girl in my kinda work is a turnoff to many boys. I do not do casually roll in the covers, that is just not me.” The question did tend to give an ever so slight kink in the armor she displays.

Rockford groaned lightly.
“Oh I wish you had said yes to the STD question, now I need to schedule an exam for that. Ugh moving on, are sick now? when was the last time you were sick? And when was your last medical exam?”

She looks jokingly to Rockford
“Oh, then you can change the question on STD to yes. Am I sick now? No, when was the last time I was sick, not really sure, I stay quite healthy, though when I was ripped to pieces and reconstructed on Carin, I did leave my coffee on the floor. Last medical exam, perhaps a month ago, shortly before leaving my former position.”

The Spacoon growled lightly.
“Too late, you just signed yourself up for a full range of STD testing after this. Luckily there’s a machine I can hook you up to for the actual tests. Hope you don’t have anything, the treatment out here for those is a nightmare. Your coffee is of no concern to me, but you probably pissed off Wolfgang with it. Did the last medical examination turn up anything?”

She ponders the question for a brief second “No, they said I was completely normal. Thought they would have included that in my files.”

“Yes, they did, but I try never to trust everything in these files unless I know the examiners personally. Ok almost done with the physical side of the questions, what are your specific skills, your desired job, all relevant abilities, training, past injuries, and do you have any living family members?”

A slight smile forms as she runs a hand through her short black hair giving little thought to the questions
“I will give you the condensed version of my training and skills so we don’t sit here all day. In unarmed combat, I hold a 6th degree black belt in Tae Kwan Do, I am also at a mastery level in a style called Jiu Jitsu. I am skilled in blade combat, both sword and knife as well as dagger, I also yield a mean staff. Granted in a gun or energy weapon fight, those are not useful however in close stealth fighting, my target dies before he feels the first cut. I am an expert in firearms and have also used energy weapons though not as skilled in those. I am a top rated sniper and have fantastic tactical abilities. Now for injuries, had my left arm broken once 5 years ago, have had ribs cracked and broken several times… even with protective gear, direct hits from high caliber fire does knock the wind out of one… and does damage to the area hit, been fortunate so far to not have had any penetration. Now for family, parents are still alive, had an uncle who died on duty 3 years ago.”

She leaves it at that and looks to Rockford with a ‘next question’ look on her face.

Rockford nodded marking off the last of the boxes.
“Ok, that ends that portion of the questions, the next will be for your mental health. Theses questions shouldn’t take as long.” Saving the files the Spacoon moved on. “Ok first off, do you now have or have you ever had any kind of mental disability or defect?”

This was a new question, she simply shrugs
“Nope, after long ops, I would at times get tested which always came back clean.”
what she omitted was those were missions where she violently took multiple lives with blade weapons or where things got ugly forcing her to use what some would consider excessive force.

The Asst. Medic hmmed smelling a lie. No one that has had to join a crew would be squeaky clean mentalwise.
“And all those people you killed in brutal ninjas ways? No nightmares, remorse, questioning mentality?”

Her expression does not change, simply shrugs again, there is just the slightest pause in her answer
“I do what is necessary to complete my assignment or protect my team.”

Rockford nodded hmming again.
“I see, so next question. What are your fears?”

Oren let out a slight laugh clearing her mind from the last question
“Fears?..... Running out of coffee.” her tone goes a little more serious “Can’t say I really have any. I have concern for those I am tasked to scout for or to recover from hot zones, don’t really have the luxury of having fears.”

Another hmm and another nod.
“Would you consider yourself well adjusted to society and able to keep things civil both on mission and during downtime like if you get drunk with the Gunners and wind up in a bed with the Sams and Evan? Would you kill them all before they awake, cry rape, or just sneak out with your clothes and get multiple pregnancy and STD tests?”
She quirks a brow before offering just a smile
“You are trying to push my buttons, aren’t you with absurd questions to see if go all PMS… hummm?”

Rockford gave the woman a flat look.
“I know these are absurd questions, but this is an absurd ship with a mostly absurd crew. It’s all so I can feel out your quirks and have the proper medications on hand so you don’t try to kill anyone. We haven’t even gotten to the actual touch and feel exam yet.”

She offers a slight smile. This is different than she was expecting. She simply offers in a somewhat dry tone
"No need to drug me, the strongest thing I would ever put in my body is coffee. I have excellent self control. You would not need concern yourself with me sleeping around, that simply is not me. Does seem though like I am on a ... how shall I say this... an interesting ship indeed."

Rockford chuckled dryly right back.
“That’ll have to do, last psych question, what type of job or mission won’t you do under any circumstances?”

She gives the question a moment's thought before giving a slightly lower toned response, some of her ghosts creeping up on her
“Imagine I have not really given that one much thought. I usually am given a mission and don’t have the luxury of asking what the necessity of the mission is.”
She looks to some random item in the room as thoughts of after action inquiries to some of the things she participated in, one of the last was the extraction several years ago, when she returned to base, only then did she learn that hundreds were drawn in to be blown up, including innocent aide workers. She slightly bites at her bottom lip.

Rockford gave a final hmm and filled in the last box before saving the files and adding them to the medical files on his PDA and began printing the results.
“Ok, I’ll file these and be back, undress and wait on the exam table. Compared to these questions checking you for breast cancer and space leeches will be quick and painless.” He grabbed the PDA and exited the exam room closing the door behind him.

As Rockford leaves the room and closes the door, she slightly trembles trying to clear the thoughts rushing through her mind. She wipes her eyes thankful that guy was out just then. She heavily breaths catching normal breaths after a moment. She needs to be more careful about letting her feelings catch up to her. With that, she starts to undress for the exam, she hopes it is quick so she could get back to her room.

A few minutes passed before Rockford returned with latex gloves and other Doctor tools.
“Ok, Ms. Aoki, this will only take a few minutes. Be sure to say if anything hurts or bothers you.”

Storm

11-26-2015, 08:04 PM

*Kat / Doc Dave *

After a short period arranging his room, heads back to med bay. Once back, he moves toward his office door sliding the keycard. A silly grin forms across his lips as the lock illuminates green feeling a sense of accomplishment finally having these locks cooperate with him. He proceeds to his desk taking a seat and logging onto his desk console while at the same time setting a vacuum sealed satchel which was under his arm to the side of the desk. Needing some research before setting an appointment as even Asst. Ringpelt seems to be of thought that Ms Rovitz should have at least a minimal …. debrief… that would be a good term which hopefully would not elicit too much resistance.

Dave brings up the after action for task Sierra Madre Casino. Relaxing back in the chair, he began tapping notes which might be useful in speaking with Ms Rovitz again, hopefully he could avoid saying or doing anything stupid. Keeping focused on the screen, tabbing between several files noting things on the various members of the mission for future assistance should they require it… his breathing near stops as his eyes glance intensely on the screen… and that… stunning…. black….. dress. The blue eyes of the woman wearing the ever so classy knee level dress were unmistakable. Two and a half lifetimes pass, even though the chrono on his desk advances a mere few seconds, before he somewhat glances back to the open file. He closes the video leaning back in his chair closing his eyes for a moment before sitting straight again opening his eyes. He rolls his eyes recalling the conversation he and Rockford had

“He would definitely dog me for being a silly college boy again” in a whisper more to himself.

Focusing back to matters at hand, Ms Rovitz had been obviously tasked for something Engineers typically are not equipped to handle so now the best course of action would be to allow her to talk through her experience. Standard text book solution. Also she would be in the office, it wouldn’t hurt to apologise for my conduct on our first meeting. Mind drifting back to the little he has heard already The engineers eat unhealthy candy…. He breaks the vacuum satchel and removes a large bag of chocolate malted milk balls as well as a decent size candy dish setting it on his desk. He tears open the candy bag pouring the chocolate malted milk balls into the dish.

These going away gifts are coming in handy after all, glad I did bring them.

Removes his PDA from his pocket bringing up appointment scheduling
Ms Rovitz, please report to Med Bay for a brief session. Marks the appointment with send recipient high priority message then clicks save/send figuring he would keep it brief but direct… hopefully the ever so lovely woman would not find reason to delay the appointment. His face slightly scrunches realizing he is doing it again. What is it about this woman that stays on his mind…

Kat was halfway back to her room when she got a communication. From the new doctor. Again. This time, he was playing the medical checkup card to have another go at bothering her. He was becoming just as bad as Solar was on a slow day. Problem was, medical checkups were mandatory and Kat was mostly biological, meaning she couldn't work her way around it.

At least with Kari, it was one woman with another and she was a rather good person all things considered. Having two male doctors was not something she was looking forward too on the other hand. There was no way she was undressing for those- The chief engineer let out a low sigh.

Fine.

She sent a reply, saying she was inbound NOW for the "quick session". The second he was going off in his little world of mumbling and excuses, or wanted to see more of her, she was out of there.

Dave's PDA beeped as he was looking other crew members charts knowing that That Woman was out with Rockford now and had no desire to see That Woman again, he was well aware that she was not the one that caused his hospital to go up into a fireball years ago... she was just one of the faces he could put with that incident. He glances to his PDA as a soft smile forms ... she is on the way. He started setting up a little display model in his desk drawer assuming that Kat would possibly be resistant to help. He messages the for those out front to see Ms Rovitz to his office upon her arrival.

He brings up Kat's file on his desk console and opens a notes section before sitting back waiting Kat's arrival... and more waiting Oren to leave the med bay.

Kat didn't hesitate to enter the medical rooms the second she reached them a few minutes later. The place seemed empty, which it usually was most of the time, but she expected more crew members to be in line for their mandatory. That is was empty save for the new doctor felt more and more like some type of trap to get her out of her cold room. Was the new doctor in with Evan for some kind of "talk to people" day for Kat? The whole day so far was a non-stop series of forced encounters with people, when she rather be working and getting on with her projects. What's next, dinner with the captain?

Pushing that rather disturbing idea aside, Kat went straight for the scanner machine that would take her vitals. She'd done this dance many times before, and knew what was required.

"Alright, get this started, take the notes and I'm off." she said as she stepped onto the central platform.

Dave rather coldly ran the routine scans and clicked to forward the results to his desk console. That part never changes, when it comes to initial vitals and routine scans, he seems more of a robot than an actual robot. Back at his desk, he took a seat extending a hand to the chair just on the other side while he flipped the files on his console to Kat's. His tone rather professional sounding though now focusing on the blue eyes of the Kat

"Ms Rovitz, if you could please take a seat, I should be done in a short time."

He was not going to make the mistake of figuratively saying done in a minute or two as Kat timed that minute when he first visited.

The new guy's calm demeanor was quite different from his earlier self. Perhaps being in his element and getting his head out of his ass calmed him down some. Routine work? Learning to shut up perhaps? In any case, he wasn't asking her anything that the checkup did not normally ask for and he was doing it acceptably fast.

Taking a tablet out of a pouch, Kat punched in a few commands before turning it around to show the doctor and placing it down on the desk. "The answers to the psych questions are the same as last time, I even called them up on the screen there. This'll make the job faster." she said, reaching into the malted chocolate in the bowl on the desk for a handful before tossing them one by one in her mouth as she flopped down into the chair.

As Kat sat in the chair and set her tablet on his desk, he briefly looked at the Q/A she had pre filled, he tapped a couple commands to sync the file from her tablet to his file on her. Completing that part, he omitted the 'help yourself' part as she was already going for the chocolate. Looking slightly up, he kept his tone 'doctorish'

"I see you have done this a few times, if it would not be too much an imposition, I have one question I would like to ask. Your last away mission, there was a situation which occurred." while opening his desk drawer anticipating some resistance from Kat. He removed a small circular disc with a dividing plank in the middle setting it on his desk.

"I trust that your crewmates may have prodded you to talk to them about this situation. I presume you may not have been receptive to that. I do however wish to know how you have been working through what some would consider a difficult scenario."

He leaned slightly back in his chair while removing a small cube from the drawer setting it in the circular device just placed on his desk now looking at Kat... trying to keep the Doctor face up despite the desire to lose himself in her eyes.

"Of course, had to know today was the day everyone asks about 'how I feel'. I'm fine, I'm coping with generous amounts revenge ok? I answered the quiz, and I know the report is done." she got up from the chair. He likely wanted her to admit to some base weakness, crumble into tears to be comforted by the man of the hour or some crap.

She disliked this insistence everyone has lately about her. Like she was going to break in half because she was in a bad spot. It was not a good event, of course, but Kat's not some housewife that'll panic the second anything strange happens. That the new guy was in on it made it feel worse tenfold, and that he was attempting to 'counsel' her with parlor tricks... Whatever.

As she stood, he simply and calmly said
"Of course, I imagine the whole 'how do you feel' day must be irritating. You know what is best for your own self. You know far better than I what you need to get through things. Please accept my sincere apology for taking up your valuable time, you are in your own capable hands. Now if you might excuse me, I have power couplings to realign so this ship we are on maintains a constant supply of thrust while not compromising vital system and data flow...." he pauses for an ever so brief second "...no wait, I don't know the workings or intricacies of what is needed to keep the systems operational." his gaze slightly hardens "...I might offer this thought... perhaps you might not be in your element when determining what is best when it comes to coping. If you would please take a seat, I assure you, I won't try to patronize you as some frail flower that needs a white knight save her. Just as I would be out of my element trying to keep this vessel operational, could you consider the possibility that you may be out of your element when it comes to my job?"

Rather she sits and continues or leaves, he at least gave her something to ponder. No, the brief time he saw her, besides being incredibly attractive... okay... beautiful... he also considers her to be a very strong and independent woman and he would have to walk slowly in any help he might be able to provide. Yet he couldn't help to feel an odd warmth when she was around, having giving her a moment to digest his words, his tone slightly more soft

"I will not try and force anything on you, coping with things is a complex matter, there is no magic pill, no reset button. I simply ask that you please take a seat. Can I fix everything?, no, all I ask is that you not simply dismiss me as some defective component." with that, he simply shifts his eyes toward the chair opposite his desk.

Kat remained standing, mildly annoyed by what the doctor was saying.

"Thanks for the offer, but no thank you." Kat leaned over to take another handful of chocolates from the bowl. "I'm sure that's a rousing pep talk, but I'm not interested. You might even be good at your job, it looked that way on your files, but I'm still not buying into it. I have dealt with things before and I will again after this just fine on my own, in my own way. And before you mention it, moderate anti-social behavior is not grounds for mission refusal nor is refusing to clock extra time with the new shrink. I know, I checked."

She took a few steps away from the desk and chair before turning back around to look at the doctor.

"And power couplings are Shinkei's job. You should try and get that pep talk sorted out before you get to the crew members that shoot and stab people for a living." And with that last flippant remark, Kat left the medical bay.

As Kat departed, he has a warm smile on his face. After a few minutes he removes his PDA and clicks refresh, more to himself
"Still have access, that is an promising sign."
with that, he replaced the device from atop his desk back in his desk. He closes his eyes drifting in thought on what draws him so to Kat.

Sinderella

12-08-2015, 04:23 AM

» Tri-Post with Megilwen, StormyNyte and Sinderella «
With a Guest Appearance by Anti-Hero
Zoey • Shikah • Syran • Scyllia

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Three hours had passed since Syran left the bar and in that time, she managed to get the pod prepped and had picked up a couple cases of booze for the ship. She sat on the ground of the space port in front of the pod and hummed to herself.

“Whoever’s showin’ needs’ta hurry up, m’leavin’ soon.”

"Syyyyyyyy!" WHOOMPH! From seemingly out of nowhere a colorful blur rushed the woman and pounced. Syran's backward tumble ended with her nose to nose with an ecstatic Shikah. The little Tuitarian was all giggles as she peered down at her human counterpart. "It's really you! Phew, you smell like you could use a bath... or a coffee... or both! You big silly, you human things don't seem to do well on an all-liquid diet." A quick glance was spared to the pod and the waiting cargo. "Hey! Are you going back to the ship? It's soooo boring here. Take me with you, pleeaase???" With that, she clung to the woman, wrapping her slender tail firmly around Syran's thigh to show that she wouldn't willingly take 'no' for an answer.

Zoey looked down at the napkin in her hand. She'd wadded it up and shoved it in her pocket after she'd left the bar as she had a quick conversation with Jones. Being former military himself, he understood the pull that the offer to be able to use her skills again held toward the woman. So after firing her, but assuring her she'd always could come back, Zoey headed back to her apartment to gather her things.

Looking back at the napkin, then back up, before she wadded the paper back into her pocket. "It's the right place." It took a little searching before she found the right part of the space port where the pod for this new ship was. Seeing the woman, Sy, from earlier sitting on the ground in front of the pod with a Tuitarian nearly wrapped around her made her raise an eyebrow and suddenly wondering what she was getting herself into.

"Well...she doesn't look too bad. Hope that means good things for the ship too." Said Zoey with a smirk as she walked up to the woman, everything she owned was packed into her military issue duffle bag that was slung across her back and she had five credits to her name. Her landlord wouldn't give her back the money left from the extra month of her rent. So she was completely broke, minus the money that Jones had given her before she left, but really that wasn't much. "I'm Zoey." She said in greeting to the other woman there holding out her hand.

Syran stared at the face that was so lovingly shoved into her own and burst out laughing. Beneath her goggles, her eyes were sparkling and her teeth were bared in a wide grin. It felt like ages since Syran last saw Shikah and the joy at the sight of the clinging Tuitarian quickly swept through her. She reached a hand up and extended her pointer finger. “I’ma boop yer nose, Shi!”

She nodded enthusiastically as she listened to her. “Ayee, I am! And I’m takin’ you with me! A right kidnappin’ for sure. I ain’t takin’ no for an answer and with you sayin’ it’s borin’, I doubt you’ll fight ‘ol Sysy on it, too!” Syran curled her arms around the woman and squeezed as tight as she could. “Oy, it’s good to see youuuu! We’ll have so much fun. The Capt’n won’t know what hit ‘em when we get back!”

Sy turned her attention at the sound of Zoey’s voice and began cackling like a mad woman. “Oh, they’re in for a treat I tell ya’! I figured you’d ‘ave shown up. Good. That all ya’ brought, Zo?”

Shikah watched Si's finger closing in on her nose until her eyes went crossed which brought on another fit of giggles that ended in a strained squeak when she was squeezed. "I missed you, Silly-head! Captain Shartie-pants is gonna love seeing us back!"

At the sound of Zoey's voice, the little Tuitarian disentangled herself from her comrade and regarded the new woman for a moment before deciding she looked like she could be a load of fun too and finally piped up. "Hiya Zoey, I'm Shikah! I didn't bring anything with me, so there'll be plenty of room. Hey, I can lick my eyeball, wanna see???" Without waiting for an answer, she proceeded to demonstrate and then flashed a proud pointy-toothed grin as though she succeeded at some great feat.

Having lived off the land for most of her young life, Shikah never saw any real need for traveling with supplies save for her weapons and lightly armored clothing so things tended to go 'missing' where ever she happened to be staying. Rocking on her feet from heel to toe then to toe to heel, she continued to stare at Zoey while holding that same toothy grin.

Zoey lowered the hand she'd held out to Shikah as she segwayed from bright and bubbly greeting, into licking her eyeball. The woman made a mental note to lock her workroom, provided she was given one, at all times. Shikah seemed like someone who'd end up playing with explosives because she was curious what it was, only to end up accidentally blowing herself up.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Shikah." Zoey had to admit that having a tongue long enough to touch your own eye was pretty intense. "Aye, everything I own in here. Just a few clothes and my weapons. You tend to not collect too much when you're living a military life. Are we waiting on anyone else?" She was eager to get going, to get back to a life of 'normalcy'. Well normal for her anyways. If someone wasn't shooting at her or she wasn't blowing something up then if was a boring day.

Syran chuckled at Shi and then watched how she and Zoey interacted. She nearly lost it when Shikah licked her eyeball, remembering fondly of her own first encounter with the Tuitarian. She sighed in appreciation that the woman had hardly changed.

She shook her head suddenly at Zoey’s question and fumbled over herself to stand. “Naww, ain’t got no time to waste on waitin’ for others. You two are my only passengers this go ‘round. Lemmie just find where I put that bottle of mine… then we’ll be ayyyyy-okayyy!” She supported the okay with a double thumbs up and a wiggle of her brows. “I already loaded up the cases of booze I’ll be takin’ back for myself…” She flashed a sly grin at the women and turned her attention to the pod. “I think I left that bottle in ‘er. I’ma go check and probably fire ‘er up.”

With that, Syran nodded to the two and scrambled into the pod. She needed to find her bottle… she needed to get back to the ship… she missed the crew... she missed her bed... Her nose twitched. "You stop that blasted twitchin' ya hear me nose?" She said as she crawled over her seat and spotted her bottle on the dash. "AHA! I done found ya' I did. Yup. Yup." She lurched forward to grab the bottle and quickly took a swig. "Mm..."

Shifting her body around, she sat upright in her seat and began pressing, pounding and flinging a handful of switches, knobs and dials on the mode control panel. "Is that right? Ya', I think so..." She giggled hysterically to herself and took another swig.

Shikah continued to stare at their newest friend until the whirr of the engine made her blink and drew her attention away. Turning on her heel, the little reptilian alien bounded toward the pod and quickly scaled up the side and onto the top. She always seemed to get a kick out of the way the thrumming of the engines made her vibration sensors tingle all over. Laughing, she climbed head-first down to the windshield and proceeded to smoosh against the glass and make funny faces at Si as the woman continued to nurse the bottle.

As the engine reached its apex idling power, Shikah scurried back to the pod door and bounded in; leaping clear over Si and snatching the bottle with her long tail in the process. Settling into one of the passenger seats, she brought the bottle to her nose and sniffed at it before her tongue darted down the opening. As soon as she sampled the liquid, it made her face crinkle and sent a shiver straight through her. "Bleh!" She nearly shouted her displeasure as she tossed the bottle back at her. "How can you even drink that stuff, SiSi? It tastes like something not good to taste at all!"

Still frowning over the assault on her taste buds, she turned to watch Zoey climb in. "With any luck, she won't fly us through an asteroid belt this time, but ya never know what to expect when she's on the bottle." She giggled then. "Whatever happens, it'll be a load of fun!"

Having been in the military, Zoey had worked with a variety of people and races. However, she'd never worked with anyone quite as...strange as Shikah was. She watched as the reptile woman climbed on top of the pod while Sy started the engines. As she swung through the door, Zoey followed after her, sliding into a seat and strapping herself in. For the third time that afternoon, wondering about her sanity. First was the slightly...more than slightly cheerful, Tuitarian, and the secondly getting into a moving vehicle with a several bottles down navigator. If these two were anything to go by, the entire ship had to be nuts.

"I have no doubt." She says with a smile as she makes sure her belts are tight. Having a feeling that the ride might be a bit bumpy. Turning her head she looks at Shikah. "So you've been a part of the ... you know I'm not sure I even got the ship's name... but you've been a part of her crew before? Or do you know Sy from elsewhere? What kind of missions should I be expecting? What about the rest of the crew do you know much about them? Or the ship's captain?" Zoey knew those had been a lot of questions, but she'd not been given much to go off of. Besides the word of a woman who'd been drunk before the sun had even gotten halfway into the sky. Zoey's smile turned into a smirk. Fun indeed.

“Because it’s good, Shi! It’s good, good, good!” Syran answered around hiccupping and turned in her seat towards the girl. “Aye, that was an accident! Sy didn’t mean to fly us through that asteroid belt… it just, it came outta nowhere!” she nodded in agreement with herself, “Yeah, came outta nowhere!” Syran reached behind her seat to snag her bottle back from Shi and clutched onto it for dear life. “I make no promises of gettin’ anyone anywhere without havin’ a lil’ fun. That’s all Sy’s sayin’.”

Once Zoey was seated and strapped in she slapped one last button and waited a moment. “The Capt’n is a sharkman… sharknado? No. He’s not a tornado, Sy. What are you thinkin’!? He’suh… Shartnerr? SHARTTER! No, that’s not right either…” She huffed softly and reached her free hand up to slap herself across the face. “AHA!” she yelled and practically leapt out of her seat, “A SHARTERRAN! That’s it. He’s a toga wearin’ Sharterran named Dar-Togga, but he doesn’t actually wear toga’s… all the ones I buy him he forces on his wife. That poor lady. And we’re the Black Star Privateers! Yes ma’am!” She tilted her head and flashed a smile in Zoey’s direction, “Have ya’ heard of us, darlin’?”

Syran took another swig, adjusted herself to her proper position, and then wiggled the bottle down between her thighs for safe keeping. She started on her usual parting speech, “Please keep all arms, legs and general squishiness inside the pod at all times. Should we crash and burn, I ask that you refrain from panic and blame upon Sysy. That means no hauntin’ me when we’re all dead, dammit.” And with that said, she set the coordinates to the ship, grabbed hold of the stick and boosted the throttles. The pod sighed with life before raising up off the port. "Hang onnnn!"

Shikah gave an abrupt shout of excitement as the pod began to move. "AYEEEEEE! This is going to be so FUN!" Turning in her seat to Zoey, she giggled. “Our missions usually end in something going BOOM! They're great! And you'll just love the crew to bits and pieces."

"I can get behind things ending in a BOOM." She replied with a wicked grin. Now they were speaking her language. "Sounds like it's a very diverse crew." Diverse crews meant lots of interesting people and Zoey liked learning how or why people ticked nearly as much as she liked figuring out just how an explosive device worked. The grin stayed on her face as the ship started to take off.

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A couple hours later...

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Syran rose the empty bottle to her mouth and tilted her head completely back as she attempted to drain what few drops still clung to the glass. She huffed lightly, dropped the bottle and quickly shifted in her seat as she tried to stretch out her stiff muscles. Beneath her goggles her eyes narrowed, her nose twitched and her lips pressed into a thin line. I'm home…

Though she was ecstatic at being home, she still wasn’t thrilled with how she and Sam had parted ways. If she had any sense to her, she would knock him out and lock him up to get him off the drugs, but she knew she shouldn’t do that. That wouldn’t fix things for him.

“A’right, ladies, we’re home!” She said and slapped a few buttons on the control panel, before sending in a docking request and her clearance code to the Black Star’s computer. After a few moments, she grabbed the shifter, and slowly moved them past the now opened hatch and into the cargo bay. She adjusted a few dials and smoothly lowered the pod to dock.

“We thank ye’ kindly for choosin’ Sy Transportation's. We hope the bumps and bangs along the way didn’t spook ya’, or the fact that I’m now down a bottle…” She looked to the empty bottle she had and sighed. “Sysy needs to get more booze…”

With that, she opened the pod’s hatch, fumbled over her chair and flung herself onto the Black Star. She dropped to the ground and stroked the ships flooring as she cooed at it lovingly. “Ohbaby, Sysy missed you, yes she did. Who was a good lil’ girl?”

⊶⊷⊶⊷⊶⊷⊶⊷

Meanwhile, in the pod’s cargo hold...

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She yawned heavily sitting along the wall in the pod...just waiting. She'd heard a rumor when she got re-certified to work that Sy... the best of all the alcoholic ladies was going to be on board. "I can't... wait... to..."...She nodded for a second and popped her head back up..."…just a little...nap..." She looked around for a place to hide, didn't want anyone bothering her.

"Nice boxies... warm boxies..." She curled up behind them using her jacket as a blanket and drifted off in a, what she assumed to be light, slumber.

"DOCKING COMPLETE."

"Wha-… What..." She sat up scratching her head and letting out a loud yawn and pulling her arms over her head…

"Wait... WHAT?!" She jumped up from behind the boxes and looked around anxiously only to notice there were now people in the pod. In her own awkward way she wiggles her fingers and grinned thinking on what even the hell had happened?

'Let's see... first... I went and got my medicine, cause stupid captain rules... he's such an idiot…like I of all people need medication, what did I ever do to anyone? Nothing! At least not while I was on the ship. In fact, I took great care of the patients. At the cost of maybe some people skills, but seriously? Who needs people skills when I'm surrounded by not even people...? Guh... this medicine just makes me cranky... anyway... I got my medical license… AGAIN and then had to convince the port authority that I was allowed in the area because fuck it if I didn't lose my ticket...Fucking twit...EVEN THOUGH I could sit there and recite my ticket number this asshat had to be such a tool....Once I finally got passed the gate... at this point only committing one illegal act... I found a map found the pod and... Fuck... fell asleep...'

Sniff... sniff... sniff-sniff...

"That smell....Sy??"

Koti~

12-09-2015, 01:11 PM

As Oren leaves Med Bay shaking the memories that were drawn out, proceeds to her quarters where she stows the small satchel containing her refillable K-Cups. She immediately powers up her life support system, her coffee maker, and places a Caramel Vanilla coffee pack in while setting a disposable cup under. After the coffee brews, firmly seals the lid of her cup before heading back out of her room.

Having planned on heading toward the range to do some practice, she happens to notice a young woman ahead with a frown on her lips. Trying to recall the face with the name she had been studying with the crew profiles… mechanic … think so… she runs her hand through her short black hair offering in a soft friendly tone
“Miss Sahoun?” desperately hoping she had the name right at the same time slightly giggling thinking ~at least she doesn’t have a tail…. that I can see~

Lost in her own thought, Shin almost past by the new girl before pausing, her head turning to look. The frown still stuck on her face, she studied her for a moment, before realizing that she was being addressed. Face turning red, she spluttered for a few moments before giving a chuckle.

“So-sorry about that. Was in thought. I am guessing you’re new here. Just call me Shin.” Shinkei spoke, giving another light chuckle before holding out her hand.

Oren held out her hand shaking Shin’s, noticing her reddening face, offers a smile and soft tone
“So glad to meet you, name’s Aoki, Oren Aoki, you can just call me Oren, or just Ren is cool too.” as she runs her hand through her short black hair, other taking a sip of her coffee, with a slight giggle “glad to finally meet someone without me putting my foot in my mouth… yet, give me some time and I am sure to say or do something cringe-worthy. It just has been one of those days, the past few days”

“Can't be as bad as my first day. I tried breaking into the engine room. Thankfully they were planetside.” Shin said with a chuckle. She was thankful that a friend had been there to help her out. She took the time to look over the girl, having to look up to the girl. She was rather thin yet she could tell the muscle behind it.

“So, what position are you joining us on?”Shin asked, resting her hands onto her hips, looking the woman over.

Taking another sip of her coffee, Oren offered a smile “I’ll be joining as a Scout…”
She looks toward the younger woman to gauge her expression. Some don’t take to those in her position, her own expression though remains warm and friendly, a polar opposite from what she displays on assignments

“So you tried to break into the engine room your first day? Sounds like a rush, how successful were you?” as she casually leaned against the wall.

“Almost got in. I know more about this ship than probably the first mate… I wouldn't mention that to him though. “ Shin chuckled in response. She looked the women over, trying to place this woman as a scout. While she was rather skinny, it wouldn't be hard to see her as a lead.

“Welcome aboard the black star. And should be nice to see you as a scout. Could use some rather good ones.” Shin nodded thankfully, glad that they might have more help for keeping track of threats.

Remaining haphazardly leaning against the wall, her face slightly scrunches as Shin mentions the First Officer, having Rockford earlier implying that he was a skirt chaser, finally a smile comes across
“No need to worry, I won’t mention anything to Evan, Girls secret…” said with a giggle ‘...so, what is the First Officer like anyway? It was somewhat implied that he likes the ladies… in an intense manor. I heard that from a guy, guys are not always the most reliable sources ya know, how aggressive is he really?” asked in a tone like she was simply inquiring on what the weather was like outside before adding a lingering afterthought “...Guess that shouldn’t be too big a surprize to me, same stuff, different location.”

“I can say right off the bat that he's no where near as bad as Duke, so he's that going for him. Yes he is a short chaser, but… He's not too bad.” Shin spoke, tapping her finger quietly against her chin. She mentally reach through all the times she has been with Evan, realizing just how short those times had been. Even when they had been together, it had mostly been for work related issues.

“I can promise you that he's a great person to have at your back in the field…. Even if would rather look then have.” Shin spoke with a chuckle, a smile breaking out along her face at the silly idea.

“Well, it's wonderful to meet you, but I got a project to work on for Evan. If you ever need something fixed or upgraded, you can come talk to me, I'm your gal.” Shin said with a thump of her chest, a smile breaking wide at that.

As Shin mentioned upgrading things, Oren quirked her brows a moment slowly pushing off the wall she was leaning against, a broad smile across her lips

“Upgrade things you say? Do have an upgradable thing for you. I have a flexible material outfit… well… three of em. They are deceivingly durable while looking more like they might belong to some Barbie doll. R&D boys at my last employer created it, probably to look fashionable and sexy, there was an unexpected result… they were actually useful. The fabric is a mesh between… hell… I don’t know what all they put in the things, but they are effective against medium firepower, both standard guns and standard energy weapons. If you want to tinker with one, see if you could improve on what the boys created, would be indebted to you.”

Her thoughts drift on the several close calls she had of recent. If she could get more effectiveness with what she has, that would certainly be preferable to using something more confining and cumbersome even though might be more protective. Also the thought of Evan being more talk than action when it came to normal male behavior was comforting though she will still exercise caution around him till such time she can ensure for herself. She nods her head down the hall in the direction of her room

“You feel like seeing these Barbie outfits?”

Shin quirked an eyebrow at the mention of the barbie outfits. Knowing that it was from the r&d of a random corps meant to her that it was probably some skimpy halter top and skort combo. Though with the idea of getting free stuff to work on, it was a tempting offer.

“I feel that should be laughing at the idea of a barbie doll outfit, but I am interested to see this. What r&d company did your company partner with?” Shin asked, you already motioning for Oren to lead the way. While she did have a working knowledge of the ship, and could probably find the girls room in a matter of seconds, it still wasn't polite.

As she heads toward her room, she offers a light laugh
“Well, the R&D was part of who employed me… as far as names… they didn’t have one, for all purposes, they did not even exist. Anytime I was to bring data to R&D, my handler simply advised me to visit Section R. Yea, they don’t come up with very creative names for non existent departments in my non existent organization.” with that, she was outside her quarters. Swiping her keycard, she entered “This way…” as she moved toward three pleather looking outfits, one red, one black and one white.

Looking back as the door closes “I’ll show you the white one, designed more for Arctic/Snow conditions….” as she removes her shoulder holster laying the holstered glock over a chair before unzipping the front of her white sweatshirt. As she removes the sweatshirt and slips out of her white sweatpants now wearing just a sports bra and black panties, there are several notable scars running down her back. She crouches unstrapping the ankle sheath for her combat dagger setting it to a table to the side. She then moves removing the white pleather looking outfit zipping it up the front. She then removes the dagger from the sheath slipping it into a concealed sheath along her right ankle portion on the material. She turns toward Shin, the front zipper not visible

“This is very flexible and resistant to both heat and Arctic weather conditions. It will stop standard and medium rounds as well as the shiny looking fabric will dissipate energy from standard to medium energy type weapons. Knife slashes will slide off however a strong blade with a sharp point thrust hard enough will penetrate the material.”

She leans back into a backward flip coming to a crouch, her right hand slipping the combat dagger from the sheath. She quickly stands swinging the blade in a left to right slashing motion before bringing the blade slashing from right to left level at the height of an average man followed by bringing the blade down chest lever thrusting her arm forward in a stabbing motion, once her arm was fully extended, she twists her wrist pulling her arm back, thumb cuffing the handle crouching once again effortlessly sliding the dagger back in sheath. She stands smiling to Shin

“Well, this is the Combat Barbie outfit the boys created, like to see boys do something like that with their bulky armor. I don’t see needing this outfit for now, you think you might want to analyze it and try to tweak its effectiveness any? If you come up with something, the other two could really use improvements to their resistance levels.” while looking toward Shin with a smile on her face. To her side on a night stand stands a lone 50 Cal round, if looked at closer it would be noticed that the primer has been removed and that there was a single impact mark where a firing pin had struck.

Shin stayed silent during the entire display, having moved back a pace to let the girl move. Her mind wasn't as silent. Already ideas were buzzing around her head, watching the suit flex and bend with each twist and turn of her body. It was a sight to behold. Once she had finished placing her weapon back, Shin was still planning in her head.

“Do.. You mind a bit of mobility loss for durability?” Shin asked before turning her goggles on. Already she was pulling scans and measurements for the outfit and the body size. The color was already changing to several, including an active camo feature.
“As well, can I shoot you to test the resistance? “Shin asked, wanting to see the suit in full form.

A soft smile formed on Oren’s lips as Shin had asked if she could shoot her. Her mind drifts back for a moment when the boys in R&D first demoed the resistance to her. One random guy stepped in the room announcing ‘Think fast…’ as he raised a 44 automag. By the time the guy fired off his first round, part due to that nagging little voice in her head, she had already slid her dagger out and had thrown it. Fortunately for the guy, it was not perfectly thrown and only dug into his shoulder. R&D guys would never utter the phrase ‘think fast…’ around her again. A slight laugh escaped as she draws her thoughts back to the here and now.

She motions with her head toward her shoulder holster draped off a chair
“Go for it, there is already a round in the chamber. If you don’t want to get people freaking out with a gun shot in room, there is a silencer along the spare ammo clips.”

She takes a step to the middle of her room “Just to let you know, the rounds are pre fragmented designed to pretty much shatter into smaller fragments tearing organic matter … well… people… up once hit. Good for this environment too since if I miss… well… I don’t miss… but if I ever did and a stray hits a wall, it would fragment and not go through the wall. Holes in space vessels I understand would be a slight problem…” said with a slight giggle. “Also unlike typical protective vests, the impact centrifugal force will be distributed through the entire outfit, I would feel a slight tingle through the entire outfit, but would not get knocked back like one might expect with a traditional protective vest. The stronger the round, the stronger the interior tingle I would feel, however heavy rounds that don’t penetrate the fabric will still take me off my feet and do internal damage, have had several cracked ribs over the years. The distributed force will then drive the fragments or round out of the fabric and will drop to the floor. This test will have fragments drop which is why I am in the middle of the room, I hate looking for fragments in room corners. Oh yea, as far as giving up a little more mobility for better durability, certainly, I kinda figured I would have to give somewhere to get better protectivity.”

Shin nodded thankfully and then grabbed the gun. She checked it out, making sure to adjust her glasses for the weight and change of the weapon. Smiling, she backed up to the wall before turning to face Oren. Already she lined up a couple of shots, though knowing she could only use one.

“Might want to cover your ears.” Shin said, giving her a second before she pulled, the massive bang echoing around the room. It was too fast for normal eyes to follow, but her goggles had recorded it. She could still see the remaining ripples from the blast.

“Ooh.. So cool.” Shin gushed as she put the smoking gun down, heading over to Oren. She pressed her fingers to where the shot had bounced from her stomach.

“Is great for the medium, but any high powered shot will knock you on your ass. I could create something of a crumple zone for that kind of shot, and for me physical hits.”Shin mumbled to herself.

Oren stood casually as the Glock ripped off a shot followed by a mild tingling sensation throughout her skin. As Shin rested the weapon down and headed over to her, she could tell the woman was calculating changes in her mind. As the fragments of the round drop from her outfit, she looks to Shin

“Any changes or improvements you might be able to do will be just fabby…. and yea, high powered rounds put me on my ass.”

With that, she moves her thumb just under her neckline working the thumb into the fabric locating the zipper then unzipping the outfit slipping out and folding it before placing it on her night stand.

“Do what you will with the white one, if you can come up with improvements, the red and black are the ones I really use now. Did have a Camo one at one time, but an ordinance round shredded it....” as she heads over to her sweats, left hand running along several scars along her back “...guess was worth it, the guy I recovered made it without a scratch.” she lets out a slight laugh “The sucky thing was that the whole mission was blacked out, never happened. The ass was a highly important guy or something. His balls were too big to admit a girl saved him so they erased the entire file and just rewrote HIS file to say some lame crap like he was ‘reassigned’” while running her hand along the scars again “I get blown up, he gets welcome home parties.” As she turns, offers a smile “Sorry, you are here to see what you can do with these uniforms, not listen to a girl bitch.” while slipping into her white sweat pants.

“It's no problem.” Shin said as she picked up the suit. A near coo escaped her as she ran her fingers over it. Happily widened as she looked over it happily, examining every fold and nuance of the material. It was just barely warm from wear, along with looking brand new due to the material.

“Oh the fun I'll have with you ~” Shin nearly purred as she held the suit close, a gleam in her eyes.

“I'll contact you once I have something working, though if you ever need to ask something, come visit my work space. “Shin said with a nod, smiling happily before heading out of the room.