Elite roleplay: Off station

OFF STATION

Your ship, deep space, anything that is not happening inside the Citi Gateway or Ingaba...

General Roleplay Etiquette:

1. Control only the actions of your own character(s). (AKA: God Mode)
This doesn't matter how small the action is, even if it is as simple as scratching their nose or a direct reaction to something else that just happened. This applies to everything from casual conversation to full blown fight scenes. If you'd like someone to do something specific, PM that person, however keep in mind they are completely within their rights to say no. Especially if said action is inappropriate to their character and/or circumstance.

2. Don't brute force your way into another persons RP.
Approaching with a conversation starter is fine, or indeed some other small action. However charging in, guns blazing and disrupting the flow of another person/pair/groups conversation/arc is about as rude as doing so in real life. If something is going on that you'd like to participate in, be subtle about it. Put out a gentle hook for someone to take, but again, be aware that said hook may not be taken. If you fear it was simply unnoticed, PM the person or people it concerns. Or even leave a message in the OOC forums.

3. Good grammar and spelling is preferred.
We're not asking you to be perfect, but please at least demonstrate willingness. no1 iz gna tak u srsly usng txt spk. There's a wide variety of people here, many who speak English as a second, or even third language. There are even some with varying degrees of dyslexia and/or likely other issues that affect spelling/grammar. We accept them all here. However, people who aren't accepted, are those unwilling to accept polite correction. Remember that even a small thing like the placement of a comma, or the wrong use of there/their/they're can completely change the definition of an entire sentence.

4. Accept constructive criticism gracefully and politely.
If someone spots an issue with your writings, they may wish to help you improve that writing. They may do this through PM or even publicly air their thoughts on the OOC forum. If they have taken the time to be polite and explain what is wrong with your writing, the best way to behave is to respond in kind, using the same manner they have approached you with. It means they have taken an active interest in what you have written and wish to see more. Basically, you have a fan!

5. Don't take the actions or opinions of things done IN RP, to be directly relevant to the writers thoughts or opinions.
Basically, if some ones character calls your character a jackass, it doesn't mean the writer thinks you are a jackass. It's a ROLE they are PLAYING. Watch a movie. The argument between the characters isn't an argument between the actors involved. The same applies here.

6. It's not a popularity contest.
Your RP might be bustling with participants. You have 3 people off station in a fire fight, while another 2 are infiltrating the darkest areas of the station, meanwhile a group of 4 others are tracking your movements in an effort to stop you. Good for you, I'm sure it will be a thrilling read! But you know what? Sometimes the absolute BEST work, comes from two RP characters having a simple heart to heart. Both are valid, both are great, but NEITHER is categorically better than the other. Period.


Inara RP Etiquette:

1. Respect the setting and rules of the universe.
Inara is an Elite: Dangerous 3rd Party Tool. The RP Forums are set in the Elite: Dangerous universe. Elite: Dangerous has rules, as any fictional universe does from Lord of the Rings to Star Wars, or Game of Thrones to Star Trek. If you intend to RP within the Elite: Dangerous universe you are bound by the history and rules of that universe. Simply put, this RP forum is bound by the same rules as the game, so if it can't be done in the game, it is not permitted here. This applies to things from a 50Ly Jump Range on a normal, unmodified Sidewinder, to the destruction of entire stations.

2. Respect the characters created by others.
We have a wide variety of characters already here. It's expected that some will be similar, just as it's expected that two characters will be vastly different. Opinions of each persons character will naturally be varied, but all are valid provided they follow the rules of the universe. You are allowed to interact with, or avoid interaction with, any character in the RP forums. But you have no right to belittle others for their creation. You are not an authority figure on writing, nor are you directly affected by another persons imagination. You might not like it, but you MUST respect it.

3. Be caught up on current events before joining in.
You need basic things like character descriptions in order to interact with them. You also need to know what's going on in the surrounding areas. This is simply because the people you are hoping to RP with, might be gearing up to something that you might not want to be part of. Or simply that the most recent post, out of context, could leave a different impression on the goings on than if you gather that context. We don't expect you to read every single post from the beginning of the forums, just enough to get that basic understanding.

4. Either subscribe to, or frequently check, the Roleplay: Q&A and OOC forum.
People may be discussing something relevant to you there, or even discussing you directly. Perhaps someone asked what the general consensus on the existence or non-existence of a certain object. Or we're just chatting about random gibberish. Either way, be aware of it and use it. If you're unsure about something, such as how guns would look and or behave, or even the music selection, use the OOC forum to ask. We don't have all of the answers, but the collective knowledge and logic usually allows us to overcome an issue and come to a decision on what should be allowed. Frontier Developments, and even David Braben himself, don't have the answers to every possible question that can be asked.

5. Large Scale events exploding out of nowhere are a complete no go.
We get it. Everyone wants their character to be noticed and for people to be tripping over themselves to interact with them. In some audiences, an introduction involving you blasting in for landing in a fiery wreckage of a ship, before cart wheeling out and sword fighting 35 Ninjas before whisking off with the local celebrity for a glorious night of passion, is in fact, cool. This is not one of those audiences. It is generally considered better to build your character up slowly over time. Eventually, you might even have a legitimate excuse to fight those Ninjas. Maybe even with other RP participants by your side.

6. Perfect characters are boring.
The point of a character arc, is that it is in fact, an arc shape. One who is morally unquestionable, fully kitted out and an infinite fountain of knowledge, cannot go through an arc. Give your character flaws. Be it a tendency towards befriending the wrong people, or a bad knee that frequently gives out at inopportune moments. It gives readers something to latch onto and empathise with. You can give your character exceptional capabilities at something, but it requires balance. She's a damn good pilot with no equal, but can't drive an SRV for peanuts. It can lead to some very interesting moments between characters, be it heartfelt or comedic.


Other Notes:
It should be noted that there can be exceptions to these points. For example, good grammar when a character is speaking is actually rare. Few people in real life actually speak with perfect eloquence after all. Or previously arranged actions during a fight scene, such as someone stumbling back after a punch. What's key to remember is context.

All in all, remember this is purely for fun. We have some seriously talented writers here, and others whose writing history starts and ends at high school. But many are willing to help out in whatever way they can. All it takes is that you ask nicely.

Also keep in mind that many people who RP here, also have logbook stories related to the character, or characters, they portray. If it looks like there's an "in joke" going on that you're unsure of, it's probably in those.

In fact, some users have even gone to the trouble of creating "alts" to RP with. If you read back far enough, it's usually pretty clear who has and hasn't, and which ones are the "alts". It's therefore not unheard of to see the apparent seizing of control of other characters. If you do spot one, point it out in the OOC section. If intervention is needed, it will be sorted quickly and (hopefully) politely.

Most, if not all RP participants here have Logbook stories pertaining to their character(s). These are for the reading pleasure of anyone who wishes to do so. While it can be useful to read them in order to gain a bit of backstory on a character you wish to interact with, it should not be assumed that your character shares that knowledge. Within the E:D Universe, these Logbooks either don't exist, or are private diaries kept by the characters. Either way, without explicit statements to say otherwise from the writer, your interactions should reflect that your character is in the dark about any information you, the writer/reader, have gained from reading the stories.
Khelan
09 Jun 2019, 8:41pm
Khelan runs after Omi, panting and wheezing.

"Jesus H Tittyfuckin Christ Omi slow the fuck doon wid ye?" he gasps as Omi heads for another rooftop.

She jumps over the gap between the two buildings and heads for the fire escape to get back down to ground level.

"Would you two fat bastards get a move on!" she shouts back at them.

Khelan looks back to Maul.

"Fucking wimmen." he pants as he tries to keep up
Maul Montresor
09 Jun 2019, 8:52pm
Maul buckles over with his hands on his knees trying to catch his breath and attempts to speak.

"Right?....I...I think...I think I'm gonna die." He says between breaths.

He sees Omi heading for a fire escape.

"Oh thank fuck. No more jumping. Okay, let's go."

He runs over and follows Omi down the fire escape.
Khelan
09 Jun 2019, 10:25pm
Khelan gasps and wheezes his way to the fire escape and heads down to the street level.

"You need to get back in shape, living on a diet of sugary cereal and junk food has slowed you down." Omi informs him.

Khelan stands there gasping and trying not to throw up.

"Can....we....save....yer....amateur....persunal trainin....fur....wen.....folk.....urnae.....tryin....tae.....kill....us?" he wheezes.

Omi smiles at him.

"I think we're safe now but let's not hang around here for too long." she says heading towards the main street, raising her arm to hail a passing taxi.

"Ah furgoat jus how much ov a psychopath she can be. Ah'm gettin too auld fur this shite." he says to Maul while wiping the sweat from his brow.
Maul Montresor
10 Jun 2019, 2:27am
Maul nods at Khelan as he musters the energy to speak.

"I'm just glad she's on our side."

He walks out onto the street and sees Omi waiting near a taxi.

"Yes, now this I can agree with. No more running." He says as he walks over to smack the trunk of the taxi, letting the driver know to open it so he can toss his gear in.

He enters the taxi and let's out a sigh of relief.

"So, to the docks? The Shinigami's still there and uh..." Maul looks at the driver and back to Khelan. "I don't think Hideo would mind us using it."
Falcon15e
10 Jun 2019, 4:27am
The ship swayed slightly and dropped with a “thunk” as the magnetic docking clamps lined up on the strut pads and secured the Fer De Lance to the pad. Kaisla didn’t even wait for the ship to settle before she was out of the pilots seat and clearing across the bridge and heading into the main cabin. She went into the berthing and started to throw clothing on the desk next to the small storage locker that doubled as a closet.
“Going out Commander?”

“Yes Otto, I have a few hours to figure this out and get back off this thing before we jump. I would really prefer not to be dragged half way across the damn Orion Arm before getting this package back.”

She grabbed a change of clothes and dug a wig out from a box hiding on the top shelf. Sometimes it helped to change hair color and other details just to ensure she wasn’t recognized. The clothes were nicer than those that she wore into the bar but still utilitarian.

She stripped naked in the small berthing bunk, removing her “over clothes,” normal flight suit, underwear and bra. Then, she slid on a micro-fiber body suit which was just sufficient enough if there was an emergency decompression. Whereas the normal flight suits were comfortable and flexible, they were still considerably more rigid and laced with pressurized lines for climate control and able to sustain a person for up to one hour in zero vacuum. The micro-fiber suit had no REMLOK attachment for the helmet re-breather and no climate control. It was just good enough to give her a fighting chance to get back to a pressure environment before liquifying her insides. Pointedly, they had no wiggle room for underwear, bra, the usual things, because of how tightly they fit. Over this, she slid on some regular looking “civilian” clothing and a thick jacket that had plenty of compartments.

She punched an access code into another locker next to the closet and it popped open to reveal a stuffed animal, some familiar items – like an old family photo – and some inexpensive jewelry. She pushed this stuff aside and felt deep into the locker until she felt a latch that sat flush with the bulk head and would have been nearly impossible to find had the person looking, not known where to find it. The latch released another door that shoved open. She pushed the small shelf in the locker up to the top of the compartment where it latched, allowing her to walk through into the small room on the other side. The room was just large enough for two people to stand with the exception of a small bunk on the opposite wall that was recessed into the wall. A spartan desk sat perpendicular to the opposite wall with a tablet to interface with the ships security systems. She pulled the drawer open and pushed aside the numerous fake identification plates, pulling out several credit stacks and some illegal surveillance toys. Closing the drawer again, she turned around to face a box with emergency rations and water containers. Above this, was a locker set into the wall that housed a selection of firearms. She pulled a pistol from the cache and closed the locker again before stepping back out of the closet and re-securing the façade. The panic room was just one of many little surprises she had built into the aircraft. Along with smuggling compartments and the advanced security, the panic room was just stocked well enough to give her a place to hide out for a few days should nosy security teams decide they wanted to poke around the aircraft while she was “gone”. The compartment was convenient and a hatch set into the floor still gave her full access to the ship and out one of her back doors. She had used it on more than one occasion when she knew that the ship was likely to get broken into while at dock. It was much easier just to set the security at its lowest setting so the snoops wouldn’t break anything trying to break in and so Otto wouldn’t roast them. It saved time on paperwork and un-necessary law enforcement encounters.
After going through a quick mental checklist, she verified the batteries on her various spy toys and ensured the pistol was charged and had enough ammo before setting off into the mega ship.

It took her a few hours just wandering around, but she quickly figured out the layout of the mega ship, its security systems (Federal standard stuff) and figured out where the Dreadnaught was docked. Figuring that out had been the hardest task because ships docking and port manifests are usually only privy to the crew. But after a quick dip into a few bars and finding a local air traffic controller, it didn’t take her long to pry the information out of the poor sod. Given his already inebriated state, it was just a matter of a half hour of boring banter before he was willing to give her a “personali-shed *hiccup* tour of an air weal-life traffish controls tower,” which she politely declined.

With a pair of innocuous-glasses, she was able to quickly re-trace her steps back to the bay where the Dreadnaught was docked. Turning the corner, she almost walked right into the guy, spiked hair, blue glasses with built-in HUD, yep, that was him. She recognized him from the bar back on Citi Gateway. He failed to recognize her though, the wig and other small items did well to conceal her identity. Her identity swap wouldn’t hold up in a face-to-face conversation had he known her, but just in passing and by the fact it appeared he had something else on his mind, it seemed to do the trick.

She quickly turned and moved back along the corridor. If this boat was built anything like any previous large long-haul vessels she had been on, there would be a back-way to access the docking bay besides the main entrance. She went back through another corridor and did a visual check to ensure she was out of the way of any surveillance camera’s before pulled out a small screwdriver and quickly un-fastened the four screws holding the ventilation grate to the wall. She slipped inside, replacing the grate and pulling it closed against the wall with a hooked piece of cord she kept precisely for the purpose. From there, she quietly navigated the maze of air ducts, fuel lines and pipe conduit, frequently checking her compass in her eye piece before unlatching another ventilation grate which opened to the Dreadnaughts holding bay.

She had no clue of Kat’s presence and no prior records of the ship (there weren’t many) indicated that the craft had a dedicated crew. Additionally, besides any common protocol, she had no clue of the aircraft’s security suite. But a dude like that doesn’t leave a shiny Krait Mark II just sitting out without having tricked out the car alarm at least to protect the bumping stereo he probably has inside.

“I bet he listens to soft rock,”

Kaisla thinks to herself as she readies a tiny scan drone in her hands. She links it to her glasses and then lets it hover off her palm before it jets forward into the wide docking bay.
The scan drone does a rudimentary search for any anomalous signals or scan wave frequencies that might indicated heavier ship security. Surprisingly, she can pick up two communication lines (probably back to the onboard Covas) and the fact the ship has more robust security. Beyond that, the drone isn’t powerful enough to tell her much else. Kaisla just knows she has to be cautious.
She extracts a canister out of her jacket and sprays a clear odorless mist all over her body, focusing on her armpits, crotch and exposed face.
“Blech, that tastes like shit,” She smacks her lips a few times.

The micro-fiber suit will do a sufficient job at making sure most of her body will be guarded against a thermal signature but the mist solution provides an extra layer of security, if only briefly. It also will effectively blind her from cameras and frequency scanners - but only very briefly - before it wears off. A gift from an influential friend in the Imperial fleet, its not available to even the military or black market yet. The solution would be useless if someone was visually watching for her but will give her enough time to sneak across the pad and at least get close enough to the dreadnaught to figure out a way to break in.

She checks again to make sure she can’t see anybody peeking out from the ship and then goes to dash across the pad, stubbing her toe on an electrical conduit.
“Ow! Fuck!” She whispers, before looking around again like a cat falling off a table.

Finally, up near the ship, she can see its been heavily modified with additional equipment and some re-enforced infrastructure. “Fuck this stuff is never easy is it?” She curses as she moves around to a reaction thruster, gently feeding a small drone past the exhaust vanes. Maybe she can peek inside and find her package in addition to figuring out a way inside.

She crouches down near one of the Dreadnaughts landing pads to wait for the drone to find its way into the living space (it has to utilize some creative AI logic to get through the exhaust ducts and past the pressurized firewall into the aircraft living space).

Just as she can make out some feint light in the drone feed, indicating its getting near to the habitual section of the ship, a voice behind her makes her jump.

“Freeze or I’ll blow your brains out!”

Kaisla slowly raises her hands.

“Who the hell are you? Turn around, very slowly….I have a blaster pointed at you and I’m not afraid to waste you.”

Kaisla turns slowly, “This isn’t what you think it is if you’ll let me explain.”

“Really? I think its you trying to figure out a way to break into the ship, or plant a bomb or something.”

“Okay,” Kaisla admits, “Maybe its what you think it is. Nice shoes. But those look really uncomfortable.”

“What?!” Kat exclaims

The pause is just enough time and Kaisla lunges at the woman, tackling her to the ground and thrusting her arm holding the pistol up away from her. A single shot goes off and bounces harmlessly off the wall of the docking bay. Kaisla is quick to quickly thrust her forearm up beneath the woman’s chin, forcing her head back, smacking it into the landing bay floor while simultaneously cutting off her air supply.
“Listen, please, quit fighting – I’m not here to hurt you, the guy who flies this ship has some property I was tasked to return, I just want to retrieve it and leave.”
Kat thrusts her leg up between Kaisla’s and swings her hip up, bucking her off and sending her skittering across the floor of the bay. The pistol slides five feet sideways and Kat rolls, diving for the gun before Kaisla rolls out lets a shot off with her own pistol. It misses Kat and the other gun by inches. Kat freezes.

“Why the hell should I believe you!” Kat yells.

“Because I didn’t have to miss, besides, most people don’t believe strangers when they stop in and say, ‘Pardon me, but I believe you have my box, can I have it back?’”

“True,” Kat concedes. “But I’ve already called Sen, he’s on his way back here right now and I promise you, you might kill me but you’ll be right after.”

“Anybody dying is really just as un-necessary as those heels.” Kaisla says, waving at Kat’s shoes.

“Leave my shoes out of this!” Kat screams at her, “But you really like them?”

“Yeah, they’re great. I was never a heels gal myself.”

“But seriously?” Kat asks, “What happens next?” The woman was really out of her depth.

“You said, Sen – that’s his name? You said he’s on his way back; I’m going to holster my gun and put my hands up; I really don’t mean you or him any harm. I just need this package. Supposedly, you guys don’t even know you’re carrying it.” Kaisla says holstering her gun, placing her hands up.

Kat scrambles and grabs the fallen gun, pointing it back at Kaisla and walking toward her slowly.

“Don’t try anything,” Kat screams, “Dex! Dorsal guns, arm them!”

Kat looks confused for a second. Dex has just told her that there is only one heat signature in the bay.

“It’s the clothes and some other trade secrets,” Kaisla responds, immediately recognizing her confusion.

Kat moves closer, “Is that why you smell like shit?”

“Yeah, it doesn’t taste any better either.” Kaisla says, shrugging.
EvilCreamsicle
10 Jun 2019, 3:54pm
******Sen/EC/Kaisla Arc******

The Animus was starting to get uncomfortably warm with silent running active, and with the Arbiter having been docked for several minutes, EC made the determination that nothing untoward was going to happen, at least not before he docked.



He requests a landing pad and brings the Animus in for a landing.

"COVAS, was there anything else in that message that might help us find Sen once we land? Let me see the message headers." he says to his on-board companion.

On his display, the headers for the message appear. Metadata that contains technical information regarding where the message was sent from, how it was routed, etc.

"Oh Sen, you're as clever as I hoped you'd be," he chuckles to himself, realizing that Sen had hidden docking and location information for the Dreadnaught in the message headers.

As the pad comes to rest inside the hangar, EC grabs the rifle case and the duffel-satchel and drags them to the equipment room. It was small on a ship the size of a Vulture, but there was enough room for a hidden compartment. He puts in the combination for the left-hand locker and pulls the handle. Instead of the locker door opening, the entire array of lockers swings open like a vault door.

Stashing the items inside, he closes it up again and removes his pistol from his jacket, religiously function-checking it as was his habit before leaving the ship, and makes his way outside and toward the hangar door.

The megaship was hopping now, as people were arriving last-minute for the jump to guardian-space. He didn't think he'd be recognized amidst the crowd of excited researchers and scavengers.

Making his way toward Sen's pad, he radios the Arbiter:
"Arbiter, heads up. I don't want to give any specific information but be ready for a quick and violent reaction at a moment's notice, yeah?"

'Roger that Creamy' is the reply from Raven.

As he approaches the hangar door where the Dreadnaught is docked, he hears the unmistakable sound of a single gunshot.

Well... it was muffled by the noise and the solid metal door and walls and... well ok it was very mistakable. But he recognized it...
"Shut up Brain," he thought.
Channeling the adrenaline into a more useful thought process, he checks the door. It's locked.

Reaching into his right inner-jacket pocket, he pulls out a small aerosol can. Inside was a fun little chemical... when sprayed, it would evaporate very quickly. However, if it contacted any organic material, it would gum up and remain.

EC sprays this concoction on the keypad. In the aftermath, he sees three spots on the touchscreen where a gooey substance had been left behind.

"...A three digit keycode, Sen? Really?" he thinks. Not that he was complaining. It will probably be the only time in the guy's life he'd be happy to have his security cracked. Still, seemed like for a guy with all kinds of neat tech he'd be more cognizant of things like 'entropy'.

Removing his data slate from his jacket, and suppressing the thought that he has way too much crap in his jacket right now, he turns on the thermal imager and holds it in front of the touch-screen keypad. The difference in temperature was not enough for a human to perceive, but the fractional degree difference of the goo-spots could indicate the order the buttons had previously been pressed in.

EC enters the code, beginning with the coldest stain and ending on the warmest.
The keypad changes from red to green, and the hangar door opens.

"Ha, Sen, you're lucky you're a greasy bastard..." he chuckles to himself, drawing his pistol and cautiously entering the hangar bay.

Entering, he sees Kat holding a strange woman at gunpoint. She looks familiar actually, but EC can't place her.

"Good afternoon, ladies," he calmly makes himself known.

Kat swings around and points the gun at him. He had clearly startled her.

"Whoa, hey, didn't mean to interrupt your role-play. What's the safe word?" he says, not dropping his weapon but putting his arms in the air.

Last edit: 11 Jun 2019, 3:43pm
Khelan
10 Jun 2019, 10:57pm
Maul Montresor

"So, to the docks? The Shinigami's still there and uh..." Maul looks at the driver and back to Khelan. "I don't think Hideo would mind us using it."


Omi leans towards the driver and informs him of their destination. The cab smoothly accelerates away from the area.

"If as we suspect people are looking for us then the docks will be one of the first places they are likely to check. Unfortunately until we figure out what's going on we're going to be stuck on station so we might as well make the most of it." explains Omi as the cab speeds through different areas of the station.

Outside the buildings are getting fancier and more impressive as they pass through the more upmarket areas of the station and it eventually pulls up outside a gleaming building fronted with polished marble .

Omi pays the driver with a handful of actual credits instead of the traditional electronic transfer being sure to give him a generous tip.

She gets out the cab and Khelan follows looking slightly bemused by the situation.

"You boys wait here until I sort out a couple of things." Omi informs them as she walks towards the building "Oh and boys? Try not to get into any trouble"

Khelan watches Omi walking into the building and lets out a small groan as he notices the word "Boutique" on the door of the building.

"Seriously?? We're gettin chased by God knows who an she's decidid noo is a gud time tae go shoppin?"

He looks at Maul.

"It's jus like Creepy Auld Uncle Albert used tae say "If it's goat a frame shift drive oar tits then at sum point it's gonna make ye wonder just wit the fucks goin oan wi it!"
Maul Montresor
11 Jun 2019, 2:43am
Khelan Omi leans towards the driver and informs him of their destination. The cab smoothly accelerates away from the area.

"If as we suspect people are looking for us then the docks will be one of the first places they are likely to check. Unfortunately until we figure out what's going on we're going to be stuck on station so we might as well make the most of it." explains Omi as the cab speeds through different areas of the station.

Outside the buildings are getting fancier and more impressive as they pass through the more upmarket areas of the station and it eventually pulls up outside a gleaming building fronted with polished marble .

Omi pays the driver with a handful of actual credits instead of the traditional electronic transfer being sure to give him a generous tip.

She gets out the cab and Khelan follows looking slightly bemused by the situation.

"You boys wait here until I sort out a couple of things." Omi informs them as she walks towards the building "Oh and boys? Try not to get into any trouble"

Khelan watches Omi walking into the building and lets out a small groan as he notices the word "Boutique" on the door of the building.

"Seriously?? We're gettin chased by God knows who an she's decidid noo is a gud time tae go shoppin?"

He looks at Maul.

"It's jus like Creepy Auld Uncle Albert used tae say "If it's goat a frame shift drive oar tits then at sum point it's gonna make ye wonder just wit the fucks goin oan wi it!"



Maul smiles and nods at Khelan as he gets his gear out of the trunk. He straps his back pack around him and drops the duffel bag next to Khelan. Standing next to him, he looks up at the "Boutique" sign.

"Huh, I've never been to this part of the station. I guess I never really left the apartment much either though."

He reaches into his pocket to retrieve his data-slate and realizes it isn't there. "Fuck. Forgot I busted it. It feels weird not having it with me."

Scratching the back of his head and looking around to try to fill the silence, he reaches down into the duffel bag and retrieves a laptop. He pulls the portable storage device out of a pocket on his backpack and plugs it in.

Sitting down on the ground with the laptop in his lap; he looks up at Khelan. "Hey, remember when I told you I was held hostage a while back by the corporation? Well, I had a device on me to record everything. That's the thing I snatched away from Vega back in the apartment. Here is one of the audio logs."

After the audio plays, Maul looks back up at Khelan.

"That was "Bryce Morgan" speaking, he was on the list Vega showed us. He's a huge bulky bastard, like, bigger than that Theodore guy. He was the reason I lost my other eye. Knowing he was on the list made it hard for me to turn Vega's plan down. This guy is as dirty as they come. Someone needs to do him in."

Last edit: 11 Jun 2019, 2:53am
Khelan
11 Jun 2019, 10:15am
Khelan listens to the audio file and looks up at Maul.

"Soonds tae me like he did a right number oan ye."

"Mind ye hivin spent a fair bitty time aroon ye Ah cannae say Ah blame him fur that. Ah still remember gettin Gilbert an fuckin Sullivan blasted at me fur fuckin oors frae the Prids speakers aifter ye tamperfered wi the ships systems."

He pauses for a second.

"But havin said that he soonds like a right bastard an takin a narco peddlin scumbag oota the galaxy wid tae ma way of thinkin be classed as killin vermin an daein the galaxy a wee favour."

"Ah said that Ah'd help ye see this through tae the end so witever ye want tae dae aboot this, Ah'll be there fur ye."
Maul Montresor
11 Jun 2019, 4:47pm
Maul slaps the laptop shut.

"I appreciate that. You've helped me plenty already. I mean, if not for you, I would have never met Shin and I'd still have a bounty on my head." He shakes his head. "I guess part of me really wants to walk away from all of this but the other part knows that it isn't that simple. If those people that attacked us back there were with the corporation, why didn't they just kill us? Were we really just that lucky? Nothing seems makes sense anymore."

He slides the laptop back into the duffel bag and stands back up.

"I suppose if we plan on taking these pricks down; we need a solid plan. Since we'll be stuck on the station for a while, I figure we can start planning something once we get set up somewhere."
Khelan
11 Jun 2019, 7:19pm
Khelan shrugs.

"Mate, there's wimmin involved in it, nothin makes much sense wen they're involved."

"Is that right?" asks Omi from behind him causing him to startle quite spectacularly.

"Jesus tittyfuckin christ Omi, wid ye stoap daein shite like that. Yer like some sorta teflon-coatid ninja wen ye want tae be ye know that?"

"That's racist you know. Besides I much prefer the term" Shinobi" it's far more accurate."

"Witever, ye still scared the shite oota poor Maul here."

"I'm sure he will recover from his shock. Now if you would like to go inside I've taken the liberty of picking out a few items for you and Maul. If we're going to be hiding out then we have to blend in."

Omi turns to Maul as Khelan walks away to the boutique.

"Now I want to know what you know about this Vega and this corporation. I know I said there wasn't any reason to get involved but I tend to take people shooting at me rather personally."

Khelan storms out of the boutique.

"Omikuma Yodama are ye fuckin kidding me??? Ah'm NO wearin that!!"

Omi turns her head towards him "You will, because if you don't then you'll stand out where we're heading and we don't want that."

"Ah'm gonnae look like a fuckin tit!"

"No, you're going to look like you're in my employ which technically you are. Unless you have forgotten my father's request?"

Khelan's expression becomes one of thinly controlled rage and he turns to go back to the shop.

Turning to Maul he says "Ah dunno wit yer sniggerin aboot, there's stuff in here fur ye too."

"Men!" sighs Omi in exasperation as Khelan heads back in" Now as I was saying, I want to know exactly what you know about these people."
Maul Montresor
12 Jun 2019, 3:35am
Maul smirks as Khelan heads back inside and turns his focus back on Omi.

"Well, I have loads of documents and shit stored on my computer but most of it is garbage with only small connections tying things together. I'll just tell you what I know." He takes a deep breath before continuing. "The Corporation is just a name I have given them because they have no name. To the public they would be considered a myth. They are quite possibly one of the largest narcotics manufacturers and distributors in the galaxy. The thing is ran like a business, not like the local cartels you see around the galaxy. In fact I would bet my life that the corporation sell half of those cartels their product. I unknowingly worked for them for a while until they used me to eliminate some competition. I was then wanted for murder. After running and hiding out for about a year, I was pulled back into their schemes. They framed me for the murder of the man who gave me the order to eliminate the competition. I started investigating things on my own and made contact with Vega. At the time I didn't know who she was, didn't even know she was a she. She told me she was an ex employee of the corporation and started feeding me information. In that information I discovered a Tessa Sonders. It didn't take long to figure out that she was the leader. So I devised a stupid plan that involved kidnapping her daughter and infiltrating their largest manufacturing plant to get answers." Maul smiles at Omi. "Kidnapping makes it sound like I did a terrible thing. The girl, Lydia, was being raised by nannies her whole life, so it wasn't hard to get access to her. I was working alone on all of this so I just paid for a hotel room and let her stay there alone with loads of sweets and cartoon reruns while I executed the next dumb part of my plan."

Maul shakes his head.

"Fuck, I'm boring myself. Anyway, after I "Infiltrated" the plant I was immediately caught. They began torturing me for answers. I was recording them the whole time in a sad attempt to get proof to turn them in. A few days and an eyeball later, I was saved by an explosion. I didn't care who had caused the distraction but I took it as my chance to escape. That plan failed horribly as well, seeing as I nearly died. I was saved by some mysterious person in a flight suit. It just so happened to be Vega. Turns out she was using me as a distraction so she could infiltrate the plant and wire up the explosives. In the midst of all the chaos she killed Tessa, which is her sister. She is now raising her niece. At least to my knowledge anyway."

He looks at Omi with concern in fear that he has bored her to death.

"I know that's a lot to take in but that's everything that happened up to that month that I don't remember. I woke up on Citi Gateway and met Khelan at the bar; you probably know the rest from there."

"I'm not sure how much we can trust Vega either but she certainly seems determined to take these guys down. If what she said about her family is true, well then I can see why she takes this so personally."
EvilCreamsicle
12 Jun 2019, 3:52pm
Falcon15e
12 Jun 2019, 11:03pm
"Pineapples,"

"What?!" Kat exclaims, trying to train her pistol on two people.

"Pineapples - that's the safe word. Well, its my safe word anyway. Does that not work as a safe word?" Kaisla says looking back and forth.

"Both of you! Don't move! You! Grandma! I didn't say to drop your hands! And as for the walking beard cream commercial, drop your gun!" Kat exclaims indicating first Kaisla then EC.

"Grandma? That kinda hurts. I mean, I know I don't get to moisturize all that often, but that shit isn't necessarily just floating around out there." Kaisla touches her face as if to feel how rough her skin is.

"Heh, I'm not sure your in a position to make demands there little lady."

Kaisla approaches Kat, "Yeah, this is all getting out of hand and reminds me of a bad movie. Lets just all put our guns away and have a chat. Obviously nobody is here to hurt anyone else.

Kat runs the mental calculation. As much as the logic is glaringly obvious to her, at the same time she's not sure if these people are friends of Sen's or enemy's. As she see's it, its her duty to guard the ship and she felt like she was out of her depth. "I'm keeping my weapon on BOTH of you....you both stand over there - away from the ship and we'll sort this out when Sen gets back."

Kaisla walks over toward EC. EC looks her up and down, "Pleasure seeing you again so soon. Pineapples is a great safe word. Ugh...what's that smell?"

"Right? I mean, pineapple in itself is okay if you can get some of the real earth stuff, but I can't stand it on Pizza.....that's just blasphemous." Kaisla remarks, off hand to change the subject. "Anyway, what's your story?"

EC holsters his weapon and brings his hands up again, "Sen is a....associate....of mine. I heard the commotion and figured I would make sure everything was okay. How do you know him?"

Kaisla puts her hands in her pockets. "I don't. Not personally at least. I'm just on a contract to recover some goods that accidentally got manifested on their boat. Then high-heels over there got all heroic."

"I'm right here you know." Kat says as she closes toward the two.

"Yeah, I know." Kaisla glances at her and shoves the pistol away from her face. "Put that away before you accidentally shoot someone. I don't have a lot of normal shirts, I don't want a hole in this one."

EC just starts to chuckle. "This is turning out to be a weird day."

"You're telling me," Kaisla and Kat remark in unison.

Just then, the bay doors slide open and a contingent of Federal Security Forces march in, weapons at the ready. The soldiers establish a perimeter around the Dreadnaught and deploy riot shields and tasers. A man, stocky build with blonde hair and piercing blue eyes that accent chiseled features steps forward, "Everyone, put your weapons on the deck and lay face down."

"Fuck me." All three of them say in unison.  

EC snatches a glance at Kat and Kaisla. Kat is standing there with her mouth open, the pistol still held up in shock. Kaisla is already moving, her arm reaching slowly around, "Dammit," EC growls as he smashes a button on his wrist while his hands raise up, a latch beneath his jacket is activated and a slim carbine starts its downward trajectory toward the floor. Kaisla chucks a small, but effective smoke bomb from a pouch on her belt as she raises her arms. The smoke bomb arcs up in complete silence. Every soldier stares at its vertical arc.

EC has already landed prone, the carbine in one hand as he takes up a prone firing position. The soldier closest to him notices the movement and snaps his weapon to EC. Before he can pull the trigger a single beam splits from the carbine and hits the soldier squarely in the chest. Kaisla grabs Kat and pulls her down and toward one of the landing struts. "Who the fuck is this guy Beardy?!? One of your friends?"

"NO!" EC yells in reply, "I thought these guests were yours?" In rapid fire succession he lets off several salvo's; soldiers drop to the deck, stunned. "Now would be a good time for your buddy to get back!" Kaisla yells at Kat over the melee.

"Pineapples!" EC yells in response.

"God damn it man! Now is not the time to be thinking about exotic tropical fruit!" Kaisla yells between shots.

EC stops between bursts. "Are pineapples a fruit or a vegetable?" Another shot lands precariously close as he rolls to take-up position behind another strut.

Kaisla stops to re-load. "I'm pretty sure they're a fruit."

"What the fuck are you two psychopaths talking about?!" Kat yells above the fire fight.

"Pineapples, y'know...the safe word?" EC asks as he re-loads his carbine.

"Is now the time to be talking about pizza?!" Kat yells at them both.

"That's crossing the line," Kaisla says as she glances at EC. He nods in affirmation and they both break cover long enough to dispatch the rest of the soldiers.

The docking bay goes quiet. The blonde man standing in the center lights a cigar and strides forward through the decaying smoke bomb. "Well, that was unexpected. For the record, I think pineapples are a fruit."

He pauses to take a long pull off his cigar and shakes out the match before letting it fall on the permasteel floor.

"Oh...how rude of me, my names Johnson, and I have a bone to pick with all three of you."
Khelan
12 Jun 2019, 11:34pm
Maul Montresor
"I'm not sure how much we can trust Vega either but she certainly seems determined to take these guys down. If what she said about her family is true, well then I can see why she takes this so personally."


Omi listens to Maul's story and nods her head as she takes in the details.

"I already knew some of what you've told me but some of it is new to me. I find it highly coincidental that this "Vega" character just happened to be there to help you escape. It reminds me of the old story of "the Frog and Scorpion" do you know it? "

She looks at Maul's face for a glimmer of recognition.

"A scorpion asks a frog to carry it across a river. The frog hesitates, afraid of being stung by the scorpion, but the scorpion argues that if it did that, they would both drown. The frog considers this argument sensible and agrees to transport the scorpion. The scorpion climbs onto the frog's back and the frog begins to swim, but midway across the river, the scorpion stings the frog, dooming them both. The dying frog asks the scorpion why it stung the frog, to which the scorpion replies "I couldn't help it. It's in my nature." "

"The moral of the story is that, like the scorpion, humans possess compulsions that they cannot repress even when it is in their best interest. Conversely, like the frog, humans can be too trusting and hence the importance of understanding others by their true nature."

Omi continues

"From what I have seen of you, you have a compulsion to try and help people or to do what you consider to be the right thing even when it goes against your own best interests. You are in essence the Frog. This corporation and quite possibly Vega woman are the Scorpion. Does that make sense to you?"

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