Elite roleplay: Off station

OFF STATION

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

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07 Aug 2019, 5:47pm
"Eh, Creamy the response is just white noise... they're probably being jammed or something." Echo starts to close the connection.

"Wait!" EC yells. "Digital communications don't produce white noise like that. This is intentional. COVAS, analyze that stream for any embedded text data."

*** Encrypted Message from Dreadnaught ***
Well who would have thought what was going to be a simple run of mining with some wing security would turn into this. Welcome to my world mate ... but given we have Frost the cult freak after it ... someone is using technology to bait the Thargoids into attacks. Like putting scent on a target for Orion piranha fish to decimate ... there is also the meta alloys that have such dynamic properties that freaks like Frost want so badly because he can make more AI based implants that make the nut bar even more freakish and his follower even more hard core fanitics! ... To make a short story long, you have the bits of data that will make you a target for frost, Kaisla has the bits of data that will make her a target for this unknown element hiring high profile con artists and thieves, and I have the mystery of the biating of the bugs ... I have help coming. And I hope, she has arrived."


EC immediately straightens up and turns toward his crew.

"Did he just say Frost?"

Raven bursts into laughter. Getting under control he chuckles "Oh man, so much for coincidence, right?"

"Yeah I guess so..." EC stands up and begins to pace, thinking about recent events with this additional context.
"OK so, I guess this conspiracy is all connected. Leith has to be connected to this somehow."

Echo finishes his coffee and sets the mug down before speaking.
"Well, we were going to bring this operation down anyway. Now I guess we have another reason." His eyes widen.
"...Oh shit, man if we run into any Thargoids they're going to open fire, we've got Guardian tech on board."

"Well, it's a fighter though..." Raven adds "...which means we could deploy it as a high-profile distraction if we had to. I could outrun any Thargoid in that thing."

"Noted." EC Stops, hand on chin, staring at nothing in particular. "Another thought... Sen says they're using this tech for human hybridization as well... you don't think Leith...?"

"Maybe. But there's no sense in worrying about anything until we know what we're worrying about. What ifs will kill you." echo replies.

EC's head suddenly snaps toward Echo and Raven, eyes wide.

"What?" Raven asks, but EC was already rushing back to the console, and opening the security feed back up.

"There!" he pauses the feed and points at the huge masked man.

"...I repeat, what?" Raven sarcastically remarks.

"Oh my God..." Echo realizes. "It's the Refrigerator from Citi Gateway that Creamy pink-misted off the side of the Dreadnaught."

"It has to be. Never seen another man that size and shape. I grabbed his duffel bag, we should..." EC stops

"Aw shit, its on the Animus isn't it?" Raven realizes.

"Yes. Fuck."

"OK. COVAS give me a drawing board."

*** Spawning Artboard ***

A new display panel pops up between the copilot seats. EC draws out the chain of events, people, and things they have so far while he speaks.
"Alright... so... we've been looking for Frost. For our own reasons, but now also because it will help us bring this new shitshow to a resolution. First, we need to get that duffel bag, and hope for clues as to what happened to Leith and how its connected to Frost."

"Going back to that megaship is suicide." Echo makes this assertion as dryly as a comment on the weather.

"Let's do it." says Raven.

EC continues.
"Well, we have to. And if you think that's suicide you're really going to love this next part. We have been looking for Frost, but we don't need to look for Frost. Frost will look for us, as long as we have this data. We are going to find a place, prepare an ambush, and let him come right to us. We'll leak an 'innocent' transmission system-wide, and draw him right in. We can't shoot him down before we know where Leith is, so we should try and get some kind of Guardian artifact. We can disguise an escape pod into it, and jettison it during the fight. You guys can jump out, they'll scoop me up undetected, and I can do my thing."

Echo looks surprised.
"That's... well... actually that's a pretty good plan."

"If we get that far. First we need to figure out how to get back onto that Megaship."

"Hey, what about that spy chick?" Raven asks

"What, Kaisla? Good idea. COVAS, see if you can find the Fer De Lance registered to Kaisla."

*** One moment sir ***
***
***
***
*** Fer De Lance Dracul ZZA407 ***


"Great, send a message to the Dracul. I'd like some advice on sneaking our ship back onto that Megaship..."

*** V.G. Arbiter VG-E05 Hailing Dracul ZZA407 ***
08 Aug 2019, 12:18am
Maul Montresor

"Hey man, we made it. Also I think Leo is broke or a pirate or something."


Khelan snorts lightly as he starts waking up.

"Wit time is it?" he grunts still half asleep while sliding his glasses down so he can rub his eyes.

Khelan blinks a few times and looks at the various displays trying to make sense of the information displayed on them.

"Leo? Are ye havin any wee issues Ah shud know aboot?" he asks as puts one hand on his chin and the other one the back of his head before givi ng his head a sharp twist causing a loud cracking noise to echo around the cockpit.

"Nah that I be aware o', I be jus' tryin' a few different options in me personality matrix t' see wha' I like" responds Leo

Khelan shakes his head slightly while muttering "Jesus fuckin Christ!" to no one in particular.

"Leo?"

"Aye cap'n?"

"Unless ye want me tae "adjust" yer personality matrix wi a big fuckin hammer then Ah'd suggest that ye knock it aff."

"Aye cap'n, I mean at once commander" Leo responds sounding slightly moody.

"Where are we anyway?" Khelan asks

"E'veway arrivedyay atyay Ondohay Itycay ommandercay, allshay Iyay artstay ockingday ocedurespray?" responds Leo

"Jus wan differen sperm, that's all it wid hiv taken an nane of this shite wid be happenin tae me" Khelan says to himself. "Jus wan, it's no a big ask is it?"

Khelan looks over to Maul and shrugs

"Leo!" he says doing his best to stay calm and cling onto his sanity "Ah'm very pleased that yer tryin tae grow beyond yer programin but cud ye maybe Ah dunno go back tae yer original personality an Ah dunno maybe find yersel a hobby oar something?"

"What would you suggest commander?" asks Leo "It's not like I've got hands to make things and when you're the size of an Anaconda most sports are right out."

"Ah dunno try reading oar something." Khelan says

Before Leo can respond Khelan looks at Maul and asks him

"Ah'm assumin ye went tae visit yer wee gurlfriend while Ah wis sleepin? Oar are ye gonnae tell me ye fell doon the stairs an did that tae yer mug?"
08 Aug 2019, 4:47am
Maul touches his noses and laughs a bit.

"Not my girlfriend but yeah, she wasn't too happy about us coming here instead of dealing with Anton. I talked her down though...kinda...after she hit me. My life is kinda hanging in the balance now though, but I mean, when isn't it? Right?" He says with a smile as he nudges Khelan.

Maul sits down as Leo goes through the docking procedures. He smiles as the ship goes through the mailslot to reveal the station.

"I can't wait to settle down here once all of this Corporation bullshit is over. That's the dream right?" He says as he looks over to Khelan. "Wake up and have your morning coffee, maybe watch a few shows, I heard about some show called "The Galaxies Greatest Jewel Thief" or something like that, and then you can go to the shops and not have worry about people trying to fucking kill you while you buy a new overpriced gizmo to play with for a few months before something new comes along."

Maul breaths deeply through his nose, leans back and sighs.

"Yeah, that's it. That's the dream."

The Prid lands smoothly on the landing pad.

"The Eagle has landed!" Leo announces.

Maul looks over to Khelan again and shrugs.

"I'm kind of getting used to this new Leo."

"Oh and Commander I took your suggestion and have decided to start reading." Leo says to Khelan.

Leo makes a sound as if he is clearing his throat. "I had that dream again last night. I stood there bare naked. Princess Aisling Duval's silky blue hair tickled my thighs as she began to--"

Maul raises an eyebrow and cuts Leo short. "Uh...Leo, this wouldn't be page 34 of Khelan's personal logs would it?"

Leo hesitates to respond. "....Yes sir, indeed it is."

"Yes! I knew it! That's a spicy one! I...I mean...uh...Leo how about we don't read people's personal logs?"

He flashes a quick smile at Khelan and stands up.

"Um...anyway."

He quickly walks over to the elevator and motions towards it.

"Shall we?" He says to Khelan.


Last edit: 08 Aug 2019, 5:07am
09 Aug 2019, 5:53am
The FDL rocked violently as the thrusters went through distortion flux’s in power throughout the fire fight. As shields were automatically re-directed by Otto, the distributor would strain trying to absorb the brunt of the impacts on the ships shields. Most of this didn’t affect Kaisla; while she may not be the best pirate/smuggler/sneak-thief, she was an absolutely faultless pilot. She had grown up in a cockpit on her fathers ship and flying was as natural to her as breathing.

She jinked the graceful craft just as a potentially lethal volley of plasma sizzled past, instantaneously turning the vacuum to a broiling hell storm of blue light. She deftly adjusted thrust, roll and yaw with minute flicks of the wrist twirling the large craft around void. The Cobra hot on her heels fucked up, he jinked when he should have broke into a split-S and Kaisla used the flaw to her advantage. Flicking off the flight assist, she pirouetted the FDL in a back-flip and right as the Cobra flashed its underbelly to the FDL, Kaisla mashed down on the trigger to her two rail guns executing a perfect, directed shot at the Cobra’s power plant. The power plant over-loaded, quickly exceeding temperature limits, thermal run away surging the FSD. The ship exploded in a rainbow of plasma, composite and steel.

The Cobra’s wingman, pausing long enough to absorb the loss of its backup, hesitated at the wrong moment, Kaisla utilized the lull to tear the FDL into an energy-bleeding turn, dragging the long nose through the void quick enough to let out another volley of rail gun. Otto chimes in, “Commander, danger, thermal temperatures exceeded.” Kaisla ignored his warning, waiting just long enough for the weapons to re-charge before loosing another volley from the Rail guns. By now, Otto’s safety over-locks are over-ridden and the ship squeals in strain as all the wiring harnesses and data-buses struggle to keep the ship together. The last volley is not for naught, the concentrated rail shot is perfectly at 1300 meters and impact the other Cobra in the cockpit. The canopy shatters and the residual blast torches the cockpit in excess of 1500 meters a second. The other pilots blood boils instantly as his Remlock vaporizes and his skin and tissue melt at a molecular level. Seconds later, the over-pressurization exceeds the Cobra hulls ability to withstand and the ship explodes in a shower of sparks and spall.  

“That was lucky...” Kaisla muttered.

The dead silence of sudden nothingness quickly invades the space. The FDL floats gently through the void as Kaisla quickly scans the surrounding area for follow up threats. Smoke broils from the console and fire extinguishers blast the odd wiring harness that has given up its feeble copper life.

“Commander, may I recommend during our next encounter, you do not exceed limitations please?” Otto’s voice warbles from the speakers.

“Otto, shut up. Do we have any other threats? And give me a damage report.” Kaisla snaps back.

“Commander, our shields are at ten percent. Weapons charge capacity is to fifteen percent but we have no hull breaches. I’m dealing with multiple tertiary system shut-downs due to the overload.” Otto dead-pans.

“Okay Otto, do a re-boot and then figure out those other systems.” Kaisla remarks as she crawls out of her chair to trouble shoot some of the wiring damage.

“Um, Commander, we do have an incoming message...”

“Otto! How many times have I told you not to say ‘Um’? It shows uncertainty.” Kaisla snaps back.

“Commander, you programmed me.....(if computers could sigh, it would be a squelch with some static, as Otto does now), never mind Commander, should I pass the request through?”

“Who’s it from?” Kaisla re-ties her pony tail.

“VG-E05, Victor Golf, Arbiter.” Otto responds.

“Creamy?! Hell yeah! Patch him through!” Kaisla remarks.

Creamy’s face flickers and then tunes in on the nearest monitor, a confused look on his face.

“Uh, did I call at a bad time?” Creamy remarks looking around the FDL.

Kaisla looks down, realizing she’s still only in a pair of spandex shorts and a sports bra with her fuzzy bear claw slippers on. “Oh, sorry, don’t mind the ruckus, we were just toasting Cobra’s, what’s up? Are you calling about that bounty? I was surprised too...”

“Uh, no...” Creamy cuts her off, “Actually, I was calling because I need your help.”

Kaisla looks suspicious. “What’s a strapping, cryo-pod riding gunslinger like you need from lil’ ol’ me?” Kaisla relishes in the moment.

Creamy chuckles, “I should have known this was going to be a bad idea....but, here goes, I need your help getting back on the mega ship.”

Kaisla is too shocked to hide the reaction on her face. “What?! You’re crazier than I thought! Even crazier than that Sen guy when I got his cable about going after Goids, you BOTH must be certifiable. We have half the fleet security forces after us, a hefty contingent of bounty hunters and oh-by-the-way, we just got off that dump and now YOU want to sneak back on? Forget it. You’re looney.”

“We gotta get back on that ship, there’s something very important that ties this whole thing together. All of us and we need to get it back.” EC explains.

“That’s suicide,” Kaisla remarks, as dryly as commenting on the weather, “But if this thing is THAT important, I have a plan that might just work, but we’re going to need to rendezvous to go over the details.”

“Great, I’ll send you the coordinates, I already have a place in mind and we can go over the plan. Oh and I owe you one....”

“Well, I DO need a case of bourbon....” Kaisla remarks as she walks off, pre-occupied in thought.

Raven looks at EC, “Did she just say a case of bourbon? Ha, Creamy, I don’t know who this chick is, but I think I dig her already.”
09 Aug 2019, 4:35pm
Raven looks at EC, “Did she just say a case of bourbon? Ha, Creamy, I don’t know who this chick is, but I think I dig her already.”


"Yeah, well, you think that now. Wait until she hears this... COVAS, where's the nearest station that sells liquor?"

*** Closest station selling Liquor to Synuefe EN-H d11-96 is Furuta Dock, HIP 29314, 548.99ly away ***

Kaisla, processing this information begins to protest, but is interrupted again by EC.
"I have a black market contact at Indigo Dock though, maybe you'll get lucky, see you there, bye now!" he says, closing the feed.

Raven puts his arms out, signalling EC with a 'WTF?' gesture.

"That wasn't going to be pretty. It's fine." EC says in response

*** We are one jump from Synuefe EN-H d11-96, destination The Prospect ***

"No, COVAS re-plot route to Indigo Dock. Same system, different station."

*** We are one jump from Synuefe EN-H d11-96, destination Indigo Dock ***

The cockpit door whirs open and Echo walks in
"Hey guys I got some stealth gear together and laid out in the armory." He says to EC and Raven.

"Great. I'd like to avoid open fighting, at least until after we've gotten what we need from Animus. There's a small army on that megaship, and not enough anal lube in the galaxy for what they're going to do if they all come down on us again."

Raven chuckles, and Echo raises an eyebrow.

"Hey, so you trust underwear girl?" Raven asks

"Enough, why?" It was EC's turn to raise an eyebrow.

"Well, how much are we going to tell her? About Frost, about Leith?"

EC considers the question.
"I think..." he pauses. "I think she's fine. We're all cogs in the same shitmachine now, it would probably do more harm than good not to give her the full story if she wants it. Not like we have much to go on anyways."

"Oh, shit!" Echo says, startled, as he jogs over to the pilot's seat and sits down, reassuming manual control of the Arbiter.
"We're like 10ls out guys, buckle in so we can drop out."

EC and Raven share an 'oops we should have been paying attention' look before hurrying to strap in.
10 Aug 2019, 12:23am
The Dracul alights on the pad at Indigo Dock. Being that the station is popular amongst smugglers and black market contracts, station security services are generally far more lax about who the patrons are or what they fly. Like most hubs that make a name for themselves dealing in black market affairs, these stations are often considered “use at your own risk” hubs. Most station managers make it very clear to the customers that they prefer a decidedly disintegration-free environment in exchange for free coming and going with little harassment from Federal or Imperial lackey’s.

“Commander, I detected several additional carbon life forms on board the Arbiter. Are you certain you do not wish to increase our security protocol?” Otto chimes in, breaking Kaisla’s thoughts.

“Huh? Oh, no, I think we can trust him and his buddies. It seems that Sen and EC have been the only people who have bothered to shoot straight with me all week. But that does bring up another valid point...all these cats are running in packs and I’ve been trying to do everything solo.”

Otto does his best impression of clearing his throat.

“Otto, you know what I mean. I’m not sure where this whole thing is going and I might need an extra pair of hands on my side that I know I can trust. Can you see if you can triangulate a signal on Lamb and send her a comms request?” Kaisla thought back to one of her best friends growing up. Both girls were about as far opposite of the tracks from each other as you could imagine but their differences which, in youth created the normal amount of friction, in adulthood had formed a pretty strong friendship.

“Commander, I’ve located Commander Lambasts vessel, but it will take several hours for an encrypted comms request to reach her.”

“That’s fine Otto, I gotta go talk to these peeps and figure out how we can get back on that ship then, I can fill her in on whatever details we learn. I’m not sure she would be half hazard enough to join us on that venture anyway.” Kaisla remarks as she takes her belt, holster and pistol rig off a hook and fastens the buckle around her waist. There were times for discretion but at a place like Indigo, often time the best insurance was the insurance that was clearly visible.

“Otto fire up the normal defense systems, I’m on our comms channel and I’ll be back in a few hours,” Kaisla waves as she steps off the ramp onto the docking pad.

*******

Kaisla stepped into one of the few bars located on Indigo. Unlike most bars that pose as an establishment to drink, Indigo’s bar is clearly only a place of business. An automated bot halts Kaisla as she crosses the threshold, “HALT, You are not authorized to bring weapons into this establishment.”

“Uh, yeah I am. I do it all the time.” Kaisla shoves at the automated trash bin.

“Negative, your biometrics are not recognized.” The machine parrots back to her.

“But he’s got one,” She indicates a fat man sitting at a table just inside the bar. He raises both eyebrows, looking at the exchange.

“Uh....he is a friend.” The robot reports.

“Oh yeah? What’s his name?” Kaisla parries.

The robot starts to sizzle before it shuts down completely. The bartender, standing with a remote, motions Kaisla in and indicates a back room door. Apparently, he’s already been tipped off of her arrival. Kaisla lets a sheepish wave and heads toward the door. Inside, EC, Raven and Echo are already huddled around the singular table in the room situated underneath a lone beam of light. The chairs are pushed off to the side as the crew pours over some schematics (undoubtedly stolen) from the mega-ships records. The room appears to be a popular hot spot for off-the-book card games.

“Gah, it smells terrible in here.” Kaisla remarks, scrunching up her nose as she walks into the room.

EC looks up as Kaisla walks in, “Oh, I see we bothered to get dressed this time.”

Kaisla shoots him a glare, “Oh well, pardon me, lets see what you wear while your in your bedroom,”

EC chuckles, “Ha, you wish - see if you have any crazy ideas to get in here and maybe I’ll think about it.”

Kaisla raises her hands, “Hey, that wasn’t an invitation.”

EC laughs as Raven cuts in, “Are you two finished gushing over each other? Can we get down to matters at hand?”

EC and Kaisla both look at Raven. Raven, patience thin, indicates the schematic laid out in front of them. Echo giggles as quietly as he can. Raven slaps him across the shoulders. “And you shut up!”

“Yeah, so about that,” Kaisla starts, “I was thinking low-tech was probably the best way to go. I contacted a friend I can trust and if she agrees to help, then I was thinking she might be able to fly us back onto the mega ship.”

“Well, then what? Just stroll in there?” EC asks, obviously frustrated at her solution.

“No stupid, we’ll wear disguises of course.” Kaisla says as she fishes into her satchel, producing a bushy mustache and then sticking it on to her upper lip.

“See? What do you think?” She wiggles her nose while staring down watching the bushy patch wiggle on her upper lip.

Raven snorts, “This is fuckin stupid Creamy. You rope us into this with an amateur and we stick our necks out to meet and this is her great idea?”

Kaisla crosses her arms, looking over at Raven, “Not THIS obviously, this one is mine. And I was thinking more in depth work than just a fake mustache. I don’t have the money for all the fancy gadgets like you people - I’m relatively low-level with all this stuff. But I have built up a pretty decent collection of equipment that could easily fool most of the surveillance structure scanning and biometric checkpoints. Besides that, we’ll have surprise on our side, they’ll never think we would ever try to get on board.”

“Actually, that’s so simple it might work.” Echo says from the corner of the room.

“And the only real challenge was trying to get a hot ship back onto a pad - guaranteed we’ve been blacklisted already. But if your friend agrees to help, then that might solve that little problem.” EC adds to Echos statement.

“Yeah, but then your gonna need to hit up your black market buddy because she doesn’t accept pay in bourbon. See if he can get any of that fancy tea that you can find in the Imperial Systems, that’ll win her over for sure.”

Raven snorts, “This is so fucking stupid AND crazy.”

EC shoots a level stare at him, “And since when has stupid and crazy ever stopped you before?”

Raven glances back to EC, “Oh I didn’t say I wasn’t in, I mean...fuck it right? What can go wrong?”

“We could be vaporized....” Echo says as he stares off at the far wall

“Or disintegrated....” EC says staring down at the schematics.

“If we get disintegrated....” Kaisla says as she leans over the schematics, rubbing her mustache “Then I’ll have to find a new home for my sheep, Gary.”

The three other people look up to stare in unison.


Last edit: 13 Aug 2019, 4:03pm
10 Aug 2019, 12:33am
Maul Montresor
He quickly walks over to the elevator and motions towards it.

"Shall we?" He says to Khelan.


Khelan goes to get up and pauses for a second.

"Hauld oan a wee second" he says "How the fuck dae ye know that wis page 34? Hiv ye been stickin yer nose in where it's no meant tae be? Ah warned ye aboot daein shite like that didn't Ah?"

He fixes Maul with a steely gaze

"We'll talk aboot this later. But furst Ah need tae get changed, I smell worse than yer auld apartment."

He heads out of the cockpit to get changed, heads down to the living area and walks straight into Vega who stands glaring at him.

"Alright blondie" he says to her "Ye know ye really shud smile noo an again, ye keep pullin faces like that an wan day the wind'll change an ye'll be stuck like that."

She keeps glaring at him her eyes full of malice.

"You think you're pretty tough don't you? Knocking me out like you did back on Rey Gateway. You even think about pulling something like that again and I'll kill you where you stand, you got me?"

Khelan shrugs and shakes his head.

"Ah hate tae break this tae ye sweetheart but ye dinnae scare me. Ah've faced doon far far scarier folk than ye are and well, let's put it this way. Ah'm still breathing an they arnae. Ah seen things an Ah've dun things that make wit yer corporation and yer Anton bloke are daein look like a buncha nuns oot oan a picnic."

Khelan shrugs his jacket off revealing the myriad of different images covering his entire left arm.

"Is that supposed to scare me or impress me?" she asks

"No really" he replies before quickly sweeping her legs out from under her with a swift kick. He quickly pounces on top of her pinning her down.

He leans in close to her face and growls at her.

"Ah'm gettin mightily sick of yer shite hen ye know that? If it wisnae fur me an Mauly bhoy ye'd be deed three times noo by ma count. Ye owe us yer life so Ah think it's time ye showed a wee bitty respect don't ye?

"Ah know that Anton twat his folk dear tae ye oan his ship, an Ah know ye want them back an Ah promise ye that'll happen an it'll happen soon but furst Ah need tae be there fur the guy who wis like a Da tae me an Ah cannae dae that if yer goin aboot bein all arsey like ye hiv been."

She looks away from him and gulps back her rage.

"Noo Ah'm gonnae let ye up an yer gonnae play nice wi us frae noo oan oar else ye'll find oot wit Ah used tae be like wi oot Omi tae hauld ma leash ye get me?"

He climbs off of Vega and gets to his feet before offering her a hand up. She takes it and stands before him.

"What are you exactly?" she asks shakily "You're not the simple trader you claim to be that's for sure, I mean is Khelan even your real name? I t's not exactly a traditional Scottish name now is it?"

He nods to her "Aye yer right there, back oan earth ma mother wis of Irish descent an wanted tae call me Phelan but her finger slipped when she wis inputting ma name intae the registry of births an she hit K by accident, she liked it an Ah become Khelan instead."

"Oan here Ah've heard folk call me a few names, maistly "Gaijin" which is like their version of the N word but tae those that hid the pleasure of bein oan the wrang side of me Ah tended tae be called "Shiroi akuma" Ah used tae wear that wan like a badge of honour but these days Ah want it tae remain in the past where it belongs."

Khelan looks at Vega.

"Noo if there's nae mair Ah need tae get changed intae some fresh gear an go see ma Da afore it's too late."

He turns to walk off and gets stopped by Vega.

"Khelan" she says "I'm sorry, I promise you that I will keep my attitude in check from now on but it's just so hard knowing that Anton has got Jaymie and Lydia and I'm god knows how far away from them."

"Ah know hen" he replies "We'll get them back, Ah promise ye that."

Khelan walks past her and into his room leaving her stood in the hallway by herself.

"Thank you" she whispers to the empty corridor before heading into her room tears streaming from her eyes.
10 Aug 2019, 1:49am
Maul waits around in the cockpit, trying to give Khelan enough time to get to his cabin and cool down.

Maul sighs. "Well Leo, I reckon we pissed him off."

"We?" Leo responds with a hint of sarcasm. "I'm just an AI, sir. You're the one poking around where you shouldn't"

Maul shrugs. "It was back when we first met. I wanted to get an idea of who I was traveling with. It's not like I read every entry. That one just caught my eye. I mean can you blame me?"

Leo doesn't respond.

"Great, now the AI is giving me the cold shoulder!" Maul retorts as he walks over to the elevator.

He takes the elevator down to the living area and the doors open up to an empty hallway. He walks to his cabin and changes into a clean outfit before sitting outside his door in the hallway to wait on Khelan.

Vega hears a door close and exits her room to spot Maul sitting on the floor scratching dried blood from his nose.

"Sorry about that." Vega says as she approaches him and sits down beside him.

Maul stops and glances over at her before continuing. "Ah, it's fine. You get used to it."

Vega hesitates before asking. "How exactly did you say you met this Khelan? He seems a bit rough."

Maul chuckles a bit. "Well, he helped me out back on Citi Gateway and hired me to help him with a job." He pauses as he gets the last bit of dried blood off. "But yeah, he is a bit rough but it's been a bad few days for him. Well, I guess it's been pretty bad for all of us really."

Vega looks over at the door to Khelan's room. "He's a good guy though, right? You trust him?"

Maul looks at Vega slightly confused. "He ain't no saint but in a galaxy full of sinners, he seems alright." He pauses again. "Why? Did something happen?"

Vega looks back at Maul and shakes her head. "No, I just need to know that I can trust these people."

Maul pats her on the knee. "Listen, we're the best you got right now. If Khelan or Omi wanted you dead, you wouldn't be sitting here talking to me and as far as me, well, I'm sure you know plenty about me from the info you got from Xero. I really just want all of this over with."

Vega flashes a brief smile. "Trust me, you're not the one I'm worried about."

Maul become visibly offended. "What's that supposed to mean? I could kick your ass if I wanted to, blondie."

Vega laughs. "Okay, keep telling yourself that, spinach head."

They stare at each other for a moment before bursting into laughter.


Last edit: 10 Aug 2019, 4:41am
10 Aug 2019, 2:34am
"Sir, my deepest apologies for the interruption. You have a call on line one." The soft voice pierces the crescendo of Beethoven echoing through the spacious office.

Without turning his chair, the manager silences the music. "Who is it."

"Again, my apologies Sir, they would not disclose their identity with me."

The man sighs. "Very well, you're dismissed." He picks up the cradle of the phone, the ivory handle cold to his touch. Conventional phones haven't existed in physical sense for nearly a thousand years. By now, most people have moved to ear piece or interface modifications. The man had insisted on locating this particular specimen from Old Earth and securing it at great cost. Then, further expense went in to its modification ensuring its security and ability to interface with modern technology. The handle and housing was made of carved Elephant ivory with a single, woven cord connecting the two. A rotary dial occupied the face of the cradle. An equal attention to detail and opulence had been bestowed upon the rotary. Platinum fixtures framed the carved opal and mother of pearl numbering inlaid in precious stone. The phone had been gifted to the King of England, King George V after the Arabian Revolt of 1911 after the Ottoman Empire defeated a contingent of Albanians. The phone itself was internally wired to provide security but additionally, all transmissions routed through a modern computer interface to split transmissions in the appropriate algorithms.

"This is Tackworth, Station manager of Citi Gateway-"

A voice cuts him off, "Mr. Tackworth, I know who you are.  You have issued a kill contract for several ships that are of significant importance to me, I require you to cancel your contract immediately."

"That's preposterous, I refuse. Beyond that, you never mentioned who you are, Sir, ergo I feel no requirement to acquiesce to your requests." Tackworth fired back, his neck starting to burn where his collar joined the skin.

"Hmm, yes, my people told me you were well educated and quite...old fashioned. No matter, my identity is of no consequence but my associates go by the name 'Spiritweaver', you may interpret that information at your discretion, either way, terminate your contracts and this....Johnston, whom used to be in your employ and is now actively seeking my interests; I will be taking over his direction. You can either accept my terms and cancel your contracts or I'll have you killed before you get home this evening. Which is it?"

Previously, were rage had started to boil in Tackworth had now been replaced by cold fear.  

"I will cancel my contracts immediately." Tackworth affirmed into the handset.

"Smart choice Mr. Tackworth." The line went dead.

Jonathan Tackworth had no idea who the caller was. But he knew anyone associated to 'Spiritweaver' had eyes, ears and the ability to kill anyone, any where they wanted. Compared to anyone who might associate with Spiritweaver or possibly pull their strings, would be involved with extremely powerful, affluent and covert organizations. Organizations that could more easily kill him than bother having him removed from his lofty position.

Jonathan Tackworth cancelled his bounty contracts utilizing the same phone he had received his call on and finished the last of his brandy. Standing up, he smoothed out his suit jacket, turned off his desk light and strode out of the office.

Janice as usual bid him a goodnight as he left. He didn't respond as he never had in his 18 years as station manager. He walked the isolated corridor toward the executive lift which would take him to his Penthouse. Like other royalty sections of the station, this was also opulently decorated with crimson walls, a cream carpet and soft vanity lights. As he approached the elevator, he felt a presence arrive behind him; a pinprick to his neck was the last thing Jonathan Tackworth felt before his body crumpled to the floor.


Last edit: 10 Aug 2019, 3:47am
11 Aug 2019, 12:41am
Testament Thade tapped the display panel with his finger and chuckled to himself. A Python equipped for mining with a cargo hold full to the brim with Void Opals. How green would this commander have to be to bring that sort of cargo to this kind of system in a ship that slow and armed with only a pair of Beam Lasers and low-end shields. Thade cleared his thought and opened coms with the Python. His gruff deep voice boomed back over the speaks.

“Drop eight tones of that cargo and I’ll let you live Commander”

That always made a commercial Commander weigh up his options. Right now, he must be wondering how long he can stay out of weapons range, and will it be enough time to charge up the FSD after being interdicted.

“Not just yet sir, I’m having a cup of tea.” Came the response in a crisp, clear, well-spoken woman’s voice.

Thade realised his brow was knitted and he’d paused while he fought back a momentary urge to apologise for bothering this woman. There was something about that clipped upper-crust accent that made Thade feel like what he was doing was very rude.

“You can’t outrun me in that ship lady, and there’s no way you’ll outrun my missiles.

Thade Deployed the missile pods knowing the Pythons COVAS would warn its pilot, making the targets own computer just another tool in the Pirates intimidation arsenal.

“That’s true mister pirate, but I do have very good point defence. At that range, I’ll shoot down all your missiles before my point defence runs out of ammunition, so if you’ll just wait until I’ve finished my tea and biscuits, we’ll both save a little money. Thank you”

Thade unknotted his whole face. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. This woman was clearly mental. The Python had been firing its boost every time they were charged just to stay ahead, and Testament hadn’t even started a serious chase yet. It was time to teach this idiot a lesson. Just as Thade was about to boost into weapons range, he noticed a blue glow in front of the Python and beams disappearing into the distance.

“I don’t know what you’re doing lady, but it’s not going to help you now. Time to pay the piper”

Thade flicked the safety cap off the boost control and changed power settings for a fast boost ready to engage the Python.

“M’m jusf morming up my masers mister Pirate. I havbun’t useb them for a mile and I monted to check thay still merk”


Thade looked at the coms speaker while he mulled over what the muffled voice had just said to him. The well-spoken accent was still there, but it sounded like the woman had a mouth full of cotton wool. Testament worked out what she had said, and what was going on.

“Lasers don’t to warm up you stupid cow, and are you still eating biscuits?”

The Python pilot answered immediately.

“Come now, there’s no need for personal insults. You haven’t given me time to finish my elevenses. You only got me on the interdiction because I was having difficulty getting the cup in the cupholder. Here I am with tea all over my lap and flight controls and a biscuit that really needed eating. I do apologise for talking with my mouth full, but you are being very persistent and I have only so many hands. By the way Mister Pirate, you’re in weapons range now.

This snapped Testament out of the mesmer the woman’s ignorance had him under, and he actually had to look at the controls to work out what he should be doing. He dropped the power back into weapons and systems, then targeted the life support of the Black Python. Commanders with a black paint job always made good targets. They usually talked a bigger game then their skill could back up. This woman was gonna have a short sharp lesson in respect. He didn’t want to kill her, but if that is what it took to get the Void Opals, her life would be worth the pay-out. The Commander had at least been entertaining thus far, so Testament cut a streak across the shields of the Pythons rear with his Multi-Cannons and hailed her one last time.

“This is it rock hound. Yield the cargo or you die”

Another short burst on the Pythons shields should drive home the message. Surrender or oblivion.

“It’s a numbers game now Mister Pirate, and my numbers are bigger than yours. The Cobra is a faultless little ship, but it’s no good at mass locking”

The Python flipped round to face Thades’ Cobra. He saw the Python boost to close the distance between them as quickly as possible, but this was nothing new to the experienced dogfighter. Thade was ready for a quick turn out of the Pythons path, but not before he had dropped a good portion of his payload into her face. Just as Thade pulled the trigger to unload everything he could into the oncoming ship, two lasers impacted the shield right in front of his canopy. Thade could feel the heat from the beams warming his face. Space lit up as missiles were destroyed by his targets point defence while others hit the Python.

The light show completely obscured his target, but Thade held the trigger, and his corse a second longer relying on his experience to land hits on the lightly protected ship before he jerked the stick to the left and fired the manoeuvring thrusts to assist his turn and hopefully bring him round the back of the passing Python. Thade looked into the cloud of destruction as he passed under it just in time to catch another volley from a pair of beam lasers in the canopy shields closely followed by the black prow of the Python.

Testament opened his eyes, the unmistakable smell of burnt plastic and metal filled his nose. It was clear there had been a breach because nothing loose was left in the cockpit and scorch marks were everywhere. His canopy was a mess but had been hastily repaired. Thade didn’t question this right now, he just grabbed for the controls. He found no stick, it was simply missing and a shot of pain from his other hand on the throttle made him wince. He looked at his hand to see what was wrong with it. A clean white bandage covered it from his fingers to his elbow making it look like he was wearing one very large mitten. A little point of red light danced on the bandage and Thade followed it to its sauce.

Directly above his Cobra sat the Python. He was canopy to canopy with the crazy bitch that had rammed him. A white-haired woman put down a laser pointer once they made eye contact and she gave him a bright smile and friendly upside-down wave.

“Welcome back Mister Pirate, you were a very lucky boy considering, weren’t you? I suppose I was very lucky too because I have some questions for you”

It was her voice, but it was badly distorted by the damaged coms system. Her face was warm and inviting, but that did not extend to her eyes. They were as cold as the icy fingers of death that Testament supposed had gripped him after his canopy gave out. This was an intimidation tactic and Thad was not going to let some wench rock hound try it on him. He felt for his sidearm and found it. He flicked the retaining strap off a satisfyingly heavy high calibre pistol and pressed his hands down on the arms of his chair to push himself up.

“I am Testament thOW!”

As soon as Thade put some weight on his leg, bright white spots blurred his vision and a hot knife of pain sliced up his leg. He slumped back down in his seat and held his leg as best he could. That also was tightly bound in a clean white bandage, sandwich between a makeshift splint. He saw his heavily bruised toes sticking out the dressing and noticed his flight suit had been cut neatly just shy of his groin. He looked up, she was still smiling at him and drilling his skull with cool contained malice.

“If I may draw your attention to the thing glued to the outside bottom-left edge of your canopy. That, sir, is your helmet. The thing also glued to the canopy inside your helmet is a small charge just about strong enough to breach the canopy and I will detonate it if you prove to be uncooperative. Now, let’s start with your name shall we?”

Thade gave up. He had been rammed, saved, treated and was now being interrogated by some tart with crap weapons and a hold full of gems. With a deep sigh, he decided to acquiesce to the polite but firm demand.

“I’m testament Thade”

The woman almost did a very good job of hiding a smirk, but Thade saw it before she managed to control her face “Shall we try your real name this time?” She asked in a careful monotone.

“rian effs”  Mumbled Thade as he suddenly found his toes very interesting.

“Pardon?”

“Brian Jeffs ok mum?” Spat formally Testament Thade and instantly blushed with shame. He dropped his head to his hands and silently screamed at himself.

“Ma'arm or madam will do thank you Brian. Now, you’re in a spot of bother so is there anyone I can alert to aid you? I didn’t want to contact the authorities because that could be difficult for you. After I got you back aboard your ship, repaired it, and treated your wounds I did do a few modifications to your systems. The modifications were carried out with a Cold Chisel and Lump Hammer so you won’t be repairing them any time soon and you will definitely need help to get back to a station”

Everything this woman said was designed to keep Brian off balance, and even if Brian was in top form, he knew he would not come out on top when using words whit this manipulative nut job. He gave the offer some shallow thought and gave up the name Adrian Lines who could be found in the Galactic Bar on Citi Gateway, Inara system just a few jumps away. He didn’t bother telling her to ask for Bandack Drake, the gang’s pirate names were starting to feel very silly for some reason.

“Thank you Brian, I’ll look for Adrian when I get there because as luck would have it, that was where I was going anyway. One more thing Mr Jeffs, do you know of a raider group that uses a red circle with a white crescent behind a golden-winged bird’s talon as a badge by any chance?”

Brian thought for a moment and looked at the woman, she was still upside down, still smiling and politely waiting for an answer. He just shook his head in the negative. The adrenalin was wearing off now and he felt quite unwell.

“Thank you anyway Brian. Your short-range coms are.. ok.. but you have no long-range at all. I’ve left you some opals for your repairs and maybe a nice little thank you to anyone that stops to help you”

The woman points ahead of them. Floating a few hundred meters away, almost twenty cargo containers rotate on the spot in a carefully organised F U formation. Brian reflected that if the containers are indeed full, this is the most expensive insult he has ever received.

“Now then, that’s not really an explosive under your helmet, it’s just an important-looking part I broke off your FSD. Consider how close you came to death and use the money you get from the opals to change your ways. Attacking hard-working Commanders is no way to make a living Brian. Now you take it easy, you got some very nasty injuries. Good-by Brian”

Brian watched the upside-down woman gently pull away so as not to disrupt the crippled Cobra. She winked at Brian as the canopy blocked her from Brian’s view. The ships name and registration slowly drifted passed as the Python moved on. Hand of Lambast, HLM-75. Brian looked around for something to scratch that down with in case he forgot. Behind him, he found someone had glued a cup holder to a broken panel. Two dopy looking puppy dogs made doe eyes at him from the picture on a thermal cup. Beside the cup was a plate of biscuits and Brian just knew the cup contained hot sweet tea.


Last edit: 11 Aug 2019, 12:54am
11 Aug 2019, 10:28pm
Maul Montresor

Vega laughs. "Okay, keep telling yourself that, spinach head."

They stare at each other for a moment before bursting into laughter.


Khelan comes out of his quarters dressed in clean jeans, a black leather jacket covered in badges with an airbrushed picture of a snarling winged wolfs head over his red London Jets T shirt. He spots Maul and Vega sitting waiting for him and heads over to the access elevator.

"Let's go" he says to them both "An rimember nae guns an nae wee snooping devices unless ye want them rammed right up yer airse."

Without waiting for an answer he gets into the elevator and heads down to the landing pad.

Khelan looks at the giant number 1 painted onto the wall of the hanger and shouts back.

"Everywan rimember where we're parked"

He strides off into the station heading directly to the market district and Yodama's Curios.
11 Aug 2019, 11:46pm
Maul and Vega follow Khelan into the market district.

"Wow, this place is very....oriental." Vega says while observing the names of the shops littering the market district.

Maul nods. "Yeah, you're lucky Khelan didn't teach you his Japanese "Greeting"."

Vega looks at Maul curiously.

"It had something to do with giving your mother fellatio in hell or something." He said with a shrug. "Wait...I don't think that's right."

Vega chuckles. "What the hell?"

Maul shrugs as he runs to catch up with Khelan.

"Yodama's Curios." He reads the sign aloud. "I was looking forward to visiting this place again. I just hate that it's under these circumstances."

He pats Khelan on the back.

"I know it doesn't help or fix anything but I'm sorry all of this is happening."
12 Aug 2019, 8:53am
Khelan looks at Maul and nods.

"Cheers mate, Ah appreciate it."

Theodore and one of his goons are stood leaning against the brickwork outside the shop both have their tattoos on display and cigarette butts lie scattered on the ground around them. Khelan looks at Theodore and notices the cybernetic finger replacing the one that was previously cut off.

"Look what finally showed up, it's the Gaijin and it's boyfriend" he sneers

"Oot ma way, Ah'm no in the mood fur yer shite Theodore!" snarls Khelan as he batters his way past.

Khelan sniffs as he goes past and notices the strong smell of alcohol from the two, he shakes his head and goes inside.

Omi stands inside the shop dressed in a long plain black dress and when she sees them walk in she runs over and hugs Khelan and Maul before regarding Vega with a polite nod.

"He's in bed in the back and he's asking for you" she tells Khelan.

Khelan nods and begins taking off his boots before he goes through into the area Shin lives in.

"Alone" says Omi apologetically to Maul

The plain hospital bed in the middle of the room that was Shin's office the last time they were there is surrounded by monitors and various drips etc and Shin lies on the bed dressed in plain blue pyjamas. Upon Khelan's arrival he carefully pulls himself up into a sitting position.

"Jesus Shin, Ah wis telt ye wurnae well, ye look like yer aboot ready tae run a marathon" he says.

Shin laughs and erupts into a coughing fit.

"You always were a terrible liar Khelan." he says thinly. "It's good to see you one last time."

Shin turns to the two bodyguards at the side of the room.

"Leave us" he commands and they leave the room.

"Khelan, I want to ask you to do something for me" he says

"Anythin, Yodama-San ye know that."

"Now I know I truly am sick" smiles Shin "I want you to promise me that you'll protect Omi and you'll always be there for her."

"Ye hiv ma word, Ah'll make sure she's alright"

"Good, now there is one last thing I will ask of you." Shin says "I don't want to die like this. In a bed, hooked up to machines it's not a fitting death for a warrior."

Khelan gulps and nods.

"Ah understand" he says quietly as he walks over to help Shin out of his bed.

Shin motions to the bedside cabinet as he stands shakily at the side of the bed.

Khelan opens the doors and takes out two blades, he hands one to Shin and takes the other himself.

"Domo Arigato, Khelan"

Shin slowly gets to his knees and plunges the blade into his own stomach quickly drawing the blade from left to right.

"Domo Arigato, Yodama-San" whispers Khelan as he swings his blade at Shin's neck, neatly decapitating him.

Khelan eases the body down to the floor and steps back. He places the blade on the floor and slowly walks back out into the shop.

Omi stands outside with Maul and Vega and she looks at him as he comes out the door.

"It's done." he says quietly as Omi rushes over to embrace him, burying her face in his chest.

"Did..did he?" she stammers "Did he suffer?"

Khelan shakes his head.

"He died wi honour Omikuma. Ye should be proud" he says as he holds her in close.

Khelan holds her while she howls into his chest.
12 Aug 2019, 4:32pm
"He's gone?" Maul asks as he drops his head down and looks at the floor.

Vega leans against a wall and silently studies the shop.

Maul looks back up at Khelan and Omi.

"I'm so sorry guys. Is there anything he needed done, any dying wishes?"

Theodore and his goon step inside the shop to see Omi crying in Khelan's arms.

"Hmpf. So the old man's gone, huh?" He says as he puts his cigarette out on the wall next to Vega's head, smiling at her.

He looks at Omi. "I'm guessing this means you're in charge now, right?"

He looks back and Vega and attempts to stroke her cheek but she quickly slaps his hand away and gives him a dirty look. He laughs in response and looks at Khelan.

"And I suppose that means we'll be seeing a lot more of this..." He pauses to spit on the floor. "...gaijin and his friends."

Maul puts his hand on the blade strapped to his thigh and watches Theodore carefully.
12 Aug 2019, 6:14pm
"Sir, our teams have canvassed the entire megaship. There is no sign of them. They left the Vulture behind though, freshly repaired. It's defenses are active so we can't get near it, but we've left a team to guard it in case they come back."

Johnston removes his feet from the console on the deck of the Anaconda Yamato and places them flat on the floor in front of him, giving the deck hand a cold stare.

"And where are they?" he asks, waiting for the answer he knew was coming.

"Um... sir we um... aren't sure." the deck hand shuffles nervously.

"Then I suppose you had better get far from my sight until you find out."

At that the hand gives a slight bow and trots off.

Outside Johnston was calm and cool, but inside he was fuming. He was not a man used to failure.

"Sir, there is an incoming communications request from an unknown source."

Half-hoping it to be one of these brazen outlaws, so that he could tell them to their faces exactly how they were going to die, he opens his messaging console and accepts the request.

"Mr. Johnston." a deep, calm voice speaks to him.

"Who the hell are you?" asks Johnston impatiently.

"Your new employer."

Johnston tries not to let his confusion at this statement show. "I am self-employed sir. Give me one reason I shouldn't close this communication."

"Your contracts are cancelled, Mr. Johnston."

"Cancelled?" Johnston calls to one of his deck-hands. "Get Tackworth on the line."

The voice interrupts him:
"Your contract issuer, Mr. Tackworth, has also been cancelled, Mr. Johnston."

Johnston takes a moment to process this information.
"What do you want then?"

"I want you to continue your work, Mr. Johnston. I am now the... exclusive contract holder... for your quarry." the voice instructs.

"My new employer..." The realization sets in with Johnston.

"I will be sending you instructions shortly. Oh, and Johnston?"

"Um..." Johnson weighs his response. "...Yes sir?"

"I suspect you didn't like Tackworth much. Try not to disappoint me, unless you want to see him again."


Last edit: 12 Aug 2019, 6:19pm

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