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~ S C E N E M U S I C ~ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SK3sdb58ufM)
Cancer was both constant and constantly changing. That was the first lesson a person usually learned after arriving on the massive cobbled-together space station: there was no 'normal' here, and that itself was normal. For things to stay the same for too long on space station Cancer was the true anomaly -- even the name implied uninhibited growth and mutation, unpleasant as the reference was. Cancer was -- it couldn't be classified much better than that. It was a space station and yet it almost seemed to grow organically; there was authority but no one was really "in charge" most of the time. It was a place that found equilibrium in the same way an ocean did -- by constantly remaining in motion. Sometimes the swells and currents were visible, sometimes not. But whether the water was cast up in great storm billows and tsunami waves or simply swirled quietly beneath a placid surface, the one thing Cancer could not do was stay still. In that way, the station and the wanderer had much in common. It was probably why he kept coming back.
Navy-blue hood pulled up to cover his face and cloak falling around his diminutive frame, Specter made his way down the busy walkways of a full-swing gray market block, with vendors hawking their wares and the scent of badly imitated cuisine wafting through the air. To any regular person simply being here without special arrangements or a gun close at hand was asking for trouble -- pickpocketing was common, but it wasn't unheard of for people to be straight-up mugged or kidnapped in the busy crowds. That was one of the things about being so short -- tracking him through a crowded place like this would be tough, nigh-on impossible for those without supernatural powers or advanced equipment. The gray markets were a surefire way to lose a tail if you knew what you were doing.
Emerging from the human (and otherwise) herd and into a narrow corridor that closely resembled a back alley, the hooded figure glanced behind him before walking into the dark. As the light waned the faint echo of blue light underneath his clothes cast an eerie look over him... and gave just enough light to see the small sliding panel in the wall up ahead.
He knocked in a per-arranged pattern, then gave the appropriate codewords when an electronic whisper asked for them. Information dealers were a sketchy but predictable lot -- just secretive enough to protect themselves yet just available enough that well-referred clients could drop in on short notice. They too had to eat, after all. The narrow panel slid back and a harsh red light glared into the dark space from the other side. Somewhere in the distance dubstep echoed, probably to mask the sound of machinery.
"For a ghost you're quite punctual, mister Specter." The voice of an unseen figure on the other side spoke. "I have what you're looking for."
"Good to hear -- considering your reputation I expected nothing less." He reached into the folds of his cloak, pulling out an object wrapped in black cloth, and dropped it through the slot. "As promised. The information?"
A moment of silence passed before a folded up piece of paper in a plastic bag was dropped through the slot and landed at his feet. "Your friend is here on Cancer, likely in pursuit of work. Finding a mercenary is easy if one knows how -- and who -- to ask. The other subject proved a bit more challenging. The markets aren't as good now as they were a year ago... but I think you'll be satisfied with what I turned up. I'd jump on such an opportunity myself, but I have no use of such things; it doesn't jive with my business model, you understand."
"I understand." He took the paper out and unfolded it, reading over the contents. Yes, that would do... that would do nicely. "Good doing business with you."
"And you, mister Specter. Enjoy your stay on Cancer..."
The panel slid back into place and the red light was gone. Specter had his answers; the rest was just a matter of catching up with Daniel -- now calling himself "Fieryone", it seemed -- and embark on the greatest endeavor he'd ever dared.
The cosmos awaited. With a grin on his face and a flourish of his cloak Specter turned and began to walk.
(OOC: Left it open so you could describe whatever Fieryone's up to at this point -- I'll have Specter catch up with him shortly. Let the adventures begin!)
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It had been a month since he was crushed by that stupid bug and he was finally alright enough to get off the ship. Damn cabin fever was driving him crazy. There was only so many times that he could stare at that stupid floresent light before he just needed to get out and have some fun. This time though he came prepared with not only a reinforced katana, but a energy pistol. Why spend all his money on pot when it could get him killed?
The katana was strapped to his back and the pistol at his side. He would be damned if anyone was ever going to take advantage of him again. The bandages were finally off and he proudly walked forward, shorts full of pockets and heart full of joy.
"Your interesting looking" he said to Specter. He was curious about the guy. He wouldn't pick a fight with anyone, but at least he had ways to defend himself this time. If only he knew how powerful this Specter character was, he might have just decided to walk the other way. His tail swished back and forth lazily.
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Some bar elsewhere on Cancer…
When you spend a good chunk of your lifetime on the run from something you don’t really understand or even have knowledge of, you tend to develop certain behaviors, such as staying low and keeping a calm demeanor. Its always about not attracting attention to yourself, but even still as a person you have to eat. So now, Fieryone found himself in the position of Mercenary work. He’d been doing it for awhile, joining other merc groups every now and then, building up on the skill he’d been taught ages ago back at Haven, and even as a mercenary, he could keep some level of anonmitiy, but it was still far less than what he truthfully desired, but well as they said he had to put bread on the table, so this was the life he’d fallen into of his own accord.
Still, he never liked to start fights considering they defeated the purpose of staying low, but he would finish ones that others brought to him. Which would be the case as he stood up, getting up off the floor after the larger bulkier human had thrown him from the stool he’d being sitting on, apparently having taken the regulars favorite seat. He would take his hands and dust off the seat of his pants, and give the man a hard stare, remaining silent.
“Whats the matter tough guy? Think you can beat me and my friends here?” The other man would say, an over confident sneer on his face as he and his three other buddies of various sizes also wearing similar sneers. Fieryone just looked at each one of them, brow raised before sighing… then just charging the one who’d tossed him off the stool and slamming his fist hard in the nose, knocking the man into the counter, his hands running up to cover his nose now that it was a fountain of his blood.
His buddies suddenly lost their nerve, not having expected Fieryone to respond to the unprovoked attack with his own punch. Fieryone turned to look at them, “Are you going to help your friend, or am I going to have to break more than just his nose?” He’d ask them, they’d turn and look at each other before one of them turned back to Fieryone, letting out his own war cry and throwing his own punch at Fieryone… resulting in it being grabbed by Fieryone and throwing his weight into the other mans hips and throwing him over his back and partially onto the counters and stool, a cry of pain coming from his mouth. Fieryone would then feel one of the other two punks hands grab him by the head, and begin to slam his head into the corner of the bar, the sharp corner of the counter putting a nice gash in his head, blood spilling from his forehead, and to Fieryone the world went spinning, as he his head was slammed into the counter again. He could hear others yelling now, the owner of the bar and the bouncers yelling at the group, before he himself passed out.
The next thing he knew was he was sitting in one of the booths, an older woman, she seemed to be in her 50s and he knew she was one of the waitresses, next to him with a first aid kit stitching up the cut. He’d grunt, and she’d startle, not expecting him to have woken up so quietly, “Jeez! Givin’ me a heart attack!” Fieryone would just give her a pained look, his head throbbing from the fact it had been slammed into that counter as hard as it was, “Sorry sir, anyway, ya’ got a right banged up, figured I’d fix ya up… also, the boss said the drink was on him, but he wants ya out of the bar.” She’d say, Fieryone would nod grunting as he shifted so she could finish stitching him, which only required another minute of his time before she cut the last bit of the stitching off, she gave him a rather unwanted friendly pat on the cheek before collect her things and heading off to put the kit back in its place… and one of the bouncers immediately came over to take him out of the bar, the other bouncer handing him back his hand guns that had been taken from him when he entered the establishment. He’d re-holster them, and walk out.
”Always nice to know when a place punishes the loser of a fight as well as the winners, at least ya know you’re getting equal treatment.” Fieryone would say as he walked into the open “Street” of the station. He’d rub his head, the throbbing having not subsided, he’d let out a sigh of discontent, knowing that he’d have to return to the hotel and renew the room for another night. At least then he could clean his shirt of his blood and have a place to rest his head so that the throbbing pain would go away. He’d grumble to himself over that, at least the hotel wasn’t that far from the bar.
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(OOC: Sorry about the delay -- was busy with my folks the last few days. Anyways, back to adventures in spaaaaaaaaaace!)
The area he was looking for was remarkably close by -- far closer than he'd expected, at any rate. Here the busy shopping crowds of the gray market thinned as they mingled with traffic coming and going to other, marginally more legitimate, places of businesses. In this block of the station could be found bars, hotels, eateries (or what passed for eateries, at least), and seedy businesses not fit to mention in polite company. It was one of Cancer's many "shore leave districts" and the proximity of the grey market made this an especially popular one. If Daniel was working as a hired gun, this would be the kind of place such business was usually contracted, Specter thought. If only --
"You're interesting looking."
at first he wasn't sure the comment was directed at him, although a quick glance of the area turned up black furred anthropomorph eying him curiously. As was usual, Specter had to look up at the much taller lifeform, and when his blood-ruby eyes met Kai's it was with one eyebrow lifted in a gesture equal parts mild surprise, curiosity, and bemusement.
"One could say the same about you." His eyes glanced briefly towards Kai's tail. "Afraid I'm a bit busy to entertain random strangers right now, no offense. I'm looking for an old friend who--"
And that was the moment when, out of the corner of his eye, he caught a familiar shade of red amidst the relative grime of the environs. It was only for a second and then it was gone, lost to sight amidst all the other pedestrians walking the area's broad corridors. "Excuse me a moment." He said to the furry, quickly turning and racing towards a nearby wall. He didn't like drawing attention to himself if he could avoid it, but the options for a better vantage were either flying (not very subtle), asking someone to put him on their shoulders (mortally embarrassing), or finding higher ground.
In this instance the ramshackle and hodgepodge construction of Cancer worked to his benefit; scrambling for handholds along the pitted and pot-marked wall (it looked like a salvaged piece of ship plating that had endured a meteor shower or two) he eventually reached a point at which he could easily see above the sea of heads and spotted that familiar red hair again. He looked different... but the face -- cuts and bruises aside -- was much the same, just more grown-up than he remembered. Dropping back down to the deck (and ignoring the eyes of onlookers who'd spotted him climbing) he started through the crowd and gestured for Kai to follow him.
"Want to know just how interesting I am? You've got spots of oil and plasma coolant on your cargo shorts -- engineer, I'm guessing. Well, I may have a paying job for you. For now, though, I need to meet up with," He paused for a moment, choosing his words. "my teammate."
Closing in on his injured friend from years back, Specter called out. "Daniel! Or should I call you 'Fieryone' now? Was hoping I'd find you here." He pulled back his hood just a bit so Fieryone could get a better look at his face and glowing tattoos. "Remember me?"
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As it usually happened, Kai's curiosity was getting the better of him. It wasn't like he didnt have the time to have an adventure but at the same time he could have tried to think things through more. As it was though, this was interesting enough to drop plans of going to the bar or visiting Polly. Besides he would be here for a couple days.
He just stood there when Spector tried to blow him off, than watched amused at his climbing up on something. It was smart but it slightly reminded him of how the bug ran off. He shook his head slightly to dislodge the memory. get it together he thought to himself.
He looked annoyed at the whole, you have coolant on your shorts comment. He thought he had wiped all that off. Looking down though, it wasn't a huge spot anyway, he could probably save the shorts. He wasn't a expert on fashion or anything, but he didnt want to look trashy at least.
"As long as the job doesn't take any more than a couple of days. I mean the crew im with comes by here fairly regularly but I cant afford to ditch them for a wild shot ya know?" he said while wondering both how much money was in store, and what the work could possibly be.
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Daniel stopped in his tracks at the use of his real name, a hand going for the gun at his side as he turned quickly drawing it and pointing… at nothing. He starred straight forward eyes scanning the area, he caught Kai off in the background but his name had been called much closer. He’d look down and there was a rather short man. He just stared at it as he slowly reholstered his gun. It might have been over a decade since he last saw the person before him, but he couldn’t forget the person he’d worked with at Haven when he was younger.
The gun back in his holster, he’d cross his arms examining the features of Specter, refamiliarizing himself with him, as he also tried to put his already flared temper back in check. The fight at the bar has made him mad, but the use of his real name scared him, and it made him angry that someone still knew it, but… at the same time he was also happy to see someone he once called a friend. After a minute or two of utter silence he’d finally speak, “First off, don’t use my name in public, ever. Second, its Fieryone now that is the name I go by now, and third, how did you find me.” He’d say giving him a hard stare, his tone rather neutral.
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A chilly reception... not quite what he'd expected. Then again, it had been around ten years; a lot had changed for them both. Specter was no longer quite as naive or idealistic as he'd been during the peaceful days when he'd kept to the shadows of Haven... Daniel was no doubt affected much the same. He was armed -- he was a mercenary. Their lives had gone different ways... but now that their paths were crossing again, perhaps they could make something of their shared history.
"Fieryone it is then." He shrugged. "I suppose I of all people can't begrudge someone the right to the name they choose."
"I know an information dealer; I gave him your description from when last we met and he helped me find you. Don't worry -- the guy makes secrecy his chief concern, and I paid him a little extra to make sure he covered his tracks. You're safe." He glanced over at Kai, then back to 'Fieryone'. "You once helped me, saved my life in fact. I figured it was time to repay the favor. I have a proposition: an opportunity for us, but it's best discussed in private." He looked briefly back to Kai again. "A day, two at most, and I guarantee it'll be worth it."
"Either of you know somewhere soundproof that we could talk?"
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Soundproof rooms were hard to come by, and here in The Cancer he doubted one could find one easily. He shook his head, “no, I don’t know of any soundproof rooms, the only thing I can offer you… and your friend over there,” Fieryone would say as he looked over to Kai before looking back over to Specter, “is my hotel room in a place that’s just a little out of the ways here. Not soundproofed like I said, but its private and I doubt anyone would be listening in on us.” He’d say, not offering to take them just yet, as he waited for Kai to answer Specters question.
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Half of a foot-long, inch wide slice of dried meat hung from Sarah's teeth as she she casually strolled out of the alley, not really caring who was around as she converted earth magic into a wall of pure iron to seal the alleyway behind her, and, with it, a small human skeleton so dry that several of the bones had cracked when its owner fell to the ground. <Too bad there's no fish around here to get scales from... Some blood sauce would really hit the spot right now.>, she thought to herself as she continued on her way, passing several bars on her way back to the Sassy Juice. Well, what would have been her way back, had she not caught a familiar scent. <... Do I care what he's doing?>, she asked herself as she stopped to take a look around.
There he was. <At least he's actually armed now...>, Sarah thought to herself. The two with him, however, were far more interesting. A male human, armed, likely a mercenery, and a... What the flying fuck was that supposed to be? <... Well, that's something you don't see every day...>, she thought to herself as she appeared on a nearby rooftop to watch the trio, using more earth and some electrical magic to create a coating of metal and rust sand to better blend in.
'Fieryone', it seemed the male human was called. The information was filed away as Sarah used sound magic to allow only the sounds from the conversation to reach her. As she listened to the whatever it was speak, Sarah found herself wondering what mess she was going to be obligated to pull Kai out of this time, then deciding she wouldn't, and would simply pretend not to have been anywhere near there if he got himself killed. What she would do, however, was satisfy some of her curiousity as to his new friends, and that meant watching and waiting. Two of Sarah's least favorite things.
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Kai was smarter this time, or at least he would think he was. He obviously didnt know was there or about Specters powers, but he was confidant that he wasnt going to be anyone's bitch. He would take her advice and fight if need be, even though he didnt quite agree with it. Not that it seemed that would be a problem, a job offering wasnt really threatening.
"I'll take you up on it, not like I have much else to do. No messing with me though, some one did about a month ago, and it was bad."
What can he say? He didnt just act like everything was normal while sizing up a potential enemy like Ari would. He probably should be suspious of everyone but that wasnt his style. One of these days someone would act kind or something and probably end up stabbing him in his sleep, but this wasnt the day.
"I most likely have the skills for it, and if not Im a fast learner. Besides by the sound of it and seeing where you are, I doubt this job is exactly legal, which makes it all that more interesting. Although just so you know, I dont kill people i consider innocents, if you need that sort of work done"
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Specter nodded to Fieryone's mention of a hotel room, then grinned slightly at Kai's suspicions that the job was less-than-legal. "You might just be surprised. And don't worry, I'm not the 'messing with' type. No surprises -- I'll give you all the info up front and if you choose you can always walk away, no strings." He turned back to his friend. "Sounds like the hotel's our best bet, then. Lead the way Fieryone."
(OOC: Short post is short; sorry, but until they reach somewhere private to talk Specter doesn't have a whole lot going on. ^_^;; )
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Fieryone would nod, looking between the two of them as he motioned for them to follow silently. Throwing his head backwards before turning around and heading down the hallway. He’d turn around slowly, eying Kai the entire time making sure that he didn’t make any sudden movements as he headed down the large open corridor. Although the area they had been had been relatively devoid of people, the further he lead them the larger the crowds of people became. It would probably seem to Specter and Kai that Fieryone was incrediably paranoid by the fact he kept leading them by dodging in and out of alleyways, and to be honest he was. If Specter had been able to find him with a simple information broker, who else could find him?
So what could have just been a thirty minute walk the direct rout became a two hour walk, finally the group would enter one final alleyway, a few homeless laying about it. Fieryone ignored them, continuing to the door at the back end of the alleyway and openning the door. He’d hold the door open for them, being somewhat polite and the room they would enter… actually looked rather nice. It was well kept and tidy, nice bright lights adorned the walls and a front desk just a bit ways from the door. The receptionist would smile at Fieryone and the group as the entered to which Fieryone would respond with, “Guests, taking them up to my room”.
She would nod, going back to her business on the computer screen. As Fieryone led them past her and down the hall… to the room furthest down the hall. He’d open the door to a room that was average sized. The room contained one bed, a small table with only two seats, a little fridge, a twenty inch vidscreen mounted to the wall, as well as a dresser… which on top of it sat a dufflebag. Fieryone waited for his guest to move into the room before he shut the door, and locked it. He’d move over to the bed and sit on the edge of it, looking at Specter.
“So, you were saying?”
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(skip my turn here. Kai isnt doing anything but following fieryone, and im really interested in what specter is wanting kai for.)
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Convoluted as the path he human led the trio on was, Sarah had little trouble following them, deciding to keep her distance and use scent, rather than sight, to track them. Even the fact that he'd led them through more crowded areas helped her, allowing her to duck down and use the people as cover, even with their habit of trying to avoid her. Scant seconds after they'd entered, Sarah appeared in front of the door to the hotel. <... I'm thinking a quieter approach would be better.>, she thought to herself as she entered and appeared next to the counter, casually leaning on it. <A few friends of mine passed by here. I'd like to know which room they went to. I heard they were in the area and I'd like to surprise them.>, Sarah's 'tone' was far more polite than usual as she spoke privately to the receptionist.
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As soon as she had the information, Sarah thanked the receptionist and was gone, appearing in front of the door to the room a few milliseconds later. Sarah quickly cast the sound magics that would enable her to listen in on the conversation, as well as creating a sound-cancelling barrier of magic behind her to keep the receptionist from noticing. With any luck, it would seem that she was trying to decide what to say to her 'friends'.
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Once they were all situated in the hotel room and Fieryone had given the invitation, Specter grinned and pulled out the piece of paper that the information broker had given him. It had Fieryone's alias and known haunts listed -- notably, not his real name however -- but there was something else as well. It almost looked like a microchip "tattooed' in barely visible ink onto the page in the upper left corner. Specter pointed to it. "It's called a nano-vault -- micro-thin embedded data library, very high-end tech. All the storage of a computer with the disposability of a paper napkin. You can toss it in the trash and it'll bio-degrade within a few days or, if you're desperate, light it on fire and burn up the evidence. You usually need high-tech gear to decrypt it, unless the paper is treated to work as a nano-tech display," He tapped the 'chip', and Fieryone's information vanished -- replaced by what looked like a wanted poster. "In which case you've basically got a handheld computer made out of mostly paper. The black market loves this stuff apparently. Science, huh?" He chuckled.
Holding up the paper, he showed it to the group. "The boss, Karns Gables." The face was that of an ugly criminal type with exotic facial tattoos. Specter tapped the chip and the picture changed. "James 'Hit-&-Run' Hitachi, the snatcher and quartermaster. Geis Jarrowmere, the negotiator and engineer. Lara Parsec, tactical support, navigation, and other assorted tasks. Hal Verns, the muscle. These are the faces of a ship's crew -- they're also wanted criminals in the field of human trafficking with a price on their heads, or they would be anyway... if it weren't for her situation."
The next image to show up on the fancy ever-changing paper wasn't a mugshot; it was a full-color photograph of a young girl probably no older than seven, her hands pressed up against a window glittering with starlight and her face to the camera, showing off a big smile. Her short chocolate brown hair hung loose and free, looking just a bit wild in a cute and childishly charming sort of a way, a telling contrast to the expensive-looking jumpsuit she was wearing. Specter explained. "This is Casandra Stvedi, child of a rich prospecting family on Edanith. She was kidnapped five standard weeks ago by the ugly mugs I just showed you, to be ransomed back to the family. Apparently the government of Edanith tried to use the hostage negotiations to draw the criminal troupe out into the open and capture them, but the operation went south and the marks basically took the money and ran. When the government tried to post bounties on them the kidnappers sent a transmission threatening to kill the girl and a number of other hostages if they weren't left alone, so Edanith publicly backed off."
"Privately, however, the bounties are still on..." Specter lifted a single gloved finger in a 'hold that thought' gesture. "On condition that ALL the hostages be returned alive. There are apparently a total of five that the kidnappers have made known including young miss Stvedi -- three young women and a boy around Casandra's age. The Edani government has been receiving regular transmissions to prove the hostages are alive, cleverly bounced off of a number of refueling stations and supply freighters to conceal the ship's exact location. They've worked out, however, that the most recent one came from Cancer, just a week ago. The Edani are making it clear that anyone attempting a rescue had darned well better know what they're doing; if any of the hostages dies not only is the bounty forfeit... but Edanith will hold the rescuers responsible."
He picked a corner of the room and leaned back, finally removing his hood and then causing the traveling cloak to entirely vanish in a blip of light. "Needless to say, the... delicacy of the situation has put off all the gung-ho types -- the money's good but the chance of failure is uncomfortable. Now, when I asked my source where I could find a ship on the cheap I didn't expect him to turn this up," The mage cast a slight grin towards Fieryone. "But apparently the Edani government has realized it has to sweeten the deal."
He tapped the chip and the page changed again, this time to a set of ship schematics. "Originally they were hoping to capture the kidnappers' ship for evidence... but once they made it out here to Cancer that wasn't an option anymore. Apparently the ship itself is now in the pot -- they believe it was originally a small cargo-slash-scavenger ship but it looks like the kidnappers have made some unorthodox modifications to better suit their purposes. Extra sub-light engines, a few hidden weapon mounts, and apparently they refit the ship from using a DM drive to a starjumper setup. It's just barely small enough to pull off a jump, but not by much. Could be other changes they've made -- won't know unless we get a look around inside."
Rolling up the paper, Specter looked at Fiery, then to Kai and back. "I won't pretend this'll be easy, but it will be profitable. The best plan is to sneak onto the ship, then have one person rescue the hostages while the other keeps the kidnappers occupied -- or straight-up takes them out. Bounty is the 'dead or alive' type, so we've got some flex there." He looked over to Kai. "Once I found my friend here I was going to see about bringing in someone with engineering experience to help improve our odds of getting in, maybe disable the ship so they can't run. That's why it was so convenient running into you earlier. Ship's called the 'Scornful Embrace', moored to one of the external docks, number 257413. Guess our targets are still a bit wary even this far out; the dock they're tethered to cost extra because it's a 'no questions' arrangement and they can leave at any time. Odds are they're here for supplies and maybe to spend that money they took, so we might have a way in there."
"That," He looked at Fieryone. "And this is the quickest, cheapest way to get a ship that my source was able to find. This could be a big break, Fieryone. What'dya say?"
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Fieryone listened to every word he said, he had not expected to be having a job liked this pitched to him. Although the situation did ring a few bells in the back of his mind when he heard an initial news broadcast of the situation. As well as the familiar wanted posters that Specter had shown the two of them, he’d seen them posted around the net, but they disappeared quickly so he had assumed the jobs had been handled already. Guess that’s what he got for not looking further into the matter.
Though at the same time, it was not really worth it for him to go in solo, considering the hostage situation and the amount of people there… and how many they had with them. Fieryone sighed, and looked at Specter, “So you think two-three people, with only this information, can go in and and rescue the hostage, while keeping her alive and not fucking this up?” Fieryone would ask before continuing, “I’ve done hostage extraction before, but on teams of seven, fully and properly equipped to take on and take out the hostage and get them out safely. All I am right now, is a guy with a dufflebag, two handguns, and a shotgun. That doesn’t make for good Hostage extraction material. It also doesn’t help, that particular docking bay is controlled by one of few gangs that are on this station. I don’t go there because of that fact, they don’t take kindly to anyone that isn’t part of the matience crews, and those that don’t have business with them. I’d also bet they’re protecting them as well.”
Fieryone would finally stop talking, crossing his arms and waiting for a response from either of his two guests.
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Kai listened to all of it and fieryones objection. Now Kai was a tad crazy. He liked challenges and anything that sounded impossible was alluring to him. If some person says oh yeah that cant be done, Kai wanted to figure out how to do it. Not that he would actually do any of it in the past, but now that he was a pirate well...things had changed.
"Sabotaging the engine in a way they wont recognize will be childs play. Sneaking on could be a tad dicey but providing they have ventilation shafts in the ship well, easily exploitable. Not only that but taking them by surprise is our best bet. The fact that they could find us makes it all that more exciting I think. As for the business with the gang possibly guarding it well, I cant find a solution to that."
He looked into Spectors eyes. "I'll need blue prints of that ship, plus info on where exactly the hostages are being kept. If they are being kept in the same room, that makes the job easier for us, more sneaking is required if they are in different rooms in the ship"
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Sarah had missed the explanation of the paper computer, but had arrived in time to hear the details of the job. Her interest grew with every word, as did her anger at the targets. To her, 'human trafficking' was a phrase that meant only one thing: slavery. It took all of her self control not to shout that she was in. <Give me away before I say to, and you're dead. Clear your throat if you understand. I'll hear it.>, Sarah told Kai privately, <I want in on this job. Let's just say I have my reasons, and leave it at that. Let them know you've got a friend who would be interested. Explain some of my abilities if you have to, just get them to agree. Once they do, pretend to call me. I'll wait a few seconds, then knock. Let whomever decides to let me in let me in.>, she continued, <By the way, using the ventillation is a stupid idea. Even if it's large enough, you'd be climbing through metal tubes. Thin metal tubes at that. Even if they don't have sensors in their vents, the noise would give you away, unless you had some way of cancelling it. Also, most ships I know of that have any vents leading out tend to have airtight doors on them. Something about wanting to keep the atmosphere inside the ship. If they're closed, we're not getting in that way without setting off alarms.> Sarah waited for Kai to follow her instructions. Or piss her off by disregarding them.
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"Maintenance crews," Specter raised an eyebrow, seeming to ponder the notion for a few moments before nodding to himself. "Yeah, that can work. That can definitely work."
"The ventilation shafts would only work if someone small could fit through without making any sound..." Holding the rolled up piece of high-tech paper out in one hand, Specter uncurled his fingers... and the paper began to float, levitating in the air and then spinning in a slow orbit around his gloved digits. His gaze turned once more to Fieryone. "I fit that description. Let's just say I've had some enlightening experiences since we last fought together. But the ship's internal sensors would still be a problem."
"What I propose is this." The half-pint mage walked over to Kai, levitating the nano-vault parchment within easy reach for the mechanic. "You and Fiery could pose as part of the maintenance crew -- we may have to bribe a shift supervisor to get clearance, uniforms, and cooperation but that shouldn't be hard. With that in place we just need to get maintenance to be called out to the Scornful Embrace..." He began tightening the glove on one hand, pulling gently but insistently at the rim just below the leather strap. "And considering that bits and pieces fall off the station's cobbled-together exterior from time to time, someone who can operate in space without drawing attention could easily get some debris to end up stuck in an engine block, maybe crash into the exterior sensors as well. Accidents happen." He smirked slyly.
"From there it's chiefly a matter of getting an excuse to operate both outside and inside the ship. Outside is simple; for inside, we'll need someone with engineering skills to convince them the damage has caused... I dunno, an electrical problem, maybe. The schematics on the nano-vault are the closest match my source had; hopefully they'll give you some ideas. Once the external and internal sensors are down I can make my way into the vents and scout for the hostages. They wouldn't risk keeping them somewhere without decent airflow, I'm betting -- keeping these people alive is all that's stopping a major manhunt against the group, after all."
"Getting the hostages to safety is as simple as getting them to an escape pod while keeping the kidnappers occupied. Once that's done, our tech support seals the ship off from it's docking tether and we take down the crew one at a time. If anyone needs better equipment," A pair of fairly high-value money cards blinked into existence in Specter's hands and he tossed them onto the bed. "I'll cover the cost. I'm not so much interested in the bounties as I am in acquiring the ship -- I need it to pay back an old debt."
-
Fieryone sat quietly listening to the plan, it sounded, sound enough to work though Fieryone still felt it was going to be tough to pull off with just only three people. He was fairly certain one could get a maintenance call on the ship, considering the area of town. All someone had to do was pay off the gangs to … discretely cause some damage to the ship that would warranty such a call. Fieryone spoke up, “Well, on the front of getting into the ship. I’m sure we could figure out a way to pay off the local thugs to go and harass them, cause a little damage. Considering I didn’t know about those hostages being there, and I’ve been here for a good few weeks now. One could assume that they wouldn’t go offing the hostages if some local boys were to show up and cause trouble. I can’t say I would care if a few of those gangs lost a few members.” Fieryone say, cracking his knuckles as he went quiet again for a moment, thinking about the ship. It would be a nice prize, and would finally give him some control of how and where he went.
So against his better judgement, he spoke again, “alright, I’ll join you for the crazy mission, I’ll at least be doing some good, and I really can’t say that I have much choice in picking for jobs.” He’d standing up off the bed and opening a drawer in the cabinet where the shotgun lay out in the open. Clearly, he was going through his bag and taking stock of the things in it.
-
Kai didnt clear his throat. No one told him what to do is all. Plus he felt like if he did than everyone would look at him and think he had something to say. <Got any better ideas? Besides im small enough, it could have worked>
"Actually i think i can help with the whole not having enough people thing. There is the crew mate on the ship i work for that totally saved my life once, and if she would go for it, would be a valuable addition to our expedition. She has this awesome bladed tail, that from what i understand is venomous. Also if we feel in the celebratory mood afterwards, she can out drink everyone i currently know"
He wasnt lying about any of this. He truly believed what he had said. He was a little bit annoyed that she chose to follow him and more so that she felt like ordering him around, but he thought that given the chance, they could at least be civil towards each other.
-
Of course he'd ignore the first bit. Sarah shook her head at his stubbornness.
<You forgot my speed, split-millisecond reaction time, knowledge of nearly every part and machine used in ships in this system, magic, the fact that I can disable a ship without needing to be anywhere near it, and, oh yes, my predatory instincts, strong jaws, talons, experience at hand-to-hand combat, superior senses, and armorlike scales.>, Sarah privately remarked, <Other than that, good job describing me. I can fill them in on the rest later, unless they need more convincing.>.
-
"Bladed tail...?" Specter quirked an eyebrow at that particular element of the description. Sure, he'd run into a few other non-humans over the years since Haven, but no one with something like that. Whatever ship Kai was crew on, it almost certainly was a colorful and interesting bunch by the way things were shaping up.
Realizing he'd been lost in thought for a moment, the stout mage cleared his throat. "I just realized, I never asked for your name before getting you all wrapped up in this. Or gave you mine, for that matter. Sorry about that." Extending a gloved hand to Kai, he added. "Let's fix that. I'm called Specter, a drifter with a bit of magic." 'A bit' may have been an understatement, but there was no point going into too much detail.
"I know I just kind of dragged you along suddenly. We should certainly have some idea about each other if we're going to work together. Why don't you tell us a bit about yourself and this shipmate." He looked over to Fieryone. "It's not just my decision, after all. If we do this, we're all in it together and everyone has a say."
-
((Apologies on taking so long with this, I’ve been busy!))
Fieryone also quirked up a brow at the description of Kai’s crewmate, bladed tails were not something he had encountered… he was pretty sure he would have remembered that. Of course there was plenty of life in this Solar System, so he wasn’t entirely surprised by that. He’d finished taking stock of his ammo, still had plenty left for everything, and the nondescript duffel bag always seemed to make for good cover. It definitely had helped him get the shotgun through places before, so he was quite sure that it would help him in this situation. He’d place the shotgun back in the duffel bag before turning and looking at Specter, “Well, you came and asked me to be part of this job, I’m just saying that I’ll do it, besides the prospect of getting a ship out of the deal is a good thing.” He’d say giving Specter a grin, before looking at Kai, “Your partner sounds like she is a walking predator. I’m fine with you calling her and bringing her here, just be sure she annouces herself at the door by addressing you.” Fieryone would say as he began to look over his handguns.
-
"I'm Kai. Originally from Aedolis, Midhaven to be specific. I just got tired of barely making ends meet you know? Learned to fix things up and take things apart and found my way to cancer and eventually the sassy juice." he said in way of introductions, returning the hand shake.
<yeah, yeah, i dont know you that well. Spent some time with Nick though. Despite his shyness he's kinda nice>
"She can speak for herself in way of introductions. Normally she wouldnt have gone into this situation in the first place though. Not saying anythings wrong with you guys, just that im a tad to trusting sometimes. It irritates her but Im working on it. She's our best chance really at making this work"
Figuring that it was a good enough explanation and since Fieryone was okay with it, he called her up. Pretending that she hadnt heard any of this he gave her a basic summary, acted like he was trying to convince her, basically having a one sided conversation with himself for a couple of minutes.
<you might want to wait a couple more minutes so that they dont think you are right outside the door. Sorry for the lengthy explanation, just trying to make it convincing>
-
<Didn't do your research, either, apparently.>, Sarah sniped.
As the one-sided conversation wrapped up, Sarah began counting milliseconds, approximating the distance between her and the Sassy Juice. <That's fine, but I'm not waiting two more minutes. You have no idea how long that is for me.>, she responded. Twelve seconds went by before she knocked on the door. Addressing everyone in the room, <Kai, open the door.>, she stated, her tone neutral,
-
The 'Sassy Juice'? Where had he heard that ship name before...? Specter tried to place it in memory for a few brief moments but was interrupted as a voice that wasn't a voice echoed in his mind. Startled, the short mageling's eyes went wide and he bolted upright from the wall he'd been leaning against. All of a sudden his mind was in a thousand different places, thoughts flashing by like lightning in the stormiest skies. One word dominated above all others in those thoughts: Telepathy? Having powers himself Specter liked to think his outlook on others' "gifts" was rather liberal... but even so, psionics -- particularly the variety that involved playing with others' minds -- made even him a little bit uneasy. He glanced over at Fieryone; his friend had no doubt "heard" their new guest as well, and he could only imagine the mercenary wasn't thrilled. One deep breath later and Specter had made a mental resolution to diffuse this situation to the best of his ability.
"Allow me."
Lifting a hand and reaching out with his own mind, the mage willed space to bend juuuuuuuust so. An onlooker could easily confuse what he did with telekinesis, making a door unlock and open without being anywhere near it, and perhaps that was in their favor. The door would open, revealing a reptilian humanoid whose coloration resembled his own more than just a little. The similarity, though clearly only skin (or scales) deep, was still enough that Specter found himself raising an eyebrow in curiosity. There was the bladed tail, sure enough. His blood-ruby eyes met the newcomers' dusk blue ones as he forced himself to recline back against the wall.
A draconian, was it? He'd heard of the species but never encountered one before. And given how quickly she'd arrived after the phone call, he couldn't help but wonder where she'd been when she got it. If he was having those thoughts then doubtless Fieryone was as well. Still...
Still, these people were involved now, and if they were willing to help it was just as well. He held his hands open at his sides, a subtle gesture (he hoped) to suggest to her that he held no ill will, whatever the circumstances, before speaking. "That was fast -- color me impressed. Anyways, you must be Kai's shipmate. He speaks quite highly of you, miss...?"
-
((Apoologies again, I was busy and somewhat lazy >_<))
Fieryone heard the knock on the door it was far to quick from the time she was mentioned by Kai to her showing up. He heard her neutral tone for the door, annoyance and anger on his face, he’d shoot Kai a look before pointing one of his hand guns at the door... already in the motion of being openned by Specter, and in the doorway stood the large draconian figure. Fieryone had seen a few of these about, never had the pleasure and privledge to work with them on a job. Though to her it should be quite obvious Fieryone didn’t like how she had entered, and just as Specter finished speaking he shot out his own comment, “Fast? No, if anything she had to have been outside that door already. I highly doubt she could have made it here within the small time span her friend called her here, and I do not take kindly to being spied on. So, tell me miss, what the hell were you doing outside my door.” He’d state flatly, still pointing the handgun at her. He wasn’t sure that if he actually fired a shot at her it would do anything, but hey, it made him feel safer. After all, he had no idea if these three were actually hunting him down or not, his constant state of paranoia kicking in as he waited for her answer.
-
Had any other crew member of his had a gun pointed at them he might worry. This was sarah though and the idea that a mere gun could take her down was funny. Did they even listen to anything he had said about her? He laughed in his head thankfully.
He waited for Sarah to answer, figuring that her explanation would not only be quick but good enough to finally get on with things. He wasnt the best in making plans really. He was more of the action type. All this planning was making him want to do something
-
The Cancer. The Cancer was where he was being sent. His heart sank as he thought the administrator called him down to release him, but was told that he needs to be studied further. He was to be shipped to the station in twenty-four hours, Shipped to more nosy humans who pass him around like some kind of joint. He thinks about his life as he is seated in the cargo bay of the ship, his painful memories easily overpowering the good ones.
"Why me? Why is it that I have to bear the title of 'Genetic Experiment'?" He sighs to himself in the back.
The transport hums to life and hovers before finally departing for the Cancer.
"Same shit, different day..." He reminds himself.
-
The handgun did not escape Sarah's notice as she listened to the strange being speak, mustering all her willpower to not behead the human on the spot. As a deliberate insult, however (as well as to hammer home the point that she did not consider him dangerous), she waited for the human to almost finish speaking to relieve him of his weapon, her tail blade at his throat, then waited for him to finish and her afterimage to disappear before responding. <For the record, twelve of your seconds is about three hours and twenty minutes for me, proportionally going by your divisions and measurements, which is plenty of time for me to get from anywhere on the station to here. Any other stupid, poorly-researched questions, or do you intend to actually get on with this hunt before the rehmata return to their caves? I'd like to kill these slavers before they have the chance to leave the station.>, Sarah snapped, teeth bared, <Also, next time you try to pull a gun on me, you're going to lose your arm, too. Third time you make that mistake, it'll be your head.>, she added, crushing the weapon with a combination of her strength and gravity magic. With the main irritation dealt with, Sarah turned her attention to Specter.
<I'm Sarah. Among the things Kai neglected to mention are my skills with magic, vastly superior speed, strength, armorlike scales, strong jaws, talons and knowledge of machines. Not to mention I can provide the internal damage we'll need to get inside from here, provided I know where exactly the ship is, and have access to the blueprints.>, Sarah explained, <Among other things. We'll be here way too long if I have to explain everything about myself.>.
-
The look on Specter's face was no longer pleasant. In less time than seemed possible he was at Fieryone's side, his scarlet eyes glaring up at Sarah. For just half a second he stood there, motionless -- for an average person that was a blink, but to the draconian it was the start of a staring contest. The corner of one eye twitched and Fieryone suddenly found himself pulled backwards a foot through the air -- just enough that the tail-blade was no longer at his throat, but far enough that Specter hadn't removed him from the exchange.
Eyes never leaving Sarah's -- despite how far back the diminutive mage had to look up to hold his gaze with hers -- Specter stepped deliberately into the very spot Fieryone had occupied a moment before, both placing himself in front of his friend and making the crest of his head just about level with Sarah's lethal appendage.
"Out of respect for your sense of time, I'll make this quick." And he meant it. Space distorted around the short mage's form, accelerating him relativistically compared to his surroundings. Since he was standing still, however, this just meant that his rate of speech was twice as fast -- a tangled blur of sound to the ears of Fieryone and possibly Kai, but to the draconian mechanic it would at least be closer to a pace she'd find comfortable.
"If you are all that and more, there was no need to do that to my friend. I'm not defending him pulling a gun on you, but you have a clear and present advantage in countless ways. I was under the impression restraint was a chief virtue for those of us with powers, a belief I try to live by. Otherwise, how can those without power ever trust those of us with it?"
The message was clear -- leave Fieryone be. Specter had no desire to stir trouble with their newest guest, but he wasn't about to let his oldest friend, paranoid and trigger-ready or not, get skewered. And if she wanted to hurt him, though he hoped she didn't, Sarah would have to go through him first.
Letting the flow of time around him return to normal, Specter turned and looked at Fieryone over his shoulder. His gaze was unusually despondent, disappointed even. "Maybe this was a mistake. I was hoping to get a team together, but within minutes of meeting each other half the group is ready to start shedding blood. Well, fine. We'll do this the simple way then." His eyes returned to looking at Sarah. "There are five people, half of them children, terrified and hoping beyond hope for someone to come and get them out of their nightmare. They're scared. They're desperate. And bounty or no, I intend to get them out and punish the people responsible."
Specter's eyes traveled from one face to another, then stepped out from his defensive spot in front of Fieryone and headed for the door with as much of an unpleasant stomping gait as his small form could muster, stopping in the doorway to address the room. "I'm going. I'm doing this. Any of you want to be a part of it, that's fine. But if you'd rather stay here waving weaponry around and slinging distrust into each others' faces, be my guests. You want to fight it out and see who's the last one standing, have at it! But if you've got the decency to put aside mistrust long enough to help some people -- and get paid well to do it -- then be at Jasper's Bar Grill & Armory tomorrow at 4pm, Cancer station time."
And with that, the small mage's cloak reappeared, unfurling around him from the shoulders down. The last the group would see of him was the hood being pulled up; not even the sound of footsteps in the hall were left to remind them of his presence. The three of them were alone now, to hash out their problems however they saw fit.
He exited the hotel the same way he'd come in, once more just a shadowy figure on the streets of a busy halfway-ramshackle space station. Walking silently past the vagabonds who attended the discreet hotel entrance, he blended with the flow of foot traffic for a few minutes before finding an alleyway and slumping against the wall with a groan and a sigh. This was not how he'd imagined his reunion with Daniel... not even close. The years had clearly hardened him, made him strong and independent -- characteristics the enigmatic mage could appreciate and respect, but which had also put no small distance between them. The boy who'd saved his life over a decade ago was now a man who asked questions down the barrel of a gun and looked askance at everyone who crossed his path. Neither had ever been what people would call starry-eyed optimists -- Fieryone was the child of what was effectively a refugee colony and Specter knew that to the eyes of most people he was just some strange-looking freak -- but in those early days they had both held hope. Hope that there were better things ahead of them, that out in the stars they would find... something. An opportunity. A chance to change their lives. Something better. He knew he still held to that hope -- Specter had seen a great deal while wandering since Haven, some good but mostly the grind of people just trying to get by and those with power grinding them down. It didn't seem like there was hope to be found... but surrendering to 'the way of things' wasn't his way.
Daniel, now Fieryone... he had changed. Maybe it was naive to think things would be the same. Still, he wanted to hope. Had to hope. Even if he wasn't sure in what. Right now it was mostly hope that the situation he'd left his mercenary friend in wouldn't escalate into bloodshed. He didn't think Sarah was a bad person, despite her aggressive overtones. The thought occurred to him that maybe she had been close by to keep an eye on Kai -- he had inferred she was like that.
Still, he wasn't entirely sure what to think anymore...
-
Fieryone felt the Handgun become knocked from his hand, before he even recognized it. As well as the tail blade coming up to his throat. All though his arm was out stretched and bladed tail to his throat his eyes would read to her, “And I am not afraid of you” back, not even flinching when she crushed one of his handguns, and for all her talk of ‘superiority’ all it showed to Fieryone was she was acting nothing more than a beast. Of course, his face would change to one of surprise when he was suddenly lifted into the air and sent back a few feet away from the tail blade arm, and in his place stood Specter. He recollected his wits, and of course the remains of his handgun in the short few seconds it took the two of them to have their conversation. Not that he knew what was going on. To him it just seemed that space around them was warpped somehow, he assumed it was by the odd shimmering around the two of them.
Of course it was when the shimmering ended and the small mage game him the look of Disappointment that would draw out a raised brow. Fieryone had no idea why he was getting this look, to him it seemed his response to her abnormally quick appearance was warranted. Of course it was the speech that made the look clear to him, and inside there was a twinge of anger sparking wihtin him, He didn’t say anything as to Specter as he left, but who was he to judge him on his behavior? Yes, he would admit at one point they were friends, and yes they had fought beside each other when Haven had been under attack, but that time had passed and they had gone their separate ways. He’d been through his own personal hell ever since they had seperated, and it was rather unfair
-
Yet another conflict that Kai wasn't directly involved with. Still in his opinion all this fighting was pointless. They were there to help resucue kids after all. The distrust and guns being waved and crushed and magic time bubbles, was not only petty but a waste of time in his opinion. Although the display of peoples abilities was impressive and did make him feel a little uneeded honestly. Everyone on his team was amazing where as he just faded into the backdrop.
He looked at Sarah and Fieryone with a slightly annoyed look on his face and sighed. "Well I'll leave you both to hash it out or whatever it is. None of my business. I just think you to are wasting your time. Doesn't really mater who's abilities are better or who could murder who. What does mater is getting those children out of harms way. The fact that im getting paid to do that is a bonus at this point"
He walked out of the hotel, intending to use the time to relax a bit and prepare for the up coming mission. Although his version of relaxing involved a joint and a trance cd, and he relaxed more than he should, he awoke ready for the mission. He even got to the bar a tad early to eat a cheeseburger. Sitting on the bar stool his tail flicking back and forth in excitement. Today was going to be fun.
-
Sarah met the glare with one of her own, the staring contest as good as a struggle for dominance to her, one she, being a female and the room's apex predator, was not about to lose. Her unblinking stare carried with it a subtle note of contempt, one which became more overt with what he had to say to her.
<It's not about who has the advantage. It's the fact that some weak, slow, fragile little human forgot its place on the food chain and decided to point a weapon at me. It doesn't matter if it was a rotting twig, it's the intent that I have a problem with.>, she growled at Specter and Fieryone privately, <You want restraint? His head's still attatched, isn't it? Not that it matters. Out of respect for the fact that you consider that human to be your friend,>, the fact that the comment wasn't accompanied by the snort she would normally have added spoke volumes about her perception of Specter, <I'll keep my opinion of its intelligence and perceptiveness to myself. That said, keep it on a very short figurative leash. If you or it don't keep that human in line, I will.>. Her answer was clear: Fieryone would determine his own fate.
Sarah held Specter's gaze throughout the little speech, her expression growing more and more irritated with each word. He was right, of course, in what he's addressed, and some small part of her recognised that, but it was the way he said it that resulted in several slashes appearing on the floor, wall, and ceiling nearest her as she lashed out at them in an attempt to vent her growing anger. <You had damned well better be sure they'll still be there by the time we start this, or well offworld by the time they're gone. If I miss this chance to kill them...>, she let the sentence hang, the predatory growl accompanying the words speaking for itself.
<As usual, you miss the point completely. Either pay attention to what's going on around you, or don't comment.>, Sarah snapped privately at Kai before disappearing.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sarah ate as she waited at a table in the back of the bar, a table the other patrons gave wide berth to as they passed by it, trying not to notice the human curled up in the fetal position on the floor next to it, mouth open in silent agony as he suffered through the effects of her tail blade's venom, his mistake having been hitting on her. On the table next to her plate sat two coolant-stained uniforms she'd made with the insignia of her old shop on them, a shop she occasionally tended to when she had free time while the Sassy Juice was in port, one each in Kai and Fieryone's approximate sizes, as well as small cubes on top of each. She'd also taken the liberty of getting as close a look at the Scornful Embrace as she could without risking discovery, and had already worked out several ways she could disable it discreetly. In front of her plate was a datapad with schematics visible on it, which she studied as she ate.
-
~ S C E N E M U S I C ~ (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CugP4MaWl0)
Jasper's was something of an oddity, even by Cancer standards. The very fact that one business was willing to sell firearms and hard drink under the same roof was enough to make some think that the owner had to be unhinged, impractically trusting, or simply an eccentric of unusual caliber. The regulars, however, knew better. Anybody who made trouble in Jaspers didn't for long -- if you were lucky you got shoved out the back into a pile of trash bags, and if you weren't you ended up in much the same place... minus a pulse and whatever was in your pockets. Besides which, Jasper -- whom all of the workers freely talked about but no one ever actually saw -- clearly wasn't stupid. Weapons, booze, and food could flow freely in the restaurant... but ammo, power packs, and codes for the locks on any and every blade were strictly delivery-only. It made Jasper's... lively and quite "colorful".
Fortunately for Sarah, no one on site -- not the employees, not the cyborg bouncers, not even the grisly mercs who frequented the joint -- were crazy enough to mess with a draconian who'd already done a number on the dumb drunken schmuck who'd tried his luck with her. Kai was similarly unharassed, perhaps because most of the people in the bar weren't eager to start any kind of trouble that Sarah might jump in on, even oblivious as they were to the connection the two shared.
And when Specter walked in, concealing cloak pulled up to hide his face, several of the less confident thugs hastily finished their drinks, paid up, and walked out. The short mage glanced around for a moment before spotting the two fellow non-humans he'd met the day before, raising an eyebrow slightly that they weren't sitting together before shrugging mentally and letting it slip from his attentions. There were more important priorities right then, anyway. Notably, there was no sign of Fieryone yet -- the crimson-eyed astromancer cursed himself inwardly, part of him already sure that with the way things had gone the day before his childhood friend had gladly blown him off. It was only in hindsight that Specter had considered how pretentious and self-righteous he'd sounded in yesterday's confrontation... and for all he knew, Fieryone had every reason to suspect danger and betrayal around every corner. One doesn't preach trust to a man expecting a knife in his back, after all.
He approached Sarah at her table, taking only a moment to glance at her handiwork and sarcastically inquire "Friend of yours?" with a slight nod towards the slumped and clearly not well man. Specter breathed in deeply and sighed before adding "I know we got off on the wrong foot yesterday. I personally don't care if you were outside the door listening in somehow, as long as you're on the up-and-up where this job is concerned. As for my friend..." He cast his gaze towards the door. "I don't claim to know what's going on with him, exactly. It's been several years, and I guess we don't understand each other the way we used to. In any case, whether he joins us for this or not, I'm glad you and Kai are here."
Specter gestured towards the uniforms and cubes. "Looks like you've been busy. Hope I haven't kept you waiting long."
-
Fieryone was the last one to arrive at the bar. Late, because certain draconic being, in his own opinion, was acting like a high-and-mighty-does-no-wrong-because-she-is-the-superior-being, crushed one of his own weapons. Which sent him on a hunt for a replacement, cutting further into this his already dwindling funds. He really did not like her, in fact he was hoping that she wouldn’t show up, but there sitting at the back of the bar Data-pads strewn about in front of her. He grimaced, while Jasper’s would have made the point of his moot, the hunt itself gave him an excuse to avoid her for as long as possible, even hoping so far as to make him waste so much of her time that she would give up and leave.
It didn’t work, oh bother.
Of course, nearby her was Specter and Kai, not surprising since Kai was with her. Nor was Specter, since hew as the one who was putting this little mission together. He let out a small sigh to himself before moving into the bar, openly carrying his duffel bag across his back as he moved further into the bar, getting little response from the workers there, considering the establishment it wasn’t surprising. Of course as he got closer, he noted the Drunken slob he was now out cold close to Sarah. Obviously he pissed her off, Fieryone shrugged, not even perturbed by it. It was his own fault anyway. He placed the duffel bag on the counter, crossing his arms, and remained silent. He was here to work, not to make pleasantries, those could come after the mission… provided he even wanted to make them, which usually he didn’t. The only person here he even had an inkling of wanting to talk to was the smaller being, Specter, who he was technically standing behind him. Catching the last bit of what he was saying about him, “Whats happened to me over the years is my business, but if you must know, its been running, lots of running. That is all I’m going to say right now.” Fieryone would say, going back to being silent.
-
Kai started looking at the blue prints and such on the table, clearly interested in them. He liked knowing how things worked, why things worked, and how to improve on things. He might not be the most experienced mechanic but at least he really enjoyed what he was doing.
Kai smiled briefly "No problem". He liked be useful too.
He understood the uniforms obviously but tilted his head at the cube. He remembered the computer paper but the cube seemed new to him. He looked at it wondering what it was for a second and figuring that it may be some crew equipment data pad or some weapon he had never seen before, didnt comment. In regards to the uniforms though, he was sad to find that they didnt come with hats. He could brush his hair into a spikey mess or flatten his ears down, hopefully that would be enough. Neko's werent rare but not a commen thing to see either. Course on Cancer, there wasn't a normal really.
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<I don't care what that human's history is, or what you think happened yesterday. I care about a group of beings that will soon be dead, unless your friend's inability to adhere to a simple meeting time allows them to escape, at which point that human's present will become part of that history. Though I'm sure there is a perfectly valid explanation for making those poor children wait for their rescuers.>, Sarah responded, teeth partially bared. <Shut up before I shut you up.>, she snapped to the drunk on the floor as he made a strangled cry halfway between a scream and a moan.
<Now that we're all here,>, Sarah began privately to the group as soon as Fieryone arrived, ignoring Kai's examination of her datapad for the moment, <I suggest we get started. While you were all doing whatever it was you were wasting time on, >, a glare at Fieryone added an implied 'specifically, the human' to the remark, <I decided to get some prep work done. Kai, brakja, these are our way in. The cubes are copies of the multi-tool I use in my work. Or, rather, so it actually looks like I'm doing work. Apparently, most people can't accept that I have ways of seeing what the problem is without having to check the computer or take things apart. They're biometrically locked, so you'll have to register them. Press the blue button, then follow the directions on the holoscreen. If you can't manage that,>, another look at Fieryone, <You aren't capable enough to use them anyway. As for the uniforms, I'm sure I don't need to explain how those work, do I? Needless to say, that duffel bag is a risk. Unless you think a group paranoid idiots on the run won't notice and check such an obvious place to hide weapons, I suggest picking one or two you can easily conceal.>, no look was needed this time, <I've also studied the blueprints of the ship.>, Sarah tapped the datapad, bringing up a three-dimensional image of the ship, <If you insist on going through the vents, this is a map of the system.>, another tap highlighted the various shafts within the ship. With a glance at Specter, she continued, <Still think you can get through them?>. Sarah paused to let him answer.
[Note: The cubes have been modified specifically for Kai and Fieryone and log fingerprints, retinas, voiceprint, DNA (taken via a simple finger prick), a hair sample, and brainwave sample.]
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(OOC: Hey all, sorry my post has taken so long. Things've been pretty ballistic on my end the last few weeks... and I'm currently getting ready to head to the airport and fly out of the country for two weeks, so while I'm not saying I won't have a post up during that time I figured it was only right to let you all know that it might be a week or so yet. Sorry again for the delay -- I promise we'll get this rolling again soon.)