Ex-Military Dog for hire. [open]

[masonwolf]

[2 days after finding the Wolfen Exile fleet]

It was another day in the bar for the only Wolfen on the station, the others went to their new home to start a independent colony. Mason was just playing a game of darts but replacing the darts with knives and with a bunch of humans who thought they were better.

"Come on lads, show me how you all handle a blade" The Wolfen chuckled before throwing a knife and hitting the center of a emblem he put up on the board. it was the flag of the Wolfen Republic... a nation he used to love and now hated.

The other humans tried but failed one after the other, one of the men didn't like losing his earnings and tried to tackle the large beast-man to the ground only to hug his side awkwardly. "Rule one for going up against a Wolfen, we're much heavier and stronger than a normal man." He said lifting the man up and putting him in a seat and gave him a sarcastic pat on the head before taking his usual booth seat with his whiskey that never made him drunk and a datapad full of job offers but none of what he was looking for. he wanted to fly with a group in his small fighter and be on a ship as a weapons or navigation specialist.

He watched the door into the bar and waited for a true job to walk in.

[nephero]

It was perhaps lucky that the human's comrades were too drunk or too amused (or both) to really do much more than laugh at their friend's humiliation. The man in question had turned an ugly sort of puce in his fury, but any retaliation was deemed thoroughly unwise. Muttering about aliens not being worth his time, he contented himself with sulking into another drink.

The little bit of violence over with, the rest of the bar's patrons continued their adventures in inebriation with great gusto. A few sat in quiet corners in order to better conduct their business, and paid the Wolfen no mind even as he passed them in his way to his favourite booth. For a while, it looked like this would be another disappointing night.

The bar doors chose that exact minute to fly open, thin metal clanging loudly like some kind of providence. Two men stepped in, one after the other, and while the first seemed to be ignorant of the glare he was receiving from the bartender, the second at least had the sense to look contrite for the noisy entrance.

The pair made their way to the bar, ordered their drinks, and promptly sat down in the booth behind the lone Wolfen's own. They clinked their glasses together, before draining half the contents in a single swig.

"Good haul today. Cheers."

"Woulda been better," griped the first man, as he set his hat to the side on the table. "'Cept we're--"

"Short-staffed," finished the taller of the pair, giving a grimace, "You know we can't do much, not as we are. We're short a gunner, mama's taken over piloting, it's all shit. We gotta weigh risk versus payload, otherwise--"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, King, I get it, we all get it. Don't mean it doesn't piss eggs."

"Yeah, well, hopefully it'll pick up soon."

"Hopefully the next asshole knows how to duck. I swear, I still find teeth layin' around from time to time."

"That's disgusting, what the hell--"

"You ain't the one findin' the shit, man! How do you think I feel?"

[masonwolf]

He watched the two before taking a drink of his whiskey and releasing a small puff of fire from his mouth. he listened closely and liked what he heard, a dangerous group looking for extra men, this might just be the ticket he was looking for. A group of mercs walked in and the Wolfen grabbed his stuff and stood up letting the group to take his seat and walked over to the two men; towering over them with his large size.

"Sorry to interrupt lads, but I heard you're short on staff... may I sit with you two?" he asked with both of his ears perked up with anticipation. he was dressed in a armored Pilot jumpsuit resembling closely to Japanese samurai armor.

[nephero]

At first, the two seemed thoroughly wrapped up in their conversation--argument?-- to notice the Wolfen's approach, but the closer he got, the harder he became to ignore. The one with the hat half-glanced to his side, and then did a very exaggerated double-take, his dark eyes open wide.

"Zara's Bones, that's a big dog!" he yelped, which earned him a sharp hiss from the other, redheaded man.

"Shut your mouth for two damn seconds, would you?" the one called King shifted in his seat, scooting further in in order to make room. "Ignore my brother, he's an idiot; have a seat."

At the very least, the other had the common decency to look apologetic for his outburst, partially sulking into his drink. King leaned forward, gesturing at a passing waiter for another round, before focusing on the Wolfen once more.

"Yeah, we've got a few openings, depending on what you're after," King said, his dark eyes flicking over the Wolfen's armor, visibly calculating.

"And depending on how you stack up," chimed in the other, his drink finished just in time for the fresh round.

[masonwolf]

He chuckled at the younger one's comment and sat down, he looked at the two brothers seeing the resemblance. he watched the waiter walk past and listened to King's words. "I'm just trying to find a job involving piloting, weapons or navigating around dangerous areas." he said before He drank what's left of his whiskey and let out a small puff of fire as it entered his flaming gut. " I just want that pump of adrenaline I used to have back when I fought in the Wolfen Civil War."

He noticed King looking at his armor and took a shoulder piece off and put it on the table next to his drink"Titanium grade V armor, this stuff can stop most laser and mid caliber rounds." he chuckled remembering the last time someone punched his armor, shattered the poor lad's bones and made him cry like a newborn pup.

[nephero]

The elder, King, looked more than a little relieved that the Wolfen wasn't offended, though that didn't stop him from giving his brother a very solid kick to the shins under the table. Still, he didn't waste too much time abusing his brother's legs, very much interested in what the Wolfen had to say.

"Piloting, huh...? Yeah, yeah we can use one of those..." King reached out to touch at the shoulder piece, pulling it towards himself to get it into better light.

"And we wholeheartedly guarantee adrenaline." added his brother, this time with a wide grin. "Buckets of it, if you can stomach where it's comin' from."

"You'll be on temp shares to start, until you're settled in more regularly. Impress us and in a few months it'll be up to full pilot's. If you get that far, we'll be docking back here again, and you can choose if you want to hop off or keep on. Deal?"

[masonwolf]

The Wolfen smiled and slouched in his seat making him a tad bit shorter than he looks. "I fly a fighter which I have docked right now and a corvette in the main Wolfen fleet... but that sounds good to me." he was about to get up but something he forgot caught his mind "Er... I should inform you that Wolfens tend to change gender every three to four months... so, yeah." He got out of the booth and grabbed his shoulder piece once King was done looking at it.

"So, Who's the captain because I get the feeling neither of you are the captain, and what kind of ship is it?"

[nephero]

"A fighter, eh?" King rubbed at his chin, considering for a long moment before he simply shrugged. "Deal."

The pair stopped in their motions, however, King mid-stretch and his brother mid-drink, at the little revelation. They looked at one another, as if silently asking each other just what that change necessarily meant, before simultaneously seeming to decide on 'aliens' and leave it at that.

"Shouldn't be a problem, unless changing gender involves somehow making it impossible to fly." King slid out of the booth after their guest, and gave a sour scowl when his brother began whooping with laughter.

"Shit, no, we ain't either of us the captain, though he tries to act it, don't he?" the younger of the pair wiped at his eyes, even as he firmly planted his hat back on his head. "C'mon, man, let's bring him to her."

King hid his ire by paying their tabs, and stalked out of the bar, his brother still muffling little chuckles here and there while gesturing for the Wolfen to follow. They hit the docks shortly enough, winding their way through rushing automated loaders and similarly rushing crewmen, all the way towards the furthest docks and one hell of an ugly patchwork of a ship.

As if trying to nip any criticism in the bud, King cleared his throat, and gestured up at the ship's edifice. "She looks like something stitched together, but she's got state of the art guts. Can turn on a pinhead if you need her to, and uh, well. We usually do."

His brother darted forward then, pressing the comm to get buzzed in, and the cargo ramp dropped to admit the trio inside. Already waiting for them was an older human woman, her eyes narrowed and every line of her guarded, especially when she got a look at the brothers' guest.

"Name."

"...Uh." the pair chorused, and the younger visibly grimaced at their mistake.

"You two telling me you brought someone to our ship, and you didn't even get his fuckin' name?"

"Mmmaybe...?" the younger offered, as King was too involved in looking mortified to really answer.

"Iim Zara save me from you fools," the woman muttered, already climbing down the ladder to hit the cargo bay floor proper. She still looked guarded, though now interested, her arms folded over her chest as she circled the Wolfen. "Name."

[masonwolf]

"Don't worry, the only difference is that one is more moody than the other." he chuckled before following the two to the hanger. when they got there he let out a loud whistle in admiration, he looked at the many patches and the ship as a whole before the woman came down and began questioning them. He immediately stood at attention like he was back in the military.

"Mason of house Stormclaw, sub name Cleo, Ma'am"

[nephero]

"Well, House Stormclaw," the woman began, still circling but visibly reacting to the Wolfen standing at attention. Her tone even changed, from harsh distrust to simply distrust, and it was clear she was very much enjoying the sensation of being in command.

"Just what have these two lured you here for?"

"He's lookin' for work, mama-- ma'am." The younger corrected himself, though that did nothing to alleviate the sharp look she gave him.

"Work?" She asked, turning her attention back onto the Wolfen. "And why should I hire you, Stormclaw? Where's my benefit?"

[masonwolf]

"You'll get the best damn helmsman on this station, a marine who will kill on a snap of a finger and someone who knows every maneuver, system, and ship in the Wolfen Defense Fleet." He responded as he watched her closely seeing almost every danger she was to him, she had the muscle to take him down, and probably the training to kill a man where he stood too.

 

[nephero]

"Ooh, confident, are we?" she all but cooed, though when she finally circled to face him again, it was clear she was pleased. "I hope, for your sake, what you say is true. I take it you told him about his pay? You didn't leave that part out, did you?"

She was addressing King, then, who snapped to attention and nodded. "Yes, ma'am, temp shares until pilot grade."

"Good, good. Well then, Master Stormclaw, welcome to the Skeleton Grin. You may address me as Captain Mean, or ma'am. Zaro."

The younger brother jolted a bit, and stepped forward.

"Show the good sir to his station, and his bunk." With that, the captain stalked off, taking the elevator back up to the upper decks. Zaro cleared his throat, glancing at his brother, who looked as if he were thoroughly busy kicking himself.

"So, yeah, okay, this is the cargo, and home is this-a-way." He led the Wolfen up the short elevator, to the upper decks, which were not much more furnished than anything else, but definitely more lived-in. "Side's the mess, attached kitchen. We take turns cooking. Just ahead is the armoury-slash-workshop-slash-medbay, I'd recommend washin' your hands every few minutes in there, and on the right are the quarters. Pick an empty bunk, most of the rooms're free up. Aaand this is where you'll be workin'."

They took a small set of stairs upwards, past a set of twin doors and into the cockpit.

"Like we said, she's old and patchwork, but pretty standard otherwise. You'll be focusin' on this, the other two consoles back here are for the main guns. That'll be me an' King, right before a boarding. Anythin' else?"

[masonwolf]

 Mason nodded toward Captain Mean and followed Zaro into the ship and through the it's corridors until they reached the bridge. he walked around and looked at the controls, not what he's used to but he's been known to adapt quickly. "It'll take me a while to adapt to the controls and the feel of the ship but It seems basic to me... Who else is in the crew?" he asked wanting to know his co-workers who he will spend the next few days with.

[nephero]

"I kinda figured, though if you don't wanna like, get snide remarks from everyone and their grandma, I would try studyin' up in your off time?" Zaro gave a little shrug, as if that really mattered little to him either way, which would be the truest statement ever told. "She's actually pretty uncomplicated, once you get to know her. Shit means what it means."

At the question about the crew, he had the decency to look a little embarrassed. "Well... you met most of us already. It's me, Kin, the Captain, and Theo, our medic. We pick up a merc or two when we got a big job planned, but for the most part we've had to stick to small hauls."

He went to sit in one of the gunners' chairs, then, his hands folded behind his head as he leaned back. "So what's the deal with you? If you're this hotshot, what're you outta that fleet for? You fuck up?"

[masonwolf]

"Nah, I didn't screw up." He chuckled as he sat down in the pilot seat and pulled up the main controls to study them. very similar to Wolfen cruiser controls so he would have an easy time with the ship. "I... well, you can say that I retired but they forced my early retirement." he raised his hands like he was going to give a prayer to a thousand people and spoke in a sarcastic deep voice " We need room for the Pups just out of the academy... But It's not bad, gotta keep my gear and ship so it was a good deal."

He typed away at the controls until he opened up the camera's to the medbay/armory/Workshop "Looks like the Medic is doin'... something..."

[nephero]

"Well, shit, I'd be pretty pissed, too." Zaro conceded, swiveling his hair back and forth in an idle motion. He grimaced a bit at the mention of the medic, shaking his head near furiously. "Listen, if my mother's in there, too, I do not wanna know, I don't--"

Still, he got up to investigate, looking tense the whole while until he got a good look at the medbay view. He squinted at the grainy feed, as if that would make the picture any clearer. Just what the hell was even-- what the hell was that?

Something was probably the only way to describe it. Theo was not a small man by any definition of the word, and yet this thing seemed to be stretching well beyond him, lengthy tendrils lashing out to smack him in the head before shrinking back down to try and escape his grip.

"What in the fuck? Aw, hell." Theo was gesturing at the camera, then, a clear plea for some assistance, and Zaro pulled his pistol out from the holster at his hip. "Alright, looks like one'a the eggs hatched early. You wanna stick here, or you wanna help put the thing down?"

[masonwolf]

He looked at the feed and licked his chops "ah~ a Dorku'rr'ar Cuoovou... Many famous dishes on Santoria are made with it." he got out of his seat and pulled out a rather bulky handgun from his holster, it was painted blue and white like his armor. he took the lead and got into position at the side of the door "Aim for the central mass of the Dorku'rr'ar which is the massive blob of thin flesh and organs."

He waited for Zaro to open the door before following him in with his Pistol humming to life.

[nephero]

"Dorku--wha..." Zaro made a face at the unfamiliar word, though he visibly perked up at the notion that they could, in fact, eat the thing that was currently attempting to grope their medic to death. He followed Mason out of the cockpit and down the short steps to the armory, his own pistol at the ready.

He gave a nod at the instructions, waiting for Mason to signal he was ready. Once he did, Zaro slapped the door lock, the door sliding open with a low creak. It was enough noise to catch the Dorku'rr'ar's attention, and Theo barely hit the deck before Zaro pumped a few rounds center mass.

"Fucking--fuck, shoot it, not me!"

"Then keep your damn head down!"

[masonwolf]

Mason went in after Zaro and fired at the mass of tentacles several times and got close enough to pull his combat blade out and stab it; making it spazz out before all of it's arms fell to the ground. he took his blade and cut one of the shorter arms off and bit into it with ease " Personally I would have let it molest him, video tape it, and live off of the royalty... And these are better raw than cooked" he chuckled before biting into the tentacle on his sword. his hand roamed the dead body until he found the bullets to his and Zaro's guns and pulled them out, Mason's was more of a slug than anything that seemed to have been ripped off a piece of metal. " Hm... Still firing old black powder weapons?"

[nephero]

Both Theo and Zaro made faces, though for entirely different reasons. Zaro looked as if he were going to be mildly ill at the thought of eating anything tentacle-y raw, even after Mason demonstrated that it could, in fact, be done.

That didn't make him any keener to try it himself, however.

Theo just seemed completely horrified at the idea of being man-handled by the beast any longer than he had to, and instead of taking his ire out on the (very very large) Wolfen, he leveled an angry stare at Zaro.

"You ever do that, and I'm letting you bleed the next time you're stupid enough to stand in a grenade blast. You get me?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, don't get your briefs in a knot, man." Zaro waved him off, and moved towards the felled beast and Mason. "What can I say? I got a weakness for the sound of the old stuff."