Futuristic The Monsters (closed)

Piekkuri made his way into the back of the bar with his robotic companion at his side, drawing looks from surprised or perhaps xenophobic humans that sat at various tables or at the bar itself. The establishment that the Vardan found himself in was quite nice, in fact, it seemed too nice to be a bar and the furnishing of the business reflected the expensive location and wealthy patronage as the wood that the tables and bar were constructed of were made out of a fine grain that must have cost a small fortune to import to the city. Additionally, the price tags of the drinks and the specials of the day that had been written upon a chalkboard behind the bar added to the aura of wealth and privilege that surrounded the place, as each item seemed to be exorbitant in the pricing and not worth the expenditure for the common person, but obviously the rich patrons of the upscale place didn't mind shelling out large amounts of money in order to appear more affluent to their, no doubt, privileged friends.


Piekkuri had left his sword with the security at the front door as weapons were not allowed within the premises, but the man had failed to check the interior storage space of the squat robot that followed him, or the four bags it carried with it's four small and claw tipped arms. Within the bags and within the central storage space of the simple carrier were Piekkuri's personal affects, basic things such as clothing and toiletries, along with his armor, his ranged and close quarters weapons, and various pieces of equipment and explosive devices that the Vardan warrior used if the job called for it. If the door man had checked the bags, Piekkuri doubted that he would have been allowed within the place to begin with, but luckily for him, the bouncer couldn't see past the ancient and esteemed viblade that the Vardan carried on his hip.


Piekkuri could make out the woman as she sat mulling over a glass of water, it was distasteful in the warriors eyes, perhaps humans had different customs, but Vardans always bought something when they entered an establishment as a gesture of goodwill towards the host, even if the meeting was only for a few minutes. Piekkuri subdued the judgement that was probably crossing his features, and as he did so the grey Vardan moved slickly through several crowds of departing customers before sitting down at the table in front of the woman. By human standards she was an attractive mate for a human male who possessed a good genetic code. In fact, some rare degenerate Vardans and degenerates from other races would have found her attractive and would have attempted to make a pass at the woman, but Piekkuri viewed the human form as oddly shaped, fleshy and pale, the way that humans were put together was clunky and strange, and furthermore, the amount of fat on their bodies was odd. What purpose did cumbersome amounts of extra weight even have at this point in the race's existence? Piekkuri knew that the answer was that the extra weight was used for storage for times of starvation, but that went to show Piekkuri's point, humans were less evolved then most other races, for what purpose did extra storage wight serve in a reality where food was in abundance and had been so for hundreds of years. Humans were as inefficient physically as they were mentally, it was a wonder how they had left the now polluted origin planet that they called Earth, a planet that Piekkuri had had the displeasure of visiting on one occasion.


Piekkuri flattened his shirt as he sat down before crossing his fingers and resting his forearms on the dark wooden table, clearing his throat quietly as he did so. "Piekkuri is my name, warrior of Varda and veteran of many wars. As I am commanded to be here by my superiors, before the mission's completion is assured, my services are yours to have" said the Vardan in a waterfall of words that flowed from his mouth. The Vardans original tongue was a flowing and song like language where one word flowed into the next and his manner of speaking remained the same as he spoke the common tongue of the humans.

She looked the alien up and down. He looked cold and distant, not like someone you would want at your birthday party. As he spoke she crossed her arms and tried to appear bigger. She decided she was going to give it to him strait and tough, hopefully he could respect that. "Piekkuri, let me make one thing clear. I have heard the rumors about the... distaste you feel for humans and for women." She spoke slowly and carefully, "Let me assure you that if you, even once, during this mission, express any hostility to my crew," she leaned in close, "I will turn you into a seat cover for my captains chair." She leaned back, "My mission is to stop this threat, and if you don't think you can help, then stay here." She delivered a final, bittersweet smile and waited for his response. She was satisfied, short and sweet.

If Piekkuri could respect one aspect of the woman's attitude, it was the forthcoming nature of her words, she didn't mince her meanings by watering down her statements with roundabout phrases to ease tension. She had a blunt personality and one thing that the Vardans respected over all else was honesty. Piekkuri could tell that she had spent time in the field and while the Vardan would probably have trouble mixing with all of the humans aboard the vessel, this one wouldn't be too much of a problem. In response to her words, Piekkuri cracked a grin and began to laugh, his laugh was like that of most Vardans, a mixture of slight purring mixed with a raspy and musical like noise that expunged from the back of his throat, and as his mouth opened, his extremely large fangs were presented to the woman. By Vardan standards his maw was an impressive sight, and similar to his fangs, his physical frame was impressive. The average height of a Vardan was around five six to five seven , and Piekkuri stood roughly five foot ten. He was a physical specimen and his frame aided him in combat greatly as his strength was superior to other Vardans. After his laugh died down he made strong eye contact with the woman, his piercing glare adding weight to the words he was about to say.


"When I was but a young Vardan warrior, a human offshoot, a group of savages that controlled several planets, raided our outer boarders, attacking several of our colonies, destroying defenseless cargo ships and pillaging both our trade routes and our newly formed colonies. Not only were my warrior brothers slayed by the invaders. Vardeens and kits died by the thousands, their lives snuffed out by hateful humans. So we invaded their holes of piracy, they fell to our armies but not without loss, not without bloodshed on both sides. When we liberated the colonies they had taken from us, we found the flayed skins of our brothers, used to decorate the halls they had robbed from us, it was on that day I saw the nature of humans at it's most base form. My dislike for your race is well founded, your kind is a savage one, unrefined, dishonorable, but my dislike is also objective, there are those among your kind worthy of respect, if your crew is one of loyalty, respect and honor, there will be no conflict" he said in his melodic and flowing fashion.


As Piekkuri finished the story he broke his glance and looked towards a passing hostess, raising his hand so that she would stop as she passed the table. "One coffee , black" he said in a businesslike tone, before turning back to the woman, waiting for her response.

Doe knew the history of the Vardan and the humans, and looking back she regretted saying the part about skinning him and making him into a seat cover.


She couldn't deny the fact that humans were violent, and had been from the very beginning of their existence. She couldn't deny the fact that what we did to their people was wrong. She wasn't quite sure how to respond to him. He laughed, and then told a very sad tale. She didn't pretend to understand him. Doe figured he was much smarter than her (but she would never admit it outloud), so it would be a useless practice.


"Piekkuri, I am not a pirate. I'm not a barbarian, I'm a Sentinel. You're dealing with the Human Alliance, we are not savage. I respect you and your history but frankly, I'm offended. The human race may be violet but take a look at our history. Humans are curious and hopeful, always wanting to know more. We all Look for love and peace, and to make our place among the collective that is Humans. Learn to see something from our side. Our technology has been advancing by leaps and bounds ever since we were hunting Mammoths with spears. Yes we've had some bumps in the road but we have always strode to find what is morally good and to do what benefits our fellow man. And while it doesn't affect your performance in battle, you have a very ignorant picture of humans. Should you choose to accompany us, I will change that. And maybe you'll see that I'm not hunting these things to protect humans, I'm hunting these things because no other species will." Doe finished with a sigh and pulled a chip out of her pocket and set it down on the table as a question, maybe even a dare.

Piekkuri took the chip from the table and slickly placed it into his chest pocket before replying to the human captain. "Humanities violent nature is not my qualm, my qualm is the motivations behind the actions of many members of your species, but to be blunt captain, your explanation and your rationalizations are unnecessary. I am commanded to be here, my honor is at stake and I will aid your campaign to the best of my abilities. My skills at the art of war are yours, but know this captain, I will be watching your crew, you know as well as I that your kind is susceptible to outside influences and corruption, if I see weakness within your ranks, you will be informed of it" said the Vardan in a calm tone, meeting the woman with a piercing glare as he spoke, before the woman could respond, the waitress returned with his brewed drink, placing the cup and its plate on a coaster. He looked towards the waitress and nodded his head before thanking her, returning his eyes to the captain as the server walked away.

Axel stopped on the street side. His plasma gun was quick draw accessible, hidden under his leather jacket. A spider scurried across the sidewalk. Dark and long-legged. Axel's expression went blank. He lifted his boot and ground his toe into the spider. The crunching sound made him breath out a release. "Disgusting--stupid--worthless--freakin' bugs. How many of your kind do I have to kill?" If anything the bystanders on Pride either ignored him or stared in Axel's direction with a calculated air.


His mess of curly black hair, jacket, and smirk were his signature in the criminal underworld. Axel Grishiam slumped into his jacket pockets. The lining was soft, the outside sleek. He strolled alongside the local businesses. The ship pass the Captain tossed him sat in his pocket. It was fortunate he would leave Pride soon. Stay in a place too long and people started noticing you. That's when assassins showed up.


There was a woman on the street that he noticed immediately. Her face rung a bell and he knew enough to be wary of her if little else. Axel moved to intersect the woman. "How's it going?" He asked. Whatever else, conversation come to him naturally. Too instantly in some cases. His contact gave him info--just a photo in some cases--of the other members of Team Roslyn Doe.


"I think we have a lot in common." Axel flicked out his chip to Doe's ship. "My name's Axel. It looks like we're going to be working together soon." @Pasha

Long fingers outstretched from Atak's hand as she took the chip given to her from Doe, holding it between her middle and ring finger. She smirked with satisfaction, her eyes lingering as the captain strode away, a woman on a mission, most likely finding the rest of the crew. She looked around, realizing that these were her last free moments for a while to come. Her lips held a bittersweet smile now, the corners of her lips in a slight snarl. With that, she began to slowly wander around the shops and such, not helping but think about her new crew.


The roll of her eyes signified Atakcha's annoyed and bitter persona as she heard a man address her. "Here we go..." She was expecting some old... "affiliates," from her past coming back to haunt her, but to her surprise, said man was no one she had seen before. She lifted and eyebrow, hand on her hip, eyeing him up and down. "Oh..?" She questioned when he said they had something in common. That's when she saw the chip he possessed, similar to that of her own. "Ah... I see." She smirked out the side of her lips, "Well it is a pleasure to meet you.. Axel. My name is Atakcha."


@Cross_Rhodes

Doe leaned back and pursed her lips. She looked down at her lap and nodded quickly. "Okay. See you on the ship then." She wasn't looking forward to working closely with this one, and she had a feeling preaching to him about humanity wasn't going to have an u. He would just have to make the judgment for himself. She stood up and looked down at him for a second, "Be there by the end of the day please." and she walked out.

Axel stalled a moment. The time it took for him to decide expressing sympathy that her parents named her Atakcha was an unwise decision. Axel felt the gnaw of a withdrawal building up. He retrieved a piece of candy from his pocket and unraveled it. Caramel drops were another necessity to stock up on before he bordered the ship. "That's original. Hard to forget." He said and grinned. "And your specialty is... ?" Axel trailed off though he already had his suspicions. He slumped against the wall beside her.


"Want a caramel drop?" Axel offered her a plastic wrapped square from his pocket. For the sake of politeness. Other than shoot-outs, they were his favorite thing.


Atakcha seemed more like him than the captain. Her vibe echoed a certain class of criminal, an elite; cold and calculating. They were probably more similar than not. It left him relieved in a way. Axel wasn't the only terrible person on the crew. "Is this your first time visiting Pride?" He asked. "It's a bit of a hell hole, but some people are drawn to that." For once, Axel wasn't talking about himself. As much as he thrived in that kind of environment.


Axel looked her way. His grin had retracted and he was momentarily pensive. "What's your read on the captain?"

An almost genuine smile danced on Atak's lips, enjoying Axel's smoothness and swagger. "Well don't you have a certain... 'swagger,'" Atak thought. He did indeed seem to have a lot in common with her, a very male version of herself. She was sultry, he was sexy, she was cold, he was frozen. He did however, seem to have a second thought about her name which, in fact, Atak was quite fond of and found exotic.


"I work with anything tech, however... infiltration and... whatever else that entails (assassination) is also standard for me," she replied to Axel, her brows slightly furrowed as he propped himself against the wall, eating the caramel candy. She snatched the caramel so kindly given to her between her nails, and began to unravel it, eyeing it. "Don't think I've ever had one of these," she said, flicking it into her mouth, sucking on it, her lips pursing slightly, before planting it firmly in her cheek. She planted her elbow on the wall, her hip cocked, gazing at him. "Well the captain isn't really... my "cup of tea" but if she's gonna lead us to killing those disgusting... bugs, then whatever," a pause, "and no it's not my first time here in Pride." She looked around, muttering, "What a hell hole..." Though she couldn't lie, she had a history with this place, the only love for it coming from her nostalgia.


A sigh floated from Atak's lips, her head rolling from left to right, her platinum ponytail cascading over her shoulder. "So... what is that you do," though it was probably something similar to that of herself.


@Cross_Rhodes

((I didn't know eating a caramel candy could sounds so dirty. xD ))

Axel smirked momentarily as he internalized her skill set for future reference. Anything tech... The rest he mulled over without issue. Was he about to vacation with the universe's most elite hacker? Alarm bells went off, but Axel was mostly positive that his encryptions were secure. The shear amount of blackmail on the computer strapped to Axel's wrist was mind-numbing. It got boring fast and even he had the urge to bypass it all and scroll down. "I do this and that." His tone of voice was airy, teasing even as he looked at her. Axel wondered if he was being vague enough to be irritating.


"As of right now, I do what I'm told mostly." Axel said and his thoughts circled to commander Doe's mission. The planet overtaken by insects--or that was the rumor. 8-foot tall preying mantis were the image Axel got when he considered their plan. The Human Alliance promised to return that sweet piece of property in the capital if he did this job. Along with returning his grandfather's metals. As far as their assurances went.


"Before joining this mission though," Axel allowed, "I kept track of everything going on in the city. And outside the city." Then there was the smuggling, but Axel considered that more of a hobby than a career choice. "I hope they're paying you a lot. What'd it take to get you to take this job?" He asked.

Leo's shuttle docked and the passengers slowly left the shuttle. He stepped off, slightly overwhelmed by the sheer number of people. Leo stumbled through the crowds looking for a place to congregate. He eventually saw a grouping of buildings and walked into one titled bar. He sat next Shawn, most of the other seats being filled. A bartender approached him and asked what he wanted. Leo said "One tea please." The bartender nodded and walked away. Leo tapped his fingers before attempting to interject to Shawn. "Salutations, that weather we're having." Wow, he was bad at small talk. Leo grabbed a small cylinder covered in ridges and began tinkering with it. "I'm here for a weapons officer position for the human alliance, quite exciting, eh?" The bartender returned setting a cup on the bar, Leo sipped it.


@yistae

Atak's chin dropped her eyes scowling with skepticism. "This and that..." She took a second thinking it over slightly irritated at the secrecy. Her eyebrow then raised a smirk growing on her lips. "Very well... I'll find out eventually..." The last part under her breath. Axel gave hints at what he did though, letting her know that he kept track of what went on in and outside the city. She knew he was like her. Let's just hope he keeps his information tucked very safely away from her.


"What am I getting out of this?" a pause. "Well obviously money but also with my line of work I move around a lot, I have to stay low,you know how it is,I'm sure, so they promised me relocations whenever I need them, New identities... that kinda' stuff..." purring out the last "stuff." She pushed her weight off the wall facing away from him.


"So... what do you say we go check out our new home?..." She inquired, referring to the ship, a mischievousness lacing her tone. She whipped her head around, gazing at him over her shoulder, eyes smizing.


@Cross_Rhodes

Shawn looked over as a man sat down next to him, and inwardly wanted to laugh as he tried to start small talk with him. It wasn't exactly that he was laughing at him, just that it would be how he himself would try to start a conversation with a stranger. Shawn was about to all together ignore the man, but glanced over at him as he mentioned the human alliance thing. Figuring there was a very low chance of another human alliance trip happening, Shawn leaned his elbows on the bartop and looked over at the man in the funny glasses. "Me too. Pilot though. You wouldn't happen to be working under a Captain Doe would you?" He questioned, curious to see if he had met a crew mate already. Waving his hand the bartender came back, and he ordered a glass of tea before telling her that he was going to pick up the man next to him's check as well. He sipped at his tea and shrugged as the bartender walked away again. "Better to spend all the currency before it goes bad is my mentality," he explained.


@Deadkool

yistae said:

Shawn looked over as a man sat down next to him, and inwardly wanted to laugh as he tried to start small talk with him. It wasn't exactly that he was laughing at him, just that it would be how he himself would try to start a conversation with a stranger. Shawn was about to all together ignore the man, but glanced over at him as he mentioned the human alliance thing. Figuring there was a very low chance of another human alliance trip happening, Shawn leaned his elbows on the bartop and looked over at the man in the funny glasses. "Me too. Pilot though. You wouldn't happen to be working under a Captain Doe would you?" He questioned, curious to see if he had met a crew mate already. Waving his hand the bartender came back, and he ordered a glass of tea before telling her that he was going to pick up the man next to him's check as well. He sipped at his tea and shrugged as the bartender walked away again. "Better to spend all the currency before it goes bad is my mentality," he explained.
@Deadkool

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Leo grabbed his bag and looked through it. He pulled out a ripped sheet of paper and examined it. Leo said "Yes, Captain Doe. Well, it is a pleasure to meet you. Weapons Officer Leo Tesla." He put away his bag and continued. "So, if I may ask, what can I expect on this trip. The message I received was somewhat inconclusive." Leo thought of the improbable odds he'd just met a crew mate, He put the cylinder away and finished his tea. Leo examined the much more physically adept Shawn. The bartender took his glass and Leo tapped his fingers on the bar. He thought of who Captain Doe was with a puzzled impression.

Shawn nodded as his way of saying hello, not offering to shake Leo's hand since he wasn't sure where exactly they'd been. "Pilot Shawn Jacrezz," he introduced himself, setting his cup down and absently turning it around and watching as the amber liquid didn't appear to move. "I'm not exactly sure either. Going to fight off some infestation of mean aliens on a planet I think. I wasn't paying that much attention to details," he admitted, shrugging while finishing off his cup of tea. Glancing over at Leo, Shawn looked at the much smaller man with curiosity. If he was going to be honest with himself, Shawn didn't think Leo looked like someone who would handle weapons and such. "If you don't mind me asking, how'd you hear about this job?" He wasn't sure how the human alliance had even found him, and wondered what the rest of the crew would be like.

yistae said:

Shawn nodded as his way of saying hello, not offering to shake Leo's hand since he wasn't sure where exactly they'd been. "Pilot Shawn Jacrezz," he introduced himself, setting his cup down and absently turning it around and watching as the amber liquid didn't appear to move. "I'm not exactly sure either. Going to fight off some infestation of mean aliens on a planet I think. I wasn't paying that much attention to details," he admitted, shrugging while finishing off his cup of tea. Glancing over at Leo, Shawn looked at the much smaller man with curiosity. If he was going to be honest with himself, Shawn didn't think Leo looked like someone who would handle weapons and such. "If you don't mind me asking, how'd you hear about this job?" He wasn't sure how the human alliance had even found him, and wondered what the rest of the crew would be like.

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"That is almost always the first question I get asked. While I may not be physically inclined I do have a great amount of skill in modifying small weapons. Though I'd much rather show you." Leo said, taking out his cylinder. "I call it a fury, you fill it with one of my formulas, throw it, and it moves itself to the optimal position." He wondered what Shawn though if him. Not that he cared that much, but good to make a less than horrible first impression. "If I may ask what qualifies you?" Leo looked at the the bar and though of the job. On the bright side, his chemical weapons would likely be effective on organic enemies.

Shawn looked at the little cylinder thing. "I wasn't really doubting that you had the skills needed, I was just wondering how the alliance rounded us all up for this mission in particular," he explained. The bartender came and filled Shawn's drink again, and only halfway through his second cup did it dawn on him that he had no clue what he was drinking. He pushed the thought away though, figuring if he wasn't sick or dead by now then it was probably ok enough for him. "I'm a damn good pilot," Shawn said simply. "I can and have flown just about every craft out there, and pick up on new ones quickly." He decided not to mention the fact that he could remotely gain control over a ship if he was given ten minutes or that he didn't necessarily use a key to start some of the ships he flew as a kid.


@Deadkool

Piekkuri reclined in his seat, exhaling deeply as he did so, thinking back on his past and his future on the ship that would unfortunately be populated by a majority of humans. It was an annoying prospect but some humans were useful and perhaps some would be of the same strain as the captain, but he doubted that they would be a homogeneous mass of rigid military types, and the Vardan heavily suspected that there would be at least one or two wildcards or emotionally unstable humans among the crew. The feline humanoids forehead scrunched together with a mixture of frustration and annoyance as he thought of the prospect he was facing. Although his thoughts were of a negative strain, he could enjoy one thing on the ship and it was his quarters, perhaps that and the coffee that the ship stored, if it were any good at least. The room he had been assigned was a a small and isolated room that as located in the aft of the vessel, the room emulated the definition of spartan decoration, the lack of space was made up for by the lack of furnishings which suited the warrior and his minimalist style. Other than a small bed, a desk, and a chair, the room's floor was clear. The wardrobe was built into the wall and the desk was clear of any items other than a small computer. Piekkuri had brought a folding armor rack that had been stored within his luggage carrying robot and his impressive power armor hung in the corner of the room next to his idle mechanical butler. The armor was a beautiful piece of artwork in the eyes of the Vardan, although Piekkuri often ebbed on the side of humble self appreciation, his armor was finer than most other Vardans and the Vardan race produced some of the best combat armor in the known galaxy, so as a result Piekkuri's armor was of a higher quality than most armor in the galaxy. Aside from the normal enhancements of strength, explosiveness and speed, the armor allowed the Vardan warrior to retain most of his flexibility and agility, something that most other suits of armor couldn't boast. Furthermore the armor was resistant against a vacuum and he could survive within the cold embrace of space for up to ten minutes before the built in oxygen supply tanks ran dry. The suit also gave him the ability to operate underwater as it had a converter that withdrew the oxygen from the water around him and unless it were damaged his suit of armor was fully sealed against the elements while also possessing internal cooling and heating which allowed him to operate within hostile environments. It also contained inertia dampening technology and as a result, long falls and hard impacts were kept from the user although it would do potentially crippling damage to the suit of course. The suit of armor was a custom variant that was built specifically for the warrior, it was his own personal powered armor and it fit him like a glove. The only problem that he had with it was that he lost some of his agility but the advantages far outweighed the slight loss in physical dexterity.


The Vardan closed his eyes and inhaled through his nose before exhaling once more, in his minds eye was the fields that he had played in during his childhood, the tall reeds outside of the city of K'Rokk had served him, his siblings and his friends exceptionally well for their games of hide and seek, manhunt and predator. In his mind he once more walked through the tall golden grass, their wispy frames bending in the light breeze as the cool springtime wind blew against the fur of the young Vardan. Above his head, shining like two diamonds were the binary white dwarf stars of the Vardan system. They shone brightly above his head and rays of their white light pierced through the light cloud coverage that dotted the teal sky. In the center of the sky was one of the three moons that orbited the planet and it's near white surface glittered in the sunlight as the light of the stars cascaded around the ice covered satellite. To say the least, it was a beautiful day and it was on this day that the Vardan had become an adult. His fourteenth birthday was on this day, and the fourteenth was the most important of all days for a young Vardan. It was on this day that he would become a Vard in the eyes of the other Vards. It was on this day that he had left his adolescence behind him and soon his father would send him to a martial school, just like his brothers before him he would learn from the finest swordsman and the finest tacticians on the planet to follow in his father's footsteps in the military. Piekkuri reminisced on the mixed feelings he had felt on that day, the anxiety, the anger, the nagging voice that had told him over and over again that he should be proud of his future in the military while secretly harboring resentment towards his family for forcing him into a lifestyle that he wasn't sure he could adjust to. Many of his friends were going on to purely academic or commercial pursuits and at the time Piekkuri had felt left out, if only he had known the honorable path he had been sent on, but at the time he was young and ignorant, but he had been genuinely happy with his life, the adventures and the trouble him and his friends had gone on and started had given him a childlike sense of peace and satisfaction, something that he now found lacking his his life as a warrior and a killer. Despite his current inner peace, he also felt a void, the void that comes with being an asset of generals, a professional killer bound by personal honor. It was a badge of distinction to be one of the Impetuous Fifty, but along with that title came an air of unease that followed him wherever he went, a vacuum that sucked the life from a room as he entered, the disturbance that a force of nature brings as it lays waste to a city, but in Vardan form.


The Impetuous Fifty were the finest warriors in the Vardan armed forces and the most renowned. Out of all of the millions of Vardans in the service of the Vardan military and navy there were only fifty of the Impetuous ones within the service. They operated with impunity and they worked outside of the system. They could be assigned anywhere at any time for any reason and they were the most flexible asset under government control. Some of the IF were unhinged, many had spent years alone in the field on various missions and some were more dangerous due to personality reasons than their combat training. Many of them were the opposite of that though, paragons of military discipline and perfection embodied in the flesh, Piekkuri liked to think that he was one of the IF who fit that description, but as the second youngest of the Fifty, he didn't fit in any demographic just yet. When amassed the IF were a force to be reckoned with, and a union of the Fifty had only ever taken place six times in their two hundred year history, every time they were called upon as one group the mission was completed with minimal to no losses, but in one case, during the most recent mission slightly over fifteen years before the current day, the IF became slightly overzealous in their pursuit of their objective leading to a great deal of "collateral damage". This blotch on the record of the IF was one of the primary reasons why a union of all of the IF members was last resort that was saved by the government and the military as a trump card. Of course some of the IF worked well with one another in small squads or even in a platoon sized groups on many occasions, but the entire force in one place was an unwieldy prospect as many had grown far too accustomed to living off the reservation and away from superior officers, some had forgotten their place in the chain of command, their egos had become bloated and their sense of self was far too inflated to be ordered like the soldiers that they were, several IF members had been removed from duty during the past decade for insubordination and without such outbursts occurring, Piekkuri would have never had a chance to join the force. Some of the IF were used in domestic matters as peacekeepers, but Piekkuri was no homebody. His job was as an active asset, a quick moving, one man strike team that was sent to aid struggling Vardan forces as a tactical consultant or an assault commander, this case was of course different for the Vardan as instead of helping his own kind, he was working with a coalition of races, the most numerous being the humans. His chance for a promotion hung on the outcome of the mission he was undertaking, if the mission failed he would be held accountable even if the forces behind the failure were completely out of his control. For that reason alone he would work with the humans if it meant a promotion to an IF heavy assault squad, he had spent too long working alone or with inferior warriors and this would be his ticket to small squad operations, a goal he had been working towards for the past several years.


As Piekkuri mulled over his thoughts he opened his computer to check the mission protocols, he had a good idea of the objectives that he was called upon to complete, but he wanted to cross reference information to be safe. Even with their solid track record the VIO, the Vardan Intelligence and Operations, was not without their occasional screw up and before Piekkuri left for their destination he wanted to be fully aware of all the mission's parameters.

((@Aratani ???))

"Might as well take a gander at the ship." Axel said. His grin was instantaneous. Who were the other members of the crew? The bio on his comm device hadn't done Atak justice--the woman now top on his to watch out for list. Maybe the other's were different then their records suggested. Axel made a sweeping gesture inward and bowed. His leather jacket scratched as he changed position. "Ladies first." He glanced at the wide window along the street corner. The shady bar and the halogen lights overhead.


"I think we could work well together." Axel said. Already he had half dreamed schemes he could pull off with the guidance of a tech genius. Hacking was a lucrative business. Axel knew enough to be self-aware there were others way more talented at the art. "I'm an excellent middle-men." He said.


@Pasha

Tylronix had found a place to sit within the Pandora and had soon fallen asleep. Waking with a start, he looked around, expecting to see Doe or another member of the crew. Instead, he heard voices.


"Ladies first"


Assuming someone was referring to Doe, he quickly stood up, only to meet the ceiling with a loud thud. Everything the humans made seemed small to him. Shaking his head, he moved into the main entrance way, expecting Doe. Instead, he was greeted with the sight of two humans he had never seen, mostly definitely not Doe. His massive frame completely blocked the corridor of the ship, and his shadow was cast down upon the two humans.

A huff of haughty air escaped Atak's mouth as she gazed down at the bowing Axel, her eyebrows raised. "Well I'm not much of a lady but... what the hell.." She huffed, starting for the docking bay, her strides long and confident, reminiscent of her entrance into Pride. "I think we would make most excellent partners," She purred, never shifting her gaze from the direction in which she walked. They really would work well together, that is, if personal gain came into play, which Atak knew would lead to one of them being thrown under the bus. It would be the other members of the crew to go first at least.


"Well, isn't she gorgeous," Atak praised, gazing at the beauty of the ship that sat in front of her, her hands on her hips, her eyes holding a look of approval. She admired the sleek lines and the way the lights shown off the exterior. It was things like this, the few and far between things like this, that made her smile. She just loved shiny, big, expensive things.


@Cross_Rhodes

"Well it's not the floating tin can I thought it would be." Axel stuck his head out to peer at Pandora, from side to front. The model was far more advanced than he expected from a government vessel. Doe was probably too important to let die in an unfortunate space accident. This was the ship of someone with celeb status. "Are you the type who falls for pretty things?" Axel grinned in Atak's direction. "That's valuable information I'll have to hold onto for later." Axel said and despite his breezy tone, he would.


Atak's penchant for extravagance made him like her all the more. What was less complicated than having money as a bottom line?


There was an alien in their way. A man too large to be human and hulking enough for Axel to remind himself of where he stashed his sedatives. "Well, hello fellow crew member." Axel said. He took the pass Doe gave him for the ship and held it up for all to see. "I'm Axel. And you are?" Over the alien's head, he could see glimpses of the ship's interior. "I'm going to need you to move big guy. You're kind of blocking the way."