Futuristic Mercenaries of the Nexus

[Shog]

If you're here then that means you know what's going on already.
Characters: https://www.rpnation.com/threads/mercenaries-of-the-nexus-characters.335072/
OOC: https://www.rpnation.com/threads/mercenaries-of-the-nexus-ooc.335066/
Job List: https://www.rpnation.com/threads/mercenaries-of-the-nexus-jobs.335069/

I will get the first post up when enough people have made a character.

 

[Shog]

"We will be docking at Roterrum in five minutes," Dex announced to the crew in his slightly robotic voice. Roterrum was a large market area for the less-than-reputable. It was comprised of several connected complexes, each located on a different asteroid. The entire thing was located deep within an asteroid field in no-man's-land. Well, it technically fell in the Vivic Empire, but being located in an asteroid field at the edge of their territory made it not worth trying to enforce. It was here they picked up their last contract, which was now ready to be turned in. Dex was also hoping to spend some time picking up pieces of equipment to build more of whatever he felt like.

The Nexus rounded a large asteroid to see Roterrum in all of it's rusted glory. It really looked like someone had just taken a bunch of scrap and welded it together, placing lights wherever they felt like. Two layers of energy fields kept rogue asteroids from smashing into it and there had too be a series of gravity generators used to keep the complex together. As the ship approached the energy field, one of the hexagons opened to let them inside. Once the first reformed the second opened. Next they passed through the atmosphere bubble before entering a long tunnel. About half way down he spotted a parking space and claimed it for his own. Once he was done double checking all of the security protocols, especially the one commanding the ship's engines to remain unresponsive unless he was on board, were fully functional he left the cockpit and headed towards the rest.

"Xell, you have the cargo?" Dex asked the robot. They had been hired this time to smuggle some two foot tall stone statue from the desert sector of Leu. Two tribes were constantly at each other's throats and the statue was supposedly a symbol of power to the tribe they'd taken it from. Dex opened the hanger door and followed the others out.

SergiX ChazGhost FabulousTrash Kabboom

 

[FabulousTrash]

In the back of the bridge, Ayla was lazying out in her chair, playing around with small parts. On the console, her quadcopter drone was disassembled as the girl reassembled and disassembled the drone over and over again, using different parts each time. Every now and then, she'd look up and out the viewscreens to see how closer they were to their destination. Sitting up, she reassembled her drone for the final time and stretched

Holy shit, we're finally here.

Ayla opened up a computer terminal on her glasses, entering a few lines of code and she was soon presented with a virtual map of computer networks and how they were linked. She took the map, scaling it to life size so that as she looked at the entire market place, she could see lines running between buildings and such. She pressed a button on the side of the quadcopter and it folded itself up. She attached it to her side where the RC Jumper was clipped as well.

So whats the plan? Get the statue off the ship and go or what?

Shog

 

[ChazGhost]

As he waited for the ship to make it to their destination, Xell was tinkering with hand gun, making sure it was in top shape before they landed. On planets like this, it always a good idea to keep a good gun at your side. When the announcement when of that they'll be landing in five minutes Xell got up and holstered his gun before heading to a table near him. "Finally we get rid of statue and make a good amount of money in the process." Xell said placing the statue into a padded toolbox to hide it.

Then when they landed and Dex came back to ask if he still had the statue. "Of course I have it" he said patting the toolbox. "I wouldn't trust anyone else to carry our payday." Xell added before starting his out of the ship. "Of course the plan is to get the cargo to the client. Then we get payed and start looking for our next client" Xell said passing by Ayla.
Shog FabulousTrash

 

[SergiX]

Sergi's tail twitched in it's usual, nervous, way as the ship began to approach the Roterrum, his eyes taking in the rusty scenery that offered less color variations than a crayon box that only contained four of the colored wax sticks. The blue scaled alien clicked his mask into place, filling a small part of the semi-dark ship with a blue-hue of light as he pressed the small button on the jaw bone area to turn the device on. He stood up from his, less than comfortable, seat, pulling on his jacket that looked like it just came from a 1990s Earth baseball fan, but was really just a piece of clothing he found in a somewhat shady thrift store on a planet that had been nearly depleted of natural recourses a few years back.

His footsteps made little noise as he walked across the ship floor, just behind Griff on his way to the hangar door. The reptilian basically hopped his way out the hangar door after the slightly taller human made his way out, landing quietly on the ground below before coming closer to the group of the Nexus crew members. Sergi looked around, taking in as much of their surrounding as he could, paying little to no attention to his crew mate's conversation. He honestly didn't want to be here, or even take the job in the first place, but money was money, and the people who gave them the contract were giving them enough to where they couldn't refuse, and a little suspicious vibe wasn't enough to warrant refusing the generous offer.

He subconsciously came closer to the crew as he looked around, his back straighter than usual as he walked, although that was most likely due to the large scab he had formed on the middle of his back during the retrieval of the statue. He hated hot planets, and although their current location wasn't one, he wasn't too keen on it either. He just wanted to get off this planet as fast as possible, he didn't know why, but he did.

 

[FabulousTrash]

Ayla followed everyone else to the hanger door, her usual playful smile on her face

10 credits something is gonna go wrong

That was a bet Ayla always made before the group set off to do their job. Some of the time, she was right and some of the time, she was wrong, and like any good sport, she paid up. But not once did she ever specify the source of the money. She figured everyone in the crew had caught on already, but she always stole 10 credits from some unlucky bastard's bank account and gave it to whomever took her up on the bet. Ayla reached down, making sure she had everything she needd. Gun, drones, EMPs, all there. She was ready to go

How much is the guy paying for the rock?

 

[DrinkingGlass]

Max stood in the engineer's bay of the Nexus, polishing one of the gears which clicked into place into the hulking suit which was his war machine. He ran a hand over the ornamental carvings and designs which had been worked into the metal, quite a feat, the bulky machine certainly cast a imposing shadow on the bay, towering above the other, slimmer suits, the massive thing's bulk was incredible, and only matched by the man who piloted it's. Max was dressed in his standard tattered military jacket with a pair of overly large boots, grease in his hair to keep it out of his face, but not very effectively. He carried two pistols at his hips, made in the bulky style of his home planet, they would easily blow a human hand off with one shot, though their reload time was anything but quick. He began to pick his teeth as he looked over the gear in his hand, he was no mechanic, but he had come to know his suit inside and out, and put it back together so many times he had lost count. He then made his way down to the hangar, swaggering all the way with his customary arrogant walk.

The man walked with a certain gravitas to him that was unmatched, yet everything else would suggest a barbaric pirate, a couple days old stubble had covered his jaw and his hair was shaggily cut with a laser knife, and obviously done himself. Scars were covering his face like a butcher block and his once bright blue eyes were dull from seeing the horrors of space and battle. His arrogant swagger, was interrupted by a slight limp, his left leg still pained him from being crushed under his suit in a particularly fierce battle, and he made no mistake, it would be a issue in the future unless he dealt with it, but even so, he still made quite the impression, without even saying a word.

 

[Shog]

"Four thousand credits," Dex replied. "Quite the deal, if you ask me. Steal a dusty old statue from a people with with much less advanced technology and get paid."

He followed the others out and locked the Nexus behind them. Usually he was game for Blackout's bet, but not this time. While he made it sound as though he was confident in their job, like he usually did, this did feel a bit off. Four thousand credits was nothing to scoff at, especially for the job they did. It just seemed too good to be true. This was only compounded by Sergi's nerves, though he was always nervous. While their employer didn't seem all that bright, he surely knew how much money he was offering.

The group made their way through the building, often shoving past others. The large market was nothing more than a trading ground for illegal or ill-gotten goods. He saw a few things that caught his eye and made a note to stop by later. They continued towards the back of the large room and through a set of double doors. Further back they went until they found the correct trading room. Inside was their employer with two heavily armed guards by his side. They called themselves Hueles. They were a race of human-like beings with cat-like features. They adorned their faces with intricate facial hair. Their employer wore white robes with golden detailing. He wore a tall crown upon his head making Dex believe he thought himself a ruler, though it wasn't in his job description to ask such questions. The guards wore streamlined, yet heavy armor and each carried a staff. They held so still they could have been mistaken for statues.

Dex took his place at the table and waited for the others to file in. Their employer seemed to have the same idea.

(Just for the sake of simplicity, everyone is equipped with a universal translator that allows them to hear in their own language.)

 

[FabulousTrash]

Blackout glanced around the building as they went. From her initial scan, the building they were in had higher network security than the rest, something she made note of. Upon entering the room, the girl took her place in the corner of the room, giving their employer a friendly nod of acknowledgement and smiled. She did the same for the guards on either side of the employer. As she looked around the room, she switched her vision to the network map, watching traffic go in and out of the many devices in the building. She saw some lines running into the room everyone was in at the moment, the lines going to the guards and the employer. Probably a comn network back to their ship. For once, she was remaining silent, containing her more outward personality for now.

 

[SergiX]

Sergi walked along with the rest of the crew through the market, keeping his eye out for any vendors that might be selling any nano pills. He really did not want to have and take a chunk of his cut from this payoff and put it towards buying the capsules from any legitimate sources, that would only leave him with a small portion of what he originally had, these things weren't cheap after all. He saw a few that might have what he was looking for, and kept that in mind for later, but kept all of that towards the back of his mind as they entered through the double doors. His pace slightly slowed as they entered, but he still managed to keep up with the rest without much trouble.

Sergi entered the room, taking a quick glance around it as he went to his spot to the corner opposite of Blackout. He didn't like to bring too much attention to himself if it wasn't necessary, which wasn't too hard when you were surrounded by larger beings, and the fact that he stood near the back brought the littlest amount of attention to himself. The lizard like alien took one quick glance at the employer and his guards before putting his full attention on the door, watching the others enter.

 

[Kabboom]

Griff had woken up from his sleep. He looked out of the window from habit to tell what time it was, but in space, it's the same every time. He did see the Roterrum when he sat up, however, and he knew that the destination is near. 'Well that was an easy paycheck.' he thought to himself, as he geared up with his usual loadout. He hears Dex's voice announcing in a robotic voice, as he walks towards the hangar door. He decided not to put his helmet on yet, as Sergi the alien guy walks behind him, with little noise, though maybe that's only compared to Griff's loud thuds everytime he puts his foot down.

As the hangar door slowly opened, an entire kingdom of scrap and unwanted waste was revealed. Seeing the inhabitants of this isolated rock, Griff decides to put his helmet on, and keeps one hand on his gun and another on his kusarigama. Thieves and pickpockets are to be expected in such an illegal environment. That doesn't mean Griff can't participate. Walking in the back of the group, to the left, behind Blackout, he had perfect opportunities to use his weird melee weapon and sneakily lift stuff right from people's stands. Most likely, their eyes were on Blackout. Or so Griff thinks. He doesn't know, really.

Finally, the group had made it to the trading location, as Griff openly eats his... his blue fruit that looks like a hybrid between an apple and a toothbrush. Well, whatever it is, Griff thinks it tastes good. After a little more walking, they found the right room, and everyone began walking in. Dex sat down up front, since he makes the trade, with Blackout taking a corner, and Sergi taking the opposite. He decides he will be part of the intimidating crew, as he stands behind Dex, to his right, still eating his fruit thing, whilst keeping his eyes on the guards, paying little heed to the employer.

 

[ChazGhost]

Xell was in front of the group as they walked through the market. Xell kept his eye for any nice pieces of weaponry to grab later on. And he did of course find a few to keep track of in his data banks. But for now they had a job to do, take the statue to the clients and get payed.

They made it to the the trading room soon after. Xell decide let everyone else in first and go in last sense he had the statue. After everyone else got in he fellowed. He sat down right next to dex and kept the toolbox holding the statue in hand until it was time to give it to the clients for the money.

 

[Shog]

"Did you bring the cargo?" their employer asked once everyone took their place.

"And completely in tact, as per our agreement," Dex said, gesturing towards the tool box in Xell's hand. "We've held up our end of the bargain and now it's you're turn."

"Very well," the man said and slid a credit transfer card across the table. Dex scanned it and frowned, though no one could see.

"This card only holds one thousand credits," Dex said. "That is a mere quarter of our agreed payment. Either you gave us the wrong card, or you think you can play us for fools. We still have your stupid chunk of rock, so I advise paying up. It would be a real shame if it became damaged."

The man stood up from his chair and leaned forward. He had a calm composure, but there was a small fire in his eyes. "I am the rightful king of Heula and you will give me the respect I deserve. I have decided that the payment on that card it plenty adequate for your services, filth! I highly advise cutting your losses now."

"Whatever jurisdiction you may have back on your planet, it stops when it's atmosphere gives way to the void of space," Dex said. "If you are going to hire mercenaries at such an outpost as this then we know you're desperate. Pay the full price, or we walk."

"How about you leave the statue on the table and be grateful to leave with your lives," the so-called king said through gritted teeth, not even hiding his anger any more. The entire time the crew had been in the negotiation room Heulian soldiars had been gathering outside the doors. Now they broke open the doors and pointed their weapons at the group. They all had staves like the two guards. Unsurprisingly they had blasters at the ends. Dex took the card and slipped it into a pocket before drawing his swords, watching them unfold and buzz to life. This room was much too small to fight in, but he doubted that would a problem for long.

 

[ChazGhost]

"A thousand! Who the hell does your kingly ass think you are trying to pull..." Xell said angrily at the king right before his men broke down the door. Xell give robotic sigh as the men began point their guns. Xell then quickly at side of the face with the toolbox before grabbing him over the table and held his neck between his arm and body. "Now you furry jackasses have two choices, either put your guns down and get out of our way or I crush your king's neck" Xell said slowly tightening his hold on the king.

 

[SergiX]

Sergi was quick to look over the soldiers as he stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jacket, his fingers wrapping around the cold metal of two throwing knives that took residence in two hard to find seams in his two pockets. It was easy to determine the weak points of the soldiers, their armor having small, almost fingernail thin, spaces on parts where two pieces connected. Most importantly, the neck, and even though the spaces were thin, his knives could make it through if they were able to make their target.

His body seemed too relaxed for the situation at hand, though that was mostly due to him knowing it was no good to throw knives with a tense body, he might overthrow, and he only had two to use, so wasting one was not an option. He stood up straighter, if that were possible, and put his right foot slightly in front of the other if preparation to throw the one in his right pocket, having already determined that due to distance, he would have to either use a half spin throw or a single spin throw at the right moment in order to get a fatal throw.

 

[FabulousTrash]

Boys, boys, lets not get this nice place all bloody. I mean, I bet you thousands of credits were spent to make this room nice and clean.

The female giggled lightly as she reached down and drew her pistol from her holster and raised it in the general direction of the doorway. It was set to fully automatic. Behind the scenes, in her glasses, Ayla watched as she quickly infiltrated the network security of the building they were in, overriding controls to the power. She didnt do anything just yet, but if need be, she could cut the power to the place and throw the building into darkness.

Then again, its always exciting when you're painting a room with a new color

Ayla rested her finger on the trigger, waiting for the cue to let hell loose

 

[Shog]

None of the guards were backing down. This wasn't a good sign. They were willing to risk their king for this hunk of rock. Unless this wasn't really their king. Whatever the truth was, it didn't particularly matter at the moment. Dex lowered his weapons, turned them off (leaving them unfolded) and began slowly walking towards the exit. "Perhaps we should all leave while we..." he never finished his sentence. When he was within striking range he slashed at two of the guards. It was situations like this that made him decide that a complete energy sword wouldn't be best. Well, that and in the case of an EMP, though he shouldn't be fighting in that case.

Each attack found it's mark, slicing through the weak points of their armor, though only one fell. He allowed his swords to be engulfed in energy again as he spun into action. The armor they wore was surprisingly resistant to his attacks, but they still yielded. The five guards were laying on the floor in puddles of their own blood before any of them could react. The other guards that had formed outside, however, were plenty ready to fire. Dex brought up his shields as quickly as he could, blocking most of the shots. A couple made it past, though none hit him and he didn't bother looking at where they struck. "Use the stupid statue as leverage!" he shouted at the others. They were going to make it out alive, regardless of what needed to happen to ensure it.

 

[FabulousTrash]

Ayla was quick to react. She shot up at the guards that were in the room with the rest of the group, hitting their heads dead on point with some help from her glasses. Technology did amazing wonders. The two guards that were in the room dropped dead and since Xell was busy holding the prince, or whoever it was, in a death grip, Ayla reached out and grabbed the toolbox and held it up to the guards could see it. She reached down to her belt, grabbing one of her EMPs. Hopefully, the guards were stupid enough to think it was a regular grenade. She held it up close to the box and shouted

One false step and we all blow up!

This wasnt the first time Ayla made a gutsy move that placed everyone in danger, but somehow it always managed to work out. If the guards didnt take the bait, she'll just cut the power in the building.

Shog SergiX ChazGhost Kabboom DrinkingGlass

 

[SergiX]

Sergi froze for a moment, mid throwing a knife to an unfortunate soldier's neck, having had used his other one moments prior on a different soldier, who now lay dead on the floor, knife sticking out from the small space between the soldier's head piece and body armor. He moved his head swiftly to look at Ayla, his body almost losing it's tenseness as he instantly realized it was an EMP, but he quickly stopped himself from doing so in order to keep the impression it was an actual grenade.

 

[ChazGhost]

When Xell noticed the guard didn't care about the "king", so he smashed his face into the table to knock him out. And probably caused some brain damage as well. Then he pulled out his hand gun and was getting ready to shoot when he heard Ayla threat. He quickly noticed after that she took the toolbox and the grenade she had was just a EMP but if still used he would out until he was restarted. ...I hope she has another plan then just setting of that EMP... Cause at this range it'll cause more trouble then it'll help... Xell thought

 

[Kabboom]

Griff thought it would turn out this way. Judging by the way the 'king' spoke to Dex, and the crap payment, he knew things would go down like this. Royals are one of the many things never to be trusted in this universe. They're too arrogant, cocky, and they always think they're doing other people a favor. Ah well, he actually looked forward to this.

His helmet closed shut, as he threw the fruit at one of the guards, and reached for his gun, just as Dex threw those sword slashes, and Xell rushed for the 'king'. One of the guards behind Xell were already about to fire, but Griff put a stop to that with 2 rounds directly into the face, killing the guard.

He spun around, a shot or two grazing him as Dex's shield couldn't block all of 'em, and Griff began firing outside, before Blackout pulled that grenade next to the statue. He glanced at it. He knew it was an EMP, but his instincts kicked in. His body tensed up, giving it the impression that it was an actual grenade. On his homeworld, anything that remotely looks like a grenade will most likely, most definitely be a grenade, so his memories and instincts were flooding back in.

One false step and we all blow up!

And for extra effect, Griff added: "You heard her! One wrong move, we go boom! Now be nice, play nice, and the statue won't get blown up!"

 

[Shog]

Dex chanced a glance over his shoulder to see what Blackout was shouting about. Whatever it was, most of the guards stopped firing and the ones that didn't were quickly shouted at by the others. 'Surely it can't be worse than a small grenade,' he naïvely thought. Nope. This was much worse. If that EMP grenade went off there'd still be a small explosion (only enough to burn her hand (the wonders of modern technology)), but then they'd be in trouble. Three of them here heavily relied on their technology working and he was one of them!

None the less, he knew she wouldn't intentionally set it off. Still, he didn't have to try very hard at playing along. The guards were being into it as well. If there were any who didn't quite believe the threat decided it wasn't worth risking it. At least not at the moment.

"Back away and clear a path for me and my comrades to walk through," Dex demanded. Although hesitant at first, they did clear a path. He folded his swords back up and slid them back into place (a slot under his forearm) and kept the shields up. He began slowly walking forward moving the shields more towards his sides as he progressed.

(Feel free to manipulate the NPCs as needed. They are free territory.)

 

[Trappy]

Narzel woke up from her sleep, as she heard Dex's robotic voice announcing. Slowly, she reached for the control panel and opened the cryosleep pod. In an instant, her suit 'grew' from the organic base implanted on her back, as it detected a drop in temperature and a different environment. The hatch opened slowly, as a wave of warm air greeted her before the suit 'grew' fully, covering her entire body. She peered outside the window to see the Roterrum in all its rusty glory. Large asteroids with complexes were connected into a net of sorts. Quite efficient, she thought. They were here for a pay-check, deliver some old statue for some-four-thousand credits. It did smell fishy to her, either these people are really, exceptionally generous in this cruel universe, or something was up. Either those two possibilities, or they are just dumb, not that she would be surprised if they were.

Narzel made her way towards the hangar door once she geared up with her usual equipment, and an universal translator. This device appeared to be a standard gear of interstellar activities in The Outside.Very interesting, and neat, she thought. It appeared she was the last of the group. The heavy hangar door finally opened, and an entire kingdom of scrapped, rusty metal, lights and filth revealed itself before her eyes. They started moving through a large market, clearly a trading ground for the 'underworld' of the universe. All the exotic, illegal and ill-gotten goods were present, and they caught Narzel's attention. She lagged behind, as Narzel irresistibly stopped at certain points on the trail to inspect certain goods presented. As they got closer and closer to a much larger area, with a set of double doors, she noticed some aliens in uniforms. Guards, she assumed. They are called the Hueles, a sentient mammalian species. They seemed to be carrying staves, with, oddly, blasters at the end. A technologically primitive species, no doubt. But of course, a fight should be avoided, if possible.

As the group entered the room, Narzel remained outside, looking through a set of strange-looking pathogens, presented by what appeared to be a fungoid-type alien. She took a quick look at the other stalls, and despite her fascination with The Outside and its wonders, she figured she could've ended up in a place like this, being sold as some rare animal had she remained on that salvage rig.

After a while, some Hueles guards suddenly burst into the building, startling Narzel. She was about to follow them inside, before she was stopped by 2 guards. They demanded that she state her business. It was not difficult to distract some primitive bestial aliens. Just as they turned their back on her, Narzel unsheathed her blade and slashed one guard across the back before finishing him with a deep, swift thrust through his forehead. The other guard panicked, and once he regained his senses, he dashed towards her with an unexpectedly fast speed. She was thrown down onto the cold ground, and the Hueles held his staff backwards, appearing to had intended to finish her with a stab. Narzel quickly brought the guard to his knees with a horizontal slash aimed at his legs, when other guards quickly moved in and pointed their blasters at her. She quickly took cover behind a rusty stall, dragging the wounded guard with her, as the guards unleashed a volley of energy bolts towards them. A fight proved inevitable. She sheathed her blade and drew her machine pistol, set to semi-automatic. She peeked, fired and some grunting could be heard. She quickly dodged another volley of energy bolts, but based on the sounds, she dropped at least 2 of them. Then there were more loud thuds, more guards arrived. But then suddenly, it was quiet. No suppressing energy bolt volleys, which was odd. Narzel finally stood up while holding the 'handicapped' Hueles guard up as a living shield, pointing her pistol at the guards surrounding them.

To her surprise, the guards slowly lowered their staves and pulled back. She took a quick peer into the large room, to see Blackout holding up what appeared to be an EMP grenade, while Griff and the others were shouting, warning the guards that they would blow up everything, including their 'treasured' statue. Based on what she saw, they bought it, as expected from such a primitive race. Narzel dropped the wounded guard before stomping on his wounds. It was not necessary, and she knew it. But then she was also curious of certain reactions of alien species, in this case, reactions to physical pain. Narzel moved further towards the large double-door, leaving the wounded Hueles as he screamed in agony, and keeping her pistol aimed at the other guards.

"Please cease all hostility." She demanded, as another demand could be heard from inside the room. Dex, apparently.

"Back away and clear a path for me and my comrades to walk through!" Good, she thought. Seeing the current situation, the sooner we leave this place, the better.

 

[FabulousTrash]

Ayla followed behind Dex, a snarl like expression on her face as she watched every guard closely. The grenade was still close to the box holding the statue and Ayla was holding a button down. It was the button to begin the timer, but her grenades were modified so every switch was a deadman's switch, even the one to start the timer. She had to release the button for the timer to actually start counting down. There was of course, the REAL deadman's switch, but she wasnt touching that.

As they continued to move closely, a few of the guards backed away from Ayla since she was the one holding the grenade.

 

[SergiX]

Sergi followed suit behind Ayla, looking from side to side to make sure a soldier dumb enough, or smart enough to know it wasn't an actual grenade, to try and attack them. The scene before him reminded him of something that an old human had told him when he was younger, something about the Red Sea, he wasn't too sure. From what he could tell, none of the soldiers seemed to catch on, which was, obviously, quite the relief.

The soldiers continued to let the group pass, a tension filled silence the only noise beside the sound of footsteps, and the quiet buzz of Dex's shields, the silence which was soon broken by the market place outside of the double doors, which took little effort make itself known through it's muffled noises as they came closer and closer towards the door.