Futuristic Starpath: Burning Sails [IC] [CLOSED]

[Breadman]

"No. He's not." Petar placed the gun back where it belonged and started walking towards Roku. He figured it out and manged to get the collar off. Great. "I knew we should have gone with an actual bomb." He quickened the pace to catch up to him, but the rat was already in the barracks. "Quick little shit all of a sudden." The first mate was already in the hallway when he heard the last part of their exchange. He felt a bit of relief. The worst idea didn't pop into Roku's head and his own plan for the pilot had worked. He felt immense self-gratification for that part.

Petar initially planned to walk in and prepare to knock him out cold, but that was unneeded now. Instead the Gold dust waited for Roku to come through the door. As soon as he saw the ayr, Vulkov greeted him with a slow clap.

"Congratulations. You got off the leash."

 

[Dmaster]

Shun stood a distance away from the door, observing Petar congratulate Roku after he caught some of the exchange between him and the captain. Yet given his intent focus on Roku he could easily ascertain that he took issue with him and his methods for getting his compliance. Upon seeing the pilot walk out he shook his head from side to side, rather disappointed in the captain's judgment at this point. It is not a good idea to give a cowardly pilot free reign, and so long as he had that shameful history Shun would have to plan for Roku's inevitable abandonment or betrayal. Yet another contingency for him to begin planning unfortunately.

The cyborg simply stared down Roku, not saying a word with his arms crossed over his chest.

 

[Frankafurter]

Yolandi puts some earplugs in and then puts some ear mufflers on before giving the thumbs up, "Ready when you are, short consistent bursts, if the suit let's you simulate a feed malfunction and have it clear it to make sure that mechanism is working right. After that, do some shots while moving and jumping to make sure the stabilizers on the gun arm work correctly. You can use some of the reinforced crates to jump onto and off of to create some simulated terrain. Make sure when you're doing the short bursts, to hit different range targets and not just focus on the nearest. Other than that, you're clear to go." Yolandi pulls out the pack of cigarettes since her last smoke got interrupted and she lights up with the windproof lighter before tucking the two items back away and idly smoking while she waits for Karina to start. She looks over at Zou who's still in standby mode, his autocannon sitting off to the side from him, she can't help but chuckle again about the tarpaulin boxer shorts she made for him. She returns her attention to the live fire test though since she wants to see just what the Upyri battlesuit is capable of compared to Zou, so far it seems way more agile but looks a bit thin skinned comparatively, the minigun looks like it means business though and she ponders on if she'll work with Drav to pair up a different weapon system for Zou's rebuild so he isn't stuck using the autocannon all the time.

 

[EdwardDewey98]

Jericho watched the scene from the doorway. He couldn't help but smile as Lauren told Roku he was off the leash and, if that creepozoid Shun tried to harm him, he'd be able to hurt him back. He quickly caught up with the pilot as Petar talked to him, and patted him on the back. "Nice job, darling, but next time...be more careful. A less friendly captain would have shot you dead right on the spot." He then looked at Shun as he glared at Roku. "...if you ever need help with that bastard over there, don't hesitate to ask....I'd love to stab him." He then winked at the pilot.

 

[Dmaster]

Shun turned his head toward Jericho, clearly not the least bit intimidated by the passive threat. "Many have tried. Yet still I remain." he states flatly, just to lower his arms to behind his back yet again. "I dedicate myself wholly to my cause and this crew. So long as the captain wills it she has my loyalty to the end. If any of you seek to betray or attack me, I just ask that you look me in the eye before doing so." As he says that last part his head slowly turns to Roku. "A courtesy I am certain that my fellow kin would deprive you all of."

 

[Infab]

Lauren glanced up to Typhon as he spoke. "Doubt brain surgery is needed. He just needs to...you know...man up. He can't run from everything in life." she responded. "This is a step in the right direction." She then rested her head back on the table, in a dry spot. "...Don't suppose you got anything in your medical bags for a hangover?" she then asked. "...I feel like shit."

---
​

"Congratulations. You got off the leash."

"Fuck off. You're the one that came up with the bullshit anyway." was the blunt, abrupt response from Roku. He then glanced over and saw that Shun was glaring at him from afar. He returned the glare as Jericho walked up and pat him on the back.

"Nice job, darling, but next time...be more careful. A less friendly captain would have shot you dead right on the spot...If you ever need help with that bastard over there, don't hesitate to ask....I'd love to stab him. "

"A friendly captain would have shot me back home." responded Roku, but Shun spoke before he could respond to the second statement.

"A courtesy I am certain that my fellow kin would deprive you all of."

"Oh, I'll look you in the eyes when I kill you." he stated. He knew exactly where Shuren's rifle was. And he had enough technical training that he knew how to crank the voltage on it.

 

[EdwardDewey98]

Jericho looked at Shun for a moment, as he spoke to him. He just eyed the cyborg Ayr, and simply let out a loud chuckle. "Easy there, knock-off Cybermancer...I'll only stab you if you try to hurt him. And don't worry...I'll make sure to look you in the eye if it gets down to that." He then looked to Roku. "Is everyone where you're from like him?"

 

[ANIMAL MOTHER]

"Maybe I do... Come with me to the med-bay." Typhon leans in a little closer. "... And I got a potential plan B for this Roku nonsense I think you'd want to hear."

 

[Breadman]

"Oh please. You two idiots do try to betray the crew. See how far that takes you." Petar's grin quickly faded away as the two hotshots tried to act tough all of a sudden. It was more annoying than anything. "You now have a spine, so use it to stand upright while you fly the ship." He adresed Roku before moving to Jericho "And you go practice your lethal pole dancing."

 

[Dmaster]

Upon hearing Roku fire back Shun tilted his head curiously, a bit taken aback how the cowardly Ayr had suddenly gained courage. Still, the intimidation did not faze him one bit, and he simply strode closer to the pilot as Jericho tried to threaten him yet again. Stepping just in front of Roku, his visor was mere inches away from his face before he disengaged the pressurized locks on his helmet - the panel flipping open to reveal the eyes in question.

The most striking difference was the fact that instead of the characteristic yellow glow, the eyes held in the sockets of his face glowed a bright green color. His skin was pale and somewhat sickly looking, and across both eyes was a horizontal scar that traveled from each side of his face. Despite this he eyed Roku with an intense, hateful gaze, looking through him as the hands behind his back balled themselves into fists.

"Somehow, I doubt that." he spat. "When we first met I was elated to work with you, a familiar being in an otherwise cold, uncaring star system. Yet when I learned of your betrayal I feel nothing but shame, disgust, and contempt. Your loyalty is fickle, as soon as you are faced with a challenge you cannot bear to undertake you will abandon us as you did your prior crew."

He raised an eyebrow, soon turning to look at the others gathered around. "If the rest of you fail to see that, then I am certain we will enjoy being in the vacuous embrace of space as our final resting place."

 

[Infab]

Roku looked to Petar. "I'm not betraying the crew. But I DO have the okay from the captain to fuck him up if he bothers me." he stated, before looking back to Shun. "And by Soisha, I will enjoy doing it." he said, the statement laced with hatred. He then turned his attention back to Jericho, when he asked about his people back home. "The Ayr are an honor bound society. Hardliners, loyal to the Emperor, and think they're above everyone else. In everything but certain ideals and looks, they're just like him."

He looked back to Shun. "Shun here is a deranged terrorist, who murders his fellow Ayr because of Transsentience bullshit. I'm just a coward. If someone came along and offered you a better chance at achieving your agenda, you'll ditch these people faster than I would. You're not above me, exile, but I'll be happy to put you below me."

---​

"Maybe I do... Come with me to the med-bay." Typhon leans in a little closer. "... And I got a potential plan B for this Roku nonsense I think you'd want to hear."

Lauren groaned a little, before standing up from her seat. She looked to the shattered mug and the mess on the table, then lazily waved it off. "I'll clean it up when I come back." she muttered, before grabbing the broken collar and following after Typhon. "Lets go, then."

---
​

Karina got to work, spraying some training rounds from the minigun at the various targets. She also used the chance to fire on the move, jumping onto crates and containers, and sprinting across the landing pad as she fired. "Everything's good so far. Attempting an auto-feed malfunction simulation." she stated. She gave the voice command, and soon the auto-feeding system malfunctioned. "Attempting to clear malfunction." she said aloud. It took a few moments, but soon, the feeding system was working again. "Looks like they fixed the issue."

 

[EdwardDewey98]

Jericho laughed as Petar told him to practice 'lethal pole dancing', and gave the man a little wave. But then Shun, being a weirdo as usual, tried to be menacing and scary. Then there was Roku's explanation about Shun's past. The Ayr are really weird. Jericho exchanged looks with Petar before speaking. "Would it really be considered betrayal to kill a homicidal asshole?" He raised his hands in a flippant way. "Just joking! Like I said before, I'd only hurt weirdo over here if he tries to bully alien boy here." He then walked past them, trying to drag Roku out of there at least. "Now if you'll excuse me, I gotta train my lethal pole dancing skills! Toodaloo darlings!"

 

[Dmaster]

Shun clamped his helmet shut in a sudden fit of rage, hands actually reaching out from his sides as he pointed a finger at Roku accusingly. "You know NOTHING of my struggle! To call me a terrorist is to be as blind as the Empire itself! I am loyal, I work tirelessly and with honor - I only slaughter my fellow Ayr because they fail to listen to REASON!" he spat, speaking so loudly the speaker of his suit crackled from the feedback.

"... I give so much to them, at every moment of my existence." he spoke again, somewhat quietly and a bit more strained. "I am not an outcast by choice, but by circumstance. In the crucible of adversity I have become a being worthy of rejoining their ranks, and despite my pleas they shut me out as if I am lesser. You had everything I ever wished to have and you chose to squander it, letting fear poison your mind and actions."

"My only crime is that I have but one life to give to the Empire. I will open their eyes to their error, wherever that mission will take me. If a better offering came to me, I would leave the captain's employ amicably. NOT with cowardice..!"

 

[ANIMAL MOTHER]

Shun's fit of rage is audible even to Typhon as he departs from the mess hall. He makes sure to give him a thumbs up though as he passes by in the background, letting him know he agrees with his stance on Roku.

The med-bay's just the same as it ever was, cold, sterile steel highlighted by blue light. A big pill bottle is pulled out from one of the metallic drawers; Typhon holds it up in front of Lauren. "This should do something about that headache. And with your permission, I can hook you up to an IV to make you feel better faster."

 

[Frankafurter]

Yolandi gives a thumbs up, she can't hear Karina too well, but fortunately the ear mufflers she had were electronic ones she "borrowed" off one of the Guillotine techs so she could hear her enough to know what she said. Yolandi finishes her cigarette and flicks it over the safety railing of the landing pad, "Alright, you think you got enough time in to give me an idea of where I need to adjust stuff? Also if you want me to do any modifications to the chassis like extra armor or boosted motivators let me know so I can get it done sooner rather than later." She waves at Zou and gives a loud whistle to him, he pops out of standby and jumps up, with his chassis stripped down he's much faster and responsive due to lack of load from the usual setup. He scoops up his autocannon and eagerly stomps over to where Yolandi is waiting and seems perky and ready to go, clearly he was bored to tears over in the corner waiting for Karina to finish.

Yolandi looks him up and down, "Alright, functions check, wiggle your fingers, walk around, wave your arms, make sure all your actuators are working and myomer isn't seizing up from misfired impulses." Zou nods and flexes his fingers open and shut then wiggles them individual to make sure independent dexterity is fine before giving her a thumbs up. From there he walks and jogs a few laps in the immediate area, he engages the magnetic clamps in test mode to lock his feet down to the metal decking and tries to pick his feet up, he gives a thumbs up as his feet remain planted. He switches them into mobility mode and tests the auto engage/disengage for when he's walking normally on say the Mordred's hull. His movement speed slows down just a little bit from the delay of the clamps locking and unlocking but they seem to work fine, another thumbs up from him. He does some jumping jacks in place, the platform rumbling slightly from the one ton bare chassis jumping up and down on it. He does full motion checks for his arms then gives the final thumbs up. Yolandi nods and gestures to the autocannon, "Alright, go take some shots and make sure your tracking and targeting is up. I can't get a good bearing on stabilizers except the ones in your arms since your modular mount isn't hooked up yet." Zou nods and picks up his autocannon in both hands, steping to the target range that Karina was using and the area around the landing pad is filled with a thumping staccato of shots, a stark contrast to Karina's rip-roar from her minigun. Yolandi has to plant her feet a bit because the concussive thumps of the shots resonate in her chest from this range. Zou scores good hits on each of the targets, the big puffs of chalk from the practice rounds giving a good indicator of where they're landing. When Zou finishes he trods over and sets the cannon down then offers a high five to Yolandi to which she reciprocates, "Alright, buddy, go take the gun and yourself back over to the workshop and I'll meet you there in a bit." She checks her watch then walks over to where the Kanad's mech is, hoping the alien is actually present to help her run the tests since she reconfigured the cockpit back to the Kanad's dimensions rather than the original Upyri bodyshape.

 

[Infab]

As Jericho attempted to pull Roku away, he was able to get one last statement in. "The Empire changes for no one. The sooner you realize that, the better." he said simply, before finally being dragged off by Jericho. Once they were far enough away, he looked him. "...Why do you keep trying to help me?"

---
​

"This should do something about that headache. And with your permission, I can hook you up to an IV to make you feel better faster."

​

Lauren hesitated for a few moment, looking at the pill bottle before taking it from him. "...The pills will do." she stated, rubbing her nose and looking away. Typhon could notice that Lauren's nostrils were tinted a reddish color, as if there was faint traces of residue around the openings. Her eyes also looked...off. Had she been on something earlier?

 

[ANIMAL MOTHER]

"Right... You might also want to wash your face a little too. I can see you got some weird stuff around your nose that looks a bit like dried blood... Have you been having any nosebleeds, Captain?"

 

[EdwardDewey98]

Jericho managed to get Roku out of there, and once the two were away from Shun, he stopped to look at Roku as he asked him something. Jericho crossed his arms and smiled. "Cuz your cute." He then booped him on his non-existant nose. "But mostly because I hate guys like that...traditionalists and zealots? Fuck that shit." He shrugged. "Besides, it kinda annoys me that they decided to fuck with you simply because you ran away...like...so what, there's better ways to make people better without playing with their life. But then again, what do I know, I'm just an android."

 

[Infab]

"Right... You might also want to wash your face a little too. I can see you got some weird stuff around your nose that looks a bit like dried blood... Have you been having any nosebleeds, Captain?"

Lauren visibly twitched, before looking back to Typhon. "No. I haven't." she responded. Now he could see her eyes quite clearly. There was something up with them. "Thank you for the pills." she said, before turning about. For fuck's sake, I thought I washed my face earlier.

---
​

Roku cocked an eyebrow after Jericho 'booped' him. "...You're weird." he said simply. Once Jericho finished, he spoke again. "Threats of violence...and actual violence...always work the best, though. That's what most go for, regardless of the aftereffects. Thanks for having my back anyway...I need to go get this burn looked at, so I should be going." he said, motioning to the laser burn on his neck. A moment later, he stepped away. Headed for the ship.

 

[Dmaster]

"... I will make it change." he mutters to himself, turning to leave the hallway and move back outside. There must have been something he could occupy himself with to clear his mind, his mood completely shot now that he had his outburst. Normally he was calm and collected, but the subject of his exile and the cause of it was of course a sore spot for the cybernetic Ayr. It was fortunate that they were based on such a tropical planet, the abundance of nature would assist his nerves.

So with that Shun began a bit of a nature trek, taking a deep breath before walking along the beach. He was absorbed in his thoughts, yet against the backdrop of the afternoon ocean he was quite easy to spot.

 

[ANIMAL MOTHER]

A gloved hand strokes Lauren's nose, some of the red residue coming off. Typhon rubs it in between his fingers as he slowly comes to the realization as to what it is. The current look in her eyes solidifies his conclusion. He quickly looks the med-bay doors before she has a chance to leave.

"Captain, as your physician and primary care provider, I diagnose your current condition as acute bullshitting. What have you really been taking other than alcohol?"

 

[Infab]

Son of a fucking bitch. Lauren groaned. "Can we please not do this?" she asked. "I just want to go back to my cabin, take these fucking pills, and get some sleep. I want to be left alone. Alright?" She turned about, walking over to where the sink was in the room. She turned on the water, and began to wash her face. "I don't need anyone to hold my hand, or to sit me down and tell me that 'its all gonna be alright, we're here for you'. I am fine. I'm dealing with things my own way." she ranted. Soon, she was finished and dried her face on a towel nearby.

 

[ANIMAL MOTHER]

"I don't need anyone to hold my hand, or to sit me down and tell me that 'its all gonna be alright, we're here for you'. I am fine. I'm dealing with things my own way."

Oh, how Typhon utterly loathes it when his patients tell him that. They always, always ended up dead not too long after. He can't even remember how many of his Lions brethren he's lost when they gave up on him like this.

"Normally, Captain, I wouldn't give a shit how it is you deal with your problems. I wouldn't care how much alcohol you drink, how many drugs you shoot up on, or how many people you kill every day and every damn night if you feel it's a proper way to deal with personal matters." As he continues, he slowly marches up to her face. "But unfortunately for you, and especially you right now, I am required by contract and position to actually CARE. Don't you remember? You hired me to look after the well-being of everyone on this crew. Including you. You clearly aren't well, and haven't been for a while. So don't you be giving me this bullshit about how I should let you kill yourself slowly. I don't recall that in my job description, and I don't think it'd look too good to the rest of those fuckers out there if they knew I let you die, fully knowing you were like this. And besides..." Typhon finally backs off, shrugging. "You wouldn't wanna die before Anora, would you? At least have the decency to live long enough to finally put her through the fucking dirt."

 

[Infab]

Lauren stared at the doctor for a few moments, unsure of how to respond. Eventually, she sighed. "...Fine." she said, glancing down to the floor before rubbing her eyes. "I've been doing red ice since...about three days after they buried my mother. I used to do it before she died, but I quit. i just...relapsed I guess." she said, propping against the counter. "...It started with me sneaking off alone to sit next to her grave...talk about what was going on lately...And...I don't know. I just felt horrible. Of course, snorting that shit always made me feel fucking fantastic when I used to do it...the world just melted away and I didn't have shit to worry or care about. So...of course I just went right back to it."

She went quiet for a few moments, before glancing up to Typhon. "...I don't want to die, doc. Its something else."

 

[Frankafurter]

Yolandi looks around the testing area and can't seem to find the Kanad mech pilot, she assumes the alien got bored waiting for Yolandi and Karina to wrap up and went to go hang out with the other Upyri on the crew that she seems attached at the hip to. Never did catch her name, but those two keep to themselves mostly so she doesn't pry. She waves off to Karina, "Hey, wrap up what you gotta do and bring the suit by the workshop and maybe meet me for a drink and a bite to eat in the Mordred Cantina, yeah?" Without waiting for a response she slides down the ladder with practiced ease and heads off towards the Mordred's crew deck. She unzips her work coveralls and wraps the upper half around her waist. She was starting to get a little too warm but didn't want to get crap all over her body since it's a bitch to wash off her synthskin's textured surface. That hasn't stopped the gradual smearing of grease on her hands and face which she considers an acceptable loss.

Once inside the Mordred she heads up to the cantina and gets a noseful of something genuinely awful smelling. Once she enters the cantina itself she realizes why, there's just a mound of mutilated fish laying on the counter stewing away in the slightly too warm ambient temperature of the room. She makes a disgusted noise and heads out, whoever's science project it is, she's not cleaning it up, she isn't the fucking maid. She heads back towards the workshop to catch Karina before Karina gets a whiff of whatever is festering in that otherwise clean room, "Hey, K', change of plans, we're just gonna use the base cafeteria, someone decided to just leave a pile of chopped up fish laying on the counter of the Mordred and I ain't picking that shit up. I'll meet you over there instead, alright?" She heads back out and goes over to the base cafeteria and rummages through the kitchen area for some food and drink. The base's dining hall has a much better selection than the rather sad choices in the Mordred's fridge. So she goes about making herself a rather premium sandwich build and gets herself a nice cold beer. She thinks a moment then cuts the sandwich in half and puts it through the kitchen's food processor with a little water added to turn it into a rather dull colored slurry and puts it in a cup with a big straw. She forgot Upyri can't do solids so with that she goes and finds a table, avoiding the one with the shattered coffee mug and puddle of coffee, she's not the fucking maid, someone else can clean it up.