Futuristic Starpath: Burning Sails [IC] [CLOSED]

[Doomevil]

"It's going to be alright Shuren. We'll get your people back once we have the money and manpower to handle that sort of mission. I imagine Lauren and some of her allies will. I think." Nara assured him. In fact, they were pretty much up for a rescue mission but the biggest problem was how were they going to do that? Maybe they should figure out the plans first and then try to pull that off.

"Anyways, cheer up. Let's all just eat our meals and see what's next for us in Reaver business." Grommy lightened the mood.

 

[Frankafurter]

Yolandi quirks a brow then grins at Petar, "He's not a cargo lifter you know, but yeah I'll loan him to you if you give me a slice of whatever winnings you got. Cost of labor, you know? I gotta get some investment capital to put towards new weapons for him." She shifts her attention to Nathalie, "Well, I called my lawyer and apparently there's some pretty damning evidence of my shennanigans with you guys so the bounty not only sticks but I think it's notched up several grand as well. So I'm just here to get a bit drunk and maybe feel better about it." She picks up her drink and takes another healthy swig of it before forcing the swill down with a slight grimace, "If I didn't know any better, I'd say this is just rubbing alcohol and I'm gonna end up in Typhon's care later. Are either of your drinks this bad?"

 

[Breadman]

"You get two grand now and half of what we get by selling it. I'll see to finding a fence for this stuff." Petar looked at his shot glass "It's like a mule kicked me." He then realized he didn't know what a mule actually war.

 

[EdwardDewey98]

Jericho walked out of an alley, with a rather ashamed man walking past him at a rather quick pace. To which Jericho simply laughed off and gave him a playful wave as he hurried away. Jericho then walked off towards the shops, with a lot of new credits to his account. It was time to pursue more leisurely activities. New clothes, get some drinks, and maybe see if he can talk with some of the other crewmen. While he'd never admit it, Jericho had come to actually appreciate his current job as a pirate, as well as most of the crew.

All of them were interesting, although he still didn't know much about most of them. The only one he had truly befriended was Shelby, and that's mainly because they shared similar tastes. There were few in the crew he didn't actually care for. Lucy, while charming and fun at first, had found 'divinity'. Nonsense that made Jericho more distant from her. He knew she was malfunctioning, but never expected it to be that bad. Then there was Shun, seemingly an extremist, and clearly an absolute bastard. If Jericho didn't like Roku so much, he'd actually not care too much about Shun. But gods knew he was a dickwad.

After buying clothes, magazines, and a book written by some alien author who's name Jericho couldn't even pronounce without butchering it, he wanted a drink. All his purchases would be sent to the ship later, so for now he could lounge around. He eventually noticed Yolandi and Zou heading towards a bar. Jericho thought he might as well talk to the others, and walked in behind them. He saw Yolandi, Petar, and Nathalie, so he decided to join them. "What are you darlings doing?" he said, walking up to the table where they were. He ordered the same thing they were having, and downed it as soon as he got it. "...this shit is disgusting. I like it."

 

[Viper Actual]

Nathalie nodded and raised her glass. "Cheers to slimy lawyers and drinking to feel better." After toasting Nat looked at Jericho. "Nothing much, just chit-chatting. How are you holdig up Jericho?"

 

[EdwardDewey98]

"Oh, nothing much, darling. Just bored out of my mind, is all!" Jericho looked to the bartender. "Give me another one, cutie!" He then turned back to Nathalie. "There's just not enough alcohol, drugs, and encounters to entertain me in this place. And overcharging my systems until I become braindead is not an option." He quickly finished his freshly acquired drink. "Don't get me wrong. I love the little ocean planet we kinda live on, but God, am I hoping for a new mission. Stab more people, get more money, you know?"

 

[Infab]

Down on the Entertainment Deck...

"...You sure you want to go back in there? Next one up is a Namur named Hoshi. Fights rabid. Biting, claws...you get the idea. She's won the past three fights she's been in here, and one was against a Khergian."

"Yes. I'm sure. I wouldn't have joined these fights if I wasn't." responded Karina, cutting her fellow Reaver a look. The kanad hesitated, before eventually nodding. "Alright. Don't say I didn't try to stop you if you get fucked up." he said, giving her a pat on the shoulder before stepping back. "I won't." responded Karina simply, standing up and returning her attention to the circular room before her. There were several other pirates standing around behind the fence surrounding the pit they were in, all with money bet on whom would come out of the fight victorious. Karina had already fought twice. The first was against a human. Decent fight, close quarters. He got a few shots in, but she knocked him stupid with a bicycle knee to the face. Shattered his nose, and he had to be dragged out of the pit by his crew. Second one was, surprisingly, a Kaxan. Far shorter of a fight, as she simply grabbed him by his facial tendrils and beat him senseless.

Karina checked the battered tape on her hands, which was now covered in splotches of blood. None of it her own, of course, as that stained her grey tank top and BDU pants. She stopped just outside the cage door, which shut behind her quite loudly. No backing out now. Across from her, the Namur her Kanad friend has poke of emerged. Crawling out on all fours like a cat. Karina watched her for a moment, as Hoshi stood up. She was almost half a foot taller than her, forcing Karina to have to look up a bit. She was missing splotches of her striped orange and white fur, probably from the fights, and her right eye was scarred over. Karina's expression didn't change. If anything, she'd be giving more scars to add to the collection.

The referee, a bald human of middle age, motioned to them to make sure both were ready, before quickly waving his hand and getting the hell out of the way. The fight was on.

---​

Aesha and Olivia wandered about the Market deck, with Derrick in tow as they looked about for new clothes and equipment. Often there was quite a selection here for whatever floated your boat, and Aesha was in the mood for a nice leather jacket. Maybe get the Reavers emblem emblazoned across the back. Had to represent, you know. "So what do you think of the new guys back on Sielia? Think any of the pilots are worth a shit?" she asked, glancing to Olivia as she looked through a rack of clothes. "We could probably whip them into shape before they get the bigger ships up and running."

 

[ANIMAL MOTHER]

Elsewhere in the bar and seated around a table were a group of particular gentlemen leering ominously at the Reavers that had gathered around nearby. One look at them would easily identify them as Lions members due to their logo being visible on them, but they look different. They're not wearing the standard old-fashioned green uniforms and vests the rest of them have. Instead they're wearing stained and ripped grey coveralls with bits of scratched metal armor and glowing augmentations poking out in random areas. On the seat facing Petar's and the others direction is this absolute giant of a man, large enough that he easily towered over every other person in the bar. Perhaps most alarming were his arms, exposed and covered with scars and burns, but also with twin cannons replacing his arms up to the elbow and pointed directly at him. Covered head to toe in armor and all sorts of machinery, he stares at Petar through his cracked visor.

Whatever it is he and the rest of them want, it doesn't look like it could be anything good.

 

[Breadman]

"Figures you'd like this motor oil" Petar commented on Jericho downing it as quick. He couldn't focus on whatever else came after as he started to look around the bar and noticed the people staring at them. Him in particular. Then there was the giant motherfucker with the arm guns. How the hell did he not see him before? Really nothing they could do but break the ice. He turned to the men sitting together.

"Alight, you want something. Either it's a job or one of us pissed on your grandmother's grave. Out with it."

 

[ANIMAL MOTHER]

"Relax, Petar." says one. "W-w-we just c-couldn't help but n-notice a d-d-d-dead man walking th-the EARTH-" stutters out another, seemingly afflicted with some sort of disorder.

The brute finally speaks. "SIT DOWN WITH US." One of them pulls a chair away from another table.

"And have a hit!" Another slides a hookah to Petar.

 

[EdwardDewey98]

Jericho chuckled as Petar joked about the drink. "You know it, baby." But then Petar looked back towards a group of Lions that were sitting nearby. Jericho asked for another drink, and gulped it down while staring at both Petar and the Lions. He normally stayed away from the Androsynths anyway. He had no reason to get involved here either, unless things got violent.

 

[Breadman]

"I don't do lightweight." Petar answered. Common sense told him to reject the offer to sit outright. But common sense didn't bring him closer to his goals. He walked to their table with a slow step and sat down among them. He was among killers. That was obvious. If they were just hired muscle, they would have done something by now. His mind raced to try and figure out who related to him or the crew they could have leverage over. Only one was Typhon.

"If you just wanted to talk, you could have just called." He leaned in and rested his elbows on the table, looking at who he assumed was the man in charge "So what is this about?"

 

[ANIMAL MOTHER]

"[L-L-Lightweight, he says-s-s...]" grumbles the shaky one.

"Our mutual friend, the good doctor." The one that offered Petar the hookah takes a massive hit from it. "How has he been, by the way? Has he been better to you than to us?"

 

[Breadman]

"He's been performing his job with little complaining from our side. People skills could use some work, but we don't pay him to be nice." He waited till the the cloud of smoke dispersed so he could see the man eye to eye. "Don't tell me you miss him already."

 

[ANIMAL MOTHER]

"WE WON'T TELL YOU THIS THEN." responds the brute. "WE WILL TELL YOU INSTEAD WE ARE HERE TO MAKE A DELIVERY."

"Ten crates, filled with wondrous things like this." One of them pulls out a small box from underneath the table. From inside, he withdraws a vial containing that same yellow liquid Lauren saw the other Lions inject themselves with. "Perhaps, we can arrange a deal here right now if you'd like some for yourself."

 

[Frankafurter]

Yolandi just kinda idles a bit then notices the cyborgs around the same time as Petar, she's armed but the big gun arm fella would be a tough nut to crack. Then they reveal they're not there for a fight and just want a chat with Petar. She keeps an eye on Petar as he goes over to their table and takes another sip of her drink. She glances at Nat and Jeri, "I hope this stays amicable, I don't think I'm ready for a fight with that lot the boss is sitting with." She punctuates the statement by finishing off her drink and setting the glass aside.

 

[EdwardDewey98]

"I know little about the Lions, but I heard they're brutal. Bad hombres." He looked to Petar as the brute among the Lions screamed quite loudly. "Tell you what, though. If they were violent, they'd have tried something already. It's probably something about that doctor guy in our ship." He then ordered three more drinks for himself, Nathalie, and Yolandi. "All we have to do is wait and see, I guess."

 

[Breadman]

"I'm not your regular client for this, so you're gonna have to sharpen your sales pitch." Petar replied to the Lion while looking at the vial. He only knew little about the group. Just enough to know they were considered terrorists. Dealing with them on any level could bring down hell on top of their heads. At the same time that door was blown wide open with Typhon on board. So it was really how deep are the Reavers willing to go in on this. And what strings come attached. "What is this? Drugs? Combat serum?"

 

[ANIMAL MOTHER]

"Why it's the latter, Petar! What do you take us for, some sort of backalley drug dealers?" responded one sarcastically. The others laugh along with him. "This is a chemical compound we created centuries ago. It heightens your awareness, your response time, each of your senses, it dulls your nerves and makes you feel no pain. We used to have several divisions that used it frequently in combat, you know. They used it to great effect during that war with Sol decades ago." He leans in a bit closer to Petar with a wide smile on his face. "It scared the living shit out of those bastards."

He slides the vial over to him. "Take this little sample from us as gift from us to the Reavers. Perhaps you might like it, perhaps not. We'll be giving the rest to Typhon."

 

[Breadman]

"Thanks." Petar pocketed the sample. The picture was beginning to clear up for him. The Lions were sitting on a large stock of this stuff and needed someone to move it. Who better than morally bankrupt pirates to do it. Give out a few samples, hook em up to the stuff and the rest comes to fruition. Smart. Combat stims go for a bigger price on the black market than drugs. They stood to make a fortune to fund their operations. "Should we want to continue our partnership, what do you guys want in return?"

 

[ANIMAL MOTHER]

"Just money, really. Isn't that what this is all about?" the Lion replies, leaning back in his chair.

 

[Breadman]

"I'm used to warriors with a cause asking for more than that." Petar shrugged "Blame your colleagues who like to pull strings giving you a bad name. How much?"

 

[ANIMAL MOTHER]

"How does a thousand per crate sound?"

 

[Emperor Sagan]

Shelby trotted out of the store she had fleeced clean of the best clothes with several large bags in tow, barely able to hold all of them. Each hand was carrying three bags, and she had one stuffed under her arm too. She was completely laden down with likely the prettiest, fanciest, and certainly all around best clothes that could possibly be found on the station. It was time to return to the ship and drop all this stuff off. It was weird not having servants carry all this stuff away for her and into a waiting car. Stranger still she didn't have a full entourage with her. No marked security. No unmarked security. No counselor, or scheduler, or manager, or assistant, or official photographer or....

She glanced into a nearby establishment and noticed several of the crew hanging out by the bar. Jericho, Yolandi, and some others. It was hard to tell through the haze. She lingered in the doorway and saw some of the other patrons and realized this was definitely not her kind of establishment. It smelled funny and there were scary people in there. Lots of scary people all over the place, it seemed, but at least the main deck thoroughfares seemed safe. She had her pistol and taser on her, naturally, though a fight with scary people by herself wouldn't be very fun.

 

[Doomevil]

Both of the band members finished eating their food, drinking their Icy Fizz sodas last. So far they didn't have anything to do now other than to wander around and see if they can meet interesting strange people like Queen. Nara wiped her mouth with a napkin, observing Shuren who was sitting the booth in silence. "Well, Shuren. If you want to tag along with us we don't mind. We're going to have a look around. Don't get lost okay?" Nara smiled.

"Yeah don't get kidnapped and get converted into a psycho will ya?" Grommy joked lightly. Both of them waved goodbye as they paid for their meals, exiting out of the diner. They faced each other, getting a map in hand for the Terminal.

"Okay now, where to Grommy?" She asked, inspecting the directory. "We could always watch the news on those holotvs screwed onto the walls." She suggested.

"Sounds good. Lead the way Nara." Grommy nodded as they made their way towards the entertainment deck where hundreds of people crowded the area, winning and losing over gambling. A large drone projected a large screen towards the wall, showing news about the latest fashion and celebrity deaths. It later switched towards galactic politics such as the Kercan State tensions were rising with the Seltran Alliance. Both raised their eyebrows, turning to one of the civilians who watched the screen. This civilian looked reptilian, seven feet tall and carrying an easy going posture unlike all these other hardened criminals.

"Excuse me, do you know who are the Kercan State and the Seltran Alliance?" Nara asked towards the Kercan who had his arms crossed, chuckling.

"You want to know about politics huh? You don't look like you're from here. What's your name?" The Kercan asked.

"I'm Nara. And this is Grommy." She pointed to the large rockman. The Kercan slowly nodded, seeing the Grommy face for a minute. He narrowed his eyes for a bit, getting closer. Grommy himself looked confused for a moment, considering he and this alien are just strangers.

"You look familiar... But I guess it's just me. You can call me Dagon. I'm what you call a freighter boy for the Renegade Quadrant. Left Durga a long time ago." He explained, revealing his freighter background. Although he looked like a space trucker Dagon also sported many scars and old wounds based on his leathery skin and arms.

"I'm assuming Durga was your home. Why did you leave?" Nara tilted her head. Dagon sighed, shaking his head with frustration rather than sadness than she expected. He turned towards the screen, "Better opportunities out here than there. Sometimes delivering goods to other planets is good enough for a Kercan. It's rather tempting for us to steal and do bad things once in a while. To put it lightly Durga isn't a good place to live in, it just isn't." Dagon carefully explained to the duo. It was true the history of Durga earned no breaks for the past centuries, plagued by the harsh wildlife where you were constantly at the bottom of the food chain.

"I don't see Durga as a home anymore. Especially when the UGC tried to firebomb the planet. Only made it more angry in the end. There's a saying from my old clan: The Beast craves and so it will create more graves." He said.

"So, what's up with the Kercans and the Seltrans then?" Nara asked in an attempt to understand the situation better. Only thing is, this wasn't a recent development. In fact, this was a common thing. Dagon exhaled through his nostrils, coming up with a detailed reason.

"Seltrans are similar to the Ayr people, just more soft and squishy. And not a pain in the ass. They acted as a full on supporter for the United Galactic Community, you should have seen their faces when it all came apart," Dagon shot a smirk, "We're neighbor states. The only thing that's standing between us and them is the Elysian Commonwealth and the Crimus's xeno policies. Like I said, politics. After the Taloniki Empire fell apart, a Kercan Civil War sparked. Several Seltran colonies were lost from the 'collateral damage' and UGC wanted to put their foot down. Even though the Kercans back home lost, we gave them a hell of a fight. But alas, the old days are over now." He reminisced.

Both band members listened to Dagon's thoughts regarding the situation and he was right, history mattered a lot. And judging by the way he described the Commonwealth and the Crimus handling the situation, he seemed serious. Nara rubbed the side of her head, wanting to comfort Dagon he didn't consider Durga his home anymore.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that then." Nara said, earning a chuckle from the Kercan.

"Don't be. I'd rather earn a steady credit income than risk my life for someone's war again. It's better you try to stay away from stuff like that. Do what you want to do. If it is to be, then it's up to me." Dagon stated. The piece of advice gave Nara some deep thought back on the Mordred. The homesick discussion back at the diner already came to mind. There was one last question Nara wanted to ask towards the veteran Kercan though.

"Do you ever feel homesick even though you don't really have a connection to your homeworld? Is there something you can do about it, even if it feels like you can't?" The question caught Dagon off guard, seeing as the Lythian was still very young for her age to travel, especially in the RQ. But yet, there was a way Dagon could ease his sorrows. He gave an assuring smile towards Nara.

"Yeah. Whoever you travel with, whenever you're far from home. Treat them like family. And they'll treat you the same way. It's all we have in the RQ." Dagon answered. Nara smiled, gesturing a confident nod.

"Thanks Dagon." She said. Both Grommy and Nara said their goodbyes towards Dagon. Despite getting to know him well, this would be the first and last time they ever saw him again...