Futuristic Unlit IC

[Gradous13]

Adira walked into the Hub and looked around at Kestrel, Kepler and himself though he didn't pay any mind to it as it was something to be expected, a person in command looking over their subordinates. He had finished his cigarette and put the butt end into the integrated ash try as the tray had a small door that un-clipped. Putting away the cigarette container he remained motionless with his hands in his pockets while he embraced the exhilarating waves from the high.

Matthias sat in his mental euphoria as Kestrel sat down across from him. She was rather beautiful in his mind both consciously and sub consciously as Kestrel reminded him of a time long behind him, of better days. Patting the seat next to her Kestrel had tried to get Kepler to sit next her but the offer was politely declined. That mattered not to him as he looked at Kestrel with emotion that he had sealed away for nearly half his life, once more he recessed the thoughts. He had a soft smile from the warmth the memories brought upon him but once more his face turned to stone the moment he withdrew.

Matthias found himself with a question from Kestrel, "What about me?" his words came with soft monotony just a few seconds after her question. "Do you wish for me to keep you company?" Matthias paused and sat up "Well then, what do you wish to talk about? I'll answer what I can" He replied, realizing he probably put himself into a position he did not want to be in. Though he was still "feeling good" in the current moment he was not about to go in depth if his past was brought up, so it was more of what he wanted to disclose.

 

[Vudukudu]

Kepler nodded curtly towards Kestrel. "Kestrel." He repeated to himself, as if tasting the word. He had rarely ever been on a first name basis with anyone, and most people he had encountered were simply willing to put up with his insistence on using titles. Come to think of it, most people hadn't proven nearly half as interested in his existence as Kestrel had, in that she consciously acknowledged him. To most, he was hardly worthy of notice. He was beginning to like her.

Matthias, on the other hand, was an object of great curiosity to him. Object, he decided, was the right word, though no derogation was intended by it. A casual survey revealed most of Matthias' body was mechanical, a situation which brought to mind the Ship of Theseus problem. Even Kepler, a witless cyborg to most, was practically unblessed my comparison. "This one has a question!" He chimed in, hoping not to come off as rude by interjecting himself. "Where did Master Drakovich acquire his extensive Blessings? Even.. I, have rarely seen others so touched by the Spark." He asked, tilting his head slightly to the side.

 

[Epiphany]

Watching Matthias' face change in his inner reverie was somewhat eerie. Unlike a lot of drug users, if that's what he was, there seemed more depth to the man than she'd expected. His opening questions might have seemed more like a proposition from someone else but coming from Matthias it felt more like a cautious assessment. A soldier reconnoitering the lay of the land.

So Kestrel leaned back into the couch and rested her hands on her legs, as inoffensive of a stance as she could make. "I'm just trying to figure out who I'm shipping out with, that's all," she said, lifting her hands and turning them to face palm up in the classic 'I mean no harm' gesture.

"Looks like I'm not the only one," the blonde woman added, grinning slightly as Kepler spoke up.

 

[Gradous13]

Kepler had jumped in with a question of his own before Kestrel could respond, a particular question that struck a nerve with Matthias who stood quickly and faced Kepler. Immediately his eyes dilated as if he were ready fight to the death, even though his body seemed to be relaxed it was on full alert. "A BLESSING?! A fuckin blessing? A body that gives me such a gift as watching all those around me die as I get to survive is hardly worth such a title!" He fired back, his actual voice was rather deep when his emotion was present compared to his monotonous tone which seemed to have an average depth. To him this body was a curse, his euphoria quickly faded and turned into rage, which in turn flooded his mind with the pain he so desperately tries to escape time and time again. Unfortunately his only escape he ever found would be with the use of narcotics and alcohol. He pulled out his cigarette case to light another smoke. Matthias never took his eyes of Kepler as he brought the cig to his lips and lit it with a lightly shaky hand. With a long drag half the cigarette burned away Matthias exhaled "It seems you are quite intrigued by this body of mine, if only you could know the punishment this has taken and the sights I've seen within this hardened... flesh..."

Matthias finished the cigarette with another deep inhale and looked around the room. To Matthias, He had made a fool of himself before they had even took off, at least that was his opinion of the situation. He put his hand back into his pockets and regained his composure, once more he turned cold "My apologies, Kepler, this is something I won't discuss further..." Matthias sighed softy and cleared his throat "...And don't be so formal, I'd prefer...Otto... if nothing else as I am no Master." he said with a touch of reluctance. "To answer your question, Kestrel... I will not tell you what kind of man I think I am overall, that's for you to decide for yourself, however, I will say that I am loyal to the death and those who fight along side me I will give my life for..." Otto said to reply to her inquiry. Otto's hands went for his smokes again but after pulling the case out halfway he decided against it and pushed it back into his pocket.

 

[Dragongal]

It was good to see the crew interacting. When Kestrel invited Kepler to sit with her, Adira smiled slightly.There had been some concern that people would worry about having two men with so many artificial components on such a confined ship. But evidently, it was okay. Then again, Kestrel wasn't your average girl; in fact, she didn't seem like anything would spook her. There was something to be admired about that.

Adira waited patiently to watch the crew interact before she spoke. It was a heartening sight. Even if she was trying to assess Otto's mental state most of the time. Then he snapped. Adira saw Kepler's forearm blades show a bit, just enough to potentially gut Otto. An interesting alteration, and a very useful one; also very, very potentially lethal. She didn't blame Kepler. In fact, once Otto pulled away, it was visible to the rest of the crew that Adira had had her phaser in her hand by her hip, pointed discreetly at him. Only once he calmed down did she put it back in its holster, with an audible click that she didn't bother to silence. Richmond's introduction allowed for a distraction for the moment, hopefully to help calm Otto down and let him get himself back together, but now it was her turn.

With a glance to Kepler, she gently said, "Stand down, Kep, we don't need to stab anyone around here just yet." In a bit of a growl, she continued to Otto, returning to her military habit of last names, "Drakovich, you're on a ship with what I assume is some very jumpy people. Remember to mind yourself. Now, you all should probably be aware that I have no issue with disposing a body. Threaten anyone else here, blackmail them, harass them, steal from them, I will kill you myself and throw you out the airlock by the nearest planet; your corpse will burn up long before it hits the ground." As she spoke, she moved to where she could make eye contact with everyone.

What she didn't tell them was that her phaser had only been on stun that whole time.

In a nicer, calmer tone, she said, "Now, I think Kestrel had a good idea about getting to know each other. I'm Captain Adira Rik, as you all probably know. I don't know what rumors you may or may not have heard about me, you can figure out what's true for yourselves. As for formalities, I don't like them much. You may call me Cap or Adira or whatever you think I will respond to."

She gestured to Otto and Richmond, and addressed them as, "Cigarettes, talk to Silas about how many you can have. We're starting off pretty low on funds, and it's his ship - air filters get expensive and cigarettes can make them get ruined sooner. Final thing of any official capacity, Richmond is also temporarily our doctor. So expect medical exams along with psych exams, and everybody has to take part. It will all be confidential unless Silas or I are given reason to check them."
.

 

[Solar Daddy]

Silas heard the commotion from his room - he had left the door open, and was only in there momentarily to make his bed. He had slept on board for a few nights in a row, doing a complete and full scale check during those days to make sure everything was working fine. When he came out and saw everyone in such a hostile state, he didn't say anything, only smirked. He knew Adira would handle the situation with enough force to settle everyone down, but not too much to escalate the tension. When everyone settled a bit, Silas stepped up to Adira's side. When she had finished her introduction after Richmond, Silas gave his own. "I'm Silas Burns - some people who know me well call me Sideburns. You all can call me anything you'd like. I'm the ships engineer, and owner. I'm happy to answer any questions you'll have for me, at any time."
Silas gave a pause to look around at each of them. The group seemed a bit roughed and maybe on the dangerous side, but their line of work could get messy fast. He was glad to have each and every one of them on the crew. "First things first, some ground rules - no shooting inside the ship, self explanatory. No smoking when we're out in space." He eyed Matthias and Richmond, but kept his happy-go-lucky albeit nervous mood.
"I've chosen a job for us that'll be good for starters - everyone will be needed, and there's low risk of death so long as you all have common sense. There's a downed Icarus frigate not too far from Granite, just floating in space, ripe with materials we can sell for good prices. Waning Stars has sent us an invitation to scavenge it. We give any sensitive information we find to them, and they give us first choice on all the fancy gear they might have on board. The only problem - a separate scavenge crew has already been spotted in the area, and there are no doubt more. My guess - they'll kill us for the good scraps. That'll be our first destination, and hopefully we'll get some gear to freshen our stock in the armory and med bay, as well as some funds for us all to bask in." Silas turned to look at the crew, and asked, "Any questions?"

 

[Gradous13]

"Remember to mind yourself" the Cap's words echoed in his mind. Otto simply replied "Understood." and left it at that. Being called by his last name hadn't happened to him in quite a long while and though Adira didn't aggressively correct him his subconscious already began to pull his discipline back, something that Otto has needed in his recent life. Taking odd job the past several years he had forgotten the standard he once held himself to and has become a shell of his former self. She had mentioned rumors but rumors were nothing of value to him as time would tell Otto the type of leader Adira truly was. As for no smoking, that wouldn't really be too much of a problem as its more of something he does to occupy his mind though he occasionally needs one.

Silas walked into the hub a few moments after Adira and addressed the crew when she finished speaking. He added that there was to be no shooting within the ship and reaffirmed the smoking policy. Then came the mission, an Icarus frigate had been disabled and Waning has allowed this crew to salvage, scavenge and take whatever was wanted. A soft grin grew upon his face at the fact the ship belonged to Icarus. It exhilarated Otto that another salvage vessel was also in the AO, which meant there was a chance for a fight. Otto stood up briskly and faced Silas, "Yes, I have a few questions, first off, is the frigate class known as well as the structural integrity and operational status? Even a downed frigate could defend itself providing the right systems are installed within the ship as I've seen Icarus ships act disabled to ambush Waning ships, secondly, what are the ROE if there are Icarus survivors? As for the opposition I assume that we are to defend our ground?" Otto questioned Silas, in reality Otto didn't care about ROE as long as this crew came out alive. In his mind it was shoot to kill and ask later, survival was ultimate mission objective. as for the structural integrity, the armory would be a tough nut to crack with out certain tools and demolitions. If that information was known Otto could prepare a charge that would be strong enough to blast the door but not enough to cause danger to whoever was present

 

[Vudukudu]

Matthias' outburst had triggered Kepler's defensive reflex, without a doubt. It took nanoseconds for the Juggernaut Implants to trigger, sending a dose of adrenaline screaming through his body as his arms opened up. The blades snapped into place moments later, though he didn't shift from his standing position. Kepler was comfortable with outbursts. He was not comfortable with outbursts from highly augmented people who exhibited other anti-social behavior. On his world, you were perpetually on guard for Virals, their term for cyborgs who got violent or delusional. It rarely occurred because of how extensive their system of surveillance and psych evaluations was, but in the event it did occur, every Engine-Seer nearby was expected to fall upon them and rip them to bloody shreds. As far as Kepler was concerned, drawing blades on Matthias in the future was something he'd do, no questions asked.

When he calmed down, Kepler's blades popped back into their place, a smooth whirring sound slipping out as they retracted. Finally, the arm-sheaths folded back into their resting state, leaving him looking normal once more. He nodded quickly to Adira when she told him to stand down, assuming she had the system under control, and took a small step backwards. From there, he was content to allow everyone else to do the talking. Adira adequately defused the situation, something he'd have to express his gratitude for, and having a task set out for them was good to hear. He did not do well without a job on his plate, and this seemed like an easy enough task for his motley band of new comrades.

For now, he remained silent, glancing around the room for further questions and commentary. If there was anything left to say when everyone else finished, he'd chime in. Otherwise, he'd remain dutifully silent.

 

[Epiphany]

The sudden reaction of Matthias to Kepler's inquiry was extreme. Probably due to some trauma, given the extent of his cybernetics. Kestrel had seen such instability before, on the Mutter's Spiral, long may she sail the stars.

Thankfully, he seemed capable of deescalating. Which was just as well, given the Captain's reaction to say nothing of Kepler. At least this crew were ready for confrontation, if and when it came.

Which would appear to come sooner than later, judging by the owner's briefing. The prospect of real work made the blonde sit up straighter in the couch, all of a sudden eager to make space and be out among the stars once more. "That was nice of Waning Stars," she commented, not especially expecting anyone to explain their involvement or why they'd be tipping off a single exploratory craft with salvage ability instead of sending their own. The prospect of going up against another salvage crew didn't particularly concern her, now that she knew they existed. Intel would be useful but as long as they went armed and prepared, chances were poor that this ship would be in any real danger. Scavengers typically recruited from the bottom of humanity. They weren't used to dealing with a trained soldier, a combat-capable Captain or either of the cyborgs on the ship.

And Kestrel herself was quite a bit stronger than she looked.

Matthias' questions were good ones and she listened for the answers. Meanwhile, she considered the recently arrived Richmond, pondering how to fit him into this job. Besides the obvious of patching them up when crew inevitably took fire from these scavengers.

 

[varda]

After speaking with Adira and Silas Ci decided to move her things to her quarters and had just about finished unpacking when she felt a burst of tension from down the hall. Her first and only instinct was to immediately move towards it to observe. Most beings tended to show their truest self when they were aroused, whether by lust, anger, excitement, or curiosity. It was in those moments Ci hoped to observe her crew mates. She had spent time reading up on what information she could find on them beforehand, but that only gave her the paper version of who they were. Ci wanted to know what made they tick, what their buttons were and how she could push them, if she needed to. Not that she planned on it, of course, but Ci learned long ago that it was always better to have an option and not use it than need it and not have it.

Ci sauntered in to the room from down the hall, catching the beginning of the briefing. Her eyes spent a few moments going over each crew member, mentally assessing each. She had seen a scant amount of pictures of them before but they were certainly something else in person. Kestrel Cavanaugh was certainly as beautiful as her files described, and clearly just as well trained. Ci could sense a genuine quality of warmth from the girl, but also the same darkness that shadowed every other member of the crew. Matthias Drakovich (aka Mechanical Man #1 in Ci's mind) like Kestrel was a very attractive specimen. Ruggedly handsome, his prosthetics not only signaled his advanced abilities but added a sense of grit to his whole aesthetic. Unlike Kestrel, though, Ci sensed that Matthias could be a difficult nut to crack. His uninviting nature proposed a challenge to Ci, but she never was one to run from a fight.

The unit Kepler 34-B (aka Mechanical Man #2) was a little more difficult for Ci to get a read on. Whether it was his cybernetic status or his stoic demeanor, Ci could not tell. However, she did not sense the same kind of standoffish nature that Matthias radiated. Quite the opposite, it felt to Ci that Kepler would be generally open and inviting. Lastly, their good doctor, Dr. Albert Richmond. Ci hated shrinks as a rule and had yet to find any exceptions. They were always trying to peek into her mind, break down her walls, and "understand" her. Being an empath helped Ci to run circles around human shrinks. And while it was fun at first, Ci soon viewed them as a chore and swore shrinks off. As far as this crew went, she Albert wouldn't be too much of a nuisance.

Unfortunately, by the time Ci had arrived, most of the unease in the air had dissipated. She clicked her mouth quietly in disappointment and elegantly slid into the seat that Kestrel had previously offered to Kepler. Without even a sidewards glance at any of her crewmates, her eyes remained on Silas and Adira.

 

[Vudukudu]

Once Matthias finished his questions, Kepler glanced around the room to be certain that no one else was going to speak. His eyes fell on the alien for a moment, and he squinted at her before continuing his look about the room. She was a curiosity he'd have to investigate later. "Further, Master Burns, is this vessel outfitted for salvage operations? The ship's volume, and lack of large continuous storage, suggests to this one that we are incapable of acquiring and processing bulk materials." Kepler asked, bowing his head humbly to indicate no disrespect to the ship.

"And my brief tour did not indicate to me any station that may be used for cyber-operations. Am I to understand that those computers are located on the command deck?" He asked, quirking an eyebrow curiously. He turns suddenly to look at the Captain, and puts on an almost puppet-like smile. "This one doesn't wish to suggest that he would be displeased with the captain's company. Only that it is unusual, as far as this one is aware." With his questions asked, he retreats a step, excusing himself from being the center of attention and giving either Silas or Adira the opportunity to reply.

 

[Solar Daddy]

"I'm glad you brought that up." Silas said, motioning to Otto. "The ship is unable to use its engines and is completely immobile. However it is moving at a steady, slow pace through space, so Adira's going to need to keep the ship at the same speed if we're hauling larger items on board. Waning Stars didn't tell us much, but assume there's a hull breach in every location, even if there isn't, so no taking off helmets or suits on board. We're also assuming that every weapon aboard still works, so we're going to find a breach in the hull without a lot of turrets, and dock there." Silas brought out his data pad and tapped away at it, sending a group-wide message. "The ship is a standard Jericho class cruiser so don't expect anything too devistating. It does have enough crew - if they're still alive - to be an effective fighting force, so we are going in weapons drawn. Not to mention the other scavengers." He moved on to Otto's next question. "Assume anyone on the ship is hostile, save for us of course. Friendly fire shouldn't be a problem so long as everyone syncs their suits up together. Call out everything, we don't need someone wandering off or getting lost. Our goal is to grab as much as we can fit on the ship without risking lives, so we push/retreat when we need to."
Silas heard Kestrel's input, and elaborated, "Whenever Waning Stars and Icarus get into a war, it always ends badly for both. So right now, they're both trying to stay out of it - so if they send in a third party to grab data they need, they don't risk war."
He then adressed Kepler. "You're right, we can't fit a whole lot on board. Right now we're not necessarily scavenging materials, but items and equipment. As of this moment we barely have enough medical supplies to relieve a headache, and only a handful of weapons with appropriate ammunition. I chose this job primarily to get restocked for free. Plus Waning Stars is paying for the info, going straight into all of our pockets - and the first round will be on me." Silas let out a breath, leaning against the wall. "Cyber operations are controlled from the bridge, but Adira gets control of anything in there unless she says otherwise. It's not my domain so I don't meddle. You two can collaborate on that part if you need to."

 

[Gradous13]

Otto remained standing and pulled out his smokes while Silas responded but stopped himself with a quiet nod to himself and put the cigarettes away. With the ship being a immobile Jericho class, Otto wasn't worried, he has seen them before and they are nothing impressive. If there were multiple hull breaches that could mean much of the external defenses could be down. This would be something Otto would look into with the schematics given. Silas also said to assume everyone hostile minus the obvious which brought a little excitement for Otto. To him this would be a good start, a win win for the situation, He gets paid, gets to eliminate Icarus forces again and begin to see if this crew he is apart of can cover his six. Despite what happened before the brief Otto already has their backs.

When Silas finished his brief Otto spoke up on a particular role he wished to play during the operation, "If I may, Silas, I would like to provide security for the element that would be securing the armory, if this is agreed I will also carry what ever I can fit on my person as we exfil from the ship. Also if the armory needs to be breached, I can do so without damage to the internal equipment we seek as well as take down any sealed bulkheads that may be in they way." Otto already began mentally preparing what equipment he would need and could use for the mission, once they were released from the brief Otto would look into more detailed schematics for the frigate.

 

[Epiphany]

"You might be better off staying with the ship and keeping an eye out then," Kestrel said to Richmond. "It wouldn't hurt to leave someone aboard anyway, in case someone unexpected shows up. Especially if someone expected shows up, if you know what I mean. Stay on the scanners, on the comms and alert us if something shows up?"

"Or maybe you could come with me to their medical bay. I don't know a great deal about what we need for our stores. Even more relevant to our bottom line, I don't know what's expensive, either. If we can stock up on what we need and still have room, we might as well take anything small and costly...assuming you know what is or not. Don't worry about field experience, Doctor; that's the only kind of experience I have and I'm very good at keeping people alive."

Left to her own devices, she'd have aimed herself at the armory. With the cyborg volunteering for it, this seemed an easy way to give them all something useful to do.

"If we're doing exams before we get underway, I'm game for taking the first one to get it over with. Otherwise, Captain?" She looked at Adira. "Ready when you are."

 

[Solar Daddy]

"Good points," Silas nodded to Otto. "You'll be with the main group that heads down to the armory. Once we find it, we'll signal Adira to get our ship as close as possible, blow a hole in the hull, and bring everything we can on board. Otto, you're on explosive duty for those bulkheads and the hull. Richmond, I'd personally recommend you to stay on board, help load up supplies and keep the medbay ready just in case. So, Richmond and Adira are staying aboard, and the rest of us enter the ship. Adira, I'm counting on you to keep our ship alive and get us out of there quickly when we're done. One last thing - I'm going to need one or two of you to go with me to data center and the bridge of the ship to look for what Waning Stars wants. I'll select them when we get close. It should take a few hours to jump from Madrigal port to the downed ship, so sit back and enjoy the ride." Silas figured it was a good note to end on, and was glad to see his crew could work together and fill roles. He assumed any further questions could be asked directly to him during the wait. "Meanwhile, feel free to get to know your fellow teammates and get checked up with Richmond."

 

[Dragongal]

Adira was glad that everyone was interested in the mission, and seemed quite willing to jump in and plan together. Though, Adira wasn't happy about having to stay on ship; nonetheless, it was necessary and she understood that. Everyone had their role in this, and she had to fill hers, no matter how boring it was compared to theirs. Then again, if it wasn't boring on her end, that meant someone unwanted was on board the ship, and that would not have a good result for anyone.

To Kepler's question, she smiled a bit. "Sharing the bridge is not a problem for me, you're welcome to work there any time." He seemed nice enough, and stable enough, so she couldn't see why she would be upset at sharing the space. There was enough room, and it was where they both had to be. She nodded to Kestrel when she mentioned her, then said to everyone, "Take your time, check your suits, armor, weapons, everything. We don't get a practice run. Maybe take a nap, we will need you to be wide awake the whole time, without the aid of caffeine or any drug. And make sure to check in with Richmond first, I'm going to say it again. Richmond, don't rush them through, though, if we have too many to get through before we get to the ship, then so be it, we'll do some of them after, that's okay. Kestrel, as to the medical bay: grab every single item you see, I don't care how common it is or anything. Best case scenario, we get free stock. Worst case, we sell it for a bit of money or just throw it away. Don't worry about space for stuff like that, I will stash all of it in my damn room if we have to, if they have a lot of meds and supplies, you can fill a bag and leave it for someone else to bring while you fill another. Same thing goes for ammunition, we almost need that more than weapons. A gun is just a fancy beating stick if it has no ammo. Summary: No space for scraps, only space for the good shit."

Finally, she turned to Silas and said, "Also, I'm taking you up on buying that first round, don't forget it." With that established, she headed toward the bridge.

 

[Gradous13]

Otto nodded in regard to what was said from Silas and Adira and left silently to go ready the equipment needed for the mission. The door closed behind him softly after entering his quarters. Otto took out his communicator to over look the Icarus Ship schematic. The data was too basic for his taste, he would need more if he was to safely breech the needed areas. Figuring they wouldn't leave port without doing pre-flight checks Otto went into his contacts he double tapped the third out of seven in his list and put the device to his ear. A rough voice answered the phone...

"What is it? The fuck do you want?"
"I need information, I'll pay for that....also, the favor you owe me, I need my suit"
"I dont owe you a damn thing!"
"DONT fuck with me, you WILL have the gear ready to be shipped within sectors thirty one to forty in six hours, your memory doesn't work to well but mine goes back very far... Hitman one one"
"ALRIGHT, alright, jesus christ man, I'll do it! *sigh* What info do you need?"
"Detailed Schematics on a Jericho Class Frigate, Icarus built, looks to be a mark three, send it to this number within five minutes"
"When do I get paid?"
"Soon enough, Ill send you five"
A short silence fell over the phone, "Fine, Data is on its way, it'll be ten minutes though"

"Good" Otto ended the transmission and immediately received a notification of data transfer. Satisfied he set down the communicator and opened the door before returning to his gear. With a rough start already, the urge hit him again. From what Adira had said, Otto was torn between his drug of choice and orders, even if she did't know about his "habit" he paced for a good five minutes be fore tearing himself from the urge and opened his door before his preparations. At least he could withstand these for about twenty hours or so before getting really edgy. And the open door would allow others to interact with him, or, rather make him be sociable if anyone came around to talk.

There were still a few things within the rucksack Otto had, He pulled a small personal bag from within and opened it up, many thing were inside but what Otto took from it was an old touch phone which he used for music along with a portable speaker with decent quality sound. Soft Lo-fi and jazzhop played while he reopened the cases to his demo equipment and weapons the music would keep his mind occupied along side his work. By this time the data he needed was received, switching the device to its holographic mode would let him enlarge the data to a four by three foot screen before him so he wouldn't need to go back and forth between his gear and the communicator.

Otto took out a roll of copper sheet metal, about the width of a roll of duct tape and an eighth of an inch thick . Next was a triangular block bout two feet long with a base width of an inch and a half, Otto would use metal shears to cut the metal into two foot length, pliers similar to canvas pliers were used to form the copper against the triangle. Otto laid the formed pieces out on the floor in a rectangular shape. The hull breach would be four foot wide by six foot high, plenty of room for duffel bags and crates to transfer anything from the frigate to the ship. Otto stacked the ten pieces of metal on top of each other and set them on top of his desk. After a few minutes of unwrapping the plastic explosives, he began molding the explosive around the copper until all the pieces were coated evenly. Otto would finish up by using the wrappings he took off the PE originally and used it to wrap the newly formed charges before putting them in a satchel bag. This would be the main charge to breach the hull to extract items from the armory, the rest would be for any bulk heads in the way of their objective and a couple for offensive or defensive purposes.

Restlessness was an enemy to his mind, it made Otto irritable. The music was turned off and Otto closed his door behind him as he left the room. Seeing that Adira was moving towards the bridge, Otto decided to follow her quietly with his hands in pockets. "Get to know the crew". All he wanted to do was relay the detailed schematics of the Icarus ship to her but socializing was far from his strong suit. A soft sigh came from Otto. His opening statement was odd, and not of his usual self, Otto cleared his throat before speaking "There's.... another galaxy this war was shortly fought in, it's known as the Traksonnva system, after the Waning heavy cruiser Captain who discovered it. Only one planet was ever explored and it was found that Icarus was attempting to use it as a base to strike Waning mining colonies with. That was the intel we found...after gaining entrance to their base." the tone of his voice carried tremendous weight to it as Otto spoke, "After the mission, Waning Stars quarantined the planet and parked a massive ship in orbit of the planet, QTD - P - 01 was the official title given to planet, zero one for short, and the ship is ordered to annihilate with extreme prejudice, any ship trying to enter zero one because of what the team I was with encountered." Otto froze as they entered the command deck, his eyes widened and dilated as he went into a trance like state for a moment. Otto pulled his hands out of his pockets, his right hand shook seemingly uncontrollably. Otto gripped his left onto his right and took a controlled breath before looking upon Adira "The point Im making is that I've seen things most people couldn't possibly grasp....Whatever mission we get, I will see things through... Well then I'd like to know about you" Otto finished awkwardly, but he felt what he said broke some ice away...

 

[Dragongal]

Adira had heard Otto walking behind her, but waited for him to address her before glancing at him. His hands were in his pockets which instinctually made her concerned he had a weapon, even if she knew that was highly unlikely. When he started talking, she could tell something was bothering him, or he wasn't used to talking about whatever he was trying to talk about, so she slowed her pace until she walked mostly next to him, and kept her eyes ahead except for the occasional glance. When they got to the bridge, she turned to face him fully and could see his expression change and his hands shake - clear signs of PTSD. She knew those signs all too well, but she also knew not to directly address it when she didn't know him too well yet. "I appreciate that you would see things through, it's quite important that you are willing to, and it's a valuable trait."

He wanted to know about her. He had told a story, rather than given a timeline, so she decided to mimic him. "Me? I'm just a retired Waning Captain, nothing too special in my opinion. Been through some rough battles, been shot at more than a few times. One time when I was a cadet, I took over my captain's ship during a battle, after they evacuated in the escape pods." She chuckled a bit, then added, "Man, I would have been on probation for ages after that if I hadn't gotten shot, even if it was minor. But the captain felt bad for me, so I was okay. He also understood - we had been attacked by pirates, and I couldn't just stand by and let them shoot at the escape pods. Cap knew I wouldn't be able to do that." She shook her head at certain memories that came up, then, mimicing him again, said, "What I'm saying is, I'll do whatever it takes to get everyone out of this alive."

Adira sighed, looked at him silently for a few moments, smiled slightly, then quietly said, "People are gonna tell you a lot of things about me. They might say I've done horrible, unspeakable things to certain people who the legal system couldn't quite apprehend. Others might tell you that for every planet found in my time as an exploration captain, there's five times as many corpses I've left behind me. And some will just tell you I take my leave time and get impossibly drunk, nothing else to it. You choose what you believe about me. You have that right."

 

[Gradous13]

A Captain with experience is a good sign to Otto, one who has been through many trials. Adira was someone who Otto could relate to, so far the only one but he suspected the rest would be, in some way, similar to the Captain and even himself. Those like these two always have ways to cope, for Otto it was mainly copious amounts of drugs and he figured that a Captain would have a good drink nearby. Otto listened intently to what Adira said, he admired someone who saw that morals sometime overruled orders and regulations. Noticing that she kind of played of how he had spoken made him understand that this was a good way to communicate with the Captain about the past, if the topic was brought up of if he felt the bond between them needed to be stronger.

"I appreciate this conversation...as for what others say about you, well, I dont really give a shit what they say. Your actions will speak louder than what anyone has to say." Otto leaned against the doorway, his hand finding their way back into his pockets "Everyone has done something great, something terrible, ever since this war started. I doubt there is anyone who knows of me aside from seven other people, only they know what I've done and eventually you too will know the great and the terrible... as I will learn of yours through you." Otto took out his communicator, and pulled a small chip from the device "I have a detailed schematic for the frigate, you might find something useful about it, this info is free for the crew, but I cant send a mass data transfer with this PDA" Otto handed the chip to Adira, it looked old and used which it was, the only thing on it was the Frigate data and some service information Otto forgot to wipe off the chip as he hadn't used it in a long time as it sat in his PDA. It wasn't much but it showed his awards, promotions, and service time from indoctrination all the way up to leaving Waning Stars, sort of like a resume paper. "There is mainframe and systems information on there along with every other detail about the ship, I'd look it over before sending it out to the others, I got what I needed so...yeah" Finishing Otto turned and left the bridge silently.

 

[Vudukudu]

Kepler's feelings about the location of the shipboard computers were mixed. Chiefly, he was pleased to hear that, if he had to share a space with anyone, it was to be Adira. Direct Logic Interfacing was mentally intensive, and left his body essentially comatose except for the erratic movement of his hands. He didn't enjoy DLI, something he was privately ashamed of - he ought to feel better about communing directly with the Spark, but the experience always left him feeling somehow hollow. His displeasure with the computer's location had to do with practicality. He'd never understood humanity's collective admiration for forward bridges, though he supposed it had something to do with his species' characteristic suicidal bravado. Were he to design a vessel, it would rely heavily on scanners and cameras to guide the pilot, who would be securely tucked away in the core of the ship. The bridge, exposed as it was, consistently made vessels such as this one easy to disable with some precision targeting. It also meant if he was engaged in DLI, and the bridge was struck, he would almost certainly die without even seeing it coming.

He'd been on the verge of volunteering for the first session with Richmond, but Kestrel had spoken up first. Finding himself suddenly without an immediate objective, he opted to work on a new one. If they were already going towards a job, he ought to familiarize himself with the ship's computers, and that meant going to the bridge. Regrettably, the other cyborg was in that direction, and he'd have to pass him by. At least there wouldn't be any more trouble, given Adira-Captain's presence. Given that everyone, with the exception of Silas Burns, had thus far rejected his typical manner of addressing others, he expected she would do likewise. That left the next proper designation on the table, and until otherwise instructed, he'd utilize that one.

Like an emaciated humpback trying to escape notice, Kepler made himself as physically small as possible, turning his shoulders inward with his head down and back slumped slightly. "Pardon this unit." He murmured quietly, breezing past the Captain and Otto fast enough for his loose brown robes to billow lightly behind him. His way to the bridge no longer obstructed, he stepped inside to admire the brain of this particular God-Machine.

 

[Dragongal]

Adira looked at the chip in her hand and let Otto walk away without bothering him. He seemed the solitary type, so there was no point in bothering him further. What he said implied that they would have other conversations later, but this one was clearly done.

She went to her station and greeted Kepler with a simple, "Hello there," then pulled out the collapsible tablet she kept in her jacket pocket; that was preferable for her to anything smaller. The schematics were quite detailed, but there was another file as well. Figuring it was more information on the ship, she opened it and started reading before realizing what it was and immediately closing it out. She already had the information she needed on Otto, and he probably didn't want to give her this. Out of respect for him, she left the file closed and wouldn't read it until he gave her proper permission, or she decided it was necessary. She then sent the schematics and information on the ship they would be raiding to all members of the crew.

 

[Vudukudu]

Kepler had already found his way to the computer hub when Adira entered and sat down at it. He was grateful to either Silas, the ship's previous owner, or its manufacturer, he wasn't sure which, for the chair. Private sector work, he'd found, offered much more comfortable seating than he'd ever had working for planetary governments. Leather, well-shaped for someone who'd spend most of their time here unconscious. It even swiveled enough to look at the rest of the room, if he had need of that.

"Adira-Captain." He greeted politely, bowing his head slightly. "This one is pleased to share the bridge. Most vessels I have served on opt to isolate computer operations, usually somewhere dark and small." He said, reaching into the inside of his robe. He produced a thin metal rectangle, actually consisting of two separate parts with a thicker side and a thinner side that fit together perfectly. He thumbed a switch on one of them, and it separated from the other, hovering about eight inches above the lower. A blue holographic screen rolled down from the hovering top piece, displaying the information shared by Otto. He didn't bother reading it, given that there was plenty of time for it. With a remarkably casual air given his usual meticulousness, Kepler threw the bottom piece of his data-slate at the wall a few inches from his seat. Rather than clatter to the floor, it bonded magnetically to the wall, as did the top piece.

"Adira-Captain, permission to access secure ansible communications? This one would prefer to switch this station to his preferred operating system, and tight-beam communications will not suffice for a data package of this size." He asked, clasping his hands together and laying them in his lap.

 

[Solar Daddy]

Silas was extremely anxious that something would happen to his crew that he already cared for. Maybe a simple gas leak he missed would cause them all to explode on startup, or he vented the heat improperly and they'd all be cooked alive in space on the way to the Icarus ship. He was afraid more than anything to be the reason someone on the ship didn't get to go home when their adventures were done. Due to his paranoid thoughts, he found himself checking out the various pipelines and electrical wires that were exposed in the central hallway on the way to the cockpit. He checked out everything he could in his small panic attack, but eventually ended up at the door to the bridge. He pressed the button which opened it, and stepped in. Seeing Kepler and her talking, he felt rude to interrupt, but wanted to get underway. "Adira, we're all set to take off. We leave at your discretion ma'am." He nodded to Kepler before turning back to Adira. "Show this crew how you fly."

 

[Dragongal]

Adira found Kepler's quirky was of addressing her strange, but wouldn't be rude enough to comment on it. It didn't upset her, after all, so it was fine. And it was a good thing he was content on the bridge with her, they would be spending a lot of time there. To his question, she shrugged and said, "This is your area of expertise, do whatever you feel necessary." Considering his background, she felt confident in his abilities, and trusted him to do well.

When Silas arrived, she looked up at him and nodded. "Alright, we'll begin departure procedures right away then." She turned to her station and started flipping the switches for the start-up sequence, which ran beautifully thanks to Silas's work. Minutes later, she had them out of orbit and heading toward their first job.

 

[Vudukudu]

Kepler nodded appreciatively and spun around in his chair, using the system commands to open an ansible data-link to his station, and then beamed out the two million character long password to his personal data-cache using an automated input from his Interface Port. Immediately, the network began feeding in chunks of his self-made system and installing it at this computer. Any computer specialist with DLI these days operated on his own system - it was, on average, 3.8% more effective for general operations and 16.5% for defensive purposes. By the time he finished getting it setup and installing, they'd taken off.

"Adira-Captain, you'll note communications, cyber-warfare, missile detection, ship-wide diagnostics, and master control for life support, gravity, and temperature control are temporarily offline. They will reboot and you will have permission to view them shortly." He said politely, seeing fit to keep the Captain updated. After all, if she'd noticed by herself that some fairly major functions were apparently disabled, she'd likely be concerned.