ic Incursion: Backwater

[Gizmo]

Outer Reaches of Contested Space

38 Hours After Destruction of Lor-Van

It was a truism that any seasoned spacer could have sworn upon: the heart of galactic civilization could be on fire, the proverbial wolf could be at the door and everything anyone knew could be turned upside down but there would still be someone willing to pay hard coin to make sure somebody else got what was coming to them. Since energy cells and starship parts hadn't suddenly become free, the crew of the Voidrunner had made their way out to the raggedy edge of known space, far enough out that nobody bothered to argue if it was technically Republic or Khanate territory, looking for a scumbag with a price on his head.

Only this time the heart of galactic civilization really was on fire and the rush of reentry outside the airlock was starting to sound an awful lot like that proverbial wolf growling. Orbital traffic was ten times over denser than it should have been, packed with the ships of refugees who'd either thought they could avoid what was coming by running far enough away or who just didn't have anywhere more attractive to go than the dustball known as Ke'Pinree. Many of the vessels looked barely space-worthy; it was doubtful their passengers would be able to make it to the next closest habitable world if they were turned away.

Once properly assured that they were there on business, a harried sounding woman with a thick provincial accent had cleared the bounty hunters for landing, directing them to was passed for a spaceport on her world.

[Darksider42]

Ruby sighed as she flew the Voidrunner between the teeming masses of ships, transports and junkers trapped in the chaos of the space lanes. Recent events do not seem to have fully registered with the bounty hunter. It seemed utterly unlikely for the largest empires in the galaxy to simply get crushed in less than a few hours. Not your problem Ruby. She reminded herself as communications finally managed to patch through to the spaceport.

 

"Roger Ground Control. Making our way to landing now." The Bounty Hunter transmitted as she started pulling the ship down for landing, her own accent faint. Scanners and instruments continued to note the thick galactic traffic surrounding this unremarkable planet. She switched on the ships internal communications.  "You lot ready? We'll be hitting dirtside in a few and Its gonna be chaos down there."

Edited November 10, 2014 by Darksider42

[Brown Dynamite]

Much like Ruby, reality hadn't fully hit Stahnze up until they came into port.  The sight of basically an entire flotilla covering every inch of space was hard to deny.  It almost gave credence to all the news stories that have playing nonstop.  Not that he'd ever admit to feeling any concern.  No amount of worry coughed up coin.  Now was a time to work.

 

That's the mantra the former conman told himself.  Making himself the latest victim of yet another one of his long running cons.  "Isn't it always?  Besides better to get out of this mess before we end up another fluxstain in the black."  While no one was clamoring to claim this space as their own any more, the term heavily contested space had taken up a new meaning with the sheer number of ships Ruby had to fly around.

 

He sincerely doubted the chaos on dirtside could be any worse than what was going on out here.

[TheAbsurdist]

She was already in her envirosuit, ready to get to the ground.  Not that she was overly looking forward to what was going to happen. Not that was a particular student of people, she knew there was a panic, and everything else.   Bliss frowned a bit, as she glanced at the others.  Well it looked like a frown, more she was jutting out her lower jaw in the fashion that her companions knew she was frowning.

 

"We move fast then.  Do what we are supposed to do and then leave."  Tapping on her suit, and then helmet deployed.  It was an atmosphere she could breathe in, but the mask obscured her face fairly well enough.

Edited November 12, 2014 by TheAbsurdist

[Gizmo]

As the Voidrunner set down, barely squeezing into its designated berth, it kicked up a cloud of dust into the dry air. Between Ke'Pinree's oppressive heat and the omnipresent grime it seemed like Bliss might have had the right idea after all by sealing herself in an envirosuit. The blazing sun reflected off of every surface, most built from substandard duralloy or hardened slabs of sand mixed with chemical paste, cheap and easy materials that should never have been used for permanent structures. More than anything the bountry hunters were struck by the noise. The street on the otherside of the spaceport's blast doors was packed with people speaking a hundred different dialects, all with the same undercurrent of desperation. This wasn't the crowded of a bustling, successful metropolis with people rushing past with places to be, this was the crowded of too many people and too few accommodations, milling about aimlessly as they looked for anything to get them through one more day.

The 'port attendant coughed indelicately as the trio stepped nearby, a spindly sentient with scraggly hair jutting out of its chin, taller than even Roulette by a good half a foot but looking like he likely weight no more than Ruby. He nodded meaningfully to an old style credcard reader built into the exterior of his booth, one of the few pieces of equipment present that looked like it had actually been more or less properly maintained.

[Darksider42]

"Well this is gonna be a long day." Ruby noted as she stepped out of the Voidrunner. She was confident her armor's environmental regulatory systems would keep her from being cooked alive, although she was not looking forward to saying in the sun for too long. Rolling her eyes, she pulled out her credcard from her jacket and slipped it into the reader. "Should cover it." She said to the attendant before returning to the others. 

 

Ruby started checking her account on her wrist comp before looking over towards Roulette. "Am I expecting any visits from old friends while we're here?" A large portion of his debts were paid up last time she checked, but there was bound to be someone who wanted him dead. It was always smart to check after all.

[Brown Dynamite]

Just goes to show.  Money makes the world go round.  Roulette took a long hard look around the suffocating spaceport.  If it wasn't for how wonderful it felt to be under the planet's sun, the spacer might've begin to weigh the pros and cons of the job further.  There were a few languages tossed into the mix that Roulette understood.  Everything else was a garbled mess.  He could only wonder how it all sounded to Ruby and Bliss whom had less of a filter through language barriers.

 

Riding on Ruby's dime yet again pushed aside as he took a moment to mull over the question.  It was possible that someone he had pissed off in his life could be on this polluted mud rock.  With the influx of refugees.  Even more possible that they'd want to take the opportunity to frag him especially in emotional circumstances.  

 

Hubris and outright arrogance stopped it from being a concern.  As did his ever growing desire to be the center of attention.  Scratching the back of his silver hair, Roulette contemplated the matter.  Eventually flashing his signature roguish smile.  "Oh, I'm sure it will probably work out."

[TheAbsurdist]

Bliss cocked her head to the side, which was sometimes all one would get as a emoting of her feelings.  Not that she was stone cold or anything of the sort, it was just sometimes how she expressed herself was a bit odd compared to them.  With her helmet up and her face obscured by it, she fell in line as the one at the rear.  Not out of fear, it was more her preferred place of being.  She could cover a lot of ground, and dirtside she was even better at it.

 

The real reason for the mask being up, even if the filters and air system was off, right now, was because in all honestly, the indigo skinned Bliss had a tendency to look at people murderously when even mildly annoyed.  And the indelicate cough made her mildly annoyed.  "He has friends?"

[Brown Dynamite]

As usual it was hard to tell how serious Bliss was.  The guy never heard a joke he didn't take seriously as far as Roulette knew.  And he wasn't quite sure on that whole being a guy part of it.  Figuring out gender pronouns being a minor part of travelling with Bliss, and keeping an eye on not riling him up further higher on the list.  "The sort of friends that would like to eviscerate me and put me on the Illax black market, sure friends."

 

Roulette was willing to concede being popular was hard work.  Bliss' glare which was just part of his casual charm, was just as murderous as these anything these 'friends' of his could muster up.  Leaving Roulette half positive it was Bliss' version of a smile.

[Gizmo]

"Well now, with friends like that, don't see what a bein'd need with enemies," a deep, whiskey smooth voice chimed in as the trio exited the 'port. The speaker looked like he had a fair amount of Lor or maybe Zultasian in his ancestry but the smooth black orbs of his eyes and teal tint to his complexion suggested a more complicated family tree. He might have been a little under six feet or a little above but his relaxed posture and long, sun-bleached hide jacket made it hard to say for certain. The heavy garment didn't seem to bother him even in the considerable heat, perhaps in part due to the matching wide brimmed hat sitting atop his head.

Presently he tipped the hat to the new arrivals. "Howdy, chummers, y'can call me Zaul, I'm sheriff 'round here. And you'd be the Voidrunners, eh?" With a wide smile that showed serrated teeth, the lawman raised his hands in a shrug that was half apology and half nonchalant showmanship. The pair of musclebound Broans flanking him gave the trio less friendly, appraising looks, one of them adjust the strap of the carbine slung over her shoulder. "News travels awful fast in a place like this and you bounty hunters're darn near celebrities compared t'most folks we're seein' lately. Jennik said it was a bounty brought you all the way out here; why don't you tell ol' Zaul who it is you're lookin' for?"

[Darksider42]

"One of these days, I have to give you a crash course in things like 'Metaphor' and 'figure of speech'." Ruby said to Bliss. While she might actually like the gladiator, she could tell that conversation was not one of the things one learned while fighting for your life in an arena. She might have even started with pointing out the basics were it not for the sudden appearance of Zaul the sheriff and his posse. Lawmen working on the frontier worlds like this were a grab bag. Either they were honest and hardworking or no better than the people Ruby hauled away in stasis.

 

"Oh you have no idea." Ruby replied, hands on her hips and coincidentally near her weapons. Not that she was gonna make any moves to draw them at least. "Huh, Nice to know our reputation is proceeding us. We're looking for a Pirate by the name of Tigg. Not a very intimidating name really. Managed to run off with some plans of a new weapon from a Lor research outpost and we think he's hiding down here somewhere." Ruby explained. She cocked her head to the side with a smile, eyes darting between the trio of aliens before her. "Wouldn't know a thing 'bout that would you?"

Edited November 14, 2014 by Darksider42

[Brown Dynamite]

Roulette kept silent at this point.  As much as he loved being the center of attention, and he most certainly did, Roulette had long learned to clam up near lawmen that approached him first.  Especially those that travelled with questionable company.  His eyes darted between the Broans.  There were few polite conversations that started with a carbine postured out.  Even less so if they began in the fringe of hotly disputed might as well be unclaimed territory.

 

The tusked greeters served better as thugs than lawmen from what Roulette had ever encountered.  Of course, the spacer may have been partially to blame for his circumstances.  Over time he had learn to adapt as all the spacers who live long enough do.  Let them think you're polite, courteous even, but always have a plan to blast everyone you meet.

 

Assuming the lawmen were just making a polite inquiry there was no cause for concern.  Otherwise, he was glad Ruby was quick enough on the take to keep her hands right within reach of her firearm.  But not to actually make any motions for it.  The Terran was reliable if nothing else.

[TheAbsurdist]

Bliss's head rocked to the other side, cocked in such a manner as if she were pressed her helmet covered eat to her shoulder.  To Ruby and Roulette it was the sign she was ready, even if the rest of her body betrayed little, if anything in terms of a willingness to wrap them in her coils and throw them.  Whatever grumpy response she had started to say was dead, as she certainly wasn't going to present internal differences in her group to to this man, who came in posturing.  Announcing something...  She wasn't paying attention to words, it was they scent, their stance she was concerned with.

 

They reminded her of men from the pits.  Or the priest-commanders of her world.  Good, they saved her the effort of faking not liking them.  How considerate.

[Gizmo]

"Tigg y'say. Tigg... Soriel, why's that sound familiar to me?" Zaul asked the comparatively shorter of his two Broan deputies, stroking his chin with one hand and placing the other on his hip. The gesture pushed back his coat a bit, revealing the somewhat conspicuous lack of a holster or any other obvious weapons.

The deputy obligingly produced a slightly crumpled piece of datasheet and began scrolling through it. "Looks like that was the name'a the slab we hadda clean outta Wov'lc's place, boss."

The sheriff snapped his fingers more than a little theatrically. "That's the one! Chummer sat onna wrong bar stool, ended up shy a prodigious amount of vital fluids. Remember we had the devil's own time scraping up the leftovers. Seem t'recall was some Khanate ex-pats did the deed?"

"That's what the reports says, boss."

"That's what the reports says," Zaul repeated, spreading his hands helplessly. "I surely hate to say but it's lookin' like you mighta wasted a trip. Ke'Pinree can be a dangerous place, you don't watch you you're crossin'."

[Brown Dynamite]

Roulette looked the sheriff over.  Zaul didn't seem to be lying.  Not as far as he knew.  Which meant the likelihood that the Broans were there to muscle things around lower.  Focusing on how quickly the conversation took a turn into hinting that their trip was a waste of time, Roulette reasoned that the lawman wanted them gone.  Considering how none of them wanted to waste too much time there.  It was a good deal.

 

But, Roulette was impertinent.  "Sounds like we're going to have to drink our sorrows at another missed payday at your finest, or shadiest, establishment.  Can you point the way friend?"  If they weren't going to fill their credcards with a heavier load, the least they could do is spend more of Ruby's money on alcohol.  Wait until it's a less crowded space dock.

 

And as bonus irritate the local lawmen.  It was the least he could do to provide himself some ample means of entertainment with income denied.  Especially, if there still stood a chance at finding the blueprints or another bounty in the meantime.

[Darksider42]

Ruby's face fell into a frown. â€‹"Well damn." She muttered before she started checking her wrist comp. While they might be telling the truth, to her it sounded a lot like the technical sort. Guess I lucked out and got type B after all.  She though while she checked the data.

 

"Guess we look for the prints then. Can't find those I would imagine that our stay will be a little longer than expected." She said with a raised eyebrow at the sheriff and his posse. She turned her head to Roulette with a smirk on her face. "Sounds like a plan for later. Nice to know you are generous with your creds." She replied before turning back to the lawmen and waited for their next move. There was no way she was going to walk off this planet empty handed and with the galaxy in chaos, job opportunities were likely gonna get a lot more scarce.

 

Hm, might turn into my problem.

[TheAbsurdist]

Bliss folded her arms as she looked at them.  Debating, mutely, the efficacy of just breaking the two goons necks and bludgeoning the man with them.  A frown was on her face under her mask, of course this was a generic expression from her, and the slightly shaded helmet did wonders to prevent issues, such as this from happening.  She shrugged then, and looked back to the other two, "Fine with that.  Sick of the space rations anyway.  Would prefer something real to drink, before we restock and leave."

 

She hated being jerked around, and he was doing that, or trying to at least.  Of course she had little fame at all here, so she couldn't parlay anything, and honestly it was more they got off this rock, given what was happening, but...  If the sheriff was doing something... Well she wasn't opposed to grinding his face over three miles of bad road to find out what it was.  But she'd give it a little bit before that happened.

Edited November 15, 2014 by TheAbsurdist

[Gizmo]

"Well a'course, chummers! Even buy you a round my own self. Tell the 'tender Zaul sent you, he'll get the message sure enough," the sheriff assured them accommodatingly, his serrated smile widening. Tearing a small datasheet off a pad, he jotted down a set of directions for navigating the overflowing town's chaotic layout and handed it to Roulette. "Now, don't go gettin' too rowdy and makin' a lawman look bad," he chided with a belly laugh as he sent them on their way. "Hate to see you gettin' inta any trouble 'fore you head on out again."

Most of the refugees lining the streets did their best to stay out of the Voidrunners' way as they passed, recognizing the telltale signs of deadly competency, but in some cases there just wasn't anywhere else for them to be. The paths between the sand brown buildings were narrow and twisting, with as much civic planning as a dumped bucket of children's construction toys. Zaul's directions actually seemed to be genuine but they went only a short way toward making the maze any easier to navigate or the smell of too many people and not enough infrastructure any more bearable.

[TheAbsurdist]

After a short while Bliss stopped, and made a loud, harsh sound.  "I am going up.  This feels like an ambush."  She was a teensy bit paranoid, or could be accused of that.  Though her argument was that she was suspicious, as she didn't believe the universe was out to get her.  Just each person in it was, generally, out for themselves over everyone else.  Lifting her arms, her tendrils shot up and out, latching to the buildings, and then she burst up.  Not waiting for Ruby or Roulette's response.

 

She didn't like the architecture, she didn't like this place.  Zaul posturing showed he saw them as a challenge, the way people parted around them told her they were cowed.  She was getting irritated the longer she was here.  Zaul was the kind to profit in the face of annihilation, she knew the type.

[Brown Dynamite]

More like it feels like an excuse for you to get in a fight.  Roulette considered himself cautious rather than paranoid.  Opportunistic at best.  If ever there was a time to give credence to that line of thought, it was when comparing himself to Bliss.  "We're in public on an overcrowded hub.  Not even an incompetent lawman would risk taking shots here."

It was the gladiator mindset Roulette figured. Bliss wasn't exactly the sort to socialize under normal conditions. "His companions were Broans. Have you ever heard of a subtle Broan? Don't worry about an ambush and keep an eye out for someone that might be worth the trip here."  Roulette mostly wanted to take advantage of that drink offer.  Especially when no limit was established on the price of said free drink.

For what it was worth, Roulette didn't trust Zaul as far as he could throw him.  And unlike Bliss, or even Ruby for that matter, that wasn't very far. However, it seemed the man wanted them off the planet not dead. Appeasing them through kindness.  He doubted the other two getting into a bar fight would let that statement continue to ring true.

[Darksider42]

Ruby shrugged. "Wouldn't be the first time. We'll make them regret it if it does come down to a fight though." She almost reached for the button on her collar when she stopped with a frown. Communications was something she was certain Bliss's suit did not come with. Only thing she could do was hope that the former gladiator was not too eager to jump into a fight. 

 

​"Probably start looking at the bar. Find what we're looking for. Get paid, get restocked and then get off this rock." She said as she squeezed past those that had no room to move out of the way.

[Gizmo]

Bliss landed atop the building easily and was immediately greeted by a surprised yelp and the sounds of scrambling. In one corner of the rooftop a piece of scrap sheet metal had been wedged in to create a small, crude shelter against the sun and wind. Just in front of it a young Lor, no older than eleven or twelve, had hurried into a guarded crouch, brandishing a makeshift shiv warily in the bounty hunter's direction. Silent, his lips were pressed tightly together and set into a face showing all the obvious signs of malnutrition. Bliss was hardly an expert in Lor physiology but the show of red hair atop the boy's head struck even her as notably bright, almost fire-like in the glaring sun.

 

Not far away on the ground, Ruby and Roulette finally found the watering hole Zaul had suggested. It was hard to tell if the sign above the door was unreadable because it was written in an unfamiliar dialect or because of the sloppy paint work and erosion from blown sand. Inside it was dim, a welcome respite from the sun outdoors, and marginally less crowded. Not many refugees could afford to spend their meager funds on entertainment, it seemed. The magenta skinned bartender barely bothered to glance over their way as the pair entered, continuing to clean out a glass idly. He was the first person they'd run into since landing who looked like he put effort into his appearance, from his feathered white hair to the lean muscle on display between the folds on his undone shirt.

[TheAbsurdist]

Her momentum carried her in a few steps, so she would be off balanced.  Her eyes immediately went to the Lor boy, and she held a moment, before speaking in accented Lor.  "Mmm.  Put the knife the down.  I just thought there was an ambush."  She stated it so matter of factly.  The tendrils slide back into her forarms, as she slowly knelt down, and depressed the button, to make her helmet open and slide down around the neck, exposing her face.  It was easier, even if she wasn't the same species, to deal with someone face to face.

 

"Can you give me some information?  I can pay you for it."  One hand moved slowly towards a sealed storage pouch, and she popped it open and pulled out a nutrient bar.  And held it up to him, her movement slow, deliberate as she watched the boy.  "Here you don't even have to get closer..."  And she casually lobbed the bar towards him, before setting back to sit near the lip of the rooftop.

[Brown Dynamite]

Roulette made his way over to the bar.  Giving it a playful knock while waiting for the bartender to turn around.  He was surprised by the man's clothing.  Not due to his questioning his fashion choices.  No, Roulette was merely surprised by the act that there was active avian life.  It was just so amazing to consider the planet capable of sustaining life.  It should be noted that he could not imagine the possibility of this planet being an active trade planet nor could he imagine the barkeep going off world for fine clothing.

 

"I've always enjoyed a man willing who knows to give the customers what they want.  The shirt that hair, yes please.  Basically, can we keep him?"  While Roulette's statement wasn't a dishonest representation of his interest.  He was in fact merely trying to get  rise out of Ruby in the moment for the fun of it..   "If nothing else.  This place doesn't seem to be a crater on a moon at least."

Edited November 18, 2014 by HG Morrison

[Darksider42]

The hell is she up to? Ruby wondered as she looked up at the roof tops one last moment before entering the bar. Questions for later she guessed. The sudden darkness and the breathing room was a nice change of pace from the outside. She did tap the back of her neck, hearing a faint metallic sound. She suspected her next paycheck might be going towards cybernetic repairs. Either that or the place needs a new sign.

 

The Bounty Hunter did not quite have enough time to appreciate the cool indoors when Roulette started speaking. Her response was all but a simple shrug. "Your personal life. Not so sure about him though." She replied, that familiar nonchalant manner as she sat down at the bar. "Me on the other hand would love that drink you were offering while I figure out who to talk to about Tiggs and where he took those goods...Or find another job." The story seemed to work out. Though she was curious about the details of how the whole thing went down.

Edited November 18, 2014 by Darksider42