ic [IC] Trade Terminal Trouble

[TheAbsurdist]

Bliss had a response.  She had several responses.  And not all of them were violent.

 

Most of them were violent.  Which might be considered a marked improvement over her previous behavior and world view.  She looked flatly, the interior lids blinking over her eyes.  "Amusing.  You sure do seem to know about us.  You are very knowledgeable and wise."

 

She tilted her head as if listening to something, her nostrils flaring for a moment.  "Bored now."  And she moved over him, and the  casually kicked back, sending him, bound in the rolled up furniture and all skittering and rolling towards a wall and bouncing off with enough force to keep rolling around the compartment.  For her part Bliss left.

 

She considered this a nonviolent solution, and would expect praises later.  Or sour looks and words from Barrier.  What a miserable existence that one has.

[olopi]

GM

 

Catching up with Barrier was not too difficult for Bliss. Even when she hurried, the Lyankan didn’t move as fast as most others. And Barrier did seem to be hurrying somewhat. Still she had time (and lung capacity) to address Bliss.

 

“I believe I know where to find him. Judging by his name, he works for the customs office. It is not far from here, but if he knows, he may flee before we get there. How fast can you make your way there? It is some distance down the street, perhaps 10 minutes of walking”

 

The street, of course, led through large parts of the station. Which also meant it was quite busy. 

 

“We cannot raise much attention, so I cannot fly there. But if you can cover the building’s various exits, he will be unable to run. And then, we can bring him in. “

[TheAbsurdist]

"If you want all the entrances covered that might be tricky.  But I can move faster than most.  No one pays attention to up as much as they should anyway.  Flush him out..."  And she lifted her arms up, tendrils shooting up to find purchase, and she leaped up into the swing, knowing where the customs office.  She didn't need the remained of what Barrier would say, which might be 'don't kill him,' or something silly.

 

She assumed the stuffy Praetorian wanted her to assist in just taking them down.  So it wasn't much for her to really fuss over.  She was very good at snatching up people.  Who didn't look up.  So she shifted, and moved, alternating between using her tendrils and swinging, and leaping, and moving through the vertical space, before she ended up in a perch over looking the building, hedging towards where it would lead towards ships where he would probably run to.  As a foot chase, or fist fight with Barrier would likely not fly.

[olopi]

GM

 

Figuring out which building was the right one didn’t take long. It was labelled, after all. The fact there was actual security stationed outside also helped. Just one guard, who looked sufficiently bored. Basic equipment only, the sort of thing that made people inside more comfortable but wouldn’t stop anybody.

 

It only took a few seconds for somebody, wearing a cloak and looking rather suspicious, to leave from one of the side doors that were visible from Bliss’ position. Suspicious enough to possibly be the right one, but she managed to get a better look. It was a Thuun. They were were specific in their naming, anybody named Roshock wouldn’t be a Thuun. A few seconds later, somebody else left through the front door. A lot more casually, but with those few glances up at the rooftops that suggested he was who Bliss was looking for.

[TheAbsurdist]

Of course, she didn't expect him to be bolting.  After all he'd want to make sure he wasn't caught, and he'd assume that Barrier was not alone.  He might not be expecting her, specifically, so she let him move, and get into position, before she coiled the tendrils around part of the edifice she was on, before slingshotting herself towards Roshock.  Or the one she believed to be Roshock.

 

Barrier didn't provide an image, and Bliss was always inclined to break eggs when it came to problem solving.  And bones.  Possibly squishy bits.

 

Her measure of discretion was not precise the best applied in all scales of events, and she had to admit she was being a bit rash, but then Barrier was in a hurry.

[olopi]

GM

 

It was an easy pounce. While the man did check various angles of attack, he clearly wasn’t experienced, and Bliss managed to get a good spot from which to get him, dropping downwards and directly onto the Inspector. While it did seem he had something up his sleeve, he didn’t manage to draw it before Bliss was already on top of him.

 

The guard reacted with reasonable speed, drawing his weapon and pointing it at Bliss. “Release him!” It wasn’t a big gun, but probably not one that Bliss needed to get hit by, it would still hurt after all. The man, meanwhile, tried struggling to get free, unable to do anything against Bliss.

[TheAbsurdist]

Now, the thing to remember was that Bliss was never one to just stay still.  She had the guy, and she was flat gone.  Shooting a tendril up, and jerking herself away like it was a grappling hook.  Of course Barrier might not have been entirely forthcoming, or had set things up in a way that she might get hurt.

 

The Praetorians were a petty bunch.  Which she could appreciate, and anticipate.  She expected betrayal.  To be alone.  She however had task, and she could complete that.  She was going to be shot at, and probably get hit, but at this point, she can to scatter and get to a spot to with the captive.  Assuming she grabbed the right person.

[olopi]

GM

 

There wasn’t a lot the guard could do. By the time he’d been ready to do anything, Bliss was already gone. She could just about hear him draw his radio to report it before she’d gotten far away enough. So, while the captive did his best to struggle against her grip, Bliss could just move across the rooftops. And fortunately, those were rather abandoned.

 

Following her would prove difficult enough for anybody who didn’t have her mode of transport, too. The man yelled, telling her to unhand him, and crying for help. Not that anybody had answered yet. And soon, she could see Barrier below her on the street, still moving towards the customs office at her speed best described as “fast walking”.  

[TheAbsurdist]

"Oh shut up."  Said as she landed onto a precarious perch, dangling him over it with one tendril wrapped around his legs.

 

"Your identification please.  Or I will slip."  She didn't believe in anything less than definitive action.  Do or do not, after all.  It was a standard Xuli'pan philosophy.  Part of why they were considered so primitive at times.  They were direct, and towards that end, she was the epitome of such.  A veritable paragon of the sharpened bluntness of her species.

 

"To clarify, that means I will be dropping you, and I am unclear as to whether I can catch you.  But I am game, if you are, find out."  Her rasping Galstandard showing a bit of glee, slightly manslaughterish, that Barrier would find distasteful.  But there was a reason she was sought out, after all.  And the females of her species were an aggressive, boisterous, and oftentimes violent lot.  Again, where she fell into a pinnacle, an acme if you will, example of such.

[olopi]

GM

 

As one would expect, the man look visibly distressed at what was about to happen. He gulped loudly as he stopped moving his body altogether, clearly scared of falling. Even if it wasn’t a massive drop, it would be a rather painful, if not deadly, one. He could only just mutter the words out. “R-r—roshock. What …. What do you want?”

 

Barrier had, in the meantime, stopped and turned her gaze upwards, Bliss’ volume enough to get her attention. There were only a few other people walking down the street, and most of them seemed more concerned with their own business, only one other stopping to watch. Barrier, for her part, just positioned herself in a way she could catch the Inspector when he inevitably came falling downwards.

[TheAbsurdist]

She jerked him back up, enough to rattle the limb in it's socket, and then brought him up high enough so he was looking into eyes.  With their hourglass pupils, as they constricted and looked into his eyes.  She smiled, or sneered, and then gnashed her beak at him.  "Good, Inspector Roshock.  We need to speak about the smuggling of things!  And that you've been very naught.  Ja-hag already spoke..."  Her face adopting a bit of an awkward expression.  "So please spare me, this extra-judicial behavior, and I want answers now.  Or, if you'd rather we go through the processes of intimidation, threats and genuine violence we can."  Her expression brightened, which was for most other species, not a pleasant looking thing.

 

"...Or!  Or we can go through that.  I could threaten you with dropping, maybe play with the notion for hours.  Or just rip off your limbs.  That also can work... how many knuckles do you have on your fingers?"  Pulling him up higher to look at his arms, and whatever had that was equivalent for hands, and she lifted her own to grab at his.  "So talking, talking is good.  Very good."

[olopi]

GM

 

In between the sheer panic of the entire situation, and Bliss’ threats, Roshock had essentially stopped being anything more than a sobbing, panicking mess. Once she’d finished her threats, and was quiet for a second, he gulped, and began to speak.

 

“Fine, fine. I’ll talk. I’d rather do it while not upside down though. “

 

 

Meanwhile, Barrier continued to wait below. While it would probably have been preferable to know what was happening up on the roof, she did not trust Bliss enough to be sure she didn’t drop the suspect in this during her interrogation. And if any passer-by had any questions, it was probably also a good thing she was standing downstairs. Make it look like a movie, simply reassure them it was not real, or do something to draw their attention towards something else.

 

With people like Bliss interrogating somebody, that sort of thing was almost a necessity.

[TheAbsurdist]

She shook her head.  Emphatically.  "Nooooooooooo, no inspector.  You earn being right side up.  After talking.  Singing.  For me.  Right now."  She made a trilling, cooing noise, it sounded like a mocking sound, a bad play at purring.

 

She was serious, however.  Bliss simply wasn't going to let him get any ground until she was getting what she wanted.  Part of being intimidating was control, and impressing upon the target their powerlessness.  That toyed with fear. Years of experience and others things made her quite good at this. 

 

Even if Barrier was a whiny little get, and upset with her over foolish matters.  Some had to get their hands dirty.

[olopi]

GM

 

The inspector let loose another very quiet sigh, as he recalled events and began to talk, visibly getting less and less comfortable as his body began to show the effects of being held upside down. He spoke fairly quietly, probably aware that the street was just within hearing distance.

 

 

The street, in which by now a minor commotion had formed. More and more people stopped to watch what was happening, even as Barrier did what she could to wave them away. Times like these, she wished for the authority the Praetorians had had back in the Delazti Empire, where she could enforce these things. And off in the distance, she could see the local law enforcement approach.

 

 

“This place is great for smuggling. The controls are tough, but if you can get through them, there’s a ton of money to be made. With the amount of freight that leaves going to all sorts of places, all sorts of things can be sent across long distance with little suspicion, because again, tough controls. I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one the Syndicate’s hired. “