Starpath: Scoundrels of the Interstellar Highway - Thread 2 - Games

[QUOTE]"You don't want to know."[/QUOTE] "Dont leave me hanging."

Markus crossed his arms, "I just think it's a bit fascinating 'ow all this 'appens without any explanation. I fuckin' 'ate deep space." he replied --- Iska took out a new cigarette and sat down on a crate, "Iska and Yanim was on same crew, Long ago. Yanim different now." she said with a frown as she lit her cigarette.

Iron shrugged. "Well I mean, if you're want to know..." He tapped his helmet as to re-activate the bounty notifications. Several new windows appeared next to Amy's face. "25 million bounty due to membership of this crew." "Another eh, hold on, yeah uh looks like the Alpha Sisters have thrown in a bounty on 50 million." Iron shook his head. "There's also a unpaid parking ticket from Mars on 1k."

"Can I turn myself in to get that money? I'll split it with you."

Valkyrie heard Iron list Amy's bounties. "Hey, Ironbitch. What's my bounty up to now?" she asked, looking his way.

Iron simply stared at Amy. "I can't honestly tell if you're serious or not." The bounty hunter looked at Eve. "Can you detect sarcasm?" Before getting a reply from the bot Valkyrie [i]rudely interrupted[/i]. "Well, for starters you have bounties on you from at least three different governments all rounding up to approximately half a billion. That's not even counting the numerous bounties from independent parties, corporations, colonial administrations and so forth." Iron leaned in. "Infact if I knock you out cold right here and turn you in I don't have to work for the rest of my life, same goes for my future children, granchildren and my grandchildrens children."

[QUOTE]"In fact if I knock you out cold right here and turn you in I don't have to work for the rest of my life, same goes for my future children, granchildren and my grandchildrens children."[/QUOTE] Valkyrie grinned wildly. "Try me, bitch, and I'll use your skull as an ash tray."

"How colorful." Replied Iron. He turned to Amy. "I hold, you punch?" Said the bounty hunter with a chuckle.

Valkyrie's grin remained, though slightly more 'unhinged'. "You think I'm joking, but [I]I'm not.[/I]" Eve then spoke up. "I believe everyone has more important things to deal with instead of bounty sizes and petty squables." Valk's grin faded, as she looked to Eve. "Yeah. Let's worry about other shit." - - - - - - - - - - Taylor shook her head nearby as she listened to the others pick at one another. Besides Yanim herself, Valk might be worth the most of them all. And Valk genuinely [I]liked[/I] that the bounty was that high. She glanced to Valk, before returning her attention to Iska. "What was she like back then? Yanim, I mean." asked Taylor.

Iron laughed. "Don't you worry, there's a time and place for all things. Now's definitely not the time and this is not the place."

Iska took a drag from her cigarette and looked at Taylor, "Like Yanim is now, but not violent as now. Yanim want to protect and do good. But Yanim feed wrong beast." Iska stood up "Yanim think back then, space is good place. But space is hard, cruel. Reality break her. Yanim is broken."

[QUOTE]"I just think it's a bit fascinating 'ow all this 'appens without any explanation. I fuckin' 'ate deep space."[/QUOTE] "[I]The explanation is rather simple, Markus. There is an entire world out there that one cannot witness without proper growth and nourishment of the spirit. A heaven, a hell, and all of God's creatures in between. They exist around us Markus, and if you travel into the wilderness of deep space, there will be no one to help you when it decides to manifest. But of course, Sol won't tell you about any of this, nor will they allow anyone to.[/I]" Moloch put down his setar. "[I]...Have you got time for a story, Markus?[/I]" [editline]9th April 2017[/editline] Chemosh had been using his fighter's directional microphone to listen in on Iron, Amy, and Valk talk about their bounties. Surely, since nobody knows exactly who he is or who Frosty was, he wouldn't have a bounty would he? But, he was a little more than curious. He decides to inquire about this. He activated his craft's loudspeaker and talked: "Excuse me Mr. Iron, but would I, Frosty, happen to have a bounty of sorts?"

Having returned to his room, János placed his MAWS down, took his unused Tripistolia pacem, and sat down. The whole time he was speedwalking to his room, he tried to remember when was the last time he had done a diagnostics check. Now sat down, he finally recalled - he hadn't done a check since their last time on Mars. He had made sure to deal with any external damage, but he hadn't considered the internal damage since his outer cover was so protective. He looked in his room's drawers, and found his diagnostics equipment, which he now had to plug into his computer to use. He plugged in his retractable cable into the device, and turned it on. With a wheeze, it came to life, shining a light to indicate it was active. He chose the manual check option through the computer to make sure he wouldn't deactivate when he opened himself up. Slowly, he began the process. He began stripping himself down, realizing he had forgotten to take his upper body clothes before beginning the process, seeing as the cable would be in the way. He had to unplug himself, take it off, and replug himself, seeing no ill effects from the device as he did so. He was soon completely nude, as bare as a Ken doll. He first started with his head, slowly taking off his face, attached to a complex mechanism meant to emulate human facial movements. From there, he took off the outer protective skin substitute on his head, making sure to prevent the insides from losing its balance. He grabbed the multipurpose testers and began poking around. Everything within his head, such as the stabilizers and his RAM, and within his neck, such as his throat emulator and his ROM, seemed to function properly. He placed everything back on his head and moved down to his body, repeating the process of taking off his outer protective skin substitute, albeit in segments used by the various mechanisms replicating things such as muscles and the sort. He began poking about, checking the most important things first, such as the metal-plated memory storage in the lower left of his body, and the spare RAM where his heart would be. Everything seemed in order, even if there were some objects he still had no clue about when it came to their function, when he found something resembling a light bulb in shape. According to the check, it wasn't functioning. He put down the testers, and began to slowly try and take it out. At first, he didn't really know how to take it out, thinking it might come out like a light bulb, but after a bit of fiddling, he managed to just pull it out. Now in his hands, he shook it. It made the noise. János' expression went from worried to the same expression he had earlier when dealing with the return of Chemosh. He immediately went to check when was the last time it was truly active, as it seemed that it hadn't worked for a while now, with a piece only just having become loose within during the whole fight. According to the check, it seemed as though the last time it was receiving power was right before during the fight against the Vultures. He only now had to figure out when it was that it got damaged, and how. He grabbed the unknown part and began examining it, seeing what might've gotten in. He grabbed a screwdriver and slowly loosened what seemed to be a couple of screws. After a couple tense minutes, he took them out and could see within the object. He dumped the loose bits onto his table. He was mortified to see what was within - ash. There is only one way ash could've gotten within him, he thought, and it was when his group rushed through the burning building on the day that changed everything for him. He managed to identify everything he wanted, but there was still one lingering thought in his head - what did this thing do? He looked through his recordings of that day once more, throughout the entire period it was damaged. He looped it once, twice, thrice, four times.... as many times need be. And then he decided to compare how he was before he joined the TBC, and him before they came to Rigel. That's when it clicked. His mannerisms, the way he approached situations, slight aspects of his personality.... he looked back at the object. It seemed to have dictated how he would react to certain scenarios. A physical part to what would otherwise be something emulated through his memories. Something that might influence him, just as people's bodies influence them. And looking through his recordings of that day, it finally made sense; as the object was losing power, his ROM, RAM, memory storage, and whatever other objects influence him had to pick up the slack and emulate what it was doing. Other emotions and views magnified, whilst others were marginalized. His logic trying its best to emulate that which was illogical. But, in this moment of self-realization, a thought popped up. If this object could easily be eliminated by something like ash, how durable were his other parts? He grew terrified at the thought. As he already knew, most if not possibly all of his parts are proprietary, and he wouldn't know how to replace such parts, especially those that seemingly influence his decision-making, without knowing his creator. There was only one solution, and that was to leave and restart his search for his past in full force. He recalled what he had done after sending his message to the SDF. After he had sent his small, but concise, message to the SDF, breaking his then-communicator, frying the motherboard and small memory storage, he snuck back into his room and tried to do some research on the CoG and the von Junod family - on the former, he found almost nothing but a few sparse conspiracy theories, most if not all assuming they were Jewish for some reason and none thinking they are terrorists; the latter on the other hand was much more in depth, with reports of the families' disappearance after the Third World War being plentiful. One common conspiracy theory he would find on the family is that, after managing to somehow leave the solar system with their stacks of cash, they blended in with an unknown alien race, possibly the Upyri, modifying their surnames and continuing onwards. And with some deeper research, he discovered the disappearance of another similarly named family from an alien race, this time disappearing after they went bankrupt some 70 to 100 years ago. The theories would led him to find a planet, named Pakihi, on which many businesses and tycoon families held their HQs, that is until 80 to 100 years ago when a natural disaster happened, causing the planet to become inhospitable. With many folks keeping their fortunes on the planet and not having the means to pay for their retrieval, most went bankrupt, including the family he by now believed to be the Von Junods. And as he looked into Pakihi, he discovered that it was due to be reopened soon, as the planet has become hospitable enough for organic beings to be on once more. The organization funding the reopening, Wave Galaxias, is planning on holding a period where people can pay to get on the planet first, with various levels of pay indicating privileges such as permission to take anything on the planet. Before he could think on it more, the ship got into combat, and he was forced to help by various means, such as using a fire extinguisher. Remembering Pakihi now, János knew that it would be there he would find out the truth. It had to be, otherwise he would be doomed.

Markus raised an eyebrow and went to take a seat, "I ain't exactly in a hurry anywhere, so I s'pose I could hear what ya 'ave to say."

Moloch stands up and starts pacing back and forth a little as he tells his story. [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWiBjROUYpo[/media] "[I]Long ago, before Sol was established, long before anyone in this crew had came into existence, a group of nomads fled a great genocide on their homeworld in search of a new planet they could call home. Eventually, their search landed them on a lone planet far out on the very fringes of the galaxy. A very strange planet it was, it was shrouded in darkness as no stars would dare shine their light on it, and it did not seem as if it was ever meant to be found. Nonetheless, the hidden nature of the planet was perfect for them. Soon after several days of settling in, a group of these nomads discovered a cave during an expedition. The entrance had this aura of danger around it. At first they felt compelled to stop whatever it was they were doing and turn away, but they did not, despite their instincts screaming at them to turn around and [B]RUN![/B] They disregarded this feeling of uneasiness and made the decision to go inside. The interior of the cave itself was like a maze with paths that led in all directions, but the nomads, no matter which path they took or where they turned, they seemed to always end up on the path that took them deeper, even if they turned around to leave. The further they went, the more bizarre and illogical their surroundings became. The air became thicker and warmer, the paths started twisting and contorting in all sorts of directions including upward and downward, the walls started becoming more and more smooth and polished, and they started to hear a sound. It was like a beating heart, and it got progressively louder and louder no matter if they were progressing forward or if they stood still. And with the noise came darkness. It kept getting louder, it started getting darker, And then, it finally noticed them. Before they could even see it, something appeared from the space around them, like [B]the air itself came alive[/B]! It tried killing them. It encompassed them in its presence, surrounding them, swallowing them whole. They tried to run, but they couldn't move. It wouldn't let them go. Its mere presence was too much for them as their bodies began to mutate. Some had their faces twisted and warped beyond recognition, some had black scars and boils appear all over themselves, but something else happened. Within their minds it drilled a third eye, a psychic presence they learned to master to perform miracles and curses with... To this day, I still do not know what it was that did this to me and my group, or more importantly, [B]why[/B].[/I]"

Markus gritted his teeth behind shut lips. His eyebrows furrowing as Moloch told the story. Yuga was right. This guy was something unnatural, something a mystical force had chewed up and spat out. A freak. Markus got up from his chair and looked with newfound distrust and disgust at the hood figure before him. "Forget that I asked." he said in a low voice before turning and leaving. Everything was getting more fucked up by the minute. He thought about his finances and his options. If they could get a new ship they would be out of here in a jiffy, and he already had enough money to live comfortably. But he could also come along for the this mission and a final payday. And if shit started hitting the fan, like it had a tendency to do in this company, he could just bail. He returned to his room to look over his gear and his finances.

Not content with Markus just getting up and leaving without saying anything else, Moloch sent him a message to his datapad. [quote]Markus. Do not hesitate to ask me questions about any aspect of the spiritual or supernatural. I am very well versed in these topics this knowledge could very well help you should you ever end up in the same situation I was in. -M.[/quote]

[QUOTE=Infab;52079705]. "Yeah. Let's worry about other shit." [/QUOTE] Bucky nods and gives Valk a thumbs-up. "Yeah, like making sure this ship doesn't fall apart before we ditch it. You got any drones you could lend me to help with maintenance? I need more hands than I can form out of my SmartSkin, man." Even as she speaks, a red holo-tab opens up from her little wrist worn projector. It's a diagnositc alert about something regarding the powergrid on the port side frame, deck 3 section 12. Bucky almost literally fumes, muttering something about some designer's whore mother and faulty meat-genetics.

[QUOTE]"Yeah, like making sure this ship doesn't fall apart before we ditch it. You got any drones you could lend me to help with maintenance? I need more hands than I can form out of my SmartSkin, man." .[/QUOTE] "I can make a few, but I'll be stuck here doing it. Bring be back a bottle or two of tequila when you guys go into town. Oh, and a carton of cigarettes." said Valk, before looking to Eve. "Get used to everyone." she said simply, to which Eve nodded. "Understood, ma'am." responded the drone, before turning and nodding to Bucky. Valk then turned around, heading back up into the Cataract.

Bucky nods back and smiles at Eve. "Well, Eve. How's existence been for you so far? Good?" Bucky asks, not quite knowing how to un-awkwardly ask a new lifeform how it's liking living so far. She tries her best to cover it with her most friendly expression though, a warm smile and bright eyes complete with dimples. "Wake up in a pod like I did?"

With Iron not responding, Chemosh tries his chances with Bucky. "Is this true? You are going to the local town?" he spoke.

[QUOTE]"Well, Eve. How's existence been for you so far? Good? Wake up in a pod like I did?"[/QUOTE] "It has been good so far. I 'woke up' on the Ms. Blackwell's drone rack in the Armory." responded Eve, folding her arms behind her back. She looked to Frosty as he approached. "We are apparently going into town to procure a few things. You are welcome to join us, mister...Frosty."

"Splendid!" Enough flight practice was done for now. Chemosh landed his craft in one of the available spots, and hopped out of it. "I am ready to depart."

"This [I]thing...[/I]" Yanim explained slowly and softly, grasping for the proper words to introduce what she was about to say, "...it's something old. Very, very old..." Arkadam listened to Yanim's entire story, about Starvis and the things it had promised, and about her conversations with Hariim and the others on the way to Argos's central headquarters. Arkadam's many questions forced her to cover every conceivable detail, and he grew more and more dismayed at the decisions his partner had come to. "They didn't know you were dying. Maybe they'll reconsider-" "No," Yanim replied, "I hope they won't. In fact, I think they're going to suspect me now unless I destroy it. But I can't destroy our Archive unless we can destroy one of the others, first, or else we'll lose control of our own destinies here." "But... you're not in control of your destiny now," Arkadam tried to argue. "That's not true," Yanim corrected. Her hand began to fidget again as her nervousness began to show. "If I don't follow through and destroy this thing, I'll have betrayed everyone, and I can't even imagine the consequences. The Oracle was enough to destroy a whole planet, shdatra. Imagine what this thing might do to the [I]galaxy.[/I]" "So what you're saying, is that you've made a choice," Arkadam said. "You're choosing to die." There was tinge of bitterness, of resentment. Yanim could tell that Arkadam thought she had made the wrong decision. A decision which would rob them of a future together. "Everyone dies eventually," she replied, trying to force herself not to think about what he had in mind. "I might have less time this way, but at least there won't be any questions left when I go. You'll be safe. You... you can move on." Arkadam seemed most hurt by those last words. After the long turn of events which finally brought him together with Yanim, he didn't want to consider even the remote possibility that he might fall in love again with someone else. It was unthinkable, and yet Yanim seemed unwilling to relieve him of this burden. Despite all the pain, at a deeper part of his soul he felt even worse for her, as he knew that she must have felt guilty, and he would be right. It inspired him to say the most significant, heartfelt words he had ever spoken. "You can choose to go, if that's really what you have to do... but there's a part of me that belongs to you now, and I can't take it back, because you gave me a part of you. I'll carry that with me. As long as I'm alive, you'll be there, as real to me as you've ever been. I was a failure without you. I had no family, and I was starving. You gave me clothes, and food, and love... you gave me a reason to feel proud of myself again. No one will ever mean as much to me as you do right now. We'd die for each other... I know it's fast- so fast it's insane, but I've never been so sure about anything before. You and I were meant to be together, no matter how little time we have. I know it's sudden, but please, while we still have a chance, while you've still got some health... Please say you'll marry me." [video=youtube;FcQZbErmfTU]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcQZbErmfTU[/video] Yanim's mouth quivered a moment as the impact set in, before she burst out into tears of joy. She couldn't articulate, the two of them danced in circles in the tiny room while they had a moment of privacy. It was a bittersweet moment, but served as the sole silver lining of Yanim's illness. There would be no waiting, no courtship... And the weight of circumstances, the company, and Starvis all seemed to melt away, the only lingering regret on Yanim's mind being all the pain and misunderstanding that kept them apart for two years. The truth, no matter how she scorned it when the blackjackets came for the Archius, when Vorokar tried to humiliate her by dropping Arkadam's name... the truth was that she had fallen for him on their first night together, and had never fully let him go. In her darkest nights, her heart was soothed by the memory of that golden room on Duroma, and the hope that she'd find someone like him again. Now she wouldn't have to settle. Arkadam, on the other hand, could barely believe he had wound up with Yanim. Sure, he had felt the same attraction on Duroma, but many, many bad things had happened to both since then. Worst of all, Yanim had once held a gun to his head and tried to pull the trigger. Arkadam owed his life to Virin, a debt which could no longer be repaid. Time and struggle had changed them both, however, and despite all of the bad, he had been dreaming of starting over. There was something about their relationship which made him yearn for the very opportunity he had been given, and sure enough, from a clean slate he found his soulmate. The two made love in their closet within arm's reach of the Archive, flaunting their youthful love in the face of an ancient menace. When they finally returned to the hangar, Yanim had changed into her old pea coat and, for nostalgia's sake, tied her scarf around her neck instead of her arm. She exchanged a knowing glance with her fiance. "[Let's keep it a secret for now,]" she said.

((And then they lived happily ever after.))

Taylor glanced over to see Yanim and Arkadam returning. Perfect. "Hey, boss. I've got something to give you." said Taylor, unfolding her arms and watching them approach. "Might help out with things here." - - - - - - - - - - [QUOTE][video=youtube;O_al3m4KDSA]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_al3m4KDSA[/video][/QUOTE] Back on the Cataract, Valkyrie began her work, constructing the repair drones to assist Bucky in her endevours. After she finished with these, she'd start producing more ADAM drones. As she worked, she paused her music for a brief moment to send Markus a message. He had become a pretty good friend on this crew, and she decided that she'd offer him a chance to join up with her when she left. [QUOTE]Hey, up for a chat? I've got some plans that I wanted to run by you. See what you think and if you'd be up for it. - Valk[/QUOTE] As soon as she finished, her music flipped right back on and she returned to building the repair drones. Lots to do, it seemed.

[B]Kanadys[/B] Ryvik pulled the car over near the priority entrance of the Yadakhmarot Space Complex, just outside the city center at Ébo. The silvery door glided open, merging the dark interior with the inky skies above, and Ryvik, darker still in his black uniform. The buildings were bare concrete, rising from the white, snowy ground like grey monoliths. The young lieutenant was seemingly fixated on the sky above the building, his raspberry-colored eyes briefly standing as the only source of color. On the opposite side, one of the Bureau I officers stepped out, stretching his back as he looked in the same direction, unable to detect what Ryvik was staring at. "[What are you looking for?]" the officer asked. "[I'm looking right at it. Look at the stars,]" he replied with a thin smile. The other Bureau I officer had climbed out of the back seat and recognized the shape immediately, where the stars in the sky disappeared. There was a thin white line where the snow had settled on the back of the Perikal, its surfaces coated with a special carbon glaze. There were few windows on the ship from which light could be seen, making it almost invisible. It was a member of the same class of "strike ship" once used to destroy the sanghvi Prime Organism, a masterpiece of kanad stealth technology. Yet, it was already obsolete, as new forms of active cloaking were being developed at that very moment to supersede the old ways. The first of the two officers whistled, admiringly. "[I've seen these things in daylight before. You can't even tell what they really look like. That carbon makes it look [I]flat.[/I] They must be pretty serious if they chartered one of these for you.]" Ryvik handed over the key fob. "[It's the speed we need most. You heard about the Tyrta, didn't you?]" The other officer nodded. "[Sad day,]" he replied, flatly. "[Yeah,]" Ryvik said, quietly. The officers knew that the incident on Rigel paled in comparison to the unsustainable losses the Collective was taking on its northern front, daily. The forces being assembled to destroy the Terika-Belladonna Company seemed disproportionate. "[The fleet is fed up with their interference,]" Ryvik explained. "[No matter what happens, we're going to end it. No more wasting resources on this chase,]" he said as he walked away toward the building. With a flash of his newly-reinstated ID, he was brought into the security checkpoint and searched. It wasn't long before he had his weapons returned and walked right through into the military terminal, the open-air walkways guiding him around the Perikal's bow. He crossed a steel bridge to the gateway where the boarding ramp had been extended, and there, he met up with General Vorokar. "[Sir!]" he shouted as soon as he had recognized him. "[It's good to see you're well, and I'm sorry-]" "[No, boy, it's quite alright. No need to apologize for what the Council did to us. That was assassination by bureaucracy, and I cannot blame you for their cowardly approach. It's all a big distraction from their failures, elsewhere.]" "[I know sir, but prison?]" Ryvik pleaded. "[Allow me to be sorry on your behalf. I feared for you.]" The two had come within arm's reach, and Vorokar placed his hands on Ryvik's shoulders, just short of giving his protege a reassuring hug. "[You should know better,]" he consoled. "[The only reason either of us had to put up with that inexcusable interruption is because the Vizier was too sick to maintain the reigns of government. You are protected, my friend.]" Ryvik nodded, smiling as the general patted him on the back. "[So what are we going to do now?]" he asked, as Vorokar led him into the Perikal. Nearby batakya soldiers saluted as they turned at the hall and walked toward the aft of the ship. "[I will discuss the plan with you at length once you've had a complete screening and immunization. We have reports that there's a brewing Cibath Virus epidemic on Rigel and we're not going to take any chances.] "[We don't have time now?]" Ryvik replied, confused. Vorokar's warm demeanor grew more serious. Ryvik could tell immediately that there was some new development in the case that would be difficult to explain. Before the general could continue, he added, "[actually, never mind. I'm sure I'll need to take notes anyway.]" "[Good,]" Vorokar replied. "[Delightful. Just come to the bridge when you're finished.]" Ryvik stepped into the medical bay and was greeted by the attendant doctor, a Rozel girl named Marinaya. She took samples of his blood and placed them in a case, to be carried out of the room by a medical droid, before giving Ryvik a small injection of the vaccine. "[Thank you, doctor,]" Ryvik said, feeling comfortable and assured at the coming success. If what the news was saying was accurate, his long hunt for his sister was coming to an end very soon. "[My pleasure,]" Marinaya replied, sweetly. "[Do you know how to reach the bridge?]" "[No, I've never been on this ship before,] Ryvik answered. "[Will you walk with me?]" he half-joked, as the doctor was cute. She shook her head, blushing. "[Aww, now that's a shame.]" "[I can call for someone,]" she said with a sneer, "[but don't think I don't want to.]" Ryvik smiled as she stepped over to a console to call for his escort. The turnaround from the previous night was almost unreal, and he counted his blessings in his mind, all owed to the state. His parents and his upbringing had nearly brought him to ruin, but now, he was surrounded again by his true family. He yawned as he rolled down his sleeve. "[So, after my briefing...]" he began to say, when the escort arrived at the door. "[See you around,]" Marinaya said before darting into the adjoining room. It seemed odd and sudden, and Ryvik was left wondering whether she was really returning his signals or just being polite. Embarrassed, he followed the waiting soldier into the hall. "[The bridge is this way sir,]" the soldier said as Ryvik began walking in the direction he thought he had come from. "[Right, of course, lead the way,]" Ryvik said in his usual cool way, but underneath he was having trouble remembering exactly which turns he had taken on his way to the medical bay. He had been focused on what Vorokar was saying, but come to think of it, a bit of a mental fog had settled over him and he was trying to remember what Vorokar had said. After several minutes of walking, he was suddenly feeling exhausted, the labyrinthine corridors of the strike vessel seeming to snake on and on. It dawned on him, with great mental exertion, that it hadn't taken nearly this long to walk to the rear of the ship, and so how could it be taking so long to get to the other end? "[Sir, do you need to sit down?]" the soldier asked, apparently unfazed by Ryvik's ill pallor. The Lieutenant dabbed sweat from his forehead onto his sleeve. "[Yes, just a moment,]" he said, placing his hand on the wall to catch his breath. There was a chair in the hall, but Ryvik was too tired to realize that a single chair sitting alone in an empty hallway didn't make much sense either. One thought worried him as he slipped into a drug-induced sleep. [I]Didn't we pass that chair before?[/I] --- With a few quick questions, Yanim ascertained that Iska had called for a truck to bring the crew into Stalnazyp. Enough time had passed that the truck should be arriving at any moment. Jag had also been lumbering around the hangar, waiting for Yanim to arrive, but Taylor had caught her attention first. "You have something for me?" she said with a bright smile.

Iska had overheard about Taylor acquiring some credits earlier and presumed that was what she was going to give her. She made a gesture towards Yanim, putting her closed fist in front of her mouth, mimicking talking into a hand-held radio. The gesture was one that Yanim had taught her on the Archius, signaling Iska had something to discuss with Yanim when she was available. She then turned towards the hangar door from where the rumble of a homkah truck could be heard. An engineer walked up the ramp and did a quick salute, "[Right, Boss. I got the boys and I got the tools. What're we fixing?]" Iska pointed towards Constantine, "[That guy over there is in charge, talk to him and he will point you to the faults]" she explained. The engineer looked over at Constantine and then gestured for the trope of engineers behind him to follow. Iska then turned towards the people gathered in the hangar. "Truck is here. We go to town" she shouted out. --- Sting was the first one to jogg over and inspect the truck. Fascinated by the simplicity and ruggedness of the vehicle. --- Markus had read the message, and instead of answering he opted to go ask her directly. After a brisk walk over to the Cataract he entered the engineering room, "What's it ya wanna talk about, Ya up to somethin naughty 'ere, luv?" he said with a joking tone.

Iron walked up to the truck and eyed Sting. "'Tis be better than a flying metal coffin at least, right partner?"

Sting looked up and tilted her hat back, "Hell yeah, hoss. Look at these sumbitchin wheels! and listen to that god damn engine purr." she said with excitement. She closed her eyes and listened to the big truck idle. She wiped a tear from her eye, "That there is *sniff* sweeter than teenage poontang". Sting then suddenly snapped to it and looked at Iron, "What you sayin bout a flyin coffin? Hell, today was funner than hell." she replied with a raised eyebrow and took out her flask, "In my humble opinion, things have worked out." Taking a swig from the bottle she breathed in through her teeth, "Let's just *cough* live *cough* in the moment."