"Hey Dwan, looks like we have a few hours to kill and this place has a bar and a merc center. Lets go check for leads about the Golden wave." Varn said, while gesturing towards the fine establishments.
"Well, I haven't had any combat experience. Honestly, I'd prefer to keep it that way if possible. Just something for desperate times, I suppose" Jeb said, uneasily.
Lion noticed Varn talking to Dwan. "Hey guys, mind picking up some syntholeum for me? It'd be nice to have something to drink back on the ship."
He opened his hand, revealing a small amount of credits.
[editline]4th May 2015[/editline]
[QUOTE=enigmarage;47659102]"Well, I haven't had any combat experience. Honestly, I'd prefer to keep it that way if possible. Just something for desperate times, I suppose" Jeb said, uneasily.[/QUOTE]
"Alright, I'll begin working on it as soon as I finish organizing all the new equipment in the hangar. Should take three hours, tops."
"Alright, let's check around.", Dwan says to Varn. Lion comes up to the two, asking if they can pick up some syntholeum for him. "Well, the supply we have on the ship is getting a bit low, so sure.", he says as he grabs the credits from Lion's hand.
"Alright, lets check with the Gold dusts in the center first. If they wont help us, maybe the drunk ones in the bar will." Both men made their way to the center.
The centers acted as hubs for mercs to find jobs and exchange information. A few of the more well known mercenary outfits have established branches in these centers, so the jobs could come directly to them. The Gold dusts, being by far the most wealthy, always had an office in almost any center in the galaxy.
Once inside Varn and Dwan made their way to the Gold dust's "office". The guard at the door recognized Varn as a rival merc and stopped him. "You don't get to go in, freakshow! If your friend wants to go inside, he will do it alone." Varn was peeved. He wanted to shock the guy with the tazzer, but didn't want to start a brawl."Dwan, is it a problem if you go inside alone?
"It isn't. You wait outside then.", Dwan says as he goes into the Gold Dust Office.
Yanim excitedly climbed the ramp into the cargo bay to look for her personal order. As she climbed the ramp, dock workers were streaming out. Most of them were human, but there was a strange silhouette emerging from the threshold which was something else- a phirin, to Yanim's dismay. He was young by that race's standards, with a straight posture and gaunt face which evoked an aura of self-discipline. His flesh was coated by a protective shell, like the bark of a tree, and an artificial biosynthesis package hung at his lower back in place of the leafy, fan-like tail possessed by phirins in nature.
"Oh, an offworlder," spoke the phirin. Yanim stopped for the sake of politeness but dreaded what might be in store for her. She had seen phiri before, but had never spoken to them directly.
Carefully, she disabled the translator in her pocket. "Greetings, phirin. [I assume you speak my language, as well?]"
"[Of course,]" he said with a sly smile. "[I have family in the glade. [I]They still mourn.[/I] Have you come from the periphery, or the heart of the beast?]"
Yanim breathed out sharply, not quite a sneer. Just as she expected, his dialect was rife with overwrought metaphors, and yet his casual approach suggested an almost sarcastic outlook. She played along, "[The [I]heart of the heart,[/I]]" she answered, "[State Naval College.]"
"[A trooper then?]"
"[A technician,]" Yanim corrected. "[Goose-stepping is for the lowbloods.]"
"[And the collaborators,]" the phirin added. He pointed to the Type-1 slung over Yanim's back. "[That's different. Ever fire that thing?]"
"[I've killed with it.]"
"[As should be expected,]" the phirin joked, rudely, suddenly turning the tables. "[So where's your 'Black Fleet Rifle?' I've never seen an offworlder without one.]"
"[It's in the ship,]" she answered, vaguely.
"[Have you killed with that one too? Or are you saving it for the next genocide?]"
Yanim smirked in response. "[What do you want?]" she asked bluntly. She was tired of the phirin's predictable insults. He rolled his eyes in response at the opportunity the question presented.
"[In an abstract sense...]"
"[Get to it!]" she interrupted. Hissing under her breath, "[If you just want to bitch, take it up with the fucking council, I don't give a shit.]"
"[Alright, fine, you're right. I'm not helping anything. I just have to give you this,]" he said, presenting the small case the neural bridge was held in. "[I saw the name 'Sidikan' on the label and got curious.]"
Yanim took the box from him. "[Curious?]"
"[Curious what a kanad was doing way out here on a human ship.]"
"[None of your business, shitheel.]" As Yanim walked away, she felt compelled to strike one more time. "[Don't you have a tree to go worship, or did we burn them all down?]"
Finally, the perfect gaze of contempt beaming from the phirin was interrupted. Yanim knew she had actually hurt him and it didn't feel good. [I]The glade,[/I] as the phiri called it, was the planet Koda. In the year 2025, the Collective made its first planetary acquisition by destroying the phirin civilization. These were the wild days before the Galactic Community existed, and so no force was present to prevent the Black Fleet from dropping thousands of nuclear warheads onto the planet's surface. The survivors were subjugated and forced into hard labor, worse off than the lowbloods, even. It took centuries for them to gain citizenship within the collective and to begin searching for other worlds, and only a few hundred million remained out of a race which once claimed billions of members.
The phiri have tried in vain for many decades to get their tragedy recognized, but many of the Collective's allies and neighbors turn a blind eye to the genocide to avoid damaging relations with the ever-ready kanads. Who could even be punished for a crime 357 years past?
[QUOTE=Damian0358;47659956]"It isn't. You wait outside then.", Dwan says as he goes into the Gold Dust Office.[/QUOTE]
"Right, Ill wait for you." Varn looked at the guard and gave him the universal sign to fuck off. A terran custom, that became really popular once humans started interacting with the rest of the Galactic community. He sat and waited for Dwan to finish talking to the Gold dusts. Hopefully they can share some info on the Golden wave.
Jeremy observed the robot with the covered up overcoat and hood hiding it's facial design. Clearly this gave a disguise of human. "You have any direct orders?" The Captain asked.
"My direct orders are to assist the Archius Crew and ensure no member gets harmed from hostile forces." Sentinel observed Jeremy, scanning him in a millisecond.
"Captain Jeremy Spacehawk, facial recognition found in HarkArk Database. You are the captain of Archius XI."
"That's correct."
"What were your motives to become Captain of Archius XI?" Sentinel questioned him.
"Well, I always wanted to become a captain of my own ship I mean I felt that I was ready to handle the responsibilities so I took the job." Jeremy replied it seemed like this robot had some sort of artificial intelligence installed.
"When did Harken Saw made you?" Jeremy asked him.
"That information is classified from Archius Crew. Please try and ask another question Jeremy Spacehawk."
Dwan entered the Gold Dust Office. The office was very well designed, clearly showing off their wealth. He walks up to the receptionist, a Hygarth. "How may I help you?", the Hygarth asks Dwan. "I would like to ask if you have any info on the Golden Wave.", he answers. "The Golden Wave, eh? Smegheads, the lot of them. Wait one second.", he tells Dwan, as he checks the computer for any info.
"Alright, I'm going to guess that you already got their business card one way or another.", the Hygarth asks, to which Dwan nods. "Good. Let's get to the other info. Their ship, the W-01, is a former slave ship, formerly from our "S" Series of ships. It's quite advanced for a slave ship, but that's normally justified in that these slaves are specifically trained to fight for us.", he tells Dwan. "From our sources, they are currently chasing down an individual.", he says. "Any reason?", Dwan asks. "As there is no clear indication who this person is, it is probably someone their leader, Aver Lagul, is personally looking for. Perhaps she's chasing someone who smells funny to her, haha.", the Hygarth jests. "Maybe. Anything else?", Dwan asks. "No, they don't seem to have any clients at the moment. Which is good for us, as us mercs can't attack other mercs under employment. I mean, no one follows that rule, but it's good for our image.", he tells Dwan.
"If you have any info on the Golden Wave, make sure to tell us. Now, may I offer you a stunning deal on some sex slaves? We've recently gotten a bunch of Lusurian ones.", the Hygarth asks. "Aren't Lusurians banned from being made into sex slaves?", Dwan asks. "Yes. Through copulation, they slowly transform a sexual partner into a Lusurian themselves. But it's been so long since the ban was made that people have forgotten that. But you, my good sir, are a smart one. I'm giving you a discount for being so bright.", he tells him, as he gives Dwan a coupon. "Thanks, but no thanks.", Dwan replies, still taking the coupon, mostly because someone else from the crew might find use in it.
Dwan thanks the Hygarth for his help and leaves the office. "I've got some info and a coupon, let's head back to the ship.", Dwan tells Varn.
Lion walked up to Jeremy and did a quick salute.
"Sir! All new items are onboard and the weapon modifications are. We're ready for departure."
Jeremy turned to Lion and nodded as he looked up to the Archius Ship. The workers have done their homework and managed to upgrade the ship for dangerous factions wanting to hunt them done.
"Alright Lion, head back to the ship." Jeremy said as he used his holo band for a quick announcement for those that were still outside. "Attention members who are still outside of Archius, we are now leaving for Gadon. Do what you have to do quickly and head back to the ship. That is all." Jeremy stated as both went to the hangar bay.
"I wonder what weapons HarkArk gave us?" Jeremy questioned.
[quote]Meanwhile, back at Harken Saw's office. Harken Saw sat on his chair fiddling around as Nicole was in front of him at his desk. "Sir, I believe that a course of action on Crimson Son is recommended. Who knows what they're planning on." Vara suggested.
"Well first off, their whereabouts are unknown. Second, we start mobilizing troops and the UGC will breath down on our necks. We cannot risk a tear in reputation to our business like that. Unless... if it was a covert operation." Harken Saw said as he pressed his fingers against his mask.
"Again, we don't know where they are. But." He said and pressed a few buttons on his holo band, indicating a signal on Archius XI. A tracker mark that the crew doesn't know about.
"In case Archius XI gets ambushed by Crimson Son, and they will eventually, this will show all the prove we need to send a covert fleet and find out what the hell they're planning. Ms. Vara, launch a small recon fleet for Archius XI to support them if they get in trouble and do not and I certainly do not let them get caught." Harken Saw warned her.
"Yes sir." She said and turned to prepare for preparations."
"Oh and Ms. Vara." She stopped dead in her tracks, looking back to see him. Silence grew as he stared straight at her. "I appreciate your efforts for sticking with me to the end." He said. She could only smile.
"Thank you sir, I owe you a lot anyway." [/quote]
Lion went for the armory and begun working on a gun for Jeb, looking through several designs that he hadn't used yet.
Jeb decided to go to the bar. He figured that a beer on the rocks had his name on it.
Sentinel stood near the Hangar Bay, as a robot he might as well deactivate and call it a day. Unfortunately that's not part of his programming; he was programmed to act as a test model for mass produced Sentinels later. Jeremy walked by and greeted him.
"Hello Sentinel. This is the hangar bay, I noticed Harken Saw said you were a test model? What did he mean by that." Jeremy asked.
Sentinel rose up and watched Jeremy, responding in a few. "The Sentinel Project is an idea my creators brought up due to the need for invaluable machines. I am designed this way to inflict intimidation, self defense, and aggression to the aggressor." Sentinel answered.
"So if you're successful in your objectives then that means the project will be green lit for mass production?" Jeremy asked.
"Correct. The failure within my objective will bring upon the termination of the Sentinel Project." It answered bluntly.
(( Sledge will be an NPC tomorrow if absolutely needed. Otherwise I'd prefer you guys leave him and his giant 7-foot package alone. ))
Varn was happy that Dwan got the info they needed, but was confused from the coupon. "They give coupon discount's now? Never mind. Good work on getting the info." Varn and Dwan made their way back to the ship, picking up the syntholeum, Lion requested on the way.
Once back on the ship, Varn went to the armory. The new armor had arrived and he was exited to start working with it.
Lion looked up at Varn who looked like a kid who was about to taste ice cream for his first time.
"Make sure to disengage the security lock, otherwise it'll blow up."
Said Lion, sitting behind his desk.
"Right, safety first. Thanks." Varn actually forgot about the safety locks due to his excitement. "We picked up the syntholeum you wanted. Should be a up at the bar." Before getting to work Varn went to the security room to switch to his off-duty gear. He comes back 10 minutes later with a box of tools. He entered the code for the safety lock and the crate opens up, revealing the Nomad mark VI prototype in all its glory. "Time to get to work."
"Alright, thanks." Lion resumed working on a small barebones weapon. As Lion hit a button the gun beeped and turned green. As swift as the wind, Lion stood up and fired off three shots at one of the range targets, all the way from behind the desk.
He turned on the safety and watched the target: all three shots had hit the target dead-center. Lion chuckled and begun mounting several small wood furnishing panels on the weapon before finally using a decoration laser to print the LWA logo to the back of the gun, just like he had done on all the guns that he had created.
He opened up the intercom.
"Attention, can Jeb please report to the armory for distribution of personal weapon? Thank you."
Jeb awoke from whatever daydream like stupor he had at the bar. He left the bar and arrived at the armory. "Hey, Lion, what kind of weapon you building?" he politely asked.
Lion turned around to face Jeb, holding a small weapon in both of his hands. "Excellent timing Jeb; this is the LWA Desperado."
The gun was a small curvy pistol-looking weapon with wooden furniture on both the grip and on the lower part of the front. A small slit going all the way from the barrel to the center of the gun projected a blueish light.
A small light at the abck of the gun was red, when Lion clicked on a button the light switched to green. The iconic LWA Lions' head symbol was present just below the two blue reflex sights.
"Small, elegeant and incredibly dangerous. This handgun is for the man who doesn't seek combat, but is ready if combat finds him. It fires small blue plasma rounds that are incredibly accurate, allowing you to turn most if not all of your shots into hits."
He handed it over to Jeb. "The Desperado has no secondary firemode, unlike my other deisgns, however it does feature a experimental powercell that slowly regenerates itself meaning that in theory you have unlimited ammo as long as you don't overheat it."
"Ideally, we won't ever have to test that theory. But I'll hang onto this just in case." Jeb said as he holstered the new pistol. He then looked at Lion. "So how does all this Crimson Son business sit with you?"
"Lots of talk but not alot of activity, they could be a bunch of lowlife thugs for all I care because either way there's a whole arsenal alongside a experienced crew ready to kick their asses into the nearest black hole."
Said Lion as be picked up a large rotary cannon which begun spinning.
He put it down and made a note on his armpad. He looked at Jeb."What's your thought on the matter?"
"I'm glad that you're confident in the crew's ability. However, I think we should use caution in the matter, no sense not to. I mean, Saw seemed pretty concerned." Jeb looked at the holstered pistol, "When I first saw this gun, the nickname 'The Intimidator' came to my mind. I think its actual name fits it better, though."
[Edit: "The Intimidator" was one of Dale Earnhardt Sr.'s nicknames]
"True, although right now I'm fairly confident in our abilities." He made a outwards gesture with his arms.
"We've fought pirates and huge bugs, we've taken a few hits yet we keep getting stronger. As long as we remain loyal to each other we're going to be just fine."
Lion rose from his desk. "I'm heading down to do some work in the hangar on the new fighters, I just finished downloading the manual for both the Striker and Viper's Panther. It'll feel even better if we have a pair of combat-ready fighters. See you later, feel free to test the weapon at the range."
Lion went down to the hangar.
Dwan arrived back at the ship with Varn. He greeted Lion briefly before heading up to the bar to check on the new batch of syntholeum. He sees Jeb leave the bar as he entered.
He sees a crate near the counter. He opens it and finds the newly ordered syntholeum inside. "Lion's going to enjoy this new batch.", he thought to himself. He takes out the syntholeum and places it under the counter. He sees that Jeb had ordered a beer on the rocks. He puts the order on hold. He sees that the bar is intact, which calms him. He still wonders what he's going to do with the "sex slave discount" coupon he got. Maybe Arthur would want it.
After some work and heavy consultation with the manual Varn finished the work on the new suit. The Nomad series was always good for those who wanted to modify and customize their armor and the mark VI looked like a huge improvement from previous models. It lacked a shield, but the new Hydraframe more than makes up for it. Plus now the power in the suit could be relocated to help other modifications have more power, like the tazzer. It even had a slot for a chemical injector. It could serve as a fast stimpack injector, but Varn had a different idea for it.
After he finished the paint job, he went down to the science labs. "Arthur, Joseph! I need medical help and only your science can help."
It nearly took Viper a hour to fully read though the improvements that the Archius XI has gone under though the visor of the Exo-Suit. Everything from reinforced armor and upgraded shield systems to a complete OS replacement in the personal computers within the crew quarters. Never mind what the crew mates had requested for themselves.
Nevertheless, what was most important to Viper was not the many upgrades to Archius XI or even the personal ship that Viper was given. It's was the rare materials that Viper had requested, It was already within Viper's personal quarters on ship when the suit's map systems updated to Archius XI's new layout.
Viper wasted no time getting over to the Sanghvi's quarters. The area was completely redone to the match a captain's den on a Sanghvi built ship. The walls were barren with little details, the observation windows were reinforced. The whole quarters was rebuilt into a single room with everything built in a hexagon like construction. The temperature was very warm and cozy for Viper at 350 degrees and whole room appeals to been separated from the rest of the artificial gravity systems from what Viper could see though the suit's visor.
Viper took a moment to take it all in, clearly the HarkArk engineers had a very good understanding of the Sanghiv to rebuilt the room in such a way. sparing no expense in it's construction. At any rate, Viper went over to see that a another metal container was addend next to others. This one was bigger then the rest and had a artificial gravity built in. The suit showed it's contents, all of what Viper had requested and more.
After looking over everything in the room along with the containers, Viper took a trip down to the hanger. Walking down the familiar hallways of the Archius XI to the hanger with overlooking the new fighters in mind.
Lion spotted Viper and paused his work on the small but nimble Panther to salute.
"Sir!"
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