6315 réponses à ce sujet

[Redbelle]

Anika looked left and right quickly before settling on the Asari with the claymore.

 

"I'd prefer easy, but I want to know first what this is about. Is this about something from the Medusa? You know I'm not a part of that crew any more. I doubt anything you try here will impact on the ships captain".

 

Raising her hands up to her shoulders in a surrendering gesture she went on. "I don't know why your doing this, but your making a mistake. I'm no one special. I'm not worth a ransom and I'm not the type who makes enemies in the galaxy... Not ones that are still alive anyway. How about you tell me whose behind this so I can go to them and ask them about what this is all about"?

[Kel Riever]

"It's just a little meeting," the smug Eclipse asari said.  "You nicely hand over your weapons, and we'll go for a ride.  Someone you know wants to meet you, and all that matters is you come along without a problem, and you don't make any attempt to tell anyone about this.  We aren't going far, no ships, no shuttles.  Just a private little skycar ride if you'll be so kind."

[Redbelle]

Anika winced. "I... don't have a weapon. Thessia seemed nice. I was planning on being a tourist and... meeting the locals... Not shooting people. Try the cuisine".

[Kel Riever]

"I like the way you think," The smug asari nodded.  "Scan her.  Make sure she has nothing hidden!"

Anika could see five Eclipse members, four of them asari and one salarian.  Two of the asari were in the hall behind, blocking the way Anika had come in.  One approached, holstering her own Scimitar shotgun and activating her omni-tool, presumably with equipment to scan for any weapons.  "She checks out," the scanning asari said.  "Nothing under the skin, or above...though that suit doesn't leave a lot to the imagination."

"Trusting your eyes is a sure way to get yourself killed," the smug asari chided, "Or caught.  Lucky for you it's the latter, as long as you behave.  Follow me, your chariot is waiting."

The scanning asari drew her Scimitar again and jerked it in a gesture that Anika should move out.  

[Cknarf]

At the hotel lobby

 

"You have a problem?", he snapped at them and it was like their good mood was gone immediately. They quickly turned around and left in a hurry.

 

With a grunt Arian turned his attention back to the screen to see if there was still anything interesting to see but the race was already over. The expert talking that very often followed such events would probably cause him to fall asleep again so Arian wanted to get up from his chair when suddenly the name Irina Sloane popped up. He needed a second to remember that Sloane was Irina's last name and then he realized this human newcomer was actually someone from his team.

 

I guess at least someone is having fun here..., Arian thought to himself.

At the hotel - Johnny

 

"You know, at first, I thought that you were just having a bad day, but I'm beginning to think that uh..." Johnny glanced back at some asari that Arian had just run off. "Maybe you're just always kind of an a**hole." Johnny shrugged a bit, looking down at the turian who was kicked back in the lobby area.

 

Oh, God. What am I doing?

====================

Frank

 

"Huh?" Frank was startled by the question directed at him."Right! Yeah, that sounds great." he smiled, setting down a tool he wasn't exactly familiar with. He wasn't planning on stealing it, or anything.

[Redbelle]

Taking a deep breath, Anika moved in the direction the one with the scimitar indicated. "So how are we travelling? You may have noticed but I tend to need head space on long journey's".

[TheMajonese]

At the hotel lobby

 

It was more of a reflex than anything else when Arian stood up from his seat and placed himself in front of the much shorter Johnny to glare down at the human. But then he realized that there was no point for an open confrontation. The only people who dared to p*ss him off were usually drunks and they often didn't understand verbal communication, so Arian needed other methods to get rid of them. Johnny however was just another crew member that he didn't know anything about.

 

Arian took a step back and crossed his arms. The look on his face changed and even though barely noticable, the change was enough to make his threatening appearance disappear. "It doesn't matter what you think I am", he said with indifference in his voice. "The spectre wanted me for my skills, not my personality. And seriously...are you really that bored that you have to bother me?", Arian then asked, but he had an idea of what the answer would be. Maybe he wasn't the only one who was falling asleep watching the races.

[Kel Riever]

Anika was told by the smug asari in rude terms, "We're prepared for you.  Shut up and you'll see for yourself."

Sizing up the Eclipse agents, Anika felt while they might have been forewarned about her, they might have also been a bit overconfident in their belief that they knew how to deal with her.  That might prove to be an advantage later.  For the time being, the agents led her down the right side of the T intersection in the hallway, opposite the way Ysha'na had fled.  A side glance showed no sign of the maiden who'd baited Anika here. 

Eclipse took Anika down a different flight of steps out into an underground lot, where no one was around.  Awaiting them was a large, black sky vehicle, really a cross between a car and a small truck, usually meant for carrying several passengers comfortably or a decent amount of cargo.  Behind it was an escort sky car of the normal variety, an X-3M.  The door was opened by the smug asari, who got in first, and then she called Anika to follow while she had the Claymore trained on her. 

"Sit right by the window," the smug asari instructed Anika.  The salarian got around to the driver's side, while the asari with the Scimitar got in the seat next to him.  The other two asari went to the X-3M.  Inside the large vehicle it was luxurious.  The seats were a tan, natural leather, and there was not only plenty of headroom, but plenty of space between the back seats where Anika was and the front seats, as well as the empty cargo area behind.  There was, in fact, a wet bar available for the back passengers just behind the two front seats, and a video display for entertainment, though it was off.  The smug asari was far enough away that even Anika would have to reach just a bit to get at her, the delay of enough time that the Eclipse agent just might get off a shot at her, if she was paying attention. 

The doors closed automatically and Anika took a guess that they couldn't be opened normally from inside.  There was a tech shield between the front seats and back, giving the driver and passenger a defense, and Anika's eye noticed the agent with the Scimitar had a shield splitter attached to her shotgun, allowing her to poke the barrel through and fire if she needed to.

The smug asari activated her com and was clearly sending a message to someone not in the vehicle.  "We're leaving now and will meet you on schedule."  The vehicles lifted off and headed out of the underground lot.  Traffic was extremely light and Anika saw they were heading inland, towards a still nice, but more industrial part of the city. 

"Go ahead and have a drink if you want.  It's all there, wine, brandy, milk if you've got a soft stomach," The smug asari said as she tilted her head towards the wet bar.  Her eyelids squeezed with satisfaction.  "You know not to try anything you shouldn't, I'm sure.  There's a good payday attached to you so I promise we're highly motivated to get you delivered, whether you co-operate or not.  Might as well enjoy what you can." 

[Cknarf]

Johnny

 

“Bored? Here? Pfft.” Johnny looked around. “Are you kidding me? This place is great! I mean, have you seen the spa? It’s…” He trailed off, realizing that Arian clearly didn’t share his enthusiasm.

 

Johnny rubbed at the back of his neck, and sighed. There was a brief moment of silence, in which he couldn’t help feel that his presence was unwelcome.

 

“Look, I didn’t come over here to put you in a bad mood…”

 

Or in a worse one…

 

“I just thought that… I don’t know, maybe you could use someone to talk to.” Johnny shrugged. “Now, I know you’re not exactly one for conversation, and that's totally fine, but neither am I. This is actually rather difficult for me, coming over to talk to someone like this. You, especially. ”

 

Johnny finally looked back up at Arian, up until this point, he had been focusing elsewhere.

 

“You’re always so… harsh. Mind telling me why?"

[TheMajonese]

"I...it's not...what is this question even supposed to mean?" Arian didn't know what to say and stared down at the human. 

 

He had never actually thought about the reason for his attitude but now the answer seemed very obvious. All he knew about Johnny was that he was former alliance military and that he wasn't causing any trouble on the ship. It was unlikely that someone seemingly decent like Johnny would voluntarily work with Arian if he knew more about the turian. Aside from that, there was a reason that there weren't many people left who meant something to Arian.

 

"I think it's better if everyone keeps their distance. People shouldn't waste their time socialising if there are more important things to do. Do you really want to know how old I am or where I was born or do you want to know that I could keep you alive long enough to finish an important mission if necessary? Is this answer good enough for you?"

[sH0tgUn jUliA]

Irina passed through the gate and entered the garage where Iole and Frank were. "You really gonna make my friend stand out there?"

[Cknarf]

Johnny

 

“Maybe it would be, if we weren’t on shore leave.” Johnny smiled a bit, before looking down at his omni-tool. “Last I checked, we don’t have any outstanding objectives to complete, so… Unless the spectre ordered you to sit on your ass and terrorize the other guests, why don’t we go do something?” He shrugged. “Think of it as ‘unit cohesion’.”

[TheMajonese]

"Do what? Take a walk in the park? Visit an art museum? Go to one of these clubs where the drinks are as strong as water? Or maybe we could look for a cinema and watch the next ridiculous love movie!" The sarcasm in his voice was unmistakeable. "I don't know what sense of entertainment asari have but it's certainly nothing I can enjoy." A few heads turned to him after these words but he did his best at ignoring them.

 

Arian had to admit that Johnny was surprisingly endurant and even managed to maintain his good mood. This wasn't the usual reaction of the people he talked to. "The most interesting thing I could find so far were the races, that's why I came here...to watch them..." Arian realized that he didn't even know who had won the last race and sighed. "I hope you have any better ideas because this boredom is going to kill me."

[sH0tgUn jUliA]

Advertisement playing near Arian.... "Blasto: The first Hanar Spectre. They thought he'd play by the rules. 'This one has had enough of your solid waste excretions. Enkindle this.' He has a gun in every tentacle and a lover in every port. Blasto: The Jellyfish Stings.... now playing in selected cinemas."

[Cknarf]

Johnny pursed his lips. Some, if not all of those sarcastically listed options actually sounded alright to him.

 

"There's one." He thumbed at the hilariously cheesy ad. "Or if you're not a big Blasto fan, there's always always the spa... I think a good rub down might do you some good." 

 

The ad played again.

 

"Blasto: The first Hanar Spectre. They thought he'd play by the rules. 'This one has had enough of your solid waste excretions. Enkindle this.' He has a gun in every tentacle and a lover in every port. Blasto: The Jellyfish Stings.... now playing in selected cinemas."

 

"Or... we could get really drunk, then go talk sh*t about the movie until we get kicked out." Johnny shrugged. "It's really whatever you want to do."

[TheMajonese]

For a few moments Arian stared at Johnny, his face an unreadable mask. He glanced toward the laughable movie ad. "Okay...", he eventually said. "Sounds like a plan." And he was already heading for the hotel entrance doors. "There are a few clubs not too far from here. It's probably expensive...but I don't give a sh*t. Everything's better than being stuck in here."

[Kel Riever]

Iole

There was a bit of a discussion outside, but in the end, Jenus didn't push the issue.  She loved Irina and she loved that Irina loved her jetbikes, but Jenus was getting more entertainment from people watching than meeting the racers.  Longbow had given permission for her to come along but Jenus said, "No, I'd just steal attention away, and I might be tempted to cause problems, just for entertainment."  Jenus winked and Irina knew she was kidding about the last part, but Jenus did, after all, have a sort of missing part of her interest when it came to deep technical issues and a jetbike was certainly in that category.

Iole, on the other hand, was practially worshipping the jetbike she was in front of when Irina walked in.  Frank was nearby too, possibly a little too near a set of tools.  Neither Longbow or Divine were watching him closely, but instead greeted Irina.  "Nice ride," Longbow said to her, "We saw you on the track."

Iole asked, "What's the top speed on this?"

Longbow smiled and crouched down next to Iole, speaking loud enough for everyone to hear.  "A little secret:  There is no top speed.  Not that matters.  The thrust is so powerful that it all depends on how close a rider wants to push the bike until it falls apart."

Iole was in awe.

Continuing, Longbow said, "The hull is made of a mesh alloy, hard enough to withstand the pressures on it while being as light as it can possibly be.  At least the structure of the hull is.  The actual surface of the hull is nano-coat, at least that's what we call it.  Controlled by the most sophisticated programming we can load, its like a living thing, compensating to maximize performance in all maneuvers.  The directional thrusters, or pods as we call them, can float about the nano-coat, going wherever they need to for enhanced handling.  This is as new as it gets, you won't find it outside of here and so far, miraculously, it hasn't hit the sports news yet.  I give it about 2 more weeks before it does.  Here, let me show you."

Longbow reached over to where the handlebars would normally be and held her palm above it.  Springing to life was a hard light control panel and a pair of 'handles'.  "Run directional thruster test five," Longbow commanded and the VI began its work.  There were three thumb-sized, smooth blisters that began gliding over the nose area.  They'd been there before but Iole presumed they were fixed.  The test showed they were anything but, moving over the hull like tiny igloos on a frictionless surface.  

Iole laughed in amazement.

"Comes in handy," Longbow went on to explain.  "We can see through the vehicle as if it wasn't there, and where I look, the VI uses the information, adds it to its data, and when I steer, the thrusters are already where they are supposed to be."

Divine added, "Most people think that means the bike goes wherever Whisp looks," using her given name, "But that's a novice interpretation.  Longbow can look wherever she wants, think whatever she wants, the VI is sophisticated enough to store data and not use it until Longbow actually wants to change direction."

"That doesn't stop you from telling me to keep my eyes in front," Longbow joked."

"Well, it's my job to keep you aware," Divine replied.  "I'm kidding of course.  Longbow is as focused as it gets."

"The hull helps with the stretching too," Longbow went back at the bike tech talk.  "At the speeds we pull, the bike changes shape, gets longer." 

Divine was overcome with a sudden grimace.  "I hate to say it but speaking of longer, I'm not sure I can wait much longer for this qualifier.  Have a nasty case of the pre-starts."

Longbow examined her SO and nodded.  "Divine's talking about the nervous feelings we all get before we go out there.  If you don't have them, you probably are not paying enough attention to what's coming up."  She stood and patted Iole on the shoulder.  "I'm glad you all were around to show some of this too.  Any questions before we head off and get ready?"
 

[sH0tgUn jUliA]

Irina walked over and stood next to Longbow. "I'd be lying if I didn't say my stomach wasn't doing flipflops before the race," she said. "Longbow and Divine.... Iole and I used to watch you two over the feed when we were stationed on Duellos. Count me in awe.

 

She turned to Longbow. "I know the next race will be different. I know I won't be able to pull that maneuver I used on Splitter. I didn't like having to do that. She had eyes in the back of her head. Proximity sensors it turns out," Irina said. "I have a new helmet arriving. A modified Asari racing helmet with the VI like the other racers. So I won't be wearing that piece of crap I had on. Cascian will make sure it meets spec."

 

Then Irina got a look reminiscent of a kid in her eyes. "Before you go out there, could we get your autographs?"

[Cainhurst Crow]

Essul raised a brow as he looked to his omnitool, opening it up as he saw the message. Faed was back on his feet? That was certainly surprising, and something of a relief given his near fatal accident.

 

"Of Course...just give me a few minutes to get back..." Essul said as he recorded the line, sending it out to VERA as he made his way back to the Janiri. It was only a few blocks or so, and as Essul walked, he couldn't help but put his hands in his pockets, his shoulders hunching slightly as he looked to the asari who would walk by, giving him a wide berth. He didn;t hear what they would whisper to one another, and he didn't want to hear it. Better to just not let it have any time or mind, he figured.

 

Essul entered the area the Janiri was parked, going through decontamination as he walked through the airlock, "Faed, good to see you back on your..." He began, stopping dead in his tracks as he looked to the thing standing in front of him. He blinked in surprise, taking a step back instinctual as he looked at the image he'd only seen in history vids, grainy and out of focus as they were.

 

"...Faed?" He asked, not quite believing his eyes as he looked the man, the quarian, up and down. A sight no sapient had done in hundreds of years greeting him. "You...Are you okay like that? Your healthy?" He asked, sounding concerned as he asked, nervous as he spoke.,

[Kel Riever]

Morgan

"These funny little ads they put on the glasses at the bars around here," Bezina said and chuckled as she held her tumbler with the image of Silver Specter holo-projected onto its side.  "At least this one isn't awful."

Morgan took a glance at the side of his own tumbler.  "Can't escape it, right?"  His own tumbler was running an ad with another racer, standing next to a series of civilian jetbikes she was promoting.  He recognized one of them as a Starstreamer.  "Well, something to look at, I suppose.  At least it catches your eye, right?"

"Yes, though I have to say, that suit you are wearing caught my eye a lot more than the glass did.  I have to say you know your tailoring."  

"You think so?  I'm terrible at picking one usually.  Have to rely on my good fortune."

"Trust me, I know," Bezina said, taking a bit of a larger sip than she had been from her glass.  "My ex was a tailor."

Morgan forced himself to crack a slight grin. "Are you about to offer to buy me my next drink?"

"Why not?" Bezina shrugged, and pulled up her omni-tool.

Gently stopping Bezina with a wave of his hand, Morgan said, "That's a joke.  I've got this."  He pulled out an actual hard credit chip from his pocket, flipped it around a few times, and slid it across to the bartender.  With faux formality, Morgan told the bartender, "To cover all our services today."

The asari bartender took the chip, noticed the large denomination, and said, "That'll do just fine.  What's your next drink?"

"Same for me," Bezina replied as she also glanced at the chip.  "Large chips in physical form, Morgan?  Showing off?"

"If you think," Morgan tapped his glass to also indicate he wanted another of the same drink.  "Its my last chip, actually, left over from a previous payment.  I try to get rid of them, actually.  It isn't my favorite thing to be carrying around a lot of cash on hand."

"Really," Bezina laughed again, "And let's pretend I believe you.  Not enough time to run to the bank?  What kind of job is it that pays you in credit chips, anyway?"

"I have the kind of job where people sometimes want to avoid a payment trail.  I do my best to accommodate them."

"Aren't you full of mystery."  Bezina snuffed out the last of a cigarette and lit another.  "I'm teasing, of course.  I like a bit of a showoff sometimes."

Morgan's eyes peered sideways at Bezina as he took a sip from his new drink.  "There's a sense I had about that with you..."

[sH0tgUn jUliA]

"...Faed?" He asked, not quite believing his eyes as he looked the man, the quarian, up and down. A sight no sapient had done in hundreds of years greeting him. "You...Are you okay like that? You're healthy?" He asked, sounding concerned as he asked, nervous as he spoke.,

 

"Quite. Legion is handling my immune system quite well, and it also wants to see Thessia for its own reasons," Faed said. "My only concern is that I will attract a bit of attention since no one has seen a Quarian outside of our suits for 220 years. Matron age Asari would remember, and perhaps some Krogan, but no one else.

 

"VERA suggested that I wear sunglasses and perhaps she's right, but my skin tone is a dead give away. Besides, finding a pair that fits won't be easy."

 

Faed stepped outside the airlock and took a deep breath. "Ah, the first Quarian to step outside a ship without an environment suit in centuries. And the air is so full of different scents. It smells.... fresh."

 

"We are analyzing sensory data. 78% oxygen. 21.7% Nitrogen. 0.07% Argon, 0.001% Eezo, 0.08% Carbon Dioxide, and...." Legion said inside Faed's head.

 

"Legion, who cares? It's fresh air and it's a breathable atmosphere. I'm tired of being stuffed inside a suit or a ship all the time," Faed said. "Essul, you'll have to excuse me. Legion's entire nano structure now shares my body. In addition to handling my immune system, it also analyzes everything and communicates these to me. Most people have an internal voice. Well I have Legion. Say hello to Essul."

 

Faed released control momentarily, and his voice inflection completely changed. "Essul, XO, We are Legion. We will be accompanying you for the purpose of analyzing organic behavior on Thessia so that we may better understand you. This is the first time Geth have been able to do this through organic eyes and with organic sensors," Legion said and blinked Faed's eyes in a mechanical fashion. "We will remain in the background so as not to disturb your visit with Creator Faed. Should you want our analysis at any point during your visit, we are here to serve."

 

Legion released control to Faed. "I hope that didn't disturb you, but that is my life now," Faed said looking up at the Batarian. "I would like to get something to eat. I understand there's a Turian run restaurant nearby that serves both dextro and levo DNA food. Eating nutrient paste gets quite boring after a while. I want to taste living for a change. Besides it'll keep Legion busy."

[Cainhurst Crow]

"Are you...talking to the geth?" Essul asked at first, raising a brow as he gave faed a wide bearth for him to step out of the airlock and take a look around. It was honestly a bit intimidating, knowing that inside this quarian was a geth, the beings even the hegemony feared for their advance technology and lack of any mercy when dealing with organics.

 

It was easy to give legion a chance when it was just it, doing what he thought it wanted. Something about that was almost endearing. But this, he didn't know what to think of it. Sharing something as personal as a body, to have to let someone else have ownership of it. For essul, something about the prospect was a bit alarming.

 

Then Legion began to talk to him directly. And essul felt a chill run up his spine at how quickly the change in personality was. By the time it was over, essul had backed away to the edge of the walkway, both hands gripping the rail as he nodded, trying to reconcile the complete change in both tone and body language, that had caught him off guard.

 

 

 

Legion released control to Faed. "I hope that didn't disturb you, but that is my life now," Faed said looking up at the Batarian. "I would like to get something to eat. I understand there's a Turian run restaurant nearby that serves both dextro and levo DNA food. Eating nutrient paste gets quite boring after a while. I want to taste living for a change. Besides it'll keep Legion busy."

 

 

Essul did his best to not let his expression show, looking a bit shaken by what he'd seen as well as stepping forward after he'd practically leaped back from the man. He let out a sigh, taking in a deep breath as he gave a nod.

 

"Yeah...food sounds good...guess it'll be a first for you technically..." Essul said as he walked down the ramp, accompanying faed as he thought it over, "So are you...okay, with all this?" He asked, not quite sure of how to put what he was thinking into words.

 

"You seem calm and all, so that's good. But...does it hurt? When you two did your switch?" He asked

[sH0tgUn jUliA]

Faed sighed. "No, it does not. Please don't be alarmed. I see this is difficult for you, and I gather this will be difficult for others as well," Faed said as he pulled a hood over his head and began walking toward the restaurant. "It was difficult for me at first, but you must understand that I cannot survive without Legion. Geth are a lot more complex than we thought. Legion is made up of 1183 runtimes residing now in billions of nanites in my body. When I was in med bay on the ship, it reached consensus that the only way to save my life was to enter my body through my cybernetic implants.

 

"After it cured the infection, I became aware of what happened and another presence. I was alarmed at first, but we reached a consensus that since this was my 'organic platform' as Legion calls it, that I would have primary control. There was a lot of trust involved: a trust that has never existed between my people and the Geth. We practiced. The switching was jarring at first, but that was mostly my own fear that Legion wouldn't return control. Once that fear was put to rest, the switching became smooth.

 

"We're in a symbiotic relationship. A union of organic and machine. Neither of us can survive without the other."

[Cknarf]

At the club...

 

Outside, the street was lined with bikes. Some made direct contact with the street, while others hovered quietly only a few inches from the ground in standby mode. Among the stock examples were some custom jobs that ranged from tasteful to garish. A few even sported race liveries, paying homage to champions both past and present.

 

Inside, it was a*sholes and elbows.  The huge influx of patrons, likely race fans from out of town, had the bartenders scrambling to fill orders placed by the capacity crowd. Johnny followed Arian, as the Turian used his intimidating appearance to help them navigate through the sea of blue and purple.

 

"What can I get you?" One of the bartenders shouted over the music, just as Johnny and Arian arrived at the bar.

 

"Something I'll regret later." Johnny replied.

 

The bartender nodded, and turned her attention to Arian.

 

"And how 'bout you, sunshine?"

[sH0tgUn jUliA]

Irina

 

After watching Longbow and Divine, Irina, now nicknamed "Red" at the track headed back to the hotel with Jenus for dinner and some rest. Her time trial was in the morning. Cascian wanted her ready. She was working on staying focused which was not easy for her. Jenus, being the competitor she was didn't interfere.

 

Overnight, the helmet arrived. Septerax called Marcus and had one of his crew run it over to the track under "officlal military business." That got the crewman past security without issue.

 

By the time Irina arrived, Alisa had already begun modifying the helmet for her. The first thing she did was toss the helmet to Irina.

 

"Try it on," she said. "It should feel snug and not much different than your other helmet."

 

"It feels heavy in the back," Irina complained.

 

"That's because it's longer, and you'll have to get used to it," Alisa replied. "I used polyurethane hard foam because it's light and won't move around on you. But does it feel stable on your head otherwise?"

 

Irina shook her head around. "Yeah, it does."

 

"Get ready and let's take it for a couple laps, I brought my jet bike, and I'll follow you around to test them. Try not to lose me," Alisa said.

 

Irina went into the shuttle and got into her leathers. When she emerged, she put on her helmet, and the two rode around the track. Alisa made approaches from the rear, and from the sides and asked Irina when the sensors let her know where she was. Everything worked perfectly in the helm. The VI even tracked potential counter moves. That was what was missing. Still this was more information than she was used to having.

 

It was time for the time trials. Three laps. Irina posted her best time on the second lap. She was a little sloppy through the technical section on the third and it cost her starting among the top 10, but 15th out of 32 wasn't bad.