6315 réponses à ce sujet

[Redbelle]

Aelias was running diagnostics when her board lit up from a receiving transmission. Blinking, she opened it on her board and found herself looking at a message from Jess. It simply read.

 

Luv. Your now town admin. Cult town will contact. We're Thresher Maw specialists. Sell us to them.

 

Aelias felt her mandible quiver as she ran her eye's down to the second line of text.

 

Looks lightly guarded. High threat response on discovery likely. Collector weapons prompted reaction. Runner may be sent. Intercept!

 

Aelias was calling for Deidrus and Eteon wven as she marvelled. "Huh. She really can be brief when she wants".

[sH0tgUn jUliA]

Dahlia walked over to Morgan and pulled him aside. "Why did Jess shush me like that? I was curious. I thought I could learn something, you know, for us. Oh well, looks like that won't be happening. Look Morgan, Asari have a reputation for being mediators. I was just trying to play that role. Can I do anything? I can go talk to people if you'd like."

[Kel Riever]

Morgan watched Jess while he responded under his breath to Dahlia, “It isn’t personal.  She sees something that maybe we don’t.  And she’s up to something I’m sure that is meant to get these guards off our backs.

 

Almost feeling Dahlia’s impatience, Morgan stood close to her.  “You’re doing exactly what you need to be doing right now, like me.  We’re standing here, looking like we are a bunch of Thresher Maw experts.  The time is going to come when we’re going to need some of the other skills you have, like getting by something without being noticed, and then you’ll have your moment.  That requires some putting the guards at ease, though, to have a chance of letting you slip by.

 

Somebody needs to get free to have a look at the parts of this compound that nobody is supposed to see.  Irina’s absolutely correct and something is wrong here.  Maybe its on that ship, or in the mines, but the people in charge here don’t like us because we’re not playing along.  It is only a matter of time before it escalates.  And when it doesn, we need to know as much as we can.”

[Cainhurst Crow]

"We have the thumper yeah, but it's not like it only attracts thresher maws." Vayne said with a frown as he looked at irina with a raised brow of curiosity. Not a lot of people who weren't salarians took interest in the krogan, fewer still took interest in their history or whatever. "Riding them though? How would that even work, like, you put a saddle on it so you can suffocate as soon as it dives?" he asked, sounding like the question was both to her, and to himself. He had started to grin but looking to her face, his smile dropped a bit, "Sorry, I get a bit mean when I get into my old character. What I meant to say is, I don't really know if that stories true or not..." he started as he looked ahead to the others, keeping a bit of distance between them.
 
"That would be something to ask a Tuchankan shaman, I wouldn't know about those stories being true or not. Told you, I grew up on Wrill. I could tell you a million stories about wrill, urban legends about eyeball eating varren-things and shriveled up cannibal mummies. But I never did pay much attention to stories involving Tuchanka...not a lot of my kind does, really." he said as he looked off, a sad expression crossing his face he looked a bit lost in the moment.
 
"Maybe when you get off this rock, I could help you go to Tuchanka, fight a few people to get an audience with a shaman or something." He suggested, even though he didn't seem to be paying attention much to what he was saying, and more lost in thought than anything else.

[sH0tgUn jUliA]

Irina felt saddened a bit. The look of her big brown eyes underlined with eye black, framed with that flame red hair, and dirt streaked face was almost too much even for Vayne to resist. "I'm... sorry if I opened any old wounds, or if I offended you in any way, Vayne.... I guess what I'm saying is that in the short time I've known you, I've found you to be steady, and someone I'd like to get to know better and perhaps have as a friend. As you can guess, someone like me doesn't make friends very easily. I tend to stick my foot in my mouth a lot."

[Cainhurst Crow]

Vayne blinked in surprise as he looked to irina, looking genuinely flabbergasted.

"A friend?" He asked, as if the word itself was a foreign concept to him. It'd been a long time, a really, really, long time, since anyone had asked him something like that. Vayne hadn't had a friend since he'd lost his eye to his old krant and first mate, not considering anyone trustworthy from his old days, himself included. The loner lifestyle for centuries, one job after another of seeing the bad side of people come forward in his investigations and line of work.

And here was a human, asking to get all buddy-buddy with him. "I...why would you want to be friends with a krogan, like me?" He asked, catching himself from slipping up there, "You seem nice and normal enough. You have to have better options then just...well, me?" he asked as he motioned to himself, "You don't even know much about me."

[Kel Riever]

Morgan hoped Dahlia would understand, and then moved next to Jess as she seemed almost finished fiddling with the electronics.  He didn't understand exactly what she was up to, but he knew it wasn't what it looked like she was.  

 

Softly, Morgan suggested to Jess, "Perhaps a couple of us are wondering if there is anything we can do to help?"

[sH0tgUn jUliA]

Irina was expecting that sort of a reply. "Look at us, Vayne. We're both bloody outcasts. And what's wrong with a human tryin' to make a friend with a Krogan? And what do you think is wrong with you anyway? And you're right about me not knowin' much about you, and you don' know much about me either. So why don't we start there?"

[Redbelle]

Jess looked up and over at the guards and saw them far enough away to whisper.

 

"We've raised a few hackles but their being polite about keeping a watch on us. I've been in this situation before. Both sides know that somethings off but don't know what. They'll be fine till we tip our hand". She grinned. "Now don't you all getting to think we're actually Thresher hunters. Inhabiting a rolls good. But we're here to raid their databanks. Or maybe find someone willing to talk to ought to know better but doesn't. Someone with a big mouth. That guard over there? Blurted out about the Satalite? Ought not to have in front of us. Bit of a slip. Maybe if he's put at ease he'll know something".

 

"Otherwise I'm pretty sure there's some tools Irina's after..... And what's Vayne gotten so fussed about? Whatever it is..... It's time to do what we came here to do while keeping under the radar. I'm trying to think of a way onto those two ships out there". She paused. "They'll have mainframe access through the landing pad umbilicals. Can't cut into the Umbilical since I don't have a terminal or the kit to capture the signals through shielded cabling.......". She drifted off.

 

"Okay luv. Do us a favour and tell folks to stay in character. But start getting concessions out of these folks to do our cover job while we all go about trying to do our real job and Don't. Get. Caught! Or if you do? Make it seem unrelated to finding out what these folks are hiding from the galactic community".

[Redbelle]

Jess looked over at Irina. "By the by luv. If those tools of yours are good for fixing steeds, don't be shy about going to find them. These general use ones"? She held up a bulb wrench. "Old, ancient, worn and not suited for these vehicles. Bloody manufacturers keep designing new tool shapes so you 'have' to take it to the dealership. Bloody penny grabbing cheapskate.....". The list went on as Jess turned back to pretending to work on the opened body of Baldurjack

[Kel Riever]

Morgan had actually little idea what he could achieve under the watchful eye of the guards.  He wasn’t an expert at duplicity, despite what he’d accomplished so far.  He was good at keeping quiet, and when the shooting started, he was good at the fighting.  These days, outside the military people seemed to be in demand for soldiers to protect them.  When they got one, it seemed they needed more infiltrators.

 

Why didn’t he become one of those?  It would have been so much easier,   maybe from having to learn the ability to talk alone, so that people could be fooled.

 

Pacing, Morgan ended up near the guards, towards the entrance to the hanger.  He defensively crossed his arms and looked outside, where Erebus was reaching its high point in the sky.  He asked, “Don’t you ever get tired of the desert?”  Such a stupid question, Morgan said to himself.

 

“Nope,” the shorter guard replied.  It was the same guard who let slip about the satellite.

 

“I suppose you adjust.  How long does that take?”

 

The taller guard shrugged his shoulders but was watching Morgan closely.  The shorter guard answered, “Don’t really remember.  Been here a long time.  You just do.”

 

Morgan was getting frustrated.  Normally he’d hide it, but part of it must have come through.

 

The tall guard noticed, “You seem tense, man.  Something bothering you?”  He was peering at Morgan analytically.

 

“Tense?”  Morgan sighed.  “Tense, sure, because I’m out here, while I’m worrying about my family back on Earth.”  That part was true.

 

The two guards looked at each other, and the shorter one responded, seeming to sympathize.  “Wife and kids?”

 

“No, no.  Mother, brother and sister.”

 

“Must be close to them,” the short guard prodded.

 

Morgan half-smirked, “Actually, not really.  But I suppose I have reason to worry after not seeing them for years, and not having the chance to get in touch with them.”  More truth.  It was all he had.  “Does that make sense?”

 

“Sure,” the shorter guard said, again in sympathy, “But they can handle themselves, right?  You’ve got to lead your own life.  That’s how we do it here.   Sometimes you find a new family.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

That seemed to open the floodgates.  The shorter guard started talking, “You’ve got to learn to put things behind you.  People who care about you will come along.  Maybe they won’t like to at first, but take a look around here.  You see unhappy people?  You’ve got to worry about yourself first, and this place will take care of you back.  Like Buck over here.”

 

The tall guard abruptly stammered, “Don’t bring me into this!”

 

“I’m just saying that yours is a tale worth hearing,” the short guard went on.  “Honestly you were one of the grumpier people ever set foot through the gate, until Old Man Jeb had you spend some time up in the sanctuary at the top of the ship.”

 

“I wasn’t that grumpy.”

 

“It took you weeks to come around.  And look at you now.  You’re happy.”

 

“I’m happier.”

 

“You’re happy as can be.  I know you.  That flat line for your mouth is a happy face.”

 

“I wasn’t ever so grumpy.  It just took some time for me to understand is all.”

 

“And now you do.”

 

“Sure.  Everyone here understands.”  The tall guard looked over to Morgan.  “Truth is they were patient with me.  You ain’t got to worry about your family, is the point.  They’ll be fine.  You concern yourself with being a part of something bigger, and accepting your position in the grand scheme of things.  I see you got a gunslinger arm.  Who knows?  Maybe you stay they’ll find a place for you with fellows like Dutch and me.”

 

“I’m Dutch,” the short guard remarked.

 

“Yes,” Buck said disapprovingly, “I think the man figured that out already.”

 

Morgan made a mental note about the sanctuary, and went about keeping the two guards talking.

[sH0tgUn jUliA]

Naleena walked over to Jess and pretended to be looking at the mechanical problem. "You know, Jess, Anika's size can be a huge advantage here, no pun intended. I can literally disappear for about 25 minutes and walk around dead silent. Everyone will be focused on her, not some much shorter Asari in black. By the time anyone notices I'm missing, I'll be back. I figure that should take about 15 minutes," Naleena pointed to a cog in the mecha steed, "Do you have anyplace you'd like me to look? Someone should give me their omni-tool's power cell for a back up just in case there's a field I have to pass through that drains mine."

[Redbelle]

Jess looked over. "You know as much about this place as I do luv. Scout it out". Jess reached into her pack on her back attached to her blet and handed her a power cell. "Always handy having a spare. Now, ways I see it you've got a few options. All of which run risk. But we're risk takers right? Maybe find a way to cause a disruption. Get folks disorganised. Or maybe go find a way onto the ship and plant this in the server room so I can remote hack". Jess pulled out a small metal box the size of a pack of cards. "Short range router. Plug it in and I can see abuot hacking their mainframe. Problem..... Whoever's in there will know I'm in so you need to make sure the systems security officer is occupied and his station's muted. And hope he's not a hotshot code slicer. Make sure you and the router are off that ship when you come to leave. Don't want them knowing an unauthorised piece of kit was attached".

 

Jess's eye's slid to Badlurjack's data storage device. "I won't have time to sort the data so I'll pull what looks important and store it in Baldy here. We'll sort through it after we leave. I'm not about to tell you how to go about this luv.... your the expert. Just don't get caught. Anika's got a vicious streak in her when folks she likes get into danger".

 

Jess frowned. "But I think the guards will know your gone if your gone that long. They're counting us every so.... Could try the old runny stomach routine. Just say you ate some of those desert dogs last night".

[Cainhurst Crow]

Irina was expecting that sort of a reply. "Look at us, Vayne. We're both bloody outcasts. And what's wrong with a human tryin' to make a friend with a Krogan? And what do you think is wrong with you anyway? And you're right about me not knowin' much about you, and you don' know much about me either. So why don't we start there?"

"Because I've done a lot of things in my life. A lot more then I think you have." Vayne said, a cold edge in his voice as he muttered those words, lookign down a moment before he spoke again. "But if you really are set on this, then who am I to judge." he said as he gave her a nod, giving her a small smile as he dusted his hands together to get the soil off.

"Let's get a look out for those tools, and maybe something to get those guards distracted as well while we're at it." He said, deciding that going with the flow might be good, for now.

[Cknarf]

Wiping sweat from his brow, 23-year-old technician Frank Eli looks to the sky.  Clouds  gather, as Thornal looms ominously overhead.  The electrical storms had been increasingly brutal this month, wreaking havoc on the comm stations.  His shift finally over, he returned Home. Home in his case, was a demilitarized  UT-47 Kodiak.

 

Frank rolled in his cot, exhusted, but between the bursts of thunder and his wandering thoughts, was unable to sleep.  He had been working as a Civilian Communications Technician (CCT) for nearly two years, maintaining Alliance communication stations on Ontarom. The pay was decent, but the work was extremely repetitive, and it was driving him crazy.  It was time for a change.

 

Sitting in a crude tavern located in the nearby settlement, Frank forces down a Batarian ale.  

 

"You got anything better than this?" 

 

Shaking his head, the bartender smiles.  "Those Alliance boys have been here all day, I'm cleaned out." He gestures over his shoulder at a rowdy group of Alliance marines, enjoying some down time.  "I'm expecting a new shipment.  Abe's on his way."  Abe was the local nickname for the MSV Lincoln, a merchant freighter that came to trade every few weeks.

 

Taking another swig, Frank noticed all but one of the marines had fell silent.  He listened carefully from across the bar.

 

"...big credits! I'm not shitting you!" The group was focused, listening intently to their drunken brother.  "That's where I'm going after I've served my time.  I hear there's plenty of action, too.  Better than pissin' around here, that's for sure!"

 

"Duellos?  Come on, Hernandez, that place is a total shithole!" One of the men spoke up.  "I hear it's like Omega, except it's hotter and you can't breathe."

 

"But just think ofthose credits!  I don't mind wearing an envirosuit all day, if I'm getting that kind of dough." 

 

Frank knew then and there, Duellos was where he wanted to be.  But how would he get there?  The Kodiak is capable of limited FTL travel, but there's no way it would make it that far on its own.  He needed a larger vessel to get him into the system.

 

"Hey buddy, it's your lucky day!" The bartender returned from the back room.  " I just got a call, my shipment came early."

 

The MSV Lincoln! That was his ticket offworld.  He quickly rose from the bar, nearly falling over. That Batarian ale had kicked in.  Tripping over his own feet, he crashed through the door and into the street.  He could barely walk, let alone pilot a shuttle.  

 

"You!" He grabbed a colonist by the collar. "Take me to the Lincoln!"

 

"What the hell are you talking about?" The colonist shoved him away.  "Get away from me you drunk idiot!"

 

"I'll give you 500 credits to take me to the supply freighter across town.  Can you fly one of these?" Frank pointed at his Kodiak.

 

The man shrugged. "500 credits?  I guess I could try."

 

Frank's UT-47 slammed to the ground before the MSV Lincoln.

 

"Here we are! Now about those cred..."

 

Frank cut him off. "Yes! Of course! 'preciate it" Drunkenly fiddling with his omni-tool, he mistakenly transferred 5,000 credits to the man, and sent him away.

 

"You mind telling me what's going on here?" A large man approached as Frank staggered out of the Kodiak.

 

"I'm leaving.  On that."  He pointed at the freighter.

 

"Is that so?" Asked the man.  "And where do you plan on going on my ship?"

 

"Oh! Captain! Nice to meet you!" Frank put on his best sober face. "Duellos. Ereba system, Styx Theta."

 

"Not a chance, kid.  There's no way I'm making a special trip to Duellos, of all places."
 

"You don't have to land, just get me close.  I'll take the shuttle.  It's only a few relay jumps away.  You wouldn't even have to leave the Traverse!" Frank saw the man wasn't going for it. "I'll give you 10,000 credits, to get me to the system, and halfway to Duellos." 

 

"Fifteen, and you've got a deal."

 

Upon entering the Ereba system, Frank began making preparations.  He donned his surplus Explorer V armor, 'CIV' clearly stenciled across the chestplate, and holstered his Raikou IV. He gave the Kodiak one last inspection, and climbed aboard, waiting patiently for the green light.

[sH0tgUn jUliA]

Naleena took the component from Jess and smiled. “Don’t worry, Jess. This is going to be fun.”

 

Jess gave Naleena a concerned gaze. “Don’t try anything stupid. They’ll be all over us like flies on sh**.”

 

“Jess, really. Me, Naleena, try anything stupid? Are you nuts? Toodles.” Naleena gave a subtle signal to Anika to come very close to her and she took her hand.

 

“So what brought on this sudden affection?” Anika asked.

 

“Anika, I’m going to disappear for a while. I need you to draw attention to yourself,” Naleena said in a low voice.

 

“I can do that. Do you want me to feign illness?” Anika asked.

 

She tapped on her omni-tool, and then reached into her pocket. “No. That’s so old it’ll only make them more suspicious. I want you to take a pinch of this.”

 

“What is it?”

 

“It’s a mild poison. A pinch will make you feel sick and you’ll vomit. A large dosage will kill you. Trust me here. I’ve used this myself in circumstances when I’ve needed to be convincing. The effects will last about 30 minutes. During that time I’ll disappear, do the job, and return,” Naleena said, “Tell them you ate some undercooked dog last night or something like that.”

 

“You’re sure about this?”

 

“Very sure. You know exactly how much I care about you.” Naleena closed her eyes momentarily and touched Anika’s mind. I love you, Anika. I will never harm you. It wasn’t a bonding, but it was something Naleena had the ability to do with her enhanced biotics.

 

Anika smiled and took the poison as directed. Within moments she experienced nausea. Her skin turned a pale color and she began to sweat, and she fell to her knees.

 

“Anika? Anika are you alright?” Naleena asked, “Someone get some help.?”

 

A crowd began to gather around. One person ran to get the doc, and in a few moments old Doc Martin was at her side. “Everyone stand back. Let’s see what’s wrong. Tell me how you feel, young lady.”

 

This was Naleena’s cue to make her exit. She backed away from the scene and engaged her tactical cloak. Quietly, she made her way past several guards. This was old stuff to her, and she was enjoying it. She moved deeper into the compound and finally found the server room. There was the computer tech sitting at his desk. He was on his communicator.

 

“Everything running smooth there, Jacob? Are we on schedule?”

 

“Yes, Samacen. Smooth as silk. I’m almost ready to upload the code for the uplink.”

 

“Good. Keep me informed.”

 

Naleena slipped into the room. She noticed Jacob was drinking some fruit juice. She smiled. She backed out of the room and took two capsules of Hallex out of her coat, and then re-entered the room. She seized him in a biotic field, opened his mouth and emptied the powder from the capsules in it. He was helpless in the field. The drug was being absorbed sublingually. Jacob began to relax and fall into a daze at his desk. Naleena released him from the field. Then she climbed up and put the transceiver on top of the mainframe. Then she climbed down. She placed another capsule of Hallex next to his half-glass of water, a couple more in one of his pockets, touched his forehead and reached into his mind. “Forget.” Jacob would not remember Naleena’s face or that she was ever in the room. She engaged her tactical cloak and left.

 

Jess began receiving telemetry from the transceiver.

 

Naleena returned to the main courtyard and Anika was starting to recover from her “illness.” Doc Martin had given her one of his famous concoctions that was “guaranteed to cure what ails ya.”

 

“Is she going to be alright?” Naleena asked.

 

“Of course she is. She just had a case of food poisoning. You gotta be careful eating that stuff. Cook it well. Make sure you kill all the bugs in it.” The doc said, “I reckon she’ll be a little rocky for a couple hours, but she’ll come around.”

 

Naleena helped Anika to her feet. "There that wasn't so bad, was it."

 

"Don't ever give me that stuff again."

 

"Don't worry, I won't. Well I hope I never have to. Come on, we should see how Jess is doing."

 

The two made their way over to Jess.

 

"I'm getting some telemetry already. What is odd is that no effort is being made to shut it off." Jess said.

 

"I don't think there will be any effort. See the computer tech is taking a little drug trip right now, and he's enjoying it."

[sH0tgUn jUliA]

“I'm up for it, Vayne. But if you guys aren't, just know that my stench will grow on you with time, as will my attitude. After you guys leave this lovely dungball in your cozy ship, you’ll be thinking, ‘You know, I kinda miss that bats*** crazy redhead. We should have at least offered her a ride to the nearest habitable resort world where she could scare the kiddies,’” Irina said, “Meanwhile, I’m going into Zeke’s to see if they’ve got any ‘specialty tools’ like Gibson mentioned.”

 

Vayne tried to keep his grim expression. “Just be careful in there.”

 

“Don’t worry, Vayne. You just keep scanning soil, and leave the tools to me.” Irina entered saw the black hand-painted sign over the metal building that said Zeke’s Hardware. She paused, straightened her coat, shook out her hair, and walked in.

 

Zeke was in the back of the store behind the counter. There were aisles of assorted tools, electrical, and plumbing supplies: everything you’d expect to find in a hardware store. There was a sign that said “Repairs” behind Zeke. She walked down the tool aisle and scanned everything in sight, and her tools were nowhere to be found, nor was anything to do the job that she was thinking about to gain access to the garage. So she looked perplexed.

 

“Can I help you find anything?” Zeke leaned forward on the counter and asked. Zeke was in his mid-forties. He had salt and pepper hair, blue eyes, and a full beard. He was also appeared to eat quite well, and his black and white plaid flannel shirt he wore unbuttoned over a union suit and jeans didn’t help matters.

 

Irina turned toward him. “I’m looking for something to fix my rifle, and it doesn’t appear that you have the tools needed. I notice that you make repairs.”

 

“Yes, ma’am. That’ll be my son, Bobby. He’s out in the garage. You’re that woman from town, aren’t you? What you doin’ here?” Zeke asked

 

“The people doing the thresher maw survey hired me as their guide. I know the area, and they didn’t want to get lost. The satellite uplinks have been a bit flakey.” Irina looked him straight on and approached the counter.

 

“Why don’t you take you take your weapon back there and let my son have a look at it. He can fix about anything,” Zeke said.

 

“Thank you, sir.” Irina said and walked around the counter and through the door. She stopped just after passing through the doorway, and tapped her omni-tool bringing up the image captured by her bike’s VI of the person taking her tools. It was not a match.

 

Bobby was working on a hovercraft. Bobby was young, about 19 with brown hair. He wore a black tee shirt and black cargo pants. Bobby was thin and had some tattoos on his arms. Her tools were laid out next to him. He heard her approach, turned his head, recognized her and took off running through the front of the store. She ran after him.

 

“Bobby Downing! Ya bloody wombat! Get your thieving arse back here!” Irina shouted while chasing him.

 

Bobby kept running and ran out into the main courtyard with Irina in hot pursuit. Bobby tripped on the threshold, and it slowed him a bit, but Irina kept after him.

 

“You must be the world’s only living brain donor! Now stop right now! You’re only going to make this worse!” Irina shouted.

 

Bobby kept running and looking behind. He was getting winded. Irina was gained ground and made her leap and tackled him. He landed face down in some soft dirt. He struggled to get away. She flipped him over and started punching him. Camp guards ran over. And she had him subdued.

 

“You have stolen property. Those are my tools! The fact you ran before I even mentioned it is proof of guilt.” she shouted with her fist raised.

 

“Wait! Wait! Yes, I was there, but I didn’t take them,” he said, “I swear.”

 

The guards pulled her off him.

 

“Ma’am, you’ll have to come with us,” A tall burly guard said.

 

“Get your hands off me! I just did your bloody job. I found another one of your thieves, and I have proof of another one,” Irina shook herself loose.

 

“Ma’am we’ve run our investigation and found no other evidence,” the guard said.

 

“I was a cop for four years. You couldn’t run a bath! Then explain why he ran when he saw me? Explain how my tools ended up in his shop? As far as I know there is only one Starstreamer in this region of Duellos, and there just happens to be a full set of tools for a Starstreamer in his shop,” Irina said.

 

“Is this true, Bobby?” the guard asked.

 

“Yes, but I didn’t take them,” Bobby replied.

 

“Of course you didn’t take them,” Irina said, tapped her omni-tool, and pulled up a picture of a young man in the act of stealing them. “He did. And Downing admitted to being an accomplice.”

 

“No, I didn’t.”

 

The guards grew impatient, and were about to haul both of them down to the headquarters.

 

Irina turned to Bobby. “Bobby, you’re about as sharp as a beach ball, aren’t ya? Now is not the time to posture and cover for your friend. Now is the time to cut a deal. Give me back my tools, admit to the guards you were there, and tell them where to find your ‘friend,’ because he’d be the first one to rat you out if he had the chance. Because without this picture, you’re holding the goods, and he’s off scot free,” she looked up at the guards. “I’m sure the leaders of this fine place value honesty, and will forgive one of their own for seeing the error of their ways and returning to the path, am I right?”

 

A guard nodded.

 

“Okay, I’ll talk, and there were others you haven’t caught yet.” Bobby said as he walked off with a couple of the guards.

 

One of the guards turned to Irina. “I’ll escort you back into Zeke’s so you may get your tools from the garage. And may I ask you to transfer the image of the person from your omni-tool?”

 

“Of course,” Irina replied and sent the officer a copy of the picture. Funny that the guards still used tech, but the residents did not.

 

Irina walked past Zeke who looked down as she passed. The guard stood at the entrance to the garage while Irina went to the hovercraft and retrieved her tools. She showed them to the guard and that they were all inscribed with StarStreamer and a serial number that matched the one on her bike which was on her omni-tool. The guard was satisfied, and they left the store. The guard returned to his post, and Irina returned to Vayne.

[Redbelle]

Aelias waved Eteon and Deidrus down as her connection went green. "Port Authority. State your business".

 

Aelias cleared her throat. "I'd like to submit a query".

 

"What's the nature of your query"?

 

"I'd like these people identified". Aelias shot across the details of the landing team. On the other end of the line, the person made an annoyed clucking sound.

 

"Why do you need these people identifed"?

 

"I need to know which ship they came in on and it's status. Also, have they submitted a forward travel plan? I have a proposal if their heading in a certain direction".

 

A pause. "Computer's coming up with..... huh.... This can't be......".

 

"Is there a problem"?

 

"Who is this"?

 

Aelias winced and turned to the Captain who came forward. "This is the captain of the Audron. If you've looked up the Audron's records then you know who I am. Tell me what you see".

 

".......Spectre...... The ships a council ship..... assigned to Spectre.... Dei....".

 

"That's enough". Deidrus told the person on the other side.

 

Aelias piped in. "Thank you for your co-operation"! And cut the channel.

 

Deidrus stood over her tapping a finger on his armour. "What was that about"?

 

"Silver called and informed me I might need to impersonate the port authority".

 

"........Why"?

 

"She and the team are in the Drowned Aspire compound".

 

"I thought it was quiet around here. Who went with her"?

 

"Everybody".

 

Deidrus closed his eyes and sighed. "Well, at least I won't have to worry about them embaressing me at the Asari plant".

 

"The Silas armour"?

 

Deidrus nodded. "I'm going to see if I can use my Spectre status to get the co-operation we need. In the meantime..... try and make sure that lot don't get into to much trouble".

 

Aelias nodded as Deidrus walked away and looked up at Eteon. "He didn't know the team had left"?

 

Eteon shrugged. "He's been busy lately. Hasn't had time to keep up with events. What's the gang into this time"?

 

"A possible fortress where collector weapons might be known to the people on sight. Their posing as Thresher hunters. They need us to confirm the story. Silver's managed to seize hold of their satellite and now whenever they dial the port authority.... they'll get us".

 

"Not bad".

 

"But they may be sending a runner".

 

"He won't make it". Eteon moved towards the direction of the lift. "I'll intercept anyone they send. Just keep them happy they are who they say they are".

 

"I was going to....". Aelias said as the lift door's closed behind Eteon. ".....anyway". Shaking her head, she turned back to her panal as she spotted the Satellite had acheived position above them, equal distance from the comppund and the town. Her board lit up, showing an incoming transmission from the Aspire. Affecting the same bored tone she had heard from the person from the town's office. "Port Authority. State your business".

[Cknarf]

"Alright kid, this is it."  The captain's voice cracked over the radio.  "You ready?"

 

"As ready as I'll ever be." Frank sighed, sliding on his helmet. This was his first time deploying from a larger craft.

 

"The Lincoln isn't exactly designed for this kind of thing.  Get ready for decompression when that door opens.  I tied everything down as best as I could, but I wouldn't be surprised if something gets loose."

 

The cargo bay doors began to open, the Kodiak lifted slowly off the floor. Decompression had little effect the shuttle, it's powerful eezo core and thrusters kept it steady.

 

"I think we're good." Frank eased the Kodiak out of the Lincoln.  "Yeah, I'm clear."

 

"Good luck.  You're gonna need it!"

 

 

 

This was the home stretch.  While the trip is relatively short, it was a lot to ask of a drop shuttle.  The way Frank figured it, he'd make it to his destination with just enough fuel remaining for a landing. He set course for Duellos, and made the jump to FTL.  The Shuttle's VI would handle the rest.  

 

Coming out of FTL, Frank activated the Kodiak's virtual windows.  He had made it to Duellos.  All he needed to do now was land.  Assuming control of the shuttle, he ran a quick check on the shuttle's systems. He had more fuel than expected, about 10%. There were unusual fluctuations in the eezo core's power level.  Still, he was confident that he could land without issue.  He was wrong.

 

Shortly after entering the planet's atmosphere, alarms were sounding in the cockpit.    He had pushed the Kodiak too hard, traveling that far at FTL speeds had overworked the eezo core, power level was at 50% and dropping.  Frank began cutting power to non-essential systems, to lighten the load on the core.  He was still losing altitude too fast for a safe landing.  His only option was to shut down the core itself, in an attempt to let it cool.  He prepared for freefall.

 

Frank had just under a minute before impact.  Inertial dampeners disabled, he felt everything on the way down.  His eye on the altimeter, he counted down the seconds.

 

"5... 4... 3... 2... Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit!"  The core powered up, enough to soften the landing, but not enough to keep it airborne. Right side thrusters sputtered, putting a slight spin on the shuttle.  Thirty meters to spare, he tried to straighten out, but panicked.  The shuttle hit hard, sliding on it's side, before catching a rock.  After several rolls, the Kodiak came to a stop, right side up.

 

Frank was shaken, but uninjured.  "Off to a good start." he said with a laugh.  He tried to exit the shuttle, but the hatches had been severely damaged.  It took more than a few kicks to get one partially open.  He crawled out of the shuttle to assess the damage.  Overall, the Kodiak's outer shell was intact, but the thrusters were in bad shape, strewn about the ground in pieces.  He wasn't even going to bother checking the eezo core.

 

Frank looked around.  He was nowhere near his indented LZ, and had landed in an open area, next to a crude path. Surely someone would come along.  He had enough provisions for at least a few days.  Climbing back into the Kodiak, he activated the distress beacon.  Sitting in the pilot's seat, Raikou on his lap, he drifted to sleep.

[Redbelle]

Old man Jeb sat on a log in a small clearing at the top of the ship based jungle they had built there when Samacen walked into view. Jeb raised an eyebrow. Something had unerved him. "Brother...... Sit. Something has happened"?

 

Samacen sat with Ol'jeb. "Dem new people. A group of dem. They come here and it's not to be here".

 

"We sometimes have those whose heart isnt' for our cause Brother. It's nothing to.....".

 

"One of dem carried the weapons"!

 

"The weapons"?

 

"Of our benefactor".

 

"Oh.....". Jeb sat stunned for a moment. Then he chuckled. "Ooooooh...... Did you ask how this person acquired them"?

 

"What? No".

 

"You should ask them".

 

"But then dey know"!

 

"So they know we know..... But what if they don't know we know where the weapons came from? We need to know what they know and make sure what they know isn't that they know what we know".

 

Samacen's brows were practically touching themselves as he tried to follow Ol'Jebs logic. Jeb sighed.

 

"Give them free run of the place Samacen. If we hide what is here then they'll be suspicious and come back with greater resource..... If we keep track of them then we will begin to understand who they are. What they want. If they have the beam weapon's then it's likely they wore them to provoke us".

 

"I feel plenty provoked Brudda".

 

"Understandable.... But as I said. We must take their measure. I can't allow harm to come to these people if they could be one with us. But if they wish to harm what we have built here? Then we shall deal with them appropriately".

 

"They heavy armed. Got's a Krogan. Bet the Asari have dey Biotics".

 

"If they prove formidable then we'll release a few of the ascended".

 

"Dey not meant for us to use".

 

"Nonsense. They are true brother's and true sisters. And if our need is great enough, then those above us will not look unkindly upon using them to protect their cause. But really Samacen..... This may all be worry over nothing. Pull the guards back. Have the populace keep an eye on them. See what they are after. At least then we will know for sure what they are after....... I mean..... The compound is unbreachable from the outside. And should they get that far, the guns will take care of them". Ol'Jeb smiled. "Now bring me the first of my new flock. It is time to begins our lessons".

[Redbelle]

Eteon sighed into her rebreather. They said there could be a runner coming to talk to the town authorities..... Emphasis on 'could'.

 

Now she was lying under a camo tarp with a sniper rifle keeping an eye on the road to the compound.

 

This was really one of her dumber ideas. It was hot. The atmosphere thin. And even in the shade her armour made her feel like a steamed lobster..... She had no idea what a lobster was. Or even why someone would want to steam one, but she felt steamy.... as a lobster and.......

 

From above she felt a pressure change as the air seemed to push her into the ground before it just as quickly relented. Atmospheric entry she knew. Something coming in hard and fast. Rolling onto her back she tinted her helmet visor and looked up. At first there was nothing. Then she heard an engine and training her gaze to the side, saw a Kodiak practically freefalling from the sky. it seemed to be having trouble putting down thrust as she tried to guage where it's landing zone would be. Seeing it as some ways off she rolled out of her cover and began wrapping it up even as the Kodiak came down and was obscured by some mounds of dirt. Slinging her sniper rifle she started running towards the crash site.

[Redbelle]

One of the guards came forward. Baldy between him and Jess and the rest of the group. "Well, some good news. The port town confirmed who you all are and Old man Jeb has decided to give you free run of the place. Anything to help you folks work out these Thresher problems. He'd like to meet but...... He's talking to the new inititates right now. He sends his apolgises".

 

"By the way. Some places you can't go. It's safety that when going into the mines, you have at least one other person with you. Since none of you folk know the mines and haven't had the proper safety training we'll have to go with you then. Otehr than that, we'll get out of your hair". He tipped an imaginary hat and moved off leaving the group alone since the first time they'd entered the compound.

 

Jess stood. "Okay folks.... So you know whose doing what..... I'm planning on going onto one of those ships. Naleena's router's doing wonders but the second ship might have some juicy data there too..... Plus.... Naleena? Don't forget to pick that thing up before we leave. Don't want to leave any traces of what we've been upto..... As for getting on the other ship". Jess looked around, saw some personel locker and moved over, popping one open and reaching inside. "I think we've hit paydirt"! She announced as she pulled out a garishly orange engineer's uniform complete with a hood and goggles that completely covered the face and extremities.

 

"Just a word to the wise luvs...... Always plan for the worst. I know some of you know that the guns hidden in that wall could pick us off if they were so inclined on our departure.... I'd prefer it if they didn't fire again for the remainder of our stay. Need folks to figure out how they work. I doubt they'll have a central operating control. More like independent localised systems so you'll have to split up and tap those things to keep them off our backs. Which will be difficult. But not impossible. We just need them down along the route we'll be leaving".

 

Other than that.... remember to take the time to enjoy. Not having guards around? Could let us figure out this place without an overseer at our backs".

[Kel Riever]

Morgan was listening to once piece of babble too many about the Drowned Aspire saving him, or one too many exchanges between the tall and short guard.  He had just wanted to haul off and knock one out.  It had been mind numbing.  And the interlude where Anika had gotten actually sick, despite likely being a well-executed ploy, still didn’t provide enough relief from the two.  Then Samacen had come out of the blue and gave them run of the place.

 

Relief.

 

Then suspicion.

 

Morgan knew the compound wasn’t trusting, though it seemed their story held.  He listened more as Jess’ warnings and technical talk.  And then he daydreamed a bit before he snapped himself out of it as orange coveralls were put on over the Captain’s anachronistic but rather attractive outfit.  He went to the adjacent locker and found more engineer uniforms, hoods and goggles.

 

Morgan looked sidelong at Jess, knowing that if he were going along for the ride, he’d have to play the part.

 

With a sigh, Morgan reached in to grab a uniform.  It was large enough to cover him in his armor.  A few adjustments were made so important equipment like his guns were on the outside of the uniform, but by the time he was done, Morgan was dressed like, well, a soldier ready to walk into a reactor.  Convincing enough.

 

While still adjusting the utility belt that came with the uniform, Morgan jerked his head at Dahlia towards the locker, to indicate she should gear up as well.

 

The only comment Morgan made during the whole time was to Jess.  Morgan slyly stated more than he asked, “You like dressing up, don’t you.” 

[Redbelle]

Jess stuck out her tounge. "You should see my wardrobe on my ship luv. It's not everyday I get to break out the bunny girl outfit". She leaned back on her heels as she twirled a finger around indicating her should spin in place and held that finger up to chew on it gently. "Nice glutes.... Really shows off you work out luv".

[Cknarf]

"Fire ...pression sys... malfunction. ...it immediately.  ..re suppression ...tem malfun... exit imme...."  

Frank woke to the sound of the shuttle's VI.  Everything was dark. He fumbled for the hatch, and slipped into the sunlight.  Now he saw only pink.  He wiped at his visor, only to make it worse.  He removed his helmet. Fire suppression foam coated everything, and was still pouring from the Kodiak.

"Perfect." He took a deep breath.  That marine back at the tavern had it right.  Duellos was hotter.  And it was harder to breathe.  He closed his eyes, silently reflecting on his brilliant decision to leave Ontarom.

Footsteps. Someone was approaching. Frank quickly un-holstered his Raikou, and spun around.  It slipped right out of his hand and fell to the ground, covered in foam. He was now pointing his finger at a well-armed Turian.  Sniper rifle in her hands, held at the low ready.  Frank lowered his head, and placed his hands on his hips.  He was silent for a few moments.

Smiling, he looks up to her "Afternoon, miss."