Futuristic Burning Sails [OPEN]

[Viper Actual]

During the time that passed since VOC-1's destruction Nathalie hadn't been doing much besides simply laying low. Unlike her time with the SSOID there were no extraction teams coming, no safehouses and no backup plans. This wasn't much of a surprise- things had been like this for the past four years- but unlike before the massive heat and public nature of the framing made Nathalie unable to work her sources and contacts throughout the galaxy.

Sure, she could power up her encrypted gear and throw a line out. Maybe she'd have to wait a day or two but eventually someone who owed her a favor would come get her. At the same time though they were most likely going to subdue her and turn her in to Sol. Or an opponent of Sol, should they pay better.

With little in the way of alternatives Nathalie had no choice but to accept that she'd have to roll with the Reavers for a while. She didn't trust them but for the time being she did have a common goal with their leader, Valkyrie, and as long as she was in good standing with her she'd be safe.

Having concluded that time to exercise and hone her skills was more than plentiful Nathalie spent her days at the range or at the gym. When the time came she'd be ready for a fight.
Aside from that she had taken her time to analyze all of her new colleagues- excluding Vance- in an effort to figure out who and what they were, their secrets and, should the need ever arise, their pressure points and vulnerabilities.

Notes on the crew were sparse and under codenames just in case someone else was feeling extra snoopy.
Beyond that Nat kept everything in her head as it was best to not risk anything. People tended to get very upset upon realizing that someone was actively trying to identify their deepest and darkest secrets.

Speaking of secrets...


From a seat at a beachside bar Nathalie, now dressed in a white tank top, hot pants and a pair of sports sneakers, watched as Shelby emerged. He was a curious subject. Incredibly amusing as well. Had she been on the field Nathalie would have strong-armed him, using force to pressure the target into giving up his information.
On Sielia though Nat would need to play the long game. The quiet game.

It wasn't a cat-and-mouse game, for Shelby did most likely not know he was being tracked, but it wasn't exactly a schoolbook-example either. Nat used a mix of eyes-on observation, eavesdropping and listening devices to collect tiny pieces of the puzzle one step at a time.
She had also worked a low-ranking Reavers technician with her charm, providing her with information that someone had been streaming bursts of data- mostly sound- from somewhere in the village.

That and the few noise complaints made Nathalie believe that Shelby was doing something quite unorthodox during his free time. However, working a target was the fun part of intelligence work and as such Nat had opted to conduct her surveillance much slower than usual.

She smiled faintly and waved at Shelby, raising a drink. It was as much a greeting as it was an invitation to join her at the bar.

 

[Breadman]

...I wish I could help them somehow, but with how things are at the moment...I'd be labeled a terrorist just for trying...The best you can do is to try and keep her focused. Don't let her drive for vengeance blind her. If that happens, she might just get herself killed... or all of you.

"I understand and I'm sure Valk would too. I think you're doing plenty already with the help you're giving me. I'll keep you posted on any new developments when I can." Amy listened to Taylor's advice on what to do exactly "Was thinking about doing that. At the very least I can talk to Damien about helping with that. He's the calmer of the kids so I hope he can talk sense into her when needed."

"Speaking of kids." A bit of an awkward transition, but Amy didn't want to end the conversation on a dour note. "Feel free to make a 'personal inspection' of the ranch when you have the time. The boys adore their cool aunt."

 

[Infab]

"Was thinking about doing that. At the very least I can talk to Damien about helping with that. He's the calmer of the kids so I hope he can talk sense into her when needed."

"Hopefully. Lauren is basically a younger Valk made over, so she probably wouldn't be much help." responded Taylor. She glanced back up over the screen at someone. Apparently Duncan had repositioned, and was now standing just on the other side of the desk. Listening in on their conversation.

"Speaking of kids, feel free to make a 'personal inspection' of the ranch when you have the time. The boys adore their cool aunt."

Taylor smiled again. "I'll be sure to swing by. I've been meaning to visit Alex and Yanim, but I've been stuck having board meetings regarding the Power Dynamics buyout. Now that all of that is finished, I'm free to do things again." she responded. "Anyway...take care of yourself. And watch Valk. She may have mellowed out a little, but its still Valk we're talking about."

​

"So... any word from Eve?" Slade shifted his stance, arms folded as he looked back to Valkyrie. "Not yet. She's still in the bunker, talking to one of her contacts." replied Valkyrie. Slade nodded slightly, shifting his head about to look out towards the ocean. Damien and Drav were coming in on their boat. Slade watched the boat dart across the waters, eventually slowing to a stop next to the dock they had started from earlier. The trio in the boat climbed out, pulling the storage container full of fish with them, and soon were walking down the dock towards the settlement.

"...How's Damien been taking this?" asked Slade, as he watched them. Valk didn't respond for a few moments, glancing over and watching the trio herself. When Slade looked around to her, she finally forced out an answer. "...I don't know. He hasn't spoken to me since we buried Uric a week ago." she said, her eyes shifting to Slade for only a moment. "...Lauren hasn't spoken to me either."

Slade studied Valk's face for a moment, before shifting about to fully face her. "They'll come around."

Valk gently shook her head. "...Damien won't."

Slade gaze dropped to the sand at their feet, as he shifted his stance. Chang, whom had been standing opposite of Slade on the other side of Valk, soon spoke to change the subject. "How's the arm?" she asked, her hands shoved into her trench coat as she stared out across the waters before them. Valk glanced down to her 'new' cybernetic arm, lifting it up and moving it about a bit. "A bit rough around the edges, but it works. Need to tinker with it some more to get it fully functional like the old one."

"Good. Should try and stick something other than a plasma cannon in it this time." stated the woman, as she finally looked to Valk. Valk chuckled. "Yeah. A single shot plasma cannon isn't as great as I thought it'd be." she replied, shifting the arm about a little more before lowering it back to her side. She ran her other hand through her mauve hair, turning about to look behind her. Some of the other captains were talking among themselves, discussing Reaver activities throughout the quadrant. She should have been more interested in what they were talking about. But she oddly wasn't. Her mind was on killing Anora.

"You mentioned a mech earlier, Slade?" she said, glancing back to Slade. Slade looked up and nodded. "Yeah. Boys should be dropping it off now. One of the lighter OBKK from Kosokom. We've had it in storage for like...five years? Needs cleaning up and some maintenance, so I asked Zadra to check it out."

"Nice. Vix will have something to work with." muttered Valk, as she looked back to the other captains. "How's the others fitting in? Particularly that SSOID woman." asked Chang, finally turning to face the pair. Valk cut Chang a look. "...They seem to be fitting in alright. Nathalie being former SSOID bugs me, and old habits die hard. She's probably doing something sneaky, but I've yet to hear about it. Vance seems like your run of the mill 'Sol Good Guy'. I trust Amy, obviously. We knew each other back during Starvis."

She folded her arms as she continued. "Shelby...She's an odd one, but seems harmless. Don't know much about Vixaya beyond her being a child soldier who fought in the civil war. Olivia's alright. Reminds me a bit of Lauren at times. Roge and that woman with him seem alright. And you already know how I feel in regards to Kalashi. There's only three bounty hunters I've got along with. The Old Mad Dog, Michael Caine, and Amy. As for the popsicle, haven't spoken to her yet."

She glanced over towards the massive bunker nearby, built into the side of the huge concrete structure that was the shipyard. It had been here long before the Reavers were created, likely built by Upyri explorers or colonists long ago when they first ventured into the deepest reaches of the Renegade Quadrant. It was the only structure on thr planet, oddly. Perhaps the others had been destroyed, or sank to the bottom of the vast oceans?

Eventually, she saw Eve emerge from the entrance of the bunker, looking about as she stood at the top of the staircase. It looked as though she was taking a break, as she didn't beeline straight for Valkyrie. "You trust her, right?" asked Chang, as she noticed where Valkyrie was looking. Valk nodded, glancing to her subordinate captain. "Yeah...Yeah, I do. I built her." she responded.

Slade interjected a moment later. "You built all those ADAM drones years ago too. And you had to destroy all of them." he said, glancing to Valk before looking back up to Eve. Valk sighed. "Yeah, but that was because of Jester's little stunt." she responded.

Nearby, Aesha shifted a bit, trying to get comfortable on the fold out chair she had planted in the sand. If you were going to be stuck on a tropical world for a while, might as well work on maintaining your tan. Eventually, however, she was forced to sit up as someone plopped down next to her. "The fuck?" she spat, looking over. Turns out, it was Loudmouth. "Motherfucker, don't spook me like that!" she barked, adjusting her black bikini top and laying back down. The drone laughed loudly, much to Aesha dismay.

​

Lauren giggled drunkenly, as she watched the Reaver recruits attempting to hit the rargets that had been set up on the makeshift firing range. None of them could hit the targets accurately or consistently. At least, at the moment. "Keep it up! You'll get better! I couldn't hit shit when I first started out, but then again, I was like four or five years old!" she shouted from where she sat on some large barrels at the end of the range. She chugged down some of the rum from the bottle in her hand, before hopping off the barrel and wandering away. Off into the jungle towards another part of the beach.

She had made a habit of having some time to herself every now and then. Half of it was spent just sitting somewhere drunk and mulling over things, while the other half was spent having a little fun. At the moment, it was the former. Through the tall grass she walked, brushing aside some tree limbs and vines, untill she eventually found herself sitting down in the waters at the edge of a small lagoon. It was far enough away from everyone that she wouldn't be bothered, which made it one of her favorite places to relax. Another was the small cave at the end of the beach next to the shipyard.

She took another drink from the bottle of rum, gazing down into the waters as she sat there silent. Her mind drifting between different topics...but all eventually circling back to her father. As she gazed down, she eventually noticed droplets hitting the water. She glanced up, and noticed it was a clear day. No rain at all. So where was the water coming from? Her free hand reached up to her face, and that's when she noticed she was apparently crying.

"...Son of a bitch..." she muttered, wiping her face and drinking more from the bottle.

 

[Emperor Sagan]

Shelby hesitated when he spotted Nathalie waving him over, the woman sat at a small open bar. While he had spoken with most of the new group, and some others on the whole pirate crew, he hadn't spoken much with the Sol woman. Some ex-government spy or something. Politics was somewhat oppressive, though in the back of his mind he remained aware of things. Galactic power positioning, spheres of influence, all of the necessary nonsense he would need as a child of the du Pont family. As for Sol, he had no real feelings. Castilia was independent and outside their grasp, though there had always been fears that if Sol really wanted, they could try to make moves. Shelby didn't much want to see his home turned into a battleground, though he wondered how that would work with the majority of the surface being water.

Regardless, he ambled over towards Nat. He was still dressed in his dance attire - tight shorts, obscured by a frilly skirt around his waist, and a short tanktop that was likewise swallowed up by a billowy blouse that revealed his full midriff, which was colored in glowing paint like his arms. Swirls, symbols; it was almost tribal in a way. Out in the daylight, the paint had gone dull.

"Hello, Miss Nathalie," he said, squinting at a menu placard taped to the counter. "People like to drink a lot around here, huh?" In a way, it reminded him of home again. The more tropical equatorial islands were notorious for being even more debacherous than the lower and upper islands.

 

[Frankafurter]

Katja listens to Easel's explanation and then looks over at Typhon as he says his warning, she nods but more to herself than the other two in the room with her, "Alright, let's go then." She takes her first steps out the door and down the hallway as Easel acts as the sort of guide for leaving the hospital. Once they're out of the facility, Katja realizes that it's a planet much like Earth in that it's surprisingly... normal looking, if tropical at least. She was expecting something far more bizarre and alien in appearance, but this was a pleasant surprise to her. She had never been to a tropical place on Earth so she's making up for lost time already even if it's a different world far, far away. As they start heading over towards where the 'mech is being kept, she can't help but look around at the different species walking about doing their daily routines. She remembers Typhon's warning so she avoids staring outright, her eyes tracking between multiple beings without lingering too long on one in particular. It's a little unnerving to see things that are humanoid but not human, but it wasn't as shocking to her as she expected. Some species even look like things from Earth but just... humanoid.

Once they reach the hangar with the mechs being worked on, she looks at the odd few designs parked there, wondering which one was meant for her. She notices the impish looking woman that Easel described and noted that she must be Zadra. She's preoccupied with unloading another mech into the hangar so she'll have to talk to her later. She walks along the repair bays and looks at the different designs, hoping to try and figure out which one was the combat mech they found with her. Finally, she notices the unmistakable insignia of the UNSGI emblazoned over a segment of one mech's torso, this is the one, she thinks to herself. She approaches the mech and looks it over carefully, what she doesn't notice is the zigzagging tattoos on her body shimmer slightly and the hatch to the cockpit opens up for her, she sees the interior of it and recognizes the design from the simulator cockpit the military training took place in. She doesn't speak as she stands there, seemingly hesitant to try and climb into the mech, partly because there's no ladder to easily reach the interior of it. She can't help but marvel at the design, even compared to the other designs in the hangar, it's easily one of the more imposing ones there, standing tall at what she guesses to be about nine meters in stature.

 

[Breadman]

Anyway...take care of yourself. And watch Valk. She may have mellowed out a little, but its still Valk we're talking about.

"Aye aye, cap." Amy gave a two finger salute and cut the feed on her end. Now she was even more relieved that she had enlisted Taylor's help. Now that her business was settled, she didn't have much else to do but wait until Valk calls a mission to start.

Now what could she do to pass the time? Sunbathing wasn't something she was drawn to. Getting a tan was easy as thinking about it on account of the synthetic skin that Abrax and Hestia provided back in the day. Getting day drunk wasn't something she's enjoyed since the Alpha sister days and the less she thought about them the better. But with everything else on her mind, she had neglected her body. It was getting stiff and rigid. She was in desperate need of a workout.

Along with the things she was carrying in her backpack before everything went to hell were some extra clothes. Nothing special, but they would work well for the local gym. Walking inside the building, she saw Roge and his friend again as well as noticing Vance focusing on destroying a punching bag.

"Oh hey, nice seeing someone familiar in here. Looking for a spot partner?"

 

[Doomevil]

Roge gave a stiff nod and turned to Amy, “What’s up Amy. Well I gotta admit it’s been a while since I lifted weights, or barbells for that matter.” He replied, looking down at his gut inside his gym clothes.

“But I guess you can help me out on that stuff. Just don’t forget to stretch out like I do sometimes, that’s how you get burning foreleg,” He groaned, rubbing his big legs in worry.

 

[Breadman]

"You're gonna be fine." Amy tried to reassure Roge about his shape. "Just remember the three words. Pull, push and legs and you'll be back in game in no time....Although your legs should be pretty strong already." She turned her head when she heard Vance land another strong hit "Wonder if he's going to leave those standing for the rest to use."

 

[ANIMAL MOTHER]

Whenever Typhon wasn't giving his very brief input towards whatever history Easel was telling Katja, he was yet again smoking from a cigarette; completely indifferent to Easel's warnings. He walked around with the two and threw out little tidbits of facts that Easel didn't mention or might've not known; filling in the blanks, so to speak, though obviously skewed due to it being from an ayatollah's perspective. That earned him a few odd looks from Easel. At the very least however, he let Easel do most of the talking, so she didn't have to put up with it much.

When they arrive at the mech bay though, he took a very special notice towards Katja's tattoos. They glow brighter the closer she got to her mech and the cockpit even opens up, almost as if it can sense Katja's presence.

"Interesting..." he mumbles out loud before looking at Easel, curious to see if she's noticing this display as well.

A very interesting way to interface with equipment indeed, and one he's never seen before. Not even his fellow Artisynth developed anything like this when they were researching easier and less painful ways to wire themselves into their vehicles.

 

[Infab]

The mech shop itself was buzzing with activity, as several Reaver personnel were busy working on mech parts and equipment for the few mechs that were there at the moment. Some were fooling with weapons systems, others were checking on armor plating. Some were even preparing buckets of paint for use. Isn't a proper pirate mech without a nice paint job.

Zadra was currently directing some of Slade's men, who were using a specialized crane to move the kanad-made mech into its waiting stall. There, it'd be cleaned up and given a systems check, before being given a fresh coat of paint and customized however their new kanad mech pilot wished. As Zadra waved the crane operator to move it in, she turned about to witness the old combat mech she had just put together come to life and open up as some woman stood near it.

"HEY, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DO--...Oh, its the popsicle!" she said, jogging over but slowing down as she noticed who it was. She then noticed Easel and Typhon with her. "So, you two are finally letting her out?" she asked, raising an eyebrow before looking back to Katja. "I'm Zadra. I'm the chief engineer on the Guillotine. I also maintain all the vehicles, mechs, and battlesuits we usually drag here to Sielia. If I can't fix it, then I send it over to our master craftsman Taur. He's somewhere around here."

She then motioned to the old mech. "I was the one that found this thing and pieced it together. Hope I got everything right. Never really worked on any ancient Human tech before. Haven't touched any of the systems...since I frankly don't know how it all works. There's no controls inside."

As she spoke, she drew out her holotablet. Shooting a message to Vixaya, wherever she was, to alert her of her 'new' mech's arrival. Meanwhile, Easel gave Typhon a surprised look in regards to the brief flickering that Katja's implants gave off when she neared the old mech. Certainly something interesting to study and research later.

​

After handing over their catch to one of the local chefs, whom actually paid them for their small haul surprisingly, Drav and Damien set out into Diamond Cove looking for things to do. It wasn't too hard. It was a pirate settlement. There was always stuff to do. Drav, whom had decided that she had enough relaxation for the day, decided to head over to the gym. She needed a good workout, before she went and fiddled with weapons and armaments for the rest of the day.

Damien, on the other hand, decided that he needed a drink. Just something to sip on and think over things. He didn't plan on getting shitfaced like his sister often did. As Drav and Damien split up, going their own individual ways, they gave each other a quiet nod. Drav was one of the few on the crew he liked being around. Talked only when needed, did what she was told, and minded her own business. Didn't bother him about what he was thinking, or how he felt about things.

He walked a ways through the settlement, passing houses, shops, and taverns, before eventually arriving at his choice bar. And there, he noticed Shelby and Nathalie were at a table. Shelby must have just arrived, as they had nothing in front of them. He, however, was more focused on Nathalie. Really, she was one of the ones he had been watching like a hawk. And he was sure she had been doing the same to him, as well as most of the others. He strolled over to the bar, casting Nathalie a glance, before ordering a simple drink. Whiskey on the rocks.

He soon noticed Roku was here, in a corner by himself. Face deep in his holotablet as he read some sort of book, tea sitting before him on a small wooden table. Damien simply walked over with his drink, sitting down in the chair across from Roku. Roku glanced up only for a moment. "Oh, h-hey boss." he said. Damien didn't respond, simply sipping from his glass. Watching Shelby and Nathalie converse.

​

Drav quietly entered the gym, pausing only for a moment to check out who was inside. Amy, Roge, and the stupid one she had met after VOC-1. She shook her head at the sight of him, before moving through the gym and its equipment. Soon, she arrived at the gear and weights made specifically for Khergians. Heavier, more durable, and sitting on a hard reinforced concrete slab.

It wasn't long before she was ready to go, curling massive amounts of weight using thick metal bars.

 

[joshuadim]

Vance was thoroughly in the zone into pummeling the punching bag in front of him and didn't notice the others from both the pirate crew as well as those that had been on VOC-1 by coincidence were slowing joining into the area to either work on themselves or to chat. He continued focusing his strikes in precise locations and with strength that shook both the bag and the railing it was hanging from as he continued wailing into it. Although he was using his anger to fuel himself, he also felt guilt creep into his attacks as memories of those he had unwillingly left behind back on Earth all those years ago.

His team, his parents, his country, and even the one person he had found himself loving most back then. He never got to take Mary up on that dance because of that damned rocket. He knew that if he hadn't redirected it millions would have died from the nuclear explosion, but a selfish part of him wanted all that he had lost back. In a sense, he had failed them too for not being there when they needed him. Maybe he could have stopped the Gene Wars from ever happening... maybe he could have had a normal life back in those times. But that was gone, and that guilt only made him more angry at himself as he delivered a final strike that knocked the punching bag off its support and sent it flying back to the nearby wall which caused it to spill some of its sand around it.

Having now snapped out of his thoughts, he shook his hands and sighed. "Damn... I overdid it." he muttered to himself before walking to collect the bag and try to clean up the mess.

 

[Doomevil]

“Alright let’s give this a go,” Roge inhaled through his little nostrils and let it hold for a few seconds, stretching his arms and legs before he went for the barbell lifts. After he was finished he went over to the lifts and laid on his back, staring up at the metal bar and started doing some casual lifts. Hey this is pretty fun.

 

[Viper Actual]

"Hello miss Shelby," said Nathalie before sipping from a reddish drink in front of her. "Or do you prefer mister?" Nathalie smiled briefly after the teaseful comment as she studied Shelby.
"Not to worry; I am simply joking with you."

She nodded towards the menu. "Some of thr non-alcoholic options are surprisingly good. Exotic and tasty but without the added effect of getting drunk."
In the periphery of her vision Nat noted Damien's arrival. His unannounced arrival at Roku, the navigator, gave him away a slight bit. That and the fact that he had a clear visual of Nat, Shelby and most of the bar.

Nathalie smiled faintly and took another sip. His potential points of escape are very few though. Textbook mistake.

Her focus drifted back to Shelby. "Please, sit with me. How are you holding up so far? I know that aside from myself some of the others were worried that someone of you apparent age might not have taken in things well."

Nathalie adjusted herself on her stool.
"It is not common for someone so young to end up in the middle of a terrorist plot and live to tell the tale, much less keep their spirit high. It is... Impressive, though you should not fear speaking to someone about it."

Placing a hand on her chest Nathalie continued. "I for example am a great listener- I also give great advice- but I heard that the head nurse here, Easel, hosts sessions where one can speak their mind. Might be worth a try?"

 

[Frankafurter]

Katja jumps slightly as Zadra begins to yell at her then relaxes as she realizes who was coming to stop her. She didn't notice Typhon's remark due to her being distracted by examining the cockpit's interior. She nods slightly, trying to avoid staring at Zadra's horns but her eyes occasionally flick to them as her brain can't help but ponder how someone who looks so human can have such an odd physical feature. She does avoid staring outright though, remaining mindful of Typhon's warning from before.

"Uh yeah, they finally let me out, trying my best to not make a scene on the way over here." She gestures slightly at the now open cockpit, "There is controls but they're sort of... hidden." When she gestures to the mech, the interior markings of the cockpit and the markings on her body shimmer at each other as if acknowledging an input from her. Again she doesn't quite notice this interaction as her hand was gesturing out of her peripheral vision, her gaze set on Zadra, "It's a direct neural interface, I'm implanted with the control system for it. Sadly, it seems to have caused some unseen damage to me from the overdue stay in cryosleep. There are manual controls explicitly for testing and I assume emergency purposes, at least in the simulator version of the cockpit, but I think the service techs needed a little fob device to unlock them. I might be able to do the same if my implants have the same sort of 'key' to it."

Katja looks at the mech again as she seems to ponder something while putting her hands in her pockets, another shimmer of invisible communication between the pilot and the mech. She notices it this time but doesn't seem phased by it, it must be a normal visual quirk for the implant. However, the mech's reactor thrums into life expectantly due to whatever thought she was thinking. She looks back at Zadra again, "Do you have a ladder so I can actually climb into it? Also a test range I could do a basic shakedown of it through? Make sure everything is working?"

 

[SniperComZero]

Puff, puff.

The end of the cigarette burned out in Olivia's hand. Exhaling, she took it away from her lips to inspect it. Yup, burnt down to the nub, finally. She gives it another second of a glance, before flicking it off between two fingers, letting it tumble off to the ground below. Ugh, shit. She probably should at least go and check in with her mech. She grabbed the half-full bottle before turning on a heel, descending down and towards the mech bay.

Surprisingly lively for a place that, at least to her knowledge, doesn't really have that much in the way of vehicles in it, yet. Though, she's sure that there's more mechs here than there was when she last saw. And a really, really weird choice of them, at that. There was her own, sure, a classic. But it looked like they were wheeling in some kind of kanad one? A tough one for her to try and pin down, despite being a mech head, since she'd never really had the opportunity to see the things, save for the odd handful of times a kanad merc group were rolling on through. There was that, and the absolute relic that was sitting in the middle of the hangar. Both of 'em standing significantly taller than her own mech.

A little hard not to feel just a bit inferior to them both.

 

[Breadman]

Amy patted Rog on the back as he started his workout and she started to stretch before starting hers. She was watching over him perform his sets when she noticed Drav enter and do what Khergians do best. Outwork most people in the room. Made her wonder what ever happened to sister Viga. In the end she was the only Alpha sister worth a damn to her and she didn't even care beyond helping Amy stealing the Banshee armor. Maybe she went back to Rigel?

Her thinking was interrupted by Vance finally breaking something. Amy turned her head towards him

"You ok there, big guy?"

 

[Infab]

"Do you have a ladder so I can actually climb into it? Also a test range I could do a basic shakedown of it through? Make sure everything is working?"

Zadra looked about, eventually spotting a spare ladder tucked away in the corner of the mech shop. She yells at two Reavers nearby, pointing it out and having it brought to them. A few moments later, it was set against the side of the mech, allowing for Katja to climb up into the cockpit. "There's a clearing about two hundred yards that way through the jungle. Pretty wide, should allow you to run around a bit and get a feel for it. We can set up some targets for you to test the weapon systems on later." said the engineer, pointing out the other end of the mech shop to the north. Further inland from the beach.

She glanced over, noticing that Olivia had strolled into the mech shop as well. "Oh, hey there. Was about to send you a message." she said, before motioning to Olivia's mech. "Anything you want done to your mech? We gave it a tune-up, and refilled the ammo reserves. Need it painted? Or any custom jobs done for it?"

The group of Reavers managing the paint seemed eager to get to work, buckets and sprayers ready to go.

​

Drav paused her workout, glancing over to where Vance was. He had basically obliterated the punching bag he had been hitting. Drav cocked an eyebrow, eyeing the man as he went over to try and clean up a bit. Genetically enhanced? Cybernetic implants? Whatever it was, he needed to learn to focus and control his strength. She grunted, before returning to her workout. "Human not smart." she muttered under her breath.

 

[Frankafurter]

Katja begins to scale the ladder but then hesitates and looks back to Easel and Typhon as if expecting them to say she's not allowed to jump into a mech just yet. She sits on the ladder a second then decides to forget them and climbs in anyways. The shimmers between the cockpit and her implants start strobing a bit as she seats herself in the cockpit and waits for the ladder to be removed, once it is she closes the opening to seal her in. Just before the cockpit finishes closing, the ones outside observing this would notice that it seems whatever strobing there was has now settled into a soft steady glow as it appears to have "synchronized" pilot and mech. There's no sound inside the cockpit outside of ambient noises of the machine running, however for the inside of Katja's head, she's both perceiving the exterior around the mech and listening to the "Bitching Betty" run through the BIT test and various other self-tests of the systems. HUD elements blink into existence in Katja's altered perception, giving her views into the mech's features and functions. The view being beamed into her head is as if she was standing atop a hill, superimposed "ghosts" of the mech's exterior appear in her peripheral to give her a sense of spatial awareness so she doesn't bump or step on things. Once all the tests finish, she sits back in the chair more comfortably and relaxes herself. A final confirmation appears on the HUD elements asking, 'Confirm Somatic Immersion Sequence? Y/N?' Katja makes sure she is settled properly and more importantly, buckled into the seat via the five point harness before laying her head back against the rest and confirming. To her, it feels like her perception shifted slightly into a more dream-like state, physically, she's more or less asleep and as such, in the same paralytic state that one would be rendered into during said sleep. Her body immobile in the chair as the mech now quite literally becomes her new body to control.

The mech to the outside observers suddenly becomes a bit more animated, the rigid sort of standby idle now unlocking into full mobility as Katja inside frees herself of the gantry carefully. She's mindful where she steps, taking smaller paces to avoid stepping on anyone or any sensitive equipment. Once she's out into a more clear route, the mech turns its attention to the opening at the end of the bay that leads to the sort of "test range." The mech's only functioning hand lifts up and points at the opening as a external audio kicks in. Katja's voice sounds much different, more subdued and drone-like, "This way to the course right?" She takes a few paces, given the mech's size and density, even the relatively gentle steps send shudders through the bay floor beneath any personnel nearby. The mech moves like a person naturally would as it edges towards the opening, it's clear the level of control Katja is pretty direct. Her voice drones again, "Doctors, you're both welcome to accompany me if you want to make sure I don't suffer any unexpected side effects. If you're not busy that is."

 

[ANIMAL MOTHER]

"Doctors, you're both welcome to accompany me if you want to make sure I don't suffer any unexpected side effects. If you're not busy that is."

Typhon gives a quick look towards Easel before facing Katja's mech. He'd like to monitor her more, and especially take a very close examination of these bizarre 'neural-interfacing tattoos' under his lamp, but this would have to wait unfortunately until she's done sorting out whatever issues there might be with her mech. Right now is the time for engineers, and he is not one. Still, other than the issues Easel noticed, Katja's health is just fine, especially for someone who's been in cryostasis for over a century. He takes a quick look at his watch however before speaking up.

"I suppose I could." he says, figuring he's got nothing else to do right now anyway. "And you, Easel?"

 

[Emperor Sagan]

Shelby fidgeted at Nathalie's jibe, but trying to work through the shock, he turned his nose up slightly. "Well, thats not very funny, what if I called you mister, huh?" While he did his best to obscure his true nature, which wasn't so hard granted his natural physique, he knew it wouldn't be impossible for some to perhaps have suspicions if they were particularly observant. But such a bold poke as that was unexpected. Out here on the pirate world, the disguise wasn't as necessary given that there weren't hundreds of potential corporate eyes, from commercial cameras in stores and vending machines, to those with cheap third-party eye augmentations, unaware that more than just their brains were getting visual input. The danger was quite low to non-existent here, as even if he was discovered, he couldn't be tracked. The pirates were as cautious with their network security as the Castilian main families.

He glanced almost haughtily at the menu. "I don't drink alcohol. And non-alcoholic drinks here are... are... um, not very cool." Actually, some of them looked very tasty and pretty. The more colors, the better. "And I am quite fine, thank you very much. I'm twenty and quite capable of being strong. Maybe I'll talk to Easel when I feel like it, but my feelings are very stable, and very... fine." He had been a little too... dazed to seek out one of the medical doctors, and he was also a little weary about any physicals they may want to perform. So he had been putting that off.

He noticed Damien arrive to the bar - he looked to be pretty well recovered from the fighting at VOC-1. And also a ticket away from the creepy Sol lady. "Well, talk to you later. Miss Nathalie," he said, emphasizing the title and shuffling quickly away towards Damian. Shelby leaned against the counter beside him. "Hi Mister Damien. Do you like dancing?" He blinked, then frowned. "Uh... I'm not flirting, that's a real question."

 

[joshuadim]

Having cleaned up most of the mess, Vance managed to sling the bag over his shoulder and walked with it to try to put it back on its support before being spoken to by Amy. "Yep." he simply said with a feigned smile, "Just... got caught up in it y'know?"

 

[Viper Actual]

Shelby's reply was the obvious answer to getting caught off guard. Perhaps Nat's nudge had turned into a push.
She raised her hands in a submissive manner. "Just trying to be nice, I'm glad you're fine."

As Shelby excused himself Nathalie nodded. "Stay safe." She watched the rich kid make his way over to Damien, unintentionally burning the latter as he was observing Nathalie from afar.
Nathalie took another sip before looking at Damien directly. She smiled, waved and winked at him before returning to her drink.

* * *
​

Outside the bar area, above Valk and the other Reaver captains, a thunderous boom could be heard as a ship- covered in chrome plating and thin in design, almost like a needle- entered Siela's atmosphere and made a quick descent towards the surface.

Thrusters and air brakes kicked in, slowing the otherwise terminal velocity for the ship as it navigated towards an empty plot on the beach. Landing gear in the shape of three spindly legs emerged from the bottom of the hull just as the craft was mere meters away from the sand below.

Then, gently, the ship landed and its engines were turned off with a slow sigh. A ramp was deployed and out emerged a hooded figure with a metal mask.

Stopping at the top of the ramp, the figure scanned those present at the beach from left to right but stopped once it spotted Valkyrie. With short but quick steps the slightly hunched figure made its way directly over to the leader of Blackwell's Reavers.

"Gex has returned, mistress Blackwell." Gex bowed his head and made several clicking noises which were amplified by his masks filter. At the same time something moved underneath his heavy robes, hinting to the existence of additional arms than the two that were clearly visible

He glanced at the other captains and bowed his head briefly. "Captains. Gex is pleased to see you all once more." Another click. Gex turned towards Valkyrie.

"Gex bring great news. Investment opportunities found. Business to make, profits to collect." He clicked with excitement. "Start-up corporation look for investors. Very exciting product, Gex foresee great profits. Krogir Federation also look for unmarked ships to make black market delivery. Need good navigators and Gex know Reaver's good with navigating Renegade Quadrant, yes?"

Gex clasped his hands together. "Sounds promising, yes? Profits good in time like this, Gex help mistress."

 

[K0mori]

Stepping into the mech workshop, Vixaya paused and looked over the few machines that had been gathered, and the diversity of the engineering techniques that went into them. Her eyes settled on the familiar shape of the OBKK 96/97, the same machine she had become an ace in several years prior, and while her mouth twitched, it would be difficult to say from appearances what emotion she was displaying. Then, almost reluctantly, she approached it, circling several times around to inspect it.

It was in rough condition, but with some effort it could easily be salvaged. The serial number read 410-C-355, denoting that this particular example had been manufactured later in the 20-year production run of its series than most, and judging by the wear pattern on its armor and the lack of bullet marks or plasma burns, probably received most of its dings and dents from a training role- probably flight. By the time the 416 models came out, most combat training had been moved into simulators alone. Its original white paint had been faded in the sun as well as discolored due to some sort of exposure, and it was now a sort of off-white, cream color.

Not waiting for any permission to do so, Vixaya pulled on the release handle to drop the chain ladder at the back of the cockpit, which she climbed up to the hatch. She would only be inside for a moment, checking the condition of the interior. She wasn't even sure if it was operational yet, but it would be good to know how close it was to being complete. As expected, everything was present and in good shape, here, looking nearly the same as it would have, freshly delivered 16 years ago. She stepped back out, dropping down the ladder with a clack as her boots hit the ground.

She then took a few steps back and looked over it again, silently judging the current weapons configuration.

 

[Doomevil]

As Roge finished up his weight lifting, he took a bottle of water into his mouth and licked the liquid pouring down. He went towards Amy and asked, "So, did you have any updates with your family? Marge didn't take the news too well, but she'll come around." He shrugged it off.

 

[Breadman]

Just... got caught up in it y'know?

"Right." Amy nodded. She got what was eating Vance. It was clear he was pissed off about the Blood corps still. "Just...don't overdo it, alright? Spare your knuckles."

So, did you have any updates with your family? Marge didn't take the news too well, but she'll come around.

"Oh...yeah, Henrietta wasn't happy at first. Looked at me like she was ready to eat my heart out of my chest. Lucky that my brother was calming her down. She's still pissed, but more at Anora than me. Kids are fine too, thanks for asking."

"Sorry about Marge thought. Probably going to be a while till it's safe to see either of them."