Futuristic Burning Sails [OPEN]

[K0mori]

"[...Sakaya and the Wish Planet,]" Vixaya answered after a moment, chewing her food. She paused a moment, moving her tongue around in her mouth before reaching in with her finger and pulling out a half-eaten pickle chip and eyeing it disdainfully. As she removed the other pickles from her sandwich, she continued explaining. "[Sakaya is an explorer, from Kanadys. She and her family are all explorers, searching for a special place somewhere in the galaxy. It's because she carries this gem she found in a fallen star that talks to her. She's supposed to take it back to where it came from, so that someone's wish can come true.]" She paused a moment and finished her cheeseburger.

Never taking her eyes of the screen, she dabbed the corners of her mouth with the sleeve of her shirt. "[...Every episode, they go somewhere new, and find others from around the galaxy, doing the same thing, and she has to help them, because otherwise no one's wishes will ever come true. And Sakaya has a wish she always talks about- to see her sister again, who's been missing since before the show began. She was kidnapped. Sakaya keeps hoping one of the people she helps is carrying her wish along. But you know what I think? I think she's carrying her own wish, and she never finds its special place and the show never ends. I think her sister is dead.]"

Zadra looked at the screen, filled with colorful characters and scenery aimed at such a young audience that Vixaya's bleak conclusion, which she had reached without leaving her steady monotone, couldn't possibly be, unless the Kosok animation industry wanted to leave children with lifelong trauma. It looked utterly innocent, actually.

 

[Viper Actual]

Once the time had passed and Valkyrie summoned the crew Nathalie had just finished doing some recon of her own. Surprisingly, finding a stash and a place to lie low turned out to be easier than expected as the newly constructed houses- which were more or less small huts with either two or three rooms- were free to claim by the Reavers and those that worked with them. Because she belonged to the second category, Nathalie only had to register at a small terminal erected next to the housing area. A few seconds later she was the happy owner of a brand new hut sitting on the tropical beaches of Sielia.

"Not too bad for a rogue operative," muttered Nat as she locked the door behind her and went to the meeting. She had slipped out of her previous beachside outfit and into her crop top, jacket, tights and sneakers. Casual, sure, but at the same time this wasn't exactly a locked-door mission briefing at the SSOID HQ on Terra. Dress-code was expected to be rather lax in comparison, unless something had changed during the hour that is.

Upon arriving at them briefing room Nathalie found herself to be among the first to join. She chose a seat on Damien's "side" of the room but far away from the man to eliminate any suspicion of the two of them having had additional chatter beyond the initial greeting. Nathalie seated herself and crossed one leg over the other. She looked at Valkyrie and gave her a curt nod but remained silent.

 

[Doomevil]

Roge received a message from Valk and hearing the shout from a Kherigan. He gave a nod and stepped off the treadmill, changing into his casual clothes and went over to the meeting place.

 

[Infab]

Zadra watched the screen for a few moments, thinking over what Vixaya's thoughts on the cartoon on display. Eventually she spoke up. "[...Helping others helps to keep her going. Keeps her drive alive, and gives her hope in finding her sister.]" she said, "[She'll eventually get what she wants...but she has to keep pushing on in order to achieve it. Someone will come along to help her do that... Help her just like she's been helping others. Perhaps someone old. Perhaps someone new.]"

There was a brief moment of silence as Zadra continued to watch the show, then she spoke again as she looked to Vixaya. "[What's your wish?]" she asked. Looking back to the screen, she continued. "[...Everyone has one.]"

 

[Breadman]

Amy had a tired smile as Drav was visibly impressed by the move. She was more impressed that she managed to pull it off in the first place. She got up as the pirate went to check her messages. Once she learned what it was, she didn't know what to feel but excitement. Was there going to be some progress? She didn't waste time and left the gym. 'See you there!' she said as she exited and went back to her quarters to get dressed.

Once ready, she headed straight for the bunker.

 

[joshuadim]

An hour came and went, and soon enough Vance got a notification that snapped him out from his thoughts as he was called to head for the planning room. He took a deep breath and hoped that there would be something, anything, to go off of on hunting those responsible for VOC-1 down. As he arrived he took a seat near the opposite end of the table from where Valkyrie was sitting and looked around for a moment, seeing everyone file in slowly. The anticipation was practically killing him slowly from the inside as he leaned into the table, resting his elbows onto it and waited.

 

[SniperComZero]

Aaaaand just as quickly as she'd tried striking up a conversation, she got left in the dust by everyone once again. Hell, story of her life since the military gave her up. Whatever, it looked like the techies were bringing in that new... especially old mech that other chick was taking out for a spin. Look just seemed weird to her. Usually mechs either had full peripheral motion, or both limbs chopped off for more gun. In her case, the former, but usually the latter, it's not really a common sight to try double dipping into it. The disadvantages of both with the advantages of neither, she figured. And, just as she looked over, the same chick piloting this mech, was looking over at hers.

Life's like fuckin' poetry, ain't it?

And like all of the poetry of Olivia's life, a request shot to her tablet. Presumably the same one that the tatt chick got, since once Olivia looked up, she saw her right out the door. God. Story of her fuckin' life.

Oh well. She figured that there was no sense in sticking around now that everyone's starting to actually work on shit. Olivia stepped out of the door, stamping out her cigarette into the dirt. Place seems busier than she thought it'd be. Like some sort of quaint lil' seaside town, rather than, well, turning around to see the ramshackle pirate port that's a stone's throw away from it. God. The sights and noise pollution from the thing must be terrible. Anyway. She's gotta be heading into that place, so, assuming nothing, or no one, stops her, she's on her way inside.

 

[K0mori]

Vixaya shuddered for a moment in response to Zadra's question, then, spoke slowly and clearly. "[...I wish I had a soul.]"

 

[Infab]

"[...I wish I had a soul.]"

Zadra went quiet for a moment, looking down to Vixaya. She felt her tablet vibrate, but she didn't bother checking it. Not yet. Eventually, Zadra sighed. "[...We all have a soul, Vix. Even you. Its just... yours has a shell around it. Hiding it from view.]" she replied. "[The experiences you've had...the battles you've fought... they built this shell. But its not complete. Every now and then, your soul shines through the holes and cracks.]"

Zadra paused for a moment, her gaze shifting back to the screen. "[It's there, Vix. You just have to let us help you break that shell down. Let your soul burn bright, for all to see.]" Once she finished, she looked back to Vixaya and smiled. She then reached into her pocket, and finally drew out her holotablet. Once she checked it, and the message she had recieved, she looked back to Vixaya. "[Valk wants to talk to us, over in the planning room in the bunker. We should head over and see what she has to say.]"

Once she tucked her tablet away again, she glanced back to the screen. "[...I can help you learn standard Terran, if you want. I'm sure it would help a lot since you wouldn't need to use your translator all the time.]"

 

[K0mori]

Without a reply to Zadra, Vixaya took up a small stack of holovids arranged near the screen and paid for them. There was a bit of relief in the shopkeeper's eyes to see the skulking kanad finally leave his storefront. "Come again," he sighed, and as she walked away with Zadra silently, he added, "or don't, fine with me, creep," as he swiveled around and returned to his busywork.

Vixaya swept through the crowd easily, avoiding contact despite being unseen by most passers by. Zadra caught up with her at the market's entrance, and finally, Vixaya replied to the things she had said before. "[You talk to me as if you've known me a long time,]" she said quietly while shaking her head. "[I'm not what you say I am. Whatever you think is underneath the surface went away a long time ago, because it wasn't useful for the resistance. If you break down this 'shell,' then you'll be sorry you did.]" Again, her expression faded from the brief spark of interest and she looked away.

"[Terran would be useful,] she muttered. She and Zadra walked together back to the bunker.

 

[Infab]

As everyone slowly entered and found their seats, filling the moderately sized planning room, Valk and Eve quietly waited at the front of the room. She glanced between her kids, who didn't bother looking back towards her. They were focused on the holotable in the middle of the room. After Kalashi slipped into the room quietly, dragging a chair from among the group and sitting in the back away from everyone, Valkyrie got started. "Over the past two weeks, Eve here..." she said, motioning towards the purple robe clad android next to her, "...has been checking around between informants in an effort to find Anora and her closest supporters. Well, we have a lead on one of them." she said. She looked back to Eve, whom stepped forwards.

She folded her arms behind her back, as she nodded towards the holotable. "Dazik Noske." she said, as a figure suddenly appeared. Rising from the center of the table. It was a young man, with an athletic build and clad in the typical outfit worn by ONI operatives. His hair was cut rather short on top, but buzzed along the sides and back of his head. His jaw and chin was covered in a well groomed beard. As the man's holographic image rotated slowly above the table for all to see, Eve continued. "Dazik is a high ranking member of the Federation's Office of Naval Intelligence. He is also a high ranking member of the Ker Supremacy Movement, a group of Upyri radicals that wish to see the Federation fall and Ker rise to found a new empire. He is one of Anora's most staunch supporters. We believe that he is responsible for lies that were fabricated about you in relation to VOC-1's destruction. He's the one that framed you, in other words."

She motioned towards the holographic image. "And you will get to kill him soon enough. First, however, we must pay a price for information on one of his potential locations." she stated. The holographic image of Dazik disappeared, and a new one replaced him. This image was of a station, floating high above a storm covered world. "Many of you have likely heard in recent years of a woman named Nonara. Crime lord, and leader of the White Roses Crime Syndicate. She is willing to provide us with the information once we complete a favor for her. In order to find out what said favor is, we must venture to Shadespear Terminal, located above the world of Gostoth. There, we must meet Nonara's brother, Nil. We will be filled in on the details of the favor afterwards. While on Shadespear, you should probably take the time to acquire supplies or weaponry. Or whatever other items you may wish to obtain. Shadespear is a popular trading location for pirates and outlaws, second only to Rook's Wharf here in the Renegade Quadrant."

She then stepped back, allowing Valkyrie to speak once more. "I will be going with you as your captain, obviously. I doubt we'll need the mechs or anything for now, so they will be left here." she said, folding her arms. She then looked around at each of the group before her, before speaking again. "...Any questions?" she asked.

Lauren raised her hand near immediately. "Why can't I lead?" she asked. Then she abruptly burped.

Damien rolled his eyes, across the room from her. "Because you're drunk again, that's why." he said. "Fuck you, dickhead." she spat, cutting her brother a look.

Valk sighed, rubbing her eyes. "...Damien's right, Lauren. You're drunk, as usual, and I'm not putting you in charge of anything right now. You can't keep your shit together." She then looked to Damien. "And I'm not putting you in charge because I need you to watch her."

Damien gave his mother a confused look. "Literally anyone here could babysit her." he responded. Valk pointed to him rather quickly. "But I'm telling YOU to fucking do it. Got it?" she barked, forcing him glare at her and fold his arms.

"Fuck this." spat Lauren, jumping up and slinging her chair aside before storming out of the room. Valk simply watched her storm out, before shaking her head and looking to the rest of the group again. "...Now, like I said. Any questions?"

 

[joshuadim]

Vance had leaned in and observed the figure of Dazik being projected from the holotable and was studying the man as information about him and who he is was given to everyone in the vicinity. The man responsible for forging the "evidence" and framing everyone for things they had fought against. Just looking at the man's face made Vance ball his fists up tightly in anger, but what calmed him down was that he finally knew his first target.

That's when the bad news came in, having to stoop to working with criminals it seemed to get information. An immediate red flag to Vance given their current situation as he thought it over with how much risk was involved. When asked by Valkyrie, Vance was the first to chime in: "Can we trust this Nonara?" he asked, "How can we be sure whatever information given is valid, or better yet if she won't sell us out?"

 

[ANIMAL MOTHER]

Typhon quietly leaned back in his chair, listening intently to the briefing being given by Eve though occasionally glaring at the VOC-1 survivors around him. Going after Anora isn't something he feels they ought to be bringing them along for. One of them could easily succumb to their rage and thirst for vengeance and end up getting themselves or even everyone killed. As far as he's concerned, this business is with the Reavers alone; and it's too important for any one of these bleeding hearts to fuck it up. Though what sours his mood exponentially is the fact that while they do have a target, and supposedly good information already and a potential location, they have to do a favor first before they can actually get to their target. A favor of which the details haven't been inquired into by that robot giving the briefing, it seems. Typhon sighs and rubs his face at this. Not only do they not know what exactly they'll be doing, only God knows how long this 'favor' will take and by then their target would've likely fled to some other location; thus making the information utterly useless if it was even correct in the first place.

Typhon is not a man who enjoys doing things for free, particularly wetworks. He waves his hand.

"By any chance, did you ask precisely what this favor is?" he demands. "And I agree with this human,' he gestures towards Vance, "A potential location doesn't sound very genuine."

 

[Infab]

"Can we trust this Nonara?" he asked, "How can we be sure whatever information given is valid, or better yet if she won't sell us out?"

"By any chance, did you ask precisely what this favor is?" he demands. "And I agree with this human,' he gestures towards Vance, "A potential location doesn't sound very genuine."

Eve nodded in regards to Vance's question. "I have worked with Nonara before, as have other Black Masks members. Uric did well in acquiring her as an informant for us. She is trustworthy enough, and any information she has will prove solid, I assure you." said Eve. She then looked to Typhon. "Knowing Nonara, it will likely be regarding an assassination, a kidnapping, extortion, or the destruction of a target. We have done favors for her in the past which have amounted to one of those four things, but there's always the potential for something new. As for the location... ONI operatives never remain in one spot for too long. They're quite similar to the SSOID when it comes to their activities. Cloaked in secrecy. A potential location is ten times better than no location when it comes to either of the two, or any of the other galactic factions' hidden actors. We may even find information on his current whereabouts by simply visiting said location."

 

[Breadman]

Of course nothing was for free. Why would it be? Amy quietly sighed as Eve told them what was expected from them. The syndicate is a known player, so maybe this will be a good catch and the brother will be someone they can trust. The others were already asking questions she knew the answers to. Its always something vague.

"I haven't been to Shadespear in a while. Is the market still flooded with low-grade trash or did the local merchant kings get their shit together on quality control?"

 

[Infab]

"I haven't been to Shadespear in a while. Is the market still flooded with low-grade trash or did the local merchant kings get their shit together on quality control?"

Valk spoke up in response. "Yeah, they finally cleaned up their act a bit. You'll still find cheap shit there, but there's actual quality stuff and surprisingly rare stuff in there now." she said. "Might be able to pick up a nice gun or two. Armor. Medical supplies. Hell, might can find good parts for the mechs if we look hard enough."

 

[Frankafurter]

Katja listens to the briefing, her nose wrinkling slightly at the thought of doing some crime syndicate's dirty work. She knows the Reavers are pirates and aren't above that sort of activity, but Katja didn't have much inclination to do such things. However, there may be cause for her to go anyways, she raises a hand slightly then asks, "Would this... Shadespear Terminal possibly have a specialist that deals in obscure or particularly complex implants? I think Easel and Doc did what they could for the biology part of the problem, but the mechanical part isn't exactly something I can just put a band-aid on. Without the interface fully fixed or at least reworked to make due with what it's got, that mech isn't gonna be much use."

Katja itches a spot on her neck then follows up with another question, "And if Shadespear doesn't have the person I need, would this Nonara maybe have an inkling of where I could look for someone who does have the skills?"

 

[Emperor Sagan]

Shelby felt like he should have been taking notes, and his fingers twitched as he didn't have a paper notebook or pen to play with. This all sort of reminded him of the academy. He wasn't even in uniform and that made him very nervous; while it had been a few years since he had finished the advanced schooling, it sure felt like yesterday. He winced slightly as Lauren raised her voice before storming off. Despite the tantrum, pirates still seemed pretty well behaved. Maybe the movies had gotten something wrong, though that wouldn't be the first time. They didn't depict idols very well either.

"Um, can't we just buy a missile and blow this guy up? When the time comes, do we... do we need to do it ourselves, like, on the ground? There are some pretty strong bombs out there," Shelby asked, twirling his fingers together. "Unless maybe he is with other people. We don't blow up other people do we?"

 

[Infab]

"And if Shadespear doesn't have the person I need, would this Nonara maybe have an inkling of where I could look for someone who does have the skills?"

Eve spoke again, turning her attention to the formerly cryogenically frozen woman with strange tattoo-like implants. "Perhaps. There are medical specialists aboard the station whom might have an idea on what to do. If none of them know of what to do, then you might can check with Nonara through her brother. She might know of someone."

"Um, can't we just buy a missile and blow this guy up? When the time comes, do we... do we need to do it ourselves, like, on the ground? There are some pretty strong bombs out there," Shelby asked, twirling his fingers together. "Unless maybe he is with other people. We don't blow up other people do we?"

Valk chuckled. "Depends on where he is, who he's got with him, and if we can even hit him in the first place." she said. "A missile's a fun thought, though. As for blowing other people up, depends on if they fuck with us or not."

 

[Frankafurter]

Katja nods to Eve's response, "Then I guess I'm in... for now. Don't mistake my reluctance for incapability, by the way. I still went through military training to perform my duty assignment on that colony ship and I've been in my fair share of personal fights for my safety." She glances over to the weird kid, "If he's half the person that was described, it won't be that simple. For every defense of his we can see, there's probably several that we can't see backing that up."

 

[joshuadim]

Eve's answer didn't necessarily inspire any additional confidence, but he would have to take what he could get. As much as he hated working with criminals his desire to go after the Blood Corps superseded those feelings... at least, for the time being anyway. He had another question however that entered his mind and he spoke up quickly afterwards: "Considering we're currently the most wanted people in the galaxy, for something none of us did," he began, muttering the last part before continuing, "Isn't there a possibility we'll get attacked by anyone looking for a shot at our current bounties at Shadespear?"

 

[Infab]

"Considering we're currently the most wanted people in the galaxy, for something none of us did," he began, muttering the last part before continuing, "Isn't there a possibility we'll get attacked by anyone looking for a shot at our current bounties at Shadespear?"

Both Valkyrie and Eve said "Yes." at exactly the same moment. "Bounty hunters are known to venture to Shadespear. Mercenaries are also known to appear, as well as groups of pirates known as Privateers. Privateers work for galactic factions in exchange for money or pardons for their acts of piracy in that particular faction's space. They will obviously be after your heads." explained Eve, as she motioned to the holotable. A new set of images had appeared, showing notable bounty hunters, mercenary group logos, and privateer emblems. "There is also the risk of agents from the galactic factions appearing. Black Ops operatives with the objective of killing or capturing any number of you. Quite a nasty situation, but it is one you find yourselves having to deal with."

 

[SniperComZero]

You know, if Olivia hadn't been all but forced to parley with the Reavers, she'd have second thoughts after seeing how badly dysfunctional their family-owned business was in person. As it stands, though, she can't really do much about it at the moment. She leaned back in her seat, arms crossed over each other. More wetwork shit. Of course it can't just be an honest living cracking the skulls of other pirates that muscle into their turf, or... whatever pirates do. She's still not entirely sure.

"Well, whether or not we bomb this asshole we're already gonna be pissing in ONI's boots. And since some--" For effect, Olivia cleared her throat with a tipping of her head to the opposite side of the room. "--of us, already pissed off SSOID, on top'a... y'know. The whole Blood Corps situation, I feel like it isn't gonna matter if we bomb whatever small time assholes that guy has as an escort." Thinking back hard to the past couple weeks, Olivia hung her arms over her head. "...So, is there any way we can lay low, disguise, or do something that doesn't paint a massive fucking target on our collective back? Call me weird, but I don't particularly wanna get into a shootout every three minutes while I'm there."

 

[Viper Actual]

Listening silently to the briefing, Nathalie glanced between the hologram in the center of the room and Valkyrie. She spared Eve some glances and even looked directly at Lauren during her little outburst but orherwise appeared as if her neutral expression had been permanently plastered over her face.
Running ops against ONI- rogue or otherwise- was difficult on its own but Shadespear?

Nathalie shook her head slowly. That's a special league of risky.

Bringing the popsicle- Katja- onboard was a foolish decision in Nat's opinion. A mere one and half hours had passed since Nat voiced her concerns to Damien, concerns that were still very much valid.

Shelby's question was valid but without proper intel a missile wouldn't do squat. As far as Nat could tell this mission was just that; Work a source, do them a favor and grab the intel. Fairly standard on paper though Nat knew that things were rarely as simple as they are on paper.

Then, as the Vance's question was aired, Nathalie leaned in. She offered both her former colleague and Damien a quick glance before looking at Valkyrie and Eve. Nat ignored Olivia's obvious jab and as the jarhead fell silent Nathalie cleared her throat. "Unless all of you have the social skills of a Sanghvi and are as clumsy as a drunk Khergian then it'd be relatively easy to disguise and blend in."

She glanced at Olivia. "Unless you have a violent urge to show your face and wear the colors of Sol like you have a super-hero complex that is."

 

[Infab]

"...So, is there any way we can lay low, disguise, or do something that doesn't paint a massive fucking target on our collective back? Call me weird, but I don't particularly wanna get into a shootout every three minutes while I'm there."

"Unless all of you have the social skills of a Sanghvi and are as clumsy as a drunk Khergian then it'd be relatively easy to disguise and blend in."

"Disguises would be most beneficial, yes." stated Eve. Valk nodded. "At least on Shadespear, for now. We do still have some pirate groups friendly to us, as well as a bounty hunter or two, but I wouldn't risk going there without some form of disguise. Minor changes can work just as well as total makeovers, so do what you need to." said the pirate, glancing to Eve before looking to the others. "Just find a way to blend in."