Futuristic Voids Call - IC

[Epiphany]

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[/div][div class=statusText]Location: Aboard the Maiden's Blade
Tags: [/div][/div][div class=title]D:IANA #49[/div][div class=text]Once the Captain arrived, the myriad social interactions among the biological species here came to an end as they focused instead on the briefing. So, D:IANA did the same. After all, it was her purpose here. Hearing the context, about past expeditions and what was known of expected dangers, was all useful information and she analyzed it before filing it away. Before the ship left port, she'd synch with the nearest Harbinger Relay to ensure they knew what she knew. Which meant it behooved her to find out all she could before then.

"If you have a copy of any of these intergalactic transmissions, I'd appreciate the opportunity to study them, Captain." D:IANA smiled pleasantly, showing every sign of being captivated by the briefing. "I suppose the other question is the most obvious; what are our roles here? I know most of us are here as representative from our respective species. That only explains why we're here, not what we're here to do. You are the Captain of the Maiden's Blade. You doubtlessly have your own crew who are trained to specific posts and familiar with following your orders. Are we to be mission specialists then? Landing or spacewalking to investigate the source of the signal, once we arrive?"[/div][div class=text][/div][/div][/div][/div] [class=wrapper] background-color:#5e757c; box-sizing:border-box; color:#FFFFFF; display:inline-block; position:relative; width:100%; text-align: justify; [/class] [class=title] color: #262626; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size:3em; font-style:italic; padding:0; text-shadow:0 0 1em; margin-bottom: 10px; [/class] [class=box] margin:2em 1em; padding:2px 4px 0px; position:relative; [/class] [class=boxBg] box-sizing:content-box; height:100%; pointer-events:none; position:absolute; width:100%; [/class] [class=boxBgLarge] top:0; left:-5px; padding:0 4px; border:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.35); [/class] [class=boxBgTall] top:-8px;left:3px; padding:8px 0; width:calc(100% - 8px); height:100%; border:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.25); [/class] [class=boxBgMedium] top:-4px; left:-1px; padding:4px 0; border:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.4); [/class] [class=boxInner] background-color: #5e757c; overflow:hidden; margin:0.5em; [/class] [class=statusBox] box-sizing: border-box; border-right: 3px dotted white; padding: 15px; float: left; max-width: 250px; margin: 0px 15px 15px 0px; [/class] [class=text] padding: 0px 15px 15px 15px; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size:0.8em; [/class] [class=statusText] font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 0.75em; margin-top: 5px; [/class] [class=characterPortrait] box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; border-radius: 20px; overflow: hidden; [/class] [class name=characterPortrait state=hover] opacity: 0.5 [/class]

 

[DiamondJack]

Johnny thoughtfully listened to everything that had been said, and he was satisfied with all of the answers to the questions asked. Every time Bones went to ask a question somebody else beat him to the punch. Then there was what the Harbinger said.

Johnny took a moment to ponder each of her words.

“Yeah...” Johnny started, “It seems like everyone else here is kinda like a surgical instrument, compared to them I kinda seem like a sledgehammer.”

Johnny let that hang in the air for a moment, “Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad that I’m here, but I’m just a particularly successful mercenary.”

Mr. Bones crossed his arms while waiting for his response.

 

[Keltoi]

Thirak watched as everyone carefully as they said their piece or asked their questions. They talked fast, but he could mostly keep up. What was it Tarson had said?
"You can know a guy by the way they talk. Sure, disguise it, but theres always somethin' in there. Ah, I'm just gettin' philosophical again. Forget that, Thirak."
The Thresh rattled slightly, almost inaudibly, in an almost happy way. For a fool of the Outer Rim, Tarson had a lot of wisdom to share. And he was right, to some extent, as the Stoneskin could already pin some personality to those around him. Especially the loudest of the humans. Sledgehammer he called himself. Then what would I be, Thirak mused, certainly no scalpel.

Thirak looked to the Captain, a question beginning to form, and he built it up, choosing each word carefully, making sure it was well understood. Finally, satisfied with what he had, he spoke up.
"Will there be danger? Will we have to fight?"

Thirak was worried. Not that he feared getting into a fight, violence came naturally to his kind, but rather he worried for those around him. Already he had pinned some people down as his new family, and he would no doubt do the same with the others, but it scared Thirak to think that he might be making friends that could very well end up dead not so far ahead, if the danger is significant.

 

[Jet]

"I have no access to the files, unfortunately. Only people who've heard it are the high council and Dr. Krast. I'm sure we'll get a chance to inspect it on Jericho" the captain says to the Harbinger, attention turning to the next topic.

"As far as roles are concerned, some of you are here for security like Mr. Bonner, the Vossmir and Tirak, the outer rim can be a violent place, hence your selection John. Others like you, Diana, are here for a diplomatic touch I suppose, unfriendly space requires one like you from time to time... And some are here to patch us up if we get into a tumble" she concludes, nodding at Theepo.

"That being said, you were all recommended by council heads, not chosen by me, thus there may be some redundancy and some holes present, however, I have faith that the bases are covered" she adds, moving to the next topic.

"About the crew, it's mostly automated on the Blade, enabling a small garrison. Servitors handle most of the heavy lifting. We do have an engineer.... Lee.... you'll meet him soon enough, bit of a night owl, an odd kid but one hell of an asset." she answers, hoping to satisfy the group. Taking a second before addressing the Stoneskin.

"No telling. Venturing to outer rim planets can be dangerous, but there's no guarantee we get into a scrap. Just as likely we return to Islep without firing a shot... Despite that, I'd advise you... and everyone aboard the Blade, to stay combat ready. Past the edge of civilized space its dangerous, even for a Council sanctioned expedition. Hell, that might make us a target for some Raid Captains in frontier space." she answers, addressing the question with as much thought possible in the moment.

GM Note​

Ill post a picture of the Servitors (pretty basic robots, metal and wire without a personality or skin) and Lee the Engineer as well.

 

[Epiphany]

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[/div][div class=statusText]Location: Aboard the Maiden's Blade
Tags: [/div][/div][div class=title]D:IANA #49[/div][div class=text]The Captain's swift dismissal of having the transmission data was unfortunate, but perhaps not surprising. The concept of classified data remained an interesting one, of course. For the Harbinger, classified data didn't exist. Only relevant data mattered. The idea that a unit tasked for a purpose wasn't given all the information needed to complete that purpose was antithetical to sanity or good sense. But then, biological species defied sanity or good sense much of the time. It was a good thing they were so adorable, especially the Terrans.

"Happy to serve, Captain," she said, acknowledging Naiva's articulation of her role and purpose here. Good. She was optimized for that purpose. The rest of the briefing and the Captain's warning concerned her, though. "Understood," D:IANA said after listening. "I did bring two instruments of personal defense in my luggage. If you have an arms locker you'd prefer they be stored in, let me know. Otherwise, I'll plan to keep them on me in the event we encounter someone...surly." The pause and smile at her understatement were quite intentional.[/div][div class=text][/div][/div][/div][/div] [class=wrapper] background-color:#5e757c; box-sizing:border-box; color:#FFFFFF; display:inline-block; position:relative; width:100%; text-align: justify; [/class] [class=title] color: #262626; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size:3em; font-style:italic; padding:0; text-shadow:0 0 1em; margin-bottom: 10px; [/class] [class=box] margin:2em 1em; padding:2px 4px 0px; position:relative; [/class] [class=boxBg] box-sizing:content-box; height:100%; pointer-events:none; position:absolute; width:100%; [/class] [class=boxBgLarge] top:0; left:-5px; padding:0 4px; border:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.35); [/class] [class=boxBgTall] top:-8px;left:3px; padding:8px 0; width:calc(100% - 8px); height:100%; border:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.25); [/class] [class=boxBgMedium] top:-4px; left:-1px; padding:4px 0; border:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.4); [/class] [class=boxInner] background-color: #5e757c; overflow:hidden; margin:0.5em; [/class] [class=statusBox] box-sizing: border-box; border-right: 3px dotted white; padding: 15px; float: left; max-width: 250px; margin: 0px 15px 15px 0px; [/class] [class=text] padding: 0px 15px 15px 15px; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size:0.8em; [/class] [class=statusText] font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 0.75em; margin-top: 5px; [/class] [class=characterPortrait] box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; border-radius: 20px; overflow: hidden; [/class] [class name=characterPortrait state=hover] opacity: 0.5 [/class]

 

[Angelofwishes7]

Plash
Interactions: Jet ​

Listening to the response the captain gave her just confirmed her scans of the ship and hearing about the sort of weapons were aboard already had her excited to scan more of this ship. Knowing that the ship was well protected also gave her confidence for this mission. It wasn't often that she was granted permission to travel out in or past empty space. Even though Plash could hope for some calm travel hearing about the last trip's disaster quickly reminded Plash that this was a dangerous expedition. As Plash's records showed her, even protected ships can be taken off guard if not prepared.

After listening to D:IANA speak about her weapons, Plash brought her attention back to the captain. Plash had turned in her weapons to the hold of the ship the first day she had arrived at the station since she had no need to carry it around with her. "I also have weaponry with me. I had turned it into the ships hold when I first arrived at the station a few days ago." Though She knew that she would first have to go retrieve her weaponry from the ships hold, Plash also wondered if there would be a designated area for her weapons.

 

[Jet]

In response to the questions of personal armorment, the captain takes a moment, phrasing a work in progress.

"That decision was left in my hands by the council. I'll allow the crew to keep their weapons. We may need our weapons if we are boarded by pirates in low security space. You've all been sent here by council representatives, selected for one reason or another. That's enough to trust you'll play nice..." she answers, her tone typical, an emotionless and informative military delivery honed over a long career.

"But be aware!" she barks, loud and uncharacteristically sharp.

"If any of you raise a weapon at another crew member, you'll be spending the journey locked in solitude... And if you fire a shot...? I'll jettison you out of an airlock myself" she continues, loud enough for the entire crew to hear, eyes glancing to the silently listening Vossmir and the human mercanary, the pair considered high risk by the captain, when compared to the other crew members that is.

With the answer provided, the captain dismisses the group. As this happens the ship-board A.I named "Charlotte" pulls the Blade from the dock, into open space. Some members of the crew go to the bridge with the captain to talk of the journey, or strategy, others go to their quarters, and others still explore the ship. From the holo deck, to the lounge, to the theater and the gym there is a lot to do on the ship, and a fair amount of time, as even with the expedited travel time of the Crash Drive, the voyage to Jericho is a long one, spanning five days and 50,000 light years. Had the ship been equipped with a hyperspace drive the trip would've been two weeks, lucky us.

So fast forward five days and the Maidens Blade orbits the planet Jericho, it's desert surface pock marked by small collections of water, the arid land a collage of Beige and subtle reds, the reflective surface glistening through the main window of the bridge where the crew stands.

Location
​

Jericho, a small desert planet at the far outer rim of the galaxy. It orbits a Low Mass star closely, hugging tight for warmth. The space here is dangerous, and as the Blade slips out of Crash Space, approaching the upper atmosphere of Jericho, it passes several wrecks, the work of piracy.

Whats happening now
​

Entering the atmosphere, Cpt. Koren looks at the assembled group.

"Quinn and I will be meeting with the doctor at his field office, if any of you want to hear what he has to say you can tag along. If not your job is simple, mind the boat and make sure none of the local yokals and fugitives get too close" she states simply, leaning forward as the heat shielding wards off the thin, reddening upper atmosphere of Jericho.

Fast forward fifteen and the ship touches down in a ragged desert locked town, dead smack in scenic nowhere, the only landmark a massive mountain range rising in the distance, dominated by a peak some 40,000 feet high.

Ragged kids, old drifters, sex robots, criminals, salesemen and average townsfolk mingle around the open air dock right outside where the ship touches down. Those who elect to go with Naiva form up with her and Quinn, meanwhile those who elect to stay behind gather below the hovering ship, scanning the masses for any sign of trouble, perhaps making small talk in the vacuum.

GM Note
​

The open air dock is basically a field cleared in the city where ships are held in anti gravity pools. There are ramshack scrap fences around the place and through open gates is the main thoroughfare where the Captain and her entourage exit to the office of the archeologist.

 

[GolemGuy]

Theepo Krott
Jericho Open Air Dock, Maidens Blade
​

Krott took his ER-53 Quark handgun from it's holster, inserting several slugs into the magazine of the weapon, then cocking it, ready for action.
He observed the rest of the crew, then re-holstered his weapon. He clipped his medicinal kit to a belt at his waist, then securely strapped his medical pack to his back.
"Let us hope this encounter can go smoothly without any... mishaps" he uttered in his guttural voice, then wiping several beads of sweat off the side of his face.
He strode towards Naiva and Quinn, standing along with the others who had elected to follow them.
"Reminds me of Kruust, at least the terrain does, never this amount of squalor."
The statement ended with a hint of solemness.
He fidgeted and took several breaths, preparing for what was to come.

 

[DiamondJack]

Johnny has armored up before the ship had even broken atmosphere. His armor clanked along the hallway as he headed toward the gangplank. He was to ensure the safety of the ship by making sure no suspicious behavior was threatening the Blade. As Johnny walked he had memories come back to him about Jericho. He and his gang had spent months here junking merchant ships. Good times.

Johnny remembered one time when Natasha had him board a vessel and stuff everyone on board into an escape pod. Johnny then ejected the pod with a tracker. Natasha then sold the coordinates to slavers.

Johnny now remembered why he left the Scarlet Lotus.

Bones arrived at the gangplank. He seemed to be the first to arrive. He detached his helmet from his belt and put it on, making his way outside.

“God I hate this place,” Johnny said aloud to no one in particular.

 

[Angelofwishes7]

Plash
Interactions: Open​

Plash readied her weapons, a particle-beam Sniper Rifle hung tightly in the holster on her back while a Particle-beam semiautomatic pistol stayed sealed to her hip. Knowing the dangers that the group could come in contact with, Plash wanted to be prepared. Before leaving the air-conditioned insides of the ship, Plash quickly doublechecked and loaded her weapons before following the group out of the ship to the planet's awaiting heat. The touch of the hot air on her skin and the bright light of the planet's star made her pause and adjust her scanners before continuing.

As she walked forward she looked to the others to figure out who was staying with the ship and who was leaving. Her attention was quickly drawn to the people of the planet. Some stared at the crew and the ship with unease while others seemed to look over their shoulders before ignoring them or going back to their own business "We should get moving. This planet's inhabitants don't seem to be the most accepting of our presence." Plash didn't speak to anyone in particular as she slowly started forward with whoever was with the adventuring group.

As they walk forward, Plash would try to ignore most of the planet's inhabitants, even if they called her out, but any objects of interest she would make an attempt to scan. The more information she could gain, the better.

 

[Epiphany]

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[/div][div class=statusText]Location: Jericho, the docks of a ragged town
Tags: GolemGuy Angelofwishes7 [/div][/div][div class=title]D:IANA #49[/div][div class=text]The trip to Jericho had passed too fast, for D:IANA's taste. Where possible, she spent it chatting with and observing her fellow crewmates. Several species present had never been encountered to any significant detail by the Harbinger. This represented an invaluable opportunity to collect data. Assuming the Maiden's Blade's AI Charlotte was amenable, D:IANA filled the empty hours when people slept with conversation. Terran AI were intriguing programs and D:IANA was of the opinion that you could learn a lot about a species by looking at what they made, and how they made it.

(OOC: For anyone wanting to take D:IANA up on her offer of conversation, her backstory is largely accessible and thus knowable. Up to you if you'd like your character to return the favor.)

The desert conditions of Jericho were a poor fit for ambassadorial robes. Beside the dust, there was every possibility that the natives would use it as an opportunity to take a diplomat hostage, rather than negotiate with her. She stopped by her quarters for the sake of Terran sensibilities and adjusted her Harbinger T11-Guise Suite, reconfiguring the long flowing black robes into a stylish pair of black slacks, a lighter tunic with a black jacket worn over. The Harbinger then holstered her Photonic Coalescence Emitter on one side and her CZ-42 Dragoon sidearm on the other, allowing the gun to show but concealing her sword hilt in the folds of her coat.

Meeting up with the rest of the team at the Captain's rally point, D:IANA nodded agreeably to the instructions and stepped forward at once. "I might be useful," she said, by way of explanation for volunteering. Certainly someone trained in diplomacy could come in handy when trying to deal with a rough-and-tumble city without resorting to gunfire. D:IANA #49 herself had never personally been in this kind of environment before but thirteen of herselves had, with five of them working out of similiarly disreputable ports. The slang and terminology, the memory of how others walked and talked flitted through her mind and she adjusted her Emotional Emulation Engine to project wary indifference on demand.

D:IANA followed the Captain and Quinn across the dock, allowing none of her natural curiosity and enjoyment of being off-ship to show. Instead, she kept an unapproachable expression on her shadowy face and walked with her hand resting on her pistol's grip.

GolemGuy
Leaning towards Krott as they walked, D:IANA said "I've never been to your world, though the E-OT D:IANA's were made to interact with your government. I think the Thelek call them the Krinst Series. So, this reminds you of Kruust? Have you been away long?" She listened to any answer he cared to make while continuing to sweep her surroundings with her optics. Thelekian physiology was different enough that she thought he seemed nervous but couldn't tell for sure. Keeping the alien relaxed, though, seemed an optimal use of her time while the group traversed the docks of Jericho.

Angelofwishes7
The Stoqa was even more enigmatic to D:IANA, given the Harbinger hadn't had much success with contacting the distant, aloof species. Approaching Plash was something to be done carefully as a result. It might be all too easy to offend the Stoqa and set back diplomatic prospects. Instead, when the woman spoke, D:IANA saw an opportunity and nodded agreeably. "Do you think it's any of us in particular that bother them, or just the presence of strangers?"

Otherwise, she proceeded on with the others heading towards the office.[/div][div class=text][/div][/div][/div][/div] [class=wrapper] background-color:#5e757c; box-sizing:border-box; color:#FFFFFF; display:inline-block; position:relative; width:100%; text-align: justify; [/class] [class=title] color: #262626; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size:3em; font-style:italic; padding:0; text-shadow:0 0 1em; margin-bottom: 10px; [/class] [class=box] margin:2em 1em; padding:2px 4px 0px; position:relative; [/class] [class=boxBg] box-sizing:content-box; height:100%; pointer-events:none; position:absolute; width:100%; [/class] [class=boxBgLarge] top:0; left:-5px; padding:0 4px; border:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.35); [/class] [class=boxBgTall] top:-8px;left:3px; padding:8px 0; width:calc(100% - 8px); height:100%; border:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.25); [/class] [class=boxBgMedium] top:-4px; left:-1px; padding:4px 0; border:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.4); [/class] [class=boxInner] background-color: #5e757c; overflow:hidden; margin:0.5em; [/class] [class=statusBox] box-sizing: border-box; border-right: 3px dotted white; padding: 15px; float: left; max-width: 250px; margin: 0px 15px 15px 0px; [/class] [class=text] padding: 0px 15px 15px 15px; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size:0.8em; [/class] [class=statusText] font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 0.75em; margin-top: 5px; [/class] [class=characterPortrait] box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; border-radius: 20px; overflow: hidden; [/class] [class name=characterPortrait state=hover] opacity: 0.5 [/class]

 

[GolemGuy]

Theepo Krott
Jericho Open Air Dock
Interaction: D:IANA Epiphany ​

Theepo responded to The Harbinger.
"Yes, the Krinst Series, strange beings. Yes, this planet reminds me of Kruust, the desert like conditions, the scrubland. I've been away for I'd say maybe... two years on studies for exobiology."
Theepo took a breath in, his vestigial arms began wirthe slightly.
"Your species' anatomy puzzles me. An artificial lifeform. Intriguing."
He ended his reply, but awaited a response.

 

[Epiphany]

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[/div][div class=statusText]Location: Jericho, the docks of a ragged town
Tags: GolemGuy [/div][/div][div class=title]D:IANA #49[/div][div class=text]"Exobiology." D:IANA repeated the word, as if testing it out. She smiled then, and looked more directly at Theepo. "An interesting field of study. Similar to my own, I suppose. Well, I'm more of an Exosociologist. The Harbinger already have biological scans of most species they've encountered. Understanding your culture, who you are, is much more complicated than cells, nervous systems and organs. But then, all physiology is foreign to us. Perhaps your interest in other biological species is similar to my own curiosity with foreign artificial intelligences."

D:IANA seemed pleased by the thought, closer to an understanding than she'd been before. Then her attention shifted back to Theepo's latter observation. "My endoskeleton is beryllium-titanium alloy. My epidermal sheath is a kind of self-renewing plastic. I can provide further cursory details to you, if you're curious, though I'm afraid a full schematic of my interior workings isn't something I'm cleared to provide. I didn't realize your interest in exobiology might apply to me!"

With her hands in the pockets of her jacket, the Harbinger had a cheerful look on her face as she added, "We should trade notes when we're not surrounded by people who might have bad intentions towards us."[/div][div class=text][/div][/div][/div][/div] [class=wrapper] background-color:#5e757c; box-sizing:border-box; color:#FFFFFF; display:inline-block; position:relative; width:100%; text-align: justify; [/class] [class=title] color: #262626; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size:3em; font-style:italic; padding:0; text-shadow:0 0 1em; margin-bottom: 10px; [/class] [class=box] margin:2em 1em; padding:2px 4px 0px; position:relative; [/class] [class=boxBg] box-sizing:content-box; height:100%; pointer-events:none; position:absolute; width:100%; [/class] [class=boxBgLarge] top:0; left:-5px; padding:0 4px; border:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.35); [/class] [class=boxBgTall] top:-8px;left:3px; padding:8px 0; width:calc(100% - 8px); height:100%; border:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.25); [/class] [class=boxBgMedium] top:-4px; left:-1px; padding:4px 0; border:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.4); [/class] [class=boxInner] background-color: #5e757c; overflow:hidden; margin:0.5em; [/class] [class=statusBox] box-sizing: border-box; border-right: 3px dotted white; padding: 15px; float: left; max-width: 250px; margin: 0px 15px 15px 0px; [/class] [class=text] padding: 0px 15px 15px 15px; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size:0.8em; [/class] [class=statusText] font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 0.75em; margin-top: 5px; [/class] [class=characterPortrait] box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; border-radius: 20px; overflow: hidden; [/class] [class name=characterPortrait state=hover] opacity: 0.5 [/class]

 

[Keltoi]

Was he late? Probably. Tirak should have felt guilty, he always did whenever he inconvenienced his family, whomever they might be. But not now. They could wait a few moments. His work...it was too important. His mind had entered a dark age for the past few days, his creativity at an all-time low. However, in the past few hours, inspiration struck him like lightning and Keltoi's highly conductive armour. Tirak rattled to himself quietly. Yes, that had been amusing, seeing his liege Krandr struck by lightning bolts every other minute. They didn't spend long on that world, with its aggressive storms, it was just too humiliating for Keltoi.
"Lightning..." Tirak pondered as he reflected back on incident, speaking in English. "Yes..."

Presently, the Thresh made himself leave his quarters, ducking low as to not bang his head off the many doorframes, and eventually managed to find his way out of the maze-like ship. Out into Jericho. He almost instantly drew stares, but now was not the day to be cautious. It was close, he could feel it...

Tirak caught up with the captain, Quinn, Diana, the one known as Plash, the funny frog named Theepo and the even funnier human Johnny. He usually tried to make himself smaller around his new companions, just so they would be on more equal standing and thus out them at ease, but not today. Today, he towered over them.
"My Muse..." Thirak began, speaking aloud. He didn't look at those around him, but instead gazed into the clear sky. "is close."

 

[DewOfTheMountains]

Nicholas watched as his colleagues left the ship toward the home of a doctor. He was curious about this doctor, sure, but there was only so much he was comfortable doing in crowd. The engineer opted to stay back in the safe familiarity of the ship. Over the past few days, he had adapted greatly to his new temporary home. He knew where everything was, where to avoid and where to stay. The same couldn't be said about his companions. He knew barely anything about them, he rarely spoke to them and chose to subtly avoid being in the same room as them. It wasn't that he hated the other members of the ship, he was just happier by himself. When he was alone, there was no mistakes to be made.

For most of the time on the ship, Nicholas stayed in his room, but today was different. The others had gone out to meet the contact, which meant entire rooms were open for his possible enjoyment. He started off with the fundamentals of relaxation and decided to tidy up the more public areas of the ship. Turning on some new sitcoms he had yet to listen to, Nicholas began reorganizing the kitchen cabinets. In his socially reclusive state, the tidiness of the cabinets had gone unmanaged, and although they weren't in catastrophic state, they were still to his unliking. He sorted everything into categories for each cabinet shelf, then stocked everything back. Joy washed over him as he looked over his work in a strangely paternal pride. Next would be the pantry, then the fridge, then whatever else he could find.

Time went by in slow pieces, as Nicholas cleaned and tidied until he had nothing more to do. Practically glowing with pride, he sat on a nearby couch and started typing up new designs for laser beams and energy saving plasma tanks.

 

[Jet]

Pyekuri post​

Spoiler

Pyekuri walks under the Blade, her silhouette stretching far across the field, shades apex near the main gate of the open air dock.

Helmet hooked to a ring on armors belt his face is free to the dry desert atmosphere, of which the Vossmir inhales eagerly, indulging in fresh air for the first time in three weeks. It's full but dry texture a callback to the flatlands of Vostuun, joyous nostalgia playing on his face as he comes to a stop, basking in the sunlight, squinting eyes analyzing the passing horde through the junk fence and open gate. Among the mass were drifters, criminals, hunters, homeless, wide eyed children and the oft normal citizen, all staring straight at the Blade, the hyper modern ship a sore thumb on Jericho.

Continuing his analysis of the area, the dock itself was rather clear. The inhabitants being the human mercanary, the resident pack rat machinist/gear salesmen and Lee who haggled with the pack rat machinist over some gadgets price. Aside from that several others walked through the field, members of other crews no doubt, heading to their own ships in the sizeable open air dock.

Looking about he saw Johnny nearby, noticing his helmet he scoffed.

"The first day of many you find yourself on true ground, under starlight, fresh air abound and you don a helmet? Quite professional" he says, sarcastic, the intention simply banter to pass the time.

Plot post​

Spoiler

Among the crowd run three boys, Vash, Borok, and Stephen. The three are orphans, nameless to all but each other. To everyone else they are just "boy" or "kid". Despite their unimortance, they have a key job.

Spotting.

An advance force for a man behind the scenes. Tasked with information gathering. As they dash through the crowd, Vash bumps into Theepo GolemGuy turning for a moment the boy pulls his ears out and puffs up his mouth, mocking the doctor before turning and running off. The encounter takes but a few moments, buts it's enough time for Vash to capture the groups faces with an optically implanted camera, a surgical investment on the part of his master. Continuing through the streets, Vash splits from his two partners in crime, dashing off into a side alley. The other two carry on, approaching the gate of the open air dock, pressing their faces against the mesh fence.

"Wow! That ship is AWESOME!" remarks Borok to his friend scanning each part of the ship with his eyes, giving his camera time to record every last detail of the vessel.

GM note.

The party is about half way to the doctors house.

 

[GolemGuy]

Theepo Krott
Jericho
​

Theepo let out a guttural groan as the child bumped into him. When the child mocked him, he scoffed. "Juvenile" was spoken is a disdainful tone. He tracked their movements back to the Maidens Blade, glaring under the Visible Light Spectrum Headgear. His eyes narrowed, but then dilated. "Spotters" he muttered, almost a whisper. He focused on them. "Someone around here is pulling the strings, and we are part of the show."

 

[Angelofwishes7]

Plash
Interactions: Epiphany GolemGuy
​

As the group continued their walk, Plash brought her attention to D:IANA and her question. Taking a look around at their surroundings then looking over her shoulder to look back at D:IANA, Plash spoke up. "This Planet's atmosphere was surrounded in a variety of ship parts, and the way the people act lead me to believe that whoever did that to the ships didn't just leave the battles off the planet. It wouldn't be too hard to believe that the people of this world is on edge because of all our presence because of it's possible past visitors."

A few seconds went by before a small rush of color rushed past the group, one figure hitting into Theepo. Plash's eyes and scanner followed the child's movement as he makes a face then quickly leaves. "They are out of my scanner's range now, I couldn't get a full scan on them," Plash muttered more to herself than anyone else as she looked over the incomplete scan. It showed little more than the appearance of the boys along with the estimated height and weight. It wouldn't do much to help them if Theepo's assumption was correct.

 

[DiamondJack]

Johnny was idly scanning the crowded port. He was running tactical situations in his head. He didn’t see any immediate threats. As he walked back and forth by the gangplank he noticed Pyekuri enjoying the air.

The feline-man made a smartass remark to Johnny. Bones initially was going to ignore the jab, but he thought better of it.

“Professionalism ain’t the reason for the helmet,” Johnny said, “There’s two reasons. One: My face is extremely recognizable in these parts and the locals ain’t exactly friendly towards me. Two: I was born on a space station and have spent most of my life in space. The helmet makes these planets feel more like home.”

Johnny left it at that and continued to monitor the crowd.

 

[Epiphany]

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[/div][div class=statusText]Location: Jericho, on the way to the science station[/div][/div][div class=title]D:IANA #49[/div][div class=text] Keltoi
The Harbinger by default weren't programmed to experience fear. With the incorporation of the Emotional Emulation Engines in the D:IANA series, though, a subset of the species had come to approximate the sensation and even appreciate its absence. And having the much larger, sturdier Thresh joining the expedition certainly made this D:IANA feel better. "Nice to have you with us, Tirak. Keep your eyes sharp in case there's trouble."

Jet
The antics of the three boys drew an amused, tolerant smile from the Harbinger. She was rather fond of Terran children. Particularly Merida and Martin, her children with her spouse. She'd never been away from her little son for this long before...

The smile slipped away by the time the boys wrapped up their game and she was lost in introspective memory recall of Martin's three birthday parties.

GolemGuy
At least until Theepo whispered. Thankfully, her audio intakes were quite sensitive and she picked out his warning clearly enough. D:IANA's golden eyes narrowed, trusting the Thelek's judgement and she switched her optics through various filters to capture ultra and infra spectrums. Unfortunately, the base D:IANA had a sensory suite only somewhat better than a Terrans, an intentional design element to simplify construction and processing power. Especially given that using Terran equipment to enhance their senses the way Terrans did was calculated to make said Terrans more comfortable around the machine race. Which was all well and good, except she was a diplomat and didn't carry a mobile sensory unit. So all she could do was watch.

Angelofwishes7
Plash's anthropological remarks were likely accurate but would require data to verify. Which she wasn't in a position to collect right now. That said, the Stoqa's scanner was of much more immediate interest and D:IANA unapologetically looked over the alien's shoulder. She sighed, not seeing much more information than she'd been able to deduce herself. "Something tells me we may get another chance," the Harbinger said to the taller female.

Still, there wasn't a good reason to run. Yet. So she pressed on.[/div][div class=text][/div][/div][/div][/div] [class=wrapper] background-color:#5e757c; box-sizing:border-box; color:#FFFFFF; display:inline-block; position:relative; width:100%; text-align: justify; [/class] [class=title] color: #262626; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size:3em; font-style:italic; padding:0; text-shadow:0 0 1em; margin-bottom: 10px; [/class] [class=box] margin:2em 1em; padding:2px 4px 0px; position:relative; [/class] [class=boxBg] box-sizing:content-box; height:100%; pointer-events:none; position:absolute; width:100%; [/class] [class=boxBgLarge] top:0; left:-5px; padding:0 4px; border:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.35); [/class] [class=boxBgTall] top:-8px;left:3px; padding:8px 0; width:calc(100% - 8px); height:100%; border:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.25); [/class] [class=boxBgMedium] top:-4px; left:-1px; padding:4px 0; border:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.4); [/class] [class=boxInner] background-color: #5e757c; overflow:hidden; margin:0.5em; [/class] [class=statusBox] box-sizing: border-box; border-right: 3px dotted white; padding: 15px; float: left; max-width: 250px; margin: 0px 15px 15px 0px; [/class] [class=text] padding: 0px 15px 15px 15px; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size:0.8em; [/class] [class=statusText] font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 0.75em; margin-top: 5px; [/class] [class=characterPortrait] box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; border-radius: 20px; overflow: hidden; [/class] [class name=characterPortrait state=hover] opacity: 0.5 [/class]

 

[Jet]

Main party post

Spoiler

Fast forward several minutes, the party finds itself at Robert Krast's office, nestled far on cities edge in a rather quiet district, a drastic change from the hustle and bustle of the slums where the ship made planetfall.



Above where the group enter are barred and shuttered windows alike, and an old, musty scent wafts through the out of date lobby. Under them the deep red carpet "crunches" with every step, yesteryears style point now a source of disgust for the weak stomachs among them.

"This place has seen better days" mutters Quill to no one in particular, drawing nods of agreement from some among the unit as they near double doors leading to a larger lobby. Coming through it, two armed security guards step in their way, asking for the usual credentials.

Unimpeded after a few paper flashing moments, the party continue to an elevator, following the guards instructions, taking the lift to the fourth floor.

One rather sketchy ride later and the crew exit the low lit sardine can of an elevator, entering a wide open floor devoid of any walls. Sparse pillars and foundational pieces not withstanding, there was nothing other than open space, space filled to the brim with pieces of antiquity. To a historically minded person it would be one hell of a sight. Ancient tapestries levied from ruin walls lay next to bundles of rock bagged and tagged with highlighted identifications which lay beside shards of ancient pottery and metal tools rusted through to the bone. Equally impressive were the drawings laid out on floor and table alike, detailing vast temples and market squares,their designers gleaned from endless days analyzing the lost civilization of Jericho.

"OVER HERE" echoes a voice from the forward right hand side of the building, in relation to the party.

"Doctor Krast!" yells the captain, confirming identity.

"AYE I'm the one" he replies, walking from his work station, meeting the crew halfway, about thirty feet from the elevator.

With greetings exchanged the group walk back to the Doctors main work station where two assistants stand, one named Brack (6'0", brown hair) the other Jennifer (5'6" black hair).

With greetings out of the way, brass tacks come to focus.

The expeditionary group forms around the archeologists desk as he fumbles about, retrieving several papers and electronic devices. Meanwhile his two assistants wander off, leaving their boss alone with the off world visitors.

"Ah here it is" mumbles Krast, taking a recording device from the desk. Pressing the play button, and what follows is a series of static bursts playing in a loop.

"Coordinates. I don't necessarily know what it will lead to, but a signal like this from dead space..." he begins, pushing his glasses, brow sheening with sweat, he's nervous.

"Could you send me the triangulated point set? I can send it to Charlotte aboard the blade so she can crunc the jump numbers" responds Naiva, voice typical in its roboticism.

For a moment there is silence, then the hesitant clearing of a throat, then a chuckle as the doctor loosens the fabric around his neck with his right hand. He's panicking.

"Well... Captain... you see... I can't. I can't translate the bursts" answers the Doctor, cringing.

"EXPLAIN" counters Naiva immediately, eyes widening, rightfully enraged.

"Unbelievable that you ask for an expedition without coordinates you fool, the council must raise its standards or - - -

"Please! Just....Just calm down" interrupts Robert, Quills critical rant cut short.

"There is a way... A way to translate it" he opens, clearing his throat again mid sentence. "A Cypher stone made by the ancients of Jericho, it can translate this transmission to give us workable coordinates"

"I sense a but coming" Quill says, deadpan.

"Aye... I don't own it, someone else got to it first" he answers.

"That's a start" says Naiva, optimistic.

"What kind of someone" asks the large stoneskin, the question poignant.

"Dom Lemoign" answers the Doctor, name failing to register with the crew. Who silently wait for a continuation.

"He's a treasure hunter of sorts" continues the doctor, looking back and forth, the crew unsympathetic.

"Charlotte, name query, Dom Lemoign, professional treasure hunter, planet Jericho" commands the captain, pressing a button on her blue steel wristband, her words transmitted to Charlotte, the A.I aboard the Blade.

"After a search I've found one hundred twenty thousand results for the name Dom Lemoign, narrowing it down by the context provided I have only one. Dom Lemoign, age thirty nine, wanted in high security space for thirty two charges related to piracy. Is considered a Pirate Boss by intergalactic police with a fleet of over twenty Corvette plus vessels. Has recently worked into the illicit artifacts trade with operations on several outer rim planets with dead civilizations" answers Charlotte.

"Wait let me get this straight" Quill says with an incredulous smile.

"You want us to steal from a pirate boss? So that's why you got this expedition, to do your dirty work" he continues chuckling, looking at the other members of the crew, amused.

"If one among you has that talent we can, or we can barter... Its worth it... Please, you have to help me. This... this is my life's work, and it's right here. I know it please you have to help" he pleads, hands on the table, white knuckles betraying his drive and desperation.

GM Note

So basically, the party can decide what to do and we can either try and negotiate with or steal from Dom Lemoign. Or something else idk maybe you have an idea I haven't thought of. Surprise me. Details for either choice will be provided after a decision has been made by the party.

Back at the ship

Spoiler

Lee heads back into the ship with some fresh gear purchased from the resident pack rat. Other then that it's an uneventful 10 minutes. Then, things get a little crazy in the span of 30 seconds.

The spotters mentioned earlier bring a gang of 24 men and one exceptionally dangerous woman, armed with automatic rifles, decked out in bullet proof vests. Some sport cybernetic enhancements, prosthetic limbs, illegal enhancements and the like. At the head is a man named Flip Joon, a lieutenant in the Red Legion, rival pirate gang to Dom Lemoigns. Beside him is Fera Joon, his sister, the top enforcer in Flips crew.




"One..."

"Hell..."

"Of..."

"A..."

"Ship"

Flip says, clapping slowly, mock amazement on his face, placing emphasis on each individual word for whatever, probably intimidating reason.

"Ship like this with only two guards..."

"ITS LIKE THEY'RE ASKING TO BE ROBBED" he yells, looking back at the platoon, arms spread full eagle, snapping a glare towards Pyekuri and Johnny, smiling sickly as he lowers his arms.

"Tell ya what, I'll let you idiots live as slaves on a Legion miner if you drop those guns"

GM Note

This may seem like a "Villain of the week" kind of deal, but it's not, trust in ya boy. Also, it's up to you DiamondJack how you want to play this and if you'd like your character to know these baddies then by all means, feel free to invent whatever back stories/past history that you'd like.

Lee is in the ship which has guns on it and there are combat ready servitors as well that can be deployed, so combat isn't a death sentence despite it being a 2v25 right now, and your character would know that so I figured I'd let you know as well.

 

[GolemGuy]

Theepo Krott
Robert Krast's Office
Interaction(s): Jet ​

Theepo sighed audably. "You want us, some scientists, diplomats, and the sort, to go and raid a pirate boss's headquarters, which might I mention could be surrounded by twenty corvettes, battleships, or dreadnoughts, to steal a translation tablet, and you expect us just to do it without a second thought?" he rattled, then dragging his hands down his face, pulling the loose skin with them: "Idiocy, pure idiocy." Theepo complained. He put a hand on his forehead, beads of sweat rolling down his callused fingers, then supporting his arm with his elbow.

 

[Jet]

"Well.... When you phrase it like that" answers the archeologist with a resigned nod, hands raising from the desk, back straightening. "You have combat personel I assumed, when I talked to the council they said there would--"

"Theepo's right, our expedition is scientific. We have a couple guns with us, and the servitors on the Blade can fight if pressed, but this isn't a military expedition Doctor" interrupts Captain Koren, seconding her crew mate.

GolemGuy

 

[Epiphany]

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[/div][div class=statusText]Location: Robert Krast's Office [/div][/div][div class=title]D:IANA #49[/div][div class=text]D:IANA was largely indifferent to the state of the old facility. Certainly, she and the other models like her had encountered a wide range of upkeep protocols in the various worlds they'd visited. Given she was immune to disease and could clean off anything with a good solvent, the Harbinger just looked a bit like a tourist as she craned her neck this way and that to take in the scenery.

Naturally, D:IANA herself was very historically minded, so she found the office of Dr. Krast fascinating. Thankfully, her optics and processors meant it took her vastly less time to see what there was to see, though turning that data into anything resembling meaningful analysis would take time (and preferably server time with the Harbinger hub). After all, individual Harbinger units collected data but typically processed it upstream. For D:IANA's immediate purposes, she just examined the tapestries, looked at the ancient pottery without touching and admired the schematic drawings strewn across the floor. The initial back and forth as Krast explained himself was distantly heard but of secondary interest, at least at first. Until it became of primary interest.

"I would like to see this Cypher stone," D:IANA added, as she stepped up to join the conversation. The golden-eyed woman glanced between archeologist and captain. "My colleagues are quite right, of course. We can defend ourselves but we're not a trained army. Thankfully, there's more than one way to negotiate, even with a pirate. My species doesn't have the concept of piracy but we do understand the principle of leverage. We just have to offer him something he wants more than a Cypher stone he likely can't use."

"Such as...amnesty for a period of time? Free passage in the space controlled by one or more of our races? We are diplomats, or essentially representatives of our respective species. For that matter, I could offer this Dom Lemoign a full refit for any vessels under his command in exchange, assuming they made the trip to Harbinger space. Surely such a man would trade hypothetical value for something he can immediately use. Unless the rest of you have other suggestions?"[/div][div class=text][/div][/div][/div][/div] [class=wrapper] background-color:#5e757c; box-sizing:border-box; color:#FFFFFF; display:inline-block; position:relative; width:100%; text-align: justify; [/class] [class=title] color: #262626; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size:3em; font-style:italic; padding:0; text-shadow:0 0 1em; margin-bottom: 10px; [/class] [class=box] margin:2em 1em; padding:2px 4px 0px; position:relative; [/class] [class=boxBg] box-sizing:content-box; height:100%; pointer-events:none; position:absolute; width:100%; [/class] [class=boxBgLarge] top:0; left:-5px; padding:0 4px; border:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.35); [/class] [class=boxBgTall] top:-8px;left:3px; padding:8px 0; width:calc(100% - 8px); height:100%; border:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.25); [/class] [class=boxBgMedium] top:-4px; left:-1px; padding:4px 0; border:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.4); [/class] [class=boxInner] background-color: #5e757c; overflow:hidden; margin:0.5em; [/class] [class=statusBox] box-sizing: border-box; border-right: 3px dotted white; padding: 15px; float: left; max-width: 250px; margin: 0px 15px 15px 0px; [/class] [class=text] padding: 0px 15px 15px 15px; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size:0.8em; [/class] [class=statusText] font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 0.75em; margin-top: 5px; [/class] [class=characterPortrait] box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; border-radius: 20px; overflow: hidden; [/class] [class name=characterPortrait state=hover] opacity: 0.5 [/class]

 

[DiamondJack]

Johnny cracked a smile beneath his helmet when the pirate spoke to him. He had seen the gang coming a mile away. These were the Red Legion. If Johnny remembered correctly this guy was Flip Joon. Fera Joon was there too, and if Johnny hadn't been misinformed she was a top enforcer among these lowlifes. Natasha had once said that these guys wouldn't know a brig from a schooner, whatever the hell that meant.

The Black Lotus had, at one time, been the top dog in these parts. Johnny was going to see if these goons still respected the name. "Damn right it's one hell of a ship," Johnny said, "It once belonged to some nerds on some sort of an archaeology expedition or some shit like that." Mr. Bones was in full pirate boarding a ship persona, "Now it, and all those lovely cannons it has, belong to the Black Lotus. We were here first dickwad, I suggest you look for some other score, because we got this baby in orbit."

Johnny really hoped that Pyekuri would play along. He also really hoped these guys bought into his lie.