The Return of Queen Anne's Revenge: Chapter 1: Another Ship on the Barbie (Closed, Started)

[RandomMan01]

Will McArt looked himself up and down, and shook his head in disapproval.

"Boyo, you've really let yourself go," He muttered to himself. There was truth to that statement. Ever since he had left Internal Operations, Will had been struggling to live off the meager funds he earned from his contract work. He had been so busy, that he had neglected his own well-being. His face was covered in coal dust-a present from his latest employer-his beard and hair had become long and scraggily, and he smelled of something terrible. He couldn't possibly go to his latest job in this state.

Will thought back on the events that had brought him this new opportunity three weeks prior. He had walked into the Dingo's Snarl after a particularly frustrating job to spend away his pay. He had been at the bar for 15 minutes before he had managed to overhear the owner talking to one of his employees about a sort of extra-planetary venture. Curious, Will had approached him and asked him about said "venture". When he figured out it's purpose, Will was more than eager to sign on as a navigator, and his history-plus the fact that no one else had applied as a navigator-ensured he got the job. Now here he was, standing in front of the mirror of his run-down apartment, preparing to go to meet the rest of the crew? looking like a bum. Not happening, he thought.

After a quick shower and shave, Will, now ready to face his new boss, threw on his jacket and a pack, and ran off, his few possessions in tow. The sun was just beginning to set as he walked down the road. Will hated Neoteno with a passion. It was too loud, too noisy, and the city always smelled like shit. He longed to be able to get off of it, and now was his chance. As it started becoming darker, Will kept walking, engrossed in his memories and ignoring anyone he passed on the way.

Will stopped in the middle of his walk, something didn't feel right about where he was standing. Turning around, he realized what it was. He had been so engrossed in his thoughts he had walked right by the Dingo's Snarl, which was a block behind him. Heaving a sigh of frustration and mentally kicking himself for his carelessness, he ran back to the entrance.

What's gotten into you? Will thought as he passed by the bouncer at the front door, giving the man a wave as he passed by, If you act like this on board the ship, someone will get hurt. Stay focused.

The Dingo's Snarl certainly lived up to it's reputation. When Will entered it already had quite a few people, and the night was still young. Will considered stopping by the bar, but decided against it. Making his way through the crowd towards the VIP room, Will took some time to smooth out his coat and brush his bangs to the side.

Upon entering, Will noticed that three other people had already arrived. If these were the people he'd be flying with, it would be a strange crew. One appeared to be looking for something in the corner of the room, one had a decent-sized pair of earrings on, and one looked rather young. Will, however, was not really one for conversation, and since he didn't see Viduka anywhere, he decided to just take a seat and wait.

 

[Tortilla the Hun]

The room was dingy, though that to be expected for the asking price of the night. It was clean enough, washed bedding and white bathroom, but the whole place just looked worn. The carpet was being eaten away from the dragging of feet, trails becoming apparent in the fibers. The windows were dusty though it seemed all the dust was inside the glass, that it wasn't unclean but instead murky. As a result, the light shining through was a shade of brown, at least what little of it went between the thick curtains. A ray of sunshine slowly crawled across the room all morning long, creeping across the single bed in the room and had finally reached the face of the man sleeping beneath the covers. With a low, tired grumble, he awoke. After last night, Ray knew it would take some time getting his morning started...

Ray was finished readying up just as the coffee pot filled up, which wasn't long with it able to hold just four cups. The entirety of it was swiftly poured into a thermos, only taking up about half the space. To make up for the small amount of coffee, he poured whiskey from his last bottle and stirred it up a bit. Then added another splash. And yet another. Finally he resolved to pour what little remained and leave it at that. Duffel bag over his shoulder, revolver on his hip, and hat on his head, Ray strided down the road towards the Dingo's Snarl.

"My kinda place," he muttered as he stepped through the doors. He approached the bar and took a seat on a stool, dropping his bag to the floor, and waited, sipping at his hot breakfast all the while.

 

[Lefthandofgod]

Muhammad was always a big fan of The Dingo's Snarl. It was classy enough that he didn't have to worry about bar fights when he was too drunk, but, more importantly, it was the only bar in NeoTeno that let him carry his weapons inside. Scott liked to call Muhammad his other bouncer, and Muhammad didn't mind smacking the occasional groper in the face with the flat of his sword. Still, he was here on business tonight, so he didn't plan on drinking. At least that's what he told himself before he passed the bartender.

The bartender greeted him with a smile and a glass of foggy white liquid on ice. "Evenin' Mike. I got the usual right here for ya"

He chuckled to himself. He had a usual. It must have been a while since his last job. He was starting to feel old.

"I'll take it to go. Put it on my tab." He grabbed the glass and moved towards the back of the room. He stopped for a moment and walked back to the bar. New crew means new people he needed on his side. So time for the time-tested alliance maker. He made a quick turn back to the bar.

"Gimme a bottle of your best tequila."

The bartender laughed. "Jesus, Mike. That's one hell of an evenin' ya got planned there. Here, and ya tabs maxed out now. Go figure."

"I've got till the end of the month, stop hassling me."

He finished his drink, grabbed the bottle, and made for the back of the bar. One of the bouncers was guarding the entrance to the VIP room.

"I thought good Muslims didn't drink," was all the bouncer said to him.

"Good Muslims don't drink. Happy ones do." He chuckled again. Vindaku always liked passwords that insulted Muhammad. He never seemed to catch on that Muhammad was in on the joke.

The VIP room was already filling up with what would be his new team. Two girls were sitting on the couch, and one was bent over trying to find Scotts liquor stash.

Muhammad chuckled a bit at the sight. "Get your ass out of the air girl. Scott only hides shit back here to make the drunks feel smart for finding it. Here," He tossed the bottle onto the couch, "Best Tequila in NeoTeno. Let's drink up girls!" He laughed his throaty laugh and started to pour drinks for the girls.

 

[Mr.Ivebeenframed]

"Oh please... this'll be the only ass you see tonight." Langley teased as she straightened out. A few more crew members began to arrive. One man with a shamrock tattoo and another man wearing a red flight jacket which looked a little too short on him. Still he seemed like good company. "Let's shoot 'em!"

Langley fetched some salt and limes from the bar in the VIP room as the man poured some tequila. The tequila didn't exactly look like 100% agave tequila but it looked good enough. She licked her hand and poured some salt on it. Then she grabbed a lime with one hand and the glass of tequila with the other. It was the only way Langley enjoyed her tequila and it was basically instinct for her. She hastily licked the salt first and shot down the tequila. It burned but that was the best part. Then she immediately sucked on the lime afterwards.

She shook her head and felt the alcohol start to kick in. This was her first "meal" of the day.

"Ah! That was good." Langley said with glee. "Who's up for another one?"

 

[Mr. Omega]

The smell of smoke and alcohol filled the corner of the Dingo's Snarl where Hamilcar sat, where a band of drunkards and tipsy women sat around the suited man. Rambunctious laughter roared throughout as he continued his tale. "So, anyway, the Rent-A-Cop sees me walking out with the package. He's got his flashlight shining on me, his hand at his waist to get his gun and he's asking me what I'm doing there that late at night. So you know what I tell him? I tell him I'm a janitor. I pull out my stick here..." he said, pulling out a nightstick from inside his coat "...And say that it's a fancy new type of plunger. The electric bit makes pipe cleaning easier. And the shmuck fell for it! Reached over to call a supervisor, and I whack him in the face! And then I just walk on out!" He said as dramatically as he could with accompanying hand gestures.

The party started laughing louder, pounding their drinks against the table, saying things along the lines of "what an idiot!" before they calmed down. "Ey, c'mon, Ham! Give us another story! C'mon, we can get ya another round!" One of them called out. Hamilcar shrugged, walking away "Look, I got somewhere I need to be. I got here a little early so I thought a little fun would be fine. Some drinks, a couple stories from some earlier jobs and some jokes... but I'm here on business, and one can hardly conduct proper business hammered." He brushed off his jacket, straightening up his posture to try and seem more professional. He spied a couple people heading into the VIP section and cracked his knuckles. "Right. People are arriving." He turned back to his drinking buddies "I'll have a new story ready for you guys by the time I get back." The bunch cheered as they went back to their own entertainment.

He walked into the VIP section, taking the seat furthest away from the group, scouting out who might possibly come in. Hopefully I don't have to deal with any freaks... He was short on work at the moment, so this current job was a lifesaver for him, but he also knew this kind of job had the tendency to attract backstabbers. One can never be too careful...

 

[RandomMan01]

Will looked up at the new arrival. He was certainly the strangest one to show up so far, besides the bottle of whiskey and the red flight jacket, everything about him seemed to fit poorly. This didn't really bother Will, however, as he had also brought booze. The woman who had been searching in the corner had already taken a shot, and Will figured one drink couldn't hurt. Brushing aside the fact that he had just been referred to as a "girl", Will stood up and walked towards the couch. "I'll be having one," he said.

Will didn't bother with the limes and salt like the other woman had, instead just choosing to down the shot plain. He shook his head as he began to feel the alcohol kick in. Truth be told, Will didn't really like tequila all that much, but he needed a drink and it would do in a pinch.

"So," he began, looking around at the room, noticing the new arrival, "I take it we're all here for the same purpose?"

 

[Athol]

Bunch'a drunks... Lacy though, as she watched more people arrive. She was by no means a teetotaller, but getting hammered at the intro meeting? Bad form. Quietly nursing her beer, she reach under her jacket and unsnapped her pistol...not that she was expecting trouble from this lot, but as they say 'Better Safe Than Sorry'.

The one that drew her attention the most, was the only other female in the room. Thank Christ for that....if I end up as the only chick on another cruise, I swear I'll stuff someone out an ai..DAMN. Her train of thought was thoroughly derailed as the blue-haired woman bent over. You could bounce a quarter off that ass. Taking a deep pull of her beer, she tried to get her thoughts under control. Down girl.

"So, I take it we're all here for the same purpose?"

Looking over at the guy who'd just spoken, Lacy smiled over her drink. "I should hope so, because you're not nearly pretty enough to be the stripper I hired."

 

[blaze96]

After getting his order, a beer and plate of nachos, Jack made his way into the VIP area taking a seat somewhat away from the others. Usually his choice of uniform lead to at least one gun being pointed at him at these things, and he really wanted to finish this plate of nachos before that happened. So for the moment he simply sat back and focused on getting drunk and eating.

Quite the crew we have here. Wonder just what will happen first with this group. Either somebody does something stupid and they are made to pay forcing me to act, which I don't want to repair some idiot's new cut cause somebody slashed him with a blade, or our hirer actually decides to get down to it. I bet 5 on the first one. He thought.

 

[Tortilla the Hun]

After seeing a few people make their way to the backroom, it just occurred to Ray that the meeting was nearing its start time. Those that entered were an interesting assortment. Though considering some of the people he had worked with, that was to be expected. He took a gulp of his breakfast and headed for the back with his bag. After entering the meeting place, he tipped his hat to everyone in greeting with a big, warm smile. "Gentleman. Ladies. Howdy."

 

[Mr. Omega]

Hamilcar moved closer to the group, speaking up after Lacy's comment. "Ah, so we have a comedian. A sense of humor will certainly be appreciated. I've dealt with enough hard-nosed wannabe badasses for one lifetime..." He extended a hand out to the group, waiting for someone to grasp it. "Ladies and gents, Hamilcar Ibn Muhammad. Translator, negotiator, tactician and expert in all forms of security, humbly at your service." He bowed, keeping his hand extended out. "So, are any of you fine people the captain of the vessel that we'll be using for the foreseeable future?"

 

[RandomMan01]

"I should hope so, because you're not nearly pretty enough to be the stripper I hired."

Will couldn't help but chuckle at the joke. "Funny," he noted.

After downing his second glass of tequila, Will set down his shot glass, thanking the man who had brought it in, and turned to walk back to his seat.

Best to quit while you're ahead Will, don't need to be getting sloshed before you even talk to you're boss.

As he was walking back, he noticed 3 new people had entered. Two of them in particular attracted his attention. One was a man in army fatigues. The fatigues, Will didn't mind, it was the fact that he had a rifle practically on display that bothered him. Last time Will checked, a man didn't carry a weapon like that unless he was expecting a fight. Will made a mental note to keep an eye on him. The other wasn't so much unusual in the way he dressed, as he was in the way he talked.

"Ladies and gents, Hamilcar Ibn Muhammad. Translator, negotiator, tactician and expert in all forms of security, humbly at your service."

Show off. Will thought, shaking his head. Taking a seat, he tucked his hand into his coat pocket, grabbing hold of his butterfly knife. He had no intention of bringing it out, but it's presence was comforting. Weaving the folded weapon through his fingers, careful not to release the blade, Will leaned back into his chair, and waited for Viduka to arrive.

 

[blaze96]

"Well may as well go next. Jack Shepard, former rifleman and combat medic. I'm sure you can all figure out for who." With that done he went back to simply drinking his beer and polishing off the plate of nachos.

Well at least nobody pointed a weapon at me or started screaming about me being some kind of fascist or something. God I hate those damn hippies, stupid fucking rules preventing me from shooting. I wouldn't have hit any of 'em, just sent a round over their heads to make the dumb bastards scatter. He thought as he let the duffel bag of his meager possessions fall to the ground and placed the rifle much more carefully on the ground near him. It left him more open but at the same time it was a hell of a lot more comfortable.

 

[Athol]

"Funny."

"I like to think so." She replied, still smiling. She watched with mild curiosity as two more men entered. Damn...too much sausage, but nothing I can do about it.

"Ah, so we have a comedian. A sense of humour will certainly be appreciated. I've dealt with enough hard-nosed wannabe badasses for one lifetime...Ladies and gents, Hamilcar Ibn Muhammad. Translator, negotiator, tactician and expert in all forms of security, humbly at your service. So, are any of you fine people the captain of the vessel that we'll be using for the foreseeable future?"

Beer still in hand, she rose and shook Hamilcar's hand. "Good to meet you Barca, and I agree. I got my fill of those 'hard men' while still in Basic." She said with a wink. "I'm Lacy Dawes; expert in both making and patching holes in the human body...sometimes the same body if they're worth enough."

"Well may as well go next. Jack Shepard, former rifleman and combat medic. I'm sure you can all figure out for who."

"Glad to see somebody else who's gotten out of that cesspool..." She said brightly. "And another Medic too boot." Dropping into a seat near Jack, she stuck out her hand. "What unit did you serve in?"

 

[blaze96]

Jack couldn't help but genuinely smile as the woman revealed she had served, and was a medic as well. He gladly shook her hand.

"I served with the seventh on the Enkidu. Generally working as ship security when I wasn't being sent boarding or planetside. Good to know if I manage to do something stupid and pay for it I'm at least getting patched up by somebody who was on the same side as me. So which unit did you get rolled in with anyway?" By this point he had already released the hand but decided to hold his beer up for a quick toast anyway. He was honestly very glad to meet a fellow soldier of the PGP. Meant at the very least there would be one person on the ship he could actually manage to relate to.

 

[Mr.Ivebeenframed]

By Langley's second shot, a few more people joined in on their little party. One of them carried a rifle in a room which wasn't exactly the best choice considering everyone here either looked visibly armed or could be assumed to have some sort of weapon on them. Jobs like this usually attracted these kind of people. Then they began introducing themselves.

"Ladies and gents, Hamilcar Ibn Muhammad. Translator, negotiator, tactician and expert in all forms of security, humbly at your service."

"Jack Shepard, former rifleman and combat medic."

"I'm Lacy Dawes; expert in both making and patching holes in the human body...sometimes the same body if they're worth enough."

Langley put a name to those faces as she scanned the room wondering who else would introduce themselves. She had but she never said what she did or rather her role on Viduka's little voyage. She wanted it as a surprise so she could see other people's reaction when this drinking, party-goer was actually their pilot and a damned good one at that, or so she sees.

"Quite an exciting group of people we have tonight..." Langley said aloud before downing another shot. The only affect it gave her was a sharp taste in her tongue. "It makes you wonder what kind of cargo we're carrying, or the kind of fun we'll be seeing on the high seas."

 

[Athol]

"So which unit did you get rolled in with anyway?"

"Yeah, it's always nice knowing if I get tagged there's somebody else who can patch me up." She replied. "Anyways, I was with the 125th onboard the Tamerlane. We were doing 'Safety and Security' patrols...you know squash them uppity colonials when they object to some home world corporation coming in to strip mine their planet." Finishing her beer, she let out a sigh. "Finished my contract, and got the fuck out. Best decision I've ever made."

"Quite an exciting group of people we have tonight...It makes you wonder what kind of cargo we're carrying, or the kind of fun we'll be seeing on the high seas."

With a nod to Jack, she slid over towards the blue-haired woman. "Well considering the PGP'll probably space us wither its atomics or toilet paper, I can't say care all that much, and as for fun...I find the best is the kind you make yourself." She said with a smile, and a wink. "Nice ink by the way."

 

[Mr.Ivebeenframed]

"Nice ink by the way."

"Oh these ones..." Langley said, looking at the ones that could be seen, poking through the sleeves of her jacket. "I got more of these badboys."

With that, Langley removed her jacket revealing even more artwork on her arms. She was wearing a sleeveless, blue shirt. She always made a habit of "converting" regular T-shirts to sleeveless ones to show off her tattoos. She rotated her arms to show the detail that went into her ink.

"I have more under my shirt but I don't think it's that kind of party... yet." Langley whispered to Lacy. Then she turned to the other crew members. Langley filled her cup once more and raised it in the air. "I propose a toast to all you wonderful people but sadly I'm not the captain so it isn't official. Cheers!"

Langley gulped down another shot, feeling only a slight buzz as swallowed the alcohol.

 

[Athol]

Well things are certainly looking up now. Lacy thought, as she responded to Langley's whisper with her won lecherous smirk. While those thoughts had defiantly been a motivating force in going over to the other woman; the tattoos ,now that she could see more of them, really where quite good. She'd always wanted to get a tattoo, but for various reasons never got around to it. I should ask Langley where she got her's done.

"I propose a toast to all you wonderful people but sadly I'm not the captain so it isn't official. Cheers!"

"Cheers!" She replied, pouring a drink from the small bar. What were you saying about drunks at a job interview? Shut up you...

 

[Mr. Omega]

Hamilcar smiled as Lacy shook his hand, nodding politely after she introduced herself. He sat down, getting a drink for himself as the others introduced themselves. So far nothing about them seemed to be setting off any red flags in Hamilcar's mind, so he had no reason to leave the job.

"I propose a toast to all you wonderful people but sadly I'm not the captain so it isn't official. Cheers!"

"I'll drink to that." he said, downing the drink he had. "Still, it seems a little small for a proper crew. Hopefully whoever else shows up is as wonderful as you all."

 

[Tortilla the Hun]

Ray found it a little hard to believe that no one had noticed him, or at least not bothered to respond to his greeting especially considering his stature, he figured he'd be hard to miss. At any rate, he walked aside and dropped his duffel bag aside before finally leaning against the wall in waiting.

"I propose a toast to all you wonderful people but sadly I'm not the captain so it isn't official. Cheers!"

Ray silently raised his thermos and gulped some more of his breakfast. There were definitely some interesting people in here. That much was plain.