Suddenly, the place seemed to be getting a bit busier. Mechty shifted a bit in xer seat, uncomfortable with the attention from multiple people, and got up to move to a quieter corner. Mechty decided to do a little stretch to loosen xer joints after sitting still for a bit too longer than was comfortable, and saw crossbow-girl watching everyone and taking notes in that interesting little journal. Maybe I could try to sneak up and... acquire... that book, take a bit of a read, see what she wrote, Mechty thought, before deciding against it. These were going to be allies for a while, afterall. No point pissing them off.
Taking a few careful steps around Nerin, Mechty did a quick bow towards the late arrivals, then turned and strode over to the as-yet unintroduced girl, gesturing at the book in her hands questioningly. Or what xe hoped seemed questioningly, and not the wavings of a demented person.
Precis was still quite confused as to what was going on, but she assumed that it had something to do with bounty hunting. With the way they had asked if this was the recruitment meeting, as well as the assortment of people of all types, she could only assume that Ray and Kin were looking to join these people, and with them, she would go along as well. She was a little nervous, being inexperienced in combat, but she definitely wanted to help in any way she can.
What confused her further though, was when Kin asked if they had a ship large enough to house the Aurora, and if not, where they would store it. She had worked pretty hard on the Aurora and she didn't want to simply let it go, so she hoped that the ship would be able to accommodate it. Looking at the others, her eyes passed by each individual before she looked curiously at the one in the orange enviro suit.
It was a few seconds before she brought her full attention to the one that seemed to be the leader. She had been introduced, so she felt it was necessary to say. "I might seem young, but I'm an experienced engineer sir. This body helps me get around the ships better, so it suits my tasks well." She wasn't exactly lying after all. Engineering was in her blood, and the body DID help her navigate the vents easily.
Kristina had been quietly sitting in the background of the conversation, occasionally making notes on the various personalities of each individual, deciding on who best to make friends with, and who to ignore to a certain degree. With a cautionary glance, she had noticed the individual in the armoured suit, gesturing to the journal itself, probably wondering what it contained.
"So, Mechty, you want to know whats inside this little journal then? Its rather simple really, its just some notes I am making about everyone here. Personalities, skills, equipment, just general tactical information, for any unpleasant eventualities. However, that is not the main focus of this journal. In the first few pages, are a list of people, individuals who I am trying to contact, people who I have a personal history with, and wish to make sure they don't cause the same pain to others, that they did to me."
Mechy digested what the girl had to say, which seemed to be a decent bit about that journal. Xe could almost taste the history emanating from the book, and pointed to it, making a reading notion, before stopping to shake xer head thoughtfully, and point straight at her, realising she still hadn't got a name yet.
Damn, but Mechty hoped that xe might get a chance to read that book, if the owner was willing. That gave xer another thought, prompting a hand to reach under the cloak and bring out the battered old Haggard's Haunters book, which xe held out as a sort of collateral. This old fiction book was very valuable, sentimentally and otherwise.
While this was going on, Mechty couldn't help but overhear the little girl, and failed to suppress a faint shudder. Oh, the bad memories. Feth that, I better be billeted nowhere near her, xe thought.
Kier'Ran stood near the ship, taking in the sights and smells of the port. Too many people, too many noises, too much of everything. He expected himself to break whenever he spent a substantial amount of time around this number of people, but he knew he wouldn't this time because there was a way out shortly.
He noticed the man in the suit with the case, he'd seen enough assassins in his day to detect the swagger, the mannerisms, and the attitude. However, he'd also seen enough messengers and company men with the exact same things, so he paid him no heed. Leaning against one of the struts, he contemplated and went over in his head again the other hunters in the room. The Animal Farmer, who apparently thought himself strong because he was from a rich family, the huntress, reading and writing in her book, quiet, which he'd appreciated, the two who had gotten into a fight that escalated much too fast for his liking, they were going to be a problem he feared. Then there had been the three that had looked as if they were in a rush to get somewhere, probably that same meeting if his instincts were correct. The man in the robes and sword had proven obnoxious, naive and demeaning, none of them good traits for someone starting in the business.
Xion wandered over to Kristina and Mechty, looking bored. He took a seat between the two, peering over at Kristina's notebook that she had so kindly offered to show to look at. He glanced at a page, noticing a specific set of writing that said "Xion Thestalos". He didn't have the time to read before she had shut it and moved it out of sight.
"Hello, m'lady" he said as he offered a wink and a sly smile. "And a good day to you stranger" he gestured toward Mechty.
"What kind of things have you wrote about me might I inquire? Not that I'm that intrigued, I'm too starved to be"
Xion looked over at Mechty, peering deep into xer visor, hoping to see some semblance of a person, but alas, it was opaque.
"Do you eat at all? Do you require food? F-o-o-d?"
He pointed to his stomach, before miming biting on a sandwich, trying to get across the message.
"Anyway... like I said, I'm starving. Do you want to come get something to eat with me Kristina?"
Kristina had taken a brief look at the book that Mechty presented to her. She had sensed that the book held some sentimental value to whoever was inside the armoured suit. It was after making a few more notes on Xion, that the man in question came over, failing to get a peek at what had been written about it him. She had snapped the book shut, and placed the book in a inside pocket of her coat, away from prying eyes.
"Whilst I find your attempts at charming me Xion, to be somewhat cute. But I'm afraid, you'll have to try better to get this girl. As for whats inside? Well, lets just say, they are secret. If your a good boy, I may share a few details with you." Kristina remarked, playing the role of a coy temptress to the best of her ability.
"However, I won't say no to getting something to eat. After all, we have a little time on our hands before the first mission." She said, noting the amount of time they had, before they were scheduled to leave. As she walked to the door, Kristina gave the naive man a sly wink.
"Well then, is there anywhere that you'd recommend?"
Mechty huffed as Xion stole away xer chance of perusing bow-girl's book, still without the introduction xe was gesticulating for. I must resist the urge to smack Xion, I must resist the urge to smack Xion, Mechty repeatedly thought, and with the promise of further interaction and data digging, xe turned away and circled around the latecomers, making sure to keep plenty of space between xerself and the kid. Damn, kids could be so annoying, especially the little female ones, with their high-pitched shrieking.
Considering what to do next, Mechty took up position by the door, hoping to catch someone willing to have a mute tag-along following behind them. Maybe Lukaas, he did say that he needed to get supplies, and xe could always help carrying them. Anything to alleviate the boredom, really. Damn that Xion, he'd get his just deserts for denying an inflow of knowledge.
"Whilst I find your attempts at charming me Xion, to be somewhat cute. But I'm afraid, you'll have to try better to get this girl.
Oooh, I like this one. So coy, she has a modest body...I might indeed try better
He returned the wink, along with a cheeky smile, before
...Is there anywhere that you'd recommend?"
"Actually, I have no idea. I'm new to this Station, only visited briefly a long time ago. We could perhaps walk around town, I'm sure there must be some restaurants here"
Xion looked over at Mechty who had had so far been unresponsive to his attempts at trying to contact xer.
"I'm sorry for earlier, allow me to formally introduce myself, Xion Thestalos, at your service"
He took a deep bow before the suited figure, it seemed strange, bowing to something that might not even be human. But Xion wasn't going to let himself be hated without good reason, he'd try to at least appear civil to those who had not yet come to know him.
"Do you know the area Mechty? Any good places one might be able to eat around here? I would be humbly grateful for your assistance"
"I'm sorry for earlier, allow me to formally introduce myself, Xion Thestalos, at your service", said Xion, before administering a respectful bow, showman like, and continuing with "Do you know the area Mechty? Any good places one might be able to eat around here? I would be humbly grateful for your assistance"
Mechty grinned wolfishly beneath xer helmet, thinking up the places xe could send this windbag. Perhaps a dumpster behind a restaurant a few corridors away, or a run-down public toilet? That would be fun, but would probably leave a bad impression. Ah, but what about a little detour? Mechty thought, pulled a piece of paper out of a spare notebook, and began scribbling energetically with a vegetable-shaped pen.
The instructions were good enough, simple directions even Xion or Vane could follow, and would lead to a decent, middle-class eatery. The route xe had written, though, involved going through a few corridors bordering on the sewage reclamation facilities, and passing through a section or two.
Mechty felt kind of bad for the girl who would get dragged along, but she probably wouldn't notice the stink of waste if some of the people here smelled half as bad as their attitudes. Xe held out the piece of paper to Xion, smiling smugly, unseen.
Meine had turned her hearing off when the group had started bickering and decided to wait for the leaders, which arrived not that long after. She turned her ear back on, to listen to what they had to say and then another group arrived.
I am broke.
She thought the room was getting too crowded and didn't really want to spend any more time than neccessary in this company. She would need to anyway, if she were to work with them from now on.
"I'll see you at the ship then." Meine said, without conveying much emotion and started heading for the exit of the cafe they were in.
"Name's Ray'skel, though you can just call me Ray. The ol' gal what spoke up is Kinraye, though I'm sure she won't mind just bein' called Kin. And the youngest and latest addition to our little travelin' band is Precis. Pleased to meet ya."
This man sounds like a bumpkin, albeit a friendly one mused Vane. Bowing as he waved his arms he pulled up his body and looked at the crew of the man. So she wasn't his daughter then. Possible concubine? But she looks too young. Probably a serving girl Vane thought. He would make an extra effort to be kind to this one, there was a solidarity between those who sold themselves, if not in action, then in understanding of their lot in the world.
"It is a pleasure to meet you Mister Ray'skel, I am Vane O Sufi, a sell-sword." Vane responded cordially, his voice reaming even.
"If you will excuse me, I am afraid that I would like to head towards the ship to rest and contemplate the strands of society" continued Vane, a warm smile lighting up his face.
After getting the answer he wanted, Lukaas placed his notepad back in a hidden pouch in his jacket and made for the door. Just as he was reaching for the door knob, he overheard the one-sided conversation between Mechty and Xion. Apparently, Mechty was giving directions to a some sort of restaurant near by. Being unfamiliar with the area and hoping to get Mechty to say anything, Lukaas went up to it as Mechty was handing the slip of paper to the crimsoned-hair man.
"You know your way around this place? I could use a tour guide to all the good shops on this station, if you don't mind."
"You know your way around this place? I could use a tour guide to all the good shops on this station, if you don't mind."
Mechty turned to face Lukaas, still smiling, and released the piece of paper without seeing if Xion was ready for it. No doubt he would catch it, but it wasn't that important. A nice trip to the sewers should cool that hot head off. Mechty gave a small nod to Lukaas, and turned to bow out of the conversation, step backwards out the door, and turn on xer heel. Ah, but what kind of shops does Lukaas want to visit? xe wondered, and pulled out another piece of paper to scrawl the question on. Xe'd need to look into buying more writing supplies at this rate, or something with more uses than plain old paper. Or take someone into xer confidence. Someone good enough at interpreting xer meanings.
Looking at the paper Mechty wrote, "Well, looks like we need to go to a book store and get you a spiral or something...better. I just need to get some more ammo, a new grindstone for my axe and some eye drops."
An unfortunate side effect of his vision augmentations to his eyes include irritation and a reduction of tear production which also causes more irritation. It is a vicious cycle.
Mechty proceeded to scrawl out a rough map, it seemed awfully convoluted for a space station, they usually consisted of a logical layout of buildings but the way this map was drawn showed a lot of twists and turns. Nevertheless, Xion was confident that xe knew what they were doing.
"Why thank you Mechty. Let no one say that those who don't speak are ill mannered"
He went to reach for the note, but Mechty turned to speak to Lukaas, dropping the note and completely ignoring Xion. This lack of respect towards him, coupled with the seemingly complicated note gave rise to a feeling that Mechty didn't like him.
Xion turned to Kristina, "So, it looks like Mechty provided us some directions" he said whilst showing the crudely drawn map.
"So... shall we make our way? Unless you have another idea of where to go?"
"I might seem young, but I'm an experienced engineer sir. This body helps me get around the ships better, so it suits my tasks well."
"So, you're older than you look?" Gira inquired. "Well, that's a relief, means I won't have to think twice about sending you off to die on some planet."
He chuckled lightly to himself, though upon noticing that Precis failed to find his comment amusing ceased to do so. The mechanical man was unsure what prompted him to make such a remark, though he knew for a fact that his statement had a small grain of truth to it.
"In any case, welcome aboard. I'm just hoping we can hide you somewhere if the police ever search our ship, not sure if they'd believe that you're old enough to serve."
"If you're still willing to sign on, I have to ask if your ship has hangars bays, and if it does, are they large enough to handle a small transport? I'm only asking so I can make arrangements to have it stored if there isn't room."
His attention then turned to Kin, one of two professional hunters to walk in with the girl. He was unsure what to think of the woman, given her arrival with the child and all, though found himself in no position to comment on the morality of her actions considering his previous statement.
"Yeah, there're hangers on the ship, though it's been a while since we've used them. Although, personally, I doubt you'll need your own personal ship if you'll be rolling with us, but I'm fine with transporting it."
---
Mr. Saunderi stood, his humble suit stained with the blood of the men who stood between him and his vantage point, staring off the rooftop with cold, unfeeling eyes. His careful, meticulous extermination of potential threats to his personal crusade took a mere handful of minutes, the elderly man quite proud of his accomplishment, though he vowed not to celebrate until the world below him burnt to ashes.
He took a moment to assess his surroundings, searching for targets for both himself and his soon-to-be robotic minions to eliminate, before sauntering over to the radio tower, holding in his hands the portable computer in which the key to his operation's success was held within. He withdrew a cable from his coat pocket and plugged the machine in, watching with impatient eyes as the virus began to load.
He then turned his gaze to the horizon, observing the rabble, until finding a target worthy of striking down. It was a man, short and stocky, with ghostly pale skin and an outfit very muck akin to that of the common bounty hunter. The man look rough, uncouth and, perhaps most importantly to the crusader, useless to his visions of the perfect society.
"Ah, the cowboy, callous and voracious men without souls whom serve society not out of a sense of justice, but for physical wealth and self-preservation." Mr. Saunderi mumbled. "Scum, I say, more than deserving of a slow and painful purging, though sadly all I can give you from here is a quick death. Consider yourself lucky, cowboy..."
Mr. Saunderi withdrew his compactable rifle and took aim, reciting a quick prayer to gods unknown as he steadied his scope. The final words of the wish escaped his lips and, with a squeeze of the trigger, a thunderous boom echoed from the rifle, and the fate of his first victim was sealed.
---
On the ground below, slowly making his way through the market stalls, was a lone, doomed man, known to a few as Acarian Shelmore. He was a lively, if crude, individual, with a life having been lived well by the standards of most, having traveled the Western Frontier in search of glory and wealth for a number of years, hunting down merciless and dangerous criminals for the greater good of mankind. Downtime was a rarity for him, with most days consisting of either travel or hunting, though through some miracle he managed to find himself bartering with the local merchants and, while he had intended to eventually make his way to the Red Giant Cafe in order to join up with a group of fellow bounty hunters, found himself unable to care much about it at this time.
He would never reach the cafe, however, as fate had other plans for the unfortunate professional. As he began to make his way through the crowd, in attempt to make his way towards a man selling sets of foreign blades, a high caliber round struck his abdomen, penetrating his coat with ease, and exploded within his chest. His demise was, at least visibly, quite instantaneous, albeit incredibly gruesome, with shards of bone and pieces of pulp soaring outward.
Those within the market place found themselves witness to his end, with a handful of individuals closer to him, including one orange suited individual and xer cowboy companion, being pelted with pieces of debris.
---
Throughout the station, wielding mounted blades and built-in weaponry, the robotic sentries, once having served vigilantly and without fear, turned upon those once under their watch. The virus corrupted their artificial minds, turning all in their path into registered hostiles, and mechanical force cut down all in sight, without hesitation, with great prejudice.
Although the criminal and civilian populace would band together to put up a resistance, but against their cold, metallic assailants their was little hope to be found.
Little hope aside from Blackhearts, that is...
After much wait, combat will commence soon. In the mean time, however, the opponents have yet to reach you, so right now you'll be reacting to the sounds of combat in the distance and giving me a rough idea of where you are. Most of you are in the market from what I've gathered, so dispersing outward might not be a bad idea if you want some individualized fights. However, should you choose to stick together, I'll happily oblige with a horde of security drones, sniper fire and riot control androids.
Keir'Ran heard the shot long before anyone else in the hangar and immediately picked up his bag by the ship and dived headlong for the nearest cover. A few strange looks accompanied him, before the echo reached the ears of the populace and they, in turn, either ran back to their ships and prepared to leave or huddled in groups as the sentries sprouted weapons and converged on the deck. Some drew weapons and engaged the robots, Kier'Ran sat behind his stack of crates and looked for anything or anybody that could start the ship. Unfortunately, there was nobody that he recognized. The fools were probably all in the marketplace, leaving him to keep the ship in relative working condition.
He pulled the chain out from the satchel and wrapped it around his real arm, securing it and readying it for the fight that was headed his way.
While arguing with a merchant about the prices of his medical eye drops, Lukaas shifted his satchel of supplies from one sore shoulder to the other ache-free one. It was a miracle that he found the Blue Sun ammo store. Looking back at his new best friend, being it's usual silent self, he wondered if Lukaas can trust something that has less personality than a rock.
Nah, best to have low expectations. That way I won't be surprised if it stabs me in the back.
"I'll only pay full price for this crap if you throw in that cream. Deal?"
He never did get the chance to make a deal before he felt a splash of warm liquid on the back of his neck with a loud boom following shortly after. Turning around to see a man with a jagged cavity in his chest. Diving down behind cover to avoid gaining a chest cavity himself, people in the market square began to panic.
Pulling out his sawn-off, Lukaas noticed that his jacket was soaked in blood.
For crying out loud, couldn't that guy decide to explode a few meter away?
Worry about the dry cleaning bill later. Just try to keep your head on your shoulders and maybe we can find out who wants to ruin our clothing.
Mechty had frozen when xe heard the rifle's report and continued to stand rooted in place, white cloak speckled with blood from a dead man. Xe stared at him, lying still on the floor. His face looked so peaceful, if it hadn't been for the mortal wound in his chest, one could think he was sleeping.
Someone ran into Mechty from behind, jogging xer from the stunned thoughts, and xe dropped to the floor next to the dead man. There were bone shards lodged fast in xer cloak from being so close to such a deadly type of ammunition, but xe didn't let that get in the way, and quickly rolled under a stall opposite Lukaas, who seemed to be likewise covered in blood, but all together less shaken by such violence. Oh crap, I dropped the damn shopping straight into that pool of blood, Mechty thought, prompting a mechanical, grating laugh that only Lukaas could hear to issue forth from the modulator speakers on xer helmet. Dammit, the switch must have flipped when I dropped, xe thought while flipping it back to the off position, and gesturing at the shopping bags. Ah, but Lukaas had a gun out. The shopping wasn't important right now.
Mechty quickly scuttled out into the open, grabbed the bags, and moved over to crouch behind the same cover as Lukaas.
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