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Post by Ashleigh Blevins on Mar 25, 2015 22:55:43 GMT -5
Ash grins, flicking a stray hair off his face. "A lot of beauty walked in here with you, pretty boy." He nods at the aether and the brute, mostly looking at the brute. Appreciatively.
He does not, however, address the brute, instead speaking to the pint-sized gasbag. "What're you in for? Because i can probably think of a few reasons off the bat." He smirks.
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Post by Soline on Mar 25, 2015 23:10:33 GMT -5
The brute of a mercenary moved to enter the doorway. By anyone other than apparently Ash's standards, he'd hardly be considered attractive. "Soline has a message along with this one. Says 'e's 'Yer problem now.'" Reaching behind him, the mercenary pulled a datapad from his back pocket and tossed it toward Ash. He seemed the only one likely to catch it. "Code for the cuffs an' your instructions. Enjoy." With a grunt, the brute slammed the door and left.
Upon an attempt to activate the datapad, a blank screen would show followed quickly by an automatic decryption. It would be a few minutes until the pad was ready to share the briefing stored within.
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Post by Ashleigh Blevins on Mar 25, 2015 23:20:37 GMT -5
Ash catches the datapad just before it's too late, tapping a few keys to turn it on. "Right, big guy. Thanks. Give the lady a tip for me when you see her." He eyes the pad, then looks at the other two he was in the room with before.
"Well? You two have any idea what this is?" He wags the datapad at them, while it's still booting up.
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Post by Argon on Mar 25, 2015 23:38:56 GMT -5
'I'm their problem now?' Argon wondered to himself. What was Soline planning for him? The group seemed like an odd bunch. The injured woman was, perhaps understandably, unfriendly; the hairy-faced man overly so. Then there was the quiet one, what was going on in her head? Regardless, it seemed he would be with these people for some time, so he should make a good impression. He looked toward the hairy- faced man with the datapad as the merc slammed the door and left.
"I'm in for getting out, or attempting to as it were. Do you perhaps see a button to rele~ase these manacles on that datapad? I feel like a hundred years I haven't gotten to enjoy yet is weighing on me. A name to go with that fascinating golden hair would also be much appreciated." Argon used his most charming shoulder roll to go with his words, hoping to butter up the man.
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Post by Silas Sedgewick on Mar 25, 2015 23:50:16 GMT -5
Silas shrugged Ash's way, genuinely not knowing what was up with the datapad. "Soline sometimes gives us orders through dead drops, but it's usually in heavily populated areas and for very important tasks, that way she keeps things secret, but . . . I'm not sure why she would here. Unless it's about Manacles here," she shrugged again, gesturing towards the cuffed Aether.
"Until we know what's up, we're not going to free your tiny wrists yet."
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Post by Ashleigh Blevins on Mar 26, 2015 0:24:28 GMT -5
Ash grins at the little aether. "Ohh, you're just trying to get cozy with me now, aren't you? Heh, it won't get you far, being a gasbag, but the name's Ash, like I told the pretty little ladies." He taps the datapad. "And no, there aren't any buttons yet. The pad's still loading up whatever Soline's treat for us is. It's probably a big one."
He taps his chin. "Besides, what if we -want- to keep you locked up? You said you were trying to escape. From where? You could be a pit-digger for all we know."
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Post by Cate Baxter on Mar 26, 2015 21:10:37 GMT -5
Cate did bolt up as the Aether found themselves shoved into the room. She started to open her mouth to say something when Ash-- did the man just hit on tall, grim, and gravelly? That cost her any wit she had for a moment until the merc left, leaving them with a datapad on one newcomers lap and another standing altogether too comfortably in a pair of handcuffs.
"...Right." She began, eyes going over the newly formed group before darting back to the door as if daring it to interrupt them again. "Our problem. Si? Did we get demoted? Is this our punishment? Are we bein' made to be babysitters here? Because you know I ain't made for runnin' after people. I fly us from one place to another an' I'm not seein' any flyin' goin' on here."
Her eyes settled on Ash as he addressed the gasboy. "An' you ain't speakin' for us neither! What's your story? Why are you all gettin' dropped in our lap without a word. What the heck is goin' on here?"
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Post by Ashleigh Blevins on Mar 26, 2015 21:29:41 GMT -5
Ash raises his hands slowly, then chucks the datapad gently over to Cate. "I don't know. The pad's running some kind of decryption sequence. Like I said, it's got nothing on there yet, really." He leans back.
"I'm a drifter Soline's got on pay as a gearhead. Do some good work. I don't know why she'd send me here other than to be your ship's engineer." It seems the best tactic is to comply with the feisty pilot. He leans back into the chair, rolling his shoulders. "Until we know otherwise, I'll act like there is a 'we', thanks, pretty girl." He grins at Cate, winking. So much for compliance.
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Post by Silas Sedgewick on Mar 27, 2015 1:26:12 GMT -5
"And here I thought human cargo was behind me," started the gunslinger, right before she blinked and corrected herself. "Sorry, alien cargo, though that's still an ongoing gig. I guess, by technicality, nothing's really changed then," she shrugged, amused with her own train of thought and phrasing.
"Let's all take a quick second to catch up to speed while the pad keeps spooling away, yeah? Formal background, chop chop," she commanded, waving dismissively towards Ash, given that he already gave his. Her attention was solely upon the Aether, who remained mostly a mystery to the lot of them, outside of his self-proclaimed titles and lacking job description. "If there's anything nasty written about you by Soline, I'd like to hear it from you first. Honesty is a real good way to earn yourself a proper first impression."
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Post by Argon on Mar 28, 2015 1:45:47 GMT -5
"Nasty? Me? I can't imagine so, other than pushing the boundaries of art and sentient thought. I'm an artist and curator by trade, a socialite by character. Also, I may have pushed a few boundaries with a number of powerful businessman's daughters, but who has time to siphon ancient history... I assure you these cuffs are simply a vote of confidence on Soline's part - she knew if I desired to escape from that brute who shoved me in the door I'd have been able to do so easily had I been unrestrained. Brains over brawn, as it were. Not that I sought to avoid meeting you lovely people."
Argon glanced around the room at his new compatriots somewhat deadened stares. He ventured a guess that they were practical sorts, not to be swayed by honeyed words.
"Well, if he's an engineer, one of you two ladies must be a pilot," Argon glanced at the one in the sling " and perhaps you are the security... To be honest I'm not sure what Soline intends for me to do with you all, but perhaps I'm simply tagging along to do my own work. I've always wanted to travel with humans among the stars. A spot of adventure, a cultural exchange as it were. Or I may be here to add a bit of civility and decorum to our enterprise. I certainly don't think I'm here to be cargo." Argon finished with what he hoped was an air of dignity. He hoped the others didn't notice the slight bubbling along his temples. Could Soline really intend to pack him in a crate in the cargo hold of whatever rust-bucket these humans were flinging out into the vast abyss of space?
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Post by Cate Baxter on Mar 28, 2015 11:26:29 GMT -5
Cate huffed, but otherwise seemed to accept. "You got it right. I'm the pilot." Her eyes roamed over the other three in the room before settling on Silas. "An' I don't go about traffickin' people. I don't care what Soline says."
With that said her attention drops to fiddling with the datapad. The sort of impatient presses that people do as a placebo when technology is moving slower than they'd like. "Babysittin's one thin'. I doubt Soline would go puttin' a small group like us in charge o' no prisoners. 'Specially not a cripple like me."
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Post by Ashleigh Blevins on Mar 28, 2015 19:10:06 GMT -5
Ash raises his eyebrows at Argon, smirking. "I find it really surprising a talker like you's even still around, little thing you are. But Soline's seemingly saddled us with you. But I don't think I've ever done a prisoner transfer before. Not my forte. Soline's call there, and I assume the pretty lady with the pad's call, too, since she decides whether we do a nosedive out of orbit or get you where you're going."
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Post by Silas Sedgewick on Mar 28, 2015 22:12:23 GMT -5
"I'm not one to question orders," she admitted, sitting herself down beside Cate to watch the progress of the datapad. "Soline always knows what she's doing, and I trust her." It was the truth, Silas trusted Soline with her life. Nevermind that she owed her her life.
"Let's just see what sort of job she has in store for us. With luck this is a promotion in disguise, not demotion to babysitter status. Our skills are wasted as sitters."
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Post by Cate Baxter on Mar 28, 2015 22:46:21 GMT -5
"Ah-hah!" Cate cheered as words scrolled down the datapad. "Confidential. Huh-- No shit boss."
"Right. Lessee. Blah blah... Meet your new engineer... blah blah blah... your other friend should help you... smooth over relations in your next job? Really? Like we need any help with that! We're a lovable pair!" She briefly looks up from the pad at the other two. "...Potentially trio. Maybe even foursome?" With a shrug she returned her attention to the datapad.
"Alrigh'... parts didn't come cheap.... Somethin' 'bout costin' more than just credit. Blah blah... favor with some o' the local gasbags..." Another glance, to Argon this time. "No 'ffense." Back onto the datapad, "...Huh. Did you know our engine uses an experimental uh... what's this word... 'Entherel converter'?" She shrugs, "Somethin' that uses special Aether stuff to make it go basically. Maybe that's where she gets her kick..."
"Anyway. Apparently in order to get the replacement Soline needed some sort o' favor from the local Aether ehm... 'authorities'. Basically in return for the part we're supposed to be recoverin' something for them... an'... wow. Okay." She looks to Argon. "Says that while you're specialty's in gettin' things like this we're suppose to make you don't touch it. What're ya, some sorta thief or somethin'?"
"Tha's 'bout it if you forget th' special personal touch she added at the end for me an' Si."
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Post by Soline on Mar 28, 2015 22:47:42 GMT -5
Datapad Contents
==Confidential==
By the time you're reading this message you should have met your two newest crew members. The first is your new engineer, Ashleigh Blevins. He'll be replacing the droid you broke, do try and keep this one in one piece. The other is Argon, he is being given to you as his talents should help to smooth over relations in your next job.
Needless as this is to say, the parts to repair the Paragon did not come to me cheap. I have forwarded the cost as the ship is useful to me, but you two will be working extra hard for the foreseeable future in order to repay the cost. A repayment you will begin immediately. Some parts cost more than credit to obtain, favors had to be traded.
The local Etherian Ambassador, Jomuth, has long been a valuable resource to me. Valuable enough that he was able to help me to obtain a new Entheriel converter for the Paragon's engines. If you aren't aware, the components for such a converter are only able to be mined by aether crews and are exceedingly rare even among the UER itself. Now, in return for this part you will be retrieving something for Jomuth-- discreetly. This is where Argon's skills will come in useful. I've attached information for you to contact one of Jomuth's men for further information.
Do this well and you'll be back on your ship. Fail me and you'll wish you'd never even made it back to Tychus.
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