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Post by Deleted on Jul 2, 2014 13:25:35 GMT -6
Iskra bristled as the men, not so quietly, spoke about killing the stranger who hadn’t done anything yet but be a stowaway. She opened her mouth to yell when the cargo bay shook. The loud sounds of moving metal and the scraps as the mech walked across the floor was deafening.
"Ah wooldnae move if Ah whaur ye," a voice from the mech rang out. "He can reduce ye tae jelly in abit fife seconds."
Esteban looked unphased as he addressed the stranger, "I do not believe he is bluffing. Hi. Esteban Bridges. And you are?"
Iskra felt her blood boil, the calm waters of her soul had become raging waters as they hounded and threatened this woman who looked more like she was going to bolt at any moment than attack. A biotic shield formed around the young woman and Iskra as the drell stepped between the stranger and the mech. Her body aglow with biotic crackle, “First, you assume she is a threat even though she has done nothing of malice.” The sounds of the mech groaning began to fill the air, as Iskra’s biotic pull on the guns beginning to make the machine shake. “Then you give her no time to respond to you before threatening her once more.” Crates began to lift from around the area, the mech shaking more violently as the machine fought being twisted by Iskra’s mind. “Stand down and treat her with the courtesy you would want to be treated.”
Iskra stayed planted firmly between the mech and the woman, her dark eyes glued to the man who hired her just on the other side of the shield.
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Post by Esteban Bridges on Jul 2, 2014 14:31:05 GMT -6
Esteban felt the power rush through his body, surging violently out of the field the Drell woman generated from nothingness. He fought the urge to take a step back, not wanting to show intimidation before such unimaginable power. This must be what the first humans felt when they saw the Citadel, he thought to himself, struggling to keep his inner dialogue coherent. He felt dwarfed, between two entities who possessed enough power to crush him before he could blink... one with her mind and one with deadly technology.
Fortunately, Esteban was not one to crumble to intimidation. No matter who or what he stood against.
He quickly dissected the situation, trying to see past the chaos that organic life seemed to generate at will. The problem, as far as he could tell, was too many powerful entities in one location. All of them believing they were doing what was right. His dark eyes shifted back and forth while he thought, as if he were reading an unseen book before him.
He raised his omnitool as quickly as he could, typing out a brief message to Murchadh. His fingers were nearly a blur.
Murchadh
I will deal with the stowaway. I need you to watch the Turian instead. I am not convinced he is no longer a threat. Talk with Mister Fischer for additional information.
Esteban
The moment he hit send, Esteban tapped his wrist and killed the neon glow of his omnitool. Though he did his best to appear calm, only a fool would not react at all to the power that was surging before him... and Esteban was no fool. He held up his hands slightly in a sign of non-aggression. Behind him, the mech lowered its weapons (talked with PC for Murchadh to receive his permission), in time with the gradual steps of the Engineer.
"I ordered him to stand down Iskra," Esteban spoke clearly, slowly. "And he was not going to fire. It would be suicide to unleash that sort of firepower inside of a ship. Any shot would tear through the hull. He was bluffing. Nothing more."
Though Esteban was not positive of what he said, that did not show in his voice or confident demeanor. He smiled, slowly dropping his arms... taking the moment to adjust his tie. "I want to be able to talk with this young lady here," Esteban gestured behind Iskra toward the human woman, not taking his eyes from the Drell. "To simply ask a few questions about how she arrived here. People here are just paranoid about the Councillor and that she might be a spy. I am sure a friendly conversation over tea will be able to clear a lot of this up."
Esteban pointed toward the stairs, the exit for the cargo bay. "We can talk in the medbay. Or in my personal chambers for privacy, if either of you would like?"
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Post by Joe Fischer on Jul 2, 2014 19:41:32 GMT -6
The groaning of metal drew Joe's attention away from Artacus. Not taking his eyes off the turian, he yelled, "Boss! Everything okay back there?!"
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Post by Murchadh on Jul 3, 2014 11:38:06 GMT -6
The scot nodded as with the touch of a button the mech guns lowered and it headed back for it bay on the other side of the cargo bay. As he did he brought up his tool and typed in a few commands. The mech dropped into it standby mode and locked down as he turned to head off to find the turian giving their boss a slight nod as he walked past him hoping he would notice it. He didn't now why he wanted him to watch the turian, but he wasn't going to argue with guy who was paying him.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 3, 2014 20:37:02 GMT -6
The crates landed onto the floor with a loud boom, the cargo bay falling into silence as the mech was finally released from its hold.
Iskra's coat still moved gently in the biotic field, the bubble around her and the woman intact as a barrier between them and Bridges. The young doctor turned her head and looked at the woman and gave her a gentle smile.
"Where would you be most comfortable?"
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Post by Joe Fischer on Jul 4, 2014 5:25:14 GMT -6
Joe saw Murchadh approach from the direction of the groaning metal. He didn't appear injured or scared, so whatever it was, it didn't seem like trouble, but he still needed to know. "Hey Murchadh, what's going on back there?" he asked.
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Post by Eric Lysander on Jul 4, 2014 8:21:30 GMT -6
"I'd like to get more people to help out with Artacus, who do you think would help us?"
Before Eric could proffer a response, there was a commotion brewing in the background. Esteban was beside Maelstrom and the intruder when Murdach appeared behind the controls of his mechanical behemoth Thor. In anyone else's hands it would have wrecked half the shuttle bay in walking over to the intruder . But under the wily Scot's control it deftly avoided all obstacles and came to a stop with a weapon armed and ready. Maelstrom left Esteban and Murdach to deal with the stowaway, perhaps feeling that there was more than adequate coverage. Esteban made his overture trying to uncover the intruder's purpose. Iskra then put herself between the intruder and he, putting on a fearsome biotic display to keep the mech at bay as well.
... and I'M the one Artie wants for murder, Eric mused to himself.
"Boss! Everything okay back there?!" Joe called out. "Hey Murchadh, what's going on back there?"
Little doubt who one of those others who could help out with Artacus would be.
"Well that's one guy who can definitely help, " said Eric finally. "Meldom's another, obviously. Maelstrom, too. That was his little VI assistant Emily you heard earlier with the warning... no accounting for taste but it's absolutely loyal to him and he keeps it on the straight and narrow."
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Post by Joe Fischer on Jul 4, 2014 10:14:58 GMT -6
Joe nodded at Eric's suggestions. "Okay, let's go talk to them," he said. "We should talk to them together, present a united front and all that."
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Post by Morgan Bryn on Jul 4, 2014 16:10:40 GMT -6
It was all happening a bit too fast. In what felt like mere moments, Morgan went from being confronted by a single man with an SMG and a knife to being surrounded by yet another human man, what appeared to be a female Drell, and a giant mech of some sort besides. Morgan tried to wrack her brain on how she could possibly get out of this one, but the inner voice berating her for getting out of the crawl space at all in the first place was too loud to think straight. That and the sound of the large mech's weapons powering up.
The first man hadn't addressed her, or even replied to her statement, instead turning to the Drell to converse. Morgan had listened in politely, not interrupting and not making any move to get away either. She made mental notes of a few names, such as Emily, though she had no idea who it referred to. He also made mention of Cerberus, who Morgan had heard of, and there seemed to be some sort of concern that she was perhaps a Cerberus agent. She almost smirked at the thought.
But that had been when the mech and the other human man had shown up. The human, for his part, at least tried to introduce himself, but Morgan quickly saw it as a ploy for an exchange of information. A worried expression crossed her face when the scarred man actually turned and walked off, not addressing her further.
"Hi. Esteban Bridges." The second man extended his hand toward her. "And you are?"
"About to be reduced to jelly, it would seem," Morgan stated blandly, leaving her hands raised in surrender. She tried to appear calm, but her eyes flickered over to the mech's weapons. It would be insanely dangerous to fire them inside the bay... wouldn't it? They didn't really strike her as the sort of weaponry that was normally used on a single humanoid. She licked her lips, her mouth suddenly dry.
Morgan was contemplating the benefits of just bolting in a random direction when the female Drell stepped in. To Morgan's surprise, she placed herself between Morgan and the mech, even shielding her with her own biotics. She had no idea who the Drell woman was, or why she seemed to be on Morgan's side, but at the moment, Morgan would take all the allies she could get.
“First, you assume she is a threat even though she has done nothing of malice,” the Drell spoke to her human companions. “Then you give her no time to respond to you before threatening her once more.”
Morgan's eyes went wide as crates began to lift around them, the mech shaking more violently as the machine fought being twisted by the biotic's powers. Morgan side-stepped closer to the Drell, hoping the biotic shield meant she wouldn't be harmed if the tense situation got any worse.
“Stand down and treat her with the courtesy you would want to be treated,” the Drell finished.
"I ordered him to stand down, Iskra," Bridges' spoke up after a moment. "And he was not going to fire. It would be suicide to unleash that sort of firepower inside of a ship. Any shot would tear through the hull. He was bluffing. Nothing more."
Morgan's eyes narrowed, not liking the fact that the man was contradicting what he had just said moments earlier. Yet, he seemed to be someone of importance - their leader, perhaps.
"I want to be able to talk with this young lady here," Bridges' gestured to Morgan. "To simply ask a few questions about how she arrived here. People here are just paranoid about the Councillor and that she might be a spy. I am sure a friendly conversation over tea will be able to clear a lot of this up. We can talk in the medbay. Or in my personal chambers for privacy, if either of you would like?"
Morgan breathed a sigh of relief as the mech stood down and lumbered away. She hoped the Drell couldn't hear her heart pounding in her chest as she cleared her throat to address Bridges, yet before she could respond, the Drell surprised her yet again by offering her a kind smile.
"Where would you be most comfortable?" she asked, her tone of voice much different than a moment earlier.
Morgan's eyes flicked back to Bridges. "The location is not important," she stated simply. "But I would prefer not to be alone with you... no offense. I'm not speaking to anyone without Iskra present," she finished, a firm set to her jaw as she sized up the man, waiting for his response.
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Post by dargene on Jul 4, 2014 16:52:09 GMT -6
First the thing with Artacus and now the stowaway what seemed to be a basic day had to change eventually with everything that had happened from the biotics to the mech Meldom had wished that his suit had actually finished replenishing its resources, He looked around at everything going on "Should have just stayed with it.." he muttered silently shifting towards the storage bay where his suit was.
Looking at the readings on his omnitool he unhooked his suit from the tubes and wires and began to pack away each thing back into the large metal crate that he had. After he had finished packing away he started to get changed into his Armour rather quickly "Always things turn bad when you least expect it these days" he said to himself securing the bottom half of his Armour.
As he secured the top half of the Armour he looked at the Helmet and placed it into the Metal crate also, Taking instead a visor that hung with a holographic data screen over one eye, Tapping it to make sure it worked and was switched on he started to speak "VI, Activate lock level 1 through 19" A small clicking noise was heard in acknowledgement and the Metal crate next to him slammed shut with a mechanical grinding sound happen from within, after that nothing but silence came from the box.
As he finished he walked out of the storage bay with almost a new aura around him, his Armour that was its usual dark blue was now a grey color with thin black strips around it forming an odd pattern like picture. after the storage bay doors closed behind him he slowly moved towards where Esteban currently was watching Iskra and the new person. His visor scanned her face to run through the local records he kept on his own omnitool while more complex things like heart rate and blood pressure popped up.
After awhile of staring he went off to locate the portable terminals around the ship that would allow him to try to clear Erics name.
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Post by Game Master on Jul 4, 2014 16:57:00 GMT -6
Esteban observed the woman passively, noting some of her behaviors. She seemed almost intimidated. But it could easily be a ploy. He wasn't certain at this point. He searched her expression for any hint. He had to figure out if she was another spy. "The location is not important," she finally responded. "But I would prefer not to be alone with you... no offense. I'm not speaking to anyone without Iskra present."
He weighed her statement. Was Iskra working with her? He considered it. It was possible and would explain why she jumped in so quickly. It was something that he didn't consider before. He stared at the still unnamed woman for a moment before finally responding. "It doesn't matter to me if she is present," he replied simply, pointing to the stairs. "Iskra can show you where the medbay is. You can make yourself comfortable there. Though you still did not tell me your name."
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Post by Eric Lysander on Jul 4, 2014 17:54:26 GMT -6
"Okay, let's go talk to them. We should talk to them together, present a united front and all that."
Eric gestured away from him with his wrists together. "Looks like things have calmed down enough. Lead the way, officer. I doubt you'll get any objections."
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Post by Morgan Bryn on Jul 4, 2014 18:44:55 GMT -6
"It doesn't matter to me if she is present," Bridges replied simply, pointing to the stairs. "Iskra can show you where the medbay is. You can make yourself comfortable there. Though you still did not tell me your name."
Morgan slowly lowered her hands, noting he made no move to rid her of her backpack. After a moment's pause, she spoke up. "My name is Morgan," she admitted simply, reluctant to give away too much information just yet.
While the name Esteban Bridges didn't ring any bells off-hand, she didn't know who these people were working for yet either, and one such as herself could never be too careful.
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Post by Joe Fischer on Jul 5, 2014 4:52:28 GMT -6
"Lead the way, officer, I doubt you'll get any objections," Lysander said, holding up his manacled hands.
Joe rolled his eyes at the physical reminder of Artacus' overreaction. In one swift movement, he activated his omniblade and slashed upwards, severing the chains.
He grinned and said, "Always wanted to do that."
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Post by Eric Lysander on Jul 5, 2014 6:24:36 GMT -6
Eric massaged his wrists after disposing of what remained of his binders. "... thanks... was never much on jewelry. They weren't doin' a thing for me."
The senior N7 was confident that the others would agree to watch his back. Not that he could not handle himself but the show of solidarity was appreciated. It seemed that the crew still had their doubts about the charges against Eric. It was all up to Meldom now to show there was good reason for those doubts.
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Post by Esteban Bridges on Jul 5, 2014 14:42:25 GMT -6
"My name is Morgan," she surrendered her first name. Esteban kept his expression neutral, nodding. He could respect what she just did, potentially trying to protect her identity. A spy might have used his request to establish an identity. She didn't, though it did not set him at ease.
"It is a pleasure to meet you Morgan," he responded cordially. "I am not certain if you have friends with you. If you do, please invite them to join you. I am....." His voice fades while he looks back at the Turian. "....tired of the unexpected right now. I would consider it a personal favor."
Estabon a step away from the barrier Iskra erected and from the duo, giving them more space.
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Post by Morgan Bryn on Jul 5, 2014 15:31:46 GMT -6
Morgan observed the man, just as she suspected he was observing her. His expression stayed neutral, but there was a flicker of something behind his eyes for the briefest of moments. He seemed kind, but he was still on edge.
"It is a pleasure to meet you Morgan," he responded, pleasantly enough.
Though she had given no indication whether that had been her given name or a surname, she could tell by the way he said it that he assumed the former. She simply nodded, not moving from the spot until the Drell woman dropped the protective barrier. She was safe here at the moment and in no rush to meet Death.
Though Bridges had indicated the set of stairs outside the bay, Morgan only spared it the briefest of glances. She knew exactly where the medbay was, but she would have to be careful not to tip her hand that she was at all familiar with the layout. Though she had downloaded the floor plans to the ship days ago, it would not do to indicate she knew more than she was letting on. The vessel appeared to be custom in design - an old Turian frigate by all visual purposes, but it was clearly registered to a human mercenary crew, and the interior had been remodeled to reflect that as well. There was no logical reason she should know the layout unless she'd been poking her nose where it didn't belong. The last thing she needed to do was reveal such potentially private information and make them worry she had it out for them. They already proved they were willing to kill her over less.
Truthfully, she had no idea who these people were, and the more that was slowly revealed, the less comfortable she became. She was starting to regret her hasty decision to jump on board what she had assumed was a harmless civilian vessel bound for Alliance space... then again, the alternative had seemed to be certain death at the time. Perhaps it was best to take her chances with these people. At least the Drell seemed to have stepped up for her, and she was certainly going to use that to her advantage.
"I am not certain if you have friends with you. If you do, please invite them to join you. I am... tired of the unexpected right now. I would consider it a personal favor."
Morgan blinked at the man for a moment, so used to working alone that it took her a minute to even comprehend what he was referring to. "If I had friends on board, don't you think I would have called for help by now?" A corner of her mouth lifted in a slight smile. "I assure you, Captain...? Mister...? Bridges, I am alone."
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Post by Deleted on Jul 5, 2014 15:52:37 GMT -6
Iskra felt herself start to calm, closing her eyes to focus on a memory of Kahje, old but the sounds of the ocean were still as clear as if she was standing on the beach. It wasn’t until she pulled herself from those memories she realized the other woman had started speaking.
The biotic aura died around the Drell, the barrier now gone. “Come,” Iskra spoke softly. “I’ll show you to the medbay and Mr. Bridges can join us once he is done.”
Without looking to see if she was being followed, Iskra walked towards the cargo bay exit.
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Post by Esteban Bridges on Jul 6, 2014 0:34:16 GMT -6
"If I had friends on board, don't you think I would have called for help by now?" The woman called Morgan gave an impish half-smile. "I assure you, Captain...? Mister...? Bridges, I am alone."
Esteban nodded, uncertain of how to assess the situation. She was alone on the ship. And somehow managed to evade the ship's internal sensors. Esteban's dark eyes shifted up and to the right, at one of the dozens of micro-sensors located on the cargobay's walls. He knew she managed to evade all of them. Though the sensors were outdated, and the ship's VI system was inefficient, it would take skill to pull that off. His eyes shifted back to her, with an inquisitive look.
“Come,” Iskra spoke softly. “I’ll show you to the medbay and Mr. Bridges can join us once he is done.”
"Thank you Iskra," Esteban said to the Drell, refocusing himself on the situation at hand. "Can you give our guest a basic examination?"
He paused to look back toward the woman called Morgan. "I don't believe you had a chance to go through decontamination," he said frankly to her, though still with his friendly and businesslike tone. "It'll be for your health as well as our own. Would this be alright?"
[insert responses for Iskra/Morgan]
Esteban smiled politely and headed away from the duo, heading straight for the hatch down to the engine room. He wanted to be alone for a few minute. Just him and the ship's massive engines. He could do a quick once over, he thought to himself as he unhooked the hatch and opened it up. Dim red and blue lights greeted him, softly illuminating the ladder down. He swing his legs down, onto the rungs. Without a word, he descended... closing the hatch behind him.
"Gin," he called out on his way down.
"How may I help you, Mister Esteban Bridges?" The Engineer VI responded. "It has been twelve terrian days since your last visit."
"Run a level three diagnostic on the ship's engines," he answered as he stepped off the ladder. The cool air of the engine room greeted him, seeping away the uncomfortable heat from his body. "Send the results to my omnitool."
"Of course sir. Sending now."
Esteban headed for the ship's backup mainframe system, activating his omnitool to read the results.
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Post by Maelstrom on Jul 6, 2014 12:40:46 GMT -6
Maelstrom made his way out of the Vengeance, feeling much better that his second skin, his adopted identity was back on him. The man in the black Collector armor. After the excitement earlier, it had taken some effort for him to decide against donning the helmet with his signature holographic display. He did not want anyone to think he had "lost it" whether or not that was true.
Taking a deep breath, he looked around the cargo bay, glad to find it once again an uneventful place. Drama was meant for the other decks. Not for his private retreat.
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