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Post by grandest on Mar 22, 2014 8:02:45 GMT -6
The shotgun had fallen out of the Quarian's hands and landed on the floor. Truthfully, Cruendi'has was just glad it hadn't gone off. Before he had time to regain his bearings, she bolted past him down the corridor. He reached out to her, "Wait!" But she was gone. "Damn." Creundi'has shook his head. "So much for making friends on this trip." He stood up and dusted himself off. That's when his second pair of eyes flashed to the gun, still lying unused on the floor. Mercs were known for their personal attachment to the weapons they owned, Quarians, he knew, doubly so. She'd come back for it, or worse-- send someone else. The Batarian sighed to himself. "Aw, hell." He picked up the weapon, allowed it to recompress, and walked out the door.
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Post by Maelstrom on Mar 25, 2014 23:46:27 GMT -6
As Maelstrom took another sip of the whiskey, he wondered how the different members of the crew would handle the human alcohol. Don't think I'd want to share a drink with a batarian. Probably get each other killed. Asari seem to be able to handle just about anything. Salarians... scary to think of one of them getting drunk. Quarians, probably an allergic reaction. Definitely since it's the wrong molecular conformation.
He thought back to the Doctor. Wonder if there's any appeal to alcohol for them. It's not like it could help them forget, exactly. Still, bet Iskra could be a fun drinking partner.
"So," Maelstrom said, trying to change the subject and avoid the fact that he had not caught what the Scott had last said, "one thing I think we can all agree on, if things go south, and I mean REALLY south, we're not sacrificing lives for Bridges' prize, right?"
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Post by Eric Lysander on Mar 26, 2014 8:16:07 GMT -6
The question gave Eric some pause.
He valued precious ores over artifacts and could not see how academics could insist that they were worth as much if not more. But Esteban Bridges was no academic. He was a businessman who made his fortune off academics, taking full advantage of their sentiment. His latest find had the eyes of the Collectors upon it; little doubt that Eric's employer would exploit that fact to fetch a high price for anything he recovered, provided the band of mercenaries he hired could retake the ruins. What concerned Eric was the Collector's interest in them and Bridges being the sole survivor who barely got to appraise them. From what little data was culled, these were not the usual prothean ruins.
The Collectors must know what is underneath the ground at Barce. Enough to keep anyone else from finding out.
"If it comes down to it," Eric said finally, remembering his device. "I'd rather sacrifice the prize to get out with our skins."
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Post by dargene on Mar 26, 2014 14:07:09 GMT -6
Meldom was in the middle of re-assembling his pistol when he noticed movement out of the corner of his eye, His head immediately turned while he gripped his incomplete pistol in one hand for protection, he could not see who but he knew someone had decided to hide behind the sleeping pods, he looked at his unfinished pistol before placing it back on the table and walking towards the pods.
He cautiously edged his way to the pods unknowing of who it was, he noticed the crouched figure huddled over and shivering, judging by the envirosuit he guessed quarian, but she looked like she was crying or shivering at the least.
Meldom spoke up "Um.. you okay miss ? Suit rupture or something ?" he queried.
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Post by Shala'Bekk vas Neema on Mar 26, 2014 21:21:28 GMT -6
AUTHOR’S NOTE: This is what Meldom sees.
Shala cowers behind her sleeping pod, occasionally flinching. She hears something and tries to make herself even smaller. She looks over to her left and then stands up as if forcibly pulled. She squirms as if something unpleasant is touching her. She pushes at it, then stumbles back as if hit. A moment later, she stumbles forward as if pushed. She takes a few steps, but then trips and falls to the ground. She looks back to see what caused her to fall.
“No!” she screams, reaching for whatever she saw, but is yanked up again.
Her omnitool flares, shooting a fireball. She stares at whatever she shot for a moment, then runs and ducks behind another sleeping pod, gasping in pain and clutching her arm. She peeks from behind the pod and fires another fireball, quick followed by an overload attack.
She peeks from behind the pod again, then darts out from it and picks something up. “I have your shotgun now,” she says.
She fumbles with the object for a second, then swings it like a club.
She steps forward and swings it again.
She drops to her knees and swings the object again as if beating something.
Again.
And again.
And again, screaming incoherently all the while.
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Post by grandest on Mar 27, 2014 15:04:01 GMT -6
Cruendi'has hated this. It was bad enough that he and the Quarian had already had a confrontation on the ship. That would not reflect well on his potential earnings. It was doubly bad now that he was in possession of her shotgun. She'd report him for stealing from her. She'd tattle and everyone's prejudices toward the ruthless Batarian would be confirmed. He wandered the halls of the Valiant in search of the Quarian female. Walking upstairs, he hears a small explosion go off. "What the hell?" he picked up his space and came to the landing on the upper level of the ship. Across the way, he saw Meldom looking on curiously as someone out of view in the sleeping pod area went about making quite the racket. "Meldom!" Cruendi'has whispered. "What's going on?"
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Post by dargene on Mar 27, 2014 16:26:08 GMT -6
Meldom had just managed to dodge the Fireballs that slammed against the wall of the room but was not so lucky with the overload attack, Though his casual armour mitigated the charge he still felt the electrical current surge causing him to spasm and loose his balance so he ended up kneeling on one leg, When he removed he watched as she swung what appeared to be a fire extinguisher at the pods.
“I have your shotgun now,” he heard the quarian scream.
"What the heck are you on about" He snapped his voice had changed from the calm and soft manner into a much angrier and rugged.
Just as he said this and stood up he heard Cruendi'has Speak "What's going on?"
Meldom turned to Cruendi'Has "No idea" he shrugged "Possible fever causing her to snap and hallucinate.. Some form of ptsd most probably, seems like she is living in the past" he eyes shala as she hit the pod "She said something about a shotgun also.. probably should restrain her or find a way to calm her down before she hurts herself" Meldom shakes thinking of the electrical charge "or others..will have to be careful, quarian suits are delicate risk causing exposure "
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Post by Shala'Bekk vas Neema on Mar 27, 2014 21:09:05 GMT -6
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Again, this is what a third party would see.
Shala slams the fire extinguisher into the ground with frightening speed and ferocity, but it eventually slows, then stops.
*****
When Shala came to, she saw that she was back in the sleeping quarters, kneeling on the floor. She had a fire extinguisher in her hand, but it was scarred, as if it had struck repeatedly against something.
Turning around, she saw the salarian and the batarian looking at her. Seeing the batarian--holding her shotgun, no less--made her flinch.
Had he taken it and was now planning on using it on her? Had he been related to the batarian she had killed in the raid and took the job in order to have his revenge?
She shook her head. That's impossible, she thought. How could he possibly know who I am? And how could he have known I was coming on this mission?
But still...
"Why do you have my shotgun?" she asked.
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Post by grandest on Mar 28, 2014 9:14:49 GMT -6
The Quarian was shaking-- trembling. She looked like a feral Vorcha that had spent too much time alone. "Why do you have my shotgun?" she asked. Cruendi'has looked down at the collapsed weapon in his hands. Did she really not remember? "You, uh, dropped this back in the observation deck." He started to hand the gun back but thought better of it. She wasn't the mot stable of crew mates. With his top pair of eyes, Cruendi'has glanced at Meldom to gauge the Salarian's reaction to the interaction. He seemed somewhat frazzled, but otherwise contemplative, analyzing-- typical Salarian. "Should we get Iskra, or...?"
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Post by Shala'Bekk vas Neema on Mar 28, 2014 11:41:17 GMT -6
"You, uh, dropped this in the observation deck," the batarian said.
"The observation deck," she whispered to herself, casting back through her memory. Yes, she was on the observation deck, admiring the view of the stars and debating whether to leave the Fleet, then...
"Keelah," she said, her head dropping in embarrassment.
I suppose this was going to happen sooner or later, she thought. Might as well get it out in the open.
She looked up at the batarian. "I was in there, then you came in, didn't you?" she asked, trying hard to make it not sound like an accusation. "You probably bumped into me and I...overreacted, didn't I?"
...his hand lingering at her chest and groin...
Panic surged up with the memory, but she pushed it back down. "I had...a very bad experience with your people not too long ago. Slavers. When you bumped into me, the memory of it came back...rather strongly."
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Post by grandest on Mar 28, 2014 13:45:19 GMT -6
"No shit." The terse response escaped Cruendi'has' mouth before he could censor himself. Inwardly, he cringed. It seems he'd never be able to let go of bad habits like that... not too dissimilar to her own habits of extreme self-preservation, Cruendi'has supposed. "Just... Try not to let it happen again." Cruendi'has looked between the two aliens next to him. The woman was clearly unstable and had already proven dangerous to others. It would not be wise to simply hand her a deadly weapon. The Batarian released the shotgun to Meldom. "I think I'll let you or someone else decide if she deserves her gun back," he grimaced. "Conflict of interest and all that." Cruendi'has stole one last glance at the Quarian before walking away, downstairs.
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Post by Shala'Bekk vas Neema on Mar 28, 2014 17:19:25 GMT -6
"No shit"?
"Try not to let it happen again"?
Was that a joke? Was this batarian humor on display?
She stood there, shocked, as he handed her shotgun to the salarian and left.
And then her shock turned to rage. How dare he just leave after she had revealed her most painful wound to him! Keelah se'lai, they were going to get this out and deal with it RIGHT NOW!
She ran after him, not even bothering to get her shotgun back. "Wait!" she yelled after him, realizing she didn't even know his name. "Batarian! Wait!"
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Post by Eric Lysander on Mar 30, 2014 6:31:13 GMT -6
[Insert Murdach's response to Maelstrom's question about risking lives for Esteban Bridges' ruins]
The demo expert stood bobbing his head in thought. "Mmmm.... say, I'm gonna go hit on - hit up - the rest of the crew, see who's who and what's what. You guys wanna join me?" Eric tried sweetening the offer. "I can introduce you to Meldom and Cruendi'has. Pretty good guys once you get 'em talkin'... maybe we can check on the asari."
He winked at the scotsman "'Bout it, Murdach? Gotta thing for older women? There's a good chance that one or both of 'em are older than all of us put together!"
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Post by dargene on Mar 30, 2014 7:51:19 GMT -6
Meldom stood there motionless holding the Shotgun, he watched as the quarian walked out his eyes drifted back to the table where his guns where and then drifted back to the shotgun, He held it in one hand balancing it "May as well give it a surface clean.." he said while shrugging and walking back to the table to work on the shotgun.
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Post by Murchadh on Mar 30, 2014 8:52:10 GMT -6
" Aam nae dyin' fur some ruins." Murchadh replied as he finished his second shot of whiskey. As he listened to the rest of the conversation he nodded slightly in agreement.
"I can introduce you to Meldom and Cruendi'has. Pretty good guys once you get 'em talkin'... maybe we can check on the asari."
" Yeah eh'd better introduce myself tae lae ay them. didne hae much time when Ah was loadin' Thor." The scot said as he began to follow eric. Hios next question did give the scot an opportunity to laugh slightly.
" Thaur only a woman in mah life eric. she's nae bad lookin' fur a a body hunder an' twintie year auld asari." He replied thinking of Niesia. He missed that asari.
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Post by grandest on Mar 31, 2014 16:56:31 GMT -6
"Batarian! Wait!" The Quarian woman shouted after Cruendi'has, causing him to bristle. He turned around at the landing. "Yeah?" He took her in with both pairs of eyes, his top pair singling in on her face-mask. The other pair sized her up from toe to head. It was an old tactic used to throw off other species in an argument or some other type of transaction. "What is it now?"
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Post by Maelstrom on Mar 31, 2014 23:16:43 GMT -6
"Thaur only a woman in mah life eric. she's nae bad lookin' fur a a body hunder an' twintie year auld asari."
Maelstrom considered Lysander's offer. He had wanted to close himself in his shuttle, but getting to know the others was more important. Doing so with another rather than just by himself also made it so the focus was not entirely on him.
"Let me put this back," Maelstrom said, indicating the whiskey. "It would be good to meet the rest of the crew."
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Post by Eric Lysander on Apr 1, 2014 11:35:11 GMT -6
Maelstrom thought over Eric's offer and agreed. "Let me put this back," he said, indicating the whiskey. "It would be good to meet the rest of the crew."
"Sure, I'll wait up. Thanks for the drinks." said Eric. " ... sure got us a motley crew here. Veritable Federation of Planets. Seniors, middle aged folks. Even got a kid 'n a pooch. Heh, more like a weird cast for a musicial... with guns."
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Post by Maelstrom on Apr 1, 2014 12:34:14 GMT -6
"Federation of Planets," made Maelstrom pause for half a step, before he dismissed the phrase as coincidental wording and continued back to his quarters on the Vengeance to secure his bottle. He took a couple moments to breathe in the solitude before exiting his craft again.
Though he was pushing his limits of tolerance for socializing, he found himself enjoying the crew he had met so far a great deal more than on any of the other missions he went on since turning mercenary. A small part of him, in the back of his mind, even entertained the idea of working with the group regularly. Of course, he doubted the group would remain cohesive after the single mission. Going separate ways after being paid was a hallmark of the mercenary profession.
Still, he considered that some of those here might make valuable contacts. Lysander had as much as agreed to help him take out a Cerberus base. If he could find the right spin to be in the interest of the Migrant Fleet, he was sure Shala'Bekk could be called on to provide aid. Iskra, though, he would just as soon keep out of it; the Doctor's work was far more noble than his own. The bringing of life in contrast to the bringing of death.
Maybe one of these asari or the salarian would be good candidates too, Maelstrom wondered hopefully. The batarian would probably jump on the chance to kill some black-ops humans. Just not sure I'd be willing to let him watch my back.
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Post by PaladinKOSP on Apr 3, 2014 22:13:02 GMT -6
As the sounds of the docking bay fill his ears, the tall, formally dressed turian looks up to the docked vessel, gazing at it with curiosity. "This is the Valiant? Hmph.. It'll do..." He thought to himself as he adjusts the black duffle bag slings over behind his back. He slowly marches up to the ships open enterance with a cold and unsettling vibe surrounding him. "This better pay off..." He thinks to himself again, taking his first step onto the Valiant...
Much later...
With the door locked behind him, he sets his bag at the foot of the bed and looks down at it. The bag would appear to be black, large enough to carry enough equipment for just a single man. On the side of this said bag would be the symbol of the Hierarchy and what looks like to be an insignia of a turian skull. He zips open the bag and peers in side the bag. A variety of equipment is neatly settled in the bag. Belts, pouches, vials, and what seems to be a folded shotgun and sniper rifle, which seems to have dust collecting on the side. He silently groans to himself, reaching into the bag and pulling out the sniper rifle. As he does this he also takes out a clean white cloth from one of his belt pouches and starts carefully cleaning the rifle. He then pauses, looking out the window to the docking bay filled with the sounds of life and the sun rays peering through the dusty glass of the window.
"Too bright in here.." He thinks quietly, standing up and stepping towards the window. He peers out to the world outside the ship one last time before closing the shutters, darkening the room he now resides in... and possibly cleaning the dirty window.
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