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Post by Esteban Bridges on Jan 16, 2014 20:47:30 GMT -6
Esteban watched Maelstrom leave, taking note of his curious response to the VI. It wasn't the reaction of someone who was trying to hide something, but rather to protect someone. He couldn't make heads or tails out of it. As long as it didn't interfere with the mission, he had no reason to pry. Esteban respected other people's secrets. So he nodded toward the mercenary as he left before turning back to the rest of the team... and noticing a series of mechs carrying a metal crate.
"where can this be placed," Meldom stepped forward, addressing Esteban. "Somewhere safe that is?"
"Storage unit in the docking bay," Esteban replied, taking a rough estimate of the size of the crate. "Opposite of the shuttle bay door. The lock will only respond to the unique omnitool encryption of the one using it."
Esteban called for one of the crew to escort the Salarian and the robots to the docking back before heading over toward the Turian and Drell, curiously eyeing the varren.
"I trust your pet is housebroken?" he asked to the two, not completely certain who owns it.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 16, 2014 23:01:48 GMT -6
Iskra was surprised at the Turian’s knowledge of the Drell history, her race had stayed in the shadows as far as the universe was concerned, many people went their whole lives without seeing one of the refugees of Rakhana. His words seemed sincere to her and she appreciated the gesture, it was so rare for someone to give her hope rather than ridicule.
"Anyway, good to meet you, Doctor. I'm going to head inside and find the crew quarters to set things up. We can talk more if you want." Iskra nodded, barely hearing the human as he approached her.
“You’re new…”
Iskra turned to see another of the recruits staring at the ship behind her, she could not help but notice the pallet behind him. As she wondered what he could possibly have brought that needed that kind of carrying power, his voice came again, this time loud and excited.
“Oh, cool! We’ve got a mascot! Always good luck on a ship, assuming of course you didn’t change the ship’s name. What’s his name…? Or her name?” The young Drell jumped slightly, not expecting the sudden attention.
Then the salarian showed up talking to the group and petting Parr, Bridges also walked over as she tried to find the courage to speak. "I trust your pet is housebroken?"
Iskra couldn’t feel air going to her lungs, she felt boxed in by these strangers. Her heart was seized in panic. This whole thing was starting to get too overwhelming. “I’ll be in the medbay” she barely sputtered out, moving quickly into the ship and running to the loneliness of the lab.
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Post by River Havens on Jan 16, 2014 23:05:53 GMT -6
River arrived at the docking bay late apparently judging from the small gathering of her ship-mates just showing up. She quickly them the once over, making a mental note to meet with each other late to better acquaint herself with her team. Meeting new people was always a challenge to River. It was unfortunately one of her biggest handicaps that she had tried to get over for years. As capable fighter as she was, having to mingle with strangers cause her some anxiety.As a result, River sometimes kept to her own personal bubble.
That was one of the reason why she wanted to go on this assignment. She had grown tired of the isolation. She needed this chance to break out of her shell.
Walking up the entry way, she approached a rather large, rough looking man in full armor. "River Havens, reporting sir" she greeted in a proper soldier salute.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 17, 2014 3:28:03 GMT -6
The Valiant//Upper Level
After picking a personal locker to put his gear and his weapons in (except for his heavy pistol, which he kept on him at all times while he's around others), and checking out the sleep pods, Arcturus decided to head toward the kitchen to see if there were any Dextro-style food stored for him and the Quarian. Even if he didn't find any, he brought a package of nutrient paste he brings with him when he knows he'll be gone for a while - and he brought extra packages with him after encountering the Quarian during the meeting. He'll have to offer her some the next time he sees her. He always went on a mission fully prepared. He noticed Maelstrom was already in the kitchen, cooking breakfast, while he was looking. When he found Dextro-style foods, he was satisfied that the ship was fully stocked with food that won't kill him.
"Ah, can't be too careful..." He murmured to himself, as he thought briefly on the packages he brought with him.
Shrugging, he decided to cook a little something to eat on the stove beside Maelstrom, as he was getting hungry. He decided to make some fried louza (which was simaliar to the chicken), and a bacon-like meat, and some Turian hot tea. He sat down in the eating area and quietly ate, while going over some documents on his omni-tool. This time though, he wouldn't mind talking to anyone, unlike late last night when he was at that bar.
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Post by Esteban Bridges on Jan 17, 2014 3:38:06 GMT -6
Esteban stepped back, not saying a word while Iskra rushed past him muttering,“I’ll be in the medbay.” She seemed to be avoiding eye contact Though he didn't have the opportunity to meet much Drell, he swore she was panicking. He watched her go, looking mildly perplexed. He couldn't be sure if he read her right.
He looked down at the Varren. The puppy cocks his head for a moment, looking just as confused as he was before he rushed off with his owner.
"River Havens, reporting sir," Esteban heard, causing him to look up. He wasn't really that concerned about anyone sneaking up on him. This wasn't a battlezone. He saw no reason to be on edge. He smiled very slightly, seeing the brunette biotic saluting. He tried to return to salute, but it wasn't as crisp or as practiced as a traditional military man. So he tried extending his hand. Her father was a major financier on this trip, and this was his ship. Esteban thought basic politeness was minimum... though Corwin did warn him not to give River special treatment.
"Pleasure," the businessman greeted her, shaking her hand as he introduced himself. "Esteban Bridges. Welcome to the team Ms Havens. You can put your stuff up on the Upper Level. Do you have any questions for me?"
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Post by Maelstrom on Jan 17, 2014 3:52:33 GMT -6
Maelstrom cracked the eggs onto the griddle, well removed from the hash browns, bacon, and the maple link sausage he was cooking. Despite modern sterilization methods, he was still cautious to keep raw eggs and raw meats separate from the other foods. He checked each to make sure his timing was right, not wanting any of it to get cold before he got to the table. His plate was already on the counter next to him, awaiting the mounds of food he was going to pile onto it. Quickly, he added salt and pepper to the cooking eggs.
He considered speaking to the turian cooking on a separate griddle next to him, but he decided against it. Properly preparing one's food required a degree of concentration, and he respected his crewmate's silence during the task.
A low whistle drew his attention, and he promptly fetched the teakettle. He poured the steaming liquid into the awaiting black porcelain teapot to warm it, swirling it around the inside to heat as much of the vessel as possible. He then discarded the slightly-cooled liquid and filled the pot with fresh, hotter liquid. He placed the infusing ball filled with tea leaves into the pot and replaced the lid. He began a mental count.
Going back to the griddle, he shifted the sausages, pleased to see they were nicely browned on most sides, the skins just starting to peel and crisp. He flipped the hash browns. The bacon was done and promptly placed onto the plate in a small heap. The eggs, the whites solid but with runny yolks, were placed next to them a moment later. Then the sausages. He removed the tea infuser, taking just a moment to savor the aroma of the earl grey. The hash browns were added last, having come off a perfect golden-brown.
"Great minds think alike," Maelstrom said, carrying his tray, consisting of his plate, black tea cup, tea pot, silverware, and small bottle of maple syrup, and sitting down across from Arcturus. "Honestly, kind of glad you're dextro. Not much in the mood for sharing this morning. Food, that is."
He placed a bite of egg whites in his mouth. As he chewed, he drizzled just a slight bit of maple syrup over the sausage and bacon. For a moment, his eyes lingered on the turian's meal, wondering what it tasted like.
As soon as his mouth was empty, he said, "Honestly, I'm never quite sure how to start conversations with other mercenaries. Seems everyone has a secret, and you never know what it's going to be about. I've found that a lot of people in our trade are more comfortable trading gunfire than words."
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Post by Deleted on Jan 17, 2014 4:08:28 GMT -6
He glanced up at the human who sat across from him, nodding in agreement, and then looked over the food Maelstrom cooked for himself for a moment. It looked good, and thought to himself on what it would be like to have the same DNA as the humans and other species who weren't built on dextro-amino acids.
"Hmm..." He responded, looking back down at his omni-tool to finish reading, before turning it off and taking a sip of the hot tea he made.
There was a couple of awkward minutes between them, but he sat there, thinking on what the human said on how mercenaries were more comfortable in trading gunfire than words. He's met a lot of them who were more interested in wanting to blow his head off than exchanging words, but then again, they were the bad kind no one liked.
"True, very true..." He trailed off for a second. "Everyone has their secrets."
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Post by Maelstrom on Jan 17, 2014 4:15:21 GMT -6
Maelstrom nodded, at a loss for a good subject.
Finally, he said, "I've always wondered what dextro food tasted like. If it even has a taste to the rest of us. Never enough to want to risk the allergic reaction, though."
He skewered a sausage and bit it in half, enjoying the salty, fatty, syrupy taste. A sip of tea followed it down, its warmth seeming to spread about his body. Caffeine could be a blessing or a curse.
Nodding at the turian's cup, he said, "I see you're a fan of tea as well."
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Post by Deleted on Jan 17, 2014 5:04:07 GMT -6
"I'm pretty sure it tastes like chicken," he replied, "That's the saying, according to humans when they taste strange foods, right?"
He took a bit of the fried louza with the bacon-like meat, and then nodded after Maelstrom's comment about the tea. After he swallowed the food, he responded, "Yes, I enjoy tea. Particularly this one. I was surprised to see some in there. It's called Tisane, and it's made from the root of the same name. It's quite a strong, sweet but kind of spicy flavor."
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Post by Shala'Bekk vas Neema on Jan 17, 2014 5:39:35 GMT -6
As soon as Shala entered the engine, she knew something was wrong. Another advantage to being a Quarian—and an engineer, she thought. You learn more about ships by the time you’re twenty than most other species do in a lifetime—except maybe the asari.
“Can I help you?” someone said, snapping her out of her musings.
She looked over at the speaker, a dark-skinned human female.
“I am Shala’Bekk vas Neema,” Shala said. “I’m part of the team on this mission, but until we get to our destination I’m going to make sure this ship doesn’t fall apart.”
“You’ve got nothing to worry about,” the human said. “Me and my team have only been onboard a couple of hours, but first thing we did was run a full diagnostic. Trust me, this gal is shipshape.”
“Then you don’t hear it?” Shala asked, incredulous. How did they ever make it this far? she wondered.
“Hear what?” the human asked. She turned to two other humans, a male and a female, but with skin tones like that of the captain. “Bentley, Connelly, you two hear anything weird?”
The other two humans stopped what they were doing and cocked their heads for a moment, then shook their heads. “Sorry, we don’t hear anything,” the female said, then returned to work.
The dark-skinned female turned to her and said, “Are you sure? Maybe the, uh, auditory receptors on your helmet are out of whack.”
“Keelah,” Shala said, stepping up to a console and bringing up a complicated display of the engine systems that would have baffled anyone but the most skilled engineers.
“There, you see?” Shala said, pointing. “There’s a fault in the charge-storage system. Minor right now, but left unfixed, you risk being burned to cinders, burning out all of the electronic systems and melting the bulkheads.”
The dark-skinned female swallowed loudly.
“It’s all right,” Shala said. “We detected it in time and now we can fix it. By the time I leave here, I’ll make sure you know more about ships than someone twice your age.”
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Post by dargene on Jan 17, 2014 5:55:24 GMT -6
After reaching the docking bay Meldom orders the mechs to place the crate in the appropriate sized storage unit "Careful!" he yells at them when they drop it haphazardly "Bloody mechs, should have done it myself..yes yes i know" he mutters to himself sending the mechs back out to work on the dock, he wondered why he even hired them, Placing the satchel on the metal crate he rummaged through it for a few moments checking he has everything he needs "should be enough right now.." he tells himself as he slings it back over his shoulder he locks the storage unit.
"Lets see what to do.. what to do" he contemplated what crew he wanted to talk to, "Several humans but they had no immediate interest, the turian, interesting, would be good to get on the good side.." he closed his eyes and remembered all the people at the table yesterday "Many potential allies, to many to talk with, got to limit.." taking a deep breath and exhaling loudly "Drell" he muttered the one person he really knew nothing about, she seemed interesting as he heard the word Doctor at one point "Doctor of what, medicine, history.." he smiled and remembered the varren "Animals?" he entertained the thought that the Drell had many varren hidden or other animals "maybe a yahg.." Meldom shivers at the thought "Wonder where she went, drell would like dry place, Doctor however.. maybe Medbay, would make it easier, need some stims from there..anyway" talking to himself for awhile he decides to head to the lab to see if he can find any stims and see if the drell is there.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 17, 2014 6:36:14 GMT -6
Iskra closed the medbay doors with a sigh, finally able to breathe again. She hadn’t expected so many to focus on her at once. She spared a glance at the varren staring up at her, “You are turning out to be more trouble than you are worth.” The beast just continued to stare up at her with his big blue eyes, tilting his head and wagging his tail.
Taking in a deep breath and rolling her shoulders back, the doctor regained her composure and looked around the medbay for the first time. It was surprisingly large, she found out, her eyes having to spend long amounts of time around the lab to catch all the equipment and identify them correctly. Corwin had over done himself on the machines that filled the room, not even military funded labs had some of the equipment sitting here. Though she imagined it was out of no prior knowledge of what any doctor or scientist would actually need to make it by rather than him checking off items on her wish list.
Opening the door in the back, she found herself pleased with the sight of the small living quarters. Parr, who nudged his big head against her leg so he could get in, jumped on the bed immediately and curled up. She ignored him, rolling her bag to the side of the bed and leaning the Widow against the desk.
The time to unpack would be later, with the rest of the ship in a tizzy trying to prepare for launch, Iskra knew she only had a short while to inspect the lab for any last minute needs. Pulling out a medium sized cylinder from her bag, she set the polished metal container down on the desk. Pressing in the only indent on the smooth surface, the container clicked and then made a soft psst as the air lock opened fully. Gently sliding off the top, the metal lid revealed a thin layer of glass. The delicate flower resting inside the tube stood alien in the soft glow of the light above it. The plant had been given to her by Dr. Lanthi, it was a flower only native to Thessia and believed to be one of the oldest species on the planet.
Grabbing her datapads, filled with medical data about the races living on the ship, she reentered the lab to start checking her available supplies.
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Post by dargene on Jan 17, 2014 8:41:45 GMT -6
Meldom walks around the ship on his omnitool finally approaches the medbay "Ah good good here it is" he says he opens the door "Hello ?" he asks as he notices the Drell "Ah hello, you left earlier, something i said? did?" he asks inquisitively "The varren, did i hurt him upset him ?" he stops a moment and holds his hands up "Sorry, too many questions.." he smiles holding out a hand in friendly gesture "Meldom wake, at your service"
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Post by Deleted on Jan 17, 2014 9:12:51 GMT -6
Iskra looked up at the sound of the doors opening, her hand in a cabinet full of medicines for Turians and Quarians.
"Ah hello, you left earlier, something I said? Did?....The varren, did I hurt him? Upset him ?....Sorry, too many questions…Meldom Wake, at your service"
She gracefully stood, straightening out her coat before clasping the Salarian’s out stretched hand. She had always enjoyed speaking with Salarians, so many of them were so curious, so bright. They allowed her to be comfortable since they only ever wanted to talk research, one of her few passions. “Dr. Iskra Narei.” She set down the datapad with the dextros information, closing the cabinet. “It was nothing you did, Meldom. Social anxiety disorder, I had not planned to meet so many of you at once.”
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Post by Eric Lysander on Jan 17, 2014 9:15:06 GMT -6
The drell's reaction surprised Eric, who was expecting either a polite response, a terse comment or outright dismissal from yet another female. This one seemed downright afraid. All she managed was “I’ll be in the medbay” and practically ran on board, the ship's mascot - name as yet unknown to him - following shortly after. Eric shook his head.
'If she's scared now, I can't imagine how she'd react to having my rabbit's foot along on this trip,' he thought.
He turned back to Esteban but had to wait while his employer finished his conversation with another new arrival. Eric's head jut forward slightly as he looked over the dark-haired girl with her back to him, catching a glimpse of her profile.
'She's a merc...? She's practically a kid... but then some of my so-called friends comin' up back home were a little young to be pistolos, too...'
Everyone else had went aboard to square away their equipment and supplies. Eric at worst just needed a spot to stow his strong boxes; one held the device separated into its components along with other explosive implements. One had spare parts for his armor and weapons along with a store of ammunition. The final box was his "mobile home," replete with folding cot, tent, compacted foodstuffs and other items one might bring on an extended camping trip. There were times that Eric lived out of it when he found the accomodations provided not to his liking. The Valiant had all the necessities and something a little extra, but the option was there if trouble amongst the crew erupted or if he should start to rub on his compatriots the wrong way.
The youth continued her discussion with Esteban. At one point Esteban's head tilted towards Eric. Eric popped up his chin to signify that he would like to speak with him next. Esteban's eyes flashed in acknowledgement.
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Post by Maelstrom on Jan 17, 2014 12:07:39 GMT -6
Maelstrom swallowed a bite of bacon. Gesturing to his own cup of tea, he said, "I find earl grey has a relatively mild flavor for a black tea. It needs to for the citrus to come through."
After taking another sip of his tea, he turned his attention back to Acturus and said, "I noticed your sniper rifle and pistol yesterday. Infiltrator? Where'd you train?"
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Post by dargene on Jan 17, 2014 14:14:55 GMT -6
"Interesting" Meldom nodded "Not a fan of large crowds myself but sometimes.. necessary" Meldom shifted so his hand was on his chin and he was leaning back against the wall "You said you were a doctor, doctor of what exactly ?, i use to dabble with science in general myself but they needed me.. elsewhere" he looked around the lab "Settling in alright, hows the pet ?" he smiled warmly.
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Post by grandest on Jan 17, 2014 15:22:48 GMT -6
Cruendi'has had considered just leaving with the money the night before. The Collectors were a dreadful foe, even for a seasoned Batarian. Yet, it was just that detail which sent his gears in motion. Which weapon to use that would most easily bring the creature down without killing it? How would it react to different sedatives? He had learned the previous night, via reports of the human, Shepard's, exploits that the Collectors appeared to have a kind oh hive mind? How best to contend with that? Could one be separated from their compatriots? Would this hive-mind simply cut the target off, effectively killing it? Very difficult, very unorthodox, very fun. Cruendi'has thought to himself with a grin. In all, the Batarian thought it was best to prepare for everything, nearly spending his entire advance in the process. "Should've asked for more money." he grumbled to himself. "What's that?" the human C-Sec liaison asked. Once Cruendi'has had begun purchasing supplies(specifically, the heavy weaponry), C-Sec took a keen interest in his activities. The Batarian was certain the others didn't have as much trouble. Maybe the Krogan. He corrected himself. "Nothing," Cruendi'has eyed the officer and gave a quick nod to his left. He pushed his hoverpallette through the doors of Docking Bay 93 and saw the Turian vessel with its crew. "See?" Cruendi'has pointed at the ship. "There's my inter-species team of expeditionaires. As well as my human contractor. Will you leave me alone now?" The C-Sec officer pulled up his omni-tool. "That's mister... Bridges?" "Yes." With a quick sideways glance, the human nodded to himself. "Well, let me just go verify your story real quick. Follow me?" Cruendi'has sighed and pushed the pallette onward. It appeared the many of the team was there ahead of himself, minus the Krogan-- confirming Cruendi'has' thoughts. "Mister Bridges?" The officer shouted. "May I speak with you a moment?"
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Post by Deleted on Jan 17, 2014 18:26:51 GMT -6
"I noticed your sniper rifle and pistol yesterday. Infiltrator? Where'd you train?"
Arcturus looked up when Maelstrom questioned him, and answered, "Yes, I've trained in the Turian military to be an infiltrator, and then left early."
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Post by Deleted on Jan 17, 2014 18:29:11 GMT -6
“My degree is in Biology.” Iskra moved down to the next cabinet, peaking at its contents, trying to figure out what race it was for. “And yes I’m settling in just fine, thank you for asking.” She pulled a small vial out of its box, reading the label. “This lab is truly well stocked and has better equipment than my lab could only hope for.”
Satisfied with what she saw, she stood once more, closing the cabinet door. “Parr is fine. He has commandeered the bed while I work.” She paused for a moment before looking up at the Salarian. “I am sorry, I am being terribly rude. Is there something you needed?”
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