|
Post by River Havens on Jan 24, 2014 5:36:15 GMT -6
River shrugged back at Eric.
"Well, it was nice meeting you," she said, grabbing her her gear and hoisting in her arms. "I better go pick out my bunk while the good ones are still available. Plus I need to introduce myself to the rest of the team. I'll see you around."
She gave a quick goodbye and went off to check out what sleeping arrangements were on the ship. If she remembered correctly, she recalled that there had been some mention of sleeping pods? River had never slept in a pod before. In the back of her mind, she was kinda hopinh that she heard wrong. Closed spaces weren't exactly her favorite. Not that she was catastrophic or anything. She didn't have a fear; she just didn't liked being cramped. Especially when it came to sleeping; River preferred having a lot of room to stretch out.
|
|
|
Post by Eric Lysander on Jan 24, 2014 8:33:14 GMT -6
"Alright. Later, River."
River lifted up her gear and headed for the sleeping pods, leaving behind the quarian and Eric, who thought a second about where they left off.
"Right, Mr. B. This is my first contract with him, although I've heard of his company before from the scuttlebutt at a couple dig sites I worked. The geeks in the mess would brag about how thankful they were that they beat out 'the grave robbers of Bridges Unlimited' to their latest find..."
Eric tilted his head. "I'm sorry, I didn't get your name."
|
|
|
Post by Shala'Bekk vas Neema on Jan 24, 2014 22:36:19 GMT -6
"I'm sorry, I didn't get your name."
"Oh, sorry!" she said. "I am Shala'Bekk vas Neema. This is also my first time working with the captain. Curious. I just spoke with Dr. Narei, this is also her first time working with him. What about River?"
|
|
|
Post by Eric Lysander on Jan 25, 2014 1:01:37 GMT -6
Eric noted the vacant spot where the fledgling independent stood. "Dunno. Haven't spoken with her long but I'm guessing it may be her first time, too."
Feeling more confident about this exchange, he proffered "Listen, Shala'Bekk. About Chora's Den yesterday... it was an awkward spot but I meant what I said about your technical expertise. I mean it sounded like you really had the folks down in the engine room goin' over every bolt twice and three times makin' sure everything was perfect!"
Eric's tone became more serious. "If we have to engage the Collector ship at some point, the Valiant really isn't up for a gun and ramming duel against something that big. The best we can hope to get off is an eye poke or a sucker punch before running like hell. I figured if you haven't already done so... maybe we can both go over the ship's scanners and targeting systems. Check over the weapons and barrier generators as well. See if they also meet a quarian's standards."
He held up his hands and added "Strictly professional, of course."
|
|
|
Post by Shala'Bekk vas Neema on Jan 25, 2014 5:54:30 GMT -6
Shala considered the human’s offer. He certainly seemed friendly enough, and it always helped to have an extra set of eyes—and hands—in an engine room; a ship was a complicated piece of machinery.
She smiled to herself. So far, most of the team she had encountered had been friendly, aside from the batarian. The drell seemed a bit more reserved, but that may have been shyness on her part. She would still like to get to know her better, even if she did keep a varren as a pet.
“I would like that very much, Eric Lysander,” she said. “But I would like to meet the rest of the team first. Speaking of which, there were some who were at the first meeting who I haven’t seen since: a scar-faced human, a krogan and a turian. Have you seen them?”
|
|
|
Post by Eric Lysander on Jan 25, 2014 13:39:34 GMT -6
“I would like that very much, Eric Lysander. But I would like to meet the rest of the team first. Speaking of which, there were some who were at the first meeting who I haven’t seen since: a scar-faced human, a krogan and a turian. Have you seen them?”
The ex-Alliance soldier's face brightened momentarily and then tilted downward furrowed in thought, folding his arms.
"You know somethin', I haven't seen that krogan since yesterday either. The turian's probably looking around the ship... checking out how much we humans've must've corrupted it. Mr. Scar... could be with him too - they seemed to hit it off earlier. Or maybe he's holed up in his little bungalow down in the shuttle bay."
|
|
|
Post by Shala'Bekk vas Neema on Jan 25, 2014 22:37:03 GMT -6
"Perhaps I will meet them later," Shala said as she stood up. "It was nice meeting you, Eric Lysander. I look forward to our inspection of the ship."
As she left the eating area, heading towards the stairs, she looked to her right. The salarian was in the gym, talking with the batarian.
Unconsciously, her fists clenched, her heart began to race and her breath quickened.
|
|
|
Post by River Havens on Jan 26, 2014 4:42:59 GMT -6
River had had some time to settle herself into her new surroundings, walking about the ship and getting to know the layout. She was eager, and still a little nervous to get back to mingling with her new teammates as soon as possible. Judging from how things were going, it looked as through she was well on her way to making a few friends. Eric seemed like a pretty cool guy with plenty of battle experience. River was no rookie, but she certainly wasn't one would call a veteran. She made a mental note to approach him later, maybe quiz him about some of the past missions he's been on.
And then there was that Quarian she spoke momentarily. What was her name again? Quarian names were alway difficult to remember. River wanted to speak with her again soon. She seemed pretty nice as well. There were atleast maybe 3 or 4 members she hadn't met yet. A krogan and a turian for sure. Plus the doctor assigned to the infirmary.
River had been in such deep thought that she hadn't noticed that her wandering had actually brought her to the said infirmary. "Well, since I'm here, I might as well check in."
The automatic doors beeped in confirmation and opened with a whooshing sound. River poked her head in. "Hello?Anybody here?"
|
|
|
Post by Eric Lysander on Jan 26, 2014 15:48:31 GMT -6
Shala got up from her seat.
"Perhaps I will meet them later. It was nice meeting you, Eric Lysander. I look forward to our inspection of the ship."
"Okay - hit me up when you're ready."
Eric remained seated watching her walk away torwards the stairwell to the lower decks, still moving with that same purposeful manner. He saw her look to the recreation area momentarily before she disappeared from view. He concentrated a moment and could hear the faint burbling of conversation.
He was not alone.
About half a minute after Shala's departure, Eric slapped his palms on his thighs and stood up with his half-finshed food packet. The label claimed it was lasanga but the overly starched flavor and pale red sauce suggested another dish. Or maybe he should have minded the expiration date. He tossed it into the wastebin and loaded the used utensils into the washer. Eric then paced slowly into the next room and found the salarian who ran past him having a chat with the batarian by the punching bag. Coming closer, he could pick out snippets here and there about eyes and the possible affects of poisons. The salarian had his omni-tool open with data streams on display by a small, transparent silhouette of a creature whose configuration Eric did not recognize.
Is that a Collector?
Eric stopped a respectful distance away and stood at ease. Confidence restored by the two women he befriended, he waited for a gap in their discussion and then cocked his head towards them.
"Gentlemen?"
|
|
|
Post by dargene on Jan 26, 2014 16:35:27 GMT -6
Meldom stopped talking before he heard a new voice.
"Gentlemen?"
Meldom Turned his head at the new figure "Ah hello" he said with his omnitool still out "Guessing the hologram caught your eye?" he smiles warmly at Eric it would not hurt to get on everyone's good side, more allies, the better chance he would live another day.
|
|
|
Post by Eric Lysander on Jan 26, 2014 16:57:59 GMT -6
The salarian was in a more conversational mood than last time. "Ah hello. Guessing the hologram caught your eye?"
"Yes, it did," nodded Eric "I could be wrong but I take it you two are discussing Collector weak spots? Nerve clusters, exposed joints and the like? Exploiting weak spots are kinda my thing."
He extended his hand "Eric Lysander: Architectural Rearrangement Specialist."
Silence from both the salarian and the batarian.
"Demolitions expert. Doesn't sound as refined as 'architectural rearrangement specialist,' does it? 'Firebug' isn't any better, either."
|
|
|
Post by dargene on Jan 26, 2014 17:38:43 GMT -6
Meldom smiled again and chuckled before extending his hand for a handshake back "Indeed, sounds a lot better, Im Meldom..No witty title right now"
He turns to look back at the batarian for a moment before looking back at eric "indeed, telling him ideas to capture one, and exploitable weaknesses, can send you the information on your omnitool if you want ?" he seems genuinely interested in talking to eric and sharing his knowledge.
|
|
|
Post by Eric Lysander on Jan 26, 2014 23:14:26 GMT -6
"Much appreciated, Meldom," said Eric, setting up his omnitool to receive the data. His face took on an odd aspect for a moment.
"Capture...? For interrogation - yeah, would be a big help if we could get one to rat out his buddies. Assuming of course we can communicate with one. Is there anything in your data about translators for their language or will this be a 'one screech for yes, two for no' thing?"
|
|
|
Post by Maelstrom on Jan 27, 2014 20:07:13 GMT -6
Maelstrom looked at the clock. He still had a little time on his hands before Shala'Bekk was supposed to arrive. Rather than spending the whole time with himself and his VI, he checked the placement of his SMG and left the Vengeance, being sure to secure the shuttle- including activating its more lethal safeguards- behind himself. His omni-tool would let him know in enough time to get back to his shuttle for his appointment- punctuality was a issue of great importance to him.
His first stop was the conn. He knew that engineering was the heart of the ship, but, for some reason, he still felt the urge most pressing to know the person who was flying the ship. The conversation he shared with Mister Torrez was brief, but it left him with a feeling of having known the man for years. Torrez just seemed happy to have someone to chat with for a while as he piloted the vessel, not to mention an audience for one of his harrowing storiees of piloting. Maelstrom guessed all pilots who joined the Alliance shared certain personality traits in common, the certain playful arrogance borne or a slight (or, in some cases, not so slight) superiority complex, among others. It made him feel a little more at home, a little more secure. If they both made it through the mission, Maelstrom decided he might ask the man to share a drink somewhere and talk more. So long as it was not at a bar.
The next member of the support crew Maelstrom ran into was a turian by the name of Demrass Niel. The man intrigued Maelstrom, and he seemed like he had a story. Maelstrom simply hoped they would both live long enough for him to hear it. The turian was not as chatty as Arcturus, though, quickly bringing up the fact that he had a few last-minute calibrations to make to the weapons targeting array.
He found himself talking with Daniels outside engineering. In some ways the man reminded Maelstrom of a friend he had a few years back. He was not sure whether that or the fact that that Daniels had work to do was the greater contributor to why their discussion was so short.
Adele Adams was working hard on a diagnostic. With as hard as the engineering team seemed to be working, Maelstrom wondered if the ship's resident quarian had picked the ship's status apart as soon as she got aboard. He smiled. Were he significantly technologically inclined, it would have been what he did. He stopped to talk with Adele for only a minute. Her motherly manner brought up yet more memories he had no wish to recall.
Last was Miss Daniels. When he introduced himself, she rather directly told him that while she was pleased to make his acquaintance, she had too much work to do to divide her attention. When he asked about the status of the ship, she very curtly explained that Shala'Bekk had made several suggestions to improve ship performance, and they were just balancing out the energy distribution load to optimize performance. It was not an issue of major concern, she added, just one that required a great deal of uninterrupted- she stressed that- concentration. As Maelstrom made his way out of the engine room and back towards the Vengeance, he decided he liked Miss Daniels. Not the kind for subterfuge.
As usual, Emily opened the hatch for him when he arrived and closed it behind him. His omni-tool had not gone off. Checking it, he found himself back with time to spare.
"Emily, anything more on that asari Esteban let on the ship?" Maelstrom asked. Something felt off to him about her.
"All local databases have been searched. Without extranet access, I will be able to find little more than I already have on her," Emily explained calmly.
Maelstrom sighed. He was not used to having to get to know so many people in a day. It was tiring work.
|
|
|
Post by Shala'Bekk vas Neema on Jan 28, 2014 1:29:17 GMT -6
Shala made her way down to the shuttle bay to meet Maelstrom, equal parts excited and nervous. She hoped he was as friendly as he had indicated; loyalty, trust and cooperation were highly valued traits in her people, so trusting another Quarian happened with no effort. But with other races…
“…People here haven’t forgotten what your geth did here two years ago…”
“…I wish your geth had finished your people off…”
She shook her head, pushing the memories away.
*****
Along the way, she saw an asari. She would liked to have stopped and talked with her, but there were only a few minutes before their meeting was to begin and she did not want to be late.
“If you’re not ten minutes early, you’re late,” her mother would say. “Being late without telling who you are meeting shows disrespect to them.”
The only good thing I got from my mother, she thought.
Her mind drifted back to the asari. Of all the races she had encountered, they had been the most friendly so far. Back on their colony during her Pilgrimage, some of them had lost friends and family in the attack on the Citadel and eagerly took out their grief on her. Thankfully her roommate--what was her name?--and the colony leader had come to her defense, telling them to stop blaming her for something she had no part in, and if they could not do so they could leave the colony.
Five had left.
*****
So lost in her memories was she that she bumped into the shuttle. She stepped back for a moment, getting her bearings, and then walked around his shuttle, surveying it.
Looks like a variant of the Kodiak, she thought. She almost brought up her omnitool to start scanning it—an old habit—but then stopped. To do so without his permission was akin to walking in on him making love.
As she finished her visual survey, one of the loading doors opened, revealing him standing in the entryway. A female voice--clearly a VI--said, “Identity confirmed. Shala’Bekk vas Neema. Welcome aboard.”
“Permission to come aboard?” she asked him.
|
|
|
Post by Eric Lysander on Jan 28, 2014 8:35:49 GMT -6
Where was she all this time, wondered Eric as the asari Resindra seated herself in a chair she had brought over from the dining area. Her introduction to the group around the punching bag was very professional and courteous, stating a willingness to work with them and the other mercenaries in so far as the successful resolution of the mission. Only one other thought drifted through Eric's mind regarding her apart from admiration of her firm and supple frame.
Do not let her into your head unless you wanna spend time programming a new detonation code on your device... again...
|
|
|
Post by Maelstrom on Jan 28, 2014 11:29:09 GMT -6
A small projection popped up in the corner of the field of files he was examining. In it, Maelstrom could see Shala'Bekk vas Neema almost bump into his shuttle. Though he had relatively little experience interpreting quarian body language, he thought he saw definite surprise followed by an intense curiosity about his craft. Slowly, she made her way towards the craft, and Maelstrom rose to greet her.
A second before opening the hatch, the projection of Emily winked out of existence, then flashed back, this time as a very generic and inexpressive female avatar, a very common model. She opened the hatch. Her voice considerably more monotone than usual, she announced, “Identity confirmed. Shala’Bekk vas Neema. Welcome aboard.”
“Permission to come aboard?” Shala'Bekk asked.
Maelstrom almost had to bite his tongue to keep from saying that if Emily gave her permission for something, she had it. He was not ready to reveal the level of sophistication his VI possessed. Or his level of trust in it.
Extending a hand to the interior of the craft, Maelstrom said, "Please. I would have put on tea, but I'm afraid I don't have anything dextro."
Maelstrom took a moment to examine the craftsmanship of her suit. Blue with white and black highlights. The suits quarians wore after their pilgrimage were remarkable. He wondered if some of the painstaking detail put into the complex patterns was to make up for the fact that they were so rarely able to see one another's faces. A way to visually identify themselves to others, make a fashion statement, and appear attractive all at once. He was careful not to let his gaze linger for more than a brief moment, though, knowing that most races would either see it as a sign of sexual attraction or as a challenge.
|
|
|
Post by grandest on Jan 28, 2014 12:50:21 GMT -6
Cruendi'has took in Eric and Resindra as they made their introductions. He nodded to the Asari woman. Her aggressiveness reminded him of his various dealings with the Asari of the the Terminus systems, not the least notible of which being Aria T'loak. He appreciated it. To Eric's queries about the capture of the Collecto, he said, "It is a strange thing, to capture a creature so alien to everything we've met with before. But it's not my place to ask questions about why Bridges wants a Collector. It is simply my duty to figure out how to deliver."
|
|
|
Post by Eric Lysander on Jan 29, 2014 12:46:44 GMT -6
It was the batarian, not Meldom, that commented on Eric's query. "But it's not my place to ask questions about why Bridges wants a Collector. It is simply my duty to figure out how to deliver."
The former soldier shrugged. "Okay, pal. But it's your pet and Mr. B's, not ours. You feed it, clean it, keep it out of everyone's hair. The ship's mascot position's already been filled."
|
|
|
Post by Shala'Bekk vas Neema on Feb 1, 2014 22:45:30 GMT -6
"Please," Maelstrom said, gesturing for her to enter.
"Thank you," she said as she stepped onto the entrance ramp, her nervousness increasing exponentially. Among her people, an invitation into one's private quarters also carried an unposken invitation into conducting physical intimacy. Normally, such things were done on clean ships, but with the proper regimen of immunity-boosting drugs, it could be done anywhere. She had received a few such offers back on the Neema, but she had always turned them down; such intimacy required a whole new level of trust, and she certainly didn't feel it with any of her potential suitors.
Relax, he wouldn't know that, it's just an innocent invitation...right? she thought.
Her hands wringing unconsciously, her heart racing like she had just done ten heavy combat simulations in a row, she stepped into the shuttle. She looked around at its interior, noting that its similarities to the Kodiak were still very much present.
"...dextro-based," Maelstrom was saying.
"I'm sorry, what was that?" she asked, turning to face him.
|
|