|
Post by Kershaw on Jan 11, 2014 16:40:12 GMT -6
Kershaw takes a seat when offered his ever present grin slowly fades and is replaced by a frown as he looks at the growing group, he addresses Esteban "How many more are gonna show up to this thing, I haven't had a good fight in days, and the quarian's reminded me of how much I miss it"
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 11, 2014 16:50:56 GMT -6
Arcturus briefly raised a hand up when the other human, Kyle Sinclair, apologized for interrupting. "It's all right, human. Nice to meet you. I'm Arcturus Tilo."
"I want to know," Esteban confessed, taking a sip of his alcohol. "They struck before major excavation began."
The Turian tilted his head a little as he gazed back at Esteban curiously. "Before, huh? Hm, now that's strange. Maybe they know what's there." As an after thought, he added, "I might join to help you, but I need to know more before I make my final decision."
He soon glanced over at the one called Maelstrom when the man spoke to him, "Mr. Tilo. I've heard of some of your work. Always nice to have someone else on a job who actually knows what they're doing." Before anyone can bring up the question of how he knows the Acturus' name, he points to a small black device inserted in his right ear. "Picked it up on a mission some time back. Not good at long range, but it's enough to pick up conversation across a room."
For a second, Arcturus' brows furrowed slightly, but then he grinned a little. "Clever. Very clever. I wouldn't mind having one of those." One of those devices would be a great thing to have once he's finished with this mission.
Sitting there in his chair, he listened to what the other hired-hands had to say, nodding in agreement of what each of them mentioned, but looked back when he heard a commotion somewhere behind him, and looked on quietly as he watched a Quarian win a fight against the Batarian. Well, he wouldn't even call it a fight since it was over pretty quick when the Krogan bouncer threw the complaining alien out of Chora's Den.
"Serves that slaver right..." He muttered, watching the Quarian for a moment before looking back at his drink he went to pick up and finish the rest of it down quickly.
More showed up, and once everyone started sitting down in the rest of the empty chairs, he nodded at the new arrivals. "Looks like we're going to have a nice squad here with different strengths and abilities, human." He mentioned to Esteban.
He then heard the Krogan say, "How many more are gonna show up to this thing, I haven't had a good fight in days, and the quarian's reminded me of how much I miss it."
"I agree," Arcturus said, "We shouldn't wait all day for more to show up." He looked at the Krogan. "Oh, those Collectors' will certainly give all of us a good fight."
|
|
|
Post by Eric Lysander on Jan 11, 2014 23:40:34 GMT -6
"Thanks," said Eric taking his seat and looking over everyone again, pausing an extra second or so on the female members. He leaned back and crossed one leg over the other.
"Sooo... you've must've found somethin' worth quite-a-bit to get the kind of attention you did. Usually prothean ruins are all the same. Same old pyramids, same old containers full of degraded data tracks and knick knacks. Course the geeks'll spaz over every little thing's 'historic value...'"
Eric angled his head down and snorted. "Collectors... name makes 'em sound like IRS agents. I thought those things were into collecting lifeforms, not full contact antiquing." He scratched at his chin. "Think I may need to score some more ammo and det cord for this caper."
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 11, 2014 23:52:28 GMT -6
Iskra looked down at her drink when the well-dressed man caught her eye. Clearly he was her contact, the man was surrounded by well-armed aliens and carried himself as an entrepreneur. She had dealt with many like him in hopes of getting money for her research. At least those didn’t come with a posse of aliens.
Her trigger finger traced the rim of the untouched glass, accessing the situation. Three human men dressed in armor, one she recognized as Alliance, and her contact who was dressed in a suit. She was unsure if he was that confident or that stupid, the characters he surrounded himself with seems like they would shoot him without a second thought if insulted.
The Krogan, as she suspected earlier, was over with them. The boisterous nature of his voice made him almost as loud as his armor and she was able to catch small parts of his conversations over the music. She finally raised the drink to her lips and took a sip, savoring the flavor. The Turian seemed the most at ease, even when the Salarian had popped up next to him.
The young Drell had pressed her lips together as she watched the floating glass that gave away the alien’s position, the trained part of herself finding that slightly annoying. The one that most surprised her was the Quarian, she had found most that she had spoken to be polite if not alittle meek. Though, she had never met a Quarian mercenary, perhaps her race was more combative than she gave them credit for.
Iskra watched the liquid in the glass ripple to the music and could not help but think of how far on the outside she was. Being disconnected from the rest of the galaxy for the last few years had caused her knowledge of where each race stood in the universe to fail her now. The once alien run CSEC had been over hauled by humans after the Geth attack almost two years ago, she found herself having to convince a fourth councilor to help her people only to get the same result as she had with three.
She sighed, rubbing her eyes. There was a reason she worked alone, it was easier, cleaner. She didn’t have to worry about not insulting someone or what they thought of her. Grabbing the glass, the doctor threw back the rest of her drink.
|
|
|
Post by Esteban Bridges on Jan 12, 2014 0:05:40 GMT -6
Esteban waited patiently for the team to settle down. He was in no hurry, wanting to make sure everyone would pay careful attention to what he had to say. So he waited. His arms resting on the armrests, his jeweled fingers danging loosely off the front. He enjoyed flaunting his wealth. He sat upright, as if he believed himself to be in control of the situation. His dark brown eyes were on the Asari dancer, admiring her feminine form while she writhed around the platform.
Once everyone had their drinks and seemed content, he shooed the Asari, signaling for her to depart. She was no longer required, now that the meeting would soon begin. He wanted some privacy for this. With a casual, easy motion, Esteban set a small stack of metallic data pads on the now empty platform for the mercenaries to take. He leaned forward, lowering his voice so only the team can hear.
"Take one," he invited, gesturing at the stack. "On it is the contract if you choose to accept this mission."
Esteban took a sip from his glass, setting it down onto the platform with an audible clink. He cleared his throat,
"Two months ago, during the Alliance's survey of Ploba's 90 moons, they discovered one of the smaller moons contained ruins approximately 2 meters below the surface. Scans suggested some of the structures were preserved. Scientists believe there was some sort of attack on that community, burying them underneath 35 tons of molten rock. One of the structures emitted a faint energy signature identical to a drive core. So the Alliance followed procedure and approached private firms to handle the excavation. Bridges Unlimited won the contract after an extended meeting with Ambassador Udina. I promised him no bid purchase rights on twenty percent of the salvaged artifacts. This was well above his normal five percent.
Three weeks ago, Bridges Unlimited sent a team of twenty experienced archaeologists to Ploba along with Blue Suns protection. For security reasons, neither the Blue Suns nor my team were told what was discovered by the Alliance. We were only on the moon for no more than fifteen minutes when the Collector ship arrived. The Blue Sun's were cut down in minutes. My team fared no better. I managed to escape in a personal shuttle. I am not sure why the Collectors did not destroy my shuttle.
The Collectors destroyed all major monitoring stations within the Antaeus system, so Bridges Unlimited does not have a way to assess the current situation with any accuracy. Reports do show that the Mass Relay within the system was activated three hours after I departed, suggesting the Collector vessel withdrew from the system. The Mass Relay has not been active ever since. The Alliance and Council have not acted yet, claiming they are accessing the situation. This is unacceptable. This is why you were contacted.
If you choose to accept this mission, you will be compensated 50,000 credits for your time. If you are killed, your compensation will be transferred to your next of kin, minus retrieval, shipping, and processing fees. Once this mission is completed, you will be offered an extension that you are free to accept or decline. This will be to secure your services once more is understood on why the Collectors attacked."
Esteban sat back, once again, sitting regally.
"Do you have any questions?"
|
|
|
Post by Eric Lysander on Jan 12, 2014 1:03:18 GMT -6
After hearing Esteban's brief Eric pored over his data pad muttering to himself. "Definitely need more det cord... hell, already willed my own earnings to my nephews... guess my sister can use a little something too..."
He looked up at his employer.
"The Collectors'll definitely have their own eyes peeled for any more claim jumpers on approach. They could be watching the mass relay as well. I trust a man of means like yourself has a way of getting us all on that rock undetected?"
|
|
|
Post by Shala'Bekk vas Neema on Jan 12, 2014 2:08:20 GMT -6
Shala, leaning against the wall, frowned. Two things about the human's story concerned her.
"Curious," she said, deciding to voice her first concern. "My people have encountered the Collectors before. They attacked a colony where one was on Pilgrimage, only they didn't kill the colonists, they captured them."
Her second concern, the one she kept to herself, was the validity of the human's story. How had he managed to survive the attack? Had he simply fled at the sight of them, leaving the others to their fate? Or did his ship have cloaking technology? Or perhaps he had been captured, turned and released to lure others in?
All this thinking about the different possibilities started giving her a headache. This is why she preferred machines over people, they were so much more trustworthy.
|
|
|
Post by Maelstrom on Jan 12, 2014 2:15:36 GMT -6
"That's my main concern," Maelstrom agrees with Eric, "but I've got another one too. You're out for Prothean tech. What about Collector tech, though? I want to know that if I take down a Collector and grab his weapon, that gun belongs to me. That I'm not going to have a company coming after me for what they deem company property obtained during the mission. Call it a 'bonus' if you will. It's not going to affect my performance; frankly, it's not worth letting my guard down over. If it's there, though, it's a nice new weapon. At worst, easy creds."
|
|
|
Post by Kershaw on Jan 12, 2014 3:16:31 GMT -6
"If a team of 90 mercenaries were cut down, what makes you think a team not even a tenth that number will fair any better, I mean I'm always up for a challenge don't get me wrong,but this seems a little odd"
|
|
|
Post by Esteban Bridges on Jan 12, 2014 5:53:33 GMT -6
Esteban was not surprised to see Lysander was the first one to speak up. He rested his chin on his hand, turning his attention toward the former Alliance Officer.
"The Collectors'll definitely have their own eyes peeled for any more claim jumpers on approach," Eric observed. "They could be watching the mass relay as well. I trust a man of means like yourself has a way of getting us all on that rock undetected?"
"That's my main concern," Maelstrom agrees with Eric, "but I've got another one too. You're out for Prothean tech. What about Collector tech, though? I want to know that if I take down a Collector and grab his weapon, that gun belongs to me. That I'm not going to have a company coming after me for what they deem company property obtained during the mission. Call it a 'bonus' if you will. It's not going to affect my performance; frankly, it's not worth letting my guard down over. If it's there, though, it's a nice new weapon. At worst, easy creds."
He considered the mercenary's words for a few moments, thoughtfully tapping his lips with his index finger while weighing an answer. He decided to address Lysander, but looking over at Maelstrom while speaking. "I have a copy of strategies Alliance Military Intelligence created after the Collectors attacked the Normandy. The strategies are supposed to be effective. I will forward to you for your feedback."
He sat back up, tapping his wrist to call up his omnitool. An orange glow encompassed his arm as the holographic light formed. He pressed a couple of buttons, waving the tool at Eric to transfer the needed files to his omnitool.
While he did this, the Quarian spoke up to voice her concern. "Curious. My people have encountered the Collectors before. They attacked a colony where one was on Pilgrimage, only they didn't kill the colonists, they captured them."
Kershaw voiced his concerns next, demonstrating his battle experience with every word. "If a team of 90 mercenaries were cut down, what makes you think a team not even a tenth that number will fair any better, I mean I'm always up for a challenge don't get me wrong,but this seems a little odd"
Esteban nodded, more to show he heard the Krogan and Quarian than agreeing with them.
"The Collectors have two powerful weapons," the businessman spoke carefully, weighing his words. "The element of surprise and use of their ship. The battle occurs on our terms rather than theirs, eliminating their first weapon. As for their ship, Alliance Military Intelligence has tactics for baiting enemy ships away that they believe will work on Collector ships. It is in the files I transferred to Lysander."
He smiles briefly, looking around to see if there were any follow-up questions or comments.
|
|
|
Post by dargene on Jan 12, 2014 7:07:02 GMT -6
While tapping away on his omni tool he still listened to what was happening around, after hearing everything that was said Meldom spoke up "Curious.. Collectors usually do not attack, must be something they want on that moon.. something they wish to hide?" he starts to mumble to himself about the logistics of what collectors would find valuable enough to decimate the moon "Mission seems.. Interesting, Only collectors i have managed to examine were dead, could be..Beneficial to see them alive to say the least"
He looks deep in thought for a moment "I accept" He looks around the room before leaning forward and interlocking his fingers resting his chin on them "When do we leave, A few hours, days ?" he asks with slight enthusiasm "also.. How will we get there ?" he adds while taking one of the holodisks and sipping his drink.
|
|
|
Post by Eric Lysander on Jan 12, 2014 12:36:10 GMT -6
Eric scrolled up Esteban's file on his omnitool, smirking for an instant at his personal experience of the contradiction contained within the phrase "military intelligence." Still, Alliance Inteligence did have moments of inspiration now and again. As he began to read, his amusement faded. After all, these strategies were drafted after his friend Shepard was "killed." But word of the commander's demise was apparently exaggerated, the Collector home base wiped out. No need for futher retribution.
"Ah... the 'lost sheep' protocol," Eric said finally, looking up to Esteban. "So we bank on their not having given up their first hobby...? Could work if we swing it right. The Anteaus system is right by the Anansi-Ishtar shipping lane - a buddy of mine works it. Real easy to blend in with traffic so we -can- get in close. If the Collectors have wolf pack mentality they prefer to isolate their prey rather than attack the herd, even though they have advanced weaponry. We rig up a signal buoy to sound like a ship in trouble - one with lots of people on board - giving the illusion of easy pickings. We break off from the shipping lane, toss the buoy one way and we zip off the other, powering down and drifting in. With luck, the enemy will take the bait and by the time they realize they've been had... we'll be dug into their backside."
|
|
|
Post by Maelstrom on Jan 12, 2014 12:48:03 GMT -6
"Let's not forget their third powerful weapon. I assume you've obtained a countermeasure against seeker swarms?" Maelstrom asks, not pleased that his question about the Collector tech went unanswered but not in the mood to push it. He would just take the silence as an agreement and enforce it if anyone saw fit to challenge him.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 12, 2014 13:15:59 GMT -6
"Those seeker swarms are what I am more concerned of," Arcturus spoke after looking up from his omni-tool and listening to what some of the others said. "If we don't have any form of protection against those things, then there will be no point in going with you."
He shrugged.
"I have done many crazy missions in the past year, but I did not do them without being fully prepared."
|
|
|
Post by Esteban Bridges on Jan 12, 2014 17:14:17 GMT -6
"I accept." the Salarian said with enthusiasm. "When do we leave, A few hours, days ? Also.. How will we get there ?"
Esteban thoughtfully looked at the Salarian for a moment, as if he was considering his every word. His chin was cupped with his palm, leaning against his arm.
"We will leave tomorrow," Esteban finally said, speaking clearly and slowly. "That will provide enough time to purchase equipment and supplies. One of my financiers is supplies the ship, a refurbished frigate. You may tour it after this meeting so you can plan accordingly."
Esteban fell silent, glancing around at the team. He couldn't help but notice the Drell still has not approached. He tried to look around for her, her complexion should help her stand out. The pulsating lights of the gentleman's club coats everything with a purple glow, giving everyone an Asari skin-tone. He was able to hear the former Alliance Officer assess the information, sounding like he almost approves of some of the strategies within.
"Let's not forget their third powerful weapon," Maelstrom spoke up, sounding almost annoyed. "I assume you've obtained a countermeasure against seeker swarms?"
The Turian agreed with the madman, speaking up before Esteban could reply. "Those seeker swarms are what I am more concerned of. If we don't have any form of protection against those things, then there will be no point in going with you." He paused for a moment, shrugging. "I have done many crazy missions in the past year, but I did not do them without being fully prepared."
Esteban knew this would come up. Ever since Shepard unveiled the existence of the swarm, that was everyone's first concern. He sat up once again, looking calm and confident. The Drell woman was a doctor, if he remembered correctly. She will be useful in this case.
"I am in negotiation with Udina to purchase the formula for the Swarm countermeasure. It will be possible to synthesize it for the mission. If not, reports from New Horizon and Shepard's interview show the Swarm cannot penetrate biotic barriers and environmentally sealed rooms. Modified armor and creative use of biotics should be sufficient."
He gives a very slight smile, leaning over to grab his glass... he sips the cool liquid, coating his throat with its delightful flavor. He waited, in case others had questions or concerns.
|
|
|
Post by Kershaw on Jan 12, 2014 18:04:11 GMT -6
"So what kind of numbers are we expecting the Collectors to attack us with, what kind of force they attack your other team with, any planetary defenses in place if one of their ship lands?"
|
|
|
Post by Eric Lysander on Jan 12, 2014 20:03:10 GMT -6
"Yeech, forgot about those things."
Eric switched over to his suit schematics. It had cost him a fair amount of credits to obtain armor comparable to what he had in his Alliance days. But the many scrapes, blasts and near-misses it saved him from were worth it. Satisfied that his own protection from swarms was sufficient, he initialed his contract.
"It ain't citronella, but it'll do in a pinch. All right, I'm in. I'll give your ship a once-over, see what needs shoring up or locking down. Definitely wanna check if its scanners are up to snuff. And guys, feel free to keep tossing datum about; the more we riff off each other the better our chances are against those freaks... and living to see a paycheck, which goes without saying."
|
|
|
Post by dargene on Jan 12, 2014 20:11:19 GMT -6
Meldom Once more looks up from his omni tool and finishes his drink before talking "also what about other gear we may need to bring aboard , is there a limit on space ?" he asks this rather nonchalantly but you can see that his face appears more serious and almost worried.
|
|
|
Post by Esteban Bridges on Jan 12, 2014 21:27:31 GMT -6
Esteban held the chilled glass in his right hand, swirling around the alcohol within absentmindedly. The sound of clinking ice amused him as he listened to Kershaw ask his thoughtful question, further demonstrating his decades of battle experience. "So what kind of numbers are we expecting the Collectors to attack us with, what kind of force they attack your other team with, any planetary defenses in place if one of their ship lands?"
"I was away at my shuttle, unloading equipment when the Collectors struck," Esteban replied simply, setting the glass down on the armrest. "My information comes from the comms. The Collector ship fired on the Blue Sun's defenses, wiping out most of them. No orbital defenses were up at the time. The remaining eight Blue Suns fell back to protect the archaeologists. They died in two minutes, overwhelmed by around a hundred Collectors. I expect the same number of Collectors to still be on the moon, spread out protecting the area and excavating."
Esteban's finger traced the rim of the glass.
"I expect the Collector ship to be off refueling," he continued on in his business-like tone. "The only thing known is this: the Mass Relay activated once within the three weeks, suggestion the ship departed. The remaining Collectors will most likely have a way to signal the ship to return, so first priority will be to destroy their communication relay when we arrive. Most of this is speculation. No reliable intelligence of the system exists. Any plan requires flexibility to adapt to the situation. This is why I asked for the best. Your experience will give you the edge in unknown situations."
Esteban leaned forward in his chair, confident that the questions were starting to come to an end. He did not believe he had any other relevant information to share with them at this point. Though he did give permission to Lysander to inspect the vessel. Having an expert pair of eyes on it would only help.
Meldom spoke up next, asking yet another appropriate question. "Also what about other gear we may need to bring aboard, is there a limit on space?"
"The vessel has a storage area if your belongings will not fit within your assigned personal area," he answered, confident the Salarian would not overwhelm the ship's capacity. He smiled, looking around to everyone.
"I believe I shared everything I could and would like your commitment to the mission," he said. "You have my utmost confidence that this will be well within your respective skill sets."
|
|
|
Post by Maelstrom on Jan 12, 2014 21:36:24 GMT -6
"How big is your shuttle-bay?" Maelstrom asks. "I've got a ship I need to stow. Long-range. Current military-grade. A bit larger than your standard shuttle and minimal armaments, but she runs fast and quiet. Only drop-ship in the universe I trust. So long as everyone keeps in mind that she's mine, I'll let this group use her for the mission." He hesitates for a moment, looking over the members of the group once more. "She has plenty of room in the main compartment for anyone to store their gear, at least until it's time for the drop. The back compartment is for me and me alone. Nice little security system hooked up to that door too. Not to mention a couple connected to her conn. Anyone tries anything funny with her, they'll get a nasty little surprise, not to mention that she warns me every time a hatch is opened."
|
|