Episode 0: To Steal A Pirate Ship

Started by Axe, October 03, 2018, 01:17:47 PM

Axe

Encrypted message to Alliance Navel Command from XO of the Light Stealth Cruiser Cornwolf.

Entirety of ships crew, including the Captain and ships doctor, have fallen ill after shore leave. Illness unknown. Best guess is the water supply. Making emergency landing on Three Hills for medical treatment. Please advice.

ANC response

Message received. We will reroute support to you, but it will take some time. All available support is just about as far from you as it could be, yall picked a hell of a time to get the sniffles. Support ETA between 3 and 5 days.

---

That was the transmission that Joakim intercepted. It was only a few minutes of work to discover the birth that the Cornwolf would soon be occupying in the capital of Three Hills. And not long after that the information had been relayed to Melody and the rest of the crew of would-be pirates.

The ship they were tailing to steal would be at birth 27 at the capital spaceport on Three Hills, with little to no support or backup besides local law, for 3 to 5 days! This was an opportunity they could not pass up.
CHARACTERS
Riot ~ Akhsar King

Melody

Tracking an Alliance ship was risky business, to be sure. The variables were always fluid and the chance of discovery and prosecution high. Despite this, the Light Stealth Cruiser Cornwolf was being followed and had been for the last month or so. Information was constantly intercepted and forwarded to a small group of people, keeping them in the loop in terms of where the ship was and what its current missions were. All they needed was a chance, the perfect opportunity...

And here it was. An emergency landing on a planet not known for its Alliance presence and a crew left incapacitated by a mysterious illness. The stars couldn't have aligned any better.

The team pursuing the ship had been split off into pairs to avoid both suspicion and to provide each member of the group with some semblance of backup. As it was now, Melody and Holger were paired up and had been drifting in the Alliance ship's wake for days in a shuttle she'd picked up for cheap at a junk yard. It was large enough for sleeping quarters and some room to move around and had two chairs in its little cockpit. She'd filled it up with supplies and had only needed to make a couple runs between then and now for more. The shuttle was small enough that she could avoid the occasional sweep sent out by the bigger ship, and while it wasn't her stealth bomber, she was piloting it as stealthily as she could, running on minimal power consumption.

She'd left Jo in the capable hands of Izak, knowing that A) it would keep him safe and she trusted Izak to be a strong advocate for the tech genius she'd hired and who currently was a wild card, not having technically signed up for be permanent crew as of yet and that B) it would make Joaquim uncomfortable and Melody lived to see him squirm.

Isa had been left on a team of her own simply in a rational attempt to keep the heat off both the former Alliance Captain as well as off the plan. It was figured that out of all of them, Isa would have the most eyes on her and leaving her in a team of one was the best way to avoid suspicion or an early failure of their plan.

Every member of the team had been provided the current Alliance ship's coordinates and situation via Jo's intercepted information and Mel had left it up to each team to decide how they'd stick close to their target, be it hiding in a shuttle like she was or hopping planet to planet in pursuit.

----

"Hey," Melody murmured from the cockpit, not looking back into the shuttle as she spoke, her eyes on the transmission Jo had forwarded to her. "They're making an emergency landing on Three Hills. Says they're all sick, Captain and Doctor included and backup isn't coming for at least three days," she repeated, speaking to her current partner in crime and furrowing her brows thoughtfully. A hand lifted to brush some of her currently dirty blonde hair away from her face then lowered to push the sleeves of her black sweater up to the crook of her elbows.

She altered their current course to match up with the Alliance ship's new coordinates, waiting to see where Jo magicked their birthing. She didn't have to wait long, a grin tugging at one corner of her lips as the tech magician sent the location along to the team. She'd had no regrets in hiring him, even if she did enjoy making him uncomfortable.
Dialogue Color: Brown

Holger Heyerdahl

October 04, 2018, 08:19:37 AM #2 Last Edit: November 16, 2018, 09:47:23 AM by Holger Heyerdahl
The ceiling of the shuttle was sparse of much detail. Holger knew this, because he had been staring at it for some time. There was the occasional nap, in the days since they had begun following the Alliance vessel, and conversation with Melody, when it was afforded, was generally lively. The girl had a tongue like a knife, and was never afraid to let Holger know what she thought. Those moments were fun. But they were few and far between, as the piloting Melody was doing was, in her words, "complicated". So Holger sat. Or lay. And waited.

Holger heard Melody's voice and went to the threshold of the cockpit, sticking his head in. "So we take the ship now?" He was ready. He had been ready when she told him what they were doing. He had been ready when they went to retrieve the shuttle. He had been ready when the junk dealer reduced his price after seeing Holger's smile. And he had been ready for four days since traveling in the wake of the Alliance vessel. "I am tired of waiting." He savored in the thought of storming through the ship's corridors, killing whatever Alliance Purple Belly qing wa cao de liu mang he found. He imagined one in particular. An officer, cowering in his quarters. Perhaps hiding beneath his bunk. Holger would force the door open, standing bathed in the smoke from the corridor as it spilled into the room. The officer, you see, had turned off the lights in order to better conceal his cowardice. Holger would step into the room, slowly, purposefully. He knew the hiding dog would be no threat to him. Would he use his gun? Or a knife, perhaps? There were so many options, Holger couldn't choose.
Dialogue Color - Orange

Rashy Pete

October 04, 2018, 10:40:33 PM #3 Last Edit: October 04, 2018, 10:43:31 PM by Rashy Pete
The Cornwolf, 26 hours earlier

"Sorry, Ras, but it's time. No. You smell horrible. That's not - Oh sure. Yeah I hate it. I don't smell as bad as you. You smell like you died. And you rotted in a hot dumpster for days and days. But then you got back up like everything was fine, threw up all over yourself, and moved into the sewer. I'm pretty sure I don't smell that bad yet. Trust me, I've got another day or two before my socks start to smell like vinegar." Olo Rashtivian Petrovich struggled to hold the thick, ashen longhair Maine cat still as he attempted to lower it into the ship's supply of treated, potable water, assuming only the cleanest water could remedy the offensive stench radiating off his four legged companion.

Arriving on the ship about forty five minutes earlier in order to perform a routine maintenance check on the ship's engines, fuel supply, and waste sanitation systems, Olo insisted to the cat multiple times that no fish hid in the run off from the latrine disposal. Rasputin, ever defiant in his pursuit of his next meal, tried his luck any way and had slipped straight into the yet-to-be-processed human waste. Unable to focus on his tasks so long as the cat continued to reek in a manner reminiscent of the disposal unit in which they'd first met, Olo resigned to performing the most demeaning of all cleaning duties: bathing the cat.

The Cornwolf, Now

Olo's breathing remained shallow as he stared up at the stilled engine wide-eyed. "I think everybody's gone, Ras. No I'm not sure. That's why I said I think. What do you mean I'm lying?" Cautiously, Olo's head peeked up slightly over the edge of the pit, checking for any movement and listening for tell-tale boot falls. "No, I don't hear anything. Nuh uh, I don't see anything either." Pausing for a moment before sniffing at the air, Olo shook his head and looked down with his brows knotted in confusion. "I don't smell anyth - Oh. OH GOD! OH THAT'S TERRIBLE! IT'S IN MY MOUTH! IT'S IN MY MOUTH!"

Scrambling out from under the stilled engines, risking capture by the Alliance and trial as a stowaway over being contained in a grease pit with whatever odorous stench emitted by Rasputin, Olo covered his nose with a stained t-shirt and rushed, tool belt clanging and jingling, to escape the engine room. A metallic clang filled the room as Olo caught his head on a large coolant supply pipe painted bright red and emblazoned with caution signs, and the next thing he heard was a ringing in his ears as his head bounced off the diamond grated metal floor and everything went dark. For his part, Rasputin merely curled up on Olo's chest and waited.
"You better squeeze all the Charmin you can, While Mr. Whipple's not around;
Put your head in the microwave, and get yourself a tan"


- "Dare To Be Stupid", 'Weird Al' Yankovic

Harl Moses

October 07, 2018, 06:40:37 PM #4 Last Edit: November 11, 2018, 01:15:50 PM by Harl Moses
[THREE HILLS - CAPITOL CITY SPACEPORT]

Moses had landed planetside a day ago and setup a stakeout position at a grimy cantina, the establishment boasted of nutritious, 'free-range' canine dishes. The location afforded a perfect view of new arrivals, there was no way he could miss his mark. As luck would have it, if there was such a thing in Moses' life, the Cantina also doubled as a Hostel and rented out a few bunks. He had spent the night there on a rock hard cot permeated with the odor of fried dog. It'll take weeks to get this smell out of my clothes. Moses pondered as he sipped dark strong coffee and sniffed the air. Stale coffee and dog meat, what's the 'Verse coming to? Was the thought rolling around his head as his eyes kept surveillance on the landing zone and unloading ramp where travelers had to check in before they could go about their business freely.

The reward Moses was attempting to claim was for a wiry fellow by the name of Joakim Soong. From the capture he had that accompanied the bounty papers, it didn't look like he would be any big trouble capturing, looked like a good kid[/color]. Soong was wanted for some Cortex embezzlement crime, didn't have the M.O. of an armed and dangerous suspect. Moses knew full well never to ultimately trust everything in a report. Once he tracked an old crazy lady who kidnapped a toddler and headed off world. When he caught up with her she shot him in the leg with a single shot derringer, luck was nowhere about that day for ole Mose.

This kid had Harl wondering, as he sipped his coffee, just what did he do that was so bad to get a Bounty on his head. Moses didn't fancy himself a Bounty Hunter, he found it to be a touchy sort of business. A good portion of the work had Federal ties usually through Interpol, of which he always steered clear of. When he found himself down to his last dime he had no choice and sent a wave to his third party contact that took forty percent of every bounty he brought in....no questions asked, and that suited Moses just fine.

.

Melody

Melody turned her head to look up at Holger, grinning mischievously and nodding once, "Yea, we take the ship now. No more waiting," she confirmed, punching in the coordinates and setting the ship's speed up a bit before she stood and moved away from the console. With the crew sick, they'd be less likely to be monitoring their surroundings as frequently or closely as they might've before so she allowed for a little boost in their direction. Lifting her arms above her head, Melody stretched, several pops running up her spine as she did so.

Lowering her arms, she moved past Holger into the main portion of the shuttle, patting his chest as she passed. "Looks like luck's on our side. Jo and Izak are already dirtside, a bit ahead of the ship. Just waiting on them and on us, now. Once we land-" she grinned, pausing and winking up at the redhead. She figured he had enough of an imagination to figure what would happen when they landed, if he wasn't already playing it in his mind.

She set to changing out of her sweater, tossing it into her duffel bag and pulling some light armor on over her tank top, something she'd taken with her when leaving the Alliance barracks without permission. Mel knew better than to go after an Alliance fighter vessel without some safety, even if they were sick. With that taken care of, she pulled her sweater back on and got to putting her things away so they could make a quick exit once they landed, which wouldn't be too long. In fact, she'd need to guide them down shortly, giving the Alliance ship a bit of a head start to begin the disembarking process.
Dialogue Color: Brown

Holger Heyerdahl

October 18, 2018, 11:34:47 AM #6 Last Edit: November 16, 2018, 09:47:36 AM by Holger Heyerdahl
Finally, Holger's fantasies of Purple Bellies split open by his blade would be realized. Not that he hadn't killed his fair share during the war and after the war - Holger wondered briefly if he had killed any before the war but didn't think that he had. The first man he had knowingly killed had been an enemy combatant three days after reaching the front. Holger still remembered his scream and it brought a smile to his face. No, he decided, there hadn't been any Alliance deaths at his hand prior to the start of hostilities. But there was that one time-

The alarm that announced the approaching atmosphere of the planet jogged Holger from his reverie. He took a look at the control panel and found himself somewhat lost by all the buttons. "Melody. It is beeping." He said, helpfully.
Dialogue Color - Orange

Rashy Pete

**BEEP-BEEP** **BEEP-BEEP** **BEEP-BEEP**

The alarm on Olo's wrist-mounted Mini Dobson Cortex Device interrupted his unplanned slumber. "Ow..." Rasputin shook his head in annoyance as Olo shifted beneath where the feline curled sleepily on the mechanic's abdomen. Olo blinked twice as he leaned forward, looking thoroughly confused. "Did I just get my pigu kicked?" The dark furred feline wholly ignored the inquiry, merely closing his eyes in an attempt to return to the light nap from which he'd been rudely awoken. "I feel like that time those Navy guys tossed me in the garbage chute. Oh hey! That's where I found you, buddy!" Olo scooped up the cat and held it before him. "You remember that, Rasp - Yeow!"

Displaying a mortified look upon its face and letting out a pained yowl, Rasputin wriggled free of Olo's grasp and scurried away in silence. Olo looked at the puncture in his right thumb where his feline companion bit him before sucking at the small pool of blood that developed. "Hey! Don't go too far okay? We gotta get home before Gūdú de xiǎo gǒu nánhái zài yuèliàng háo jiào starts!" A warning hiss echoed from around the corner as Olo rose to his feet and dusted himself off, nearly hitting his head on the pipe again but looking concerned for an altogether different reason. "Why would you say that? It's your favorite show!" Olo flinched as he looked up at the brightly colored pipe like it sneaked up on him, then relaxed, ducked, and pointed a finger at the pipe before smiling and tapping his temple.

Turning into the hallway, Olo looked back and forth before heading toward the ship's cargo hold. Humming and clapping his hands along with the "Gūdú de xiǎo gǒu nánhái zài yuèliàng háo jiào"  theme song as he bumbled along, Olo considered his options thoughtfully and decided against microwaved hot dogs for dinner. Nodding as he licked his lips, the mechanic looked about for the cat. "Hey Ras! You like fried hot dogs right? Ras? Where are you? Ras! We gotta go!" Olo searched around the cargo area for his cat, startled by the entry's sudden activation. "...Please?" Scrambling as quickly as his feet could take him, Olo made his way back into the guts of the ship and found himself crawling into a storage cabinet in the galley for safety - completely oblivious to the racket caused by the pots and pans he tossed in the floor to make room for himself to hide from whoever boarded the ship.
"You better squeeze all the Charmin you can, While Mr. Whipple's not around;
Put your head in the microwave, and get yourself a tan"


- "Dare To Be Stupid", 'Weird Al' Yankovic

Joakim Soong

October 19, 2018, 05:28:07 AM #8 Last Edit: October 20, 2018, 12:00:20 AM by Joakim Soong
"Done", Jo told Izak as he gave his pda one last tap, confirming his message had reached Melody before slipping the device back in his coat pocket. "Now we just...kick back and relax."

There was a dry twinge of irony in his voice. There was nothing relaxing about the situation. Here he was, standing at the capitol city spaceport, surrounded by people, secretly wrapped up in a grand theft spaceship that he was having some second thoughts about. The nauseating smell of sizzling greasy meat wafting from the nearby cantina was just the icing on the anxiety cake.

Next to him stood Izak Archer, the partner-in-crime he'd been saddled with for the duration of this operation. That's how Jo would've liked to see it, although he knew full well that in reality it was Izak who'd been saddled with him. He didn't need a babysitter to make sure he did his job, and he had a feeling Melody realized it too and just wanted to mess with him. The part of Jo that fancied himself a lone wolf vigilante was indeed annoyed by having Izak watch his back at all times, but on the other hand... he had to admit it was kind of nice having someone around, even if they weren't exactly bosom buddies. He hadn't quite realized how lonely he'd gotten over those long months of self-imposed exile.

The biggest downside to having a traveling companion was that somehow it made Jo feel more exposed in public places. Alone, it was easier to pretend he was invisible. With Izak around, he was constantly reminded of the fact that he wasn't. You would've thought that after all this time of not being ambushed by the Feds he would've been able to let go of his paranoia, but somehow it only made it worse. It was as if every day that went by without incident just moved him one step closer to the inevitable disaster looming in the horizon.

Jo quickly glanced around them, adjusted the cap he was wearing on his head (a poor disguise but better than nothing) and looked up at Izak, waiting for his thoughts on what to do next. Jo was a wizard when it came to the technical stuff, but he was happy to dump everything else on Izak's shoulders, especially now that his part was almost done. The realization filled Jo with a ruefulness he kept trying to push back in his mind. Shouldn't he be relieved at the thought of going his own way and not having that Turner woman yank his chain anymore?
Dialogue color: teal

Izak Archer

October 20, 2018, 07:53:25 AM #9 Last Edit: October 28, 2018, 06:19:33 AM by Izak Archer
This place is probably listed under the definition of a tzao gao dong, Izak thought. Though it was the most logical place to wait for everyone before they went in to capture the ship and take it for themselves, this cantina screamed health code violation. He ordered his food from the stalls across the street and only touched the bottled liquor if he wanted anything. Nevertheless, it was still a good enough time. He and Jo beat the ship here and kept a close eye on it. Now all he could do was wait and keep an eye on Jo.

But what was his deal anyway? Sure, he was good with computers and tech, and he definitely had issues with the Alliance, not like Zak cared. He was done with the alliance and had no desire to return any time soon. It was a sluggish bureaucracy that did not provide for its people the way it intended to...well, many people, not all of them. But why the hell did he always seem so nervous? Was it just something that developed over time?
Perhaps I'm starting to realize why Turner had me watch over him in the first place.

Furthermore, when in the hell was she going to arrive with that bearded bear of a Browncoat? They were going to need him to take the ship. The idea of it being guarded was ridiculous to him...but local security could be bribed rather than shot, and that loose cannon could screw things up but piling up bodies. He did not like the Browncoat, but he respected him...a little...but beyond that he was unsure what to make of the other crewmembers so far too.

Jo caught his attention. "Hmm?" Izak brought himself back to reality. "I'd hardly call it relaxing, especially on a planet like this. I kind of miss the comforts of some of the more...developed worlds sometimes. But that's neither here nor there right now. What's important is that we're almost done here."

He turned his head towards Jo. That hat hardly did anything to cover his identity. It was almost humorous in a way. "By the way, I'm guessing you're not a huge fan of Turner?"

Axe

October 21, 2018, 01:10:07 PM #10 Last Edit: October 21, 2018, 01:51:47 PM by Axe
- - - Sometime prior to Pete waking up - - -

The Cornwolf touched down easily, if a little wobbly, with little fanfare. As had been requested, the births to either side of the ship were empty, and would remain so. Several minutes passed before the medical team that had been dispatched from a local hospital arrived in a commandeered bus. They milled around the cargo bay door for another few minutes until six local law enforcement deputies arrived. Only then did the Alliance inside the ship open the door. The debarkation was quick and organized. Most of the Alliance could still walk, though they were more than a little shaky, but several of the crew did have to be carried out on stretchers.

The last two men to exit were a marine in full combat armor, rifle in hand, and an officer with an XO's pin on his uniform. The XO cycled the big door closed and set the lock. He spoke quickly and tersely to the 6 local deputies, and after a moment joined the rest of his crew on the bus which drove off towards the hospital almost immediately.

The marine remained behind. There was a quick conversation between him and the deputies, before two of them left. The marine took up a position in front of the door control, two of the deputies moved to the front of the ship to watch the road and spaceport, and the other two stood near the Marine to watch their flanks. All four deputies had sidearms strapped to their hips and seemed to be taking their duty seriously.
CHARACTERS
Riot ~ Akhsar King

Joakim Soong

October 22, 2018, 04:28:39 AM #11 Last Edit: October 22, 2018, 04:52:56 AM by Joakim Soong
Jo couldn't relate to Izak's lamentation of the lack of core comforts. The spaceport wasn't really any crummier than Beaumonde, at least not the side of Beaumonde Jo was accustomed to.

"By the way, I'm guessing you're not a huge fan of Turner?"

What was he now, a mind reader? Jo winced. To an outside observer it might have looked like he disliked this Turner person so much that even bringing her up in conversation was enough to get a reaction out of him. In reality, he was wincing at Izak referring to her directly by name in such a blasé manner. Jo himself avoided using the names of the people involved in the operation, as if some Fed listening in was going to hear the name 'Turner' spoken out loud and immediately connect it with that one particular Melody Turner, implicating her.

"What makes you say that?" he asked, a little more defensively than he'd intended. "I mean... you have met her, right? She's, how do I put this... She's not... She's..."

For a moment, Jo struggled to find a delicate way of expressing his feelings about Melody. Then he decided it was pointless to mince his words. It wasn't like he would be saying anything he hadn't already said to her face.

"She's unnecessarily rude. And kind of a bully. I'd assumed it was nothing personal and that's just how she is with everybody, but if not, well, then I guess I have a whole other bone to pick with her."
Dialogue color: teal

Melody

"Melody. It is beeping," the redhead informed her.

Pulling the sweater on over her light armor, the pilot tossed her duffel bag onto the bed-like surface and moved back to the cockpit, grinning up at Holger on the way. She sat, looking over the readouts before her hands moved deftly across the controls, keying in necessary sequences before she took the help and manually took them down to the planet below, making sure to keep things as low key and uninteresting as possible on the way.

On the way down, she sent a quick wave to the ground team to let them know they were landing shortly and to be prepared to meet up. She also asked Jo specifically for an update on the ship's current disembarkation and security status, both from what they could likely see with their own two eyes and from what Jo could scrounge up from the technological ether.

"Strap in," Mel murmured to Holger, not minding if he didn't. He often didn't do as he was told, and he seemed to have survived just fine so far.

-- Shortly after landing --

Mel stood and stretched her arms above her head, moving away from the console to return to her duffel bag, taking her pistol and smaller personal bag from inside, slinging her back over her chest and shoulder and putting the gun into its holster on her hip.

"We're going to meet up with the others, see what the situation looks like, then we go in. I figure Isa will show up at some point and then," she moved her hand through the air like a ship, "we'll zip out of there in our new ship." she informed him, grinning as she made her way to the shuttle's hatch. Hitting the button with the side of her fist, the now technically ex Alliance pilot stepped out once the door was finished sliding open and pulled out her personal data pad, waiting for a response from Jo and Izak and the rest of their team.
Dialogue Color: Brown

Holger Heyerdahl

October 24, 2018, 07:54:31 AM #13 Last Edit: November 16, 2018, 09:48:05 AM by Holger Heyerdahl
Holger, with a large worn out duffel bag with some cartoon characters printed on the side, the words "Fruity Oaty Bars" printed alongside, hefted over his shoulder, exited the shuttle right behind Melody. On the docks, people milled about everywhere, some just trying to get to where they were going, others hawking wares of one kind or another. Holger breathed it all in and decided he didn't like it. "It smells." He said, under his breath, though he couldn't quite place what it smelled like.

"Geese?" He wondered, sniffing the air again. There was a distinct foul fowl aroma. Rotted feathers and scat. A distant honk and flap of wings confirmed this. "Grease." Cooked food nearby, deep fat fried on sticks, as well as lubrication from ship engines collecting in barrels and leaking on the ground in puddles. Holger allowed his gaze to drift over to a sweaty man with a hairy back and a black unibrow thicker than Holger's own beard. "Greeks." Cumin, oregano, dill, garlic: these were not spices Holger knew the names of. Only that that man who walked by smelled strongly of them.

"This place smells worse than sh*t in summer, Melody." He said, shifting the weight of the bag from one shoulder to the other, the guns inside clacking together and the boxes of shells rustling noisily. "Let us find the ship and take it quickly so we can leave this smelly planet."
Dialogue Color - Orange

Izak Archer

October 28, 2018, 06:40:42 AM #14 Last Edit: November 21, 2018, 09:33:34 AM by Izak Archer
Izak chuckled. Maybe some of Melody's routine was rubbing off on me, he thought.

"Her time in the military fostered her attitude, so I wouldn't take it personally. She's just your standard issue jerk – though some would use stronger language to describe her," he said.

He looked over to the spaceport. There were four, maybe five guards. Izak was wishing he brought his uniform; he could have tried to bluff his way on the ship with some fake documents. The quitter they could swipe the ship the better...otherwise their first problem would be getting away, before they could properly rig the weapon systems to the ships computers. They didn't have the crew to man all the guns individually...yet. But right now, that was a bit of a pipe dream.

"Hey, where the hell are those two anyway?"

Teddy Williams

November 01, 2018, 01:09:54 PM #15 Last Edit: November 17, 2018, 10:44:04 AM by Teddy Williams
Teddy had been minding his own business.

Sort of.

After the disbanding of the environmental group he had been a part of -they had been a bunch of wonderful folks- he was a bit listless. Drifting here and there, chatting with people. Just simply existing. He seemed okay with it but in all honesty he very much enjoyed the company of others and that was why he found himself in the middle of the docks on Beaumonde.

Beumond- Beamoon- Beemond- He could never pronounce the name of the planet right. He might have had it the first time. There was no one in his current company to correct him-

Except, no, this wasn't Beaumonde, right? This was Three Hills -he had previously been on Beaumonde. He would have whacked himself on the side of the head if it weren't for the fact that the last time he had done that physically someone asked if he needed to be hauled away by the authorities. At least it would have been nice to have been asked if he was alright first; he liked it when people were kind and wanting to look after his wellbeing.

Maybe he was looking for a new ship to join. This was a bit more Alliance territory -at least, there were quite a few of them around if that rather large group of sick-looking individuals that he had previously spotted were anything to go by- so he might have been looking in the wrong place but hey, who knows? Maybe he'd be lucky.

Speaking of lucky... wait, no, scratch that, unlucky, the noise of a distant honking and flapping of its wings indicated that a goose was about. What type he couldn't tell since he wasn't seeing it but it was still kind of cool to hear. Although maybe it was a good thing the others weren't about anymore since, as he had sort of figured, it probably wasn't going to be a goose for much longer. That might have been a disaster and a half. Even if technically they were more for the environment against the Alliance than animals being meals. Some were passionate about that, however.

What was he doing again?

"Did you know that a goose is actually the female version of the bird; the male's called a gander." He said this to whatever poor unfortunate soul was right nearby him. "It's pretty funny as well that they actually have two names for when they're grouped together: if they're in the water or on land they're called a gaggle but if they're in the air they're called a skein. It's really neat stuff."

He always wondered whether geese were aware of the fact that they had multiple names tied to each other. He had tried asking some individuals at a bar before about that but all he got for his troubles was a drink thrown into his face and a bar stool shoved into his stomach.

Then again, maybe the person he commented this to didn't appreciate the fact that he said their nose kind of looked like a goose's beak. He thought he was just nice there.

Maybe the person simply didn't like geese.

Harl Moses

Harl was skimming through a magazine glancing up from time to time. In fact he was on his umpteenth news stand tabloid as he waited for his quarry to arrive. This one went by the moniker CORE CONTEMPORARY, it was filled with useless articles that only a true Core Worlder would waste their time with. He tossed the rag aside and looked up to notice a couple of new suspects in close proximity. These two look promising... Harl mused as he got up to get a better angle, the one in the hat looked like it could be Soong just by the body type, but a good look at his face would seal the deal.

Another ship began to land as the Bounty Hunter moved slowly toward a display of travel logs, picking one up he held it in front of his face, his eyes peering over the top. Harl gave the one in the hat an A for effort, but from this new angle he could clearly see it was his mark, Joakim Soong. Now just be patient Moses... He muttered to himself. Need to see if this other fellow is with him or not... He watched as the two seemed to share a bit of conversation which he took as confirming they were together. Harl decided to bide his time and watch, afterall he wasn't in a hurry and not knowing what the other fellow would do if he attempted to apprehend Soong now....well, he didn't need any collateral damage.

Joakim Soong

"Her time in the military fostered her attitude, so I wouldn't take it personally. She's just your standard issue jerk – though some would use stronger language to describe her."

I thought serving in the military was supposed to make you into an obedient sheeple, Joakim thought, but didn't say anything. This was neither the time nor the place.

"Hey, where the hell are those two anyway?"

As if on cue, Jo felt his pda vibrate against his breast. He tapped a quick response to Mel, telling her what intel he'd managed to gather so far -- that the ill crew members had been removed from the ship and that it was being watched by some members of local law enforcement. Additional scouting was probably required, but that wasn't his field of expertise.

"The eagle has landed, or whatever", he told Izak after sending the message. "Let's blow this dog-meat stand."

Joakim stood up straight, adjusted his backpack and stretched his neck, a little ritual he hoped would make him feel more confident, more prepared for what was ahead. It didn't, but at least it improved the blood flow to his brain somewhat. He began making his way to the rendezvous point with Izak, unaware of the dark figure who was following his every move.
Dialogue color: teal

Holger Heyerdahl

As they awaited their contact, Holger sulked, bored and ready to do what he came to this pigu planet to do: kill as many Alliance as possible and steal their ship. The why of the killing was obvious, his history with with Purple Bellies was well known to any who knew him and he made sure to let people know it when he met them. And he was good at it. And if you're good at something, you should keep doing it. Practice makes perfect, he had heard someone say. The why of stealing a ship was slightly more complicated, but the theory was the same. The Alliance didn't like it one bit when someone killed their soldiers. And there were so many of those! Imagine how they would feel losing a ship. Holger remembered that they had a lot of those as well. But fewer than soldiers. He reasoned it was a bigger prize.

A voice, like the buzzing of a mosquito, not in tone, but in level of annoyance, entered into Holger's brain.

"Did you know that a goose is actually the female version of the bird; the male's called a gander."

Holger turned, slowly and looked at the man. Was he talking to Holger? Holger hadn't been talking to him. In fact, when Holger had mentioned geese, he was fairly certain he had been speaking only to himself.

"It's pretty funny as well that they actually have two names for when they're grouped together: if they're in the water or on land they're called a gaggle but if they're in the air they're called a skein. It's really neat stuff."

The man was speaking to Holger. But why? Holger stared at him, trying to figure out what he was talking about. "What are you talking about?" No sense mincing words, Holger spoke his mind. And then, a thought occurred to Holger and anger flared in his mind. His brow furrowed, his nostrils flared, and he pulled the knife from his belt. "Were you listening to me? Who are you?" His long strides carried him quickly over to the man, and though Holger towered over most men, this man's height carried him to a formidable closeness to Holger's beard. "Are you a spy?" Holger was ready to gut the man for talking about geese.
Dialogue Color - Orange

Melody

"This place smells worse than sh*t in summer, Melody. Let us find the ship and take it quickly so we can leave this smelly planet," her partner suggested. Strongly.

Mel laughed under her breath and nodded curtly in response, craning her neck from side to side as she looked for the two she and Holger were supposed to meet up with. "We won't be here long," she assured him, tensing as she felt her own PDA vibrate with a response. Stepping closer to Holger and into his personal and protective bubble, she pulled out the device to read over the message.

"Mmm. Soong's checked in. Says they evacuated the sick crew. Some local law are hangin' around. Suggests some scouting out of the situation. I might be able to slip in. Don't think my credentials are nulled yet..." she murmured.

"What are you talking about?" Holger asked, a little more curtly than she was used to. At least, when he was talking to her. With a puzzled pouting of her lips, Mel looked up at him to explain the situation again. Only... he wasn't there. With a frown, the pilot turned her head this way and that, brows furrowed. For the briefest of seconds, she worried he'd somehow managed to get pinched out from under her nose. Her breath caught in her throat as she saw him towering imposingly over a stranger, knife in hand. "Wou duh tian ah..." she muttered under her breath.

Quick as she could manage, Mel sent back an affirmative message and a quick update on their location, which was blessedly close to where the rendezvous point was anyway and seeing as they'd just landed the shuttle, their target was likely only a few birthing stations down. Hiking her bag up, the pilot hurried after the redhead.

"We don't have time for this, we've got a tight schedule. You think he's a spy?" she asked, looking up at Holger first, then at the man who was clearly in the wrong place at the wrong time talking about the wrong kind of bird... "Then we take him with us. Better to sort it out later than have him run off and ruin everything. If he's not a spy, we'll dump him out in the black. If he is a spy, we'll dump him out in the black. But we gotta go. Now. So..." she lifted her index finger and moved it in a circle, indicating he needed to wrap this up. It was entirely possible he wasn't a spy. Likely, even. But Mel trusted Holger and as an Alliance soldier, was used to acting first and... well she never got to the asking for forgiveness part.
Dialogue Color: Brown

Powered by EzPortal