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RP: The Wayward The Ups and Downs (Ep. 3)

Syaoran

Syaoran

Retired Staff
Previously

With everyone situated on the ship, the Anbruch made a hasty retreat off of Zath-Nianach. They were able to slip by before their pursuers could respond and escape the solar system. However it was not clear if they would still be chased, they didn’t even get a look at what the ship that was after them was like. They had more important things to take care of instead.

By time they reached Waypoint Trade station Tanja had been stabilized, and Analiese was mostly treated. The captain was rushed to the hospital where she could get the needed treatment, and Rulloo said his goodbyes to the crew, leaving the payment with Tanja’s account before he took his samples and gear and booked a ride off the station.

Present - Waypoint Trade Station

It had been a week since arrival, and the crew had been housed in two apartments that were apparently owned by Tanja herself, one for the men and one for the women. The captain was not present though as she had spent the week in the hospital, keeping herself busy with managerial duties in the meantime. Everyone was encouraged to get their gear sorted out and relax while, they even got a little bit of a bonus as well.

Today Tanja was going to be released from the hospital and she had sent a message to them all that she wanted to speak with them, however it was not at the usual meeting place of Rot Mädchen, instead they were being asked to meet at one of the alpine parks on the station, and were told to bring bathing suits.
 
Waypoint Trade Station

For awhile now, Darling had stuck around the station in her automaton, looking at the views and visiting the few attractions there, but an opportunity sprung up that was too irresistible. She responded to a job flier and was directed by a weird-smelling woman, which she now knows as 'Veronica', to make her way to the captain,
She wasn't going immediately, of course. She didn't want to look entirely desperate. Desperate for what?

...She couldn't pin down the feeling. It was foreign to her.

She didn't exactly get pristine information on her employer; just her name, Tanja, and her appearance. So for a few days, Darling had been checking in and out of Rot Mädchen , making some small talk and asking for a little more information about the job. Then Veronica calls Darling up again, informing her that the captain would be out on a specific alpine park to speak to her crew. Darling nods (with Buddy's head) and quietly thanks her, and slowly makes her way out to her destination.

On arrival, she sees no one there; Just a few civilians, with eyeballs looking up and down the machine. Darling wondered how they would react if she jumped out of Buddy to frighten them, and a soft chuckle is emitted from her. Supressing the idea, she figures that perhaps she was simply the first one there, and finds a rock to sit her shiny hunk of junk against, waiting, listening.






 
Waypoint Trade Station - Alpine Park

Adiel checked his watch as he walked. Fifteen minutes until the specified meeting time. He would be early, as planned. To be early was to be on time, and to be on time was to be late.

The trip from Dawn Station had been somewhat nice. He'd had his wing patched up by the ship's doctor, who happened to have a bottle of Cellular Spray. Amazing stuff, truly. What really made the trip great was that he didn't see Ash one bit. Now, the annoying goat-woman was off god-knows-where doing god-knows-what, but she was gone and he'd never have to deal with her again.

The request for bathing suits confused him deeply, and made him momentarily reconsider his agreement with Ms. Dunst. If such unprofessionalism was to be tolerated, could he trust these people with his life? Where they worth the risk?

None the less, he was here, and it would be quite rude to back out now. Adiel still had a reputation to uphold.

The angel fluttered his great, black wings to ease the stiffness. He was average height for an Elysian, but unlike others of his race, his muscles were much larger. They were the result of years of tortuous training, and placed him on par with some Patricians. His hair was cut in a Nepleslian fashion; a simple, medium-length side part.

Adiel stopped at the desired meeting place and frowned, his blue eyes scanning the area for the rest of the crew. He felt quite foolish standing here, dressed in a white t-shirt and black shorts, with black flip flops on his feet. He would much rather make his first impression in one of his nice, clean suits, but it would be improper to arrive outside of dress code.

He sat on a bench and crossed one leg over the other, taking note of the robot seemingly relaxing against the rock.

"Quite odd..." he muttered monotonously, quickly losing interest and once again looking at his watch.
 
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Waypoint Trade Station

"A bathing suit?" thought Ash.

It had only been a day since her arrival on Waypoint Trade Station along with Adiel. After getting in contact with a Veronica of the Rot Mädchen and mentioning her mutual "friendship" with the Elysian, Ash had gotten in contact with the captain of the ship they were to fly on, Tanja Dunst. Thankfully, the captain had seen fit to give her a position on the ship, with a nice sign-on bonus as well. Things seemed to be looking up for Ash.

Until bathing suits were mentioned.

Ash had not had a chance to buy proper swimwear for herself on such short notice, as most of her free time was spent ironing out details with Tanja and exchanging some of her Kuon Dalris for Abwehran Credits. So she decided to improvise for the time being with some of her work-out clothes. As the the only Iromakuanhe in light years around, Ash suddenly felt self conscious about showing off most of her body.

"Might as well get it used to it if you are going to be on a ship with several other species," she thought.

Ash arrived at the meeting place in the Alpine Park, noticing that Adiel was there along with some tall robot. It reminded her of an Armor Frame from the Astral Vanguard.

How long ago it seemed since she had last seen one. Or been home. Ash shook her head and willed away those thoughts. She had a new life away from home; and a new chapter was just beginning.

She approached behind Adiel, wearing a red t-shirt and black althletic shorts, as well as some slip-on shoes on her feet. A clean white towel was draped over one shoulder.

"Hey Bird-Man. Miss me?" said Ash, with a mischievous grin on her face.
 
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Waypoint Trade Station

The week of downtime was just the breezy downtime Nan needed. He spent it tinkering with his blister drones, playing around with ideas for future tech and generally had a blast with loud techno music and dancing.

On a few occassions he would try to go see Tanja but always saw her deep in paperwork that looked entirely unfun. He would say hi and move on.

Upon receiving the Alpine Park invitation he was extremely stoked. It of course called for an immediate shopping trip that he thoroughly enjoyed.

Alpine Park

Nan entered the area looking mighty fabulous. He had found a truly Nan looking pair if swim trunks, neon blue with swirling neon purple stripes with a neon blue shirt to match. Yes it was obnoxiously bright but the same could be said about the young Yamatians smile.

Fast paced techno music blared from the headphones as Nan reached the meeting area. He was faced with several people he didn't know but that had never stopped him before. "What up peeps. Just taking in the scenery," Nan asked with a big bright smile making it unsure if he was referring to the majestic view or himself. "Name's Jun Nan. You can call me Nan." He spoke with a cheery tone and his attention was slowly being attracted to the glorious robot sitting casually against a rock.

His face simply beamed with curiosity and wonder. He practically skipped over to the towering machine and started looking it over with hyper movements while his speech reflected his movements. He spoke very fast and with a slightly higher pitch, "OMG. Are you a real robot? A Freespacer. Are you sentient? What power core are you using? Are you for battle? Construction? What about your computer capacity?" It seemed like his queations never stopped as he spun dizzily around the robot poking and prodding various areas. It seemed like he didn't truly understand personal space when it came to robotics and it was blatantly evident he had forgotten about the others present.
 
Alpine Park

Darling came to a slight realization that the position she was in was rather odd; A relaxed robot residing beside a rock probably isn't something you'd see everything. Before she could think of moving, a Yamataian, whose brightly-colored apparel absolutely ruined her robot's optics, enters her field of view. Her head follows the man for a few seconds before she turns away again. She already forgot about her tiny predicament, and slouched against the rock a little more.

Before she could realize what was happening, the same Yamataian springs into her face and starts to poke at her robot, blabbering inquiries that she couldn't understand at all, what with the speed he was talking in. Does he really expect to get any answers out of me like that? She thinks, and poorly attempts to track the man's movements. She can only hope that the man at least washed his hands prior to touching things that don't belong to him. Buddy is not easy to keep clean.

If she were outside of her robot right now, a swift rake to the face would suffice for such a dastardly crime, but with Buddy she'd probably outright kill the man; And that would be frowned upon. Instead, she stays silent, and waits for Nan to catch his breath (or stop) before a feminine, metallic voice chirps from Buddy, "If I could interrupt, do you know a 'Captain Tanja'? I'm trying to find her for a job."
 
Alpine Park

Adiel ground his teeth together, and for a moment considered pulling out his .45 and plugging the annoying youth. Before he could make up his mind, however, another annoying source of noise reached his ears.

"Ah, why, hello, goat-woman. Quite the coincidence meeting you here," replied the angel nonchalantly without looking up. A few moments later, he turned his head to the Iroma he so desperately wanted nothing to do with. He cocked an eyebrow quizzically at Ash as he scanned her choice of wardrobe. He had to admit, however, that the loss of the filthy trench coat was a welcome one. It made her look less masculine, more appealing, in his opinion-

Wait. Why was she wearing swimming clothes? The only people who should be wearing swimming clothes were members of the cr-

Adiel's expression turned from confusion to barely contained horror. He stepped backwards and gawked at Ash.

"You... cannot be serious." he grumbled, hoping it was some sort of sick joke. "You didn't mention my name at all, did you?"
 
Alpine Park

Embel walked into the park, she felt weird being in a swimming suit as the one she got had a tail hole and she never used this type before "I wonder where everyone was, she was feeling a bit nervous as none of the crew have seen this much of her before, she looks around and walked slowly as she then saw Ash and Adiel.

She walked over and smiled at them "Hey there guys, a welcome is in order it seems Ash" she smiled and shifts awkwardly as her tail wraps around herself, she wasn't that good at talking while half naked, it brought back some bad memories, she hoped that talking would help her forget it. "So did you guys miss me?" she giggled and looked at the others in their swimsuits.
 
Ash quizzically glanced at Nan as he approached the group and then began asking the robot questions. Was it not just a simple robot? Shrugging that mental thought away, Ash turned her attention back to Adiel.

"Only once. I may have mentioned our 'friendship' where we saved each other from terrible doom," Ash said with a grin. The grin slipped away into a more serious scowl.

"I understand, Adiel. I understand that you hate me for ruffling your feathers or whatever. We both have jobs on the crew now, and that will come first. You can have the captain put us on different shifts if you cannot bear to be in my presence. But for now...we are here to swim. Have fun," said Ash, patting him on the shoulder.

"You do know how to have fun?" she asked. Ash turned upon hearing another voice and glanced at the small female that had approached. She was one of those Gart things with the tail and head tails.

"Adravni," said Ash with a nod of her head. "Yes. You can call me Ash. Er...Embel was it?" Ash felt a little better that there was another female here with a swimsuit that exposed some skin; she only had on her sports bra and boyshorts under her current apparel. Her legs and arms already showed off some of the bony plates on her joints, which she was certain the others were staring at.

"So how long have you been part of Captain Tanja's crew?"
 
Hugar found himself at the Park with a pair of swimming trunks off that showed off his scarred but rugged chest. He looked to be rather out of place considering he had pale skin and a rather long mouse like tail. He looked at all the other people each of the girls in their beautiful bathing suits and then slowly looked around trying to not stare at the beautiful women. "Hello everyone." He said in his trademarked deep voice, as his ears twitched, he was hoping to see Tanja since he hadn't seen her since his last visit to the hospital.
 
Slightly taken aback by the obvious deflection of his truly important questions Nan does in fact take a moment to breathe. "Captain Tanja? Yeah I do know her...why do you ask," Nan asked in a comically skeptical way. It was unlikely that someone looking to hurt Tanja would choose this spot to do it at.

Nan looked up as he heard Embel's voice. He gave her a gigantic white toothed smile and a big exaggerated wave and yelled, "HI Embel! Look what I found! A robot!" Nan turned to the robot again," Do you have a name or a designation? Your audio equipment sounds great! Is it an ee em jay five?"
 
Waypoint Trade Station

Once the panic of getting Tanja to the hospital had died down, Reed spent a few days prowling the commercial district in search for new gear before spending the rest of the week playing zero-g laser tag at the nearby Amusement Park. He had visited Tanja occasionally, but his lack of medical knowledge left him feeling somewhat useless.

After spending the first night in the apartment with a very enthusiastic Nan and a brooding Hugar, Reed politely opted to sleep in the Anbruch for the rest of the week. It wasn't that he disliked the kid, Reed just preferred to sleep where he didn't have to listen to the techno-rave party. Having Hugar shoot eye daggers at him didn't help the case either.

Alpine Park

Reed arrived wearing a cap, blue swim trunks, sandals and grey t-shirt. It wasn't hard to find the meeting place. All he had to do was follow the techno music and ask if anyone had seen a walking rave party pass by.

Reed surveyed the scene from a distance as he sauntered over. Off to the side, he could see that Nan was being Nan, fawning over a robot. Reed chuckled at that. Standing nearby, he could recognize Embel and Hugar talking to two others, probably the new crew members.

"Hello Embel, Nan, Hugar." Reed greeted the first two friendly nods but only acknowledged Hugar with a terse nod before turning to face the two newcomers.

"I take it that the two of you will be joining the crew?" Reed asked before continuing with a friendly smile, "My name's Reed."
 
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Alpine Park

Adiel growled lowly, but let the comment slide. No need to cause a scene.

It wasn't so much that Ash had joined. He was more pissed about her using him has a reference! If she screwed up, he'd look bad! He'd worked very hard for his name, and he'd be damned if some thieving wench from the gutter was going to ruin it!

Finally, Adiel was greeted in a semi-intelligent manner. A warm respite from the blatant idiocy he was currently experiencing.

He put on a small smile and held his hand out to Reed in a very business-like manner. With the sudden appearance of a competent smuggler, Adiel felt somewhat more secure in his investment. He'd never worked with him directly as far as he'd known; he didn't ask questions and liked to know as little as possible about the other aspects of his business. But from word of mouth, this man knew what he was doing. Twas a shame his crew was disbanded.

"Mister Reed Sterling, I presume?" asked the Elysian in a calm, reserved, yet friendly tone. "Adiel Avraham. I've heard quite a lot about your work. I myself work in the same business as you used to, albeit at a different level of the supply chain, as it were."
 
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Alpine Park

Darling turned her head to the sight of all these people and when hearing about 'Captain Tanja's crew' (putting two and two together), she responds to Nan. "I am Darling. I want to join your crew. And...Yes, in fact it is."

Darling had not met many robot/technological enthusiasts, but she had to admit, this one took the cake. She wondered how'd Nan react if she learned an animal was in control of her machine. Or anyone else, really. She begins to push her automaton up with her arms and legs, mechanical whirring audible as her joints work, and stands upright, towering over Nan.

Boy, does she love that. Most of her life she had to look up to everything. That made her feel powerless. Not anymore; at least while she's in Buddy.

"I was told Captain Tanja was coming here. I suspected it was a meeting of some sort."

She gives a quick glance over what she suspected were the other crew members-All laiden in bathing suits or some sort of other casual or swimwear.. She'd frown in disgust if she could; Never had she really seen the naked bodies of these varied two-legged creatures. Darling resisted the temptation to comment on it.

After all, technically she's always naked. Unless you count fur...She shakes the thought away.

"So what is your name?"-She directs to Nan-"We might get acquainted anyway. You'll be able to learn about me all you want later."

It wasn't a matter of if they'll find out, but when. Likely soon. Not that she exactly minded.
 
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Alpine Park

He was always moving, never choosing to be in one place or very public for longer than necessary. At first it was easy... buy some ration pills and a cheap hotel room, and always pay in cash. But he was running out of money now, and he couldn't keep this up much longer. If he had any hope disappearing for good, he would have to find a way to stay on the move indefinitely, and preferably earn some money while he did it.

So he asked around the starport, and he went looking for ships taking on crews. He knew that if he could get a job on a starship hauling cargo, or maybe even something illegal if necessary, he could keep a low profile. If he had to move boxes he would, if he had to get his hands dirty he would; it didn't matter as long as he could hold a job and keep a cover. Right now all that mattered was getting taken on.

He struck good fortune in a ship by the name of the Anbruch; a ship which was looking for, of all things, a scientist. He knew he was rather more qualified than most, and he was desperate for a way to get onto a ship... but it was conspicuous at best. Who actually needed a scientist in space? He knew it could be a trap, but desperation forced him to ignore his better judgement... he knew running was safer than hiding, and he knew that if it was legitimate, then this would be exactly what he was looking for.

The most valuable commodity in the galaxy right now was mobility. He didn't figure, at least for now, that any agencies would seriously be looking for him outside of Nepleslian space, and he didn't figure they would bother as long as reports of him didn't surface. Out here he had the ability to disappear, to start over.

Freedom

He made inquiries to the contact information left by the advertisement, which brought him to a bar, and a Veronica. From there he was directed to Alpine Park. He knew meeting in public could mean one of two things, either the organization he was contacting could be doing something disreputable, or... it was a setup. He had been careful though, hadn't he? He was sure he had, nobody knew his name, and he kept hard currency only now. But was it enough?

Pushing self doubt aside, he had his suit pressed and cleaned expressly for the meeting, and made the best effort he could to groom his beard. It wasn't exactly tidy, but it wasn't a bedraggled mess. He decided it might be best to trip a few inches off of it, cutting it down to the underside of his chin, where it met his neck.

When he finally made his way to the park, it seemed the first thing he spotted was... what was it?

It... it was a robot. Doctor Creed shook his head in disbelief, looking the robot up and down with fascination and poorly hidden fear. Pushing the rim of his sunglasses closer to his face in a vein effort to conceal his wide eyes.

This must be a representative... He thought to himself, the anxiety building before he worked up the nerve to approach it. I suppose we'll find out now if this is legitimate, or if I'm being set up.

Forming over a dozen unfounded conspiracy theories at once, he finally made his way over toward the robot and asked in its general direction "Excuse me, uh... sir. Are you a representative of miss Captain Tanja?"

He squinted, having to look further up the closer he got to the robot, and the closer he got, and even with sunglasses the idea of having to look at a solar eclipse to address the robot "face to face" as one might put it, was daunting. So he finally gave up and focused on staring the robot directly in the center of it's chest plate.
 
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Darling turned away and shifted her view as a Nepleslian man began to approach her, rather nervously, she deduced. She took note on how well-dressed he was, and gives out a short, quiet hum in approval-At least someone was civilized around here. Regardless, she took the approach with skepticism, carefully watching him.

She shortly glares' at him, if she could even do so, as he stops a little aways and asks her a question.

...Oh, just another one, looking for a crew position like me.

She looks down towards the general form of the man as he looks down, and she internally smiles. How cute! She peers her head away, acknowledging with herself the fact that the man was no threat to her, while her feminine voice is projected out of Buddy furthermore.

"No, I'm not. I'm actually looking for Captain Tanja as well. I'm given the impression she's quite the popular woman."

Her automaton's shoulders give a weak shrug. "I think we're in the right place, however. These people appear to be with her."


 
Alpine Park

The park was quiet with the exception of the members talking among themselves. In fact they might have been the only ones there to appreciate the beauty of of the the lush fields, majestic mountains and clear skies. The air was clean as well, it felt like they were really up in the mountains somewhere and found a perfect camping spot, it was hard to believe such a thing was on a space station, and even that this station had multiple such places, along with even more for different environments. It was easy to see how Waypoint Trade could become a popular vacation spot.

"There are a lot of faces I don't recognize." Came a woman's voice from behind the group. To those that knew the voice belonged to Tanja Dunst, the captain of the ship. She was a woman with pale skin and short full bodied black hair. She was wearing a hooded sweater over her upper body that was large enough to go past her hips. It was hard to tell but it was safe to assume that unless they were invisible or the shortest shorts ever, she was not wearing any sort of pants underneath, leaving her long pale legs exposed. However her dress was not the most peculiar thing about her. She was wearing a pair of thick sunglasses, keeping her eyes totally covered, and dangling from her hip, everyone could see a thin tail to match her hair, it was a very rare trait that even those who knew many Abwehrans might not see.

"Though I see most came in their swimsuits, that's good." Spoke the woman who looked like she might not even have hit her twenties yet, in fact she looked even younger when she walked over to Nan, the apparent youngest and ruffled his hair a little. "I could hear your music way back so I figured people must be here now." She looked like she could have been his older sister, or even a twin.

Her attention turned back to every and she smiled, deciding to give an introduction since there were so many she didn't recognize. "Hey everyone, I'm Tanja Dunst, Captain of the Anbruch."
 
Reed's initial reaction to Adiel recognizing him was one of surprise, that quickly gave way to curiosity.

"I wasn't aware that I had a reputation." The former smuggler sounded equally satisfied and curious as he took Adiel's outstretched hand and gave it a firm shake. "Well, I guess taunting pirates groups could have had something to do with it."

Releasing Adiel's hand, Reed took a moment to study the Elysian's features, trying to guess what role he may have had in his old line of business. Too easily riled to be a part of another crew but he was able compose himself quickly when I approached. Possibly a middleman. Back then, Reed had always left the talking and price negotiating to the other crew members.

Reed turned to greet the Iroma but before he could speak, he heard the familiar voice of the Captain.

"Hello Tanja, it's nice to see you out of that hospital."
 
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Ash certainly did not expect to see someone like Hugar to show up; while male Mazerinii Iromakuanhe averaged between six and seven feet tall, it was odd to see another species as tall as whatever Hugar was. Was he one of those Neko things? Neko-walk-riders? He certainly had furry ears to fit the part. Ash shrugged mentally, but decided that being on the good side of the crew's muscle was an excellent idea. She glanced up at Hugar and flashed a smile.

"Adravni," she said with a nod of her head. "I am Ashtoreth, but you can call me Ash. You must be the muscle of the crew, eh?"

But then all eyes turned toward the sound of a voice speaking to them all. A voice Ash recognized: Captain Tanja. Ash turned to glance at the woman; Tanja looked nothing like she expected. Of course, nothing had gone as expected as of late in Ash's life. She excused herself from Hugar and Embel and made her way over to Tanja's location.

Ash noticed that Tanja wore goggles, but apparently some Abwehrans did that. What Ash really did not expect to see was a feline tail dangling from Tanja's hip.

"Alright. So...who isn't a part-feline-cat-bird-person on this crew?" thought Ash. "Well, myself, and Embel, and those other guys.....Shut up."

"Adravni," said Ash, bowing her head slightly. "Captain, it is great to finally meet you in person." Ash raised her eyes to meet Tanja's goggled gaze. She had spent a good amount of time ironing out details with Tanja over a comm channel, but had yet to meet her face to face.

"Thank you for accepting me as part of your crew. I will prove my worth, that I promise," she said. Ash wanted to assure Tanja that she would pull her own weight; she knew how a ship's crew functioned, after all.
 
Waypoint Trade Station

After her small time in recovery, Analiese spent most of her days working on the ship itself. She would be seen fixing up the broken pieces of the engine room as well as welding on the ship itself. Rarely did she spend any time in the apartment that was assigned to her and the others. If she did show, it was more to take a shower and maybe eat something or even crash.

She did allow for herself to go shopping one day, though, and bought some other clothes that weren't just for work. One item, oddly enough, was a swim suit. She protested in getting this, even with the upcoming gathering, but the others insisted she get one just to wear and tan in. With a small sigh, she took it.

Alpine Park

Ana was now wearing the swim suit, albeit it was hidden by the sundress that she had on at the moment. She was not really liking all these new faces and such. It was a lot for her to take in. She had gotten used to the crew during their mission out to that one planet. But Now...now there were more people. The rather shy mechanic kept just out of the way of the others as she sat on a blanket and worked on her own small project. She was working on making something that could help her when she was in the small, dark spaces of the ship. It would hold her tools for her, at least any that she couldn't hold onto herself, as well as provide light.

When Tanja came into the area, she looked up and smiled a bit, but then went back to work. She just was not a sociable one, so was content to keep to herself.
 
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