RP: YSS Eucharis [Mission 18.3B] The City of Urtullan (HX-24)

Re: [Mission 18.3B] Filth Potpourri (HX-24)

"If it were up to me we would leave right now" Natsumi said, frowning as she glanced sideways st the Mishhu. She made sure she never turned her back on it.

"No we were invited down here, though now. I'm pretty sure the squid in charge was hoping the locals would take care of us for him befor we got to him" she said. "And my name is Yamasiro Natsumi, I'm guessing you havn't seen one of us before, gravity control is a standard ability" she shrugged. "Where can we find a new mask for my friend?"

Re: [Mission 18.3B] Filth Potpourri (HX-24)

Sienna nodded in an aloof, yet somehow oddly friendly manner. "Pleasure to meet you, Yamashiro," she said in greeting, then twitched a quizzical eyebrow, looking with a tilted head back at her. "Or is it Natsumi? I forget how they do it on the core worlds."

She nodded in response to her second question, smirking. "You guessed right," she replied, inspecting her from head to toe with interest, but in a manner that suggested she regarded her as more of an advanced machine she wished to learn more about. "Ain't never seen one of you before, only heard about it. So are you a clone? Got mechanical parts, cybernetics, organic grafts, what?"

When Natsumi asked about the mask, the local girl withdrew her hands from her pockets and folded them across her chest, drawing a long sigh. "They're tough to come by in these parts," she answered matter-of-factly. "Bosses want to make sure they got people good and scared of being tossed outside on account of the toxic atmosphere, and if the poorer workers can't easily get a hold of a rebreather they're more likely to keep themselves in line." She shifted her weight to one leg, idly scratching the side of her face with one finger. "'Course, I said I can get my hands on one, and I meant it. But you gotta understand, I can't do it for free. They're too scarce and too tightly guarded. I need something in return." She turned to look at Natsumi fully, gauging her reaction before she continued.

Re: [Mission 18.3B] Filth Potpourri (HX-24)

"Natsumi is my given name, Yamashiro my family name" she said as Sienna got it backwards.

"I guess you could say more of a clone than a machine, my body is not full of wires and gears and motors if thats what you are thinking" she said. "Even though I may have been created artificially, I have just as much a real personality and sentience as you do" Natsumi explained.

"We would be willing to pay you or give you supplies in exchange for the mask." she replied. "I understand that they are not easy to get a hold of and I wouldn't expect you to give us one without compensation" she went on. "What would you want?"

Re: [Mission 18.3B] Filth Potpourri (HX-24)

Conrad was revulsed at the squid. He begrudgingly took the notepad and scribbled his reply.

'Painful chest. Aversion to bacon.'

The last part was a lie, but this was far from his cup of tea. As the squid checked him, he tried to overhear Sienna and Natsumi, but he could not avert the tentacled mass in front of him.

He better not try anything. Conrad did catch a part of the conversation about the rebreather.

'Ill pay Sienna. If money is what you need.'

Conrad hoped this filthy mass was going to be done soon. He wished to be on the move again.

Re: [Mission 18.3B] Filth Potpourri (HX-24)

There was that sly smirk again. Sienna nodded, blinking slowly. "Money's on everyone's mind, ain't it," she said, more as a statement than a question, arms still folded across her chest. There was something... odd about her tone. It was difficult to discern what, but something about the twinkle in her eye let on that she wanted to say more than she actually was. She glanced warily toward the Mishhuvurthyar once more, and leaned down to one side, toward Natsumi.

As her face passed by the Neko's pointed ear, she spoke, barely above a whisper. "Can't talk about it here," she murmured. Then in the same motion, she bent the rest of the way down, adjusting a strap on her boot, and to anyone standing more than a foot or two away from her, that would have appeared to be all she was doing.

After she'd "adjusted her boot," she stood upright once more. "I'll let y'all take care of your injuries here," she said with a quick sigh. "You're in good hands, I promise. Lemme duck out and see about getting a hold of that rebreather. Best stay here for now. We can talk payment after you're patched up."

With that, she turned to head deeper into the clinic, probably towards a storeroom, or maybe a back door. None of the staff, though they noticed her, seemed bothered by it, nor did they try to stop her. Before she walked past Natsumi, however, she held her eyes on the Neko's with a meaningful stare. She was definitely trying to tell her something she didn't want someone in the room to overhear.

Re: [Mission 18.3B] Filth Potpourri (HX-24)

Natsumi watched as Sienna passed. She was interested what the local woman wanted to tell her that she couldn't say in the clinic. She wouldn't be surprised if the Mishhu working in the clinic wasn't a spy for the one in charge.

Turning, Natsumi floated after Sienna, following her where they could talk more privately.

Re: [Mission 18.3B] Filth Potpourri (HX-24)

"You will find we are most flexible," Ellen assured Sune. "KS, DA, or commodities are acceptable."

Krenshaw approached Sune and informed him that he'd have to operate on Bors.

At this point, the robot reached into the tear in Sune's AMES suit and pricked him with a needle full of local anesthetic, followed by tiny mechanical fingers that began cleaning the area and extracting some bullet fragments.

The Mishhuvurthyar solved the puzzle, finished its snack, and retrieved its notepad only to slap it down on Conrad's lap again with now writing: "X-RAY TIME WISE GUY." It gestured toward a room off of the hallway. As it turned to go to the room, it saw Sienna going into the back and narrowed its four eyes with suspicion.

Re: [Mission 18.3B] Filth Potpourri (HX-24)

Sienna allowed Natsumi to intercept her only after they'd turned the corner. Looking over her shoulder at the Neko, she hesitated just long enough for her to walk up alongside her.

"I want you to take me with you," she whispered sharply, her words coming fast. "I get you the rebreather and get y'all back to your ship. You ain't out of the woods yet--if you didn't kill whoever wants your heads already then I guarantee you he's setting a trap for you as we speak. You need me." She stopped suddenly, turning to face Natsumi, holding her eyes with hers. "You thank me by getting me off this frakking rock."

Without warning her tone of voice changed from urgency back to nonchalant indifference, and she guided Natsumi back the way they'd come with an arm around her shoulder. "Nah, I already told ya," she said in an intentionally louder voice, just enough so that it would be audible to those in the lobby if they were paying any attention to them. "You should stay with your crew till everyone's fixed up. You got hit too, don't think I missed that, floating or no. Besides, Doc will skin me alive if I make it seem like just anyone can go in and out the alley entrance." She gently pushed Natsumi back into the room. "Leave the mask to me. I'll take care of it and be back before y'all get done here. I promise you're in good hands."

Just before she turned to go back towards the rear of the facility again, she caught Natsumi's eye once more, giving her a subtle nonverbal cue to stay put and play along.

[edit: fixed a typo]

Re: [Mission 18.3B] Filth Potpourri (HX-24)

Surgery? Here? Well this is just getting better and better Bors thought to himself righting himself on the doctors table. "Hey boss, this may just be me but could this surgery thing wait till we got back on the ship? No offense doc but I'm not exactly to trusting of anyone down here yet when it comes to my lively hood."

Walking out of the doctors office into the reception area with the rest of the crew, He noticed that Sienna was missing. "So where did our new friend go?" he said gesturing with his chin as he put his uniform top back on.

Re: [Mission 18.3B] Filth Potpourri (HX-24)

Natsumi nodded, she understood now why Sienna didn't want to say this in the other room in earshot of the Mishhu. She also understood the woman's desire to get off this slime ball of a planet.

"I think that can easily be arranged" she said whispered. Then, as she was pushed back out into the waiting area, which was not hard to do while she was floating, "Oh, okay!" she said at a normal volume.

Natsumi turned her eyes to Sune. She needed to talk to him in private about Sienna's request where the squid couldn't hear them. She didn't feel comfortable telling him over wireless since there was a good chance the Mishhu would be able to pick it up.

"She will be back in a short bit" Natsumi said, after floating over to Bors. "She went to see if she could find Hightower-san a replacement mask" she paused, "Are you doing better?" she asked him. then after he answered she went over to Sune.

"Need to ask you something when you have a moment free" she said, then went back over to where the others were waiting.

Re: [Mission 18.3B] Filth Potpourri (HX-24)

Conrad shrugged. He only meant to say that Sienna wouldn't have to worry if money was involved. His helmet broke, so he'd pay for any damages. His problem. He'd almost suggested baking a cake for her instead, but that was even less practical.

''You're smart enough to read, write, and solve puzzles. Reckon you'd have some time to memorize either hygienic protocols or humor of any sort. Oh well...''

As Conrad made his way over to the room, he looked at Egil and beckoned him subtly to make sure Conrad wouldn't be alone with the Mishhu. It's not that he needed full time inspection, but Conrad wasn't keen on being separated from the group just because he was harmed. He'd try to keep the Mishhu busy though, he'd not want that creature anywhere near Bors, who needed more then an x-ray so far.

''So...You got a name or should I call you Doc. Baconballs?''

Before he went any further, Conrad thought his brand of humor might not be recognizable. that and he wasn't done with this Mishhu yet.

''Sorry 'bout that Doc. Just trying to lighten the mood a little. I'll call ya Doc...''

Conrad walked into the room, thinking how he would enjoy a heavy punching bag and a well-stocked kitchen back at the Eucharis, which already felt more like home just because it wasn't this.

Re: [Mission 18.3B] Filth Potpourri (HX-24)

Back Alley

Sienna pulled the rear exit of the clinic closed as quietly as she could, and surveyed both directions of the relatively derelict alleyway. Refuse of all kinds littered the run down path, and rusted-out containers filled to the brim with all manner of indescribable quasi-solid and solid waste were strewn about, a few of them even standing upright. Here and there a downtrodden vagrant crouched among the garbage, and when they noticed her they tensed, going wide-eyed with alarm, ready to flee. Even though they all eventually didn't consider her an immediate threat, not one of them stayed put, instead picking up their meager scraps of food and slinking away into the shadows, just in case she might give their whereabouts to whomever they were hiding from.

She started down to the right, working her way in a northerly direction back toward the junk shop, stepping over a sticky puddle of an iridescent orange goo. Her shoulders rose and fell with a short breath. This was her big chance to get out of here. Four years of her life wasted away in servitude on this hellhole, and now she could see the light at the end of the tunnel.

From Natsumi's reaction, she felt confident that the military crew would be more than willing to take her aboard. She was only uncertain about that doctor, Sune, or whatever his name was. He seemed like a real stickler for protocol, and she wasn't sure that picking up strays was standard military procedure. Still, she could be wrong, or maybe one of the other crew members could persuade him if not. She seemed to have earned one or two of their trust.

She pulled back a loose section of crumpled chain link and squeezed her body through the tight aperture. One of the loose wires scraped across her ribs as she wormed through, but it didn't even tear her shirt, let alone draw blood. Once on the other side, she grabbed a hold of one of the dented and dinged external gas pipes running down the back of the building on her left, the only one she knew was anchored strongly enough to hold her weight. With a grunt, she pulled herself up and began to climb.

Her mind focused on the task at hand: get a breathing mask for that giant. She had pilfered materials from Olaf over the course of the last several months, little by little so he wouldn't notice, a hydraulic hose here, a relief valve there, o-rings and gaskets and time in the welding shop when her master wasn't about. Over time she'd been able to cobble together a rudimentary rebreather for herself when the opportunity to get offworld finally presented itself. For weeks on end it had stayed hidden away in the non-functional air ducts in the storeroom where she slept on the dirty, broken mattress Olaf had tossed in for her. It wouldn't be reliable for very long, but it was more than sturdy enough to function long enough for her to get to the surface and get aboard a departing starship before she choked on the poisonous air.

Now she had a different problem. She needed two.

She felt sure she could put together another one, but how to do it without Olaf noticing was the issue. With one more heave she pulled herself atop the building, climbing to her feet and wiping the grime from her hands onto her pants. For a moment she hesitated, listening to the droning crowds in the streets all around her, echoing off of the buildings and from the underside of the city level suspended in the air high above her, shrouding the dismal, decaying cityscape in eternal night. She looked back over her shoulder, down the alleyway to the clinic's rear door. She was taking a risk here. What if she took the materials to make the second rebreather, and they went back on their word? Or if Natsumi didn't have the authority to get her aboard their ship? Olaf would discover her thievery, and figure out she was trying to escape before he found a way to extend her indenture. She'd seen what they did to thieves. He'd have her stripped naked and flogged in public, or pull her fingernails out one by one. Maybe he'd drive screws into her ankles. Or maybe he'd just decide she was a lost cause, and have her thown to her fate on the planet's surface.

Regardless of her decision, if she tarried her much longer she'd be overdue at the junk shop, and it wouldn't matter what the crew decided. She had only been out this way because she had to deliver a repaired air condenser to a customer. Bounding across the rooftops, she resumed heading for the main strip in the next district over. Whatever she was going to do, she needed to make up her mind. She may not get another chance like this for a long, long time.

Re: [Mission 18.3B] Filth Potpourri (HX-24)

Clinic

Sune surveyed his crew, and the attention they were receiving. At the moment all seemed as it did. His people needed tending, and then he would determine the next course of action.

"Well, I am not carrying much in the way of trade goods, our ship does. I do not carry much in the way of KS, except what is on my card. I do not think it will work here on your outpost. But if it does, I can pay you 30,000 KS for the care you are giving my people."

Re: [Mission 18.3B] Filth Potpourri (HX-24)

There wasn't much going on outside apart from the continuous stream of people moving by. The first few times he spotted a weapon made him flinch a little, but it was clear they weren't pointed at them. Guns were quite common on these streets, which made him wonder why he hadn't heard any more gunfire while down here. Those minigun wielding giants probably scared off more than just outsiders. Content with their safety he turned his attention back inside, pleased to see everyone had found a doctor or nurse to help them out.

He caught Conrad's gesture as his gaze skimmed over and understood he didn't want to be alone with a member of an enemy race, civilian or not. Egil moved out of his comfortable position and walked over, following the two into the room.

"You worse off than we thought?" he spoke up as he inspected the equipment in the room. It seemed ancient compared to what he had seen in the medbay this morning. Conrad had only mentioned chest pains, probably a few cracked ribs, but Egil wasn't sure that was the only damage the lizards had done to him.

Re: [Mission 18.3B] Filth Potpourri (HX-24)

“That is very good, sir,” Ellen replied to Sune, holding her hand out for the KS card.

“Are you sure you are not a robot, too?” Ruce the medical robot asked Sune, after Sune’s surprising lack of response to the needles and probing fingers. With his work done, the robot switched Sune up and administered a spray of healing salve. He then stitched up the tear in Sune’s spacesuit and applied a piece of duct tape over it so it would be sealed again.

“2 CRACKED RIBS. NONE BROKEN,” the teal-skinned Mishhuvurthyar scribbled on its notepad, slapping it onto the wall where Conrad could see it. “I AM CALLED THURL,” it wrote on the next sheet. It put the x-ray up on a backlight and then hovered into the doorway where it could watch Conrad and the clinic hallway at the same time. “YOU WILL BE FINE,” the Mishhu told Conrad, lashing on of its tentacles out at a cabinet and securing a pill bottle of ibuprofen. He tossed it to Egil to hold for Conrad.

Re: [Mission 18.3B] Filth Potpourri (HX-24)

Sune made note of the various byplay from his team mates. He handed his KS card to Ellen, and made a mental note to request reimbursement, and to get a new account when he got back to the ship. He also wondered where their helper had 'gotten off' to. While the staff was helpful, he harbored no false sense of security.

He then turned to Ruce. "No, I am most certainly not a robot. After all robots do not bleed.

However, before I joined the Service I studied a number of alternative medicine practices, and combining that with skills I have learned over the years. I am quite capable of blocking pain out for periods of time. Depending on the severity. Since you administered a local, I only had to block long enough for the drug to take effect."

Sune was definitely not entirely comfortable with the Mishhu's diagnosis, but he also did not want to create a scene by asking one of the others to double check. So while taking out his science scanner and running a few scans on the air and emissions. As he did so he turned on the PMS and had the data stream to his Uno Sunglasses. Never hurts to have a second opinion. he thought to himself.

Re: [Mission 18.3B] Filth Potpourri (HX-24)

Junk Shop

The rusted door to the junk shop creaked loudly, barely holding onto its hinges as Sienna walked through casually, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. The front lobby was small, and metal shelves lined the walls with spare parts and salvaged equipment, all second-hand crap. The counter was little more than a metal folding table, and a potbellied, gnarled-looking mountain of a man with wild white hair and a chest-length beard had his feet propped up on it. His meaty hands were folded across his chest, and his head was flopped back as if his neck were a wet noodle as he snored loudly from his reclined position. Sienna clucked her tongue quietly and shook her head in a combination of exasperation and amusement. After a brief hesitation to see if he'd wake up, she slammed the door loudly.

The ugly man snorted and jumped as he woke with a start, looking wildly around the room in a daze, grunting in confusion. He noticed her standing in the doorway, clutching his chest. "Damn it, Sienna," he growled. "How many times I gotta tell ya not to scare me like that. I like ta've killed ya."

"Sorry Olaf," she apologized insincerely, suppressing a grin. "Didn't see you there."

"My ass ya didn't," he snarled. "You get that condenser over to Sammy?"

She nodded. "Another fight broke out in the main strip," she replied. "Had to wait it out, but I got it there."

"I don't wanna hear no whining, girl," Olaf snapped, reclining in his seat again, and indicating the metal door behind him with his thumb. "Yer behind already now. Get back to work on that circulator coil. Gotta have it done tomorrow."

"Yeah, you're a busy man," she muttered under her breath, starting for the door to the back.

Olaf's eyes hardened as he snapped his head up to glare at her. "What was that!?"

"I said I'm on it," she said a little louder, pushing past him and going through the door.

Once it was closed behind her, she took a look around the workshop. It looked as shoddy as the front room, though it was significantly bigger and piled from floor to ceiling with a semi-chaotic mishmash of mechanical junk. There was a wall lined with tool chests, welding machines, and gas cylinders, but the other three lacked any sort of organization. She had tried for years to keep some semblance of order to the mess, but every time Olaf came back here to look for anything he was like a bull in a china shop. Tossed things out of his way until he got what he needed, and left everything where he'd thrown it. After a while she'd just given up and made do with trying to remember where she last saw things. In the middle of the room, toward the wall with the toolchests, was her workbench.

Off in the corner was her makeshift bed, the soiled, warped and broken mattress she slept on beneath the air duct. Hesitating for a moment, she listened. Hearing no sign that Olaf was stirring from his nap, she reached to the side and pulled down some of the top layer of a nearby pile, making a racket so it sounded like she was getting ready to work. With a quick glance back at the door, she hopped over to the air duct, pulling the screws she'd worked loose out and slipping the cover off. Sitting right where she'd left it was the rebreather she'd fashioned.

Without hesitation she replaced the air duct's cover and set the rebreather on the workbench, then retrieved the coil she'd been tasked with completing next to it. She surveyed the disatrous inventory scattered about the room, nodding to herself, confident she'd find what she needed to duplicate her work.

Within minutes she had a welding mask sitting on her head, her tools out, and set to work.

Re: [Mission 18.3B] Filth Potpourri (HX-24)

Natsumi floated next to Bors. She really had nothing to do at the moment but wait. She could only wonder what Sienna was up to, or if the local girl was even going to come back with the mask.

She still needed to talk to Sune about her request she wanted in trade for the replacement re-breather for Conrad,k but he was still interacting with the staff and the Mishuu was still there.

Natsumi sighed, keeping her eyes about her surroundings. She turned her gaze to the door, wondering if Gravedigger would come busting in through the door to finish them off. She was sure the guards outside would not be able to stop him if he got the drop on them.

Re: [Mission 18.3B] Filth Potpourri (HX-24)

After charging the 30,000 KS to Sune's Card, the receptionist, Ellen, returned it to him. His scanner showed the Mishhuvurthyar was right in that Conrad's ribs were cracked but not fully broken.

The robot went to the back room and noticed the door was unlocked and that someone was slowly pulling it open. He grabbed the door handle, slammed it shut, and then moved the large metal bolt into place. Ruce looked at Natsumi with his glowing red eyes while his hand reached her leg and extracted the bullet in a flash. "Please return to the waiting room," he told her. "As a Nekovalkyrja, your injured calf muscle will heal on its own."

Re: [Mission 18.3B] Filth Potpourri (HX-24)

Junk Shop

It felt somehow wrong the second time through. Sienna frowned a little as she held up the second completed respirator, carefully comparing it to the first. It had taken her barely more than an hour, while the first had been almost a month in the making. Of course, the first one she'd been flying blind for the most part, and taking her time so as not to alert Olaf to the missing material, not that she was certain he even knew what kind of inventory he had back here in this mess. This time she had a working model to copy, knew what she needed, and wasn't worried about missing parts. She had to improvise with a few parts she couldn't find on hand; one of the hoses was a quarter-inch bigger and she used a different filter, but for sulfur dioxide it should work exactly the same for the limited time it had to function. If this worked, she wouldn't be coming back again.

If it didn't...

She shook off the thought. No sense continuing to second-guess herself; her mind was made up. She picked up the backpack from the corner where her bed was and dropped it on the workbench. Everything she actually owned would fit into it. At the bottom she placed her clothing, then stuffed the respirators on top of them, padding them with a shirt so they wouldn't clank together. She tossed in two pairs of sealed goggles as well, remembering how watery and irritated her eyes were the first time she'd been exposed to the air topside. Electronic mulitool, a small multipurpose utility knife, the rest of her clothing.

Moving back to the air duct, she removed the cover again and slid her arm up into the shaft, feeling around for one final bit she'd hidden there long ago. After a few seconds of groping the cold, rusty metal, she found the lump taped to the shaft wall. She worked under the tape with her fingernails, taking care not to let the bundle fall and make a clatter in the walls. With a soft ripping sound, it came free, and she pulled her hand out of the shaft, holding a double-edged, full tang knife with a blade a bit longer than her palm, complete with an ankle sheath, and one set of brass knuckles.

Still squatting on one knee, she replaced the air vent grill, and rolled her left pant leg up to her knee. She strapped the knife to her ankle, letting the sheath rest just inside her boot, and rolled her pant leg back down. Standing, she pulled on her jacket and placed the brass knuckles in the jacket's right pocket.

Taking one final look around the workshop, she slipped her arms through the straps on the backpack, nodding resolutely to herself as she took a deep breath. This was it. Once she walked out that door, there would be no turning back. She moved to the door that went to the lobby and pressed her ear and palms to it, listening intently. The old man was still snoring away out there. She wondered if any potential customers had wandered in while he was sleeping, only to turn around and walk right back out.

As slowly and quietly as she could, she turned the latch and pushed the door open. It creaked once, and she froze, waiting to see if it disturbed him. When there was no sign of him stirring, she opened it just enough for her to slip through. Poking her head around the doorjamb, she glanced at him, verifying that he was still dead to the world. As silently as a snake, she stepped through, and just as slowly closed the door behind her. Just as she started for the front door, something caught her eye on the floor under his chair: his wallet. It must have worked its way out of his hip pocket and fell out.

She bit her lower lip, watching him carefully. Holding her breath, she slowly reached beneath his chair. Closer... closer...

He snorted and stirred, and her heart leaped into her throat as she looked up at his face, freezing there with her arm stretched out beneath him. His eyes were wide open, two beady little callous orbs peering out from sunken, dirty pits in his skull. They sat there staring coldly at one another for what seemed like an eternity. Her mind started racing frantically, trying to think of an explanation for why she was out here, dressed to go out with a full backpack and now reaching for his wallet instead of working.

A low, gurgling belch rumbled out of the bearded man's mouth, seeming to rattle her bones, and then he shifted in his seat, turning his back to her, and he resumed snoring.

She almost felt like collapsing with relief as she exhaled, trying not to laugh. The daft fool was still asleep.

Quickly she retrieved his wallet from the floor. She flipped it open, retrieved his currency chit, and put it back where she found it. Pocketing the chit, she glided over to the door and tested the latch, taking as much care to keep it from groaning as she did the first. She moved through, leaving her head inside just long enough to glance one last time at Olaf, grinning smugly. "Sweet dreams, you dumb bastard," she whispered, and closed the door behind her.