RP: ISC Phoenix [Mission 8] Dawning Concerns

[Blackbird Lore]

Thankfully Uriel and Naoko were able to enjoy the meal in peace, despite the many stares and generally unsettling vibe the other patrons had given them. Afterward, the Patrician once more offered his vacant shoulder-space for a lift to the car.

It was at the shop that Hisshana began to realize the true difference between himself and all these folks with which he was now involved: they had this insane love for tools of destruction- Luca Pavone included. Yes, the Archangel admittedly carried hefty weapons, but there was logic to it. If the Tiger's Tears didn't intimidate, it could end almost any conflict with a single shot; the Xiphos was as much a gift and memento as it was a tool of war. He had no desire for anything else- no, Uriel had no need for anything else.

So he looked and he learned, but Uriel hadn't the slightest inclination to make a purchase. All of this actually piqued his curiosity about the CEO, and he approached her with a line of inquiries. "If I may, ma'am, I'd like to share an observation." After a pause, "I find it interesting that someone of Yamataian heritage seems to gear a company more toward a Nepleslian-minded market. I mean no offense by this, simply to state the observation that your usual customer is more likely to herald from Funky City than Kyoto."

 

[Luca]

Luca was the first to start heading downstairs, skipping away from Origin's home selection and going right for the goods.
In particular, he noticed the Impulse Armour that Zeta was inquiring towards, and put himself under the arm of the armour and smiled as he made a thumbs up, posing with the armour. A photo-worthy moment.

He then zipped towards the pistols section, found a box with an ODM 10mm Pistol with it. He hefted it under his arm and took three spare magazines with him and put them in a shopping bag. He had enough 10mm ammo between him and his crew to last a long time anyway.

He then took a look at Enzo, who was eyeing the Type 32 Airbikes with a wistful grin and said, "If you want it, go right ahead," He smiled. Then he had an idea, snapping his fingers, "As a matter of fact, if we have time - we should race our bikes, you and me," A grin crept across his face in a friendly challenge.

However, Enzo's time nosing around the ship's contents would immediately tell him that Luca's bike was an old fashioned motorbike with wheels.

"By the way," Luca asked Aerin, "Do you do repairs for GP-ORV's? Two, maybe three of ours, which we bought a while back and put to use are completely buggered," He showed her pictures of the vehicles.

One of the trucks was full of bullet holes, a sizeable green log from a tree was poking out of it and a broken windscreen.
Another GP-ORV was shot to pieces and had a bent bar where a Gauss Cannon was improperly mounted.

The third one just had the misfortune of being associated the other two in combat, and was consequently ruined as a result, "I'll see if I can send 'em to you tomorrow, once we get some rest, and..."

He took a moment to remember why he went to Dawn Station to begin with, "...Oh, right," He said, bopping himself on the head, "The Courier A2 that we'd like to buy. I almost forgot."

"Oh, is there someone to demonstrate some of the stuff we want, so we can make informed decisions?" Sebastian added his two cents to the group in general, "I don't doubt your quality, but seeing them in action will allay my doubts a little."

Sebastian made a mental note to write down any of the weapons he deemed suitable, and stock up on ammo for them. He then reached for one of the nearby shop attendants, "You, sir, show us what these can do."

 

[ShotJon]

Zeta was just a few steps behind Luca when he got downstairs. She chuckled when he stood beside Impulse armour. She also wished she had a camera to catch that moment.

When he moved on, she went to study the Armour herself.
"It looks fine to me," she said while looking at metallic armour, "Are you doing them in grey too?" She half-joked. She figured that a grey colour would suit her much more then green. On ships and in cities green kinda stands out, so grey would be better.

She than saw Type 32 where Luca and Enzo stood. She quickly walked to on and knelt by it. She patted it with her biological arm.

"What a beauty," She said, not letting her eyes off the thing, "I rode one of these in Funky City. One of me richer friends got one and let me ride it sometimes. Good machine. He had fusion but I would went with fuel cells. I wonder how much it is," Words left her mouth and she smiled. She like wheeled motorcycles better, but there were none at the moment, there was this one.

 

[Gallant]

The small nekovalkyrja settled on Uriel's shoulder said nothing, did nothing, and pretended to be a miniature statue for a long time, content to take in and process the sights and sounds around her rather than interfere with her immediate presence. This was a position that she demurely maintained until the CEO was in front of her, since Uriel had approached her anyway.

Then the little woman stood, a hand on Uriel's head to steady herself - though with her balance she hardly needed it and it seemed more of a fond gesture - and asked, "Sumimasen, Do you have hemosynthetic repair facilities here?"

 

[Moogle]

Seiren, following the entire time, popped out from behind Arin and asked her, "And if you're doing demonstrations, can I see the LEAF? I want to know if it's right for me or not."

 

[Nevaraon]

Robert stopped next to Zeta as she was inspecting the Impulse armor "Oh yeah, this is what I was looking for. Good remembering Zeta," he gave her a grin as he looked at the armor. He asked the shop atttendant how much it cost and what options they had available to go with it. He then asked if the was a shop that did personalized upgrades for cybernetic limbs.

 

[CadetNewb]

Except, he wasn't a shop attendant. The man did not have a name tag on his uniform like the rest of the Origin employees at the store. In fact, he wasn't even even assigned to the store. He was merely there because it was convenient to him. The man raised a single finger up as he looked at the potential customer, pointing the other one to his ear.

"Well sir, I did guarantee you that our product, the LEAF, is superior to competing designs. Failing that, it is absolutely more reliable and easy to repair or modify." The man crossed his arms as he talked to the another customer before walking off to the LEAF display, curtly gesturing to Sebastian to follow. "I fully understand your needs, and I must point out that the LEAF is much more mobile even in the dense jungle, more armored, and most certainly does not use cheap armor-glass canopies."

The Origin Employee smiled as something was spoken to him over the connection before sending over information from the display to the customer. "Right through it? The pilot? I see. Yes, as this information shows,, this method of attack is completely ineffective on our LEAF units; top priority was taken to ensure pilot survivability. And as a revision to our contract, if similar events unfold as you have defined here, you will receive a full refund." He paused for a moment. "Very well, the order will be shipped to you immediately. Please put the boot to those tree-huggers for us sir...And thank you for your business."

With a weary sigh, the conversation was finished. He straightened up his back as he started another one. "My apologies for keeping you waiting Mr. Sebastian." The Origin employee spoke knowing their names, without skipping a beat. "My name is Mr. Smith, and I am a traveling representative of Origin Industries. To answer your question, yes. With President Tatst's permission, I can show you to Origin's Proving grounds and personally give a demonstration."

As Mr. Smith's gaze moved on to the rest of the group, he addressed their questions one by one. "We do them in all colors, though, I recommend a Gray Pixelated Pattern instead. The pattern itself even throws off infra-red scanning systems, Miss Zeta. This pattern is literally useless anywhere outside a city, however, and may even be a liability in a jungle or desert." As he watched the woman's interest shift to the bike, he broke a rule; never mention the price until it's end game. She asked, and he simply had to deliver. "A fuel cell version is 6,500 KS, though a more powerful fusion version is available." He professionally answered, deliberately not mentioning the more expensive fusion version's price.

His gaze shifted to another voice, looking for the source. Smith stiffened, though not visibly due to years of experience. A Neko riding on a Lorath's shoulder? I should stop working so hard. The Origin Industries Rep lifted a hand up to his glasses, adjusting them with a gentle touch of his palm. Light glinted, and briefly obscured his eyes for a moment. "I'm afraid that Hemosynth is not in our inventory, and is not legal for civilian distribution Miss Aihara." Though inaudible to others, Naoko and Uriel could both hear him swallow. Something came Naoko's way as he did so.

I will check the legality, and see what I can do.

"As for the LEAF Seiren, you'll have to wait, as I mentioned earlier. I have something special in mind, as I'm particularly fond of it myself." He briefly addressed the technician. The corners of his lips moved upwards ever so slightly.

"The Impulse comes free with the purchase of a Handheld Gauss Rifle. Plenty of stopping power and protection at a bargain. Though, I highly recommend the Assault Pack addon. It provides more powerful shields and a fusion thrust system." He looked at the man for a moment. "A man like yourself though...the standard version is plenty sturdy enough with it's Nerimium-Durandium composite armor, though, there is an option to switch out those plates with Rolled Homogeneous Nerimium ones instead. Heavier, but that much harder to kill. I thought you would appreciate the option Mr. Raggleton."

"Any other questions? If not, we can move on to the Proving Grounds with Tatst's permission."

 

[Nevaraon]

Robert laughed as he was addressed "Mr. Raggleton". He looked at the armor again. "What about do they have in the way of melee weaponry Mr. Smith? And how much would they come up to altogether?"

 

[ShotJon]

Zetas focus shifted from airbike to man in Origin unifomr who introduced himself as Mr. Smith. She smiled a little and patted airbike. "Well I know that fusion is more powerful but if I am not mistaken, fuell cell is faster right?" she said and moved closer to the man.

"Also I have question. Gauss rifle, plus Impulse deal is pretty sweat, but do you make any other weapon suited for PA. Some high caliber assault file maybe?" she asked man. Of course she remembered Nepleslian HPAR.

 

[Lamb]

It didn't take Enzo long to notice everyone getting help by name from a nearby Origin Employee. He took stock of the man's form and appraised him quickly before coming up on the man from behind with an outstretched arm.

"Mister Smith?!" Enzo almost shouted, wrapping his arm around the guy's shoulder, "I'm Enzo Bortelli, and I just wants yous to know thats I ams very interesteds in purchasing a Type 32 Airbike and I demand, absolutely demands yous guys gives me a discount for valor and honorable service to the greats legendary hero Luca Pavone and furthermore that you gots to tell me how you knows everybody's names!"

 

[Kai]

"Ahh, thank you, Mister Smith." Aerin said, relieved. honestly, she was a bit overwhelmed trying to sell so many things to so many people when she honestly knew very little about what they wanted, aside from the Courier.

"Mister Pavone, would it be fine if maybe you and one other confidant came with me to look through our inventory of Couriers while Mister Smith here entertains your crew? I'm certain he is fully capable of completing the task satisfactorily." With that, Aerin smiled at Smith, knowing that, as the CEO, her wish was Smith's command, so long as the customer was okay with the deal.

"The Couriers are on quite the opposite side of the station from where the firing ranges and such are, so this would be the most prudent way to finish our business in a timely manner."

 

[Luca]

Sebastian nodded his head slowly to everything that Mr. Smith said, "Very comprehensive," He stated with a nod as he sized up the man, "You don't work here, do you?"

Luca rubbed his chin, nodding with Aerin as he attempted to take every word of Mr. Smith's compounded knowledge in, "Ah, yeah," He said, "I think that'll work out fine."
Sebastian looked over to him, "Alright, I'll come with you," He folded his arms authoritatively, "I have to get a layout for this ship too."

"Yeah, but wot if ya get ambushed by some pirates 'er somethin'?" Melissa leaned in inquisitively. Sebastian responded by patting his .44 sidearm, and Luca looked down at his own HHG with a grin.
"Relax a little. I'm sure we can handle it if something goes wrong," Luca smiled.

Melissa shrugged and told off the father and son, "Orright. Look at that borin' ship malarkey while we 'ave us some fun!"
She grinned at the prospect of getting to play with some seriously heavy armoury and weaponry.

Luca and Sebastian left the store, waiting for transportation to arrive with Aerin's resources at the ready.
"Hopefully we'll keep in touch with them, right?" Sebastian asked with worry.
"Of course," Luca smiled as he pointed a finger upwards, "I want in on the fun too, but a captain has to know his ship like the back of his hands."

Melissa, meanwhile, was staying with everyone else and she smiled towards Mr. Smith.
"I can't wait to see somethin' go boom 'n get away with it thanks t' you," She mused with Mr. Smith as a wicked grin formed across her mouth, "I'm sure as hell itchin' fer some excitement!"

She then made an uncharacteristically dramatic sweep, "And so's the audience!"
A nearby shop assistant gave her a questioning look, unsure of whatever audience she was referring to.

Either way, the shooting range was nearby, and the Courier A2 was on the other end of Dawn Station. As Sebastian contemplated this spatial matter and considered how to regroup, Luca was idly chewing on some candy he'd procured.

 

[Lamb]

Enzo stepped into Melissa's Dramatic Arm Movement and looked around, his eyes following every possible path.

"There's something strange going on here," he told himself, "Cap'n Pavone dids somethin' like that backs on Drift. And now, the hot gal's doin' it too... I can't shakes the feelin' they knows somethin' we don't."

He continued his train of thought to himself while he reached behind the counter for any pilferables he might obtain whilst the shopkeeper as distracted by Melissa's antics. If he could just get his hand on that pistol over there...

 

[Nevaraon]

Robert noticed Enzo's stealthy glance at the pistol. Figuring that the Boss didn't want any trouble, he smoothly intervened with a step and and picking up the pistol to inspect it. He glanced over his shoulder and gave Enzo a small grin and a wink.

 

[Lamb]

Enzo frowned at Robert for moment before shrugging his hostility off and patting him on the back. "Good things for Luca I'm not the only asshole on the crew, eh Raggleton?"

He smiled quickly at Robert before turning on his heel and heading out the door. There he waited for the rest of the group to move towards the proving ground as he smoked a cigarette.

 

[CadetNewb]

And everyone and their mother bum rushed him. Matthew did not appreciate it one bit, but it was part of the job and most certainly better than dealing in...other things. "Whoa. Easy there." the representative replied in an inexpressive manner. He nodded to Aerin's reply, took it easy, and started with one person at a time. Raggleton was first."The Impulse costs an affordable 5,000 KS, but it's the Handheld Gauss Rifle that turns heads. It's at 16,000 KS. Funny, yes. Ineffective? Most certainly not."

Smith gave a long thin grin as his eyes were briefly shielded from sight by glare. "A Demon is definitely wet paper against this combination, and it can even go toe to toe against Yamataian Daisy armed with a LASR, assuming the Impulse is properly outfitted with the Assault Pack. It is definitely worth the 1,000 KS price; drones, heavy shields and microfusion thrusters all in one bundle." Of course, he made sure to leave out the fact that Daisy units tended to pack more than just a LASR. It never hurt to bend the truth so long as it didn't break.

"Eh, yes Miss Zeta. The fuel cell is less powerful, but faster as a tradeoff. However, from what I hear of your adventures, you might need that power if you want to add on some armor." The Representative had pulled himself out of the sweet, sweet thoughts of traditional firepower, and sunk himself right back in, and then frowned. He didn't have the best answer, and in truth, Origin didn't have an assault rifle with more punch. But, maybe...was it possible?

"We do not have anything in stock more powerful. Good news though; you're not the first to ask for more firepower, and Origin is all about customer satisfaction!" he replied with a faint hint of pride. Fake, of course, but no one had ever noticed so far. "Researchers here on Dawn Station are currently working on something to address this. We can certainly see if they're willing to part with their firstborn." He half joked. 'The R&D folks will rage like they were actually doing so, but they're far smart enough to realize just how important this client is. Hmm. Perhaps Miss Merkur could be of assistance? I'll have to see.' Matthew thought.

He noted how Miss Jones was behaving, and made note. Mental disorder? Extra dimensional beings only she perceived? Drugs? If it was the most latter, he might just be able to do something. "Never question for a Smith's sources just like you would never question Firepower, Mr. Bortelli. It's just against the Nepleslian way." he replied in a deadpan voice.

Matthew thought back to Melissa Jones' strange, though brief, behavior. 'Maybe, just maybe, I could make profit if it was extra dimensional beings.' He already had an idea.

 

[TeslaTornado]

Vincent, meanwhile, was just now exiting the restaurant. He had cleared several large plates of all food matter, leaving behind only the skeletal remains of what may have at one point been medium-sized mammals and an occasional spatter of blood or juice from the meat. He quickly realised that he had lost the rest of the crew, and broke off to return to the fold.

After a few seconds of wandering aimlessly, he arrived in the shop where the others had gathered, milling over the goods available. Vincent, however, had exactly what he needed in mind. He made his way straight to the merchant and looked at the weapons catalog. "Two Standard Energy Pistols," The mercenary grunted, showing his weapons permit.

 

[Gallant]

I will check the legality, and see what I can do.

Naoko nodded slightly upon receiving the message, watching the sales representative with a strangely patient smile that gradually tugged at the edges of her lips until her teeth were visible. It was the eery smile of a doll in a Yammie-horror film. The cute little half-kimono, the delicate way she moved as she folded her arms, and the unearthly perfection of nearly every feature did nothing to absolve this impression.

She was, after all, a living weapon with a preportionally modest b-cup.

It took her a while, but when she did finally decide to send the reply it was well timed; exactly after Mister Smith had expertly finished lauding the 'Nepleslian Way' as a method of sales.

Mister Smith:  -I- am illegal.  Dealing with me is illegal.  I understand that any sale you make with me is under the table, so I do not think legality here is an issue.  Neither is money.  Please, act accordingly.

 

[ShotJon]

Zeta heard what Smith had to say about fuell cell. SHe tought for a second and then said, "If I would buy it, which I probably won't I would buy it for recreation and fun. But since I like to drive thinks that actually stays on the ground preferably with wheel adn don't fly I probably won't get. If you had a wheely motorcycle, well that would be something completely different. Sorry to take your time, I just like to chat about things like this."

After her short monologue she let him tell her about new project at RaD. Well actaully eh didn't tell her anything. Everybody knew that company like Origin has always something new in RaD. But new gun could be nice. "Well that is always nice to hear," she started. "There is never enough deadly things to let ti be." she added and smile. "Well anyway, if it were in prototypal state and you need test-shooter just let me know. I like to shoot anything that is new."

With that it looked like they were done for. Zeta at first wanted to go with Luca but she stumbled into thought process again adn when she got out he was already gone and Mell was acting funny. Well Mell is always funny. But that made Zeta worried again since Luca was now only with Sebastian and she was after all his bodyguard. Problem was, she had no idea where to find. Even with that she took her communicator and tected him.

To Luca:
Oi skipper, you sure you don't want me to come with you? After all black gooey lass is running around and that could mean trouble.

 

[Moogle]

"Oh, about the LEAF. . ." Seiren began, popping out from behind the others inconspicously. "You said that it was versatile earlier. . . is it possible to hook up an external power source, hypothetically an aether generator, to it?"