Nepleslia, Roger Wilco city.
In some shady back alley, in some shady little bar. There sat a shady little figure, acting somewhat shady. They were sitting in the corner of a bar in a booth seat with an empty cup on the table. Blonde, scruffy haired, and poorly clothed on first glance, but looking closer, something didn't quite seem right. His hands were gloved and his neck and chest visible from under his shirt and vest were in a matte, slate grey skintight suit of some sort.
Another figure made its way to the booth, seating herself casually as if she had known its current occupant for years. A scantily clad waitress came up, and took her order before disappearing again to fill it, leaving the pair alone. Danny wobbled a little when the waitress came by, but he focused his attention on the woman in front of him. He didn't say the first word, and waited for her to speak first. That's why he was here.
He didn't have to wait very long before the other spoke. "I hear you're good at getting into places" she began, as the waitress stopped by again, dropping the woman's drink on the table gingerly, only a few drops spilling from it. The woman took a sip before continuing. "I need to get into a place that most people don't know exists." she tipped her drink at Danny. "Can you help me do that?"
He just nodded at her, still looking into her eyes and breathing quietly. "Yes," he said, voice mousy and quiet. Some things never changed.
"Good." The woman answered simply, taking another sip and seeming to contemplate it. "I can provide transport, and supplies." Her body language was sedate, casual. As if she were simply meeting an old friend. "Do you, ah, need anything else?"
He looked down by his side and produced a small backpack that looked as though it'd fit on the small of your back, secured by belt. Sticking out of one of the pockets was a radio antenna, and he pulled out an electric baton, and a folding stun gun. "Cartridges," he replied casually. "I... don't feel good about killing." He was not trained or prepared to take a life yet.
The woman nodded. "Easy enough," and dropped some change on the table to pay for her drink. "Meet me at the Roger Wilco spaceport in three hours. Black shuttle, Registered as the Roc." She slid out of the booth, and began to walk away, but paused. "I've left a KS card under your cup. It's half. You'll get the rest when we get back."
Danny took the card and put it in his top pocket quietly and nodded as the woman slipped away.
-
Three hours later, he was sitting on top of the Roc cross legged and waiting quietly. He had nothing else to do with himself since he was placed here on Wilco City by Franz earlier. He looked over to the city skyline and recognized some of it. Wasn't that where he first met Franz, between those six buildings? Perhaps. He'd have to see for himself, but he didn't have time.
He was sitting on an appointment. Much to his surprise, the appointment arrived not from without the shuttle, but rather within. The shuttle made a sudden pneumatic hiss, and the rear hatch opened, without much fuss or occasion beyond the hiss. The woman from earlier strolled out, wearing a pair of old jeans and a leather bomber jacket that had several bullet holes in it.
He started creeping across the roof of the shuttle and observed her, peering over the edge before slipping over it and landing behind her silently. He'd taped and secured the loose elements of his clothing and equipment down to reduce noise made when moving. He leaned against the side of the entrance and tapped the wall twice, looking as though he'd been waiting a while.
The woman turned a few moments after the noise, and grinned. "Not bad. You still show up on visuals, but everything else, well, the other sensor readings match your voice." She proffered a hand and finally introduced herself. "The Name's Ellen. Ellen Katsuragi. You're Danny, obviously, though I didn't bother searching for your particulars."
He looked down at the offered hand and gave it a shake. Ellen would feel the material on Danny's hands being something similar to ... spandex, or latex; something you'd expect to see in a dungeon. It was tight, but it seemed to have been woven in such a way to be comfortable and flexible while offering radar resistance. Where did he get such a suit? He wouldn't have been able to afford it on Origin's payroll unless he moved up the ranks and got a disposable income.
After the shake, Ellen walked into the shuttle once more, waving Danny onward. "We'll leave immediately, if you've nothing else to take care of before we go. Once we're safely underway, I'll let you know where we're going."
He sat down on the nearest available space and began waiting. "I've got what I need." He then unbuttoned his vest, revealing the cream white shirt underneath, and then started unbuttoning his shirt - his chest covered in that suit beneath his clothing and he folded it and put it next to him. He removed the trousers and his legs were more of the same. Now he was waiting, and he was invisible to radar. Visually, there was still a man sitting down and waiting, wearing practically nothing with his outer layer of clothing sitting in a neat pile beside him. "So what are we going to pick up?"
Ellen began the launch procedure, ignoring the man as he undressed in the navigator's seat. soon, the shuttle was moving, vibrating ever so slightly as the gravitational systems adjusted themselves to keep the movement of the shuttle from disturbing the passengers as it went. "Well," she began, as the sky around them grew darker and darker and the stars became brighter and brighter. "It's not so much as what, but who. Unfortunately, I won't be able to tell you who until we collect them. And no, it isn't someone who owes me money or anything like that; it's a personal matter."
Danny's fingers wrapped around his chin and he thought for a moment. "Was it a kidnapping?" he guessed aloud as he watched the stars come into view outside the window.
"Not Exactly." was the only answer Danny would get on that subject. "But now we're on our way, I can let you know, we're headed to the Svodog system. Planet Samdog. It's... Less than hospitable, and I've come across the location of an unregistered establishment beneath the surface."
Danny leaned into the navigation console and tried to access information about this planet. He also appeared to be fiddling with an earpiece of some sort that was running up the left side of his head from underneath the suit. According to the navigation AI, it was an inhospitable place full of magnetic storms - perfect place to hide something.
"Franz? I'm going to drop off the radar," he spoke quietly, as if to himself. "I'll see you when I do."
Ellen looked at the man as he made his transmission, but since it was very short and didn't give any real information, she didn't say anything. "We're going in slow and cold, so it will take us a little while. Make yourself comfortable and get some rest, and I'll let you know."
"Is there a bed somewhere I could use? I'd like to lie down."
She pointed a thumb back into the cargo bay. "Bunks in the walls. they fold down. Take the bottom one, top one's mine."
He swiveled the navigator's seat around and walked towards the wall bunks. He pulled them out and laid down on the bottom one. He didn't put a blanket or cover over himself, but just lied down, face up with his eyes closed. He was focusing on his breathing. In, out, in, out, in, out. It was the first thing Franz taught him to manage his nerves.
From the cockpit, he could hear Ellen speaking to the ship's computer, and then the sounds of controls being manipulated. Soon, another gentle hum joined the normal sounds of the ship as the FTL drive began to initiate itself, and before he could bat an eye, the Roc blasted off on its way through hyperspace toward Samdog.
In some shady back alley, in some shady little bar. There sat a shady little figure, acting somewhat shady. They were sitting in the corner of a bar in a booth seat with an empty cup on the table. Blonde, scruffy haired, and poorly clothed on first glance, but looking closer, something didn't quite seem right. His hands were gloved and his neck and chest visible from under his shirt and vest were in a matte, slate grey skintight suit of some sort.
Another figure made its way to the booth, seating herself casually as if she had known its current occupant for years. A scantily clad waitress came up, and took her order before disappearing again to fill it, leaving the pair alone. Danny wobbled a little when the waitress came by, but he focused his attention on the woman in front of him. He didn't say the first word, and waited for her to speak first. That's why he was here.
He didn't have to wait very long before the other spoke. "I hear you're good at getting into places" she began, as the waitress stopped by again, dropping the woman's drink on the table gingerly, only a few drops spilling from it. The woman took a sip before continuing. "I need to get into a place that most people don't know exists." she tipped her drink at Danny. "Can you help me do that?"
He just nodded at her, still looking into her eyes and breathing quietly. "Yes," he said, voice mousy and quiet. Some things never changed.
"Good." The woman answered simply, taking another sip and seeming to contemplate it. "I can provide transport, and supplies." Her body language was sedate, casual. As if she were simply meeting an old friend. "Do you, ah, need anything else?"
He looked down by his side and produced a small backpack that looked as though it'd fit on the small of your back, secured by belt. Sticking out of one of the pockets was a radio antenna, and he pulled out an electric baton, and a folding stun gun. "Cartridges," he replied casually. "I... don't feel good about killing." He was not trained or prepared to take a life yet.
The woman nodded. "Easy enough," and dropped some change on the table to pay for her drink. "Meet me at the Roger Wilco spaceport in three hours. Black shuttle, Registered as the Roc." She slid out of the booth, and began to walk away, but paused. "I've left a KS card under your cup. It's half. You'll get the rest when we get back."
Danny took the card and put it in his top pocket quietly and nodded as the woman slipped away.
-
Three hours later, he was sitting on top of the Roc cross legged and waiting quietly. He had nothing else to do with himself since he was placed here on Wilco City by Franz earlier. He looked over to the city skyline and recognized some of it. Wasn't that where he first met Franz, between those six buildings? Perhaps. He'd have to see for himself, but he didn't have time.
He was sitting on an appointment. Much to his surprise, the appointment arrived not from without the shuttle, but rather within. The shuttle made a sudden pneumatic hiss, and the rear hatch opened, without much fuss or occasion beyond the hiss. The woman from earlier strolled out, wearing a pair of old jeans and a leather bomber jacket that had several bullet holes in it.
He started creeping across the roof of the shuttle and observed her, peering over the edge before slipping over it and landing behind her silently. He'd taped and secured the loose elements of his clothing and equipment down to reduce noise made when moving. He leaned against the side of the entrance and tapped the wall twice, looking as though he'd been waiting a while.
The woman turned a few moments after the noise, and grinned. "Not bad. You still show up on visuals, but everything else, well, the other sensor readings match your voice." She proffered a hand and finally introduced herself. "The Name's Ellen. Ellen Katsuragi. You're Danny, obviously, though I didn't bother searching for your particulars."
He looked down at the offered hand and gave it a shake. Ellen would feel the material on Danny's hands being something similar to ... spandex, or latex; something you'd expect to see in a dungeon. It was tight, but it seemed to have been woven in such a way to be comfortable and flexible while offering radar resistance. Where did he get such a suit? He wouldn't have been able to afford it on Origin's payroll unless he moved up the ranks and got a disposable income.
After the shake, Ellen walked into the shuttle once more, waving Danny onward. "We'll leave immediately, if you've nothing else to take care of before we go. Once we're safely underway, I'll let you know where we're going."
He sat down on the nearest available space and began waiting. "I've got what I need." He then unbuttoned his vest, revealing the cream white shirt underneath, and then started unbuttoning his shirt - his chest covered in that suit beneath his clothing and he folded it and put it next to him. He removed the trousers and his legs were more of the same. Now he was waiting, and he was invisible to radar. Visually, there was still a man sitting down and waiting, wearing practically nothing with his outer layer of clothing sitting in a neat pile beside him. "So what are we going to pick up?"
Ellen began the launch procedure, ignoring the man as he undressed in the navigator's seat. soon, the shuttle was moving, vibrating ever so slightly as the gravitational systems adjusted themselves to keep the movement of the shuttle from disturbing the passengers as it went. "Well," she began, as the sky around them grew darker and darker and the stars became brighter and brighter. "It's not so much as what, but who. Unfortunately, I won't be able to tell you who until we collect them. And no, it isn't someone who owes me money or anything like that; it's a personal matter."
Danny's fingers wrapped around his chin and he thought for a moment. "Was it a kidnapping?" he guessed aloud as he watched the stars come into view outside the window.
"Not Exactly." was the only answer Danny would get on that subject. "But now we're on our way, I can let you know, we're headed to the Svodog system. Planet Samdog. It's... Less than hospitable, and I've come across the location of an unregistered establishment beneath the surface."
Danny leaned into the navigation console and tried to access information about this planet. He also appeared to be fiddling with an earpiece of some sort that was running up the left side of his head from underneath the suit. According to the navigation AI, it was an inhospitable place full of magnetic storms - perfect place to hide something.
"Franz? I'm going to drop off the radar," he spoke quietly, as if to himself. "I'll see you when I do."
Ellen looked at the man as he made his transmission, but since it was very short and didn't give any real information, she didn't say anything. "We're going in slow and cold, so it will take us a little while. Make yourself comfortable and get some rest, and I'll let you know."
"Is there a bed somewhere I could use? I'd like to lie down."
She pointed a thumb back into the cargo bay. "Bunks in the walls. they fold down. Take the bottom one, top one's mine."
He swiveled the navigator's seat around and walked towards the wall bunks. He pulled them out and laid down on the bottom one. He didn't put a blanket or cover over himself, but just lied down, face up with his eyes closed. He was focusing on his breathing. In, out, in, out, in, out. It was the first thing Franz taught him to manage his nerves.
From the cockpit, he could hear Ellen speaking to the ship's computer, and then the sounds of controls being manipulated. Soon, another gentle hum joined the normal sounds of the ship as the FTL drive began to initiate itself, and before he could bat an eye, the Roc blasted off on its way through hyperspace toward Samdog.