RP [Shades of Green] Side A Track001: Phthalo

[Cowboy]

Vana processed what had been shared. She'd heard of Zach Cahill, and wasn't overly impressed with the man. She had a relative, couldn't remember now exactly what the relation was, but he worked NAM. She had heard him complain more than once about Mr Cahill. So she had no qualms about the target. Vana took the offered glass and drank it as well. She was in. She smiled at the comment about Remy providing some gear. Vana hoped she had ammo for her sniper rifle. Rounds for her sniper rifle weren't cheap or easy to come by. In truth, she only had about a dozen rounds left.

As discussion began Vana followed along as best she could, but her translating glasses sometimes missed things. Or more often, was woefully behind the conversation. Now that the mission was on the table, the whole thing felt more conspiratorial and more hush hush. She agreed with the questions put forth but thought they should hear what Remy had in mind before asking a ton of questions. Since she couldn't control the volume of her voice she had, out of habit, became silent and began to speak using sign language. Her hands moved quickly and silently. Good questions.... but maybe we should....hear what Ms. Belmont.... has in mind... that might answer... some of our questions... right off...

At first, it appeared that only one or two people understood what Vana was doing. She sighed and repeated her statement again. This time she spoke out loud, as well has signed. Again, her voice was louder than intended, "Maybe we should hear what Ms. Belmont's plan is. I'm sure several of our questions will be answered once we have an idea of how she wants to approach this."

 

[Charmaylarg Dufrain]

Maggie allowed themselves to be removed from Remys person only to wander about seemingly aimless and aloof while mentally processing the briefing.

They didnt mind girls. Girls smelled nice and had soft skin and made cute sounds. It was just nice to have options! Maggie was quite the scortor all things said and done.

They also did not know what NAM was, context clues beside, but could piece together the important parts.

Powerful executive, a lot of money, private security detail, strong backing.

It was unclear if there was an intelligence agency or third party involved beyond some corporation at play as Magnificent might assume. But things seemed to work differently in this part of the sector where everything was a lot more fast and loose and things like this seemed to not only be the norm but even sanctioned and semi-legal so long as they did not interfere with certain infrastructure.

They also did not take Remys remarks about slavery as being directed at Magnificent or their culture. Things were different in this sector, and even though many of the cultures here did worse things than decide ones station for their own good in life so that they might contribute the best to their society it seemed to be some hot-button topic and from what Maggie could garner there was still a fresh open wound from a few of the peoples in the sector had changed policies or abolished such systems in the past couple decades and were trying to lead by some example. They would not broach the topic lightly and would continue to not seek to indenture and would instead take the much less desirable option to just kill a worthy war bride or groom instead of sparing their lives and letting them live as trophies to a benevolent master or be sold to repay their life debt to another for a shorter term.

But then their mind was drawn to other things. The reptilian was actually a serpent and was named Sassina. It made one want to roll the tounge and was likely an evolutionary quirk if it wasn't some coincidental outlier. Had to be a mammal if the breasts were any indicator and didn't need to warm their own blood; Good to know for any potential partners and not to underestimate if encountering one at night.

With all the knife fetishing though Maggie bet Sassina had some hidden soft side for something like poetry. All the ones who pretended to be tough had some cute soft side like that.

"When is our window?" Maggie lightly stepped about, never quite staying in one place. "And what are the operation parameters; Primary, secondary, and tertiary? Time, collateral, response?"

But then, more interestingly enough while waiting for a response, Maggie found themselves in someone else's personal space as was the norm and was slowly and casually reaching out to warmly take Vanas' hands in their own to still the restless child. Maggie was always touching someone, they were too extroverted to simply do as everyone else seemed to always want to do and take up every dark corner and brood like annoying loners when life was about making connections and experiences!

 

[Arbitrated]

The cobalt-eyed fox seemed to already be well-aware of the information on the target, knowing Zach Cahill by name was practically required - his interference with VoA's first major steps into the Nepleslian market have made the board - and by extension, her parents - quite furious over the past several months. Underhanded or not, Cahill knew his way around business - and Victoria guessed that this is why she was the one sent to meet up with this... Belmont Missus, rather than someone more qualified.

Well, that and the fact that she's not as well-known as the actual execs yet. She was banking on people underestimating her.

"What are the charges brought to his name?" The query came out politely, the fox twisting her head about to look Remy in the eye. Remy - and the sharper-eyed folk in the room - could see the baby blues tearing up a bit, as she squinted. Before Remy could answer, however, one of the large and conical ears swiveled towards the building's front, where a child-sized fox of a differing complexion had been let through the door, carrying a briefcase that seemed too large for him. The sandy-haired newcomer seemed flustered and was clearly stumbling over their words.

"I will a moment," Victoria added, and with a nod from Remy she slid out of the tinted office, tail swishing eagerly at the delivery. An exchange was made, but even those who could hear - no doubt by trying to bug the lobby or through other means - didn't yet recognize the language. The briefcase, opened and its contents retrieved, then donned. As Victoria returned to the meeting room's interior, her eyes were fully covered by a tinted pair of goggle-like lenses.

 

[Cowboy]

Pork, Vana's Gunhound, had been laying quietly on the floor intently watching everything that was going on. When Maggie began to move close to Vana, Pork raised his head. When Maggie reached forward, as if to touch Vana Pork was on his feet and growling. The hair on his back stood straight out and his ears were flat back. Vana reached down and patted his head and clicked her tongue twice. "Easy Porky. I see her." She said for the first time in a normal volume.

She looked at Maggie then around the room. Although Vana was a little self conscious about it, it would probably be best to go ahead and spill the beans about her condition. "Porky here is my ears. I'm deaf. Lost them in a week long artillery barrage a few years ago. Just means I don't like people outside peripheral vision and he doesn't like people too close to me." Vana explained, signing and speaking at the same time.

 

[Primitive Polygon]

Calico was happy enough to sit back and absorb the ambient information for a minute, swaying back and forth slightly as if supressing a hula dance. At first they were downloading a sign language recognition app to their digital backup brain, since it seemed like that might be necessary for at least two of the members- But then the small business fox lady did Calico's absolute favourite thing and started spouting a language with next to zero search results.

Clumsily fetching the paper book hanging around their neck, they took notes about how the cryptid-talk sounded, the possible explanations, and also made a small doodle of Victoria.

Still, she should probably pay a little attention to the whole massive crime they were signing up for...

"...Good golly, if this big-up fella was connected to NAM, I wouldn't just bust in, no sir!~" Reflexively touching the clasp on their tie, their dorky voice almost sounded like they were making fun of the snake. The blond girl could have passed for a school teacher if it wasn't for the chrome cyber-limbs and the glowing eyes, though, so it was probably not intentional. "Think about it, if this fella was related to NAM, he musta had at least one crooked mate to take with him... Nah, we should expect the place to be well stock-o, well set up, but maybe some o' his luddy hirelings not takin' the security seriously."

"We should... make a distraction! Frame somebody for deception! Pretend to do some building work so they can't hear the gun-bangin'! Y'all know what I'm tellin' ya?"

Why did they have such a sparkly look of inspiration on their face, despite the noise of some dog going crazy beside them? And why did it sound like they were plotting this out like a novel?

 

[SirSkully]

Once Pork calmed down a little, and paid more attention to his senses, the big pup might've noticed another pair of lungs breathing from behind the electronically-tinted walls of Remy's office. Though each inhale and exhale sounded ever so slightly laboured, and raspy as though it was being forced through the dense filter of an archaic gas mask~ The sudden presence of another Daur might've been just as distracting for the poor Gunhund's predatory senses, the significantly shorter courier fox entering and exiting unmolested by the store's security systems.

"One... one thing at a time," Remy begged with a little sigh, crossing one delicious leg over the other.

"As I said earlier the stage has been set for us, by his employers nonetheless and so there shouldn't be any backup arriving unless he's made alternate arrangements. Judging by how much food has been coming in there seems to be ten or so people total, it's not a massive leap to assume the security team is rocking all sorts of NAM goodies either, but we should likely expect that anti-personnel countermeasures have been set up to some capacity," the greenette explained to the group, idly fixing the rolled sleeves of her suit-dress all the while, features narrowing as they focused on Maggie.

"As much as I'd like to treat this like a moonlit, no-knock NPF raid unfortunately our intel on the building's layout is out of date, so we can be as loud as the situation dictates. The buggers he's hiding behind don't exactly deserve subtlety, they're cut-throat gangers wearing blood-stained uniforms, so don't feel too bad about putting them in their place," Remy continued, offering a nonplussed little shrug at the info she'd just parsed out. Business as usual in Nepleslia, and with that out of the way, her green peepers drifted across to gaze upon Calico.

"A distraction is definitely the way to go, but I was thinking more along the lines of a sacrificial goat... I'll let you all know by tomorrow how that lead pans out, but trying to pass as a team of NAM subcontractors might be a good backup. We should try to hit the place in the next few days, before the mark realizes something is up - opening his big mouth has caused some internal strife and~" Remy cut herself off as, with a quiet hiss, the electronic tint faded from the glass wall she was leaning against. The darkness faded like ink being pulled down a drain, revealing a cloaked and imposing figure standing a little shy of 7ft in height, barely illuminated by the status lights of the office's computer.

"Stay your hand, Mistress Belmont," came a metallic and husky, yet distinctly feminine voice, though not even the Daur with her natural night-vision had seen the figure's jaw move.

"They need not know more than is needed to play their part," the cloaked stranger continued, the door to the office sliding open to let her step out and into better lighting, moving with an unnatural stillness that almost made her look like she was floating were it not for the silhouettes of their long legs. Though a weather-beaten, hooded poncho covered most of the figure's torso there were more than a few anatomical tells hinting at her gender, name the ample swell of her breasts denting the bulletproof-wool garment outwards and the flaring of her hips leading into the shapely muscles of her legs. One arm was visible through a split in the poncho, wrapped in gauze and bandages that stank of disinfectant, ending in a hand the same mocha hue as the jaw visible beneath her hood. Dark lips pursed into an unreadable and unflinching expression.

"...I was getting to that," Remy huffed, turning way from the figure and rubbing at the bridge of her nose with no small bit of frustration.

"We've got a watchdog assigned to us by the client, no I don't know her name but she's just here to watch, they're paying her separately to us so let's try to play nice?"

 

[Charmaylarg Dufrain]

"Oh, you poor thing that must have been terrible for you." Maggie soothed Vana's bruised heart in their own mind even if the girl could not hear them.

The Daur was more or less unnoticed; Cute but Maggie didn't actually have a flat to keep a pet yet, and Calico's Cthulhu tongue speech was not even tried to be translated. But after the newcomer arrived and Maggie perked up a bit before clearly deflating their ego again when it was another fem Fatale.

"Oh my, she looks just like the evil right-hand man of the antagonist in a cinema-film show I just watched but a fortnight ago. Is this what you would call cliche?" Maggie did not so much whisper as pretend they were quietly talking to the very deaf Vana from the side even if it was still very much audible to everyone present.

But then Calicos and Remys statements processed and Maggie did a piffy clap that sounded just off from their synthetic flesh not quite mimicking the sound of actual clapping.

"Oh, wonderful then!" They exclaimed, their next statement seeming eerily inhuman and cold with their unblinking and unnatural eyes and perpetual smile.

"Does anyone here perhaps know how to make a bomb then?"

 

[Cowboy]

Vana took in the conversation and the information that Ms Remy shared. "Sounds like sniping is out of the question then." She had meant to just mutter that to herself, but it had been spoken out loud. That would have been her method of choice. A single shot from 5000+ yards. Target dead before they could even hear the shot that killed them. But this place would most likely have bullet proof windows and other annoying things like that. It would need to be up close then.

Her classes transcribed Maggie's bomb idea. "A bomb could work." Vana signed and spoke. "Unless the client wants a confirmed kill, then a bomb makes it harder to do that. In any case, the issue is getting inside. Weather with a bomb or not that is the key to this kill."

 

[Arbitrated]

"A distraction would work incredibly for our cause. I believe that a bomb for a kill would not be recommended, else the confirmed location would already have been reduced to rubble. Precision bombardment on the scale needed is quite attainable by your weaponry," the short - or perhaps she was tall - fox mentioned as she returned to the office, the briefcase containing what was almost certainly a weapon resting on her lap, sealed cleanly, not to be opened yet. Victoria then continued, "However, a bomb may provide an excellent way in by simply destroying part of the structure. We can alternatively attempt to besiege their location by cuddling their supply access, but that will take an extended period of time."

One ear twitched idly, and she added, "Time which is not possible. Would a disguise help?"

 

[Primitive Polygon]

"Oh my, aren't you a darling?" Calico audibly swooned over the tall cyborg standing in the dark, regardless of their menacing aura. The fact that they were clearly dangerous was just the icing on the cake. "I love those cyberlimbs, synthetic muscle are they? Or perhaps memory metal fibre..."

Attention turned to Maggie and Vana next, considering their use of a bomb, and making facial expressions that said they were mentally running through the pros and cons. Their dark red eyes clearly settled on the concept it was a entertaining, but flawed, idea.

"The problem with either a bomb or cutting off access, is that it makes it real hard to prove 'e ain't slipped out, dunnit?" A small smile, mischievous despite the implications. She had to stop herself from patting the fox lady maniacally. "But you see, there is a thing about big stupid secret lairs, from netcomics and holovids and the like- They gotta have a whole buncha building contractors in to actually turn up the dirt, you know what I'm saying? We'd be real dandy if we went through the city camera footage and looked at all the big vans turnin' up when they were layin' the bricks and mortar. Not just get a disguise like our cute ginger friend here says, but the disguise... The right company in' all that?"

"Now, let's say he has a secret underground tunnel, so he can leg it when 'us 'orribe lot come knockin'... Builders shoulda turned up at the other side too, right? Bomb it or sneak us in, that would be my two pennies, yes-sir-ree!~"

 

[SirSkully]

A faint blanket of static tickled at both Magnificent and Calico's cybernetics as tall, dark and brooding lady's head turned to better observe them. It was obvious they weren't being regarded as equals to this towering woman, but it quickly became apparent they were barely even being seen as people, just piles of meat interlaced with rare minerals and alloys.

The woman's head tilted back slightly and the shadows retreated slightly, enough to reveal her strong cheekbones and just a hint of two reddish, reflective lenses where her eyes likely were - a few more moments of pregnable silence passed before her lips curled into a tight, pursed smirk.

"To ease any further comminication, you may refer to myself by the codename Angrboda, as approved by my employers - cliche or not my presence is to step in if needed to ensure the job is carried out," the 7ft cyborg hissed, lips finally moving in sync with her words, likely for Vana's sake. Not even Remy knew much about the shady individual that'd been dumped on her lap, but every word seemed to carry a double entendre that only Angrboda knew the double meaning of. The only bits of info that could be scraped were the obvious, that this individual gave off the vibe of being more of an asset that a lot of DA had been pumped into than a willing third party simply there to collect her paycheck. Angrboda drew back her hood to reveal sharp features befitting such an obvious bloodhound, optical sensor lenses barely visible beneath the woman's captivating orange eyes, thick platinum blonde hair kept in a short and practical bob.

The static intensified as the Hanyan giant's gaze shifted to focus solely on the imaginative Freespacer, any attempts to scan Angrboda's face or cybernetics resulted in errors and messages about missing serial numbers. Whoever had invested in this femme fatale had not half assed it by any means, there were some big movers behind the scenes of this whole operation. One result came back though, traces of thermoset liquid-crystalline polyoxazole showing beneath her lab-grown pores, though Calico would get the hint this info came as more of a warning to not fuck around and find out than anything else. The face returned to its previous expression of utter nothingness, but those red-hot eyes carried such a primal intensity that even Vana's hound was rattled by their presence, ears flattened against his skull.

"...well anyway, right, these are all wonderful ideas and I think we can come up with a pretty solid plan. And I've heard about your skills, Canterbury, a shot as sure as yours is always welcome and especially if they've set up a bunch of defensive hallways for us, " Remy started, a not so subtle attempt to draw the room's attention back to her and get things moving again, though the towering reaper of a woman was hard to ignore for long.

"I can source a briefcase sized Red Mercury bomb powerful enough to drop a corpo tower with a day's notice if I need to, so sourcing military grade explosives is easy enough if nobody has any special home-brew recipes they're more familiar with, uniforms, unpainted vehicles and any extra networking equipment is well within reach too - but the building already has a fairly capable antenna mounted up top so we'll see if that suits your needs Magnificent," Remy continued to explain, hands folded behind her back as she slowly walked around the group, bringing their attention from the desks and counter to all the weapons displays

"We are required to either bring the target in alive or bring back an identifiable corpse, so dropping the building isn't an option until we're out... there is that catch I was mentioning earlier, if the target does die we need to make it look like he simply got caught in the crossfire and it was an unavoidable mistake. So no summary executions, icky corporate specifics that I'm sure our Daur friend is familliar with but it is what it is. If we're able to narrow down who built any escape tunnels we could possibly hit them from wherever it exits while our distraction keeps security distracted, still waiting to hear back on if I can go with my sacrificial lamb plan or not but collapsing the tunnel behind us is one surefire way to make sure nobody slips around us." the Belmont continued, a strand of green hair falling over one eye as she let out a sigh, hands slipping to rest on her hips.

"Anything on the floor is free to take, the cameras will record the serial numbers and I'll note the total down for my accountant, we can get started on the snooping tomorrow but it's getting late. Any objections to me bulk-ordering some Akemis?"

 

[Charmaylarg Dufrain]

Maggie didnt quite understand the issue with bombs or the angry-boa woman; Who Maggie was unsure if she was related some way culturally or genetically to the snake woman sarah or whatever her name was; Names were hard when everyone wanted to be so complicated about them...

Someone paid for a target to be eradicated. It should be simple. When a job was paid for a mercenary would complete it no questions asked if all the parameters were set correctly. Only the most fickle and untrusting of barons ever sent their own dogs to ride herd and more often than not would simply find excuses to renege a contract. Therew was no honor in such things and while they had never partaken Magnificent had seen more than once the folly of nobles who cared more for their coin than honor when one of the great companies had their honor questioned and would descend on the accuser with the might of a wrathful god.

Here things were different, it seemed. Honor ment different things and the people thought too strangely. They became upset at concepts or acts they once or still partook in, they trusted so little in one another as to let simple currency break ties over something so ephemeral.

This Angry Boa was a fleeting being that would pass in a decade or four and be forgotten with no great deeds or honors.

They put this creature out of their mind while adoring Calico's praise and interest and were just about to answer them. Maggie could not actually blush, but some simple alterations to a portion of the pigment of the glow of her hard-light maintained bangs to a slightly different shade gave the pink bloom of their hair on the skin to a slightly different red-peach tone almost like a blush. It made people more comfortable seeing some change in Maggies demeanor than just a grin that implied imminent intercourse if held for long enough.

But then the cliche mook just had to wash over their senses with interference.

Maggie did not blink, not that they could. Did not show any indication or even acknowledge the slight. But made a simple decision should should the opertunity arise on how they would live their new life in this abhorrent sector.

"We carry most of what we own on our person, you?" Maggie asked Calico who they would be working with to better get the feel of her as they gesturied to themselves and little more than the bodysuit-leotard, trenchcoat, and the concealed rifle on the swell of their backs. "It's not much but the stats are good and we look fabulous, don't you agree?"

"Also what are a 'pennies'?"

 

[Arbitrated]

The Remy Zone

Victoria looked distracted from the conversations at hand as her eyes were studying the newcomer, whose appearance could be easily described as suspicious - even for one of her apparent occupation. To the fox, it was clear this one was trying too hard to not have personal involvement. In her strange language of rolling syllables and twitching bits of flesh (mainly her ears), she mumbled, "The best hiders are never suspected at all."

Aside from the comment though, Victoria Vimschev's ears were swiveled independently to catch the full of the conversation at hand, which had for the brief moments been focused on a bomb. Remy then started talking about needing a body and specifics on the contract - thankfully, a translated message was provided beforehand, easing any confusion.

"Correct. The man is to be held accountable, not dead," the Daur spoke up in her attempt of Trade. "As for weaponry, there have been schedules for my supplies. I should not need arms nor ammunition." The last seven words sounded toneless and almost robotic, as if she'd rehearsed them. The way Victoria tried to break eye contact implied that she seemed to have some sort of underlying thoughts about that particular subject.

 

[Cowboy]

Vana smiled and nodded at Remy's complement to her shooting skills. A lot of good ideas had been mentioned, but someone needed to take the lead and say what strategy would be best. She'd go with whatever the group decided, as long as it didn't leave her high and dry.

When Remy mentioned access to her store Vana couldn't help but smile. She made a bee line to where the ammo crates were stacked and began reading the labels. .22, .227, .306, no these were kid rounds compared to what she was looking for. Ah here was some larger sizes. .50 cal...10mm... Bingo! 12.7 mm. Vana pulled the box aside and opened it. Smiling ear to ear she took a round out and examined it. Flawless. She unslung her rifle from her back set it on a nearby counter. She was down to a single clip worth of ammo. 12.7 mm was just too expensive and hard to get ahold of for her to easily replace. She was going to stock up now while she had a chance.

Her 12.7mm High-Power Infantry Rifle was specially custom to her. The adjustable and metal stock had been exchanged with a beautiful wood one. It had impact dampeners built into it to allow Vana to fire it without the aid of power armor. That and her right shoulder had been reinforced to be able to fire it without deploying its bipod as well. Vana loaded three extra mags with rounds then took a smaller more portable ammo box and filled it with another 50 rounds. Yeah that might cut into her final profit when the job was done but if things went completely wrong and Vana didn't get paid it she'd still have a little something something for her time.