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RP: ISC Phoenix [Side Job] - To the Wife and Family

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Luca

The Ultimate Badass
🎖️ Game Master
Sam Stone came home,
To the wife and family
After serving in the conflict overseas.
And the time that he served,
Had shattered all his nerves,
And left a little shrapnel in his knees.

John Prine - Sam Stone

(This takes place between Mission 2 and Mission 3, starring @Luca, @Gallant and @Sham)

-ON!

Crimson Kestrel, Lounge Room
Through watching Gartagen Soap operas and television with subtitles provided, Luca had figured out that Gartagens were very social creatures - bonds went deep and thick with them once they got talking about something to each other. A lot of their television involved historic periods where feuding families and clans would clash for influence or wealth, big and small, calm or beligerent.

"...I'm gonna need a flowchart to keep a track of everyone in this," he sighed. He didn't get the whole picture from Bronzi and Sura, and damned if he could get a word out of Soruk - he could barely find them most of the time. Though, the story was still very engaging - so much tension, drama and plots within plots unfolding.

Dutifully, Vita started; "That one, the one in the loin cloth with the paint on his chest, is in love with the one on that other one's arm, and they're going to elope, but he doesn't know it yet. We know it, though, and that one's mate knows it because he smelled it but isn't saying anything, because if he said something he would lose the backing of his clan, and his clan cannot know."

"...uh huh, guess he couldn't be the Blue one forever," Luca scratched his head. Well, he couldn't be the Blue one with the paint on his chest. He was never good at keeping a track of such complex things - but it was the gratuitous sex, violence and executions that punctuated the long rounds of tension that kept him watching.

What kept Vitalia watching, apparently, was the story which she seemed to like and be able to follow instinctively.

Over the sounds of their television, they may have caught a few thumps and clanks in the maintence conduits overhead, as if someone, or something, was moving through them. Before either could really get to questioning, if they even noticed or cared, a familar cloaked gartagen dropped out of a vent, landing neatly in front of the TV, oblivious to the fact he was in the way.

Luca suspected that the clanks in the vent was either Seiren, Allison or Soruk. Once the billowing cloak told him that it was definitely Soruk, he didn't seem that surprised. He tried leaning up over the Gartagen to get a look at the action on screen behind him and asked, "Can't you take the stairs once in a while?"

Soruk sidestepped out of the way of the TV, shaking his head, "Why would I do that?" Using the stairs risked running into someone on them. The maintence conduits were much quieter and far less populated. They even had the added advantage of getting the drop if he ever needed it. "I took the stairs once in that hotel we were at. That was recent enough."

Vitalia folded her arms. Soruk was in front of the TV for a moment. She didn't say anything to him about it, though, or about his weird obsession with small, cramped spaces as opposed to people.

"Well - what is it then?" Luca asked- something important was going on - a chat between a clan leader and a turncoat that was to sabotage a wedding or some other important event - I think the Gartagen name for it was something like 'Yalalukk' - couldn't be translated into a proper analogue, but it was some mixture between a keg party, a wedding and maybe a fertility festival.

Soruk glanced at the TV and frowned, despite the show being Gartagen, he was never a fan. Always thought there was better things to do, "Well... I have questions..." He glanced at Vitalia, "... about things."

The teenager flipped some of her hair out of her face. Dramatic. She didn't look offended or bothered, though. "Okay. Shoot?"Luca turned the volume on the TV down so he could hear Soruk easier.

He wasn't exactly pleased with the added presence of Vita, but could do little to make her go away. Soruk sat cross-legged on the floor, looking down at a small metal object, tucking it away to look up at Luca, "I need information. That's why I'm here. I believe I mentioned at our first meeting that I am searching for my lost family."

Luca nodded at him. "I remember now, yes," he said, "What lead bought you to Yamatai?" he asked. There must've been a reason beyond happenstance that bought Soruk to Yamatai and into the Phoenix. "Echelon can help track things down. Yo, you there?"

The intercom crackled, "Y34H," she replied. "WH4T UP?" She paused the TV show, it could wait for later. Vita lay back on the couch and looked up at the ceiling, instead.

Soruk looked up and frowned at the intercom, more and more people being added into his personal business. He had to get somewhere though, too late to turn around, "I didn't actually find anything. All I know, is they are not in Gartagen space."

"N4M3?" Echelon asked. The sound of a cough could be heard as she tapped into some additional CPU and broke out the good program, "Name?" she sounded a lot clearer now, she still sounded like she had a playful stiff upper lip and a mohawk the same colours as the scarf she always liked to wear.

Soruk nodded his head a little, debating with himself, before giving in, "Sheshren Aisaras Garuk, Sheshren Aisaras Sira. Those are my parents and who I search for." His hand slipped into a pocket, playing with that little metal object again.

"Okay, just a second. Sheshren Aisaras Garuk..." she jotted the name down into her network of contacts to see if the name had come by. "Sheshren Aisaras Sira... Anything else I should know, like height, weight, skin colours, maybe any close friends of theirs from other families?"

She was getting some bounces from the Gartagen Extranet for the names on the Gartagen citizen's ledger, but there was no current geolocation for them. "More I have to work with the quicker I could find some leads."

Sheshren.

Vita hummed quietly, sprawling on the couch, but keeping her legs crossed for modesty. She was wearing a black, punky skirt.

"That sounds familiar," she said. Luca raised an eyebrow at her. How would she know?

He shrugged, "I wasn't very old when they disappeared. They look similar to me. Don't know much else. They were both blademasters." He allowed himself some measure of hope for Echeleon's search, but it had been a long time since anyone had been able to contact them. The gartagen was fine with being patient and waiting for the freespacer to turn something up.

Vita's short statement caught his attention though, "You've heard of my clan's name? They are not well-known."

"Yeah, uh," Luca asked, just as surprised when Soruk confirmed the obscurity of the clan. "How do you know that?"

"I only said it sounds familiar." Vitalia pursed her lips, seeming somewhat frustrated, herself, as though she were trying to will the knowledge up. "I believe I heard it in Sargasso. From one of the other students."

"I think I've got a match or two," Echelon replied, "I found some friends of your parents, non-Clan members, but suppliers to your Clan, they are currently residing in one of Dawn Station's residential districts."

Soruk shook his head at Vita's answer, probably some stray story caught from some cargo frieghter captain in a gartagen port, eventually working its way down the grapevine. He looked up at the ceiling, "Dawn Station? Where is that? I need to go there." As 'fun' as it was being on the Phoenix, he still had a goal to complete.

"Its not far from Nepleslia Prime, maybe once we touch down there I can send Echelon or John with you on a shuttle to Dawn Station. Hell, could get you in touch with Aerin Tatst too, she'd be happy to help you out if you say my name." He nodded at Soruk. His connections seemed to go far and wide, and Soruk would've heard of the name before - CEO of Origin Industries. "Its Origin Industries' HQ."

The gartagen nodded a few times, clearly meeting Luca was working out for now, "That is good. Thank you." He bowed a little from his seat, deeply grateful for the information. It was something to put him on the right track, which was a lot more than he had five minutes ago.

Luca found Vitalia staring at him. Well, at least she was looking at him. Whether it was a stare, or not, could be debated if really pressed down. Some of the makeup that Vita was wearing these days teetered towards the dark side.

Echelon seemed to cough, "N0 W0RR13S M4T3," she said back in her native tongue. Luca waved her goodbye as the intercom fizzled out. Luca then looked back over to Vita and his smile slowly started to fade as he looked into her eyes.

He knew that look from somewhere in his past. Horrible, blood soaked, fiery and sandy in a one man warzone. "V?" he asked.

"Dawn station sounds about right." No hint of an echo. This was Vita, alright; she had his eyes. "Is that where we're going, Dad?"

"We don't need to all go there," Luca said, "Dawn's safe, we don't need all of us to watch."

She looked from one eye to the other, searching his expression, before giving him a brief smile. That was the difference between Vita and her mother; Vitalia smiled a smile that Luca could believe. Her mother, by comparison, had just bared teeth. "Going to go pay her a visit? Test the jetpacks out again?"

"Er, not as such..." he said. "I have no reason to be there, Soruk does. I-I don't even think he likes jetpacks, right?" he tried to downplay things, though Soruk would've had no context for what Vita and Luca were talking about anyway.

For a moment, it didn't even look like they were talking to each other as a father and a daughter. Something else existed. Luca's eyes flicked between Vita and Soruk to gauge their reactions, clearly nervous.

Soruk merely listened to their conversation curiously, trying to pick up on what they were talking about, failing from lack of prior knowledge. At the question, he nodded quickly, "Yes. No Jetpacks." He flashed a wristblade quickly, "And I don't need someone watching me. I can handle myself."

"G-good." Luca nodded.

"Yeah, I think you'll be fine, but I'll phone them ahead so you have things easier," he said again, breathing as though he'd just stared a demon face to face. He dabbed his forehead clean of sweat, but why? What was Soruk spectating here? He grimmaced. "Yeah."

Vita nudged her father gently. "You should visit her."

Soruk cocked his head at Luca, wondering what was wrong with him, "Are you well? Who are you talking about?" He was just about ready to leave, to prepare his kit and think about what he had learned, but it could wait a bit if it needed to.

"Just history, that's all - behind me now."

Why, V.? he thought to her daughter - if they were right now. She leaned on him, looking at Soruk, probably wondering when the TV would come back on. It unpaused and the show continued from where it left off.

You don't drink so much anymore. Telepathy. You aren't sleeping with Zeta very often anymore either. You aren't sick. You're bored.

You sound like you're nudging me to watch sparks fly. Telepathy back. How can I be bored when DATASS is stalking me, and Lazarus is trying to shoehorn me?

Vitalia wouldn't stop smiling; a knowing, prescient smile. You are Luca Pavone, dad. I have one of the action figures. Normally you like doing this. You collapse when you don't. You're collapsing.

Soruk nodded slowly, everyone had something. The gartagen had his fair share of history that he wouldn't share. Feeling a little out of place now, he looked up to the inviting maintence conduit, "Well... unless you require my services, I shall take my leave."

"See you around," Luca replied. "Close the hatch behind you." Soruk didn't overstay his welcome, stepping in front of the TV for a moment, jumping up and tugging himself up. The thumps and clanks slowly got quieter as the gartagen made his way back to his hideaway. The hatch on the vent was closed securely.

Vitalia looked up from Luca's shoulder once the Gart was gone. Echelon would hear. But Echelon knew everything already. "I worry about you. You didn't answer me before."

Luca looked left and right. They definitely weren't talking like father and daughter any more. "Answer what?"

"It's never going to be over, is it?" Luca read concern in her voice, in her expression; as though defeated, or sad, Vita's normally happy, even cheerful tone took on a weight.

Luca shook his head. "No. I... don't think it will." He then leaned over and held her close, hugging her tight, close. He could hear him sniff ever so slightly, nose clogging up.

"New faces," his daughter stated softly. "New names. New ship. New crew. Old you. But you can't stop. I tried to slow you down and you just got miserable. What's wrong, dad? You're killing me, here."

There wasn't a snappy comeback. There was no cheer in the way he crumpled and broke down onto her. She held him, instead of the other way around, and hugged him close.

Neither one of them paid attention to the TV any more.

-OFF!
 
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