RP Sood Zadra

Ground Zero

As chaos unfolded around her, and her typically-competent staff shrinking in terror, the Baroness Soon Bardoon began to laugh. At first a giggle-chuckle, it crescendoed into maniacal cackling before suddenly ceasing. Her countenance was left with merely a serene smile, like the sea after a storm, without a trace of the fury that had just raged across it. She held up one finger at Tahariel and bowed her head, still smiling, then turned back to the others, narrowing her eyes at Alastair as her gaze fell across him on the way over to the human captain and her rabbit friend.

"You!" she boomed, pointing at Lenna, "you're delivering the cargo that she," now she indicated, with a more graceful gesture, the Belmont sister, "has just sold me. Assuming this entire... situation is, indeed, the coincidence she claims. For all I knew Belmont was as common a name as Gandelblop. But first!"

"Oh~ Dear~" Soon sang-songed, waving the Silanbar by the bar, "We don't shoot inside, right? Goo~ooo~d~ Now, be a darling and take this human and her friend to the scrapyard. You know, the one run by that Graxlat?" as if most junkyards in Kuvexian settlements weren't run by Graxlat, "Find and buy some good parts, for Soon Ship, yes? The scan of her ship showed... energy signatures, that it shouldn't. Take the engineer with you." She nodded her head towards the Kodian, then turned back to Lenna once more, "You won't be leaving until the cargo is delivered and loaded on your ship anyway, so take care of business while I get your medical officer straightened out. I'll have the offer and the rest of the paperwork sent to you." She bowed her head perfunctorily then made a dismissive, limp, wiggling gesture of her wrist and fingers, indicating that Lenna was, for now, dismissed.

While turning back to the Elysian, she once again flashed a wilting, narrow-eyed glare at Alastair, then cleared her throat before regarding Tahariel with a more pleasant, polite face. "You see," her voice was somewhat musical, but not so much as wheedling as with Kotema, "in order for you to get to me, you had to pass the doorkeeper, then descend through several levels filled with guards and assistants." Soon began pacing around her table-desk once more, passing by some of those selfsame assistants, "Every. Single. One." Those last words were timed as she leaned into each assistants ear from behind, in turn, and spat out each word in a venomous hiss aimed at the goosebump-raising sensitivity at the side of the neck and skull below and behind the ear. The twins winced sympathetically, remaining silent, apparently familiar with the tactic. "All of them, failed to keep order, letting you in early when they should have known I was busy, yes?" Finally, the Baroness arrived back in front of Tahariel as the medic's file flashed in Soon's electronically-enhanced vision. "Elysian, former Star Army Medic. So you have training and experience treating other species than your own. Everything else is in order. You'd be on this... Sobek, with the others as the Chief Medical Officer. Good? Good. Don't like it? Don't sign the paperwork. I'm sure another will just wander down here off schedule because no one can keep order." Soon pointed at the bar, in the space beside were Remy was overhanging the too-small barstool, not far from the singer. "Have a drink, have a bite, it's on the house for new hires." The little wavy gesture surfaced once more, shooing Soon's latest hire away.

Now, she finally had time for the final loose end. Soon sat back down, gracefully, at the table in the alcove that was her ersatz office desk. Steeple-ing her fingers, Baroness Bardoon inhaled deeply and frowned ever so slightly as she stared impenetrably at the Yamataian delegation, "Taii Alastair Belmont, of the Star Army of Yamatai. I refuse the offer on behalf of Yamatai without further consideration." She did not address the other offer. She did keep staring, however.

On stage, the singing Elefirn did a remarkable job of not missing a beat of her performance while soup tureens were flying in her direction. She knew better than to do any less.

The Bar

Entering from a side entrance, an olive skinned human female entered. Wearing a black tactical environmental skinsuit with googles hanging from her neck, she looks around the bar before she begins making her way over towards the an open seat by a Kodian. She seemed like scout/skirmisher type. For anyone in the know of Yamataian heldary, this is further reinforced with a subdued Star Army Ranger Far Line Regiment patch attached to her right shoulder in somewhat tattered condition.

"Something sweet and fruity" she said in Kuvexian to the barkeep.

Low Bar For Entry

It was just a pause of mere moments, but Kotema clearly wanted to stay and ask the green-maned hu-man more weird questions. The end of their snout did a weird flexing thing, before they turned away and attended to their new employer's call. "Laytur. We talk, still-"

"-The Graxlat? The three eyes?" She parroted now, straightening wild grey hair behind stubby horns. There was a look of understanding, but nobody could be completely sure whereas the wyrm was concerned. Hardly like it mattered, since Soon had already moved on and was addressing the red-wing now. "Yes. I am do this."

...

So, charged with directing around two hu-mans, then. The trash drake stood a little taller and looked down upon Lenna and Nikicon ominously, head shaded and eyes taking on a dark glint due to being higher than the club's spotlights. Claws were scrunching up those yellow papers a bit, agitation and indignation obvious from their body language.

"Brown hair hu-man. Long ear white. You come with Kotema. You going to scrapyard." Short sentences. Wasn't sure if they would understand her. "Kotema is take. This what Soon say. So get on back. Or I carry in hands. You going. Kotema is take."

The order wasn't completed unless she physically picked them up and placed them in the scrapyard. Didn't know why Soon asked for that, but she was definitely not going to screw their first orders up.

Taharial was taken back for a moment before she nodded her head and smiled a little "oh thank you, your lady." She quickly slid away to the chair she was pointed out to go sit in, she didn't want to mess up anything, but saying she wasn't former just yet, she had asked to be put on assignment as a bridge between the people little. She also wanted to learn about this species a little more. It was more a scientific holiday than leaving the star army for her.

She thought it was best not to interrupt anymore as she looked over what to drink or eat, she couldn't decide so looked over to the other person there and smiled kindly "it is a pleasure to meet you, Miss." The Eylisian nodded as she ordered a drink and some food. She was interested in getting to know people before she completely stuck with them just to understand their personalities a bit "I am Taharial, Medic, occasional dancer and what some people call a mad scientist." She lets out a small giggle and stretched as she picked up the drink that was slid in front of her "Need any medical help just ask and I will be happy to assist, same with the sciency stuff, dancing is for downtime only, sorry." She was just trying to be friendly but blushed slightly "Sorry I just realized that might of been a bit too strong for a first meeting."

Silanbar Without The Silan

Remy had simply regarded the dragon-thing's request with a silent little frown that closed the scars through her right eyebrow, silently blinking as her green eyes burrowed into the odd creature's own face, and before long the Silanbar was trundling off to go cause more mayhem no doubt. With a huff Remy shook her head and turned away to accept her drink from the bartender with an appreciative little smile, mentally typing up a message to send off to one of her suppliers through a series of proxy addresses as she took a sip and offered the black-clad newcomer that'd ordered a similar drink a sidelong glance.

Her brother shows up and now she just so happens to go to a bar at the same time as an obvious spook... this was becoming something of a pattern, and not one she liked.

"I've contacted my people and everything should still be ready within the timeframe I offered, Madam Soon," Remy offered up before spinning back around and looking past the hulking Kodian to regard her SAOY shadow more openly, taking another pull from her drink and silently watching for a short moment before piping up once more.

"My my, not one but two different Yammie branches showing up in a shady bar at the same time, feels like someone's about to conduct an audit via a Plumeria's main weapon array... how curious," Remy joked, offering a pleasant little chuckle before bringing her drink back up to her lips.

Both Nikicon and Lenna blink and look toward each other as Soon cracks into the maniacal cackling and then the smile afterward "Oh goddess she lost it Lenna" Nikicon would whisper to Lenna then straightened up quickly as Soon addressed Lenna once more, then as she spoke to Lenna and then over to Kotema the Silanbar as she tells her that shooting of weapons is not going to happen, and then she directs the trashdrake to take Lenna and Nikicon to the junkyard to gathers what was needed. Then mentions something about the energy signatures that should not have been there. That got the both of them tilting their head as they wondered what they picked up during the Meson reactor shutdown and the cold-fusion reactor operations that the two didn't know aboot.

Looking over toward the Kodian and then wonders about something that we'll ask later once they are aboard the ship and starting to work on it. Nikicon however looks over toward the Kodain and takes mental notes to pass on the information to him about the quirks of the engineering systems of the Sobek. Leena is bright from her thinking as she turns to face Soon once more and nods as she says " Yes ma'am, " then looks over toward the Silanbar once more as she moves over toward her and Nikicon. Since she chose to take a higher position than them Nikicon meeps and hide behind Lenna going as far as to duck down to hide as she was very scared suddenly of the large snake-looking creature.

Lenna sighs and looks up at Kotema and waits for her to tell her thing and then in a firm voice she says " Ok now look here, I am Lenna your Captain, and the long ear white is Nikicon and you are scaring her so if you would mind lowering yourself some so that I do not have to look up to someones that are under my command that will be best. Also, We are not going to get on your back, nor are you going to carry us. First off that will scare Nikicon more, and I need to stop by my ship to get technical data that the Junkyard owner/operator will need. "

Taking a breath and then motions over at the Kodain, " Also he will need some time to find out what is wrong with our main reactor and what parts will be needed to fix it, as with a few other things that will need to be replaced, fixed and supplies that Sobek will need. " There was a slight pause as she moved to look at Nikicon and then looks back toward Kotema and says " Besides from the sounds of things the cargo is not here, and we will have time to get to this junkyard of this certain Graxlat, so you don't have to take us there this second right?" Nikicon was still looking like she was scared but calmed down enough that she moved from hiding behind Lenna and nods some " Yep makes no sense to go to a junkyard and not have a list of items that Sobek needs."

The large snake stood patiently and waited for Captain Lenna to finish their explanation, but that didn't stop them from looking more and more furious, until they were physically vibrating on the spot.



Then, exasperated, they rolled their eyes so hard that it somehow used all of the muscles in their head, neck and upper torso- Launching into a tirade of indignation like no other.

"OKAy-OkAY, Kotema get that you needa know what parts need fixing! Kotema can take you to Lenna ship first! Kuvexian is say ewman is boss, so Silanbar is do it!" Their voice got higher pitched and faster paced. Kotema was also getting out of breath already, whoozing like a living set of bagpipes. "But you leader! You suppose be scary! That how this works! Could Lenna PLEAsE PleaSE at least take this SERIOUS and HITS Kotema or somethin'!?"

The woman completely ignores Remy's green eye glance as she waits for drink to arrive. But she can't ignore for long once an obvious challenge was made.

"I see the Kikyo Sector has not changed a bit since my absence." She says, not bothering to turn to meet her gaze. "Nepleslians still haven't learned the Cats aren't always out to get them. They aren't important enough to bother in most cases."

She then finally looks over towards Remy. "If you think I am SAINT, you were sorely mistaken. If they had given a Neko's ass about me, I would not have been left to rot the way I was. But I am not a Ketsurui but a Ryu. Not that you know who the they are."

She then turned back towards the bartender making the final steps of her ordered drink.

"Ryu Waa-wan, Giretsu Ranger."

Lenna looks at Kotema as she rolled her whole head and then as she agreed to it then as she begs Lenna to hit her Kotema suddenly feels something cold against her nose, Lenna had pulled out her family Katina and booped Kotema on the nose as she says " Now listen here, I WAS BEING SERIOUS, AND NOW I AM BEING DANGEROUS! " That Katina moves once more and Lenna aims to place the back of the blade against Kotema's throat and spits out "LEADERSHIP is not about beating up those that are underneath you. A good leader leads from being in the front, and from respect. Respect is not given only earned. So since you are NOT respecting me, Should I respect you? They do say that you do unto others as they do to you. So since you have been disrespecting both myself, Nikicon, and my home, our ship. Then SHOULD I disrespect you? . . . DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME LIZARD?"

Lenna's arms are coiled up as with her legs ready to react to Kotema or others, as she not only Looks at Kotema, but at the guards, Soon, and the others making sure that she was not going too far. And also making sure that they can see that she was using the flat of the blade and not the sharp edge. Nikicon blinks and looks at Lenna in shock, then shakes her head and blinks some remembering that Lenna once had to do that with some hired hands once before.

"Hm, feisty, definitely more spook-adjacent but still not enough to take a joke I see~ no matter," Remy shrugged, the thick skin she'd adapted to deal with less than desirable people helping the emerald Belmont brush off this ranger's venomous words with ease.

"Recce may be your thing but you're drawing connections to invisible pins honey, entire committees are still scratching their heads trying to figure out what my deal is so don't feel too bad if you don't hit the nail on the head on your first try. Though if you want others to stop looking at you like you're some wannabe spook then maybe leave the fetishist assassin getup at home hey? it's only subtle if you're in a dimly lit room," the green-eyed woman shrugged, a different tone and she'd almost sound like she was mocking the other woman, though this came across as just a genuine admittance of her own observations.

"You enjoy that drink now, on me, go rent a room and get some shuteye or something yeah?" Remy nodded, a brief shimmer running across her captivating peepers as funds were tirelessly transferred into the barkeep's till.

"Respeckt? How this make sense, captain ewman?" The dragon bustled right up to the blade of the sword, until their angular head was flat downwards and steel was touching their collarbone. "I doing this because I wanna know if you good for respect! Captain no good for standing up to job when threaten, no good captain for Soon! No scary, no good for respeckt!"

Didn't use those large, barbed talons at all. Like, they could have. Muscular tail was tense, but just kinda handing in the air.

Just stared straight upwards at Leena and whoozed out more dense, fishy-smelling breaths.

Suggestion was kind of like... Agitated excitement?

"So order Kotema, then, captain Lenna! Kuvexian is say I listen to youse! So I does the doings when you gives orders, I does! Loyal Silanbar! And pretty!~"

Large hands raising slowly, they padded down the captain on both upper arms, a befangled grin brooding on their reptilian face. Even though the sword was still there.

A sign of affection? Just making a joke? Or maybe Silanbar just beat the crap out of each other at the same time as being nice?

"So LEE-na is ordUUrr KOOteeemmaaa thennn!~ Yeah, that's how it works, right?~ Hehehee~..."

Lenna sighs deeply as she may have misunderstood Kotema, as her arms are petted Lenna steps backward her Kitana making a woosh as it cuts through the air and with a smooth motion resheaths it. However, on the back of her left hand, a small cut lets its presence be known as Lenna moves to grab a small bottle and spray the cut. "No, your captain was not clumsy with her weapon. it is tradition whenever a blade is drawn it must taste blood before it is resheathed, Now then Silanbar, gather the crew and let us get underway to the starport array 6 pad 3 is where my and Nikicon's home is currently located. Once the cargo is loaded then it becomes Soon ship understand?"

Lenna steps back and starts for the door " come on Nikicon we need to get our home ready for guests, and I have dinner to make for the crew. " saying crew Lenna stops and turns toward Baroness Bardoon and asks " What will the Sobeks full crew going to be Ma'am?" It makes sense to Lenna to know for how many she'll need to cook for at least for tonight. Then after she gets the number Lenna and Nikicon step away to leave the floor and head outside.

ooc: If Baroness Bardoon has other things for Lenna then she'll await the instructions then head to leave back to the Sobek.

"Soon is order me take you scrapyard... When you know what is parts, Kotema is take..." The baroque creature mouthed the words slowly and deliberately, as if it was Lenna who was somehow misunderstanding. Probably making it just that bit extra clear where their loyalties really lay.

Red reptilian eyes regarded the blood on the captain's hand for a moment as if they didn't quite believe the excuse, then turned about-face with a resounding crack of their leathery tail.

Sheathing through to a new page on their paper binder, they began writing down the details of a Kuvexian instant messenger software, and her own contact details within it. A copy for each new crew member was laboriously written out by hand, using some kind of red chap-stick looking crayon-thing, then torn off and given to them;

----------------------------------
U GO //KOCN**ESPALGLECH.DONZ^^GE
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Use IS your COMMUNICATE
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DrekON is NAME -~xxXSmokeyJoyWormOfMoonXxx992~-
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JOIN is GROUP or KooTeemiah is KILLS VeRy VERY Horrbully
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Thaunk u nice
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Zeck looked around, she was looking for work and was directed to seek out Soon Bardoon. However her issue was the alien city looked different than her world but at the same time it looked the same. She had been accosted a few times already but her nervous grin and sharp teeth turned people away. Zeck's lips twitched now her trademark grin was starting to form on her face but she kept it in check for now nervous at her new surroundings.

She found her destination at last and entered she followed the stairs down and looked around. She was having trouble getting used to various aliens, she only encountered the human aliens so far namely smugglers and poachers who came to her planet. The young woman walked over to Soon Bardoon but stood a respectful distance away. "Are you Soon Bradoon?" She asked her speech heavily accented and slightly guttural. She had learned the most widely spoken language used by the other races. Her own people learned it from arrested smugglers and poachers but never made an effort to reach out the stars.

Zeck was fully nervous now and her trademark nervous grin was on full display. She had papers in her hand but they where directions on how to find Soon but she presented them to the blue woman. "I hear you may be able to find me work."

Waa-wan just rolled her eyes at Remy. She really did not care to explain that it was the only thing this woman had on her when her Ehlen friend decided to leave her dying friend. Only she didn't die per say, just a different driver at the wheel. And this driver was on a mission to get home... eventually.

She then thought about the individual she replaced. How much they tried to crawl themselves to separate them and the eventual submissive accepting to the reality of life. It tore at her that it happened so much that a tear started to form on her face. But snapping out of her memories, the woman decided to not look a gift horse in the mouth and drink the first decent drink in years. When she was done with it, she looked to the barkeep.

"Who is the fixer around here for jobs?"

Remy sensed that her words had caused the shadow-clad lady to revisit a dark thought, it was something she felt somewhat sorry for, though was too proud to give up any gained ground and instead opted to stir her brightly-coloured drink around with one glove-clad fingertip.

"Baroness Soon Bardoon, regal blue thing over in the corner with all the guards, she should be able to sort you out," the greenette replied, nodding her head towards their patron's 'office', the floor covered with bits of thrown food that servants hadn't yet finished cleaning up.

"Best of luck," she finished with, a small grin falling across Remy's sunkissed features.

Waa-wan looked over at Remy and nodded her head. "Thank you for the information." She then lifted and slide her butt off the seating as she turned towards the mentioned office. She walked over towards the guards in a slow pace and fully within view of their vision.

"I was told the Baroness is the one I need to talk to for jobs at this joint." she said to the guards in Kuvexian.

Soon Bardoon made a dismissive, waving gesture at Lenna's question, and an even-more-dismissive "BZZZ" sound. She didn't even lift her eyes from the volumetric display until afterwards when she briefly looked at Kotema with a sort of pleading/demanding expression before going back to her business. The twins took it upon themselves to intervene, with Koloon smiling politely at Lenna and gesturing towards the exit.

"The Baroness is on a tight schedule."
"We have the entry scans on your ship that hint there's something wrong with your drive's power source..."
"...so we can take care of it. Let's follow our esteemèd Silanbar."
"I'm sure she knows the way, and the Graxlat junkers are very knowledgable in..."
"...exotic... ship systems."

Meanwhile, Soon turned her attention to Zeck, leaning to the side to look around Lenna and the twins, "It's such an amazing coincidence that everyone who's walked in today is just perfect to fill out a crew! Perhaps you should go with them, along with our Kodian engineer and help get this ship up and running, hmm? I've got your info, enough to get you paid. Terms will be sent." She smiled wryly then turned to her assistance to screech, "MY BOWL IS EMPTY! FETCH ME MORE!"

To this point, she'd been ignoring Alistair, but after smiling at Zeck and waving her off (more politely than she had just done to Lenna), Soon frowns at him. "I have my own terms. Full recognition of Quallox Vaibal as a nation state by the Yamatai Star Empire. Mutual defense pact, and free and open trade, open borders. You can put a YNP and YSA office with each Yamataian consulate if you'd like. And the declaration of Unau Wibla Auhali as a terrorist organization, along with a pledge to do no trade with them." Her frown became a wry grin as she folded her fingers and leaned forward towards him on her elbows.

The guards addressed by Waa-wan, in turn, gesture towards Soon's harried assistants.

The grey dragon arced their neck between the hybrid twins, making a scowling face whilst scratching the mane at the back of her long neck. She wasn't quite sure what this counted as, loyalty wise, since they both didn't seem quite Kuvexian enough in terms of facial structure and dress style.

"FINE, I IS DO." The ungainly lizard made a honking, growling sound, somehow managing to fit some words in between. "BUT NOBODY IS STEAM KOTEMA! I KILL!""

The left webbed and clawed hand grasped onto Lenna's shoulder first- The right snagged Zeck next- Then it's rather prehensile lips grabbed the end of one of Nikicon's ears, a bit like getting nagged by a horse.

"Goin' now.~ Whe go~ get parts for Soon's ship, whe does~." It demanded, ushering them towards the door, though actually trying to be gentle in a clumbsy kind of way. "Kotema is carry parts if need, it is not pob-lim~."

Maybe there was a way to trick them into buying stuff that ""Soon"" would want? Like loads of gold or some guns or a nice dress or loads of burgers?

Yeah! Security guys got bribed all the time! Kotema was security! That's totally a thing they could do!

"Out dere is dan-ger-roos, but not afraid, Kotem is protecc." The pipey voice suddenly changed tone, to something unsuitably high pitched and smoothly paced. "...One borgar. Per protecc... Kuvex is cay-pitul-esst, is? Yes?..."

Alastair took the data pad and looked over the details. He could see she was serious about these terms though was curious if she had considered who she was dealing with. Clearly she had to take into account that Yam does what Yam thinks is best for Yam and nothing more. To declare such demands is doing nothing more than putting a target on your back. He looked up from over the top of the data pad. His eyes giving a sign of concern as he looked to Soon.

"I see you have your sights set very high. Bold, a little crazy, maybe even slightly foolish." He put down the data pad and put on a smile. "I will see what I can do with regards to your terms. Some of this is above what I can approve but I can help along the way. As everyone knows, as long as Yam command has the idea, everything is golden." He ran his fingers through his hair. "I can guess that the Unau is a rival faction. Though I am going to need more details for my report. I have no doubt command will ask why. Since at the moment we have no reason not to support both and see where the cards fall. So if you have some dirt on them to make them more evil, that would be great."

Alastair got to his feet and took a few steps back and forth. Clearly he was thinking what his next move should be at this moment. Then it clicked, an idea, a wonderful awful idea but one that would work for both parties involved. "In the mean time, how about me and my crew tag along on whatever mission you have in mind. Being part of events first hand would go far when I report to command these demands. Sharing how Soon is a ruthless business partner, yet still has time to give a kitten to a young girl before both are sold off to the highest bidder. Ahh yes, I can see it clearly in my report." A grin covered his face from ear to ear.