RP: 188604 State of the USO Address

[Zack]

188604

A giant image of Uso standing behind a podium at the former Osman palace was projected up into the sky around the city, speakers relaying her words. The whole thing certainly looked official. There were flags in the background, Ragnarok Soldiers standing in uniform, even the local government had been arrayed out behind her. Even Uso seemed to be in rare form, her bodysuit done up properly, her belt, her gear, all in place and looking crisp.

This stood in stark contrast to all the damage the city had recently suffered. The Hexagon tower, where Van Banning had set up shop, was still on fire. There had been another round of shoot-outs in the streets thanks to the Elysians... It wasn't that long ago that Mt. Gleipnir was destroyed either, the now much smaller mountain still visible in the distance regardless of where someone stood in the city.

"It has been a year since we first arrived here. In less than an hour using weapons that are only basic to us we were able to defeat both sides of your civil war.

You don't have a lot on this planet. Barely enough air, not nearly enough industry. Sandstorms that threaten to bury you.

Then there are others out there, with weapons far more powerful than what we bring. They've tried controlling your minds, they've sent ships to destroy this city, they have weapons that you have yet to imagine and there will always be these kinds of enemies out there looking to destroy, to dominate, to ruin...

You can hide here and live a life of mediocrity, or you can work with us and make this place somewhere that matters.

We have been able to provide utilities, new homes, new medicine, but it is not nearly good enough. There will always be more to do, more to excel at. If you think you have something to contribute then come let us know. We will be at the former Osman Palace.

The deal you've been given in life may not be the one you wanted, but it is the one you have."

 

[Zack]

Osman Palace, After the Speech

The party itself seemed to stretch on for quite a distance, with many people inside of the palace walls, being served drinks, talking, enjoying live music... while Uso herself watched from the upper area of the palace. Here the more inner-circle types were enjoying the same gentle music that was being played by the band below. There were local government officials, Ragnarok's command staff, Spacers... and many of the people that had been involved in trade on the planet.

~I should find Candon~ Uso thought to herself... that last little 'event' on Nepleslia wasn't the best way to start a business relationship. Uso would take a glass of wine from one of the wait staff, quickly downing most of it... her eyes scanning over the crowd, ~And Alex... he'll get into trouble if I leave him alone too long...~

 

[Alex Hart]

Osman Palace, After the Speech
Alex wandered around the palace. He didn't really know what to do with himself for now, so he just walked aimlessly, seeing the sights. He was absentmindedly chewing on a sandwich that he picked up from a buffet.

 

[Blizzard]

Osman Palace, Upper Area

Flynn was in a good mood. They'd survived, they'd escaped, and had made it back in time for margaritas!

Waltzing around with a drink in one hand and a cigar in the other, the smuggler spotted Uso. He chuckled a little bit. Right, he'd almost forgotten the entire reason he'd gone traipsing across the galaxy with her in the first place. While he considered himself a genuinely nice person, there was a reason he flew into danger besides the thrill.

Dressed in a hawaiian shirt and chinos, Flynn slid up next to the neko.

"Great speech," he greeted with an easy going grin. "You make an excellent politician. Look, I hate to kill the mood, but I don't fly for free."

Most people were really uneasy about the subject of asking for money. But what he'd learned in childhood was that closed mouths don't get fed. When you did work for someone, you made sure you got your pay.

 

[Primitive Polygon]

Streets -> Osman Palace Balconies

Through the evening streets, a towering metallic figure slowly strode, lugging along an immense backpack of tethered chests that would put a carriage caboose to shame. Cloudy Truffleclub had walked the planet, become one with the wilds, but now it was time to return home.

Ignorance of gravity engaged, they floated up to the palace rooftops, and then calmly placed their hefty body upon one of the ancient balconies. Too big to fit in the door, as usual.

The waiter, some ginger-haired valley girl, was startled, but rumors of the lemon-growing giant were apparently good enough to let her know this was not an enemy.

"Give this, Uso. Tell come see me." Simple words from the behemoth, as they unfurled a strange jar of dark teal liquid. The metal lid had all sorts of weird wires and little computer bits stuck to it. "You are not seeing me, but I have been working.... This is my work for you friends."

 

[Rizzo]

Osman Palace

He was silent about it, across the room Candon could easily see the young pilot he'd killed on Nepleslia. He wouldn't look for more than a second but it made him do a double take, just to be sure he was right. He had heard of veterans seeing the people they had killed in their minds but of all the people the heartless bastard has slain that was not a shot he regretted, not after the boy had made his intentions very clear.

Ultimately deciding that he wasn't crazy, his mind formulated various hypotheses that gave Alex a 50-50 chance of being a friend or foe, but in either case Uso was was in control or danger.
Naturally it was time to visit her.

Osman Palace, Upper Area


Flynn was in a good mood. They'd survived, they'd escaped, and had made it back in time for margaritas!


Waltzing around with a drink in one hand and a cigar in the other, the smuggler spotted Uso. He chuckled a little bit. Right, he'd almost forgotten the entire reason he'd gone traipsing across the galaxy with her in the first place. While he considered himself a genuinely nice person, there was a reason he flew into danger besides the thrill.


Dressed in a hawaiian shirt and chinos, Flynn slid up next to the neko.


"Great speech," he greeted with an easy going grin. "You make an excellent politician. Look, I hate to kill the mood, but I don't fly for free."

Candon set his hand on the man's shoulder, "I'll be footing the bill, Flynn." He'd always known it was rude to insert yourself into a private conversation but he was just so good at it.
"You did good work so I'm terminating our contract, which entitles you to the ship free and clear. I hired a mimic computer- or bought it really. Anyway, there were a lot of holes in the contract I wrote, bad deals and such. She's revamping the whole system, I'll let you know when it's ready."

 

[Ace]

Osman Palace, Lobby
Ace for once in a long time was thinking about why he was here. What did he gain from staying here other than the paycheck? Jacob was already dead, the locals didn't like him, and he was pretty sure that no one in USO liked him all that much. What was stopping him from leaving? He had his team with him and Psychopomp could start putting them back on missions whenever he decided to go back. All that there was to do was to talk to Uso and see what she thought. He started to go look for her finding her quickly. "Hey Uso I need to talk to you about why the hell I'm still here."

Osman Palace, Bar
Spacecase had decided to head up to the bar and get a drink or two. He broke that about 3 or 4 drinks back he couldn't really remember. He had never done very well with alcohol but had decided that if everyone else could do it so could he. It was a party wasn't it? Spacecase had decided when he first came back that he wanted to work here for good. He wanted to get on the payroll as an actual member of the community and not just a contractor. Why had he decided this? He finally had a place he could call home and people he could call his friends. He wouldn't have to wonder the stars alone anymore. Heading from place to place taking what ever job he could to scrape up enough cash for that weeks medicine. He could finally at last settle down and he planned to.

 

[Alex Hart]

Alex noticed Flynn, the pilot of the ship that had brought the USO team into the latest mission, was standing nearby. He also noticed that Uso was in the same area. He decided that it would be a good idea to hang around with people he knew rather than wandering the halls.

As he approached, Alex noticed another man standing near the two, one that he hadn't met yet.

 

[Zack]

Osman Palace

Uso would catch sight of Truffleclub in the distance... largely because it was impossible not to due to Truffleclub's own largeness. She wanted to head over there, but between the growing crowd around her and the spacer's own growing disregard for gravity...

Then there was Ace.

A polite smile for the others, and then a laser focus on the mercinary.

"You helped out tremendously recently, and you are one of my people so that earns you certain benifits..." Uso would finish off her glass of wine, and set it down on a passing tray, "...I am not in the line of buisness where I can murder my associates without making everyone feel uncomfortable.

This is the only reason why I have not punched your face out through the back of your fucking skull. The disrespect you paid me during the I'ee's arrival has maybe been paid back in part. If you want to go, then go. I expect that you will have a better tone next time we meet."

Then there were the others, and Alex approaching like some kind of lost puppy. Introductions seemed to be in order.

"Candon Sutes,

Alex Tasuki,

And the freshly unemployed Flynn Blackburn. It sounds like you could use a new job, maybe something a bit more steady than working for this guy?" Uso asked, pointing her thumb over at Candon, "...We don't have a disaster that needs fixing right now, but people who fit with this crowd are worth their weight in Zesu..."

Uso's attention briefly drifted to the still on-fire tower that used to belong to Van-Banning,

"Though I suppose we could afford to put out some fires..."


Osman Palace - Bar

Tight fitting stockings that came up to her thighs, a short black skirt, a white vest, black tie... her clothing looking like someone had selected 'sexy-bartender' and printed the results onto the woman's skin. Her wide smile and low cut V top both on full display as she approached spacecase,

"What can I get you started with? You look like you could use a drink and someone to talk to!"

 

[Rizzo]

Osman Palace

Osman Palace

"Candon Sutes,

Alex Tasuki,

And the freshly unemployed Flynn Blackburn. It sounds like you could use a new job, maybe something a bit more steady than working for this guy?" Uso asked, pointing her thumb over at Candon, "...We don't have a disaster that needs fixing right now, but people who fit with this crowd are worth their weight in Zesu..."

Uso's attention briefly drifted to the still on-fire tower that used to belong to Van-Banning,

"Though I suppose we could afford to put out some fires..."

"A pleasure Mr. Tasuki," Candon greeted as he stood beside Alex and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, "It's nice to see such an accomplished young man. Strong, smart, immortal-" the quiet, but noticeable sound of an activated laser pistol came from under the jacket of Candon's black suit as he now held his Little Killer aimed at Alex from beneath the fabric of the suit he'd first met Uso in.
"-You know what that is, don't move."

"Uso, this man is a clone. I killed a mecha pilot in that carrier I boarded who looked identical," he informed her calmly, hoping to keep the ordeal discreet.

 

[Zack]

Osman Palace

"Yeah, well we like that one." Uso said, crossing her arms just under her breasts, "From what I gathered, that one is actually the original. People have been pumping out clones for sale so you're bound to run into a few more of him sooner or later. He's totally harmless though."

Uso laughed,

".... oh man, we were at Freehold right? He steps out of the cockpit of his mech to ask the spacer-bot-thing to stop fighting so we could all be friends!"

 

[Alex Hart]

Alex frowned at Uso. "Well it worked didn't it? We got help from the spacer and that fancy Strat-Ops computer thing."

He thought for a moment. "Also, I don't know if you can just say you're adopting me and call me by your last name. Isn't there some other stuff that has to happen?"

 

[Zack]

Osman Palace

"Yeah, it worked. You did good... and got the sun-burn of a lifetime." Uso said, smiling at him as she recounted their adventure, "...His methods aren't like yours or mine... but they are starting to grow on me. Ended up adopting him too which... I mean I don't see why I can't just say it and make it so? The law here is pretty much what I say,"

"Ahem..." Vier said, the woman 'introducing' herself by play-clearing-her throat.

"... and what she says," Uso said, her attention turning towards the other woman. Vier's dark hair and muted black/white colors of her button down shirt and skirt combo looked quite a bit more professional than Uso's usual outfit. "That's Vier Wazu, She's managed to extract certain concessions from me regarding management here."

"I also understand that you two should be having a chat with me soon. We all have common interests here regarding developing the local workforce." Vier said.

 

[Rizzo]

Osman Palace, State of Disbelief

Osan Palace


"Yeah, well we like that one." Uso said, crossing her arms just under her breasts, "From what I gathered, that one is actually the original. People have been pumping out clones for sale so you're bound to run into a few more of him sooner or later. He's totally harmless though."

Uso laughed,

".... oh man, we were at Freehold right? He steps out of the cockpit of his mech to ask the spacer-bot-thing to stop fighting so we could all be friends!"

Everything stopped.


Candon's Mind
In an endless expanse of pitch black a certain memory needed to be played back a few times.

"Yeah, well we like that one." Uso said, crossing her arms just under her breasts, "From what I gathered, that one is actually the original.

"From what I gathered, that one is actually the original.

Uso said, "the original."

"Is that possible?" Candon asked, thumbing through the pages of hypotheses he'd made, "I'm not seeing it in here."

Figment, the name Candon had given to the part of his mind that had fallen into disarray, couldn’t be of any help. "Yeah, I wasn't really paying attention," he answered from a ragged, old with the pistol in hand, "I say we shoot him anyway, just to be safe-"

"-No, we are not shooting him!" Candon lectured, "he's not a threat just turn it off."

"But how can you be sure? Maybe we should play it back one more time" Figment aimed a Nepleslian TV remote at the memory to rewind.

Uso said, crossing her arms just under her breasts.

Figment paused, "seems legit."

Candon shook his head, "I hate you."


Osman Palace, Reality

The pistol chirped as he turned it off. "My bad, brother," he apologized relocating his hands to a folded position by his belt buckle.

As Vier Wazu was introduced Candon couldn't help but prematurely conclude relation to James.
"Definitely… You related to James?"

 

[ArsenicJohn]

Osman Palace

Corgan was wearing his duster, red tee and black pants. He felt a little under-dressed for the occasion. Especially compared to the stunning bartender he had noticed. The Nepleslian made a mental note to go to the bar later and talk to her. She was exactly the kind of girl he was looking for right now. He still thought he loved Arccos. Since she left he was starting to return to his old habits, though.

Looking around the room he spotted Uso standing with the others. He noticed how her bodysuit showed off her figure. His thoughts of Uso were getting confusing. Sure, he always knew she was sexy, but he hadn't actually thought about her like that before. Probably because he had been so infatuated with Arccos.

He noticed one of the men standing around Uso was unfamiliar. Also, from the look on Alex's face and the way that the man was reaching into his jacket, it looked he might be pointing a gun at Alex. Corgan suppressed a laugh, thinking about how he had met the pilot. The kid had a habit of getting into some interesting situations. Every time he saw him he thought of Jason. He was a little jealous of Jason. The guy was off with Arccos somewhere probably, being a Freespacer.

Not that Corgan regretted his decision to leave with the other Spacers. No way he would ever fit in with them, at least not without years of Mindware learning that their children learned before he hit puberty. It was kind of embarrassing to be around them on the Polysentience.

Corgan decided he had been sitting around enough. He got up from the table and nodded to the fit blonde across from him. "Going to go meet the mystery guy. See you in my room later, Aislin. Maybe I'll bring a friend this time." He said with a wink. Aislin, also known as Lieutenant O'Brien, blushed uncharacteristically and took a drink of wine.

He walked over to the small gathering with Uso and walked up beside Vier. "So why did Alex almost get shot this time?"

 

[Blizzard]

Osman Palace

Flynn raised a hand to object, yet stopped himself. Did he just get fired?! Did he just get fired, and handed a free ship?! And money?!

With a shrug, he resumed his relaxed posture. Never turn down a free ship. Never turn down money. Besides, not everything was lost. He still had a place here on 188604.

A lot of things happened next. Candon reached for a gun, Uso adopted Alex as her own son, a hot lady in a business suit appeared, and Corgan shortly afterwards. He wasn't quite sure how to respond, so he didn't. Instead, he looked down at his margarita, and wondered if he should perhaps slow down a little. Another sip told him that no, he shouldn't.

Well, now that he had money and a ship, what should he do next? There was a whole new frontier to explore out there. He'd need a crew, though. His mind wandered to Sarena.

That was the moment he realized why he empathized with her so much. She reminded him of Chase, his late half-brother. Chase had been about her age when he'd died. He'd been a teenager with no direction, no one to rely on after Flynn had selfishly fled to the Nepleslian Navy. As such, he'd turned to gangs as a way to make ends meet and gain a sense of identity. Instead of getting to grow up and experience the rest of his life, Chase Hunt had been another forgotten piece in the morning news, having been shot in an attempted robbery by an armed store owner.

He didn't want to see another go down that road. Flynn casually scanned the masses of people to try and find the fiery-haired girl.

 

[Ace]

Osman Palace
Ace would bow his head a bit towards Uso. "Thank you I come back to help when I get my behavior straightened out." With that Ace left and took his team with him.

Osman Palace, Bar
Spacecase looked up at the bartender. "Yea can I get a scotch on the rocks and hear about you and the town I've decided to live here. Permanently. I finally have a place I feel like I can call home here. For a wanderer like me that's great right?"

 

[Samanthia]

Osman Palace

Errowyn announced her presence was by the familiar sound of a Kawarime coming in for a landing on repulsors in one of the many vacant ruined gardens of the palaces. Scattering the locals from the chosen landing spot. As the Kawarime settled the repulsors whine was replace with the cooling ticking of metal skin and the canopy rising to allow Errowyn to exit her craft '5'.

Errowyn floated out as she smoothed out her full Victorian style of gown of the wrinkles left by the safety straps she wore when flying. She closed the back portion of the dress to cover up her SPINE interface. Her hair was carefully brushed out and free, cascading down her back in bluish-black cascade of hair. Her arms were covered with a very light gauze that was almost nonexistent.

As her high heels touched the ground, the canopy closed and the repulsors whine returned lifting the craft up off the ground to return to its Osman City Hanger which was shared by the Ragnorak Helicopters and other such crafts.

One of the Ragnorak Soldiers met her and escorted her through the throng of Natives and those that had arrived after the Uso's Coupe.

Errowyn nodded her thanks to the Soldier when she made her entrance where Uso and few others were assembled. She had managed to snag a drink off a passing Waiter or Waitress.

 

[Zack]

Osman Palace, Bar

"If you need someone to tell you this is great, then you don't really think it is that great is it?" The bartender asked, setting down a glass with a single large ice cube, pouring out a measure of some brown liquid and then sliding the result over to him.

"I'm not a local if you haven't guessed. I kinda just go where it feels right. That used to be Akemi's... now I'm not so sure... I like being able to just pick up and go someplace when I want to. Why are you so attached to the idea of a home? There are plenty of plots of land all over that you could buy if it is just some land that you want.... but it is not just land you want is it?"


Osman Palace

"Alex's reputation proceeded him." Vier responded to Corgan, pilling a slim data pad from her pocket and holding it out for him to take. The footage being played back was from a Nepleslian news cast, with some amateur footage of the Mecha-Battle being shown.

"Candon seems to have mistaken our Alex for one of the mass-production Alex copies we ran into earlier."

"That being said," Uso piped up, "We should probably put some kinda tracking thing in him. I've seen enough evil-twin movies to know someone is going to have to shoot the Evil Alex while he is standing next to the Good Alex."

"I think we have made enough alternations to his head," Vier responded calmly, "Maybe a transponder outside of the mindware would be preferred?"

"Speaking of preferred... You guys hold up here for a moment..." Uso said, as she excused herself from the group.

Vier would quietly turn her attention back towards Candon as Uso excused herself.

"Maybe now is not the optimal time to discuss FSC and worker training." Vier admitted. "... and to answer your earlier question, James put me together and we share much DNA. It may be simplier to just refer to him as a father."


Osman Palace, but over where Errowyn is

"Glad to see you again!" Uso said, putting her arms around Errowyn at the mid-section and giving her a squeese, "You feel like a pillow with all this fabric... How's my pilot doing?"

 

[Samanthia]

Osman Palace : With Uso

Errowyn returned the hug, one armed since she was holding a drink in the other. "I'm doing great. 'Pologyze for cutting out on the last mission. Had business elsewhere at the moment.." Giving Uso a shy little girl smile. "The dress is only one layer.." She looked around still holding Uso in hug. "Is Julie ok and ready to be returned to her Aunt?" A brief look of concerned flashed across her face for the little girl.