Crossfire

Revenant: A Sci-Fi Adventure (Always Accepting!)

@Dark Light

"Right?" Grayson chuckled at the joke as he decided on a ration bar and tore into the packaging before taking a chomp of the chewy, bland rectangle "There's a whack in a mask called Saul, he's supposedly a cook. If he can do any better than this pre-hashed shit, it'll be a miracle."

"Well, same reason most of us are here I suppose. I got a little bit, uhh, what's the word.... catfished myself. Hired to take out the Executor by some fop who'd be next in line for her job. Figured it was easy enough, found her commute schedule, picked a location, went and set-up, one shot from on high, make my escape, get paid. Turns out it was the bitch herself took out the contract, I'd shot a double and walked right into an ambush at the spaceport I'd docked in. Looking for an excuse to get me on this heap. Me and a goddamn 'bot I can't seem to rid myself of."

"The rest are takin' it in stride, all things considered. No one's snapped an' hauled out a blaster to frag the lot of us yet at least. The one in charge, Stryker, I think he's a bounty hunter, seems the type at least. From his attitude, doesn't feel like he wants to be here, and he's not used to leading. He's definitely not Alliance, but he's got some connection to 'em. So what about you mate?"

He choked down the second half of the ration bar, and leaned back against the counter, awaiting the response.

Revenant: A Sci-Fi Adventure (Always Accepting!)

@BKburke Accepted! Will PM you shortly to discuss options for your introduction, considering the current circumstances in IC.

Revenant: A Sci-Fi Adventure (Always Accepting!)

"Alright Sepitan, they're payin' you for one job, so get to it" Stryker said snidely as he tapped a final code into the console in front of him, transferring full control to the pilot. The rumble of the engines grew louder, and Stryker gripped the arms of his seat, still uneasy at travelling on a vessel that he wasn't in direct control of. Across from him, the Funganoid gripped the main thruster control and slid it to full. The engines hit their peak, giving a mighty roar that echoed throughout the belly of the beast. Stryker was pressed back against his seat as the Revenant leaped forward, rocketing out of the docking bay. Then came the thwump and a great lurch forward as the ship exited the station's atmo-field. The sound of the engines suddenly lost to the vacuum of space, along with any semblance of gravity. Stryker cursed under his breath.
"Forgot the damn artificial gravity, engaging now" he tapped a trio of buttons on his console, and the weight of the world returned.

"Set course for Zargos System. The long way, don't wanna be detected early, and test the autopilot under full supervision before you even think of leaving this cockpit. I don't trust Dawson or any of his goddamn Alliance engineers as far as I could throw 'em. Need anything else- I'll be in my quarters. Oh, and congratulations for not killing us all"

Stryker grabbed his datapad and traipsed out of the cockpit, past the rows of gunner seats and the war room. Some of the crew hadn't left yet, he could hear their voices as he passed by the door of the circular room. Through the observation window into the med bay, he observed the Russian medic busying himself. Finally, he arrived at the rear of the command deck, on his right was the ladder leading up to the forward battery, an upper part of the command deck designated for control and maintenance of the main guns. On his left was his own cozy little corner of the ship. Punching in the access code Dawson gave him, the door slid open and Stryker slipped inside and re-locked it before anyone bothered him.

The cabin was nicer than expected. A large queen bed dominated the rear of the room, with a view out into the expanse situated above it. It wasn't a window obviously, just a relayed image from exterior sensors, but it was quite a sight all the same. A walled off section directly to his right led into his own private bathroom and shower. A desk with a full-functioning terminal sat off to the side, and opposite it, a closet and some shelving his armor and gear would fit comfortably on. He'd kept his battlesuit on the entire time, and it was starting to wear on him, just a bit. After stripping down to his civilian wear, Stryker settled in at the desk and prepared for a long session of studying his new team, planning out ways to tinker with the plan to suit their individual skillsets.

----------------

Down in his quarters, Grayson wasn't doing so well. Ever since they hit open space, the voices had been running a marathon all around his head. One told him to befriend this new crew, enjoy the ride while he could. Another told him to kill them all now, before they caused trouble. One said ride this job out, work off his sentence and another screamed to grab an escape pod and slip off to the deepest corner of the Deadzone. Old friends and enemies rose up out of the ether to offer opinions or spit in his face. Demons and half-formed things chanted in made-up languages. And far away, in the distance, unintelligible whispers, some sharp like a razor in the dark, some soft as a lover's kiss. Through it all he kept breathing, in and out, in and out.

And then nothing.

Exhale. Calm swept over him, everything was ok again. Everything except his stomach, which told him to get sustenance. Now.

Daniel made a beeline for the kitchen, passing by Hadrian the cook in the hall as he did so. Upon entry to the kitchen, he found the mysterious new crewmember there, apparently having the same idea.

He fumbled through the food stores and decided to strike up a dialog
"We meet again. Arex right?"

@Dark Light

Revenant: A Sci-Fi Adventure (Always Accepting!)

@Rultaos Seems alright to be man, no need to change anything!

Revenant: A Sci-Fi Adventure (Always Accepting!)

@Dark Light We did, but he just left before you joined, I think we'll be keeping the character around for a while as an NPC though

Revenant: A Sci-Fi Adventure (Always Accepting!)

@Dark Light

"Grayson" he said as he took the strange, heavily-augmented man's hand "Guess you were another late addition that Dawson forgot to tell us about then? But anyway, you're right, we can chat later" He turned and walked back to his own room, wanting to make sure his gear didn't fly about when they broke through the atmo. As he arrived felt the subtle vibrations of the engines firing up and the oh-so-slight lift as the ship began to hover and rotate for its departure.

Revenant: A Sci-Fi Adventure (Always Accepting!)

@Xandrya@PlatinumSkink@mackielars@Dark Light

"Right" Stryker said "Well Ms. Rosseau, call me Stryker, I guess I'm in charge of this op" He had access to slightly-redacted versions of the Alliance's dossiers on the crew, giving him basic rundowns of the crew's abilities and specialties. He pawed at his datapad, quickly skimming through Amy's "From what the Alliance has made available to me, I expect you'll fit right in. I'm sure someone's willing to show you around, until you get a feel for the place"

He turned to address Lataniva "From the dossiers, I get the feeling they're expecting the assassin, Maverick, to be the sharpshooter, we'll figure out proper roles and discuss how your talents can help out a little closer to the target. It's nearly a 12 hour journey to Zargos. I'll be in the cockpit, getting ready to take off. Until then, dismissed, I guess" He headed out of the war room, taking the Funganoid pilot with him.

The cockpit was cozy, to say the least. Most of the immediate floorspace was dominated by the 2 command consoles for the pilot (on the right) and co-pilot (left), a small ladder led down to a lower section containing a pair of bunks jutting out from the walls.
"Don't worry, I'm not planning on cozying up here with you" Stryker said as he took his (surprisingly comfortable) seat and began to run pre-flight checks.

--------

Grayson had wandered off just after Dawson left, wanting to check out the quarters for himself. He noted his bags lying by the door to room #7 and wandered over to kick them across the threshold. As expected, two bunks sitting against each wall just a couple feet apart, a desk at the rear, and storage spaces beneath the bunks. Standard Alliance affair. Deciding to unpack later, he strolled back out and took a few steps down to the end of the hall to peek inside the spacious restrooms
"Nice place" he noted.
He heard a bit of noise coming from an ajar door behind him, and cocked his head in response. Engaging his cyber-eye, he scanned for signs of life, and found an odd signature that didn't match any of the known crew. He kept one hand close to his holster, just in case it was some unknown hostile and stepped into view to see a newcomer
"Hey there" he said

-----

Down in the engine room, SAL was doing a routine scan of the systems, making sure everything checked out. He heard the telltale sign of the ramp closing up behind him. They'd be departing shortly.

Meanwhile in the cockpit, the pilots were finishing up and broadcast permission to disembark. Stryker tapped into the PA system to speak to the crew.
"Attention everyone, we're shippin' out. Might get a bit rocky for a second when we exit Chronos Station's artificial atmosphere, so you might wanna hold on to something"

A voice came in from the pilot's console "Revenant, you are cleared to take off"

The City of Treaft (Superhero Thread- Always Accepting)

@KatherinWinter Hope my post clears it up a little bit for you.

So to recap for everyone one more time, Agent and Reaper are at gun drop-off site #1 @King Tai@Simple Unicycle you guys got drop off site #2. We left #3 unattended to, but once we clear out our individual sites, we're all racing over there to meet up anyway.

The City of Treaft (Superhero Thread- Always Accepting)

"Let's get a move on folks" Reaper said as he loaded the rifle case in the back of the van. The box of components already secured close by.
"I'll drop you guys off just around the corner from the back lot on Westchester" he said to Sound-EFX and Phantom "And Techno, I'll be leaving the van a street or so away from our target, you should have enough space back here to work your magic, but there's a little fold-out table underneath the seat if you need a bigger workspace. If you finish up early, contact Agent or me and we'll advise"

45 Minutes Later....

Reaper and Agent were crouched on a low roof overlooking the locked storage locker. The first gang was due to arrive any minute. As they lightly conversed, Reaper kept an eye on their surroundings, looking for any sign of the Vigilance Lancers. Mindful that he'd be handling a heavy rifle later, he'd packed light, choosing to simply equip himself with a pair of handguns and, as always, a combat knife for close encounters.
"Any minute now" he muttered as his eyes scoured the nearby rooftops for possible ambush points. Then, something caught his eye, a quick flash like the glare of a scope's lens
"Get down!" he whispered as he ducked out of sight, dragging Agent down with him "Sniper across the way, on our right, the tallest roof"
Just then, he heard voices down below, at least 5 or 6 based on the varying tones and dialects, definitely the Russians.
"And here come the Bratva. Ok, I'll take care of our Vigilance friend over there. Wait for my signal, then drop down to take them out. If he starts shooting early, or another gang shows, you go early. I'll cover you when the Lancer's done"

Reaper began to awkwardly drag himself across the roof, hoping to drop down onto, and then behind, the dumpster he'd used to get up here without being detected. Once on the ground, he spied an open door to the tall building he could dart into.
'Must be the same way he got up there' he thought as he made his move 'Hopefully I can get up to the roof before anything happens'

Revenant: A Sci-Fi Adventure (Always Accepting!)

@Dark Light For now, its individual rooms. There's 12 rooms with 2 bunks each, roughly the size of a small dorm room. The 2 bathrooms/showers are shared, with multiple stalls for each. One for males, one for females.