POOHEAD189

Grim Galaxy: Shots and Chances

Meanwhile...
Taya stumbled through the debris, catching herself on her front foot and turning, gun barrel leading. The young woman saw no one following, but the amount of thugs on this world she didn't trust simply not being able to see a foe. Holding her position for a few seconds, once she was satisfied Taya turned and hurried down the alleyway, finding the main road that led to the launchpad that held the Highlander, still stationed where the three had left it. This world was a bit poorer than most, and even now as she walked under the archway to the hanger she felt the dust and grime on her skin. She didn't say it, but she was still very much used to being pampered on her homeworld. The Captain and Neil's stoicism in the face of all they've had to deal with kept her mouth shut over broken nails or lack of hygiene, but now that she saw the Highlander before her, she wanted nothing more than to take a bath and wait for further instructions.

Once she put in the code, the Highlander's entryway door slowly lowered, air seeping out of the pistons, giving a hiss like a viper as it moved. She forgot how much she missed the sound of her boots on the hollow steel of the fallen door as she stepped into the ship, quickly placing in the code to close it behind her. Once the door was closed, she finally noticed the lights were out, and there was a hint of a strange smell in the air. Sniffing, she couldn't tell what it was. It was faint and likely unnoticeable if her senses hadn't already been on edge.

Groping in the dark, her fingers ran over the lighting toggle on the opposite wall. She gritted her teeth and lowered the thing, glad it wasn't stuck fast like it had been before. It creaked, but once it hit bottom the lights flooded the ship's interior. Now she could see everything in front of her, but nothing seemed different. Well, why would it be? She thought, and Taya began walking toward the cargo bay. Just put your gun up and go take a bath. Neil didn't install the bathing area for it to go unused. Her smile bloomed on her face, and she shimmied down the stairs leading to the cargo bay.

Once down there, she abruptly turned to the left where most of the arms and armor was stored, unstrapping her submachine gun and placing it carefully on the rack. She felt competent with it, but she knew the other two felt she had a lot to learn and she guessed she couldn't blame them. Losing your cool in a firefight was not entirely safe.

"Where are the others?" A deep voice sounded behind her. Her soul left her body for a brief moment before she recognized it as Saxon, calming down. He made her nervous at the best of times, but at least he wasn't an enemy out for her blood.

"They're still in town. They said they would call us whe-" She turned and looked behind her, her words drowning out in a scream of terror. Even a hardened soldier would have been disturbed at the sight. As she looked across the cargobay, she saw what looked to be Saxon's corpse on the floor, hollowed out and filled with various juices. Beside it stood a beast that resembled him, and she knew must be Saxon. It was clearly a Hexanagallion, but he had gone through some sort of metamorphosis! His massive, brutish arms now had bones like spikes protruding out of his arms, each a meter long. Under them on his broad chest were two smaller arms, now curled up. Smaller being relative, as they were thicker than Taya's limbs certainly. Other than those, the further bone-like protusions along his vital areas acting as a sort of natural armor, and the wet stickiness clinging to his naked skin (which had likely been the source of the smell) it was Saxon. So that was what he had gained from his healing?

"You uh...you look good." She said uneasily.

Saxon smiled. "I feel good."

The Blackwood

It did indeed have coin involved, she would soon find out. Any ring recaptured by them sold for twelve thousand silver lordlings, which equated to six hundred gold royals Orek was quick to point out. Any information on their whereabouts was also richly sought after. Were Mari to attempt to perceive, she might try and deduce who sought what from the rings. Of course, asking them was always an easy choice as well.

The night did not last much longer, at least for most of the folk. The party died down soon after, and though the troupe stayed up into the night, darkness enshrouding their visages as they drank and spoke, even they began to grow weary. Phyrrae was the first to decide it was time to call it a night, though she decided it was even more prudent to go and order a few drinks for the journey in case they needed a little loosening up after a victory for celebration, so she now stood at the bar alone, awaiting the bartender to return from another duty.

Orek and Kane stayed where they were, speaking in low murmurs in their ancient tongue. Pipe and dragon smoke wafted around them, and any who sat near them would feel a very ancient conversation and feel as one might when listening to a tale of old. Kane had devoured an entire chicken earlier, and Orek near matched him. The old Dwarf seemed to know far more than any in the place, and perhaps more than anyone Mari had ever met. There was something in his eyes that spoke of untapped experience along with not an insufficient amount of cleverness.

Po had taken to speaking with Ithaca for a brief period on one of the newly vacated tables at the center of the room. However, Ithaca was one of the ones who needed to find sleep early. That left Po at the table, having found himself drawn into an old book with leather bindings, a dragon mark being the only noticeable aspect of the cover. Beside him was his walking staff and a jug of water he idly sipped.

Before Ithaca had left for bed, she approached Mari and gave her a smile. She looked between her and the others. "I know we only just met, but I feel like you're the responsible one. Keep an eye on them." The warrior said. Placing a hand on Mari's shoulder, she clapped it powerfully. "Stay out of trouble too. If you're alive in two weeks, I'll buy you another drink."

With that, Ithaca made her way up stairs to bed. The night grew darker as the outside lights were snuffed out, and now Mari saw three lights within the room. One at the table with Orek and Kane, another light above Po, and the third beside the lounging Phyrrae across the room. Would she go to any of them? Or go to sleep?
@Luminosity

Cinnabar Forever! (RCN)

"Keep your guns on them!" Kaiden snapped loudly, his voice cutting through the air like a cleaver. No one save he or Sabatine had actually brought guns, but his command would either confuse or frighten the beaten watchmen and either worked for him. He held his own pistol right at the speaking fellow's eye, his face professionally unreadable. The telltale click of pulling the hammer back audible, casting fear in the guard's eyes. The fact that small psychological trick actually worked when it didn't make his semi-automatic pistol any more deadly showed these were just hired toughs with no forethought or strategy. Or at least this one was.

"How many men are up there?" Kaiden asked, edging his gun upwards a fraction of an inch to give off the impression he was fixing his aim to kill him soundlessly. "How many men!?"

"Uh! Uhm over a dozen I think? N-Not all together. They're spread out over the entire mansion." Kaiden could see him sweating. "You'll only run into one or two if any at all! I swear, please god don't kill me..."

"We won't kill you." The Lieutenant said softly, pausing for effect. "We'll do far worse if you or your friends try anything. Caperelli! You and Higgs stay down here with our new friends. In fact, everyone stay down here except for the Lieutenant and I. If we're not back shortly, you can torture them or use them to negotiate, your choice. Just be efficient with the resources you have."

"And you think you're going up without me?" Tilda interjected.

Kaiden spun on her. "Yes, this isn't a story. This is one of our men captured. If you want details I can tell you later. Higgs, make sure she stays down here, and if she gets by you then mark down I will no longer require her services."

Tilda's jaw dropped, but Kaiden could tell after a moment he wasn't being unnecessarily mean, only thorough. Everyone here would die for Otis if it came to that, and they simply did not want it to come to that. Kaiden slid the hammer back and nodded for Sabatine to follow, stepping over a prone and bruised thug into the corridor, finding the stairway in a matter of moments. He hoped the door wasn't a particularly loud one. The railing was basic, made of local timber and scratched from years of use. If he had to guess, they had made this lower area as a basement before they even realized the gas was inhabiting the mountain around them. He wondered how much there was left, and after awhile if he could capitalize on the business.

The Blackwood

"You'll have an easier time sleeping in the barn." The raven-haired woman said, doing her best to sweep whatever dust was on the porch away from the two newcomers. A strange pair by all accounts. Around them, the village was the epitome of the word 'quaint.' Men wore sporting vests of low quality whilst women wore wool dresses, though you could find either sex wearing workman's trousers if they were doing a menial job. There had to have been plenty of trade, as there was very little room for any farmland, and by any measure the soil was not made for it.

The hamlet of Berute was situated in a small vale surrounded by jagged faces of rock that could hardly be called mountains. More like upjumped hills made of stone, guarding the small area from the greater Blackwood and it's more pressing dangers, at least that was the idea behind the town's inception. There were two known ways in and out; the southern route and the northern route. The two adventurers had made their way through the south, from left the town of Gladstone a week previously.

Their provisions now low, Berute seemed like a dream come true. Lovely thatched houses and little in the appearance of deadly beasts. The only real indication this was still within the Blackwood was the large trees that had been spaced a bit less thickly as they hiked through the glens and glades toward the little village. Cows and other livestock had been grazing in the forest beside them as they had walked, which was likely the town's main source of food and comfort. Now, the two had sought a place to stay for the night as any would expect them to. As it were, that didn't seem to be working out.

"Look..." the woman said, leaning her broom on the wall and facing the two. She was a pretty woman with green eyes, though it was easy to imagine them flaring in severity if she grew angry. "I do deeply apologize for the lack of space. But we do have a barn. It's clean and we can provide some blanket. All you'll need to do is pay for the food."

A cart passed behind them, two handsome horses carrying a load of crates. Behind it, an Elf played a tune on a lye as two Dwarves grumbled, hauling sacks of grain while trying not to tell the elf to be quiet too harshly. Truthfully it was a beautiful melody, but Dwarves weren't elven fans at the best of times.
@Fetzen@Tortoise

The Blackwood

Not having given their names, Emilio and Wēlanandaz still could differentiate the now incredulous aristocrats clearly. The first one who complained the loudest was portly, with dark brown hair encompassing his curled hair to sweep down over his face and make a full, groomed goatee. His vest was purple and he seemed to be a bit more annoyed than the others when it came to the topic they spoke of. The next man was tall, with a hawk nose and a frock coat. He had hair on his head, though it was wispy and straw colored. The other looked a bit younger than them, average of height. Though he had strange, indigo eyes and black locks. He sported a dueling saber at his hip, just below a green vest of satin.

The portly man looked at Emilio with only the barest hint of suppressed anger. The merchant would see that there were more armed men there than the Knights of the Skull, even if this was clearly their stronghold. The nobles had their own personal guard it seemed. It was hard to judge how many of them there were, though an educated guess would indicate anywhere from twenty, to about sixty to seventy men between all three of them. It was hard to gauge considering they did not seem to be about to venture forth themselves, with many of their men likely out and about performing various tasks.

"Who the fuck are you?" The normally well mannered, bearded noble asked Emilio. He took a moment to stare down the merchant before he decided to turn away lest he order something of his guards he might regret later.

"A sales pitch isn't necessarily what we need right now." The younger noble remarked, though he did seem more amused and annoyed, and perhaps even intrigued at the man who so brazenly walked up to the three of them discussing this dark business. As for the third fellow, he actually chuckled. It sounded like a chipmunk squeaking when it found it's favorite nut.

"On the contrary. Bertram, perhaps this is what we need." He seemed to be referring to the portly one. "A Dwarf forged blade, or ones a stout one can vouche for, could give us an edge on whatever endeavors we find ourselves locked into." He imperiously waved a gesture at Emilio as he continued. "This fellow here seems a daring and smart one as well. Did not our father's father's become rich from such noble pursuits as salesmen."

"My father gained nobility from slaying a Malgani Sorcerer that was threatening the Kingdom, Valence." The fat one snapped back.

"And was he not able to afford Dwarf forged weaponry because his father peddled wares?" Valence asked. "Nathan, do help me out here."

The young one shrugged. "I would like to hear what the Dwarf has to say."
@Jb@Tony Pajamas

The Blackwood

@Fetzen@Tortoise I'll try to post for both of you within a day or two.
Also Tortoise, roll a 1d8. Let me know the number and I'll tell you your racial skill.

Out on the Rim

"Thanks, but no thanks Bogga." Cleo said, shaking his head. "We'll take our chances on our own."

---

4 hours later...

"I don't know how the hell you talked me into this." Leyla grumbled, curling her legs and squeezing into the exhaust port of the frigate, now modified as Jabba's Grand Casino Palace. It had been a risky maneuver, but R5 had calculated the trajectory just right, and once the woman was launched, it was a short four hundred meters into the Rango III's underbelly, narrowly avoiding being sliced in half by the closing chutes. The sudden gravity caused her forward momentum to halt almost instantaneously, and she dropped to the floor of the port as she was suddenly pulled to downward. Leyla landed on all fours, gracefully Cleo had to admit. That was the last he saw of her. Once she entered, his visuals from her helmet were cut off. Only the comm on her ear kept them in contact.

"If you're making a joke..." Cleo had spared no time in moving the Agesilaus II, following the route of the spacecrafts that had been invited guests. The ship needed to remain in orbit for another three minutes before they reached a blindspot, letting them float to the left and catch a small slip route to round above the giant ship. "It's not a very funny one."

Even then R5 was preparing to integrate its hacking mechanism for when they landed. Jabba's charts had been accurate, giving Cleo almost no trouble in deciphering how to bypass the Ringo III security cams and motion sensors. Neither Cleo or Leyla had the credentials or the disguises to make it past security, but there were two alternative entry points. The exhaust port Leyla entered, and a secondary entrance encapsulated by a port shield. The shield itself changes integral laser spectrums in order for ships to pass through it or not. Fortunately for their job, organic matter and the material for the lamellar armor Cleo wore could pass through it regardless of the spectrum. Once inside, R5 would go to work as the Agesilaus II electromagnetically landed atop the Ringo III's port with all power save the auxiliary off.

Cleo unbuckled himself from the pilot seat, letting R5 take the helm. The Commando checked his holster and belt, making sure he had the correct encryption to unlock the vault. If Jabba was to be believed, the two of them needed to meet in the middle of the Ringo III just above the bridge in Jabba's secret sanctum, where he kept his records, leverage on local crimelords, and the key to his wealth: The Nar Shaddaa Chip. They just needed to get their hands on it and bring it to Bogga, and they would live like an asteroid colony governor.

The pressurized 'porthole' above the Agesilaus II opened up, Cleo noiselessly pulling himself atop the ship. The void of space as serene as it had been ever since he first saw it those decades ago.

"Leyla, report."
@Penny

Dogs of War: Old World Mercenaries

The possibilities of future hijinks or present problems evaporated at Emmaline's giggle to Amal. He raised his hand to the serpent, and slowly Asp's tail lifted up to press to his palm. He shook its tail ardently, his face a mask of stoic sarcasm. After that he relaxed, watching Emmaline, smiling like a fool when he felt her fingers along his length. She might have been the priestess of snakes, but his hips writhed to the side lightly as his eyes went from mirth to craving, dark eyes dilating ever so slowly in the firelight.

Why she had this effect on him, he didn't know or care. He was still new to love, but wouldn't have it any other way he knew. She would feel him stir, already half awoken from the warmth and their close proximity. Amal's back to the couch's back, his arms slid behind it to hold on to the wooden beams that kept the piece of furniture steady, broadening his shoulders and pectorals. The alcohol tingling in his throat, he smiled his mordant smile at her teasing. She could feel his eyes roving over her, his tongue curling in his mouth.

"Consider me charmed..."

Deify

God of Good Company