1. food and drink

GM Post:
-----------------------------------------------[quick edit to include character description]
[On the Citadel, every day is the same. Yet, every day is different. No matter where you go or what
you look at, you will see similiar patterns play out. But you will see these patterns play out in entirely
new and unexpected ways. It is the nature of the Citadel. After all, not only is it the hub of galactic
civilization. It is also one of its Nexi (plural of Nexus). It is a common place for mercinaries to meet.
[Corwin Havens, ex-Cerberus and ex-Alliance foot soldier, is sitting at the bar at Chora's Den,
enjoying a drink of....something red. To him, it tastes like rotting cinnamon. But, it passes for
alcohol. Assuming it doesn't kill him. He is donned in red and gray medium armor with an assault
rifle on his back and a pistol at his right side. Corwin has dirty blond hair and blue eyes which has
not been crushed by the several battles he's been apart of. Slowly, Corwin scans the crowd of
writhing life. He is looking for the mercinaries he's been in contact with through the extranet. He
paid a nice sum of money to the Shadow Broker for their names. This mission, if successful, should
make it all worth while...for everyone involved.]
Aashe:
A young human woman steps through the front door of Chroa's Den. She's in light armor, with a
heavy pistol on one thigh, and a sniper rifle on her back. She's got red hair so dark that it almost
looks brown in low light. Her eyes are a brilliant green. She takes a moment to watch some of the
Asari dancers (who doesn't like a good show, after all) and then scans the room for some inspiration
on who she's supposed to meet. Taking a guess, she heads toward Corwin, taking a seat at his table.
"Come here often?" She asks lightly. She leans back in her seat, crossing her legs lightly. She motions
to the bartender, pointing at what Corwin's drinking, and then to herself.
GM Post:
Corwin glances towards this newcomer and gives a slight smile. His blond hair and blue eyes really
makes him stand out from every other human here (seriously...why do all humans seem to have only
dark hair?). Corwin considered that for a moment.
"It seems like a good place to meet people," Corwin responds in an even tone "Careful with the
drink. It has a little kick to it."
Of course, Corwin thought to himself. She'll down it in one gulp just to show me up. They always do.
Aashe:
"Hm..." She muses as the drink is set before her. She takes a sniff of it first. "Smells like
Goldschlager." She takes a sip, and seems to take a long moment surveying the 'subtle notes' of the
liquor. It's probably some cheap garage swill, but she tastes it as though it were a fine wine - and she,
a sommelier. A quick shrug of her eyebrow and she raises it to him in a sort of pseudo cheers.
"Aashe DeWinter." She sets her glass down after taking another sip - he wasn't kidding about that
kick. Though she wasn't sure the 'kick' was high alcohol content, in her opinion it was just cheap
booze.
GM Post:
Corwin grins, watching her sample the alcohol. Listening to her response, Corwin started feeling
slightly foolish. He thought it tasted off. Apparently, it was something good.
"So that's what it is called," he responds casually. "During my time in the Alliance, we called it
Krogan's Blood."
Corwin nods and raises his glass.
"My name's Corwin. Corwin Havens."
Kreiger:
a mid aged quarian, lurking in the back of the club begins to listen in, slowly sulking around the
main bar to hear as much of the conversation being had by his contact and the red haired stranger.
He checks the Locust at his hip, for he knows that chora's den is no place for an outcast such as he.
His engineering skills were required to fix the ducts within the club just a month earlier, his very
presence had provoked hostilities from the both the gawkers and the dancers alike, comes with
being an exile he supposed.
"filtered turian brandy" he orders the drink more as a cover, he couldn't approach the contact till he
knew he was sure who he was dealing with.
Aashe:
"Oh, I don't think this is real Goldschlager - they stopped making that lovely liquor a few years ago,
something about the gold flakes being too expensive to include in the drinks. You know, Omni-tool
chips being gold and all... This just smells like it." Aashe says with a laugh.
"All the same, glad to meet you Corwin. Seems like my intuition is still proving me right after all this
time. I'm a few months off the job, I'm looking for a little fun. I understand you need someone in
'acquisitions'." She glances around a bit. "I thought this'd be a bigger team. I assume I'm early?"
Kreiger:
Kreiger vas Quibb Quibb, shuffles around to a booth opposite the pair, trying to listen in on the job,
amplifying the audio intake through his custom omnitool, he want's to be dead sure this isn't
another dead end job, that this truly IS a way out of the slums.
GM Post:
Corwin shakes his head.
"No. I think a lot of them are just exercising caution. This is the first time any of us are meeting face
to face. They are probably sizing me up and seeing if this is some sort of trap."
Takes another sip and winces slightly.
"Can't say I blame them. But that's why I picked here and not Omega."
Corwin turns his head, looking around Chora's Den for anyone who looks close to the contacts he's
spoken with on the extranet. Spotting a familiar looking Quarian close by (as familiar one can look
like, at least), Corwin talks slightly louder, in an obviously clumsy way, to get the Quarian's
attention.
"I can only hope the rest of the members will get here soon. I wouldn't want them to all pay for their
own drinks."
Kreiger:
kreiger shakes his head as he leaves the booth. hand on locust he cautiously approaches Corwin,
giving a slight acknowledging nod i his direction.
"i assume you knew i was here the whole time, stupid to think a quarian would blend in here,
especially one with a military grade suit, no need to catch me up, i heard everything from when she
arrived. speaking of which, you would be?"
GM Post:
Almost on instinct, Corwin runs his hands through his hair. It was always a calming reflex for him.
Sometimes, in the middle of battle, it helped him focus. But now, he was just trying to find the right
words, as he gave his best sales pitch on the mission he needs help with.
"Acquisition is a good word to use," he began. "Have you ever been out to Argos Rhu?"
A slight pause. Some may think it was being done to create artificial tension. Anyone observant
would notice Corwin measuring his words carefully.
Aashe:
"Ah, caution... an unnecessary affectation in my line of work." She laughs to herself. "Well, I'm
enjoying the view, and the company - and if that was just an offer to pay for drinks, you've just
cleared my afternoon."
She followed Corwin's gaze more out of curiosity than concern. She'd gotten herself in and out of
plenty of fixes before, and she had relatively few scars to show for it. If there was an attack or a trap,
she'd figure her way out on the fly. If she got into serious trouble, she had more than a few contacts
on the Citadel.
The Quarian caught her eye after a second. They were rare on the Citadel... rare anywhere outside of
their own Flotilla, really... Fascinating race - great with machines, and she'd met more than a few
who had really charming accents. She flashed a positively glowing smile to the Quarian before
turning back to her host, so as not to seem distracted or rude.
"Argos Rho? Sure - name any place in the galaxy, and I've seen it. I live out of a suitcase, to use an
old Earth expression. I heard it was dangerous ground recently."
Kreiger:
kreiger, losing his patience after wasting a day sweeping for bugs, snaps in.
"FIRSTLY, i asked the lady her name, secondly..."
kreiger stalls to mock Corwin
"your stonewalling us, measuring us up for the job."
GM Post:
Corwin gestures towards an open seat for Kreiger. He decided to leave his opening pitch hang, just
for a moment. It could wait, after all. This was Corwin's first time ever talking to a Quarian face to
face. All his time on the field taught him never to believe rumors about the other races. It was far
better to judge any alien, or human, based on what is learned by talking to them.
"In all honesty," he start...with all the sincerity he could muster. "I've never had a chance to work
with a Quarian. I've heard interesting things about your technical prowess. But you are right. I didn't
say everything about the mission."
GM Post:
"You have to realize," he continued, "in this line of work. Information is very important. And it is
hard to say who can be trusted with any information."
Corwin silently berated himself. He was always an open and honest person. He didn't really
understand why he couldn't just explain everything straight forward. But another part of him knew
that if he did, what would stop them from doing the mission themselves?
"Now that you are here, I can be a little more straight forward. You can never tell who is listening on
the extranet. Or here."
Kreiger:
kreiger sit's in the open seat, hesitantly. none of his run ins with humans ended well, he had been
shot in the back, stabbed, beaten and even run down, the worst of all was the group of humans
responsible for his exile, Cerberus. his unlikely run in with the group had lead him to "hire on" the
humans to repair a flotilla life bio scrubber. instead 2 ships were destroyed and a third seized. from
that dy forth, he never held humans in high regard nor did he trust them. he winces as he sits, the
stab wound still healing.
"I on the other hand have had many a chance to work with Boschtet's like you, and i can tell you
NONE of them gave me fond memories.SO, is it just me and red here?"
he came acros as cold and uncaring but a hint of excitement ran through his voice, he couldn't wait
to hear what made this job so expensive to the client
Aashe:
She offers a hand, seeming absolutely oblivious to any tension. "Aashe DeWinter." She beams a
smile to the men. "I don't know a lot about the mission either, but I heard what I needed to hear...
the charming word 'lucrative'. Besides, Corwin has offered to buy us drinks. Take a load off, and
enjoy the surroundings, friend. There's no way to be upset when Asari are dancing on tables."
Kreiger:
"a quarian could take offence, a human starts pointing out that others can walk without a damned
suit."
kreiger keeps his hand down, refusing the gesture
"as for names, im Kreiger, Kreiger vas Quibb Quibb, expert engineer and exile...and i DON'T want to
be hounded as to why"
GM Post:
"a quarian could take offence, a human starts pointing out that others can walk without a damned
suit."
kreiger keeps his hand down, refusing the gesture
"as for names, im Kreiger, Kreiger vas Quibb Quibb, expert engineer and exile...and i DON'T want to
be hounded as to why"
Aashe:
She shrugs an easy shoulder. "Offense is a waste of time, if you ask me. I don't bother with it." She
rolls with Corwin's change of topic "What's Glory? It sounds like an artifact."
Kreiger:
"its just that, a myth. anyone STUPID enough to go chasing legends will always end up killed, lucky
for you, i like stupid."
GM Post:
[yeah, it would be a good spot to pause...in case others want to join. So I'll wait to continue giving
the "mission speech"...just in case]
Kreiger:
[know we're on a pause, setting up for if im still at work upon resume]
Kreiger sits back comfortably, ready to just listen, soak up as much information on this strange
topic. he wanted to be as ready as he could for the job and jumping in, cutting off thought trains and
adding "his 2 cents" wouldn't help him achieve this.
Aashe:
(Squee! I'll write up a little post about the character herself and put it in the Squad area when I get
home!)
Astila:
A young-looking asari, with unique teal skin tone and markings, walks into Chora's den. Her scalp
looked like it had tiny champagne pink flowers lacing each thread, much like the flowers of an iris.
Delicate white markings adorned her brow-bone above her haunting silver eyes and painted her
upper-lip, with a small block of white in the middle of the lower lip. She was well endowed, with a
thin waist and shapely legs. She was wearing human-like clothes. A denim vest buttoned under her
bust, revealing her cleavage and a pierced navel. A pleated sapphire skirt slid over her hourglass
shaped hips, falling right above her knees.
Her unique look making her stand out from the crowd immediately. Her eyes glanced over to the
dancers, she seemed to recognize a few of them, as they waved at her. She pulled up her Omni-Tool,
reading the description of her contact. Spotting a man of similar description, she headed toward his
table, assuming the others were also mercs. On her way to the table, she winked at a Turian
Bartender who had been eying her. She grinned, enjoying getting a rise out of someone, good or bad.
She sat down at the table, crossing her legs as she did. "My name is Astila T'linne, I hope I'm not
interrupting the wrong conversation."
GM Post:
Corwin stopped talking about the mission as his eyes naturally gravitated towards the asari entering
the place. He often admired the asari. Not for their beauty. But for their cunning. This asari entering
in was clearly smart. She knew many eyes were on her and enjoyed the attention. Plus, she made
sure she had allies in with the dancers. Probably in case of trouble. He turned away and was about to
continue the conversation when she took a seat and introduced herself.
Well, Corwin thought to himself. At least she looks comfortable in this environment.
Corwin looks at Astila, appearing unphased by her appearance. "Hardly," Corwin said in an amiable
tone. "Thank you for coming. plan on waiting for everyone to arrive before explaining the job. For
now, we were all just getting to know each other. My name is Corwin Havens. I believe everyone else
can introduce themselves."
Aashe:
"Just when I was worried I'd be the only girl on the team." Aashe says with a grin. "Aashe DeWinter.
Pleasure to make your acquaintance."
Astila:
[I'm going to wait till Reece replies, so we don't get to far ahead of him.]
Aashe:
((I like the round robin approach anyway. Gave me a chance to write Aashe's Dossier in the Squad
forum))
Jeshua:
Jeshua noted the slowly-filling table. Through omni-tool hacks and audio enhancers, he had been
listening in on the conversation from a dark corner nearby. He was surprised that no one gave him a
second thought, considering that he was a sixteen-year-old in Chora's Den. The bouncer - or was
there one? Jeshua couldn't remember - paid him no attention, and that gave him leeway to come
and go as he pleased. Of course, he had noticed the blond-haired men almost immediately; he wasn't
too far from the truth when he commented about the dark hair.
Jeshua had pondered sitting down with the rest of the group, but not yet, not until he was sure of
what they were doing. However, it seemed that the conversation had stalled. But what would they
say? Someone would probably say something to the effect of "Finally, the child joins us", or "Run
along little one"; demeaning comments about his age, y'know? But he was a hacker to the bone,
possibly on a level of proficiency close to that of the Quarian, and there was no denying that he had
skill.
But still he would wait, for a little while more. However, he had to make his presence known, if not
by joining the group directly. An extranet message would do it, but if only he had access to one of
their...
Heh, Jeshua thought, a smug smile appearing on his face, Mr. Krieger's omni-tool isn't as safe as he
believes. It would only take him a moment to send the message, but now he had the arduous task of
deciding what to write. Oh well, better get started...
Kreiger:
kreiger noticed the asari enter and immediately chose to shrug her off as another dancer before
realizing WHO had entered. the name had slid across his emails once or twice and he knew this
mission just got more serious.
after a brief adjustment, he noticed the child in the corner, tall enough to pass for an adult, but his
child like handling of an omnitool was clear. to make the point he was being watch, kreiger shot a
small overload pulse through to the childs tool, making it schism and retract.
Jeshua:
So, he noticed. Had he not been shocked by the overloading of his omni-tool, Jeshua would have
admired that Kreiger was able to match his frequency. Well, if his ouch! sound hadn't got
everybody's attention, he didn't know what else would. So, reluctantly, he made his way out of the
shadows and towards the tables.
He was not wearing major armor - a pair of arm guards, nothing more - nor was he concealing a
gun. He did, however, tamper with his shields, raising the power output and therefore the more
damage it could spare him. A bullet to the head wouldn't kill him, at least. In any case, if things got
heated, he could duck and cover through the ensuing firefight and bolt out without taking too much
damage. In fact, he was counting on it; the group that had so far been gather seemed ... off. The
quarian, the pretty girl asari - this team was very strange. And he supposed he would only add to
that.
He was at the table within a few steps, and he took a seat between the asari and the blond-haired
man.
"Jeshua," he said, his accent Australian. He refused to speak another word, instead staring down
Kreiger, who lie on the opposite side of the table. He smiled before turning his head down to work
on making his omni-tool operable again. It's gonna be interesting with two tech specialists on this
mission. Very interesting...
Aashe:
"This is beginning to look like a party." Aashe laughed, she raised her glass to the bartender to show
how empty it had become as she waited. The bartender nodded and started to make her another
drink. "A Quarian, an Asari, and a handful of humans meet at a bar..."
She got the feeling that a handful of this Motley Crew knew each other from somewhere or another.
Perhaps merely by reputation, perhaps they'd worked together before. Either way... Aashe really
only kept up with the news on who *not* to work with (she'd gotten the memo on not smuggling
anything for Saren some years back - that was a memo she was glad she heeded) and so far, none of
the names and faces at the table set off any warning bells for her. That was good enough.
She had to assume Corwin had done his homework - a little digging on him had shown him to be a
competent man. Hell, coming up with her name was interesting enough - Aashe didn't figure herself
to be on the top of the list when it came to the 'who to approach for a job'. Word of mouth
advertising was her best friend. She knew she was quietly competent - but she'd never gunned to be
the best. She lived comfortably, Eris was paid off, and her investments were currently growing.
She didn't generally accept a lot of jobs, but Corwin's proposal had been mysterious and interesting two things she liked. So far, he hadn't disappointed her...
GM Post:
Corwin watched as the various members started to interact with each other. This was always one
area he struggled with. Team cohesion was always a natural process. It either happened or it didn't.
For this one, he was trusting the Shadow Broker's instincts. Two agents adept at technology. One
biotic. And one soldier. Each of them showed a lot of talent. But would it be enough?
[I would like to give everyone a chance to roleplay a little bit. Corwin will give the "job pitch" at
around 2 pm, CST. Hopefully, the group can find its own nice balance. I also put up Corwin's bio. Of
course, I made a thread for it without looking at the rules. Sigh. The poor guy who is responsible for
running this.]
Kreiger:
( also my back story is half way, theres an interesting twist involving our sweet Corwin for anyone
keeping up)
Kreiger kept his eyes focused directly on the child opposite him, watching him reset his omnitool. it
fascinated him that such a young man could comprehend such advanced tech AND use it effectively.
Astila:
[Guys, can we please go in order? I'm losing count. And it makes it difficult to put up a proper reply.
Can it go Corwin, Aasha, Kreiger, Astila, Jeshua, (New person) And continue the pattern? It makes it
easier for people to keep up and reply properly.]
GM Post:
(sounds fair. I don't want anyone to feel confused or overwhelmed! You go!)
Astila:
"Nice to meet you, Miss Aashe." Astila said politely, scanning the room with her eyes. She noticed a
few in the room noticed her because of her reputation, not just her looks. She thought it occasionally
nice to be feared rather than gawked at.
She noticed a few others staring at the table, though none had introduced themselves. Astila spotted
the young kid standing in the corner, though he looked far too young to even be standing in a bar.
Astila laughed slightly with Aasha's statement, "That sounds like the beginning of a bad joke."
[Off for the night, posting Dossier now. Forgive me if it's a little scattered. I'm just trying to get
something up for tonight.]
Kreiger:
(Not posting out of order, though everyone is asleep it seems, i would strongly urge people to read
the Dossiers available)
GM Post:
(Apologies for running late. Took my vicious pit bull dog to the pet store to buy her food. I did not
know she was terrified of goldfish. I can tell you, I know now. She ran in the opposite direction
virtually at the speed of light crying and whimpering for someone to save her. I could have sworn
she dislocated my shoulder and elbow in one motion, but well....had to be the caring daddy and baby
my terrified dog. If anyone ever claims that pitbulls are vicious attack dogs, just headbutt them. The
update will be up shortly)
GM Post:
The light and music pulsated in a rhymthic pattern. The asari dancers moved all around, as if their
bodies were part of the music and the music part of them. Almost the entire clientel base was
distracted. Perfect cover to have a meeting. At least, Corwin hoped it was the ideal cover. He leaned
forward and extended his right arm. With his left hand, he hit a few buttons on his omnitool,
projecting a small map of the galaxy.
"Have you ever heard of the Nocnistu's Glory," Corwin asked. A glitter of excitement passed over his
eyes. He listens to the responses from the team. He continued to speak in a hushed tone, only loud
enough for you to hear.
"It's a myth among the Alliance officers and archeologists. It's a mythical Prothean space station
which was supposed to have survived whatever happened to the Protheans. A fantasy, really. During
my time in the Alliance, we were sent to astroid fields. The top brass wanted Prothean data disks.
One of the data disks referred to a Prothean station called Nocnistu's Glory."
Corwin paused and moved his head slightly to scan the crowd, just in case anyone in the crowd was
watching.
"As I said, we all believed it was a myth. But I saw it with my own eyes. The Nocnistu's Glory. It was
in the Argos Rho system. I made a copy of the disk before submitting it to the Alliance. I couldn't get
it out of my mind. The Nocnistu's Glory. I know. It is a fantasy. There is no way it could still be
around. But."
Corwin smiles.
"An Alliance listening post located in the Argos Rho cluster picked up conversation between the
Collectors and Geth within the Cluster. While they haven't been able to decode the entire message,
they did decode some of it. They are looking for the Nocnistu's Glory as well. Apparently, the
Collectors and Geth think it is real enough. To me, that is reason enough to go and have a look."
Deftly, Corwin pulls up a map of the Argos Rho cluster and zooms in on the Gorgon system.
"If what I saw is accurate, the station is located in this system. Located in a low orbit on Slekon. A
single ship and small force will have the best chance for getting to the station."
He hits one button and closes out the omnitool.
"As agreed upon. The team receive 30% of whatever profit will be made from this mission. A finder's
fee. That is on top of the 20,000 credits upfront."
Corwin pauses, prepared for questions
=============================================
OOC - Time for Mass Effect style questions and answers. I think we should go down the line, in the
order already established. One person will get a question, then I will answer it. It will move down the
line, as fairly as possible.
Aashe:
Aashe listened carefully, it was the first time her expression became serious. This would be a
dangerous heist... all the better in her opinion. She cleared her throat, leaning in a little, watching
Corwin's eyes as she spoke.
"I have a two part question. Primarily, how large is this item, and are we expecting to use the Eris to
get it? Argos Rho is a Batarian sector, if I recall correctly."
(sorry for the short post, but it feels right)
GM Post:
Corwin does his best to maintain eye contact as Aashe's expression changed suddenly. Good mask,
he thought to himself.
"If the data disk is accurate, the Nocnistu's Glory was about half the size of an Alliance dreadnougt. I
don't plan on taking the station. All I want is...."
Corwin trails off slightly, lost in his own thoughts for just a brief second.
"Hopefully," Corwin begins again. "Hopefully, we will find out what the Collectors and Geth are
looking for and get it first. There should be a little resistance from the Batarians. They are focused
on the Collectors and Geth. But, I'll leave that to the pilot to find a safe route there."
He leans in a little closer.
"If you are concerned about the Eris, I can charter a different vessal. But, if I did my research
correctly, the Eris is the best ship for this mission."
Astila:
"I've heard of it." Astila said, tapping her lips as if in thought. Her ghostly silver eyes tracked the
map on Corwins Omni-Tool, glancing over to see Aasha's expression.
Astila listened to the other's conversation, taking in all the information. For a moment, she worried
that the mission would affect the rights of her code. But she did not ask, she wanted to hear out the
entire plan.
Kreiger:
Kreiger began to lean forward in awe as the maps appeared in front of them, its faint glow reflecting
off his visor. he has been here, the exact location marked, he has been. worry covered his face as he
felt they we're all being deceived but his visor hid this worry well.
"how can you be sure there is a derelict dreadnought, a PROTHIAN dreadnought, in this sector?
someone should have seen a ship that big by now surely?"
he realizes the haste of his question had silenced the group, as if they catch on to his past traveling in
this sector.Kreiger fiddles with his omnitool under the table and makes copies of the maps in front
of him.
GM Post:
Corwin looks at Kreiger in silent admiration. He hit on the same problem many have before.
"If the data is accurate, the ship has been in a stationary orbit within Sl....."
Corwin stopped himself, clearly letting something slip that he did not mean to.
"Most objects of substantial size are very hard to find," Corwin explains...trying to cover himself. "In
the Sol system, humans have scoured the skies for over three centuries without being able to find the
Mass Relay. We were only able to locate it after examining Protheans maps from Mars."
Kreiger:
Kreiger knew if he left this logic uncontested, they would be heading in blind.
"yes but humans struggled to get ANYTHING past Saturn until FTL drives which i might ad were
found in the same cache as the map to the mass relay"
a cocky grin slid across his face, a slight reflection from within his visor meant he knew it was
visible, and he corrected with a straight face.
"and i know objects, no matter how large, are hard to detect IF they are moving. its why the flotilla
has done so well...but you already knew that didn't you Mr Havens?"
Aashe:
Aashe leaned back in her chair, listening at this point. She kept her expression serious, catching the
trips in Corwin's statements. The man was interested in something - and understandably didn't trust
the people he'd asked. What she thought was interesting is that his interest in this did not appear to
be based on money. He was excited... This was the sort of emotion that didn't come from a world
weary, soul crushed man...
What had she signed on to?
A slow, easy smile crossed over her features again. "The Eris is yours to use, Corwin. She can sleep
up to 10 comfortably. I hope that will suit your needs."
GM Post:
Corwin listened to Kreiger. Behind his friendly expression was confustion Where was this hostility
come from, he wondered. I need this Quarian. His skills alone will make most likely make or break
this trip. Whatever I say next....needs to be right.
"Space is an incredibly vast place."
It is clear Corwin is measuring his words carefully. Very carefully. His tone remains even.
"Objects of any size, moving or stationary, are difficult to detect if they are not giving off enough
light or radiation. I am fortunate enough to have a map to direct me to where we need to go."
He turns briefly towards Aashe, noticing her demeanor shifted again. He shifted his position in his
seat slightly, straightening his back and holding his head a little higher.
"Thank you, Aashe."
He turns his head towards Astila, waiting for her question.
Kreiger:
the pieces started falling into place. prothian tech, lost dreadnought, and the fact that Two techies
were on board with this mission,it wouldn't matter the size of the ship involved.
"Its the archives...we're being sent after the archives" Kreiger Mumbled to himself.
He began to remember the horror happenings of 30 months (2.5 years) ago. maybe the
archives had more definitive answers. Kreiger leans in to towards the table, waiting for the
asari to chime in.
Astila:
Astila uncrossed her legs, leaning into the conversation.
"Am I correct in believing that this is a noble cause?", she paused a moment, looking around the
room before locking eyes again with Corwin. "I am a Justicar. I must work for noble causes."
Kreiger:
"think of it furthering galactic progress. Prothian tech is much sort after and VERY dangerous. the
fact that BOTH geth and collectors are after it spells doom to me, so retrieving this would be in the
interest of galactic peace wouldn't it?"
even if he now had his own agenda, Kreiger knew he couldn't do this alone
Eri:
Meridian took a sip of her drink, her eyes moving from the man she was sure must be Corwin to the
tall red-haired woman who had just arrived at his table.
Her eyebrows rose slightly as she watched them. Despite all the dyes and augmentation they had
available, red wasn't exactly a common hair color for humans nowadays.
She shoved her own shoulder-length, reddish hair out of her face and took another sizable swallow
of the blue Asari liquor. "If another red-haired female shows up, I'm out of here..." she mumbled
into her drink.
Corwin's message had been brief, and purposefully vague, but intriguing nonetheless. There was no
harm in following the lead through - but there was equally no harm in keeping her distance for now
in case this wasn't the type of job she was interested in after all.
She sat alone at a small table, seemingly relaxed, eyeing most of the bar from her vantage point as
she enjoyed her drink and tried to focus on something besides the shapely dancers. Her naturally
young appearance and lightly freckled nose downplayed her age and experience, making her look
anything but imposing. She was dressed in simple clothing - old, pocketed uniform pants and boots,
and a fitted, plain, black t-shirt tucked in. She was trim - shapely, but athletic. For all appearances,
she easily fit the bill of an off-duty C-Sec officer.
She carried nothing but a small, alliance-issued, pistol at her hip, but was confident enough in
herself and her biotic abilities that she would have no issues getting away if trouble broke out.
A corner of Eri's mouth quirked into a smile as the Quarian who had been lurking around the bar
finally joined the other two. It had taken Corwin raising his voice so even she could hear what he was
saying... She chuckled and shook her head. "Amateurs..."
She stood, her 1.64 meter height equally as unimposing as the rest of her, and crossed to the bar to
order a refill. Her eyes landed on a decidedly teal Asari who had entered from across the room. To
her mild surprise, the Asari practically made a beeline for the group as well. If no one else had given
the little meeting any thought, there were definitely a few eyes trained in their direction now, if for
no other reason than the Asari's rather long legs.
Eri turned around, resting her elbows casually on the edge of the bar and observed them quietly, her
interest piqued. This was shaping up to be quite a motley crew, and it appeared that whatever they
were discussing was starting to get into a little something more than mere pleasantries. They spoke
in hushed tones, impossible to hear from her location.
She considered joining them, when someone off to her left let out a small yelp. Her eyes flicked over
to the source immediately, just in time to see a young man (or possibly a teen?) step out of the
shadows. He had blended in so perfectly, she chided herself for not being aware of him sooner as he
made his way over to join the others.
A map on someone's omni tool popped up in front of the little group and she sighed - Now she was
just missing out. Besides, if there were any others hiding in the shadows like the kid, it would do her
no good to be standing over here like a fool. It was time to see what all the fuss was about.
Drink in hand, she pushed off from the bar and headed straight for the now-full booth, giving her
perpetually uncooperative hair a sweep back from her steel gray eyes and revealing a small nick of a
scar across her right eyebrow. She hooked the back of a chair from one of the unused tables as she
passed, swinging it around backward as she sat down smoothly at the end of the booth.
At their surprised expressions she merely offered, "Sorry I'm late."
Aashe:
Aashe glanced over at the kid, curious about his take on the situation. He was young, to be sure - but
clearly there was something about him that would cause interest. The Quarian was talking the Asari
into coming. The Asari sounded as though she were some sort of cop... or something. Aashe would
need to head back to the ship soon - a few... changes would need to be made if an official was going
to step on board.
As soon as she heard if the kid was on board, she'd get up and tackle a few issues. She didn't weigh
in on the issue of nobility - or what they were going to find.
She didn't lose the easy smile over her features, she wore it like an implacable mask, concealing any
of her thoughts. She was just taking a breath to speak when the newcomer arrived....
GM Post:
Corwin cocks his head slightly, leaning back in his chair, concentrating on Kreiger's words. He found
himself nodding in agreement.
"Keeping Prothean technology out of the hands of the Geth and Collecters are part of the overall
plan," Corwin said. "But not the main part."
Corwin runs his hand through his hair, transitioning it to a neck-rub. He's not stalling for time. He's
trying to find the right words. He narrows his eyes slightly and speaks softly. Slowly.
"Yes. Yes, this is for a noble cause. If I am wrong and Nocnistu's Glory is not there, I am out a
substantial amount of credits. But we would have taken out a few pirates along the way. If I'm right,
and if the Council is as interested as "uplifting" (Corwin uses his fingers for the quotation sign) and
helping races as I think, then this should help a great many beings across the galaxy."
Aashe:
((Taking an early leap in))
Hm another red head... she might need to go blonde before she left the station. It'd been awhile
since she sported blonde hair and blue eyes.
Options indeed....
"Better late than never, I always say. Corwin's buying drinks - join us!" Aashe kicked a chair lightly,
scooting it out so the newcomer could sit down. "I'm Aashe DeWinter."
Astila:
Astila nodded, noble causes to the code were those that focused on galactic needs and benefits on
short and long term. Though Justicars were known for taking the law into their own hands, it would
only be needed if she were to be betrayed or mislead. her eyes flickered with just a hint of aqua, as
they usually did when focusing deeply on something.
"Then you have my word."
She turned to Aashe, studying her a moment. She wondered why such a young and attractive woman
would want to be involved in such brutal things. Astila studied the others as well. Though, she was
sure many wondered the same about herself. She knew why she was a Justicar and had sworn
herself to the code, pain. She wondered if the others had the same pain locked deep inside them,
driving them to find a purpose.
She slowly looked back at Corwin, waiting until the others were finished speaking.
"Will you be needing a list of our powers?" She asked curiously, usually the first thing someone asks
her is about her powers. They are usually surprised to hear the answer.
Kreiger:
"or perhaps you think this is some game were we list our traits and fight bandits for honor...no, we
all know what we can do and im sure we will find out what each other will be capable of in due
time."
Kreiger used this as an opportunity to excuse himself from the group, eyes still trained on Corwin in
a despicable glare, easily noticeable even through his grey visor.
"Now mr Havens, if you will excuse me i need to make some preparations. Oh and take this as an I'm
in"
with that, kreiger left a data pad in the hands of Corwin as he left the club for the wards. all the
datapad read was
"we can help, signed C.H."(note: back story explains)
kreiger would make a few purchases, settle a few debts and wait at the docks until it was time to ship
out, anyone wanting him should look there.
Eri:
"Better late than never, I always say," the red haired woman spoke up. "Corwin's buying drinks - join
us! I'm Aashe DeWinter."
Eri quirked one side of her mouth in a lopsided smile. "Well, then I'm sorry I already bought round
two..." She held up her cylinder-shaped class full of the blue liquid and nodded in Aashe's direction.
"Meridian West."
Even after all this time it still felt odd to introduce herself without "Lieutenant" attached to her
name. She briefly debated giving them an alias, but thought better of it. Let them look up her file if
they were so inclined. Maybe someone would find it enjoyable reading.
She glanced at the others in turn. The Quarian sat defiantly, irritation about... something she
couldn't guess, was coming off him in waves. The kid looked more interested in playing around with
his omni tool, but she was willing to bet he was carefully listening to every word. And the Asari...
something about her was different somehow - the way she carried herself, but Eri couldn't place it.
And then there was Corwin...
She turned to look at the blonde man, giving him a nod. "So... I'm afraid I missed most of the plan,
but I won't bore all of you with repeating it. I did catch the gist on my way over - Something about
substantial credits and the greater good?" She rose her eyebrows at him. "I admit, I'm intrigued
already. Those two things usually don't go hand-in-hand with mercenary work."
She took a sip of her drink. "Well, credits - yes. The greater good... not so much."
GM Post:
Corwin breathes an internal sigh of relief once Astila agreed to be on the mission. He instinctively
sat up straight as the Asari spoke to him. As if he was witnessing something important. As to what
that important thing was, Corwin did not have a single idea.
"I think I can wait to hear the list later," Corwin answered. "I'm just happy to have you on board."
With that, Corwin started turning toward Jeshua when Kreiger spoke up with clear hostility
dripping in every word he spoke. Corwin's friendly demeanor changed slightly. He didn't take any
aggressive posture. Rather, his sparkling blue eyes narrowed and his lips pursed ever so slightly. He
listened and took the datapad from Kreiger's hand, but did not look at it immediately. Rather,
Corwin turned his hear and watched Kreiger leave Chora's Den. Corwin looked at the data pad
briefly and set it down on the table. For a brief moment, it looked like Corwin was trying to
remember something, but pushed it out of his mind. Rather, he looked towards Jeshua as well as the
new stranger.
"I'm glad you were able to listen in," Corwin began, then turning his head towards Jeshua. "Jeshua.
Do you have any questions for me?"
It was at that point Corwin realized he should have given Jeshua his full attention. He did it with
everyone else. Why not for Jeshua? Just because he is sixteen doesn't mean he isn't a fully capible
person.
Aashe:
Aashe stood at that, she winked easily at the kid before turning to the others. "Well, looks like The
Eris is going to have a crew! It'll be good to see her full of life again. She gets lonely when I'm the
only one around. I need to go get her ready for the mission. It wouldn't hurt to have a few extra
systems installed - and if we're going to have the cranky Quarian on board, I should pick up some
food. I wonder if they have Dextro Amino Chocolate... "
She stretched, shrugged, and grinned to the others. "I'll make sure your rooms are all immaculate as
well. When you're ready, come to the Eris. She's docked in the Presidium Commons, docking bay
94-A. She's a Turian design, Bergantina, just so you know what you're looking for in her. Corwin, if
we have any late arrivals, just send their information to my Omni Tool, that way I don't deny
someone access who belongs with us. Corwin, Astila, Jesua, Meridian - it's been lovely to meet you
all, and I hope to see you soon!"
She pushed her own chair in, taking a step back with the intention of leaving - if no one stopped her,
she'd be on her way.
Astila:
"Very well" Astila said, approvingly.
Her eyes traced Aashe, watching her as she stood up. "It was truly a pleasure to meet you, Miss
Aashe As was it all of you." She said, standing up as she smoothed her hands down her skirt.
"If anyone wishes to speak with me, I shall be in the commons enjoying the flowers. It is rare that a
Justicar journeys to such a beautiful place." She began walking away, accepting a free drink from the
Turian bartender she had winked at earlier. After a few words with him, she once again headed
away.
Kreiger:
(moving with kreiger into the wards)
Kreiger pushed his way through the bustle of the wards, knocking random passes by and
occasionally lifting a credit chit from an ignorant human. He made his way to Baria frontiers to cross
reference the map he downloaded from Corwins omintool. His suspicions were wrong, Corwin's
map had miss lead them by name but not location. The system shown WAS the Argos Rho but the
planet's mapped aren't even fully explored regions. Corwin had shown them the horror of space
travel, a cluster with 2 suns! this meant the planets would, on occasion, change which sun they
orbited, creating HUGE fluctuations. This explained why no one had found the dreadnought and
this explained why Corwin himself wasn't going. once we're in the cluster, we would be in a dead
zone. No coms, no readouts, not even warning systems from within the ship. Kreiger liked a
challenge but this seemed like suicide.
his next stop would be Morlan. the silarian had helped him numerous times over the past 6 months
with cheap, easy access to medigel and strong liquor, he currently needed both.
"Morlan! i have a job coming up, i expect to be gone for 2 weeks work and 1 week in hiding, i'll need
medigel and something sweet to last both, deliver the creates to dock 94-A and one of each for now"
Morlan:" ah yes, another 'off the books' job i see. is this an upfront payment or another 'after the job'
thing?"
"up front Morlan, and keep the change"
Kreiger flicks him his chit worth 20,000 credits, 5k more than he owed.he then grabs his gel and
booze and headed for the docks before Morlan could speak again.
Jeshua:
Jeshua had been multi-tasking like crazy. He had the task of fixing his omni-tool – which
went surprisingly fast for the damage that he assumed it incurred – while also keeping tabs in
the conversation. But he had done worse, and this was nothing compared to … that.
By the time he had finished, everybody was in Q&A mode, and nobody was paying any
attention to him. Perfect time to do a little digging, Jeshua thought, as he began looking
around nonchalantly for an unused extranet terminal. It took him about 30 seconds or so –
nobody ever seemed to use them anyways, unless they were near the dancers – and then he
started with Corwin. He seemed to be acting strange towards this prothean artifact, and
Jeshua regretted not looking him up earlier.
Interestingly enough, there was nothing period. The name brought up a lot of mundane
things, but his history was blocked from all official channels – and all “unofficial” as well. He’s
a ghost, Jeshua realized. I don’t like this. Then he was suddenly aware that the mood had
shifted at the table. He looked up to see that Keiger was gone, and new, red-haired woman
had join the group, and Corwin was staring intently at him. Does he know I’m tracking him?
Would he even care?
But then Jeshua remembered: He wanted a question from everybody, so now it was his turn.
There were so many questions he could ask, but he took a moment to speed through possible
replies to all the questions, and the list narrowed severely. In the end, it came down to one
question that had been nagging him since he received the invitation.
“Why am I here?” Jeshua asked, to the abrupt silence of the group, now listening intently to
the dark-haired, dark-clothed boy. He took a second to compose himself in the midst of an
audience. “I mean everybody here is either a mercenary or specially trained, and I’m just a
hacker, and not even that good of one. And, any tech help you need is already covered by
Kreiger, wherever he may be.” Jeshua took a moment to look around before resuming. “Other
than basic knowledge of how to use a pistol, I’m not a weapon’s person, so I don’t see how I’ll
be good in a fight, so what’s your reasoning for coming after me?”
Corwin’s response, Jeshua knew, would reveal much, and he looking forward to the
explanation. He was looking forward, however, more to the other members who he knew were
lurking about in the Den. Who will he receive next?
Myn:
Myn Othic looked past the Asari dancer gyrating on his table. Normally she would have his full
attention but today she provided excellent cover for him to study the patrons at the Den. One group
of patrons in particular.
"And what a group." He thought to himself looking closely, trying to get a read on each of them. He
immediately pegged the blonde man for the leader, the one who had contacted him with vague
details about a job.
The tall red head? Looks like she comes from money. Perhaps the financier, or some some of
merchant, possibly with her own ship. The other red head, she had to be military of some sort; small
and not in the least bit physically imposing but the way she carried herself exuded a certain selfconfidence you don't get from the everyday civillain.
Othic watched as the Quarian got up and walked away from the table. He never fully trusted that set
of aliens. He wasn't a xenephobe, far from it, he'd seen too much of the galaxy for that. Even so,
those suits made their intentions hard to read and that along with their reputation was enough to
make him wary.
The Asari were another matter. Maybe when he retired from this life he'd relocate to Illium and get
himself an Asari wife. Othic knew all about their biotic capability and guessed that this one might be
an Ex-Eclipse sister. That brand of mercs could be a nasty breed but useful to have on your side.
Finally, the kid. Othic thought he could read the most of the rest of the group and why there were
there. But why bring a child? He doubted if it was for his fighting abilities. Although by this stage in
his career he knew the old adage of never judging a book by its cover was still as relevant as ever.
"Guess I'll have to make my introductions." He said to himself before draining the rest of his drink.
He flipped a credit chip at the dancer as he stood up and walked toward the group.
GM Post:
Corwin smiles, listening to Jeshua, placing his right index finger over his lips. A couple of blond
hairs falls over his forehead as he leans forward ever so slightly. Self doubt? Corwin wondered this
for a moment. No. It couldn't be. A sixteen year old who can sneak into Chora's Den wouldn't have
self-doubt. That takes something special. He's probably testing me.
"If I am right," he said. "We should be heading into a few unknowns. There's no time to send out
scout. We are the first, and probably, only group going there. There's just no way of knowing for sure
what we'll find or encounter.. I need someone fast on their feet and can think their way out of
problems."
Corwin looks straight into Jeshua's eyes.
"The team has capble fighters. But only two of the members are equipped to get us in and out of
where we need to go. But if you don't feel confident in your abilities....."
Corwin let his voice trail off just for a moment.
"I can try to find another hacker. There's no way they would have your skill set."
Corwin stops and wonders to himself if that approach was the right one. Taking a jab at a
mercenary's ego could be a dangerous thing. Hopefully it was good-natured enough. Corwin pauses
to hear Jeshua's response and shifts his eyes towards the new red-headed woman, Eri.
Kreiger:
Kreiger arrived at the docks and decided to wait for the others. he sealed his suit and applied a
strong dosage of medigel to his still healing knife wound and injected half the bottle of brandy into
an induction port to immediately numb any pain. his past injuries and toxic exposure have left his
immune system stronger than usual quarians, but not strong enough to prohibit a suit less life. The
brandy kicked in and things become a little hazy but Kreiger notices some dockworkers, or who he
presumed were dock workers, switching out the call signs on the Eris. He couldn't make out what
they were being changed too and frankly he didn't care, so long as the ship could fly, he was happy.
He then noticed Aashe walking through the docks and towards an elevator, she must have some
business of her own to conclude. Had he not just over injected himself on painkillers and alcohol, he
might have followed, or at least approached the merc. but for now he would take the time to sober
up and observe the ship as best he could.
Aashe:
Before she swept out the door, Aashe would grin to the Asari "Just Aashe." She says "Like... 'ash' but
I spell it with extra letters for flair."
With that she waves again, and is actually off this time. She takes a second to look over Othic as she
passed. Her introduction to him could wait, but she was glad to see more muscle coming. She was a
decent shot with a sniper rifle, but the more the merrier, so far as she was concerned.
Aashe would, from here, take some time gathering food, medical supplies, and a few small upgrades
for the ship. After which, she'd be heading straight for the docking bay.
Aviar:
Aivar sat at the bar drinking some unknown blue liquid that was supposedly alcohol, but it might as
well not have been. 'He' was listening to the conversation between 'his' contact and a very young
hacker. 'He' has 'his' back to them, knowing that 'his' contact would not try anything, unless 'he'
wanted half of the ward destroyed like some twisted Blasto movie.
When 'his' contact took a jab at the young hacker 'he' said "Go on kid, defend your honor. Hack into
his omni tool or something." 'He' giggled a bit. The giggle had caught the attention of the man next
to 'him', who then tried to flirt with 'him'. 'He' looked at the man with a sharp glare, and then the
man got up and walked away quickly whispering about devils. In the bar's low light, 'his' eyes were
glowing faintly red.
'He' turned to face the group. It was a woman, clearly, but it was faintly obvious that 'he' didn't think
'he' was. 'He' relaxed back and crossed 'his' legs and held the unknown drink in one hand, 'his' eyes
were laughing, but 'his' face was calm, but underneath that calm was a frightening rage that took
thousands of lives before 'he' had ever walked onto the Citadel this day.
Blasto:
From the shadows of the bar, a lone figure sat staring at the group. Only it was more like floating,
and instead of staring the creature was simply facing the front of its bodily mass towards the
mercenaries. The hanar did not want to be recognized just yet.
"This one knew there would be trouble, but it cannot let its celebrity status jeopardize the mission" it
whispered in a monotone yet multivocal voice. The same voice that sent shivers down the back of
every female that has ever had the pleasure to feel the Hanar's seductive tentacles against their bare
skin.
The chief had warned Blasto to not interfere with the group of mercenaries. It was still on the verge
of losing its Spectre status (for the fiftieth time) after it decided that the best course of action
towards dealing with a group of Blue Suns was to throw a crate of kittens. A crate jam-packed with
explosives that blew up the whole troupe of mercenaries and kittens until not even the Enkindlers
could recognize them. The Hanar dubbed the mechanism 'Schrodinger's Kaboom'.
Blasto was known to be extremely trigger happy, shooting first and asking questions later. It gripped
its pistol's trigger and considered for what seemed like twenty seconds whether it would simply go
there, kill them all, then head back to the Chief. But right before it arrived at the bar, it promised
Bubin to at least attempt to do reconnaissance 'by the book'. So there it floated, with a full disguise
involving a fake mustache and a top hat. It stayed there and waited. Waited for them to leave so it
could follow them. Waiting... just waiting. Until it could strike!.
Eri:
"Now, Mr. Havens, if you will excuse me I need to make some preparations. Oh, and take this as an
'I'm in'." With that, Kreiger was gone.
Eri watched him go, somewhat relieved. Contrary to what most may think, it had nothing to do with
him being a Quarian. The man simply struck her as volatile. In a word - Dangerous. She'd learned to
try to be as far away from those types as she could.
Corwin acknowledged her briefly and started to turn to the kid when Aashe stood as well. She
excused herself good naturedly with a mention of getting her ship ready and headed for the door
herself.
Eri gave the woman a bit of a smile as she left. She'd seemed friendly enough - at least so far. She
seemed completely in her element and well-versed in such dealings. Perhaps it was all an act -
Afterall, she could be anyone behind the well-manicured facade, but there was really no reason not
to take her at face value this early in the game.
Eri was still pondering this when the Asari suddenly stood, her hands smoothing down the sides of
her fitted skirt. "If anyone wishes to speak with me, I shall be in the commons enjoying the flowers.
It is rare that a Justicar journeys to such a beautiful place."
One of Eri's eyebrows rose. A Justicar - so that's what was striking her as odd about the Asari
woman. No wonder she carried herself as she did. She took a sip of her drink and turned back to
Corwin, suddening finding herself alone at the table with the blonde man and the kid, who she'd
now heard introduced as Jeshua.
"Was it something I said?" Eri mumbled with a smirk.
Jeshua had asked why he was here - something Eri thought was a damn good question, and proved
the kid was more savvy than be looked. Frankly, she was wondering the same thing about herself. If
Corwin's message was to be believed - then why did the Shadow Broker apparently recommend HER
for this job? That alone had interested her.
She listened quietly as Corwin explained what she'd already surmised - he didn't have a clue what
they were getting themselves into any more than the rest of them did. She felt Corwin's eyes on her
and glanced back up at him, forcing a quick smile on her face.
"Mr. Havens, I presume?" She stuck out her hand in greeting.
"Soo... from what I've gathered, we're going to a mystery system to retrieve a mystery object that will
somehow be for the greater good of the galaxy." The locations weren't important to her. That could
be a discussion for a later time once they were on their way. "I can only assume something this big
has to be related to the Protheans," she paused, fixing her eyes on his to gage his reaction. "Or
possibly the Reapers."
"I guess my question is... why us? Why isn't this something the Alliance, or even Cerberus, or hell...
ANY number of other governments is after?"
She suspected she unfortunately already knew the answer, but she waited patiently for his
explanation nonetheless.
Myn:
Othic paused on the dancefloor as he watched a number of the group leave. The tall red head
surprised him with a nod as she walked by, obviously realizing he was one of the recruits for the
mission. That impressed him and gave him a brief insight into the nature of some of the
professionals he may be dealing with.
By now only the blonde man, the woman and the kid remained. He walked up in time to hear the
woman's question. By way of greeting he gently slapped the kid on the back.
"Don't mind me, just reporting in."He said taking an empty seat. "Myn Othic." Nodding at the three
strangers.
"Sorry I'm late but I like to get a feel of who I'm dealing with. Problem is, I seemed to have missed
most of the important details judging by the way everyone took off. But I'm sure someone will fill me
in later."
"I guess I'm anxious to hear the answer to the ladies question too. Why us? From what I say,
whoever put this mission together has recruited the most motley, rag-tag crew in the galaxy."
Blasto:
Hearing the conversations, Blasto slowly moved towards a nearby table and opened the copy of a
newspaper it had been carrying to further disguise itself. Nearby individuals pointed towards the
Hanar and chuckled at the site of somebody thinking such an archaic object could be used to blend
in at this day and age.
A female human was walking alongside with her offspring when the childling noticed the Hanar.
Horrible parenting was no stranger to the Citadel.
"Mother doesn't that Hanar look like Blasto the Spectre?" asked the child in an innocently cute
manner.
"Why are you talking such nonsense?" responded the mother, irritated at her child's stupidity. "Not
only would Blasto not waste its time in such a lowly area, that Hanar clearly has a mustache and a
top hat. Obviously it cannot be Blasto! No food for you today."
The young human looked at the ground and shed a single tear as he sniffled. He hadn't had food for
weeks. Blasto couldn't help but enjoy the sight, the tears of children pleased it so. Then it continued
to read the fake newspaper article as it listened to the group.
GM Post:
Corwin eyes widened slightly when the word "Cerberus" escaped Eri's lips. He turned his head,
glancing around Chora's Den, before responding to Eri. While doing this, his eyes locks with Aivar.
Almost on instinct from his years in the Alliance, Corwin's right hand shifted towards his weapon.
There was something almost... predatory...in the way Aivar was looking at Corwin. But, Corwin stops
himself before doing something overly defensive. Instead, he gives Aivar a knowing look and
gestures to the open seat.
[assuming he goes to the table]
Now that the second wave of mercenaries have arrived, Corwin enthusiastically re-explains the
mission and payment to Eri, Aivar, and Othic. (for sake of brevity, see previous post for information)
Following his presentation, he waves towards the distracted Turian bartender and points at his
empty glass. After this, Corwin continues to talk.
"You aren't entirely correct, Eri," Corwin said cautiously. "We are heading for a derelict Prothean
space station. It is fairly sizable. the group can keep 20% of the findings there on top of what I'm
paying you. "
A scantily clad Asari waitress saunters to the table holding a tray with a glass of red liquid. Corwin
takes it with a nod and smile, dismissing the Asari. He takes a sip.
"I think that is all the information that anyone needs. Besides. [knowing pause] Why would I tell
everyone everything immediately? What would stop you from leaving and grabbing everything for
yourself?"
Corwin looks down at the datapad on the table, then back up towards Eri.
"As for Cer-." Corwin cuts himself off, shaking his head ever so slightly. His next words are spoken
carefully. "As for governments. They would try to grab this for themselves and keep it. We have a
head start."
Corwin takes another sip from his drink and places the glass down.
"I don't want to waste it."
Corwin pauses, waiting to see how Eri responds. Following this, he turns his head towards Aivar and
Othic.
"Feel free to ask questions on whatever I said. I'll answer the best I can."
Myn:
After a few moments of silence Othic clears his throat.
"So a scavenge job basically. That sits fine with me. Only concern I got is the people you hired. Don't
get me wrong, I'm sure you used your judgement when recruiting all of us. But......this line of work
attracts some unsavoury characters and a group this size......Can we trust everyone?"
He glances briefly at the newest member before looking away. There's something off about this one
and Othic knows he's almost certainly not the only one thinking the same thing.
GM Post:
Corwin cocks his head curiously, glancing between everyone at the table. He tries to keep his tone
friendly, but there is a slight edge there now.
" When I hire a merc, I make sure they can be trusted. All that matters to me is if they will do the
job. But if anyone does something to jeopardize the mission, they will be dealt with."
Que uncomfortable silence and for Aivar to ask his question.
Jeshua:
Jeshua almost shot back in anger before recomposing himself. Corwin saw him as a weak
child, despite his own actions. He had to gather his thoughts, find the right response. He was
in the midst of working a reply when Corwin lost his patience, it seemed, and turned to Eri,
who asked a question of her own. Then two another joined their table, and a third sat at the
bar nearby, trying to act nonchalant but showing a keen interest in the group. Corwin spent
time to reiterate as much of the plan as he would tell to the second set, and it only gave Jeshua
time to finalize what he wished to say, and also to do some more digging. A few unorthodox
methods later, he found something interesting,.
He wasted no time in giving Corwin a piece of his mind after he asked for questions the
second time:
“Why sit here and degrade me?” Jeshua started. It began a little shakily – he never had really
counter-argued before – but once he was in it picked up speed. “You wanted questions; you
were expecting questions, and yet mine is the only one you refuse to answer. Why? Because
I’m a “child”. And this makes no sense, considering you sought me out, asking me to help
in your mission.” Jeshua stood up, getting ready to head out, but he wasn’t done yet: “If you’re
not going to be upfront with me and tell me why I am here, I have no reason to trust you, and I
definitely don’t have any reason to be upfront with you. I will do your business”
And with that, Jeshua moved himself away from the table, and turned towards the door to
leave, before seeing the bodyguard actually paying attention – so many unusual mercs coming
and going at once must have alerted him to something amiss; now he would have a harder
time sneaking back out – so he turned back to whisper in Corwin’s ear: “You have quite a few
skeletons in your closet, too bad they aren’t all there.” He flashed a knowing smirk, and then
turned away and darted into a dark corner faster than Corwin had time to turn his head.
He stuck to the shadows, his dark clothing providing a perfect cover to sneak out without ever
being seen by anyone but the group, whose eyes were no doubt on him. He hadn’t spoken that
much in a while. But he wondered whether it was strange that he felt a burden had been
added, not lifted. In any case, he made his way for the docks, where the rest would be waiting.
Aviar:
'He' knew this Corwin was now a least a little intimidated now. 'He' wouldn't have been surprised if
he really would have shot 'him' as 'he' saw the man move his hand towards the pistol at his hip just
before the man nodded 'him' over. Well, that is at least one that won't try anything. At the table's the
lights made the glowing red in 'his' eyes fade enough to where is was hardly noticeable.
Aivar during the explanation had pulled out 'his' knife and was fiddling with it while nursing 'his'
drink. "No questions here. Would be a waste of time. Besides, if anyone tried anything governments
and terrorists would be the least of their worries." 'he' said after listening to the explanation of the
mission again. "This at least sounds more interesting then the job of an assassination of some Turian
politician I was recently offered."
'He' then had a small thoughtful expression on 'his' face. "How much Geth or Collectors are you
expecting? I've shot some of the ugly bugs before, but I thought they were only interested in small
stuff, slaves, and homicidal maniacs with biotic powers that a Asari wise-ass whatcamacallit can only
dream of. The Geth I've only seen in a news report about the attack on the Citadel and Eden Prime."
Eri:
Eri caught a subtle shift in Corwin's expression, but oddly enough it wasn't at the mention of the
Reapers - maybe they might get along after all...
Her eyes flicked up as a human man walked up and slapped Jeshua on the back. So she wasn't the
last to arrive after all - she wasn't sure if this made her feel better or a bit on the uneasy side.
"Don't mind me, just reporting in," He said, taking an empty seat. "Myn Othic."
Eri nodded at him pleasantly enough. He moved with the easy confidence of a soldier. "Meridian
West."
"Sorry I'm late but I like to get a feel of who I'm dealing with. Problem is, I seemed to have missed
most of the important details judging by the way everyone took off. But I'm sure someone will fill me
in later."
She smirked. "That seems to be going around." She looked back to Corwin, only to catch a glimpse of
the man's hand going slowly for his weapon and she stiffened. Whatever had caught his attention
was behind her, out of her view, and it took everything she had to not spin around. She kept an eye
on him, noting the subtle change as he relaxed and the shadow of a newcomer appeared across the
table.
If this was someone Corwin was expecting, then she would play nice. But if Othic was giving off an
easy professional demeanor, the second arrival was the exact opposite. Warning sirens were going
off in much the same way she had felt toward the Quarian.
Once the second round of greetings were accomplished, Eri listened as Corwin enthusiastically
discribed the details of their assignment.
"You aren't entirely correct, Eri," Corwin concluded cautiously, and her eyebrows shot up at the
unstated nickname. Apparently, whatever file the Shadow Broker had provided to him was far more
detailed than she'd expected.
She played it off, whistling softly at the mention of the Nocnistu's Glory - she had certainly heard of
it in the past, but always assumed it had long since been destroyed or lost. The idea that Corwin
could actually have located clues to its location facinated her, but also caused some worry. Why
hadn't anyone located it before now? What the hell were they geting themselves into?
A scantily clad Asari waitress sauntered over to hand Corwin a fresh drink, and Eri reached out,
stopping the woman with a light touch to her elbow. "I'll have what he's having," she shot the
woman a winning smile. "His tab." The Asari returned the smile and sauntered back toward the bar
once more.
Eri caught Corwin's near-mention of what she assumed was Cerberus and made a mental note to
check on this later. What was the harm in even mentioning them? She chose to let him think she
hadn't noticed - there was no sense in causing more red flags in a group such as this.
"Feel free to ask questions on whatever I said. I'll answer the best I can." Corwin continued, as the
Asari returned with Eri's drink. She handed the waitress a credit chit and returned her attention to
Corwin.
"I think my only question is - when do we head out?" She took a sip of her drink, and made a face,
resisting the urge to spit it back into her glass from sheer surprise - the unusual flavor clashing
horribly with her previously smooth Asari alcohol.
GM Post:
Corwin sat silently as Jeshua aggressively pushed back against him. He appeared almost indifferent.
Inside, it was a different story. Corwin liked the passionate fire in Jeshua's voice. That's what he was
looking for. Even after Jeshua whispered his threat so only that Corwin would hear, Corwin would
not break the indifferent look. But, he did try to turn around after listening, just to see where Jeshua
disappeared to. Unfortunately, Jeshua disappeared into the all concealing shadows. With a shrug,
Corwin turned back around.
Before Corwin could react, Aivar spoke and toyed with his knife. His voice carried an indefinable
coldness. The dim, pulsating light danced in the reflection of the knife, naturally drawing almost
every eye towards it. Corwin refused to play into it. Rather, he sat back in his chair and took a sip of
his red drink, trying not to wretch with the taste. Rotting cinnamon was an acquired taste that, well,
Corwin never developed. After Aivar asked about the Collectors and Geth, Corwin spoke up.
"That is difficult to say," he responded. "I'm anticipating some resistance, but not much ship to ship
combat. Reports seem to suggest the Collectors are neutralizing the ship and capturing the crew.
The Geth are doing mostly the same. It is always hard to say what the pirates will do. It will all
depend on if the Eris has stealth."
Corwin watched Aivar's reaction, or non-reaction, carefully. There was something that seemed off
about him. While he was lost in thought trying to read Aivar, Corwin almost missed Eri's question.
He turned his head towards her, just as she reacted to the drink's unique flavor.
"We should head out in about three hours."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------Alrighty! That completes the introduction arc. I want to encourage everyone to roleplay a bit (just as
you have been doing) and explore the Citadel. We've all played the game and know pretty much
what is there. Interact. Have fun. Feel free to treat Corwin as an NPC in your roleplaying, if you'd
like. Combat also is possible, if you want to create storyarcs for yourself (aka - someone is hunting
your character) which can be fit in with the overarching story (I'm totally flexible). If you want to
make an independent thread for the roleplays, all I ask is that you name it "Citadel." For simplicity
sake....unless you don't want to. That's cool too.
Tomorrow, at about 8 pm CST (I finish putting my daughter to bed at 7:30 pm, so I can spend a half
hour typing it up), I will begin the second act. It is assumed everyone will be at, or by the ship, when
it starts.
GM Post:
The last mercenary left, leaving Corwin alone within the chaos of Chora's Den. The Asari waitress tries to get his attention, to see if
Corwin needs anything else, but he doesn't seem to notice. His eyes are transfixed on the data pad in his left hand. She huffs and turns,
clearly not used to being ignored.
"I turned off the listening device on that thing already."
A new figure enters the scene, taking a seat next to the ex-Alliance officer. He is an older man donned in an Alliance officer uniform. His
face and body displays the decades of battles that he faced.
"The message doesn't make any sense, Lieutenant. Can you clear it up?"
For the fourth time, Corwin returns the pad down on the table, right next to his red drink. He looks over to the Alliance officer.
"No," Corwin responded. "And stop calling me that. I haven't been that for three years now."
Corwin pushes himself out of the chair and heats towards the nearest Asari dancer as the officer tries to get a waitress' attention. He leans
in as the dancer seductively leans forward as well, cocking her head as if she was going to kiss him.
"Thanks," Corwin whispered.
"Astila T'Linne recognized me," the dancer replied coldly. "You should have told me an Asari was coming."
Corwin nodded as he leaned further, whispering an apology in her ear and a promise not to let it happen again. The Asari gives Corwin a
smug look as he takes a few steps back from her and returned to the table. A new drink was waiting for him as he took a seat. The older
man started the conversation.
"You still use Asari protection?"
Corwin gives no response.
"That is your choice, Havens. Alliance forces would have been more than adequate. Onto business. Your omnitool was hacked five times
during the meeting. I am looking into it. Two or three of them probably came from the mercenaries trying to get more information."
"I expected that," Corwin muttered. "I can't blame them. It was one hell of a carrot to dangle in their face."
"I am worried about the other two or three hacking," the Alliance officer continued. "I'll follow up with you and see what I can find."
The Alliance officer activates his omnitool. Corwin does the same. Both have up similar scrolling holographic maps of various star
systems. Strange glyphs and characters cover each map. The older man hits a few buttons made of light and transfers the rest of the files
over to Corwin's omnipad.
"There shouldn't be a problem with hacking," the Alliance officer explains. "They should believe they have the entire file. It will take
weeks to go through it all and decode anyhow."
Corwin glances toward the Alliance officer and back down to that data pad.
"Just find out who the other hackers were. And see what you can find about this message."