station72 | [closed log] space robin hood adventures

Entry tags:

[closed log] space robin hood adventures

CHARACTERS: Angel (

circumspector ), Steve Rogers (

decommission ), and Orr, the NPC Lady
WHERE: Avera 9
WHEN: Late Day 162
SUMMARY: Steve and Angel try to be good people and help some escaping families via some totally legally acquired credits.
WARNINGS: None; will edit if necessary.

[ It's a quickly done plan, but it seems most of this is, somewhere between making up for the fact that just about everyone was giving them wide berth now, and that there was a pressing need to truly help these people. Hits home when reading over the names of those on the roster with him after the sneaking in and out of the ship. Families, desperate families. Doesn't take too long to do something about, and then what exactly to do about it. So she comes up with a way to help them, enlists Steve ( again ) on the very simple premise, there were a lot of people profiteering off the suffering, they wouldn't miss a few credits here and there, and it goes from there. Is careful around the notion of stealing, given how he didn't seem inclined to the idea like most she had ever handled for work like this. Puts it more as taking what no one ever truly noticed, and that it wasn't for them, anyway. Not like they could save everyone but those that they could...

( the rest, the actually moving the credits around, she runs quietly in the background, shifting and moving it on set patterns and timers to hide her presence, granted, it would be hard to pin on her by itself, which she takes a certain care that it can't be pinned on anyone else either. )

After that, it's just a matter of going around to the different names on the roster and offering what they had, and in turn, they get rebuffed, no one is quite sure what to do with that much money given the circumstance. Odd to Angel at least, people tended to just take it in her experience, to hell what it might truly be used for really. Eventually, it leads them to Orr'Holna'rn, and brief instructions on where to find her.

When they get there, she turns briefly to her company and nods to the location, correct against the map she's keeping running on her datapad. ] This is it. Ready?

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[Orr'Holna'rn stills like a prey animal sighted. It's not panic, not exactly - merely self preservation.]

Did the Constant's captain tell you such a thing? How did you find this information?

[Even with the ruddy qualities of her voice, it's hard to mistake the edge there as anything but worry.]

[ her hands come up in what she hopes is a placating manner, careful. Palms up and fingers softly curled in. Nothing to fear on them, no weapons, no intention to harm. Shaking her head gently in answer, no not from the Captain. Though she stumbles to answer the question otherwise.

This part was much easier when people just thought she was a computer. Well, if nothing else, it confirmed that no one saw them at least. ]

It's not being passed around if that's what you're worried about, and we really do just want to help. [ but if she's worried, and they're out in the open. Well, Angel is more than aware as to what can be picked up by careful eyes and ears.

So tries then a little more carefully, hoping the idea would be followed along, hands lowering carefully again. ] Maybe we can talk about this privately ma'am?

[ He should be less surprised by her reaction, the way the Constant had made this business so quiet. He's just not understanding the why, other than maybe the sketchy agreement might be skirting some laws, somewhere.

His own hands are in full view, empty, and he stops himself from giving a quick scan of their surroundings. ]

[A moment's hesitation. Orr'Holna'rn flicks her attention from them, shoots a narrow eyed look up and down the muddy avenue and then gives through the sloped line of her broad shoulders.]

You're right. [The sound is sullen, grudging. She doesn't like the idea of ducking down where her neighbors can't see what happens if they decide to draw a knife on her or something.] Come inside. Mind your head, the metal's sharp.

[Rolling on her heel, she ducks back through the uneven doorway of the house and moves into the darkness there. The interior of the dwelling is more than meager with little more than a cot, a single blanket and some equipment in the midst of being refurbished tucked into the corner. That said, the dirt floor has been carefully maintained in an attempt to keep it from turning into mud and there's a little display of ingenuity here: a trench has been dug around the perimeter of the room to drain the water coming in through the doorway and a filter and a hose has been worked to collect the water and clean it before ultimately depositing it into a bucket. It drips in steadily: drip. drip. drip.]

Sit.

[She motions to the bed, but clearly prefers to stand herself. It's a more advantageous position. She draws the scarf down from her long face and wrinkles her large nose.]

Tell me how you came to me and what you know the Constant. Don't lie. I'll know if you do.

[ Well -- that was a start, she looks at Steve again, shrugs briefly, this might not work. Granted, it's not ideal she knows, going into a small space with only one entrance and exit. But better than discussing this out in the open.

Then again -- there's the rest of the curiosity, that when she steps in behind her into the small room, she gets almost immediately distracted just looking again. Taking a deep breath against the damp and the cool earth, fingers fiddling against her side in nervousness -- or a want to touch things that she keeps to herself. This woman lived here, her curiosity could be for another time.

But at the invitation, and it feels odd sitting on the woman's bed of all things even if she knows how this goes for most, things like chairs are expensive, and a waste of space in a room this small. So she sits on the edge of the bed, hands in her lap. ]

Hm? Oh right. [ snaps back quickly. Pressing her lips together in a quick version of something like the truth. ] Our crew came here to salvage what we could. Since I'm very good at getting information from technology, I went looking to see who was selling what in the towns, local deals -- that sort of thing. [ Standard trading work, especially for the first time on a new planet. Nothing particularly out of the ordinary. ] But since I'm... very, very good at it, I noticed that the Constant wasn't taking on any cargo for the space they had. Which is when we went looking -- [ a gesture between herself and Steve. ] and found out about the crews passenger lists. Your captain isn't loose with information if that's what you're worried about. We just happen to be very good at this.

[ Or lucky, lucky might just be better, given how they had pretty much winged it so far. But they were here, and it didn't help that people were a little bit unsure of them at this point. At least their intentions were honest and... not murder-y. ]

We just wanted to help and we have... credits. A fair amount of them, [ tick over goes another cent in the back of her mind, rounded down and no one missed such small amounts. ] and we asked the other families if they could do anything with it and they said no, but that you might have an idea for how it could be used. Either way, we really do just want to help, and apart from not letting anyone know about it for both our sakes, we don't want anything in return either.

[ He peers into the darkness beyond the threshold, feet planted in the mud and his mind on the events of the day before. There's no time to protest though. He follows in after Angel, hovering near the bed at the invitation to sit. Doesn't seem right to him either (less an issue of advantage than courtesy). Seems worse to refuse though, so he plops down, leaving a proper amount of some space between him and Angel.

When she speaks he doesn't interrupt. She knows this part better than him. Maybe some of that doesn't put them in a good light, but she's honest about their efforts to investigate without giving up some of the stranger details. Hopefully that'll be enough to satisfy, without offending. He lets his own hands settle on his lap, mirroring her without meaning to, eyes on the lady of the house. As Angel finishes he nods in agreement. ]

We don't know the whole of your agreement with the Constant, but back home - folks help each other out when they need it the most. This looked to us like someone might've been taking advantage of people in a bad spot, and with what's coming for the planet - [ a glance at Angel ] - if you'll let us help, maybe there's some way to use these credits to give you and the other families a fair shake.

[For a moment, she says nothing. She merely regards them, black eyes narrowed to little more than slits. Then after a time Orr'Holna'rn makes a noise that sounds very much like a scoff.]

Where were these credits ten days ago? Two months ago? [There's something like the ghost of good humor there, laid out and run over. She shakes her head, bewildered, and runs her blunt fingernails across the underside of her jaw.] Two months ago, credits could've been used to buy a ship or pay for passage outright but no one trades space or ships for a fair price now. Kell, two months ago I could've just used credits for repairs - but now?

[A twittering little noise, high pitched like a buzz. It's a keening kind of laugh, more for herself than anything else - though the way she straightens after it and sharpens again suggests maybe all of it, the absent muttering, was more rhetorical than an actual response to their offer. She breathes in, her expression clearing and setting again.]

And where did these credits come from, hey? Don't think I don't know what your kind has been doing here. I don't deal in goods looted from corpses.

We're sorry, two months ago we were as far scattered across the galaxy as could be. [ It's said with the slightest bit of humour in return. All shades of prophetic and mysterious that she effects in a practised tone.

Which for Steve maybe, there's that quiet mutter of something like damn it guys and bloody vault hunters in the back of her mind, but the pleasant look doesn't come off her face, -- and she's contemplating just lying straight off the bat about it all. Because she's become shockingly aware that she isn't good at a great deal of late. But lying? Talking in half-truths and omissions she does comfortably and without pause in her words. Just keeps everything open and earnest. ]

That's some of us. Most of us aren't interested in hurting anyone, much less killing. [ still strange, that people care about where money came from. Or about killing either. But -- doesn't matter. Steve might give a better answer for that. ] Besides we're not giving you just a couple of credits, more than you find off rifling through pockets, certainly. [ It's not funny, but well -- there's no denying what had happened either.

Pauses, meeting the black of her eyes, fixing with as direct a gaze in return. ] But are you sure that deniability might not be better for you? About any of us, where the credits truly came from? Like you said, we're not exactly popular, are we?

[ Too little too late. His jaw twists at the accusation, a grimace he can't hide. He keeps his eyes fixed on Orr instead of stealing a glance at Angel as she speaks. Her mask is good. She sticks to the truth, or at least doesn't outright lie. You wouldn't believe us even if we told you almost comes from his own mouth. The less said about their group, the better. Besides the ill will they've garnered on this planet, there's still other forces to worry about. Much more dangerous threats. ]

This isn't blood money. We swear. [ His hands grip at his knees, his back straight. The credits might be enough for a ship at a shakedown price. Now he looks over at Angel, these folks coming up with enough money to purchase a ship all of a sudden is bound to make the traders around here suspicious - then a frown, eyebrows furrowing at Orr. ] You said something about repairs?

Edited (changed my mind sdjkfkdg) 2016-04-21 00:16 (UTC)

[She wrinkles her nose, shakes her head. It's as dismissive as a turn of the hand and twice as impatient; she's angry - at herself more than them.] It's nothing. A fantasy. The Card is nothing more than scrap at this point; certainly there's not enough left to repair in the time we have left.

[A raw exhale. Her lungs are large. It's a large dispersal of air.]

No matter. Your credits will do us no good. I bargained those contracts myself, but they're not legal here. The Constant has agreed to take us from the planet as long as we agree to travel with them to the sphere where it is. Your credits, however you came by them, almost absolutely won't transfer at the same rate there. Even if they did and we were able to access them, there would be nothing we could do to keep the contracts from being renegotiated for a higher sum.

[Orr'Holna'rn speaks at a clip, a rolling timbre stitched through with frustration. It's clear she's unhappy, but what alternative is there? Dying on a rock?] Deniability means nothing to me, but who here will take your credits? What good does a stack of them do any of us when we have no time to negotiate?

[ It's -- well it's all a bit depressing, she hadn't counted on currencies being so vastly different across planets. But she supposed when things weren't run by money grubbing corporations, that would happen. Her head ducks, whilst Steve speaks, thinking quickly, running over the options.

Repairs, there's -- there's something. She can pay off the Constant's captain, more than enough that hopefully they wouldn't go looking for more -- no, with their reputation now, they definitely wouldn't want to play foul with them.

Catches on from Steve's train of thought, as she jerks her head up with the idea to speak again. ]

Repairs -- just how bad do you mean? [ Money, yes but more than that. They've been collecting so many bits and pieces over the last few days, seen scrap left behind from other ships. There ought to be enough there, to Frankenstein something into life, from the remains of other ships. ]

Or rather, what needs doing? Is it that you couldn't get it done by yourself alone? What if you had others to help you?

[ A quick glance from Angel to Orr with keen interest. A few days to put a ship together - HOW HARD CAN IT BE? ]

[For a moment, she simply blinks at them - a flash of frustration crossing her elongated face. Did they not listen to her at all? What kind of mad people came here trying to get her to take mass sums of credits that were almost guaranteed to be stolen and now were trying to pitch all but building a starship in a matter of days? Ridiculous.]

Well you'd have to start with pulling the damned thing from out of the kelling trench it fell into first.

[Snapped out like they're just wasting her time now.]

[ She presses her lips together, looking at Steve with a little nod. That might be difficult but then again they weren't exactly a usual company, either. ]

We might be able to, but we'll need to check some things first.

[ She'll ask around their group first, see who could do what. She would be able to take care of onboard systems, Aoba might be better for working out wiring though. ]

Where is it?

[ His eyebrows raise at Orr. ] If it doesn't work, you'll still have your ride out. [ With the Constant. ] Worth a shot.

[She fixes the pair of them with a flat, disbelieving look - then snorts, touches her brow and shakes her head. Universes help her.]

Sure, alright. My ship is in the trench, near the eastern mouth to the sea. My crew - what's left of them, I mean - could help but most of them won't be good for anything but manual labor. I've got an engineer, but he's civil not a shipwrighter.

[To be honest, neither is she; she knows how to fly and maintain a ship just fine, but it took more than that to repair or outright build parts.]

What equipment do you have? What people?

[ She presses her lips together, still going over the details. Shrugs briefly, she can't say right now, because it's not in front of her right now - but it's a start. ]

Our crew has been salvaging since we arrived. There's a lot of things we're bound to have picked up. Other things, I am sure can be bought or found otherwise.

[ There was more than one way to spend a dollar... or something. ]

But if you've got people who can do the manual labour, I think we can pick up the slack. As it is, I've got a bit of a, uh, gift with onboard systems. [ She looks to Steve then, looking for confirmation. ] We can see who else might be able to help, right?

[ He gives a slow nod to Angel, glancing back at Orr. ] We've got some folks that know a little bit about fixing ships.

[ Problem is, the one he's thinking of right now - Anakin Skywalker, never came down with them from the Station. But there's Hux, he fixed those computers. Ren might be handy with a wrench too, not that Steve's looking forward to having to ask for his help after their last conversation. ]

[In her mind, she does the math. Would the Card even carry so many people? Gutted entirely, maybe. It would be a miserable trip out, but it would be out - off this rock and somewhere different; if the ship could be patched and fueled, even landing on the small settlement after would make them better off than they'd be taking berth on The Constant. With no legality to the contracts here, they might be able to skip Avera 9 without significant danger--

No, that's dreaming a dream too big. Something sharp and efficient settles into the lines of Orr's face; she nods grimly, black eyes set on them.]

Very well. We'll need a security detail as well. Constant's crew won't like any of it and won't want the ship to go. I assume [flat and bland, like it's a joke between all of them - ha ha ha, you people are murderers, aren't you?] you can handle that much? In the mean time, I'll contact my people and see who wants to take a chance. And I'll get my engineer. We'll need transport to the wreck site and we sure won't want to stage repairs here. The more remote the better.

[ She laughs quietly then, doesn't even seem phased with the accusation. ] Don't worry, we can definitely take care of anyone that comes to bother you.

[ Of that they can definitely be sure, given what she'd seen so far. ] Do you have somewhere in mind for the repairs?

[ Sure, she can pull maps, but that doesn't tell her everything, nothing is as good as people who know the physical lay of the land. ]

[ His lips press together, expression hardening. He's not quite ready to keep making light of what happened in Tari Town. Steve's less and less inclined to want to ask Ren if there's going to be similar trouble.

They might need more transport besides the speeders too, depending on how many hands need to be shipped out to the site. ]

My recommendation? The first patch of solid ground we find after we haul the poor thing out of it's grave.

[She shrugs. Who knows what the wreck's like at this rate; if it makes it even that far, it'll be a small miracle.]

Alright, that shouldn't be hard.

[ She shifts then, already anxious to begin to get started, they're wasting time by dawdling too long, and they didn't have much as it was. ] You get your crew together, we'll take of matters on our end. How long until you think your team will be ready?

Most have little to do. I can have them together for transport in-- [A pause, the wide line of her mouth thinning. Her dark eyes tighten, a moment's consideration. There were people with jobs - a stupid thing to worry about now, but some of them still had families that needed feeding for the next handful of days. No matter. She'd scrape together who she could. The rest would fall in line.]

Give me two hours and I can have my people ready to move.

[ She rises then, looking back at Steve briefly -- two hours is doable, right? Hopefully. If not, they could sort something else out, but it wasn't like they weren't on a tight schedule either. ]

Alright. Two hours then, that'll give us time to sort out transport and our... crew.

[ Not quite that organised, but she wanted to appear confident and like she knew what she was doing.

She was doing that a lot lately for someone who hadn't been outside in years. Right, well, too late to stop now. What else was she forgetting? ] Oh, and I'm Angel, and this is Steve. It's a pleasure to meet you. [ nailed it. ]

We'll be ready. [ They'd make two hours doable. Lucky for them they have an easy and quick way to contact people, no matter where they happen to be on the planet.

He gives Orr a nod when Angel says his name. ]

[What stupid names. She thinks it, but bites her tongue when she feels the thought rise into her mouth and start to form words. Best to not spit in their hands when they've got them palm up and open.]

Orr'Holna'rn. [In her mouth, the name is a series of sounds that make sense - breath and easiness on the exhale.] But you know that already. We'll meet again here. I'd avoid the space port if I were you. Better to keep this as quiet as possible to avoid the Constant.

[She steps aside then, the square line of her broad shoulders shifting to free up the path toward the doorway.]

[ She nods, that, that they already know. ]

We're not exactly popular as is. We don't want to draw more attention to ourselves if we can help it.

[ But if the need it, the rest can be worked out when they need to, as for now. ] Alright, we'll see you in two hours.

[ And with that, she heads towards the door, already ticking over what needed to be done. ]

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[closed log] space robin hood adventures

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ps don't worry about tag order if it makes sense to skip

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