The Secret Stone [NOT ACTIVE]

[Valentine Valtieri]

Nathan was slightly surprised and ended up nearly falling to the ground. Even though he was certain she didn't weigh so much that he'd collapse he was still off-balanced. "I'm still in one piece and I've known Luta for years." He said while standing in a strange position, he looked like he was trying to dance and failing at it. He was trying not to look like a complete fool, something he couldn't do with Luta standing on him. "No, nevermind..." Nathan remarked.

It'd been this way for all the years Nathan had known Luta; she was a very strange woman, but he couldn't help but like her. He may have felt that his shoulders were going to collapse since Luta decided to use him for a free ride, but he was certain he could handle it due to the amount of physical training the mechanic had to endure to become on of the elite; he wouldn't even be on this team if he thought he was too weak. His strength was somehow intertwined with his ability to operate with heavier machines; constant work with heavy items was what made the albino what he looked like. He wasn't going to brag about it though; his place was with machines, that was where his real strengths were.  

[Zulma san]

Elea was in. Her gum popped loud and clear. The concept had not sunk in. No question asked on either side, but she knew that they would come. When they would come, she would be ready. Or would she? Now was not the time to think about it, she reminded herself, her eyes traveling back and forth between the darkness of the universe sky and the bright blinking lights of the control boards.

Once the Snatcher off the ground and far from the icy moon of Kranic, she checked the trajectory. A joke in truth as she had been given no more information than 'North' when she had asked about their destination. So North it would be! Now THAT was a sign of trust. Barely on-board and she was not given even their direction?! How was she suppose to determinate the fastest, safest, most efficient trajectory without the end point? She sighed, then smiled as her gaze met once again the controls, the room, her surrounding, that ship had backbones and she liked that. She could feel its power, its life, its past. She smirked. She could enjoy herself here if she listened to herself. She shook her head with a stronger chew on her gum. No time for that.

As the woman pressed the autopilot button, the voice of the Captain echoed. She listened. A strong male voice spoke, the voice of a leader. She had not yet decided on what kind of man he was. She had heard so many tales. He was nothing short of a legend in some circles. The only thing she knew was that he was not what she had expected when she had first met him. Something was off, or maybe that was her. She would have to keep her eyes opened. The only thing she was sure of was that the man was no fool, nor stupid. She would have to be cautious.

Stretching out of her seat, another bubble around her lips, she left the pilot room to join the crew on deck. Let's dance! she thought as she passed a hallway, another turn, down, then...then right...no left! She found her way back to the deck, after all that was where she entered the ship, however she was not yet familiar with the layout of the ship.

As she appeared on deck, the Captain was already waiting. He seemed even shorter next to a tall man mounted by a short woman. Even if the pairing seemed ridiculous, she knew better than to burst laughing at the sight. She did no even smile. Instead she looked at the other person present, a man in a white lab suit. Now that was a strange crew...

She gave a polite nod to the group and a deeper one to the Captain.
"Captain." she said with a strong voice.  

[Gren_Eckener]

Elliot glanced to the girl. He'd been briefed on her background; the senator's daughter, a lynchpin to his task. He had a variety of ways with which to discredit her father, each he'd carefully considered in his afternoons alone. He decided that which he'd take would be determined by his first impressions. He smiled kindly.

At first, he thought perhaps that if she was a kind soul, he could manage to endear himself to her. Kindred spirit or not, he had spent much time in studies of human culture; their psychological patterns easily exploitable. A sweet gesture here, a kind word there, and even the cleverest would fall prey. Many had thought they'd found a drop of sweetness in him, a crack in his walls, only to find the assassin's blade awaiting them from inside.

If she was not, well, silent hostility was a more natural operation for him, although less advantageous. 'All part of the game."  

[MacPere]

"Well sir, I got yer gatlin's, yer grenades and varied explosives... A coupla all terrain vehicles ta match yer nice truck... all I need is yer signature!" The rotund salesman looked up with a snaggletoothed grin, pen held out. Immediately, he paused, lips curling downward, eventually finding the resolve to turn back to his hauling associate. "'Ey, Jerry!"

"Wassat, boss?"

"Where'd that 'Luca' guy go?"

--

Muted green eyes watched as drop after drop of condensing vapour slid down the chamber's frigid glass. He didn't care about any meeting, even if the captain would tear a new one if he heard it, especially with her on board. The replacement. He'd stood by his brother-in-law when the need for a new navigator came up, but he couldn't help but feel that he given up on her... her memory... her life. "I haven't given in yet, baby..." He cooed to the case, smoothing his thick fingertips over the glass above her cheek. "You know that I'm gonna find a way out of this for you, huh? Then we can be happy again..."

Luca had always been a man to childishly deny the harshest of truths.

"S-Sorry 'm late, guys!" Bellowed from behind a metallic door, seconds before a loud thud. The serviceman whined in confusion, trying again and earning another thud. "I thought these things were automatic..." He murmured, kicking at it. Long seconds passed, several denying barks eventually inciting a quiet whimper. "Mm... help?"

(... Yeah, idk.)  

[Raigon The Ice Titan]

Luta laughed and got to her feet then looked around at almost everyone being gathered here and said. "Home sweet home." Luta said this with a slight tone to it.  

[Hinge 1]

Crom watched his crew analytically from the back of the deck, greeting them all in turn as they entered. This was his crew, a gaggle of misfits roving the vastness of space in a flying metal scrapheap. Crom let a smile play with the edges of his mouth as he reflected on the past ten years with his current crew. All rejects, all survivors, all men and women who followed him. They followed him because they wanted to, not because there was a badge on his chest or a gun in his hand. They, for some odd reason, liked him and Crom would do his best to keep them alive, no matter the cost. Crom grimaced at the thought that these friends might one day end up on his wall of faces.

Crom cleared his throat as a voice began to whine from the other side of the door. He listened for a moment before rolling his eyes. Saying nothing, he walked over to the door and pressed the key pad at the side. Crom let his eyebrow rise when nothing happened. His fingers played with the number pad until he realized the door had vacuum sealed itself and needed and over ride. Crom override the doors code and looked into Luca’s face. Crom instantly felt a pang of regret fill him. “His brother-in-law” wasn’t really his. The real Crom had, indeed, been born with a sister. Crom however, was not the real Crom and had been forced to pretend that he was.

“As always your late.” Crom said after a moment, giving a polite smile. “You owe me fifty push ups for it when this meeting is done.” With, that Crom turned around and strood back into the room.

“Attention!” Crom barked, years of military discipline flowing out of him. His eyes darted from one member of his crew to another.

“I’ve called you all here to inform you, we have a job offer.” Crom paused, letting that sink in with his crew. “Client wishes to remain anonymous but the payment is one hundred and fifty thousand Wulong. Problem is, it’s not a walk in the park. Client wants us to go to Vecta 7 and abduct a certain senator and hold her for a week until some bill passes on the planet. I’m not a politician, I don’t know what the bill is and I don’t care. This came over the holonet four hours ago. Also, before we left dock, I let slip to certain people that we had acquired that stone. Coincidentally, an interested party on Vecta 7 wants to examine this hunk of space rock. They promise a massive payment if they decide to buy. I informed this party that we might meet them there. Vecta 7 could become a sweet amount of Wulong if this all plays right. If you are against this, speak now, otherwise we head to Vecta 7.”  

[Raigon The Ice Titan]

Luta stopped messing around when the captain came in as she listened to him she smiled in a seductively evil manner and she said in a clear voice taking the second command role that was her position. "I for one am looking forward to this. I would like to request to be one of the members going to the ground for the snatch and grab." Luta looked around at the rest of the crew and waited for their opinions.

While Luta awaited for the opinions of the rest of the crew she went threw her head a list of the weapons and utensils that she was going to need to use to make this mission a sure thing when they finally reached the planet. Luta glanced around the room and noticed the two new members of the crew and she also noticed that Elea was interacting as a member of the crew and smiled to herself. She might be a Senator brat but she was not acting it. Luta then set her eyes on Elliot again and shooks her head at the way he was talking. "Always was an hard a**." Luta thought to herself.
Luta reached behind her and drew one of the long blades that she always carried with her and twirled it in her and as she waited.  

[Valentine Valtieri]

Nathan was conflicted about this mission. He was certainly against holding somebody hostage, but it seemed interesting enough for a try. He knew what he was, but that didn't mean he had no personal morals. "I want go too; it's better to put what I know to use, you may need me." Nathan was sure he had the most combat experience out of everybody else besides his captain and Luta. Not to mention the fact he might be needed right where the action was.

Nathan looked at Luta and shook his head; how could he trust her at all? "You try not to get yourself too messed up." Nathan warned; he didn't really like the idea that much. He could clearly remember the last job gone wrong; he bore scars from that day too. He felt stupid for thinking about it as the memories of the pain he'd endured came rushing back like a waterfall. Suddenly he found himself feeling as if he'd died and came back to life; it was an odd feeling. Thinking of that one mission also reminded him he owed the captain his life; he wouldn't object to this job now. He was now certain he wanted to join them on the ground; it'd be a good chance to learn a bit more about combat. He was mostly all about weapons instead of real fighting.  

[Zulma san]

Elea raised a very surprised eyebrow as one of the crew members sealed himself behind a door. Didn't he know the ship? Was he also new? She was about to make a move as the man burped a pathetic help but the Captain was already moving. Her gaze followed the short silhouette. There was definitely something about the man. She was trying to read his facial expression but he was three quarter back from her and she could only guess that he was annoyed. Her guess was proved wrong when the Captain's voice remained polite almost friendly to the man, although he announced a punishment for the delay. She was a little lost in her thoughts when Crom turned to the group and shouted. The redhair got startled and she stared almost blankly at the man for a second, until his eyes met hers before passing to the next crew member. She swallowed hard. No doubt about it: that man was a true leader.

Crossing her arms, she listened with interest as the Captain spoke about their next job. She mentally took notes. One hundred and fifty thousand Wulong. Vecta 7.... Vecta 7... She heard but did not listen to the rest as she was already calculating the trajectory, anticipating space storms, raiders' zones, meteorites showers... She was about to type on her portable device which she called Derp for Differential Enhancer of Rationalized Physics when he mentioned the Stone. So soon?! she thought. Well it made sense for them to want to get rid of the stone as soon as they could but that was making things quite tensed for her.

She was thinking strategy when Luta then Nathan spoke their agreement. the snatch and grab? she thought puzzled then realized what Crom had just mentioned: kidnapping a Senator to insure the bill would not pass. The Senator 'SHE'...
Elea had to force herself to close her eyes for a second to prevent them from widening. The bill of rights enabling slaves on Vecta 7 to vote for the primaries elections. A fight of more than thirty years, led by Senator Irina Chelkov.

Elea's throat tightened, yet she spoke in a clear voice.
"The Snatcher can reach Vecta 7 in a little less than 12 hours if we use the most direct route through the corridor of the Deltas. However the safest route passing by Tinius's moons would take an additional 5 hours."

As she finished speaking the woman realized two things: first Captain Crom had not made introducing her to the rest of the Crew a priority, second she was already thinking as a crew member. She did not know which one confused her more.  

[Gren_Eckener]

Elliot's eyes scanned the room carefully as the speech continued. 'So, these are the people I'm stuck with...' he mused, taking the time to memorize faces and names. He knew that each one had their own weakness, and that each would be exploited accordingly, if necessary.

The captain, first mate, and mechanic were keystones to one another, however, and would have to be dealt with most carefully. He'd read their history in various news articles; escaping together a decade ago had undoubtedly knit them closely. To ruin one would cause the other two to collapse in on him, and he'd never reach the stone. He'd have to turn them against each other, or fell them all in one swoop. 'However, if I can get them convicted, the stone will be in my hands without such a tiresome task.' he concluded.

His eyes drifted to the radio. The senator's daughter, still clearly facing hardships about her mother's social status. Perhaps he could befriend her, gain information that way...

And the logistics officer. He visited daily, talking to his wife, who coldly remained silent in her stasis tube. Elliot had gotten accustomed to seeing him in the labs so much so that he'd habitually leave the keys to lock up when he was finished and leave the man in peace. As far as he could figure, it was as close to a friend as he'd had in some time: he hadn't broken any rules, and hadn't called Elliot unfair for imposing them. 'I suppose I could spare him.'  

[Hinge 1]

Crom nodded as his crew in turn, one by one giving their opinion. When they had finished Crom stood tall and clasp t his hands behind his back.

"Very well then, Elea, set a course to Vecta 7 immediately. I want us there in eleven hours." He looked at his new pilot for a moment. She said she was good, so far Elea had not been lying. Her flying was exceptional. But Crom wanted to see her handle pressure. Anyone could operate in relaxed environments, but relaxed was not the norm for him and his crew.

“As for the rest of you,” Crom paused before barking a series of orders. “Luca, get me everything, and I mean everything you can on This senator Chelkov. I want her phone number, I want her address, I want her credit numbers, I want her history, I want her schedule, lord yes I want her schedule and every place she goes. I want everything from her favorite restaurant down to where she gets her hair done. I want that informational on a data pad, in the war room in nine hours, exactly nine hours from now.” He paused long enough to make sure Luca understood how serious Crom needed the information he was asking for before he moved on.

“Nathan and Luta, I want a full count of weapons and ammunition. I want everything from grenades, to boots to civilian clothing to combat knives to guns. I want a full list in my hand in four hours. I then want four combat rigs suited up for urban combat. Guns, armor, grenades, head sets, you know the drill, I want them ready to suit up at a moments notice. Depending on the information Luca gets us, we could be dropping in our her the moment we arrive, Hopefully we can wait but I’m not taking chances.’ Crom starred at them both for a long moment.

“Doctor.” Crom paused studying the man in white. “I would speak to you in private in my quarters after this.” Crom held the Doctor’s gaze for a moment and then barked loudly “Dismissed. Get to your tasks. On the double.”  

[Zulma san]

Elea's gazed crossed the one of the Captain and a smirk crept onto her lips. Now that was going to be interesting, she thought. In her head, she was already computing the risks of the chosen trajectory and how far she could push the ship. Turning to mechanics, she almost snorted at Nathan. "I hope you are keeping that big baby in good shape!" She patted the wall closest to her, then with a short nod and a loud "Aye, Captain." and bubble pop she disappeared before Crom was done giving orders. She received hers and she had no time to lose. Yet, she did hear the mention of Senator Chelkov and innerly sighed to see her fear realized.

Chewing her gum, she headed back to the pilot room. She backtracked her footsteps from only moments ago without a problem this time. She did not alter course, nor speed for long minutes as she played on DERP to compute the datas. "Eleven hours..." she murmured seconds after her gum popped. She leaned back on her seat. "I guess we'll have to pass by the meteorite field of Gonday." Her annoyed expression turned to a childish smirk. "We are going to have fun."

Without hesitation, as if she had piloted the ship for years. She entered the coordinates in the system and altered the speed of the ship, using the most efficient balance of pull and push to conserve energy. There would be time later for full speed and energy waste. That done, Elea rested against her seat, her eyes trailing on the open space in front of her. There were not many stars in that part of the universe. It looked even emptier and scarier than usual.
"Beautiful..." she muttered. Staring at the view, she thought about how life would be easy if she were just a pilot, just a pirate. She could do what she loved. Yet, something bigger was out there and she had to do what she had to do.

The red hair leaned over the navigation devices, checking out that the angles were correct. The ship might not have been in pristine shape but the mechanic seemed to be doing a terrific job. Not even a .0001% deviation from what she had entered. She wondered if the ship was equipped with a counter-balance system to enable almost perfect course.
With the current course, they had at least four hours before the fun would start. She wondered if she should be helping. She had heard Crom asking Luca to find information about Chelkov and there was no way she would help with that. It would be a little too risky, plus she did not want to help with abducting that woman. How about helping with the weapons? She shivered.

"I guess I'll just stay here for now." she concluded with a pop of her gum and went back to contemplating the sky.  

[Gren_Eckener]

Elliot nodded along to the orders, but his head snapped up at the sudden stab of noise provided by a bubble's crack. An eyelid involuntarily twitched as he strove to keep his composure, despite the sudden surge of fury that flooded his system. He watched Elea as she left, eyes narrowing, making note of this, determining that if this was a habit of hers, he would absolutely not be able to swing the friendship angle. 'Such a disgusting habit...an annoying trait...and utterly pointless at best. Foul thing!' He made further note that she wold not be let into his labs without strong restriction.

He was removed by his reverie by the further assignments. Luca would have the information he wanted, clearly. He smiled inwardly. The supplies lists were of no concern; their stock would only be needing counted if he was under attack, and he had no intention of being caught, let alone attacked.

He looked to the captain at the sound of his title, politely saluting at his assignment. They shared a gaze for a moment, sleek scarlet to shifting hazel, broken by the alien's blink. "Of course, sir." he replied, professionally clean in diction.  

[Hinge 1]

“Very good.” Crom said to Elliot as Crom left the room and began walking slowly down the ships halls. Several minutes later, they arrived at Crom’s room and Crom permitted Elliot ito the room before he entered behind the scientist. Crom shut the dor behind him. Crom didn’t say anything immediately. First the captain walked over to the wet bar and took a clear glass and filled it with water. Crom studied the liquid for a moment before drinking the whole glass in one, very long gulp. The glass made a small clacking noise as Crom placed the glass on the marble counter top. He looked at the faded photograph that sat by the sink. The captain permitted himself a small sigh and then turned around.

“Doctor,” Crom said, leaning against the wet bar counter. “I have a few questions I would like you to answer. You are a man of science and know more about the matters I am about to bring up.” Crom paused and studied the doctor for a moment before going on. “This stone and the senator have two things in common. More than just the fact that we are going to make a small fortune off them. They are both being pursued by, ironically, the same people. The Mikado Corporation was one of the first to contact me about the stone and, ironically, the very same people who hired us to pull off the job against the senator. I was wondering if you know anything about this Corporation since they deal in pharmaceutical medicine and also why they are interested in that little rock we obtained earlier.”  

[Zulma san]

Time passed both slowly and fast when one is immersed in an ocean of emptiness. Time seemed so abstract and so seemed humanity. The newly appointed pilot knew that feeling and she swayed with it in a sort of nostalgia. Peace. She smiled. The sensation was indeed peaceful, but she knew it was only a temporary state of mind, nothing to do with the true Peace. She wished humans and aliens would strive for that Peace for themselves and for the others. Yet her mission seemed a failure.

A lonely fragment of a once grand star passed close enough to the ship that the red hair was able to see clearly the composite materials. She smiled. Physics and chemic. She loved those fields.
"Probably a piece from Krazuk." she whispered. That colossal star had been blown away centuries ago just before it reached the state of super nova in order to save the surrounding planets. The result had been a disaster anyway. The explosion waves reached the closer planets while the lack of heat and light had slowly led people to desert the further planets, for the lucky ones who could afford the ride.

Elea sighed, yawned, popped her gum and stretched. Maybe she should try to befriend the crew? Maybe she should just enjoy the view!