Affairs of the Lylat System

[Star_Dragon]

"New sensor contact, captain," the Science officer reported. "Starfighter, Wolfen-class."

"Any indication he's detected us?" Andrew asked.

"Negative, captain," Science answered. "But we did get a comm signal - we didn't get the whole conversation, but we did catch something about Blueprints and the UAC."

"Blueprints and UAC...?" Andrew repeated. "Keep a tab on him. I want to know what it is he's after."

 

*     *     *     VENOM, SURFACE     *     *     *

 

Suldeen turned his attention from the screen he'd just chatted with Nahdir on to the News report he was watching. This certainly put a damper on things. Fiends were some of his best customers. And this... "United Alliance Coalition" was contracted by the CDF to take them out. Something was wrong. The UAC attack on the Fiends was far too organized to be any typical mercenary work - no, this was a coordinated military effort.

Suldeen was dealing with a militant or military faction, here.

(I'd need to know more on Suldeen to effectively RP him, even in a minor NPC way.)

[Shmibli7]

Jasper sees Drake in the restaurant area of the of the hotel and tries to avoid him. He walks quickly to the elevator and steps inside. He walks into his hotel room and starts to search it for listening devices.

He checks the room from top to bottom until he finds one under the dresser. He looks at it and stomps on it. 

He then goes to the phone and calls the front desk. 

"Yes. Please inform any other visitors that I'm not to be disturbed."

[Star_Dragon]

Drake, more concerned with his meal than Jasper's odd behavior while he tried to avoid him, munched on a steak while every once in a while glancing at the TV. They were no longer showing the report of how Markus and the UAC nailed the Fiends, but now a report of a police chase on Corneria, one that ended when the apparent perp being chased rammed his car into the one he was chasing, who escaped on a Wolfen. The perp being chased flashed something, and the pursuing cops holstered their weapons, and the whole situation ended. But it got Drake wondering - who was it he was chasing... and why?

[Shmibli7]

(I thought we established that.)

Jasper sat in his suite, trying to think up his plan. He was so preoccupied that he forgot to take off his holsters ans his weapons showed in full view, so when he heard a knock on the door, he quickly threw his jacket over him.

"I told them, no visit-" He says, opening the door to see a red panda in a nearly matching suit. Desmond, one of his fellow agents.

"Desmond, what are you doing here?" He asks.

"Making sure the department doesn't discharge you." He says. "You're stunt today with the driving made the commander in chief angry."

"Well, by all means, come in." Jasper replies.

[Star_Dragon]

(We did. Drake doesn't know, and neither did the CNM. And also - that name, Desmond... Fallout 3 reference, or something unintentional or otherwise coincidental?)

 

*     *     *     VENOM     *     *     *

 

Andrew's ship continued to follow the Wolfen piloted by Nahdir, but at a distance. He didn't want to give Nahdir reason to believe he was being followed.

Meanwhile, down planetside, Suldeen waited patiently for Nahdir to arrive, still pondering about this UAC.

[Shmibli7]

(I don't play Fallout so, not a reference.)

Desmond and Jasper argued for about two hours over methods, emotion, caliber, and stupid decisions. Desmond finally had enough of Jasper's talk, so he told him he was going to the restaurant for a break.

He walks down and sees Jasper on the news. "What an idiot. I can't believe that was the guy who protected me in elementary school."

 

[Star_Dragon]

(Just asking, because Fallout 3 DLC "Point Lookout" has a character named Desmond.)

 

Drake notices Desmond, but pays him no mind as he finishes his meal. The news more or less returned to normal, and Drake heard nary a word further regarding Markus and the Coalition. But he was convinced: The assault against the Fiends was merely the start. It would not be the only thing Markus did here in Lylat, he was certain.

[Shmibli7]

Meanwhile Desmond was trying to think of a way to keep his friend from being blacklisted. This was his third incident that year and if he kept it up, he'd be burned.

The waiter comes by multiple times, but each time Desmond waves him off. He was deep in thought and had only come down here to stop hearingg Jasper's lip.

After half an hour of thought, he came to the  conclusion that he could do nothing. He would help Jasper as best he could, but ultimately Jasper had to solve this problem.

[KazeKat]

(Does Andrew know who it is? And as for Suldeen, think... Hmm, Jabba the Hutt? Minus the lust... So greedy and gluttonous? Probably smarter too. Here's a little quick pic I did of him to get an idea of what he looks like, also he is blind in on e eye.)

Nadir enters Venom's atmosphere. Noxious fumes and darkness covered the planet. The settlement was barely visible as he flew in. The area Andross had created was probably the only place where air was breathable. 

As Nadir landed his eyes were fixated on Suldeen's place, the scummiest casino in the Lylat System. It stuck out like a sore thumb, covered in lit up signs. Suldeen always liked to show off. He slid out of the cockpit and onto the dirt. Brushing himself off to try and look presentable. He didn't feel like he was on Suldeen's good side. Nadir strolled into the casino that was bustling with thugs, bounty hunters, dancers, the works. The bouncer put his hand to Nadir's chest.

"I'm sorry pal, no one gets in without permission from the big boss." He was twice the size of Nadir, a large ape. 

"Oh that's disappointing, you don't recognize me? I have only walked thru these doors a million times pal" Nadir now irritated. "You must be new?" Nadir pointed to himself, "Nadir Lammergeier."

The bouncer immediately removed his hand from Nadir and apologized, "I-I, I am s-s-orry. I didn't recognize you!" He backed up almost cowering. Nadir scoffed and pushed his way past the bouncer toward the back. He nodded at the two guards watching the door to Suldeen. The moved aside and nodded back knowing who Nadir was. "At least these guys get it." He said under his breath. He made his way up the stairs past Suldeen's receptionist. She handled paying all the mercenaries, pirates, and bounty hunters when they were thru with a job. Nadir always liked to flirt with her, "Good evening Leona." He smiled. "Nadir." Leona smiled back. "Suldeen is expecting you. Go right in." 

Nadir walked to the back hall and opened the door. "Suldeen! My wonderful friend." He strode across the room, Suldeen's room had one way glass that oversaw the whole casino. Nadir glanced down at the crowd of people before looking back at Suldeen and patting him on the shoulder like they were old friends.

[Shmibli7]

Desmond gets up and walks outside of the restaurant and heads to his car. He opens the trunk and takes out a large suitcase. He walks with it back up to Jasper's room.

[Star_Dragon]

(Andrew doesn't know who it is - at least, not yet. And I think I can do the smarter-than-Jabba crime lord. Played with a similar character in SWEAWFOC, Tyber Zann.)

Suldeen sighed. "You have always been good to me, Nahdir. You always deliver. And it's always a damn good show. But this..." he indicated the news report of the UAC attack, which he had recorded prior to Nadir entering the building. "... this is something that bothers me. It's a damn good thing you weren't there, or you might have ended up like they did." He hits a button, and the recorded battle plays out. He paused it again as the UAC fleet rips through the raiders. "These guys are far too coordinated to be ordinary mercenaries. Too well-equipped. Which is why I hope you will understand that my priority regarding the weapon the Fiends had... has changed." He rewound the battle, and handed Nahdir the remote. "Take a look at that battle. Tell me what you see."

*     *     *

 

The IKV Firebrand made a quick and quiet descent through Venom's atmosphere, homing in on the Wolfen they were following. Still cloaked, they avoided air traffic, landing just outside the city on Venom - an area that locals all avoided as though it were radioactive. The Comms officer managed to get into a Casino surveillance system, searched around, and moved on till she found the pilot, talking with a frog in a suit.

"Captain," she piped up, "I think I have something."

"Onscreen," Andrew commanded. The Comms officer complied, and Andrew watched as the Frog said something to the Vulture, then indicated the TV in his office. From the look on his face, he was either disturbed, or he was up to something - likely both.

[KazeKat]

(Just a pre-warning I am super busy with work related stuff today so I might be very slow at replying.)

Nadir looked at Suldeen then back at the recorded footage playing. "Good thing I was preoccupied with something else when that happened. I was almost headed out that way when I woke up. I was just about ready to get the job done." He sighed as he watched the footage. "This UAC and their hologram army... Apparently the leader of operations name is Markus Tokarev. Heard of him?" He hit play as he thought about what Suldeen had said. "Changed?" He intently watched the battle again. Nadir was always good at picking out something out of the ordinary, but he couldn't figure out what Suldeen had seen. "What is it I'm missing here?" He asked concerned. "Besides his crazy army taking everything. Also, changed?" He repeated. "Do you not want the weapon blueprints any more? You were dead set on getting that. Planned for weeks, you put a lot of money into it." 

[Star_Dragon]

Suldeen smiled, a crooked, wicked smile. "Take a look at the UAC's weapons. What they did to the raider ships," he said. He manually rewound, but played it twice as slow. The footage showed a plasma-disruptor beam discharging from the flagship, followed by another, both of them visibly phasing through the raider target's shields. "See that?" he said, pausing the footage yet again, freezing it with the beam still disrupting the target's shields. "Shield-piercing weaponry. You realize how much we could make just selling that kind of weapons technology on the black market alone? Do you know how many factions are out there that would pay good money for something like that? The technology those Coalition types are using in their weapons alone could make us more money than that Ion Cannon ever could. See what I'm getting at?" He indicated the UAC fleet. "That fleet is a gold - hell, a platinum - mine. We get our hands on what they use, the payoff could be massive."

 

*     *     *

 

Andrew listened intently on the conversation, his crew already working on gathering intel. Suldeen was right - the payoff for that kind of technology would be massive. And Andrew knew several markets where he could sell that kind of technology. He waited for Nadir to finish up, then exit the casino, so he could talk with him... uninterrupted.

In short, he had a plan.

[KazeKat]

Nadir watched him replay it slowly. "I see that, but this could take months to plan. You are talking about taking something from an entire fleet." He shook his head. "It's a tough job but I am up for it. As long as I get paid handsomely, you know I don't do charity work." He smiled knowing the old toad would deliver. He attempted to get a little bonus knowing Suldeen had a weak spot for Nadir. "Maybe ya know, throw in a little something I've been needing on my ship. Tracking disrupters, cloaking device--f-for the mission of course." He beamed a smile like a kid in a candy shop. 

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

After he finished up with Suldeen, Nadir walked outside and lit a cigarette. He leaned on the wall planning in his head what kind of resources he would need for this gig.

[Star_Dragon]

"When I get my hands on a cloaking device, I will let you know," Suldeen said. "In the meantime, you may want to find someone to help you with this; you said it yourself - it's a tough job. But that's why I want you. You're the only one who has the guts to pull it off. The pay will be double what the Ion Cannon was offering, and separate from whoever helps you. And if you do pull this off, I'll equip your ship with this stuff - free."

*     *     *

When Nadir walked out of the casino, Andrew took that opportunity to contact him. He hailed him on a private channel and said, "I can see you, Nadir. And I know what you're after. Don't bother looking for me, I am hidden. Meet me in orbit, beyond the sensor range of the orbiting ships. We can discuss details there. Suffice to say, I have something you're gonna need."

[KazeKat]

Nadir didn't think the situation was dangerous when the mysterious person hailed him on his comms. "Afraid of the Venom army protecting the planet? Why not come down and chat? You don't happen to be with the Cornerian army? I'm not too fond of them." He just found it odd why they didn't land. If he were part of anything Nadir was interested in he should be able to land on this planet and talk. "Just give me a reason why I should trust the fact that you want me to fly outside sensor range. Blow me to bits without anyone to see?"

[Star_Dragon]

"Oh, hardly," Andrew responded. "I'm not Cornerian Army. And if I wanted to blow you to bits, I'd have done so long before you even landed down planetside. If I wanted you dead, I'd have torpedoed that casino you and your friend were in and no one would have known anything about it until it was all over. If I wanted you dead, you'd be dead. Oh, and for the record, I already have landed, I merely landed somewhere, shall we say, inaccessible to most others. I don't fear the Venomian army... what's left of it, anyway. No, I am merely trying to avoid this ship being seen. It's one of the few I have that the galaxy at large doesn't know I have. But I happened to 'overhear' that conversation you had... and it just so happens I have the cloaking device you need. More importantly, I can ensure that you get to the UAC fleet undetected, and slip away unhindered. Again, meet me beyond the Venomian fleet's sensor range, and we can discuss details." The channel cut out after that.

[Shmibli7]

In the so-called "safe-zone " of Venom, Kimber Sinclair of the Venomian People's Liberation Army, a large group of disgruntled Venomian dissidents who had sided with Andross in all Lylat Wars, walked down the street. The sixteen year old raccoon seemed much smaller than he really was due to his over sized military fatigues. He grunted as he tried to get the sling of his rifle, an old Fortunan XJ-72.

He walks down the street, coming across a group of Venomian citizens who eyed him. Ever since the ousting of Andross, his faction was never popular.

(Question: Can Kimber come into contact with Suldeen/ Nadir? Sorry I wasn't on much today. I was working.)

[Star_Dragon]

(No worries. I wouldn't have a problem with it, but since it was KazeKat that came up with him, even though he said anyone could control him... I'd ask him. Just to be safe.)

*     *     *     MANTAKAR STATION     *     *     *

Markus slept soundly in his quarters, knowing this piece of territory was secure and - best of all - under his control, courtesy of the CDF in addition for the payments for taking out the Fiend leadership and taking the Fiends out altogether. Last report stated that the restoration and refit tasks were nearly complete, but that was three hours ago. Markus looked forward to getting that trading post near the refineries running - a stop-over point for anyone passing through this sector. However, what worried Markus was the adjacent territory - Sargasso. Reportedly, the pirates there were more organized and better-equipped than the Fiends ever were. He didn't fear any sort of military attack from them - his fleet certainly could handle it. In fact, he silently and in a corner of his mind, dared the Sargasso pirates to try something. Not necessarily itching for his next fight, but certainly prepared for it.

*     *     *     CORNERIA     *     *     *

Drake flopped down on his bed in his hotel room as the sun sank well below the horizon. He wanted to get at least a couple hours sleep before he went and sampled the night life of Corneria. Dad always said that Corneria had a neat night life, almost like Vegas. Drake wanted to put that to the test.

[Shmibli7]

Desmond walks down Corneria City's entertainment district. What he was going to do, he had no idea.

[Arminius H O Fiddywinks]

Bohdan sipped his bottle of beer as he looked across the battered city of Themiskyra, planetary capital of Zoness. Some streets were still filled with debris from fallen buildings, and the buildings themselves had holes in them. Most were plasma holes. Some were from explosives. Others were stained with blood, and no one had bothered to clean it off. There were also craters in the streets, making for treacherous driving. Suddenly, like clockwork, at 8 PM, a youthful, yet authoritative, voice erupted from the loudspeakers erected on every street corner by past regimes.

"ATTENTION: THE 12-HOUR CURFEW HAS NOW BEGUN. ALL MA AND LBM CITIZENS ARE TO PROCEED TO THEIR HOMES IMMEDIATELY. IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO PROCEED TO YOUR HOME, PROCEED TO THE NEAREST BUILDING AND REMAIN INSIDE FOR THE DURATION OF THE CURFEW. THIS MESSAGE WILL REPEAT IN CORNERIAN, AVES, SELACHII, AND NUTRIA" The voice then repeated the message in Cornerian (English), Aves (a language spoken by the Avians which was vaguely related to Italian), Selachii (a dialect spoken by MAs which faintly sounded Greek), and Lutrinae (an LBM dialect which was loosely similar to Castilian Spanish). Bohdan listened to the announcement, although he could not understand Aves, Selachii, or Nutria. A few minutes later, Elizabeth came from behind him and stood to his left, leaning on the iron rail keeping her from plummeting ten stories to her death. She looked at the dragon beside her, who hand his left hand on the rail and his right holding the ice-cold beer bottle. Bohdan took another sip.

"I'm tired of looking at bombed-out buildings," Elizabeth stated. "I'm tired of hearing these stupid announcements. I'm tired of watching kids play in impact craters. And I'm tired of how nonchalant you and Alex are about this." Bohdan looked down on Elizabeth, the Alaskan Klee Kai's brown eyes contrasting against her black and white fur.

"It could be worse," said Bohdan. "We could have been dealing with genocidal maniacs with machetes and automatic blasters running around the streets murdering almost anyone they could find. We could have been in the middle of a civil war where neighbors turned on each other and blood ran through the streets."

He then looked down onto the street below, and saw a male LBM and female MA attempting to enter locked apartments and shops. The male tried to lift a garage door, while the female banged on closed doors. The female then finally saw an Avian rush into the glass door of a diner. The female motioned for the male to follow her, and together they dashed to the door, where the Avian desperately tried to close it. However, the male caught the door before it closed. The LBM, MA, and Avian then went into an argument. The Avian made gestures which signified "no". The LBM and MA pleaded with the Avian, but the Avian would not let them in. Some Avian patrons then went to the assistance of the Avian by the door, and together they closed it, and blocked it with a table and some chairs. The duo banged on the door repeatedly until a police van came by a minute later. Three Avian officers exited the vehicle. The male and female, standing beside one another, went up against the glass of the diner, the flashlights of the officers shining in their faces. After a brief inquiry by the officer wearing a cap, one of the officers wearing a helmet unleashed his baton and struck the LBM male in the face. The male collapsed onto the sidewalk, and the officer began beating on him. The female tried to intervene, but she was struck in the back of the head with the baton from the third officer, who wore a helmet as well. The two helmet officers beat the duo mercilessly and almost enthusiastically, as one of them was taunting and laughing at them, for about thirty seconds until the officer wearing the cap told them to stop. They did so, and arrested the male LBM and female MA, twisting their arms behind their backs and cuffing their wrists together. The officers dragged the two of them to the police van, with the male and female stumbling, bleeding from their open wounds. The draconian lawmen tossed the duo into the back, and along with the cap-wearing officer, entered the cab of the van. It sped off down the street, its siren blaring.

"Now that," began Bohdan, "is what I am tired of seeing." He took another sip of his beer.

Edited July 18, 2015 by Arminius H O Fiddywinks

[Star_Dragon]

(Uh... what planet was that on?)

*     *     *     MANTAKAR STATION     *     *     *

Markus woke from his sleep, seven hours after he'd gone to sleep. He rose from bed, dressed in uniform, and marched onto the bridge of the Thermopylae. Voro surrendered the Captain's chair as he greeted, "Ah, Lord-Admiral. You'll be pleased to know that all repair, restoration and refit operations are complete. We are currently going through starship repair before we start the initiative."

"Speaking of starship repair, what was the damage report?" Markus asked.

"I wasn't referring to our ships," Voro said. "A damaged freighter came in two hours ago, followed by a heavily-damaged cruiser. Said they'd been hit hard by pirates. Not only that, but the CDF was good to their word - we are expecting a trade ambassador to arrive here within the next three hours to discuss the trading station we found."

"Very well," Markus said as he settled into the captain's chair, "Keep me posted."

[Arminius H O Fiddywinks]

(Edited that post: it's Zoness.)

[Star_Dragon]

(I see. As long as it's in Lylat. Carry on.)

[Shmibli7]

As Kimber walked his route, a message came to him through his earpiece. "Sinclair, report to base immediately." A gruff voice said to him.

"Yes, sir." He replied and turned around. Once at the base, his leuitenant gave him his orders. "Sinclair, you will be traveling to Zoness to pick up a weapons shipment for our fighters. The payment has already been transfered." 

Sinclair does as his leuitenant tells him and pilots his small ship, "The Heartbreaker" to Zoness. Once planet side, he sees that the streets were mostly barren.

"What the?-" He says, wondering what was going on.

(You will rp with me, Arminius, and you will LIKE IT! lol.)