Take the sky [IC]

[Holy-hunter]

For one reason or another your luck and finances have come to a sudden and abrupt end, be it a recent series of unlucky events or a procurement of misfortunate over your lifetime, either way you find yourself planet bound, unemployed and short on friends and cash.
However, as it does, opportunity knocks. Fate has landed in your hand the possible key to turn your luck and life around and kick start your journey.Wanted-new crew.


A fixer: things need to get made, modified. Need some one who knows how things work, how to get things done, how to fix things.

A ghost: ghost hears and sees all, can go anywhere, touch anything, and leave without a single trace and without anyone even remembering they were ever there.

The convincer; born with the gift of the gab and a forked tongue to go with it. A star, who can be many people or no one. Be convincing, be a distraction, be anyone. Able to lie, trick, manipulate anyone into nearly anything.


If interested seek out Styx @ The Old Merry.




The Olde Merry
.......

The olde Merry is very much an old rustic saloon, it's a bit dusty and decrepit but it has much old charm and character.
It's two stories and with rooms upstairs to rent. On the main floor a large grand piano sits against the wall, cluttered with odd debris and dust having not been opened in years.

Located not to far from the planets biggest storage/warehousing space port and processing plants, it's the most popular and well known tavern on Illitema.

As you enter and your eyes adjust to the dim light you notice it is quite empty, the odd old lonely farmer sits amongst the shadows drinking in habitual woeful silence, locked into ritual.

Behind the bar a tall well dressed and groomed man with blue eyes and trimmed brown hair is cleaning out beer glasses before racking them on the overhead holder. He nods briefly towards every newcomer.

There are seats a plenty and a single large formal stairway that leads to the upper inner balcony and rooms.

[Thokk_Smash]

The door opens, and in walks a boy. Well, a young man--although his face has yet to lose the baby fat of his youth, his height and lanky build mark him as having passed adolescence. His earthy-toned clothes fit well, although they seem to be worn down from being washed too many times. His red hair sticks out at odd angles, although it seems as though he has attempted to brush it flat. His eyes sweep the room with a sharp, keen look; taking in the emptiness as his hand fiddles with his utility knife.

He makes his way to the bar and sits down. I need a beer, and an answer to my question: where can I find someone named Styx?

[EnglishKitsune]

Michelle eyed the bar nervously, one hand gently resting on the handle of her trunk, she supposed she should be inside and at least getting the low down of the place, but without a single credit to her name she was pretty sure she would be kicked out before to long, especially looking as young as she did. Watching a young man, maybe a few years older than her, walk in, she moved quickly to gently stop the door closing just behind him, using the opportunity to slip inside, she perched her bags near a table and walked up to the bar just in time to hear the boy ask for Styx, biting her lip, she said nothing, aware that he was apparently looking for the same person as she was.

Willing to let someone else do all the work, especially as she half thought of this as a trap, a sting operation to catch low-life criminals that might be attracted to such a note. It was only an after thought that she realized she was now one of those people as well. She also became aware of how she was dressed, slightly fancier than the farmers and such, wearing a black jacket, black skirt and dull red tights leading down to a pair of workboots. She tapped the man gently on the shoulder and smiled her best smile, shifting her accent to sound a little more local.

"'Scuse me Sir, but Ah do believe we are looking for the same fella, would you like to join me at ma table till he makes himself known to us?"

She hoped he would, that way at least one of them would be buying drinks to keep the owner happy,

[Thokk_Smash]

Surprised at being addressed by someone, Riley turns to look at the girl behind him. His eyes had widened with the surprise, and they take in her appearance quickly. After a split second of thought, he puts on a smile in response to her own. I suppose I can join you while we're waitin'. Thank you kindly. His accent is curious--Frontier, but with an undercurrent of Core as well.

He takes his drink and pays the proper amount of credits. He leaves the barkeep with the request to inform Styx that he is looking for him, and joins Michelle at her table. Riley plops down his own backpack onto the floor and takes a sip of the beer. He regards the girl for a moment before saying in a low voice, So you're lookin' to join this shindig, too? Are you the fixer, ghost, or convincer?

Before she answers, he snaps his fingers and says, Oh, but where're my manners? The name's Riley; yourself? He offers his hand for her to shake with a courteous smile.

[Holy-hunter]

The barman pauses mid task to look over the kids with a paused expression of concern. With a soft deflating sigh he silently complies with the drink order and slides a full mug across to the red haired boy as the 0.3C price popped up on the till and was paid.

A furrow forms in his sad brow as he softly shakes his head as the two take a seat. Deliberating over a thought as they made their introduction he puts his work aside as he gives into his better judgement and approaches their table, grabbing a nearby seat he spins it the wrong way and sits, leaning his elbows on the backrest.

"Hope your of legal age to be drinking that," he says with a friendly smile and nod to the beverage.

"Sorry 'bout the price, Alliance been riding me with licensing fee's n fines so hard I gotta up my profits to stop them taking this place off me."

He sighs before realising he's off topic and stalling himself.

"Ne-way, jus why are you two bright young things looking for Styx?" He asks with a hint of nervousness in his otherwise calm soothing voice.

[EnglishKitsune]

Michelle smiles as Riley introduces himself, and quietly responds as she sees the Bartender move up to them.

"Michelle, and I guess I'm good at getting into things, places and heads."

As the bartender reaches the table she eyes him nervously, not knowing if she could trust him, or indeed Riley opposite. looking down, she played with a coaster on the table, flipping it over as a she quietly spewed her info, her careful plan of distance crumbling.

"Well uh, y'can probably guess I'm not local; from Londinium see, only been landside for a month... Arrived with no credits, scraped by 'til I made an enemy of some local thugs. I, uh, can't turn to the Alliance for reasons... This job is the one shot I have right now, I'll be sleeping rough again if it doesn't work out. And then there's my medication..."

She trails off and looks up, her eyes slightly red rimmed and sighs.

"I really got no choice. Styx is hiring, I need the money. Badly."

[Thokk_Smash]

Riley's face twinges into a sour frown at the bartender's comment at his age. His gorram face is going to keep Styx from taking him seriously, if his luck holds the way it has. As it is, in response to the barman's comment he takes a good swig of the beer.

He listens to Michelle's story with a slightly sympathetic gaze; he could definitely relate to that. But he was still irritated with the barman's insinuation of his age, regardless of how friendly it might have been, so he simply says, My business is my own, and I've no obligation to share 'em with anyone. Suffice it to say, the job offer is mighty appealing.

Who is Styx, anyway?

[Holy-hunter]

With a heavy sigh the man leans back as he begins to dig into one of his pockets,

"He's a bad man" the bartender says in a short reply as he pulls out a key from his pocket and casts it across the table.

"Be warned, he's more crooked then the all the alliance scum, that guy will stab you straight in the back while lookin you in the eyeball. He n' his brother ain't no good" his sentence trails off as he makes his way back to the bar.

The shiny key on the table has a tag attached to it.
The number 6 is printed in lage bold print smack bang in the centre.

[Thokk_Smash]

More crooked 'n the Alliance? That's either exaggeration, or else we may be in fer more than we knew. Riley takes another sip of his beer before saluting to Michelle with the mug. Either way, I know I've no other choice but to take the job. My family's counting on the coin.

He grabs the key. He holds it in his hand for a moment, squeezing it tightly. Are you shiny, Michelle? he asks, waiting for her to respond before getting up.

[EnglishKitsune]

Michelle was staring at the retreating Bartenders back, perhaps realizing for the first time how deep she was truly getting. She was still staring when her Multiband started beeping, an alarm she'd set earlier in the day, cursing quietly under her breath she digs through her rucksack until she finds a small black pill bottle, swallowing two of whatever was inside she studied the nearly empty bottle, apparently making up her mind. Making sure they weren't being overheard she said quietly.

"I guess I'm in. But I'd like to find out few things first, play it cautious like. If Styx is as bad as the Barman says, we might want to find a way to impress him first, we don't exactly make a good first impression. So, what say we figure out a plan, I can also try and get a bit more out of the barman."

She stands up and makes her way over to the bar, wheeling her suitcase to one side of it, she smiles at the Barman. "Thank you for the warning, I wouldn't be here if I didn't have a choice. As you said, Alliance been riding everyone, means some of us have to ride just that farther ahead." She rubbed the counter idly, seeing the shine in it's top and the stacks of clean glasses along the shelf. "This place is well cared for, in better times I used to be a waitress y'know but never a place as fancy as this. I had to leave when some trouble started up with the local Se Dungh, the owner kicked me out faster than I could pack. But your different, I can see you really care for this place and it's locals. Even to strangers like us you'll give a warning." She looked down at the bar. Again running fingers along the polished top. "Y'say this Styx is a Wei Shian Dohn Woo, so I gotta ask, why is he here? Why'd you let him stay? Is he a local or?" She cuts herself off, blushing slightly. "Sorry, I always babble when I'm nervous, din't mean to offend or get ya into trouble, I could just, I could really use the help y'know?"


Se Dungh: Gang, Group, Crew
Wei Shian Dohn Woo: Bad Egg

[Holy-hunter]

The bartender is taken back by her words and gives into her charms, his pride in his bar even slightly blushing in his cheeks.

"We go back, families were close once upon a time. The man wasn't born a bad egg and even if I don't right like where 'is money comes from, it's still money...
Plus this way I can keep an eye out for any trouble he brings to the locals.
Nah he's not from here, 'es Athens born but couldn't keep out of trouble with the Unified Reclamation, always trying to take stuff that they said was theirs. I bet that's why he needs you, ever done illegal scavenging before?"

[EnglishKitsune]

Sh smiles a little and waves Reilly over to her. Turning back to the bartender she notices a row of spirits along the back shelf.

"That would be telling. Which I honestly don't think you want to know. Listen, I know you've done enough for us already, but might'n I have a bottle of whiskey and a few glasses? Especially if you know one Styx is fond of? A drink might get us through the door long enough to prove ourselves to him. Even if the job falls through I'd work here to pay you back."

Plus she didn't mention, getting enough info outta the Bartender might impress Styx enough that she was more than a pretty face. Bringing him a bottle of his favourite booze on the first meeting would be good, right?

[Thokk_Smash]

The beeping of the Multiband provokes blinks of surprise from Riley. Ah, so she has more problems than she could say at once? Riley understands medical conditions; he idly scratches the hearing aid in his right ear as she proclaims her intentions. He nods, but finishes his drink as she goes to talk to the barman. No need to waste the Credits he'd spent on it.

He misses the first half of her rant from the distance, but notices her waving him down. He gets back to his feet with a stretch to the ceiling. The utility belt around his waist settles as he moves towards the bar.

No need to work off any debt--I've some coin to spare, if it helps us get in with Styx. Consider it a sign of camaraderie from a future coworker. He gives Michelle a smile and takes out his credits again, slipping something else out of his pocket as well.

When the barman turns to get the drink, Riley leans near Michelle and reaches out his hand. Take this, he whispers, placing a microtransmitter into her hand. It isn't the prettiest piece of shine in the 'Verse--he cobbled it and the others in his pocket together with the best parts he could find before he'd left the college, which weren't sayin' much--but it'll do the job. If we're gonna be workin' together, might as well be able to keep in contact.

Whether she takes it or not, he hands his Credits to the barman with a smile. Thank you kindly for all your help. Any last words of advice for us aspiring youngsters?

Riley making the micro transmitters himself is my attempt to justify him having multiple items labeled "C" in the book. He does have a high rank in Create Technical Device, so it's not totally inconceivable.

[Holy-hunter]

The barman holds the bottle tightly as he passes it over, reluctant to release it even when the 4credits were paid.

"Yea, turn 'n' leave right now, forget the name..."

He lets go of the bottle and leans in closer as he slides a bowl of peanuts infront of the two in offering.

"Well if ya dead spent on going down this path, I got a little job to warm you up, I got a lil somfin I know Styx will want." He says as he chucks a few of the nuts into his mouth and starts chewing.

[EnglishKitsune]

Michelle, ignoring the peanuts, clips the transmitter to her Multiband for now, keeping it out of sight of the barman. She mouths a silent thank you to Reilly, both for the Transmitter and the Bottle. 4 Credits was a lot to her right now. The idea of actually doing a job scared her a little, or maybe excited, it was hard to tell. She glances around the bar, making sure noone was listening and then leans in to listen.

"What did you have in mind?"

[Thokk_Smash]

Riley takes hold of the bottle of spirits, firmly gripping the neck. A job before they even meet Styx approaches redundancy to him, and part of him simply wants to forgo it and move onto Styx. But he keeps his impatience in check and simply places the bottle securely in his backpack. And do we get anythin' out of it aside from possibly getting into Styx's good favor? Not that that's not great, but y'know, I gotta ask.

[Holy-hunter]

The tender leans in ever closer as his eyes quickly scan the people around them,

"Ya see, I got this gorram snobby, richly fellow renting out one of my top beds, n' I got an inkling he's a purple belly Lien Mohn, Pi gu " he whispers.

"Yea see" he contines as he rubs his chin, "a man can't do his bussiness with that uncertainty hanging over him, I'm sure I'm not the only one that would value that info." He finishes the rant with a wink as he punches up the number 15 into the credit scanner.

[Thokk_Smash]

At the mention of a possible Alliance mi tian gohn here, Riley's mouth noticeably creases into a frown. If the man does turn out to be Alliance, well...there are many fun things he could do if only there were a Terminal around.

You wouldn't happen to have a Terminal of some sort around here? Even a rickety one would do. I've a hand for computers, so I might be able to find the guy's info. If his info's hard to get to or fake, well, then he might not be who he said he is.

Without the Cortex, I'm thinkin' I'll let Michelle take the lead talkin' to the guy. Good at gettin' into heads, right?

Mi tian gohn=excrement. Riley doesn't like the Alliance.

[Holy-hunter]

"Under the stairs theirs an ol' hub, don't do much but make calls nowdays, can't get the old piece of junk to work like it used to. Even if it did I don't have any of his details.

The barman continues on with his work wiping down the table.

[Thokk_Smash]

Riley "hmm"'s in his throat. No information on the man would make things harder, and it might just be faster to go hands on. What do you think, Michelle? he whispers, leaning on the bar. We should probably just go knock on the door and find out what info we can--we could come up with a believable lie to explain our bein' there. You could distract 'im while I snoop around, or somethin' like that.

[EnglishKitsune]

Michelle was more than a little uncomfortable at term purple belly, but she tried to not let it show. Instead she thought about how to get into this person's room. She went through several ideas, dismissing each of them in turn, before she settled on one that would work best, and not cause any trouble. Nodding slowly, as the idea cemented itself in her head, and with growing confidence, she smiled at them both, to reassure her or them was still unclear.

"I might have a trick that could work. I'd need a tea set though, and I'd need somehwere change. Shifting her accent a little, she managed to recreate the Barman's accent just enough to sound local. "That is to say, Unc' if you don't mind your Niece working here to keep 'er outta trouble? She's only a country gal, and is a bit swooned by the Alliance Gentleman. Enough to bring him tea to try and find out more 'bout his big important life. I heard in Londinium there's statues made o' diamonds! And all the lady's wear the prettiest gowns!"

[Holy-hunter]

After a short chuckle he replies gentle unable to remove his amused grin.

"doll, I am truly impressed by your eagerness and creativity, but... If he turns out to be alliance and you gon get your selfs caught. I need ta be able, an dam gonna, deny everything! So what ever tricky ideas form in that bright brain pan of yours, make sure they don't include me. Right."

"If only bussiness were better, I would strait up just hire you."
He adds as he gets back into work, noticing an empty glass and heading out to one of the other patrons.

[Thokk_Smash]

Riley nods at Michelle's idea. It would have been a great plan, but he could understand the barkeep's refusal to go along with it.

Got any other ideas? he asks. You could pretend to be a saleswoman, though I suppose they don't often visit bars. I'd suggest a Jehova's Witness or the like, but I doubt that'd get us past the door.

Musing some more, he continues, I've got tools; we could pretend like we were sent to inspect or repair sommat or other in his suite. Other than that, I dunno what else I can bring to the table for this particular gig. Aside from th' computer deal.

[EnglishKitsune]

Michelle pouts, her face flashing red with heat as she tries to hide her embarrassment about potentially ruining the Bartender. looking at her shoes she tried thinking about any other plan that might work, but her mind kept returning to talking her way in. She found herself getting frustrated and was surprised to find tears welling up. No, she thought to her self, do not get emotional now, that would be bad. She sighed and looked up.

"Well Okay, scratching the niece idea, the plan can still work, I'll just say I'm a serving girl, if things go wrong you can say you've never seen me before. It's pretty much the truth."

[Holy-hunter]

Having returned to the bar with the patrons empty glass the bartender fills it back up as he listens to the new plan and gives it a little 'alright why not' shrug and nod.
Just before he heads back out to serve the beer he pauses, and looks to Michelle

"you right kid?"

He asks, inspecting the girls face.

[Thokk_Smash]

Riley turns to Michelle.

So you'll do the serving girl routine, but I don't think I would be of much help. I'm not so good of an actor. Unless you could think of a way I could be useful? Otherwise, I'll be on the terminal, and we can keep in touch with the transmitters.

[vonpenguin]

"That little huen dahn. I'm gonna kill him. Told him not to get mixed up with this kind of thing." Mutterd Molly as she walked into the mostly vacant bar, her eyes narrowed in annoyance as she looked for the scrawny teenager she called a brother. He left the note about this meeting in his jacket at home, and well, it was sticking out and she knew he was trying to act like some kind of tough guy lately. She she looked around , stepping out of the doorway, still in the coveralls from her job at the repair yard, still smudged with the grease of the job in fact. Paul's act of stupidity had her rushing out the door before she had a chance to even sit down.



Huen dahan= Jerk

Also rolling alertness+ perception seeing to scan the bar: d8+d6

[EnglishKitsune]

"That's okay, things go south and I need to get scarce, it'll be up to you to make contact with Styx for the both of us."

Michelle took the tissues, and wiped her eyes, blushing now more than ever, she nodded to both Reilly and the Barman, who she really should ask his name when this is all over. Moving to her suitcase, she grabbed the handle and wheeled it towards the restroom, planning to change into something a bit more suited to a serving girl, luckily, she had kept the old brown dress from the previous place. As she was looking down, she didn't see the woman enter the bar until she almost walked into her. Michelle, already embarrassed, and feeling she was making a right mess of the situation, mumbled an apology and moved around the woman, ducking inside the restroom and locking the door behind her.

[Holy-hunter]

Molly doesn't see her brother, however she does spot a shot glass with a fair amount of beverage residue sitting in the bottom, that with the chewed toothpick sticking out of it and the stool far from being tucked in, Molly can guess her brother was sitting there at the table at the base of the stairs.

The bartender watches her with concerned blue eyes, pausing what he was doing to see if he was to be called upon.

[vonpenguin]

Molly took a quick step out of the girl's way, saying her own low apology. Curiosity over why someone would bring a suitcase into the bathroom crossed her mind, but she had her brother to worry about. She walked up to the bartender, she shifted her eyes to the young man near him before forcing herself to talk to the unknown man, "Howdy. Umm, You don't happen to remember who was sitting right there at the base of the stairs? And where he went off to?" After a moment she figured she needed to at least order something to make up for the trouble, And something weak if you don't mind. Need 'long as I can handle 'fore I lose my voice." Perhaps too much information but she babbled sometimes when she wasn't comfortable.

[Holy-hunter]

"Howdy. Umm, You don't happen to remember who was sitting right there at the base of the stairs? And where he went off to?" After a moment she figured she needed to at least order something to make up for the trouble, And something weak if you don't mind. Need 'long as I can handle 'fore I lose my voice." Perhaps too much information but she babbled sometimes when she wasn't comfortable.

"Tall kid, brown hair, green eyes?" He asks while pouring up a mixture for Molly. '0.24C' pops up on the till.

[vonpenguin]

"Yeah that's him alright. You haven't seen where he scampered to?" She said, sliding the money over to him and nodding her thanks, taking a small sip of the mixture.

[Holy-hunter]

"Yeah that's him alright. You haven't seen where he scampered to?" She said, sliding the money over to him and nodding her thanks, taking a small sip of the mixture.

The drink is a fruity one (well the fake watery artificial fruit flavour atleast) with a real subtle bitter tang.

"Ah yea, 'e came in asking much the same like as this guy," The bartender nods towards Riley. " 'n I answered him in much the same manor, then he went off upstairs, got a bit o' attitude your friend does."

With that he moves to the side to continue on with some dishes.

[vonpenguin]

"Brother. But thanks. And I'll be incentivising him losing the attitude once I find the little rat." She said, eying Riley with a bit of suspicion. He didn't look dangerous, maybe he was just some idiot like he Dei-Dei. "Mind if I go up with you when you meet this "Styx" fella? Won't be but a moment then you can go on with whatever it is you lot are doing." She asked the young man, he was probably around her age, give or take."So do you do this kind of job a lot?" she asked, he didn't seem like the criminal type.

[Thokk_Smash]

Riley sizes her up as she does the same to him. The overalls and grease mark her as being similar in skills to him, so a small part of him is glad that she doesn't seem to be interested in the job. Not overmuch, no, he says, shaking his head. And I suppose I don't mind, though whether you'll get past the door might be up to Styx.

My newfound colleague and I are doin' somethin' quick before we go up to meet Styx, though, so it may be a little bit. Are you any good with finding out whether someone is or isn't who they say they are? He'll wait for Michelle to leave for the upstairs suite before he goes to work on the terminal.

[vonpenguin]

"That's why the good lord invented windows." she said, only half joking. In truth Riley needn't have worried much about her skills anyway, she knew enough to do basic repairs, and help with more complex ones, but she was one of the first ones they'd tried to send out the door once money was tight at the repair yard. She had to take half pay just to stay on, which, she though bitterly, was probably why Paul choose now of all times to try to get in with this "crew". She perked up when Riley mentioned the detour, "Not who they say they are? Like what?" now she was on the hook, a good mystery was something she couldn't pass up. "Well, I suppose some people have called me a bit of a snoop. Gettin' where I ain't overly permitted to be and all." she looked embarrassed as she admitted this.

[Thokk_Smash]

Well, the barkeep thinks that a guest in room 15 is a piece of mi tian gohn purple-belly Alliance man. It'd help the barkeep to know for sure whether he is or not, and findin' it out might help me and Michelle impress Styx afore we meet him. Michelle's the other girl who just went to change clothes--she's lookin' to pretend to be a serving girl to get into the guy's room.

If you're as good a snoop as you say, you could slip in while Michelle distracts him and do some, well, snoopin'. I'd take it as a favor, and do my best to repay you however I can. Er, fair warning, though, credits are a bit...tight for me at the moment. He grimaces at the reminder that he can't really afford to be in someone's debt.

[vonpenguin]

"I'll help but you kick up a fuss about someone as young as my brother going on whatever this fella has lined up afterwards. Deal?" She offered, she didn't like doing it that way but Paul was all she had left, can't let him go out and get hurt. "Believe me, I know 'bout tight credits. Barely scrapping by my own self." she admitted.

[Thokk_Smash]

Well, I'm not sure I've much of a right to kick up that fuss, but sure, Riley says with a shrug. So we'll wait for Michelle and you two can coordinate what you wanna do.

After a moment, he holds his hand out for her to take. The name's Riley, by the way.

[vonpenguin]

"Molly. Sullivan." She said after a momentary pause as she shook his hand. "Right, so should I climb in the window or sneak in after or what?"

[Thokk_Smash]

I don't rightly know which would be better--probably should ask Michelle when she comes back. She'll be the one you're workin' with, after all.

[Holy-hunter]

Having completed washing and racking the glasses, the barman shuffles around under the bar to remove a bag of rubbish which he takes out back, disappearing through a door, a moment later the audible hum of a clanky disposal unit echoes from where he went.

Meanwhile almost instantly (and conveniently) after he left the room, from around the corner a sudden rumble of slurred cursing begins followed by a loud thud and banging. The angry men's yelling only seems to be getting louder.

[vonpenguin]

Lifting her head twards the sound Molly tilts her head before turning to Riley, " Should we make sure everything is ok?" she asked, not really waiting for an answer before moving to take a peek around the corner, trying not to be noticed until she sees what's going on.

[roll0]
[roll1]

[Thokk_Smash]

Riley had been ignoring the cursing and banging. It was easier than for most; his hearing aids aren't the best, although they do make it so he can hear further than five feet away. His eyes flit to Molly as she speaks, and follow her when she moves without waiting for his reply.

He shrugs, and figures that he'd feel kinda bad for the barkeep if something happened to him. He moves his hand to rest on the hilt of the pistol hanging on his side underneath his coat. He moves behind Molly, far enough back to not be heard, as he tries his damnedest to hear what they're yelling about. His stealth skills aren't much to write home about.

Trying for Alertness+Perception (down one step due to Dull Senses)

[roll0]
[roll1]

[Holy-hunter]

Around the corner two men stand around a holo-game table.
They are not secretive about their anger towards it as the holographic table top flashes in and out.

Nor do they seem concerned who is around aslong as no one goes near their pile of cash surrounded by many empty jugs.

From hints of their conversation it seems there's a wager on the game, and things just might get very ugly between the two biker-looking guys soon.

[Thokk_Smash]

Seeing the two men arguing to themselves, Riley relaxes. His hand, however, stays right on the butt of the pistol as he relaxes against the wall. Probably best not to get involved. No need to get between two guys who're lookin' for a fight to being with, right? Still, part of him worries about whether their fight will erupt into something worse, so he stays in the corner to observe them for a little longer.

[vonpenguin]

Molly watches the holo table flickering for a moment before speaking, "I'm thinking they might be disagreeing 'bout what to do if the table goes out. Any idea how to fix one of those? I don't fancy a ruckus starting. Or it might be a good way to clear out that fella's room but I worry they'll pull iron." Molly said, partially just thinking out loud, or rather mostly, she didn't even want to be here at all, but now that she was things were getting all kinds of interesting.

[Holy-hunter]

Both of you have a bad feeling about what is about to go down, as one of the players hits at the holographic pool ball only for it to delay and fall not in his favour. As the shouting begins Molly hears multiple clicks from around the tavern.
Riley notices the odd patches the two men wear, clearly from rival gangs, but their confidence and language tell him there not alone and that's when he notices the other patrons in the bar attempting to discreetly pay attention, most of them have one hand leaning to their belt line, as they very slowly nurse their drink.

[Thokk_Smash]

Riley's eyes shift to the malfunctioning holo-table, running the figures through his mind. Somethin' like that should be simple to fix. Assumin' it's not too old or just that darn busted. Looks like those two are from different se duhngs, along with some others in here. He looks at the two roughs at the table, arguing like they're ready to shoot, and he sighs. Wish me luck, and if the crap hits the fan, you should probably hit the floor.

With that, he pushes off of the wall and approaches the two at the table. He keeps his hands away from his belt in the air as he says, 'Scuse me, gentlemen, I couldn't help but notice your holo-game table's on the fritz a bit. Mind if I take a look at it, see if I can't fix it up, and y'all can have a proper game. He lets his accent thicken a bit as he gestures towards the tool belt visible at his waist.

Se duhng: gang.

[Holy-hunter]

With a grunt the guy who just hit, points his stick at Riley and says "Rekon ya ca' redo my shot?"
"Dat ain't fair" the other grumbles in protest.

"It's the only thing that's fair now do eet boy... Or else!"

"Don u F'n cheat" the other says glaring at him evilly"


Riley finds himself in between a rock and a hard place now.

[Thokk_Smash]

Even with the stick in his face and the threat of bodily harm, Riley doesn't even begin to sweat in fear. It'll take more than their bluster and actions to make him nervous. I'll see what I can do, just lemme get in there, he says, maneuvering in between them to reach the table. Feeling around the outside, he finds the control box and fiddles it open. He takes a good moment to familiarize himself with the controls, reaching for a tool as he needs it to try and find the problem.

Alertness + Technical Engineering to find the problem: [roll0] + [roll1]

Intelligence + Technical Engineering to fix the problem: [roll2] + [roll3]

[vonpenguin]

Molly nods when Riley asks her to wish him luck, keeping a subtle watch on the rest of the crowd she notices a birds nest in one of the beams in the ceiling and mutters a short curse under her breath at the sign of bad luck. Quietly she kneels down, acting like she's fixing her boot, when actually she's getting ready to grab her tiny 38. from her ankle holster if the men with guns decide to be stupid. She didn't know the mechanic at all but he seemed too nice to let get shot over a holo game.

[Holy-hunter]

As Riley was digging around and almost ready to give up it all becomes obvious, the tables current housing wasn't the original and the new panels are blocking unnecessary extra systems from running. (Player scans, recordings, holographic spectators)
By shutting these down and a few other things the table will run smoothly, also by using the internal controls Riley can tap into the data recording and rewind to or replay any shot.

Accessing a data logger reveals only the last shot went astray due to technical difficulties and faulty algorithms.


Granted some more time and materials this old box could be fixed up to the fine piece of entertainment equipment it was suppose to be.

As Riley rises from under the table the air freezes with a tense anticipation of what he has to tell them.

[Thokk_Smash]

Riley rises to his feet after putting the finishing touches onto the machine. He slots the last tool into his belt and slaps his hands clean of imaginary dust. A simple fix; the durn thing's too old for it's own good. It'll work clean from now on; go on, give it a shot.

He moves to the side to let the ruffian take his next shot. He makes no mention of the last shot; he owes the man no favors, and mentioning it would probably spark another argument anyway.

[Holy-hunter]

With a grunt the man about to shoot slurrs, "Good job kid"
The other shows no gratitude as he goes to hiding behind his drink while watching the table.

The tension defiantly leaves the air but you can't help being left feeling just that little bit more on edge.

(1 plot point to Riley)

[EnglishKitsune]

In the restroom Michelle had just finished changing, she now wore a dark green dress, plain, but still fitted to show off her assets, the fact that she barely had any only heightened her youthful appearance, making her barely seem 14, not yet a woman at all, black tights and her black boots completed the outfit. Brushing her hair back and slipping it into a ponytail, leaving a few stray hairs as if she'd been working. Then she dug to the bottom of the case and found her old apron. Unrolling it and tying it around her, she used her small makeup mirror to check her appearance. Practical, yet pleasing, perfect for what was needed. The last thing she did was slip her multiband off, storing it in her suitcase. Then she put the Micro bead into her ear, hoping it was concealed enough among her hair.

She was about to open the door when she heard the raised voices, slowly opening the door, she saw Reilly and the woman she had bumped into approaching two burly men next to a faulty game table. Scared, and feeling the tension in the room, she silently clicked the door shut and hid. After a period of no gunfire or more shouting, she peeked out again, and saw the men resume their game as Reilly walked away, breathing a silent sigh of relief, she walked over to the bar, leaving her case next to Reilly's drink, she walked up the stairs to door 15, putting on her most innocent and joyful face she knocked on the door and softly called out.

"Housekeeping!"

[Thokk_Smash]

Not even a sigh of relief leaves Riley's mouth as the tension fades. He walks back to where Molly is standing just in time to see Michelle walk away from her bags and begin to walk up the stairs. Oh, for the love of, he mutters, reaching into his pocket to find another microtransmitter. Molly, that was Michelle who just walked up the stairs. Seems she's rarin' to go, so follow her and keep outta sight of her and the fellow in the room. We can all keep in touch with these, just put in in your ear.

He replaces one of his hearing aids with a microtransmitter and turns it onto the preset frequency. He moves down to the basement where the terminal probably would be as he whispers into the transmitter, Michelle, I'm sendin' someone up to give you a hand snoopin' around the man's suite. You distract the fellow and give her an opportunity, and she'll slip in and snoop around. Think you can distract him long enough?

[vonpenguin]

Molly cautiously takes the ear bud and fits it into her ear, "Alright, let's pillage some privacy." She said, forcing a smile Riley's direction. She moved up the stairs, walking slightly slower than she saw the other young woman walking, giving her more time to start distracting their target, listening carefully to see if she could tell when it was safe to round the corner.

[Holy-hunter]

The door swings open, "bout time" Molly hears a man say in a deep gruff voice. A heavy hand grabs Michelle by the shoulder and yanks her into the room, "nice get-up" the man mumbles as the door slams shut behind her.

White noise instantly fills the ear pieces, the odd word is distorted, clouded in a ringing echo so much so it's practically indecipherable...


Something isn't right... What did you guys get her into?

[Thokk_Smash]

Well, that's not good. Riley's mind races as he reaches the old hub. Molly, can you still hear me? he asks into the transmitter. I'm gonna try'n boost the signal of the transmitters; the bar's old hub should have enough power for that at least. See what you can do about gettin' into that room, but keep me updated. The only notice of his tension is his thickened accent.

He reaches into his belt and takes out a few wires and connectors, before reaching into his bag to take out his commpack. He inspects the old hub to see just how out of use it is before attempting to connect it to the commpack.

Intelligence + Technical Engineering to diagnose how well the hub runs: [roll0] + [roll1]

Intelligence + Comms specialty to strengthen the signal to try and break through the blocking: [roll2] + [roll3]

[vonpenguin]

Molly winces at the sudden white noise but answers Riley in a low voice, "Right, I'm gonna listen and see what's oing on. In'in your friend needs help there's no use sneaking around." She said, before starting to move, trying not to make much noise but not so much paying attention to not being seen as she moves to the door and presses her ear to the keyhole.

[roll0] +[roll1]

[roll2]+[roll3]

[Holy-hunter]

Molly skillfully makes it to the door unnoticed and without so much as a floor board squeak, however between the old trash compactor buzzing away on cycles and the drunken men down stairs being arrogantly cheerful she can't really seperate or be certain of the sounds she thinks she hears...

Was that a mumbled conversation or a whimpering of pain, did the compactor just jam or did someone fall with a thud, is someone pacing in the room or are they the floorboards below...? Wait what was that! Someone's at the otherside of the door, at the peephole maybe...

Riley finds it looks promising but it will take a little time and fiddling before he knows for sure...
He can rush it by skipping certain tests and sureties but that risks damaging some of the finer components, what will he do?

Risk it to get it done quick or take his time and do it right? Meanwhile his new friend may be in danger.

[vonpenguin]

Molly holds her breath and very slowly raises herself up to look through the peep hole. What in the 'verse am I doing? she thinks to herself, she was here for Paul, still if someone might be in trouble...

[Thokk_Smash]

Frowning loudly at the old terminal, Riley weighs his options. Michelle could be in trouble; not to mention, if whoever was in there could afford comm jammers, the odds that they are with the Alliance skyrocketed immensely. His scowl deepens as he imagines a purple-belly Alliance stooge here.

Nodding resolutely, he goes about connecting the commpack with the terminal, doing his best to avoid damaging it while still working as quickly as he can.

[roll0] + [roll1]

[Holy-hunter]

Riley can do it however doing it properly will take a couple of rounds.... Or you can quickly smash it together but it may result in some damages if you haven't calculated and tested for the right connections.

You know an A goes with that B but in some very rare cases it might be connected to a Z further down the line in wich case u should use a Y. You can test it and everything will turn out sweet (in a few rounds) or just run with your experience, assumptions, calculated probability and gut feelings. (No roll needed just choose 'rush' or 'steady'.

Molly peers through the peephole but can't make out any distinctions besides a slow shifting blur of disoriented greys.
These rooms were for granted privacy. However the trash compactor finally comes to a halt and the barman returning to the bar causes the two rowdy men to simmer down a little.

[Thokk_Smash]

Riley chooses to trust in his experience and instincts; not only is it the potential danger surrounding Michelle, but his grudge with all things Alliance driving him. Plus, it doesn't seem as though the Barkeep uses it overmuch; he could probably patch it up after, given time.

[Holy-hunter]

The comm's go dead quiet for a moment as the white noise vanishes and Riley starts to think something went wrong when suddenly a familiar voice rings across them.

"Who's "they" Sir? If you don't mind my asking, it's just I'd hate to run afoul of the law, my work is my life as you know.

An old mans voice continues.
"They are the law, and the cortex system, it's all another big conspiracy like the 'Miranda' case all over again."

His voice breaks into an almost sobbing cry as he carries on like a passionate mad man.
"I just want to be left alone and not made to hurt people"


(Michelle doesn't spot anything like what she was looking for but he does have a rigged up portable cortex access point with some dodgy looking extras connected to it.)

[Thokk_Smash]

Relieved to hear Michelle's voice, Riley sets to keeping the signal strong while doing minor checks for any damage he may have caused. Into the transmitter, he whispers, Michelle, this is Riley; the signal cut out earlier, but I got it back. I just caught your last sentence. Cough once for yes, twice for no: are you in danger?

[EnglishKitsune]

Michelle is startled, she's used to Alliance personnel being tough, iron-like walls, it was one of the reasons she never fit in with her friends or family. She looks at the man with pity, knowing all to well what it was like to be on the run, yet unable to say anything less she give away her deception. She was taking a sip of tea when Riley's communication burst into her ear, startling her, and causing her to cough once, which she then added another fake cough to, to give the all clear. The last thing this man needed was strangers bashing down his door. He'd probably drop dead out of fright.

"Sir, I have to be honest with you, coming in here the bartender made no uncertain remarks that he viewed you a man of dubious character. Being shacked up in such a place is putting you in just as much danger from the locals. We don't rightly fit in here, and that makes people nervous. Now, I can't rightly as a companion advise you to do anything illegal, but maybe you'd be better heading further rimwards, the alliance are only growing stronger here, it's not safe. Your best bet is to slip out now before the net is fully closed. There are lots of places in the Rim that are looking for skilled technicians, and won't look to hard at them either."

[Holy-hunter]

Now that the man has started speaking, it's like his lost in his thoughts as he carries on, nearly oblivious to the things being spoken to him.

Since the exposure of what happened on Miranda there where two major phases.

1 denial, sweeping it under the rug and calling it an attack of terrorists still sour over a lost war.

2 after there was some extremist activities causing the loss of life of innocent alliance citizens they opened further investigation that revealed video footage of Miranda being used to try treat the reavers. The government confirmed there was a secret organisation that even they were not aware of comprised of people willing to sacrifice all to try and rehabilitate the reavers. But they did not create them.

Along with all the political conflict and social seperation this has caused many new conspiracy theories sprung up, like the government turning people into weapons...

This old man spills a repetitive tale about how the alliance messed with his head and made him kill his wife after he walked in and found out she had been cheating on him.

As he carries on and becomes more and more emotional he is seeming less and less safe to be around.

[Thokk_Smash]

Wait, what? The guy's a test subject fer the gorram Alliance? Riley's heard the rumors about Miranda, the reavers and whatnot. If this man is even a little bit related to what happened to the reavers, he's not a man that they wanna be around.

Michelle, that guy's startin' to sound hysterical. It sounds like you know what he's about, now; you should get out, and we can tell the barkeep or Styx and they can take it from there.

[vonpenguin]

Molly thought about it for a moment before pipping in over the comms, her voice low so as not to be heard through there door, " That's probably a good idea. I'm just a few feet away if you need help but either he's crazy or someone played in his brainpan. Either way that's bad."

[EnglishKitsune]

Michelle, as the man descended into his ramblings slowly got up and made her way to the door, trying to keep behind him as much as possible. She moved quickly but quietly, and prayed to the stars that she would find the key still in the door.

[Holy-hunter]

There are multiple locks on the door, most of which can be unlocked without a key but one defiantly needs a key and it's not there... *surprise* Michelle watches the lock untwist seemingly on its own followed by a soft click.

A sudden silence takes over the com wavelength as the man pauses having noticed Michelle at the door.
There is a mixed confused look on his face. With a bit of anger and betrayal.


Riley hears footsteps coming down into the basement.


A couple are engaged in general chitchat and are heading up the stairs towards Molly and will soon see her.

[vonpenguin]

Molly, hearing the couple, pulls out a few pieces of wire to use as lockpicks and leans against the door, attempting to to hide her hands behind her as she tries to open the door for Michelle. As the couple comes into view she loudly asks them, "Hi there! Neither of you happen to have the time do ya? Been expecting someone for awhile and I expect they're a might late." she asks, hoping the sound of people on the other side of the door will keep the man from doing anything rash.

[Thokk_Smash]

Riley tenses as he hears the footsteps. He moves to a more secluded spot in the basement, while still keeping the commpack connected to the terminal, and places a hand onto the hilt of his pistol in its side holster.

[Holy-hunter]

basement
"There ya are" says a mans voice, rough and strong.
He is just outside of Riley's view, a heavy tapping sound follows as something solid slaps agains his hand.

The man whistles as he draws nearer to where Riley was.

Upstairs
The first up the stairs was a man, well dressed and proper, standing tall and awkward, looking quite concerned and out of place.
Behind him followed a lady with long wavy brown hair and an infectious smile, wearing a bright floral dress.
"Oh sorry hun" she says as she looks to and taps her multi band, "damn things been on the fritz for a while now"

She gives a little laugh and bounces as she rolls between the heel and balls of her feet.
The gentleman behind her awkwardly scratches the back of his head and touches his ear. "Uh, um maybe you should ask the the bartender if he's seen your friend"

The woman contines her big friendly smile but neither seem like they are about to move.

[Thokk_Smash]

Riley doesn't like the sound of this. From what he can hear, it doesn't seem like it's going well on Michelle and Molly's end, either. Molly, if things go bellyup, you git outta here, you hear? Riley breathes into the microtransmitter as quietly as he can.

He wedges himself into the corner he's in, making sure no one can come at him from anywhere except the front and making sure he has a clear view of the terminal, and then takes out his pistol. He readies it for if and when the mystery man comes into his view, and when the man comes into view Riley says, Iffn you take another step, you'll be gettin' some more holes in yer body.

[vonpenguin]

"Oh, right. Well I'll do that if she doesn't show up soon. Thank you though." she said, looking and feeling embarrassed over how clumsy that lie had been, she moved her hands out from behind her back and shoved them into her pockets, "Have a nice day..." Why weren't they moving? If something happened in the room she didn't want other people around.

[Holy-hunter]

downstairs
Before Riley can react the man suddenly lunges into his view, but not at him. Wielding a really large spanner he smashes it deep into the comm's hub and Riley can only imagine the damage it caused as it sparks and hisses smoke.
The attacker is a tall man wearing a goofy orange home knitted cap with ear warmers, a tight green shirt, tan trousers and a full utility belt, Riley can now act and get the jump on him but it doesn't seem like he's noticed him or will be sticking around.

Meanwhile
upstairs
The com in Molly's ear goes to a burning static, she notices the man have a reaction at the same time but not a negative one, instead he gives a little expecting relieved smile as he brushes his hair around his ear again.
"So your just going to stand infront of this door waiting for your friend then?" He says a little strangely, pronouncing each word slowly, loud and clear.
Noticing this too, the smiling woman grits her teeth as she gives him a subtle elbow to the ribs whispering something to him as they lock elbows.
*ak- mhm-tral* Molly manages to make out from the mumbling.

"Sorry, forgive my friend he's a bit daft" the woman says leaning forward and flicking her wrist as to wave of the suspicion then with a big smile she looks Molly over and says
"Say, you wouldn't happen to be a ship mechanic would you?"
Eagerly she awaits a reply, face full of excitement.

[vonpenguin]

"Umm, I'm not in your way am I?" She asked the man, before she got an answer the woman was waving him off, she chewed her lower lip for a moment, "Oh, yeah. I work down at the repair yard. Truth is, I ain't so great at it. Better flier." she admitted, she was starting to fidget, nervous under the gaze of the newcomers and the lack of knowledge about what was going on with Michelle.

[Holy-hunter]

The sound of engine thrusters can be heard growing outside, humming away. Nothing unusual.

Downstairs the man engaged a conversation over his com,
"Those damn ugly gorram yello bellies always a on out tail"
He replies angrily and frustrated to something said as he stomps around for a bit,
"This is like findin your own luh-suh on Beylix, we gotta split"
With that he rushes off upststairs.

From somewhere upstairs a very upset man yells down the corridor, "Yea well! Jus coz ya in some fancy clothes dun mean your any less of a two bit whore!"
It's followed by a moments silence then a loud crack and a crashing thud. The rapid patting of footsteps signal multiple people vacating the premises quite quickly.


Suddenly from the otherside of the door comes a loud 'CRASH' not a 'something in the room breaking' but a 'knocking a wall down' sort of loud crash, it rattles the walls and furnishings of the pub.

"How many times I gotta tell him, gentle on the left stick"
Says the woman with in an agitated huff, the two of them already half way down the stairs making an abrupt end to the conversation as they dart to the exit hand in hand.

[vonpenguin]

Molly casts an eye at the couple as they retreat before pulling open the door, getting a quick glance at the broken wall before grabbing at Michelle's hand, pulling her out into the hall, "Hey Riley's waiting, let's go." she said rapidly, trying to pull the other girl away from the commotion. "Riley, can you hear us? Come on, stupid transmitter."