Hapchazzard wrote: ↑

Wed Jul 17, 2019 6:14 am

As I subtly pull Brom away from the squid, when we're at a safe enough distance that it won't hear us, whisper to him:

"Talkin' to a squid? Are you outta your mind?"

Look around, somewhat nervously

"Did you... notice that third guy's gone missin' as well? First Gene, then that noodle guy, now this feller, too? Somethin' queer's goin' on."

Visibly frown at this point

"The squids are onto us again. Be careful who you talk to, anyone could be one o' them. N' especially don't talk to them unless you really, really need to, for some reason. Whatever that one told you's a lie."

Keeping
"In our line of work, we must appear friendly to all species; you know that.
To act in a hostile manner towards any one race would tarnish my spotless reputation.
If you must, busy yourself whilst I talk to Hiltorel, and express your disliking of them after we're out of earshot.

Now on the matter of our allies...
Yes, it seems that they cannot spend very long in my presence.
This does on occasion happen with my partners those rare times I take one.
I'm sure he'll get over it. Just get him a message and let him know where to meet us."

Hapchazzard wrote: ↑

Wed Jul 17, 2019 1:13 pm

((Making this part into a second post for the sake of convenience))

"Anyways -"

Glance back behind to see that the squid isn't spying my PDA

"This is our guy. Wasn't that hard to find, even on this here shitty network. Looks like he's some big name... 'least on this shithole of a station. Give it two or three days, n' even Frank could be a big name on this tin can. Big fish in a small puddle, as folks say back on Arskosha. Or a tin cup o' water, more like."

Pull up the info I've found on Men'ko Mokila and show it to Brom

"What information can you give me about this character? Where does he work? Is it for the mercenaries?"

Alpha
Buck shows Brom what he's found: A list of various adventures, rumors, tall tales and the like involving everybody's favorite restaurant-owner-gone-mobster-except-not-actually-mobster-but-more-just-a-guy-with-a-reputation-for-not-liking-to-be-screwed-over, Men'ko Mokila. It seems he has a place he keeps up on the northside of downtown, down a side street that is fairly well-marked and ends in a nice little cul-de-sac. He's a restaurant owner. He has a restaurant. People go there. It's supposed to be pretty popular. The English version of his place is "Mokila's Mimosas", perhaps referencing the drink (although it should be noted, by the look of his menu, he may not even have a clue what a Mimosa actually is - it looks like he just chose the name specifically because it was 1. related to alcohol and 2. happened to be in Galactic Standard).

There are no articles or pages mentioning Men'ko Mokila and Squigg being buddies, but given that the only pages Buck can really find on Men'ko are the advertisement for his eatery and an opinion column in a local news site... well, that's hardly surprising. He's a squid - a big, well-built looking one at that - but still just a squid. Neither Brom nor especially Buck have much respect for their kind.


Beta
"I-is Ms. Kaquyu allowed knowing you sent us to take her?" Saoirse asks.

The bhezian translates, and Big Daneelo responds with a stern "Peta." As it soon turns out, this means "no".

A bit worried, Frank queries, "They'll let us in without asking questions...but will they let us take her just as easily...? Or should we expect hostilities from the start?"

"Be prepared for all things," Big Daneelo replies. "Bringing them a gift from Hosef'Wa may help things flow more smoothly, but be aware that I and Hosef are on uneasy terms."


Gamma
Vynkor, her head pounding, assesses the state of her limbs. Her right leg, upper calf, feels like it's burning violently. Her limbs are all there, at least, and they all feel functional... so that's an improvement over last time. She opens her eyes slowly, and starts feeling around for her gear - only, she doesn't find any. At all. Where's my shit? Void take them, where's my medkit? While fairly pissed off at this development, she decides to start unwrapping the bandages around her chest to fix the wound on her leg - only to find it's already been patched up... rather messily. Some kind of slimy, chemical-smelling substance has been smeared all over the spot where a worryingly large chunk has been taken out of the muscle... and it still hurts like hell, but it doesn't seem to be bleeding anymore. Maybe it'll even heal eventually. ...Sort of, anyway. It looks like discount stopgap medigel - and smells like it, too. The stuff is almost as toxic as it is beneficial. Vynkor quickly decides that a layer of bandages over it probably won't hurt anything - but as she's wrapping it up, she notices the hiltorel girl huddled in the corner. "Hey, you alive?" Vynk asks, not really expecting a response. The hiltorel shifts slightly, but says nothing.

But she does receive a response - from Sukava. "Yeah, I'm fine," she groans, putting a hand to her aching head. "Just a hangover. Crazy party last night."

Vynkor grunts her agreement.

"I think I got two," Sukava says, opening her eyes and taking a look around. "How many did you get?"

"Just one. They fried my gun when they knocked us out." Then she turns to the squid in the corner again. "I hope you speak Standard. I've had about enough of the language barrier thing."

"I do speak Human, yes," the girl replies, after a lengthy hesitation. She seems... well, very nervous and afraid. There's no telling what she's been through while she's been here, especially given her condition, so it's hardly any surprise. "I'm Mofaet."


Delta
Still not having moved, Yuuji idly kicks a pebble. Or something. There aren't really any pebbles here. It's a goddamn space station, after all. Maybe he kicks a broken piece of metal or something -- the important thing is that he kicked it. Why? Because he's bored as all fck and certainly not doing anything else right now - certainly not doing anything important, like trying to prolong his immediate lifespan. But he's bored, so he kicks a rock. Er, piece of scrap metal. It's a thing people do. Probably. I mean, it's a big galaxy.

[IC]Vynkor[/IC]

Mofaet wrote: ↑

Wed Jul 17, 2019 4:17 pm

"I do speak Human, yes," the girl replies, after a lengthy hesitation. She seems... well, very nervous and afraid. There's no telling what she's been through while she's been here, especially given her condition, so it's hardly any surprise. "I'm Mofaet."

"Name's Vynkor. You look like you're well acquainted with whatever it is that happens here. Mind giving us the rundown?"

Talvieno wrote: ↑

Wed Jul 17, 2019 4:17 pm

Alpha
Buck shows Brom what he's found: A list of various adventures, rumors, tall tales and the like involving everybody's favorite restaurant-owner-gone-mobster-except-not-actually-mobster-but-more-just-a-guy-with-a-reputation-for-not-liking-to-be-screwed-over, Men'ko Mokila.

"So, first thing I did is get into one o' them local bulletin n' talkin' boards. Turns out this place dun' have that many, so it ain't like it was a long search. Several hits, turns out."

Show him a forum search window with several threads listed, with "Mokila" being highlighted by the browser in multiple places

"Most of it's just stupid alien jibber jabber 'bout crap that obviously never happened, but it's a start. But then I found this asshole -"

Talvieno wrote: ↑

Wed Jul 17, 2019 4:17 pm

It seems he has a place he keeps up on the northside of downtown, down a side street that is fairly well-marked and ends in a nice little cul-de-sac. He's a restaurant owner. He has a restaurant. People go there. It's supposed to be pretty popular. The English version of his place is "Mokila's Mimosas", perhaps referencing the drink (although it should be noted, by the look of his menu, he may not even have a clue what a Mimosa actually is - it looks like he just chose the name specifically because it was 1. related to alcohol and 2. happened to be in Galactic Standard).

Open up one of the highlighted results, displaying a tacky restaraunt advertisement

"- just shillin' for his place out in the open! N' whatever, that makes our jobs much easier. So, his place's name's "Mokila's Mimosas", n' I know what you're thinkin', but dun' get too excited, 'cause look at this shit -"

Open up the restaraunt's menu in a new window, then scroll intently

" - no actual mimosas! What a joke! Like, he's got that stuff we had back at the Ponderance, n' this cocktail ain't exactly bad, but he's puttin' way too lil' ringberry essence into that crap, it's gotta taste like shit at those levels! N' wait, even better, look at this - Cloudy Stinger - with no actual whiskey! What... in the actual... hell. This guy's the biggest crook I've seen in some time! Anyways, there's still this article 'bout him, but I dun' think it's -"

Pause for a few moments, looking at my PDA with curiosity

"Huh, that picture was bufferin' for ages, thought It'd never load. Just a sec', lemme open it up -"

Talvieno wrote: ↑

Wed Jul 17, 2019 4:17 pm

He's a squid - a big, well-built looking one at that - but still just a squid.

Buck's jaw slightly drops, and a few seconds pass before he mutters

"... sweet fukcin' hell, you've gotta be shittin' me."

“I’m ready to head to the weapons dealer.”

Talvieno wrote: ↑

Wed Jul 17, 2019 4:17 pm

"Be prepared for all things," Big Daneelo replies. "Bringing them a gift from Hosef'Wa may help things flow more smoothly, but be aware that I and Hosef are on uneasy terms."

Well, Daneelo's response just fills me with confidence.

"What do you mean by 'uneasy terms?' I'd like to avoid being double-crossed before even showing up to the guys we're supposed to infiltrate.

And wouldn't letting Kaquyu know she's actually being rescued make her more likely to not screw the job up for us?"

cuisinart8 wrote: ↑

Wed Jul 17, 2019 8:15 pm

And wouldn't letting Kaquyu know she's actually being rescued make her more likely to not screw the job up for us?"

"We probably can tell her what we're there for...but people might overhear who we're getting her for..."

F4wk35 wrote: ↑

Thu Jul 18, 2019 4:29 am

"We probably can tell her what we're there for...but people might overhear who we're getting her for..."

I nod, humming my agreement. "That does make sense, we'll just have to be careful with it- if that's acceptable to you," I say, focusing the last to Daneelo himself.

Hapchazzard wrote: ↑

Wed Jul 17, 2019 5:42 pm

Talvieno wrote: ↑

Wed Jul 17, 2019 4:17 pm

Alpha
Buck shows Brom what he's found: A list of various adventures, rumors, tall tales and the like involving everybody's favorite restaurant-owner-gone-mobster-except-not-actually-mobster-but-more-just-a-guy-with-a-reputation-for-not-liking-to-be-screwed-over, Men'ko Mokila.

"So, first thing I did is get into one o' them local bulletin n' talkin' boards. Turns out this place dun' have that many, so it ain't like it was a long search. Several hits, turns out."

Show him a forum search window with several threads listed, with "Mokila" being highlighted by the browser in multiple places

"Most of it's just stupid alien jibber jabber 'bout crap that obviously never happened, but it's a start. But then I found this asshole -"

Talvieno wrote: ↑

Wed Jul 17, 2019 4:17 pm

It seems he has a place he keeps up on the northside of downtown, down a side street that is fairly well-marked and ends in a nice little cul-de-sac. He's a restaurant owner. He has a restaurant. People go there. It's supposed to be pretty popular. The English version of his place is "Mokila's Mimosas", perhaps referencing the drink (although it should be noted, by the look of his menu, he may not even have a clue what a Mimosa actually is - it looks like he just chose the name specifically because it was 1. related to alcohol and 2. happened to be in Galactic Standard).

Open up one of the highlighted results, displaying a tacky restaraunt advertisement

"- just shillin' for his place out in the open! N' whatever, that makes our jobs much easier. So, his place's name's "Mokila's Mimosas", n' I know what you're thinkin', but dun' get too excited, 'cause look at this shit -"

Open up the restaraunt's menu in a new window, then scroll intently

" - no actual mimosas! What a joke! Like, he's got that stuff we had back at the Ponderance, n' this cocktail ain't exactly bad, but he's puttin' way too lil' ringberry essence into that crap, it's gotta taste like shit at those levels! N' wait, even better, look at this - Cloudy Stinger - with no actual whiskey! What... in the actual... hell. This guy's the biggest crook I've seen in some time! Anyways, there's still this article 'bout him, but I dun' think it's -"

Pause for a few moments, looking at my PDA with curiosity

"Huh, that picture was bufferin' for ages, thought It'd never load. Just a sec', lemme open it up -"

Talvieno wrote: ↑

Wed Jul 17, 2019 4:17 pm

He's a squid - a big, well-built looking one at that - but still just a squid.

Buck's jaw slightly drops, and a few seconds pass before he mutters

"... sweet fukcin' hell, you've gotta be shittin' me."

"...Perhaps it would be best if I did the talking this time.
Excellent work as always Bill! I knew I could count on you.
Let's get a message out to the rookie and we'll be on our way."

Walk over to the Hiltorel shopkeeper I was speaking to, and thank him.
"Thank you for your assistance kind sir!
Were we not in such a hurry I would surely take a few moments to peruse your fine wares.
Perhaps after our task is completed, I will return.
Until then best wishes upon you, and thanks again."
Wait for parting comments on part of the shopkeeper, and walk back over to Buck.

"Have the new guy meet us at our destination. He's fast, he'll catch up.
Be sure to use the same process you followed last time; I don't want anyone becoming suspicious of us."

"I'll pass on the bandages, thanks. Six body parts they could have shot, and they chose the second worst one."

"Hey Mofaet, I'm Marina. How long have you been here, who is holding us, and how do you plan on getting out."

Hema wrote: ↑

Thu Jul 18, 2019 10:23 am

"...Perhaps it would be best if I did the talking this time.

"What talkin'? We ain't negotiatin' with that thi -"

Hema wrote: ↑

Thu Jul 18, 2019 10:23 am

Excellent work as always Bill! I knew I could count on you.
Let's get a message out to the rookie and we'll be on our way."

"Hey! I wasn't finished sayin' what I -"

Hema wrote: ↑

Thu Jul 18, 2019 10:23 am

Walk over to the Hiltorel shopkeeper I was speaking to, and thank him.

Stop mid-sentence, fearing that the squid might hear me
Scowl in their vague direction, and then get lost in contemplation as I rub my chin
Start imagining the worst case scenario - a horde of squids and scary green things pouring out from behind a fake, cardboard bar
Then, imagine all of them getting splattered by my gravgun and subtly smile
Shake my head and think "Nah, they could've already ambushed us if they wanted to. Besides, squids are too stupid for this kind o' elaborate ruse."
Continue on imagining - now it's only Mokila himself, talking to Brom. Suddenly, Brom is mind controlled! Frown at this.
However, in the next scene, imagine myself, easily bashing in the squid's skull with my trusted baton, not fooled by it's cheap mind-control trick. Again, nod and smile subtly at this
In the final scene, we are back on the Tartarus, and the big computer is commending us for doing such a great job, chiding Beta for sucking, and generally praising Alpha over Beta. Very visibly nod and smile at this.

"Yeah, I ain't afraid o' no damn squid! If it does any squiddy tricks, I'll turn that empty, slimy skull of it's into mush!"

Hema wrote: ↑

Thu Jul 18, 2019 10:23 am

"Have the new guy meet us at our destination. He's fast, he'll catch up.
Be sure to use the same process you followed last time; I don't want anyone becoming suspicious of us."

Snap out of my daydream

"Yeah, I'll send it to him. Dun' know if he's still alive, though. Somethin' queer's goin' on, I'm tellin' ya."

Start writing an encrypted message, then realize that I don't even remember the guy's name

"Hey, uh, you remember that guy's name?"

EDIT:
Assuming Brom tells me Yuuji's name, send him an encrypted message with the location of Mokila's Mimosas
Set the key for the message to be "Squigg"
Send a second, unencrypted message to Yuuji, contents being "name of the bastard we spoke to back at the bar"
Walk with Brom towards the location of Mokila's
Along the way, relay him information about the squid-daxx conflict and the mysterious disappearances in the sector
Do my best not to lose track of Brom, considering all of the mysterious disappearances happening to us
As usual, keep sharp about any threats/things of interest on our way

Hapchazzard wrote: ↑

Thu Jul 18, 2019 12:24 pm

EDIT:
Assuming Brom tells me Yuuji's name, send him an encrypted message with the location of Mokila's Mimosas
Set the key for the message to be "Squigg"
Send a second, unencrypted message to Yuuji, contents being "name of the bastard we spoke to back at the bar"
Walk with Brom towards the location of Mokila's
Along the way, relay him information about the squid-daxx conflict and the mysterious disappearances in the sector
Do my best not to lose track of Brom, considering all of the mysterious disappearances happening to us

((i introduced myself to you both when entering the bar the first time ))

bastard we spoke to back at the bar.... oh please wrote the name the same way i'd write it.... Squeak... no.... Squick.... no... Squigg....yass!

send a message in return
"Sorry, i completely zoned out at noticing that we lost the Noodly moron, i'll tell you why, later when i catch up with you again and we're not being shot at.
i'll head back and look after the fat bastard and bring him where you told me... assuming he didnt get shanked by the survivors of the fight"

head back to near the Bar, just about capable of seeing the front. trying to stay invisible
look out for Ishmael

if i get discovered by unfriendlies, GTFO

Hapchazzard wrote: ↑

Thu Jul 18, 2019 12:24 pm

Hema wrote: ↑

Thu Jul 18, 2019 10:23 am

"Have the new guy meet us at our destination. He's fast, he'll catch up.
Be sure to use the same process you followed last time; I don't want anyone becoming suspicious of us."

Snap out of my daydream

"Yeah, I'll send it to him. Dun' know if he's still alive, though. Somethin' queer's goin' on, I'm tellin' ya."

Start writing an encrypted message, then realize that I don't even remember the guy's name

"Hey, uh, you remember that guy's name?"

EDIT:
Assuming Brom tells me Yuuji's name, send him an encrypted message with the location of Mokila's Mimosas
Set the key for the message to be "Squigg"
Send a second, unencrypted message to Yuuji, contents being "name of the bastard we spoke to back at the bar"
Walk with Brom towards the location of Mokila's
Along the way, relay him information about the squid-daxx conflict and the mysterious disappearances in the sector
Do my best not to lose track of Brom, considering all of the mysterious disappearances happening to us

"I believe his name was Yuuji.
Not exactly the most intimidating of names.
I should talk to him about getting a better one, or at least a code name.
We'll deal with that issue later! Once you've sent the message, we will proceed.
Keep your wits about you, Bill! You never know what you might run into in a place like this."

Wait for Buck to finish sending his messages.
After he's finished, walk to the location that Buck specified.
On the way, keep an eye out for anything of interest.
Tension between people on the street, possibly opportunities, and potential hiding spots.
Once we reach our destination, go up to Mokila, or his staff should he not be available.

IF I can talk with Mokila directly:
"Greetings to you, Mr. Mokila!
I am Connley McKale: master sharpshooter!
And this is my teammate, Billy.
-
We're no here to waste your time or cause you any trouble.
Etch Squiligan sent us.
Being the busy fellow that he is, he wasn't able to make it here in person.
So we are here in his stead to deliver what he owes. "
Hand Mokila the plat.
"200 plat chips are what he sent us with. I trust that this is enough?"

IF I can't speak to Mokila directly, go up to one of his employees.
"Sorry to bother you, the name's Connley. This is my teammate, Bill.
We're here to deliver payment to Mokila on behalf of Etch Squiligan.
If you would, we'd like to be allowed access to him so that we may do so."

Alpha
((You guys know Yuuji's name. Squigg told it to you. I'm going to hold off on replying to your posts until the main one, which isn't too far off.))


Beta
"I'm ready to head to the weapons dealer," Nilo says, already tired of the whole thing, even despite the fact that he's only just arrived.

He is, however, the only one there who is quite ready. Masking his unease, Caleb asks of Big Daneelo, "What do you mean by 'uneasy terms?' I'd like to avoid being double-crossed before even showing up to the guys we're supposed to infiltrate."

"It's... complicated," Daneelo admits. He says nothing else on the matter.

Caleb goes on, "Wouldn't letting Kaquyu know she's being rescued make her more likely to not screw the job up for us?"

"I assume he has a good reason for it," Saoirse stammers quietly. "But it would help us d-do things right if we knew how you intend to u-use this to re- restabilize the s-situation."

"We can probably tell her what we're there for," Frank agrees.

"She must have no knowledge of who sent you," Big Daneelo stresses pointedly. "You may tell her you're rescuing her, but nothing more. If she inquires further, you will tell her nothing. My own operatives will take over after you get her out and deposit her near where she needs to be. No one should know I have any connection. Is that perfectly clear?"


Gamma
"Hey Mofaet," Sukava says, in a friendly, comforting voice. "I'm Marina."

"And I'm Vynkor," the other woman interrupts, introducing herself.

Sukava continues, "How long have you been here?"

Mofaet shifts slightly on the floor, likely out of discomfort. There's a lengthy pause before she speaks, almost as if she's considering whether these two people can be trusted. "I don't know," she finally says. Her voice sounds dry and cracked. "A long time. I don't know how long."

Sukava murmurs in acknowledgement, and then asks, "Who is holding us? And how do you plan on getting out?"

"...Getting out?" The response is flat, not as though it's something that Mofaet has never considered, but more that she feels it's an impossibility, as though Sukava just suggested she sprout wings. "You can't get out. They watch you... all the time." Her voice is slow and monotonous - distant and emotionless - as though she's not entirely 'in the moment' - as though she's describing something that hasn't happened to her. "They take you out... and they ask you questions... but they don't want to hear the answers. They want to laugh at you... to beat you for sport. Because it's funny. Because they don't like you. They tell you lies... sometimes they say they'll feed you and they don't... sometimes they tell you they won't, but they do it anyway. There are so many lies... you forget what truth sounds like. You stop listening. You stop fighting. I don't know who they are. I don't know where I am. I... I don't know where I am."

She pauses for a long moment.

"They'll come for you soon," she finally says. "They came for Tlika too."