Where There Is Smoke...

[Nina]

The station was old. It had been built above the closest planet to the Keshite Rift, Tavalia, a small world, really not much more than a worldlet.

Tavaria was a pleasantly temperate planet with three sprawling relatively flat continents and the rest wide green oceans speckled with scattered island chains (the peaks of massive underwater mountain ranges which circled the planet). A diverse ecosystem of plant, animal, and sea life but no sentient natives. Tavaria was the ideal place for rest and relaxation and its location near the rift an opportunity just ripe for picking. Within a century the world had been developed not for its resources but for its entertainment value. Like they say Location is everything.

 

Aboard The Kismet at FTL

 

Sori had one last job for Mouricines Charters, The Kismet, the companies oldest operating starship had been sold and in exchange for a hefty severance pay Sori had been tasked with delivering it to the buyer at Pel Tavaria.

 

The job was a straight flight but to make a few extra cubil she was allowed to take on cargo and or passengers with her. When she departed, she had had a bit of both.

 

“Ladies and gentleman, we are about 5 minutes from the Tavaria system and will be disengaging the stardrive in 4 minutes and 32 seconds. Please remain seated during this maneuver.” Sori’s voice came through the various speakers throughout the ship. “Depending on traffic in system and the docking que, we should be opening the hatch at the station in about 3 hours. Hope you have enjoyed your trip.”

 

Emi looked up at the speaker as their pilot made her speech, then she glanced off to her left where  a low growl had come from the big white Valna  sitting by the view port.

 

The Valna, called Seiya, and she were in what passed for the Kismit’s common area/dining room. It was better than waiting in the tiny cubes that were their so-called staterooms. She wondered what the Valna was growling at then she saw their third companion passenger coming into the common area from the corridor. The Promethean.

 

Amari paused at the entrance to the common area, the seat she had wanted was already occupied by the cat-man and the human was at the Rec-table by the refreshment counter. Her only choice was to join one of them or take a seat on the lounge sofa against the port bulkhead.

 

On Pel Tavaria,

 

Ivy stayed close to the wall of the transit corridor as she checked the data card with the advertisement flashing on its small screen.  

 

‘Pilot/Crew Wanted – Dock Arm 3B 14TU Sharp!’

 

She looked out of the corridors opening onto the expanse of the dock arm. Dock Arm 3 was a commercial docking area. The inner side was lined with warehouses and shipping supply outlets while the outer were where the bays for the individual space docks were located. She sighted 3B and made her way across the to the entrance to that corridor which led to the five Ship Locks, two on either side and the fifth at the end. A glance at the card and she noted the Flashing screen had change and now said Lock 4 – see Dage for details and application.

 

Spoiler

 

 

[Exile_Jeane]

Aboard the Kismet at FTL

 

Amari had had a fair bit of time to go over her initial panic and discord at the circumstances that had seen her departing Cerise at haste, tendrils peering about her with more than usual alertness, go bag weighing down her back. Part of her regretted running at her mentor's command, or at least not finding a hole somewhere on Cerise to curl up in so he could find her easier. Surely she was overreacting? Even at three to one odds, Alrick Verkle was a very good Engineer. She'd seen it herself when accompanying him during her training to the various mining claims. But then again, if he had to worry about her, maybe that would distract him from..?

 

She'd have still been cycling thoughts, chewing her mental cud right now, if not for the release of her music. Finding an empty corner of the ship with good acoustics. The routine of tuning and practise. The familar feel of the wood and metal under her fingers as she went through her old stand-bys, the 20th century classics she'd use to prime the pump of an audience for her showstoppers. Maintaining the fundamentals of her past through the changes of her present.

 

The feel of her serpentine tendrils rubbing together as they shifted their mouthless tips to take in the larger space, small red eyes blinking at everything, focused her squarely in the now and her fellow passengers. Amari Asmodesai made a quick choice in light of the possibility of the less then smooth transition back to conventional speeds and crossed over to the couch. She settled there, dressed in a lovingly-maintained, purple skirt and jacket combo that was high fashion on Ondus 9 years ago. Amari looked at her fellow passengers, making sure to nod at each of them, most of her tendrils lying down against her neck and back like the hair she used to have once she was still and safe.

 

 "Good Evening. Thank you for putting up with my noise this trip. I appreciate the consideration," she added into the silence, smiling with that classic perfect Promethan smile.   

[Asarasa]

On Pel Tavaria - Dock Arm 3

Ivy leaned back against the bulkhead with a sigh. She rubbed her eyes, then ran hand through her short, white hair. Her hangover was mostly gone, and she'd been on Pel Tavaria long enough that she was feeling the itch to move on again. Plus, she thought Truna, the Kesh bartender at Riftides she'd been crashing with was starting to get tired of her company. And her funds were getting low, even with her booze being subsidized by Truna's employee 'discount'.

The slender woman shoved off the bulkhead, and gave the data another glance, her fingers itching, the suggestion of darkness encroaching on her thoughts. Hope they have a pilot lined up.

With an easy grace, Ivy sauntered towards the second ship lock on the right. Sharp eyes and a certain type of brashness warned off the ubiquitous urchins looking for an easy mark. She stepped into the vestibule and stabbed the button to the intercomm with a thumb.

"Looking for Dage," Ivy drawled in a low, husky voice the belied her modest height and sleek, wiry build and delicate features. She waved the data card for the camera. "Someone looking for crew?"

Edited December 7, 2023 by Asarasa

[Shameless]

Seiya was annoyed.   It wasn't anything that anyone on the ship had done, more that he had only the faintest of leads on his ongoing hunt, and that was simply to come here, to this world.  He'd be contacted once planetside, as he had been on another occasion.   He had nothing more at the moment, and but he'd been in a similar position before.   Still, while some savored every aspect of the Hunt, this was the least favorite of his, a holdover perhaps from his time training as a soldier.

He looked to the Promethean woman, and shook his head slightly.  "It was no problem.  You've been a model, if somewhat unique traveling companion, as far as I am concerned."   His voice was a deep rich baritone, seeming to come from deep within his chest, and his blue eyes were all that gave away that whatever had caused his somewhat illmood wasn't one of the passengers, but something else.  

[Exile_Jeane]

Unique? That was a word for it. Ondus was on the cutting edge of Terran genesplicing and most of their (known) work related to keeping accidents like her from happening, as public as the final Crysalis celebrations were, a coming of age every bit as ceremonial and revelry-marked as the grandest parties. The preparations for her own had set the Asmodesai back a small fortune.  

 

Amari laughed behind one hand at his response, "You're too kind. I'd have kept my practice to my cabin, but space aside, the acoustics were awful. Couldn't bring myself to keep any of the recordings. So. What's your business on the legendary Pel Tavara? I picked this freighter because it was the first one I could find in a hurry and needed to put some distance between myself and Cerise. Was hoping one of you might recommend a nice place to rest my head while I plan my next move." 

[Shameless]

Seiya's eyes narrowed.  "I am here for another Hunt."   the way he spoke, it was clear the "H" was capitalized.   He looked at Amari, and shook his head.  "I know little beyond the first steps, i am to take.   Though, if my contact has such information, I'll ask. I'd need your contact info however."   When Amari nodded and provided it, he did the same.  

 

[Exile_Jeane]

SIM contact details sent, Amari considered the felonid alien. From what she could recall, it was a rare member of his kind to hunt alone, the basic principle of safety in numbers applying even to the strong, and that isolation struck a sympathetic chord in her. She closed her eyes and snorted in amusement at herself. Here she was trying to stay safe long enough for Alrik to find her, and here she was considering putting herself out there to extend a hand in aid. What was it that Alrik had taught her? 'Those who can do for those who can't'?

 

It was but a thought and a minute dip into her well of crucible energy to summon Asklepian, her serpentine forging Rig, into her hands from where it had been stowed in her luggage.

 

She opened her eyes and took in the reaction of both Seiya and the until-now-silent woman, "Well, *I'm* not hunting for anything bigger than enough of a gig to keep me in room and board while I wait, but if your Hunt sees you injured, feel free to come see me and I'll do what I can to see you on your way again, Seiya. I'm talented enough in the mending of flesh and what ails it."

[SalmonMax]

The 'until now silent' woman just sort of bobbed her head rhythmically, her eyes fixed on a spot on the far wall. Save for a brief moment when she'd paid attention to the tigerman growling, she'd been doing this for a good half hour now. No earplugs or AR-enabled glasses or anything, but who knew what she'd had stuffed into her skull that wasn't factory original?

 

And indeed, Emi was in a world of her own, wandering through the ship's constrained little SIM-vironment with a soundtrack bumpingbumpingbumping in her head, putting a little wiggle in the waggle of the walk of her SIM avatar. She was very intentionally trying not to exploit weaknesses in the network architecture, though there were several she'd spotted. She was just...poking around areas that were technically not off limits, but where no one was likely to have expected anyone to look. Overflow buffers. Stacks that had been flagged for deletion, but not deleted yet. Memory caches. That kind of thing. It was usually boring...but occasionally hilarious...what kind of data you could turn up by digital dumpster diving.

 

A little alarm she'd programmed to trip when the ship's ETA to port got low enough triggered then, and Emi heaved a deep breath and flicked her awareness up a level, then up a level, then back out into goopy eyeballs and tympanic membranes and nerve receptors buried beneath a hundred layers of dead skin cells. Just in time to see a couple of passengers cuddling up to the big tiger-booooooiiiii. She wondered if Valna purred. Would they be into human ladies? It seemed like...probably not? But who knew? People were messed up! And weird! And that was good! Usually!

 

"Almost there, eh?" she asked, glancing around the cabin. "When do we do the drop? Have you guys dropped before? It's a ride." Emi grinned.

[Nina]

"Stand by for Sub-FTL transition in 5...4...3...2...1..."

 

On Pel Tavaria

 

The hatch made noises as gears and locks disengaged and then the heavy door rolled aside. Ivy found herself looking down on a short rotund male being that looked sort of human but not quite. His head was absurdly round and his eyes with slitted pupils bulged behind thick goggles. The man glanced at the data sheet and he held out his hand, "Records?"

 

On the Kismet

 

The Ship dropped from FTL to Sub-FTL smoothly, the passengers felt some mild discomfort but none of them suffered from FTL sickness. The small ship flashed through the the star system on its way toward the massive station, even though the traffic was heavy, the Kismet was given priority for docking, a turn which surprised Sori.

 

On the station

 

While the being perused Ivy's record Ivey was studying the large view ports which showed the docking arm one section over. What had caught her eye was the number of small pods of various types flitting about, at a respectful distance, the vessel docked there. That vessel in turn caught her eye. It was the size of a small frigate and not configured like and ship she had ever seen before. It was sleek and it's lines were aggressive, and it was red. She had never seen a ship painted red before. It was too far away to make out any markings.

 

Then the view was blocked by another ship a small freighter which was coming in to this docking ring...

 

The Kismet slowly crept toward its docking ring, the passengers had been watching the interesting ship that they had been passing until the kismet turned and they could no longer see it.

 

"So you are wanting a position as crew? Not Pilot?" The being asked Ivy when he finished the records. While that was going on the Kismet docked and the the locks leading to the ship opened and Passengers began to disembark with their carry luggage where they were greeted by a Customs Robot who filed each passenger through the last off the ship was Sori right behind the big Valna.

 

[Asarasa]

"Crew preferred," Ivy agreed, turning away from the fellow who looked like it was composed of spheres. Her left hand clamped down in a fist to suppress a twitch as darkness flickered at the edges of her thoughts. Crucible crap, I need to dry out... or drink more... "I can pilot, if you don't find one. Being back-up or co-pilot would be better. Can help finding a pilot if needed. I've been around. I know people."

The being looked from the woman's records to give her another glance. It was so hard to tell the age of humans. She didn't seem old, but her records said she had a breadth of experience. Ivy let him gage her to his heart content as she idly watched the latest batch of passengers disembarking through narrowed eyes. Her open, armored mesh jacket gaped wider as she took a deep breath, white tank top stretching against the swell of her taut breasts.

Couple of humans from Over and Yonder, a tall female with tentacles for hair who definitely was not a Dendus. A big Valna, surprisingly solo. As she instinctively noted details, she wondered less about their backgrounds than that of the odd, red ship. Frigate sized, but styled more like a Starfighter. A pirate hunter, maybe. The red paint job looked too ostentatious and too clean for any pirates she'd heard of. She wondered how it handled.

"How long a commitment you looking for? And where are you planning on going, if you know yet?" She asked, turning back to who she was going to assume was Dage until she learned otherwise. Pay could be haggled over later, once she figured out if she was interested enough.

[Exile_Jeane]

Amari was incredibly unsettled. Someone had cut them to the head of the docking queue, and she'd been around money enough of her life to know that took a fair amount of credits and influence, credits and influence best saved for other matters on a high-volume trade hub like Pel Tavaria. Or at least not spent lightly. That meant attention for someone aboard the Kismet, hopefully not her. Despite the cheerful hat perched atop her head and her best smile, the new space and agitation had her tendrils glancing every which way.

 

Heavy duffel bag over one shoulder and guitar case hanging from the opposite hand, she approached the customs agent and uploaded a (hastily) filled out form declaring that she, (1) Amari Asmodesai, was here for (x) Business for a period of no more than (3) Months and declared (1) light pistol, (2) wrist blades, (1) plasteel shield, and (1) engineer's rig under the list of controlled items for which she had license # XXXXX justifying her use and possession of said controlled items. All very official and standard and likely to be buried beneath a mountain of similar data unless an incident caused their ship to be flagged for special attention.

 

Speaking of which, the curious crimson ship Amari seen crossing the umbilical to the station proper had caught her roaming eyes, running in the background of her thoughts as she awaited the affirmative noise from the Customs Robot processing her paperwork, another idle To Do added to her list once she found a place to rest her head and some food for her belly.  

[Shameless]

Seiya had taken Amari's offer to heart.  Though he didn't truly know her, or her story, an offer of that kind was one to remember.   

He took his own place in line behind Amari, carrying his gear and weapons in their proper cases, and his own filled in form looked much like hers.   He was here on Business, though the period was more extensive, potentially up to six months, declaring his multitude of weapons, and other gear, which given his status he was entitled to carry.    He remained with an almost bored look as he waited to be cleared.   He would send a message  to his contact once he was done, hoping that they'd reply with a place to meet up, and other arrangements.  If not then he'd make his own.

[SalmonMax]

Emi was behind Seiya in line. When she got to the robot she gave it a little finger-wave and smiled coquettishly at it.

 

"Hey boo. Nice seeing you again. We can probably just..." she made a fluttery little gesture, "...dispense with the paperwork, right? You know meeeee..."

 

(Using Machine Hacker ability to Charm the customs bot and try to convince it to let me go by without inspecting my paperwork; it gets a DC 14 Wisdom save to avoid the charm)

[Nina]

The round man didn’t answer Ivy immediately, in fact he wasn’t even paying attention to her now, instead he seemed focused on the crew disembarking from the small freighter which had just  docked.

 

Over where that was going on, the customs bot took the form pad from the organic before it and as she wiggled her fingers the bot tilted its head, looked at the pad, back at the organic, then back at the pad. Finally, it handed the pad back to the organic and said, “Thank you enjoy your stay.”

 

As, Ivy watched she felt a chill and the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end.

 

Seiya had paused a meter or so past the customs agent so he could bid his traveling companions farewell and with unspoken agreement, Amari had paused as well.

 

Emi, smiling with self-satisfaction strode up to Seiya and Amari, just then  curious and familiar scent caused Seiya’s ears to lay back.

 

Ivory feels the room spin and hears a thought which isn't hers, "Take them all!".  The roundman before her sort of bubbles dropping the pad as his skin ripples and folds away and something vaguely insectile and wet unfolds from the form it held a moment before.

 

Seiya flashes back to the unnamed planet and his dead comrades, he smells xenomorph!

 

The walls and either side of the ram they had just entered the station through ripple and two tall insectile bipeds fold out of it, and third crawls up from the floor a few meters away while a fourth transforms from a squat humanoid and triggers the docking gate to roll shut!

 

 

 

Spoiler

never mind roll initiative like normal

 

[Shameless]

Seiya's nostrils flared right before they transformed, his hated enemies.   "Filthy Shakara..."  The growled words contained more hate than any present had likely ever heard, and immediately Seiya opened the case containing his shortblade and drew it, extending it to it's full length even as he dropped the others, his energy buckler shield flaring to life on his other arm.  He growled, even as he moved to the one closest to him, lashing out with a lightning-quick slash towards the creature's torso.

 

Spoiler

23 to hit, 8 damage.

 

[Asarasa]

The shadows at the edges of Ivy's thoughts seemed to rasp at her with threat, and the lingering effects of her hangover was shoved aside by a welling up of fear and fury. Her hand was already darting for the hilt of her saber as the doughy skin sloughed off the unknown insectile alien. The shadows in her mind seemed to encroach on the edges of her sight as she focused on the creature.

"You'll never take me, you chitinous-shit! I belong to nobody but myself," Ivy snarled as she darted low and forward and to the side, plasteel saber arcing for the creature's knee, her free hand deftly plucking up the asshole's - did it even have an asshole? - data pad. Might be she'd have to run, and might be there be something on the data pad to tell her who these guys were or why they wanted her. Them.

 

Spoiler

AC: 15 | HP: 12/12

Attack Roll - [1d20+6] Roll: [10] Result: 16

If a hit, Damage Roll - [1d8+4] Roll: [8] Result: 12 slashing damage.

Move Action/Free Action: Pick up 'Dage's' Data Pad.

 

[Exile_Jeane]

Unarmed and unarmored save for a portable shield bracelet hanging from her left wrist, Amari hadn't expected to be jumped immediately upon entering the station, already down half of her power after her little demonstration for the passengers on the Kismet. But she was still a scion of the Asmodesai and received her share of hostage training even before being cast aside after her... incident and transformation. the tendrils from said transformation was flooding her brain with information in a way that would have crippled her with migraines in the early days. The world a fracturing kaleidoscope as her hat was dislodged and every single one of her extra eyes opened, she moved in the way her mentor taught her, dropping duffle and guitar to the deck and digging her Rig out of the former.

 

Link established between herself and her reservoir of nanites, Amari didn't care which 'them' the Xenos were referring to, just not today not now, not after what sent her hurling across the stars the past few days. She hurled herself at the nearest one, vents opening on her Rig to engulf her hand in buzzing machines. Thought flashed from her brain to her rig to her swarm with impulses of apoptosis, of rending flesh from bone and nerves from flesh, of the traits of all-devouring bacteria. If she was fast enough to hit. If these hunters were as organic as they appeared.

 

Spoiler

AC: 13 HP: 9/9. Out of Forging Slots, so here goes nothing, lol.

Rolling to Hit...

Exile_Jeane Request: [1d20+5] Roll: [10] Result: 15 15 to Hit.

If that hits...

Exile_Jeane Request: [3d10] Roll: [4, 3, 2] Result: 9 Hmmm. 9 Necrotic.

   

[Nina]

The Alien Xenomorphs are quite shocked as a group that their supposedly unaware prey were in fact aware.   

 

Seiya and Amari attack almost as one striking viscous blows at the monstrous form seemingly crawling out of the floor. Ivy strikes true and deflects the leader of the ‘morphs actions causing it to defend itself even as it spins to attack her.

 

 The ‘morphs react defensively and counter the worst of the humanoid’s attacks and press their own to no avail.

 

Sori takes all of this chaos in and with no hesitation leaps to the nearest creature coming from the wall her arms extended above her head, a gleaming sword molecularly unfolding to fill her hands, and with a mighty chop sends the shape changing thing reeling! The last creature coming off the wall sees Sori attacking its mate and leaps at her clawing!

 

Spoiler

Amari and Seiya are engaged with  #1 and have dealt a total of 17 damage to it, Ivy is engaged with # 4 and has dealt 12 damage to it, Sori has engaged #4 and dealt 12 damage, #3 is attacking sori.  All of the 'morphs mfailed in their attacks this round

 

[Shameless]

oop

Edited January 6 by Shameless

[SalmonMax]

Completely floored by the sudden appearance of these bizarre creatures, and the ensuing carnage, Emi spends crucial seconds just staring goggle-eyed. Then she realizes, belatedly, that this was a dangerous situation!

 

"Customs bot! Kill something! Something not a person!" she yelped as she grabbed a table, yanked it over onto its side and dove behind it! A shimmer in the air presaged the activity of her Sorium implant as it called on the infinite energy of the Crucibles to forge a small hovering drone over her shoulder. A slowly revolving diamond-shape with a blazing core, it popped up over the table's edge and discharged a bright beam of energy...that simply dragged a burned line across the wall because Emi wasn't actually looking where she was shooting.

 

(Natural 1 to attack means a missssss)

[Nina]

The Customs Bot spins its cylindrical torso and the top of it's domed head opens and a six barreled mini-gun on an articulated arm springs out, barrels already spinning up!

 

BRRRRRRRRRR!

 

The gun spits a burst of frangible bullets at the nearest of the two monsters attacking Sori. the rounds rip into the creature throwing it back against the wall thick black fluid splattering. It hisses in pain and  screams with its mind!

 

Spoiler

#3 takes 16 damage and uses its reaction to unleashes a psychic scream. Every one except the bot needs to make a will save DC10, failure take 6 psychic damage and be stunned for 1 round, save take 3 damage and not be stunned.

 

[Shameless]

Seiya was watching as the others engaged, hoping to put this thing down quickly.  He grunted as the psychic attack slammed into him, but shook it off.   "Aim for center mass, that's the easy way to kill these things!" he called out, knowing showing knowledge of them would likely make him a target.    Still he slashed again against the Shakara his blade glinting in the light of the room, moving with a heightened alacrity, much as he'd been taught.  He wasn't too keen to start shooting, but if he had to, he would.

 

Spoiler

Seiya saves and takes 3 damage, then attacks rolling an 18 to hit.   if successful he does 7 damage.
 

 

[Asarasa]

"Not me, you drive-slag! Them!" Ivy cursed as the laser came perilous close to her head as it scored the bulkhead behind her. She ducked and continued to spin around her target, hoping to keep it between her and any 'friendly' fire. The psychic scream reverberated in her head and Ivy screamed back, chopping at the alien's back with furious swings of her saber. "Fuck you! Fuck you! Fuck you!"

 

Spoiler

HP: 9/12, AC: 15

Will Save: [1d20+4] Roll: [13] Result: 17 - success, 3 psychic damage, not stunned
Action - Attack [1d20+6] Roll: [15] Result: 21 to hit
Damage [1d8+4] Roll: [8] Result: 12 slashing damage

Move: Moves around the alien she's been fighting to now it's between her and the rest of the dock section.

 

 

Edited January 9 by Asarasa

[Exile_Jeane]

Spoiler

Will Save

Exile_Jeane Request: [1d20+5] Roll: [18] Result: 23

Good to Go. HP 6/9.

Firing off Trigger Device to open the locked door.

 

The thing's scream nipped and harried at the edges of Amari's mind, trying to lock her in place, but found little purchase on a brain the Promethan Chrysalis Engine had turned into something one further genetic cascade away from destructive aberrancy. The wave bounced and skittered over and past her without leaving more than a bruise on her focus, grunting in annoyance at the sensation. She was enough of a combat medic to know she couldn't take much more of that, and she had no idea how much more the gaggle of combat capable strangers could take.

 

So she'd give anyone the option to run and call for help if they wanted to. She'd take that offer given five seconds to safely get away from this Xeno's teeth and claws.

 

 A stream of thought. A response from her Forge. A swarm of freshly-unleashed nanites with the simple mission of triggering the door unlocking mechanism. 

[Nina]

The Morphs seem to hesitate when the one that was shot let go its psychic scream. Ivy struck at what was once bubble man and it crumpled to its knee's as it took a swipe at her but she deftly avoided the weak reprisal. 

 

Likewise the creature fighting Deiya struck but was parried easily. The last unhurt 'morph launched an attack at Amari but it too was in effective.

 

Sori parried a series of blows from the one she had already engaged  and then with a flourish spun around and slashed the throat of the monster which collapsed in a spray of black blood. The one that had received the bust of gunfire from the bot lept to attack the non-organic and struck the customs bot sending it reeling.