The Western Frontier: An Episodic, Schizotech Sci-Fi RP (Started)

[JokerboyJordan]

Xion looked at the blue-haired man with a look of grim satisfaction as the tip of his blade was pointed at the man's jugular, right up until he felt a heavy robotic hand latch on to his sword arm. The hand's grip was unyielding, and he could tell by the man that it was attached to, that he would not be released so easily.

"I haven't lived this long simply to be involved in a fight with hilt-happy cubs, boy."

Unwillingly, he lowered the sword from the man's neck. As he did so he felt the mechanical grip of the hand unlock, allowing him to sheathe his sword begrudgingly.

"Consider this a warning then blue boy, watch your tongue around strangers. You can't expect this old wolf to bail you all the time."

He turned to face Kier'ran

"I admire your decisive action, and I can tell you are quite capable... But I'm just letting you know, that if you were to fight me, you wouldn't have to wonder about living so long"

He gave a smile that to show that those words were meant to be as friendly as possible, whilst also not being idle posturing.

Just then he heard a set of heavy footsteps coming from outside the door, proceeded with a loud bang as the door swung open with and almighty force and slammed against the wall.

"God damn it, you're supposed to be professionals, so why the fuck am I getting calls from the owner of this dump about my future employees getting ready to tear up the place?!"

Ahhh... What a pleasant employer...

Xion gave a small snicker before turning to the man and rising his hand slightly.

"Sorry, my bad"

He then saw another man approach from behind the cyborg, who was the one in charge here?
Xion listened to the man's lecture, making sure to not miss any details. As he did so he began to twirl his revolver on his finger in boredom.

...We're hunting down some high profile criminals, I wouldn't count on you making it out alive without any visible damages, if at all."

Just what I like to hear. I guess this trip wasn't a complete waste after all

"Chances are if you're here, it's due to one of three things, either you're suicidal, broke or dumb."

Hmph. Make dumb 'bored', and he's basically got me all figured out.

"Any questions?

Xion holstered his revolver and patted down his jacket.

"Yeah, I've got a question... How are we getting paid? A fixed rate? Or are we splitting the bounty?"

 

[370999]

Vane listened to the gruff cyborg bark, the thinner man with the knives standing next to him. There was an elegance to the simplicity of his rules, the simplicity of the bonds of unpretentious men. Not that I would know anything about being unpretentious mused Vane, softly smiling over the thought.

The smaller man, seemed to defer to the larger one, despite looking normal. So not his employer then thought Vane, his eyes sweeping over the man's collection of knifes. Certainly not the employer then. He did seem to be less dour and more affable then his companion, which Vane found to be very attractive.

So far this seemed to be a good day to Vane, he had found a employer, had the remains of a burger and seemed to be in the company of pretty interesting people. He would make an effort to try and record as much information as happened so he could tell future stories.

"Any questions?

"Can I have the first bath?" Vane asked the cyborg. A nice bath would be excellent.

 

[Malyc]

Kinraye continued getting ready while waiting for Ray to finish checking the H/C unit. Yep, definitely gonna be late... She thought, ensuring her revolver was loaded and she had spare shells for it, as well as checking to make sure her blades were concealed by her duster. Hopefully the Blackhearts are somewhat lenient on that topic... I'd hate for this to be just another wasted trip.

She had almost finished gearing up when she heard Ray yell that he'd figured out what was moving in the back of the ship. Sounds like what he found is a bit unusual. Let's hope it won't be too expensive to fix.

... body restoration, so to speak, but they said that I was now 'indebted' to them. I was forced to serve them for nine long years, until you guys showed up. I'm no good with weapons, but I can definitely learn, and while I still have a lot to learn, I'm still a pretty decent mechanic if I do say so myself. I promise I won't be a burden to you or Miss Kinraye either. I-I kinda overheard your names, and some other stuff, while hiding out in the ducts. I hope you don't mind."

Kin damn near jumped out of her boots when she heard a little kid's voice coming closer. Ah great, that's just what we need. She thought, a little vexed that they hadn't noticed the uninvited guest. That must be what Ray found back there, and that explains why he was taking so long... How do we deal with this? Her parents are gonna want her back, and we'll be lucky if we don't end up with a bounty on OUR heads.

"Who did ya find back there, and how did she get on the ship?" Kin asked, trying to keep some of the annoyance out of her voice, but not doing a very good job of it.

 

[Tortilla the Hun]

"Nice to make your acquaintance, Precis Armand. Name sounds familiar, though when you've been as many places as we have, most any name holds some familiarity to it. And that's quite the story you have, I'm sure Kin'll be quite interes-" Ray had been interrupted, for while he and the girl had been walking and talking, they had ran into Kinraye in the little mess hall where their locker for their gear were kept.

"Who did ya find back there, and how did she get on the ship?"

"Relax, woman, no need to get your britches in a bunch," Ray said in an attempt to quell any unease before it could really set in. "This girl, Precis, hopped aboard as we were busy with that Blue Pheonix business. From the sounds of it, I don't very well think she has any other place to go, 'less you wanna drop her off at the nearest shelter. Though given her talents, from what she claims, I think we could use an extra set of hands to get this bird back to her prime. Sure as hell cheaper'n takin' it into a shop, or scrapin' up credits fer spare parts."

"Now, before you have any objections, let's just let her tag along fer now, least until we find out what's what at this here meetin' we're becomin' increasin'ly late fer." As he was making his opinion clear, Ray scrounged around his locker for his outdoor attire and arms. He slung his rifle over his shoulder, strapped his holstered revolvers to his hips along with his combat knife, then secured his aviators on the bridge of his nose. "So, let's get to it."

 

[Kuroneko Aisha]

Precis gulped a little bit when she was actually face to face with Kin, especially when she didn't seem all too happy about her being on the ship. It was understandable of course, since most crews would be protective of what went on their ships, but she secretly thought of herself as a part of the crew as well! Nervously, she started to make her case to the older woman.

"I-I promise I won't be a burden to you Miss Kin. I'll work more than my weight around the ship, and I won't get in the way either." Gulping once more, she said. "N-not to mention, you must have noticed how much smoother the ship has been running, and that was just from me doing some general maintenance on the engines and some of the systems while you two were asleep." She then pointed to the vents and said. "I even got the cooling and heating up and running again with the last of my spare wiring. I'll be able to do even more with some proper supplies, and I'll do my best to work off anything you have to pay for!" She knew that money was likely important to bounty hunters, so she continued by saying. "I'll even try and learn how to be a bounty hunter like you two. I'll help in any way I can!"

 

[Malyc]

"Relax, woman, no need to get your britches in a bunch. This girl, Precis, hopped aboard as we were busy with that Blue Pheonix business. From the sounds of it, I don't very well think she has any other place to go, 'less you wanna drop her off at the nearest shelter. Though given her talents, from what she claims, I think we could use an extra set of hands to get this bird back to her prime. Sure as hell cheaper'n takin' it into a shop, or scrapin' up credits fer spare parts."
"Now, before you have any objections, let's just let her tag along fer now, least until we find out what's what at this here meetin' we're becomin' increasin'ly late fer. So, let's get to it."

"Ah hell, Ray." Kin said, knowing there was no way she could possibly convince him to do anything but let Precis stay. "You know how well I do with surprises. If that soft spot you have hadn't saved me, I'd say it was gonna get us killed... But, we have been in the market for a third hand to keep the Aurora space worthy. I guess she can stay for now."

Kin started to make her way to the landing ramp, but was interrupted when Precis started to try and further convince her to allow the girl to stay.

"I-I promise I won't be a burden to you Miss Kin. I'll work more than my weight around the ship, and I won't get in the way either. N-not to mention, you must have noticed how much smoother the ship has been running, and that was just from me doing some general maintenance on the engines and some of the systems while you two were asleep. I even got the cooling and heating up and running again with the last of my spare wiring. I'll be able to do even more with some proper supplies, and I'll do my best to work off anything you have to pay for! I'll even try and learn how to be a bounty hunter like you two. I'll help in any way I can!"

"I'm sure you'll do fine, kid." She said, stopping just long enough to hear Precis out. "Just keep the ship in good repair, stay out of trouble, and leave the fighting to us for now. If you're still interested after you see what we have to go through, then we'll talk about teaching you to fight."

"If you're ready, Ray, we really should get going. No way in hell we're gonna be able to get there on time now, but better late than never." With that, Kin started down the ramp and towards the Red Giant Cafe.

 

[TheBlueShotgun0]

"Consider this a warning then blue boy, watch your tongue around strangers."
What a little douche.
"You can't expect this old wolf to bail you all the time."
Trust me, boy, I don't need no old man to save my ass.
Shoren kept these thoughts to himself though; better not to have Mr Short Fuse flip out again. Despite that sort temper, the man had unsheathed his weapon remarkably fast, faster than most people could draw a handgun, let alone a full length sword. Clearly this Xion character was very skilled with that katana, and that would come in useful if he could be controlled.

When the Blackhearts finally arrived, Shoren remained just as quiet. They might see such silence as a sign of stupidity, but Shoren didn't really care to much as long as he got paid. Besides, if they cared to do a background check, they would discover quiet the opposite. Then again, Shoren didn't think he really wanted them knowing about his past, especially that incident above Rorcher VI. Not that it was incriminating or anything, he just preferred to keep such things to himself.

 

[Tortilla the Hun]

"If you're ready, Ray, we really should get going. No way in hell we're gonna be able to get there on time now, but better late than never."

"That's debatable," Ray muttered before turning to Precis. "C'mon Li'l Miss, time to drink from the serrated, rusted and blood-covered spitoon of life for a taste of the fermented pigswill known as the bounty huntin' business. First part of it all: meetin' the cold, callous sumbitch what's gonna sign your, or in this case our, paycheck."

Having put it so eloquently, Ray ushered Precis down the ship's ramp before descending himself, then followed Kin as she led them to the Red Giant Café. The hydrolic suspensions hissed as the ramp was lifted, shutting the ship as its former occupants ventured down the sprawling walkways of the Tanra Station.

 

[Kuroneko Aisha]

Precis was definitely happy that she had been accepted into the crew, but she had no idea what this meeting was about. She was likely sleeping when they had talked about it, but it still made her a little worried. What if it was supposed to be a private meeting between them? She shook that thought away quickly, since they wouldn't have brought her with if they had intended on keeping it secret. She couldn't help but feel that she was the reason that they were late though.

Walking alongside Kin, she said with a hint of nervousness in her voice. "Umm..Miss Kin? W-was I the reason you two are late? I'm really sorry if I am!"

 

[Nukey]

"Good, one question, we leave from here or meet you at the ship?"

"I personally don't give a damn," Gira muttered, "just get to the ugly, rusted ship with the company logo painted on the side at the far side of the station in three hours. If you're late, too bad, we're going to leave your ass behind."

"Yeah, I've got a question... How are we getting paid? A fixed rate? Or are we splitting the bounty?"

"We'll be splitting the bounties, though percentages will be taken from your cut in order to cover rent, fuel, utilities and repair costs. If we get a few higher profile criminals, you can expect a fairly fat cut provided you don't cause too much collateral damage. Whatever you make is yours to keep and spend on whatever you want, though we don't exactly have much of an insurance policy, so putting some of it away for a rainy day might be a good idea."

---​

As Gira answered questions, Nerin took it upon himself to more closely examine some of the new recruits. He nonchalantly walked about the crowd, scanning over each and every one of the bounty hunters, until he soon came across a particular individual, encased in an orange shell. The figure was somewhat unnerving, its features hidden underneath its metallic form, though its menacing appearance only served to peak the mechanic's curiosity.

"What are you, exactly?" Nerin inquired, a puzzled look plastered across his face.

 

[Redryhno]

"Good, I hate staying in one place for a long time, three hours should about do it. See you there as soon as I find it."

Kier'Ran walked past the engineer and sniffed him and Gira once, to more easily find the ship. He'd found that each ship had a unique scent to it, and that the smell of the crew more often than not contributed to it and the ship itself contributed to the crew's scents. A sharp, tangy scent entered his nostrils and he followed it back to the source at the docks. The ship was much better than most Hunter ships he'd been on, and a bit worse for wear compared to a handful. There on the hull, plastered almost cavalier, was the symbol of the Blackhearts.

While searching for the ship he saw what he first believed to be a family exiting their own ship, but after noticing their posture and gait, saw that they were either mercenaries or ex-military, probably hunters too, considering that their outfits didn't match and that they had a child with them. Kier'Ran's eyes followed them and stared right back when all three looked at him, pure white hair was an oddity in most places he'd been to, though he received much less attention now that he'd gotten older than when he had just been starting out on the Jorral Tirran.

 

[Malyc]

"Umm..Miss Kin? W-was I the reason you two are late? I'm really sorry if I am!"

"It was mostly not your fault..." Kin responded, trying to remember the quickest route to the cafe. "I miscalculated the time it would take to get clearance to land. A little more traffic than I anticipated today."

She led them down another street, finally seeing the Red Giant Cafe ahead of them. Kin entered the building, and asked the barkeep where the conference room was. Nodding her thanks, she headed to the room, hoping that the meeting wasn't completely over with yet.

Upon entering, she saw a rather large group of people in the room. Not being able to quickly determine who was in charge, Kin simply asked the room: "Is this the Blackheart recruitment meeting? If so, sorry we're late, had a bit of a hard time getting clearance to land."

 

[Katherine Kerensky]

"What are you, exactly?"

Mechty turned to face the perplexed looking second officer. Unless the audio receptors were faulty again, xe hadn't heard either of the new bosses introduce themselves by name.
Mechty tilted xer head in an approximation of a confused look, and materialised a gauntlet to point at the weapons hung across himself, and several others present.
It was true enough that Mechty was a weapon. After all, hadn't they just effectively started to lease xer out as such?
Xe hoped that was enough of an answer, otherwise a more dramatic course of action might be needed. Mechty watched over Nerin's shoulder as one of the rude recruits, Kier'Ran, walked out. Rather early, considering there were three hours until departure. Xe would rather stay here, since here is where Lukaas still was for now. Staying around him would nicely divert any social happenings, and it seemed they had already reached something of an understanding. Mechty would just make gestures, and Lukaas would do all the talking. All of it. There could be nothing wrong with that.

 

[Broken Orange]

When the angry boss type entered and started shouting out the rules and comments, Lukaas grabed a notepad and pen from inside his jacket, he began taking notes. It was the standard speech you give newbies. Don't steal our stuff, don't disobey, etc.

"What are you, exactly?"

Looking up from his notes, Lukaas noticed the other man, the second in command likely, speaking to Mechty. In typical fashion, the creature in the suit pointed at the mans weapons and several other's. After a few seconds confused, Lukaas thought he solved the riddle of the Orange Man.

"Yeah, that one doesn't talk much. Medical condition, I believe. What Mechty is trying to say is that he..she...it is trying to say is that it is just like you or me. Just without that pesky thing called "emotions" and a "personality". By the way, if your next question is who am I, you can call me Lukaas Kammeal."

 

[370999]

Vane was very annoyed that the angry cyborg didn't mention the bath.Think tranquil thoughts, be calm. As irritating as this was he gritted his teeth and let the slight pass.

There was a crowd gathering over the orange thing. As queer as the thing was, Vane felt no real compulsion to find out too much about this creature.

Turning his head he saw what seemed like a family unit, a man, woman and child enter the room.

Is this the Blackheart recruitment meeting? If so, sorry we're late, had a bit of a hard time getting clearance to land."

The woman's question was like a probe, tentatively spoken but with a underlying intent that Vane could not yet determine. Being nothing if not courteous, Vane moved towards them, placing his hands together, his thumbs tucked in and his fingers pointing outwards and gracefully moving in an erratic fashion.

"This is the place, my friends" intoned Vane, his voice taking on a much softer tone. It would not do to scare the child.

 

[Nukey]

On the southern side of the station, stood a single, inconspicuous man, with thin, gray hairs and a pair of circular spectacles sitting atop his short nose. The man was unthreatening, both old and decrepit, appearing more akin to a corporate suit than anything else. He was surrounded on all sides, alone in the chaotic mess of criminal rabble that comprised that station's populace, remarkable amongst the rest of the artificial world's ilk for his complete and utter commonness, hidden beneath the veil of madness the installation provided him. In offhand, dangling loosely from his fingertips, was a plain, black suitcase, which few would give little more than a passing glance.

A weak though maniacal smile crept up his lips as he slowly but surely made his way through the crowd, pushing towards the primary communications tower of the station, his beaming with excitement and anticipation. Soon judgment would start, thought the feeble man, and he would be free to judge the station as the wretched hive he knew it was.

---​

The man approached the tower, standing in the shadow of its monolithic structure and form. He sauntered towards the tower, nonchalantly, aware that, as an employee, his appearance would not come as a shock to either the personal nor the robotic security units. A crowd of younger, fresher employees left the building, waving at their older coworker.

"Good evening, Mr. Saunderi!" Chirped one of the android's manning the door. "It's a pleasure to see you ag-"

"Shut it." The man responded, scowling.

"Yes, sir! Have a good day, sir!"

And, with that brief encounter, Mr. Saunderi entered the tower and ducked into the elevator, and opened his baggage. In the unassuming, black case, sat two devices, both of which equally terrifying. The first was a short, compactable sniper rifle, loaded with explosive, armor piercing rounds; the other was a portable computer with a virus which, when given a means of transmitting itself across the station, would infect all robotic constructs within a thirteen miles radius, causing them to recognize all life aboard the station as combatants.

Of course, there was still the matter of the non-mechanized security personal guarding the building , though he doubted a handful of hired soldiers would pose an issue for him. A mere issue of evasion, careful elimination and disposal of the corpses, he assumed, not a challenge for someone with prior special forces training.

---​

"Is this the Blackheart recruitment meeting? If so, sorry we're late, had a bit of a hard time getting clearance to land."

Gira turned his head towards the recent arrival, prepared to chew them out for their tardiness, though caught himself before he could do so upon noticing the group's unusual composition. There were two older individuals, one female and one male, both of which appearing very much like the countless other bounty hunters the cyborg had worked with, although the third member was something of a curiosity, seeming to be little more than an adolescent.

His optical enhancement, however, picked up heat signatures similar to the signatures belonging to those possessing an excessive amount of cybernetic augmentations.

Maybe she's not as young as she looks...

"Yeah, it is..." Gira answered after a moment of hesitation, dumbfounded. "And don't worry about it, shit happens..."

---​

"Yeah, that one doesn't talk much. Medical condition, I believe. What Mechty is trying to say is that he..she...it is trying to say is that it is just like you or me. Just without that pesky thing called "emotions" and a "personality". By the way, if your next question is who am I, you can call me Lukaas Kammeal."

Nerin glanced at the cowboy, examining his outfit and his speech patterns, and smiled lightly.

"Well, it's very interesting, whatever it is." Nerin responded, glancing at the unusual figure. "I'd normally suggest cutting it open and giving it a look, but I feel like it might object, so I'm not going to try."

Nerin chuckled lightly, then turned his attention back to Lukaas. "In any case, it's a pleasure to meet you, Lukaas. I'm sure you already know who I am. If not, Nerin Sanaa, second in command, at your service."

 

[Broken Orange]

"It is a huge honor to be of your acquaintance, Nerin. When I had my own ship, I strived to be in the same league as the Blackhearts."

While making friendlies with the second in command, Lukaas made a mental reminder to offer Nerin a job once the he's back in buisness. He looks competent enough.

"Is there anything else that needs discussing or can we follow the lea of Mr.Keir'Ran? I've got some supplies to gather before we depart."

 

[Malyc]

"This is the place, my friends"

"Excellent!" Kin began in response, somewhat relieved that they had apparently made it before the meeting was over. She was unable to continue her response before another spoke up.

"Yeah, it is... And don't worry about it, shit happens..."

Kin was pleasantly surprised by the lack of a browbeating by the man who she assumed was the leader of the Blackhearts. We must have caught him at a good time. Most of these companies are real sticklers for punctuality. "Thank you for your understanding." She began. "If you're still willing to sign on, I have to ask if your ship has hangars bays, and if it does, are they large enough to handle a small transport? I'm only asking so I can make arrangements to have it stored if there isn't room."

She used the moments while she waited for an answer to look the crowd over. She noticed that the person in the orange enviro suit seemed to be an object of much curiosity to the other occupants of the room, and everyone else seemed like your standard ragtag group of bounty hunters. Kin resisted the urge to walk over there as well, mainly out of respect for its privacy.

 

[Tortilla the Hun]

"This is the place, my friends"

"Well, thank ya kindly, pardner," Ray said with a smile and a tip of his hat in appreciation before introducing himself along with the rest of the crew. "Name's Ray'skel, though you can just call me Ray. The ol' gal what spoke up is Kinraye, though I'm sure she won't mind just bein' called Kin. And the youngest and latest addition to our little travelin' band is Precis. Pleased to meet ya."

As Ray looked around the meeting, it was apparant there was quite the odd assortment of people enlisting for this job. He wasn't used to working in such large groups, but judging from what little information they recieved on the matter, the Blackhearts seemed to big reaching out as far and wide as they could. It was understandable why there'd be a considerable number of recruits, but just the diversity among them was something to behold.

 

[Katherine Kerensky]

Suddenly, the place seemed to be getting a bit busier. Mechty shifted a bit in xer seat, uncomfortable with the attention from multiple people, and got up to move to a quieter corner. Mechty decided to do a little stretch to loosen xer joints after sitting still for a bit too longer than was comfortable, and saw crossbow-girl watching everyone and taking notes in that interesting little journal. Maybe I could try to sneak up and... acquire... that book, take a bit of a read, see what she wrote, Mechty thought, before deciding against it. These were going to be allies for a while, afterall. No point pissing them off.
Taking a few careful steps around Nerin, Mechty did a quick bow towards the late arrivals, then turned and strode over to the as-yet unintroduced girl, gesturing at the book in her hands questioningly. Or what xe hoped seemed questioningly, and not the wavings of a demented person.