starfrontier logs

[20:24] <~Feldi> It's been roughly a week since Emilia and Titania joined the crew of the Ubuntu as passengers.  The ship, while lovingly maintained by Munashe and the previous engineer Agnes, was obviously designed for transporting grizzled soldiers and supplies on short hops first, and comfort a very distant second. So, it is a pleasant reprieve when the ship stops to refuel and vent its heat sinks at an...
[20:24] <~Feldi> ...orbital station above gas giant.
[20:24] <~Feldi> above a*
[20:26] <~Feldi> While Munashe is busy dotting i's and shaking hands with port authority, the others are free to wander the station.  While this orbital station, the lovingly named GG17, is primarily a research and mining station, it has its own entertainment district to keep its workers, and visitors happy.
[20:27] <~Feldi> VR dens, drug parlors, bars, cafes, and more are available to wile away the hours.
[20:29] <~Feldi> There's also shops for clothing, bathing supplies, and the like, for those inclined.
01[20:31] <Shiori> "Well, I don't know what you all would like, but I do need to stop by a smoke shop and get refilled."
06[20:32] * Emilia looks around at the blue-light district, then down at Shiori. "Reminds me of a slice of home, really. A very, very tiny slice."
[20:34] <Emilia> "And with fewer surgical boutiques."
01[20:34] <Shiori> "Oh? That's very good then, you'll have to tell me what there is to do in places like these."
[20:36] <~Feldi> Vids of very handsome men posing sensually, mostly dressed in cowboy outfits oddly, play on rather large screens in front of one of the blue-light stores. The rest of the stores conducting the same business seem to be less forthcoming of their 'wares,' except in their names.
01[20:36] <Shiori> "Frankly, I'm not sure what to make of this district."
01[20:36] <Shiori> "I suppose sex sells, but I'm not sure exactly what it is selling."
[20:39] <Emilia> "Well, if it's close enough to home...the question becomes more what do you /not/ want to do." She raises a finger to tap on her chin and gets her nose instead, then tries again--mostly successful that time. "You mentioned a smoke shop, I see two signs from here. After that, there's--eight separate food places, four gun shops--I might need to check them out later--annnnd...
[20:39] <Emilia> "...two payday loan spots. Wonderful."
01[20:40] <Shiori> "Ah, the new economy. Mobsters trading in guns for briefcases."
01[20:40] <Shiori> "I'd love to accompany you to the gun store, but I'm afraid I know very little about such weapons."
[20:41] <Emilia> "Oh and the sex is selling sex, at least at that one." She jerks a thumb at the cowboy-themed ladies' (presumably) club. "Chances are good it's a strip club, /maybe/ actually offering sex itself. Those are regulated back home, but the regulation's a local thing, not required in all human space."
[20:41] <Emilia> "Well, let's take a walk to your smoke shop, and maybe we can find something more to your tastes afterwards, then."
[20:43] <~Feldi> The divide between the station's research and mining staff is obvious from the scattered groups that walk past the crew. Apparently, wearing labcoats, or jackets imitating the look, out of the office is in vogue for the scientists, and wearing hard-wearing jeans and tank tops is in for the miners.  Fancy that.
01[20:45] <Shiori> "Alright, according to this map, should be this way."
06[20:46] * Emilia is dressed like neither, so she stands out. Because her height and ears don't do that already. "Lead the way, then."
06[20:47] * Shiori is just in her jumpsuit, her sword peace-bonded at her side, and her usual cloth covering of her cybernetic eye. No hiding the scars though. She leads the way.
[20:49] <Caissa> Caissa is a tall, athletic looking woman of vietnamese decent. Very pretty, she looks a lot more like a model of some sort than an actual mercenary...even if the drone and the SMG by her side belies that.
[20:49] <Caissa> Her black hair hangs down to just past her waist. She's dressed in a pencil skirt, a backless and sleeveless white collared shirt and a black tie with an odd symbol on it. A pair of arrows pointing opposite directions. Someone might recognises it as chess annotation for 'Counterplay'
[20:52] <~Feldi> The smoke shop, Not Vapes, is not too far outside of the blue-light district.  The one-room store is long, three aisles, one full of smoking paraphernalia, and two filled with a surprisingly varied selection of the good stuff itself.  Two other customers are standing side-by-side chatting and laughing, both well-built and broad men whose military jumpsuits show that they're not from around...
[20:52] <~Feldi> ...here too.
06[20:53] * Shiori walks inside, nodding to the other customers.
06[20:56] * Emilia remembers to duck, this time, before she takes out the upper lintel, following Shiori inside. Places like this were always odd, because they smelled so vaguely pleasant, and old, at the same time.
06[20:58] * Shiori makes a beeline for her aisle, the one with the brand from back home.
[21:00] <~Feldi> Shiori, Emilia, and Cassia recall the patch on the arm of the closest man, a grey skull with a gear for an eye, as the symbol of what many colloquially call the Corpse Legion. Their motto, Tōngguò tiě, guòdù, (Through Iron, Overcome) frames the skull in the circular patch.  One man, with two cybernetic eyes, notices Shiori, nodding back, while obviously assessing her.
06[21:01] * Shiori doesn't give him a second glance. "I wish I wasn't so broke. They have my usual, but this other flavor sounds interesting. But then if I don't like it, I'm stuck with that until we get paid again."
[21:02] <~Feldi> Emilia knows that the Corpse Legion are quite a powerful mercenary group, one of the Big Three, out in Independent Space. They recruit the maimed and the hopeless and augment them into frighteningly effective soldiers.
06[21:03] * Emilia purses her whips and whistles silently. While she's never encountered them personally or professionally, stories abound--some of her fellow recruits at the protection agency she'd hired into *had* crossed paths before. It's with difficulty that she turns her attention back to Shiori, going over the last few seconds of conversation mentally before nodding. "...Need me to spot you?"
01[21:03] <Shiori> "No, no, not yet. Just wondering which I should pick."
01[21:03] <Shiori> "Besides, I'd never ask a coworker to help me with a vice."
01[21:07] <Shiori> "Do you think 'Sunshine Cherry' sounds good or weird?"
[21:09] <~Feldi> "It's awful. Don't try it." The other mercenary comments as he and his companion walk by toward the checkout desk, his own cybernetic augmentation, a robotic hand, or arm perhaps, obvious.
[21:11] <Emilia> "Well, I was going to say 'good,' but if he's tried it..." Her eyes follow the pair as they make ready to pay and leave. "...I honestly didn't know the Corpse Legion gave time off," she mumbles.
[21:13] <~Feldi> The pair pause.  The one with cybernetic eyes looks disgruntled as his partner stops to chat. "Oh, most of us get the full benefits package. Nothing stops a man from jumping ship like good vacation time."
[21:14] <Emilia> She can't help but blush. "--Sorry, I wasn't trying to be rude..."
01[21:14] <Shiori> "Ah, then thanks. Classic it is."
06[21:15] * Shiori grabs a pouch and heads to the counter.
[21:17] <~Feldi> He smiles back, and up, at Emilia. "No worries.  Plenty of people see the skull, think we're the bad guys. Personally, I'd have been partial to just a cog myself. Name's Ren and this handsome guy behind me is Edgar." Edgar quirks a smile at that, relaxing a shade.
01[21:17] <Shiori> "A pleasure. I'm Shiori, a simple ronin."
[21:19] <~Feldi> "Hideyoshi?" Edgar asks, eyes dipping down to the sword at Shiori's side.
01[21:19] <Shiori> "Correct, good catch. Though I suppose not many other than my kinsmen run around the galaxy with swords and spears."
[21:22] <Emilia> "Ah--Emi. I'm Emi. Professional bodyguard with Corazzieri. You guys are kinda legends, but I'm sure you knew that so I'll stop playing the starstruck teenager now." She clamps her mouth shut.
[21:23] <~Feldi> "I met one once," he replies, cybernetic eyes returning to Shiori's face.  He doesn't comment further.
06[21:25] * Shiori lets the comment end without challenge, smiling. "So how long are you on furlough?"
[21:25] <~Feldi> Ren laughs at Emilia's awkwardness. "Sorry! It isn't everyday that someone says we're legends. Isn't that right, Edgar?" He nudges the man, who grunts in response. "Corazzieri...they're a big deal in AI space. Sounds like you might be a legend yourself. Protecting some big name celebrity, are you?"
[21:26] <~Feldi> "Oh, we've got another day. We've been here for three days already.  It's about time to get back to work."
[21:26] <Emilia> "Ah--well, related to one, though I'm sure they'll make their own name some day."
06[21:28] * Shiori catches. "Oh don't be shy, she was important enough to hire someone of your stature, hm? Perhaps Mr. Ren would like to swap stories over lunch with you?"
[21:29] <~Feldi> "Is that right? I think we all wish to make a name for ourselves, if we can...Edgar and I were about to get food."
[21:29] <~Feldi> Ren puts the ball in Emilia's court.
06[21:31] * Emilia turns an alarmed glance on Shiori but does her best to laugh it off. "Ah, well, we /were/ just wondering what to do after indulging Shiori here...lunch sounds perfectly acceptable. Right, Shiori?"
01[21:31] <Shiori> "Of course, what does this station have in terms of food?"
[21:33] <~Feldi> "Food court," Edgar supplies. "And restaurants, if you have the wallet for it," Ren adds. "No Thai though, which is a shame."
01[21:33] <Shiori> "That is a shame, but I'm sure we can adjust. Food court sounds wonderful."
[21:34] <Emilia> "Eh--yes. Yes, that would be the best idea. Most restaurants aren't made to accommodate taller folks, after all." She laughs weakly.
01[21:35] <Shiori> "I never knew that was a problem, but I'm glad we can accommodate it."
06[21:41] * Shiori goes to the food court with the guys and Em.
[21:42] <~Feldi> The food court itself consists of 8 interstellar chains, Galaxy Burger, WcDonalds, and the like, and a large cafeteria of slightly uncomfortable tables to sit and eat at.
[21:44] <~Feldi> Edgar and Ren decide on KFC themselves.
06[21:44] * Caissa joins them.
06[21:46] * Shiori grabs a Galaxy Burger.
06[21:46] * Emilia settles for Galaxy Burger; if nothing else, their beef-flavored byproduct is the closest to actual beef she's had. She also has to order enough to feed any three of them at the table.
06[21:46] * Caissa looks for something on the healthier end. Maybe something with salad.
[21:48] <Adrielle> Titania... well, she's been pretty quiet the whole time, keeping her nose stuck in some information she's reading, but once it comes time for food, she does something about like what Caissa's going for. She's looking for something healthy, which is probably going to be pricy, and then ordering a lot of it. She may be a long way from home, but the old man's words about a healthy body and diet
[21:48] <Adrielle> still ring in her mind.
[21:51] <~Feldi> Caissa and Titania have to wait a little longer after ordering for their healthy options to arrive, salads in calorie-filled dressing.  While they do, Caissa hears a familiar voice in the distance, muted by the din of the crowd...her own. "And all you have to do is-" It's one of THOSE commercials playing on the tvs in the center of the room.
06[21:53] * Shiori is pretty focused on her burger for now.
[21:53] <~Feldi> Ren and Edgar have got their food; a bucket of deep-fried chicken for Edgar and a more svelte selection of chicken tenders and fries for Ren.
06[21:54] * Caissa taps away at her AR display...
[21:55] <Emilia> The redhead has long since given up feeling any shame at her portion sizes; of course, the difficulty is how much space it takes up on the table. She usually solves that by going vertical, stacking cartons instead of spreading them out. "So, gentlemen, how's business been out here?"
[21:57] <~Feldi> "-rub it up and~-" The commercial suddenly ends, replaced by another ad for a car. The tv advertising is very odd for a space station.
06[21:58] * Shiori did notice the weird transition, but none of the preceding. "I've always wondered why ads sometimes cut out halfway through."
[21:59] <~Feldi> "Oh, Edgar and I are primarily recruiters. Believe it or not, people really like Edgar. We finished our tours a few years ago, but...its difficult to leave something after you've given so much of your life to it." He shrugs.
[22:00] <~Feldi> Edgar nods at Shiori's comment, having been watching the tv.
[22:01] <Emilia> "Ah." She nods. "Yeah, I can understand that, actually. Sometimes, change is too hard...or there's no real reason to change things, is the other part."
01[22:03] <Shiori> "Most of the time, change isn't your own decision."
[22:05] <~Feldi> "Edgar and I...well, Edgar joined the Legion when he was ten.  I joined when I was seventeen. We owe a lot to the Legion, and I personally felt my debt hadn't been fully paid." "And the pay isn't bad." "That might have played a part in my decision, too."
06[22:06] * Emilia actually giggles around a mouthful of food and tries not to choke on it.
[22:07] <~Feldi> Ren elbows his more taciturn friend, who grins, mouth half-full of metal, before biting down on an excessively large synthetic chicken wing.
[22:08] <~Feldi> "What made you want to become a bodyguard?" Ren asks Emilia, smiling at her giggles.
[22:10] <Emilia> She hastily chews and swallows. One third down. "Well...a lot of things. But a big part is...I was the focus of a lot of attention at home. I figured out pretty quick that that sort of 'celebrity' life wasn't for me so I left...but all the stuff I'd studied as a kid and in school and everything kind of pointed me in one direction.
[22:10] <Emilia> "Plus this way, present circumstances excluded, I get to be in the background, instead of the one making all the headlines."
06[22:12] * Caissa heads over to join the others, food in hand. She gives them a quiet nod and sits down.
[22:12] <~Feldi> "You were a celebrity?" Ren questions, before backpedaling. "Not that I believe you couldn't have been! With your-" Ren suddenly winces, while Edgar continues to look intently at the tv. "-Height."
01[22:16] <Shiori> "I didn't know that either."
[22:17] <~Feldi> As Caissa sits down, she notices Edgar glance at her, his eyes lingering for a moment beyond accident, before returning to watch the tv.
06[22:18] * Caissa raises an eyebrow but ignores it.
[22:18] <Emilia> "No, no, I meant--'celebrity' with quotes, y'know? Not actually one but still a decent amount of public attention."
06[22:18] * Emilia is blushing.
01[22:18] <Shiori> "Ah."
[22:20] <Emilia> "I meant it more in like how as soon as more then like ten random people know your name then you instantly have every facet of your life examined and obsessed over and all that. You know? People trying to catch embarrassing pics and altering photos to make nudes and oh God I'm babbling..."
[22:21] <~Feldi> "Dark past," Edgar comments with a smile.  "Well, I won't go searching for any of those pictures. I promise you," Ren says, amusement obvious on his face.
01[22:21] <Shiori> "I might."
[22:21] <~Feldi> Edgar laughs at that.
06[22:21] * Shiori is clearly fucking with Em.
06[22:22] * Emilia still buries her face in her hands, the ears on top of her head drooping flat.
[22:23] <~Feldi> Ren chuckles, glancing between Shiori and the embarrassed Emilia. "Hey, no need to be embarrassed, we've all done things we'd much rather no one knew, right?"
01[22:24] <Shiori> "Well, I am a ronin after all, past regrets and failures are part and parcel of that."
[22:24] <Emilia> "I suppose," she agrees, lifting her head again. To avoid putting her foot in it further she instead inserts more lunch.
[22:24] <Caissa> "Hmm..." She focuses heavily on her food.
[22:29] <~Feldi> Ren takes the time to eat one of his tenders. Edgar turns his attention away from the tv to Shiori. "You a working ronin, or a free one?"
01[22:29] <Shiori> "Working right now, signed on with a ship. Wanting to hire me?"
[22:30] <~Feldi> "Recruiter." He lifts one shoulder for a half-shrug. "You seem like a good fit."
01[22:30] <Shiori> "I'm good with where I am right now, but I'll take a business card. Who knows what the future will hold?"
[22:33] <~Feldi> He nods, reaching into his jacket to pull out a card. Given the lack of information on it, other than the symbol and the motto, it seems to have an RFID chip or some other technology that can interface with a person's comms directly.
[22:33] <~Feldi> He hands it off to Shiori.
06[22:33] * Shiori takes it and slips it into a good spot in her purse. "I may need to get a little extra metal before I could join you boys though, my eye is the only cybernetic part I have, and it's mostly plastic." She taps it with her nail through the cloth covering.
06[22:35] * Emilia shivers at that. "I will never get used to that..."
01[22:35] <Shiori> "That's why I keep it covered up in polite company, honey."
[22:35] <~Feldi> "Some of our best soldiers are only missing a hand, or just one eye like you. The Legion doesn't discriminate. We do have a few people without metal in our ranks."
[22:35] <~Feldi> Ren adds to the conversation.
01[22:35] <Shiori> "Though I think the scars tend to do the heavy lifting on destroying my looks."
[22:36] <Emilia> "No, I don't mean--just the 'tapping it with your fingernail' bit."
01[22:36] <Shiori> "Being serious though, I will keep you both in mind should thing change with my current employment."
01[22:37] <Shiori> things*
[22:37] <Emilia> "It's like my uncle back home, who would show off his work-accident scar that was actually a flap of skin on his chest so we could see his ribs, directly, under it."
[22:37] <~Feldi> Ren pauses mid-bite. "...now that is actually gross."
[22:38] <~Feldi> Edgar nods and smiles at Shiori.
[22:38] <Emilia> "Isn't it?!" She rounds on him and his agreement. "We all thought so too! But nooooo, he thought it was the funniest party trick!" She shakes her head. "Uncle Bas was weird."
[22:40] <~Feldi> Ren puts his tender back down, a green tinge still on his face. "I can't say I'd show off my ribs, if I could."
[22:42] <Emilia> "WHO WOULD?!" she practically explodes. "And every time he did the kids would run screaming, and he'd laugh and laugh, and two weeks later we'd all forget about it and then he'd do it /again/."
[22:43] <~Feldi> "...you could forget that?"
[22:44] <~Feldi> Ren laughs, half-amused half-dumbfounded.
01[22:46] <Shiori> "It does beggar belief that you would forget about that."
[22:48] <Emilia> "Y'know, we had a lot of things going on. School back home was *intense.*"
[22:48] <Emilia> She shrugs and tears into her second burger.
[22:49] <~Feldi> "I think Edgar can empathize with that." "Taught by the Legion, after they gave me my first eyes."
[22:53] <Emilia> "Everyone on Erewhon has to go to college. It's, like, in our DNA." She pauses just before another bite, looking contemplative. "Actually, it might /actually/ be in our DNA. I know there's been some tweaks..."
[22:54] <~Feldi> "Those tweaks are harder to come by out here. And probably several generations out of date."
[22:54] <~Feldi> Edgar nods. "All-natural genetics."
[22:56] <Emilia> She nods through another bite. "It's too bad, really--you'd think that that would be the sort of thing the AIs would want to ensure so that colonies would have every advantage, right?"
01[22:56] <Shiori> "Even some AI space colonies don't have much in the way of genetics. Hideyoshi mostly uses industrial tech and cybernetics, we don't have the science base to reliably use the genemods."
[22:59] <~Feldi> Ren nods. "You also have to have the resources. Heaps of Ammonia. If a planet doesn't have life on it when we land...you're not going to have a gene-fix clinic."
[22:59] <~Feldi> Ammonia, for instance.*
[23:07] <~Feldi> A little while later, everyone has finished their food.  Ren and Edgar stand up and make their goodbyes, with Ren's focus clearly on Emilia.
[23:10] <~Feldi> The crew's first encounter with the Corpse Legion, and not their last.