Mmmmm. That was a good sleep. Guess it's okay to take it easy for a bit. Maybe grab something to eat at the Mess Hall...
Hey, kiddo. How's stuff?
Well... I'm glad we managed to save those kids, but I'm not sure about keeping that mercenary.
But she has bigger breasts than you...
Eh.. I'm not so sure about having a person like that on our team. Nobody should fire at civilians.
She had her reasons. But we stopped her this time. And who knows, maybe she changed for good? It's not always so black and white, Asaga.
Well, whatever her reasons were, shooting at kids is just too far.
Mmm. I wouldn't shoot you either. In more ways than one. You're just a kid.
Pfft. Of course! We're the good guys, Captain! Anyone willing to stoop down to that level's no better than PACT!
Yeah, fuck those child molesters.
Anyways, I guess it's not all bad since she is a good pilot and all. But still, just because we're on the same team doesn't mean we have to be friends.
Fair enough.
By the way, Cap'n. Did you find out what happened to those kids?
They're under Alliance protection. Versta's been annexed by PACT, so it's the best place for the kids right now. They'll be well taken care of, I assure you. Too much publicity after that rescue. They weren't meant to be with those diplomats.
Right. I heard Ava chewed you up recently. What happened?
Well, first I tried to hook up my Game Master to the holovision in the longue. But she said I was contaminating the ship's electronics.
Yeah, you shouldn't do that. Some games may have a root-kit installed. Looks like a harmless thin-client at first, but I sure as hell don't want any game company to be able to ping a military vessel.
Blah blah blah. Whatever, Captain. And then, I tried to play some Duel Creatures with Chigara in the crew quarter... But Ava comes in again and said no card games. Bleh...
Mmmm. You're on a military ship now. Knowing Ava, she prefers to run a tight ship. I'll try to talk to her, maybe get her to ease up a bit. Until then, try to stay out of trouble, kiddo.
Understood, Captain.
Hmm. I guess I better check on the other girls...oops. Sorry.
Ehheh... that must be the third that's happened.
Wow. You're keeping count on that? I guess you're really focused on your work, huh?
Yes, I suppose whenever I'm working on something, I tend to lose awareness on everything else. Was there something you needed, Captain? Further upgrades perhaps?
Not much. Just checking out on you. How are you doing ever since you've moved in?
The Sunrider's a wonderful vessel. I don't think I've ever been on a ship this advanced in my life. In fact, I was just running some energy conversion models the other day and I can say that the Sunrdier's core drive is on one of the most efficient in the galaxy.
...oh dear. (This must be how I sounded when describing my Blood Bowl plays to my friends.)
Since the Sunrider's powered through Atomic Fusion, we don't have to worry about radiation management. Now, I think if I were to upgrade the fuel feeder with...
(Yeah, I guess they were just humoring me when they said 'Wow' on that -1 Long Pass Completion.) I see.
O-oh! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bore you with all these techno babble. Er, I mean, y-you must be busy, so, erm... Uhhh... What were we talking about again?
Calm down. I was just asking how you were doing.
O-oh! Everything's fine, Captain. First Officer Ava is a big help when I moved in. I even managed to improve the research lab here in engineering too.
Yeah, she's really glad that you're on board this ship. You're a rare talent, Chigara. So no problems so far? Not even with Icari joining us?
I see you've spoken to Asaga. Mmm... So long as Icari's going to be working with us, I don't see a big problem. I haven't really spoken with her much since, but I think she sincerely regrets what she did. Hopefully, we can work together to stop PACT.
You're such a sunflower, Chigara. I'll talk to you rather. Keep up the good work.
Good bye, Captain.
And finally...
I see you've removed that awful plug suit finally. See? You look better out of it.
Ahahha, fine. How are you doing so far?
I'm satisfied with my current accommodation. It's much better than what I'm used to. Thanks for your concern.
Tell me about your merc contracts. What was it like?
Well. Don't think I was just some goon for hire. I only took out PACT targets. Blew up a couple of refueling stations here and there. Sank a few crippled cruisers. Even impersonated a low level PACT Veniczar once.
Veniczar? You? How'd you pull it off?
Nothing an 80 pound latex suit wouldn't solve.
Wow. So, how'd it go?
Well, it was a slave sale bust. The Alliance hired me to stop a transaction between a dealer and PACT. They've been buying slaves to press into their military service. This was going to be the biggest sale ever. Nearly 200 adults. The Alliance got involved when the slavers tried to sell one of their own.
So you impersonated the Veniczar and paid the pirates off before setting the slaves free?
Tsch. If only if it were that simple. You see, the cheapskates at the Alliance were only interested to free their own citizen. Something about not wanting to fund piracy.
Makes sense.
Anyways, that was all irrelevant, since it was a double-cross and they were planning to kill the Veniczar after they got the money.
Wow, how'd you survive that?
Got grazed by a couple shots, melted right through the disguise. Meh, easier to move anyway.
I bet. And that's when you make your escape, right?
Well, I swapped places with the real Veniczar just as she arrived. Haha, you should have seen the look on her face as the pirates grabbed her. Meanwhile, I managed to hack into the slavers captivity programs and set all the slaves loose. It was total chaos. Finally, the pirates opened fire on PACT's star liner, spacing everyone on board.
Whoa, what about the slaves?
Beats me. I managed to get the Alliance citizen out of there though, and in the end, that's all that mattered to my clients.
That's pretty crazy. Wish I was there to watch that it unfold.
And that's what I loved about mercenary work. It's my life or theirs. No time to stop and get philosophical on minor details. It was risky work, but I loved the excitement. Kept my mind off other things. What about you, Captain?
Uh... I play Video Games. Do you RPG?
Meh. Once a Turbodweeb, always a Turbodweeb.
Hmph. I see the Phoenix has light armaments. Light and fast. Why swords though?
In the ancient times, they said the invention of gunpowder ended the age of swordplay. Well, the creation of personal shielding's brought it back. Now people can emit shields that can deflect small arms, but they've neglected combat evasions as a result. They rarely know what to do when I draw my sword and get up close and personal on them.
Have you ever killed someone with your sword?
Couple of PACT soldiers and pirates. Bunch of pussies hiding behind personal shields.
Now I know why your plug suit reminds me of a movie I once saw. What was it... Thrill Bill? The one with the actor found hanged naked in a hotel?
Err...whatever. My point is, it gets the job done. I can still remember most of their faces. It definitely makes you think about what you're doing more than pressing a button and firing a rocket at an enemy space ship. They were armed enemies. It was either their lives or mine.
Right. How's your ryder doing?
Well, your science girl hacked it pretty good the last time around. Thankfully, she fixed most of the damage. She's really something. I tried everything but couldn't bypass her lockdowns. I've never seen someone as talented as her.
She's one of the best, Bee. We're lucky to have her on our team.
Good thing we're on the same side now. You know, I didn't think a perv like you can respect your crew like that. Tsch, I guess there's something good about you after all.
Does this mean we have something between us now?
Wh-what?!
What's wrong?
I didn't join this crew because I liked you, asshole!
Uh... thanks. I guess.