Valorus was the one who made the responses on the elevator. Pushing the correct buttons, though the incorrect one was tempting (mostly because he'd rather not be in the same area as those who tried to kill him), he decided against it as it would be detremental to the team. Afterwards, he finds himself in the foyer with the group. He looks around picks on couch (Thank goodness for choice), and sits down on it. Though it doesn't take long for him to start fidgeting.
Artemis sits calmly and waits for the group to be shown in.
Great, more waiting... Darshe thinks as he sits on the couch. Somehow, he was even less comfortable here than he was in the Eoxian embassy.
Krevlor sits patiently and comfortably but far less interested in his surroundings than when they were in the Eoxian Embassy.
Patches opts for his usual disengaged silence, trailing behind the other party members and letting anyone else who's more verbose than he is do all the talking. The place may change, but the rat stays the same.
Seeing as how the group is in for more waiting, he uses his custom rig and comm unit to wire a makeshift gaming console, firing up what appears to be an old DOS-based RPG and smacking noisily on his wad of fused candies.
As the group pass the time in the foyer, their comms units all sound out in near unison to indicate the arrival of another message.
"I'll respond, feel free to as well if you so desire."
Thank you for your invitation Captain Otal Serissi. We had hoped to speak with a representative of your organisation before departing and so will gladly accept the invitation. We will be in contact with you shortly with exact details to meet with your shuttle.
As Krevlor crafts his response, a light dinging noise announces the opening of an elevator at the end of the lobby. A lightly-skinned lashunta woman with deep blue facial markings steps out and looks around before making a bee-line towards the group of Starfinders. She is dressed in a tailored grey and black knee-length dress with long sleeves, and her dark hair is pulled back into a professional bun.
"Ahh, you must be the investigators hired by Ambassador Nor. I am Ms. Joss, PR Supervisor for Astral Extractions" she announces, holding out a small business card for anyone to take and smiling at anyone who does. "I am very sorry for keeping you waiting. Please follow me and I will take you to one of our meeting rooms."
Without much time to object, Ms. Joss turns on her heels and walks towards the elevators. The lashunta takes a small card in her hand and passes it over a sensor affixed to the same elevator she had walked out of, and holds her arm out in order to keep the doors from closing on the group. Inside the cab stands a security guard, dressed in the same manner as those in the lobby. A metal circlet rests around the man's forehead and temple, glowing with a pale blue pulse of light.
Ms. Joss gives a small flourish to usher the group into the elevator cab. "We are up on the fourty-sixth floor, which affords a lovely view over the station," she says proudly as she enters the cab behind the group. She turns around and presses a couple of buttons on the keypad, and the elevator whirs to life. "Have you worked much for the Ambassador before?" she queries to the group.
Darshe is not terribly surprised to receive the message from the Hardscrabble Collective, and is more than happy to let Krevlor reply on their behalf. The anticipation of meeting them in person only makes their current wait even more unbearable... even if it did only last a few more seconds. He tries very hard to maintain eye contact with the lashunta woman that greets them, her dress inviting a few awkward memories of his past visit to Castrovel.
He shakes his head at her question. "This is our first time working with him. Today was my first time even seeing the Eoxian embassy actually, let alone someone from the planet."
As the elevator speeds upwards towards their destination, Ms. Joss smiles warmly at Darshe. "I see," she says, nodding her head slightly. "It is interesting to know that the Ambassador trusts you well enough to handle this task, and we are grateful that you were able to afford us some of your time before the investigation begins."
The elevator begins to slow down as the cab reaches level fourty-six, and shortly comes to a stop. "Ah. Here we are - if you would please follow me," Ms. Joss says as she steps out of the elevator. The security guard follows behind the group, stepping out into what appears to be Astral Extractions' reception lobby. The security guard steps into an attentive stance near the elevator doors, and two other guards in similar dress with circlets around their heads stand by a pair of doors behind the reception desk.
The lashunta walks confidently toward a side door set into a frosted glass wall, the simulated daylight of the station outside filtered through it, and opens it to reveal a spacious room with a large glass table that could easily seat a dozen people around it on the black high-backed chairs. A tea caddy sits off to one side, with several refreshments set on its surface including a steaming pot of coffee, jugs of clear liquids, and what appear to be freshly prepared sandwiches and other foods. The windows here give a view out over the neighbourhoods of the Ring and the Eye, just as promised by Ms. Joss.
"Please take a seat," Ms. Joss says invitingly, sitting at the end of the table where a laptop has been set up next to a set of remote controls. "The reason we have requested your time here is because the board of directors feels the need to show you our corporate philosophy and give you an insight into how that informs our business dealings and the work that we do." The lashunta smiles again as she reaches for two of the remotes near to her computer. "I have a short presentation prepared for you, if you would indulge for a few minutes."
She presses a couple of buttons on each of the remotes, and the windows change their opacity to darken the room as a white screen descends from the ceiling. A roof-mounted projector lights up and after a few moments a video begins. It is slickly produced marketing presentation, and it highlights Astral Extractions' efforts in exploring the galaxy and beyond for the purposes of discovering, developing, and managing much-needed resources to sell within the Pact Worlds.
As the presentation comes to an end, with the logo for Astral Extractions splashed across the screen, Ms. Joss presses a couple of buttons on the remotes, and the windows resume their transparency and the screen disappears back into the ceiling.
"Thank you for watching that, and I hope it gives you a better understanding of what we are about. As to how this relates to your upcoming investigation, the crew of the Acreon were contracted to prospect for unclaimed and unexploited mineral resources on behalf of Astral Extractions, which would then hold all rights and claims to those discoveries. We simply want what our contract gives us the rights to, which is the asteroid found by the Acreon - an unclaimed, unexploited mineral resource as defined in the contract - while under our employ."
True to his word, Artemis says nothing but waits for the others to take the investigatory lead.
Valorus knew very well of cheap marketing ploys of these types of videos. They were everywhere on Kalo-Mahoi for advertising all different types of fashions and whatnot. Different businesses, but same tactics.
Still though, Valorus just politely nodded along with what she was saying about the astroid belonging to the Astral Extractions. {Yes, the presentation was very informative.}
Ms Joss smiles and nods as the roof space encloses the retracted screen. "Why thank you - I will be sure to pass on the feedback to our communications team. Hopefully that gives you all a bit of an idea about Astral Extractions' corporate philosophy."
The lashunta shifts in her seat and leans forward slightly. "As for the results of the investigation, we only ask that you carefully consider our claim on the Drift Rock and keep an open mind during the course of your investigation of the ship and the asteroid. The Drift Rock represents a potentially significant resource that could benefit many within the Pact Worlds, as long as the results of the mediation are favourable."
Ms. Joss smiles again and looks over the table at the group. "And if the investigation goes well, I know that the people upstairs are always looking to hire competent freelancers for a variety of tasks - and the pay can be quite lucrative from what I have heard."
Krevlor sits in silence rather than making some kind of comment. No doubt this woman was insulated from the decision that led to Duravor Kreel's death but the people upstairs were a different story.
He was finding the meeting a little more challenging to be quiet in than he had expected. So he focuses his mind, slowly taking out a bag and carefully and very slowly unfolding it.
Ms. Joss smiles as the awkward silence that permeates the room, fiddling nervously at the sleeve of her dress. ”Yes, well, perhaps the possibility of becoming freelancers might be not be of interest to you all just yet. But it can pay to make a good impression, I suppose.” The lashunta gingerly lays her hand on the laptop and closes it.
She smiles sheepishly as she stands and moves to open the door of the meeting room and escorts them to the reception area to summon an elevator cab to the floor. "Well, I’d like to thank you again for your time today - it was a pleasure to have the chance to meet with you all, if somewhat briefly, and we wish you the best of luck with your investigation." Ms. Joss extends her hand out as the elevator arrives with a pleasant dinging sound.
Krevlor folds the bag up again changing his mind but he is clearly not pleased with the encounter as they leave, his sullen silence being a tell.
Darshe nods off slightly during the presentation, the sale pitch striking him as very familiar. It takes him a moment to realize that he'd seen it before - back on his mining colony, during his orientation. He was fairly certain that he almost fell asleep back then, too. The soldier is at a bit of a loss for words after it ends, squirming awkwardly in his seat.
"No, thank you, Ms. Joss," he says, flashing the lashunta woman a forced smile before stepping onto the elevator. He waits until the doors close before remarking to his companions, "Well, that was... interesting. I thought they'd try to bribe us with a bit more than just employment opportunities."
"Some freelancers would probably consider stable employment a bribe." offers Artemis.
"She likely knows nothing about what happened to Kreel. I'm sure we'd get some sanitized default response if we had raised. Not long ago I might have enjoyed this visit."
As the group exit the tower and begin to discuss the meeting with Ms. Joss, the groups' communicator's all sound with a response from Otal Serissi.
Excellent! I will have a shuttle meet you in a couple of hours once we've received clearance from station control to get a docking bay. I usually use the bays on the central arm, as it the closest one to my ship more often than not. I'll ping you which bay once it's organized.
Krevlor will take the opportunity to relax and will happily tag along if someone has a specific destination to go to. He seems quite happy to just soak in the atmosphere of the station and listen to any conversations around him.
Having made up his mind, Darshe ultimately purchases a radiation buffer and some infrared sensors for his armor. They struck him as things that could come in handy while exploring a derelict spacecraft. The meeting with Ms. Joss had left him in a bad mood, but he was fairly optimistic about speaking with Captain Serissi.
After a little under an hour passes when the group receives the message from Otal that a capsule shuttle will be in Docking Bay 45 to pick them up and take them to his ship in the Armada. At the docking bay, the group easily spot a flattened tube-like vessel with several clamps on its underside currently attached to the umbilical at Docking Bay 45. The capsule is clean enough, though the smell of ore and petrol fumes lingers in it, and the lack of comfortable seating within it indicates that the capsule is likely used more to transport light gear and people across short distances only.
The shuttle takes a very short route before a large freighter ship that has seen better days looms into view, the words Dust Runner painted in white on the underside of the hull, its letters worn thin by the radiation found in space. The shuttle clamps onto the side of the larger ship like a remora, and after a few minutes of the pressures equalizing, the door of the shuttle opens to reveal a red-skinned human with dark stubble on his scalp and jawline. He wears a set of flight gear, heavy boots showing considerable wear and tear, and a laser pistol is holstered at his hip.
"Welcome to the Dust Runner, folks," he says, the timbre of his voice gravelly and deep. "Please, come aboard. I am Captain Otal, of the Hardscrabble Collective. You're..well, not what I expected," he says as he gives each of the Starfinders an appraising look, and he reaches his calloused hand out towards each member of the group in greeting. "Come on through - I'll show you around and then we'll go to the galley and we can talk there."
The group trails behind the captain as he gives a tour of the ship, pride swelling in his voice as he shows the different rooms. The interior of the freighter is utilitarian and practical, with very few bells and whistles that one would expect of a more modern ship - in fact, there is very little in the way of even comfort here, let alone luxury. They pass an ysoki, dressed in greasy coveralls with dark russet fur, who scowls with his one good eye before opening a small maintenance hatch in the side of the corridor and diving into it at earliest opportunity. "Don't mind Ol' Scratch there - we took a beating on our last trip through the Diaspora, and he's been stuck without a way to fix the auxiliary Drift Engine controls until we could get out to order parts from the Station recently - been too risky to leave the ship until just now."
On the bridge of the ship he introduces his wife Mariva as the lead science officer of the ship, and a dull-scaled vesk named Dozaroy who is currently sitting at one of the stations with a cable leading from HUD screen and plugged directly into his skull.
The captain leads the group into the galley - a relatively spacious room with a single bench in the centre of it and several high stools of differing makes placed around it. "Do y'all drink coffee? We've just brewed a fresh pot of it just now." He pours a black liquid the consistency of ink into a number of differently shaped and coloured ceramic mugs for anyone who takes his offer of coffee, and pours himself a mug of it before he sits down and drinks a large gulp of the scalding bitter liquid.
"Thank you all for coming to meet with me here," he says, setting his green mug on the counter-top, steam rising from its surface. "I'll bet you have questions, and I'll try and answer 'em if I can as best I can. This issue - the Acreon and the Drift Rock, that is - is too important to us in the Collective, and I don't trust those bastards from Astral Extractions to not interfere with this mediation process, so we wanted the chance to say our bit too."
"As you can probably guess - we're not a wealthy group, and the Dust Runner's probably in better condition than most of the other Hardscrabblers are. So when a corporate contract like what was booked out for Captain Chimara and the rest of her crew on the Acreon, well, we don't have the luxury of turning them down. The corporations know that as well as we do and they try to screw us over more often than not. Which is why we're fighting this one with everything we've got - we owe it to Chimara and her crew, and their families as well."
Captain Serissi levels his gaze towards the group, heaving a deep sigh. "So, what do you want to know?"
"Why don't you start by telling us why you feel you have claim on the rock and the ship?"
"Yeah, don't get us wrong. We're not exactly huge fans of Astral Excavations ourselves. But in the interest of representing our own organization in the best light, we've gotta be as neutral as possible," Darshe says, the word tasting bitter in his mouth. Or maybe that was just the coffee. "That said, if we find good enough cause to honor your claim, then that's what we'll do."
Otal nods and reaches for his mug of coffee again, drinking another mouthful of the hot liquid. "Well, Chimara sent a transmission through when they were on the way back home, saying they'd found something in the Drift and were bringing it closer to home - she sounded really excited about this, saying that this could be the start of us all being able to run our own operations and not having to beg for scraps from the corporate table. Now, we've seen the contract she had with Astral Extractions, and it says pretty clearly that the Acreon was contracted to explore the Vast and only to identify unexploited resources for future development - no mention about what to do with anything more portable. Chimara would know as well as the rest of the Collective not to do anything outside the bounds of her contract - none of us would put future corporate work at risk like that - so if she was staking a claim on that rock, that's good enough reason for me to think it is legitimate."
"The thing that's killing us though is not knowing what happened to our clansfolk. You see, the members of the Collective, we're pretty much a family - any one of us would do anything for any other. We don't know what value that damn rock may hold, if anything at all, but we know the value of the lives of Chimara and her crew on the Acreon. Like any family, we want to know what happened to them, and if the worst has happened, then maybe whatever wealth the rock holds can be used to help ease the loss of the families left behind. At the end of the day, that's all we care about."
He sighs as he set the mug down on the bench top, his hands not leaving it. "We're not planning on keeping anything that Astral Extractions is legally obligated to - we'll give them their files and the findings made by Chimara's crew, but the ship itself and the claim its crew have staked on the Drift Rock belong to them belong to Chimara and her crew, and then to the Collective in the event that the worst has happened."
Krevlor offers a soft smile and speaks quietly. "I am sorry for your loss. Though the tale will no doubt be a tragic one I hope that soon we will be able to return here with the final story of your Clansmen. To that end if you or any of your crew ever spent much time on the Acreon perhaps, no two ships are exactly alike even when of the same original design. The more information we have about the layout and any quirks the better."
"Hey, let's not assume they're dead just yet," Darshe interjects, a tad put off by Krevlor's kindhearted but morose words. Truthfully, he felt the same way, but saying it out loud just felt defeatist.
"But uh, like he said. Anything you can tell us about the ship would be of great assistance. Any access codes, security systems we should be worrying about?"
Otal shrugs and shakes his head. "I'm not privy to any of the codes that Chimara has used to secure her ship, but from what I remember there are three airlocks on the Acreon - port, starboard, and a smaller auxiliary one between the main thrusters in the aft of the ship which lead towards the engine room. Otherwise the ship is a standard build - a couple of cargo bays, crew quarters and amenities, and the bridge. But if she has modified or added anything to the ship, then that is news to me."
Valorus had taken a long time deciding on what to get over at the shopping district. On one hand, new armor could help his survivability, but then again, working on his gun might be the best option. In the end, however, he decided that perhaps increasing his brain power would work, not only would it give him a better understanding of the world around him, but it also would make him a better technomancer.
--------
As Valorus listened to the conversation, he looked at the others and said, {This is more of a personal question. This Chimara. Has she tried anything like this before? To claim some sort of object while on a contracted work I mean. Or is this out of the norm for her to do?}
"Indeed, it might be helpful to know about Chimara in general: her personality and skill sets more specifically."
Otal shakes his head and smiles wistfully. "No, this isn't out of the norm for Chimara to take certain... liberties when on a contract, but like most of us in the Collective she wouldn't put the potential of ongoing work at any sort of risk. Companies like Astral Extractions will use nearly any excuse to underpay folk like us, citing breaches in contract as a rationale, so we're very careful not to do anything that would even potentially cause that. She's a good captain also, and wouldn't do anything that put the lives of her crew in jeopardy, at least not knowingly."
Otal nods and lifts his mug back to his mouth, slugging back the last few mouthfuls of the bitter black liquid. "”Well, I s’pose if there’s nothing else you all want to know, I'd best let you get back to Absalom Station and get ready for your investigation. Thank you again for agreeing to meet us out here - until I'd taken your measure I couldn't be sure if you'd be swayed by those bastards in their nice, clean ivory tower. Knowing that you all seem to be fine level folk will help me and mine rest easier for now," he says, a thin smile crossing his lips.
"We'll do what we can, Captain," Darshe says with a nod, setting down his empty mug. "If we can find any excuse to deny Astral Excavations' claim, then we'll make sure we get it on camera."
Standing, Artemis nods and turns to leave.
"Hopefully we can unravel some of the mystery surrounding the Acreon." Krevlor inclines his head before leaving with the others.
The red-skinned human nods and smiles wistfully, standing up from the bench. "I hope so as well. Here, let me lead you back to the capsule."
He leads the group of Starfinders back through the narrow corridors of the Dust Runner, eventually making it to the airlock connecting the transport capsule to the ship's bulk. "One last thing before you leave. Now, while I'm hopeful you'll find the crew well enough to come back to us, the chances of that happening are as likely as me setting foot on the surface of the Sun and not burning to a crisp. So, I've talked it over with the remaining captains, and if you find anything of use or value on the Acreon during your investigation, its yours. If Chimara or her crew are still alive, they're not going to care that it was used to rescue them. And in the case that they're not, then they're not going to care that it was taken either."
"We will keep that in mind thank you. It is good that you are being realistic about the odds regarding their well being."
Darshe grimaces at Krevlor's tact (or lack thereof) again before nodding. "If they're alive, then we'll bring them back. Promise."
His features set into a mirthless smile, Otal nods and moves to shake the hands of the six assembled Starfinders before him. "Thank you, for everything. And good luck with your investigation," he says as he pulls down on the lever that allows access to the detachable capsule.
The flight back to Absalom Station is short, and soon the group finds themselves entering into the open Arms once more. Not long after the group makes their way into the neighbourhoods to finish their preparations for the investigation, a message comes through to their communicators from Ambassador Nor. It contains instructions for them to be at Docking Bay 12 at 9am the next morning, and to confirm that a shuttle has been arranged for their use in flying to the quarantine field.
Not noticing anything out of the ordinary, Artemis boards the shuttle and takes a passenger seat.
"That is one of the docking bays reserved for the private use of diplomats, and high ranking station officers. We shouldn't have any trouble. I think we should head their now."
"I guess that makes us VIPs," Darshe jokes as they approach the shuttle. Installed with its new mods, his armor has once again been polished to a sheen.
18 Lamashan 317AG
Waking the next morning and making their way through the station to Docking Bay 12, the people around them seem blissfully unaware of the group's mission as they go about their daily lives. The journey through the varying neighbourhoods is short, and soon the five Starfinders find themselves in a large open hangar with several individualized air-locked bays along the far wall. The station security presence here doesn't feel any less thorough than any other area of the station, with a number of armed guards posted at regular intervals within the hangar.
A familiar figure floats by the entrance to the second airlock door, flanked by no less than four of the Eoxian bone guards. Ambassador Nor, dressed in the same diplomatic finery as yesterday, casually turns in the air and gives a small bow of his elongated skull, the green pinpoints of light flaring brightly. "Ahh, you made it! I am glad indeed," he says, the four bone guards shuffling away from the diplomat and forming a semi-circle behind him.
"I trust that you are prepared for the undertaking of your investigation. As promised, I have secured a ship for you to use for your journey to the Acreon, which has been graciously given on loan by the Stewards." The Ambassador waves to the heavy perspex window set into the airlock door, revealing a light freighter painted in a faded yellow with blue trim sitting in the bay on the other side. "May I present to you the Hippocampus, graciously loaned by the Stewards. They have allowed me to install several improvements onto the vessel also in order for you to be better prepared for anything you may face and maximize your success."
Nor floats over to a small crate off to the side and lifts the lid off of it with a wave of his skeletal hand, revealing a diminutive drone that softly whirs into life. A pale blue light begins to blink steadily on the drone's underbelly. ”As per our agreement, this drone will follow you throughout the Acreon and the Drift Rock, streaming audio and video to the Embassy for the purposes of collecting an unbiased record of the investigation that will be presented to both parties involved in the mediation. Measures have been taken to ensure the authenticity of the footage, at the request of both parties."
With another wave of his hands, a set of small patches floats out of the crate and into Ambassador Nor's grip, and he hands one to each of the group assembled before him. The patch appears to have a small camera lens and audio-capturing filament on one side, while the other side is coated in a plastic sheet on an adhesive backing. "If you could please adhere one of these to yourselves, these will act as both a tracking focus that will enable the drone to stay in proximity to one of you at all times, as well as provide a secondary means to capture footage in the event you are separated from one another during your investigation."
The skeletal figure clasps his hands together and nods. "I am sure that you are eager to begin. Have you any last questions before you settle onto the ship?"
Krevlor inclines his head. "Hopefully the upgrades will not be necessary but it is appreciated. I am ready to depart for the Acreon."
Darshe peels off his patch's backing and it onto his armor's left breastplate. He felt a little uncomfortable about having a tracking device on him, but it was all part of the job. He nods to the creepy Eoxian ambassador.
"I think I'm good," he remarks, indeed quite eager to set out. In a sense, this was their first real mission for the Starfinder Society.
Artemis affixes one of the patches directly to his epidermis.
Gevalarsk Nor nods back at the Starfinder and begins to float towards the airlock door, nodding at Krevlor as he ushers the group towards the airlock doors as they begin to open. "I am hopeful that you will not have to avail yourselves of these upgrades, but as your mission is somewhat exploratory in nature, your safety is paramount to its success and I would prefer you to be in a position to defend yourselves where necessary."
As the Eoxian floats through the opening in the airlock doorway, he flourishes once again toward the ship where two Stewards in their resplendent armour stand guard at the boarding ramp and continues to talk. "To that end, I have had the Hippocampus outfitted with improved armour plating and defensive measures, as well as installed a number of lifeboats should the unthinkable occur." Nearing the boarding ramp, the Ambassador's tone turns slightly more bitter. ”I have also agreed to upgrade the power core, shield capacity, and computer systems, along with installing an additional turret on the vessel at my own cost. These additional and somewhat superfluous improvements were not an inexpensive undertaking, but agreeing to such excessive modifications was the only way to secure a vessel from the Stewards. Very few within the galaxy will do anything purely out of the goodness of their hearts, and the Stewards are no different.” One of the Steward guards shifts uncomfortably on his feet, having clearly heard the thinly-veiled barb. Both guards step back away from the boarding ramp as the group approach and stand stiffly.
"Well, here we are. I will leave you to become acquainted with the ship before you depart. I wish you all the very best of success with your investigation." Nor bows his head towards the group before turning away and returning to his retinue of boneguards. The two Stewards also make their way out of the hangar, with one of them turning back to shoot the Starfinders a narrow glare as they board the ship before leaving the hangar, and the automatic doors begin to close behind the ship.
Inside the ship, six separate consoles sit on the bridge, their screens dimmed and awaiting the commands to activate them for the various roles the crew can take.
Small light freighter
Speed 6; Maneuverability good (turn 1)
AC 13; TL 13
HP 40; DT n/a; CT 8
Shields Basic 20 (forward 5, port 5, starboard 5, aft 5)
Attack (Forward) light laser cannon (2d4)
Attack (Turret) coilgun (4d4)
Power Core(s) Arcus Light (75 PCU); Drift Engine None; Systems basic medium-range sensors, crew quarters (common), mk 2 armor, mk 2 defences, mk 1 trinode computer (tier 1); Expansion Bays cargo hold, guest quarters (common), life boats
Modifiers +1 any three checks per round, +2 Computers, +2 Piloting; Complement 6 max
Valorus attaches the patch to his person. {Thank you very much for all of this, we will hopefully be victorious with this mission.} Truth be told, Valorus was very curious as to the very nature of what happened on this ship moreso than the cargo, but still, the cargo itself does seem interesting, if nothing else than to just look at. The ship itself was very state of the art, from what Valorus could tell.
As he enters the starship he tells his comrades, {I am most comfortable with software so I can be a science officer, though I can also be an engineer if we need it.}
Darshe waits until the ambassador has left before truly stopping to appreciate the ship, letting out a low whistle. A real starship, all to themselves. On loan, of course, but the prospect was still exciting. As they're discussing what positions to take on the ship, the soldier cracks his knuckles, the answer fairly obvious.
"Just put me where the big guns are. If we run into any trouble, I'll show them what for."