"Actually I just finished a few terms in the Colonial Marines and was looking for a reasonably quiet place to settle down. It's pretty damned apparent by this point that the guy selling this colony spot to me lied through his teeth. If I ever get off this rock, I may have to look him up and have a discussion. I did hear something about alien vaults, and I figured exploring those might be a decent hobby or way to make a credit. However, I didn't expect this place to be a deathtrap. "
Velden snorts. "I keep telling you Bishnu, you need to research better. At least I knew what to expect before I came down. Spent several days looking into this place before I shipped out to the system, then another couple of hours before getting in the pod doing some more research on the planet itself. I assumed you had at least looked it up once before moving out here to retire, figured you wanted someplace where you could still use heavy ordinance in retirement."
"Look, I was tired of all the crap and was dumb enough to buy what the colonial recruiter was selling. Yes, I should know better, but hell this is for civilians, it ought to be safe. I just wanted to take it easy. Though I do have to admit it is kinda funny- burned by bad intel even when I retire. "
Jack can't help but laugh at the interchange. "Few things you hear about Pandora are true except that there is a lot of weapons and creatures about. Everywhere you look there might be something to fight."
Jack shrugs "Regardless of research you are certainly in for an exciting time down here. Tell me how did you guys fair against the wards around this place?"
"Wards? What wards? Five walked us in after we had an all too exciting encounter with the ground. "
"Huh, if he knew how to circumvent them..." Jack shakes his head, keeping his thoughts to himself for the moment. "Don't worry about it for now, what are your plans then now that you are here?"
Velden snorts. "He's talking about the magic field around the city, the one that made us feel good when we arrived. Apparently the wards were already keyed for us. Or else they're not working they way they are supposed to. Or your Mr. Five had something to do with it."
"Plans? I guess I gotta work on that. All my plans crashed with the dropship and what I found on the ground. "
then looking at Velden
"Oh, those were wards. Look, I don't do that hocus pocus crap, so would you expect me to know that? Well I will say if those were supposed to keep things out, they sure felt good which tells me something was up or they don't work at all. "
Velden raises an eyebrow at Bishnu, and then snaps his fingers. Bishnu's armor turns various shades of pink. "Hocus Pocus Crap." He says dead pan, and goes back to drinking his cider.
"Yeah, yeah, I know. Nice to show off the parlor tricks. I know there is powerful hocus pocus crap. Doesn't mean I have to like the stuff or understand it. "
"Interesting about you biology, fascinating in fact."
You can see she's thinking wile the others talk
Then after Bishnu's Armor becomes pink she waits a moment then puts her hand on Bishnu"s armor and it changes back to its original cooler.
"Poor Bishnu, man sold you Death world in place of Deft world."
That when talk of the wards starts
"Yes I spotted the odd field as we came in, I did a preliminary calculation on the power needed to maintain it, but that's hard when you don't fully know its capabilities. I wonder if it go's under ground as well, o it's my birthday to day, I was given compleat and comprehensive of this world. So in other words next to nothing. None of it talked of wards this powerful tho.. Bishnu, that dark haired Lady with a child over there keeps looking at you, are they family to you?"
She says looking over at the woman and child, 3ed eye open.
"Thanks Aannra, don't much care for pink. Not exactly subtle. Family? I doubt it, but I honestly don't know much about my family. I was parted from them a very long time ago. "
+2 if she's under a compilation.
Yet about right for a 4 hour old
Wile looking at the woman and child Aannra says
" I have memory's of a family. A childhood, but they are not real, just implanted information, there to help me relate, a mouther who is always looking away. I can see her now in my mind, she can never look at me becomes she is not real. What would you have no family memory's or fake ones made from the lives of others, that's something to ponder. You know that do seem to be very interested in us. "
She seems to do this a lot from the short time you have been with her, tracking more than one line of thinking and events at the same time. It's near constant.
"It's not that I don't know my history, it's that I don't know my family. They were poor and sold me off to the colonial military to be raised as a soldier. It happens pretty often. No biggie. If they hadn't sold me off, I would have likely starved. I have some brief memories from when I was really young, but not much really. "
Aannra looks at Bishnu you can tell she's only focused on him.
"Like me then, made in a different way but sold just the same as an object, to be used by others."
She smiles at him sadly.
"Yeah, I guess you could look at it that way. I got over it a long time ago. Combat has a way of helping you deal with pent up anger. "
"Really,
She pats his arm, then looks puzzled.
I know combat, it's in my conditioning I just accessed the files, but now I look at them I don't really want to think about it. I don't know if I like the idea of taking life."
"From the looks of this world so far, I'd say you better get used to the idea. "
Velden suddenly slams the mug down on the counter hard enough to make it sound like a gunshot. "Can we stop with the family history theology session?" He says, sounding grouchy. "I'm sure if we asked, every shtocking moron on this planet would have a sob story about their family and childhood, or they wouldn't shtocking be here." He throws a gold piece at the bartender. "Whiskey for both of them if they shut up about maudlin shtock."
Velden then get's up and stalks off toward the restroom.
Aannra looks shocked at Veldens out burst.
When the whiskey comes she slides it over to Bishnu.
"did we do something wrong?"
"Nah, he's probably just pissed that he didn't get his saki. He gets cranky like that sometimes. I wouldn't pay it any mind. Cheers."
and he will clink his shot glass against Aannra's and gulp down the whiskey.
"Ahh, now there's a nice burn. "
"You can have mine as well, not a good idea I drink alcohol until my internals have had a chance to work"
She looks around at the woman with five than at the dragon.
"Do you drink little big dragon?"
She asks it.
To Aannra, ::"I drink but not that burning stuff, it tastes horrible. I would prefer milk or juice, or something sweet."::
"Come my friends new and old, come to the table so we may discuss what I plan next." Five says raising his arms to summon them over to him.
Once you have all gathered, Five offers you all to eat and drink as you will. "Introductions must wait, for we are still missing a few." Once Velden is done in the back he likely joins the table as well, Elo comes in and joins the table with Swiftstab.
Five introduces Ida and himself and goes around the table to have everyone introduce themselves as they like. "I stand before you to tell you my main goal in life, to bring protection to citizens of Pandora, to make a town that is safe and a place where community comes together to grow and strengthen one another. This is my vision and I hope to share it with you as well. Tomorrow there is the hunt for the Everflame, I hope to have you all on this trip for at then end I hope to learn of this Everflame and perhaps find a vault. As we hunt for vaults we should gather wealth, power, and secrets to make my vision true, but only with you brave individuals before me would it be possible. Will you join us?" With that Five raises his cup into the air for a toast.
Before she go's to sit she asks
"Barman do you have some milk, a small bowl please"
She smiles
She sits then then holds it out for the Dazizz to drink, after a moment lets out a large fart.
"Arr that's new, wow very odd feeling, well seems my digestive system is working fine, pooow that really smells, thing Ill go outside if I need to do that again."
She smiles at the others like nothing is wrong then says in a flat tome will looking ahead.
"Hi an a Tronic Corporation, Blake Replicant, Aannra Unit. Designation, bespoke build, Active, Default Name Aannra Blake. I have an Implanted leaning personality, High Capacitance adaption Bio-PSIonic_TM system, and Advanced Bio-Mechanical Body, Built-in Self repairing systems, Breeding sub system. I have a fitted assistant Drone unit and was design to survive in hostile and hazardous environments. I am Skilled in hand to hand combat, Advanced fire Arms and survival.
I am 4 hours 47 minutes and 32 seconds old as of this mark, mark."
As she talks clothing changes so she looks like this
Aannra Blake Combat mode
You see a high tech looking survival knife strapped to her left leg and this Advanced Air gin Strapped to her right in a holster.
"You already know my answer, Five, as I'll be joining the group on this whoever goes. After all, who'd keep you lot alive otherwise?"
"True Ida, I had expected that, just giving anyone another chance to back out, and for our new friends to join our merry group." Five says with much charisma.
Aannra simply says about going
"I go where Bishnu and Velden go"
"I guess I'm in. Looks like I'm not going to have a retirement worth a piss here anyway, so I might as well make myself useful. I wanted to poke around vaults anyway. "
Velden returned a short while later, still with a surly look on his face, but he tags along with Aannra and Bishnu when they show interest in Five's song and dance. When both indicate willingness, he shrugs. "Guess I'll tag along then. Someone's got to keep Bishnu from wearing inappropriately colored armor in the jungle." There's a muted snapping sound, and Bishnu's armor turns pink and gold and teal, making him look like a high-tech Liberace. A second snap, and Aannra's outfit changes to dayglow orange and green. "And he's a bad influence on Aannra, he already has her wearing weird colors." Some of the half-elf's usual good humor having reasserted itself apparently.
Jack waits patiently through the conversation chiming in when Five comes back and explains the situation. "My answer was given long ago Five, so count me in as always.
He turns to Gwen who is with him, leaning down and whispering. "Feel free to ask your own questions at this point, I ain't going to push you to join but I rather you get the information you want before deciding to join." As always with Jack his racial tendencies show through, not wanting to lie about his intentions and keeping that all that is intended is fed upfront. Jack enjoyed the fight with Gwen and he thinks that if she can hold his own against him, she's more the suited to the adventures they no doubt will face.
"Velden do you have some kind of fixation on me in pink armor? I really don't think that is healthy. You should probably get over it. "
Gwen looks up at Jack, and quietly whispers, "You won't need my help up to the Everflame, I will likely ask questions later when I don't have an audience."
She's still looking at the ones talking, when ever Bishnu's armor changes, off hand go's to to his Armor which the becomes its old color again.
She looks at every one very closely as they talk.
Jack smiles "By all means" Jack then waits patiently to see if there is more that needs to be discussed.
Velden raises an eyebrow at Aannra as she keeps undoing his color changes to Bishnu's armor, and he grins, challenge accepted. He looks throughtful as others talk, and then there's a muted snapping of fingers. Although Bishnu's armor doesn't appear to change colors this time.
However, the back of his armor now reads 'KICK ME' when he stands up.
Velden raises an eyebrow at Aannra as she keeps undoing his color changes to Bishnu's armor, and he grins, challenge accepted. He looks throughtful as others talk, and then there's a muted snapping of fingers. Although Bishnu's armor doesn't appear to change colors this time.
** spoiler omitted **
It's kick you all the way Bishnu :)
Aannra looks on as the other talks, it seems her life will be going things for the common good. She felt happy about that.
"Velden, you forgot the golden epaulets this time. Is your fashion sense off?"
She looks puzzled at them
He notices her puzzlement "Don't mind us, inside joke. "
Velden shrugs. "Nah, I just thought you were tired of them." Bishnu's armor changes yet again, now it looks like a Colonial Marines Supreme General's armor, complete with gaudy gold shoulder flashes and epaulets. The breast is also covered with campaign ribbon paint, indicating Bishnu was at various battles, including the Battle of Kovana, 150 yeas previously. "There you go, that's the one you like to use to impress cadets, isn't it?"
"Hey, watching their eyes bug out over all the fruit salad you put on there was well worth any gaudiness. Might work on the rubes here as well. "
Jack can't help but laugh at what the others are doing. He mutters a couple of things in his native tongue, the way he says it though sounds like he is something like 'silly kids' or 'shenanigans'. Jack doesn't seem to say anything letting the others have fun, he considers joining in but decides against it.
"O!"
Is all she says
"As long as you remember what happened when the Colonol of Marines saw you, and knew what all that salad meant..."
"And there we were having a good moment. The blisters I got from digging all those latrines...Ugh. "