From bad to worse. Out of the frying pan, and into the fire. When the tough get going, the going gets tough. Any horse in a gift port with a storm mouth. Any number of rather mangled cliches applied.
Life has a way of throwing curves at entirely inappropriate moments, but still, there was a certain limit to the sorts of violently disruptive changes that could be expected.
Being tossed headfirst into what appeared to be an especially vivid tacos-induced dream, or a startlingly realistic fan-fiction, Rezantis, Tech-Admin-Warcraft Addict of the Soulriders forums awoke in a body that was not his own.
In point of fact, it belonged to a young woman (Bad enough) of the Mejale-Tarak pirate ship, Nirvana-better known as the setting to the Anime 'Vandread'. (Much worse)
Meia Gisborn-His new identity was a fighter pilot, but before the fighting came run ins with Dita, Paiway, Barnette and others. This was a definite adjustment, and just as 'she' was settling in, the Dreads were scrambled, and Meia-Rez got her first taste of dogfighting- It was actually pretty damned cool, really. Dangerous as all hell, but that was as may be. But as the fight ended, She and another dread had been caught, and now, there was something a little more disconcerting at work-Mejale and Tarak and the implied worlds of that place had been left behind for something a little less fictional.
Emphasis on 'little'. After all, Rezantis aka Pinkie, Cardinal Rez, etc did NOT recall Callisto, moon of Jupiter, being settled in 2007. True, 'Rez' had never actually been to Callisto, but even so, it was something that was taken for granted. After all, if it'd been colonized back then, he would have known enough to bring a jacket.
It was COLD in the hangar she was in now. And that was only inside! Fortunately, her dread was roughly compatible with the mechanical systems here, and thanks to her wingmate, who'd been dragged along with her, one Barnette Orangello, they'd talked their way into landing, and were currently standing outside the hangar foreman's office.
He was a large man, muscular, spear bald and flabby, like a prize fighter gone to seed. Still rather intimidating though, as he towered over the two slight female pilots, and leering openly at Barnette, who would have looked disgusted, had it not been for her chattering teeth. Her 'flight suit' left rather little to the imagination, and was not at all suited to such a cold moon.
"...yer craft are real beauts-but they ain't for long range, are they? As I sees it, ya got pretty much no choice about landing here-anywhere else'd strip 'em for parts, even if they charged yas less." He was saying. "I'll even hold 'em without a deposit, but yer gonna have to pay the storage fee before I gives 'em back."
"Great," came the unsurprisingly sour response, "Just great. So how much is that going to cost us?"
And how am I supposed to find out what the hell that number means.
"Two million Woolongs." The big guy smiled openly as he said the number, and it wasn't a mean smile, either. He clearly expected a positive reaction to his generousity, folding his meaty arms decisively. "An' I'll knock five hunnerd grand off it if we can't fuel 'em up. Just don't tell anyone what I'm chargin', or I'll has a mutiny on my hands. But we doesn't get many women here on Callisto, so'z I figures I can cut yas a break."
Barnette was shivering and hugging herself, and it was probably a good thing, because she clearly wasn't enjoying the attention he was giving her, and Meia did notice Barnette was only using one arm to warm herself, and the other didn't stray more than a few inches from her holster at a time.
The hangar was noisy enough, to pass for normal, but even vague glances around revealed some truth to the big guy's words, as the men working on the docked craft were pathetically unable to conceal their interest in the discussion by the office.
Two million woolongs . . . how the hell much is two million woolongs . . .
"Well . . . I guess we have a deal. Thank you," Meia responds with a polite nod.
It's somewhere in the realm of bounties. Just. $#@%ing. Great.
The big man nods agreeably, smiling wide to reveal yellow teeth, and opens his mouth as if to say more, but Barnette, suffering in silence until this point, pounces on the opening Meia gives, grabbing the shorter woman's arm, and snuggling slightly, but using it as a cover to urge Meia away from the portmaster at a hurried pace. "We'll be back soon to pick them up!" She calls over her shoulder in a light tone, before turning and eyeing the exit with trepidation. "I hope."
Meia desn't resist in the slightest as Barnette tries to hurry them both away.
"We will be. For now . . . eck. We're going to need some money, so I guess we should . . . well, you need something warmer and we should check how bad the damage to your dread is."
Meia starts moving back to the dreads, carefully not paying any attention to the people standing around . . .
"YES." Barnette agrees, fervently. She agreeably turns them and begins ushering Meia toward where the ships are resting. "What are we going to -do-, Leader? I don't know about yours, but my dread isn't going to fly out of here without major repairs, even if we can gather up these...woolongs..." She muttered anxiously. "Parfait is going to kill me."
The men all gave the women a respectful berth, and they were able to make it back to the Dreads unmolested, though nearly all the men were watching their every move closely.
Upon arrival, Meia could see Barnette was probably right. The nose of her fighter was terribly warped, and there were burn marks around the engine vents. Not at all promising...
"My dread's alright, but getting dread repairs around here is going to be a problem . . . for now, get yourself something warmer."
Meia walks over to her dread to inspect it for obvious damage, retrieve the ring, and look over what sort of useful inventory/gear might be inside . . . maybe . . .
I sure hope someone was better prepared than I am.
Barnette nods sharply, once, and trots off to her own dread to fish out the zero-g suit for a hull breach.
Fortunately, aside from the obvious fuel depletion, Meia's Dread looks in excellent shape. Still, it lies dormant-even the Paksis isn't all powerful, it seems. Climbing back in the cockpit, Meia locates the laser ring, and assorted other items for a crash-survival rations, a first aid kit, and medium knife.
While searching, Meia hears a strange thumping...
. . . and bites down a bad word, going looking for the source of the thumping.
What the heck is wrong now?
Curious...it's not the cockpit...but wait, the cooling system is airtight. Why this is the case is anyone's guess, but if something came loose down there...well, there's no telling about what kind of mechanical errors COULD be inside her Dread...
Meia grimaces and hauls herself out of the cockpit, going looking on the dread for an access panel (and hopefully a better idea of what's causing the noise).
It's a simple matter to undo the seal and remove the panel. Simpler than normal, even, as the panel pops off with surprising violence, and a purple head with pigtails pops out, gasping. "Can't breathe..." Paiway wheezes, sucking deep lungfuls of breath into her lungs.
Oh god, you have GOT to be kidding me.
Meia stares blankly for several seconds.
"Paiway?"
"...Pai-check?" The tiny nurse replies, giving Meia a weak, sheepish smile.
"-What- were you doing in there?"
"Hiding from Parfait." Paiway admits, clambering out, and looking around. "This isn't Nirvana."
"No, it isn't."
Meia doesn't look particularly pleased to see the young girl.
"And we don't know where the Nirvana is, either."
"Ah..." Paiway opens her mouth to add something, but Meia's displeased look seems to suggest opinions are not being solicited. "...I'm sorry?" She tries, hopefully.
Meia just sighs, still not looking too happy.
"It's a bit late now. Just stay quiet and don't wander off alone . . . we don't know this place and we might not find you again."
Meia seals up the access panel and puts on the ring (having left everything else in the cockpit), then drags Paiway back off to Barnette's dread.
Paiway nods, silently, looking around once more, and opting to stick VERY close to Meia as they head over to Barnette's dread, looking uncomfortable at all the strange men nearby.
Said Green haired woman is sticking half in and half ouf of her cockpit, and the half sticking out looks-well, still pretty fantastic, as the greyish rubber is sealed closely to her skin, even if her legs and ass aren't quites as on display as they were before. As they come around, Barnette's head pops up, looking pleased. "Leader, I-" She stops short, eyes widening. "Paiway?"
"Someone decided to use my dread for a game of hide and seek."
"I didn't!" Paiway insisted, blushing. "Parfait was mad about...about..." She let out a nervous little laugh, looking left and right nervously. "Okay, maybe it was." She admitted.
Barnette rubbed her temple, glaring at the little girl irritably. "I can't believe you! We're already in trouble, and now it's even worse because we've got to look after you, too!"
The purple haired little girl looked uncharacteristically abashed, looking around at the men working nearby uneasily. "I said I was sorry..."
"Well, you're going to be."
Grimacing, Meia turns her attention back to Barnette.
"The man who towed us here indicated that people might be interested to pay for a look inside of parts out of your dread. If you've got anything that really is only good for scrap . . . well, we're going to need somewhere to sleep."
Paiway, for all her faults, apparently knows when to shut up at least, merely cringing, and sticking VERY close to Meia.
Barnette looked at Meia, stricken, then back at her Dread. She hefted the bag of supplies liberated from her cockpit, finally giving the blue haired woman a look like she was personally strangling Barnette's puppy. "What...What kind of parts?" She asked finally, practicality winning out.
"Things we don't have a prayer of fixing - if we'll have to replace them to move the dread anyway . . . it's still technology they don't look like they have. I don't want to start cutting it up any worse than it is though . . ."
A wince.
". . . we're going to have one hell of a time repairing it enough to get off this rock already."
Barnette seemed vaguely appeased by the indirect assurance that her Dread wouldn't be ripped apart and sold for scrap, and she sighed. "Well...the thrusters are pretty much shot, and the comm and navigations are both dead..." She put her hands on her hips. "I think the magazine has a little ammo left, too...but that's all that can be taken out without making her unfit for space..."
"That bad? I was hoping it was just the thrusters . . . if we can get those replaced somehow, -maybe-, think we can get it back into space?"
"Oh, sure." Barnette was perking up quite a bit more, now. "The Comm is fixable...the Nav system, probably not, but if we can get the com up, I can tag you on the combat sensors and follow you around, if yours isn't broken." Barnette replied agreeably. "If the thrusters are replaced, She's good to go."
"My dread's mostly alright, but the Pexis is dormant . . . no power. Alright then," Meia nods, "then we should see if we can get anything for the thrusters and . . ."
Meia trails off.
"It might be safer to wipe the nav system first, but I don't honestly think they could find any of it anyway . . . we'll just try the thrusters for now?"
Barnette nods, looking suitably relieved. "You're the leader." She affirms, in a not-quite answer, though she does look considerably happier than she did when the subject came up. She looks around the hanger at the ships assembled, joining Paiway, who is already quietly doing exactly that with a look of distaste.
They can hardly be blamed. Aside from the elongated fighter Spike flew in, there is not a single ship in the group that's particularly pretty. Meia's dread has that rather dubious honor, looking gleaming and sleek, aside from a few scuffs.
"But we might have some trouble finding the right thrusters...or at least, some that work. These aren't exactly Mejale's finest..."
"No . . . but we'll see what we can do."
With a quickly stifled grimace, Meia turns to go back to see the man in charge.
Barnette seems perfectly content to wait by her Dread, and the reason why is apparent as a large pistol comes out of her gun for cleaning, elicting a great deal more wariness from the appreciative audience. Paiway tags along on Meia's heels as she heads to the office.
Fortunately, the big man is right where she and Barnette left him. Although, now he actually looks productive. So maybe he's not a drooling lech after all. He looks up as Meia approaches the door, but doesn't say anything...
Meia taps on the doorframe. Not that it's necessary, mostly out of habit.
"I've got a request . . . you know how you said you were likely the only place that wouldn't sell our dreads for scrap?"
He looks up from his desk work, eyeing Meia curiously, and nodding his giant head. "Yah, I remembers. What about it, little lady?"
Meh.
"The thrusters on one of them are pretty busted up, probably not going to be fixable. That said, the technology's pretty advanced, so even damaged they're probably worth someting to someone . . . I was wondering if you might be able to help with that."
He fixed her with a canny look. "Sure, I might be able t'arrange something, sneak-wise." he agreed. "There's always a market for unusual parts-Question is, how much is innit fer me? Unless you just wants me to cancel the storage fee?" he asked, smiling.
"How much is in it for you depends on how much you can find for 'em," Meia returns the smile, "what -we- are going to need is an advance to cover expenses and money to cover the storage fee - Callisto wasn't a planned stop. But they'll be worth more than that - the question is just how much of a cut you're going to want."
He considered this for a moment, giving Meia a long look. "You're a nervy chick." He said finally, with a grin. "I'll make yas a deal. I'll give you a million woolongs to play around with. But I wanna poke around in yours. I won't take anything out, but I want to see inside. If'n you let me do that, I'll do what you ask, and replace the thrusters for free. We'll talk cut when you come t' pick them up. Fair?"
"I can agree with that - and I appreciate you asking instead of just poking while my back's turned. Certain," she flicks her eyes towards Paiway, "other people need to learn that."
Paiway wilted visibly with the look, dropping her head and blushing. Strangely, the big man's manner softened noticably as his eyes fell to her, and he just nodded, reaching under his desk, retrieving a small brick of bills and tossing it to Meia.
"There's Two Hundred fifty in there." He offered, fumbling around as he stat up, checking the papers on his desk, and finally coming up with a small book, and beginning to scribble furiously in it, and with a flourish, he tore the check off and held it out. "Here's the rest, anyhows. Ya might have a little trouble trying to cash it if yer not from around here, but if you go't the bank it's drawn off of, a friend of mine'll take care o' yas. Everything shiny?"
"Peachy-keen. Thank you very much," Meia responds, taking the check, "believe me, we appreciate the help. One last thing - can you recommend somewhere we should look for accomodation? I'd rather go with your suggestion than go by random luck."
He nodded seriously, folding his arms. "With'n a little one around, you'll probably want to stay out of the downtown-I would have advised two ladies like yourselves that anyway, but it's even more important with a little girl in cahoots, y'dig?" He rumbled. "Not many ladytypes are around on Callisto...and I've heard tell where there's none a'tall for a spell. Stick to the fancier parts o'town for as long as y'can afford it, an' you'll stay safer in this city."
He frowned thoughtfully. "As far as savin' money while you're stayin' safe, try the Panhandle Bar and Grill. Big Mike runs a quiet, friendly little place, and he could probably point you to a place to stay that won't drain the money I gave ya quickwise."
"Alright then. Thanks again for the help," Meia thanks the man smiles gratefully, moving to head back to the dreads.
He watches Meia go, and Paiway pauses, waving at him before darting after Meia, and he waves back with a sheepish grin.
Waiting back by the Dreads is Barnette, looking infinitely more comfortable, and covered by the rubber vacsuit, and polishing a rather compact looking pistol...a Beretta, it looks like. She looks up as Meia approaches, her eyes falling to the cash in one hand. "It went well?"
"Decently," Meia nods, "He's going to replace your thrusters . . . won't be as good, but we should be able to get it off the ground."
"Well, Parfait should be able to fix that when we get back." Barnette replies, nodding agreeably, slipping the safety on the Beretta and slipping it on her belt, which had been relocated to the outside of the vacsuit. "So...you seem to know what's going on, so...what do we do now, Leader?"
Meia frowns, her expression turning darker.
"I got a lead on somewhere to stay, but . . . I hate to disappoint you, but I'm out of ideas. I have no idea how we got here or what to do about it."
Not that I had a clue what was going on or what to do on the Nirvana, either.
Barnette's face falls slightly, but she just clenches her jaw and nods stoutly. Paiway is not quite so stoic, but she manages to surpress any showy displays of emotion, just pressing close to Meia and shivering.
Barnette swallows, and gives Meia a lazy salute. "Well...even so, You know what you're doing. I'll follow your lead for now anyway."
Well, hey, time to not-quite bullshit.
"Well. I don't think that was just something random . . . that thing seemed to be chasing my dread. Which means that either it's something strange back there, maybe a kind of weapon - and the Nirvana can work that out - or . . . someone, maybe something pulled us here for a reason," it sure wasn't a coincidence, "and if that's right, then . . . I'm sure we'll be finding out sometime."
Barnette frowned, but she nodded in response. "So we just have to wait." She nodded. "Well, this is better than being stuck on a deserted planet, at least."
"We're stuck here until we can get your engines replaced anyway, so we may as well go and find somewhere to say. Need anything else from here, or're you good to go?"
The green...nette woman smiled broadly and patted the bag of provisions she'd liberated from her Dread. "Guns, First Aid kit, and a few tools." She replied. "I'm good to go."
Paiway gave Barnette a dubious look, eyeing the bag warily. "How come you get mad at me for stowing away and she's allowed to keep those on her ship?" She inquired sulkily.
Meia just rolls her eyes in response to Paiway's comment, then addresses the girl on a different topic.
"You need to be really careful here, alright? Stay very close to us, because if you wander off we might not be able to find you. I mean it - stay right with one of us, all the time."
Paiway blinked and stiffened, nodding sharply, and blanching a little at the emphasis Meia places on certain words, her eyes sliding over to Barnette, who nods solemnly in agreement.
The little nurse tries not to sigh, and bows. "I promise, Meia."
"Alright then," Meia hands the cash and the check to Barnette, "Can you put this in your bag? I'd rather not have it where everyone can see it - and then let's get out of here."
So saying, Meia heads towards the door and outside, with intent of . . . finding some kind of transport.
I wonder if this place is actually civilized enough to have taxis.
Barnette nods agreeably, and takes the money, stowing them away with her guns, and the three women are now prepared to face the world! Or moon. Yes, moon, that was it.
Thankfully, the chill from the wintry air wasn't oppressive, just cold. Otherwise, Barnette and Meia's faces and Paiway's legs would be forfeit. As it was, travelling was okay for now, but long term exposure to the weather was undesirable.
The location was also somewhat undesirable. The hangar was obviously located in an industrial area...and there were not many vehicles around, much less taxis. But there was a ray of hope, as Meia could see an end, or border to the industrial area, and a few shops in the distance. If one of them had a phone, a taxi was most likely obtainable...
Supressing a grumble, Meia dragged the group off towards the shops!
Hoho! Good fortune smiles! The trio from the Nirvana reach the shops in relatively short order, and just in time, too. Paiway is not at all happy about the temperature, and looks ready to vocalize, and Barnette is rubbing her rosy cheeks briskly.
Even Meia's face and form are slightly chilled. But that's as may be. These shops are extremely dingy, but the signs proclaim them full of clothes and survival equipement...
Convenient.
Meia tries to get a rough idea of clothing prices by looking in the windows, then picks whever seems reasonable and not a complete dive.
And if she can't really tell, just whatever doesn't seem like a dump!
As far as the shops go, there's no crystal clean supermalls available, unfortunately.
On the Fortunate side, cold seems to keep the outsides from looking too disgusting. The insides, as indicated by the windows, seem dingy and old...the nicest looking store nearby has a sign proclaiming itself 'Callisto's Premier Pawn Shop! No reasonable offer refused!'
By this point, the three women are feeling the chill, especially Paiway, who's glommed onto Meia bodily for warmth...
If it looks like it might have some clothing, Meia takes the group inside.
If it doesn't, she picks somewhere else at pretty much random!
The look of the Pawn shop is that there's a little of everything. Also that winter accoutrements are at a premium, though this is unsurprising.
As the three enter, Paiway looks extremely relieved at the gust of warmth...indeed, it's a relief to all as they enter. Barnette looks around, intrigued by the wall of firearms at the back, and her eyes drifting in other directions, too. Paiway is showing signs of behaving, however, and has yet to even think of detatching herself from Meia.
The store itself is...ordinary. The central space is divided between a free area for clothing and a few bookstands, and the back part with has aisles of shelving to display smaller items. Around the walls, there's a ring of glass cases and shelves for the clerks to stand behind, while the register, and about three particularly nasty looking guns sit. The Clerk is beside them, perking up remarkably at the sight of two attractive women and a young girl entering...
Meia gives the clerk a distracted nod, but moves straight over to the winter clothing.
What is there, is there anything that'll fit Paiway, and how much is it all?
The rack is a terrible mishmash of assorted styles. Some wildly inappropriate for the weather outside, but most fairly sturdy clothing. Looks warm enough, too. The only drawbacks are the extremely used conditions of the clothing. Most worn and faded, some stained, and some that smell like the sexual cavortings of rancid beavers.
Now that you look at her, Paiway is not very big at all. Even for a girl her age. Small and slight. There's SOME small stuff, but Paiway will probably have to settle for something oversized.
The Prices, surprisingly, are about right for what one would expect for normal, new coats in your home reality. The nicest, and most expensive, is going for only a hundred and ninety Woolongs.
In the Background, Barnette walks over to the clerk, and points at the back wall, beginning a rather animated conversation with him, in imperious tones.
Okay, that's not so bad at all.
Leaving Barnette to her own devices, Meia starts picking through the clothing for the least offensive things she can find that might fit herself and Paiway.
This is a difficult search as you find out, to your chagrin that Paiway isn't the only one inhabiting the smaller end of the size rack. Thankfully, not all the men to come to Callisto are giants.
A suitable coat for Paiway is found...it hangs down to her knees, and there's a peculiar stain on the front, but it smells clean at least. Her hands also take some effort to extricate from the sleeves, but the pigtailed girl seems unlikely to complain, having tasted the temperature outside.
Leaving Paiway happily flapping around and still tagging along behind, Meia surfaces eventually with a coat for herself. It even fits with minimal sleeve rolling! Also, it has a tear in the elbow, and looks a million years old, but feels warm enough.
Meia picks out something that looks roughly Barnette's size as well, then mentally adds up the prices and heads over to the counter to interrupt the conversation.
"Barnette, can I have the bag for a moment?"
Because I can't remember if they actually had any money, and we do not want to let this guy know we're carrying around a quarter-million.
Barnette looks away from the conversation, blinking at Meia and nodding, handing her the duffle...and nearly sending the blue haired woman to the floor in a heap! The bag is HEAVY!
Meia winces, lowering the dufffle to the floor - on the other side of herself from the clerk - and opens it up slightly to rummage.
Once she finds the money, she peels off howerever much she needs and closes the bag back up.
Barnette kneels beside Meia to retrieve her bag, her brows knotted slightly. "What was that all about? I could have handed you the money?" She whispers, blinking at Paiway, who is soberly examining an overlong sleeve.
"You were talking - and I didn't want him to see it all," Meia whispers back.
"Why? Is it that much?" Barnette manages to whisper as they both straighten up, the clerk examining them curiously-and suddenly trying to look as though he wasn't. Heaven knows what he might have been staring at.
Meia nods as she stands up, then turns to the clerk.
"Sorry to interrupt the conversation - we were looking to buy these coats" she says, putting the two adult coats on the counter, "Paiway, bring that one over here."
Paiway trots over, looking like nothing so much as a deranged, pigtailed penguin in her oversized coat, but she seems much more pleased with things now. "Pai-check!"
Barnette just rolls her eyes at the young girl, leaning on the counter and watching the transaction as the clerk prepares to take your money.
"That'll be...three hundred and ten Woolongs." He reports in a voice too squeaky for his stocky, hairy form.
Meia . . . hands over the three hundred and ten woolongs!
"Thank you very much."
He accepts the money, the transaction completed, looking at the girls curiously, and perhaps a little wistfully as their business is completed? Or is it?
Certainly, now outfitted properly, the cold is less of an obstacle, but now they're left with the question of 'What next'?
Next? Next? Next they're still looking for some mode of transport!
"Sorry to ask a silly question, but, do you know the Panhandle bar and grill? Or at least a quick way to find a taxi around here."
"The name sounds familiar, but I couldn't tell you where it is." He shrugs indolently, but smiles slightly, and pulls out a thick, floppy book with yellow pages. "But you can find a cab in here, and a driver's sure to know."
"Aha, thanks!
Should Meia know what a phone is? I am really starting to hate this game.
Meia starts to flip through the phone book.
OOC - Moving right along! >.>;
IC - Taxis are not that hard to find, and a phone is thoughtfully provided. The call is made, and the person at the other end of the line becomes unusually diligent and helpful on hearing a feminine voice, and not only that, but the cab arrives so promptly as to be almost awe-inspiring.
Barnette and Paiway watch the whole proceeding with a surprised and slightly awed air-it's clear they're beginning to believe Meia Gisborn can handle ANYTHING.
The three women head back out into the cold, and into the waiting cab. After they seat themselves, a rotund driver with iron grey hair and a thick, bushy mustache, and a Russian accent to go with it looks over his shoulder at them. "Where to, Ladies?"
"The . . . ah . . . Panhandle Bar and Grill."
"Da. Customers? You must try the borcht." He offers with a smile, starting his engine, and ferrying the refugees from another universe away!
OOC- Continued in a new thread! Time to finally hookup with Carthrat!