Characters: Vincent & Dougok
NPC: Soks
Location: A passenger lounge at GSC-37 Space Station
belt
System: Gemid
Vincent turns to Dougok and says, "I'm just gonna walk to the rear and grab a
seat, gonna grab some food while I start drinking."
"I'll get us started," Dougok replies to Vincent. He nods at the window. "It's
a nice view of the ship."
At the bottom of the entrance ramp, they split up. Dougok walks up to the bar,
tail wagging, and dips his head slightly to the captain.
Gvarokh glares at Dougok for a moment, then turns to look at Vincent.
Dougok turns a bit to catch the attention of the bartender. "Two beers, dark.
Also a menu."
"Menus are at the tables," the bartender politely replies. "I'll bring your
beer over."
"Thanks!" Dougok replies, then heads over to join Vincent at the table.
Meanwhile, Gvarokh has established eye contact with Vincent and shakes his head.
He then turns back to face Soks.
Vincent has figured out how to operate the menu holo and is looking at it when
Dougok arrives. Vincent shows Dougok how to cue it up.
The menu is basic pub fare, segregated for both human and vargr stomachs.
Vincent orders some wings and a burger. Dougok likes the sound of that and does
likewise.
The bartender comes over with the beer, notes that their food order has been
placed, and says, "If you need refills on your drinks, you can do it through
the menu.
The duo thank him, and he returns to the bar.
They clink their glasses in a silent toast and proceed to watch the captain,
peer at the hard to see crowd in the bar, and look out the window at the ship
and the space above the planet.
At one point the captain clinks glasses with Soks in a toast. The captain stands
as if to leave, but then Soks says something that makes him sit back down.
The food arrives, and the pair dig in, savoring the aroma of tastes. While it's
still vat grown meat, it tastes better than what they normally get on the ship.
While they eat, they order another round of beer, which is delivered.
After about an hour, Vincent and Dougok have finished their meal and their
second beer. As they're thinking about getting a third beer, the captain stands,
says what appears to be an amicable goodbye to Soks, and heads towards the
exit. He glares at the two of them on his way out, but doesn't say anything.
Vincent turns to Dougok and says, "I don't know about you, but we don't get off
ship much for some plain old R-n-R. Cap's probably gonna rip us a new one when
we get back, so I think we should make this worthwhile. Thoughts?"
"Sounds good to me! Judging by my assignments, I've been in the captain's
doghouse from Odinaga up until last week's raid at that base in Daama's outer
belt. I need to get out."
The pair order another round. Midway through that round's beer, Soks saunters
over to the table.
"Vincent Velandro and Dougok. We didn't get to chat at my party back on Daama.
Mind if I join you?"
The pair exchange glances over this unusual occurrence.
"Don't mind at all," Vincent says while Dougok sniffs the air.
"Thank you." He sits down in a chair opposite the pair, a cocktail with a straw
in his hand. "I have to say that I admire your devotion to your captain. I know
that he didn't order you to come here and keep an eye on him, that this was
something you did on your own initiative. It was very thoughtful.
"So tell me, what is it about Captain Gvarokh that inspires such loyalty?"
The pair look to see who wants to answer first. Dougok gestures to Vincent to go
ahead. Vincent replies, "Truth be told, Soks, I'm pretty sure Dougok and I are
in a world of trouble when we get back. The captain will not be very happy we
came down here, but we needed to get off the ship, grab some food and alcohol,
and just relax. He runs a tight ship, but at the end of the day, he's just
trying to make us be the best ship we can be, and as such, we worry about him.
He won't just send people to do the work; he gets right in the middle of it with
you, and I find that hard to come by. Too many captains I've known would rather
just sit on their ship and let the men on the boat do all the work and
fighting, but not ours! He's the boss, and he hasn't put us in a situation where
I would question his ability to run the ship or do what's right for our group.
I just hope our actions here today don't damage our relationship with the
captain or damage his relationship with you. It's one thing for the captain to
be pissed at us for something that could make him look bad, it's another thing
to ruin business arrangements. Both could end up with someone looking for a new
job or even worse, dead."
Soks sniffs the air a bit, then says, "That's a lovely story, Vincent. I enjoy
hearing stories about captains inspiring loyalty in their crew. And it's not
every day that a vargr can evoke such loyalty in a human, well outside of
Archduke Brzk or the Julian Protectorate. This far spinward... well, there's no
need to re-hash that."
He turns to Dougok. "And anything from you, good wolf?"
Dougok mulls the question over a bit longer before answering. "He's tough, but
fair. I've had my share of lousy captains, whether looking to nip at anything
that might be perceived as a challenge or setting the crew against one another
to make himself look like the better wolf. Gvarokh does neither. He knows how
to get the most from each member of his pack. He is quick to praise, slow to
scorn." He pauses to chuckle. "My only complaint is that he needs to relax a
bit more. He can be too serious, but I guess that's comes with great
responsibility."
Soks sniffs the air when it appears that Dougok is finished. He nods, then says,
"Very good." He stands and makes ready to leave.
"In the future, if either of you should find yourselves in need of a new pack,
feel free to contact me. Happy hunting."
And with that, he departs the lounge. Shortly after he leaves, the two human
males who were sitting in the area near the bar also leave.
Characters: Slade, Lakir, Simrii, Gvarokh
NPC: Chuck, Vlad, Kagfak, Uengghae, Elloekothe, Irma Arsashaammu
Location: Pack of Daggers, docked at GSC-37 Space Station
System: Gemid
As soon as Gvarokh steps on board the ship, Elloekothe is there to apologize.
"I'm so sorry. They were talking about following you to provide backup, and I
thought that I'd talked them out of it. And then they just left without saying a
word. I hope they didn't screw anything up."
Before he can reply, Gvarokh notices that Vlad, Kagfak, and Uengghae are there,
suited up in combat armor and armed with heavy weapons.
Elloekothe acknowledges the armed trio. "I didn't know if there was going to be
a problem, so I had them prepare for a possible extraction.
"How did it go?"
Gvarokh says, "It went very well, and the unexpected visit not only didn't cause
a problem, but might have even made a positive impression. They were at least
smart enough to keep their distance. So, no matter how annoying, no harm was
done.
"However, why the freak-out?"
Elloekothe explains that they lost comm signal about the time he entered the
lounge. "And then when I noticed that Dougok and Vincent were gone, not knowing
their mindset heading into the lounge, I didn't know if they were headed in to
stir up trouble due to the comm signal loss or what. I just thought that it made
sense to be prepared.
"I'm relieved to hear that no harm was done. I think we all remember the last
time Dougok decided to stroll around off-ship."
Gvarokh lets out a sigh as he recalls that escapade.
Vlad says, "Welp, I guess we'll stand down, assuming you're sure that nothing's
going to happen, Captain."
"Yes, you can stand down. They'll be fine."
Lakir walks alongside Gvarokh as they make their way to the top deck. "I've been
analyzing traffic patterns. Most ships are using transponder codes, even the
corsairs. A couple of ships jumped in without their transponders on, and when a
naval ship moved to intercept, they turned 'em on. Apparently, the navy wants to
know who's coming and going here."
"Well, considering what they have here at Gemid, I guess we shouldn't find that
surprising. I can easily imagine they want to keep this as under control as
possible." He shoots a conspiratorial smirk at Lakir and says, "So, you know,
something like us doesn't happen..."
Lakir nods, offering a knowing grin in return.
After his brief conversation with Lakir regarding local traffic patterns,
Gvarokh returned to his quarters to read up on Gemid.
He promptly dozed off in his chair.
He woke with a start when the doorbell to his quarters chimed.
"Enter!" Gvarokh barks and then attempts to pretend that he was awake the whole
time.
Elloekothe enters, tilts her head to the left, and sniffs the air. "Did I
disturb you?"
"No, not at all. I was reading." Gvarokh looks around his desk for something,
hoping to find something that he can pawn off as what he was supposedly looking
for. "What time is it anyway?"
"20:45."
"20:45. 20:45?" It suddenly dawns on him that he's been asleep for almost two
hours.
"Yes. Judging by your expression, it seems that the time got away from you."
Gvarokh nods. "Yes. Yes it did. What can I—" Something clicks. "Are they
not back yet?"
"No. And they haven't reported in either."
Characters: Vincent & Dougok
Location: A passenger lounge at GSC-37 Space Station
System: Gemid
Vincent turns to Dougok and says, "I don't know about you, but we don't get off
ship much for some plain old R-n-R. Cap's probably gonna rip us a new one when
we get back, so I think we should make this worthwhile. Thoughts?"
"Sounds good to me! Judging by my assignments, I've been in the captain's
doghouse from Odinaga up until last week's raid at that base in Daama's outer
belt. I need to get out."
The pair order another round. Midway through that round's beer, Soks saunters
over to the table.
"Vincent Velandro and Dougok. We didn't get to chat at my party back on Daama.
Mind if I join you?"
The pair exchange glances over this unusual occurrence.
"Don't mind at all," Vincent says while Dougok sniffs the air.
"Thank you." He sits down in a chair opposite the pair, a cocktail with a straw
in his hand. "I have to say that I admire your devotion to your captain. I know
that he didn't order you to come here and keep an eye on him, that this was
something you did on your own initiative. It was very thoughtful.
"So tell me, what is it about Captain Gvarokh that inspires such loyalty?"
The pair look to see who wants to answer first. Dougok gestures to Vincent to go
ahead. Vincent replies, "Truth be told, Soks, I'm pretty sure Dougok and I are
in a world of trouble when we get back. The captain will not be very happy we
came down here, but we needed to get off the ship, grab some food and alcohol,
and just relax. He runs a tight ship, but at the end of the day, he's just
trying to make us be the best ship we can be, and as such we worry about him.
He won't just send people to do the work, he gets right in the middle of it with
you, and I find that hard to come by. Too many captains I've known would rather
just sit on their ship and let the men on the boat do all the work and
fighting, but not ours! He's the boss, and he hasn't put us in a situation where
I would question his ability to run the ship or do what's right for our group.
I just hope our actions here today don't damage our relationship with the
captain or damage his relationship with you. It's one thing for the captain to
be pissed at us for something that could make him look bad, it's another thing
to ruin business arrangements. Both could end up with someone looking for a new
job or even worse, dead."
Soks sniffs the air a bit, then says, "That's a lovely story, Vincent. I enjoy
hearing stories about captains inspiring loyalty in their crew. And it's not
every day that a vargr can evoke such loyalty in a human, well outside of
Archduke Brzk or the Julian Protectorate. This far spinward... well, there's no
need to re-hash that."
He turns to Dougok. "And anything from you, good wolf?"
Dougok mulls the question over a bit longer before answering. "He's tough, but
fair. I've had my share of lousy captains, whether looking to nip at anything
that might be perceived as a challenge or setting the crew against one another
to make himself look like the better wolf. Gvarokh does neither. He knows how to
get the most from each member of his pack. He is quick to praise, slow to
scorn." He pauses to chuckle. "My only complaint is that he needs to relax a
bit more. He can be too serious, but I guess that's comes with great
responsibility."
Soks sniffs the air when it appears that Dougok is finished. He nods, then says,
"Very good." He stands and makes ready to leave.
"In the future, if either of you should find yourselves in need of a new pack,
feel free to contact me. Happy hunting."
And with that, he departs the lounge. Shortly after he leaves, the two human
males who were sitting in the area near the bar also leave.
Pleased with what he heard from Soks, Vincent turns to Dougok and asks, "Shots?
I figure we should get a good buzz on so when we get back to the ship, the ass
reaming we get from the captain won't be so bad."
"Yes!" Dougok replies with laughter.
"What do you want?"
"Have you ever had uekhfarsal?"
"Yeah. Last year, the vargr who used to be our merchant bought some for the
ship. It was pretty good."
Dougok selects two shots of uekhfarsal from the menu. "What happened to the
merchant?"
Vincent takes a drink of beer from his glass. "He mutinied. Made a power grab
for control of the ship while we were in the middle of battle. No one took his
side. Gvarokh was pretty merciful. After the battle, he gave him one of the
undamaged ships. I hacked its controls and transferred command over to him.
After that, we left. Never heard from him again."
The shots arrive. Dougok raises his in a toast. "To the ever merciful Captain
Gvarokh. May we meet as kind a fate."
"Hear, hear."
They down their shots.
After another rounds of shots and beer, Dougok points towards the entrance and
sniffs the air. "Ahhhh, look at that." Two females, one vargr and one human,
enter the place and make their way to the bar. They're wearing matching
jumpsuits, indicative "Wait here."
Vincent watches as Dougok walks up to the bar and introduces himself to the
ladies. After a minute or two of conversation, he gestures to Vincent and
returns to the table alone.
"Awwww. You struck out, but I give you points for trying."
"Just you wait, my friend."
A couple of minutes go by when the two ladies stand up with their drinks and
walk over to the table.
"You sly dog," Vincent says low enough so that the ladies don't hear him.
Dougok introduces them to Vincent: Rael (vargr) and Mina (human). It turns out
that they work on Soks's ship and are on shore leave as their shift is over.
Once they find out what you're drinking, they insist on another round of shots.
And then another. Plus more beer.
They talk about how great Soks is and some of the fun things they've done. They
ask about you and you guys talk up your past as bad ass mercenaries and pirates.
"Hey! Do you guys want to go to the arcade? They're got Zombie Hunter Four in
the VR suites."
'Yeah, that sounds great! Let's go!"
"Wait. We gotta pay first." Vincent looks at the tab. It says zero. He heads
over to the bar and asks for an explanation. "Did I pay already?"
"Oh, Mr. Dhunkul told me to put your tab on his bill."
"We told you he was great," Rael says proudly.
Vincent and Dougok agree. They promptly head on out of the bar to the arcade
with the ladies leading the way since they have no idea where to go and too
buzzed to disagree.
It's been a fun couple of hours. After drinks, the group went to the VR suites
and played Zombie Hunter Four. It was a blast. The graphics were so lifelike, it
was difficult to not think it was real. The laughter and smack talk and utter
lack of pain when bitten were all giveaways.
Afterwards, Vincent's and Dougok's heads have begun to clear and they're a
little less susceptible to suggestion. Rael and Mina want to know if they want
to keep on partying. There's a club where you can go to dance 24/7 or 32/5-25.
"I'm all up for partying," Vincent replies.
Dougok's tail is wagging up a stiff breeze. He enthusiastically nods.
So the four head to the club. It has an ambiguous sign by the door, "Section
19". The door slides open to reveal a foyer with a bouncer and an admissions
agent. There's another door in front of you. A steady, muffled beat emanates
from the far side. It's ten credits to get in, and a sign says, "No Weapons."
Feeling comfortable, you pay the cover charge and sign over your weapons. The
bouncer takes pictures of them with you in the photo and hands them over to you
with a number he tells you to memorize. Once set, the four of you are all set
to head inside.
The doors slide open, and a blast of thudding beats wallops you in the chest.
Dougok sniffs the air. A heady mix of floral scents, spicy aromas, and smoked
herbs washes over his nostrils. It's so strong that even Vincent gets it.
After shuffling inside, the door slides closed behind Dougok and Vincent. Lights
are synced up with the beat, creating a hypnotic effect. Dancers gyrate, some
of them quite provocatively.
Rael and Mina have already made their way to the bar and back with drinks.
Something called a "cosmic blast". It's difficult to determine its color as the
surrounding light keeps changing. It has a slushy consistency. There are so
many flavors on the tongue, running the gamut of several fruits but ending in
peppermint which morphs into an icy chill that numbs the tongue.
The girls hold their drinks in one hand and lead their dates onto the dance
floor with the other.
Characters: Gvarokh, Lakir, Simrii, Slade
NPC: Elloekothe, Irma, Vlad, Chuck, Kagfak, Uengghae
Location: Pack of Daggers, docked at GSC-37 Space Station
System: Gemid
Gvarokh's voice comes out over the comm, "Sorry to wake anyone who might be
sleeping, but it seems that two of our boys are still out partying and haven't
checked in in over two hours. Hopefully, they're just passed out at the bar, but
we need to make sure.
"I want Vlad, Lakir, Simrii, Chuck, Kagfak, and Uengghae to meet me in the cargo
hold in ten. No bad ass armor; civilian armor is fine. Simple weapons are fine.
Don't go crazy. Bring commdots.
"Slade, you're in charge while we're gone."
Once everyone is assembled in the cargo hold, Gvarokh says, "We'll send an
initial pair to recon the bar to see if they're still there. Everyone is
required to report in anytime they go through a doorway. A simple beep is fine.
If you don't get a return beep, you're to exit again and establish you are and
what you're going to do."
Elloekothe says, "We might get that a lot. After you got back to the ship, I
checked with an on-duty station admin. He said that many places have signal
blockers to maintain privacy, and there aren't any station regulations that
prohibit it. Privacy is a feature about this place."
Lakir grumbles, "Fuckers are late for their shift, now we get to track them
down, instead of boozin’ it up."
Gvarokh continues, "Alright, I want Lakir and Vlad out on the first run. Simrii
and Uengghae can go next."
Lakir and Vlad give a curt nod to acknowledge the order and depart. Vlad is
wearing his flex armor underneath a light jacket and pants. He's got his body
pistol and non-metallic knife. Lakir opts for his load bearing vest with
metallic plates. He brings his gauss pistol and hard plastic knife.
They cross the empty passenger terminal and the concourse, venture past the
closed ticket desks, and enter the central corridor. Turning to the right, they
take the stairs up to the passenger lounge where Gvarokh last saw them. Once
they enter, the comm signals disappear as expected.
The place looks well maintained, and there's an undercurrent scent of a meadow
in the air. On the far side of the space is a sunken dining area which looks out
on the dorsal half of Pack of Daggers. No one is seated there. To the
left are bathrooms. To the right is a rectangular bar surrounded by a perimeter
wall of faux wood and plants. Small tables line this perimeter wall, and the bar
has sixteen stools.
Inside the bar area is a human bartender. He appears to be the only person in
the place.
"Hey," Lakir says to him. Have you seen either of these guys?" He holds up his
super PDA to him. On the screen are pictures of Dougok and Vincent.
"Yeah, they were here for a while. They left a couple of hours ago though."
"Were they with any one else?"
"Yeah, two fems: one human, one vargr. They hung out for a while."
"Did they leave together?"
"Pretty sure."
"Did they say where they were going?"
The bartender smirks. "No. I'm not a babysitter. They sat at that table over
there." He gestures to a table in the lower lounge that looks on Pack of
Daggers. Definitely too far away for him to hear any conversation short of
yelling.
After Lakir and Vlad are done with the bartender, they re-enter the central
corridor and relay this information to Gvarokh and the others.
Gvarokh sighs heavily. He then asks, "Is there a hooker district that can be
checked?"
Lakir goes back inside and asks the bartender if the station has a hooker
district. The bartender nods yes then tells him where it is.
Once back outside, Lakir updates Gvarokh.
Gvarokh says, "Ok, Simrii and Uengghae will head out to meet you. We'll have the
two teams coordinate in getting around dead zones."
"Roger that." Lakir sighs, then says, "And we're off to the hooker district."
Lakir and Vlad meet up with Simri and Uengghae in the central corridor. The four
of them then head toward the main station.
An LED sign above the entrance states, "Welcome to GSC-37! Need help getting
around? Visit any one of our information kiosks." The message repeats.
The holomap at the information kiosk doesn't list a "hooker district", but it
does list an "entertainment level." Figuring that it's safe to assume the former
is included in the latter, the group decides to head there. They find the
closest empty elevator and get inside, telling it to take them to the
entertainment district. It's a short ride as the elevator moves relatively
quickly and it's not too big of a station.
The elevator arrives at the entertainment level near what we're going to call
the "southeast" corner. This level isn't as spacious as the one where they got
on the elevator. It seems like they're trying to maximize the space. The
corridor is five meters wide. On the left wall is an ad for VR suites indicating
that it's just around the bend. On the right five meters up is a door to a bar.
Twenty meters after the bar entrance is an intersection. According to the
information kiosk, the "hooker district" is to the "west" of here.
Turning left at the intersection, the corridor gets lightly crowded with people
coming and going. The entrance to the VR suites comes up on the left. A sign
brags that they now have "Zombie Hunter 4." On the right is a section containing
various sporting spaces. The group walks through another intersection. On the
right there are signs for the auditorium and exotic dancers. On the left is a
sign for the "Love Lounge."
Vlad says, "This must be the place." He turns to Simrii and Uengghae. "You wait
here. Lakir and I will go inside."
"Of course you are," Simrii says with wry grin.
Vlad scowls but says nothing.
The doors slide open at their approach, and Vlad is hit with a variety of
scents. Even Lakir notices the place is done up with a bit too much floral
perfume.
An attractive, middle-aged human woman with long auburn hair greets them on
their right. "Welcome gentlesophonts. Welcome to the Love Lounge. How may I make
your day more pleasurable?" She's dressed in black pants and a blouse with a
modestly plunging neckline.
Lakir says, "We're looking for these two." He shows her a picture of Vincent and
Dougok. "Have they been here?"
"I'm sorry, but we're very strict about maintaining our guests' privacy. We
don't divulge who comes and goes."
Gvarokh and Elloekothe roll their eyes.
This isn't what Lakir wants to hear. Dripping with sarcasm, he says to her,
"Thanks. You've been a real help." He and Vlad then join Simrii and Uengghae out
in the corridor.
"Ok," Lakir says, looking at Simrii and Uengghae, "I want the two of you to
watch this place for them. Vlad and I are going to scope this level in case
there's something else they're doing."
Lakir and Vlad keep walking "west" and soon reach the end of the "southern
east-west" corridor. Up ahead is a door leading to "Kimaa's Klub," a
members-only casino. To the right is the "western north-south" corridor. A sign
reading "Retail Promenade" points "north".
Lakir says, "I don't think that they got into the casino, but I'm gonna ask
anyway." He walks up to the casino door. It doesn't open. He spots a sign that
states "Ring doorbell for service" and does so.
A voice over a speaker says, "Yeah?"
"We're looking for these two." He holds up a picture of Vincent and Dougok to
what looks like a security camera.
There's a pause of several seconds and then a reply. "They're not here."
"Have they been in there at any point over the last few hours?"
"No."
"Ok, thanks." To Vlad, he says, "Moving on."
They walk past the retail promenade. Lakir looks inside while Vlad sniffs the
air. Lakir shakes his head. "Nah." He's confident that they're not in there.
At the end of the western north-south corridor they reach the junction of the
northern east-west corridor. The door at the corner has an ambiguous sign which
says, "Section 19." Other signs pointing east indicate that the arboretum and
auditorium are that way.
Lakir ponders the door. "Let's give this a shot."
The door slides open to reveal a foyer with a bouncer and an admissions agent.
There's another door behind them. A steady, muffled beat emanates from the far
side. It's ten credits to get in, and a sign says, "No Weapons."
Once again, Lakir holds up the picture of Dougok and Vincent. "We're looking for
these two. They might've been with two women. Seen 'em?"
"Yep."
"They still here?"
The bouncer shrugs. "Not sure. It's possible. Haven't seen them leave."
Lakir and Vlad make to go in but the bouncer stops them. "No weapons. And you
still have to pay the cover."
"How much extra cover to keep our gear?"
"It's not even up to me, pal. There's sensors built into this doorway. A.I.
kicks in about where I'm standing. I'm not even armed."
Vlad sniffs the air, then whispers to Lakir, "I don't think he's lying."
"Man, I'd hate to have to leave it at the door, if we need to leave quick. I'll
give it up, if we have to though."
"You go on ahead. I'll wait here with your stuff."
"Ok." Lakir hands his weapons over to Vlad, pays the cover, then heads on in.
The doors slide open, and a blast of thudding beats wallops Lakir and Vlad in
the chest. Vlad sniffs the air. A heady mix of floral scents, spicy aromas, and
smoked herbs washes over his nostrils. It's so strong that even Lakir gets it.
After shuffling inside, the door slides closed behind Lakir. Lights are synced
up with the beat, creating a hypnotic effect. Dancers gyrate, some of them
quite provocatively.
He scans the bar and then the dance floor. Sure enough, Vincent and Dougok are
there with two women, one human and one vargr. He texts to Vlad that he's found
them. Vlad, in turn, notifies everyone else.
The two couples are dancing, gyrating to the beat, when suddenly Vincent spots
Lakir. He's standing in front them, arms crossed, his face scrunched up like he
just caught a whiff of an elephant fart. Vincent taps Dougok on the arm and
points to Lakir.
Lakir shouts in order to be heard over the music. "You two need to comm the boss
right fuckin' now. He's pissed, and you almost got your asses left on this tin
can."
"Yes, Lakir" Vincent says. He turns to the woman and shouts, "Sorry, we have to
go," and gestures to Lakir, who is standing like there like the grimmest of
statues.
Vincent exchanges contact info with the woman, and Dougok does as well with his
dance partner. They each get a kiss on the cheek.
The delinquent duo exit the club with Lakir right behind them. Once outside with
the club door closed, Vincent comms the ship, "Sorry boss. Dougok and I are on
our way."
Lakir collects his weapons and walks with Vlad behind Vincent and Dougok. They
meet up with Simrii and Uengghae at the elevator. It's a bit snug with all six
on board, but they manage. The silence is deafening.
The group returns to the ship with Gvarokh and the remaining crew awaiting them
when they exit the airlock.
Gvarokh is frowning, his arms crossed in front of his chest. He opens his mouth
to yell, but catches himself. He changes his tact, but can't help but growl
anyway. "Look, I get that we have been cooped up for way too long, but this is
the absolutely wrong place to go out and play! Let's keep the bigger picture in
mind before running off. While I do appreciate that no one was arrested this
time," pausing to look directly at Dougok, "think before chasing some tail."
After a brief pause, he ends by saying, "And in the future, at least have the
decency to call in so we don't have to wonder where the fuck you wandered off
to!"
To everyone, he says, "Ok, let's be ready to depart at 7:00 Imperial, 31:00
Vilani. Dismissed."
Next: Meeting With the Committee