Spare Parts and New Partnerships

[Admin]

Light from the many lanterns shown in the oil tainted puddles of the streets, the iridescent shine making the grimy place take on an almost magical feel… that is until the occasional sound of gunfire and illegal phazers pierced the night. Small rundown shops, stalls and tents lined the center of the outpost known as Bizarre 12 on one of Gamma Complexes’ Server Islands. Some motorized carriages and some simply drawn by scrawny horses are parked along the perimeter, their owners either tucked in for the night or at one of the last establishments open this late under curfew.

One particular establishment known as ‘The Rusty Cog’, a quaint little place with decent grog and a variety of food substitutes as well as board for a price, sits right on the water near the main docks where, by water or sky, ships have come to rest their weary sailors. A few silhouettes gather by the backdoor lighting up pipes and discussing the unusual clarity of the night sky. One, however, just stands there in silence drinking in their idle chatter until finally,
“You’re awful quiet boy. Care for a puff?”

He turns, light playing with shadows on an eerily symmetrical face, and replies softly,
“I can’t, but thank you.”

“Yer sick or something? Whaddya mean ye can’t? C’mon now—“

“Oh, no, that is very kind of you. I have business I must attend to. I was simply enjoying the night sky. The smog appears thin tonight, perhaps we shall have rain later. Good evening, gentlemen.” A single grey blue eye crinkles at the corners as if on command as he smiles an equally perfectly orchestrated smile and bows before reentering the tavern.

Caelum walks slowly, methodically, through the drunken crowd back to their table and seats himself across from the mechanic of the Miseracordia.
“Any sign of our contact yet?” The tone of his voice monotone as always though showing a hint of cool disdain.

[JakDos]

Light spilled out from behind the closed lens of a bullseye oil lamp, as one magnified eye blinked at the newest jumble of parts and metal he'd started, deft fingers closing over a latch or three on a hard wooden casing. He was seated at a spacious workbench, which contrasted with the general cramped-ness of his disheveled surroundings. The tiny sounds of ratchets and gear clinking and turning were all that he heard, until several cuckoo clocks feebly choked out the hour from under the jumble. "Nearly time, nearly time...a few more calibrations and the newest iteration is finished..."

He waved his hand idly off in the direction of the door and metallic skittering could be heard from the shadows, followed by a flash of bronze and brown. The man rapped the side of his battered helmet, some faded materiel that had once been glossy black finish marred by the presence of several strapped on oddments and parts. "Go and fetch them in ten or so minutes, I'm very busy right now. Extend our greetings."

A squeak of metal and the skittering resumed, a roundish object slipping out a cutout in the door. The door, which was labeled with a toxic green font that said MR. DOS - Self Defense and Gadgeteering. DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING.

[Goblin]

Goblin took a couple of nice long gulps from his dented tankard, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, hocked, and spat on the floor.

"Nope"

He sat there, arms folded, with an expression that was somewhere between a scowl and constipation. This was Goblin's I-want-to-be-back-on-ship face, and he wore it whenever he was forced to accompany the Cap'n to places that were not the Ship. He had many expressions, but the differences between them were so small and so subtle that they could be said to not exist. This quality had won Goblin many a game of poker, but did not do so well for social interactions. He dug around inside one of his bat-like ears for a moment or two and flicked away a piece of errant wax.

"What's this fella look like, anyhow? Don't even know what the hell we're lookin' for..."

[JakDos]

The small bronze all skittered down the winding streets, occasionally gripping the walls of buildings and overhanging eaves, avoiding the foot traffic through the bazaar. Seeing with both of it's eye-cams, the rat brain that served as it's central processor recorded anything of interest in the road. Vagrants, young children, uniformed men in glossy black suits with face concealing helmets....! It chittered, resuming its course much faster and trying to stay more hidden. This was definitely a reportable developement, although they hadn't seemed to be actively searching for anything, just two black figures idly strolling through the market. Possibly on leave. Still, no small cause for alarm. The bot would fulfill its purpose and return to deliver its findings.

It located the bar where the contacts were supposed to meet, shuffling back and forth in front of the door like a crab until someone opened it and it skittered inside, needle thin brass legs digging into the wooden walls as it climbed up to the ceiling. Spying the two seated at the table looking bored, it manuevered over their table, and used one small, gripping claw to pull a card out from a divot in its spherical hull, dropping the card from above onto the table, which read "Your meeting is in ten minutes. Follow the brass ball." It then proceeded to drop down after the card flourishing and pointing at the two seated there, no doubt startling the everloving gizmos out of them.

[Caelum]

The Captain’s steely eyes widened for a moment as the card dropped on the table before them, almost perfectly. He smiled then, eyes locking onto the stated brass ball as he murmured loud enough for Goblin to hear, “It appears we have a new friend…” He stood swiftly and shrugged his coat back onto his shoulders before starting after the curious object.

Something of a musing thought rose to the surface of his usually chaotically ordered thought processes as they discreetly followed the thing out the door and into the dark streets, ‘Anyone able to animate something so simple and yet so complex must be worth talking to.’ He smiled a bit to himself, nostalgic of times where such creations roamed freely everywhere and served every purpose imaginable.

All human needs, easily sated, all conveniences accessible. He thought of the strange kinship he felt among his brothers on the field-- kinship, an odd feeling for a machine to possess but his creators saw fit for the translated human emotion, thinking it would make their unit more cohesive… it did, too well.

“Come, Goblin, a new addition to our family may be waiting for us.” A small, almost fond smile tugged at his lips as he tucked the card into his pocket and watched the thing skitter in front of them. Out into the dimly lit streets, winding through alleyways, circling the bizarre until finally they ended up outside of a door marked as, “MR. DOS - Self Defense and Gadgeteering…” “…’DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING.’” Caelum read aloud with a somewhat bemused voice as he looked at his companion, “That means you too, Goblin.”

[Goblin]

Goblin held up his hands in a gesture of feigned innocence. "Who, me? I ain't never touched nothin' what weren't mine" Goblin tended to have a fluid definition of what did and did not belong to him. It boiled down to this: If he fixed it, it was his. If he broke it, it was his. If he bled on it, it was his. These simple rules had never steered him wrong... except when they did. "Hy-po-thetically speaking- and mind you this is purely conjecture- if we kill him can I have that little thing?" he said, pointing at the autonomous brass orb. "I mean, look at it! Scurrying around...s'kinda cute. Come here little fella...come to SONUVA-" He leapt back as the orb stabbed at his fingers with it's legs, like tiny needles. Clearly the little orb did not wish to be touched. Goblin responded by calmly reaching for his monkey wrench and smashing at it a few times. This was to no avail however, as the orb was able to dodge each blow effortlessly, and Goblin was soon out of breath. Before the Capn' could give him one of those I-told-you-so looks, Goblin grumbled "We ain't inside yet, that didn't count..." burying his hands into his pockets and kicking at the dirt, continuing to mutter under his breath. "Didn't really want the damn thing any way...s'probably got diseases and rust and whatnot..."

[JakDos]

Jack was finished his project, packing it away in a battered brown hand case, when he heard the annoyed chittering of his spider drone outside, followed by several dull whacks, cursing, and a "whoosh" as his creation slipped inside to report. He nodded as the ball climbed onto his desk, listening to the subtle intonations of its chirps, indicating different moods and feelings. He noted, with some small amount of surprise, the discovery of the Complex troops, which only served to remind him that he was most likely correct in assuming it was about time to pack up and leave. Reaching down, he patted the drone on the hull as it curled up into a round position, a bit larger than his two fists clamped together. The engineer picked it up and slotted it into a trunk lying at the foot of his workshop, now somewhat less cluttered by inventions, which had been condensed to an assortment of suitcases, toolboxes, and trunks.

Stepping out of his workshop into his pitiful excuse for an office- another room, smaller then the first, with three chairs seated around a shoddy workdesk, with little more than a pad of paper and a writing pen on it, he seated himself behind the desk. Calling out past the door, he folded his thick leather workgloves against each other, the oddments hanging from his helmet making soft clanking noises as his head moved. "Please, come in. I hope you didn't have any trouble following AIVEN? He can be a bit cantankerous if approached in the wrong manner."

[Caelum]

Caelum turned a stern eye to his first mate and annunciated each syllable with a soft yet warning tone,
“There. Will. Be. NO. Killing.” His eyes grew sad, “Not if we can help it. This person may be able to help us with our defenses. Should they decide to join us, you will treat them as one of the crew. Understood?” The captain watched his number one’s antics with a rueful smile until it all calmed down and added,
“If you are so desperate for a pet, perhaps he can teach you how to make one. Patience.”

Upon hearing the welcome from within, he pushed the door gently and allowed Goblin inside along with the brass orb before closing it behind them.
“No trouble at all. I am impressed with your creation, Mr. Dos.” Caelum motioned to himself and then his first mate, “I am Captain Caelum and this is my first mate and ship mechanic, ‘Goblin’. We’ve heard good things about you and surely you’ve heard interesting things about us…” he pulled out a chair for himself and then motioned for Goblin to join him before settling.

Regarding Mr. Dos with cool grey eyes, the captain continued,
“Have you the upgrades we requested? I have brought your payment.” From his trench coat pocket, he withdrew a small bag heavy with credit chips and pushed them towards the middle of the small desk.
He waited a few moments for things to be processed before speaking again, “… And I was wondering if you had considered our ‘other’ offer." His one metallic eye locked on to Jak Dos and followed him around the room.

[JakDos]

Jack spread his arms over his desk, welcoming the travelers inside. "Ah, you noticed. Thank you, I'm quite proud of him myself. He was a prototype that I adapted. Quite ingenious, the power and operations systems he uses...anyways. Yes. Indeed, welcome to my humble workshop." He looked over the pale man, eyeing him casually, a practiced eye taking in details and little motions. Then he turned his eye to Goblin and the practice became a habit. Goodness, the man was misshapen. Er hem.

At Caelum's announcement of their reputation, he smiled. "Mmm. I've heard a couple things, although you can never trust anything you hear on these islands. I prefer firsthand knowledge. Anyway, I very much doubt you've heard much about me, although you had to have heard something, or else you would be here." Jack watched as Caelum pushed his payment over, and he hefted the bag, leaning back and weighing it in one gloved hand, the other folded across his heavy marked welder's apron, battered helmet tilted back. "This seems to be in order. I will, of course, need to work on your ship personally for a time." At the second question, he glanced over at AIVEN, the spiderdrone, and nodded. Which of course ties into your second question, which I have decided to graciously accept. I can install your upgrades upon our departure, and make any improvements on the move. It will give me a much needed vacation from this rock, the urgency of which quickly approaches."

He stood up, pocketing the bag of creds. Giving a short bow, he gestured to the pile of bags and cases and trunks piled outside the door to his workshop. "As you can see I've already packed; it would be best if we departed immediately.

[Goblin]

Before they could leave, Goblin crept up to Jak in the same way a bloodhound creeps after a scent, circling him, looking him up and down, even taking an occasional sniff at the air, muttering to himself. After what seemed like an uncomfortably long silence, Goblin cocked his head towards the captain.

"He's alright," turning back to Jak, he added, "One condition. Just one. You can slap whatever the hell you need to on Her. Hell, paint 'Er yella for all I care, but don't touch the engines without my permission." His tone was odd. It was not threatening, or even aggressive, but conveyed a sense of mutual respect. "Other than that, welcome aboard, boy." Goblin extended a gloved hand, his mouth twisted into some sort of shape one might generously call a smile, revealing rows of miss-colored (and occasionally missing) teeth.

[Caelum]

They arrived at the docks just sunlight started to pierce the heavy veil of smog surrounding the outpost city. Various airships in various states hovered or rested on the salvaged docks so much that it almost appeared to be a repair yard. Caelum paused when they reached a smaller and fairly older ship nearly hidden behind two larger ones and glanced over Jak, “Welcome home, Mr. Dos. As long as you are with us we will ensure it feels that way. Follow.”

The Misericordia floated gently above them, grounded to the dock by some ropes and a rusty metal staircase. A crudely patched balloon held her aloft in metal netting enclosed in a steel frame, several propulsion fins sprouted from her sides and back like webbed wings with many smaller tears and a few larger ones stitched with cable, and the hull of the ship too looked like it had seen better days but all in all it was fast looking and held a certain unique charm older ships once held before the System attempted to homogenize all newly built ships.

Once on the main deck, Caelum beckoned to Jak with a head nod while he carried the heavy cases Mr. Dos allowed him to touch seemingly effortlessly on his shoulders, “Your quarters are near the engine room. Goblin will show you the way and get you acquainted with the ship. I will leave these near your door. If you have any questions, I’ll be up here getting us underway.” And with that disappeared down the stairs to the lower decks.

[JakDos]

Jack blinked down at the smaller man and shook the outstretched hand, his gloves nearly encompassing Goblin's fist. "Indeed. Thank you for your hospitality, Mr. Goblin. I look forward to making the ship my new abode." He followed them through the winding, dirty streets, furtively glancing around to see if they were being followed. Several small children scampered around them, playing with a broken sphere of rusty metal. Eventually, they got to the shipyards, and Jack looked up at the sleek cruisers.

Impressive. Now which one did you say was you- oh. I see. Very....quaint. I can already see the possibilities for upgrading." As Caelum took his bags, he nodded and followed the captain up onto the ship, while looking at Goblin for the grand tour, so to speak. "Any particular areas of, er....interest, you might like me to take a look at? What does she have in the way of defense capabilities, weapons, shielding, hull material, propulsion systems, etcetera?"

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