Brotherhood of the Machine (IC Thread) [PG/14] {03}

[Tapewolf]

"Her main weapon is an energy rifle of some kind," Dorcan said.  "I left that somewhere separate, just in case that had some kind of tracking.  I can retrieve it if that's not a concern, though."

"...Sir." he added belatedly.

[Ryudo Lee]

Lt. Armstrong nods to Dorcan's explanation.
"It does seem a little out of the ordinary, I'll give you that.  But if we suspected everyone of being a spy or being followed, we wouldn't have anyone to begin with.  Bring her in and we'll screen her.  If she is being tracked, we'll deal with it." He says.

[Tapewolf]

"Right away, Sir," Dorcan said.  He retrieved the rifle first, and then Chance.

"Looks like you're in luck," he told her.  "Follow me, please..."

He led her back to the car-park, assuming that the Lieutenant would still be there.

[Sprocketsdance]

Chance followed, relieved to see her rifle again. She paid attention to the route they took, trying not to look around too much to make her seem suspicious.

"Oh yeah, thanks" She quickly threw out to her guide.

[Ryudo Lee]

As soon as Dorcan and Chance got to the facility, some rebellion soldiers came around and led Chance away to be screened.  Another relieved Dorcan of Chance's weapon so that it could be examined.

Sometime later, Chance was moved to a small holding room, where Jackson would meet her face to face.
"Excuse the screening, but you can never be too careful nowadays.  I'll get right to the point.  You sought us out, which shows that we have a common view on the Brotherhood.  I won't ask you about your past, but I will offer you a future with us.  If you're still interested, there's a group assembling at the motor pool to begin a series of missions.  I'd like you to tag along with them.  They could use an extra gun." He says.
A soldier approaches and hands Jackson Chance's rifle.  Jackson then hands it over to Chance.
"If you need anything else, the Quartermaster's office is near the motor pool.  Check in with him for any extra supplies or ammunition.  Otherwise you're free to leave, no one will stop you.  Any questions?" He asks.

[Sprocketsdance]

"No, Thanks.. uh.. sir" Chance returned her rifle to her back, and not sure what the proper protocol was she just nodded to him and left the room. She had to look around a bit but she slowly made her way back to the motor pool. Luckily she was already pretty stocked on her ammo so she didn't have to go to the Quartermaster.

She crossed her arms over her chest and looked over the people inhabiting the area since she lacked to do so earlier. Her face looked a bit hard and impassive. She noticed the canine from before and walked over to him."Well, I'm assigned to help you guys out."

[Tapewolf]

"That was quick," Dorcan said.  "Have you been to the Quartermaster yet?  If not, I can show you where.  For that matter, have you even been briefed on what we're planning to do?"

[Sprocketsdance]

"I have everything I need.. and all the guy said was you were going to do some missions and they could use an extra gun." Chance shrugged. "If anything I guess you could tell me the details along the way. Firing a rifle isn't all that difficult, you just have to make sure you get the right targets."

She didn't feel at ease quite yet, granted with this sort of thing she probably shouldn't. Too many new faces were around, but she'd make do.

She coughed once and asked, "So, when do we go? I'm tired of dinking around." She was never one to stay still very long.

[Tapewolf]

"I'm not sure," Dorcan said.  "Within the next hour or two, I think.  I'll go find out.  But first, are you sure you have everything you need?  Body armour, for instance?  I believe we were also getting some kind of standard-issue pack with knives, medikits and so forth.  Assuming your kind needs conventional medical support, of course," he added.  "It can sometimes be hard to tell."

[Sprocketsdance]

Chance grumbled a bit, if only her skin was as hard as her ego she'd survive anything. "Well, if it's standard-issue then... I guess I should get some armor too for the hell of it.. since they're offering..." She looked around some. "Yeah.. if you could take me to the Quartermaster that would be nice, somehow I didn't catch sight of it on my way in."

Turning to walk she looked back at the canine. "Oh yeah, you can call me Chance." She said simply.

[Tapewolf]

"Dorcan," the doberman said.  "Dorcan Ja'Fell."  He led Chance to the Quartermaster's office.  "We have a last-minute addition to the team here," he said, gesturing at his companion.  "Any idea when we'll be heading off, by the way?"

[Sprocketsdance]

Chance added in "I guess I'll need a standard-issue pack and some body armor too." She looked herself over. "Whatever fits."  Then she half-glanced to Dorcan "Heh, thanks again." She hated to be helped, but she couldn't forget manners.

[Ryudo Lee]

The Quartermaster had just come out from the back, when Dorcan and Chance came in.
"Another one?  You guys will have your own militia if this keeps up." He says.
He pulls out his trusty notepad and takes some notes, and quickly eyeballs Chance's size for the armor.
"Alright, we're getting everything together.  You all should be ready to go in half an hour, if those goof-offs in the back would GET THEIR TAILS IN GEAR!" He shouts that last part over his shoulder to the back.

[Lisky]

As Dorcan had left to go fetch the girl, Darkshine had walked back to his vehicle.  The spotted feline placed all his civilian gear, along with the concealed weapons into a locker, while bringing out his own combat suit.  The matte black material of the Reaper Semi-Powered Infiltration suit slid on as if it were a second skin.  As he finished planting the locking pins, and sealing the suit he also began some basic calisthenics to adjust to the strength enhancing features.

After taking a few moments to re-adjust, Darkshine slid a pair of pistols into the hidden holsters in the boot-plates, then connected the back-up power cell to the Banshee's port to make sure the unit was at maximum charge.  With every conceivable pre-battle preparation complete, he headed out to see if he couldn't help out with the loading somewhere. 

He reached the quartermaster's office shortly after Dorcan, and what looked to be a female in civilian clothing.  He smirked as he walked in silently, enjoying the lightness he felt now that he was back in his armor again.  He leaned against the far wall, opposite the Quartermaster's desk, and said, "hey Dorcan, who's the girl?"

[Sprocketsdance]

Hearing what she could only assume was a comrade of Dorcan's behind her she turned and looked at the feline with a slight scowl on her face. She had her arms crossed over her chest in the usual fashion and she shifted her weight to be held mostly on her right leg, tilting her hip some.

"Chance" She said, not waiting for Dorcan to answer his question, especially since Dorcan was not her keeper, however helpful that he was.

[Lisky]

Cocking his head to the side in a quizzical gesture, the feline also quirked an eyebrow at the almost indignant look the girl was giving him.  Taking a few steps forward, the lithe and thin Darkshine towered over the girl. (he standing at about 6' 6") He extended an armor clad hand (think like a solid wetsuit glove, meshy, and somewhat soft) and said in a kinder tone, "Darkshine, freelance mercenary, though currently under the employment of the rebellion.  Pleasure to meet you ma'am."

[Sprocketsdance]

Chance kept her eyes on his face as he approached, even given his height she didn't feel the least bit intimidated. Granted that could also be because he wasn't trying to be intimidating. When he gave his introduction and outstretched his hand her expression softened just in the slightest, it just looked a tad less indignant. She looked at his hand for a moment before grasping it with her own, giving it quick shake before releasing it. The feel of the armor bothered her some.

"Charmed." She said, in a 'not-so-charmed' tone, looking back up at him. At least it sounded less angry than when she said her name. "And for petessake don't call me 'ma'am'.."

She looked around some, getting antsy again. "So do they just deliver the stuff or do we wait and pick it up here?"

[Tapewolf]

"If you're impatient for some action, we may have a problem," Dorcan said.

"We're heading to a dig site about three days away, and our mission is to watch over an archaeological team who we think are liable to be targeted by the Brothers.  Now, we don't know that they're going to be attacked at all, so this could, in a sense, be a waste of time.  But by my reckoning it's better to be safe than sorry.

"What I'm trying to say is that unless the Brothers have some kind of lead on our activities, they won't know that we'll be doing this.  So unless there's a high risk of running into them randomly, riding around in our armour for three days solid sounds unlikely," he said, glancing at Darkshine.  Not to mention it might not smell too good.  Then again, I can't smell...

"In all likelihood, we're going to be putting all the stuff in the boot and only donning it when we're less than a day from our destination.  At least, that's how I'd do it.  Riding around in civvies would look far less suspicious too.  If we're stopped at a roadblock or something, we - well, some of us - could pretend to be telecom consultants attending a conference or something.  That's not going to fly if we're dressed in combat gear and toting rifles, plus it'd look pretty weird when we have to stop for a bathroom break."

"So it might be best if you packed something to read," the doberman concluded.

[Lisky]

Darkshine smirked at the girl's response.  He was feeling rather coy at the moment, but didn't get a chance to play, as Dorcan went and began talking about the mission.

"eh, i could probably slide something baggy over this suit... but really, i was going to see if there's anything i can do to help, work out the suit's pseudo-muscles a bit.  Once we get moving i'll be back in civilian garb... As for reading, i'll probably be use one of the banshee's terminals... depending on what you're looking for, i'm sure Ranger could collect some data if it's not already on one of the drives."

looking back at Chance, Darkshine said, "Right, I wasn't trying to be rude a moment ago, and i'm sorry if you were offended.  If you'd have preferred me shouting 'girl who i don't know over there by the quartermaster and Dorcan'.  I could have done that, but really, it would have offended you either way.  I'd say you were looking for an excuse to vent some frustration, and the way you're carrying on this whole passive-aggressive thing is just going to end up with both of us irritated, so you can drop the act, and we can start fresh... or, we can go on like we are now, getting more and more upset with eachother... which means we'll inevitably get into a fight, and we'll see what happens then... your call"  The feline had a wicked grin as he shrugged while saying, 'your call'.

[Sprocketsdance]

Chance nodded at Dorcan's explanation and advice. "Don't get me wrong, I'm not itching to kill anything. I'll just feel better once I'm doing something useful.. even if it is just sitting around waiting for an unlikely attack. I'm glad to know what I'll be doing though.."

She looked back up to Darkshine when he started addressing her. She almost felt bad for her sharp replies to the feline until he finished his speech. It seemed more to her like he was challenging her, which she did not take very well.

"Huh.. well for one don't think for a minute you know what would and would not offend me - if you're quick you'll pick it up on the way. Two, I would have to agree with you that we should start fresh since being at eachother's throats is very counter-productive. And three, if you think this is all just one big act just keep pushing your luck. So, since it's my call... " She stuck out her hand and softened her expression with a bit of a smile. ".. Hi, my name is Chance, I hope our business together will be painless and that maybe someday we could even call eachother comrades."

[Lisky]

Darkshine's expression formed a softer and friendlier grin when Chance shifted into a far more welcoming tone, "Darkshine, and i'd like that..." he replied, when taking her hand in a firm handshake.

The Feline then look over at Dorcan and asked, "think we should start heading towards the vehicles?  If we're going to be packed in 30 minutes, i would think it a good idea to be leaving ASAP, although 3 days is quite the trip, i'd rather we be at that site as quickly as possible..."

[Tapewolf]

"Yeah, I think I'm ready," Dorcan said.  "Either way we probably shouldn't be loitering in the Quartermaster's office like this."  He glanced around to see if the others were going to follow and headed towards the vehicle bays.

[Lisky]

Darkshine smiled and followed Dorcan out, rotating his head back over his shoulder to make sure Chance was following them.  He said, "If you're not going to order anything else, perhaps we should get everyone introduced... seems they were mostly assembled in the motor-pool already."

[Sprocketsdance]

"Okay." Chance followed the two only a few steps behind.. trying to figure out this Darkshine fellow. Then again three days on the road should be enough time to get a hold on what the heck he was about. Regardless there were more people to meet and a mission to start.

[techmaster-glitch]

   As the others were getting to the motor poll, a small black-furred person accompanied by a medic entered the area. The black-furred person wore only ripped shorts, and his whole arms and lower legs were replaced with cybernetic limbs. The arms ended in small cannon barrels. To those who already knew him, he was visibly changed as he now had pure-white bandages on all the places where he had burns, even a little mummy-wrap in a few places, making it look worse than it was. Around some areas of the bandages, his red markings could still be seen peeking out. Jexx had a bad scowling glare on his face.
   The medic, on the other hand, looked very pleased with himself. Once he had gotten Jexx into a hostpital bed, Jexx was the perfect (limp) little patient; though he had a horrible scowl on his face the whole time, he did not resist as the medic inspected his burns, applied salve, and even let him put bandages on and give him a few vaccinations.
   The medic released Jexx into the area where everyone was congregating, and Jexx started aimlessly wandering off, paying no attention to Dorcan, Darkshine, and some new girl as he started wandering around. The Medic depated back into the base, leaving with a comment of, "Don't scratch those bandages, now!"
   Jexx trudged around, every now and then, one of his cannons-for-hands would somehow transform into an actual hand and scratch his bandages, before turning back into a cannon and being lowered. With a bad expression on his face, he constantly muttered, "Stupid medic...stupid bandages...stupid needles...stupid rebellion..." and other things, puntuating his muttering every now and then with a random kick to the ground. Once, he said aloud, "When're we gonna get outta here!" to no one in particular, as he was still trudging around away from any other people, and resumed his muttering afterwards, throwing in things like, "Wanna kill something already...wanna get those Brotherhood...wanna get 'em..."

[Sprocketsdance]

Chance's gaze couldn't help but move to the grumpy person kicking the ground as they entered the motor pool. His attitude felt quite welcoming to her - it was something she could understand. She caught sight of one of his hand cannons transforming into a hand and then back again. Her usual hard gaze imediately softened as if she just found the best chocolates in the world.

"Hey.." She began but caught herself. They didn't have time for her to be asking a million questions on the 'how', 'why', and 'where can I get me one of those?' If it was one thing she could hardly resist tinkering with it was guns and mechanical wonders. If anything it would have to wait, and hopefully he was part of the team she was assigned to.

She spoke to Darkshine and Dorcan's back. "So, how many are on the team? And which vehicle is ours?"

[Tapewolf]

"I believe we're running a convoy," Dorcan said.  "As for who;s going, Darkshine and myself you've met, and the guy over there is called Jexx.  We also have Morgan Kell, and possibly Izzie, though I'm not sure if he's coming with us this time.  After that it gets a bit weird.  We have Exo, a captured Brotherhood warbot who has defected and Fet, who seems to be some kind of primitive," he added, hastily looking around to make sure he wasn't around.

"We usually have a few additional troops and medics to round the team off, but I believe that covers most of us."

He lowered his voice.  "If you're wondering about the arms, Jexx seems to have been victim to the Brotherhood's experiments."

[Corgatha Taldorthar]

Fetrethar stalked around, keeping an eye for what cover there was in this vehicular storage area, making sure he was making as little sound as possible. He continually cast his tongue over his stinger, careful not to trigger it in the presence of allies. Stalking skills must be continually practiced or they would be lost. He could still almost hear the raspy leather that was old Cralto's voice demanding that of him as a child. Hard to imagine that the attack would have claimed the seemingly indestructible old man, but it was a pretty safe assumption that aside from the one's that made it with these people, his clan was probably dead, or enslaved.

He wondered when they'd let him have his gloves back, and shook his head that they'd offer him other gear besides. Such wealth, to so carelessly distribute gear among anyone who walked up and asked. He wondered if such innocents really could fight a war and win. Still, brute force, and wealth, the warm oil that was wealth, could make itself felt. Although most of his efforts had been spent on running, the fire these around him were spouting was very accurate.

Fetrethar shrugged. It was of little moment, and if they were as naive as they sounded, then he would be able to jimmy in some sort of social standing, something he truly did lack back home.

Home.

Fetrethar bit the inside of his cheek, the pain reminding him of his station and his obligations. He heard his name, and it startled him out of his reverie. Drifting over to where it was said, he saw the dog-man, Dorcan. He was talking to a woman, of a height with himself, perhaps a fingersbreadth taller, solidly built, especially for a woman. She might even be as heavy as himself, certainly something odd.

But, odd appearance or not, there were formalities to be made. He placed his hands on his forehead and bowed slightly,  casting his arms out to the side, slowly, as he did so. When he straightened, he said "I am that primitive. They call me Fetrethar. What name do you wear?" If she was being introduced to others, than that implied she was new, like he was, and that opened doors of impropriety he wouldn't consciously consider with the others. "How did you come to be with these ones?" he asked, indicating with his palm at the motor pool.

[Lisky]

With the situation seemingly in the capable hands of the others, Darkshine slunk off to the long, large, vehicle sitting towards the front side of the motor pool.  The Banshee was resting on it's large, armored skirt, it's rear hatch wide open, and various rebels moving about it, and other vehicles which he assumed were making up the convoy.

With everything seemingly being taken care of, and running as smoothly as expected, the spotted feline figured he'd just stay out of the way.  Darkshine grabbed a hand rail, and flung himself in a graceful arc onto the roof of his transport.  He planted himself against the sensor housing in the rear and just observed the others from a distance, while seemingly lost in his own thoughts, sitting in a somewhat pensive position.

[Sprocketsdance]

"Ah, ok" Chance replied to Dorcan for his explanations. With his spot-on assumption about her curiosity on Jexx she wondered if he could read minds... either that or she was just that easy to read without any abilities. Either way it made her feel slightly uncomfortable and she reminded herself to watch it.

While Dorcan was finishing the list of comrades she did feel a pang of emotional pain. It didn't distract her from listening to him but it did rustle her up a bit. Damn, someone better not be crying; it always made her uncomfortable. When Fetrethar approached she was able to pin point where the emotion came from and despite her initial reaction she felt sorry for him, but didn't make a move to show it.

After his graceful introduction she nodded to him. "I'm Chance.. and.. I guess I came to be with these ones.. uhh, through this guy." With that she tapped Dorcan with her left fist on his bicep, smirking slightly. "And if you're looking after a reason.." She shrugged, not wanting to get too deep. "The Brotherhood tick me off."