| abstract
| - Landing Pad New Alhira: Demaria A large area of ground has been flattened out and filled with thickly poured ferrocrete; yellow lines and blinking lights mark off landing pads, taxi lanes, and runways. A large building that serves as the small spaceport's terminal sits at the edge of the area, opposite the tall flight traffic control tower. Service crews stand by to help people through the decontamination corridor. To the west, far past the outskirts of the spaceport, lies the blunt Stubtooth Mountains. The landing pad is a bit of a mess. A rather wrecked Calliope has scraped along a large amount of the landing pad, richoceting off a number of ships before coming to rest firmly in the engineering section of the HMS Reliable. A clean up crew are currently attempting to clean up the debris. Razorback nods at this running a paw through his mane. "Well, if any food ssupplies arrre needed, please let me know," he replies, "At the verrry leasst, I could get them to you at cosst. Unforrrtunately, we do not prrrodusce a grrreat deal yet, but whateverrr we do not need ..." The Demarian and the engineer are standing not far from the Decon corridor exit, wrapped in conversation. Ruin shakes his head. "We need *funding*," he says quietly. "We're talking millions, here. Hundreds of millions, possibly, though I'm hoping volunteer effort will cut that down some. And the New Luna government...kind of doesn't exist." It doesn't take long for the Raider to settle itself into a vacant parking slot power down. A few moments later, Vadim appears out of its airlock, in the process of mid-light of his cigarette. Thats halted however, upon peering over at the two ships that have decided to have something of a fender bender. He stands and stares at it, perhaps pondering the events that could've led up to it. A shrug follows, deeming it past business and begins to trod down the ramp. The new ship landing garners the attention of a single ear from the Demarian for a moment before he nod sadly to Ruin. "That is unforrrtunate," he says, "We have neverrr been wealthy, even before the arrrisstocrrrascy was abolished and what we have now is mosstly being used to keep uss fed, clothed and housed." The felinoid's nose twitches slightly as a familiar scent reaches it. Ruin nods. "That's what's hanging us up at the moment, anyway." He turns at the sound of a nearby landing, nods at the sight of the Raider. "I'm mostly just looking to not see New Luna end up someone's colony over this." Its odd that Vadim picks out Ruin first down the way, resulting in a wave. "Ruin, privet." he calls over, finally getting that smoke lit as he heads on over. At first glance he doesn't make out the Demarian as Razorback, or maybe he just wasn't expecting to run into his former crewmate. "Long time, da? Been looking for you. Have something I might need your expertise in and...and..." his voice stalls, when the familar black and red markings become more apparent, which seems to finally click in the Ungstiri's head. "R-razorback?" he gapes, starring unblinkingly. "Wha-?" is all that he can utter out, now conflicted in who he should speak to. The Cliffwalker nods in agreement with Ruin whilst following his nose towards the approaching Ungstiri. A toothy grin breaks his leonid feature and a deep laugh escapes him. "Vadim," he says, his tail twitching in amusement, "Thiss is an unexspected pleasurrre." Ruin steps back a bit, to let the two talk; apparently somewhat curious, but also a bit reserved. Vadim glances between the two. "Ruin, give me a moment. I did want to talk with you, so don't go run off anywhere." he states in a grin, then looking the Demarian up and down. "Well hoop. Unexpected is goddamn understantment. Where the hell have you been, da? Last time I saw you it was on the Junkyard almost a year ago." He takes a long thoughtful drag off his smoke before shaking his head. "I don't know where to start. But, its good to see you again, tovarisch." Razorback nods slowly, one paw reaching over to fiddle with the ring on the other. "It is good to ssee you again as well, my frrriend," he says, "But I confessss, I sshould be getting back. If you arrre going to be on-planet forrr a while, I would welcome a chansce to talk, howeverrr, and ssoon." Ruin nods. "I'll be here at least until I've given the Reliable their damage assessment. It was nice to see you again." "I move around. But now that I know your here, I'd be inclined to sticking around for a bit." Vadim replies, smiling; a rare occruance for him. "Da! We will speak when you have the time. Its simply good to know that your still kicking." "It has been good to ssee both of you again," Razorback replies, stepping back in a deep bow before straightening again, "Until anotherrr time then, farrrewell." With that, he turns 'tail' and makes for the corridor from whence he came, his footsteps just as silent as when he arrived. Ruin turns his attention to Vadim. "Somewhere in the shade, then?" Vadim waves as the Demarian stalks off. "Hoop. Ain't that the surprise of the month." he chuckles, turning his attention to Ruin, nodding. "Da, sure. So your down here to take a look that?" he asks, angling his head in the direction of the two damnaged ships. Ruin shrugs. "Actually, I came for Demarian takeout. Only got involved because it happened right in front of me." "Heh, talk about timing. You do seem to have a knack for that. Was it worth the takeout?" Vadim grins, walking along with the Lunite towards the afforementioned shade. "I came looking for you because I know your one of the best damn engineers in the Arm. And I need your help with something." he states, getting out his PDA. "Theres a file I'd like to upload to you. I can't make heads or tails of it, but I'm hoping you'll see more than what I have." Ruin nods. "All right," he says. "Here? Cafe somewhere?" "Cafe works best I suppose. Might as well have ourselves a sit-down while we're at it. Been a long time." Vadim replies with a nod.
*
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* Glimmercoat's Baked Goods and Cafe The smell of freshly baked goods assaults the senses the moment one nears this bakery and restaurant. A glass display case showcases the many fine goods available for sale here, from small pastries, bagels, and donuts, to larger cakes, pies, fish rolls, and a classic favorite: ice cream. A small counter curving around from the main one provides access to the coffee and drink sales area. Several tables are scattered throughout the open floorspace, with a wider selection of them perched on the patio outside. Vadim peers about before truly entering and taking a seat at the table. "Better than the Pillow. Think the owners are still a little tore up after me and Adrain decided to have our little brawl there." he notes with a wry laugh. Setting his PDA to the right screen, he slides it across the table. "Either Mika is something of an idoit savant, or I just can't read schemaics." he grumps. "I don't know if you know yet, mostly because I've heard you've been busy, but I've undertaken a sort of project. You have Ungstiri heritage, da? You know what U zero zero one is, right?" Ruin spreads his hands. "Nezakonnii Syn," he says. "My starik never talked much about my Ungstiri relatives." "Ah, I see. Well all the same, this is something I brought to you because I know your damn good at what you do." Vadim replies, reaching over to make sure the screen on his PDA is on the right screen. "There is an asteroid deep in the Perserverance system. Its called Avalon. Its purpose was to keep the memory of Youngster alive. Consider it a museum of sorts. During a recent salvage mission in that system, we came across it. Surprisingly it survived the razing that the Phyrrians had done, and even more shocking it was still running on emergency power. These," he points at his device's screen, "were schematics Mika threw together to restore Avalon. But I can't do this alone. I need people who know what they're doing with these kind of things. Avalon is almost the size of Ungstir two. I want to rebuild, I've already gotten Krushnik's attention promise to do what he can. He'll be releasing a statement to the media soon about looking for help. But I personally wanted to come to you about this." The schematics that appear on the screen appear as if this really could be done, but like with many things, it'd take personalle, equipment, and funding to do so. But, still doable. Vadim traces the rim of the nearby ashtray. "I know you and your people have been busy with New Luna's restoration. I won't ask you to divert your attention, but like I said, I wanted to come to you with this." Ruin looks through those schematics in detail. "....To restore what *was*...yes, I think I have people that might help. It's the sort of job I'd enjoy too, if I could do it without being bothered." He taps the schematics. "The word I have is what law there was in Perseverance is completely gone. It's as dangerous as TK out there now." "I already have two ships lined up with dealing with security. I know, thats not enough. The Raider and my old friends on the Bounty just isn't enough to keep the brigrands and pirates at bay." Vadim replies with a headshake. "But this is something that has to be, no, -must- be done. If only in my own mind. Normally these types of things have never really been my bag. A slavager doesn't deal with this all that much. But this...is more of a personal matter. For someone who was told he betrayed his people, I suppose this is my own way with attonement." he replies, another pensive drag from his coffin nail. "I've been pondering going to the Den itself and trying to speak with the people there. Tell them there is something they can do. That they don't have to live there. That could also get my killed." Ruin gives Vadim a level look. "Believe me. I've heard my share of impassioned speeches and noble causes. Unfortunately, words have zero stopping power when faced with pulse blasts and bullets. This?" He taps the schematics. "This requires thinking, and planning. You'll probably be able to get funding after you begin, actually. If you can start work on the project and keep it from being overrun by the new locals, probably anyone with Ungstiri blood will give money to your cause. I can get you workmen *if* you can keep them safe. So what you need to do is get word to the Ungstiri that'd care, and get yourself a defensive fleet that'd be willing to dig in and defend the rock while the workers do their part." "Thats what I'm counting on to be honest. Any Ungstiri who's proud of their people I'd like to think would do what they could." Vadim agrees, but then frowns. "But where the hoop am I going to get a fleet of ships? And lets not forget how damn hard it is to navigate through that system now that theres more debris than ever. Would need to clear a path to Avalon first, and that by itself is something I've been pondering for some time. But the point remains. Finding people with ships willing to assist in the work. Thats the hardest part right and it prevents me from getting this off the ground." Ruin shrugs. "How many friends do you have?" he asks. "I have *one* combat trained pilot that I can be certain of. A few more who can fight. That's it - OSI doesn't go into high risk zones. But get them ships with guns and they might be helpful." Vadim raps his fingers in succession on the table. "I know. The Bounty is a bunch of old smugglers with ties to me; I don't have to question their loyalty. The Raider? Well, when and if I can get the crew back together it might be more of a physical force. Who has a fleet of ships willing to lend out for an effort this big?" he asks aloud. And as if a lightbulb clicks on above his head, he blinks at Ruin. "Do you suppose...Odarites? I mean, as far as I know they still have their fleet. And I bet their feeling pretty stupid about their part in the Phyrrian War. What if, now, just go with me on this one since its off from left feild, but woudln't rebuilding Avalon and securing that area be in their best interests? Could promote trade in the area, and not to mention I would have to imagine that Odari would be getting some flak from the amount of violence in the Preserverance system. And lets not forget how good this could show them to Arm? Their way of trying to make up for their fuckup? Couple that with the fact that its inbetween both that system and TeeKay." he offers, sounding a bit intruigued by the idea. "But...not so sure that could even work." Ruin shakes his head. "They're not worried about goodwill. They're worried about profit. This is a significant investment with no direct return. They'll sell you materials - might do *that* at a discount, if they get some good publicity. But I doubt you'd get ships." "Are they Ruin? How much profit do you think they've lost becase of their part? Or how much they're hated now because of it? How many contacts in the commerical business have they lost? I would think, and granted, I'm nyet buisness major, but I would think this would be something in their best interests." Vadim replies, continuing with this rapid-fire finger rapping. "I dunno, I'm grasping at straws, but nyet fleet is going to put that much investment forward without knowing their going to get something back for it. I doubt theres any sort of Ungstiri ships left in the Arm save for the ones that weren't in the system when the Phyrrains were. And I'd rather not go to the Junkyard for one. Don't trust pirates all that much when it comes to giving out of the kindness of their hearts." Ruin blinks. "...I'm sorry, but the Odarites have never exactly been the teddy bears of the Orion Arm," he points out mildly. "Consider what they decided to call a 'dealbreaker', here." He taps the table with a blunt fingernail. "Here's what you do. First, you go to the news networks and you put out a press release. Or if you want, I can probably arrange for that - press contacts and all. You'll send out a call to all...true ungstiri or ...maybe I should let you do the phrasing, I grew up on Luna. Basically asking for volunteers to man ships, perform repairs. Donate time and money - that's the key phrase. That they understand it's for the common good so it's not a personal profit thing. Ungstir's dealt with worse than this before. There's probably rockhoppers still out there. Once the call's gone out it's mostly a matter of logistics." "I'm letting Krushnik handle the spin on that. Figure I'd be better off letting someone who understands that more than I do take care of it." Vadim nods. "But, da, I did make sure that he put those very words in. 'Donate' being a big one. I can't fund all of this. I can't speak with Ace; she seemed interested in the whole thing, until she and her boys get through that nastiness on TeeKay, which reminds me that I have to look around to see if theres some kind of antidote for a poison being used down there that I guess is a big issue. I dunno all the details with that, this is taken up most of my time." A snort as he finally rubs out his burnt down smoke into the ashtray. "I don't like waiting. And this all feels like a big gamble on people's feelings and wether or not everyone is simply jaded by it all. But, there isn't much else in the way of options. Or at least, I haven't seen it yet." Ruin frowns, finger tapping. "That would be another issue. Keep Ace and her people the hoop away from my ships," he says flatly. "We'll help you. But as we're not likely to get paid for this, that would be my stipulation. You keep my people out of harm's way - and you keep Ace's lot the hoop away from my ships. Give me those, and I'll talk to the other OSI captains." Theres an odd look from Vadim, along with the quirked brow to go with it. "I won't ask what you and Ace's beef is with each other, but I hope this trascends whatever animosity the two crews have for each other. I'm looking for couperation here between everyone, and I'm really trying to not be the leader in all of this, but I guess I seem to be falling into that role wether or not I like it. Which I don't. But da, I'll make sure your views are put across to Ace when I speak to her. I don't -think- it should be an issue really. If you and the rest of OSI concentrate on rebuilding Avalon, the Fox can help take care of securing the system. Sounds all fine and dandy like that, but nothing is ever so simple. I suppose this all depends on who survives down there." Ruin spreads his hands. "Some of my people don't mind hers, and vice versa. She and I, however, don't get along. And some of our respective crews share that. I'm mentioning it to you up front in the interest of clarity, because what you *don't* want is everyone turning up and it turning into a bloodbath because of old feuds." He smiles wryly. "Trust me. Idealism doesn't transcend all that much. You've taken on a big job." "Hoop." Vadim grunts sourly. "Think thats the first anybody ever has called me 'idealistic'. Doesn't seem suiting, really. I'm just trying to do whats right probably for the first time in years. And nyet, I don't want to have to play riot control with people, on whatever side. The situation and climate we're going to be in has a very little tolerance for mistakes, and I'm relying on OSI's and the Fox's reputation for getting shit done. While I don't need to tell you or Ace, I will anyways; check your feelings at the door once everything starts rolling and we're all one happy bunch on Avalon. Far too much is on the line to be hooped up by bruised egos or hurt feelings. Hopefully, that won't even happen and the goal in mind will erase any sentiment of such." He seems to catch himself at the last statement, frowing deeper. "Oh fuck, I am being idealistic. The hell is happeneing to me." Ruin nods. "You are. The job's most important to you. Not anyone else. It's a good idea to remember that. If the job mattered as much to anyone as it does to you, *they'd* be doing it and you wouldn't have to." "I'm doing it because I can't remember the last time I felt so...so...driven by something." Vadim replies, apparently needing another smoke as he picks one out from his pack. "I can't even say if I'm doing this right, but someone has to start it. Really, thats Mika. She gave me the schematics and told me to do something with them, so really, I should be thanking her. Maybe I'm thinking about something bigger than me, you, creds, or anything else. Its not so much something that should be done, but -must- be done. And if I didn't do something with what Mika gave me, I doubt I could ever look myself in the mirror and call myself Ungstiri. I would be nothing more than the tourist that the kommissionar told me I was when I got out of prison." Ruin gets to his feet. "Welcome to having a cause," he says. "Believe it or not, I have several. But I've learned to draw a line, and I'll stick to that. We'll help you, and it'll be donated help. But I don't put my crews in danger. Their safety will be your end of this deal. If you can't keep my people safe, I will withdraw them." Picking up his PDA, he says, "I need to get these figures finished for the Reliable. I'll be around later, all right?" And with that, he heads out. Ruin gets to his feet. "Welcome to having a cause," he says. "Believe it or not, I have several. But I've learned to draw a line, and I'll stick to that. We'll help you, and it'll be donated help. But I don't put my crews in danger. Their safety will be your end of this deal. If you can't keep my people safe, I will withdraw them." Picking up his PDA, he says, "I need to get these figures finished for the Reliable. I'll be around later, all right?" And with that, he heads out.
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