The Estate Job: Part 1

[Marcus O'Terra]

Border of Central Planets And Georgia
June 18, 2517
6:09 P.M A.S.T

On the port side of The Chainless, Marcus sat in what was the lounge of the ship. It was a nice sized room about as big as the infirmary on the starboard side. However it had a screen which could connect to the cortex, a few comfortable old chairs and a large couch. There was a faint smell of cigarette smoke in the room, from the previous inhabitants most likely.

Marcus sat in a large, and worn in chair. He smart paper printouts of the layout and his play by play of the plan.

He rolled his shoulders, he'd called the crew together just a second ago on the intercom. It was going to be a straight forward plan, and that'd make it easy enough for everyone to understand.

[Jay Fuller]

Jay walked into the lounge and sat down on the couch across from Marcus. He had spent the past hour or so doing random, meaningless things around the shp. He started by wandering through the infirmary, then he went into his room and wrote for the majority of the time until Marcus called them all into the lounge. 

After walking in, he asked, "What's up?"

[Ilana Logan]

Ilana walked into the lounge and sank into one of the thick old chairs.  She'd been working in the engine room for the last four hours.  Hearing everyone being called for an impromptu meeting was welcome as far as she was concerned.  She needed a break anyway.

She glanced around as she positioned herself in the chair to have a view of the whole room.  Marcus and Fuller were both in the room, waiting on the others, she supposed.  She had arrived just in time to hear Fuller essentially ask why they were called in.  

If Marcus answers that, I'm going to throw something at him, she thought, though chances are she wouldn't actually do it.  She was essentially the definition of impatience, but she knew better than to ask a question like that before the whole crew came in.  She didn't begrudge Fuller for asking his question, he was young - and very naive - after all.  She just liked the kid a lot, he reminded her of her brother John, and for some reason she couldn't explain she had expected Fuller to know that too.  John wasn't sly but they had very similar personalities.  She just hoped Fuller didn't share John's fondness for spiders.  

She rolled her eyes at herself as much as at Fuller and pulled her feet into the chair.  She had a feeling this would get interesting.

[Bishop Morse]

Tai Minh Tian


The sound in the cargo bay was almost non existent. It was large and open, but if anything happened it created an echo. However the only thing that was ever really ever heard was the hum of the large engine. Tai Minh had earlier the day before walked around the ship to see what was there. He liked knowing where he was and the things about it. He knew there was nothing much that he could do in the ways of the front or back end of the ship. He didn’t know anything about how to work with an engine, but he could use a wrench, as he had worked with his hands before. And as for the bridge, he didn’t know much of anything about how to fly anything, let alone a large Bessel like this one. It wasn’t like riding a horse, or driving a mule, which were things that he knew more about. So he left those things to the crewmen who were to do those things, and from what he could understand, they did it fairly well. Tai Minh instead just went about to find his own peace.

The Cargo Bay was a place where he found much of it. He sat directly in the center for about an hour not doing anything but looking over his book. And when he had finished reviewing the portion he wished to go over, he stood up and didn’t move. He stared across at the wall and then shifted his weight forward as he leaned forward a bit and extending his hands. He moved them quickly and switched their positions. He then brought them back in towards his body and swiftly came around with his right brought it down, then repeated the action with his left, and turned around to face the other side of the cargo bay. He jumped in the air and landed on a single foot and moved his hands in a speedy and fluid motion. He was just stretching his body using the meditation technique he’d been taught and practicing for well over forty years. This same thing was also a method of self defense and he’d practiced it on several occasions. Never had he killed a person, or permanently wounded. This was just his temples way of deterring people from taking advantage of them.

This was done for half an hour, with non stop movement until he felt tired, and then would continue for a short time after that. He was used to this process, and he took advantage of places like this, as often he had to do it in a public place, and it seemed to get in peoples way at times. As it was finished he proceeded up a ladder that was at the center of the cargo bay. He could have called the elevator, but he found that the more he could do by himself without the help of technology the better. Tai Minh walked towards the rear of the ship, down the stairs, and towards a room at the very back on the port side which had come to be recognized as his for the duration. Tai Minh did not sleep on the bed that was there, and instead had hung up a hammock in the back corner. He had been sleeping on one even since he was at the monastery, as was their tradition, and he kept that tradition even as he’d left there. He was tired and sweaty, and thus he commenced in washing himself off. Using only a large cloth, soap, and a pullout drawer sink he washed down his whole body. Cleanliness was an important part of his living, and he did the process frequently. He washed out his hair soon after, and dried it with a towel kept in his bag. Once finished, he sat down with his legs folded at the center of the room. He lit a holder of incense which he’d set down on a small shelf in the room and closed his eyes. He began to go over much of what had been taught to him in his mind, and praying to the Enlightened one. 

Roughly ten minutes into this he heard over head a voice. It was that of the man that had requested that he be on the vessel, Marcus. He was calling them over towards the Lounge. As Tai Minh remembered, it was on the port side of the vessel from the center. He finished quickly his thought, and he would come back to it another time. He never forgot to do that, so he wasn’t worried. He stood up wearing his blue garb and proceeded out. He did not have his walking stick, he would not need inside the ship. Tai Minh walked through the ship, reaching the center and forward towards the Lounge. The door was open as he walked forward. He had his usual smile and gave a bow to those who were there. He did not wish to take up much space, and would gladly stand, but he felt that sitting was more appropriate. He walked across the room to the sofa that was opposite the door and sat on the left side of it. He wasn’t sure why they were there, but he was sure that would be explained momentarily.

[Ilana Logan]

Amelia


Amelia walked into the room, Marcus, Jay, Ilana, and Tai were already there, Amelia wondered what was going on, but she didn't ask, she just sat down in the chair next to Marcus and proceded to fix her bra, what a pain strapless bras were, but they were a necessity when one wanted to look sexy, and Amelia knew sex appeal was power.

[Marcus O'Terra]

(ooc: Moving ahead for the sake of play)

Marcus watched as each member of the crew entered, and once the whole group had been assembled, he stood to call them to order.

"I won't mince words, this is a straight forward job. It's smash and grab but we've got to cover our tracks so what we're stealing isn't noticed." 

He pulled out pieces of translucent smart paper that had printings of the mansion's layout.

"Our target is a data stick in a vault in room twenty one." He pointed to the second floor. "We need the data ON it, but not the stick itself." He looked at Guy. " 'Bandit'. If you've got an omni-grabber or something like it, that'd be ideal. If not we might be able to whip up something else."

He looked up at them and crossed his arms. He wasn't taking questions, and he was speaking clearly so there wouldn't NEED to be any.

"We'll hit during mid day, while the resident is out. The help shouldn't get in our way. We go in wearing masks and gloves, make a lot of noise, tear the place up. Grab anything shiny that we can carry. That's all DECOY. It could be gilded fei wu for all that matter."

"The ground team will be me, Guy, Tai, and Ilana.  We'll take the shuttle down and land right outside the front door. We move in fast and hit hard. The rest will stay in orbit. Hamlin, fly casual. Fuller has the bridge, and comms." He pointed to the medic. "

"We do this right, there'll be no bloodshed, no chase scene, and a fair payday." Marcus smirked.

[Ray Hudson]

For an entire hour Guy sat at the foot of his bed, staring at his hands. They were shaking uncontrollably at an alarming speed. Guy was pooling with sweat and his vision would blur at seemingly random intervals. He felt like acid was burning holes in his stomach, the pain leaving him hunched over. Guy was breathing heavily and occasionally muttered to himself. His eyes were bloodshot, had dark circles underneath and he was blinking rapidly. He hadn't slept well in days and he was welling up from the pain. He had long since removed the shirt he was wearing to lessen the suffering from the searing heat inside the room. His insides burned while his skin begged for a moment of warmth, his body unsure of what it needed. The door was locked. Guy didn't want anyone to see him in this state. He didn't imagine anyone would come to his room. The standard crew were working or doing their own thing and Guy had no responsibilities. Tai Minh was off doing whatever it was that he did and Guy couldn't imagine Riena would need anything from him. Guy's only concern was Amelia. If she knocked on his door Guy would have to make something up so she would go away. Normally he would tell someone that he was masturbating and that would be enough to make them leave. Unfortunately, saying something like that might encourage Amelia so Guy would have to think of something else. When nothing came to him Guy could only hope that he would be left uninterrupted.

For the last hour Guy was trying to muster enough energy to get up and go to the nearest restroom. He needed to reach a shower and let the cold water hit his face and soak his hair. Guy knew that it wouldn't make the pain go away entirely but it would definitely help.

Thirty more minutes went by before Guy managed to get to his feet. He put his shirt back on and he shuffled towards his door. He held the handle tightly, coating it with his sweat. Guy didn't want to be seen so he had to act quickly. He opened his door and looked around the hallway. He dragged his feet to the bathroom and jumped into the shower. He soaked in the freezing water for another half hour, just standing under the shower head while his body shook. When he emerged from the shower he collapsed onto the toilet and vomited into it. He was fighting the urge to vomit when he was sitting in his room but now that he had an available toilet, he could finally relieve himself. There was a pullout toilet in his room but Guy wasn't comfortable vomiting and urinating in the same room where he slept. 

After twenty minutes of curling up on the toilet and vomiting every two minutes, Guy finally managed to return to his room. He still felt like he was going to die but the shower helped slightly, as did the vomiting. Guy laid face down on his bed for a few minutes until Marcus' voice projected throughout the ship, calling for all crew members to report to the lounge. He didn't feel ready to go out there but if everyone was supposed to go it was probably important. As Guy made his way to the lounge he was thinking of just telling Marcus that he was too sick to attend the meeting but in the end he found himself in there, standing in front of a chair. Guy pulled the chair a few inches back to distance himself a little more from the group. He sat down and tried to keep his quivering hands under control. He hoped no one would notice anything and he tried to keep positive.

Marcus was giving the rundown on how their job would go. Guy listened intently, wanting to know exactly what he would be doing. Guy's eyes widened when Marcus turned to him and called him by his nickname. He asked if Guy had an Omni-Grabber or something similar. He didn't. Guy was aware of what it was but never had any use for it. Guy just stared at Marcus without breathing until he turned to the rest of the crew and continued. He sighed in relief and listened to the rest of Marcus' plan. Once he was done Guy felt the need to let him know that he didn't posses the tool he needed. 

"Sounds good, sounds real good. But uh, I don't have an Omni-Grabber. Never really needed one." Guy was trying his best to sound like he normally did but he wasn't completely successful. He was talking as fast as he normally did but he sounded out of breath. "Amelia steals this kinda stuff so she prolly has one, maybe." Guy suggested. Guy then remembered something. He didn't want to bring it up now but it seemed like the best time. "But uh..." Guy them drummed his fingers on the arms of the chair, trying to think of how to word his next statement. "There's a thing. This guy I know contacted me and uh...He's gonna be helpin' out. Now, now I know this is something that's probably something that you don't like but uh...he's..." Guy tried to think of a positive to describe this man as. "Valuable?" He asked himself out loud. "He can shoot and loot with the best of 'em, I can guarantee you that." He was trying to convince himself of the man's worth as much as he was for Marcus. "But don't worry he's a dipshit so you won’t even have to pay him that much. Twenty credits, maybe." Guy was frightened but tried to sound confident. "You can take it outta Tai's pay." Guy proposed.

Horrified and panicked, Guy's shaking became worse. He tried to deliver the news that he propositioned for outside help without asking Marcus as well as possible but it was a pitiful effort. Guy knew that he was probably in trouble but he didn't have much choice. The day Guy left on The Chainless he had called his cousin Bree to let her where he would be and that she would be alone for a few days. Not long after he made the call, this man had contacted Bree asking where Guy was. Once she told him the man contacted Guy soon afterwards and volunteered himself for a part in the job. There wasn't much Guy could do to stop him and he felt a great anger at his Cousin for telling the man where he was. Now Guy was facing Marcus, awaiting his response.

[Jay Fuller]

Jay leaned forward to look a the map. When he heard that he was going to be in the air working the comm, he was almost disappointed. But then he realized that in case a brawl broke out, in orbit is exactly where he wanted to be. Then Guy began speaking and Jay looked up. He sounded out of breath. Jay hadn't even noticed when Guy walked in, but he sorta looked like shit.

"Guy, you okay?" he asked. His medic senses kicked in and he trying to observe Guy's movements to see if it was an easily diagnosable symptom.

[Marcus O'Terra]

Marcus had listened to Guy's response, nodding toward Amelia at the cue that she might have what was required for the job. She wouldn't be going with, she'd just be giving up the omni-tool. When Guy kept speaking, about this new hire, Marcus became a little worried. 

He didn't think they'd get made, Guy wasn't an amateur or anything of that nature... still. Why was he looking so.. sickly.

Jay put forth the question, and Marcus was grateful for the segue.

"Fuller has a point, Bandit. Go with Jay to the infirmary and get yourself checked out."

[Ray Hudson]

Guy was relieved that Marcus didn't react negatively to the news but he was worried about being sent to the infirmary. He wasn't sure how to react and his natural response was to get defensive.

"No no no, I'm okay, I'm okay. I just...skipped breakfast. Don't worry about it, I'm fine." He tried his best to dismiss the idea that he wasn't feeling well. Guy wondered what he should do. He looked at Jay and he had an idea. He wondered if he could trust the kid. He decided to take a gamble and changed his tune. "But I guess it couldn't hurt." He said.

Guy put both hands on the armrests of the chair and pulled himself up, his arms wobbling as he did. once he was on his feet he looked back at Jay."Let's go" He said, cheerfully.

[Ilana Logan]

Ilana watched the scene unfold in front of her.  The more Guy talked, the sicker he looked.  It looked like the worst case of nerves she'd ever seen.  If she had just informed to crew that she's hired someone without their knowledge for a high profile job, she'd have some pretty bad nerves too.  She could have been wrong though, maybe his body just had the worst timing ever, and he was getting sick.  Either way, the major details of what they were doing had been ironed out, and if Guy didn't keel over before the job, they'd be ready to fly. 

"Did I hear him wrong, or did he really just tell us that he hired someone else for the job without telling ANYONE?"  Ilana asked, more surprised than angry, thinking that the 25 credits he mentioned paying this person better be coming out of his own cut.

[Ilana Logan]

Amelia


Amelia didn't like what was going on, Guy seemed sick, and had hired people which was always bad, Ilana seemed pissed and the pilot wasn't even there yet. This was a poorly organized crew, doing what could be a simple job, but it wasn't a first job for a new, Amelia's senses were tingling. 

"I didn't bring my omni tool, I didn't think I would need it when I left my flat that morning, but I do have a perfect photographic memory, that's how I usually steal my info." 

Amelia wanted to get on planet she wanted to work.

[Jay Fuller]

Jay stood up, "Alright." He looked over to marcus and added, "We'll be right back."

He made his way to the infirmary. He wondered what in the world could be wrong with Guy -- he thought of a couple ideas, ranging from the common flu to an awful new disease that could kill the entire crew, then spread to the galaxy and kills the entire popluation! Okay, that was unlikely. But occasionally weird thoughts like that happen.

Jay glanced behind him to make sure Guy was still following. When he entered the infirmary, he turned back and leaned on the counter. "So, first off, what have your symptoms been and how long have they been going on?"

[Marcus O'Terra]

Marcus watched as Jay and Guy left, mulling on Amelia's response and Ilana's anger. He chose to address the latter, first. He looked the woman in the eye with something of a smirk. "The most he could have told his friend is that there was a job he needed help with on the planet. He didn't have names dates or info. Nothing that could compromise the mission. As for pay that'll be a matter of his' cut. Unless Tai Minh choose to donate."

Then he looked to Amelia. "So you don't have an omni-grabber?. Shit. Well maybe there's one on ship somewhere. It's just a preprogrammed drive with two data ports hooked up to it anyway, shouldn't be hard to make with a few days on our hands." He stood up ad

"So that's it then. Search the ship for a omni-grabber, and failing that, make one. Otherwise the job is as it stands. Unless mister Hughes keels on us, then...., using a cutting torch on a vault usually MELTS anything inside. so without a cracker, we be humped."

He left the plans on the table for the crew to review them, but organized them into something of a clean pile. He decided to sit down and relax in the lounge, not seeing a need to go anywhere at that point.

[Bishop Morse]

Tai Minh Tian


Following with his eyes everything that was said, Tai Minh remained silent. This was not his arena of expertise, at least the conversation wasn't. He knew some things, but he was not a negotiator or a planner. It seemed however that the one who had recruited them had done a rather good job at putting together the details on what they were doing. This wasn't something that he was terribly used to, but when there was a strong plan, it generally yielded strong results. Most of the time people weren't quite so prepared as this group. His mind fell to Guy, who he could visibly see was at a point in which he had seen him before. Tai Minh was not particularly worried since just as Guy always said, he came out of it fine. It wasn't that he was faking it, but there was also nothing that Tai Minh could do to help him at those moments, other then potentially trying to keep his mind calm. Guy never needed this before however, so it wasn't as though he was going to push forward for it now. It was when Guy mentioned the call that he had received that Tai Minh began to pay particular attention. He knew who it was that it had been and upon Guy leaving the room, he thought that elaboration may be in his all. However there was more to mention then just that.

"A portion of my cut is not necessary" Tai Minh said remaining seated. He did not have his arm on the arm rest, but kept it in closer to himself."You may distribute it all to him, as I will not be joining you." Tai Minh said. The effect the news would have did not cross his mind, as he preferred to keep a calm state himself. Thus he did not consider how such things would be taken, as he would take it well himself. "Yǔzhòu shì jùdà de, tōngguò tā, wǒ bìxū jìxù wǒ de lǚchéng." Tai Minh said explaining in his own way that he felt it was time for him to move on in his travels across the universe. "I offer you a fair wage for my transport, at the naming of your price, and then more for this new addition to your venture." He spoke in his usual detached tone. He saw that what he was doing as a rather common thing, but they be because it had happened for him many times since he'd left the monastery. 

As it was, Tai Minh had only come across the person that was meeting them there once. Tai Minh saw him as a rather interesting soul, as he did with many. Guy wasn't necessarily misleading them about the mans abilities at least from what he knew. "I believe that he will be a capable Gēnghuàn for me." Tai Minh said. He could vouch for anyone, and he would if they warranted it. As far as he understood this person did. He did not stand up, and leave, but his intentions were made clear.

[Marcus O'Terra]

Hawkeye

Hawkeye finished his adjustments to the course, it had taken a little longer than Hawkeye had hoped cause the ship had been uncoperative, and now he was late to the meeting. Hawkeye was sure he hadn't missed anything, Marcus wouldn't start without him. Hawkeye listened to Marcus explain the basics of the heist, but soon after heard his part, he began to zone out, the rest of the job wouldn't apply to him. 

Hawkeye zoned back in as Guy and Jay walked out, a quick look showed Hawkeye that Guy was probably under the weather. As Hawkeye heard Marcus say something about an omnigrabber, and another team member. 

[Marcus O'Terra]

Marcus watched Jay leave with Guy, thankful that the sickly man hadn't forced Marcus to play the Captain card. He didn't feel like doing that again anytime soon. There was the matter of the omni-grabber, such a small thing, but important for the mission. He sighed, but looked up when Tai Minh started to speak.

Marcus looked at him wide eyed when he explained his reasons, as well as he had... Marcus sighed, and rubbed the bags under his eyes.

"Well that's just peachy. Okay, hows bout this. There's gotta be a store on the moon what sells these things. You snatch or better yet buy it, so as not to arouse attention. You stick out as it is. Buy it, bring it back, and we part our ways."

Seemed fair enough. Resolved Tai's 'fare' and the need for the omni-grabber. It was a common enough item, some Blue Sun store was likely to sell them, and Blue Sun was everywhere these days.

[Bishop Morse]

Tai Minh Tian

Tai Minh nodded understanding the terms that Mr. O'terra was asking. It seemed that he was not interested in the money that he was offering him. Regardless of that Tai Minh would more then likely leave the money on the ship even if he did not take it. It was an important part of balance to do what was fair and not take advantage of already generous hospitality. But that was irrelevant. "I will get it the moment we land." The remainder of what was to be done was not up to him, and thus Tai Minh took his leave and headed out of the room.

[Ilana Logan]

Ilana sat back, listening to the conversation flowing around her.  Guy looked sick and had left with the medic for the infirmary.  Honestly Ilana thought he was just nervous because he looked so relieved to be leaving the room she thought he was fighting the urge to run away screaming.  Tai Mihn apparently didn't want to be paid for his services.  Interesting, she thought.  Not many people willingly do a job for someone and then, also willingly, decline to be paid for it.  She thought it was strange, but then again, there wasn't much about this hodgepodge group that wasn't strange.  Ilana sighed as Marcus explained what they were gonna do next. With any luck, our lockpicker would be released from the infirmary with a good stiff drink to calm his nerves and we can get on with this job, she thought sourly.  She wasn't usually such a hardass, but she just couldn't help it today.  One thing after another just seemed to be going wrong already.  With any luck, everything would be shiny.  Ilana knew, however, that nothing in this business was shiny for very long.