Campaigns of the Cold

[Joel Winstead]

Joel let Jace handle the rest of his own introduction. It wouldn’t really be particularly proper for Joel to say everything, given that he wasn’t the one with the trouble. Joel had just been helping him for the last few days since he’d met him. Joel was a friendly and helpful person by nature, and so it wasn’t any real trouble for him to do what he could in the situation he was in right there.

Jace explained to him the same story that he’d told Joel several days earlier, with the added information that Joel had given him regarding the transport arriving. Since ships only landed on that planet about once a week, it was really the only opportunity for that grouping of days for him to get offworld.

”I wouldn’t ask you if it wasn’t a bit pressing.” Joel mentioned. ”Transports only come through here once a week on average.” Joel’s mouth flattened and stretched while he shrugged. ”Jace here’s a pilot, pretty good one from what I hear…but I don’t think you have much use for that.” Joel’s face lowered, as he remembered the fact that they clearly had one. They obviously had a pilot since they’d managed to get the ship there.

Straightening back up, Joel continued. ”But if there’s anything he can do for you, even if it’s only to get him to the next world, I’d appreciate it a whole lot.” Joel finished. He was hopeful, but he wasn’t sure how the whole thing was going over in Marcus mind.

[Marcus O'Terra]

Marcus returned the firm handshake and let go as Jace started to explain his situation. 'Stranded' was a general enough way to put it. He might press the man about his circumstances, but lives were on the line and they really didn't have the time.

The important thing was that he didn't have money for a fare, but was asking for a ride. He was offering his services as a hired gun, perhaps, in the coming situation.

"What training and experience do you have?" Marcus asked. If they could get another gun hand, to support Ray, or maybe cover the escape of the prisoners? No, escaping into the wild was a bad move. Better to sweep the base, then have the people leave after the baddies were all dealt with.

Marcus remembered the Hardtack and the slaughter he'd caused. His gut turned at the thought of a repeat of that. No mistakes. He thought to himself. Jay arrived, standing next to Marcus, somehow the medic brought a little ease to the situation.

Marcus didn't know why but he was more comfortable when the medic was around. What was it about him? Was it because he was the least threatening of his crew? It was a thought for another time.

Joel answered Marcus's question on skills. The man was a good pilot. Marcus already covered that himself but having someone to fly the shuttle while he was on the ground would make for a good plan. If someone was in the shuttle's door way shooting out, it would make for some fair air support. Not what a bunch of baddies would be expected from a tech-less village.

It was actually starting to come together, quite nicely.

[Jace "Original Zest"]

Jace allowed Joel to explain his skill as a pilot he figured a pilot wouldn't be much use for a mission of this kind. Passage was never clarified but he knew he would probably end up involved even without the Captain answering. Jace noticed another small man walk up behind the Captain and remained quiet. Jace just scanned him quickly before addressing the Captain again, "Captain O'Terra since Joel threw in I am a trained pilot, since it doesn't seem you would need use of one especially for a small time like I am aiming to be on I feel pressed on the fact I was also trained as a scout, so I am very handy with the weapons I carry." Jace quickly added that to the Captain's thoughts hoping it bettered his chances for passage.

Jace finished throwing out the only skills that would make a difference on this job, and went back to scanning the other crew members. The tiny man who had came behind the Captain in a way stuck out from the other two he had seen. The man seem to have a calmness about him but yet didn't seem as tough or hardened as the other two he seen. The female, Ilana as she was introduced, appeared to be fairly calm and cautious which gave Jace a good feeling she knew how to handle herself and keep alive which put him at ease among this group.

Jace wondered quietly to himself if this crew was as tough as they seemed, it gave him some hope that this crew might actually be able to survive long enough for him to get passage, which in the past Jace had seen more than his share of crews that couldn't do the job. He also began to wonder who held what position, beyond the obvious Captain Marcus.

[Marcus O'Terra]

Marcus looked at the man as he spoke up again. There was something about his speech, it seemed rather ordered. Most times when he'd gotten introductions there was all kinds of flare and playing up of talents. But this man, this Cisco, seemed to keep it straight to the point.

That was a plus, if nothing else. He said he was trained as a scout, and it was like someone was handing him a no strings job bonus. He let the smile on his face grow. His inner cynic was still curious where he got his training though.

"Did you serve in the war?" It was a fair enough question. Given the odds, it was a fair shot that anyone with actual 'training' on the rim and border was a veteran. Marcus was starting to lose that old browncoat comradere. Looking himself in the mirror each day, he didn't see anything in that old coat that redeemed any of what he'd done in recent months.

[Jace "Original Zest"]

Jace finished his brief scans of the room as well as his thoughts as he noticed the Captain slowly sliding a grin onto his face, he wondered what the man was thinking but the grin gave Jace a brief relief realizing he must have said the right thing to gain passage.

Given a low sigh of relief he heard the Captain address him once again, it wasn't a question he wanted to hear come from anyone.
Captain Marcus caught him off guard asking, "Did you serve in the war?" Hearing this question Jace immediately tensed up and stared straight at the Captain.

"Well Captain O'Terra I actually did serve during the war, I was originally trained as a scout. During my first big conflict a bombing run wounded me, I was originally suppose to be discharged and sent home. Instead after my wounds healed and I was discharged I reenlisted and was trained as a fighter pilot." Jace replied calmly, Jace scanned the crew some more trying to decide if any were in the war which side would they have been on.

[Marcus O'Terra]

Marcus listened as Jace spoke, the man straightened up at the question. Nervousness, for that question, was not unusual. Especially when in the context of being stranded. He explained about his original training, then a very bare explanation of his tour.

"Training to be a pilot after one nearly kills you?" Marcus thought it over. "I was the reverse, in a sense. I was in a S.A.R and Salvage unit before we got shot down. Then I end up a ground-pounder like most folks." Allegiances hadn't been mentioned yet, but something made him think this guy was an old browncoat.

"Well if that was your original training, and your still out and alive at this point, we'd be grateful for the assistance. We pull this off and you can count on us to carry you to the border worlds at least." Marcus wasn't the sort to make fancy deals; a straight forward offer seemed the best.

"What do you say to that?" Marcus wanted this wrapped up so he could get suited up and the could get ready for the attack. Having a scout would certainly help out.

[Jay Fuller]

After Jay got down to the cargo bay, he saw that Marcus got a bit more at ease. He wondered if that was consequential of his arrival, or he realized the new person wasn't going to shoot them. Either way, it helped calm Jay down a bit. His bad moods were often short lived. At least, since he got away from Paquin. That place was like a giant hole of suck.

Marcus and Jace began discussing what he could contribute. He was a pilot, an a cadet in the war. Jay raised an eyebrow -- that must mean that Jace is several years older. It was odd, Jay ended up working with people who served in the war his father fought in. It made him feel young. He wondered if Jace fought as an Independent. Not that Jay minded, of course. He may have been neutral when it comes to the Alliance, but he learned from experience that Independents were good people in a bad spot. And frankly, he preferred those people over a lot of the ones he went to school with who were very supportive of everything the Alliance did, no matter what.

Jay's attention turned to Marcus when he explained his position of the war. He hadn't heard it before. Jay felt like he should say something. Like, "Gee, that's awesome!" or something. He didn't, though. Instead, he kep silent and waited for Jace's response.

[Joel Winstead]

Joel was somewhat worried about asking Marcus to take on Jace. He’d asked late, which wasn’t usually a good idea to spring up new things in the middle of a deal you were trying to make. Joel was no expert in business beyond the dealings of archaic cultures, but he was savvy enough to know that was a serious mistake on his part.

He remained silent for the moment as he let the two men talk over a bit to see if they could reach some sort of arrangement. Surprisingly Marcus asked him about his war experience, rather then for any sign of rating. Joel hadn’t fought in the war, and he had suspected that this group was primarily Independent supporters. Out on the Rim, especially as far as they were, that was the generally sentiment. In the border it was mixed, but even there it was primarily Independent. But the fact was that the four systems combined when matched against the Core Worlds still only made about half of what the White Sun called on, which left little doubt in most peoples minds why they lost.

Joel didn’t feel bad about anyone who chose the different sides in that war. He wasn’t drafted, but being employed the way he was, the Independent movement made perfect sense to him. They were trying to keep the Government away, in the same way that Joel worked with groups of people that wanted to keep other cultures and outside influence away. Really you couldn’t say that the Dolgans way of life was worse then any other group. They had a crime and murder rate that was virtually zero, and they were in a patch of ground that were otherwise be empty if they weren’t there. Still Joel never took a side on the whole thing, he just kept to his work since the war was so far from affecting what he did.

Since the whole thing seemed to be working in Jace’s favor, Joel decided it would be alright for him to speak again. ”There, that should work shouldn’t it?” Joel asked, thinking that it was the best deal that they could have hoped for. Joel knew Jace was handy with a gun, and he carried enough to prove it. He was sure Jace would go along with a deal that was that good.

[Jace "Original Zest"]

Jace listened to Marcus's quick tale of his war experience as well, it didn't surprise him that people this far out had fought in the war. As he listened to the tale Joel had spoken up, asking if the deal was good enough or at least settled. Jace nodded to Marcus and agreed he was officially part of this mission as long as he received passage.

"Captain has the crew or yourself considered a plan for Joel's problem as to how you will approach it?" Jace inquired now that the deal had been settled. He learned back to relax against the wall waiting for someone to fill him in on the plan, or at least give him the full detail of the situation. He had only briefly heard Joel tell him what was going on but nothing solid enough for him to know everything, all he knew is the knowledge he had now wasn't nearly enough for him to be prepared.

Jace nearly forgot but he leaned towards Joel and briefly thanked him for his help just in case he didn't get a chance to later.

Jace couldn't help but get excited for finally having a ship underneath his feet. He also couldn't help the burning in the back of his mind that his footing could be as brief as all his stays on the past ships he has been on.

[Marcus O'Terra]

Marcus looked around, and most of the crew was here. Enough that putting the plan out there seemed reasonable. He straightened up then moved to the side slightly so he could turn and address them all at the same time.

"Right, with the addition of Jace, this plan has a better chance of getting off the ground. From the photos and information provided by Joel, Ilana's identified the ships class: A Caravel. Hopefully the guards make up the muscle of the crew."

Depending on how armed they were, they might be in for a real short trip.

"We pile into the shuttle. We drop down right in front of them. Ray and Ilana open up on the two guards, and we storm it."

This was going to get loud fast. No doubt about it. Now for the important part.

"Once all targets are down, or secured if they give up. Find the bridge, and check the comms. We don't want guests dropping down on us as we leave. Might even give us info on their operation, land a bonus. Until we secure the ship, do not release the Dolgans; Slavers are the sort to shoot some of their catch to scare the rest still."

The image of that boy he'd shot in the desert throbbed in his mind.

"And check your targets. It's likely to get hairy in there. We go in thirty, pick your kit and be ready at the shuttle." He left the group and went to gather his effects, he'd search through the old belongings for a silencer and a scope, ones that would fit his rifle.