[RP] Perfidy
Feb 27, 2017 20:17:41 GMT -6
Post by Grom on Feb 27, 2017 20:17:41 GMT -6
04.05.3072
Canyon City, Perfidy
Canyon City, Perfidy
Union Marshal's Office, Sector B, Level 12
Marshal Tanya Morales looked at the group in front of her and exhaled, pinching the bridge of her nose between her index and thumb. She'd woken up with a headache and it'd only gotten worse as the morning wore on. There'd been reports of another bandit raid at UraCorp's forward mining settlement in the Dalthus Basin and her boss'd sent almost two entire squads to deal with them, which meant she was even more short-staffed than usual. Her partner was late - again - which meant she'd had to put Davidson on desk, and the rookie was probably to blame letting the group crowded around her desk into the building. When they'd put up the notice asking for folks to investigate the derailings, she'd expected mercenaries and gunmen - seasoned, hardened men and women who'd be able to take anything that could be thrown at them. That's not what she'd gotten. Not even close.
Two Moosians were the most unusual - they didn't even seem to be armed, although the younger one could've been carrying almost anything in the oversized handbag he was hauling around for the bovine woman. Morales had never seen a Moosian before in the flesh, and while the woman was certainly - well, big, for want of a better word - the kid was tiny. Kinda cute, but.
Sitting on a chair opposite the two bovines was an alien who somehow conspired to be even smaller than the Moosian kid. Knick-knack's feet dangled almost a foot above the ground, and he'd already helped himself to a coffee cup, a badge and a stapler in the brief minutes Tanya had been keeping an eye on him. She'd seen the trader around Canyon before, and made a mental note to get Davidson to check the parking out front for the piles of dung the trader's beast always left behind.
There were, luckily, a few in the group who looked like they could handle themselves. She knew Reynolds by reputation. He was one of the Union's better 'troubleshooters' still breathing. The Sidhe was quick and deadly, but he wasn't going to work cheap. The Sidhe was looking pretty bored, honestly. Clearly not enough shooting to keep his attention. The g'ard had gotten a few odd - and even a few hostile - looks from the other marshals as he'd entered, but Tanya knew the scali- the g'ard - weren't all settlement-raiding monsters, and a few could even be trusted. Besides, they could use a guide out in the wilds, and she didn't see any of the desk jockeys sticking their hands up.
The pair of humans looked capable as well. The redhead was dressed in a way that made Tanya wonder about sand and sunburn, but the revolvers on her hips indicated she was at least capable of looking after herself. At the same time, she had a nagging feeling she'd seen her somewhere before - like, on the wanted posters in the lobby - but her boss'd made it clear that most everyone was a potential candidate for this gig, so she buried her concerns. The other woman was dressed much more practically and looked almost as experienced as Reynolds. A heavy pulse rifle was slung across her shoulders, and the woman looked like she could use it.
Then there was... the robot. It - he - barely fit in the office and made the room shake every time it - he - moved. Tanya really wasn't sure what to do with a robot, but Davidson'd said it wanted to sign up and he figured it could carry the heavy gear or something. Tanya'd never seen a robot quite as old as the one in the room, but it seemed harmless enough. Unless it stepped on someone by mistake.
It was a motley crew, all told, but it was a crew, and Tanya had to admit she hadn't had anyone else put their hands up. The Union's regular contractors were charging way more than the governor was willing to pay, and most were already tied up on the frontier. As the old saying went, beggars can't be choosers. Morales shuffled some papers, then looked up at the group. "I suppose I'd better get started," she said, leaning back in her chair. "You've all seen the holos, and if you're here you've seen the notice and want to help out. The Union rail is being attacked, and we're going to find out who's responsible."
She slid a pile of half-finished incident reports aside and tapped at her desk. After a few moments, the aging holoprojector built into the desk sputtered to life, projecting a slowly-rotating map of Perfidy's rail network. Three x-marks flashed in red on the line. "These are where the trains derailed. No survivors at any of the sites, and by the time our recovery teams've gotten there, scavengers and duststorms mean there's not a lot left for them to pick over." She tapped at the desk and the holo changed, showing a wiremodel of one of the Union's rail engines. "Any of you who've been on an engine would know these things are big, tough, and heavily armed. That means whatever's taking them down is bigger, tougher, or packing heat. After the first two derailed, the governor assigned a full platoon to protect the third engine. Didn't help."
She tapped a button and the holo disappeared. "The governor's not happy people are messing with the Union, and the Union aren't happy he's letting it happen. That means we're on a clock. Normally, I'd be asking for a platoon of grunts and a few rangers to help out, but we're stretched thin already which means it's on you lot. I'm going to take the fact you're all here as consent, and Davidson would've had you sign the standard waivers out front."
Tanya stood up and brushed herself off and stepped around the desk. "I'm happy to answer any questions you might have, but like I said, we're on a clock. As soon as my partner gets here, we'll be moving out." She looked down at her wrist and frowned. If he gets here.
Marshal Tanya Morales looked at the group in front of her and exhaled, pinching the bridge of her nose between her index and thumb. She'd woken up with a headache and it'd only gotten worse as the morning wore on. There'd been reports of another bandit raid at UraCorp's forward mining settlement in the Dalthus Basin and her boss'd sent almost two entire squads to deal with them, which meant she was even more short-staffed than usual. Her partner was late - again - which meant she'd had to put Davidson on desk, and the rookie was probably to blame letting the group crowded around her desk into the building. When they'd put up the notice asking for folks to investigate the derailings, she'd expected mercenaries and gunmen - seasoned, hardened men and women who'd be able to take anything that could be thrown at them. That's not what she'd gotten. Not even close.
Two Moosians were the most unusual - they didn't even seem to be armed, although the younger one could've been carrying almost anything in the oversized handbag he was hauling around for the bovine woman. Morales had never seen a Moosian before in the flesh, and while the woman was certainly - well, big, for want of a better word - the kid was tiny. Kinda cute, but.
Sitting on a chair opposite the two bovines was an alien who somehow conspired to be even smaller than the Moosian kid. Knick-knack's feet dangled almost a foot above the ground, and he'd already helped himself to a coffee cup, a badge and a stapler in the brief minutes Tanya had been keeping an eye on him. She'd seen the trader around Canyon before, and made a mental note to get Davidson to check the parking out front for the piles of dung the trader's beast always left behind.
There were, luckily, a few in the group who looked like they could handle themselves. She knew Reynolds by reputation. He was one of the Union's better 'troubleshooters' still breathing. The Sidhe was quick and deadly, but he wasn't going to work cheap. The Sidhe was looking pretty bored, honestly. Clearly not enough shooting to keep his attention. The g'ard had gotten a few odd - and even a few hostile - looks from the other marshals as he'd entered, but Tanya knew the scali- the g'ard - weren't all settlement-raiding monsters, and a few could even be trusted. Besides, they could use a guide out in the wilds, and she didn't see any of the desk jockeys sticking their hands up.
The pair of humans looked capable as well. The redhead was dressed in a way that made Tanya wonder about sand and sunburn, but the revolvers on her hips indicated she was at least capable of looking after herself. At the same time, she had a nagging feeling she'd seen her somewhere before - like, on the wanted posters in the lobby - but her boss'd made it clear that most everyone was a potential candidate for this gig, so she buried her concerns. The other woman was dressed much more practically and looked almost as experienced as Reynolds. A heavy pulse rifle was slung across her shoulders, and the woman looked like she could use it.
Then there was... the robot. It - he - barely fit in the office and made the room shake every time it - he - moved. Tanya really wasn't sure what to do with a robot, but Davidson'd said it wanted to sign up and he figured it could carry the heavy gear or something. Tanya'd never seen a robot quite as old as the one in the room, but it seemed harmless enough. Unless it stepped on someone by mistake.
It was a motley crew, all told, but it was a crew, and Tanya had to admit she hadn't had anyone else put their hands up. The Union's regular contractors were charging way more than the governor was willing to pay, and most were already tied up on the frontier. As the old saying went, beggars can't be choosers. Morales shuffled some papers, then looked up at the group. "I suppose I'd better get started," she said, leaning back in her chair. "You've all seen the holos, and if you're here you've seen the notice and want to help out. The Union rail is being attacked, and we're going to find out who's responsible."
She slid a pile of half-finished incident reports aside and tapped at her desk. After a few moments, the aging holoprojector built into the desk sputtered to life, projecting a slowly-rotating map of Perfidy's rail network. Three x-marks flashed in red on the line. "These are where the trains derailed. No survivors at any of the sites, and by the time our recovery teams've gotten there, scavengers and duststorms mean there's not a lot left for them to pick over." She tapped at the desk and the holo changed, showing a wiremodel of one of the Union's rail engines. "Any of you who've been on an engine would know these things are big, tough, and heavily armed. That means whatever's taking them down is bigger, tougher, or packing heat. After the first two derailed, the governor assigned a full platoon to protect the third engine. Didn't help."
She tapped a button and the holo disappeared. "The governor's not happy people are messing with the Union, and the Union aren't happy he's letting it happen. That means we're on a clock. Normally, I'd be asking for a platoon of grunts and a few rangers to help out, but we're stretched thin already which means it's on you lot. I'm going to take the fact you're all here as consent, and Davidson would've had you sign the standard waivers out front."
Tanya stood up and brushed herself off and stepped around the desk. "I'm happy to answer any questions you might have, but like I said, we're on a clock. As soon as my partner gets here, we'll be moving out." She looked down at her wrist and frowned. If he gets here.