This Time There's Plot

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Laguz Vald"]

Kiran stood quietly waiting, his shirt strewn onto the table before him along with a myriad of guns, knives, and grenades.

Besides him stood Alric Kuhn, holding a medium sized metal briefcase. Both men stood looking away from one another, though neither of them were really embarrassed. Alric looked at the chrono on his wrist, he unlike Kiran was completely dressed in his usually fine tailored suit. Both of them looked like they were waiting for someone.

“Did you have to take your shirt off?” Alric asked finally.

“You said to.”

The human shook his head. “No I didn't. I said you'd be testing a new type of skinfit armor.”

“Yeah which would require taking my shirt off.”

Alric was going to say something, but then he decided against it. It just seemed unnecessary to him. Technically Kiran was right, but he wasn't going to put the armor on for some time, at least not until his temporary partner showed up. It had seemed entirely unnecessary for the Zeltron to strip down so quickly, and he had seemed far too eager to do so.

“I mean...i can put it back on.”

“No no.” Alric said. “It's fine. I'm sure she's almost here.”

The Tetan checked his chrono again, getting slightly impatient.

 

[Laguz Vald]

"Right you are!"

The owner of the voice strutted in through the door with a certain flair, her blindingly white teeth flashing a smile to the two men in the room. For the sake of continuity, Laguz had kept the form xe'd chosen for that trip to [redacted], her red curls pulled into a tight bun on the back of her head. This wasn't a sight-seeing visit, nor was it a chatty tour of some secretive space station.

Or, you know, that's what [member="Alric Kuhn"] had her believe, at least. You could never be completely certain with the corporate titan.

Her green eyes lingered on the topless zeltron for a moment, appreciative of the toned body revealed by his lack of clothing. Speaking of which:

"Why is he naked?" the huntress addressed the question to the businessman, turning to look at him as well. Her gaze briefly surveyed the planes of his now familiar face before flickering down to the briefcase in his hand.

"You said prototype armor, not prototype stripper."

Zeltron or not, Laguz had better things to do than watch muscled men take off their clothes.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Laguz Vald"]

Kiran waggled his eyebrows at the...current female.

That was the only answer that she would receive on the subject of his half nudity, at least from the Zeltron. Alric only sighed and shook his head, lifting the briefcase and placing it on the table that stood slightly to the left of them. The Titan unclasped the locks on the briefcase and then pulled the top of the metallic case open.

“The armor is skintight.” Alric said as if that would be enough explanation. “It is designed to replace armorweave. Twice as effective with being half the weight.”

From the case he pulled the first piece. Quite honestly it looked like little more than a slightly padded shirt. He tossed it over to Kiran who simply inspected the odd garment, poking and feeling at the strange fabric and the padding within. “The fibers within are interwoven with certain synthetic polymers that stand up to blasters, slugthrowers, and even lightsabers.”

Kiran let out a whistle.

 

[Laguz Vald]

Her own eyebrow arched at the Zeltron's response, but she appreciated his attempt at professionalism nonetheless. It was a poor one, granted, but there was something to be said about effort; well, at least she'd been told so. Who knows.

Green eyes returned to [member="Alric Kuhn"] as the man opened the case and his mouth simultaneously, only to narrow in disappointment and suspicion as little more than a few curt words slipped out. Hrm.

"I suppose I won't get much more out of you, will I?" the huntress flashed him a coy smile as she stepped closer to the table and promptly snatched the piece of clothing out of the hands of the mancandy. She inspected it against the poor light shining down from the ceiling, biting her lower lip as elegant fingers tested the texture of the garment.

"We're not here for your new fashion show outfitting, are we?"

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Laguz Vald"]

“No.” Alric said calmly.

She wasn't just here to test how this looked, which was of course why Kiran was here. The woman could be trusted somewhat, if only as a test agent. However this little task would require the help of someone else. Kiran was that someone else, he would be taking...well perhaps not lead, but at least he would keep an eye on Miss Vald to ensure nothing went awry.

“The armor requires testing.” Alric explained. “Mr Vess and yourself will be doing so on a small task, one that you will be paid for quite well if you choose to accept it.”

He wouldn't presume to put her into danger after all, not without her choosing.

 

[Laguz Vald]

She tilted her head slightly to the side as the Titan assumed a more serious tone of voice, absorbing what little information the man was willing to share. Her green eyes followed his gestures as he spoke, analyzing every minute change in the lines of his face as the words left his mouth.

"For the right price, Mr.Kuhn… I can offer many services," she said, for once without innuendo; well, at least not much. Laguz let her gaze drift to the Zeltron — Mr. Vess, apparently, though she doubted that was his real name — and she gave the red-skinned man a small nod.

"Laguz Vald," she smiled as she offered him a seemingly elegant hand, though the soldier would soon find her grip to be much stronger than her deceptive physique implied.

"What would this task entail, exactly?"


[member="Alric Kuhn"]

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Laguz Vald"]

“Killing people.”

Kiran interject suddenly, a smile on his face.

Alric looked at him for a moment, raising an eyebrow and then throwing him the other piece of strange Armor. The Zeltron grinned at his employer, then slowly slipped the fabric over his torso. The slight padding bulged at his torso and other vulnerable areas, a dull metallic sheen holding over certain spots.

“What he said.” Alric motioned towards Kiran. “There is a pirate base on a world not far from here. Titan Industries has a vested interest in taking said base. If our information correct it's not more than twenty men. Yourself and Mr. Vess here should be more than enough to take them.”

He looked at his chrono briefly, then regarded Miss Vald. “You will of course be compensated.”

 

[Laguz Vald]

A perfectly trimmed eyebrow arched as the half-naked merc spoke out of turn, her green eyes seeking out his as the huntress cocked her head slightly to the side. Disapproval roiled off of her in waves as she stared at the man for a few seconds, unblinking. Her features relaxed then, and the icy cap melted easily to reveal a hint of a smile in the curve of her red lips.

"And here I thought we were doing something morally objectionable," she said as the corner of her mouth quirked upwards, revealing a row of blindingly white teeth.

"Good. Time is money, gentlemen," she clapped her hands as she looked between the two men in the room. Her gaze lingered on the newly dressed Zeltron for a moment, as if she were lamenting the obscured muscle. Maybe later, Laguz reminded herself and forcibly tore her eyes away from the rather handsome soldier.

"And I like money. I presume you have one such... armor for me as well, Mr.Kuhn?"


[member="Alric Kuhn"]

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Laguz Vald"]

“Of course.” Alric pulled out one more of the odd suits and then threw it over to Vrag.

This one was fitted for a woman of her size, though obviously the exact dimensions weren't going to be fit to her, Alric didn't exactly have the time to measure the woman, though he thought that this would fit her...hopefully anyway. He also managed to snack back the bit of armor that she had previously been holding, throwing it back into the briefcase before closing it.

“Kiran here has the rest of the details.” Alric said as he turned away from the two.

He was the CEO of Titan, and despite how much he wished he could have stood around and simply talked, there were other things that needed to be done. He waved slightly as he walked off, Kiran staring after him for a moment before pulling out a small holodisplay and throwing it on the table.

The thing activated and began to display a small outpost.

“I have a ship nearby. We'll use it to get within a click of the base. From there its just an easy sweep and clear.”

The man spoke in a very official tone, though there was a hint of something else.

 

[Laguz Vald]

She caught the fabric easily, marveling at how light it was even as she turned it around in her hands. Elegant fingers slid across the surface, and she smiled a little as she recalled the feeling of sating against her skin. Her many skins. Her green eyes fluttered closed for a moment as she ran her fingertips down the pliant garment, relishing every aspect and memory it evoked as it touched her keen senses.

"Good," the shifter said softly and opened her eyes again to watch the Titan leave, a small quirk to her mouth. Once the man was out of the picture, Laguz turned back to the zeltron, dragging her gaze upwards before finally locking her eyes with his.

She approached the table as he pulled out the holodisplay, shrugging out of her jacket as she went. She discarded the piece of clothing on a nearby chair, focused on the rotating hologram as she pulled her top over head and off her body. The sniper afforded one last look to the armor [member="Alric Kuhn"] had given her, then slipped into the form-fitting garment without much ado; were she of... fixed size, the chestpiece wouldn't have been all that comfortable against her form, but Laguz had ways around that small inconvenience.

"Not much sense to hang around, then," she said as she leaned forward to better assess what they were up against. Going by what the two men had told her, the job would indeed be a breeze, especially considering the new baby of a sniper rifle she'd brought with. It would be its first proper field test, and Laguz was almost giddy to see how it performed in an open environment.

"Unless there was something else?"

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Laguz Vald"]

“I mean....I can think of something.”

Kiran said quietly, no lack of swagger and confidence in his voice.

“But I suppose that should wait until after.”

He gave her a wink, then pulled a belt from the table besides him. It held a small arsenal of equipment, grenades, blades, and a pair of WESTAR-34 Blaster Pistols that looked impossibly black, as though they had been painted with some sort of matte coloring to make them appear even darker. The belt was strapped around his hip, and he motioned Vald towards a different door.

The two made off quickly, with Kiran taking the lead towards a nearby shuttle. The ship wasn't anything special, save for the large skull like image painted on one of the wing tips. The ship would let them get close, and from there it was simple.

In theory anyway.

 

[Laguz Vald]

The corners of her mouth twitched slightly at his cheeky remark, but the huntress chose to be the more professional of the two and focus on the work ahead of them. Fun could be had later — and would, if the looks he was sending her way were any indication — but right now they had a station full of pirates to shoot up. If luck was on their side, they might even stumble upon some rum left behind; nothing better than booze to spice up an already present tension.

"Alright then," she gave him a curt nod as she subtly adjusted herself to the armor, and suddenly the fit became perfect. Heh. Dirty, dirty cheaters, those shi'ido.

She followed the zeltron with long strides, appreciating his willingness to execute the mission with the expedience expected from experts such as them. The journey to the space station was a quick one, and Laguz used the short period of time allotted to her for a swift warm-up. Even with her... flexibility, the shifter was not immune to something as mundane as a sprain or a torn muscle, and she chose to avoid such amateurish mistakes if at all possible. It looked bad on a resume, you understand.

"Lead the way, pretty boy," the sniper flashed the soldier a coy grin as she swung her TS-1 off of her shoulder and into the firm grip of practiced hands. "I've got your back."


[member="Alric Kuhn"]

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Laguz Vald"]

“I'd rather have you at my front if we're honest.”

He said the words with a grin. Kiran was flirtatious by nature, part of his being a Zeltron. He supposed it was his upbringing, though unlike many of his kind he never truly had a passion for it as others did. His passions always lay in something more...brutal.

A strong pink hand grasped a Blas-Tech rifle from a nearby weapons rack, and Kiran wandered off the ship.

It was only a click away from the pirate base, and the two of them made their way quickly towards his location. Part of him wished he could have worn his Guard Armor, but he knew that such would defeat the purpose of this little mission. With a shake of his head he came to a stop at the top of a small overhang.

He paused, then pulled a small pair of macrobinoculars from his belt.

 

[Laguz Vald]

"I bet you would."

The playful tone would be given back in kind, if lesser in its intensity — oh, she could pull a zeltron any day, but their culture was beyond the scope of her ability — maintaining her focus on the mission rather than what may or may not come after. Truthfully, the soldier was being rather presumptuous with his remarks, but Laguz would let it slide. Not for the man himself, but for the payday that awaited her once she'd turned that horde of pirates into Swiss cheese. In the interest of reaching that goal as fast as possible, the huntress was more than willing to overlook his jibes in favor of playing nice; while not exactly built for teamwork — she was a sniper, for Force's sake — the woman could certainly work with others if given incentive enough.

He led them across the grassy plains towards the base, and the shifter was thankful for his silence as they closed in on the location. The weight of a rifle in her grasp was a familiar comfort as they stopped atop the crest of a hill, and she elected to follow in his footsteps, if only to obscure the fact that she could see just fine without a series of lens in front of her eye. Wouldn't do to give away her professional secrets, after all.

"I could take out their comm. tower from here," she murmured after a few seconds of scoping the structure below them. "We cut them off, deal with them in small groups."


[member="Alric Kuhn"]

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Laguz Vald"]

Kiran thought for a moment.

That seemed to be the best plan, take out their communications then divide them into smaller sub sections. Of course there was the problem that if their comms went down they would group up entirely and just wait out until the system was repaired. He doubted that would happen, they were pirates after all, not soldiers.

Yet the risk was still there.

“Do it.”

It would be worth it.

He shifted his grip on his Rifle, putting away the binoculars and then moving slightly so the two of them could move forward. Once she took out the communications tower things would move fast, very fast.

 

[Laguz Vald]

There was a small pause, just enough for a breath, and then the man voiced his agreement. Good. Without ado, the shifter put the antenna in her sights, letting out that air with a soft exhale as her body molded ever so slightly against the rifle in her grasp. She felt the gun buckle against the frozen earth and into her shoulder as she slid her finger over the trigger, making almost no discernible sound even as its projectile ripped the transmitter clean off. She'd contemplated going for the power box below, but that would've been much louder, not to mention all the unforeseen consequences it could carry with it.

No, it was better to play it safe, and with the communications disabled for the time being, Laguz was certain the two of them would make short work of the scattered and disorganized pirates.

"Go," she gestured towards the complex below with a nudge of her chin, picking up her rifle as she followed. The black pants covering her legs did a great job of hiding the small changes her muscles underwent as the woman sprinted downhill, optimizing her limbs for a quick and silent descent.

Soon they would be at the door, and the huntress hoped to whichever gods kept watch — if any — that the zeltron knew how to slice an electronic lock. If not, their mission would go very south very fast; and in such a pathetic way, too.


[member="Alric Kuhn"]

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Laguz Vald"]

It went fast, very fast.

Kiran was never one to stall when it came to action, and his Rifle was at his shoulder almost as quickly as she spoke. He rushed down the hill at the same tempo that she did, his steps hitting a bit harder, his movements a bit more stiff, unlike she, he could not change his muscles in order to better fit the situation.

Yet as they slammed against the side of the wall there was an odd fluidity to his movements, a certain tell that he had done this before.

With two steps he found himself at the door, and with only a single motion of his hand he door away the electronic panel to reveal a mess of wires. The rifle was quickly slung over his shoulders, another quick fluid motion. From his belt he tore a small blade, with quick slicing motion he pulled several of the wires apart.

It took him half a heartbeat, and suddenly the door shook slightly.

The metallic pieces parted half an inch, and Kiran grinned. Fingers pressed against the inside of the door, and with a feat of strength he pulled open the barrier. He shot a grin at Laguz, then motioned her inside.

 

[Laguz Vald]

The night-colored landscape devolved into a blur at the edges of her vision as she sped downhill, the blades of grass muffling the pounding of her boots as they beat the soil. Then in the blink of an eye, nature was substituted by technology, and the muscles of her thighs flexed as she came to a skidding stop perhaps an inch away from the towering steel wall.

Laguz slinked behind him, a shadow, barely more than a flicker against the grayish tones of the metal barrier the pair followed to the door. She watched with no small amount of amusement — and well-concealed admiration — how quickly the zeltron dealt with the electronic obstacle, her lips quirking into a small smile as the man went to flex his admittedly impressive muscles. Whether or not he was doing it for show didn't really matter to the shifter; they had a way in, and their approach had been nothing if not stealthy thus far.

With a small hum of approval, the redhead slipped in through the crack, murmuring low jest in his ear as she went. "Ladies first, huh?"

Then they were inside, and the woman resolved to save any further jokes for another time. The lay comfortably in her firm, confident grasp as she moved down the corridor, her eyes losing their beautiful shade of emerald as the shifter borrowed the eyesight of the barabel. She could mourn the pretty greens later; now it was of greater use to see into the infrared spectrum, where the heat of living bodies would betray their location to the prowling huntress. As four figures slowly came into view around the corner, the sniper molded herself flush against the wall, nodding in the hostiles' direction as she readied her weapon.

Normally Laguz would've switched it out for a handier, quicker slugthrower, but the TS-1 was almost completely quiet — not to mention infinitely more dangerous — and if they wanted to keep their advantage, silence was of utmost importance. She only hoped that the zeltron could wield his rifle as well as he wielded his tongue, or the mission would become much more difficult.


[member="Alric Kuhn"]

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Laguz Vald"]

Kiran didn't move with his rifle, instead he weaved forward with deadly intent.

The four guards rounded the corner with no hint of spacial awareness. Two of them looked surprised, the other two had looks of confusion. Kiran moved like a specter, the butt of his rifle was up in one moment, smashing into one of the mens faces in the next.

A blink later and the sweet thrum of a vibro-blade pierced the air followed by a guttural muffled cry.

The Son of Titan moved quickly, moved like liquid. He did this for a reason. In combat the Zeltron was no chauvinist, was no show off. Unlike Laguz his rifle was not silenced. The Blaster made noise, and plenty of it, this way he kept the screams down to a minimal, and right now the patrols still weren't quite expecting an assault of this nature.

He only hoped Laguz took care of the other two.

 

[Laguz Vald]

Laguz favored ranged combat, picking her targets off without them ever seeing the face of their killer; that didn't mean, however, that she was useless in close quarters. With abilities like hers, the woman was one of those… slippery combatants, annoying those who fell on the slower side of the spectrum. Not that she was particularly burdened by that, mind you.

The muzzle of her rifle was already aimed at the spot where the torso of the first pirate would appear, and the man never really had a chance once he rounded the corner. At this range, the pellet tore straight through the light armor adorning his body, penetrating the pleural cavity and bursting out on the other side. The shot wouldn't kill him right off the bat, but his lungs would collapse in a matter of seconds, and the pirate would effectively drown on dry land.

The shifter was already in motion as he collapsed to the floor, coughing blood and desperately trying to plug up the hole in his chest. Her eyes focused on the last man standing and so did her rifle, the weapon buckling in her grasp as it fired off another slug. This one aimed higher, tearing the muscles of his throat as if they were paper and then continued on its trajectory, shattering the C3 when it finally exited the body. The sharp shards of the destroyed vertebra severed the carotid and embedded themselves in the spinal cord. His death would be instantaneous, and Laguz watched him collapse to the floor with the light in his eyes already going out. His hand never even made it to his throat.

Her cool, disinterested gaze flickered over to the mercenary, and then she gestured to the now empty corridor. "Shall we?"


[member="Alric Kuhn"]