Adrammalech
Well-Known Member
| SHORE LEAVE
| Willow “Tessa” Ryan / Tabitha Le’talla
| New Manaus Spaceport
| New Manaus, Progressus
| February 15th, 2044 – 3:30 PM
Tess led Tabitha off the shuttles and into the spaceport, reveling in being back in what she would prefer to consider her homeworld. Tabitha looked unimpressed, the technology here looking the same as what Luna was shipped with, and many of the machines looking more run-down or self-repaired than the immaculately maintained colony on the moon.
“Here we are, home sweet home,” Tess twirled around, her arms outstretched. “Take a deep breath of that warm Progressus air.”
Tabitha gave a tentative yet deliberate inhale, quirking her eyebrow. “Seems the same as Luna.”
“False,” she raised her finger, “it’s easier to breathe here, because Luna is stuffy.”
“The air actually feels heavier here, to be honest.”
“Well, that’s the jungle…but still, this is the freest space in the galaxy!”
A crash of plastic cracking against the ground drew both of their heads, an ashamed and malnourished-looking feline humanoid beside a broken crate looking up at a more regal lion-like alien. The lion – a Shinso – set down a cylinder reminiscent of a travel mug and towered over the weaker alien, shouting at the top of his lungs.
“Watch your step, rodent! These crates are worth more than your miserable life!”
He raised a clawed hand as a threat and the weaker alien dropped to her knees, quickly trying to repair the damage with her bare hands and get the crate into the shuttle beside them. Tess looked over at Tabitha, her fists clenched and her hair color shifting in hue.
“Not free for everyone, it seems,” Tabitha said through her teeth.
“Hey, calm down,” Tess replied.
A few objects around Tabitha began to float, including an unattended crate of herbs and a box cutter, rotating in the air. The display almost began to draw as much attention as the boisterous slaver. Tess grabbed her arm and forcefully pulled her away.
“It’s just the way things are,” Tess continued, “you can’t do anything about it. Come on, snap out of it.” Seeing Tabitha still staring daggers at the nonplussed Shinso, she tried to draw her attention away from the spaceport. “They’ve got a churro stand nearby, let’s get some.”
Tabitha raised a bright red eyebrow towards Tess. “A ‘churro?’”
“You’ll see. Tamearins eat human food, right?”
“Mostly…would be hard to work at a bar if I was allergic or something…”
“Come on, let’s get you one.”
Right on the border connecting the spaceport to the rest of the city stood a small vendor stand, the first of many advertising everything from “exotic human food” to handcrafted tchotchkes made of “galaxy-famous Earth wood.” Tess bought two overpriced churros and handed Tabitha one before scarfing down her own. The Tamearin looked at her own with trepidation, taking a bite. Though surprised by the taste, she was disappointed by the simplicity, and fearful for the health aspect of it.
“You alright?” Tess asked.
“Fine…thank you.”
“I know it sucks, but it’s something you have to deal with. It’s like state ordinances, and federal laws and Council edicts, trying to get them all to fit is just insanity.”
“Those words don’t mean anything to me…”
Tess sighed. “Laws are stupid.”
“I see.”
“Come on, let’s get to New Manaus and start partying.”
A small taxi ride brought the pair to the shopping district, a more maintained area of the city that looked markedly suburban in nature excepting the recently shot-up area they drove past. All along the walls were various low-cost outlet stores leading into food courts and performance areas where the locals would go to sing or dance for tips. A Colonial patrolman would walk through the streets now and again, but the density of the security forces pointed out that this was much safer than some of the heavier urban areas of the planet.
“So…you’ve seen a lot of New Manaus?” Tabitha asked.
“Nah, this place is too upscale for me.” She looked around at the vendors and the decoration of the plaza, giving a little headshake. “If only we could’ve landed by Liberty’s Reach – Libertalia for us grunts. Think New York City on crack.”
“None of those words mean anything to me either,” she sighed.
“It’s a bad place with a lot of fun stuff.”
“I see,” she shook her head. “Sounds like I’d get in a fight there…or run away. Luna is safe just about everywhere, for any kind of person.”
“There are normal people there too, just…hiding after dark,” Tess chuckled. “So, what do you want to buy? What kind of stuff do you like?”
“Stuff? I have never had much since I left home. I like to paint, but I left my brushes in Luna. I like to sing too, and I tried writing poetry once, but I’m shit at it.”
“Let’s get you some brushes then.”
“I don’t know if I’m allowed to…I don’t know about the rules, but the Commander seems strict.”
“It’ll be fine, there’s an art supply store just around the way. You want to have something to do, don’t you?” Tess asked.
“Alright, let’s do it already,” Tabitha nodded with a smile.
As they walked into the shop, Tabitha began looking over the paint supplies, looking for something good she could afford with her small amount of spending money.
“Hey, freak!” the shopkeeper shouted.
Tabitha looked around for a moment before realizing she was the one being shouted at. “What?”
“No magic crap in here!”
She looked behind her and saw one of the brushes floating in midair, her mood still causing side effects. She turned around and focused on putting it back, but two more floated up on either side of her.
“Cut it out, you goddamn weirdo,” he grumbled.
“I’m trying!” she snapped, turning towards him and taking an aggressive stance.
“Hey, you harassing my friend?” Tess interrupted, marching up to the counter. “You never seen a Tamearin before?”
“I don’t care if she’s a Tammywammy, a monkey, an elf, or whatever else you want to call her, get her out of my store!”
“I don’t think so, pal, she’s going to get what she wants because she’s out there saving your sorry hide from space pirates, the only question is if she’s going to pay for it with an apology, or if we just walk out of here right now.”
“Just because you’re a soldier doesn’t mean you can steal from me,” he said, his face turning red. He reached out towards the street. “Hey, patrolman! These bastards are trying to shake me down!”
A Colonial patrolwoman stepped into the shop, a lithe woman in light armor with a beautiful face and a long brown ponytail, a gold tag on the front of her uniform reading Jones. Her eyes flashed with recognition towards Tess, then she quickly turned towards the shopkeeper.
“What seems to be the problem?”
“This freakshow,” he said pointing at Tabitha, who was trying hard not to manifest anymore powers, “started jumbling up my store with her godless magic powers, then this lady says she’s going to steal stuff from my store!”
“And this bumbling idiot called my Tamearin friend, a XSDF soldier no less, a monkey and an elf right to her face,” Tess replied. “And he tried to refuse us service!”
“Is this true, sir?” Jones asked.
“If the shoe fits!” he cried. “I don’t need aliens in here messing up stuff with their creepy powers!”
“Progressus caters at least 140,000 aliens and psions per year, you picked the wrong colony if you wanted to only deal with pure humans,” Jones clicked her pen. “Write them up with a discount or I’ll write you up for disturbing the peace.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?!”
“Now, sir. The Ministry of Commerce doesn’t want to hear about vendors being xenophobic.”
The shopkeeper scanned and bagged a set of paintbrushes and a small row of paints, sneering all the way as he marked it down by a generous margin. Handing the bag to Tabitha, she offered a semi-sincere thanks and walked out with Tess.
“You didn’t have to do that…” Tabitha said meekly.
“Didn’t I? You looked like you were about to roast the guy,” Tess shook her head. “We got lucky there, to say the least.”
The patrolwoman walked behind Tess and slapped her shoulder. “I see you’re staying out of trouble, Ryan. Did that guy actually do anything?”
“Nothing in the book, but a serious case of code 3ED. Thanks for the assist,” Tess replied.
“No problem. It’s always fun playing the hardass.”
“How’d you wind up on the beat in a shopping district?”
“The colonel found out about Will’s nighttime visit. He got laid off and our group got scattered. Only Sakram is still in Libertalia, Harris went to New Sydney and Taylor went to Promenade. All shit posts, of course…but there are worse things than relaxing in a shopping zone.”
“Really? What happened to Will?”
“He talked his way out of getting a DD, but he still had to get lost. Damnedest thing, I hadn’t heard from him since that night, then yesterday I see him working security at the dock. Got himself a cushy job and a girlfriend from the sounds of it, but I didn’t hang about.”
“Interesting, I’ll have to visit him.”
“I think you’ve caused him enough grief, even for an uptight dick. He lost his job over you, and it looks like he’s back on his feet. Stay out of trouble,” she said, looking towards the silent Tamearin. “Both of you.”
“Yeah, yeah. I’ll keep in touch,” Tess scoffed.
As Jones walked away, Tabitha looked towards Tess with a confused look. “What’s code 3ED?”
“It’s jargon for dick. 3 equals D. You put it in a computer, it looks like a dick.”
“I see.” Tabitha shook her head and unwrapped her paintbrushes, probing the bristles with her fingertips and smiling. “These’ll work well. Better than the ones on Luna. They don’t care much about art there.”
“Sounds like we finally got you to admit something wrong about Luna,” Tess smirked. “Want to head back, or hit some nightclubs?”
“Clubs? I think I’ll just go back…I don’t want to lose my temper around anyone else.”
“That’s fair enough, let’s head back.”
| Willow “Tessa” Ryan / Tabitha Le’talla
| New Manaus Spaceport
| New Manaus, Progressus
| February 15th, 2044 – 3:30 PM
Tess led Tabitha off the shuttles and into the spaceport, reveling in being back in what she would prefer to consider her homeworld. Tabitha looked unimpressed, the technology here looking the same as what Luna was shipped with, and many of the machines looking more run-down or self-repaired than the immaculately maintained colony on the moon.
“Here we are, home sweet home,” Tess twirled around, her arms outstretched. “Take a deep breath of that warm Progressus air.”
Tabitha gave a tentative yet deliberate inhale, quirking her eyebrow. “Seems the same as Luna.”
“False,” she raised her finger, “it’s easier to breathe here, because Luna is stuffy.”
“The air actually feels heavier here, to be honest.”
“Well, that’s the jungle…but still, this is the freest space in the galaxy!”
A crash of plastic cracking against the ground drew both of their heads, an ashamed and malnourished-looking feline humanoid beside a broken crate looking up at a more regal lion-like alien. The lion – a Shinso – set down a cylinder reminiscent of a travel mug and towered over the weaker alien, shouting at the top of his lungs.
“Watch your step, rodent! These crates are worth more than your miserable life!”
He raised a clawed hand as a threat and the weaker alien dropped to her knees, quickly trying to repair the damage with her bare hands and get the crate into the shuttle beside them. Tess looked over at Tabitha, her fists clenched and her hair color shifting in hue.
“Not free for everyone, it seems,” Tabitha said through her teeth.
“Hey, calm down,” Tess replied.
A few objects around Tabitha began to float, including an unattended crate of herbs and a box cutter, rotating in the air. The display almost began to draw as much attention as the boisterous slaver. Tess grabbed her arm and forcefully pulled her away.
“It’s just the way things are,” Tess continued, “you can’t do anything about it. Come on, snap out of it.” Seeing Tabitha still staring daggers at the nonplussed Shinso, she tried to draw her attention away from the spaceport. “They’ve got a churro stand nearby, let’s get some.”
Tabitha raised a bright red eyebrow towards Tess. “A ‘churro?’”
“You’ll see. Tamearins eat human food, right?”
“Mostly…would be hard to work at a bar if I was allergic or something…”
“Come on, let’s get you one.”
Right on the border connecting the spaceport to the rest of the city stood a small vendor stand, the first of many advertising everything from “exotic human food” to handcrafted tchotchkes made of “galaxy-famous Earth wood.” Tess bought two overpriced churros and handed Tabitha one before scarfing down her own. The Tamearin looked at her own with trepidation, taking a bite. Though surprised by the taste, she was disappointed by the simplicity, and fearful for the health aspect of it.
“You alright?” Tess asked.
“Fine…thank you.”
“I know it sucks, but it’s something you have to deal with. It’s like state ordinances, and federal laws and Council edicts, trying to get them all to fit is just insanity.”
“Those words don’t mean anything to me…”
Tess sighed. “Laws are stupid.”
“I see.”
“Come on, let’s get to New Manaus and start partying.”
A small taxi ride brought the pair to the shopping district, a more maintained area of the city that looked markedly suburban in nature excepting the recently shot-up area they drove past. All along the walls were various low-cost outlet stores leading into food courts and performance areas where the locals would go to sing or dance for tips. A Colonial patrolman would walk through the streets now and again, but the density of the security forces pointed out that this was much safer than some of the heavier urban areas of the planet.
“So…you’ve seen a lot of New Manaus?” Tabitha asked.
“Nah, this place is too upscale for me.” She looked around at the vendors and the decoration of the plaza, giving a little headshake. “If only we could’ve landed by Liberty’s Reach – Libertalia for us grunts. Think New York City on crack.”
“None of those words mean anything to me either,” she sighed.
“It’s a bad place with a lot of fun stuff.”
“I see,” she shook her head. “Sounds like I’d get in a fight there…or run away. Luna is safe just about everywhere, for any kind of person.”
“There are normal people there too, just…hiding after dark,” Tess chuckled. “So, what do you want to buy? What kind of stuff do you like?”
“Stuff? I have never had much since I left home. I like to paint, but I left my brushes in Luna. I like to sing too, and I tried writing poetry once, but I’m shit at it.”
“Let’s get you some brushes then.”
“I don’t know if I’m allowed to…I don’t know about the rules, but the Commander seems strict.”
“It’ll be fine, there’s an art supply store just around the way. You want to have something to do, don’t you?” Tess asked.
“Alright, let’s do it already,” Tabitha nodded with a smile.
As they walked into the shop, Tabitha began looking over the paint supplies, looking for something good she could afford with her small amount of spending money.
“Hey, freak!” the shopkeeper shouted.
Tabitha looked around for a moment before realizing she was the one being shouted at. “What?”
“No magic crap in here!”
She looked behind her and saw one of the brushes floating in midair, her mood still causing side effects. She turned around and focused on putting it back, but two more floated up on either side of her.
“Cut it out, you goddamn weirdo,” he grumbled.
“I’m trying!” she snapped, turning towards him and taking an aggressive stance.
“Hey, you harassing my friend?” Tess interrupted, marching up to the counter. “You never seen a Tamearin before?”
“I don’t care if she’s a Tammywammy, a monkey, an elf, or whatever else you want to call her, get her out of my store!”
“I don’t think so, pal, she’s going to get what she wants because she’s out there saving your sorry hide from space pirates, the only question is if she’s going to pay for it with an apology, or if we just walk out of here right now.”
“Just because you’re a soldier doesn’t mean you can steal from me,” he said, his face turning red. He reached out towards the street. “Hey, patrolman! These bastards are trying to shake me down!”
A Colonial patrolwoman stepped into the shop, a lithe woman in light armor with a beautiful face and a long brown ponytail, a gold tag on the front of her uniform reading Jones. Her eyes flashed with recognition towards Tess, then she quickly turned towards the shopkeeper.
“What seems to be the problem?”
“This freakshow,” he said pointing at Tabitha, who was trying hard not to manifest anymore powers, “started jumbling up my store with her godless magic powers, then this lady says she’s going to steal stuff from my store!”
“And this bumbling idiot called my Tamearin friend, a XSDF soldier no less, a monkey and an elf right to her face,” Tess replied. “And he tried to refuse us service!”
“Is this true, sir?” Jones asked.
“If the shoe fits!” he cried. “I don’t need aliens in here messing up stuff with their creepy powers!”
“Progressus caters at least 140,000 aliens and psions per year, you picked the wrong colony if you wanted to only deal with pure humans,” Jones clicked her pen. “Write them up with a discount or I’ll write you up for disturbing the peace.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?!”
“Now, sir. The Ministry of Commerce doesn’t want to hear about vendors being xenophobic.”
The shopkeeper scanned and bagged a set of paintbrushes and a small row of paints, sneering all the way as he marked it down by a generous margin. Handing the bag to Tabitha, she offered a semi-sincere thanks and walked out with Tess.
“You didn’t have to do that…” Tabitha said meekly.
“Didn’t I? You looked like you were about to roast the guy,” Tess shook her head. “We got lucky there, to say the least.”
The patrolwoman walked behind Tess and slapped her shoulder. “I see you’re staying out of trouble, Ryan. Did that guy actually do anything?”
“Nothing in the book, but a serious case of code 3ED. Thanks for the assist,” Tess replied.
“No problem. It’s always fun playing the hardass.”
“How’d you wind up on the beat in a shopping district?”
“The colonel found out about Will’s nighttime visit. He got laid off and our group got scattered. Only Sakram is still in Libertalia, Harris went to New Sydney and Taylor went to Promenade. All shit posts, of course…but there are worse things than relaxing in a shopping zone.”
“Really? What happened to Will?”
“He talked his way out of getting a DD, but he still had to get lost. Damnedest thing, I hadn’t heard from him since that night, then yesterday I see him working security at the dock. Got himself a cushy job and a girlfriend from the sounds of it, but I didn’t hang about.”
“Interesting, I’ll have to visit him.”
“I think you’ve caused him enough grief, even for an uptight dick. He lost his job over you, and it looks like he’s back on his feet. Stay out of trouble,” she said, looking towards the silent Tamearin. “Both of you.”
“Yeah, yeah. I’ll keep in touch,” Tess scoffed.
As Jones walked away, Tabitha looked towards Tess with a confused look. “What’s code 3ED?”
“It’s jargon for dick. 3 equals D. You put it in a computer, it looks like a dick.”
“I see.” Tabitha shook her head and unwrapped her paintbrushes, probing the bristles with her fingertips and smiling. “These’ll work well. Better than the ones on Luna. They don’t care much about art there.”
“Sounds like we finally got you to admit something wrong about Luna,” Tess smirked. “Want to head back, or hit some nightclubs?”
“Clubs? I think I’ll just go back…I don’t want to lose my temper around anyone else.”
“That’s fair enough, let’s head back.”
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