10808/Surviving Infinity: For Hire

From United Heroes MUSH
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Surviving Infinity: For Hire
Date of Scene: 21 January 2020
Location: Khundian Empire
Synopsis: The Guardians discuss a new mission involving Thanos....
Cast of Characters: Iron Man, Star-Lord, Rocket Raccoon, Drax, Groot
Tinyplot: Surviving Infinity


Iron Man has posed:
The job was, at first read, very straightforward. It's also a broad request, and has hit many prospects for hire. That means there may be some considerable competition. That alone creates a need to be cautious: to be prudent about who would have the resources to actually run that sort of call.

It's when the job is investigated a little more that some big warning signs appear. There's a strange tension of fear around the jobs. Mikonia of the Sybalt Order is the primary contact, which is not shocking, after her background is glanced at: she's from Khundia, and they are aggressive expansionists. That she's looking for underlings to catch some people fleeing? That's normal, the Khund aren't big on mercy.

So why aren't the jobs being picked up?

Because in a layer under that is a note of danger. Mikonia has been name dropping a little bit. And mentions of the Mad Titan do not create a safe working environment for many people. Failures to complete such jobs may mean those people are /dead/. Perhaps the jobs are being attempted, but those hunters haven't been heard from since.

Still, the pay is good...

Star-Lord has posed:
Peter looks skeptically at the intel that has been gathered from far and wide, or at least far from the look of it. "Well." a pregnant pause. "At least this isn't likely to be a wild goose chase that almost ends up with us devoured by a giant space ameoba right."

His head is tilted slightly to the right as he studies it. "The money is fantastic though, which is because it is likely a suicide job... but... I imagine it would give us more intel on what Thanos is really up to Drax." yeah Peter is willing to admit when Drax, or any of the crew are right about a job paying off.

"That said.. I doubt any of that dick holes agents even a couple of times removed would hire us, we do hav a reputation... so we will need to approach this a bit covertly ... sneakily..." yeah he is still looking at Drax.

Rocket Raccoon has posed:
Rocket comes out of the galley holding a bowl of soup that he's trying to eat as the ship bounces along through space on a particularly rough patch around an astroid belt. Wobbly handedly spooning pure liquid towards his open muzzle only to slosh it around everywhere. More of it getting on the FLOOR than in his MOUTH. "What's going on?"

Had he been paying attention at the mission briefing?

Had he instead been sleeping with a pair of googly open eyed glasses on?

The truth of the matter is he was making soup.

Which isn't to say he doesn't now what they're doing. More likely, he's just trying to piss off Quill.

Drax has posed:
Drax has never been the best at 'research'. Though obtaining information once someone is at hand who knows what he'd like to know, is something Drax shows a certain knack for. In this case it was an ill-tempered Krylorian who had first mentioned the words "Mad Titan" in the context of the job that the Guardians were looking into.

The Krylorian has not been seen since, but Drax was left some information, and a burning fire about getting to the Khund woman. The more 'researchy' kind of research was left to his team, Drax impatiently sharpening his knives while it went on.

"A giant space amoeba is just the sort of thing Thanos might use to thwart my revenge," he says in a voice quiet with seriousness, eyes staring off to the side before looking back to Peter Quill. "Good thing we replaced the escape pod," he says of the vessel they used to divert the last giant space amoeba back towards the pirates waiting around to pick the bones of its victims.

The sound of his whetstone moving over the already-razor sharp knife comes again as Drax pointlessly sharpens the blade further. "Yes," Drax agrees with Quill. "We shall require stealth. I can instruct you in this if needed," offers the loudest, most overt member of the team. "I will use some of the blue dye that the green whore used on Veretta 4, and pass myself off as a Kree," Drax announces.

He eyes Rocket's soup. "Is there more of that?"

Groot has posed:
     Groot followed behind Rocket, also having a bowl of soup with him. Somehow, he manages not to spill any as he makes the way to Quill, offering his bowl to Star-Lord.

  "I am Groot!" Seems at least that the flora colossus was able to keep up with things, either that or it was a lucky guess. The outcome of which was probably meant to rib Rocket and/or Peter as well.

Iron Man has posed:
There are three jobs under Mikonia's hire.

The first is a bodyguard job for someone named Atrukus. It involves escorting him around several planets for undisclosed errands and visits. The probe of more information suggested he's actually an enforcer, and the 'visits' are likely beatdowns.

The second is related to driving off a group of beasts from a facility on an ice planet that has been overrun. Mercenary work. Once cleared, the facility will once again be used by a team of Mikonia's for undisclosed activities.

The last one is direct bounty-hunter; two prisoners have escaped and are loose on a planet in the Khund system, they need to be recaptured.

The price tags go from highest to lowest, and the danger level follows accordingly. All of the jobs suggest that they would involve some contact with Mikonia, though the last is most likely to be the largest contact, as it does not involve people under her.

There are no jobs related to soup.

Rocket Raccoon has posed:
"Yeah there's one more bowl." Rocket says to Drax, having missed out on eating his own soup because of turbulance. It is set aside empty and fogotten as the rodent hops up on a chair to look over the proposed work related inquiries being relayed from their various contacts around the Galaxy.

Slim Eddie: A fat Targrutan from Alpha Perdus.

Micro Bob: A tall Sumabish out of Knowhere.

Happy: An angry young lady out of Hapes.

"You ever notice that nicknames are contrarian by nature?" Rocket wonders with a frown, tapping at the keys on the comms console. Regardless, "I think we'd best be served huntin' down them prisoners on account of we don't got no cargo right now anyways... but I'm also okay with shootin' aliens. I have fur though, so the cold don't bother me. Quill might need an extra layer." Glaring at Groot giving away the last bowl of soup.

Rocket looks to Drax, "There aint no more cus he gave the last bowl away."

There truly is no soup related options now.

Drax has posed:
Drax crosses his arms over his typically bare chest. "You should have made more," he comments but his heart isn't in it as he is instead staring intently at the viewscreen that has the final rundown on each of the three jobs they've dug up associated to the Khund mercenary.

"I was thinking dealing with the beasts to prove ourselves worthy of bigger assignments," Drax says, hand moving to rub his chin thoughtfully. "But the rodent has a nose for trouble. And for disgusting garbage. Which this woman surely is. Perhaps those she hunts will have extra information on her they will be willing to part with," he says. "The beasts on the ice planet surely will not."

Drax relenting on the choice surely has nothing to do with how his nipples react to the cold, either.

Groot has posed:
     Groot looked to the screen with the different options, with a vine-hand to his chin as he contemplated the options. "I am Groot?" No chance for good sunlight on the ice planet? That and he knew he could handle two prisoners pretty easily. It had nothing to do with the fact that his bestest buddy suggested it, no siree-bob.

Iron Man has posed:
Looking into the third job gives a little bit more about it, and some awkward coincidences, and more questions. The prisoners are noted as Terran - which makes almost no sense for the Khundian Empire. They are very far flung from Quill's race. And there's only one mention of what crime they committed: Slander.

Truly the Guardians face some difficult and terrifying criminal masterminds.

More information is promised upon arrival at the site, a forest moon on the outer edge of Dominion and Khundian space. The Dominion is in a military alliance with the Khund, but should make nobody comfortable: of any interstellar body that kidnaps and might do anal probes, the Dominion is it. They are well known for weird 'experiments' on other aliens. Very well known.

Sticking to the Khund side, even if to risk some military patrol entanglements by a territorial Empire, is probably safer in terms of what might happen if the group were caught in Dominion side.

Groot has posed:
     Groot read the profile on the prisoners, nodding his head and following along before he gasps and points to their crime. "I am GROOT?!" The look of astonishment was something barely seen by the others, as Groot was unlikely to blush at such activities. "I am Groot!"

Star-Lord has posed:
Honestly Peter wasn't sure if Groot was giving him soup just to watch him spill it all over, or if it is something disgusting and he just wanted to watch him eat it.

Well tricks on everyone because Star Lord wwas raised on scraps from Ravengers and can and will eat all sorts of disgusting alien food and like it.

Anyhow Peter braces a foot out and leans against a bulkhead as he eats the soup compensating fine for turbulance as he watches Rocket work through contacts. "Drax does have a point, we could shoot some local wild life and then move on to the bounty hunting.. or just go right for the big score. That is probably the most likely to put us face to face with the Khund and let us get the information on Thanos right out of her directly... not as much espionage then."

Then back to finishing off soup .. until the contacts information rolls in about the source of the escaped prisoners. "Terran.. in the Kundian empire... I mean.. Slander... man remind me to never let us to to that empire because there is no way we would escape without a Slander charge too... no one on this ship is known for keeping their mouth shut."

"We should hunt down these prisoners... they may also know what is going on.. Terrans don't just get out here and then escape randomly... and the money is way too high for randos."

Drax has posed:
Drax has a look of satisfaction as the crew decides on a course of action. He has spent far too long in his search for revenge against Thanos waiting. Motion is a welcome change.

The muscular green man looks over towards Groot and his reaction to the charges. "I don't think that has to do with sex," he tells Groot. "Slander is telling someone the truth about how obnoxious they are," he says, shifting his hands to rest in the waistband of his pants after delivering an example of his legal expertise.

"I shall go and prepare my Kree disguise," he announces and then turns to head down to the crew quarters, leaving Peter and Rocket to argue about who is captain and pilot the ship to their destination.

Unfortunately, while the Milano is still traveling towards the forest moon where the escapees are believed to be, the scanners go off, picking up three Dominion warships patrolling the sector. Jumping out of the system is a no go, the ships would pick it up and give chase. Though there's a gas giant planet, with a small rocky moon with a thin atmosphere nearby to the Milano. The surface is riddled with craters that provide ample cover, the iron in the moon rock helping hide anything from a ship's sensors.

Groot has posed:
     Groot's mouth hangs agape for a moment after Drax figures things out from what Groot has said. "I am Groot." He says with a sigh of relief.

  As Drax makes his leave, Groot just stands, looking at the data screen and taking in the situation. "I am Groot..." He says, trailing off to find a place to sit and contemplate. He wasn't a pilot, he was the muscle, and sometimes through moments of lucidity, the brains.

Rocket Raccoon has posed:
Rocket had been in a world all his own, likely lamenting the passage of his soup. At least by the way he stared at it forelorn, a long look of logging in that far away gaze until the sound of his companion, Groot's, voice drew him back to the present when they came out of the jumps that brought them to...

"Where the hell are we anyways?"

Star-Lord has posed:
"Kree disguise...." and Peter just shakes his head. Well it will be interesting if nothing else. He turns to head to the cockpit.

Honestly since Rocket didn't make it a fight Peter didn't either on the way to the sector.

So he flew the ship and was quietly lost in his own thoughts.

He was definitely thrown a bit even if he didn't want to show it. Terrans. Who the hell could they be. Why was Thanos after them. The contract like he said was really too big for them to be rando Terrans that they have no interest in.

He listens to his music for the trip and plans. Which despite the fact that he easily appears as a stupid lovable goofball, he isn't. He is very smart and very good at tactics. His favorite tactics just usually involve playing dumb and taking advantage of people.

"Ah drek." when the warships come in. "Rocket can you .... " he gestures to the moon "I'll take us in.... use it as cover.. and maybe we can skim out to the Forest Moon once they go by?" pause "We don't want a military shoot out yet.."

"Can you scramble our signature and cut the unnecessary systems."

Drax has posed:
Down in his room, Drax has retrieved several jars of... things... from Gamora's room. Makeup, he supposes. He opens one up and sniffs it, wrinkling his nose at the flowery and herbal scents that come from it. "This would make me smell like the worst establishment on Contraxia," he comments as he caps it and tosses it aside, looking for the blue bodypaint.

Meanwhile, one of the Dominion ships has altered course. It's not heading straight for the Milano, but it's heading nearer to them. Perhaps having picked up some remnant of their jump and moving over for a closer look. The small rocky moon is close at hand though. A large impact crater has walls high enough to cast part of the crater in shadows.

Groot has posed:
     Groot points out the location to Rocket, joining the rodent to help do things. Whatever he needs a taller pair of hands for.

  "I am Groot." He informs Rocket. The tree though seemed a little distracted, reaching to grab a pocket football game of Quill's, and started to play it, entranced by the bleeps and boops and the lights.

Rocket Raccoon has posed:
"Didn't really answer my question', but sure..." Rocket grumbles under his breath, worming up into the pilots seat and adjusting it forward towards the control stick. Guiding the Milano in towards the system easily, eyes turning from the forward view to Groot, "That thing'll rot yer brain, ya know?" More grumbling, switching on a scrambler as they get closer.

"Whoa... we've got another ship ahead.. big one.. looks like Ravager markin's, Quill. You recognize it?" Fuzzy brow perked when he looks up at the captain.

Star-Lord has posed:
Peter leans and gets al ook thruogh the window and then back at the monitor. "Well hell." he magnifies "Keep bringing us in, we can't hail quite yet that could be picked up. Let's hope this doesn't turn into a shootout."

Quill reaches and flashes the approach lights under the Milano, where the patrol ship won't pick it up, in a rapid fire pattern.

A Ravagar code sign.

That might minimize shootouts, maybe.

"I think that is a ship from Aleta's clan... the green accents indicates it.. not big enough to be her mother ship though thankfully."

Drax has posed:
Down below, Drax notes the change in the Milano's movement. He puts down the container of body paint and starts heading up towards the cockpit to see what it is going on. The thought of something delaying his pursuit of this woman who serves Thanos sets him slightly on edge.

Meanwhile, the Ravager ship responds to the flashing lights, returning the visual communications with a counter-sign that Quill would read to mean, "Parlay". Overhead, the Dominion patrol warship heads past the moon, towards the area that the Milano had emerged from its spatial jump. After searching about for a little bit, it starts to return to its previous patrol route. There will be a bit of a wait, but based on their current courses, the trio of patrol ships should move on before too long.

The Ravager ship has the standard airlocks for connecting to other ships, though the moon itself does have a light atmosphere, it is very very cold out there.