2203/A Lucrative Little Job

A Lucrative Little Job
Date of Scene:	27 August 2017
Location:	Riza 3, Outer Space
Synopsis:	Coco presents the Guardians with a lucrative job offer.
Cast of Characters:	Gothic Lolita, Indigo, Gamora, Groot, Captain Coco, Angela, StarDrake

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Gothic Lolita has posed:
    The Milano has had a good day or so of rest and relaxation at this point, parked at the spaceport on the planet Riza 3, which is primarily (okay, pretty much completely) a tourism/amusement park planet....nothing but beaches running around the equator and a lot of water, then ice snowcaps for those interested. Some truly impressive fishing. But mostly in the deep water. Where you use well armed submarines.

    When they first arrived, Lolita finally had time to send a message to someone she met back on Xandar, before the wedding, but whom she hadn't been able to get back in contact with due to the events following said wedding. Skullship trying to destroy reality, etc.

    Lolita is currently waiting at the ramp, having recently changed into a more traditional Rizan outfit, for Coco to arrive...and as soon as she does, she brings her aboard, leading her back to the common area where other Guardians have gathered.

    "Here she is, everyone. This is Captain Coco...um, Captain Cocfantuxian Toremno. But Coco is easier to remember and say in an emergency." she clarifies, stepping aside for the armored moth girl behind her.

Indigo has posed:
    "Captain Toremno," Indigo greets quietly from her place standing behind Gamora, her skin dark blue and her hair pink, both clashing with the red and black of her Ravagers' outfit. Her voice has an electronic hum beneath it, like she's speaking from behind a room fan. Despite her greeting, she's sure to stand behind Gamora, to let everyone know Gamora is in charge here.

Gamora has posed:
    Despite Indigo's best attempts, Gamora has not 'really' had fun. She has, though, given a good try for the sake of the team. She just doesn't 'get' it. The fact she is meeting a woman who has a job for them though? Well, that has perked Gamora's interest just a little. And so the woman is standing at the base of the ramp, arms crossed over her chest, sizing Coco up. And Coco may -- or may not -- recognize Gamora.
    With Indigo and Lolita already introducing them, Gamora doesn't say anything.

Groot has posed:
Despite having a long list of Very Important Things (VITs) to do, even Groot managed to have some fun over the past few days. He soaked up some sun, rode his very first ski lift (against the better judgement of the attendant that day), and even played a few rounds of cards with other vactioners, becoming quickly notable for having an impenetrable poker face.

Today, however, the VITs just can't wait. Besides, nobody would be willing to play cards with him anymore and the lift is still under repairs, so he figured may as well go about doing the work he needs to do.

When Coco is brought onboard, Groot is in the common area, tediously doing just that on his personal tablet, glancing only briefly up from the screen to a quick, "I am Groot," before continuing on with what he's doing.

Captain Coco has posed:
    The armor is, well make your own opinions but it certainly stands out. One hand wresting casually against her sabre, another on that holstered pistol and the other pair of arms crossed comfortably over her chest. She follows along when bid however, that holographic skull on her helmet betraying little. "Privateer Captain Cocofantuxian Toremno of the Very Best of Intentions, if we're being particular."The voice is, well old and decidedly not entirely inhuman. "Thankyou most generiously for the invitation, it is a genuine pleasure to meet all of you."And finally unfolding that upper pair of arms for a shake, for those who fancy such things.

    "As I gather, my friend Loli has told you I may have work. Do any of those present know much about Colony Cracking, or proof of Life Insurance work in general?"That Skull is animated, but well it's sort've off time with the speech and a little jarring all on it's own. "I may have need for some additional hands, my next contract entails a colony of some size. Bigger than I can efficiently search by myself, and drones are not known for their capacity for investigation. It is potentially hazardous, mind you."

Gothic Lolita has posed:
    Lolita smiles and steps back a bit, then nods towards Gamora. "This is Lady Gamora." she offers, since she's a polite young mecha and no one has SPECIFICALLY mentioned it yet. "I think we are used to hazardous situations, but I did not know the other details to provide to everyone as of yet." she admits.

Indigo has posed:
    Indigo shakes the offered hand, looking at it intently, not with purpose but simple shyness. "Glad to meet you too, Captain Toremno. I'm Indigo." she greets almost faintly, and steps back into her place behind Gamora.

Gamora has posed:
    "Gamora," the green-skinned woman introduces herself. She considers Coco, "Colony Cracking, and Proof of Life are more complicated than other mission types. But, I'm well versed in both." She looks over to the large botantically wooden figure near her, "As is Groot." The hulking figure might be a lot kinder than Gamora is, but she knows that he can be vicious, when he needs to be. And, that she can count on him and Rocket both. Trust, formed from repeated excursions.
    "It is a job we can handle." There is confidence in Gamora's stance, and her voice. "The question is, how large is the Colony. And, what is the pay rate? We aren't a charity. But, you probably already know that."

Groot has posed:
Groot gently taps away on his touchscreen pad, bringing up images of various equipment and pieces of tech that may or may not be recognizable to others in the room. He's scrollng quickly, and typing in notes here and there as he does. Despite this, he does look up when Coco announces herself.

A slight, tender smile crosses the alien's face as Gamora notes their qualifications. As she does, he rests a massive, branched hand on his chest. "I," he notes softly, "am Groot."

His attention then returns to his VITs, seemingly engrossing himself with the work more than any answers Coco may have to Gamora's questions.

Captain Coco has posed:
    "Charity work is for amatuers and the overly religious, no it pays. Five hundred thousand credits if the subject is alive, five hundred credits plus whatever salvage you fancy if the original inhabitants are dead. I'll provide the transport, food and board for the run there and back and medical care if necessary. You're on your own for arms and gear though, fair nuff?"Coco lifts a gloved hand, which erupts in soft blue light. It's the general outline of a colony, a big one. "This is Heaven's Reach, research station. The Insurance Cartel of Malou holds policies on six persons who work here. It's been dark for eight years, now one year past her contact. Long distance scans didn't reveal much, but the colony is running fairly cold. So it may well be dead. Originally home to about nine thousand souls, suspect all are lost."

    "So we go, we find these people living or dead. If they're alive they come back with us, if they're dead we document and leave in situ. If the colony has been taken over, or has acted against it's charter then it is no longer the property with legal claim. Thus it can be salvaged, for however much you want. You'll have an entire cargobay free for your use to that end, if applicable." Coco nods, shaking her hand to dispell the hologram. "I'm not normally quite so generous, but Loli is my friend."

Indigo has posed:
    Indigo smiles a little at Captain Toremno's little grudging compliment. "She's a good friend to have," Indigo agrees.

Angela has posed:
    Angela can be heard before she can be seen, her heavy footfalls filling the air unobtrusively as the Milano fills with the sounds of deals being made. Business deals and equitable arrangements -- this is the angel's domain, where she feels most comfortable. So it stands to reason that, eventually, the red-headed huntress would eventually find herself drawn to the sound of Coco's mission proposal, from whatever part of the Milano she had sequestered herself away in for her (highly frequent) bouts of peace and quiet.

    And so, arriving at the fringes of the meeting, the self-proclaimed angel leans her shoulder into the leftmost wall, gilded pauldron thunking lightly against the heavily reinforced metal as she turns her stoic, pupil-less gaze upon the sight of that hologram. For now, she says nothing, more content to just watch and listen with the thoughtful stich of brows.

Gamora has posed:
    "As Groot said," or as she imagines Groot said, and she sidelong glances at the rather massively tall individual, "At least, I think he said - We're at your service." Esepcially for that price. The green girl extends her hand to Coco, to 'shake on it', as it were. She smiles, sharply. Then says more soberly, "We'll need specifics on who we're to leave alive. Because, otherwise, once the action starts, I don't tend to discriminate who I kill."
    Her gaze moves to Angela, as her muderbuddy joins the rest of the group. "Coco, this is Angela."

StarDrake has posed:
There's a toy robot on Quill's console -- a slightly oversized ten-inch "action figure" humanoid robot with the logo *Drake written on the left side of the chest. It's been sitting there inert while the Milano has been in system. It stops being inert.

"Did I hear five hundred thousand credits?" the robot says, sitting up. "What's the ... ah, thanks Milano, you're a peach."

The robot hops to its feet, with actual body language that looks a bit like an eager kid wanting to go on a trip.

"What's the most likely situation at the colony, do you have more intel on it?"

No, the robot hasn't introduced himself.

Gothic Lolita has posed:
    Lolita smiles a bit as Coco names her a friend, folding her arms across her chest comfortably. She's mostly listening at this point...she's already heard most of what Coco is saying, after all...this is where the other Guardians agree and ask their questions.

Groot has posed:
Groot turns to Gamora and nods, then repeats the action to Coco, making it clear that, yes, his teammate got the gist of what he meant. As Angela arrives and the tiny robot begins to demand even more information, Groot appears to be at a loss for a moment. When did this place become so crowded?

The great tree being steps away from the gathering group, punching in more formulas and information into his tablet as he does. Finding a spot at the rear of the room, he walks over and *almost* fades into the distance, but the holograms he's studying shed enough light that it's clear he's still there. For now.

Captain Coco has posed:
    "If they're poor hosts, we have no obligation to hold fire. If they start shit, I'll bombard their colony from orbit out of spite. I'm not payed enough to turn the other cheek."Coco does indeed shake, firmly. "They have a legal obligation to show proof of life and liberty, meaning if they dont let me meet these people and these people do not convince me they're fine? I am free to undertake whatever actions necessary to verify their life and liberty. If they died of natural causes, I need to be convinced of that. This is unregulated territory, I'm a licensed privateer with a letter of Marque. By taking you as crew, you are by extention privateers."

    "I do not enjoy the reputation I do, because I play games. If things are nasty, I intend to show no quarter and accept no surrender. I suspect pirates, bandits or other unsavory elements, as is usually the case this far out."And a shrug as Coco folds her arms casually. "I can show you to the Very Best Intentions as soon as you're ready to depart."

Indigo has posed:
    Angela's presence always lifts Indigo's spirits, enough to remind her she hasn't seen Groot since before her wedding and she really out to pay attention to him while Gamora shines. Indigo pads quietly over to the giant tree and hunkers down next to him, asking in a near-whisper as not to disturb business, "You seem very taken by what you're doing... is it anything I can help with?"

Angela has posed:
    As Gamora looks her way, the angel takes not of the assassin, looking her way before focusing her attentive gaze back on their guest. With the silent tilt of her head by way of introduction, the first words from Angela aren't in the form of an introduction, or a greeting to her fellow crewmembers, or even to ask any pressing questions about the parameters and intel of their mission.

    "... What manner of construct is that?" No. It comes in the form of subdued bewilderment as she looks at the very tiny, talking robot.

    She turns, suddenly, wheeling around to face that ten-inch figurine of a machine with a scrutinizing squint and a frown. She crouches, peering at the robot intensely. "It looks like a children's toy. Does the Lord of Stars collect children's toys?" She feels as if it is a legitimate question.

Gamora has posed:
    Gamora, of course, had been away for a few weeks, of on another planet. And it seems that in that time, Quill has picked up - more than a few people. A toy robot. Sentient, at that. And, Gothic Lolita. Gamora is left wondering who else, and she glances back to Groot. "I've already cleaned all the weapons I brought back with me, if you're taking inventory. I've tagged the ones that Rocket will be interested in, and the ones I want in my inventory. The rest we can sell."
    she looks back to the others, considers. "I'll tell Starlord to prepare to depart. It'll probably be a day, or two, before we can pry him away from the planet. We'll see. I'll need to message our other employeers, let them know we'll be a couple days delayed."
    

StarDrake has posed:
"What a wonderful name," the small robot says. There's a moment of "my eyes don't work that direction, ow!" for some onlookers as he expands to a four-foot tall format by shifting matter along a 4D axis, and reveals a more detailed, more humanlike chassis with a name-patch in interlac and other common languages embellished on the shoulder. Mikh Drakos. Not terribly meaningful unless you read Quill's recent 'welcome' flyers proclaiming him a courier that Cosmo decided to stick on Milano while his ship was getting parts.

He looks up at the tree and the green woman who is almost a tree, and grins to himself.

Gothic Lolita has posed:
    Lolita perks. "Oh! That is Mikh...Mikh Drakos! He helped us with the recent, um, trouble. A lot." she says thoughfully. She hasn't really had a chance to meet said possibly machine intelligence, but she's aware he helped build the torpedo with Rocket that dropped the finishing blow...and was on another ship too? She's...a little unclear on that. "I didn't know you were still aboard, my apologies!"

    She seems perfectly happy to let Gamora make the final decision, though she does smile a bit as she glances over at Coco, pleased that an agreement was come to.

Captain Coco has posed:
    "Understood, just drop me a line and I'll get you settled. I should prepare quarters for what, five or six of you?"All business this bug, because well this stuff is important damnit. "I expect you all to behave professionally onboard, of course. Any dietary concerns I should be made aware of, before I get things squared away?"

Angela has posed:
    The robot expands and it's reflexive, how Angela's hands immediately fall to the hilts of her Ichors when he bends in a way she's only seen in sorcery and in soul forges. She looks all but ready to strike in one second... only to let her hands fall away from those weapons in the next, when she hears Lolita's introduction. Her brows furrow. "Mikh Drakos," she repeats. She watches him for a few moments longer as if half-expecting him to do something even more strange. When he doesn't, she finally just nods once in greeting. "Very well."

    And just like that, the so-called angel moves on, turning back towards Coco, brows lifting ever so slightly. "So five hundred credits is adequate compensation?" she asks, because she's still learning the scale of universal units and credits, and 'friendship' just doesn't register to her as something to weigh deals on. "Good. Then we have an accord. The job will be done." She sounds pretty damn sure of that. Then again, she rarely doesn't -not- sound absolutely certain.

Gamora has posed:
    "Behave - professionally? Well. We won't tear it apart," suggests Gamora, shrugging. "But, you are hiring a bunch of psychopathic misfits who have banded together under the banner of an Earth Captain who is difficult to understand, or predict, at best," espouses Gamora.
    She looks over towards the toy robot again. Crosses her arms. "We'll talk later," she tells it, briskly. Apparently Quill has a lot of questions to answer.
    Then, back to Coco, "We'll be in touch, soon. And, yes. At least six of us, no doubt. No dietary specialities. Groot likes large rooms, though. And spaces. He doesn't like to duck."

StarDrake has posed:
"Standard high iron low organic," Mikh says. "Too much radium makes me gassy."

His face isn't really mobile in this chassis, but it's designed to hint at expressions with proper lighting. He tilts his head to suggest curiosity in the direction of Gamora. He's heard interesting stories about her though. Terrifying even. He wonders if he counts as 'psychopathic misfit' ... probably to some people. How disappointing.

Gothic Lolita has posed:
    Lolita ums. "....actually, I don't really think that I fit the qualifications for psychopathy...." she begins to point out, then shuts up as she likely gets looks from seveal quarters. "Um...yes. Well. We should prepare to board then. And this will give us time to finish removing the excess weapons still attached to the Milano."

Captain Coco has posed:
    Theres a nod there, or at least that holo-skull nods. "I'm a privateer, I don't run a military ship unless I have to. Anyway, I'm going to take care of the provision situation. The BDS Very Best Intentions, is down in dock nine. Loli here, has my contact information if necessary."And a pause as she checks, well theres some flavor of colorful display on her wrist which is probably a watch? "Until then, may good fortune shine upon your endeavors crew of the Milano."and well if not further bidden, yeah she's out.