498/The Maltus Falcon

The Maltus Falcon
Date of Scene:	19 May 2017
Location:	Space
Synopsis:	Summary needed
Cast of Characters:	Yondu Udonta, Star-Lord, 264

---

Yondu Udonta has posed:
THE ECLECTOR

"...if you find anything else, you have complete scavenging rights to it," the contact, a heavyset female Achernonian, says via an orange hologram of her head. "Just make sure you collect the box. It should still be at those coordinates."

"Fine, fine," Yondu replies, leaning back in his captain's seat. "This deal's just with us, right? I ain't gonna be flyin' into enemy fire when I drop into orbit?"

"Maltus is an abandoned system, I assure you," the contact says. "It simply remains out of our jurisdiction, but we are not prevented from indirect action."

"A real solid loophole," Yondu replies. "But this is exclusive?"

"Indeed. I would never dare contact competing parties," the contact offers with a thin smile.

THE MILANO

"...if you find anything else, you have complete scavenging rights to it," the contact's hologram says to Peter Quill. "Just make sure you collect the box. It should still be at those coordinates."

Star-Lord has posed:
"Hey, don't you worry about a thing. We handle this kinda' thing all the time. You'll have your box almost as fast as you can transfer those units into our account." Peter quips at the Achernonian hologram before reaching up and flipping the hologram off. He's found his crew another gig and he's already focused on switching the coordinates to the new location.

"Alright, A-Holes. We got a little snatch and grab action with a nice payout up ahead. Might wanna' suit up." This is tossed across the Milano comm network before Peter focuses on making those jumps to the right system his top priority.

Bereet (264) has posed:
Suit up? Bereet shudders in distaste. She'll stay here where it is safe and warm and safe, letting her camera drones do all the work. One stays by Peter almost always, staying on his good side to make sure that he always looks good. It's part of the contract she has with Peter.

The pink skinned woman comes over tot he cockpit. "Anything interesting? for filming that is? The barfight was good."

Yondu Udonta has posed:
Whenever the Milano drops out of the nearest stargate, the crew will see on their scanners that the Eclector's already in orbit--and, further, that there's a small craft already entering the atmosphere ... its trajectory leading toward the /exact/ coordinates provided by the Achernonian.

A message is transmitted to the Guardians. Yondu's voice rings as clear as it can:

"Quill, don't be a dummy. This one's ours, fair 'n square. Don't know who told you 'bout it, but you'd do best to just move on. Find some other rube."

Meanwhile, the Ravagers' smaller craft lands on the planet's surface. Yondu and two ugly-as-sin Ravagers step onto the landing platform in the midst of a city built of crystalline spires.

"Start gettin' them readings goin', boys," Yondu says. "Ain't never seen no place abandoned that was so...clean."

Star-Lord has posed:
"Bite me, Yondude. Ravagers ain't never got nothin' fair and square. Fair and circle maybe but never square."

Quill's words are over the main comms before he turns to Bereet while the Milano is landing on the planet. "Maybe? Who knows what we're gonna' find down here. I'll tell ya' this, if Yondu's interested in it, it definitely might be worth filming." Quill is up and grabbing his walkman, snatching up one of his mixtapes on his way towards the exit. "Besides, do you really want to hinder the universal viewing of this face?" Peter throws on his charming smile before he hits the button and the door folds down and he gets his exiting on. Time to see what this planet has to offer.

Bereet (264) has posed:
Bereet rolls her eyes at Peter's swagger. She doesn't know how he manages to win her over every time. But she, just like her audience, can't seem to get enough of the blowhard. Grabbing her spatial distorter and throwing it over one shoulder, she follows along, releasing a few more of her Star Eyes camera drones.

While Bereet follows, she stays back so the cameras don't pick her up on the feed. She could edit it out if they do, but why give herself extra work. "More dancing, please. The audience feedback says they quite enjoy that."

Yondu Udonta has posed:
Sneering in responds to Quill's words, Yondu slaps the nearer of his two companions. "Taserface. What's the scoop?"

"Well, captain," the large man with the pock-marked face replies, "it seems there /are/ people here. Or /were/. It's kind of both, actually."

Yondu tilts his head to a sharp angle and stares at the Ravager. "You drink some stupid juice this mornin'?"

"No, no, captain," Taserface says. "The readings are just...well, /odd/."

Not far away, in front of the entrance to a tall crystal structure, a blue-skinned man with a large head begins to fade into existence, becoming partially visible as though composed of static.

He looks about with wild eyes and hisses at the assembled new arrivals to the planet: "You imbeciles need to leave! You doom yourselves by staying!"

Star-Lord has posed:
"Imbeciles? Who says imbeciles?"

Quill has caught up to Yondu and Company in record time because he knows their tricks and their trade and tracked them with relative ease. "Don't worry uh..." It's going to take him a moment. Give him a moment. He can do this. He actually pauses in his steps to close his eyes for a reminder, "Bereet! Don't worry, Bereet. I've got moves that nobody's ever seen." Peter turns towards the nearest camera drone and offers it a wink. The same wink is also for Bereet. He's so flirtatious when he's about to beat Yondu to whatever score's down here.

"Alright, alright. You twisted my arm, Yondu. I'll let you and your idiots help us out. But you're only getting fifteen percent..."

Bereet (264) has posed:
Following Peter carefully, Bereet is not far behind him. She offers a friendly wave to Yondu and his crew, not bearing them any hard feelings. After all, they make good footage too. She smiles shyly as Peter winks at her, shaking her head with a smile. He's so incorrigible! Or is that encouragable? Really, he's both.

"Do we have any idea what this place is?" she asks as she directs one of her star eyes closer to the large head for a closer view. "Why are we doomed?"

Yondu Udonta has posed:
In the distance, the cry of a bird breaks the ambient quiet.

The unfamiliar blue-skinned figure curses. "I hope you can adjust your vibrational frequency to de-sync from his..." he says, the static fading out into nothingness.

Staring a bit slack-jawed at the space where the figure had been, Yondu furrows his brow. "...what?" is all he asks.

Taserface clears his throat. "Uh, captain. Energy readings to the south. Right where the you-know-what is supposed to be."

"The box, the box. They already know!" Yondu grumbles. "Now, Quill, you stay outta the way and /maybe/ we'll let you refuel off our ship. But that's all you're gettin' from this deal."

He begins marching toward the provided coordinates, a particularly tall, thin spire.

Perched atop the doorway to the building is a large bird that appears to be made entirely out of orange light that casts a glow all around it.

"Mine..." says a voice from the other side of the doors.

Star-Lord has posed:
"I don't need your fuel! The Milano has reserve tanks now. I scored some on Knowhere. Pretty cheap." Quill's words are to Yondu mostly because he has no idea where they are headed or even are. But he's quite inclined to keep pace with Yondu and keep the banter going for the camera. Or just because that's how he always is around Yondu.

"Okay, so while we're walking to our potential deaths, anybody wanna' guess what's in the box? I'm gonna' go with the Power Glove. Because who wouldn't want to keep that locked away on some weird planet ominous intent?"

Bereet (264) has posed:
"Adjust our vibrational frequency? Is it just me, or did that sound vaguely ominous?" Bereet follows along, perhaps a little farther then she was before, finding herself wishing she had stayed on the ship. Her camera drones fly here and there, getting asmuch information as they can of the situation.

"You really think they would send us here for a glove? And why only one glove? Shouldn't gloves come in sets of two?"

Yondu Udonta has posed:
As the Ravagers approach the spire, the bird's head transforms into that of the Achernonian woman.

"I am so pleased to see you arrived," she says. "It's been so lonely, and the master greatly desires your company."

"Yes," says a loud voice from beyond the doors, which begin to open slowly. "I want your company. It must be mine. Mine!"

The owner of the voice is a bipedal creature with long limbs and a face not unlike that of a mandrill or Gonzo the muppet. Like the bird, it appears to be composed of orange light.

"All mine!" it roars, cackling.

The Ravagers stop in their tracks. "Well, that's not what I expected," Yondu says. He begins to whistle, and as his arrow zips toward the orange biped, the bird-woman takes flight and plucks the arrow from the air.

Star-Lord has posed:
When that weird creature that's been talking stuff shows up again, it causes Peter reach for those Element Guns. They get snatched out of their holsters and spun on his fingers before he aims them both at the Beings of Orange Light. "You don't understand the greatness of the Power Glove. It's so bad." Peter is almost off in la-la land missing his Nintendo.

"Think we'll get extra if we killed this thing, Yondu?"

Bereet (264) has posed:
Bereet releases two more of her camera drones as things start getting interesting. She looks for something to hide behind because, well, she's a chicken. Well, not really, she's genetically evolved from a songbird, but she's cowardly enough to make one wonder.

Peter asks about extra payment and even Bereet has to shake her head. If she can tell this was a trap and he can't? Well, what does that say for the safety of the Galaxy?

Yondu Udonta has posed:
Even as the bird flies off with Yondu's arrow, the other creature begins to bound on its hands and feet toward the group.

"All mine! All mine! Your friendship--your rivalry! I want it all! I deserve it. Me--Larfleeze!" it shouts, punctuating its statement with giggles.

Yondu whistles again for his arrow, which struggles against the energy-bird grasping it. Slowly, the arrow begins to slide /through/ the bird's energy form, but it's a slow, viscous process.

When Peter grabs his guns, Larfleeze points a hand at the Earthman and fires a concussive beam of orange energy at the center of his chest. "Those look powerful--I want them!"

Yondu's arrow continues to move through the bird, which changes its course and swoops around toward Bereet and her drones, clenching its talons to try and grab the cameras and scratch at the documentarian.

Bereet (264) has posed:
Greedy little thing, isn't it? Bereet watches the others as they deal with the threat. She's not of much use, but they should all know that about her by now anyway. Bereet, while a brilliant filmographer, is a bit of a damsel in distress waiting to happen.

It's almost as if by cue that the others hear Bereet scream, trying to dodge the orange bird while her Star Eyes catch everything on film. How wonderfully useful.

Yondu Udonta has posed:
The Ravagers begin to run--and then sprint--toward their ship. "Nope, nope, nope," Taserface huffs, while behind the two, Yondu tries to keep up while glancing behind him at the marauding orange creatures.

The bird-woman clutches a camera in one taloned limb and attempts to grasp Bereet by the hair with its other.

Larfleeze's eyes grow wide upon seeing the parked ships in the distance. "Oooh! Those look fast! I know who could really use a fleet...me!" He claps his hands together and snorts. "Don't go! There's so much amazing stuff to have! And I deserve it all!"

Bereet (264) has posed:
"Yondu!!" Bereet cries out as she is having her own feathers plucked out of her head. The cameras fly about, catching all the action. Bereet tries to beat off the bird woman, seeing the irony in her being attacked by another evolved avian. "Please, don't leave me here!!"

Yondu Udonta has posed:
His nostrils flaring, Yondu frowns and stops to focus on the Krylorian.

*PHWEEEE-weeee-wooooo-TWEEE-REEEET!*

His flying arrow makes a quick vertical loop and shatters the camera in its clutches. The bird-woman caws in surprise, its attention turned entirely away from Bereet.

"Come on, now!" Yondu cries, waving his arm. "Quill'll take care o' himself!"

The other Ravagers are already powering up their craft.

Larfleeze stomps his feet. "No! No! It's all mine! I want it all! Everyone else is gone--my Corps should grow! You're /mine/!"

Another beam of orange energy is emitted from his hand, growing into a large cartoonish hand. It moves slowly as it increases in size, but it's clearly moving toward the Ravager ship. At the entry ramp, Yondu reaches out for Bereet. "Hoof it, girl!"

Bereet (264) has posed:
Running as fast as she can once the birdwoman lets go of her, Bereet races towards Yondu. Her eyes are wide with fear, her heart racing.

She reaches out her hand, grabbing Yondu's, her pink in his blue. That will look fabulous on film, she thinks to herself. She hopes that the star eyes have caught it. Her camera drones fly to follow her, each racing into the ship. "Go go go go go!"

Yondu Udonta has posed:
The Ravager ship's thrusters ignite, and the craft begins to outpace the grasping orange hand.

Soon, they're beyond the atmosphere, moving toward the Eclector.

"Should've known it was a setup," Yondu grunts. "Soon as I saw Pete, I should've known. He's bad for business."

From the helm, Taserface looks sad. "Does this mean we ain't getting paid, captain?"