[ME3] - Keep to the Code (Closed)

[Ender]

A human male sat at a table in the corner of a miners bar in the town of Charnel Gulch. His hair was ruddy blonde, falling artfully in his face.

Set out on the table was a bottle, and several empty glasses.

He checked his chrono, making sure that he had his time right.

[Sharn]

A Chiss, a Zeltron and a baldie walk into a bar...

[Farkas Lowca]

Farkas followed not too far behind, taking in their surroundings. He wasn't particularly pleased with being there. They probably wanted revenge or to offer a job that wasn't above board, or both.

[Syzygy Anion]

Syzygy was with them, looking around cautiously.

[Ender]

The man stood as he watched the unusual trio walk in. His strong jaw clicked, before he grinned. Waving them over, he would let them sit.

"I see you received our message." He reached for the bottle, pouring out drinks. "My name is Dean Windjammer. I represent the Lyran organization. In a sign of good faith." He raised both hands, before pulling his blaster pistol, and setting it on the table, sliding it over to the group.

"Let's all relax. We aren't too terribly upset about the... misunderstanding. And our pilot lived, though he's not going to forget that little maneuver. Ruthless. We can admire that."

[Farkas Lowca]

"Your pilot should count his blessings rather than holding a grudge. I could have just shut down life support and communications, sealed him in his cockpit and let him suffocate in our cargo hold. I don't take kindly to people that fire missiles at my fellow crew members," Farkas says with a shrug. "He's fortunate I'm more practical than cruel and vindictive, and he should take a lesson from that."

[Sharn]

"Sharn. I believe we may be all practical people here." Sharn sat and eyed the pirate. "At the very least our respective ideals need not be clashing. And mutual respect and recognition is a good start because my team is made of the best and the brightest. Hence, there may be another purpose to this meeting. One of business, I assume. Is it correct, or you just want to buy us a round and go back to your fancy Venator?"

[Ender]

He smiled. Not phased by the knowledge. "You all do not disappoint." Dean shrugged, sitting back down. "And talking business is exactly what I am here to do." His hands folded in front of him on the table.

"Missiles are typically a good way of intimidating freighters to surrender. Sorry about that, we assumed you were easy pickings." Again, a shrug, and then he took his drink.

"Clearly, you have a proposition. Let me hear yours, before you hear ours."

[Syzygy Anion]

"Assumptions are dangerous." Zygy shook her head. She didn't say anything more. If the boys needed her, she'd speak up. Otherwise, she was content to watch.

[Sharn]

"We are people of superior technical ability." He crossed his hands leaning back on his chair, benevolent to extend his description onto his the whole team. "Hence we create business opportunities beyond count. It's the people with minds set on grasping those opportunities we've been lacking. Once we'd take ahold of a proper production facility and resources, we will be able to do anything, from hulls to engines to weapon systems to droids. "

[Ender]

Dean leaned back, listening intently. The cup in his hand swirled, the amber liquid arcing up and down the glass. "Now, that is interesting. No wonder we've picked up on your salvaging operations. We noticed someone was coming through, moving more efficiently than most junkers. Made us mighty curious." He grinned. "And now I get why. Seems we may have something in common. Or at least, a need we have that fits a need you have." He reached into his duster jacket, pulling out a datapad, he slid it across the table.

"I'm sure you noticed all the wreckage up there. Plenty from the Clone Wars. One of the reasons it was fought so hard were all the resources here on planet. The CIS didn't just come in, and bring droid factories. They had a few Locust-class vessels with them. Great for chewing up ore and refining it. But it wasn't all they did." Dean continued, as the datapad brought up a holoprojector. In the projection, was another derelict, this one looking like a CIS Command ship, but instead of the usual ring around it, it was a pair of two massive cube structures. "We found one. Systems... relatively in tact. But we don't have designers, or the manpower to try and really get her going again."

There was a glint in his eye. "We can't keep supplying ourselves out here, waiting for ships to raid, or even buying things when they come in. We got people just trying to survive, to be free. Yeah, some people get hurt, but it's survival of the fittest out there. We get this thing working... we can build ships from scrap, maybe not on a massive scale, but it's something."

[Sharn]

Sharn knew what to reply but decided to build some tension by looking at the others.

[Farkas Lowca]

"Piracy is a terrible recruitment tactic. Have you considered sending people like yourself that can speak plainly to locations like the planet's surface and perhaps seeking the professionals you need? And no, this doesn't count. Your fighters tried to steal our ship before we spoke." Farkas is now wondering about the collective intelligence of the group.

[Sharn]

"Don't exaggerate, Farkas. A bit of rough-housing may be a good way to start a relationship. Resentment is not a currency to finance our dreams. At least our new Lyran friends know after this that we're people of action." He grinned at the pirate with his sharp teeth. Sharn rarely grinned, and practically never in mirth. "And that our forethought has again proved superior."

[Ender]

"Exactly, and people of action are just what we need. With the drive and the vision, to seize opportunity when it comes!" Dean was all smiles as he spoke, watching the interplay between the others.

"Obviously, we wouldn't just be giving you free reign of a factory ship. That's not good business. But as my paw always said, good business, is where you make it." Dean picked up his glass, drinking deeply again. "We'd be entering a kind of... partnership. We leave you alone, as you salvage, and let you use the factory ship. In exchange, you give us a few designs, share a bit of the salvage to help shore up our coffers. How's that sound?"

[Sharn]

"Margins can be assessed only if they are quantified." Sharn mused. "By your side of the equation in this partnership sounds awfully passive for men of action. We work, you sit back - does it not grate on you as a free entrepreneur? Now that I know what you want, I'll ask you: to get it, do you have what it takes to conduct a... surface acquisition strike?"

[Ender]

Dean stared blankly at Sharn. "If we had the manpower to do surface raids, don't you think we'd take it. We're pirates. We take easy pickings because it also means less firepower brought on us." Slowly, the glass was set down. "Striking at the surface brings a lot of heat our way, and we rather enjoy being hidden in the debris field."

[Sharn]

"i am speaking about a lightly defended treasure trove with operable or almost operable fighter craft and a lot of engineering equipment." Sharn mused. "And the whole surface is going to be very distracted soon enough. By the way, the inactive orbital relay antennas is your work?"

[Ender]

"What proof do you have that it's lightly defended, or has operable fighter craft inside?" He asked. "Do you have schematics, visual confirmation? Proof? Or is this all just bluster. And let me reiterate, we aren't in such great shape up here, either. Scraping by from what we take." He didn't seem annoyed, more just closed off.

"And no, that wasn't us. Something's tripping our sensors as well."

[Sharn]

"I unsealed the impossible seal to look inside and assess the matter personally. But I register your disbelief in your capability to assert those assets." He mused.
"I am currently disinclined to aid the planetary government in anything but it would be interesting to learn who tampered with the relays."