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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Shadowdancer" data-source="post: 2305893" data-attributes="member: 515">Chapter IVDate: 202-993Location: Fonnein OrbitalIan, Swann, and Vargas head out to the Drunken Monkey, one of the seedier bars on Fonnein Orbital. Both Swann and Ian have been to the Drunken Monkey before, and the dark, cramped bar seems to carefully cultivate its dirty and gritty atmosphere. The trio arrives at the bar at 2130 or so, and easily finds a small round table from where they can observe most of the bar. On the way to the table, Swann spots Vincent Furnier, captain of the Generation Landslide, nursing a large mug of something in a corner with one of his tattooed crewman. The bar seems to have its normal crowd of about 30 folks distributed throughout the place in small groups. A formidable-looking waitress eventually comes by to take an order. While waiting, Swann, Ian, and Vargas catch snippets of the low-voiced conversations around them, but none of them seem to mention anything about a gray Vargr named Markul. -----Before the Vargr arrives, Swann heads over to Vincent Furnier's table to talk to him. He buys the captain and his crewman a beer each. He asks them what they know about Kerin's Tyr. "The KT? Ah, now the KT's port is a decent enough place for the likes of you and me,” Vincent says. “A little too run-down and laid back for the Tukera types that stop there, but just fine for us decent and upstanding folk. "Not that we get many of ‘em out this far, but the KT is a little wild for those traders used to the boring core routes. But, as long as you watch your back, you'll be fine." At that remark, Davin, a fairly quiet fellow, mumbles, "Yeah, but watch out for good Samaritans on your approach or departure." To which Vincent replies, pointing at Swann, "But he's off the mighty Bray Craven. I figure that they ought to be able to take care of themselves. "Watch out for the dirtsuckers on the planet though. Bunch of squabbling yahoos. Good for fleecing, but a damn humorless bunch, especially the religious nuts." Vincent does give a couple of suggestions for "fun" bars -- Guo's and The Thrust Plate -- and a brothel -- Hina's Delights. -----A little before 2200, a gray furred Vargr comes in with an attractive human blonde hanging off one arm, and an attractive (to Vargas's eyes), blonde-furred Vargr off the other. The Vargr, some of his fur tinged with white, is trailed by a large, dark-skinned human who immediately sets off "Bodyguard!" alarms in Swann's and Ian's heads. The Vargr leads his trio to a large booth in the corner where a quartet of spacers is joking over an impressive array of empty mugs. When the Vargr gets to the table, with the dark-skinned human hulking behind him, the conversation suddenly dies. Ian sees one spacer noticeably blanch, whisper something to his fellows, and then they gather up their mugs and depart for another table without the Vargr saying a word. The formidable waitress promptly appears and takes the Vargr party's order. -----Vargas can tell that the Vargr has considerable standing, but can't tell much more than that. -----Ian takes a swig from his mug, then wipes his mouth. "Hmm, very impressive." Turning to Vargas, he says, "So, what is the appropriate protocol for intros with this guy? He seems to have a hefty reputation around here." Swann says, "Maybe we should buy a blonde and give it to him as tribute." Swann then hands Vargas the token Eneri provided to use as an introduction to the gray Vargr. "Hopefully, that and your Vargr insights will do the trick." Vargas takes note of the body positioning of the Vargr and the fact that he has a bodyguard, and determines that this Vargr has a considerable charisma. He takes the token and prepares to deal with a very high charisma Vargr. "Gentlemen, it looks like we are dealing with a Vargr that is at the top of the food chain around here, Remember that Vargr do not consider humans to have any charisma and tend to ignore them. “However, they are very easily insulted, especially if there is any racial insult delivered. I am going to treat him as we would a high-ranking noble or kingpin of crime. Be careful of what you say and do not look him directly in the eye. Remember, Vargr do not deceive. They can quickly sense a falsehood." -----After waiting a considerable time before the formidable waitress comes close enough to signal, Vargas finally manages to ask her about buying Markul a drink. She snorts and replies, "Buy? You walk up to him if you want, sonny boy, but I ain't gettin' involved." Vargas then decides on the direct approach and respectfully approaches Markul's table. As they approach the table, Swann says to the others, "If this goes nova, I'll take the bodyguard; Ian, you take the Vargr; Vargas, you cover the ladies." -----The hulking dark-skinned human smoothly interposes himself between Vargas and the table, and glares while asking, "Do you have an appointment with Markul? If not, he is busy." When Vargas shows the bodyguard the token, he furrows his eyebrows while examining the token carefully, and then turns to the side to hand the token to the blonde human female who shows the token to Markul. Markul nods, and the blonde human softly says, "He's got a minute, Negsden." Vargas quickly introduces himself, Swann, and Ian, observing proper Vargr custom, as he knows it, and indicates that they need his help with some documents. -----Swann stands where he can keep a watch on the bodyguard. -----Markul makes sort of a growl-laugh which Vargas interprets as pleased amusement, and comments (in Irlitok), "Impressive and unusual for a human." "Thank you for the audience,” Vargas replies in Irlitok. “I grew up as a human adopted into a Vargr family." Switching to Galanglic, Markul continues, "But not too surprising for the resourceful and capable crew of the Bray Keaven. Ah, yes, I know of you. After all," nodding to Ian, "I believe that you killed my second pack removed nephew in the Stork & Son's Yard." -----Ian's left eyebrow rises just a bit, as a calculating look briefly crosses his face. He tries to gauge Markul's emotions/motive. Given his inexperience with Vargr culture, Ian makes his best guess and decides that Markul is probably simply stating an unpleasant fact. -----“Oh frell!” Swann thinks. He keeps his face neutral and does not look the Vargr in the eyes. He tries to judge the bodyguard's body language, and is ready to draw a weapon if need be. He spots an ever so slight shift in the bodyguard's posture. The guard's left arm has gone straight down, the knees are slightly flexed, but the right arm remains halfway across the large chest, presumably ready to draw a weapon from underneath his jacket. -----Also switching to Galanglic, Vargas says, "I am sincerely sorry for the death of your relative. I only wish it had never happened. However, the past cannot be changed. I sincerely hope that we can erase the past and work together for the improvement of all involved." -----Markul takes a moment to carefully regard Swann, Ian, and Vargas individually and then does a deeper growl laugh (which Vargas interprets as irritated, but accepting). "But, that was business, and not personal. If a pup can't run with the pack and take down his own prey, he doesn't belong with the pack. Of course, if it had been personal, things would be different between us." He pauses, and then regards Ian and Swann again, "Documents? Documents can be difficult and time consuming to procure. What kind of documents?" Not looking the Vargr directly in the eyes, Ian responds. "Yes it was I who took the life of a Vargr in our berth. It is unfortunate to hear he was a relative of yours. My condolences to you and your family." Ian briefly nods his head and closes his eyes. Ian is truly regretful upon hearing this news, especially if it is going to cause trouble with this seemingly powerful Vargr. "But, protecting the Bray Keaven and its crew is my business. As such, I find it necessary to explore new and better methods to accomplish my mission. One such way is the procurement of better hardware including some hardware that many governing bodies would rather we didn't possess. Thus requiring documents to allow possession of said hardware." Ian quietly clears his throat. "I find myself in need of such documents." After Ian makes his vague reply about needing documents to procure hardware to protect the Bray Keaven and its crew, Markul growls low and guttural before replying. "You are starting to waste my time. If I wanted to see someone dance, I would have asked Hishana to get up." The last part he says with a nod to the female Vargr on his left. -----Swann continues to watch the bodyguard. The bodyguard relaxed ever so slightly when he decided that his employer wasn't too pissed about the nephew, but the growl made him tense up again. -----Vargas remains on the side, rather dismayed about the change in tone. He does manage to spot some slight shifting of arm/hand positions among the two ladies: the Vargr on the left of Markul has her left hand under the table and her right hand on Markul. The human on the right of Markul has her right hand under the table and the left hand on Markul. -----Finally, Markul growls, "Plainly tell me what you want, or stop wasting my time." Ian says that he wants a permit for his ACR. "Weapons permit for an ACR? That's all? I figured that the Heroes of Marellia Landing Rescue would be able to get one through channels. Class 4 Permits can be -- difficult to arrange. Time consuming. Expensive." At this point, the human female whispers in Markul's ear briefly. "But, you're a resourceful crew. And, from what I understand, you can take care of yourselves. I have a gift I need to send to my cousin on Warn Highport on Kerin's Tyr. If you could carry the gift to him, I could probably persuade him to arrange a permit for you. "Don't look so surprised. Your cargomaster and engineer have been asking for cargoes and passengers bound for Kerin's Tyr. Fairly obvious about it, too. I make it a business to know who is going where in case I need to send gifts to my far-flung family. "Really, just a small thing. A wooden box that will easily fit under your arm. What do you say?" Ian glances at Swann and Vargas with a questioning look. -----From the sidelines, Vargas has watched the proceedings carefully and at what he feels to be the appropriate time speaks. "Markul, you do us great honor offering to trust us with the gift to your cousin. I, for one, would like to accept the request. However, I am part of a team and cannot make this choice alone." He glances toward Ian and Swann and states, "Gentlemen, we need to make a choice very quickly." His expression clearly indicates concern; however he keeps confidence in his voice. He then returns to the sidelines, showing posture indicating respect for Markul. -----Swann looks at Markul briefly, but without looking him in the eye. "Our pack would be honored to do this for you." -----"Very well, we accept your offer,” Ian says. “Please let me know when the package will be ready for transport. I thank you for your generosity." Ian takes a step back and waits until Vargas turns to go, following his lead. -----When Swann and Ian accept, Markul grunts/snorts a bit and then says, "Good. I'll have one of my runners deliver the gift for my cousin along with instructions in the morning. Good night." With that, the bodyguard moves in a little closer to Swann and Ian,signaling that the interview is over. -----Vargas turns to Markul and states, "Thank you for listening to us." Shifting to Irlitok, Vargas states, "I leave you with the traditional parting phrase of my adopted Vargr family. ‘May your life be long and fruitful, and may all of your ventures be successful.’ ” To Vargas' farewell, Markul replies, in Irlitok, "And may your pack run faster than your prey," before turning back to his female companions in earnest. Vargas states, "Thank you, may we meet again as friends in the future." He then backs away a respectful distance and turns to leave. -----Ian, Swann, and Vargas carefully leave Markul's area and then head back to the ship. -----On the walk back to the ship, Swann says, "Well, that was interesting. We need to decide if we are going to tell the rest of the crew about this. I think we should, since if there is any risk involved in transporting this gift, they share that risk. “But if they all decide they don't want to be involved, then we're going to have to sneak it onboard, because there's no way we can now go back to Markul and say, 'Sorry, we've changed our minds.' One way or another, we have to go forward with this." "Swann and Ian, you handled the situation very well. As I look back on that situation, it had to potential to really go sour in a hurry. He was one powerful personality. I think we did well, judging by his last comment. He stated may our pack run faster then our prey – that was quite a compliment. “As to letting the other crewmen in on our little delivery service, we really do need to tell them. Swann, you are correct in seeing possible danger. This Vargr is obviously known on many worlds, which means that he may have both friends and enemies in many systems. If we run afoul of the wrong crowd, things could go bad in a hurry and the others should be aware of the danger. “If they choose to decline the offer, we will have to convince them of the wisdom of not disappointing Markul and his associates. He expects us to keep our word. I just hope this does not turn into another cube problem." "Yes, we need to tell the crew,” Ian agrees. “We need to emphasize the point of his having friends on other worlds, and that a friendly working relationship with him and his ‘family’ may work favorably in our future.” </blockquote>

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