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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Tickleberry" data-source="post: 1513289" data-attributes="member: 1565">Enter the AslanI am a striped Aslan, which is quite rare, and thus quite persecuted. Rumors abound that we are either constructs of Geneassist or are corrupted Aslans by Geneassist. Either way, growing up on Kushyu was a holy terror. Things were so difficult because of my advent that I had a human nanny. She was a Scottish lady named Katie McBride. I loved her, but the accent she left me with didn't help. My English is forever hilarious because of her.     I was a social outcast. My physical appearance made me unwelcome, but my skills with engine and body were sought after by many. I nearly didn't make it through college because of my physical defects (fur stripes a defect?!), but my excellent mind pulled me through. I can fix both you and your machine should you crash it.     Being unwelcome on my own home planet, I naturally took to travelling. I am very good at the bargaining table, and more than one merchant rued the day he tried to cheat me. I am a wealthy young Aslan, I have a personal medkit and a standing Traveller's high fare. I thought a luxury cruise on the new Qbert vessel would be fun. Boy, was I wrong.       The ship was attacked by pirates, but not before a turncoat aboard poisoned people into madness. Two of the passengers who weren't too sane to begin with decided to see what was left of the crew, whilst I and the varushi checked on the rest of the passengers.         The crazed McQuade brothers found the turncoat and blew him to smithereens, but then the scuttling charge blew. I was able to juryrigg what was left with the dubious assistance of the ship's engineer to some semblance of working order, but we still had to bail out with the pirates harassing us.         Strangly enough, this ship came equipped with a suicide boat, and a ship's evac boat. there were enough personnel left willing to man the suicide boat to give the passengers a chance to escape to coin. Turns out the snotty noble was a snotty prince in disguise, hence the marines willing to die for him. Unfortunately, we had to bring him along.        If someone was going to have to die in the crash, why not the snotty prince? Noooo, it has to be two nice people. There wasn't enough of them left to save. Then we had a nice long march to the landing base. That is, what was left of it. I've seen abandoned smuggler bases in better repair. There was just enough left to repair to make us uncomfortable. I did get the generator running, and the radio worked. Just fine to tell us that rescue would be delayed.       So now we wait, and meet the natives. They look like huge crickets. Jesse ( the craziest brother) mumbled something about fishbait and Jonah? Here I thought I knew all the earth stories.               The natives are curious about our wrecked ship. What worries us is that the next night, they start digging up the dead. Ali, an Arab, takes exception to this, and fires on the ring leader. He gets knocked down.            We find out the next radio contact that we were lucky we didn't kill him. There's a death sentence for killing one. I think they set a jungle worm on us for it, though. It tries to eat both our generator and Jesse. Jesse doesn't like that, and so fires down its mouth. Both Squish and Gene fire  on it, and blast the 60 foot behemoth to bits. Gene and Squish take credit for the kill, though in fairness, we all helped.          We have duly impressed the Coiners. They now want to play nice. They invite us to dinner, not as dinner. Able, one of the three to have traveled off of Coin, speaks for them, and takes the delegates. The prince is not invited, but does not want to wait patiently here with those of us remaining behind. Squish politely sends him off to la-la land. Alice, the marine who is responsible for the prince, shoves her rifle up Squish's nose. I assure her the prince is fine, and will sedate him enough to keep him out of everyone's hair. She visibly relaxes at that. That spoilt little brat has really rattled her nerves. No loyal subject should be subjected to that much royal treatment. Poor thing. I will have to educate that boy, first chance I get, hmmmm.Ali, the most urbane of our crew (and most diplomatic) brings back a boatload of news: The Coiners are smarter than anyone gave them credit for: they want Gateway metals gone; They want a treaty with the Imperium, and there is a Hive mother.Finally, finally, we are rescued, and go to what passes for civilization on Coin. Frank gets wind of  a ship up for grabs, and starts sniffing it out. He gets himself into a poker game, and wins a ship. Didn't I hear a rumor about a smuggler. . . .?Squish gets into a barfight, and nearly kills someone. Maybe he got too much gas from the ship. Varushi are supposed to be gentle. Squish is anything but gentle. Luckily, Ali is able to settle some of it. In the meantime, I'm busy with the so-called  ship. It is a wreck, no a wreck might be flightworthy, this thing is not! What it is, is the Ebon Rapturous. This thing is a legend, a legendary mess that is. it had gone missing quite some time ago, now I have to make it flightworthy. Well, Squish can serve his community service helping me ready this thing. Thank god I'm an engineering genius.Himme is also an oddity. Her collar is very strange. I've looked at it on a couple of occasions, and I cannot figure it out. Not only that, but her dimensions are strange as well. Her head is too large. If I didn't know better, I'd say she was sentient. Hmmm, maybe I know better than that, even.    </blockquote>

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