|
Sadie smiles at Vessa, "Yeah, it was pretty funny to watch her change so much. But she loved you a lot, whether she showed it or not." Sadie and Vessa are currently talking as they sit on some crates.
Vessa laughs, "Now that I would have paid to see, she was a hell of a task master before I left that is for sure. She was the reason I ended up retiring."
Nuku comes jogging in with a smile. The short fox colored one looks around sharply before hopping up onto a crate lightly, and hopping from one to the next along the way.
"Do-do-do-doo~" Rukais is pretty far way from the docks, walking down the road towards them. A couple of hovervans pass, bearing cargo in need of shipping and he veers off road to make sure he's safe, holding his hat down as their passing riles up the air.
At times, Eiru's new docks almost seem like a living, breathing creature. Alive with the hum of activity that only builders can manage. Some Fastheldians have taken to setting up stalls close by, offering construction workers a place to spend their hard earned cash. And with the sun slipping ever closer to the horizon, more and more workers are called from their projects by the alluring aroma of home cooked Fastheldian dishes.
Of course, there are others around apart from shop owners and workers. People gather from time to time to see how work is progressing, to watch this part of their new home be completed. At the moment, a small crowd is gathering around an Opodian.
"Hear me! And hear through me Opodi's words!" She booms loudly, the short, panda-like creature standing on a wooden box to be seen above the crowd.
Vessa looks up at Nuku at her arrival, "Hello Nuku," she is about to say more when the Opodai catches her attention and she puts her things away. Standing she begins heading that way to see what is going on.
Nuku pauses in her crate hopping to regard Vessa, "I got it!" she calls out, then pauses, skidding, to look around at the bear like creature. She springs forward, easily bouncing along from crate to crate until she can get a closer, better, vantage point at the shouter. Attention, seized.
Rukais potters down the hill overlooking the docks at his own pace, looking out at the crowds that are gathering together as the day ends. He pauses, for a moment, so he might pull out his pipe and light it.
The Opodian is wearing fine black silk with gold trimmings, a stark contrast to the peasant dull browns and greys of the crowd she addresses. Orange sunlight plays across the backs of the Fastheldians as some listen intently, and some peer suspiciously at the new arrival. A couple of Hiverspacers draw closer to listen, a tupai flutters in to perch on the shoulder of a Hekayti who scratches his manly beard.
"The gods of your people, your illusive Light, are as insubstantial as the promises made of an afterlife of bliss! We! The Children of Opodi, have seen The Hand of Creation at work! And to us it speaks! For would it not have been the will of the Kamir that sent the Nall to Hiverspace? They sent this gift that we squandered!"
"The Nall killed my brother!" One of the humans in the crowd calls out. Others in the crowd raise their fists and make similar shouts.
Vessa sighs and runs a hand through her hair in irritation, "Okay so things I was not hoping for tonight, and yup angry mob is indeed the top of the list. What the hell does this lady think she is doing?" She draws closer to try and be prepared to help the bear or those in the crowd, whichever need help the most, she does move next to directly in front of the Opodian and say quietly, so that few can hear, "I don't advise going further lady."
Sadie looks to Vessa in confusion. "What is going on?" She says as she looks around at the newcomers.
Nuku's ears perk up in surprise. Blasphemy against the radiance! Not on my dock! The short Pyracani scowls at the Opodi in a most unfriendly manner, joining the general wave of ill will being broadcast, though she isn't so far as shouting or throwing things, yet.
"We're all still walking our path, we're all still trying to follow the guides set before us." The female Opodian adjusts her dress and levels a glare at Vessa. "Fool outversers won't listen to reason! The Kamir have walked our worlds, left behind their technology, and these Fastheldians continue to worship this... this light?"
"The Nall butchered us in cold blood!" One member of the crowd calls.
"They kidnapped our councillors!"
Shadows begin to dance along the ground beyond the docks. Silhouettes play with one another along the fused sand path. The air is suddenly a lot more tense. Fastheldian hands find themselves on the hilts of belt knives, hammers, or other building equipment.
Even from as far back as he is, Rukais can tell that something in the crowd is stirring ill. He's closer now, too, close enough to see the Opodian in the center of it all. "Mmm." he manages, past his pipe.
Vessa notices the general motions the Fastheldians make towards weapons and mutters a curse, "No really lady, you really want to stop now."
Sadie takes a step back away from the crowd, looking around nervously.
Shadows are stretching here on the docks, the sun is sinking into the horizon, and a crowd of builders and Fastheldians have gathered around an Opodian, who stands on a tall wooden crate. Her preaching has had a less then desirable effect on the crowd, who seem to be pressing in on all sides, hands on weapons.
"Not until I've finished speaking. These peasant Outversers..." The female Opodian hisses to Vessa, before reaching into the neck of her dress and drawing from it a small pistol. The pistol carries with it the deadly hum of a plasma weapon.
The crowd stands on the edge of eruption, though backs up a few feet, giving the Opodian and her pistol a respectful distance, for now.. Things are about to get very bloody, very soon.
That is until a black cloaked figure springs from the crowd at the Opodian, the blade of its knife catches the evening sun and for just a moment glows bright red.
Rukais is still to far out to really know what's happening. The center of the crowd picks up in commotion and he frowns. "This is no time for my pipe." he offers, to nobody in particular, and takes it from his mouth so he might smother it fully. A glance down at his belt. No holster today. "Mmm." he manages, again.
The female Opodian doesn't know what hit her. One moment she's standing on a wooden box, the next she's falling through the air, a fine knife stuck to the hilt through her chest. The assassin's cloak billows wildly behind it as it jumps off of the Opodian, to land a few feet beyond the crowd. It is recognisable as a Lotorian for the long bushy raccoon like tail that streams behind it, if not for its acrobatics. It hits the ground running.
Vessa draws two pistols and aims at the assassin, good thing for it that these are non-lethal in hopes of asking questions later and she squeezes off a shot from each
Nuku fumbles a moment and snaps out her stun pistol, aiming it at, oh wait that's falling. She follows the cause of the falling with her gun, trying to get a bead on the retreating furry figure.
See Sadie? Why, Rukais was well aware of her backing towards him and carefully moved to one side, allowing a hand to take her shoulder gently and give it a short squeeze. "Though I do appreciate your behind, my dear, I should think following it will only get you into trouble." he doesn't look away from the crowd for his quip, rather, he watches for where the assailant will break out.
Litar, on forced holiday, is not expecting such a crowd on the docks this evening. Rounding the corner, she stops in her tracks as she watches a crowd erupt into violent action. Knives flying, bodies flaily, fur everywhere--it's almost like a festival, except for the blood. And the cloaked figure running around. But the Hek is not a shoot-first-ask-later kind of gal; no, but she does draw out her knife and twirl it in her fingers, skirting sideways and hopefully avoiding stray pistol fire. Hopefully.
It's dusk. Fading sunlight paints the land, and everyone on it in shades of red and orange. A small crowd is gathered around a wooden box where once stood a preaching Opodian. Nuku stands on a crate, Vessa in the crowd, Sadie and Rukais on its edges. Litar has just rounded a corner.
The cloaked assassin has made it a few feet away from the edge of the crowd, running towards town, when Vessa's weaponfire strikes him like a hammer, darts striking his neck and side through his cloak. He stumbles, a fuzzy arm reaching up to try and grasp the dart poking from his neck, before crumpling and falling from the ground.
Nuku's pistol flares brightly, unleashing a bolt of stunning energy directly into the crowd. Several people fall over unconscious. This does not seem to please the already stirred up folk.
The Opodian who was struck with a knife hits the ground, she's already dead. Blood pools around, staining her fine clothes, her open eyes stare sightlessly into the crowd.
"Sorry!" comes Nuku's suddenly small voice moments before she's hopping to the next crate, trying to catch up to her boss(Vessa) as best she can without descending to street level where potentially angry sorts are waiting to instruct her on the importance of gun safety.
Vessa puts the pistols back into her holsters and looks at the crowd, "Calm down folks, things are getting taken care of and we will make sure that the killer is handled by the sheriff's office. If anyone has further complaint they can go there to lodge it."
Sadie turns around quickly, her face apparently faded of color. "Wha- What is going on?"
"Let's find out, mm? Vessa," Rukais calls, moving forward and kneeling down at the unconsious body of the assassin, checking for a pulse first. You never know.
The assassin is still very much alive. He stirs briefly, groaning as he struggles to reach what is no doubt another concealed knife. The Lotorian doesn't manage to even wrap a fuzzy hand around a hilt before being taken by a dreamless sleep.
Angry murmurs rise up from the crowd. Some people mutter that the assassin did well, others murmur that there is no justification for that sort of murder, and more yet level angry glares at Nuku. But they start to disperse. A chilling wind starts to howl across the landscape.
As the violence winds down, Litar flips her knife and holsters it smoothly while watching the line of crates and the Pyracani loping along atop them. The Hekayti's lips are pressed together in a thin line of disapproval, and her attention turns instead to the woman who seems to be the leader amongst the chaos of a dispersing crowd. It is toward this woman that she strides quickly, purposefully, and skirting around the dead body without batting an eyelash. "Excuse me, ma'am," she barks over the din, raising an arm to point a finger at Nuku. "Is this female in your employ?"
Vessa is about to turn to the unconscious assassin when she is hailed, looking at Nuku a moment she nods to Litar, "She is yes, she and I will have words later. What can I do for you Miss?" She says to Nuku, "Just stay put for now, we will work it all out." To Rukais she calls, "He, she, it still out?"
Nuku skids to a stop not from from Vessa, still a bit high up on her perch of crates. She drops to a crouch, looking at Litar and Vessa, "You alright?" she calls down as the deadly(haw) stun pistol is slid back away before it can do any more damage. She appears in no hurry to hop down, no sir.
"Hafta' cut my /blinking/ break short for you blasted hooligans," Rowland grumbles as he trudges up. And he's actually shaking a half-eaten donut with pink icing in the air. He shakes it so hard that it breaks off and falls to the ground. "AND THERE GOES MY DINNER!" Though just as he arrives, the crown begins to dissipate, and Litar appears to be policing. "Well then."
Dusk is fading to night, the land is washed with greys and blacks. An unconscious lotorian assassin lays, crumpled on the floor. Hitman, would probably be a better word to describe his profession, but the flowing midnight black robes and finely crafted knives scream assassin louder. A dead Opodian lies undisturbed in a pool of her own blood, staring into a crowd that seems to be dispersing. Moments ago, she had been preaching to them. Several civilians lay in crumpled heaps where a stun pistol was fired so badly, not only did it miss its mark, but it managed to catch several innocents. Several. That has to be some kind of achievement. It's the start of a fine night's work for Eiru law enforcement.
"Lotorian nervous systems are denser than ours," Rukais murmurs as Vessa calls, "I think this one'll be out for a while." to be sure, however, he pats the assassin down for any other weapons that it might have concealed, placing them behind him so that he is between the lotorian and any danger it might pose.
"Vess?" Sadie looks at Vessa, confused. She looks at the stunned civilians, her eyes wide.
An 'lo does Sheriff Lomasa crest the hill, riding his trusty rickirr - Ruarc - down the path on a casual patrol toward the docks. That is, of course, until he takes notice of the mess before him. Norran stares at the scene with a stern frown, quiet for a moment before he taps the bud in his ear.
"...this is Sheriff Lomasa. We appear to have a...situation...on the docks. Requesting backup, medical personnel."
Litar takes a deep breath, checking her irritation and eyeballing Vessa for a moment. "Perhaps a remedial weapons safety course, as well, and perhaps a dummy weapon. That is what I do with green recruits who are a little--hmm--trigger happy. Luckily for her and the rest it was merely a stun weapon." She glances to Nuku once, shrugs, and turns away. Her interest lies not in the dead, but instead in the four unconscious people. Nuku glances around from atop her small pile of crates while doing a reasonable impression of being able to sink into said crates. The large ears she has are not entirely for decoration, and as her poor performance is spoken of, she sags in a most sad way.
"Yes yes, she's quite right, about guns and all, y- seven hells, someone's shot!" Rowland abandons the lecture and jogs over. "Nothing to see here folks, move along!" he shouts at the people obviously leaving. "Hrn, I guess dead bodies aren't all that interesting anymore. What've we got, another zelot?" Perhaps in poor taste, he nudges the Opodian with his boot. Then Norran trots up on his /raptor thing/ and Rowland wrinkles his nose.
Vessa nods to Litar, "That is the plan now, she has already been working on practice, at least that was my understanding." She doesn't look at Nuku at the moment, instead turning to Rukais, "Ah good, now that law enforcement are here, perhaps they can get out of it why it stabbed an idiot Opodian." To Sadie she shoots a smile and a shrug, "Things will work out." To Rowland she says, "Not shot, stabbed by the unconcious Lotorian over there by Rukais."
The Opodian has in fact been stabbed, quite brutally. The knife is still stuck in her chest, up to its hilt, which has been finely engraved with runic symbols.
Rukais manages to collect a fair pile of weapons from the unconscious Lotorian, who upon closer inspection appears to also be a female. She was carrying on her person several hidden blades, several knives, vials of poison, needles, a few small plasma guns and one small stun pistol.
Rukais is careful not to contaminate anything by getting his grubby fingers all over them, so when he can he uses the cuff of his sleeve to pull weaponry from their hiding places. Once he's done he pulls the Lorotian over, so it is facing up.
Nuku looks towards the dead person, then sits down properly, small legs dangling off the edge of her crate and her eyes on the knot of people that Vessa is in the midst of, otherwise quiet and patient.
Norran hops off of his rickirr, giving the creature a pat on the neck before he heads off toward the crowd. He reaches to his belt to unclip his badge holder, raising his sheriff's star above his head as he wades into the scene. "I am Sheriff Lomasa with the Eiru Sheriff's Department, and this is now a crime scene! All of you, please keep your distance. If you have any information for us, please stay put and wait for a deputy to speak with you! Thank you very much!" he calls into the crowd, making his way toward the stun victims and the dead Opodian and trying to figure out what the hell is going on.%
The flashing lights of emergency vehicles can be seen just over the hill while distant sirens draw closer, making their way down the road.
Sadie walks over to sit next to Nuku on a crate next to her. She remains quiet.
What fastheldians and hiverspacers remain, divide into two groups. Some of them are trying to slink away unnoticed, and others remain to be questioned. The flash of cameras can already be seen as a few people start taking holosnaps of the corpse and assassin, or at least trying to.
Vessa moves to block the view of the picture takers with a scowl, "That is quite enough of that." She stares down anyone who tries to challenge her on the point.
Rowland Parnell eyes that steed of Norran's suspiciously before fumbling to do as the sheriff instructs. "Right, er, you there... Rukais? Now I remember! The jogger! What did you witness exactly?" Then the flashes come, and he starts to shake his fist again. "Get out of here ya' buzzing pillocks!"
Nuku scratches under her chin lightly, "No honor in just running up and gutting someone like that," she mutters, "Should challenge to a proper fight, give a fighting change, then radiance smite them down for being a right blasphemer."
Most of the people with cameras scram, but one remains. A small Lotorian with big, shining round eyes and fuzzy tipped ears. He lets his camera hang from his neck by a strap and pulls out his PDA, little fingers already working the holographic display furiously. "Hello! Hello there! Is this one of the many murders on Eiru? Perhaps the work of a serial killer? Can you confirm that the latest changes to Eiru's leadership have done nothing to stem the flow of Outverser crime?"
Vessa scowls at the Lotorian, "I do believe that the Eiru government is doing all they can to keep the people of Eiru safe. Perhaps you should speak with them and keep from taking inappropriate pictures."
"Reub James Rukais, actually... Deputy?" the pilot replies, turning and offering Rowland his military ID as a matter of immediate courtesy, "And what I saw, exactly, was a Lotorian jump out of the crowd at an Opodian before breaking through and being tazed in the upper back by the woman over there. Her name is Vessa. I gather this one was responsible for /that/." He indicates Vessa first and then aims a hand towards the dead Opodian body. "So I checked her over for weapons. Quite the collection there. I was as discreet as I could be, removing them."
"Everyone here, /stay put/ until your statements are taken!" yells Norran, breathing a sigh of relief as the reinforcements begin to show up. Before they do, he glances over to Rowland with a raised brow. "You there. Identify yourself, is there a reason why you're acting like a deputy? I don't see a badge, and I don't recognize you," he queries of the man, walking to approach.
And so do the vehicles crest the hill, about half a dozen patrol hovercars along with a couple ambulances. The docks are filled with pulsing lights, red, blue and yellow as the vehicles pull up to the scene.
Deputies of various races emerge from the patrol hovercars while similarly varied EMTs pop out of the ambulances. About a dozen deputies are here now and then set to work securing the scene, a couple men establishing a perimeter while the rest work at keeping the crowd back and taking witness statements. The few EMTs make their way amongst the victims.
Norran nods to a few of the deputies as they arrive and the chaos begins to subside.
Rowland Parnell nods slowly, scratching his chin, all too glad to /seem/ like a detective. "I seeeeee..." Then the god damn cavalry rolls in and his job is made far less important. Just as he begins to lament the loss of his donut, Norran questions his authority. With a snarky scoff, he slowly turns to face the Fastheldian and gestures plainly to the spot where his badge ought to be. Then realizes it's not there. "What the... I swear I put it on this morning! ... That bloody drycleaning woman stole it! Er, Sheriff, shouldn't we be focusing on this apparent assassin?"
"Ah, some real authority... and a badge to match." Rukais glances sideways at Norran, giving Rowland a 'how could you?' expression. "Sherrif, I trust you'll appreciate a full statement," his ID is offered away from Rowland, now, "...And I would appreciate not having to return to town to make it."
Sadie slides off her crate she was sitting on as she notices some authority in the area.
"Shades," grumbles Norran, shaking his head at Rowland as he crosses his arms. "Name and badge number, deputy. After that, if you're not entirely full of horse manure, I want you to go around and work on the statements here of what happened. Got it?" tells Lomasa of Rowland with a stern look, turning his attention back to Rukais. "Sheriff Lomasa. I can take your statement right here, Sir. First, can you give me your name? Then, tell me what you saw," he requests, pulling out a notebook and a pencil from his pocket and flipping it over to the first page.
Vessa stands with arms crossed and waits for someone to get to her and is in no hurry to get out of any remaining picture taker's way
"James Rukais," the pilot repeats, indicating his purple military ID so that Norran might take it. "And beginning with the start of the incident, I was walking down this hill and I could see a large crowd, mixed races, mostly human - dockworkers and such. The crowd was gathered around the dead Opodian... still alive at that point, I think it was using that crate as a soapbox. Shouting out to the crowd, I couldn't hear."
Litar lingers, if only to assist the EMTs in their assessment of the stun victims. Having worked her way through all of them to check for breathing and heartbeats, she moves off to the side as the EMTs begin to work. Crossing her arms over her substantial bosom, she squints in irritation and watches the chaotic crawl of bodies stomping around the crime scene. Her attention focuses once more on Vessa, but rather than lecturing the woman as she approaches, she instead adds some considerable height and bulk to the impromptu blockade. "These fucking ikendigs," she curses beneath her breath, glancing sideways to Vessa in search of agreement. "Feasting on the flesh of the dead, profiting from misery and destruction. Where is the honor in such a farce, eh?"
Rowland Parnell struggles to keep his cool here, evidently not used to all of this scrutiny. And he tries not to openly pout. Very reluctantly, he grumbles out a, "Parnell, 309," but eventually crumbles under that hard look and moves to catch up with Vessa. "Fancy seeing you here. All right, what did /you/ witness then?" He regards Litar with a look of thanks, at least.
Vessa nods with emphasis to Litar's words, "Yup fuckin vultures every one of em. I mean seriously, where is some respect?" She looks up to Litar and nods, "My name is Vessa by the way." then her attention goes back to keeping said vultures away with a menacing scowl. Vessa then nods to Rowland, "I was over by the edge of the dock when the Opodian started spouting some mess and the people here didn't like it. So I moved to the front of the crowd to try and talk sense into her. While I was there the one in the cloak jumped out and stabbed her. I got my riot pistols out and shot the cloaked one before she could get far then Nuku, my employee, decided to try to do the same at the same time with her stun pistol and uh missed, badly, getting the crowd."
A few moments on his comm, and Norran gives a nod. "Alright, Parnell. Don't do that again without at least identifying yourself as a deputy, first. And next time - call for backup," admonishes Lomasa of Rowland, turning his attention back to Rukais as he diligently takes down his information. He takes the man's badge, jotting down the relevant details before handing them back to Rukais. "Alright, what happened next?"
"Four of the crowd, anyway," Litar amends Vessa's statement, squinting and glancing over her shoulder. The four appear to be relatively unscathed, inasmuch as anyone can be after being tazed. "It's about as she says."
"I was stood about this far back from the crowd and I could see the Lotorian pounce up on the Opodian before attempting to push out through the crowd this way, towards the town. The woman, Vessa, got a shot to the back of the neck and the Lotorian went down like a sack of rocks. People in the crowd fell over from shots from up high, but I was distracted by the Lotorian." Rukais continues his statement, gesticulating when required.
As Norran goes on to reprimand Rowland, even with his back turned, he lifts his hand and makes the 'flapping jaws' motion, poorly lip synching. Well, after Vessa has finished her account. "Looks like the EMTs have gotten to them at least. Did the Lotorian yell anything? Any sort of slogan?" he asks both Litar and Vessa.
Vessa shakes her head, "Not that I heard, just poof there she was being all stabby. I wish I was faster as I wasn't able to stop the killer." she sounds more then a little frustrated about that."
"Someone shot into the crowd? You didn't see who?" asks Norran next of Rukais as he jots away the details in his notepad. Parnell's taunting gets the deputy and even harsher look for Norran, his eyes narrowing. "Listen, /deputy/. I was being nice just now. I'm being nice now. If being nice doesn't get me what I need, which is my deputies handling themselves appropriately, I can be /mean/. You do not want to be on my shitlist, Deputy. I will have your pay docked and have your Light-forsaken ass scraping barnacles out of a Satai's colon for the next month until you shape up. Now, would you rather I be nice or /mean/, Deputy? I'd rather not be mean."
"No, I did not. Not in my eyeline." Rukais replies to Norran, letting him spiel in peace.
"I did not hear anything from the person with the cloak," Litar replies, attention straying as she listens to Norran. "I think they were busy killing the furball, to be honest. Besides, assassins should be a bit quiet about their work, hmm? Not a people who are into bandying about battle cries and public announcements as to their intentions."
Rowland Parnell stiffens right up, that tongue-lashing quite unexpected. But he stands there and takes it, chin dipping, shoulders drooping. "I'd rather you be nice, sir," he finally stammers in a low voice, and this makes him whip out a very unused notepad and pen, turning back to face Vessa, several shades paler. "Too right," he nods to Litar, scribbling things down. "We'll be inspecting the Lotorian then. Or, well, interrogating it. Her. Anything else you want to add?"
Vessa shakes her head though she nodded in agreement with Litar and tries not to look marginally amused at Rowland's predicament with his new boss man. "Only that I would like to be kept informed of anything that will happen to my employee due to this. She will be going into mandatory training as soon as it is possible."
Litar glances to Vessa, looking marginally amused by the statement. "Perhaps in the future not arming green recruits at all would be wise. If you want any other tips for dealing with the eager new recruits, I have much advice to offer." She returns her attention to Rowland. "Let it be noted that from what I saw, the Pyracani only helped in stunning four of the 'victims' in the crowd. If anyone else is injured, it wasn't her doing."
"/Thank you/, Deputy. I'm sorry I had to chew you out, but I let that go and it ends up nobody listening to a thing I say. People act reckless, and then they die. You do your best and represent the department proudly, Deputy, and we'll get along just fine. That's all I ask," tells Norran of Rowland, his stern expression fading as the need for it fades and he turns his attention back to Rukais. "Well then, is that everything? If it is, I'll just need your contact information and then you're free to go," tells the Sheriff of Rukais.
Norran flags down a deputy who's standing around, pointing to the unconscious Lotorian as he speaks, "Deputy! Ride along with the EMT to the hospital and cuff him to his bed. I want two men on that room at all times."
The deputy nods at Norran's orders, going through all of the Lotorian's stuff and handing all of them off to another deputy to catalog for evidence, before going along with the EMTs as they load the Lotorian up in the ambulance and set off for the hospital.