Knights in shining armor

The Bazaar - The Warren : Shadowheart, Tomin Kora

The Warren

''Bustling. That one word describes this large and crowded open area that covers very nearly the entire length and width of the ruined skyscraper, and dull concrete and steel walls rise seventy-five feet above the floor. A thick web of catwalks and ramps begin around twenty feet up the walls, making it nearly impossible to see the ceiling from the floor. The lighting is dim, the only source of illumination being the bewildering array of luminescent signs that indicate an equally bewildering number of shops and stalls, many of them set into the walls above the floor and serviced only by ramps and walkways.''

''An amazing variety of trinkets, foodstuffs, and other small and generally cheap items are available from the vendors on the floor and the first few levels of walkways. As one moves higher up along the walls, the shops begin to get seedier. The top level of walkways and the vendors on it deal mainly in goods anywhere else would consider illicit. From the top level of catwalks, stairways lead up to the section of the Warren known as Level One.''

''A gaudy sky-blue sign over a doorframe on the floor proclaims 'The Expanse - Bar and Casino'. Bright blue-white light spills from the entrance.''

Hadassah

The woman before you appears to be quite young. She is middle-sized, her figure slim, skin tone dark - nearly black, and shoulder-length curly black hair reminiscent of earth Brazilians. Her green eyes, always looking down, add to that exotic look. She is wrapping herself in a too large coat, but sometimes you can see she is wearing a mid-thigh length, flowing colorful skirt, and a white low cut and very close to the bust tee-shirt. Her hands are gloved.

Pierce

A tall and slender Sivadian man in his mid-twenties, with clear white skin and dark, midnight-black hair that shows a mildly exotic white streak. His nose and chin are pointed and sharp, and his deep green eyes survey the space around him attentively. He stands just shy of two meters, his slightly muscular, but lithe body rising erect and aristocratic above most humans. His well-trimmed hair, the short black goatee he wears and the seemingly manicured hands show signs of a carefully cultivated appearance. He wears a dark dining jacket, a waistcoat of light sanguine color, and a white shirt topped by a pale silver cravat held by a discreet golden pin. His trousers are carefully tailored, and black, matching the jacket. He carries a long walking stick made of ebony wood, topped by a silver handle with explicit hand guards, showing it as obviously a 'concealed' blade.

Wiendrbac is a simple figure, a single man ducking in and out of sight in the poorly illuminated shopping area, red light bringing him into focus, blue softening his lines, before he steps into another collection of shadows. As of right now, he isn't aware of anybody, at least no more then what wisdom demands. Pierce turns to stare at the La Terran, looking away from the several dubious goods for sale.

Hadassah continues to walk through the crowd uneasily, looking for... something, trying to avoid being bumped in, or wandering hands.

A slim figure in black stands in front of Hadassah as she meanders through the crowd, an aquiline nose breaking into a sniff. A larger, broader man steps in behind the Specialist. "MMmmm... what do we have here? You stand out, little lady." The smaller of the two says with a leer. The man behind, still approaching, makes no effort to hide the noises he makes, even responding. "Though I got a place I think she'd fit right in."

Wiendrbac is ignorant of any going ons, instead stopping at a small stall, studying the goods offered.

Pierce rolls his eyes, standing close to the slim woman and briefly glancing at the tall man. "Is he bothering you, madam?"

Hadassah turns around as a man calls after her, and pales, stepping back. "Stand out? I..." she turns to Pierce, and smiles weakly, "It's OK, thank you."

Hadassah whispers, "You know any ship leaving here soon?" to Pierce.

Pierce whispers: I know one who'll be leaving in a few days. It's a small indie one, but I think the owner can be trusted.

The bigger man looks down at Pierce, snorting in amusement. A hand is shown, brass glinting across a very 'large' hand. "'ey, it's two pretty ladies!" The smaller of the two smirks, "That's no woman, Urc. Though he'll do fine for a few other things, if he doesn't back off." The small man reaches out, grasping at Hadassah's wrist. "Now come on, and peacefully, and nobody gets fucked up." A pause, and another leer, "Well, not entirely true, but no more than necessary."

The La Terran has looked up, spotting the conflict, suddenly tense. His lips move in a silent prayer, or admonition, perhaps even a curse. Whatever it is, he doesn't look pleased.

Pierce tightens the grip on the hilt of his cane, looking at the La Terran as if asking for a queue.

Hadassah tries to jerk away from the little man, "Leave me alone!" Luckily for her, a grip on a glove is a slippery one - and she frees herself ; but that shows what her gloves were hiding, the specialist barcode.

The big man snorts at Pierce, planting a heavy hand on Hadassah's shoulder, as she jerks her hand free from the smaller man, who looks down at the glove, then the barcode. "Oh, shit, it's a specialist. Even fuckin' better. You tell them to lay back and they will." The big man grunts, "Well, this one is bringin' some friends in." The big man glares first at Pierce, then the approaching La Terran.

Wiendrbac says, "Excuse me, dudes, but ya seem to have found my poor specialist. She really needs to get back on the ship now, if ya don't mind us taking her off your hands."

Pierce grins back at the large man, nodding. "Ah, Jack, good seeing you 'ere. I was just looking around for her, you know how confused she gets when she's away from the ship."

Hadassah freezes under the big man's hand, too scared for words. "They... They are my owners." she says, her voice trembling. "You... let me go?”

"Fuck off, you clowns." The small man says, reinforced by the large monster behind Hadassah, large hand still resting on her shoulder. The other drops to grab a handful of professionally engineered toosh, squeezing fondly. "You want sloppy seconds, you wait."

"Ah, well, I just have one thing to say then." Wiendrbac responds, a sincere smile stretching across his face, then he throws himself against the larger man's bulk, just managing to push the man off balance, free hand slapping around Hadassah's bar-coded wrist. "RUN!" He takes off, Hadassah's hand in his assuming she doesn't attempt to stop him, letting Pierce decide between bravery and wisdom.

Pierce gapes in surprise. Very briefly, as he darts off, running away graciously and moving his cane to whip the back of the smaller man's head, distracting him.

Hadassah's obedience kicks in back, ready to run with Wiendrbac as he grabs her hand.

The big man blinks, stumbling slightly, bending down to pick up a rock and throw it toward the racing pair. The throw is fairly accurate, but fortunately, just bounces off Wiendrbac's flak jacket. The smaller of the two man ducks under the cane, snarling, standing back up and whipping out a small pistol. The trigger is compressed, a wild barrage of red slashes screaming through the night, a sign splintering overhead and falling down on sparks on the fleeing trio, smoldering in hair and clothing. People react as people react on Tomin Kora, a lot of them getting down and out of the way, others, drawing guns and opening fire on the pair, sending them scurrying for cover, misinterpreted hostility returned with the same.

Pierce lets out a triumphant 'Ha!' as he ducks for cover under the gunfire, watching the crowd gun down the pair. Once he finds himself in (relative) safety, he easily gets back on his feet and darts after Hadassah and the La Terran.

Hadassah whimpers the sign falls close to them, but continues to run with her unknown helpers, wherever they go.

Pierce nods and smiles at Hadassah as he picks up his pace, running beside them.

Wiendrbac curses as he continues forward, out of the bazaar, and back to the lovely landing field.

Landing Field 

Shadowheart

''Once upon a time, a crimelord named Boss Cabrerra built the domed city of Shadowheart. Starships entered through a series of atmospheric locks in the upper hemisphere of the dome and landed atop a framework structure called the landing aerie. Visitors would then ride Cabrerra Industries shuttles from the aerie to the spaceport. More than 1,000 feet tall, the aerie was the tallest structure within the cityscape. And then, in the year 3004, the domed city fell into disarray with the spread of the Nexus Curse plague and the destruction of Cabrerra Industries. The landing aerie toppled in an explosion after the destruction of Majordomo Grim - the right hand of the Kamir.''

''A 100 yard by 100 yard square patch of dusty ground has been cleared in the wreckage of the fallen aerie to create a makeshift landing field. Vessels that remain landed for any length of time are often guarded by crew. Occasionally, the guards come under attack by pirates, brigands or just plain desperate people trying to get off world with their ships.''

The nebula above glows a vibrant violet-blue as the white dwarf star Tomin glows in the sky.

Wiendrbac leads the group back to the Landing Field, letting go of Hadassah hands to bend over his knees, gulping up air.

Hadassah is panting heavily as they arrive at the landing pad. She looks to the two men, "You .... Thanks..." as Wiendrbac bends over, she gently touches his shoulder, "You OK? You weren’t touched?"

Pierce nods at Hadassah, smiling warmly and extending a hand to her after taking a deep breath, recovering from the run. "Pierce Harris the third, delighted to meet you."

Wiendrbac tenses up at the touch on his shoulder, looking at Hadassah for a moment, and slowly straightens with a nod as Pierce introduces himself. "No.. Don’t worry about me. I'm good."

Hadassah smiles to Pierce, and presses his hand. "Pierce... Pierce Harris. I will remember." she looks around, "Do you, one of you... fly out of this place soon? I can't pay you - now, but I promise, I will pay you later, when I can..."

Pierce rubs his chin, shrugging. "Jack, you have any objection to her hitchhiking with us?"

Wiendrbac plants a hand on her shoulder, the other moving to the Artemis. "That's mine. We'll be here awhile longer, but you're welcome to call it home until we leave." He looks down at the barcode, but decides against commenting. "Jack Wiendrbac."

Hadassah looks to the Artemis, and nods, "If you don't mind. I can help around, you know, to earn my keep". She follows Wiendrbac's eyes, and blushes, tugging her coat's sleeve to try hiding the barcode.

Wiendrbac raises an eyebrow at the strange gesture. "Look... Let's get inside, we can talk further there, if we like." Wiendrbac turns to enter the ship, leaving the two there for now.

Crew Quarters 

''The narrow passage opens up into a small wardroom. The space is ingeniously outfitted, the furniture and surfaces configured to serve either under nominal local gravity conditions, or that provided by the freighter's own acceleration. Furthermore the room is done in a light-grained wood paneling with brass accents and fittings. Flanking the wardroom are a set of personal sleeping niches, with each empty bunk module containing a bed with built in cabinetry and storage lockers. One of these sleeping compartments has been emptied of its normal furnishings and not sports a nautilus-style exercise machine bolted sturdily to the floor and ceiling in a gravity-from-ventral style. Forward, a fresher unit is located portside, while to the starboard is a complicated wall of intricate machinery and electronics that makes up the ship's kitchenette. The room is softly illuminated, gentle light flowing down from coves recessed into the dorsal and side wall framing. The deck plates have a brass sheen to them and are sturdy and diamond gridded, providing a bright if utilitarian finish to the space.''

The room is a mess, dirty clothes thrown everywhere, plates with slices of pizza left in random spots, without rhyme or reason. Wiendrbac looks around, "It's not much, but it's home, and you're welcome to use it... uhhhh, what's your name, girl?"

Hadassah follows the men inside, "I had just got off that cargo... It hasn't taken me long to get into trouble." she blushes and hesitates a bit, at Wiendrbac's question. "Esther."

Pierce takes a seat at one of the least dirty beds, setting his cane carefully beside him. "So, what were you doing in this place, Esther?"

"Esther." Wiendrbac repeats, attempting a comforting smile. "That's a pretty name. Pizza, soda, and booze in the fridge. Help yourself, if you're hungry." He looks to Pierce. "You too."

Hadassah sits on the closest free bunk, and gets rid of her coat. "A long story. I hid in those crates, hoping we'd be landing somewhere nice, like Sivad. Got out once we arrived here, but I could not find any other cargo to hide in..."

Pierce sighs, standing up, shaking his head and opening the fridge to look for something that isn't stale. "Ah, Sivad. I might take you there some day," he says, his voice trailing off into a song.

Wiendrbac moves to his bunk, slowly, carefully. A close observation can see him favoring his side a bit, as he begins to un-strap his flak jacket slowly. "What were you running away from, and what can you do? We gotta another Specialist on board, goes by Alistair. He's the cook."

Hadassah swallows. "I wanted to see the world, prove my owner I - a specialist- could manage by myself." she laughs darkly. "Guess I am wrong, and I should go back, right?" she observes Wiendrbac a bit. "I am a nurse, a secretary, and a lab assistant."

Pierce rubs his chin, nodding at Hadassah. "I might be able to find employment for a secretary. I'm a foreign correspondent for the Sivadian Post-Dispatch."

Wiendrbac snorts, pulling the flak jacket and his coat off in one movement, slowly sitting down on his bunk with a wince. "Look, specialist or now, we all need help. Especially considering the surroundings."

Hadassah nods to Pierce, "Could you? But on Sivad..." she frowns, and looks at her wrist. "I'd need to hide that." she stands up and comes toward Wiendrbac, "Let me examine you, you seem to hurt." she offers very gently.

Wiendrbac holds up a gloved hand and a forced smile, "No, I'm good."

Pierce nods at Hadassah, rubbing his chin. "Hum. I'm in contact with some people in low places. There's got to be a way of getting it removed. Or I can just keep you out of Sivad; I don't go there very often these days."

Hadassah steps back from Wiendrbac, and nods slowly. "As you wish." she tilts her head to Pierce, "Master told me it was coded in my genes for the code bar to appear, it's not like a tattoo one could erase..." she steps back and sits on her bunk, shivering a little. "Those men... I had seen some mean men when Master was working here, but not that mean."

Wiendrbac rubs his side, nodding thoughtfully. "Yeah, was a pretty close call. Glad we could help though."

Pierce nods, grinning. "Happens a lot on this planet, I hear. Good thing I was around."

Hadassah nods slowly, "Without you..." she shudders.”Guess I'd have to obey them. I'd much rather obey you."