0006: NEW ARRIVAL BRIEFING

[crux_npcs]

Who: New Arrivals, Graham Baker
Where: Briefing Room
When: Late afternoon, Aprilo 1st
Warnings: None

When awakening, the immediate surroundings are swarming with activity. The people in the medical ward are polite and understanding, but firmly refuse to answer questions until the briefing. They move with a practiced efficiency, already veterans of this kind of thing. The same goes for the robots in the hangars. Either given hospital outfits resembling very comfortable pajamas, drone bodies, or their own bodies, they are escorted by polite, unyielding people in red and black uniforms to the briefing room.

The Briefing room is large. Not enough to accommodate a giant, but spacious enough for several dozen people. The tiles are black and featureless while the walls are nice, soothing colors. The chairs are high-backed and well-cushioned, more like comforting eggs floating a foot or so off the ground than anything else. Set into the ceiling and floor near the front is a large holographic projector. The floor in front of each seat also has a smaller projector, allowing people to see what the bigger device is showing without having to angle for a view. As of now, it merely displays a rotating pyramid.

Three Security personnel, dressed in their red and black uniforms, stand at ease in the rooms in strategic areas. One man stands at the head. Graham Baker, a middle-aged man showing the first signs of balding and wearing a wrinkled business suit, clasps his hands behind his back and smiles.

[Questions to the NPCs will go in the briefing thread. The rest of the post is there for people to mill about and do whatever with. The mods will not be doing hangar/medical awakenings unless it's specifically asked for.]

Comments

[cyphered]

So Charlie was from Exsilium too. Chloe would be overjoyed. Or she might have been, if Lazarevic wasn't in the picture. He manages to keep up his facade, but out of everyone present, his lies were easily the shittiest.

"Not long enough to forget that bullshit," he replies, shaking his head. "New digs, pal. Back in space again too, if the space ships didn't clue you in."

He makes little circular motions with his fingers over his head.

"At least you get your own room this time, yeah?" he adds with a toothy grin.

[alittlesweptup]

"Yeah, I managed that much thanks." Which is all bluff wit more than it is strictly sarcasm. He angles the line of his shoulders slightly, clearly meaning to move away from the rest of the group slowly trickling from briefing and the line to retrieve their personal belongings.

"Anyone else come along for the ride? --As lovely as it is to see your face of course, darling." Christ, he feels as if he's stepped off the transport pad with a batch of new arrivals. Which could be all this is. Same universe, different rules isn't outside the scope of imagination. Like Nate has said - this wasn't exactly the first time the Initiative had landed them in space.

[cyphered]

The dreaded question. While they move away from the table, he makes a show of glancing back to see if anyone else might be following then before shaking his head.

"You can't tell me that, I haven't even gotten to shave," he chuckles. "Looks like its just you and me, buddy."

He gives Charlie a once-over, squinting at the placement of his gun and letting his eyes slip upward to change the subject. "Got everything? I can at least get you to the apartments."

[alittlesweptup]

Which doesn't mean it'll stay that way. Though maybe it does. The thought springs something taut high in his chest and for a second Charlie finds himself glancing back as well - briefly, compulsively searching the faces there for something recognizable.

"That's the lot of it," he says, voice absent - distracted. He looks back to Nate, sets his jaw. Right. Get on with it, Cutter. "No grand tour?"

[cyphered]

"I can make that happen after you find somewhere to sleep," he adds smoothly, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and leading him away. Better to get out of the area before someone wanders over that he doesn't want to see, be it Chloe or Lazarevic.

"I mean, its no snowy tundra, but its pretty easy to navigate once you know where you're going," he adds. "Even for you."

[alittlesweptup]

"Oi, shove off y'bastard." It earns Nate an easy elbow toward the rips as they move. Beyond that Charlie makes no real move to shrug him off for maybe three, four paces before he catches his hand against Nate's ribs - shoves him away with a snort and a sidelong glance and the edge of a smile, quick and fleeting and sliding quickly from his face.

"So, what's the setup then? Find a gig to work yet?"

[cyphered]

Nate makes a small and slightly unhappy hand gesture. "Nothing exciting -- honestly, market's kind of shady. Shadier than what comes with the territory, I mean. Pretty good at covering its tracks in all elements. Haven't seen anyone pop up dead in an alleyway yet, so that's a start."

He seems to pick up that he's rambling, since he's stopped and forgotten where he was going. Nate picks back up on the trail easy enough though, and continues talking.

"The staff here is pretty big on contributing to their little movement. They'll want you to saddle up, or pick up a book -- which I'm pretty sure is reason the demand is so low," Nate adds, rubbing his thumb against his two fingers to complete his implication. The Black Market seemed healthy on the outside, but when it came down to it, nobody wanted anything that was easy to lift -- and anything that was difficult to lift was also difficult to price.

"But I'm sure we can work something out."

[alittlesweptup]

'Contributing.' Which meant back to being shoved around by every Tom, Dick and Harry who thought they could swing it. Christ. "Got that much from the military recruitment posters outside briefing."

The state of the Black Market doesn't come as much of a surprise either. Closed off economy on the ass end of the solar system (or universe, whatever you like) on top of someone mentioning fabbers, rendering cheap bullshit even cheaper-- At least this place seemed big, densely populated. Easier to slip away. Made a good market for running quick cons.

Charlie follows a half step behind, eyes flicking across their surroundings as they go, fumbling with the comm band around his wrist. "No tracking system in these, as far as you know?"

[cyphered]

"Not that I know of," he echoes, folding his hands behind his back. "Which means they probably have their ways. Hasn't meant a thing so far -- but I haven't dipped my hand into anything military related, so I can't imagine anyone is too interested in following me around yet."

Nate turns around and starts to walk backwards, offering Charlie an easy grin. "Though I'll bet they'll love to see a big fella like you playing security."

[alittlesweptup]

Charlie grimaces, a hand flying up half in protest and half in self-defense. "Yeah, yeah." The 'piss off' is implied. "What've they got you at? Judging from the efficiency of our alien overlords, it's something that utilizes your skill set yeah? Bagging greens at the corner market maybe."

[cyphered]

"Very funny," he replies, nearly tripping over a crack in the road. He takes it as a cue to wait until Charlie catches up, at which point he'll shoulder him. "Dont stress too much. They leave you to your business for a few weeks. I've been brushing up on space history in the mean time."

Its accented with a shrug. "Not much to it, or anything else they're trying to shove in my head really. Don't know how long I'm going to keep up with it, seeing that I learn faster on my own."

[alittlesweptup]

"Yes darling, you're very clever and pretty. Everyone's rather impressed." Another jab with the elbow, Charlie still fiddling with the comm device. "Forward me any notes you've got, would you?" Getting a jump on things wouldn't hurt and fumbling with new tech, new rules, new people made for a good distraction.

Not that he's thinking about needing one. Nate, all lame wisecracks and brief points of contact, walking at a clip along the lane is really all he needs. So long as he doesn't think too much (hard to do), so long as he doesn't let himself settle into his own skin too quickly, there'll be nothing to fuss over.

Really.

[cyphered]

"Common knowledge, mate. Hard to hide when its all in plain sight," Nate adds smoothly, abruptly looping his arm with Charlie's the next time he tries to jab him, patting one broad shoulder. At the request for knowledge, some of the humor in his expression dies.

"I can send you what I've got, but this place isn't much like Exsilium in that respect. They don't have much set up for the new folks beyond what you got a few minutes ago," he sighs, not bothering to unloop his arm as he reaches over to tap a few buttons on his own communicator. In a few short moments, Charlie will be pinged by a small text file.

"I haven't been here long, but I managed to gather some stuff." He takes a moment to tap his pocket where his journal sits -- where the majority of his notes sit.

[alittlesweptup]

"Figures. We're on a bloody space fleet and they still can't put together a half respectable crib sheet." He doesn't bother unlinking their arms as he accesses the file, bringing it up and thumbing through the contents - skimming, not really taking much of it in.

[cyphered]

"Tell me about it," he adds unhelpfully. "Though by the looks of things, we're some of the first arrivals they've had to deal with. Could be a work in progress."

He lifts his head from his watch, letting his other hand fall to his side while Charlie skims and Nate continues to lead until they approach the apartments. "Besides, you've got me. That's like the next best thing, right?"

[alittlesweptup]

Charlie shoots him a sidelong glance, snorting for effect. "You're good mate, but you're not that good."

But there are indeed worse things in the world. Or universe-- whatever you like. He could make a list enumerating those points, but it'd be god awful long and dull on top of everything else (or depressing, and he's not thinking about that; he has his arm linked with Nate's and they're meandering down the damned space promenade instead).

As they approach the structure, Charlie gives it a nod. "I take it this is the place?"

[cyphered]

"You got it, chief," he confirms, stuffing his other hand in his pocket and subconsciously unlinking their arms. Not that he wasn't happy to keep going along merrily down the road, but one couldn't be too careful. "They'll let you hang around in there for free as long as you contribute to their little conglomerate somehow."

Something seems to dawn on Nate and he turns just enough to throw Charlie a knowing smirk. "Speaking of conglomerates, there's at least one building in this dump I know you'll appreciate," he adds, nodding off in another direction. He only knew because he had spent a lot of time there himself the passed two weeks instead of doing work for Lazarevic.

[alittlesweptup]

"Well now you've got my curiosity piqued." Charlie goes so far as to shoot a glance in the same direction as if he half expects said building to be lit up for his convenience. "If it's not a proper pub, I'm not sure I want to hear about it."

[cyphered]

"Sorry, mate," he concedes, turning and walking in said direction. So much for the apartments. "Haven't locked on any of those yet. Kind of insane, when you think about it." Judging by the light switch in tone, this is actually a cause of annoyance for him. He could have very much used a good drink or two the passed month.

"When's the last time you've read anything that wasn't a how-to guide or shitty UE propaganda, Charlie?"

[alittlesweptup]

Which prompts a painfully suspicious sidelong look to be thrown in Nate's direction. Technically speaking, prior to the nuclear attack Exsilium had been in a possession of a if not thorough at least semi-respectable library. But as far as he'd been able to tell, it hadn't survived the transition. He hadn't read anything but AI datapacks for something like eight months.

"You had better not be having one over on me, Drake."

[cyphered]

"That'd be cruel even for me, Charlie."

He nods his head off in said direction and starts to walk, stuffing his hands in his pockets stiffly until the pistol in his bicep starts to bother him, at which point he will relax. He hasn't eaten a damn thing all day due to nerves -- Charlie's arrival hadn't helped.

There were so many things he wanted to say. To warn Charlie of Lazarevic, to try and convince Charlie to help him get Chloe out of dodge...but the reality of it was that neither desire outweighed the desire to keep Charlie from running face first into death.

He'd have to figure something else out.

"Don't tell me you don't trust me."

[alittlesweptup]

He follows by instinct. Say what you like about the bastard, Nate has a way of inspiring that in people. Or he's got nothing better to do and there's some kind of needling at the metaphorical periphery that suggests he really ought to keep walking, keep moving, keep doing something that isn't sitting down and thinking about where he is and what that means - one of the two.

"It's not that I don't trust you. It's that I've become a bit bitter and jaded; you know. The usual suspects and all that."

[cyphered]

"Yeesh Charlie," Nate comments, turning to walk backwards again. "You're too young for that attitude." A dig or a compliment? Hard to say. Sully used that line on him a lot the first few years they kept company.

Too bad Sully wasn't here. His cynicism, at least, was something Nate expected.

"Don't worry, mate. I wouldn't do that to you."

[alittlesweptup]

"It was a joke, you daft bastard." It had been. Charlie goes so far as to roll his eyes and throw a punch to Nate's shoulder, all good-natured horseplay. Anyway, Nate won't have been the first person he's known telling him off for being a wet blanket.

"Now come on, you can't tell me there's a library and you haven't got a whole list of reference material yet. What have you been doing all day, having a go at it over a few old nat geos?"

[cyphered]

"Don't kid yourself. I've read a book or two," Nate comes back, deflecting the punch when he sees it coming. He was never sure of what to expect from Charlie. Sure, he had shared company with him for four months or so, but it has been a few years prior since he had seen him.

"There's also a whole district dedicated to religions from all over the damn place," he points out with a certain proud note to his voice. No no. Nathan Drake has definitely been busy.