Drayna Skaal's Story

Livius wiggled the fingers of his outstretched hand for a moment, as though trying to tell Kyle that he did have permission to shake his hand. Eventually, he withdrew it and put it into his pocket. "Well, ah... yes. I suppose. They don't much like outsiders, either. They stick to their own. Not likely to make any willing contact with aliens." He gave him a tight smile.

"How do I know you? Well, I don't know about where you come from, but calling someone on our communications line is a lot faster than transporting some fellow halfway across the world."

As they spoke, the blue and white Calidonan ship floated up from the platform, then zoomed off. Over Kyle's shoulder, Livius spotted a woman with white hair parting over large horns on her head, who was standing at the edge of the platform, arms crossed. He narrowed his eyes for a moment, but put his eyes back onto Kyle.

"What assholes." Kyle grumbled, moving his glace to the ground, well more like the platform. He was thinking, and it was obvious. Why was this guy so sociable? Why is he talking to Kyle? And what does he want? There is only one question that can be asked to this formally dressed being, hopefully it would release some more information.

"So, you have business with me?" Kyle asked, staring back at Livius. His ring shaped pupil seeming to stare right inside the body of Livius. Well, technically it was, if it was activated of course. But then the being's actions seemed to change, Kyle had not yet noticed the strange person standing at the edge of the platform, so his curiosity took over.

"What's up? Something happen?"

"Well, yes. Zanzaria's a big city. Because this planet is so different from most others, we've developed a welcome committee. I'm one of them. I can show you around to any hotels, good places to eat, things to do, how to get around. As you can see-" Livius gestured, with a sweep of his hand, to the vastness of the Zanzarian Port, with buildings so high that one couldn't see the ground. There were no sidewalks. There were no roads as high as they were. People were traveling in bionic, flying vehicles and floating platforms, and used elevators to get around inside the buildings they were already in. All around them, there was a great amount of activity.

Up ahead, a dragon flew over, rockets attached to the underside of its wings to achieve faster speeds. Below them, a six-armed, big-headed alien scaled one of the buildings using handholds cleverly placed to get to doors.

Some of the sky scrapers were so high they quite literally toughed the sky, parting clouds.

"You'll need some help getting around," chuckled Livius. "Everything is up. Everything is happening. That'll answer your question well and fine."

"Hmm.." Kyle followed Livius' gestures around the area. Although, he had shown no interest and wanted to get straight to his business. Although, a city this great and large seems even bigger once one is standing in it. No wonder Kyle's leader wanted to settle down the clan in this area. Oh that's right, the clan.

"A welcome committee? I don't get it. But if you are offering some help getting around, then I would like the help. Especially finding someone." Kyle was confused with his new aquaintance's words, but he was offered help, and that was good enough.

"Have you heard of the Payemyndii Clan?"

The woman that had been watching Livius and Kyle had quickly, and quietly, walked away toward another platform, higher than the one they had been on.

This one was not transparent, like the other. It was used for foreign vehicles, and not for the ones flying around Zanzaria at the norm.

Drayna walked up toward the women who emptied the newly landed ship, hands clasped behind her back. She spoke, chin lifted.

"Good afternoon, ladies. Thank you for visiting Zanzaria. I am your greeter, Drayna Skall, and I will be helping you around Zanzaria today. As I am sure you have been alerted by the Nahatsan Gateguards already, we require all weapons to be registered. We promote freedom of those in Zanzaria, but with such a large influx of foreign visitors, we have had to increase security measures. Please understand."

The three women weren't at all surprised by, nor did they object to, the firearm registration. It was to be expected, so they handed over their weapons. They would be sure to dispose of them later. They'd have to acquire other firearms elsewhere; surely this place, like all places, had a black market in operation.

Sheik held her blank expression, signaling the other two operatives to hand over their weapons. Once that was over with, and their weapons had been registered, they returned their weapons into the holsters on their chests, with nothing to do now except await further instruction and any other additional processing.

"Very well. We have your weapons on file. Thank you, and please proceed. If you have any questions, I am here to answer them, officially welcoming you to Zanzaria. I can help you book a hotel, if you like, and tell you about any entertainment you may want to visit, and places to avoid," spoke Drayna clasping her hands behind her back.

Arriving at the Zanzarian spaceport on a crowded interstellar space ferry, he began pushing his way through the crowded spaceport. His wide brimmed hat pulled low, he made his way to the spaceports security inspect point. His dusty clothes did raise some eyes, but his rather frosty demeanour and large duffel bag clearly carrying some form of weaponry prevented any questions.

Approaching the security inspection point he pulled his identification showing him to be one "Mr. Jax Slade" out along with several official looking memorandum's and notices. Placing them on the counter he patiently waits for a security agent to address him, anticipating a rather long wait due to the large volume of traffic. Ever the soldier, he remains aware of his surroundings and the faces passing by.

Sheik, deciding it would be tactically advantageous to take this woman up on her offer, decided to let her fill them in on the areas of interest, and which places were deemed dangerous. It was the dangerous areas that intrigued Sheik the most, and would probably house the most useful places to gather intel. She just had to maintain her cover, and avoid anyone that looked military or like a government agent.

They weren't difficult to spot.

The descending figure from one of Zanzaria's security agents from high above might have caught the eye of the Black Widow Company. Dressed in the black uniform with distinct orange and blue markings, freely showing the holstered gun to her side, there was little doubt to who she could have been to most Zanzarians who were used to the sight. Before she fell too far, she created a bridge of light below and in front of her that she slid across effortlessly to an alley out of sight.

Drayna had watched this with suspiciously narrowed eyes, but didn't let them linger until she was out of sight. She turned to her company and lifted a chin.

"Any more questions before we begin?"

Warren Aulare departed his private vessel and made his way across the busy port. He didn't look too out of place here. He was always smartly dressed.

As he made his way through baggage and other departments the white haired man tapped at a device on his wrist. It was leading him in a specific direction, having detected a concentration of a specific type of energy. It wasn't too easy to come across, and he wasn't sure it was what he needed, but it was one of his best chances towards success.

After all, he already had the first piece of the puzzle delivered. He just had to go and pick it up.

"Ahhh..." Ara said, taking a long drag on her cigar. "That's the good stuff. They sure roll their tobacco well here in... where the hell are we again, Abra?"
Abraxas paused for a moment to think, stroking his scaly chin with a gloved hand. "I'm pretty ssssure this place is called... Missssrana? Yeah, I'm pretty ssssure it'ssss that." He took an appraising look at the port around him, with its tall chrome spires and geometric patterns. "And wherever thissss issss, they've got ssssome damn good architects."
Looking around, he noticed Janet and Sara approaching them and nudged the teenaged girl next to him. "Yo, they're back. You'd better ssssnuff that out before Sara sees." Ara did what he told her to with a quick, practiced efficiency; neatly dropping it to the floor and crushing it with a large, well-worn leather boot.
"I have rented our ship to be docked here for one week, and we have enough currency to last that amount of time," Sara said as she came over to them. Taking out a large purse, the woman split a large amount of coinage between herself, Abraxas, Ara and Janet. "We will rent a room at a hotel, and then continue on our mission."
"What was our mission again?" Janet asked, hands stuffed in her pockets. "It feels like its been two years since we left Rorian Grand."
Sara gave the urchin an exasperated look. "We had learned that Abraxas' bow was made by the friend of Ara's grandfather, a master artisan and weaponsmith. They had been working on plans for what I presume to be some sort of powerful weapon, but the artisan took the plans with him when he left Blackrock. We are here to retrieve the blueprints and / or get him or someone else to help build it, and then presumably use it to defeat the C.O.R.e. legions who have taken over Blackrock. We are also going to gather information on Abraxas' bow, and its peculiar properties."
Janet shrugged her shoulders, her straight black hair bouncing along to the movement. "I guess we'd better get going then. Lead us onward, oh fair leader!" This last part she said with a sarcastic cry of elation, a sly smirk upon her lips. Abraxas, once more, found himself attracted to the woman's force of personality.
Grumbling under her breath, Sara trudged along through the port as a light drizzle began to dampen the ragtag foursome's clothes - but not their spirits.