Snippet #2590333

Cassidy was nearing her destination when Wes came over the comm. "Don't worry about me. I've breathed in worse stuff this crap ball of a world. Besides, my armor is more then just badass. I can cannonball into an acid pool if I wanted to."

"I'm almost tempted to make you test that claim, Carter," she returned through her commlink, a faint smirk at one corner of her mouth.

"Copy, Captain," Adam's voice rang through the comm seconds later. Cassidy appreciated his diligence, but hoped it would not be necessary. Just so long as things went according to plan. That had always been something of an uncommon occurrence in the past, but these days it was swiftly becoming far more prominent. It sometimes felt like Murphy's law had developed sentience, morphing into a Lovecraftian horror, and was setting out to ruin humankind. One of those odd little fantasies that came to her when she was fighting to fall asleep one night, and not something she paid any real attention to even at its genesis.

Her arrival in the cargo bay was accompanied by a harried pounding of heavy boots against the floor. Far louder a sound than you would expect from the small girl who came to stand roughly ten feet away from the captain, hands set on her hips and nose wrinkled in a soft scowl. Cass blinked, and promptly turned away, as if the look alone had been fitting acknowledgment.

"Hey!" Shiloh barked, skittering closer to the woman. "I'm here, not complaining, doesn't that deserve some kind of.. I dunno.. recognition?"

"For following orders?" Cass' voice came out as a sigh, and she kept her eyes elsewhere. "No."

Shiloh, clearly displeased with this, darted into the woman's field of view, peering up at her with narrowed eyes. She opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Weston's arrival. Disappointed that she was bereaved of her chance, she slunk back a number of paces, folding her arms across her chest in a sulk.

"Let's get this done. I don't want to be on this mud ball any longer then I have too," Weston carried on, now that he was present.

It was a sentiment Cass shared. She nodded to him, and slipped on her own mask as Delphine arrived. The HUD came to life with an initial wash of light flashing across the interior, followed shortly by the internal computer running a quick diagnostic of its systems before finally settling.

"Fancy." The quartermaster quipped as she joined the team. ”Ya’know I could cannonball into an acid pool too if I wanted, but I mean who really does want to?"

Cassidy nodded to the woman's inquiry, turning her eye back to Weston. "She makes a good point, Carter."

Shiloh settled a pair of goggles around her eyes, and a simple breather over her mouth and nose. "Real cute foreplay, guys," she grumbled, still quite clearly put off. "Ready to get going?" At a nod from Cass, she remotely accessed the cargo bay door controls. A series of maglocks and heavy bolts released, allowing the hydraulics to lower the massive down into a ramp. At the moment even the slightest gap had opened between the door and its seals, gusts of dust and polluted air came rushing into the cargo bay. "Oh, that's welcoming," Shiloh spat, grimacing at the sight.

"Welcome to Erdas," Cassidy mumbled, striding toward the ramp once it was set upon the landing platform. Their hosts were already moving to meet them. The embl were similar to primates in a number of respects, but readily unique compared to any similar mammals that had come from Earth. Four muscly legs supported their sloped upper body. Their feet were very much like their hands, of which they only possessed two, with long digits well suited for gripping problematic surfaces. Their skull is elongated, and they had just two eyes. A very thin layer of fur covered their bodies, typically constituting a scruffy beard of some sort as well.

The dockworker at the head of the assembly was several inches taller than Cass, peering down at her with a very bored look on his face. He quickly explained the terms inherent with renting a berth, and she made the necessary transference of docking fees. His business done, he lumbered off with the others going in tow, leaving Cassidy and her crew free to wander.

Absently brushing her fingers across the grip of her pistol, Cass rolled her neck, registering several pops. "Keep your eyes peeled. Once we hit the bazaar, things are going to get very busy."