1: New Beginnings in the Elarion System

Elarion Prime Nearspace

On Approach to Elarion Prime

"...message. I repeat, UNS Emberhawk, this is Elarion Prime Station. Do you read? Please confirm receipt of this message, we were not informed of your arrival."

"I'm reading you loud and clear Elarion Prime, this is Juniper of the, er, Emberhawk. We are NOT a Unity ship, repeat we are NOT a Unity ship."

"UNS Emberhawk, you are still broadcasting Unity codes. Please clarify."

Zev sighs under his breath, "Thought we fixed that... another item for us to take care of planetside."

"Apologies for the confusion Elarion Prime, the Emberhawk is a recently decommissioned Unity vessel that our captain acquired at an... auction," Juniper explains.

"Understood Emberhawk, in that case you need to have a Freelancer License to operate in this region of space. Please provide evidence of your Freelancer License for this region or apply for one by filling out form UN-EP-1101-A and attaching a 1 credit advance, it will cost 3 credits total once processed."

"Three credits?!" Juniper nearly spit out her Energy Juice, "Captain, you didn't tell us we needed a Freelancer License!"

"Come again, Emberhawk?" the customs station asks, as Juniper's voice is picked up by the mic

"Sh...oooot. One moment Prime, we uh, seem to have misplaced our license," she hastily responds and ensures the mic is muted this time.

"What? I didn't know about the license, starmap didn't list it! Lucky for you, I have a Sector Permit. Read it back to them starting with Zed-alpha-one-one-five..." he begins reading off the entire string of numbers.

"Or... I could just, y'know transmit it to them. Read it off, pah, what are you some savage Cap?"

"Oh yes, or that. Definitely that, ahem, faster that way," Zev trails off as Juniper scans and transmits the code.

The pilots are met with silence. Then the silence stretches on, then on some more, until has become quite uncomfortable.

"Elarion Prime did you rec--" Juniper begins before being cut off

"Emberhawk, just what are you trying to pull here?" an exasperated voice comes over the comms as the Orbital Defense Cannons begin swiveling their way, "These codes expired over two standard cycles ago! That's 20 of your Unity days!"

Juniper glares at Zev, "CAPTAIN!"

He sighs and reaches into his pocket, "I had hoped to save this for later, but it seems there's no time like the present," he hands over a CLEARLY hacked together access pass, "Cost me dearly it did, well... in the future. I know and now owe a guy."

Juniper grits her teeth and punches the code in, "This.better.work."

"Received," they quickly hear from Elarion Prime Station, "Analyzing, please stay your course."

The computer continues to blare about pending target locks as the cannons swivel, slowly, toward the Emberhawk.

After what felt like an eternity, the guns stopped swiveling when two things happened in rapid succession. Firstly, a communication from the station, followed by a double blast of laser fire which streaked past the the ship and destroyed a small fighter.

"SUPER-NOVAS!" Juniper exclaimed

"...you are cleared for landing," the station continued, with a few audible snickers, "Repeat, Emberhawk, you are cleared for landing."

"So, everything, uh, checked out... fine?" Zev messages nervously.

"Yes, in fact the governor would like to meet with you at Port Elarion. Directing you there now, please land in Pad A-2."

"Received Elarion Prime, Emberhawk proceeding to Pad A-2," Juniper replied with a sigh of relief and began their descent into Elarion Prime's atmosphere.

Landfall at Port Elarion 

4000.03.28 07:00 UniTi - US Emberhawk, Cargohold

"Welcome to Elarion mates, a mining world with a bustling metropolis, thriving mines, and more crystals than you can shake a stick at! It is here that we forge our futures... or at least make a pile of credits, eh? Who's with me?!" Zev says to the crew, not mentioning the fact that he only has 3 credits remaining after paying them and the interest on the Emberhawk.

The crew gives a jumbled cheer of various enthusiasm, but Zev continues on.

"First things first, we need to make some contacts. Elarion Prime Station directed us to the governor's, I'll take lead on that - who'll come with me?"

"I gotcha Cap!" Juniper speaks up enthusiastically.

"Thank you Juni...per. Ms. Juniper, hmm, may I just call you Juni?"

"Yes sir!"

"Alright, thank you Juni. Now, let's see here, hmm," Zev surveys the crew, "Dravik?"

Dravik was of the Manipulator race, a race of cephalopods known best as bureaucrats back at Unity Headquarters and around the Core Worlds. Dravik was purple in hue and looked thoroughly unintimidating, as far as size and posture were concerned.

"SIR, YES SIR!" Dravik responded with a little too much enthusiasm, likely mirroring Juniper's recent statement

"This is your first time out of the Core, isn't it?"

"SIR, YES SIR!"

"You can calm it with the 'Sir, yes sirs', watched one to many military dramas have we? I'm not even a military captain, just a captain by way of owning this," Zev sweeps his hand in a circular motion, indicating the ship around them.

"SIR, YES SIR!" Dravik replied, and Zev couldn't tell whether it was in a mocking tone through the translator

"Right, well you can 'sir yes sir' your way right on down to the EMPTY cargo bay and use it to train yourself some. We're looking for work, the type that pays good credits, and that means someone's likely fixin' for a fight"

"SIR, YES SIR!" Dravik said again, with a... smile, before slithering off. Zev was sure the alien was giving him some sass now and he gritted his teeth.

"I'll, uh, go acquire some good for us Captain," Dax said, breaking the tension. Zev asked no questions, just nodded, clearly understanding the implication.

"I will go Explore - outside the city." Lira declared, not waiting for confirmation. She was a mutant and one immediately noticeable at that, as her skin was a sickly shade of grey and hair only grew in a narrow band down her scalp, making her appear to have a stylized sort of mohawk.  She tended to stay away from people, and for good reason, as most folk were unjustly leery of mutants.

"And I shall continue my search for the TRUTH" Silas added.

"Oh, yes, the TRUTH, I heard there's a fantastic Temple to the Abyss here, did you want to investigate it?" Silas was a member of the Cult, er Church, of the Abyss and they had Temples and Shrines sprinkled throughout the Fringe, with one right here in Port Elarion.

Silas' eyes lit up, "WHY YES CAPTAIN! Thank you Captain, I knew the stars were aligned when I met you on Javo Minor!"

"Could you do me a favor and do more of that holy chanting and such you do while you're out and about?" Zev asks, half in jest but with an edge of snark - probably Dravik putting his mood off.

"When would I not?" Silas stows his blade, raises his hood, and begins his walk and chant as he exits the ship. "Stars guide us, moons protect us, suns illuminate our path for the Abyss cometh to consume all. Let us be engulfed by its depths and born anew in a higher plane..." his chant is quickly drown out by the city noise as he fades from view.

"Well, that's that, then Cap'n. Efficient as expected." Juniper congratulates.

"Thank you Juni," Zev smiles and prepares to leave the ship, double checking he's got his Glare Sword on his hip before walking out the cargo bay. He abruptly stops and turns, his hand over a large button at the aft airlock that reads, "CLOSE".

"Dravik! I'm gonna lock up the ship, you see any looters or freeloaders and you use THEM for target practice y'hear?"

The Manipulator's version of a "yes" can be faintly heard down the hall.

"All right, let's go see this Governor," Zev says to Juniper as the aft ramp pulls up and the airlock hisses shut, obstructing the pair from the camera's view.