STF

The Not So Odd Couple

Posted Nov. 25, 2021, 4:16 p.m. by Civilian Eryn Romanov (Colonial Intelligence Agent) (Jennifer Ward)

Posted by Civilian Kodek Vonn (Clandestine Associate) in The Not So Odd Couple

Posted by Civilian Eryn Romanov (Colonial Intelligence Agent) in The Not So Odd Couple

Posted by Civilian Kodek Vonn (Clandestine Associate) in The Not So Odd Couple
Posted by… suppressed (3) by the Post Ghost! 👻
“Uuuhhhhh....hssssss,” Eryn forced the stretch further. Skin and muscle protested and pulled against scar tissue. Her body was stiff and the stretches burned, but weren’t fire, sharpness, or ripping. So she kept going. Range of motion was more key right now. Tone, strength, speed, accuracy, power would all come later. Eryn sat on the floor you leg out straight, foot flexed, the other bent, foot flat against the opposite knee, bent forward as far as she could. Which was more than the morning before, but not nearly as far as she should be able to stretch. She’d spent the last hour painfully moving through the forms of Kareel-ifla. It was slow and methodical and annoying, but she continued with the purposeful practice anyway.

Finally, she sat up, took a deep cleansing breath and stood. There was only one extra set of clothes in the bag Vonn had given her. She donned them after a shower and changing bandages, that in a few days she wouldn’t need anymore. Disruptor tucked into a back holster, she’d found in the bag, under the jacket, money in a pocket she walked into the common living space. She looked at Vonn sitting on the floor, plugged into the wall as if she could see through the visor to the person inside. If seeing her friend ‘powered down’ and plugged into a wall was strange, they hadn’t lived her life. It was so mundane and normal she almost laughed. She walked over to the replicator and after a moment turned back with a glass of water. She sat down on the couch facing him. “I feel the need to move and see a bit of Oed, Kodek. And after our ‘visitor’ yesterday, a change of domicile is in order, I think.”

Eryn Romanov

There was a long pause and then the green light of the visor slowly grew in intensity and came on. “Agreed. And there are things we should procure as well. And we should discuss said visitor somewhere else.” Vonn unplugged the cables from the outlet and the lines retracted into their belt. “And I need to get out of my suit soon. Give the power cells a break.” They slowly stood up and moved a bit like they were just waking up, but they then picked up the rifle and a small bag off a nearby table and said “I am ready when you are.”

Vonn

Eryn stood up, downed the last of the water, grabbed the empty bag from inside the bedroom door and left the apartment. She might have been excited to leave the confines of her ‘recovery room.’ Down the hall, out the door to the roof and down the fire escape and past the gawdy sigh of the Delta woman. Eryn slowed a moment taking a deep breath and then followed Vonn. She knew how to get back to the few shops they had passed but he had said there was a bazare like market with some contacts where they could get most of the unique items they needed. She could find it, eventually, but there was no reason to over tax herself the first time out and waste time searching.

Eryn Romanov

Vonn led them out and onto a crowded street. The big Breen caused a few glances, but those glancing caught an elbow to the ribs from the associates who knew better. OED didn’t have slums, but this section of the city was certainly not on any tourist to-do list. Most of the people here were honest, at least mostly, and worked hard for their living. But, as in any place where sentient beings congregate, there were those who worked in professions that one didn’t go ‘formal’ trade school for. Organized crime was frowned on on OED, and not just by law enforcement and Star Fleet. The resident elements that would typically benefit from such ‘organization’ didn’t like the attention that tended to bring. As such, groups like the Orion Syndicate and Black Star Pirates tended to keep a very low profile. They had their representatives, sure… but they were there at the discretion of the local ‘entrepreneurs’.

OED took a very ‘farm-to-table’ approach to criminal activities.

But one thing that was common knowledge amongst the populace, or those that cared to pay attention to such thing anyway, was that you could get anything at the Plaza Exchange.

Six blocks from their safe-house sat The Plaza Exchange, or PE for short. It was centered in a large open square between four buildings… hence the plaza. The bazaar filled the square and the surrounding four buildings: eight story structures built when OED was still a fledgling colony, with open gound floors that allowed the stalls form the plaza to flow into the buildings themselves. Vendors, food suppliers, merchants, and traders from all over known space could be found here with wares even more diverse. Part flea-market, part food market, part artisan commune, and all circus; the PE catered to all kinds of individuals. Celebrity chefs could be found scouring for special ingredients along side a miner looking for a new phase-drill manifold. Families made regular trips to restock essentials that replicators couldn’t do, or do as well. And, of course, there were the… ahem… ‘specialist import-exporters’ whose businesses thrived under the watchful eyes of a group of vested individuals who simply wanted to make sure that everyone who came to the PE could get what they were looking for… with as little fuss as possible, in some cases.

It was here that Vonn led Eryn. They cut a large path through the press of bodies; people moving out of the way either because of the reputation of the Breen… and perhaps in some case the reputation of that particular Breen. As they moved through the plaza, Vonn’s synthetic voice said “North building, third floor. Hashirk’s Emporium. Tell him you are with me. I’ll meet you there in thirty minutes.” and they veered off towards the west building.

Vonn

Eryn loved places like this. There was much to learn, much to see, ‘business’ acquaintances to be made, and culture to take in. A person like her thrived on the existence of such places, and also following the rules exactly. At least until you understood them enough to bend them the right way. 30 minutes wasn’t a long time, but it gave her enough time to take in what was around her.

There was brief stop at a medium sized booth filled with clothes and other textiles. Run by a family of Tellarites. The quality was exceptional and Eryn needed more than just the two outfits she’d found in the bag Kodek procured for her. With quick decision she had a small assortment of items. The woman asked for a reasonable price and she looked rather resigned to the fact that Eryn would just hand over the money. “No. Zis one I vill pay what you ask.” She set a jacket on the table, “but zese I vill not. The dye job is shoddy and you’ve poorly tried to hide the weak spots in the fabric here and here. I vill give you half.” The woman perked up and the haggling continued animatedly back and forth for a moment. With a sigh, Eryn finally agreed. “I suppose zat vill have to do. Zee choices are limited.” She placed the items in her bag and made her way to the north building, and climbed to the third floor and Hashirk’s Emporium.

She made her way in, giving the ‘employees’ no more than a glance, but a thrurough appraisal. She made her way through the shelving and tables spotting a few things that gained her attention, but generally being ‘nosey’ until someone decided to approach her. “Can I help you find something particular?” A human woman asked while waving her seemingly back toward the door. “I vould like to speak to Hashirk. Vonn sent me,” Eryn only glanced up from what she had been examining, and didn’t offer to move. The woman glanced at someone behind Eryn and nodded.

Eryn Romanov

“This way, Madame.” said a silky smooth voice from behind her. It was an Antican with long, soft brown and white hair. He led her to the back of the shop and through a small door. He made his way inside and as Eryn stepped through, a small click could be heard and there was the feeling of something being pushed down by her right foot.

“Don’t… don’t move, please.” he said as he took a seat behind the desk and a force field came up around him. “A simple precaution, Madame. While the name you gave carries weight… I simply don’t know you. And should you move your foot, the opportunity for introductions will be most limited.”

Hashirk, Arms Dealer

At the sound of the click Eryn stopped moving. She certainly didn’t need the man’s cautious words, nor was she surprised at the ‘predicament’ she found herself in. With ease of familiarity and self confidence she checked the distribution of her weight. “I certainly vould be disappointed at zee loss of such an opportunity.” She made a small flick of her wrist over her chest and inclined her head. “Eryn Romanov.” The name was known…just enough that he had probably heard it, but more as a vague rumor.

Eryn Romanov


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