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 Civilian Eryn Romanov (Colonial Intelligence Agent) in The Not So Odd Couple
Posted by… suppressed (3) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)
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

If the figure knew the name or not, they didn’t react. “Welcome to my humble establishment. Now then… is your calling card going to be joining us? Or do I need to make a call about a gas explosion?”

Hashirk, Arms Dealer

A quick, but accurate calculation, “He should be here in 13 minutes. Shall we pass the time in silence or polite conversation?” Arms dealers were notoriously jumpy. This man was no different, whether from necessity or some personality quirk. Eryn looked rather bored with the whole thing. If she intended the man harm, he wouldn’t be sitting there now threatening to blow her up. It was Vonn’s reputation alone that tempered her hand. That and she didn’t want to draw too much attention to herself.

Eryn Romanov

“Oh, do so enjoy polite conversation. Now in that vein… if you would care to drop your weapons to the floor, I might be persuaded to activate the safety on the charge below your foot. After all… that would be the polite thing to do, would it not?”

Hashirk, Arms Dealer

“It vould.” Eryn held her hands palm out and in a smooth motion, shrugged her jacket off and held in one hand in front of her. The holster at her back clearly visible. Her empty hand reached back and gripped the handle, well away from the trigger. Then she knelt, careful not shift her balance and set it on the floor and slid it a couple feet away from her and stood, shrugging her jacket back on. It was the only actual weapon she had. If she had more she wouldn’t be here. It was a tired game and Eryn found she was rather irritated with it, though she was careful not to show it. “Now shall ve discuss business?”

Eryn Romanov

“Yes. Let’s.” came a familiar yet artificial voice from behind Eryn. Vonn stepped up to her and looked down at the floor, then the helmet swiveled to face Hashirk. “The charge gag? Really?” and the Antican chuckled. “Yes, but I think I sold it really well with the force field.” and he looked at Eryn. “Wouldn’t you agree, Ms. Romanov?” and he laughed loudly. The helmet swiveled and looked at Eryn. “Fake. Come on. Hashirk is a joker… but not a really good one.” and they moved into the office and gestured Eryn to a chair.

And just like clock work Vonn arrived right when he said he would. She looked up at him and shrugged. Like Eryn had thought earlier, arms dealers were notoriously jumpy. And it was always good to make sure before calling their bluff. Fake charge or not, it wasn’t the first time Eryn had encountered such things. She was immediately envious of Vonn’s visor though, and that reminded her that she’d forgotten to add a wearable tricorder to her list. Those things were incredibly handy. There was quite a bit of equipment she wanted, but a short list of what she needed. Eryn stepped lightly towards the chair without hesitation. She’d been blown up so many times now, it would be a novelty for it to work. She toed the disruptor into the air, caught it, and it disappeared. Probably into her back holster, but with Eryn you could never be totally sure. Meeting Hashirk’s gaze, “It vas a nice touch. But it vill not protect you from someone truly determined. Your field emitters are not aligned properly. Every 15 seconds zee system cycles and there is a break in zee filed, directly in front of you. Vould you like me to demonstrate?” Eryn didn’t rush to sit, but she also knew Vonn would have no end of things to say if she pushed herself and they had far too much to settle today. Plus sitting, especially in the relaxed manner she was, fed into the fact that nothing bothered of phased ‘Eryn.’

“My partner needs outfitted. Full kit. And don’t hold back on the exotics. Remember, I supplied you with most of them.” Vonn said flatly.

Hashirk’s laughing faded somewhat and he said “Yes yes… I know the drill, Kodek.” He then looked at Eryn with an appraising eye. “You prefer the smaller platforms… close and personal. Concealable but effective, yes? Tell me… do you specialize in any arena? You don’t have the hands to be a long-range specialist like your partner here, do you?”

Hashirk

Eryn grinned, a nerve wracking sight to most, but here it was rather appropriate. “No one is a long-range specilaist like Vonn. Unarmed combat, the Vulcan ahn woon, the Manriki Chain, throwing knives/weapons, and Orion Shathra. For now I require an Orion Arrhenius Visualizer similar to a Federation WTR-600 Wearable Tricorder XII, but with more tricks and a Federation metallurgy kit.”

Eryn Romanov

Hashirk nodded, nonplussed at the request. “The Orion model I dont have, and I won’t get 9ne anytime soon since someone disintegrated the Syndicate Undetboss here in town.” and he cast a dirty look at Vonn, who simply shrugged. “He should have hired better security. His enemies didn’t shy away from spending.” Hashirk just shook his head dismissively and looked back at Eryn. “I can get you a modified WTR-600 no problem. And the Fed kit is trash. Tellerite miner’s array is what you want. And as far as weaponry, I have a matched set of Balkarian throwing blades and Syndicate sleeve sickle you can leave here with. What about ranged? I have a better Type III than what you have, racked and balanced with digital optics. Match-grade frame and overclocked power cycler. Oh, and I have a crate of Bajoran Militia Phasers.” and he grinned broadly.

“I also do discounts for bulk purchases.”

Vonn and Hashirk

Eryn sat forward pinning Hashirk with her gaze. “Mr Hashirk, I am a voman who know exactly what I vant. If I say I vant zee Federation Metallurgy kit that is what I mean. It may be trash but it it serves a purpose for me. I vill take the Blkarian blades, the sleeve sickle, and” she shrugged, ranged wasn’t her thing, but it was prudent, “The type III. I have no use for a create of Bajoran Militia Phasers. Anything Bajoran tends to draw attention I do not vant.”

“For now I vill take the modified WTR-600. You get me a Klingon pocket scrambler, a klugat - the natives of Ceres use it, and a Federation Duroplas Body shield. You get me zhese things, and you do it vith out any trace or problems. You do and I vill arrange for you to access goods you lost access to with the disintegration of the Underboss.” The items were difficult to get. She trusted Vonn’s opinion, but it didn’t play out well for people to know that. Every once in a while it did well for Eryn to remember her ties to the Korda family. And it had been a long time since Eryn had made a gesture towards the family.

Eryn Romanov

Hashirk looked at her for a moment and then at Vonn. “You should train your pet to be better mannered in public.” Vonn leaned forward and the visor’s color shifted from the normal sickly green to a vibrant crimson. “I don’t have pets. And if I did, they would kept hungry and used to raw meat. Now can you get her what she wants or not? You are not, after all, the only supplier on OED. You aren’t even the best, but that is a matter for another day. We have latinum. Do you want it or not?”

Eryn watched the by-play with a look of amusement. If the insult bothered her it didn’t show. In truth it didn’t bother her at all, did it bother Eryn no not really. Eryn’s tendency would be to wait and if the man said such an insulting thing again, to show him what it was like to be attacked by an animal. He would survive only if Eryn felt like prolonging his agony. Eryn gazed at Kodek. That was an interesting color to see on the visor. How interesting. The green had been sickening to see through, the red would have been down right disturbing. “The zhings I vant are not easy to obtain. The difficulty may be worth more than the latinum we vould pay. I offer connections to the Family in exchange. He does not vish to do business. We take our latinum and business elsewhere.” Eryn addressed Vonn and not Hashirk, she was ready to walk out now, she didn’t have time for games. Maybe before their visitor, but not now.

Hashirk took a breath and steadied himself. “Of course I can get it.” He looked at Eryn and said “When I say the Federation kit is trash, I mean just that. Its easily detectable and not easily modified. It’s also not contraband, so if that is what you want? Just go buy one. With all the increased mining activity over that past few months, you can pick one up cheaper than I can get it for you. The body shield is no problem. Neither is the scrambler. Don’t know what a klugat is, but if it’s from Ceres I may know a guy. Will take a bit, though. Everything else you can walk out with right now… provided you have payment up front.”

Vonn

Eryn turned steely eyes on the man. If Vonn’s red visor was disturbing, the flicker of read in her actual eyes was more so. “You do legitimate business here. You have plenty of goods in your store front for such zings or at least to give the appearance. Yes the Federation kit is trash, that is vhy I vant it. The imperfections create unique discolorations in the metal I use and make the metal weak. It adds a dimension of delicacy to zhe sculptures. Now a business transaction is a compromise of sorts, for our mutual benefit. The knowledge of where I obtain my sculpting supplies will bring interest and profit.” She shrugged, “I vill get them else where. A klugat is 15 centimeters in diameter, with a sharpened jagged edge. Similar to Earth’s Japanese shiruken but heavier. As for payment, zhat depends on vhat you are charging.” The accent was starting to grate on her nerves, but she needed the heavy use of it to make its use natural.

Eryn

Hashirk shrugged and said “I don’t make a profit on the standard stuff. It’s for show. And honestly, I don’t trade in publicity. If I did, I wouldn’t have a shop here… now would I?” He turned his canine visage to Vonn and said “Errand or cash?” Vonn pulled out a small pouch from one of the many belt compartments around their waist and tossed it on the table. Hashirk, to his credit, didn’t even open the pouch to count before sliding it off the table and letting disappear below the desk. “Done. Wait out front for delivery, or I can send it to you. Your call.” Vonn stood and said “Hold it for delivery instructions. Except the Disruptor. She takes that and the blades now.” Hashirk nodded and stood up and disappeared between tall racks of shelves.

A few minutes later, he returned with a metal case and a rolled up hide or leather container. He opened the case, and inside was a pair of the most immaculate disruptors either operative had ever seen. As he unrolled the other object, the blade handles were visible. All the weapons were perfect in every way: balance, weight, polish and structure. Vonn looked at Eryn and said “Acceptable?”

Vonn