Faction Coffee and bullets

[Dorthea Dobson]

Prelude thread

Is there ever a decent taxi driver in this forsaken galaxy?

Dorthea, like all Dobsons, hated public transportation services, but she didn't have her own ship just yet. Work as a navy quartermaster didn't prescribe much of a need for private transportation and before that, her father had provided her with everything she needed. Her new position as the director of Damascus Station had changed things for her and as she was slowly weaning herself away from the navy. The time had come for her to get a decent ship of her own.

The hover cab weaved through the streets with speed and agility that made Dorthea sick. It did help that the vehicle already smelled like vomit. It was clear that the Altiri cab driver was not known for gentle driving. She would have complained vocally, but the effort of talking was interrupted by random retching. She struggled to keep from throwing up while she kept her little protocol droid tucked under her harm so that he didn't get thrown around the cabin.

The cab eventually slammed to a halt in front of the Sphaera Tea Company, and Dorthea was happy that she had fastened her safety harness, as she would've been injured. She undid the harness and staggered out of the vehicle. She released the droid from under her harm and he floated over to pay the cab driver electronically while she walked brittly to the building.

The droid caught back up with her as the cab sped away recklessly. By the time she reached the door, she had regathered her wits and the debacle was behind her. She pushed the door open and stepped inside, "hello, I'd like to speak to the owner please?"

Kay-Larr | Linn Dobson

 

[Kay-Larr]

As Dorthea Dobson opened the door, the bells above the frame jingled. Inside the little shoppe was wooden tables and chairs, shelves of teas and herbs hanging to dry above the counter. Their fragrances mixed with that of the freshly baked goods and the smell of wood burning in the fireplace.

Kay was as always, the only employee. She was currently up a stepladder with a variety of boxes of teas in her hand that she was placing in their spots on the shelves. "I'll be with you in a second..." The first thought that came to mind was that there was some new tax that she was to pay. Or perhaps she was to have her shop go through an inspection again. Some city officials were always so meddlesome.

Once she was finished, Kay stepped down from the stepladder and dusted her hands off on her apron before turning to face the woman from behind the counter. "How can I help you?"

Linn Dobson

 

[Dorthea Dobson]

As she waltzed into the little shop, brand new smells wafted into her nose, flushing out the old vomit smell from the taxi, and assaulting her sense of smell with… pleasantness…

If not for the earlier smell of vomit she had endured earlier, she would have normally been irritated by the abuse of "aroma therapy" marketing tactics. To Dorthea, using too many smells to sell products usually indicated that the merchant/clerk was trying too hard. Either that, or they had an exclusive customer base of a species that thought with their noses. But alas, the new smells were welcome to the ravaged smell-receptors in her nostrils and she didn't even feel the urge to grimace at the obnoxiousness of the sweets and burnt wood. For that, Dorthea was able to simply ignore it.

Then, a pleasant, industrious-looking woman greeted Dorthea and asked if she needed any help. Dorthea realized this might be the owner, given how… quaint… and humble the shop was. The other woman wasn't too impressive-looking herself, wearing mere slacks, a shirt, and an apron. And with no one else in the room, Dorthea was pretty sure that supervisors were not a thing here. There was likely no need to ask for a manager…

Dorthea responded to the woman's question as pleasantly as possible, "Hello, I'm Dorthea Dobson, the woman you've been messaging with regarding Grand Admiral Burtch's coffee order, and a potential business opportunity as well. I am quite pleased to finally see your… facilities," she struggled to use the right word. She thrust out her hand for a handshake to cover up her hesitation. The place was infuriatingly humble and Dorthea was struggling to not insult the little woman in front of her, "and I was hoping we could talk about the things we discussed in our correspondence to date." Then, something caught her eye.

"Also," Dorthea blurted out uncontrollably, "do I know you from somewhere? You look familiar…"

This was gonna drive Dorthea nuts. She'd seen her somewhere. She knew it…

Kay-Larr

 

[Dawn-Sulis]

Aboard the stealth fighter named the "Fat Cat", Linn was accustomed to rather tight spaces. The cargo hold, living quarters..and even the main cockpit and control systems were precise and straight to the point. The interior yielded no hanging trinkets, no shelves where hologram holders would be placed. A small compactable cooler that would hold the simplest of meals for travel. This brought delight to Linn. Seeing everything compacted...and organized....Her small travel bag lay nestled in the bottom left bunk. She would use a small canister spray to disinfect the controls before yanking out a cloth and wiping the area down. "Whoever was the true genius behind your design deserves an honorary metal.....You truly are a lone star amongst the galaxy." She would crack a slight smile thus bringing back a memory of when she was younger. As she began to daydream of the past, another figure would approach the archway to the cockpit. Clothed and draped in all black, with heavy footsteps approaching. Admiring the interior but at the same time, looking for any flaws.


At this notion, Linn would snap out of her flashing memory that kept her from the present. Eyeing the figure over her right shoulder, Linn calmly smiled and stated, "I can assure you, this trip will not be as long as you may have predicted. Our Naval uniforms are on board as promised as well as all the equipment that we may need. I trust you have the vial....If anything were to go wrong....." Linn clutched the throttle tightly as she opened the control system and began flipping switches. Arial flight was not uncommon to her...She learned the basics of intergalactic travel when she was younger...And she continued to learn until she could start up any vessel with her eyes closed...A Dobson family trait..That she was sure of. As the Hyperdrive, and space switches were activated along with the main engines, it was time for take-off. The figure under the black hood turned and would disappear back into the cabin as Linn could not help but grin. This was a moment to own...It was time...And Kay-Larr 's days were numbered.


Tag: Dorthea Dobson

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay's eyes blinked quickly in surprise as the woman introduced herself. Dorthea Dobson sure had arrived quicker than expected. No doubt there was some kind of urgency to Grand Shepherd Burtch 's order.

And Dorthea didn't quite look as she had expected. The woman was more military in appearance as well as a lot older. Kay could tell that her own appearance plus that of her shoppe wasn't what was expected either.

She took the outstretched hand and gave it a firm shake, adding in a well practiced smile. And just as she was about to respond, Dorthea had asked about familiarity of her face. "Maybe in a previous life. I've worn many hats. Shall I show you around? There is more than meets the eye here."

The shoppe could almost be a front for something else. But it wasn't. There was an attached warehouse that was both for storage and cooking, hidden rooms and passages, not to mention the gardens and greenhouses outside amongst the trees.

Linn Dobson

 

[Dorthea Dobson]

Dorthea was aware that there was a possibility that her arrival could have been seen as pressure to complete Burtch’s order. But in truth, she really wanted to jump on this investment opportunity as soon as possible. And by the looks of how humble this shop was, growing her investment would be quite an undertaking.

“Oh, it’s going to drive me nuts, I just know it.” She chuckled awkwardly, “I’ve seen you somewhere before. But never mind. I would absolutely love a tour! But let me be clear. I’m not here on behalf of Grand Shepherd Burtch ’s order; I am here because of it. He’s dead serious about supplying the entire navy with your product and the navy is big. And growing. And that means you will be growing. I’m only hoping that you’ll permit me the chance to invest some funds and resources so that we can both profit great from this opportunity.”

She felt like she was on the balls of her feet. She was truly excited about this, and hoping Kay-Larr was interested in doing business as well. And then Dorthea was suddenly embarrassed, “oh and I’m so sorry, where are my manners! What was your name again?”

It suddenly occurred to her that the woman had not offered her own name yet. Had Dorthea come into this too gung-ho and put off the owner of the tea shop? She suddenly became worried that she was already blowing this.

 

[Kay-Larr]

"He sure is addicted to the vine coffee. I had hoped that the high cost of it would deter such large orders, but I was wrong."

And now she had to find some way to make it work. Large profits weren't a need of hers, for she had plenty of funds squirreled away. But the more that she could provide for her children, the better. And that was where Dorthea Dobson could possibly come in.

But what name to give her? In the past Kay had used the name Cessy as a cover when she wanted to hide herself. It wasn't so much of an alter ego, but moreso of just a simple name that didn't stand out in any way. Yet something told her that Dorthea would find out the truth one way or and lying wouldn't do so good for business. Veiere's ghost had told her to stop hiding. Maybe then she'll find out what her purpose is supposed to be.

"It's Kay. This way please." She gestured for Dorthea to follow her into the back. Behind the closed door was a kitchen with ovens, mixers, large bowls and cupboards filled with ingredients. "As you can see, this is where a lot of my items are prepared and where I spend a lot of my mornings and evenings." Kay had no life other than her shoppe, and so she could put all of her focus on it. She walked over to one of the shelves and slid it aside to reveal a hidden door. Opening it she stepped aside and turned on the lights within to let Dorthea take a peek inside to the stairway that led down to a large warehouse with plenty of crates and large vats for roasting. It wasn't large enough for Grand Shepherd Burtch 's order, but it was bigger than what she needed for her other orders.

Linn Dobson

 

[Linn Dobson]

"Programmed navigational systems are always inferior to actual human intellect...Although accurate....Our landing zone is actually marked 300 kilometers South...Here..." Linn spoke out loud while keeping her stoic appearance and pressing buttons effortlessly and maintaining her focus on the approaching planet. She would inhale deeply and exhale..But with her lack of true expression, one would not know by glance alone what was truly on her mind. Linn had a thing for accuracy and being punctual. It suited her well during her command over the Signa-Ki RND. As she would continue looking on, Dawn-Sulis would approach from the corridor and stand by , looking over her right shoulder.


Tag: Kay-Larr Grand Shepherd Burtch Dorthea Dobson

 

[Dawn-Sulis]

" This.... target of yours....Is it truly what you desire, or is to fulfill your duties as a Dobson family member? A name like that carries weight...And pressure behind it...With the recent arrest of Arken....A move such as this would shift political power. " Dawn stated as she continued looking at the planet as well as they were entering the atmosphere. Similar to Linn, Dawn has a lot of emotion behind the pale ghost-like face..But this was shown to the public. Linn knew everything she needed about her accomplice. Dawn, after all, she had been through..was one of Signa-Ki's resue projects..And one of the most successful as far as limb restoration..Brain wave manipulation and metacloric alteration.

 

[Linn Dobson]

"To answer your comical question...I could care less about who or what this person is....BUT... This....Kay Arenais...Not much on her whereabouts in the data base...." Linn responds and pauses for a moment...She then turns the captain's chair, swiveling to the right to face Dawn. "I....I wonder, What we do know is this...If she were off the radar, most likely she is hidden in a town or small dwelling of sorts. She wouldn't seek to be a NOBODY in a major city...And in order to make a sensible cred..You either work for an establishment or own one.....The way I see it, This can go one of two ways...But I think my little "Fire Nova" will prefer the second...Hmm?" She asked as a sly devious grin would slightly alter her rather blank expression.

Tag: Grand Shepherd Burtch Kay-Larr Dorthea Dobson