Off The Beaten Track

[Lief]

Waiting to see if the bartender would fulfill her request and fetch her some chooss instead, she turned in her seat to look at Ar'ekk who was seemingly unwinding now that the alcohol had hit his system. Mara shook her head, not because of anything he'd done or said but because she knew better than to give in to the pressures of it.

"I ain't lyin' when I say it's best if I don't, alcohol affects me badly, even a sip of the stuff has me off my head and I ain't about blackin' out before lunch."

Leaning back against the bartop, she glanced over him for a moment.

"I don't drink these days in order to get drunk" she said, with a loose shrug, "But please, don't let that stop you."

Picking up one of the bartop menus she tried to see what was on offer, still watching the game out of the corner of her eyes. Some of the regular diner food, a few different stews, though truthfully it was still early enough for her to deem whatever they were going to eat breakfast which made her want something that matched the time of day.

Some sort of flatcake, perhaps, or an omelette.

"My boyfriend?" Placing down the menu, Mara genuinely scoffed, "What makes you think I got a guy in my life?"

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

LITHIOS​

Laukoon, Ethos City​

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INTERACTING WITH: [member="Kalyn Shif"]​

"Alright, fair enough. Sorry about that, not really trying to peer pressure you into drinking."

A little more controlled and well behaved, Ar'ekk ordered a big cheeseburger which was iconic to the diner itself combined with a light soda and some chips. The menu was as regular as any other place except there were too many things to pick and deciding was harder than usual, Kalyn could take all the time in the world if she wanted.

"We've got to drive back anyways, the airspeeder's autopilot is broken. Don't worry, I won't have more than a few glasses."

Oozing some confidence and letting his chest out, Ar'ekk turned in his stool to face Kalyn with a big grin broadening on his face. Bold question for a bold woman, he thought. Not that he was trying to pry into her own personal life but it made some good conversation in his mind, maybe not so much for hers.

It was worth the shot.

"That's my smooth way of figuring out if you had someone. Looks like you don't."

A pause, a sip and a coy smile.

"Hm."

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[Lief]

"Ain't no one stupid enough to hook up with the likes of me" she explained, without a care in the world, turning to the bar for a moment to order a classic shili cheese dog and to reiterate her desire to have some chooss in place of the alcohol, "I ain't a pushover, and I don't stay in one place for long, most find that off putting."

Mara had never minded, of course, she'd lived a very independent life and the very notion of settling down bothered her to the core. Those hyperlanes were her home, her ship her sole companion, what more did a girl need?

"Don't worry about how much you drink, I can drive. Though you did say you had stuff to do today. Guess it's up to you, no?"

A cheer from the crowd had her looking back across to one of the screens, though she'd not paid hardly enough attention to the game to truly know what was going on. Just as soon as she looked away she returned her gaze to Ar'ekk.

"So, take it you're a regular here then?"

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

LITHIOS​

Laukoon, Ethos City​

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INTERACTING WITH: [member="Kalyn Shif"]​

"That's the same thing I used to say until it happened, really."

She had her own opinion about the matter and he respected it but didn't share the same opinion, of course. It wasn't either the time or the place to start discussing about love interests and future prospects but instead enjoy some delicious food plates and drinks.

They'd have time do the aforementioned one day if she wanted, he wouldn't pry unless asked.

"Yeah, we're gonna meet with a guy from the neighbourhood by the markets. I can't be chitfaced, you see? Just tell me to calm down when you see me going overboard."

Uninterested by the game playing on the holoscreen in the background mixed with the screams of angry fans losing precious gamblin money to the losing team, Ar'ekk instead focused on Kalyn.

"I used to be one, back in my "dark" days sort of speak. Just not anymore, in fact this is the first time in three months since I've come here."

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[Lief]

Until it happened.

She supposed that was the way most things went, you couldn't experience or understand something until it happened, though honestly Mara didn't care if it ever did happen. She was her own person through and through, able to go where she wanted, to do what she wanted, and having someone else there? That complicated things. Then there were expectations, a need to return to a home point, someone else's thoughts and ideas taking over her own. And, of course, the very real risk of losing them, as she had her whole crew.

As Ar'ekk had his girl.

"Tell you what, why don't you just have these two drinks here on the bar," she said, gesturing to his own and the one she'd rejected, "and then we can find a club tonight when business is taken care of?"

That seemed to make sense to her. No risk involved. Sometimes risk was a good thing, it got the blood pumping, but she had never seen him drunk and thus had no clue how poorly he might act around his associate. Besides, it wasn't as though Mara knew where they had to go, either.

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

LITHIOS​

Laukoon, Ethos City​

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INTERACTING WITH: [member="Kalyn Shif"]​

"Nah, no more drinks. I've gotta keep my composure to meet my business associate and matter of fact, we're a little late."

Leaving a hefty credit chip on the table as a tip and not even managing to devour the hamburger that was prepared and placed in front of his nose, Ar'ekk turned around in his stool and stood up. Blazer jacket straightened out and a small bulge with the size of a gun visible to the right side, he'd look at Kalyn and then back at the door.

"We only have to walk a couple of blocks from here."

Spending this evening inside a nightclub seemed as good as any other idea the girl had come up lately, specially when you're roaming the streets of an apparently forgotten side of the city where junkies scream at you for not giving them money for their next fix or poor chicks asking if you'd take them for a good time.

They found themselves on the streets after stepping into the elevator and going five levels down. The air smelled like filth and dirty sewage clogged with who-knows-what.

"You alright?"

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[Lief]

Their lunch plans were apparently being cut short, yet her ridiculously high metabolism would not afford for her to simply leave the shili cheese dog undevoured. When he rose up and left a payment behind Mara followed suit, yet she swiped the hot dog from her plate, alongside a napkin, and quickly necked the rest of her chooss. Then, and only then, did she follow, munching on the dog as they walked.

"I ain't afraid of a lil' walkin'," she informed him between bites, once she was all caught up with him, though she almost ate her own words when they finally stepped out into the filthy street beyond.

It was a mess. The smell was disgusting, the people helpless and desperate. Almost had her reaching for her own weapons, though food was a more pressing concern for the girl who had already gone too long between meals. Instead she stuck close to Ar'ekk, frustrated that it had come to that at all, and followed his lead.

"Seen worse places," she said, with sincerity in her tone, "I'm fine. Just hungry. Hangry? You don't want to see me when I'm hangry. Ha!"

Sometimes it was the simple things which humoured her most.

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

LITHIOS​

Laukoon, Ethos City​

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INTERACTING WITH: [member="Kalyn Shif"]​

"Me too but I think this one wins the prize. They call it the lawless area for a reason."

The streets of Laukoon are worse in your first visit, it was their trademark. Even with the rain, you can feel something in the air. It's thicker now and it clings to your skin like invisible filth.

As they walked deeper into the jungle of mold infested skyscrapers and apartment units, the miserable noises of slum life are gone, replaced by something worse. The sounds of death. The sounds of fear.

"Here we are."

Where exactly? If Kalyn were to look around there were nothing but junkies in their sorroundings and decaying buildings that looked like they'd fall in any given minute. Under their feet? A half open lid that would lead them straight to the underbelly of Laukoon, home of illegal trading and criminal activities.

A ghostly labyrinth of tunnels and dead-end passageways makes up the network of sewers beneath the diner and its sorrounding structures. They would climb down the ladder into this shallow underworld and reel at the wave of foul smells that washes over them, clogging their sinuses and saturating their clothing.

As their eyes adjusted to the brief darkness, Kalyn and Ar'ekk would find themselves standing at the edge of a narrow channel of murky gray-green water. The rush of churning water echoes down the tunnel. But around them was a bustling underground "city" packed with stalls and improvised shops, people sellling you the latest weapons and cybernetic upgrades.

You wanted spice or a get high on the best drug that has hit the market? Or perhaps try to get a new liver for whatever reason?

They had it.

It was home for some and hell for others, depending on their judgement.

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[Lief]

Even with the dog consumed, Mara decided to stick close to Ar'ekk.

Her fingers strayed toward the various weapons on her belt, eyes narrowing as she glanced over the streets, down alleyways, at men and women barely clinging to life. It was disgusting, horrifying, saddening. And it was all there on show, even before they came upon the lid.

After descending, however, it worsened tenfold. She gagged as the smell hit her, putrid and festering in nature. Lifeless eyes stared up at them, the bodies they belonged to stoic and pale. Far too thin to really even support their heads.

"It's so sad," she whispered, keeping up with Ar'ekk's pace even though all she really wanted to do was turn tail and run. "How can anybody live like this?"

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

LITHIOS​

Laukoon, Ethos City​

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INTERACTING WITH: [member="Kalyn Shif"]​

"When the "democratic" government is actually a Corporatocracy under its veil, only then you realize this is their only way of surviving."

While the old and rich enjoy the luxuries of living a life carefree in expensive penthouses, buying jewelry worth more than a man's and exotic food the rest of the population was let to rot inside out. Those living among the rats, dying of hunger and withstanding a life-long misery that the only thing that'd make them feel alright or solve their problems would be dying.

He found no personal enjoyment visiting this underground community, let alone having to come here on business terms but he had to neverthelless. Give a credit chip to the occasional kid trying to sell you their wares or help a single mother without a single thing to hold on to except their baby craddled in their arms.

It was sad indeed.

"Come on, stick close to me. We are not that far."

Lifeless eyes in the dark followed their every step as the duo made their way through the sewers, the water on their feet emanating the most putrid and disgusting aroma one could ever sniff. It was worse than spice.

A gleam of light at the end of the tunnel would bring them back to the outside world to only find themselves in another section of the market, this time even bigger than anything they could've anticipated. This was a slicer's dream place, if one could describe it. To the side, a young woman flagged Ar'ekk and Kalyn over while a man sitting behind the counter greeted the man with a hug.

"How you doin', ya pirate?! I never thought you'd come here, specially after that thing you pulled off in The Outer Rim not long ago. Glad you got my message."

This person's eyes laid on Kalyn next, giving her a once over from head to toes and nodding approvingly. He was very good at knowing people by simply looking at them and with that gesture the red haired girl had gained his temporary approval.

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[Lief]

Perhaps Ar'ekk was correct.

Maybe this really was one of the worst places out there. It was swiftly becoming one of the worst she had seen, though at this point she didn't wish to voice as much. It wasn't a competition, and acknowledging it would only make her feel worse about the whole ordeal. Mara wished so dearly that there was something she could do, and honestly she wasn't usually so empathetic a person, but she barely had enough to cover her own living expenses, much less make a difference in a place like this. No amount of credits she could ever safe up would make so much as the smallest dent in their lives.

So she continued on, eyes fixed straight ahead as Ar'ekk led the way. Guilt gnawing at her every step.

And then, with a sudden glimmer of light, they were out of it, stepping forth into a marketplace. Truly it was one of the strangest juxtapositions she'd ever borne witness to, from desolation to liveliness, a distinct lack of nothing to flourishing abundance. Though while there was plenty of bright food stalls, most of the area was honestly made up of technological stands, spice, black market goods. The more she saw, the more she understood why it was so far removed from the rest of civilization. Why they'd trekked through literal refuge to get there.

Mara didn't say anything as Ar'ekk met with his contact. She didn't know the man, nor did she have any dealings with him, so instead she stood off to one side and watched in quiet consideration.

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

LITHIOS​

Laukoon, Ethos City​

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INTERACTING WITH: [member="Kalyn Shif"]​

"Word reached out fast, huh? No wonder. I'm alright, man. You know me, I couldn't let you down when you called. You'd think I'd miss this opportunity?"

The two of them looked like childhood friends, engaging in a very friendly conversation as if they had known each other for years. In reality they had only done a handful of deals for the past six months and they've established a friendship that seemed genuine, like brothers or similar.

"When I told you I had upgrades I was pretty sure you'd show up around here, they are yours only anyways. Who's the girl, though?"

Ar'ekk peeked over his shoulder to lay eyes on Kalyn who seemed a bit uncomfortable with her sorroundings, not blaming her at all. You needed to have guts and a strong desire to come to this side of town, she had them of course but these things affect you regardless.

His gaze focused on the vendor again, speaking out once more.

"She's a friend."

The guy behind the stall just smiled and winked which in return was deceived with a faint shrug. Behind this massive tower of flesh and bone called Kai was a metallic door that led to the back office where all the magic occured. As one could immediately realize, he was a ripperdoc.

The Ripperdoc specializes in one thing and one thing only--the construction, alteration, and implantation of illegal and black market cyberware. Occasionally employed by legitimate operations for the in-store installation of legal cybertech such as skin watches and light tattoos, the Ripperdoc nevertheless can make thousands in a night for a few unlicensed surgeries. A good contact for the cyber-equipped, they are the lifeblood of most modern gangs and militaries alike.

"Come inside, both you and sweetheart standing over there like she had seen a ghost. Make yourselves comfortable while I prepare everything."

Ar'ekk was slowly beginning to make changes to his body in an attempt to "enhance" it one step further but not fully commiting on the whole "cyborg" idea. More like small upgrades from time to time to make his life easier.

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[Lief]

"Mara," she said, over Ar'ekk's shoulder, when the man asked who she was. It wasn't as though she was actually really eavesdropping, more that she knew when she was being talked about. Call it a sixth sense, or simply just the burning of her ears whenever it happened within earshot. Either way she saw no need to hide it from him. It wasn't technically even her name anyway, not that she'd ever admit as much.

Names were power.

Giving it out would not be wise. Not even a little bit.

As she glanced over the man's stall she became more than aware of his profession, and had to wonder if he was the one who had made the alterations to Ar'ekk. Given their familiarity it was likely so, and that made her frown ever so slightly.

Ripperdocs were dangerous. A lot of the tech they used for implants and the like were untested, unregulated, and illegal. Not that she was a stranger to illicit activities of course, she'd be dead by now if such bothered her, it did worry her though. Still, Ar'ekk was his own man. If he wanted to take that risk it was on him.

She followed after Ar'ekk when they were led inside, eyes soaking in all that there was to see.

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

LITHIOS​

Laukoon, Ethos City​

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INTERACTING WITH: [member="Kalyn Shif"]​

The door closed behind them as soon as they stepped into the room, looking as grim as the sewers they had passed through to get to this shop. A flickering light on the ceiling gave the "operating" room a much more evilishly and skin crawling vibe to things, specially when you're about to go through a series of body modifications with an illegal surgeon.

In a place like Lithios, the body was no longer sanctum for people. That was part of the culture, of being attuned with the cyber and being a punk of sorts. Ar'ekk had been upgraded long ago but not because he wanted but because it was necessary for his well being and raise his quality of life, this wasn't any different to that in his eyes except it was underground.

"If anything happens to me, don't try to stop it. You'll not be able to do a thing."

Cyberpsychosis was always vibrant and present when you modified your body with so much technology, people feared that more than anything else. The Cyberpsycho loses their sense of identity as a person. They come to view regular people and other living things as weak and inferior. With their enhanced physical abilities and complete disregard for life, Cyberpsychos are extremely dangerous to anyone that crosses their path.

This can affect anyone eventually, but the less empathetic a person is, the more vulnerable they are to this mental disease. Someone who is warm and friendly is much more resistant than a psychopath, who already doesn't identify with people to begin with. But if you pack enough technology onto them, anyone can succumb eventually. There is no real cure, though there is treatment. The effects are cumulative. A single cyber hand probably won't push you over the edge. Replace all four limbs and both eyes though, and you'll probably start down the slippery slope to madness.

"Alright, Ar'ekk. Sit on the chair and lay your head back, same as before. If anything happens, I'll let you know and gonna stop immediately. All I ask is that everyone's quiet. Deal?"

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[Lief]

The moment they stepped into the makeshift surgical room, Mara wanted out.

She shook her head, looking between the two men, and then - without warning - turned and walked back out. She was not going to be party to such things, she refused to stand there and watch him acquire some new form of cyberware, and while she wouldn't be running from the underbelly of the world, while she wouldn't be leaving him stranded there in the market by himself, she would be waiting outside.

Mara left without a word. She left before they could even really notice she was headed for the door.

Once outside she took in a slow breath and calmed herself. Wandering aimlessly through the stalls she allowed her gaze to stray back toward the ripperdoc's building every now and then to watch for their reemergence.

Mara was not a coward. It wasn't the thought of seeing blood which turned her stomach, it wasn't that she was against body alterations, but this... Somehow this was too much for her.

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

LITHIOS​

Laukoon, Ethos City​

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INTERACTING WITH: [member="Kalyn Shif"]​

A stranged expression had take over Ar'ekk's face once he saw Kalyn stepping out of the room that quickly dissipated, coming to terms with her decision. He had made his own in regards of modificating his body for enhancements and she made hers about getting out of the room to breath some fresh (Here, though?) air considering how the man had dragged the girl through the most awful things one could witness in such a small amount of time.

"Alright, I'm ready. Start doing your magic, Kai."

The surgery consisted in implanting a proper cyberaudio system into the auditory nerves and speech centers of the brain. This enhancement affects both ears, and also includes a subvocalizing mike on the mastoid bone. There is no visible change to the outer ear whatsoever, which made things a lot less easier to notice. Naked and untrained eye would be clueless. Besides that, a few minor fashionware additions that proved to be both useful and merely cosmetic.

Features were varied and easy to implement by hooking up to his computer terminal with the neck plugs and upload the program to his core system. For example, Kai offered the most expensive cyberaudio package there is available on the black market and the most reliable too, which includes a VSA (Voice Stress Analyser) that acts as a lie detector, detecting minute changes in vocal patterns and tones and comparing these to a pre-recorded set of parameters.

Also an ECM Scrambler Implant that improves your radio or audio spike with a scrambler, so it cannot be listened into. This makes all radio or audiospike communications private, unless the interceptor has a descrambler unit and a lot of time on his hands.

In the other hand, there are the more menial or insignificant yet purely gratuitous additions that came as a gift with the package such as a biomonitor. It's pretty much an underskin display mounted on the forearm. It provides a real-time readout of common body functions like heart rate, blood pressure, blood chemistry, brainwave activity, temperature, cholesterol levels and a number of other bodily functions.

At the end, the whole ordeal would last a few hours to be done with. Hopefully Kalyn had armed herself with patience and would not leave him in the underbelly of Lithios all by himself to only find herself lost in the middle of nowhere. He'd come out of the shop in one piece after paying the ripper doc, all of his upgrades not noticeable at first glance unless he showed you. Impressive work.

"Let's go. I don't wanna spend another minute looking at people in misery."

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[Lief]

The long minutes passed by into even longer hours.

Soon enough Kal had explored each and every stall in the market. Passing one with fruits from across the Galaxy she bought half a dozen Mandalorian blood oranges and munched on them as she wandered aimlessly around, satiating some of the lingering hunger that never seemed to fully disappear from within her.

One of the stands was selling various high tech tools, and though she knew she probably didn't need anything she idly glanced over the offerings regardless. There, bright as brass, was something she was not at all expecting to see. A sonic servodriver. She blinked, reaching out to pluck it from where it lay and turned it over in her hand.

"This thing work?" she asked, to which the vendor merely shrugged.

"Kinda, won't stay active for very long. I got it without checkin'."

"How much you want for it?"

The man gave her an odd look, possibly wondering why someone wanted a beat up piece of tech, before making his decision. No where near as much as she'd seen them sell for, she handed the man over some credit chips and pocketed the device.

Broken things weren't necessarily always going to be broken, after all, and Kal was sorely needing a project to keep her mind busy.

In the time it took between then and Ar'ekk's reemergence she sat down beneath a holographic tree and merely watched the marketplace drift by. So many faces passed through that it was somewhat dizzying to think about. She pulled out a piece of flimsiplast from her pocket, and a device used specifically to write upon it, and set about drawing some of what she saw. Haphazard stalls, tapestries, holographic flora, and the people. Mostly the people.

She had become so preoccupied with her drawings that she didn't even realize that Ar'ekk was back.

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

LITHIOS​

Laukoon, Ethos City​

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INTERACTING WITH: [member="Kalyn Shif"]​

The sound of his shoes as he stepped on dirt and wet pavement should've alerted Kalyn of his presence, but she seemed lost in her own world of drawings and day-dreaming. He couldn't blame her, spending hours waiting for someone who was getting upgraded by a black market surgeon would make anyone go crazy but Ar'ekk appreciated the patience the girl had.

It's not like she had any other option considering their sorroundings but still... It was a valuable thing.

"You like to draw, huh? Show me."

He sat down under the holographic tree to contemplate both the drawing being made and the ocean of people that transited throughout the market in a frenetic search for the latest ware, weapon or drug. It was easy to get lost in your thoughts when you've got nothing else to do but kill time. Eyes laying on the flimsiplast to appreciate Kalyn's design, Ar'ekk simply nodded in approval.

"Beautiful work."

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[Lief]

His voice was admittedly the first thing that alerted her to his returned presence.

Glancing away from the sheet of flimsiplast she looked up at him with narrowed eyes as though trying to ensure it was really him. That there was nothing wrong, that he had not succumbed to psychosis or grave injury. Setting the pen back into her pocket she pushed the image across her lap toward him and shrugged her shoulders. It was a simple scene, of a women who had recently passed by purchasing a disruptor pistol from one of the stalls. No colour, but ample shading.

"I don't get to very often," she informed him, before closing up the small notebook the flimsiplast was apart of, "Usually only when I have something on my mind."

After a few moments she looked away to her side and picked up one of the remaining blood oranges.

"Got you something. Figured you might want to keep your energy up."

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

LITHIOS​

Laukoon, Ethos City​

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INTERACTING WITH: [member="Kalyn Shif"]​

"Thank you."

He reached for the blood orange that Kalyn offered to him, giving it a big munch and spilling some juice on his shirt because he wasn't careful enough. Eyes wandered around aimlessly, trying to come to terms with his sorroundings and whatever had transpired inside the ripperdoc's surgery room. Taking a time to breath was always helpful.

"What's on your mind, then?"

The upgrades were responding properly with his body, as good as one could hope. Everyone was prone to psychosis in one way or the other, the effects were almost immediate once someone got cybernetic enhancements recently installed on their body. Hopefully this wasn't and wouldn't be the case, everything was in the clear.

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