ximilia | Video: Lockwood | Sometime AFTER Group 3 arrives

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Video: Lockwood | Sometime AFTER Group 3 arrives | Info Sharing

[OOC: The following communication happens sometime AFTER Group 3 has arrived and had time to settle, so it's available to everyone.]

[ For intent purposes Lockwood has been a ghost. The irony not lost on him in the slightest, but Flo Bones had taught him well. He's been making his way in the ranks of the criminal underground, ingratiating himself with dealers and the like, indulging in some elegant thievery and actually having a bit of a good time.

He couldn't help enjoying the high he got from successfully pulling off various heists, or getting around various Federation forces and generally having a good time being full of himself. He was Anthony Bloody Lockwood and he had a plan, a serious goal but still, he'd been sashaying along thinking he had this tiger by the tail.

Then the tiger turned and shit got real and Lockwood wasn't feeling quite so cocky.

People who were good at ready micro expressions, or who had spent any significant time around him, might be surprised at the complete absence of his usual charm and swagger. He didn't look like a scared child, but the absolute exhaustion that some had seen flashes of, was on full display. It made his already fair skin look ghost white, his dark eyes sunken behind sharp cheekbones, deeply bruised and without his flashy smile, he really managed to look decades older than his seventeen years. This was Lockwood when he felt the weight of the world on his shoulders. ]

Team. [ He's not sure how else to address everybody. He pauses to look over his shoulder and around; he's got himself in some dark, shadowed alley back up so that a couple of buildings guard his flank and he has a clear line of sight should anyone try to come up on him. ] I have reason to believe there is more to Zandr's escape, the ghost matter, and this entire galactic situation than perhaps we originally believed.

[ He's got a lot of speculation racing around in his mind, and brushes his hand through his hair as he struggles to reset himself and stick to facts. ]

As part of my cover, I've been working for dealers on the black market, nicking more than my fair share. [ No judging! ] I started expanding my efforts to Federation facilities, thought I might get my hands on some of these ghost matter weapons we keep hearing about. Thought if I could get my hands on one, it might work as bait for Zandr.

Instead I got a visit from someone who calls himself Bracken, warning me off of trying to get my hands on ghost matter weapons. In the course of our delightful spot of tea, he indicated that the illegal procurement of ghost matter weapons is the purview of a select group, and the rest of those of us in 'procurement' were to keep our noses out of it.

No big deal. Big fish always try to corner the market on profitable goods. Except I've been down here for weeks now and haven't caught so much as a whiff of any demand being supplied. My experience, posh people buy illegal shit to show off just how posh they are to their friends, and I've only heard crickets.

[ Brief pause while he just makes sure those shadows are still uninhabited. ]

I challenged Bracken on this, because the only other reason -I know of at least- for gathering and then sitting on a cache of weapons is that you plan to use them at some point. His reaction suggests to me I struck a nerve, something is in the works, something bigger than just Zandr and his prison escape.

[ Lockwood has a lot of other theories and his instincts are screaming at him, but that is all speculation which he'll share if asked but this communication is already getting too long. ]

Watch your backs, and make sure you've got plans C and D in the works, in case this all goes sideways before we can locate the orb.

[ OOC: Feel free to assume if your character asked for specifics Lockwood would have relayed everything Bracken said word for word. This post was just getting TL;DR. ]

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That raises questions. Since the ghost matter weapons are redundant here, the target would have to be outside of the planetary complex.

Presumably.

Unless there's something we don't know here.

Tonight's conversation did a good job of highlighting just how much I at least did not know about what is going on around us.

[ The mission had seemed fairly straight forward. Imbed, figure out where the orb was located, secure the orb and extract. The potential of an insurrection breaking out was not what Lockwood had anticipated. ]

"'I'm only gonna say this once. There is no insurrection. No rebellion, no uprising, nothing. You think the Galaxy's that simple?'" That was what he said to me, among other things. Those were his words."

I'll clarify. If there's a reason to have ghost matter weapons that doesn't involve rich collectors or exporting them outside Ndiera, then there's something we're missing.

Something that's probably going to be a headache for us down the line if we don't figure it out.

[ Lockwood's expression suggested he thought that was exactly what he was saying, so he wasn't entirely sure what needed to be clarified. He'd run into this sort of patronizing attitude, as he perceived it, often enough from adults and only just managed to keep from snapping at Nat. ]

Good thing there are plenty of us to figure it out then, yes?

I suppose that's the point.

[He wouldn't be the first person Natasha had rubbed wrong, though generally that came out in more heated discussions than this one and she'd have a better idea what she'd done to put someone's back up.]

Thanks for passing along the intel.

[ Getting tasered and then frustrated from a lack of answers always makes him extra tetchy. Some day he's going to have to work on that. Today is not that day. ]

It was my absolute pleasure.

[ Usually Lockwood can make that sound a lot more genuine and charming. This time, he probably just comes off as a sarcastic little shit. ]

Mr. Lockwood.

Your digging hasn't gotten you in any danger, has it?

No more danger than any of us are in. [ His voice is warm, and he pitches his tone to be as genuinely reassuring as possible. ]

Please understand that offers me no reassurances.

（ her tone remains politely neutral, but there's an undercurrent there of something, eddies and whorls in the way she speaks, that suggests something deeper. ）

If you require assistance, please ensure you ask for it. If not myself, then perhaps Miss Sabriel.

[ Lockwood knows he still owes Unohana apologetic actions, if nothing else, for their initial meeting. So rather than keep dancing around the facts and being a flippant asshole, his own voice softens, and he threads it with calm and genuine reassurance. ]

I promise, I am alright.

Bracken used a taser that rendered me temporarily immobile while we spoke and then wore off with no lingering ill effects aside from sore muscles, and a raw spot where the electrical charge came in contact with my flesh.

I've been tasered before; hell I've been electrocuted before. I'll drink plenty of water, have a nice warm soak, and get a good night's sleep. Be right as rain when I wake up. But I promise if I feel any lingering affects in the next couple of days I will be in contact.

（ hm. ）

Very well. Please take an anti-inflammatory as well, and consider alternating heat and ice treatments — no more than fifteen minutes of the latter.

[ The nature of ghost-touch is such that Lockwood tends to avoid ice treatments as a rule, even though he knows they are important for muscle strain. He'll think about it ... and probably go heat

But tea and an anti-inflammatory do sound good. ]

A spot of tea and a paracetamol sound delightful. I will take care Dr. Unohana, I promise.

All right.

I'll speak with you later, Mr. Lockwood.

Thank you, Dr. Unohana.

Well, this wouldn't be the first time we've stumbled into a revolution.

[It' would be the third, actually.]

But what is their grievance? The government isn't doing enough to help the poor, but... How much use would ghost-matter weapons be on these planets? Powers are already suppressed.

Unless their reach extends beyond these three planets.

Had I been in the position to ask those questions, believe me Sabriel I would have tried. [ His expression is rueful and more than a little frustrated. Lockwood hates knowing there are answers out there and he doesn't have them. ]

I understand, and I'm not scolding- I'm speculating. Unfortunately, I won't be able to get those answers either- my cover story's not something suitable for visiting the underworld, although I might be able to get answers about the manufacture of those weapons- through an internship.

[ Damn it.

The frustration grows because Lockwood's kneejerk response is to want to jump into that investigation with her. But he's steady enough to recognize that where as she is in no position to cross into the world he's inhabiting, he's in no position to cross into her areas either. ]

These hard lines are really beginning to annoy me. [ It's muttered, and quite possible that he isn't aware he spoke aloud. ]

This ghost matter. I've heard it's been attributed to deaths. Is that right, or just fear tactic rumors?

It's killing people. I'm not sure how, but there's official warnings, and I've heard people talk about it. I just haven't gotten any details.

What are the official warnings?

[ DEPRAC was always putting out official warnings about ghost-touch and the like. Most people were already terrified into compliance, but there were some thrill seekers who didn't seem to get the message.

Though as he briefly thinks about it, deaths from ghost-touch really hadn't changed over the years. The same interaction between a ghost's ectoplasm and living flesh resulted in the same lethal exchange. ]

You don't have to be a revolutionary to stockpile the best weapons money can buy or skill can procure.

What kinda guy was this Bracken? What did he look like?

[ Audio means that Felix won't see Lockwood role his eyes at that first part. Allowing himself a brief second of annoyance, the younger man focused on the question. He'd save his grumbling for later when he was by himself. ]

Very large, reptilian's features, rather like a Kamado Dragon; long tail. At the very least he carries a blaster and a taser of some sort. Likes to attack from the shadows. Be careful of the taser; doesn't feel very good and causes a paralysis that lasts at least ten minutes.

Maybe fifteen. Couldn't check my watch.

[Everyone else seems to think that's the case! There are plenty of other options. Not necessarily any better ones.]

So, a big dumb lizard with a taser and a blaster. That really narrows it down around here. Skin color, height, distinctive features?

If I'm lucky, he hangs out in the same places I've been frequenting. It would be even nicer if I don't have to drop his name to find him and end up killing him in a dark alley when he tries to pull his shadow shit.

[ Look Felix. This post is not big enough for both of us to like the sound of our own voice.

Lockwood's response, when it comes, is cheeky and definitely part of why he has such a strong reputation as a little shit back home. ]

Had a better view of the blaster from my vantage point. [ Which he will then go into minute detail about, ~~please assume reasonable details, good enough to recognize but nothing that would stand up in court~~ but still nothing further on Bracken himself. ]

[Well, then it's a pity they both like the sound of their own voices a tad too much.

Felix is not sure whether to be impressed by the extent of detail on the weapon or disappointed by the lack of detail on Bracken. Bit of both then.]

Wow, did you get the serial number while you were down there? Way to stare at the wrong thing, kid. [Yes he went there.] All right, fine. That will have to do. I'll figure out. I've found harder targets on less information than that.

Oh shut up, and go make yourself useful.

[ Felix's general tone, the use of the word 'kid', the passive aggressive sarcasm (that was his schtick damn it, and general frustration over the entire situation, did not do good things for Lockwood's manners. ]

[He can't help himself. He lets out a small laugh before cutting off his feed.]

He didn't rough you up in the process of delivering this "warning"?

[ Aww, Ciri. He appreciates the concern. Though he'll respond in typical flippant Lockwood fashion, looking to encourage a laugh rather than continued worry. ]

Nothing worse than what I'd get back in my reality. Making me feel kinda homesick, actually.

Easy enough to fix.

( the... going home. just decide a regret isn't worth it. she's heard of the people who have, the sort of... willing returns.

which she gets more this mission, little by little, than last. or because of the last one. the one that'd been her first. )

You didn't need someone with medical knowledge to help you? Or at least got treated if you did? Right.

[ Fair point. But he felt very strongly about his reason for being here. If he did decide to abandon undoing his regret it would be to go home for Lucy and George. Not because he missed his eggcup. ]

It was nothing more than a friendly greeting between friends. I don't even have a scratch. [ Aching muscles, his legs still weren't sure they wanted to cooperate, and the skin was raw at the area where he'd taken the taser hit. But comparatively speaking Bracken had been remarkably restrained. ]

I thank you for the concern, but I don't believe we've met? I'm Anthony Lockwood.

Sure, if you say so. I've had plenty of friendly greetings between strangers that left no scratches either.

( bruises are another matter; emotional trauma doesn't even need to register in this conversation, because who has time to even recognise things like that. not her. )

Ciri. ( always just that, never her full name. ) Probably only glimpsed each other on the platform, if at all. There's a lot of moving faces on station. Which is funny, when it's not all that large, and still large enough.

[ Figuring it was best to just let the subject of his encounter with Bracken fall by the wayside, Lockwood focused on the latter part of her message. ]

It's good to keep busy, even if it doesn't allow for a great deal of socialization in between cases. [ Missions Lockwood, they're called missions here. ]

Regardless. It is a pleasure to meet you Ciri. So to speak.

Cases, huh? Are we all detectives now?

Nice to meet you. Don't get yourself killed. It would be a first, I think. At least with this crew.

Not a detective, but there is an investigative component to the work I do back home.

Oh I rather like being the first at a thing! But, I promise I will do my best to be avoid setting any sort of trend.

[ Which isn't exactly a 'no' to putting himself in harms way, but he will genuinely attempt to avoid the dying part of that equation. ]

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Video: Lockwood | Sometime AFTER Group 3 arrives | Info Sharing

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