11.1: Hello Vipor pt 1

The small shuttle lurched under Cewi-Bano's webbed hands, flinging Lus against his seatbelt, and she apologized for the twentieth time. They were currently descending into the atmosphere of Vipor but doing so in a location that wasn't well monitored to keep their entrance from being noticed. Supposedly their contact on the planet also had a landing pad prepared that was free from any kind of government records, even if it did cost an exorbitant amount.

"Don't tell me you lost your touch, Cewi," Vlqtrn joked from the back, across from Lusac. Cewi was known for her skills with a gun, and her talent for hair triggers made her one of the more stable pilots among the crew, but this trip was proving too much for her. Part of Lus wondered if they shouldn't have brought a more experienced pilot for this kind of trip. Oaty was probably too valuable to send on a mission like this, but even Yonnex-Quniwel would have been more welcome than the jolty ride they took now with Cewi.

"I'm just not used to flying in such extreme turbulence," she admitted with a grimace. She was clearly straining to keep the shuttle steady, and Lus was starting to feel the effects of a less-than-smooth trip through the atmosphere.

"Vipor was originally colonized by the Kremel, so it's not as weak as the Nemarian planets you grew up around," Wsr said with a grin. "It's as tough as its people."

"Tough-hrgh-is one word for it," Cewi replied, jerking the controls as another strong bump rolled through the shuttle.

Lus clutched his stomach. He didn't normally get airsick, but this trip was proving to be an exception. He did his best to hold his breakfast in, knowing that the others would never let him live it down if he hurled. It seemed super-Nemarian of Cewi to hold her own vomit down, but maybe driving made it easier. The two Kremel had no problems of course, but that was just an unfair, biological advantage.

"Without the turbulence, we'd never be able to land here. The rough air is all that keeps the Corporates from installing their atmospheric sensors to detect ships," Vlqtrn reminded the cabin.

Cewi grunted, but gave no formal reply, still too focused on keeping the shuttle upright.

They finally emerged from the upper atmosphere, and the clouds cleared to reveal a vast stretch of Vipor's crimson sunset stretching to the far mountains which was odd because for the Runners, it was still the morning. It was going to be a bit brutal dealing with such a stark time change, but most of their work was supposed to be done at night anyway.

Lusac focused on the picturesque scene out the front window to keep from thinking about his uneasy stomach. Somewhere in his mind, he silently asked the Watcher to keep the contents of his intestines on the inside for just a little longer.

Cewi continued the descent with lessened turbulence much to Lus and his stomach's relief. A small holoscreen in the corner of the front window directed the Nemarian in navigating over the top of the vast forest below them. Supposedly their contact would have a way into the city for them that would be as untraceable as the landing pad.

Lus was looking forward to being amongst a full fledged civilization again. He enjoyed the Argo and it was always fun to explore new planets, but it'd been weeks since he last got to enjoy things like restaurants and bars. And the last time he'd been in a city, he'd spent all his time in a musty library trying to find recipe books without any success. He was definitely looking forward to being in a city and not having to even think about cooking for a couple of days.

The ride only got smoother as they approached the ground. Soon Cewi-Bano was expertly guiding the craft into the mouth of a cave at the mountains and onto what might have passed for a landing pad in the far corners of the outer sectors of the galaxy but felt very out of place on a planet that was as near the Gemini region as Vipor.

"Alright. Let me do the talking with this guy. Wsr, stay close to me just in case they try to pull anything. Lus, Vlqtrn, start gathering up the stuff," Cewi ordered after landing the shuttle and turning the engines off. She and Wsr both stood and walked to the back where the exit hatch waited.

Lus waited until they were outside conversing with whoever came to greet them to release his seatbelt and begin picking at the luggage piled up against both walls behind the seats.

"Excited to be back on your old stomping grounds?" Vlqtrn asked as they sorted bags into four piles, one for each team member.

"Huh?" Lus froze and then turned to give the Kremel a questioning stare.

"Oh. I'd heard you were in the Corporate military before you joined the Argo. Since Vipor is such a stronghold for them, I assumed you passed through here at some point," Vlqtrn said.

"Right. I was with the Corporates only briefly before I left," Lus explained simply. He didn't particularly want to get into those details right now.

Vlqtrn seemed to sense Lus's reluctance to speak more about the topic and dropped it entirely. Unfortunately the brief conversation brought Lusac's previous concerns back in full force. The chip in his hand had been illegally reprogrammed to provide a different identity when scanned, but he couldn't help feeling that just being around Corporates again was asking for some kind of trouble.

Cewi and Wsr soon returned to help finish the sorting and loading up. Wsr and Vlqtrn took on the most, but given they were both more than double the size of Lus and triple that of Cewi, it was still a pretty fair distribution. Lusac carried an uncomfortable amount of weight, but he told himself it was worth it if it meant he might end up with boosted [Strength] next time he leveled up. He thought one more curse to his worthless system and then put it from his mind altogether to keep his focus on the mission. It was critical they have no errors, especially once they got into the city.

All four of the heavily laden crewmembers exited the shuttle into the damp cave that held the remnants of some kind of base. A group of Kremel with a single Human waited. The front Kremel would be their contact, and the rest were likely her crew.

"This way to the tunnel. We have a vehicle that will take us directly into the city's underground. The apartment you'll be staying in connects directly to it. You'll get in without needing to pass a single check," the contact said, taking long strides to one of the mechanical doors along the wall. Cewi went next, followed closely by Wsr with Lus and Vlqtrn at the back.

The air was more humid here than most other planets Lus had visited in the past, which was surprising for a Kremel colonized world. He expected this type of air on Nemarian planets, and Cewi-Bano seemed to take well to it, not even using her mistter.

The door led to a half caved-in hallway that the contact continued down without even pausing to explain. Moss appeared to be forming on some of the strewn boulders, so Lus got the sense it wasn't a recent incident.

The corridor led to a tunnel, just as the contact had said. There a typical land crawler waited. It was a large, rounded cube and had four legs coming out, two at each end just like a horse's body. But the legs were spindly, more akin to an insect's–though with more freedom of movement–and the "feet" were actually claws made for climbing up walls if necessary. These kinds of vehicles were what were used for exploring wild areas, and Lus had grown up around similar vehicles back on Treft since so little of the planet had the infrastructure for the sophisticated hover cars used on worlds near the galactic center.

The body of the crawler rested on the ground with the legs bent in a heavy fashion. Their contact used a remote to open the door as well as the cargo space in the back. The team first dropped off their luggage, and then all five of them entered the interior of the vehicle. It was snug with three Kremel, and Lus was forced to sit between Wsr and Vlqtrn, leaning forward against his seatbelt to allow them room for their beefy shoulders. Cewi-Bano sat far more comfortably up in the co-pilot seat next to their contact who had yet to offer up any kind of name.

Their contact started the engine, and the crawler sprang to life. A few lights blinked up on the dashboard while a large holoscreen appeared before the pilot, projecting views from all around, not just directly in front. There was a strong downward force as the body swung upwards to stand at the leg's height. Lus's stomach warned him that his motion sickness had yet to subside all the way. Still, he held himself together as the contact started into the tunnel.

As with most crawlers, this one was designed for stealth and used special cameras to provide a clear view into the dark cave without using any kind of light. The Kremel expertly piloted the vehicle over the rough terrain and scaled several vertical walls and drops. The smell of sweat started to fill the interior, and Lus was a little too aware of the sources next to him.

They were about half an hour into the journey when their pilot cursed and jerked the controls of the vehicle to the side, throwing Lusac into Wsr.

"Corporate patrol incoming," she explained. "I'll kill the engines, and as long as we're quiet in here, they should pass us right by."

The engine went silent, and the lights and screens inside turned off, plunging the cockpit into complete blackness. Vlqtrn shuddered, a sentiment Lus understood. Not even the superior Kremel and Nemarian eyesight could pierce this kind of darkness.

The soft sound of distant machinery became the only noise Lus's ears could pick up.

Despite the distinct lack of calm he felt, he focused on keeping each breath even and silent while they waited for the patrol to pass. Lusac did his best to not think about what was going to happen if they were caught–if he was caught.