Ora Noc Terrol: The Road to Paradise (rated M)

"Really? Thanks for the heads up. I'll be sure I remember that for the next time I care," Angel said. But she did put the cigarette out. If rumors were true she was going to need both hands. "Besides I'm more likely to die here or during a job. And the smoke at my home is bad enough. So is there really any point in quitting?"

With an irritated sigh, Eve followed behind the large group, kicking up small plumes of dust with every step. As the people began to chat amongst each other, she groaned before roughly forcing her way through the group to catch up with the small bot that was serving as their guide.

“Jack, what do you know of the nearby ruins? Any digs going on?” Once again, her voice dominated the air as she felt no need to hide why she was here from these people. She easily kept pace with the bot, even as she tossed a look over her shoulders at the small man who spoke. “A business man on Sheol? Well, obviously someone didn’t do their homework about this place. The only thing of value on Sheol is the Tervim ruins, unless you believe in all that paradise bull-shit.”

Laughing coldly, the archeologist shook her head. “But I wouldn’t be surprised if you were here looking for Ora Noc Terrol. Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if all of you were here looking for it. Why else would you be here? Certainly ain’t for the locals and their generosity…” With one last laugh, she switched her focus back to Jack, who had yet to answer any of her questions.

708 glanced back that the red-headed woman who had spoken so crassly. She seemed as though she were trying to upset people and provoke a fight. Looking her up and down, she shrugged. She wasn't bothering 708, so there was no reason to bother giving her with anything more than a passing glance. It was then that the short woman with the strange purple hair came pushing forward, up to talk to their small robotic guide.

"Ma'am!" The little bot threw her a salute, before digging through its database for any knowledge of digs going on at the nearby ruins. "There hasn't been any digs for quite sometime. At least not in the nearby ruins, yes. Out deeper into the wastes I believe there was a minor dig going, but nothing has been reported recently. It is believed that bandits killed everyone involved. No on bothered to check though." The little bot chirpped, more than happy to be of some help to someone. "Is there anything else I can answer for you, Ma'am?"

So she is one who does not believe in Paradise. 708 noted. She's here for the ruins, judging by her questions. Does she want to study them? And why is her hair purple? I've seen other people with strange colors of hair, but I don't know why. Is it a strange gene? A mutation? None of her thoughts showed on her face, which remained as impassive as ever. With a mental shrug, she pushed the curiousity to the back of her mind.

Angel turned to Eve, glad that she wasn't the only person here who didn't believe in the so called "paradise". She was here for the ruins as well. Although not a digger, she was interested in them. They sounded much more exciting than the mines back at home at least. But she looked at the others wondering if they came here for Ora Noc Torrel. If so they were getting their hopes up for nothing. Angel didn't believe such a place could exist. Especially on this planet.

"I am not here for some made up place. I came for the ruins just the same as you."

Bannon was slightly taken aback by the brash girl with the purple hair.


Is she hinting that I came to this place without a clue where I was going? Bah!


“You would have to be pretty dense to travel to Sheol and not note that the planets main attractions are useless ruins and useless wilderness. But where there are people, there is always value, and business to be made. As for Ora Noc Terrol...who knows? Legends never appear out of thin air after all. ”

Maria Zal

"Thank you. I'd appreciate that." Maria said to Bannon. Maria listened to what Jack said with some interest. A minor dig, eh? Well, her father was an archeologist, and (while finding Ora Noc Terrol had been his primary mission), she wouldn't be surprsied if Jack had done some digs on the side.

"Jack, when did this minor dig you mentioned occur? How long ago was it?" Maria asked. Truthfully, she wasn't sure if she wanted the dig to have been around the time her father disappeared. It was unlikely, but she needed to pursue any lead she got, no matter how unbelieveable it may be. Besides, it was possible the people at the dig (if they were still alive) had known her father, if they'd been on Sheol long enough.

"Heh heh, Well I wouldn't know what planet has what to offer to tell you the truth. I just go where they tell me and find out what my bosses want to know." Innokenti said rather hurriedly.'I better come up with a better story next time. Anybody could be a bounty hunter who came here to waste my ass.' He thought. 'And it would be pretty hard for a dead man to live in the lap of luxury in Paradise.'
"I gotta question Jack...When you got time to answer of course." Inookenti said, eager to change the subject to something other than his weak story. "How much farther to this garage that we were told of?" He asked while he tucked his hands behind his head in a show of impatience.

Jack the bot bounced excitedly, happy to be of use to so many people at one. "Well, Ma'am," The little bot spoke to Maria, deciding to answer her question first, since it was already linked to the previous chain of questions that he had been answering for Eve. "The minor dig was started up about a year ago. Last contact with the team was roughly two or three months ago, yes. I'm not sure, everyone keeps me out of the loop." The little bot seemed to droop, as though it were saddened by the fact.

"Mister!" It bounced back from its sorrow almost immeaditally. "Kel runs a garage at the outpost closest to town. Once you leave the gates you'll have to travel on foot for a short ammount of time, yes! The road should be clear though, bandits don't like to come here too often so all you should have to worry about is the odd critter." It chirped happily, before continuing. "Don't worry though! With your guns you'll all be fine, yes? And Kel will take good care of you once you reach the her outpost, I know it!"

708 stayed silent, absorbing the information that the chatty little robot was sharing. I was planning to travel on foot anyways, so this changes little. Not like I could drive anyways, even if I wanted. She cracked her neck absently while a hand came up to rub a shoulder.

Eve took in the info quietly, before the comment made by Bannon caused her to visibly stiffen. “Worthless ruins?” Her eyes pulsed angrily beneath her shades, and if one didn’t know any better they might have sworn she was breathing steam. “Are you fucking dense?! Do you know anything about the Tervim?!”

She spun on her heel, and roughly placed a booted foot atop their robot guide, stopping him dead in his tracks. “A single ruin can tell us hundreds, if not thousands of things about the Tervim! Only an idiot without two brain cells to rub together would call a Tervim ruin worthless!” Her hands coiled tightly into fists, as she glared wrathfully at the man who had uttered such idiocy. With one last freezing glare, she took her foot of Jack’s head and started forward again.

“It’s nice to see someone has a healthy grasp on reality here...” She called back at the other woman who had spoken, although her gaze remained on the road ahead of them.

Bannon raised an eyebrow at the purple haired woman’s tantrum.

Well, I’ll be damned. Kitty got claws! I always imagined that archaeologists would be more timid or bookish. Hmm, she will probably just explode if I reply. Ah, what the hell, you only live once. Shit, bad choice of words. She does have a gun. Better keep my silence. Still…

He gave a particularly run-down house a long look.


She should ask the people of this town how useful a report on the geo-social aspects of ancient Tervim society is.

Jack’s hand quickly ran towards his gun, he stopped however seeing that the woman only went crazy for a couple of seconds. But that could not happen again. He walked towards the crazy archeologist and said “Don’t lay another finger on that little robot right there. If you are smart, you will do as I say.”

Jack turned and started to follow the robot again.
Feelings… She is filled with desperation and from the looks of it, she is willing to go as far as it takes. Because really, who tries to a little robot that can barely hurt a child? Then there’s the fact that he is our guide. Jack kept walking, still on high alert because the woman might try to do something unwise and unwished.

With a shake of her head, Eve flipped the mercenary the bird, before dangling her finger over Jack’s head. “Buddy, stop trying to be my mother. I’m smarter than you, more successful than you, and a thousand times better looking than you.” Tapping the metal numerous times, she grinned at him before giving Jack a rough pat.

“Frankly, I’m not afraid of you in the slightest, big guy. So, how about you go find someone more receptive to your little threats, dick-wad.” With another bird, she looked to Jack for a moment. “Well, weren’t you showing us the way to the gate?”

Wow, she is annoying.

Jack stood still and shut until the crazy and stupid woman let go of the robot. As Jack (the robot) started to walk again towards the gate, so did Jack. Got to ignore her for the time being, there’s no need in making problems between those that might be my shield later on. Putting both hands on the back of his head he kept walking in a relaxed mood.

(Okay guys, I do believe that in a few more posts I'll be bringing everyone to the gates of the town. Also, I'm going to try and get the beastiary up later tonight.)

The little bot seemed completely oblivious to the mistreatment of Eve. In fact, it just seemed more happy, since it was recieving attention. "Sir!" It adressed Jack. "Do not worry, I am made with the most durable of parts, yes. It will take quiet the blow to harm my circutry, yes!" As if to demonstrate its claims, it zipped around, circling the group a few times before retaking its place at the head of the group. "You see? I am perfectly fine, yes!"

At the aproching of the Merc, 708 stiffened. She could feel her pulse quicken and the first traces of adrenaline trickle into her veins. Her face remained impassive, though she shot a glance in his direction.

Calm, stay calm. If he tries anything you can kill him easily enough. And his aproach was directed at the purple haired woman's outburst. You've done nothing to cause alarm.

She inhaled slowly, but was unable to prevent a hand from curling into a tight fist, the blood forced from the knuckles turning her skin white. There was no denying it. Being around this many strangers made her jumpy.

Innokenti was the first, and perhaps the only one, to notice 708's discomfort. As soon as 'Captain over compensation' started making waves the quiet blond girl tensed up. Well, tense, was an understatement. She looked like she was ready to break someone's arm. "You OK there miss?" He asked giving her a nervous look. If she was gonna kill somebody he was going to make sure it wasn't him.

(some minor errors due to my really cheap word processor. Fixed now.)

Her eyes snapped down to the smaller man beside her, hard and dark. Lurking in their teal depths was something that promised death to any who would threaten her; they spoke of more than a promise. It was absolute certainty of the fact.

He must of seen me tense up, that was the only reason he would have asked that. Need to be more careful, you'll start attracting attention to yourself. She blinked, forcing her hand to unclentch and the tenseness to slip from her shoulders.

"I am fine." She cast another dark glance at the Mercenary, before turning her gaze forward to watch the road on which they all walked.

Jack took several glances over his shoulder to the people behind. The big girl was indeed quite…troubled by something. I wasn’t the only one who noticed it so it seems.

Hmm… Twice I’ve noticed that she looks at me in a way as if she was scared or maybe cautious? Not sure, but if she is paying me some attention is because of my way of being, she suspects or knows that I’m ex-military, or does she think I’m actually an active duty soldier? If that’s the case…then she… she must be a P.O.W. that escaped! Only thoughts and poorly founded ideas ran through Jack’s mind. He had to spend more time and get to know this certain girl more carefully.

Innokenti stared at 708 for a moment. "Alright, I'm not going to force you to tell me." he said with a sigh.'Out of all the people in the universe I could have ended up spending my afternoon with I get a bunch of crazies. Figures. Must have done something crazy evil in a past life to deserve all of this.' He thought with a mental groan. If this kept up there was bound to be a fight. And he was just lucky enough to be at the epicenter of a possibly paranoid psycho, a archeologist on a hair trigger, and some old dude who seemed more interested in annoying people than anything else. "Oh, this is gonna be one hell of a day, I can feel it." He said to himself.

Angel just sighed. She couldn't wait until she was free of all these insane people. This was the reason she hated living in the city as a kid. Too many weirdos. Though the city kids did think of her and the other kids living around the mines as weirdos, Angel knew they were more normal than them. After all they all knew what they were going to do. Work in the mines or near the mines.

Angel almost wished she was back home, but she wasn't going to leave just because she met some strange people. Nothing was going to stop her now.

(Mmkay, I do believe that our lovely little group has spent enough time in this little town, so lets get these guys out the gates, shall we? Now, this trek is going to take a bit longer than the one through the town, naturally. Through out this chunk I do believe names should be exchanged along with learning more about each other. And again, please remember not to bring in random critters/bandits. Thank you!)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ahead of the group, the gates of the town appeared. They were tall, covered in dust and dents and several suspicious rust colored spots. They looked like they had seen the end of the world and stood all the stronger for it. It was obvious to see why the populous of the small town trusted in them to keep unwanted visitors out. Nothing short of a tank would be able to knock them down.

Jack the bot zipped forward, skidding to a halt at a small keypad mounted next to the gate. He quickly punched in a code, before turning and beaming at the people he had escorted. "Here you are, good people!" Behind him, the gate gave a mechanical groan before it slid open. "I escorted you safely, yes!" He bounced up and down as the group drew closer. "Remember, keep following the road that way," an arm extended and pointed in the proper direction. "And you'll hit Kel's Garage and Outpost. Please enjoy your stay on Sheol!"

708 picked up her pace, brushing past those few in front of her and took the lead at the head of the group. She cast a quick look around, though the only things that stood out in the bleak landscape were a rock formation a ways down the road and a few spiny desert plants. Her face relaxed ever so slightly, and then she started off down the road.

Finally...No fences, no buildings, no ship walls. Just open skies. 709, 715, 707, 710...I'm on my way. I'll find Paradise for us. I promise.

As the rest of the group filtered out onto the road behind her, Jack the bot shouted his cheery farewells, oblivious to the fact that chances were he would never see them again. Once the last person had left through the gates he punched in another code, and gate slammed shut behind the group with an echoing finality.

Angel breathed in deeply then frowned. She missed the cloudy air of her home. But she wasn't going to complain. At least now they were free of the annoying bot. Once she got some sort of transportation she would ditch the others. She stayed near the back of the group as she thought about what she would find at the ruins.

You'd guys be proud of me. Being able to accomplish this goal without causing too much trouble.

Maria Zal

Maria walked with the others as they exited the gate. Maria looked around cautiously, making sure no dangerous animals or raiders were nearby. So far their were none, but that may not last for long.

As she walked Maria reflected on what the robot had said. The minor dig out there hadn't disappeared during her father's stay here, but it was possible they had been here for a long time. If she was lucky they might have known her father. Maria just hoped they were still alive. She made a note to herself to check out that lead while on Sheol.

Maria looked around at the others, wondering if she should introduce herself to them. They would be staying together, after all, even if it was a short time. It might be good to find some allies on this planet, too.

Bannon quickly scanned the surrounding wasteland, and gave an audible sigh of relief when he was certain nothing big and hungry was ready to paunch. He stayed in the middle of the group. By his reasoning, this was the safest position.

Hmmm, still, couldn’t hurt to know the names of the rest of our little band. That way I will now what to scream if the shooting starts.

“So, gents and ladies, since we all might die together in a most miserable fashion, perhaps introductions are in order? My Name is Bannon, Bannon Jones.” He dipped his head and lifted his hat, first towards the front of the group, then the rear.

Angel only stared back at Bannon. It was clear that she wasn't going to say anything. Why should she care to introduce herself anyways? It's not like she planned to hang around the others too long. But if she had to be around them, Angel was ready to give them a hard time. She came here to do something on her own.

After the gate closed in behind them, Jack stood still and took a look at his surroundings. Sand here, there and over the horizon. The whole landscaped was tainted by some light red color.

A greeting from one of the guys of the group snapped him out. He started to walk once again towards the front of the group, completely ignoring the incredibly social fellow. Can’t just people take a hint? Nobody has talked except two of these guys. They are so going to be a pain in the ass...