O'Hanrahan's Pub - Pirate Recruiting

[benbarrow]

The arrogance that the assassin displayed only made Ben angrier. Buy him a drink? After all that had happened? Typical Alliance. Pretend things didn't happen, but Ben remembered all too well. The young men and women the assassin had killed, in particular those that died from bullets that were meant for him. Ben had seen them all get killed, and those that died in his arms, begging him not to let them die, or calling for their mother with their last breath. No, Ben wasn't going to let go, even after the assassin mentioned he worked for Stoot. Ben was certain Stoot would understand if he would waste this motherhumper right there and now. But he wasn't going to kill him quickly. Ben would've preferred to kill the assassin with his bare hands, like their last encounter, before he got knocked out by that mortar. His men found him, and dragged him off but the blast caused him to be temporarily incapacitated. He was awake, but something caused him not to be able to tell his comrades that there was an Alliance assassin laying somewhere as well. When he did, and they went to check, the assassin was long gone. And Ben kept regretting not killing the motherhumper back then, knowing that unable to do so triggered more death on the Independents' side.

As the assassin took another sip of the brownish liquid he was drinking, Ben aimed his pistol, pinching one eye shut and looking over the top of the pistol. Then a shot, immediately followed by the sound of breaking glass and liquid dropping on the floor. It baffled the assassin, and it sure wiped the smirk grin he had on his face. The shot also separated the war veterans from the other customers. The war veterans were the ones that didn't flinch as the shot went off, and much to the assassin's regret, there were a lot of them.

"War's over when I tell it's over!" Ben said. "You coming here to face justice is at least a step in the right direction."

Ben kept his pistol trained on the assassin, ready to shoot him if he made so much as an attempt to go for his own guns.

"Now, slowly take off that gunholster, using one hand only to loosen up that belt buckle." Ben commanded. "Deviate so much as an inch from that belt buckle and you're gonna take one right between the eyes, dong ma?"

Ben had assessed the situation carefully, and this was a win-win situation. Maybe the assassin could get one shot out, but immediately afterwards he'd get overrun by Ben's former brothers in arms, who would most definately use the assassin's own limbs to beat him to death.

"Well pardner?" Ben asked, mimicking the assassin's accent to ridiculize him. "Get to it."

[connorbeckett]

Connor sighed regretfully and placed the broken glass in his hand onto the bar. “Dong le,” he replied “Ni ne?”

A high-pitched whine filled the room, quickly segueing into a rapid beeping broken by long pauses … and the fearful gasps of the bar’s patrons who recognized the distinctive sound for what it was: a thermal detonator.

A slight smile spread across his lips as he continued, “I reckon you need to take another look at your hole card. Wo zhe li you za dan … kwai bao za de za dan.”

Shrugging and turning to the barkeep, the gunhand flicked a coin down beside the glass. “Thanks for the drink, pardner.”

Connor straightened his hat and looked at Stoot. “See ya on the ship.”

Then he walked out the door.

Translation:
1) I understand. Do you?
2) I have a bomb … and it’s ready to explode.

[benbarrow]

Ben put down his gun as the cowardly assassin suddenly showed him a thermal detonator, ready to blow. The other Independent veterans backed off as well. Ben knew the guy could carry some explosives as well, because he usually carried grenades himself, but pulling the pin out of a grenade took time, and a grenade never immediately exploded as well. However thermal detonators were expensive, and hard to get, unless one belonged to the Alliance. The average captain, crewmember or drifter usually didn't have the money to buy one.

The assassin may have won this round. But this was far from over. Ben knew that one day he'd get his revenge on the guy. And whether or not he worked for Stoot didn't matter to him. Ben knew he was going to see Stoot and Ryan a whole lot now, and wherever they went, their assassin friend would follow.

As the assassin walked out the door, Ben followed the guy in his footsteps, behind him were the other veterans, waiting to see what Ben was going to do.

"I'll find you again." Ben said. "And when I do, no thermal detonator nor any of your crew is going to keep you safe from me."

Of course Ben wasn't going to hurt Ryan or Stoot if it meant getting to the assassin. He'd kill the guy without them knowing of course, and if they ever found out he'd offer them enough platinum to hire ten crewmembers.

Ben turned back around and found the bar still quiet. One could hear a mouse running around, it was that quiet. Ben looked at his former brothers in arms, who were still looking at him, and then walked over to the bar.

"Barkeep. Gimme a whiskey." Ben said.

Knowing who Ben was, the bartender didn't hesitate and immediately served Ben a single malt whiskey. Ben took the glass and raised it high as the other patrons in the bar still looked at him.

"Here's to the Uprising!" Ben said. "And the return of the Independents!"

The crowd replied with loud cheering, and with other yells such as "Long live the Independents" and "Death to the Alliance". The band started playing again and once again O'Hanrahan's was in a state of partying, as if Ben's encounter with the assassin never happened.

Ben decided to have a couple of more drinks before returning to the Orlando again with his newly formed crew.

[parkesy]

JD walked through the door to the bar, with his dreadlocks tied up behind his head, and a large duffel bad slunk over his right shoulder.
He wasn't paying too much attention to anything, until the moment he entered that room.
Something just went down here. He could feel it in the air.
He didn't stop walking, as that would draw attention to himself, and too much attention could lead to the bad kind of attention.

He walked over to the bar and leaned against it, letting his bag slink to the floor.
"Can i get a whiskey please?", He called to the bartender, who wasn't too far away.

He took a look around the bar, hoping that someone would catch his eye.
He was looking for someone who looked like they owned a ship.

JD had not long been on Persephone, and already he found that he didn't entirely fit in with the inhabitants.
He'd already been led on by a group of thugs, who tried to mug him.
That didn't end too well. For them.

He just wanted to find a boat he can learn to call home, and get the hell out of this place.

[benbarrow]

Ben gulped down his final glass of whiskey. As he put his glass down he noticed that a young man with dreadlocks came standing beside him. Ben gave the young fellow a quick look, and then turned around shaking his head and smiling. It didn't happen every day that one would see a haircut like that. Such haircuts were rarities in O'Hanrahan's Pub.

Ben grabbed in his pockets and paid what he owed for the whiskey. It was time to go now, and to get the Orlando ready for take-off with his new crew.

"Alright guys." Ben said to his crew. "Let's get outta here. Get you guys settled in on the ship, and prepare for our first journey together."

Ben put his backpack on his shoulder, gave the bartender a nod, and raised up his hand as a gesture of saying goodbye.

"Safe travels, Bulletproof." The bartender said.

Ben turned around, but as he took a step he felt his foot kicking something over. When he looked down he noticed that it was the duffelbag of the kid. He bowed down and picked it up again, putting it next to the bar where it stood before.

"Sorry about that, kid." Ben said, and then started walking toward the exit again, with his new crew following in his footsteps.

[parkesy]

JD's ears pricked up as the man who he was stood next to was getting ready to leave, and called out to his new crew.
'I knew there would be a captain around these parts somewhere' He though to himself.

JD was hesitant about asking the man about his ship, as he didn't want to appear rude.
He stood there, thinking quickly about what he should do.

The man turned to leave, and kicked JD's bag. It gave off a kind of rattle, as though large parts of metal where bumped together.
The man apologized, and placed it back where it was, before JD could turn to see what had happened.
"Uh, it's ok." He said, still unsure about what to do.

The man continued to walk towards the exit, with his crew in tow.
"Ah to hell with it." He muttered under his breath to himself.
He quickly grabbed his bag and carrying it under his arm, he walked quickly to catch up with him.

"Excuse me, sir?", He said as he was just behind him.
"I heard that you are the captain of a ship, and was wondering if you had any need for a gun hand?" He said this pretty quickly, slightly nervous that he would get declined. Leaving him still stuck in this place.

[benbarrow]

'Gunhand'. That was the day's magic word. Ben could definately use one on the jobs he had planned. Ben smiled as he turned around to answer the kid.

"Sure do." Ben answered. "Got a couple of jobs planned and I sure could use an extra gun."

Ben took another look at the kid. Not a quick one like before, but a decent one. Kid looked like he could handle himself, and like he was no stranger to violence as well. Although the question remained whether or not all that hair would get in his eyes during gunfights.

Yet Ben wasn't going to turn this one down. With Ben Barrow, everyone got a chance to prove themselves.

"Name's Ben Barrow, captain of the Orlando." Ben said. "Yours?"

[parkesy]

JD stared at the back of his head, as he turned.
He was desperate to get this job, didn't care much what he did so long as he got to shoot.

He noticed the man was smiling when he turned fullly around, which was a good thing, but didn't mean his place was secured.

"Sure do." came his reply.
JD relaxed, his shoulders dropping back to the height they where when he first entered the bar.
Fighting he could do, he was just a little shaky when it came to asking things from strangers.

The man introduced himself as Ben Barrow, the captain of the ship Orlando.
"I'm James Dalton, But everybody calls me JD." He said returning the smile, "It's a pleasure to meet you Ben." He quickly realized what he had said and made his correction "I mean, Captain.". JD knows that most captains prefer to be called so.
"If it's extra guns you want?", he bought his bag out from under his arm and unzipped it, showing weapons of all kind. Some pistols, a rifle or two, a shotgun, knives, grenades, Just a little bit overkill for a hunter.
He just knows that now he is away from home, it's not wild animals he's now going to be dealing with.

[benbarrow]

Ben took a look at the guns when JD showed him. He was prepared, that was sure. But Ben knew any fool could buy weapons, the big question was whether or not JD knew how to use them.

"That's a nice collection of guns you got there." Ben said. "Let's hope you know how to use them as well."

Ben let his backpack slide down his browncoat, and took it off. He then opened it and took the clipboard with the registration forms from it.

"I'm gonna give you a shot, JD." Ben said. "Fill this here form out, and then we'll see. You get to prove your worth soon enough."

Ben handed over the clipboard to JD along with a pen. Like all others he needed his information as well.

"And in the meantime, call me Ben." Ben continued. "I'm not too fond of titles."

[parkesy]

It did seem that JD was prepared, But at the begining of his journey He only had his two pistols, his rifle and his knife.
The rest he's picked up along the way, from those who 'Won't need them no more'.

"Oh i can handle them plenty good, been using guns all my life." He said, not too smugly.
He watched as Ben pulled out the clipboard form his bag.

"I'm gonna give you a shot, JD." Ben said. "Fill this here form out, and then we'll see. You get to prove your worth soon enough."


"Thank you Ben."He said as he took the forms, and lent against the nearest wall so that he could bring his knee up to rest the clipboard on.
He could never use clipboards properly.
"Hopefully i will get to show you my worth sometime soon." He said with a little grin on his face.

---

Name: James Dalton
Age: 20
Home planet: Triumph
Skills: Use of and maintenance of Weaponry
Background: I used to hunt for me and my fatehr back on triumph, I'm not phased when confronted with the dilemma of killing another.
I've been known for my survival abilities, and although have never had to take an order in my life, i will follow the orders given to the best of my abilities.

---

He quickly scanned back through it, nodded and passed it back to Ben.
"That Okay? Any thing I missed out?", He asked.

[havenoplace]

Robin had ran all the way to the pub from the docks after hearing about a ship looking for a crew. She wanted desperately to get a place onboard, having been on land without work for too long. She hoped to get off world for a while.

She rushed through the doors, panting, and allowed her powerful legs to rest. She brushed her hair from her face as she searched the room. She spotted two men. One was filling in some forms while the other looked as if he could man a ship.

"Must be them," she muttered.

Taking a moment to compose herself, brushing down her light vest and shorts then adjusting the bag strap on her shoulder. She took a quick, deep breath before heading over to them.

"Sorry for interrupting, but are you Ben Barrow?"

[benbarrow]

"That Okay? Any thing I missed out?"

Ben checked the form. JD did forgot something. He didn't fill in the part what to do with him if he would die. But that wasn't something Ben was going to bring up now.

"Yeah, you did actually." Ben replied. "But it's no big deal. We'll talk about it some other time."

Ben stuck the clipboard in his backpack, zipped it up and put the backpack on his right shoulder.

"Come on, James." Ben said. "We're heading back to the ship. You can get acquainted with the rest of the crew on the way."

Ben turned around, but all of a sudden he found himself facing a new person. A young girl who looked like she had been in one hell of a hurry.

"Sorry for interrupting, but are you Ben Barrow?"

Ben took a look at the girl. Normally he'd get a little suspicious when people he didn't know recognized him, but not at O'Hanrahan's Pub. Most of the patrons were Independent veterans, and they all knew him. She was too young to be a veteran, but Ben figured someone must've pointed him out to her.

"Yes, I'm him." Ben replied. "How can I help you, Miss...?"

[havenoplace]

"Yes, I'm him." Ben replied. "How can I help you, Miss...?"

"Diaz. Robin Diaz." She extended her hand. "I understand you're putting a crew together. If you have need for a mechanic I'm more than able. If not I can help out any way I can."

She couldn't help but feel as though she was wearing a sign that said "desperate" but she was going land-crazy. Five months and no real work. She worked a little at the docks and the shipyard, helping out folks with their engines. But half of the time they didn't pay her.

"I'm not too late, am I?" She asked, regretting not going to the docks earlier. She knew someone who worked there that usually passed news of a job along to her, but she was a little late getting there this morning after a night of near-lethal drink with an old friend.

[benbarrow]

"I'm not too late, am I?"

"Afraid so." Ben replied. "I just hired a mechanic about ten minutes ago."

Ben could see the desperation in the young girl's eyes. It more or less broke his heart having to turn one down. Who knows what would happen to the girl if he wouldn't take her on? She was pretty, that was for sure. Maybe some captain with less consideration for his crew would take her on and abuse her or something. Ben had heard more stories about women getting raped on ships.

Ben sighed. There he went again. Always thinking the worst what could happen to people if they weren't under his protection. And, for the jobs he had planned, an extra pair of hands was always welcome.

"Ah gorrammit Barrow!" Ben thought in himself.

"Tell you what, miss Diaz..." Ben said. "I suppose I could have two mechanics on board. I'll have you guys work opposite shifts so I've got someone in the engine room twenty-four/seven. That, and you can help out the rest of the crew with keeping the ship clean and other chores. So you'll be welcome to stay with us until you find another suitable ship, or if you decide to stay with us that's fine too. How about it?"

[havenoplace]

"Afraid so." Ben replied. "I just hired a mechanic about ten minutes ago."

Robin's heart sank. She tried not to show it on her face but the disappointment was hard to cover. She was usually didn't let the little things get to her, having lived through some of the larger ones, but this was too much after the night she'd spent talking and drinking with Mike. That was painful..

She waited for him to speak again, her own thoughts were too overpowering in the silence.

"Tell you what, miss Diaz..."

That snapped her back. She listened carefully to him as he continued, growing happier with every hopeful word.

"Run-tse duh fwotzoo! You won't regret this!" She tried to suppress the wide grin she wore, to appear cool and collected. "Thank you. Thank you so much!"


Translation
Merciful Buddha