Martyrdom

[duskthealligator]

Kyle's hand dropped down awkwardly, his face contorting into a frown. He looked around at all the others, asking them the same thing he had asked Blade. The others seemed distant and uninterested in anything he had to say, so Kyle just let his head droop down and stared at the floor. His mind began to wander and he began to doodle on the floor, making funny faces and very...disturbing images, both equally terrifying.

[Phrost]

Not being adressed, Phiounuse figured that she wasn't needed at the moment. She moved to the nearest vertical surface and sat down cross legged. She pulled over her hood, scrunching up her fur. She took off her medallion and read the inscription on the back. It read, "Himashik Sreatakm Junuru", something in her native language. She put the medallion back on, but kept on the hood. She got up and walked over to Chops, "Hello," she said in her somewhat gruff Khajiit voice, "I didn't get to talk to you yet."

[HansTheHuman]

Chops turned his attention to the khajiit, stepping up to her.
"Really? Apologies, Kätzchen. Was there something you wanted to express?"
Before "Kätzchen" could answer, Chops spotted Blade sitting in his corner idling.
"Hold on. Is he...meditating? Really? Now!? That is it!"
The robot romped over to the meditating man and slung him over the shoulder, breaking the concentration.
"I said we were leaving!"
Chops ran back to the others and set Blade down on his feet. The robot ushered the group to make their way down a very long, wide walkway. It was dim and just as cold as the warehouse. Tube lights lined the walls and railing to the left of them overlooked a vast empty space. This was the planet core of the Hub. Their footsteps echoed through the space. Chops' own voice echoed as he returned his attention to Phiounuse.
"Pardon my rudeness. You may speak your piece now. You have my full attention, Kätzchen."

[Phrost]

"I thought it rude and informal of me to not speak to the commander," Phiounuse said, "Just a notice, I'm not here for money or fame, I require no reward." She stopped for a minute and let the others pass ahead of her so she could be last.

[HansTheHuman]

Chops rotated his torso 180 degrees to face Phiounuse as he lead the group.
"No formalities required here, Kätzchen. At least for me anyway. Just call me Chops, everybody does. But, if you are so inclined with formal etiquette, then call me Herr Gunterwick."
The android smiled warmly and turned his torso back to face the front.

[thatfallout3guy]

Blade's eyes opened slowly as he saw that he was now standing. He shrugged it off as he went to catch up with the group. Walking up to Chops he asked, "I would like to make a request about where I'll be staying. Will we have our own facilities? Bathroom and the such."

[HansTheHuman]

"You'll have to take that up with the members of The Breed responsible for your accommodation. They live on the surface, you'll meet them soon enough."
Chops produced a wooden pipe from his left breast pocket and a match from the right.
"I'm sure they endeavored to make your stay as comfortable as possible. They arranged your oxygen and plumbing facilities too."
He struck the match along the pipe and the match combusted. Chops gently lit his pipe and exhaled a clear odorless gas after dragging a breath from it.
"Interesting lot, The Breed. They'll also cater your supplies like food and ammunition. Don't worry about paying for anything, when we lost The Smog business has halted. So it's either we hand it to you or let it rot to waste."
Chops snuffed the match flame by hand and flicked the burnt-out stick off over the banister where it pinged down into a waste chute.

[thatfallout3guy]

Blade nodded to Chops, "Thank you for your time," he said as he drifted towards the back of the group.

[lukuz13]

Luke walked behind Chops along with the rest through the planet core, unable to help his own facination with the sheer size of the place.
"Damn...one hell of a fall huh?" He chuckled to himself a bit.
"Do not worry yourself Arbalester, I would certainly catch you in time. "
"Ah..haha, Netreya that isn't exactly..." Luke paused before shaking it off. "Nevermind." He spoke, leaving Netreya with a curious tilt of his head. The puff of smoke blew over Luke's face, where he prepared to hold his breath only to realize it had no smell. "Ah, now that is a smoke I do not mind having blown in my face." Luke laughed a bit. "Can't stand the smell of tobacco... that stuff isn't much of a bother though." Luke commented to Chops, before glancing back at the massive core, speaking idly.
"Wonder how this place keeps from collapsing on its own weight..."

[HansTheHuman]

"It is a peculiar phenomenon indeed. The Hub's gravity is drawn towards to the middle of it's mantle rather than it's core. We call it the 'flipping point'. Because of this, we are walking on the inside of a hollow sphere."
Chops directed a metal finger to the 'ceiling'. What could be seen are more various walkways and buildings along the concaved curved inner wall of the Hub evidencing that it is possible to walk upside-down from their current perspective.
"And don't mind the smoke. It's only vapourised dihydrogen monoxide."

[lukuz13]

-Luke nodded a bit, listening to Chops explain carefully.
"It is indeed a interesting thing... I rather hope we don't suddenly fall towards the 'ceiling' then." Luke joked a bit, smiling as he nodded. "And yes, ah... of course it is." He spoke confidently before continuing "I could at least tell that it wasn't tobacco, ever insult a space pirate only to have him blow the thickest damn smoke you ever smelled in your face? It's hard to keep a straight face..."

[HansTheHuman]

"Oh, I recall something like that. Was with a dwarf by the name of Brynhildr Harrowmont, or 'Big Boom Bryn' as she called herself. We were exploring the ancient cave-city of Iphna-Tehp on the planet Taich-Amu Rho. After the expedition we emerged from the city to find ourselves face-to-face with the space-pirate gang known as the Black-hole Bandits, there waiting for us. There I was, being stared down by their captain Grand Death Captain Gold-Grubber McGee. He billowed his vile smoke in my face, black as his heart. I returned the gesture with my own smoke, before heaving a mighty fist into his skull. His head flew off his shoulders with his face imprinted into the back of his head. From there, it was a classic space-pirate slaughter, and we returned with ol' McGee's bonce on platter for the officials. Good times."
Chops took a final drag of his pipe, and returned it to his pocket.

[lukuz13]

-Luke let out a joyous chuckle, before giving Chops a nod.
"Well maybe not that close per say... but I HAVE nailed a cigar from a guy's lips from 500 yards without killing him." Luke boasted a bit, walking beside Chops, rather enjoying sharing tales. "I am sure that punch gave his buddies something to wet their pants over no doubt." Luke chuckled at the thought. "This dwarf also sounds intriguing... perhaps we will meet some day." Luke mused.

[graybeardhalt]

-"This is all nice and informative, but when do I get to kill something?" James said, finally looking down from the ceiling and staring at Chops, a bored expression on his face.

[HansTheHuman]

"Hmm? Don't you want to be paid first? Or have a clear objective?"
Chops said to the assassin, his head tilted and brow raised. He then thought to himself, and revised that James probably doesn't even care.
"Once you have been shown your respective quarters you'll have some free time to prepare yourselves. Rest, train or just explore and get used to your new environment."
The android twisted round to speak directly to James.
"But if your lust for action becomes so unbearable, you may spar with me once you've been debriefed."
Chops smiled cockily, as if to challenge James.