Fluke Episode 3: Ship Shoppin'

Fluke Episode 3: Ship Shoppin' Breakfast time. It is the only time of the day that Alton truly enjoyed. Sure, cruising around the Sol System and defending Earth from enemies who would squash the place into nothing when given the chance can be enjoyable. But the colorless slop given at lunch or the simply quick dinners could never compare to the fresh flavor-filled delights that sat in front of him. His dearest friends joined him in chowing down on their plate of edibles, especially the savory scrambled eggs. Darian couldn't help but devour the mountain of flapjacks on his plate, his occasional chocking noises assured the others that he was definitely awake. Melody took a small bite of a dry pastry that hid a delicious fruit inside, which she then followed with a slip of a dark brew. Alton simply picked at his eggs with a silver fork, his mind trailed off on other pressing matters. Such annoying taps caused the mean three quarters-conscious breakfast machine to stare at his troubled friend from afar. "Whooo uh probbbbum?" Darian spoke with his mouth full of fluffy goodness. Meldoy looked up from the paper she was reading and smiled from Darian's lack of table manners. He returned the jester with a friendly eye roll before chewing and shallowing the rest of his food. "I asked, what's your problem? You gonna eat those eggs?" Alton pushed the plate of grub to his hungry friend, who accepted it and delved into it with little delay. "I've been thinking..." he trailed off. "Oh here we go. What kind of shenanigans do you have in mind for us today?" Melody's sarcasm made Alton smirk. "Nothing special. But I've been thinking, it's about time we get a new ship." Alton began, "That rental ship is terrible, I can't stand to look at it anymore. I going ship shoppin'." "Sounds boring." Darian said while finishing Alton's plate. "It does. But notice how I said 'we need a new ship' as in you two may need to chip in a little something." Melody chocked on some of her coffee. "How much are we putting into this?" "Like a lot, though I'm not sure how much." Alton's tone was very grim. "But that would be most of my savings. Buddy o' Pal o' Mine, what have we done to deserve this punishment?" Darian cried out. Alton shook his head, hoping that they would get the message. "I need from each of you just about 300,000 glimmer, that's all I asking for." Alton couldn't hold in a sly smile. His friends turned as pale as snow when the price range was said. He waited for them to grasp the thought of giving up so much in one moment, their faces were priceless. "In times of war, you gotta make sacrifices." "....." "....." His friends's stares really started to scare Alton, snapping his fingers failed to catch their wandering attention. "Hey guys? *snap snap* Guys? *snap* I was joking, you don't have to pay a single glimmer." Melody, with her waning rational, was the first to respond. She quietly got up and left the table, her face was void of any emotion. Darian's reaction was more justifiable, his thoughts were directed in the form a well placed punch to the stomach. Alton was knocked onto the ground by a punch that left him gasping for air, but his laughter seemed to make the pain go away. He picked himself up and watched as Darian continued to slowly eat his food. "It was just a joke!" Alton humorously said while scratching his head. He had just broke Darain, as while as managed to piss off Melody all within one setting. Score one for Alton. "I'm leaving now." He muttered something to himself as he walked to his room, leaving his friends to wallow away in confusion. [i]Lesson learned: never play with a guardian's glimmer[/i]. Alton thought. __________ Once dressing in simple City attire, Alton made his way to one of the many docking stations within the grand Tower. As he stepped into an elevator, flashes of his friends's faces surfaced. A snicker escaped him as he tried his best to controlled himself within the small compartment. He would need to be in control, for the person he was about to speak with next had a modest sense of humor at best. The elevator pinged and the doors slid opened, revealing the land completely foreign to Alton. Sometimes labeled as the Mechanic's Playland, Hanger Bay 83 houses some of the best technologically advance starcraft and has been known to have housed some of the single greatest ships every built by devoted hands. It was surprisingly busier than usually, but Alton didn't care. He was used to the clutter of repair men and the clinging of metal on metal, the fizzing and sizzling, and even the annoying hammering of steel plating. Ships of all sizes were clinging to fixed placeholders, their ranging colors painted a prefect picture of a rainbow in an area encompassed by blotches of grey. Using the color spectrum as a guide, Alton's eyes followed the flow until he saw who he was looking for. He stopped right in front of a man whose blowtorch was burning a metal sheet. Sensing a figure behind him, the man turned off the torch and stood up. A tall man whose intellect surpasses that of a Warlocks, but here he stood as a dedicated Titan. He removed his face mask, waiting underneath was a calming smile. The mask didn't do too much of a good job protecting his face, for his brown skin was covered with a coat of black smog. He wore a variant of his Titan armor, the chest plate hugged the many cloths and straps. The shoulder pads and kneecaps were bare of metal, in there place were leather guards. The armor was painted a rich brown with accents of blue, something that went perfect for him because his name obligated him to do so. Alton returned the kind gesture. "Midas Cyeneus." Alton spoke. "Well well Alton, it's been awhile since I've last seen ya. What brings you here?" Midas asked while shaking Alton's hand. "Does a friend need a reason to see another friend? I have a couple of question I'd like to ask." Midas crossed his arms. "If you are here to borrow [i]Steadfast[/i], then you can forget about it. The last time I let you borrow her, she came back with a large crack in the blade." "How many times do I have to say I'm sorry? Jeez." Alton rolled his eyes while the image of a barely broken sword came to mind, "I came here to ask about your ship. I'm in the market to buy a new one and I was hoping you could give me some pointers since you dabble in the aviation department." "I'd be glad to be of service to ya." Midas responded with his signature lax salute. "Take this beauty for example." He pointed towards the ship next to him, which was a grand sight to see. Thrusters alined the back side of the wings with spare ones in the middle for smooth hovering. The nose pointed firmly towards the Traveler and the awaiting skies above. Hidden weapon mounts could barely be seen, but even they were polished and cleaned up. A shade of freshly painted midnight blue gave the ship it's needed identity, along with an emblem of a white sword with faded golden wings on the left wing. Alton marveled the work Midas had done to his ship, his mind began to estimate a reasonable price for such a creation. "[i]The Trisket[/i] is a Class B Fighter, built for speed but has a decent amount of firepower. She's equipped with a couple mounted machine turrets for power and special flight panels for faster travel." Midas explained. "Couple engines in the back, adequate landing gear, the works." "Wow." was all Alton had to say. "Hehe, and that's just the outside." Midas joked, "There's a bed chamber with four bunks, a living space with a small kitchen, an armory with storage, cupholders, and a large sized cockpit full of the latest technology." "How much do you pay for it?" "I did most of the work by myself, so overall it costed 900,000 glimmer." "....." "I know, I know. It's took a lot of high risk missions to make up that much glimmer. She was a junker before I got my hands on her so I would say about 275,000, but even that's low for most sellers." "Anything else?" "Keep in mind that what's best for my fireteam may be different for yours. Try to find something with descent firepower and speed. Don't fall that "luxury" stuff, the best ones are the ones you find yourself." "Ok, I just be going then." Alton said as his brain started working for itself. "Thank you." "Not a problem. But before you go, take this." Midas handed Alton a slip of paper, "It's were I found [i]The Trisket[/i]. Speak with an Awoken man named Joll' Dal, and tell em' I sent ya." Alton nodded to his friend and made his way to the nearest elevator, slightly bummed out that he still wasn't allowed to borrow [i]Steadfast[/i]. ________ Morning turned to midday and the clouds faded away, allowing for the sun to leak through onto the bustling city. The citizens were out in large masses, their constant footsteps kept their respective districts alive with a chirpy energy. Venders and shopkeeps welcomed paying customers to their establishments while stressed parents took time out of their schedules to relax with their families. Even Alton was in a good mood as he bobbed and weaved through the crowded marketplace. One of his favorite venders, an older gentlemen in his later years, tossed him a freshly picked apple. "It's free of charge, just continue to do what you do best." he shouted. [b]Continues Below[/b]