In reply to Zhouth (msg # 10):

     "An excellent point." Varca says, "I'll se what I can scrounge up, while I'm looking for suits."

"Blue is a good choice." Ingrid says. "And I think we should get medical supplies sooner rather than later... hopefully we won't need them, but if we do we really don't want to be without them."

"I zhink a good idea would be to gazher some at each of our stops. We cannot do wizhout medical supplies but we can avoid showing a preference for any one dealer or location I zhink."

"Black or blue are the standard colors. I'm sure you can special order parti-colored Zhouth, but it might take time to have it made. Red, yellow, purple and green?"

"For me, blue vacc suit, blue helmet with a protective visor that can darken to protect. Gold accents, 'Teddy' on the front."
This message was last edited by the player at 16:29, Sat 05 Oct 2019.

  "How about..." Zhouth pulled out his comm and began working on it. The thing certainly didn't have the capabilities of the ship with its holographic controls, or even a dedicated holography suite like many high-tech tailors, but there were some basic image-making tools among its standard software.

  It didn't take long for him to come up with a design that, while not nearly as vibrant as his current outfit, nevertheless stretched most human concepts of color coordination. The major plates were predominantly blue, although one shoulder plate sported a multicolored whorl around its outer edge that resembled nothing so much as an oil slick, and the knee pads and boots were a much lighter aqua shade.

  The clash didn't end there, though. The underlying fabric layers were a mix of different colors, some loud (the red-and-white stripes on the inner arms were especially eye-catching), and some downright unpleasant in their own right (like the sickly brown-green insulation layer above and under the knee pads).

  And that left out the bits of unrelated color that had been dabbed onto seemingly random spots, the like dandelion-hued racing stripes down the side of one boot, the raccoon-like rings on one ear piece, the...

  Fortunately for any erstwhile suit decorator he also had a 'plain' version that left off all of those details and limited itself to the major-section mismatches. Fortunate also for the rest of the crew that might have to look at him in it and not concuss themselves against their own vacc suit helmets with the resulting flinch!
This message was last edited by the player at 21:00, Sat 05 Oct 2019.

In reply to Zhouth (msg # 15):

     Varca looks at the image that Zhouth shows everyone, and frowns, "What's wrong with black?" he asks--finally smiling.

     Still smiling, Varca looks around to make sure nobody is close enough to overhear, then says in a slightly lower voice,

     "Actually, Zhouth, you then go and put a big, removable skull-and-crossbones, in blood-red, on your chest piece...maybe some smaller ones on your pauldrons and kneecaps...and I'm talking as an overlay with the colors below, not a cover-up--and I don't think there will be a non-Vargr in this entire Sector who could give an accurate description of you."

     "Oh, yeah--and teeth along the muzzle part of your faceplate!  Then you'll look just like all the Vargr Corsairs from the holovids!  And, with a few quick peels of the appliques, you're back to looking like a civilian."

  "You think so?" Zhouth took a moment to make a new version of the image incorporating Varca's suggestions. The result, to human eyes, was only a mild increase in the overall absurdity. Zhouth himself regarded it with a mix of skepticism and approval. "Not really my style, but you're right, they'll never suspect it's me with those things all over it." Then he tapped at the comm again to add a few angular accents around the major joints that conveyed a further sense of aggression - though once again, the mixed color scheme was questionable.

  "If they saw this back at Vanejen they'd think I'd gone mad," he smiled. "Which makes it perfect!"

Ingrid smiles at Theodore's idea for his suit. "I'm sure it would look great."

Ingrid blinks a couple of times at Zouth's proposed suit design. "It's very... colorful. Very striking. I like the aqua" she says politely.

She frowns a little at the skull and crossbones.

  Zhouth looked at Ingrid sidelong, having apparently taken note of her frown. He had no way to tell what had prompted it, of course, and so inquired, "You like the aqua, but there's something else you don't?"

In reply to Zhouth (msg # 19):

     "There!  Perfect!" Varca nods at Zhouth's changes--still speaking in a low tone, "I didn't want to suggest the classic 'white' skull-and-crossbones, because I believed white would get lost in all that color.  And while 'black' would stand out better, I think it would tend to clash with the colors, yes?  But a bold, blood-red Crimson!  That stands out and makes a threatening statement that says you're a bloody-handed Pirate!  Oh!  And instead of a Human skull, you could make it a Wolf skull!"

     "And with the removable skull-and-crossbones, you don't have to buy two different suits--one for general use, and one to wear when we are engaged in--mmm--shall we say, resource relocation.  I mean, it actually works out well that the 'Pirate Crew' that will be us, will be able to be identified as having a single, obviously Vargr crewmember--people will think that we hail from closer towards The Marches, rather than from here, at Drinax."

     "The next thing you should consider, though, Zhouth is whether to get a standard vacc-suit, or to get something that will offer you a little more protection in a combat environment."

     Varca raises a hand in a pausing gesture, "Now, I know that you will--hopefully--not be acting as a front line combatant--unless you want to, of course--but that doesn't mean that on rare occasions, during either pirate or raiding activities, you might not find yourself caught in a fight.  And when that happens you might like a little more protection than a standard vacc-suit provides."

     "When looking for a suit, I recommend you try on something called a 'Boarding Space Suit'--basically it's just a standard vacc-suit that has had a few of the more vital areas hardened by the addition of a little armor, plus a few extra equipment attachments are added.  Some of those attachments are specifically designed to attach weapons onto the exterior of the suit.  I've seen a variety of weapons attached to a boarding suit's forearm guards--everything from sword blades to submachineguns."

     "With the exception of learning to use any attached weapons, using a Boarding Suit is pretty much the same as using a standard vacc-suit.  So, if you want a little more protection--and you can find one--try out a Boarding Space Suit.  Otherwise, if we get you one custom made here, on the Floating Palace, we'll just have them make you a Boarding Suit."

  A flash of concern followed by relief was evident in Zhouth's posture and expression at the assurance that he was not expected to act the part of the front-line trooper, but as he listened to Varca's explanation, another concern began to well up.

  "I like the sound of better protection if we can afford it for all of us. I don't know how many credits we can throw around or how many they'll want for the good gear, especially around this place..." This place, where the good stuff was likely to come at a premium!

In reply to Zhouth (msg # 21):

     "Oh, I dunno.  I've traded with Rachando before." Varca says, "I might be able to wrangle a deal out of him--I've got some resources."

     Varca leans in real close and whispers--barely sub-vocalizing--counting on those Vargr ears.

  The corners of Zhouth's lips twisted downward as he pictured the scene that Varca was describing, eventually musing, "That it doesn't set a good precedent?"

  The vaguely horrified look faded as his mood bounced right back up again. "I know, I know! All kidding aside, it means salvage! Well, maybe salvage with a lot of dent-hammering and jigsaw-part piecing to make whole ones out of them. And then we fly the thing right into enemy weapons fire to see if it all holds together after all!"

In reply to Zhouth (msg # 23):

     Varca gets a puzzled frown on his face,

     "What?  No.  I mean, yes..." Varca hisses in a low voice, "Yes, it means salvage, but more importantly--there's only two places that so many ships of one class would be lined up like that."

     "Either at a Factory or a Base.  Considering this place is hidden in a narrow mountain valley, I'm betting it's a Base.  And that means more than just salvage, Zhouth, a Base means storehouses full of spare parts...some of which might still be usable."

  Once again, Zhouth thought about it for a moment. "One that hasn't been picked over and hasn't had anyone move in?" he wondered quietly. "That would help a lot. Well, maybe. Could be all rusted out and waiting to collapse on our heads, too."

"Oh, it just seems... a little over the top with a skull and crossbones" Ingrid says. "But as long as it's stylish"

"Safer is better" she says about the boarding suit. "I have a bit of medical knowledge, but I hope I don't ever have to use it."

Teddy tries to listen to Varca and Zhouth as they speak of salvage, but he was lost in the conversation, his ears were not Zhouths.

  Zhouth worked on the vacc suit image for a moment, then presented a new version for Ingrid's scrutiny: it was exactly the same as before save for the skull-and-crossbones markings having been replaced with archetypal happy-face icons. "How about that, then?"

Ingrid giggles. "Oh, goodness. No, the pervious one was better. I concede the point."

  "Maybe one day, when we're trying to make pirates think I'm the crazy one..." Zhouth swapped back to the non-decal version of his preferred color scheme. It was the one that they'd be presenting to... whoever it was that Varca had in mind!
This message was last edited by the player at 22:43, Mon 07 Oct 2019.

"You'll stand out like a sore thumb, easy to prove piracy, then hang you."
Teddy said with a grin!

Cyrus had been quiet for some time, his mind was still on the Harrier, but he spoke up when he saw the comical vacc-suit.

"I razher zhought it had a certain stylish flare myself. Still it is zhe function which matters in zhis case."

  "Skulls or smiles or whatever else, those are stick-on bits, so I can change them as the mood demands as long as the suit underneath is still working!"

"I like it Zhouth! I'll stick with blue."

"It's quite unique" Ingrid says.

"What else do we have to get?"