Insane Cafe 4: The Insane Frontier

Nick22 · **Reply #4280 on:** February 24, 2018, 09:37:33 PM

adding 2 planets isnt that much of a change, when they already have 700 or so in their system . Planet systems change in number naturally over time.' Stripetaiil said. ' Whether planets smash together, or get thrown into their star or get flung out of the system entirely. The difference here? We're making them ourselves, rather than having nature do it. quicker, that way" stripetail said. " We will meet with Qwark and, If my read of the man is correct, he wont be much of an issue. We'll have to grease his palms though, the man would sponsor vampire underwear if it made him some cash.' stripetail added. he touched a bracelet on his wrist' qwark/ i need a word with you' He said, and a holographic image of qwark stuffing his face at a fine dining table appeared in front off them " what the/ Dont tell me I superhero butt-dialed again" Qwark muttered as he looked at the gathering around Stripetail ' Hey, mister Striptail! glad to see you made a full recovery. You.. er caught me at a rather delicate time.. umm. what can I do for you?
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we need your permission to create a couple new planets in your system to serve as refuge places for the Vaalbarans and Weynardians, planet that will close match in makeup, atmosphere and size to their former homes. We will need to pull debris in from across the galaxy to do this.' Well.. sure. you'll need a planetizer for that. and well the best ones on the market go for 50 million bolts>' I'd be doing this through magic Qwark " stripetail said. ' bUt your wizardship, in get a planet of any decent size, you'll need a planetizer. Speeds the process along.. Chairman drek had one during that polluting fiasco..'the difference being , Qwark, that I'm not stealing mass from other planets to do it. I'm taking space debris, and lifeless asteroids , and converting them into a planet, well two planets. Do we have your permission?" Well, I couldnt stop you anyway, but go ahead." Emperor Unan, Sveta and the vaalabaran leadership also have a few things to discuss with you" Stripetail said. "fine Fine. go ahead' Qwark said pushing his plate in and turning to face Sveta and Unan.
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Ember and dRagon chatted over glasses of water while the party soon was overtaken by other guests at the resort dancing to "Sunshone Shakedown" Elida and Eris flew over the table and collapsed on it " Sorry' Elida said to the pink dragonesses' But we're danced out. "Well as long as your birds didnt crash into my meal, I guess thats ok. Dragon, of Far Far Away ' Dragon said ' on break from damsel-guarding, at it were" Elida of Chima ' elida said getting to her feet ' and this is princess Eris" she motioned to Eris " Nice to meet you, your highness' Dragon smiled." looking forward to meeting your group, Ember here has convinced me to join.

Serris · **Reply #4281 on:** February 24, 2018, 09:53:35 PM

"Greetings President Qwark," Emperor Unan said. "As leader of the Tonfonese, I humbly request your permission to form a new planet for the Weyardians." As he did so, he was wondering what he could give to the man as a "gift" to help sway him to their side.

"I too humbly request permission to form new planet," Sveta added.

The Vaalbaran diplomat was the last to speak. "President Qwark. I too request permission to build a planet for the Vaalbarans. However as we are cold-adopted ammonia breathers, we will need to find a place that has the appropriate amount of solar radiation."

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(Pokitaru)

As the crew was enjoying the tropical sun, two heavy shuttlecraft flew out of the planet's atmosphere. They were heading to Meridian City to purchase supplies and other goods that they would need for their adventure.

Nick22 · **Reply #4282 on:** February 24, 2018, 11:35:37 PM

Well, You'd need to put them in a orbit that doesnt disturb our existing planets' Qwark said. I'll look up a system map and see where we can safe put the planets. you folks who have to have ammonia, will have to be far away from the sun, where ices can form. and you mages will need magical stuff. I'll go talk to the Fongoids. they know that stuff. " qwark said.
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Kiara lead the 4 lionesses to the gym, which had lots of guests on bikes or treadmills. So who wants to spar' Li'ella asked to the other girls, as Kiara took a seat on a bench. Wanna wrestle?' sima asked ' not right now" I'm gotta come up with designs for the dresses" What kind of ddresses?' Vitani asked. " Sima and I are models' kIara said ' and I'm wearing something that reminds me of Kovu." Don;t you have a watch with Kovu's face on it? Vitani said, ' left it at home' Kiara replied " Still i cant get enough of my guy. Sima and i even signed a bonding ceremony meaning Sima is part of my group" sima produced her contract and Vitani looked at it, then at both of them ' are you guys going to be making out with him in public?' Sima smiled broadly " Yeah, what about it?" Well, there are things that should stay private, but thats just me" Vitani said ' they like showing their love, Li"ella said " i kiss Laval sometimes in public too." these guys do it a ton. There is such a thing as too much lovemaking" vitani said ' Well, I dont believe that.' sima said " I've learned a lot from Kiara about pleasing Kovu, too." Hes easy to please. Just show him your goods, and he'll be on you, like warthogs on a rotted log."Vitani said.

tempestwheel · **Reply #4283 on:** February 25, 2018, 01:59:28 AM

"He's charming and kind, he's earned it all," Kiara smirked in reply, "Now help me find the acrobatic equipment. I haven't been able to have acrobatics training for a few weeks now, and I want to catch up on what I missed." To give a brief preview, she did a basic backflip that beginners were taught, and showed it off in front of the other girls.

"Of course, I've learned more than that," she added.

Serris · **Reply #4284 on:** February 25, 2018, 02:35:04 AM

"Thank you for your cooperation," Emperor Unan said. "We promise to repay at the first possible opportunity."

"We are thankful for help," Sveta said. Her ears wiggled slightly as she heard some noises from the room outside.

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Meridian City was the capital of the Polaris Galaxy and befitting its status, was absolutely gorgeous in a high-tech manner with towering glass skyscrapers gleaming like jewels. Despite how artificial the location looked with its sleek metal walkways, the effect was quite beautiful. Indeed, the walkways were polished so that pedestrians appeared to be walking on a still lake that reflected the clear blue sky.

Captain Carson looked at her tablet. "Well, first things first. We need to get fuel and food for our ships."

She then radioed Ratchet. "Ratchet, this is Captain Carson. We are on Meridian City. We'd like your assistance in helping us acquire supplies."

One of her crew was looking at a newspaper that someone had handed him. "Perhaps we could try this place." The newspaper was actually an advertisement for a grocery store selling all sorts of exotic foods from all over the Polaris Galaxy. And beyond; indeed, they had a special on goods from a place called Cruithne Farms on a planet known as Cruithne Crest III.

(OOC - Cruithne Crest III is the name of the planet in Starbound I designated as a farm.)

Nick22 · **Reply #4285 on:** February 25, 2018, 02:48:18 AM

Not bad ' Sima said after Kiara did her flip. Last time i tried a backflip, I landed on a kid watching my bout, and boke the kids legs ' Sima shuddered ' last time i did that." ' remind me not to be close to you when you somersault ' Vitani said. " the gymnastic squipment is over there." li ella was going through gym attore for the girls, which included headbands.

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mac Mckilroy chuckled as he watched Kovu enter the arena lobby ' hey, you lost sport?' said the hologram " You'll have to excuse the hologram. " these agorians have been known to throw heavy things at my head.Usually after losing bets at the fights." "I'm kovu, and I'm got some colognes , I want to sell" Whats a cologne? Mac asked ' well, it makes you smell better' kovu said. " Kid this isn't prom Night where you're looking to impress the ladies. These agorians favor ripping arms out of sockets to combing their hair. I should know, they've threatened to pull mine out more than a few times. So why you hocking these colognes thingamabobs/" Well, to make money, and to , well make a name for myself around here." Go ahead kid, its not me getting thrown to the hydra tank." MAc Shrugged as a huge ugly agorian strode up to Kovu." What are you doing here? " he demanded in a gruff, loud voice " I'm, er here to sell colognes "What the heck is a cologne?" Its something you wear' kovu said. " I don't see any chain on it ' the agorian said stiffly. " You spray the stuff inside of it on you.. this one is called Rougish Charm" kovu said before a huge claw seized him by the scruff of the neck and lifted him off of his feet. ' Look, buddy, the only kind of salesfolk we like around here are the weapon vendors and candy delivery guys. ' this one is actually .. " Kovu began befor the Agorian squeezed Kovu's throat tightly , cutting him off in mid-sentence " Hey Mertag the Mean, let the kid sell his stuff; Mac said as the brown lion gasped desperately for air. " I don;t like salespeople" Mertag sniffed, as Kovu desperately swiped at his arms, trying to get him to release him. But the Argonian continued his vise-like grip on his neck. Finally, just before he was about to lose consciousness, Kovu squeezed the cologne, smack into mertags eyes. ' Arghh! mertag screamed and let Kovu drop hard to the floor. mertag stumbled away dabbling at his eyes.

tempestwheel · **Reply #4286 on:** February 25, 2018, 02:51:35 AM

"Why don't you two try wrestling each other," Kiara suggested to Vitani and Sima. "You each have completely different fighting styles. It would be a fun and nice way to compare and contrast."

The future queen then put on a headband and climbed onto the balance beam. "Focus Kiara," she breathed in and told herself, and proceeded to step forward. She may have been out of practice, but she still had skills.

Nick22 · **Reply #4287 on:** February 25, 2018, 03:01:03 AM

What about me? Li'ella sniffed' you get winnerr' Sima said stepping over inti the ring " 3 rounds/' vitani asked as she joined her, and Sima took a seat across from the mat to watch. "a hologram appeared above their heads " round 1'
_ Ratchets radio buzzed as Talwynn entered the room ' Hello Carson. I'm at the Apo\gee Space Station, catching up with my friend Talwynn. What supplies do you need?' He asked. " Talwynn waved at Sasha ' Hello Mayor . Good to see you again. " She then turned to Angela " Hi angela. Nice to finally meet you. Cronk and Zepyr are waiting in there. It's.. well not the same since they are robot ghosts ' Talwyn sighed. " Still, at least I'm not alone."

tempestwheel · **Reply #4288 on:** February 25, 2018, 03:08:58 AM

Kiara took a break from flips to watch the match going on. "This should be good," she said, grabbing a glass of water and sitting down to see Sima and Vitani take each other on.

"Give it your best!" she called to both of them.

Serris · **Reply #4289 on:** February 27, 2018, 02:35:04 AM

(Meridian City, Polaris Galaxy)

"We're actually buying food right now," Captain Carson said. "See if you can get permission to harvest fuel from gas giants. We'll need a lot of it for all three of our ships. Of course, ship parts and raw materials for the Spire's factories are also needed. Anyways, we'll meet back at Pokitaru where my ship is parked."

A well dressed couple entered the supermarket. Captain Carson then pondered if this was a good place to buy supplies, seeing as many of the shoppers looked rather wealthy.

"All right crew, we're going to need to speak to the manager," she said. "However, feel free to buy some goods for yourself."

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(Merdegraw, Polaris Galaxy)

Merdegraw was a remote tropical planet like Pokitaru. But unlike that planet, Merdegraw was a haven for pirates and smugglers from all over the Universe.

And that made it the perfect place for Chong's men to purchase ill-gotten gains, slaves and other ordnance.

A light shuttlecraft bearing some of Chong's officers landed upon a remote beach. Six armored and armed men fanned out upon the sandy shore.

"Ahoy!"

A sleek ship that was a combination of a starship and an old-time sailing vessel appeared out of the mists on the horizon. A skiff bearing some unsavory looking robots and crates quickly landed on the beach.

"What do you have?" one of Chong's officers asked.

"Depends on what you're offering," one of the pirates asked. He kept his spindly metallic hands near his cutlass as a show of force. In reply, the remaining officers unslung their weapons and held them at low ready.

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(Phoenix)

A bulky grey-skinned humanoid with reptilian and shark-like features was escorted to Chong's office by some of the mage's guards.

"Chong!" he said brightly, as if speaking to an old friend. "Have I got a business deal for you!" He then paused for a moment. "Sorry, I apologize for my rudeness. I am Gleeman Vox, founder of the Vox Business Empire and host of the insanely popular combat tournament DreadZone. Perhaps you have heard of it?"

Nick22 · **Reply #4290 on:** February 27, 2018, 03:09:53 AM

No, unfortunately ' Chong said. " But I am intrigued. you have combatants fight each other for money? hmm. apparently Cooking was the wrong field for me to get into. I should have had my staff become gladiators and fight to the death. As they say, carnage sells. So what is your proposal, Mr Vox, and what do I get out of it on my end? ' Chong was no fool, and neither was he interested in anything approaching charity.
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Well you dont need permission to harvest fuel, gas giants in this sectors are openly mined for fuel and supplies. Thats all they are good for, really. " ratchet said. " all depends on what gases you need and how much of them you need. The planets have so much of them, that all the mining over the past 200 years hasnt made a dent in the amount the planet has. Its almost limitless. " Ratchet said " a gas extract 10000 can bring in eniough fuel or gas to power an entire fleet. or create an atmosp0here for your build-it- yourself planet. or whatever your project is. " try Planet Shaar if you need ices. I went there are part of that dReadzone contest. Frozen snowball, and it snows year round." ratchet said.

_ Kovu coughed, spewing blood out of his mouth. He gasped weakly for the next few minutes, before getting to his feet. " Well kid, you're alive, not something most can say after Mertag's grabbed them by the throat. You Know, forget trying to make the Agorians smell good. Is that stuff flammable?' Mac asked " I- I don;t know, I would think so. Thats not whats its meant for ' Kovu said rubbing his throat " kid, you wanna sell stuff here, it either has to be a weapon, or food. " Then I guess you can use it as a weapon ' Kovu said resignedly. " Good.. I'll need about 10 of them, to keep the Agorians off my back about the rent I owe on the Moonlight Lounge. A few squirts in the eyes, perhaps a lighted match or two thrown in.. anyway.. how much for one of those..? " um.. 50 bucks.. er bolts " kovu said .. so 500 bolts.. that's a pretty penny, but I'll call it swirly insurance." Mac said. Come on up to the lounge and I'll get you your money.. and er, would you like to hear my routine.. I really need some fans. please Mr.. ?' Kovu' kovu replied ' Alright I suppose I could spare like 10-15 minutes. ' "thanks. Just toss a few bolts my way and I'll scratch your back, as they say."Mac said.

Serris · **Reply #4291 on:** February 27, 2018, 05:04:28 PM

(Meridian City, Polaris Galaxy)

"Acknowledged," Captain Carson said. "Oh, while I'm getting supplies, do you mind harvesting the antihydrogen for the Vaalbarans? Our ship doesn't have the capability to harvest the it from the radiation belts around the planets. We'll be fine with our own ship as the Spire uses standard hydrogen for its fusion reactor. Carson out."

She then headed straight for customer service and asked to speak to the manager. The rest of her crew had dispersed to buy their own personal goods."

Indeed, one of them was eying a fresh oculemon meringue pie from Cruithne Farms. The pie itself looked like an ordinary lemon meringue pie...except there was what looked like an eye staring up from the surface of it.

Nick22 · **Reply #4292 on:** February 27, 2018, 06:05:52 PM

I'll see if Talwynn has any anti-hydrogan tanks at the station " ratchet said " I'll see what I can get my hands on. ONce the planets are forming and have critical gass to start atrracting mass out of its own gravity I'll start filling up the Vaabarabs ship. Although the new planets will produce thier own antihydrogen naturally, its part of the natural radiation belts.' Ratchet sauid " i'll contact you once have some stored for you."
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Dixie aproaced Tigress, who was dancing with Luca , Gabuna and Agumina. " You girls want to go night surfing?' Dixie said holding up a brouchure " count me in " cynder said coming up to them. " I could enjoy watching you girls try the snow slopes. Skylands tried it earlier, and it was hilarious." What happebned? Gabuna asked ' Oh she fell on her face on and landed in a snow draft." Cynder-W smirked.

Serris · **Reply #4293 on:** February 27, 2018, 08:39:01 PM

(Meridian City, Polaris Galaxy)

"I see. I will be buying supplies. Carson out." Captain Carson then radioed her officers aboard the Spire to let them know that they were cleared to harvest hydrogen from the gas giants. Of course, they had to take the great starship off of Pokitaru as the noise of the robot ramscoop ships was likely to be an unpleasant addition to the tropical resort planet.

It was then that the manager of the store came to speak to her.

"How may I help you?" the manager said.

"Yes, I'm actually buying food to stock a large starship. I'll need at least three month's supply of staple foods like wheat, rice, beans and the like," she said.

The manager rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. He was used to dealing with large orders from Qwark and his propensity for lavish parties but this was something potentially even bigger than that. "About how many people will be aboard your ship?"

"We have approximately 30,000."

The manager could only blink in shock. He couldn't remember the last time he had filled and order that large.

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(Phoenix)

Vox spread his hands widely. "As you said, 'carnage sells' and from what I've heard about you, that seems to be something you and your staff delight in spreading."

He then brought his hands together and flashed the characteristic award winning smile that he was known for. "But you can't reach an audience with it. And that is where I come in."

The Slademan pointed to the television in the office. "In exchange for exclusive filming access and rights to footage of you spreading havoc, you'll have access to as many contestants as you want to do as you please with them."

Nick22 · **Reply #4294 on:** February 27, 2018, 08:56:48 PM

I dont do anything for free, mr Vox. I expect that i will be paid for the right to provide content on an hourly basis. Now from what I''ve hreard of you from doing some research Mr vox, is that you draw audiences in the billions. $10000, per hour. You can easily afford that mr Vox. If you have these fans paying 50 bolts an hour to watch your show, thats 50 BILLION bolts, conservatively. You can call it the phoenix Destructo Hour, if you like. Whatever mega corporation you get to sponsor it, just remember to slide me.. 5%. If this is a big a bonzana in ratings and viewers as your regular specials, we will both make a fortune. Death is a natural draw, after all. And who doesnt like famous hero shooting each other full of holes in a ' Only one person leaves showdown.?" Chong chuckled menacingly " theres more than a few pests who i would love to put their deaths on interstellar television. do you have any enemies, mr Vox in this galaxy? Because if you do I can get them on your show for you. name them, and my goons will grab them So. do we have a deal?' Chong asked stretching forth his hand

Serris · **Reply #4295 on:** February 28, 2018, 09:20:40 PM

Vox templed his hands and smiled. "A savvy businessman, you are Mr. Chong. If you had accepted without protest, I might have had to withdraw my offer as I would have questioned your business sense. But a deal is a deal!" He then clasped the mage's hands with his own and shook firmly.

When he heard about Chong offering to capture his enemies, he nodded. "You don't get to become a business magnate without making a few...or in my case, many enemies. As for my greatest enemy..." He pulled out a poster from a pocket and unfolded it to reveal a picture of Ratchet and Clank. "These two destroyed my DreadZone Station -- the only place where you can watch these contests, live!"

Nick22 · **Reply #4296 on:** February 28, 2018, 10:27:03 PM

How much is the bounty on them, mr Vox? Chong asked " They've caused trouble for me as well, so I would greatly enjoy getting even with them." He smirked "along with a number of others.. Say, Vox how would you like to have the cosmos' greatest wizard as a special guest? ' Chong reached inside of his vest and pulled out a picture of Stripetail ' this wizard, far above anyone else, has been the biggest thorn in my side" Chong said pressing the picture with his finger " i've tried just about everything i can think of to destroy him , with no luck. Do you think your Dreadzone could give him a test?" chong grinned.

Serris · **Reply #4297 on:** March 01, 2018, 12:14:32 AM

Vox smiled. "100 million bolts for those two," he said, pointing to the picture of Ratchet and Clank. He then took the picture of Stripetail and stroked his chin. "Well, my DreadZone didn't earn its name for nothing. I've got challenges for even the toughest of them. "

It was then that he got a call on his cell phone and excused himself to take it. A minute later, the Slademan returned. "Well, Chong," he said, entering back into the office. "They just finished up one of the competitions. I think we can start rounding up contestants now."

Nick22 · **Reply #4298 on:** March 01, 2018, 12:42:07 AM

(Congrats on 11000 Serris!)
Excellent I'll be sure to send some of my finest after the wizard and his friends, to, shall we say, offer an invitation to participate? ' Chong grinned ' !00M for the Lombax and robot/ consider it done. And how much for the wizard? I'd say he's worth at least a billion bolts. Your fans will get to get a magical display like nothing they have ever seen before in their lives, as they watch the wizard battle to save his furry hide. Hell, you can even sell special goggles for the occasion, when things get 'bright" heh heh. As they say, never miss an opportunity to sell something, like a Rest in Peace Ratcheet countdown clock or a figure of Clank made from scrap that may, or may not actually be from Clank himself, or The Day the Wizard died' Tshirts. You can come up with more, I'm sure, I'll leave the hawking of stuff in your expert hands."

Serris · **Reply #4299 on:** March 01, 2018, 06:31:14 PM

(Phoenix)

Vox nodded. "I'm not sure how powerful the wizard is save for your word, so forgive me for not wanting to spend that great sum immediately but I'll tell you what, how about a quarter of the bolts now and the rest is all yours when he's delivered to the arena?"

He then shook hands with the mage. "It was a pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Chong. I'll have my crew prepare the arenas and get the merchandise ready."

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(Meridian City, Polaris Galaxy)

Captain Carson had finally finished the negotiations with the manager. They would indeed fulfill her massive order but it would take them a few weeks to do so and she had to pay the cost upfront. Regardless, she had the receipt in hand as she headed out of the store and took a seat on the immaculately polished bench.