To Her Father, The Machinist.

When you conjure up images of a machinist's home, this certainly isn't what you picture. Located towards the outskirts of town, Reinna has brought you to a large plot of land that's fenced off from the surrounding neighborhood. Inside the lot are small mountains of junk, from regular scrap metal to complex and almost whole looking machinery. Towards the center of the lot is what you assume is the actual homestead, confirmed by Reinna's leading you towards it. At the base you can see a small but very modern looking modular home, likely shipped down for someone of import back when the companies first made planet fall. But the structure has been expanded with blocky additions made of different types of metals welded and bolted together to form a sprawling complex of a home with no clear design choice.

As the two of you approach the "building" the front door of the modern looking section swings open. Reinna rushes forward, leaving you behind as she leaps into her father's arms in a warm embrace.

The man is huge, taller even than you, and extremely bulky. His arms seem to consume his small daughter as he wraps them around her. You can't imagine someone with hands as thick as his doing the delicate work of a machinist. His face is covered in dark hair, his beard falling down passed his chest. His oil spattered tank top shows the tan line of his arms, proving him to be someone whose spent long hours out in the daylight, likely working with his strong body. The big man squeezes his daughter tightly before setting her down and putting his massive hands onto her shoulders.

"Where have you been?" he asked. "I expected you and the cart back hours ago!"

Reinna looked away and said, "I ran into some trouble..."

Her father put his hands on his hip and said, "That's what the gun's for! Don't tell me you were too frightened to use it? After being so gung ho about going out scrapping?"

She stomped her foot and pouted, "A stupid howler ate my shotty! Then a bunch of low-lifes jumped me and chased me back to town so I had to ditch the cart. If it weren't for Aurora I'd be in bad shape!"

Feeling this is a natural time to introduce yourself, you step forward. The big man takes a measure of you and you of him.

He gives a slight nod and says, "If you helped my girl, then you're a true friend." He holds out a meaty paw and says, "Bran Ratchet, at your service."

You shake his hand, or rather allow your arm to be shook by this goliath.

"She lost her gear and needs to get back to her ship out in the waste," Reinna explains. "I told her she could sleep here and you'd help her get to her ship."

He raises his eyebrows and says, "Will I now?" He laughs, "I suppose I will! Come in, both of you. I'll get supper ready and you can tell me all about it."

You're led into their home where Bran quickly departs from the group into an oversized kitchen area with multiple stoves and what looks like an old style forge and anvil on the back wall. The entryway does seem to be from a very modern home but the walls have all been torn down to make one large sitting area, almost like a conference room but with mismatched wooden furniture. Things get much more crowded as you're led further in. Each room is stuffed full of various pieces of technology in various stages of repair, as well as tools, some of which are as big as refrigeration units.

Reinna takes you to a much less chaotic room. It contains several, albeit mismatched, pieces of soft furniture all centered around what you think is a holo-projector. Much like the house, it has a modern looking core with several bits that were clearly added on later for some reason. Reinna sits you down in a large reclining chair and darts off to make tea. It isn't until you sink into the cushions that you realize how tired you are. You're suddenly very grateful that you'll be sleeping indoors tonight, possibly even in a bed. Reinna returns with hot tea that smells like cinnamon and tastes sweet.

"Where did you get this on this rock?" you ask after taking a sip.

She laughs and takes the seat next to you, "You have to know the right people. This place isn't much, but people have a way of getting what they want no matter the circumstances. Speaking of, what are you doing in this place? Only miners and people who think they'll strike it rich in the wastes come here. You don't seem like either."

You sip your tea and consider. Normally, keeping a low profile is a good way to keep yourself safe. But Dr. Arcturia already knew you and seemed ready for your ****. And with her technological expertise she could probably keep tabs on you in a much more discreet and efficient way than hoping you would notice then save and speak with this girl.

"I'm a bounty hunter," you tell her. "I'm here on a job. I parked my ship someplace quiet and went after my target. Only it didn't end well."

You look down at your recent addition to your anatomy, noticably bigger ever since you saw Reinna, a situation made worse by her insistence on sticking close to you during the tour. Whether she realizes what the gesture means or not she understands your pain and places a hand on your shoulder. In a way, you're glad. Between mutations across different strains of humanity and some of the crazy body mods some people go through, you probably aren't even the strangest thing this girl's seen before.

"That sounds rough. Even before all this you must have had it hard."

You shrug, "I'm good at what I do, usually. It's a good living and I get to put away bad people. I even get to choose my own contracts." You chuckle, "Guess I chose poorly this time."

"That remains to be seen," says Reinna. "You're still alive, after all. And I'm guessing this person's still on Osiris?"

You shrug, "Most likely. She was up to something at an old atmospheric station with a bunch of other science types. Has there been any strange illnesses going around?"

She furrows her brow and shakes her head, "Not around here. Just your average level of crazy for the Terminal."

"Does that include what happened today?"

Surprising you, she doesn't seem all that bothered to talk about the attack. She just shakes her head.

"Not usually. But this place doesn't have any real laws. I guess some people are starting to realize that means they can loot, ****, cheat, AND be sexual deviants."

You both laugh as Bran enters the room holding a large pot by a handle in one hand and several stacked bowls with spoons in the top one in the other. Reinna gets up and pulls a small table over which Bran deposits the bowls and spoons onto. He pulls up a chair of his own and begins ladling some kind of creamy stew into everyone's bowls. The table doesn't leave much elbow room but the two of them seem used to it. The stew is excellent and full of large chunks of meats and vegetables you can't identify but definitely appreciate.

"So," says Bran, already halfway through his first bowl. "Do you make it a habit of saving young women or do you have business on our little slice of paradise?"

"She's a bounty hunter!" says Reinna enthusiastically. "Only things aren't going well so far."

You nod, unashamed, "I just need to get to my ship. But, it's out in the wastes, and I'm not fool enough to go after my things with nothing but my bare hands to keep me safe."

Bran nods, "Smart girl. I think I can help you. Somewhat, at least."

He finishes his bowl and leaves the room for a few minutes. When he returns it's with a large clunking sack in one hand. He drops it hard on the floor and from the impact you guess you'd have needed to lug it over you shoulder with two hands to move it. He starts rummaging through it and produces a familiar looking pistol.

"That's my nano!" you blurt.

Bran looks you over and nods, handing you the piece. You inspect it and find several scratches that weren't there before and some damage to the casing that holds the nano machines.

"Looks like someone tried getting into the cell with their teeth," you comment in disgust.

"Mini-crowbar, actually," says Bran. "At least, that's what the junker who sold it to me said. Had no clue what he had on his hands. There's also these."

He starts going through the bag again and your heart sores. Only to crash back down at what you see. A familiar shield generator regulator with no shield generator. The memory cards for your hacking rig with no rig. The scope of your rifle with no rifle. There are a few bits and pieces that you're fairly certain don't belong to you mixed in with the rest but most of what you see, you're certain, is yours.

"So much of this came from my loadout!" you breath.

Bran rubs his neck and says, "The past couple of days, people have been coming in with some pretty serious tech and stories about having to fight other scavengers to get the pieces they did. You tell me which of it's yours and I'll believe you and return it."

You thank him sullenly and get back what remains of your things. Did Arcturia just throw it all out when she captured you?

"Now that's for helping my girl," says Bran. "Along with food and a bed for as long as you need it. But, if you'd like, I could get you better equipped for the journey. I'll just need a little favor first."

You holster your gun as best you can inside a pocket of your gifted jumpsuit and nod. This sort of trade isn't uncommon in your line of work. Often times, a person's skills are more valuable that anything monetary.

Bran leans forward and says, "There's a brothel near the center of town."

"Father!" shouts Reinna.

"It's not like that! Why would I be sending someone else to...?" He waves his hands, "Anyways, the owner calls herself 'Ms. Velvet'. Prostitution's legal around here, of course, but she's got her hands in a lot of pies these days. A couple of nights ago we had a break-in. Nothing too serious was taken, except for some parts she'd tried to buy a week earlier, only we couldn't agree on a price. Only other thing that was taken was a small data drive. It's nothing special but it holds sentimental value, old photos and videos." He glances over at Reinna and looks pained. "I don't care about the parts. Just get me that data drive, however you can. Do that, and you'll have arms and armor enough to get you anywhere within hiking distance of this town."

You mull over his words in silence, aside from his slurping through a second and third bowl of stew. You can't reliably reach your ship with one nano pistol alone. The house might not look pretty, and you still aren't one hundred percent sure if this guy is an actual machinist or not, but clearly he can get you what you need. And you get the sense that he wouldn't send you on a mission he didn't believe you could accomplish. He might have even done it himself, you figure, if not for this Ms. Velvet character knowing his face. Odds are, if he showed up at her place she'd hide or trash the drive.

"Deal."

You once again get your arm shook nearly out of it's socket then return to your meal.

"I'll go with you," says Reinna. "It's easy to get lost or walk down a bad alley around here."

She eyes her father cautiously but he nods after a moment of reflection.

"Just don't go getting into any trouble," he insists. "Us civilians will only get in the way of a professional like Aurora."

He winks and smiles at you then goes back to eating. Reinna leans in excitedly as she demands you tell her stories of your old missions well into the night. In the evening, you're led to a room towards the back of the house with a few basic bunks beds and simple wooden furniture. The beds are all empty so you lay out what little you have onto one and yourself onto another. Your muscles suddenly feel sore and you very much want to just fall right to sleep. A knock on the door forces you back up.

"Hope I'm not disturbing you," says Reinna, letting herself in. She carries bundles of clothe that she spills onto the bed you'd been lying on. "I made these myself! A lot more comfortable than what you've got on now, I'll bet. I modified what I could since you're so tall but I think it'll work. Pick something you like and I'll take you to the shower."

A hot shower actually sounds really good right now. You quickly select a light top and some long shorts that were probably pants on Reinna and eagerly follow her down the hall to a surprisingly large room. There's no obvious shower, just a slightly lowered space in the floor away from the metal cabinets with a drain in the floor.

"Just stand there and call out for water. Towels are under the sink, soap and shampoo in the left drawer, and if you need anything I'm in the next room over. Enjoy!"

Feeling confused and a bit silly you undress, feeling awkward with your new cock swinging free of it's confines, still a little hard from being near Reinna, and step over the drain.

"Uh, water?"

Holes hidden in the wall begin to spray a steady stream of perfect temperature water at you from multiple angles. You spend nearly an hour in the water and start to wonder why you ever doubted Bran's genius. That confidence wavers for a brief moment when you hear a loud thud from one of the walls but it doesn't repeat itself nor hinder your bathing so you pay it no mind. Freshly scrubbed and wearing clean cotton clothes you almost feel pampered, especially on a poor world like this. You get a much needed night of rest and choose a new set of clothes for your mission. Reinna suggests some leather clothes she'd made for a friend who never made it back from the wastes. The pants are tight against your skin, especially in the crotch area, but offer a surprising range of motion. The leather jacket fits perfectly and has lots of pockets, including one that works for your pistol. Beneath it you wear the tank top you slept in and on your feet are some of Bran's old boots that Reinna fills with some kind of epoxy to make them fit snuggly despite the difference in size. Reinna is wearing another dress, this one green and showing an awful lot of cleavage, and some white leggings plus a small satchel on one shoulder. Bran sees you both off as Reinna leads you to "The Lace Place," Ms. Velvet's place of business.

"So, what's the plan once we get there?" asks Reinna.