ACTION TIME

[aphelionix]

The two days had come and gone since Locke stayed over at Weiler's. He was tipsy when Weiler had called that night and made their two day check-in rule - not that he forgot, but he couldn't stop the nagging feeling that something was off when he went to bed that night.

On the morning of the third day, he remembered.

The rule was to get out. He tried calling Weiler once, in case he had forgotten his own rule, but Locke was sure by now that it wasn't like him. It was all the sign he needed when the call went straight to voice mail. He headed right out the door of his room, only gathering his pistol and communicator. Through the bustling of the soldiers' morning routines, he managed to keep himself fairly blended in. No one seemed to be looking on him any differently. Locke was on the last stretch of the emergency escape route of Gladsheim's base - for Circle members, that was - when someone called his name.

His real name.

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[aphelionix]

"Are you?" he asked, stepping off the car onto the platform.

[tactician]

Weiler stepped past him with a laugh, purposefully nudging him with his shoulder as he did so. "Do you think I am?" he shot back, surveying their surroundings with a lazy glance.

This was the right place all right - there were heaps of mechanical parts in almost any direction you looked, separated into the lots that they belonged to, fenced off from each other at ground level, but the scenery all looked the same from the elevated platform they were standing on. Every lot had a rusty, painted sign or a flickering neon light indicating its name and ownership somewhere and whatever space wasn't occupied by parts was taken up by parked rows of vehicles of every nature - aerial, underwater, ground, and hover, to name a few. There was a strong irony smell in the air, dry and metallic enough for one to taste it if they opened their mouth and breathed in. Boriniat wasn't an industrial planet for nothing.

"Which one of these is your friend's?"

[aphelionix]

"The one with the stupid name," he said vaguely. They walked past several scrap shops, getting a few people - human and alien alike - trying to coax them in for business. Locke ignored them easily, looking up at the signs, until they finally reached the one.

'Ace Ships and Scraps', and in small text underneath, 'and stuff.'

"Not very bright, this guy." With a sigh, Locke headed up to the shop, ducking under the rusting warehouse door. The inside had a ship being dismantled for its parts, several dirtied men and women in overalls lasering it apart. A few turned their heads to give the pair odd looks, but just as casually went back to their work.

At the back of the garage there was a window with a busy looking man; incredibly tanned, gruff, overweight but unquestionably strong with small spectacles balanced on the tip of his nose. The only hair on his head was his large, black beard.

Locke gave a rough tap on the glass.

"Ace."

On the other side, the man looked up. Wide eyed, he stumbled to the back of the office, disappearing out a door and slammed it shut.

[tactician]

"Oh, he's happy to see you," Weiler murmured to Locke, very clearly amused.

[aphelionix]

He looked troubled.

"That's odd, considering..." Locke's voice trailed, and he was staring at something behind Weiler. He took a step back, but it was too late - two massive arms wrapped around Locke and swung him around in a circle. Ace was simply coming around to hug him.

"Locke, ol' pal!" Ace yelled, finally putting him down after a full 360. "Where ya been?! I thought ya forget all 'bout me! Who yer friend?"

"Long story," Locke coughed. "This is..."

Actually, he wasn't sure Weiler wanted him to use his real name.

i love ace

[tactician]

Weiler jolted back as soon as he saw that Locke was...incapacitated, though upon second glance, it didn't seem as life-threatening as he might have thought. He blinked at the...manly display of affection, not quite used to people so...open with their favors, and simply hung back (not a little warily) until Locke motioned to him.

"...Just call me Weiler," he said on cue, because if Locke was using his real name, then he trusted that to mean that he was safe enough to use his as well. He didn't offer a handshake immediately, opting for an amiable smile instead, because he was reasonably sure his hand would get crushed in that paw and he really did want to avoid the hospital a little bit longer.

hehehe good

[aphelionix]

"Nice to meet ya, Wah-ler," he said with such a big grin, that even under his giant beard it was hard to miss. Luckily, no move was made to shake his hand or hug him. Ace at least was smart enough to know his boundaries.(Weiler looked rather breakable.)

"Truth is, Ace, we're in a spot of trouble," he said. "I've got a hot ship I need rid of. I was hoping we could work a deal."

"Oh, a'course, Locke," he said, looking none too bothered. "What kinda boat we lookin' at?"

"GST-740."

Ace whistled. "What kinda trouble you in, 'zactly? Don't tell me yous in trouble wit the military now. Add that to the long list, huh?"

[tactician]

"Long list?" Weiler prompted innocently, doing what he was best at - wheedling for information. He blinked, doe-eyed, at Locke. "You never told me anything about that~."

[aphelionix]

Ace turned to Weiler, clearly happy to share the information.

"Oh yeah, this guy get around doin all kinds of trouble. Last I sawr him, he-"

"Ace," Locke cut in, "Urgent."

[tactician]

"Not that urgent," Weiler argued back.

[aphelionix]

"Pretty urgent," Locke said, shooting a look at Weiler.

[tactician]

Only after a moment, Weiler heaved a great sigh and settled back on his heels. "I suppose it'll have to wait until another time, then," he mourned to Ace, looking so honestly sorry. "Before our mutual acquaintance has a tantrum over his ship."

[aphelionix]

Ace let out a hearty laugh. "Always was a stickler, this guy. All right, lemme go ahead n' see those cards, Locke." Locke passed off the access cards, and Ace went to the back to retrieve something. The soldier heaved a deep breath.

"You're having fun, aren't you?"

[tactician]

"Only a little," Weiler snickered.

[aphelionix]

Locke shook his head to himself.

"And 'acquaintance'?" he addressed.

[tactician]

"Would you have preferred something else?" Weiler asked in an almost off-hand manner, surveying the employees of the shop as they worked. "You didn't tell me in advance how much information I was at liberty to share, so I shared none."

[aphelionix]

Locke raised a brow at him.

"I'm not your boss. You share what you're comfortable sharing."

[tactician]

Weiler raised a brow. "I did."

[aphelionix]

He stared a moment longer before shrugging. "I can work with 'acquaintances'."

[tactician]

Weiler smiled, apparently pleased with that answer. "Good," he said, patting Locke on the elbow. "Never give out information for free."

[aphelionix]

"Your mantra, hm?"

Ace came back out, a tablet in hand. The card Locke had given him was sticking out of the top, its edges glowing green.

"This bad boy'll boil down to some rather fine parts," Ace said, pleased. The blue print of the military ship was displayed on the screen, some of its parts highlighted in red. The card held all the information about its status. "Got a coupla' burnt out guns, but tha's nothin'. So tell me what ya need, and I'll set it up."

Ace took the card out, pressed a couple buttons on the tablet, and passed it over. A list of ship model names shuffled onto the screen. Locke held it so that both him and Weiler could see it. He started with the top - a Delandroid Scather model 2300L. It was flashy, sleek, but wasn't made for combat and looked to only fit one person comfortably. It had a sarcastic AI installed into it that made it famous.

Locke went to the next one.

[tactician]

"What was wrong with that one?" Weiler asked, but only curiously. He wasn't about to fight with an actual pilot about what machine he was going to pilot, but it was just that the AI sounded like an awful lot of fun.

[aphelionix]

"Have you ever fought with an AI over directions before?"

[tactician]

Weiler just smiled. "It might have been the most intelligent conversation I've had in years, if I had."

[aphelionix]

He rolled his eyes, looking at a different ship now. Comfortable for two for travel, modified for combat, but a little slower than he was looking for.

"Delandroid is a little AI happy these days, since they're the best out there," he said, "their robots are as cocky as their company."

"We gots one workin' for us," Ace said proudly. "Some rich bugger sold him off thinking he was broked. Turned out the thing just didn't like the guy's hair. The mech took a shinin' to me shiny head, though."