Two Years After Contact - Post Apoc RP.

[Michale CS]

"Hooker and her customer, maybe, haggling over price? Cute..." Natalija grined to her-self, geting in-line behind them, and reaching in-to her belt satchel, to check out how much money she had. She didnt give them much atention.

The girl rattled something else off in Russian, and actually almost left the line by the time the old man came out, with just the box this time, nodding and smiling.

The girl went into the office, and there was a heated discussion, but then the woman came out, followed by a guy who looked like you'd taken three guys and fused them together to be one very big guy, and they marched toward the center of the Opera House.

Then it was her turn.

It was an ornate office, with a middle-aged man sitting behind a desk. He looked up, his steely grey eyes regarding her from behind his spectacles.

"What is it I can do for you? I do not recognize you. New to the exchange, yes?"

 

[Marchosias]

The girl rattled something else off in Russian, and actually almost left the line by the time the old man came out, with just the box this time, nodding and smiling.

The girl went into the office, and there was a heated discussion, but then the woman came out, followed by a guy who looked like you'd taken three guys and fused them together to be one very big guy, and they marched toward the center of the Opera House.

Then it was her turn.

It was an ornate office, with a middle-aged man sitting behind a desk. He looked up, his steely grey eyes regarding her from behind his spectacles.

"What is it I can do for you? I do not recognize you. New to the exchange, yes?"

Natalija didnt catch all being sayed, but vhen the guy came-out... she recognized a pimp vhen she seen one. Her eyes narowed a litle, giving him a cold, measuring once-over as they passed-by her. His size didnt intimidate her at all, knowing from expirience that size is usualy counter-proportional to speed, reflexes, and agility, in a fight. And no matter the size, a person alvays had the same set of vulnerabilitys, unless conditioned properly to eliminate them.

"Let me guess... he took almost all the money from the trick, leaving her vith spare change... piece of shit! If he tryed that on me, in her place, he'd regret it." she thoght, insensed.

Forcing her-self to put it out of her mind, she re-focused on the clerk, vho looked like a typical money-handler to her. Nodding in greeting, she replyed, in English: "Yes, I just got here. I'm looking to exchange Commonwealth curency for your local one. Vhats the normal exchange rate, for 4220 SKK?" she asked, taking a relativly thick stack of notes from the satchel and laying it on the desk before him.

SKK, standing for Slavic Convertible Kunas.

 

[Michale CS]

Forcing her-self to put it out of her mind, she re-focused on the clerk, vho looked like a typical money-handler to her. Nodding in greeting, she replyed, in English: "Yes, I just got here. I'm looking to exchange Commonwealth curency for your local one. Vhats the normal exchange rate, for 4220 SKK?" she asked, taking a relativly thick stack of notes from the satchel and laying it on the desk before him.

SKK, standing for Slavic Convertible Kunas.

"Two weeks ago I would have told you to take those home and use them in your fireplace, but since we became more... organized, we can convert at close to two for one minus the exchequer fee. I can give you two thousand. For value reference, a meal would cost one hundred, and a gun, five hundred." He reached under his desk and brought out more of those copper disks. It looked like, when seen close up, that they had melted down a lot of the copper telephone wiring and computer network cabling to forge into these disks, which ranged in size from an inch to three inches in diameter.

"I know this new currency must be confusing, yes? But it works in our exchange only, and we keep track of who has how much, you see. We have a computer network." He bragged as if this were a great accomplishment.

"What name do you wish to go by in the exchange, nő megtisztelte?" He asked politely, sitting by the old computer, ready to enter information.

 

[Marchosias]

"Two weeks ago I would have told you to take those home and use them in your fireplace, but since we became more... organized, we can convert at close to two for one minus the exchequer fee. I can give you two thousand. For value reference, a meal would cost one hundred, and a gun, five hundred." He reached under his desk and brought out more of those copper disks. It looked like, when seen close up, that they had melted down a lot of the copper telephone wiring and computer network cabling to forge into these disks, which ranged in size from an inch to three inches in diameter.

"I know this new currency must be confusing, yes? But it works in our exchange only, and we keep track of who has how much, you see. We have a computer network." He bragged as if this were a great accomplishment.

"What name do you wish to go by in the exchange, nő megtisztelte?" He asked politely, sitting by the old computer, ready to enter information.

"Ever considered something more... I dont knov, portable? I'l need a prety large bag for 2000 of these things. Can you get me one, too?" Natalija quiped vith a grin, eyeing the disks.

"Aniway, my name is Natalija. Just... Natalija." she added, not vanting to give her last name.

As crude as it all looked, she had to hand it to them... they did manage to carve-out a relativly stable community here, out of the ruins of the old vorld.

"So, can you recomend any good place to stay, mister, vhich wont overcharge me? I plan on spending the night here." she asked, as he vas entering the info.

 

[Michale CS]

"Ever considered something more... I dont knov, portable? I'l need a prety large bag for 2000 of these things. Can you get me one, too?" Natalija quiped vith a grin, eyeing the disks.

"Aniway, my name is Natalija. Just... Natalija." she added, not vanting to give her last name.

As crude as it all looked, she had to hand it to them... they did manage to carve-out a relativly stable community here, out of the ruins of the old vorld.

"So, can you recomend any good place to stay, mister, vhich wont overcharge me? I plan on spending the night here." she asked, as he vas entering the info.

He chuckled. "The small ones, see, are one hundreds. The middle size ones are five hundreds and the large ones are one thousand. If you have something cost less than one hundred the difference is usually made up by the vendor keeping track or giving you a little something extra, nő megtisztelte." He indicated the one, two, and three inch disks.

This meant that man with the large bag of the things was carrying tens of thousands in credit. What was it he paid for on the way in?

"As for a place to stay, there are several hostels nearby, and most accept our coins - though no one outside this building is required to."

 

[Marchosias]

He chuckled. "The small ones, see, are one hundreds. The middle size ones are five hundreds and the large ones are one thousand. If you have something cost less than one hundred the difference is usually made up by the vendor keeping track or giving you a little something extra, nő megtisztelte." He indicated the one, two, and three inch disks.

This meant that man with the large bag of the things was carrying tens of thousands in credit. What was it he paid for on the way in?

"As for a place to stay, there are several hostels nearby, and most accept our coins - though no one outside this building is required to."

Natalija nodded at the explanation, and thanked the man for his recomendation of hostels... before it sudenly penetrated... that man carying a large bag of the coins!

"Vhat the fuck?! If the values are right, he must have payed tens of thousands for vhat-ever he buyed..."

Casualy, she decided to try and probe the clerk for any details... even if verbal dancing vas anything but her strong point, especialy in a foreign langage.

"So... vhats the story vith that guy vho just entered vith a vhole bag of the things and left vith-out? Ammm... a big curency transfer, I take it?" she asked vith a smile, trying hard to sound casual, dis-interested "just making converzation" kind. Not very convincingly, since even in her native langage, Natalija vasnt much of a conversationalist, prefering actions to vords. And being pretty wired and toned-up, along vith the tats, she also didnt tend to give out too peaceful a first-impresion.

But her mind vas racing. The hooker he vas with, before he handed over the money, the anxius discussion, the huge pimp-type escorting the girl out at a fast-walk... it had "sex slave trade" stench all over it, to her. And that, if true.... REALY didnt sit wel with Natalija, as she had to fight to keep her smile for the clerk.

"And vhat was in that box he had in the other hand... ?" she asked her-self, remembering that detail too.

 

[Michale CS]

But her mind vas racing. The hooker he vas with, before he handed over the money, the anxius discussion, the huge pimp-type escorting the girl out at a fast-walk... it had "sex slave trade" stench all over it, to her. And that, if true.... REALY didnt sit wel with Natalija, as she had to fight to keep her smile for the clerk.

"And vhat was in that box he had in the other hand... ?" she asked her-self, remembering that detail too.

"Oh, the bag wasn't full of currency. That old man? He has sheep and goats. That large bag was full of wool. He also wanted to sell his wife's jewelry but I refused to take it - it really has no practical value. I imagine he was happy that I exchanged his wool for our coins, which have no official name but we call them réz, because none of the merchants on the floor knew what exactly to do with wool. No one down there has a loom you see. But my own wife does. I will turn his wool into clothes which I will sell for even more réz than I gave him, for my wife's time of course."

"Unless you speak of the man prior. He sold something that I cannot disclose to you because certain things must remain private you see, nő megtisztelte. But perhaps he will tell you himself if you find him, yes?"

He made the exchange for her and gave her the money in twelve coins, ten of the one hundreds and two of the five hundreds. "Will there be anything else?"

 

[Marchosias]

"Oh, the bag wasn't full of currency. That old man? He has sheep and goats. That large bag was full of wool. He also wanted to sell his wife's jewelry but I refused to take it - it really has no practical value. I imagine he was happy that I exchanged his wool for our coins, which have no official name but we call them réz, because none of the merchants on the floor knew what exactly to do with wool. No one down there has a loom you see. But my own wife does. I will turn his wool into clothes which I will sell for even more réz than I gave him, for my wife's time of course."

"Unless you speak of the man prior. He sold something that I cannot disclose to you because certain things must remain private you see, nő megtisztelte. But perhaps he will tell you himself if you find him, yes?"

He made the exchange for her and gave her the money in twelve coins, ten of the one hundreds and two of the five hundreds. "Will there be anything else?"

"Something tels me this guy isnt on the level vith me... bag of wool? At a exchange ofice instead of a normal trader? Riiight..." Natalija thoght, but kept her face im-pasive, as she shaked her head.

"Ammm... no, no thank you. Thanx for the coins!" turning to walk-out, after she stored the coins in her satchel.

She vas tempted to ask where to find this other guy, but she suspected that wuld make her suspicius to the clerk, vho might even inform that guy of her interest. No... she decided to leave it be, but she wuld keep a eye out for the old man vith the box, the hooker, and that pimp, as she walked around, finding the hostel to book a room in.

She headed in the direction of the opera house's center, looking around for the hostel, the same way she seen the hooker and the pimp go, before. And that old man also vas heading in that direction, if she remembered right.

Along the way, in one of the booths, she noticed a smal kebab-joint, and decided to also get something to eat, as her stomach reminded her she hasnt eaten anything since she headed out on the reconisance of the crash-site.

 

[Michale CS]

She headed in the direction of the opera house's center, looking around for the hostel, the same way she seen the hooker and the pimp go, before. And that old man also vas heading in that direction, if she remembered right.

Along the way, in one of the booths, she noticed a smal kebab-joint, and decided to also get something to eat, as her stomach reminded her she hasnt eaten anything since she headed out on the reconisance of the crash-site.

The Hostels weren't inside the Opera House itself, but surrounding the area as the man in the exchange office said, but there were enough signs around for them so it would be easy for Nataljia to find one once she'd left the building.

The presumed hooker and pimp ended up being hooker and enforcer, because she came across the hooker pointing at a man, and the large man with her grabbing that man by the collar, followed by a quick apology from the smaller man and additional coins being handed to the hooker. The pair then moved off toward one of the hostels that had sprung up around the perimeter of the old Opera House.

No sign of either the man who had the bag full of coins she'd first seen, nor the man who came with the large bag and left without it could be found by Natalija so far. But the kababs were good at least.

She could head to the hostel that was probably a whorehouse, or one of the others, to bed down for the night, or she could spend more of her newfound money. It had only cost her 100 as the man had said for the meal, and they even gave her a bottle of purified water, pre-Invasion, with her purchase.

Everyone was being very nice to her. Too nice, maybe? Once she left the building she noticed how much like the old Soviet era that this appeared. Uniformed soldiers with high-powered rifles everywhere, keeping the peace. That... might have a lot to do with it.

 

[Marchosias]

The Hostels weren't inside the Opera House itself, but surrounding the area as the man in the exchange office said, but there were enough signs around for them so it would be easy for Nataljia to find one once she'd left the building.

The presumed hooker and pimp ended up being hooker and enforcer, because she came across the hooker pointing at a man, and the large man with her grabbing that man by the collar, followed by a quick apology from the smaller man and additional coins being handed to the hooker. The pair then moved off toward one of the hostels that had sprung up around the perimeter of the old Opera House.

No sign of either the man who had the bag full of coins she'd first seen, nor the man who came with the large bag and left without it could be found by Natalija so far. But the kababs were good at least.

She could head to the hostel that was probably a whorehouse, or one of the others, to bed down for the night, or she could spend more of her newfound money. It had only cost her 100 as the man had said for the meal, and they even gave her a bottle of purified water, pre-Invasion, with her purchase.

Everyone was being very nice to her. Too nice, maybe? Once she left the building she noticed how much like the old Soviet era that this appeared. Uniformed soldiers with high-powered rifles everywhere, keeping the peace. That... might have a lot to do with it.

"So... do I pick a whore-house, or a flea-house?" Natalija smirked to her-self, after checking out the 2 hostels she come acros, once she left the building. Neither vas particulary apealing, one housing a brothel, the other dirty as a cess-pit; she wuld much prefer to spend the night in her litle hide-out, but since that vas a no-go, stil being able to hear the howling of those dogs in the far distance, she had to setle for one of the 2 offered options.

At least the whore-house vas alot cleaner then the other option. It had to be, of corse, vith the kind of business going on in there. She headed to the entrance. Betwen fending-off horny guys... and girls... looking for action, and fending off lice and bugs all night, she takes the former any day.

As far as getting any... action... her-self, Natalija vas not entyreli un-receptive to the idea. One of these days. But right now, being tired after the day-long foray to the crash-site, she only vanted to get some sleep.

"Good evening. I wuld like a room for the night. And before you ask, no thanx, no company included in the room!" she spoke to the receptionist, a very catty-looking mid-30s woman, the kind of slut-look to her that sugested a verrrry long time in the business, in heavy make-up, manicured nails as long as half a pinky-finger, and slinky BDSM lingerie.

She did notice she vas the only female guest in the lobby... not suprisingly.

 

[Greenie]

"I know that Nora. Pretend that you are Elmer Fudd hunting wabbits. That's what Dad told me." Gerard said, following closely. "Where are we going? I liked the church. God was there. And Mary."

Indeed, it was quiet. Since the men who were searching for their stolen weapon had drank themselves to sleep, and it was a couple of hours before dawn, the main thing they had to deal with was the cold and just enough wind to make the cold seem even colder. Staying outside without some sort of windbreak would become very uncomfortable very quickly.

The nearest place that Nora knew where she could definitely get aid wasn't far away, the Notre Dame Basilica was maybe a twenty minute walk from the church she had left, which was called the Our Lady of Lourdes Chapel. The question was, did she want to go to a place where a lot of locals went to get aid with Gerard? Sure there were more people but would these men risk causing trouble at the Basilica in order to retrieve their stolen keepsake and weapon?

She could go further away from the Saint Lawrence, but there were a few rougher neighborhoods that way as well, once you got out of the relatively safe area of Montreal near the Basilica. The large number of churches in the area really did make it safer, as people tended to look for and foster safety near the places now.

But there was a place about equal walking distance for them that was a possibility too, the Musee des Hospitalieres de I'Hotel-Dieu de Montreal, as the old museum and former hospital had been converted to a shelter and soup kitchen.

Or, she could find some other path.

Nora let out a small sigh as she looked over to Gerard. "I'm not sure where we are going. I liked the church too but there are... not so nice people there. Not so nice people do not so nice things, and I'd rather not have me or you get hurt." She gave him a serious look before her grey eyes softened a little. "Now, be vewy, vewy quiet..."

She needed the quiet so as to not be found, and to be able to think. Sure there were lots of places, but she was sure once those drunkards weren't so drunk, they'd end up combing through those areas. Of course, maybe that had all just been the talk of a drunk man and he'd forget about it when he woke up.

Somehow, she doubted that. It was a way too idealistic thought in a less than ideal world.

There was the West Island, but that was far even by a vehicle's standard, about half an hour to an hour's drive, depending how fast you were driving. It had always been something of a suburb, but as such, was also a very popular place for families to live. Nora had been there quite a few times when she was younger, but not in the recent years, and especially not after her parents died.

She gritted her teeth back and forth, a bad habit she had picked up while thinking. Notre Dame and la Musée were probably the safer places to go. In between the two, however, she would expect more people to go to the former. It was much more famous; even she'd been there a few times, once when she was really young, on a field trip.

Best go with someplace that was a little less know, in her opinion. "We're going to visit the museum," she told Gerard softly as she started walking once more. "They'll have food and shelter, we can stay there for a bit."​

 

[Xytheus]

"People get wise that we took the dogs out huntin' when they're usually guarding the henhouse, the foxes will come a callin'. I understand. My next shift change is at noon. I'll ask a couple of the boys, the two single fellas, to stay on an extra shift and dangle a six pack of Shiner Bock in front of them as payment for staying on and staying quiet. That way I'm only down two for the day. I'll have my new fellas come to my office for a meeting, and you can fill 'em in here before you take 'em out, that way you got fresh eyes for your hunt. Fair enough?" Jacobs said, already making changes to his duty roster he'd scribbled on a whiteboard that he kept by his desk.

That whiteboard made it clear that there were four shifts per day of six hours, changing at 6am, noon, 6pm, and midnight. Guards got lazy or tired after more than six hours on shift, Jacobs had found. And no guard ever worked more than three days in a row, so it made the whole thing feel more like hanging out with the guys than actual boring guard duty.

Tobias admired how organized the man was. It was something Tobias lacked. He got things done but it wasn't uncommon for small things to be forgotten. "Sounds good. Thanks for the help. Tell them I'll be waiting at the entrance to Port Bolivar." He tipped an invisible hat and left.

Now Tobias was left with the challenge of finding a boat. The island government only owned one ship but it was broken down and impractical for the small task of getting the men to the offshore crashsite.

 

[Shalashaska]

"We get on the plane." Arisu stood, and escorted her to the airfield. The pair, along with a few other ancillary personnel approached the Kawasaki C-2 plane with the Japan Air Self Defense Force markings on it. The landing stairs were extended as Arisu made her way toward the plane.

"We will refuel once, mid-flight, and only land once we are in Budapest. We do not have operatives there, but have hired some locals who will meet us at the airstrip once we land. By the way I hope you like Spam, because that's likely to be the in flight meal, as the last place we got non-perishable supplies was in Honolulu." She said as the pair boarded the plane.

"If you have any further questions about the mission, we have fifteen hours together, with nothing to do besides talk or play cards." The scientist concluded.

"There's booze, right?" Alysson blurted out when Arisu stated they'd having nothing but cards and conversation to keep themselves entertained. "Please tell me there's booze. You can't put me on a flying, metal deathtrap and not give me alcohol. Gin. Whiskey. Vodka. Something." She rambled nervously, fidgeting as she stood. Man this was gonna suck. Arisu was fun people and all, but most of what she said went over the mercenary's head and Aly usually found herself smiling dumbly and nodding like an idiot.

Better to keep quiet than make yourself sound stupid.

Looking around, she cautiously sat down and shifted in place, attempting to find comfort.

"Okay... I can do this." She said, reaching into her coat pocket to retrieve a flask. Popping the lid, she took a swig of the alcohol within, drinking it like water. Pulling it from her lips, she felt a smile pass over her face as her stomach was filled with a warm tingling sensation, the burn in her throat no longer bothering her. "Yeah... I got this."

 

[Michale CS]

Tobias admired how organized the man was. It was something Tobias lacked. He got things done but it wasn't uncommon for small things to be forgotten. "Sounds good. Thanks for the help. Tell them I'll be waiting at the entrance to Port Bolivar." He tipped an invisible hat and left.

Now Tobias was left with the challenge of finding a boat. The island government only owned one ship but it was broken down and impractical for the small task of getting the men to the offshore crashsite.

Tobias was left with two real choices as far as boats went.

• The Caribbean Breeze Boat Rental still offered a few boats for rent, but always insisted on a hefty price to go 'unsupervised' They had smaller boats and even a power boat or two left operating. With gas at a premium - It would be some time before some of the major refineries got operational again - this would provide the exact kind of boat but would take a hefty enough chunk out of the public kitty for Tobias to have to explain this expenditure later.
• The Colonel Paddlewheel still operated. Silent, better on gas, and operated by an old timer who knew well enough to take money and not ask questions, it would provide a larger boat - although the paddlewheel had lifeboats that could be lowered. The Colonel still ran tours now and then but mainly when the boat went out it was for a wedding reception or a gambling party. Other than the fact they'd have to likely swap boats to the small one, the Colonel was a common enough sight in the water around Galveston for it not to be considered odd in and of itself.

@Xytheus

 

[Michale CS]

...

Best go with someplace that was a little less know, in her opinion. "We're going to visit the museum," she told Gerard softly as she started walking once more. "They'll have food and shelter, we can stay there for a bit."​

The trip to the museum wasn't hard or long, but it was cold. Once at the steps, two lazy guards with hunting rifles sat by the main doors, looking them over.
"We don't normally accept newcomers this late, eh." One of them said, standing to approach while the other casually picked up his rifle.

"No room except in the common room in front. There's a few mattresses left. Any weapons get checked at the door. Anything to declare?" The guard who advanced on them asked, a lazy smile on his face in response to how bright and cheery Gerard started to look when he heard he was going to get to go back to sleep.

 

[Michale CS]

"Okay... I can do this." She said, reaching into her coat pocket to retrieve a flask. Popping the lid, she took a swig of the alcohol within, drinking it like water. Pulling it from her lips, she felt a smile pass over her face as her stomach was filled with a warm tingling sensation, the burn in her throat no longer bothering her. "Yeah... I got this."

"Whisky and Sake, definitely. Beer is unlikely. I hope your habit with drinking does not become a detriment, but if it is a response to flying, I quite understand. Not all people are comfortable with air travel." Arisu said as they boarded.

It wasn't long later before Arisu was curious enough to ask more than the very basics as she had of Aly prior to hiring her. "Where were you from originally? Forgive me but you did not seem to be a Rio native when I first interviewed you."

 

[Michale CS]

"Good evening. I wuld like a room for the night. And before you ask, no thanx, no company included in the room!" she spoke to the receptionist, a very catty-looking mid-30s woman, the kind of slut-look to her that sugested a verrrry long time in the business, in heavy make-up, manicured nails as long as half a pinky-finger, and slinky BDSM lingerie.

She did notice she vas the only female guest in the lobby... not suprisingly.

"Mm. Night off, igen? We all need them. Secure Room would either require a night's work or three hundred réz. Which shall it be? Secure Room includes key, bottled water and Pogácsa in the fridge." The lady said, bringing out a journal to start to log in Natalija's entrance.

 

[Shalashaska]

"Whisky and Sake, definitely. Beer is unlikely. I hope your habit with drinking does not become a detriment, but if it is a response to flying, I quite understand. Not all people are comfortable with air travel." Arisu said as they boarded.

It wasn't long later before Arisu was curious enough to ask more than the very basics as she had of Aly prior to hiring her. "Where were you from originally? Forgive me but you did not seem to be a Rio native when I first interviewed you."

"Psssssh. I work better the more alcohol I am... Have... Words are weird." She laughed between swigs, waving Arisu's concerns away nonchalantly. Gently rocking back and forth in her seat, enjoying her buzz from the alcohol, she raised her eyebrows at Ari's question. "Uh... Shit. Where ain't I from? I was born in California. Then moved to Texas. Then Louisiana. Then settled in Florida. I guess, if I had to say, I'm from Florida." She shrugged.

"Sooo, doctorrrr, where are you from? I wanted to say Asia, for obvious reason, but I can't really hear a hard accent." She said, humming quietly.

 

[Michale CS]

"Sooo, doctorrrr, where are you from? I wanted to say Asia, for obvious reason, but I can't really hear a hard accent." She said, humming quietly.

"Japan, yes. But I learned English beside Japanese at a school on a US Military base in Okinawa. My father is Japanese but my mother is American. I could adopt the Japanese accent if you wished to associate my voice with my appearance."

She raised two fingers and the man who was serving as the flight attendant went to bring her some sake. "Have you ever had Sake, Allysson?"

 

[Shalashaska]

"Japan, yes. But I learned English beside Japanese at a school on a US Military base in Okinawa. My father is Japanese but my mother is American. I could adopt the Japanese accent if you wished to associate my voice with my appearance."

She raised two fingers and the man who was serving as the flight attendant went to bring her some sake. "Have you ever had Sake, Allysson?"

Nodding, Allyson was surprised Arisu was able to speak English so flawlessly. She had known people in the States that had trouble speaking clearly even though they were born there. Laughing at Arisu's inquiry in regards to her tone, the mercenary simply waved her hand.

"Psh. How you speak is up to you, boo. And even if I've never tried Sake, I'm always open to experiment with new things." She said with a not-so-innocent smile, her mind wandering. Yeah, she did a lot of experiments - though, she was certain her 'science' was a hell of a lot different than Arisu's. Taking one of the small cups that was offered to her, she mumbled out a quick thank you before knocking back the liquor.

"Oh. Oh my. Fun. I like this." She said with a grin. "Now, o' cap'n my cap'n, how much... Resistance do you think we're gonna be facing? I mean, regardless, we're going into somewhat uncharted territory, and there's a good chance we may not be welcome. So, my question is, on a scale of 1 to 10, how much shooting am I gonna have to do?"