• Starpath: Scoundrels of the Interstellar Highway - Thread 2
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The connection with Jag was apparently fading. "We'll stop it, Jag. I promise you. I'll do everything I can." she said, looking back to him. The Archives needed to be destroyed as soon as possible. Or at least two of them did. If Starvis itself wasn't a threat, its tech in the wrong hands was. And who knew what threat would spawn from that?
[QUOTE]"We'll stop it, Jag. I promise you. I'll do everything I can."[/QUOTE] "Thank you...Taylor..." Jag's apparition began to slowly fade "For...I I'm sorry that I must lay this burden onto you...That unable I'm to do more than watch a cloudy sky pass by...As passing second...My presence....My 'soul'...Is slipping away...Falling apart into many pieces...And soon...Jag Perditus will be gone entirely....But I'll still around within in this universe divide..." Jag's apparition turned to reveal a faint silhouette of another Sanghvi standing by it, it's features too shrouded in darkness to be seen. "It seems...That..It is time...." Jag then turned towards Taylor. "Thank you...Taylor."
[QUOTE]"It seems...That..it is time...." Jag then turned towards Taylor. "Thank you...Taylor."[/QUOTE] "...Till we meet again, my friend." said Taylor, watching her comrade and former crewmate fade away. This was the second time she had to watch him truly die, though this time she didn't know how to feel about it. Still, she'd make him proud.
[QUOTE]"...Till we meet again, my friend."[/QUOTE] And with that, the apparitions soon faded away and the darkness lifted completely from the area along with the whispers. Revealing Taylor to be standing alone in the long empty, hallway. Near the exit towards the docks and the elevator leading towards Taur's den. - - - - - - "Goodbye..Old Friend...." Taur muttered quietly under his breath, a tear rolling down his worn and scared face.
Valkyrie was continuing to read through the information presented to her, but glanced back as she paused for a brief moment to check on the old Kercan. "You alright there, Taur?" - - - - - - - - - - Taylor stood there for a few moments, thinking over what had just happened. Jag was really gone. She glanced up towards where she had come from before, before finally breathing a sigh and turning towards the exit. She needed to get back up to Taur's den and check on Valkyrie.
[QUOTE]"You alright there, Taur?"[/QUOTE] "Yes, I'm fine...Just some...Loose dirt in the eye." Taur said, as rose himself up off the ground. Using one of the nearby rags to quickly dry his face before turning towards Valkyrie in usual, cold demeanor. "You found...Everything you need?" Taur asked Valkyrie, his voice sounding a bit more strained than normal. - - - - - - - - - - Just as Taylor exited hallway, a trio of familiar faces appeared outside of the large doorway. That being Cerulean and Saffron with their Crimson Vaker by their side. "Taylor...." Cerulean muttered, their voice seemly dry and filled with a sense of sorrow. "Of Caine." Saffron picked up after a short pause. "For.." "Your service, we have decided to...." "Relinquish our ownership of..." "Taur Gorgon to you and Valkyrie's care." Suddenly the Crimson Vaker frantically turned and stared down at the two Sanghvi, it's stance was hostile towards the two. The Sanghvi pair simply stared it down as it threatening tired to move closer to them before abruptly collapsing onto the ground. "We're sorry about that," "Taylor of Caine," "But sometimes direct action is the only to put your..." "Subordinates, In line." The pair said in a lighter tone as panned to face Taylor while the Crimson Vaker struggled to pick itself up off the ground, it's left claw gripping it's torso while let it out a few distorted coughs. "At any rate..." "We hope that you enjoyed here at our station." "Assuredly, our associates will be better behaved next time," "Yes, they shall be." Saffron stated with extra emphasis as it looked down at the Crimson Vaker. "But alas," "We bid you adieu once again." "Taylor of Caine," "And tell the one that is," "Valencia of Blackwell," "That we will be meeting again soon." Cerulean and Saffron stated to Taylor, giving her a swift bow to Taylor before begin walking away towards another section of the station, the Crimson Vaker dragging itself up and trying hastily to catch up with the pair.
"Oooh yeah. Learned some tricks from the designs I'd probably have never thought about. I think I can build a better version of the engine with the right parts and some time." said Valkyrie, with a grin. - - - - - - - - - Taylor watched them depart, an eyebrow raised. They owned Taur up till now? What, did he lose a bet? Owe them money? She shook her head, continuing on as she headed back to Taur's den. She'd have to let Valk know about it, along with the two Sanghvi's ominous statement about meeting her again 'soon'. She didn't envy her or that crimson Vaker too much. All they did was stare at him and he doubled over in pain. She'd hate to see what they could [I]really[/I] do if pissed off. Soon enough, she found herself on the elevator again, riding back up to where Taur's hangar was.
Two more police cruisers followed closely by a van pulled up outside of the building as officers Garret and Kelly entered. Readying their weapons as soon as they stepped out from their vehicles the newly-arrived officers wore heavy vests coupled with helmets. Orders were barked out and four of the armed officers were sent in to reinforce Kelly and Garret while the others formed a perimeter. Meanwhile on a nearby rooftop adjacent to the office building a lone figure observed the scene below. Cobra watched as the SISP officers sealed off the site while curious bystanders appeared from the nearby apartment buildings. [i]"Vampire to Cobra, do you read?"[/i] Asked a voice over the radio. Cobra pulled back the charging handle on his assault rifle. "Affirmative. Go ahead Vampire." There was a brief pause before the next response. [i]"Mission: secure site. Eliminate four hostiles. Seize any items which may have been stolen from the site. Questions?"[/i] Cobra slung the rifle over his shoulder and prepared his grappling hook. "What's the site and who are the aggressors?" [i]"Front for an SSOID research lab. Weapon technology other military research developed in conjunction with Delta Site. Aggressors are four ex-SSOID agents."[/i] Replied Vampire. Cobra chuckled. "Disgruntled employees?" He aimed for his entry point, a balcony, and fired. The grappling hook soared gracefully towards its target before burying itself into the hard concrete. [i]"They are rogue agents who plan to use the research for their own gain."[/i] Said Vampire while Cobra glided from one building to another. "That's what you always say. My guess is that they had the guts to speak up about the bad shit they saw and got fired for it." Vampire didn't respond. Cobra landed on the balcony and pulled up his rifle. "Directions." At the corner of his HUD a map of the office appeared. [i]"Two of them are one floor above you. R&D lab. The other two are on your current level. Cameras show they've taken up overwatch position overlooking the main lobby area. Once you enter the R&D floor you're on your own."[/i] Grunting, Cobra carefully unlocked the balcony door and stepped into the building. Despite his size and the gear he wore he was surprisingly silent. "Cops?" Vampire didn't respond, instead a quick clip taken by one of the lobby camera showed Garret and Kelly entering with their weapons drawn. --- Garret moved up and scanned the waiting room with his assault rifle. Filled with two rows of benches this small area was positioned infront of the main lobby. He nodded and got a tap on the shoulder as Kelly advanced with his shotgun. Kelly stopped and kneeled next to one of the benches. "Clear!", he whispered. His partner moved up but stopped as someone made a sound behind them. Four heavily armed and armored officers entered, signaling that they'd follow. Garret nodded and gestured for them to spread out. Slowly the six officers, divided into three groups of two, ascended the stairs leading up to the empty lobby desk. At the center of the U-shaped desk was a small security station with live camera feeds being streamed to a terminal. Kelly and Garret stopped, watching the right side of the lobby. Two of the other officers stopped as well while the remaining two stepped out from cover to approach the desk. One of the officers collapsed onto the floor before anyone had even registered the gunshot. Before they knew it one of the burglars opened fire with an automatic assault rifle from a balcony overlooking the lobby, seven floors up. Garret returned fire while sidestepping into cover behind one of the pillars. Kelly located the nearest staircase and kicked in the door. The wounded officer clutched to his leg and cried for help while crawling into cover. --- Cobra had a clear line of sight on the assault rifle burglar. He stopped and scanned his surroundings. Where was the second one? A proximity alarm sounded and Cobra managed to evade a massive blade coming in from behind. He spun around and spotted his opponent. It was a man wearing a balaclava on his face. His clothes were, aside from the military-style vest, quite common ones. Without the mask and vest he'd blend in pretty easy in a crowd. Cobra swung around his rifle and was about to fire from the hip when the burglar kicked the rifle away. Shots rang out, alerting the assault rifle goon who was caught offguard. While turning to see what was happening Kelly managed to sneak up on him and riddled his back with lethal buckshot. The knife-wielding enemy tried to stab Cobra again but was blocked by a swift hand. Cobra launched a counterattack and tried to punch the man in the face but was countered as well. It was a dance of attacks and evasive maneuvers. In the background Kelly, now joined by Garret, secured the dead rogue agent. Cobra managed to get a grip on his opponent and promptly smashed his head through a glass wall, alerting Kelly and Garret. "Contact!" Yelled Kelly. The knifeman widened his eyes and was shot down on the spot while Cobra disappeared into the shadows. While the officers secured the body of the second hostile Cobra snuck into a nearby staircase and made his way up. --- "Hurry up! Hurry up! I can hear the shots from here!" Said one of the goons, currently watching the door while gripping his rifle tightly. The second goon slowly filled a backpack with red packets bearing the label "TOP SECRET - CLEARANCE RED". He cut his partner an angry look. "If you'd be quiet this would go much faster. We need all of this shit, remember? Otherwise no one is going to believe us." The anxious goon shrugged and nodded at the same time. "Yeah yeah, tell that to Peterson and Kimble." Outside in the dimly-lit hallway a glass fell onto the floor and smashed into a million pieces. The anxious goon raised his weapon and lowered his posture. He entered the hallway and scanned for threats. Cobra grabbed him from behind and with a quick motion he snapped the goon's neck. The man fell onto the floor with a heavy [i]thud[/i] followed by the sound of metal against metal as the rifle fell onto the ground. Inside the lab the last rogue agent sealed up the backpack, pulled it on and grabbed his SMG. He turned his head and tried to see into the dark corridor. "Harris?" Cobra responded. "Worse." The goon turned around and sprayed bullets across the corridor. Cobra ducked and lashed out, grabbing the weapon. Realizing his options were limited the goon pulled out his handgun and dumped five rounds into Cobra's chest. Cobra didn't even flinch. "What the..." The goon was grabbed in a chokehold by Cobra. "You... You're one of them!" Gasped the goon. Cobra raised an eyebrow. "One of who?" "Project Rebirth!" Cobra stopped and easened his grip slightly. "What did you say?" The man gestured towards his backpack. "My friends and I may have failed but you have not. Take the backpack. Keep it safe. It holds all the answers. The SSOID didn't tell you the truth." "What truth?" Asked Cobra. The goon stared at his visor. "You're not the only one. There was another. Lion. A third as well, but I don't their name. I don't even knwo if it's a man or a woman." Cobra stared at the man. He wasn't alone? Someone else had undergone the procedure like him? The SSOID had been lying all this time. He looked at the man infront of him. "What else has the SSOID been lying about?" "They never stopped the program. It was renamed, repurposed. My friends and I had to get out. There are things in motion, dangerous things." The man smiled. "Take the backpack." He then crushed the cyanide pill with his teeth. Cobra stared blankly as foam poured out of the man's mouth. He dropped the man and kneeled down, scouring through the backpack. He stared at the data packets and then at the still-twitching man next to him. Could the man have been speaking the truth? After all they had broken into an SSOID office filled with weapons and the only thing they took were data. Cobra grabbed three of the packets and hid them on his person. He then sealed up the backpack and made his way into a service corridor. Shortly afterwards Garret and Kelly arrived. "We got two bodies here!" --- Kelly and Garret leaned against their shot-up cruiser while SERPU officers and SISP officers walked back and forth between the many vehicles parked outside the building. A sleazy-looking man with greasy hair and black suit walked up to the two officers. He grinned. "Officers Garret and Kelly?" The officers nodded. "I am Agent White with the Sol Interior Guard. On behalf of the SIG, SDF and the Sol Government I would like to express my congratulations on a job well done." Kelly and Garret looked at eachother. "Sir, one of the suspects fled." The man smiled. "No." Garret raised an eyebrow. "Sir?" White leaned in. "Four terrorists with ties to the Lunar Children broke into an SDF weapons research facility. Brave officers Garret and Kelly responded to the scene and managed to overpower the crazed terrorists which were high on Predator and Red Ice. All terrorists were killed in the ensuing firefight and, thanks to the aforementioned officers, a terrorist attack was thwarted." White smiled once more. "Because of their heroic actions both officers will be promoted. Sol owes you a great debt." Kelly and Garret nodded. There was no point in arguing. Political smoke and mirrors was above their paygrade, military even farther beyond.
[I]Gibel[/I] The skies over the palace were clear, a rare sight on Gibel. For once the sun shined through with no clouds to obstruct it. Mordecai would take advantage of the time given to him to take it all in, sitting comfortably on the balcony just outside his personal quarters overlooking the city. There were few moments when he felt content, but this was one of them. He wasn't alone however, he was joined by Slade Bleckwith. Although his task on Prospera ended less than favorably, the Reaper had shown great amount of talent for combat. Something the Executor believed could be cultivated for the future. "Do you know why I called you here, Bleckwith?" Slade shrugged "I can only assume it has something to do with Prospera." "A fair assumption and a correct one." Mordecai switched his attention away from the horizon and looked at Slade "Horseman Nathaniel Petrov handpicked you for that mission and you showed why during your fight with the Creed." "Thank you for the praise, Executor, but those were not Creed. They posed as them, but fought and bled like something else." "My boy, it doesn't matter who they were. What matters is that you survived thanks to your own fighting prowess. And for that I believe we are not using you right, you belong somewhere else. So I did a little fast tracking on your behalf. You will be redeployed to Horseman Petrov's own Vultures as soon as you are healed from your wounds. Usually we let you pick who you want to work under, but I feel that he is a perfect fit for you." Slade was in shock from the news. He could barely put together a sentence as a response "I...I'm sorry executor, this is just a little sudden. Thank you for this honor." "You can thank me by performing your newfound duty. Until then I suggest you enjoy the moment." Unfortunately the moment was interrupted by the beeping of the holo communicator on the coffee table next to him. He contemplated to just let it keep beeping until the person on the other side would give up, but he knew that it would be irresponsible, considering the ongoing conflict. He reached over the device and pressed the button, a second later the image of Vulkov was projected. "I assume you're interrupting me with something important?" "You know I don't waste time with social calls, Mordecai." Vulkov was annoyed, it was obvious from the tone of his voice "I'm giving you an update on our friends from Sol, they are pestering me with questions and minor bullshit, but they can't keep wasting time. The position is as good as mine." "What could they possibly be doing to waste your time, that your money can't just buy yourself through?" Mordecai wasn't all that interested in whatever Ivan was doing behind the scenes, but he found Sol desperately trying to keep him away from that position amusing. "I don't know either, but this last one was peculiar to me. You see, they asked me pay some bounties to clear the names of some nobodies, to see if my money was good they said." He paused to pour himself a drink "They told me it was some wetwork operation I didn't need to worry about." "They clearly don't know you." "Da. So I ask Ghunter to spare me some of his boys to tell me where my money went. The results were...interesting" Vulkov began took a swig and placed the glass down "You see, those nobodies were working with our dear old clone friend, Seth. Who also had his UGC bounty cleared recently in that same transaction, I might add." Mordecai stared towards the holographic image of Vulkov with curiosity "Got your attention, didn't I? Well, something caught mine. Those same names had another bounty next to their UGC ones. About 20 million a head, by one Executor Mordecai." Mordecai froze for a second. He couldn't possibly be talking about them, could he. No, he did. There was nobody else who would fit the criteria. "That subject is need to know, Ivan. You don't. Thank you for bringing this to my attention, but I will be taking it from here." "Whatever you say, Executor. Can't really do anything with this information, so I passed it on to you. Whatever vendettas you have against these people, I don't care enough to get myself involved. Good luck finding them, trail went cold so they could be anywhere in the galaxy by now." The hologram disappeared shortly after that. Mordecai looked back at Slade "You just got an early glimpse on our most wanted list. You can bring this to your commander's attention when you meet him. Memorise those names and faces. If you see them, kill on sight." Slade nodded and got up from his seat. He saluted his leader and left for his own quarters. Life just got even more interesting for him.
[QUOTE]"Oooh yeah. Learned some tricks from the designs I'd probably have never thought about. I think I can build a better version of the engine with the right parts and some time." said Valkyrie, with a grin.[/QUOTE] "Good to hear...." Taur responded, "But it seems that your comrade, Taylor. Is back at the entrance of the hanger..." - - - - - - - - - The path was back to the Taur's den was somewhat active with assorted pirates and outlaws idling about the halls, none making eye contact with Taylor as she walked back the familiar corridors of the station and taking a few shortcuts to bypass the Slaug's slaves holds. Thanks to the now quiet and more helpful Vaker guards that opened up additional pathways to Taylor as she walked by. Soon, she was back at the Engineering bay without incident.
"She'll find her way up. She's smart." said Valkyrie, looking back to the controls. "Tough too. She's managed to survive me trying to kill her countless times...and hasn't tried to return the favor. We're sorta like...well, sisters now." Her voice trailed off at the end. - - - - - - - - - Taylor stepped into the Enginnering bay, looking about. She didn't see Taur or Valkyrie anywhere. Probably up in the corvette. She walked towards it, eventually making her way up onto the scaffolding and into the corvette. It genuinely was just scrap from what she could tell from the debris and such scattered about the inside. Broken pannels, consoles ripped apart. Parts strewn about with cables and tubing. It reminded her of the Muramasa after Archangel and his crew attacked. She walked quietly through the ship, taking in the environment and such. "You guys still here?" she said loudly.
Eventually, Taylor managed to find the pair inside the Engineering sector. The gravity had been turned off, but it wasn't really anything she had to worry about. A bound here, a hop there, and soon enough she was among them. "Hey. I handed Jag's body off to the pair of Sanghvi and the Eternal Order...in return, they granted Taur's release to us." she said, placing her hands on her hips. Both Valkyrie and Taur seemed to light up at the statement. "That's fucking great!" said Valkyrie with a grin. "...Finally." said Taur, a smile adorning his face now. it wasn't long before they began to depart from the corvette, Valkyrie in possession of all she needed of the jump drive. All the blueprints and schematics, if she hadn't memorized them, were stored on her holotablet now. She had everything she needed to begin working on the next stage of her father's legacy. As they walked towards the elevator, Valkyrie paused for a moment. "Taur...could you wait here for a bit? I've got to...well...go take care of some things. I'll be right back." she said, looking back to the old Kercan. Taur solemly nodded, knowing what she was refering to. He stopped, resting on part of an old engine. Taylor paused and turned back to face them. What was going on? Valkyrie contined on, gently patting Taylor on the back as she went. "Lets head back to the ship. Need to talk to you and the others...and get my things." said Valkyrie, without looking back. Taylor stood there for a moment, simply realizing what she was saying. Valkyrie was leaving. Well, she did say that she was going to leave after helping her with Jag...I guess this was as good a time as any. They travelled silently through a few corridors and halls, bypassing the slaver section of the station and following a few Vaker. Eventually, they arrived back at the docks. The Muramasa II sat silently in its port, undisturbed by any of the pirates and mercs that wandered about. They strolled into the hangar, where Taylor waited quietly. She folded her arms, as she watched Valkyrie head deeper into the ship. Minutes later, she would reemerge with several bags and a case or two. "Well, I guess this is it." said Valkyrie, as she set some of her stuff down. A smile was still painted on her face. Taylor nodded. "Yeah...I guess it is." she replied.
Iron, currently overlooking the hangar from a pile of crates, got up and approached Valkyrie. He nodded. "Stay frosty and keep your back clear."
[QUOTE]"Stay frosty and keep your back clear."[/QUOTE] "You too, you big iron bitch." said Valkyrie, with a bit of a chuckle. "Watch Taylor's ass too. Not to say that she can't do it herself, but still. She'll probably need the help soon enough."
Sting approached behind Iron, a sad expression on her face. "Hell, Valk. Yous the only wild one we had left." she said with a somber voice. She began sifting through her pockets, "I ain't so good at speechifying, but I want you to have this." Sting presented Valk with glass bottle, filled with a greenish brown liquid, "It's the ol' family recipe."
Valkyrie took the bottle, peering in at its contents. "I'll probably need a stiff drink later. Thanks a bunch, Sting." she said, slipping the bottle into her jacket pocket. She probably didn't need to drink it until she got it scanned, really. Just a precaution. "Kick some ass for me, now. You gotta pick up my slack since I'm heading out."
Alex and Amy walked down the ramp to say their goodbyes. "You better keep practising your technique, last thing you need is to get rusty."
[QUOTE]"You better keep practising your technique, last thing you need is to get rusty."[/QUOTE] "I plan to. Gotta get used to having a fake arm first." she said, holding up her pale plastic arm. She rotated the hand on it, making it spin 360 degrees clockwise. "Might do something clever with the perfected version. I'll make improvements to the saber too. Kanads have fucking tiny hands." she continued, before patting the saber on her hip. She looked back up to the pair of Alex and Amy. "...Take care of yourselves." she said, with a smile.
Finally, Valkyrie looked back to Taylor. Her enemy turned close friend and 'sister'. "...watch your ass, Maddie. I don't want to have to hunt down some fucker that decided to kill you and beat his ass. And watch over the others. They'll need someone to lead them and you're the best bitch they've got." said Valkyrie, with a genuine smile on her face. Taylor smiled as well, and chuckled a bit. "Yeah, I will." she said. There was a short pause between them afterwards, followed by the unexpected. Valkyrie actually stepped up and gave her a hug. Taylor was caught totally off guard by this, and looked down a bit shocked. But in the end, she hugged back. There was a nagging feeling in the back of her mind. It was a feeling that they probably would never see each other in person again. After all the countless times of them running into each other since they first met on Pyri II, this was it. It was really odd. She shook off the thought, and soon enough Valkyrie released her. She picked her bags and cases back up, then looked to everyone. "...Tell Jason to try and not be an idiot as much. It'll get him killed eventually. Tell Ravis to man up a bit. He doesn't have to be so nervous all the time. He has you guys to help him out. Also, Taylor, Eve belongs to the TBC from now on. She'll follow your orders, as well as Neasha's and the other bosses. As for you, I slung together some armor for you. Stuck it in your room. Its not power armor, as I didn't have the time to build any, but should at least someone from shooting your ass off." Taylor nodded in response. "Got it." she replied. Valkyrie took one final look at the group, a warm smile still adorning her face, before turning and walking out of the hangar. "Be seeing you!" she said over her shoulder. And soon enough, she emerged out onto the dock. Then...disappeared into the groups of pirates and such passing by. Taylor sighed, then looked to the others. "...Lets get out of here. Gotta make a trip to Novithus before we head to meet up with the bosses." she replied. Her voice was much softer than usual. Soon enough, they would be off. Eve guided the ship away from the station, past incoming and outgoing pirate and slaver ships. And then, in a flash, the Muramasa II jumped away. Off to Novithus.
[quote][video=youtube;kBRCbFUwlFM]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBRCbFUwlFM[/video][/quote] Novithus was as busy as ever. Of the invasion a month prior or the riots caused by Zealot Koronov were barely any signs. Civilian shuttles, yachts and transports mixed with mining vessels, cargorunners and thousands of other vessels. Convoys slowly approached under the watchful guise of mercenary ships while Sol warships patrolled the orbit alongside the Novithian Planetary Navy. Among these various vessels was the Muramasa II. Scanned and cleared by one of millions of automated security drones the ship descended towards the surface at its own pace. The Muramasa II eventually found its way to New Hague, the capital of Novithus, and set down in the busy spaceport. While some of the crew prepared for some R&R the Sungazer, Iron's personal ship, took off carrying Iron and Taylor with it. For thirty minutes there was nothing but city outskirts, smaller towns and large fields of farmland covering the distance. Eventually the farmlands and towns were replaced by a more rocky and uneven terrain of darker texture. Cliffs, mountains and vast ridges stretched everywhere at once with occassional mines, industrial zones and villages defying the harsh terrain. Heavy-duty Khrosus Industrial Construction drillers and transports paired with reinforced all-terrain rovers made by Taurus Vehicular Systems raced back and forth while utility shuttles bearing the logo of Hill Aerospace & Aviation shuttled larger cargo, equipment and even vehicles between different mining sites. Eventually the mountains grew taller and with it the terrain grew greener. Compact farmsteads and villages built on idyllic plateaus replaced the gritty mines and industrial machines. Ira turned towards Taylor. She had placed her helmet next to the seat. "We're closing in." Taylor nodded in response. --- It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining and the hills were filled with life. It was a perfect day for a valiant charge. [b]"ATTACK!"[/b] Yelled Rae at the top of her lungs while waving with a small branch from a nearby tree. Her warcry summoned her two sisters, Bobbi and Dominique, who charged forth with their own sticks. Beside them came Barkley, the puppy German Shepard entrusted to the family. The puppy barked happily and sprinted ahead towards the imaginary enemies while the three girls charged. Soon the charge turned into a battle of epic proportions as the team took up defensive positions to repel the onslaught of bloodthirsty pirates which had surrounded them. With a serious of impressive maneuvers the girls, with the help of Barkley, defeated their enemies and laid down on the grass laughing while Barkley staged an ambush and began to lick them in their faces while wagging his tail rapidly. "Barkley, please!" Said Bobbi, laughing. Her sisters chimed in. Before they could decide on what do next a shuttle appeared in the skies above. It flew past the girls and began to circle in the air for a brief moment before settling down. "Visitors!" Yelled Dominique. The girls and their canine guardian quickly raced back towards their house. --- The Sungazer slowly set down on a flat dirt field bordered by marker lights. Another ship in a far more used condition was already parked ont he field however judging by the several tarps and crates stacked underneath the ship had not been used for years, if not more. Not far away from the dirt field was a [url=http://starpath.wikia.com/wiki/File:Maddox_Family_Home.jpg]traditional Novithian homestead[/url] but with a slightly more open courtyard connected to a nearby dirtroad. A pair of rusty signs had been erected just outside of the homestead with one reading 'AUTOMOBILE REPAIR SHOP' and the other reading 'GRAVES ORIGINAL FIREARMS'. Inside the courtyard and around the garage were several different vehicles ranging from ATVs and hoverbikes to rovers and trucks. Some of the vehicles were covered by tarps while others were not. Next to one of the trucks stood Vanessa, who looked up at the shuttle. Customers. She closed up the hood of the truck and used the napkin inside her left pocket to wipe off most of the oil from her hands. Vanessa then spotted her daughters as well as Barkley rushing down one of the hills yelling "Visitors!" Laughing, Vanessa was almost tackled down as she got a triple hug and a happy bark. "Go to the kitchen and prepare some snacks for our visitors, girls. Take Barkley with you." Nodding the girls rushed away just as Iron and Taylor became visible. The two of them casually strolled down the small path leading to the dirt field. Vanessa smiled and nodded. "Good day folks, name's Vanessa. How may I help you?"
Taylor introduced herself first. "My name is Taylor Caine, and this is Iron...would you happen to be related to a Maddox Graves?" she asked, looking around the homestead then directly at Vanessa. This apparently was the Graves family home, judging from one of the signs she could see. "We used to work with a man by that name. He died recently, but gave me a message with the coordinates to this location. He said he knew the coordinates for some reason, but didn't know what was here."
Vanessa stared at Taylor. "Died? You must've gotten something wrong." She motioned for Taylor and Iron to follow and the three of them descended a staircase carved into the rock and followed it up to a separate building slightly isolated from the rest of the homestead. Around the open door were dozens of signs in various languages warning for live ammunition and explosives being stored inside. Knocking on the door Vanessa smiled. Inside was a man wearing a pair of worn camouflage trousers as well as a dirty tanktop. Currently he was wearing a welding mask to shield his face. Around the room were hundreds of weapons in varying shapes, sizes and colors. The man paused briefly and looked up, his tinted visors staring at Taylor and Iron. He put down the welder next to a large grenade launcher on the worktable infront of him and pulled off his protective gloves. He then started to walk around the table to approach his new guests. Servos and other machinery whined as a barebones exosuit powered up. Several mounts grafted directly into the back and shins were linked to the exosuit. Despite the exosuit assisting the legs the man limped heavily. Finally the man stopped and pulled up the mask, revealing the tired and bearded face of one Maddox Graves. He eyed Taylor and Iron with suspicion. "Howdy", he began as he reached to greet his guests. "Name's Maddox Graves. My friends call me 'Gun-Graves'. You got a weapon that needs fixin' or somethin'?" He gestured towards the table. "Maybe you're lookin' to buy?"
Taylor looked shocked. What the fuck? Was the other one that they had been working with a clone? It then clicked in her mind. The fucking SSOID cloned him and tasked the clone with infiltrating the TBC to spy on them. Her blood began to boil. This was some bullshit. "Mr. Graves, my name is Taylor Caine. This is Iron. We used to work with your double." she said, rather bluntly. You could detect the faint traces of anger in her voice. She pulled her holotablet out, and pulled up the message that Clone Maddox had sent her before. She hit play, and presented it to the real one.
Before Maddox could respond to the statement of a double he was met with the message. As the recording went on he grew visibly pale before turning towards Taylor. It was clear that the man was confused and shocked. "I'm... I'm at a loss of words." He motioned for the two of them to close the door. Maddox turned around and moved some boxes of scrap from a couple of chairs so that his guests could sit down. He leaned against the worktable and used his right hand to massage his right leg. By the looks on his face it hurt. Badly. Maddox looked at Taylor. "How did you come into contact with this "double" exactly?"
"He enlisted into the company I work for and my crew under orders from the SSOID to spy on us." stated Taylor. As Iron shut the door, she sat down on one of the crates. He'd better have a good explanation, or she was leaving rather promptly. "The reason he's dead is because he assisted one of my former bosses in selling us out to the Ayr and the Black Fleet. He died in the fighting." she continued.
"The SSOID?" Maddox sat down on a chair. "I haven't been in contact with Sol for years. Last time was three years ago when I was asked to participate in some [i]Project Repurpose[/i]." He shook his head. "They told me they could fix my legs but I still haven't heard from them." Maddox pulled up the pants, revealing that the feet and shins on both legs were mechanical. "Pirate IED. Ended my career in a flash." Maddox sighed. "As much as I'd like to help you lady I'm not sure what I can do. I'm just a cripple, if you're after somekind of revenge I can't really do much to stop you." He raised his hands and stared at Taylor. "Take the guns if you want, just leave Vanessa and the kids alone. They've been through enough alot."
Taylor looked at the man sitting across from her for a few moments, before standing up. "I'm not taking your guns, and I'm not gonna bother you or the others. I'm not that kind of person." she said, glancing to the guns on the table. She looked back to Maddox. "Sol got what they wanted from you, so they're not going to fix your legs...but here." She drew up her holotablet yet again, and punched a few keys on the interface. A moment later, she looked back to him. "That should be at least enough to get you some better ones that what you have. We'll be going." she said, pocketing her holotablet and turning to Iron.
Maddox sat there, staring. He held up a hand. "Wait." He looked down as if trying to remember something. "There was a man. Amos. If you ever meet him, stay as far away as possible. I could never quite figure it out but there was something about him." Taylor stopped. "...I'll keep an eye out." Maddox nodded. As Taylor and Iron left for their ship Vanessa reapparead with a tray of snacks. She spotted Maddox's expression and looked at the two guests. "What happened?" Maddox looked at her. "Nothing good. Tell the girls to stay inside for the rest of the day." Vanessa nodded and left Maddox standing alone. He took several deep breaths and watched as the Sungazer ascended and left. He turned around, scratched his beard and limped back to his workshop. --- Ira looked over to Taylor. "Where to now? Back to the Aurikha?"
"Yeah. I'll shoot a message to the bosses that we're all finished up, and we'll meet back up with them." said Taylor. Taylor wasn't happy at all after this. Sol lied to a cripple, telling him that they'll give him new legs if he took part in some project. Which was just a scheme to clone him for something underhanded. As for this Amos guy, she'd have to keep a lookout. She'd let the bosses know about what Maddox really was. As soon as they were back aboard the Muramasa II, she headed back to the bridge and sat back in her chair. Holotablet out, she began to type up a message to Neasha. [QUOTE]To: Neasha From: Taylor We've finished up the other stuff on our plate. The operation against the Divinity Creed was successful, and we were paid. Most of our bounties have been lifted (save for Valkyrie.) I have a suitcase that you'll need to take a look at when we get back. We dropped the Boomes off at a starport so they can head back home. Seth also gave us some money, and Amelia and Porter left with them. I took care of Jag's body, delivering him to the Eternal Order out in the Renegade Quadrant. Shortly afterwards, Valkyrie departed from the crew. Eve is now official property of the TBC, so she answers to me, you, and the others. I'm sure she'll see plenty of use. Iron and I ventured down to Novithus to investigate the coordinates that Maddox sent me. Turns out, its the Graves family homested. Even more interesting is that Maddox isn't dead. We had a clone in our midst, created by the SSOID to infiltrate the company and spy on us. The real Maddox had no idea why, but mentioned he took part in some project about three years ago in exchange for new legs. Sol never gave him his legs, so I gave him some money to get better ones that the mechanical ones he currently has. We're ready to meet back up with you and the others at a location of your choosing. And by the way...we really need to talk about the Archive. - Taylor.[/QUOTE]
After Taylor and Iron departed for their destination the rest of the crew were left to do their own thing. Alex walked through the ship's hangar when he got cut off by his sister. "You need something?" "I just need to talk with someone, really." She answered. her voice was upbeat, but he could tell something was bothering her "You're about the only one I can talk to about this, if I'm honest." "I'm going out to get some supplies." He placed his hand on her shoulder "Come on. You'll keep me company and you can get off whatever is on your mind." Her face brightened up a bit. The two left the ship's hangar and through the spaceport. Fortunately for them, the market was close-by. As any populated city there were a mirriad of shops of different kinds. Mostly tourist traps, but there was a quality one hidden here and there. As they walked down the streets, Alex resumed the conversation "So, what's been eating you?" "Well, not too long ago we just saw dad die in from of our eyes. And a day or two before that Taylor just wiped my debt to the Sisters." "All good things. Don't see what that problem is." "That's just it. Isn't it. For the first time in my life I feel like I can just walk freely and not have to worry that someone is skulking from some shadow to stab me when I'm not looking. Like the universe decided to give me a pass." She stopped talking for a second before adding something "If you don't count me getting blown up to shit." "Lucky that Abrax is that good of a doctor." "I never got to thank him for that. Doubt I ever will. He's probably in some distant corner of the galaxy by now." "Even so. Why does the newfound 'freedom' bother you so much?" "I don't know. Up to this point you, Taylor, Valk and even guys like Jason have been like guards to me. Keeping me safe from whatever is chasing me. And now nothing is. There is no need for you to guard me. No need for me to run away from my problems." Alex stopped and looked at his sister with a comforting smile "Sis, you want to leave. You are just having a hard time realizing that." Amy tried to respond to him but couldn't. What could she say exactly that pointed to him being wrong? It looked like she came to terms with it rather quickly. They kept walking down the street. "I guess you're right. The ship has been feeling a whole lot empty recently and there really isn't a need for me to hide anymore. But I don't want to abandon TBC. This company has a chance to grow into something really great. I don't want to leave that." She went quiet for a moment before something clicked in her head "Alex, do you think Taylor and Neasha would be up to reassign me?" "That, you're gonna have to ask them yourself. We're supposed to meet with them after Taylor and Iron are done with whatever they're doing." "What do you think it is?" "Don't care if I'm honest." The two went on to the market in search for whatever supplies Alex was looking for. After a few hours and heavy bargaining with some of the shopkeeps, they had a haul of spices and assorted ingredients headed for the Muramasa. Just in time too. It looks like Taylor and Iron just came back. Alex nudged his sister so she could talk to the captain. If she was going to leave, then she needed to know. Amy followed after Taylor to the bridge, waiting till she was done typing out the message before talking to her. After she was done, Amy spoke "Captain, can you spare a minute?"
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