• Starpath: Scoundrels of the Interstellar Highway - Thread 2
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That look of hatred. That's what he wanted. The swings got chaotic and angry. Still counterable, but each one was harder and harder as they became more frequent. Alex got what he wanted, pure anger and malice. She just needed to land a hit to be sure. And she did. The last hit, he deflected with the sword, but it wasnt enough as the blade went near his face, cutting his cheek. Surface wound, but it was enough. Now to stop her. He deflected another hit and tackled her on the ground. Pinning her sword hand to the ground and planting his own next to her head to get her attention. "Congratulations. You passed the entrance exam. Welcome to Creed knights 101." He said with a smirk.
She still looked furious, glancing over at the sword next to her head then up at Alex as her breathing started to slow back down. She grinded her teeth just a bit, before muttering "[B][I]Get off.[/I][/B]" through them. She tugged at her sword arm.
[B]January 31st, 2385[/B] The Cataract rumbled as it sank through the atmosphere of Oltanis, where the clouds were so thick and heavy with rain that all light was blotted out from the bridge windows. Owen had trouble maintaining course under heavy wind and turbulence, but nonetheless the ship emerged on the underside of the stratus blanket to the deafening crash of thunder. After the vote had passed two days earlier, Yanim had provided the crew with the raw data from the UGC's network, and they were able to see why a third Archive was suspected to lay somewhere on this dangerous world: the two Archives they had recovered were sending signals to each other at superluminous speeds, just like ships in the same comm network at two different ends of the galaxy. And they were both sending data to Oltanis- either another Archive was present, or some other sort of device was listening. With a bit of detective work, they were able to determine how they would locate the third Archive. Using the notes left by the UGC, Hariim and Bucky reconfigured the comm array on the Cataract to listen for its messages. As they flew low over the jagged and inhospitable landscape, contending with the howling wind, the operators carefully listened for the illusive signal. But in several hours of flight across the planet's surface, they heard nothing, and the crew was beginning to grumble about wasted time. That's when they heard the "ping." It was a short message, coded in a language totally alien to the two engineers, and yet strangely... inviting. It didn't quite seem to make sense, but shortly after the signal had passed through them, Bucky and Hariim both had a strong feeling of where the Archive could be found. They checked with each other and realized that they had each been inspired to seek out the same set of coordinates on a geological map of the planet's surface, and they relayed the information to Taylor. The Cataract, seemingly, was being drawn in... It wasn't long until they had reached a deep and narrow canyon, carved through by a raging river, its waters churning with storm surge in the unseen depths below. An away team was sent to scale the walls while the ship stood by in readiness. The team, lead by Hariim and Maddox, rappelled down the soaking rocks, disappearing into the abyss where the sound of water eternally crashing drowned out any sense of communication. They shouted for each other's attention, shining lights on the walls and the deadly rapids below, until they reached an indentation in the wall. Striking it with their climbing tools, the crew broke through into a cave which had been carved and molded into a stronghold. That's when they found the guardians- not UGC, nor kanads, but long, long dead sanghvi, their fossilized, calcified remains adorning every one of the sharp surfaces, surrounded by the organic technology of their kind. Amelia was present; using her scientific expertise, she proved that nothing within the cave had been alive within the last century, but that the cave itself had been carved half a millennium before. Whatever the Archives were, at some point in the very distant past, the sanghvi had decided to entomb one here and keep it under constant watch. Something had happened since, perhaps the empire had ebbed, or it had forgotten about the artifact stowed away on this violent world. The guardians had been left without supply or contact for some unknown length of time, and perished where they stood, eternally watchful sentinels towering above the crew. The Archive sat behind a cage-like structure, made brittle with the passage of time. With a forceful blow, it was shattered, and the familiar crystalline-looking box was free. The away team wasted no time in hauling it out of the stronghold, and with a winched cable, were able to pull it up and out of the ravine. They left the haunted depths behind and reemerged in the thundering wastes, taking their bounty into the hangar bay and departing to the trumpet blasts of titanic beasts, like elephants on the horizon. Never once did they cross paths with any of their enemies. --- [quote]February 4th, 2385: I had a dream last night that I was back on Duroma, that night I met Yanim and Gataska at the Torama-Bonram. The conversation went exactly the way it did before, and I found myself invited into Yanim's hotel room to spend the night getting high. But this time, no matter what I took, nothing was affecting me. She was getting so loopy and stupid on those crazy pills she got and I just felt more and more like a goddamn loser. So I just got up and walked out, forgot about her, and the SS, and all the bullshit I did in real life, and I just flew away into human space and started over. She found me again, just like in real life, but I never hurt her in my dream. She asked me why I didn't stay and I told her that we shouldn't have been together, that it would have been bad for both of us. She looked at me and I knew we had a second chance to meet each other. I wanted so badly to start over. Yanim came to my cell a week ago to ask me all about how I somehow ended up crossing paths with her yet again. It took some time, and there were lots of accusations, but she finally believes me now when I say that it was just a coincidence. She asked me why I was so thin, and why my clothes were so shabby, and I told her about how little Sharpe was paying me and how I was trying to get by, and she suddenly changed... The next thing I knew, I'm dressed in brand new clothes, eating good food, and having causal conversation with these Terika-Belladonna people across a cafeteria table. Yanim barely talks to me, but every time she does she talks [I]at[/I] me. I don't know what she wants, but I think this might be her way of trying to make up for all the bad shit that's happened between us. I haven't been able to tell her that I want to leave; in fact I'm almost afraid to. Maybe she wants to start over with me, too. To be honest, even though real life has turned out so rotten for me, I don't think I'd mind that, so much. -Arkadam Sidikan.[/quote] Once again docked within the hangars of the Aurikha, having met up with the carrier in Upyri space, the crew unloaded the third Archive for Yanim to see. "Ah! Very good, very good!" she lauded, trotting over to get a closer look at the prize. Having never seen the first two with her own eyes, she was captivated by the soft blue glow emanating from the center of the machine. Behind her, the crew wasn't surprised to find the other executives, but they were a bit surprised to see Arkadam. "I'll be setting up a special lab just for this device; it's practically all I can think about since I heard you found it." Neasha chimed in. "By the way," she said, "we're en route to Jugmach Cargo Station. We're dropping off our first shipment of TAC-85s so a freight partner of ours can ship them back to Seloveha. We'll be there in a couple of hours."
Hariim finds the lack of defenders odd. Typically there'd be more actual resistance or evidence of a standing force.... or their passing. He uses his suit's sensors and those on the Cataract to actively scan their prize and the surrounding area. He is glad of the easy acquisiton, but is suspicious all the same. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bucky, on the other hand, is ecstatic! Throughout the trip she's been devouring information on ship classes and technology. She's made a hobby of figuring out what kinds of ships she can make out of 20 million bucks and a pile of scrap on a good day with free tools. She's even shared some of her [I]mad[/I] potential creations with her friends, Valkyrie and Amy and Janos, even Mercy when she feels talkative. The android is bent towards creativity in the extreme, it seems. This is demonstrated when she shows off an idea for jury-rigging light plasma cannons into some lovely high specific impulse plasma thrusters. Such things are likely to burn out or just fail, but the idea is a neat one.
Through the two weeks, Valkyrie trained with Alex in the art of sword fighting. Building upon her skills with her cutlass as well as learning the Creed Knight's way of fighting with a bladed weapon. During her downtime, she would either venture back into the Culture where she would spend time talking to her friend Jester, working on tattoos, or coming up with new drone designs on her holotablet. Sometimes she'd spend time with others in the crew. Playing games with Bucky and Amelia, or exchanging stories with Markus. Even flirting with Mercy on occasion. Taylor, meanwhile, had to deal with her general duties as captain of the Cataract. In addition, checking on crew, working on her weapon and CQC skills, and working out. Occasionally, she'd speak to Mad. He was a good crew member, and it was commendable that he was willing to tell some of the other crew about his being a spy. Over time, her trust was built back up a bit. Still, he was a spy working for Sol, so she couldn't [I]FULLY[/I] trust him. - - - - - - "Understood, ma'am." said Taylor, as she stood with her arms folded. It had been a while since she was in Upyri space. Her last visit consisted of assisting a local businessman on Nyx with security after a few break-ins by an opposing company. Valk was on the opposing side, and was one of the few that managed to survive the ordeal. An intense shootout in the company's office building. She also witnessed first-hand an Upyri actually bite someone in combat. Fucking space vampires. Eh, she couldn't really knock the whole race, though. Her godmother was one, and a pretty cool one at that. She wondered if she was still doing stuff for the Bounty Collection Bureau, or if she had finally retired after all these years? She looked over to Yanim, watching her as she eyed the Archive. Hopefully she'd be careful regarding that thing, after seeing how they found the Archive inside that cavern. It just didn't sit well with her. Valkyrie stood nearby, her hands shoved into her jacket pockets as a toothpick twirled in her mouth. Jugmach Cargo Station, eh? She killed a guy there once. A kanad, real dickhead. Stuffed him into a shipping container. Wonder where he got mailed off to?
[QUOTE]Get off.[/QUOTE] "You let go of the sword, because I'm not trusting you with it. Not in this state." She let go and he let her get back up after pushing it away. He looked at the training sword. A few more hits and it would have bend and shattered. Yeah, this was gonna be interesting. He cracked his neck and knuckles. "Alright. Lets get your training started." [I]One timeskip later[/I] The following days they spend training in the ways of the Creed. Throughout the years of fighting a heavily armored oponent like the SDF, the Creed commanders and officers had developed a new style in combat. One that every knight was taught in and utilize in the field to spread fear and shatter enemy morrale. Aiming to bring down armored targets and crush unarmored ones by overpowering them. While old traditional knights of Earth's past had rellied on things such as chivalry and honor, the Creed had done away with all of that, replacing the principals with hatred towards the heretic and zeal towards their cause. Alex was taught the same style during his time growing up and being raised to take over from his father. And now he was teaching this style to Valk. Or at least part of it. Enough to give her a fighting chance with the sword, but keeping some things away for now. Last thing Taylor needed was a cocky pirate queen trying to attack her for one reason or another. The hangar was where they spend their time training. He wondered tho. How long could he keep this up. She was far from stupid. Unhinged, yes, but also smart. She would notice it sooner or later. Question was. When? The rest of the time he spend attending to his duties on the ship as it's chef. A birthday came and went. Although, he wasnt one for big parties, some members of the crue did offer up some nice gestures. Bucky and Amelia, being the exited duo that they are, were the first to greet him thanks to a tip from Amy. His sister gave him what she gave him every year. He sisterly love and a card. Valk offered him a free tatto, which he took up. Something to mark his status as a tutor as well. A set of titanium knives from Taylor. Nothing flashy, but usefull. The strangest "gift" came from Moloch. It was more of a warning. "As the ancient hawaiians used to say, the pineapple does not fall far from the tree." he said. Now that unnerved Alex a bit. To close out that day, he had dreamt that Abrax came back with a bottle of whiskey. It's content were actually of a strange gin. Nobody knew what the fuck that deam was. All in all mostly calm two weeks. --- Amy spend the time catching up with the rest of the crew. At least those who she felt she could talk to. Amelia and Bucky were great company to take her mind off things. Porter had plenty of war stories to tell. She developed a strange liking to Markus, maybe it was his attitude. Valk had offered her a free tattoo, so she took up that offer. Getting matching tattoos with her brother was cheesy, but she couldnt resist. She also payed for the restoration of most of her old tattoos, besides the Aplha sister one on her shoulder. That chapter of her life was over. And then there was Frosty. Both of them sat down and talked when they got the chance. His state was heartbreaking to her, since she viewed him as a friend. If there was anyone who needed some help on the ship, it was him. Hariim was kind enough to inform her of the possibilities of her synthetic skin. And her hair was growing back. Slowly but surely.
[B]Kanadys[/B] The shuttle set down roughly on the landing pad, crunching the snow beneath its legs as the rear doors swung open. Ryvik practically sprung out of the vehicle before its engines had even switched off, sprinting down the stairs in a mad dash to catch the first available mag train. He ripped his breathing mask loose from his face, even though the air smelled like oil, because he felt as if he was being suffocated. He dashed along the pavement to the terminal, swiped his ID card through the slot, and gave a distracted salute to the security officer inside the booth. "[Ryvik Sidikan?]" The officer seemed to hesitate for a moment. "[Come on, come on! I'm on state business,]" Ryvik insisted, slamming his palm against the glass. "[It says you have a warrant,]" the officer said after flinching. She looked at the SS officer fearfully. "[I have to call for Bureau I...]" Ryvik had panic in his eyes- this is exactly what he was afraid of. Two weeks had gone by, and not a single sighting of the Muramasa had occurred. The Aurikha was nowhere to be found, either. It must have been ferreted between security patrols by that Argos company... Then he received word from a "friend" within the Mercenary's Insurance Corporation, claiming that the Muramasa had been "blown up by the Death Vigil, but the crew was rescued." He had slapped himself in the face when he heard that, it meant that the crew was still out there somewhere, committing crimes without being noticed because the whole SS was myopically obsessed with tracking a ship that no longer exists. Worse yet, the war was going poorly- disastrously, in fact. In the last 48 hours, one of the largest capital ships in the Black Fleet, the Pokemeka, or [I]Victory[/I], the first of its size constructed after the last war, had been completely destroyed in a surprise attack near Sirgas by one of the largest assemblies of enemy forces ever seen by the batakya. Marshal Vorokop had attempted to dismiss his planning staff for the failure, but he was sacked himself on orders from the Vizier himself and replaced with Admiral Prymsa. Now it was appearing as if the Collective would be pushed off of both Sirgas [I]and[/I] Voyak, and the High Council was looking for scapegoats. As a result, it was no surprise that Councilor Bikrata got her way, in that the Vizier had approved the Council's request for an indictment against General Vorokar for misappropriation of state resources, a charge akin to defrauding the government, as well as for the illegal break-in at the Council Resort. It was a rare circumstance brought about by the current perils the government was experiencing. But while it was unsurprising, it was immensely frustrating for Ryvik, who felt as if his inability to track the Aurkiha as a critical failure on his own part, one which threatened to consume the career of one of the most important men in his life. Now that he had been stopped by Port Security, it was clear that the investigation was running deep. If only he had arrived a bit earlier, maybe he could have reached Vorokar... Ryvik looked the officer in the eyes before pulling out his VRI. "[In that case,]" he replied helplessly, "[I surrender to the will of the state.]" He set the gun on the ground before walking ten steps away and sitting himself down on a bench, miserable. He was still panting from his sprint from the landing pad and all he could think about was the embarrassment of being arrested by one of the lower bureaus. It wasn't long before they arrived and brought him into custody, leading him down several more flights of stairs and out onto street level, where a patrol car was waiting. Little was said along the way to the capitol. The officers only needed to verify that Ryvik was the man they were sent to arraign, and that he understood why he was being summoned to testify before the High Council. As he was lead through the doors into the grand atrium near the entrance, government employees gawked at the blackjacket being hauled in by Collective agents- to them, it was as if a pair of dogs had dragged in a lion. They stepped into an elevator which swiftly carried them to the upper floors, where a special code was needed to proceed. Then, they walked through another security checkpoint where all of the officers removed their weapons and passed through an X-ray body scanner. The humiliation deepened as Ryvik saw his naked form on a monitor ahead. They pushed through double doors into a hallway in which Ryvik had never walked, through another set of said doors, and suddenly, he had reached his final destination. "[...sixty million credits in two months, sir, you cannot claim that this was preparatory spending-]" "[-I have the documents in my hand, seven agents salaries-]" "[-which were already earmarked in your annual personnel budget, which you have failed to account for-]" "[-they aren't the same agents, I've explained this multiple times!]" "[Then why aren't they accounted for in the same ledger-]" "[-that isn't how we do things-]" General Vorokar and Councilor Ryagakh were in the middle of an intense shouting match, although Ryvik only knew the voice of the former. Pushed forward by the Bureau I agents on either side, he sheepishly stepped into the light of the council chamber and went unnoticed for quite some time. Questions were flying from every direction, and Vorokar was red in the face, several of his office secretaries working as quickly as they could to produce the documents he needed for his own defense. Out of nowhere, Bikrata (whom Ryvik [I]had[/I] actually recognized) suddenly turned in his direction and singled him out. "[Ah, finally! The '[I]brother[/I].' Get him over here!]" she shouted with such eagerness to strike that Vorokar stopped everything he was doing and turned, wide-eyed, in Ryvik's direction, as if to warn him that he was about to step on a landmine. The Bureau I officers shoved him, hard, toward the center of the room, almost knocking him down. A jolt of excitement went through the room. Before Ryvik even knew what was happening, Vorokar was dragged out of the room; the general and his protege were unable to speak a single word to each other before the former was taken away. Ryvik was left all alone, terrified, a schoolyard bully brought before the dean. "[Ryvik Sidikan,]" Bikrata began, "[when is the last time you came face to face with your sister?]" she asked with such a slimy grin that he wanted to scream. "[Three... three or four years ago,]" he replied. "[Is is three or four?]" Bikrata snapped at him. "[Four,]" Ryvik answered quickly. "[As I understand it, the last time you saw your sister, she had been contemplating joining the Black Fleet, and decided on a snap decision to leave the Collective.]" "[That's correct,]" Ryvik replied. "[Well, actually, she had been considering- we had both been making plans to-]" Councilor Ryagakh interrupted. "[You were both the same type of bratty, entitled little cretins, weren't you? You, the undiscovered artist, and she, the brilliant inventor. The two of you wanted to share your gifts with the galaxy. Reality wasn't so kind to that fantasy, now was it, boy?]" The councilors laughed for a while, eager to take this opportunity to skewer one of the Vizier's tin soldiers. Ryvik began to hyperventilate. He pulled his hat off and swallowed hard, trying to bring his heart rate down. "[I- I guess that's correct sir. I've since learned the joy of serving my people.]" "[Is that what you think you're doing!?]" Councilor Rada Vor'Pangn exploded, to a chorus of further laughter. "[You were brought into the SS to find your sister and bring her to justice. Never in my lifetime have I seen so many resources be dedicated to catching one fugitive with so little success. Have you been on the same planet as your sister at any point since 2381?]" "[...No.]" "[Have you captured any of the, eh, let's see... 'moo-ah-mah-sah' crew?]" she said, reading the Muramasa's name from a document. "[Yes, in fact, we captured Yanim herself just last month-]" "[The Itaran incident!]" Bikrata interrupted, gleefully. "[Please, tell us how the SS was involved with that operation.]" "[Well, actually...]" Ryvik began to respond, before realizing from the bloodthirsty smile on the old woman's face that he had walked into another trap. "[Yanim was captured by Edna City police on Itara on January 7th or 8th-]" "[Is it the 7th or the-]" "[I don't remember,]" Ryvik snapped, his frustration growing more visible. "[Watch your tone, boy. You've no right to disrespect your elders,]" Councilor Sevrig scolded him. "[Sorry,]" Ryvik replied. "[She was captured by a local police precinct and was due to be turned over to the temporary fleet station at OB6 the following day. The fleet sent an escort to ensure her capture, but that was the first time we encountered the Muramasa crew-]" "[Answer the question!]" Bikrata demanded. "[Agents from Bureau III were providing intelligence support.]" "[And what does that entail?]" "[Names, faces of persons of interest...]" Ryvik had seen this coming from the beginning of Bikrata's questioning, but had been helpless to evade it. "[So what you're saying is, the tetrians were able to do, in the few days your sister cropped on on their planet, what you have been failing to do for four years.]" "[Three years.]" "[You said four, before.]" "[That was when I last saw her. I've only been with Bureau III for three-]" "[That's hardly relevant to the [I]point.[/I] The police on Itara captured your sister independently of your involvement, and the Black Fleet was set to receive her, correct?]" "[Yes.]" "[And they failed to receive her because they were attacked by surprise by a crew hired by one of your persons of interest, flying aboard a ship your office was tasked with watching. So, can we be clear that not only did your department fail to offer any useful contribution to this operation which couldn't have been provided by a computerized criminal database, but your failure to properly monitor the actions of Rask Vor'Pangn and the Muramasa led directly to her escape?]" At first Ryvik was silent, as he knew the question was rhetorical, but then Bikrata barked at him and he was forced to answer in the affirmative. "[So then let me ask you again, Lieutenant Ryvik. Has your agency ever captured anyone from the Muramasa crew?]" "[No, we have never captured anyone personally.]" Bikrata sat back in her chair, triumphant. "[Now tell us about Jason Bradley.]" Ryvik explained everything he knew personally about the capture and escape of Jason on Voyak, and the loss of the Archive from Yovek. How Major Yadahr had been left with a broken pelvis and had his personal vehicle stolen. "[I cannot begin to tell you how pathetic the SS has been in its attempts to contain and neutralize this crew. And yet, your leader Vorokar has been soaking up more and more funds, paying for informants under every rock in the known galaxy, and you still cannot say, with certainty, where this enemy is, correct?]" The questioning went on for over two hours. As Ryvik would come to realize, he was being asked about every facet of the operation in order to check against Vorokar's testimony, to find the ways in which the general sugar coated the situation or lied about the many shortcomings of his operations. By the end of it all, they were all nearly exhausted and practically in stitches. Vorokar was called back into the room, and Bikrata read off a list of ten major contradictions in the testimonies, and claimed there were more still. Ryvik was unable to speak to his mentor, and watched in silence as disappointment settled over him. He wanted to beg for forgiveness. As the day dragged on into late evening, the hearing came to an end. The Council voted to convict Vorokar by a nearly-unanimous vote, and as a result, Ryvik was defacto suspended from his job. --- The ride home was the worst part. Ryvik was still dressed in his uniform, but any passerby could see that he was a shell of a man. In his tired brain, he agonized over the years spent chasing his sister without ever catching up, and cursed his own deficiencies. It was his fault that Vorokar had been convicted, and now he had no one to guide him. The Council deemed him worthless in the process, an actual detriment to the function of the Collective. The feeling of emptiness, the loss of purpose, was just like how he felt after failing as an artist. He shuffled from the train into the street, and wandered aimlessly up and down his own block for several hours before finally returning to his parents' apartment block. He had traveled so much for the SS that he still lacked a home of his own. Turning the key over in the lock, he opened the door to find the main portion of the apartment dark. A light clicked on, visible by the sliver under the bedroom door, telling him that his parents had gone to bed and had been awoken by his return. A moment later, he was face to face with his father for the first time in many months. "[Ryvik!]" he said with joy, but it turned to concern when the young man simply stared back at him. "[Are you okay? What happened?]" "[I failed,]" Ryvik replied, calmly. All the day's humiliation welled up at once and he shuddered, unable to stifle his tears. "[I couldn't find Yanim, and now Vorokar's in prison, and I've lost my job...]" By this point, Ryvik's mother had arrived and turned on the light. "[What's going on?]" she asked, but was stopped by her husband. "[I can't do anything right...]" Ryvik lamented. "[There's something wrong with me-]" "[There's nothing wrong with you, it's not your fault that-]" "[No, dad, no...]" he said, pushing away his father's attempt to embrace him. "[You've been telling me it's okay to fail all my life, and look what's happened. Everything I do, it turns out like this.]" "[It's because we love you,]" his mother implored. "[There are things far more important than fame or money, or rank...]" Ryvik's despair turned to anger. "[Since when has love done me any good? I loved Yanim, when we were kids, but look what she did to me, look what she did to us! I loved art, and I almost threw myself off this building because art doesn't help me. I love my country, but it spat on me today!]" "[Ryvik, calm down, please]" his father tried to say. "[And I loved you both, but you brought all of this on me!]" "[How can you say that!?]" his mother demanded. "[I needed to learn how to be man, how to not fall on my face at everything I do, and you taught me to love instead!]" "[How dare you,]" his father said, quietly. "[Son, sometimes having a heart means dealing with pain. Do you think you've been alone through all of this? Do you think we haven't been aching with you when we watched Yanim turn away, and watched you lose hope in art? I know you're hurting right now, but I guarantee it's nothing compared to a life spent without love. We're reaching out our hand, Ryvik. Come in and sleep and we'll talk in the morning.]" To Ryvik, time froze. His life felt like the story of Sisyphus, an endless burden to prove himself worthy of someone or something greater than himself, only to have it all come crashing down. Love was the catalyst which spurred him into pushing the stone up the hill again, but this time it could not move him. He didn't need, nor want love. He wanted hope- the thought that Vorokar would somehow outfox the entire Collective government and avoid his prison sentence. Hope that the stone would suddenly halt on the hillside, rather than rolling to the bottom, so that Ryvik could push again, just one more time, and finally crest the summit. Maybe the truth was that he walked home, not to find love and to start again, but to prove to himself that he wasn't willing to start from the bottom [I]again.[/I] "[Father, this will be the last time you see me,]" he said before he turned and walked out the door, leaving his father cursing and his mother weeping. He rode the elevator back down to the lobby and out into the street, where the cold winter wind stung him with a painful slap. He walked for a while in the dark, disappearing in his dark clothes, until he found a bench somewhere and laid down on it. Clutching his own body for warmth, he watched the city street with hateful eyes, waiting for his fate to change.
During the weeks that had passed Maddox had begun to isolate himself more and more. Even in the middle of the night he could be heard working inside the armory. He had spoken with Taylor a few times, each time fearing that it would invite him to the meeting which could very well be his demise. With growing paranoia the rest of the crew noted that when Maddox wasn't inside the armory he was in his quarters behind a locked door. The armory was now home to eleven robots. They weren't active because Maddox lacked the final components but they were nonetheless a terrifying sight for any visitors as they observed the room in silence. During the nights Maddox had begun to steal small amounts of food from the kitchen and alcohol from the bar. During the mission on Oltanis Maddox had remained mostly silent, following Hariim's every order. He had made sure to record the mission. The recording was sent to the SSOID as soon as he got back to the ship. Currently Maddox was still busy working hard inskde the armory. In fact, he was so busy he didn't even notice that the Cataract had returned to its mothership.
After watching Yanim examine the Archive for a few moments, Taylor stepped over next to her. "Boss, there's a bit of a situation involving Maddox and its pretty urgent. He's asked me to hold an informal meeting involving a few of us, and I wanted you to be involved in it since you're the boss." She figured this would probably be the most appropriate time, since they were all back on the Aurikha again. "If you'd like, we can use the meeting room like before. Just be prepared for possible violence from two or three of the crew that he asked be present."
Sting sat sleeping at a table in Moklan's diner next to the cargo hangar. With her feet on the table and hat over her face, sleeping was the only thing she could do at the moment. She had no money and her ship was disabled. Iron hadn't had any luck with finding a transport for her AND her ship so the two weeks had drifted by. As she woke up she slowly lifted her hat a little to peek out at Iron who was sat on the other side of the table with a tablet in his hands. She fished out her flask and offered it to Iron, "Drink, mister?"
"This is Helena Jackson with the Sol News Network and I'm currently standing at the Unity Square in Terranos. It has only gone two weeks since a devastating attack took place at this very site and as such many citizens, including myself, are surprised to hear that the High Councilor has returned here today to make an announcement." Just as Helena finished several spotlights adjusted their focus as Wayford stepped onto the stage with a retinue of SIG honorguards wearing ceremonial armor. The reporter motioned for the camerman to refocus on the stage as the crowd cheered. [video=youtube;NI1mWW496WY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NI1mWW496WY[/video] "People of Sol!" Began Wayford. "I thank those of you who have chosen to join me here today." He sighed. "The past two weeks have not been easy as many of us lost one, or more, of our loved ones to the enemies who would wish us only death." Wayford studied the crowd. "Today that changes." "Tomorrow the entire SDF will mobilize to repel, push back and ultimately defeat the Sol Resistance." Several people in the crowd exchanged confused looks while some adjusted their stance. Wayford raised one of his hands. "We will not sit idly while these [i]monsters[/i] kill millions upon millions in the name of religion or vengeance. No more! Their corrupted vision of revenge will come to an end as our brave soldiers march to meet them head on in battle." "I will not lie my friends, some of our soldiers will not return from their march. Some of them will, just like we once did, make them ultimate sacrifice to restore order. I have spoken with the few friends we still have in the UGC and even though this crumbling organization cannot officially give their blessings we have the support of the free systems. No citizen should live under fear just because they're not human or because their colony once received support from Sol." At this point the crowd was standing proud, listening to Wayford. "The USR asked for a war and we will give them one, a war which will end with their crushing defeat. We will stand our ground against these fanatics and we will never bow down to those who rule through fear. Citizens of Sol, I ask, not as your high councilor, but as your friend, that you spread these words. I ask that you promise me to help in any way you can because the SDF, SSOID and the SISP will need all the help they can get. Remain vigilant, assist your citizens and support the men and women who fight for you and your family." Wayford held up a fist. [b][i]"Long live Sol!"[/i][/b] The crowd held up their hands and repeated the three words. [i]"Long live Sol!"[/i] "Lord admiral, five seconds untill we've reached the objective." Said Zhu. Zhaneys awoke from his slumber, turned off the holoscreen and rotated his chair to face the bridge viewport. "Tactical I want all weapons ready. CAG, prepare all fighter and bomber pickets. Prioritize the smaller vessels. Comms, relay these orders to the rest of the fleet." The three officers nodded. Zhu looked up from his screen at Zhaneys. "Here we go." Zhaneys nodded and kept his eyes locked on the viewport. Suddenly the ship arrived with a loud bang above a desolate barren world. Above it was a small fleet of black vessels carrying the symbols of both the Divinity Creed and the Fists of Sol. "All vessels, you are free to engage to targets." Said Zhu just as the rest of the fleet jumped in next to the SNV Redstar where they quickly adjusted into formation. "Let the war begin." Said Zhaneys as he stroked his beard. [editline]24th November 2016[/editline] ----- Iron looked up at Sting and shook his head. "Two weeks and you still haven't noticed that I always wear this mask." He chuckled and flipped over the tablet. "If we sell the truck we could buy two tickets off of here and to be honest I can't care less about your bounty untill we get off this cramped hellhole." Iron leaned in over the table. "How about you and I make a deal?"
Sting puffed, "You wear that to cover up that ugly face o' yours? Got a bad touch o the grease disease I reckon." She took a swig and then frowned at Iron, "Nu-uh, hoss. The truck stays. Had that truck ever since I hit the jackpot back on Duroma. Won one helluva pile o' monies bettin on fighting. Whoa-wow It was WILD! Koronov executing a sum'bitchin pitch perfect Rickdale reverse choke on Tim [I]the Maniac[/I] Silva." She explained as she gestured wildly on top of the table where she had jumped as she started the story. She snuffled a bit, "Brings a tear to my eye errytime I think bout that move. And that truck might look old but that don't mean it's slow. Hell I been haulin goods round the galaxy faster than anybody. And I once jumped over 20 flamin hovercrafts and stuck a clean landing." she concluded, arm at her side with a stoic gaze, the heroine of her own story.
"Sometimes I'm amazed that I actually understand what you're saying." Iron shook his head. "Our best chance then is just to wait for someone to take us onboard then."
Sting hoped down from the table and scratched her head, "You been hauln my ass around for two weeks now. Why don't you just let me go and gidd up on outta here. Hell, my bounty is only a 10.000. I have re-envalutated the saturation and convoluted that you ain't wild, you're mild." She pushed her hat up and leaned onto the table, "You wouldn't mind loanin me some monies for the slot machine, would you?"
Iron chuckled. "Because not once have I ever let go of a bounty. I'm not going to start now and if I ever did it wouldn't be a spacetrucker." Iron leaned in. "I'm thinking about the long game here. You're loud, rowdy and love to get drunk. People like you attract bigger fish. Bigger bounties. That's why I wanted to make a deal." He pointed towards a sign marked as "Casino Deluxe". "Either you go in there and gamble off more credits or you get serious. Now I've been told I have a thick skull, so there's no way I'm letting you walk off. But, if you help me you could always earn some cash on the side. It's a win/win for the both of us."
Sting sat herself down and raised an eyebrow at Iron, "Aight then, explain this [I]deal[/I] o' yours."
"Well, to begin with I've grown a bit fond of you during these past two weeks. Few people play the harmonica these days and even fewer happen to be from somewhere else but Sol." Iron chuckled. "It reminds me of home." He gestured with his hand. "Anyways, the deal I'm offering is simple. We use your skills as a navigator/merchant/smuggler/adventurer/whatever to roam the galaxy while I use my skills to catch other bounties." "We split the rewards for each bounty fifty-fifty, eventually you'll have enough credits to repay whatever damages you caused which earned you a bounty in the first place. After that you can either enjoy living the rest of your life without a bounty on your head or sign a contract with the BCB and become my partner." Iron smiled underneath his mask. "So what do you say? Do we have a deal?" [i]"Partner?"[/i]
Sting rubbed her chin for a brief moment, "Ahh what the hell. I guess I could take you up on this offer. But we still ain't got no ship."
Iron shrugged and chuckled. "Don't worry, I have a feeling the wind is turning in our favor."
Bucky walks outside the ship to get a look around outside. She smiles and waves at Valkyrie, who may note that Bucky is experimenting with a light tan skin tone. She's wearing her usual cozy hoodie and shorts. "Sup, Valk? You got a sec?"
Valkyrie glanced over, raising an eyebrow. Huh, Bucky's tan now. Sorta. "Just dicking around, really. You look like you've been near a plasma reactor just a bit too long." she said, turning to face her as she shifted the toothpick in her mouth.
Bucky chuckles and nods, stuffing her hands in her hoodie's pockets. "Mhm! I thought I'd try mixing it up a little, y'know? A little bit of a new look usually doesn't hurt anybody. Whaddya think?" Bucky asks, her smile making her face practically glow.
"I like. I don't tan easy, so I'm a bit jealous." she said, looking Bucky's appearance over. Every time Valkyrie tried to get a tan, it ended up with her getting pretty badly sunburned. That's never fun. - - - - - - - [QUOTE][video=youtube;vv68JiHbUYw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vv68JiHbUYw[/video][/QUOTE] As the [I]'Cornell'[/I] slowly drifted into Domino Station's main hangar bay, Miranda kicked back in her seat. Her head gently bobbing along to the music that was playing throughout her ship. She had rigged the system up herself long ago, so it didn't just play in her quarters. Nobody else cared, really, as she was the only crew member aboard the [I]'Cornell'[/I]. Well, besides the occasional times when Lex would fly with her or she was carrying prospective bounty hunters for training exercises. "Welcome home, Mad Dog." sounded a male voice through comms. She smirked. This practically was her second home, besides Pyri II. When she wasn't there, she was here and vice versa. She finally stood as the ship crossed through the shield barrier of the hangar. The ship continued forwards, till a mechanical arm stopped it and locked it in place. From there, the arm lowered the ship down, and stopped just a few feet from the floor of the hangar. "Music, off." she said aloud, which turned the music off with a soft beep. She stretched a bit, fixed her eye patch, and proceeded back to the boarding ramp. As she stepped off the ship, she spotted Lex approaching. Still wearing that old Upyri Federation Navy overcoat and bodysuit beneath. She never seemed to wear anything else. Nostalgia perhaps? "You're here early." said Lex, as she walked up. "Yeah. Slow day back in the mines." responded Miranda, as she reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a partially smoked cigar. She popped the butt of it into her mouth, then lit it with a lighter from the same pocket. "More hunters to train, right?" she said, as she puffed on the cigar. Lex nodded, shifting her stance as she pulled a tablet out of her pocket. "Yeah, six of 'em. They're doing paperwork at the moment. Licenses and such. We can wait it out in my office." Miranda nodded, looking around, before looking back to Lex. "Got any beers left?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. Lex gave her a look, then nodded. "Like always." "Good. Lets go, then." said Miranda, her voice a bit more upbeat. She had been craving a cold one, and had forgot to restock the [I]'Cornell's[/I] fridge.
Bucky smiles a little wider and looks bashful. "Trick of the SmartSkin.... but~ I was thinking I'd like another tattoo. It's not like I'm lacking funds, so how about it? I just have another small one in mind, but I did have what might be a bad idea...." Bucky seems like her normal self, just with a little more tan on her skin. She doesn't hold still very well, and seems as excited and pleasantly exuberant as always.
[QUOTE] "Trick of the SmartSkin.... but~ I was thinking I'd like another tattoo. It's not like I'm lacking funds, so how about it? I just have another small one in mind, but I did have what might be a bad idea...."[/QUOTE] Valkyrie raises an eyebrow. A bad idea? "Sure, I could give you another...but what do you mean a bad idea?" she asked, tilting her head.
Bucky shrugs and seems to think for a moment before answering. "Well, with my SmartSkin I can kinda control what shows on my skin, right? So I thought about just maybe giving you uhhh.... free reign could be kinda neat. Just to see what you can do with a blank slate so to speak. It's not like you could do anything I couldn't just fix with a thought and a few moments of time. Kinda silly, I know. But I just thought it might be neat." Bucky seems even more bashful, to the point of blushing almost.
Oh...so that's it. She's offering to be sort of a self refreshing tattoo canvas. Clever, really. Valk could practice her tattoo work on her, and Bucky could just erase what she doesn't want. "...That actually is a really good idea." said Valk, with a bit of a smile and a nod. "We can do it whenever you want, really."
"Really? Cool! I got time right now. The Cataract runs like a top, hardly anything for me to do with the thing. You got time?" Bucky asks excitedly. She was unsure of the idea before, but now it's obvious she's springing for it.
[QUOTE]"Really? Cool! I got time right now. The Cataract runs like a top, hardly anything for me to do with the thing. You got time?"[/QUOTE] Wow, she's really eager. "Yeah. I'm not doing anything, so lets go." said Valk, shrugging before walking back up into the Cataract.
Bucky gladly walks alongside Valkyrie. Her excitement is probably borne out of boredom, but then she's always taken a shine to Valkyrie. Besides, it's not every day she gets to be a canvas. For years she was just a hostess and entertainer, always minding what other people wanted and liked. It's not often that she actually gets to be a focus of attention!
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