Starpath: Scoundrels of the Interstellar Highway - Thread 2 - Games

Taylor paused her conversation with Constantine briefly, digging in her cargos till she found her holotablet. She flicked it on and spotted the notification. And her eyes went wide when she saw just who it was from. [I]How the fuck? We killed him! Unless he set the message to send long after his death or something, there's no way he would be able to send anything to anyone![/I] She tapped the button to open the message, eager to see just what the hell the ghost of a traitor had to say to her.

The Koronovs went over with Constantine about what happened during the mission. Really the only thing they could add was Amy giving the device she picked up over to him. Alex was in the process of getting a prosthetic foot that would serve as a placeholder for what Valk was cooking up. It felt awkward to be with this thing, but it had to do.

As Taylor hit play the grainy image of a beaten Maddox appeared. He was inside his cell, indicating that the message had been recorded from the terminal used to guide Valk with further armory Construction. "Hey Cap." Said Maddox Before coughing slightly. "By now I suppose I'm either dead or Rask's crazy-ass plan actually worked. If it's the latter, well, he had help from some SULP employee. Thought you should now." He sighed and chuckled slightly. "If it's the former, well then I guess Markus must've stabbed me like he promised to or Valk ended up chopping me to pieces." Maddox paused and stared into the camera. "I can't explain the past days, hell, I can't explain the past weeks. There's been something feeling off. I think it reached its climax after my revelation but I can't be entirely sure of it." The once proud gunsmith scratched his head. "Truth to be told I'm only recording this message because you were the one I got closest to. I'm sorry it had to go this way, although I don't doubt that you'll be able to move forward. I hope Frosty can as well." He leaned in towards the camera. "I don't have all the answers as to why but for some reason everytime I sleep I don't dream. All I can hear and see are coordinates. I've checked them out Before and they lead to Novithus, although I'm not exactly sure what's located there. I guess it's important and that's why I'm passing this info on to you. I'm aware things have been rough but I was hoping that I could call in one last favor after all the stupid shit I've pulledl. Go to Novithus. Find whatever those coordinates are pointing at. Good luck. Graves, signing off." Shortly after a set of coordinates popped up on the tablet screen.

Taylor listened to the message silently, taking in what this ghost had to say. He didn't dream? Hell, most people don't remember their dreams. You don't dream, you shouldn't be alive. The coordinates are what interested her, though. They were clearly from his homeworld, so why would he keep thinking about some coordinates back home? Did he leave something somewhere? Or was it the source of his insanity? She really didn't want to do this, because she really didn't owe him a damn thing except a beating. Problem was, he was a bit headless now. She sighed, then saved the coordinates to her holotablet. She'd have to go look when she had the time...and probably would take someone with her when she went to investigate. She wasn't walking into this alone. Especially for a dead man that she had lost all respect for.

Constantine listened with attentiveness, getting the crew to revisit details multiple times so that he could understand the mission from multiple, overlapping perspectives. There were certain aspects he was most interested in- "this 'Captain Vixe' was able to escape?" and "You said the SS colonel, Joskada, you said, he might have went to the hospital? And you're sure that's the last you saw him?" and finally, "You're absolutely sure that the ones who didn't return - Dio and Owen - could not be recovered by the enemy?" He nodded at each response, sometimes even taking notes on his own tablet. He was nervous about the loose ends, obviously, and especially disappointed that nobody attempted to locate Owen's body, to which the crew responded angrily. How could they search for him when the Cataract was literally buried underneath a much-larger frigate? How could they spend that time when the enemy was clearly closing in again? Constantine wisely dropped the subject; there was practically no chance of Owen's survival regardless. Of all the loose ends, Vixe bothered him the most, as she had been in close contact with Yanim and Arkadam. Fortunately, she had also spent much of her time with Ryvik, and Constantine currently had him locked in the brig for questioning. The only other problem was the doppelganger. Constantine had been vaguely aware of Beta's existence before the mission, as she had been mentioned by Yanim once or twice based on news reports, like the murder of an SS team on Prospera that Yanim had nothing to do with. But until now, he was convinced that Beta was only a remote threat, possibly even an SS decoy meant to increase the Boss's public profile and entice international fervor for her capture. But from what he could piece together, from Ravis's early report of a "creature" blasting its way out of the base hospital and fighting the batakya and UGC troopers, its appearance on the Viokhmar, and the way it, she, honed in on Yanim like an assassin. "Disappeared? As in..?" he questioned. Taylor clarified that it seemed like teleportation, but this did little to explain the strange blue fire which briefly engulfed the room. Before Constantine could ask anything else, Amy brought forward the handset, which looked like some kind of antique human device. It fit comfortably in his hand, where his thumb could easily reach the array of buttons without blocking the screen. He pressed one of them, only to be greeted with a simple 4-character password prompt. Sighing, he pocketed the device. "I'll probably be returning this to you soon," he explained. "Normally, I'd trust the boss with this sort of thing, but if we're going to hack into this, it'd probably be best to give it to Valkyrie. But first, I want to see what Yanim thinks of all this. We're running out of time to get her input," he grumbled. Taylor was then distracted by a strange message, seemingly beyond the grave. --- [video=youtube;yQ77zUYWM4s]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQ77zUYWM4s[/video] "Arkadam," Neasha said, "I don't know exactly what happened to you. Hestia can probably reverse it, but we'll need time. You know that Yanim won't be along for much longer, so, if you have any questions..." Arkadam was staring through her at the curtain behind her. "[I have questions,]" he finally spoke, but then remained silent. "Well then, what do you want to know?" Neasha asked, and waited a moment before realizing that Arkadam didn't seem capable of asking. Perhaps he couldn't figure out which questions were most important. Or maybe he simply couldn't find the initiative to continue speaking. "I know you're trying to ask something, Arkadam," Neasha said, placing her hand on his. "Tell me how I can help you." "It feels like a piano where I can press any key but some of the notes don't play," he replied in a dead monotone. "It's okay," Neasha urged. "Tell me everything you want to know that Yanim knows. She'll know what's important to say." Arkadam's eyes moved, and for the first time, Neasha was sure that he was looking at her. "Yanim wanted a child," he explained. "I'll need to raise it when I'm healthy again, if she still wants it. I don't know... if I'll be a good father... alone. I don't know what to name it. I don't know where to raise it. I don't know what to do with the Archive. I don't know if I should remain in this company. I don't know whether I'll... keep living... when I can act on... compulsions. I... I don't know how to say goodbye." The silence which followed was long and agonizing. "<Shdatra, the pain you'll feel when your mind is repaired will be unbearable. I know, because I can feel it now. I beg of you, don't hurt yourself any further, because even when I'm gone, you won't be alone. Neasha, Constantine, and the crew will help you settle into whatever role you choose. I trust you to know what's best for our family wishes; you already knew that if we chose such a commitment, that you would be a father in my absence. When you're healthy again, think about it then, think about whether it's what you want, because what I want shouldn't dictate your future any further. I am overjoyed to have known you. "<But,>" Yanim continued, "<If you do make that call... if it's a boy, name him Viprada. If it's a girl, name her Iskaya. And no matter what, raise them as far away from this life as possible. Nothing would disrespect my memory further than to curse them with this company. Take them to Duroma, or find a way to send them home to some quiet corner of the Collective to live a normal life. Now... I want you to say, I love you, Yanim.>" Arkadam seemed to snap out of a fog, just for a moment. "I love you, Yanim." He slowly faded again. "<I love you too, shdatra. I'm not sure how much longer I'll remain here, but in case I slip away without warning, you've said the most important part of goodbye.>" "Thank you." Arkadam whispered, staring off into space. Neasha beckoned to Hestia, and the two exited into a lab room where various phlebotomy equipment was present. "Hestia, I want to know exactly what's wrong with both of them," she croaked. "Mr. Arkadam has suffered brain damage to the lower occipital lobe, which handles certain aspects of logic and cognition normally located in the frontal lobe of humans and sereks such as yourself. His condition is stable, but he will remain mentally disabled until treatment is completed. We have several options: first, a living sample of Mr. Arkadam's brain tissue can be cultured, transplanted, and treated with stem cells to replace the dead tissue in the lobe. This procedure could be completed in less than a week, but the patient would require between 3 and 5 years of rehabilitation to regain basic cognition, and upwards of 15 to regain adult cognitive function." Neasha shook her head vigorously. "That's too slow, Hestia. What else can we do?" "Mr. Arkadam can receive a cultured transplant based on an in-depth tissue study of Miss Terika's brain. We can recreate the basic structure and physiology of the damaged brain tissue before implanting it within the patient's cranium. This would take roughly a year of research and development for the transplant, and another year of rehabilitation time. There is a high possibility of dangerous side-effects, however-" "No, that's enough," Neasha interrupted. "What other options do we have?" Hestia nodded. "The final course of action would be cybernetic augmentation. Mr. Arkadam would be a rather poor candidate for the procedure, as the logic centers of his own mind are highly compromised. Doing so would restore his mind immediately, but would also leave him fully-dependent on the implanted device as well as unable to heal naturally. This could mean a severe and irreversible change of personality." "Who cares," Neasha replied, "we could just tweak the implant's behavior until we get him back to who he's supposed to be." Hestia crossed her arms. "If the patient is unwilling to undergo said "tweaks," Miss Kyral, then I would consider such a treatment to be highly unethical. Once Mr. Arkadam's cognition is restored, regardless of whether we approve of his future decisions, he will be fully independent and capable of making his own medical choices." Neasha blinked, finally considering the possibility that Arkadam might never fully recover, as she and Yanim had promised him in the ICU. "Fine. I can live with that," she said. "I just hope he can be happy one day, that's all." "So we will proceed with cybernetic augmentation, then?" Hestia confirmed. "Yeah. How long will it take to develop the implant?" Hestia turned to a nearby terminal and held out her hand, wirelessly communicating with the ship's computer to display a blueprint on file. The YS-X's design appeared on-screen. "It seems that Miss Terika has already developed a suitable device." --- Neasha emerged into the ICU to find Constantine just entering from behind the curtain. "What's going on? I thought you were going to the brig-" "Something turned up," Constantine interrupted. "Boss needs to know about this." "<...What is it, Constantine?>" Constantine started a bit, having forgotten that Yanim could still hear despite her apparent blindness. Then he remembered that the boss was, in fact, deaf, and had been relying on ear implants for years, providing an explanation for her continued ability to communicate. He knelt next to her bed, explaining Beta's disappearance and the device she left behind. When Constantine mentioned the blue flames, Yanim cut in. "<Blue... flames...>" she repeated, suddenly remembering a traumatic sight from two years prior. "<It can't be...>" "What? What is it?" Constantine urged. He turned to Neasha, who suddenly went pale. "It's him, isn't it?" she asked Yanim. "<...Yes, it has to be.>" Yanim replied. "Who?" Constantine demanded. "<Dwan.>"

While János would've joined Ira in leading the prisoner to the brig, he thought keeping Ravis company was of more immediate importance at this time. He wasn't even sure if he had the jurisdiction to attend questionings on the Aurikha, and he wasn't in as much of a rush to get his stuff, having always traveled rather lightly. He would've joined in the conversation with Amelia, but he wasn't sure what he could've added, and thus chose not to. Once those injured were being moved to the Aurikha's medical bay, he assisted those moving Ravis, though once they reached the curtain, he was told to not come in, as to ensure peace for those there, which included the Boss, her lover and Hestia, who was busy prognosing them. János smiled sadly and nodded, turning his back to the curtain. He would send a quick message to Hestia though, asking her to keep him informed about Ravis. Having sent his message, he was left without much to do within the medical bay, or at least he thought so. He wondered if he should gather his remaining things now, seeing as he had his guns with him still. Perhaps he would wait and see if Constantine needed him, or he could assist Amelia and Mercy as best he could. He decided to do the latter, thinking it was the most he could do.

While the crew was busy healing from the mission, Orso was delivering his own report via holotablet. "Yes, boss. A few of them didn't make it. None of those you were interested in, however. One did lose his foot, but he's getting better." "And Yanim?" "Alive, but I have to be honest here. She looked like hell from what I saw. I can see the faces of the medics that check up on her. Boss, thats not the face of hope." He could hear Seth curse on the other side. "If the worst were to happen. Who do you think that crew will turn to for leadership? Anyone there that looks like they know what they're doing?" "Probably captain Caine" Orso let out a heavy sigh "But I don't know if she's in the mood to talk about this. Not after what happened." "If she is the one to look over that crew if the shit hits the fan, then she's gonna have to be the one to hear it. Better now than later." "I really don't want to be picking my teeth from the ground here." Seth looked at him like he was going to strangle him through the screen. "Quit being a baby and set up a channel or I'll be doing the pummeling instead!" Orso flinched after that. He knew he was serious. Rather than risk pissing him off even more, he started to frantically search the ship for Taylor. He was relieved when he finally found her. He regained his composure and walked up to her. "Captain. Got a spare minute? My boss wants to talk to you, it's rather urgent."

[QUOTE]"Captain. Got a spare minute? My boss wants to talk to you, it's rather urgent."[/QUOTE] Taylor glanced over as Orso approached. "Yeah, I've got a few minutes." she said, turning to face him.

Orso passed the tablet to her. Leaving them to have their conversation. Seth did a short salute before begining. "Good to see you alive, Captain." He squinted for a second when he saw her. "Caine...You wouldn't happen to be related to Mad Dog?" he shook his head to get his mind back on track. "Never mind that. I'll be quick about it. I need help from your crew. This request I usually would only reserve for someone like Yanim, but if what I hear is true, then I'm afraid you're the next person down the line I should turn to."

Taylor raised an eyebrow. "I'm sure that Orso told you that we just went through hell. Most are injured. Hell, one lost his fucking foot. Not to mention we also have three dead." she stated, looking around then back to the holotablet. "We're [I]REALLY[/I] not in the proper state to do anything just yet beyond finish our current job and tend to the wounded...and yes, Mad Dog is my mother."

"What does that mean, 'Dwan?'" Constantine asked. "It's a name," Neasha explained. "Probably the last one we wanted to hear at a time like this. If he's involved, we have a bigger problem than the batakya, the SS, all of it." "Christ, how could it be that bad?" "It's practically beyond explanation... He- he travels between universes. He poses as an ordinary being, integrates himself with the 'locals,' and then toys around with their lives, using his powers to influence their fate. And when he's had his fun, he leaves, taking a trunk full of souvenirs on his way out. He was on the Archius, with the Boss." "<He watched my friends die,>" Yanim added, darkly. "<He could have saved them and he did nothing, because it was nothing but entertainment for him... he watched me melt down and lose my principles, watched me fill my heart up with hate and said nothing... and then he erased me when I was gone, telling my employer I was dead.>" Constantine was dumbfounded. "How do you know he can-" "[I]Harken Saw[/I] sent Yanim the video, Ioannis. [I]I've seen it.[/I]" "<And the effect of his zhuka magic, when he demonstrated himself to Saw in the video- it was blue flames, just as the crew described.>" "And if that's the case," Neasha added, "that means the doppelganger isn't a clone at all." Yanim remembered how Beta had taunted her in Vostokrebh's hospital for believing she was just a clone, and felt a flash of anger run through her for the first time since being rescued. "Then what are we dealing with?" "<She's from another universe. One where I turned out much, much worse than here. Dwan found her and sent her after me.>" "Why?" "<I don't know. But we can find out.>"

"I know, which is why I'm giving you time to think it over." Seth sighed before continuing. "Trust me, if things weren't pushed so hard on my end, I wouldn't be asking. I will send a set of coordinance to Orso, they mark a location mercenary outfits use for deals and parlay. A sort of neutral grounds. Nobody will touch you there, you have my word. I'll be waiting there for the next two weeks. You don't show yourselves in that time, then there is no deal. No hard feelings, but no payoff. If you decide to help me, I can guarantee your crew several things. A chance for you to clean your names to the UGC, Koronova to settle her business with the Sisters and both her and her brother will finally get rid of their father. And money I suppose. Nobody does anything in this line of work for free." His bad habits started to call out to him again as he pulled out his lighter. "Pass it around your crew so you can make the decision as one. If Yanim pulls through, pass it on to her too."

"I'm sure most will accept to get the bounties off their backs...I'll pass it around and see what they think." said Taylor. It did sound pretty good. Clean slates, Alex and Amy get their shit sorted out, plus a payday. Her mother would be thrilled if she did get her bounty removed. Less of a reason for other hunters to come looking for her. Ultimately she wondered what Yanim, Constantine, and Neasha thought. All the shit that has happened so far, and they get this to clear the table.

"I'll wait for you at those coordinates. Hope to see you there." The transmission ended. Seth leaned back in his chair, allowing himself a moment to relax 'That went better than expected. Lets hope they make the right call and that this is the right call to make.' Minutes passed before he made another call. "Tarvis, get Sol on the line. I need an update on their side of things."

[i] Undisclosed location, South-Eastern Quadrant Sol Tactical Warfare Group [/i] Lord Admiral Viktor Zhaneys, Lord General Kaspar Cross and Director Williams sat at a U-shaped table facing towards a holoprojector flanked by various screens of different sizes. Cross yawned with a hand covering his mouth while Zhaneys stroked his beard. Meanwhile Williams played with a pen, attempting to make it stand ontop of the table by itself. Twenty minutes back they had been awakened from their sleep by three different aides, announcing that Seth of the Boome Marines wanted to speak with them. Soon Valerie Reed, Ares and Commander Gladius joined the party but remained in the back. Cross nodded towards a technician who in response flipped a switch, enabling the transmission. "Good evening Commander Rollonso." Said Cross in a friendly tone.

Seth saluted to the Sol officers before giving his report. "Good evening to you too gentlemen and lady." He greeted them with a professional tone. "I've located Koronov's kids and we're currently in the process of securing them to our side as well as their allies. They don't know the details, but at one point them being in the dark will not be an option. Any progress made on your end?"

Cross smiled and returned the salute. During the battle of Zeruel Seth had earned the respect and, later on, the friendship of the Lord General. Meanwhile Zhaneys stood up. "Indeed we have commander. Four Days ago we dispatched a OMS reconnassaince force to the planet of interest. They have confirmed that the fortress is not only guarded by additional security forces but it appears to be a key installation for Stanislav Koronov and for USR operations in the area." Zhaneys gestured towards Williams. "The SSOID have managed to map supply routes and transport lanes and through this intel we've concluded that Stanislav's base would be a devastating loss to the USR as a whole, not to mention to the Divinity Creed." Cross stroked his chin. "In short, we'll provide the muscle to tackle this operation but you and the Koronovs are gonna have to find a way to confirm Stanislav's presence on-site."

"Leave that to us, general. We'll devise a plan to get him to stay in one place.' There was a short silence before Seth continued. "One more thing. UGC haven't been happy with them over the past few weeks. Might need something done about that."

Cross turned towards Williams who nodded in response. The Directot looked at Seth. "The Koronovs may find their IDs wiped clean. A small cost for freedom and a fresh start. When you see them, ask if they prefer Valhalla or Legkiy."

Seth crossed his arms. "You're gonna need more than just those two. I did mention their allies."

Williams nodded. "If you have roster then send it, otherwise it'll be difficult. Official TBC records have been put under lockdown by the UGC."

"You will receive a full headcount in the coming weeks, general. Until then, I'll leave you to running your part of the galaxy."

"Understood. Kaspar, out."

"<Constantine, type the following numbers into the keypad: 2... 3... 8... 2. If I know her as well as I know myself, then that will be the correct passcode.>" Constantine typed the numbers into the handset. "It worked..." he replied. "<What does it say?>" "There's a menu, let's see... Contacts... there's only one: 'Dvajn Karlsson.'" Constantine looked up at Neasha, who nodded at him to proceed. "I'm calling the number," he said. He pressed the call button and waited, a tinny dial tone emitting from the cheap speaker within the device. There was a click, and then a voice. "<Damya! Do you have good news?>" Constantine held the device close to Yanim's tablet, allowing her to speak directly into the microphone. "<This is [I]Yanim[/I],>" she replied.

„<Yanim? Yanim!>“ Dwan's voice rang from the speaker, „<How are you and Damya doing? Are you safe right now?>“

Constantine looked over to Neasha and found her just as confused as he was. "<...Exactly what are you playing at? ...I'm barely alive, Dwan, but your assassin almost finished me off...>"

There was a brief pause before a response was heard. „<...as-assassin? W-What?!>“ Dwan was heard saying in a confused tone, „<D-Didn't she tell you about the drive?!>“ he asked in a worried tone.

"<...She did a lot of talking but said very little... it all seemed very humorous to her, killing just about anyone she crossed paths with. I have my crew to thank for keeping me alive, albeit I won't last another hour... So... are you going to explain yourself?>"

There was another brief pause, this one slightly shorter from the last, before another response was heard. „<...y-you're serious...>“ Dwan was heard saying weakly, „<I, I have no idea what you're talking about! Did she really hurt you that fatally!?>“ he asked, as though he didn't react to the question being asked to him.

The tension in the room began to build; Neasha could imagine the sort of fury Yanim would unleash if she weren't disabled, remembering the pain and confusion that followed the Archius mission. So much anger was built on that short video clip Harken Saw had sent that Yanim had destroyed herself trying to alleviate it. But as strange as it might have seemed, Dwan sounded as if he was being earnest. "<You have... no idea what I've done since we last met... I never stopped fighting... after Zeruel... after what I learned about you... I've been beaten, shot, stabbed, burned, poisoned, over and over and over again, and now there's practically nothing left of me. But that [I]monster[/I] you sent after me... She could have stood back and watched me fall victim to my own ill-health, but... she tried... she tried to decapitate me with her demon's tail... I need to know, Dwan. Why did you send her?>"