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

[QUOTE]"D- does that hurt!?"[/QUOTE] "It hurts like fuck." said Valkyrie, glancing down at the nub. It would probably hurt a lot more later, but the adrenaline pumping through her veins at the moment was dulling the edge off of it. "The other guy was in a hell of a lot more pain though. At least before he stopped screaming." she continued. The tank continued on, Taylor managing to fire off two more shots to destroy some of the tanks tailing them before they bounded into the garage of the complex and grinded to a stop. "Alright, lets get the hell out of here and back to the roof. Quickly." said Taylor, climbing out of her seat and popping the hatch on the top of the turret. Valkyrie followed behind her, simply motioning for Ravis to follow with her remaining arm.

On the field Orso gave an order. "Alright, the bastards are going full martyr mode! Remember what the boss said to do. Pick up the tags of any of the fallen you can and pull back. SDF can fight them if they want." 'Fuck knows we bled enough for them.' he thought while his men started to pull back towards the spot where they were going to be picked up by the Muramasa. --- Up on the roof the team was loading up on Iron's ship while the POWs and SDF were on theirs. Eventually they were joined by the rest of the team plus Valk. They climbed on board the ship and took off, their part of the job being done. Inside Alex raised an eyebrow when he noticed a drastic change in his student's look "Did you forget to parry?" He joked then continued "You're alive still, so they other one is either dead or ran really fast."

[QUOTE]"Did you forget to parry?" He joked then continued "You're alive still, so they other one is either dead or ran really fast."[/QUOTE] "He's in about six different pieces. Just ask Iron, Sting, or Ravis." said Valk. "Was one of the Knight Commanders. Apparently thought himself a pretty boy...he's not so fucking pretty now." She patted the plasma saber on her hip, which was just now starting to cool a bit. It had been on most of the battle. Taylor looked over at Seth and the others, then to Alex and Amy. "...you two alright?" she asked, making sure they were fine after what they had just went through and done.

[QUOTE]...you two alright?[/QUOTE] "We're fine, cap." Amy answered "It's just that...we never thought this would happen and..." "Guess we're just having issues getting used to it." Alex interrupted her "We'll be fine." "Don't give it too much though, kids. With a piece of work like your dad, anyone would be having a moment once he died." Seth piped up from his seat in front. "Just focus on living your life outside that shadow. As far as the Creed is concerned, you're not important enough to pursue." After a few minutes, the bounty hunter's ship was once again in the Muramasa hangar. But the team could breathe a sigh of relief just yet, as there was still the matter of getting away from the enemy fleet.

Just as Beshyem described, the underwater metropolis of Merisola was staggeringly large and beautiful, clearly visible through the thin, slatted windows of the massive cargo elevator. The mountain range the spaceport was anchored to rose so far out of the depths that the very bottom was a murky, indistinct green that glowed with evidence of civilization. The city climbed up the slopes of the mountains with tens of thousands of individual buildings, all fashioned by digging deep trenches into the bedrock before coating the walls with a glassy substance. Periodically, the skyline was interrupted by tall, metal towers constructed more recently, defiantly reaching into the watery sky for more real estate. They, and the streets below, shimmered with the light of millions of bio-luminescent lamps that seemingly adorned every surface. Some parts of the city were darkened, however. Beshyem and Zeddai solemnly recounted the struggle to gain control of the blocks surrounding the elevator shaft. "<We had to stay on the ground,>" Beshyem explained, "<even if we could swim, they had so many men on the rooftops and so many static weapon placements that we couldn't even get close to the spaceport. And once we committed to closing in on the streets, they started dropping sinker bombs on us.>" Zeddai glared as he stared at a large crater in a nearby block. "<The residents in that area,>" he said, pointing at the destruction, "<they blamed [I]us[/I]. They told us they lost their homes, their families, because we were using them as shields. But it's not true. We told them to evacuate and they wouldn't. They were told to shelter in place by the government, and they were afraid that if they left their homes they would be marked as rebels.>" "<They should have joined us,>" Myaga interjected, walking over to the window. She pointed at a darkened tower in the distance which appeared to be leaning to one side, with framework exposed to the elements. "<They saw what happened in the outskirts. They knew what the king was doing to keep us away from the port, but they still chose to play dumb. I wonder what sort of connections these port-side property owners held to the royal family...>" The elevator reached the bottom and set down inside the lower terminal. The doors opened, and the group was immediately assaulted by unpleasant smells- stale air, salty seawater, body odor, and the distinct smell of the war wounded. "<Normally,>" Beshyem remarked darkly as the TBC leaders grimaced, "<this section of the port would be used for processing goods, things going out and coming in, and rapid transportation. Other towns in the area are linked by subterranean rail lines operating in a vacuum. Merisola is the hub because the other towns aren't close enough to the surface to anchor a spaceport.>" "But right now, it's a hospital," Constantine said, looking over the chaotic scene. Zeddai nodded. "<We learned a long time ago that medicine was easier to practice on the surface. Islands and wading waters are rare on this world, and until we began to build floating infrastructure, they were considered sacred. Some of our greatest tourist attractions are the temples and shrines left over from that era. But now we live in a time when we can bring the surface to us, and make use of it whenever we need it.>" "But you still live in the water?" Nir questioned. "<If you could fly in the air that you breathe, wouldn't you?>" Beshyem lectured in reply. The khergian looked on him critically. "Do you not have airplanes on this planet?" she asked, causing Neasha to look away quickly to hide her stifled laughter. Constantine shot her a look, a warning to keep quiet for the rest of the trip. The mood turned even more sour as the group walked through the terminal and were approached by numerous sick, wounded, and destitute victims of the war, and despite Beshyem's objections, Neasha insisted on sharing the credits she was carrying. When the train arrived, they quickly shuffled in while armed SULP security guards kept the mob at bay. Once alone again in the train, Myaga warned them against spreading the wealth- "<If you have money to give, you have money to steal. Make no mistake, a mother of suffering children is as deadly as any mercenary.>" Neasha slid down in her seat, dejected. "Just help us find as many workers as you can, then. These people need a source of income." --- The first thing Ryvik felt when he woke up was the plush cushion against his cheek. It felt as if his body weighed twice as much as it should, and everything was numb. He groaned and shifted, neck and other joints popping as he adjusted himself in a mental fog. He couldn't remember anything, not the good, not the bad. There was no alarm yet; the bed felt safe enough and the mission he was supposed to be departing on was nowhere near the forefront of his conscience. With a yawn, he opened his eyes to find himself sitting in a hospital room- the kind people are checked into for long stays. Now the worries began to file in. He remembered the humiliation he suffered in front of the High Council. He remembered the argument he had caused with his father, and the coldness of the night outside in the cold. He remembered a police officer picking him up off the street. It was all so blurry after that. He sat up and checked himself over, finding only the barest minimum in monitoring equipment. There were several unopened envelopes on the bed stand along with a lukewarm cup of topa. Oddly, there didn't seem to be a holoscreen in the room, and without his tablet, he had no way of knowing what day it was or what was happening in the world. A sharp pain shot down his back as he tried to turn and climb out of bed, and he flopped back onto the warm comforter feeling as if he could sleep a while longer. He remembered the room without furniture where he had laid on the floor, waiting for sunrise and the beginning of the next step of his life. He strained himself, trying to remember what he was going to do next. He felt ashamed of what he said to his parents. The realization hurt him. He wasn't sure what prompted the sudden wave of guilt, but waking up in a hospital room without explanation after so much turmoil brought him to the point of despair. He wasn't in control. Was anyone? There was no denying that his life was falling apart. His sister and only friend abandoned him. He abandoned his life's dream and pledged himself to the state. He entrusted everything to Vorokar, and vice-versa. Where had it gotten them? Ryvik dwelled on these thoughts for a long time, and remembered those days after the Academy and before the State Naval College, when he sat on the rooftop of his parents' apartment high-rise and contemplated jumping. Ending the pain, and the failure, and replacing it with peace and closure. He wondered if others would discover the intrinsic value of his unique perspective, what some might call a soul. He wondered if people would remember him the way he wanted to be remembered. How [I]did[/I] he want to be remembered? It was as if two forces were pulling him in opposite directions. Inside, he promised himself that he was still, secretly, an artist- someone with vision, something to give to the world. But he also fashioned himself a strident servant of the public good. There was something reassuring about being anonymous, cloaked in the flag and honored by society. But after all he had been through, he was none of these things. Deep down, he only wanted to be remembered as something better than a failure. He tried to shift the blame for his own lack of direction on others, and only wound up believing even more strongly of his own inadequacy. Slowly, the thought crept into his mind that he might have arrived at the hospital after trying to end his own life. But then, he slowly remembered the visit from the blackjackets at that room without furniture. He remembered his hands... resting on the steering wheel of an unfamiliar car. He remembered a dark shape, only visible against the darkened sky by the thin line of snow at its edge- [I]the Perikal.[/I] He had been called back to duty. Vorokar was out of prison and Yanim was on Rigel. His blood went cold in his veins. If he had encountered his sister out there, it very well might have been the most important moment of his life. Why couldn't he remember!? He snatched the envelopes off the table and ripped them open. Inside the first was a short letter from Vorokar, explaining that Ryvik had been suffering from some sort of fever... that the mission had been reassigned to another agent, and that Vorokar was personally accompanying the away team- "Karma Team," it was called. He wished Ryvik good luck on his life, instructing him that when the mission concluded, there would be no more need for his service in the GKVR. Ryvik's hand trembled. It couldn't be true, could it? Had his two year search really concluded without his involvement? How could they just cast him aside? He felt angry and impotent. He felt rejected, and scared, and alone. He wanted to scream at Vorokar and to beg him for guidance at the same time. It didn't even read like one of Vorokar's memos. It was almost as if it were penned by a secretary. He looked at the other envelope's contents: a card, from his parents. It was the sort of dime store "get well soon" card that one buys at the last minute, as an afterthought. Inside, however, was a heartfelt, handwritten note: [I]Ryvik, Sometimes, when you're a parent, your children will do things that break your heart. You watch them learn and grow, but sometimes you can't reach them when they need your help the most. We accept that simple fact and have already forgiven you for what happened last week. Losing a child has been the most painful experience of my life, and knowing what she meant to you, we can only imagine the sort of pain you must feel as well. We will never turn our backs on you. When this is all over, come back and talk to us as much as you need to. Your father and I have taken a long absence from work in order to find peace, and are waiting for you to join us as soon as you're feeling better. We're very proud of our son. With love, Mom[/I] So it was true. Yanim was dead. The mission was over. All that was left to do was to go home and cry about it. He had so many questions and yet he didn't have the energy to chase them any longer. He closed his eyes and smiled, remembering all his parents had done to keep him from giving up, years ago. As much failure as he had seen, another thought crossed his mind: He was still so very, very young, and had so much untapped potential. His depressive episode had ended, and as he stood and walked toward the door in his hospital gown, imagining the nurses' shock as their comatose patient suddenly came striding out of his room, there was a knock from the other side. Ryvik opened to door without hesitation, expecting a hospital employee, his parents, or maybe someone from the SS to be waiting on the other side. Instead, a stranger in plain clothes greeted him. "[Oh good! You're awake, the receptionist said you've been asleep for a while.]" "[Uh, yeah. That's true, I guess... I'm sorry, have we met?]" Ryvik asked. The man smiled. "[No, not exactly. But a friend of yours sent me. My name's Korvo, and this,]" he said, pulling Ryvik's journal out of his coat pocket, "[belongs to you.]"

With their main objective achieved and the mercenaries having exfiltrated alongside the POWs, the SDF forces on the ground hunkered down and waited for their dropships. Creed forces were gradually taken out one by one. In orbit the SDF fleet moved to blockade the planet as the Creed ships slowly lurched away. The evacuation effort was quick and soon the majority of SDF forces were in the air and heading back to their respective ships. In space the flagship of Zealot Hector Roth briefly stopped and launched a small red projectile. Lord Admiral Zhaneys seated himself. "Sound general quarters, we have incoming. Brace for impact." Next to him Lord General Cross sat down as well, even strapping in. The red projectile came faster and faster towards the fleet but to everyone's surprise it went past the Redstar and continued onwards to the surface of Zyus II. The last dropship reported its arrival and the SNV Texas, followed by three frigates, quickly left for orbit. Inside the burning ruins of Fort Morningstar the dead gaze of a fallen crusader observed the red light as it approached. Silently the projectile struck the ground of the planet, turning into a blinding light. Corpses and debris were dragged into it and buildings were slowly being turned into dust. In the sky one of the SDF frigates forced its engines into overload as the light tried to pull it in. Then everything exploded. A blinding light which could be seen from space replaced the fort and the battlefield surrounding it. Mountains were shattered and rocks as large as buildings were catapulted into their air. The damage SDF frigate was struck by the remains of a mountain while another frigate unintentionally rammed the SNV Texas in the side, causing major structural damage. Roth looked at the light. "Goodbye, brother." He sat down and nodded towards the navigator. The Creed ships vanished while the SDF fleet scrambled to regroup. Orders were quickly relayed to the fleet and the ships not damaged by the explosion or during the battle were put into support while the rest of the fleet formed up around the Redstar. Zhaneys looked at Cross. "It will take us some time to repair the damaged ships. You should speak with Rollonso and the mercenaries, let them know that their part is done." Cross nodded. "Already one step ahead of you." A few minutes later an SDF shuttle requested to dock with the Muramasa.

Eve managed to get the Muramasa II off the ground at a rapid pace, accending from the battlefield and through the atmosphere as the Creed's WMD darted towards the planet. Luckily, they had breached into orbit before the device had detonated on the ground. The blast could be seen from space, originating from where the fortress used to be. Eve decided to comment on the matter as the crew emerged into the hangar from Iron's ship. "It would appear that the Divinity Creed had a weapon of mass destruction as a last resort. It does not appear to be nuclear in nature, though." she stated via intercom. "Well, glad we got off planet before that fucker went off." said Valkyrie, glancing to the others. Minutes later, the Muramasa II would recieve a docking request from an SDF shuttle. Eve granted the request, and soon enough the shuttle drifted into the hangar and set down.

The shuttle slowly landed and eventually opened up to reveal four marines and Lord General Cross. Cross stepped out to greet Rollonso, Caine and the others.

[I]The Lord General?[/I] Taylor resisted the urge to salute as they approached. Meanwhile, Valkyrie simply stood back away from the others. [I]The Lord fucking General himself showed up. If only I had a gun.[/I] "Greetings, Lord General." said Taylor. "I'm Captain Taylor Caine...didn't expect to see you." Why did the Lord General himself show up? Why not just send another officer like they had done before? And only four marines? Not much of a security detail, that's for sure.

Alex and Amy stood in awe that the lord general himself was here. Despite their feelings towards Sol, it was still an honor. Seth on the other hand stood next to Taylor, his arms folded. "Decided to visit the grunts in the trenches, general?"

Lord General Kaspar Cross studied those before him. When he spotted Seth he smiled and nodded. He approached the crew accompanied by his four marines, of which two were holding briefcases. He stopped and saluted both Taylor and Seth. "Captain. Commander." Cross looked at Taylor and extended his hand. "Pleasure to meet you Captain. It's always good to know that we can count on fine citizens such as yourselves during hardships like these. Know that both you and your crew will be compensated for their aid." His gaze shifted over to Seth. "Commander Rollonso. Seth. It's damn good to see you again, old friend. A shame I couldn't be down there with you all like the last few times. Like with Caine and her crew you and your men will also be compensated." He sighed. "Between you and me, someone in management fucked up. Losing the Boomes' trust was a big mistake and it's only right that you know we admittedly screwed up. Bad. My door is, of course, always open." Cross then observed the entire group. "I wanted to personally than you all, regardless of why you are here. I'm aware that some of you-" he glanced briefly at Alex and Amy "-have had to make some tough decisions today. Know this, whatever motives or opinions you may have it doesn't matter. In the end, we're all just people trying to get by with our own daily business, with each and everyone of us having dreams of our own. I thank not only as the Lord General but as Kaspar Cross, husband and father of three." Cross paused and nodded towards the two marines carrying the cases. One of them stepped up to Caine, saluted and turned over the package while the other repeated the gesture towards Seth. "Inside these cases you'll find information to some extra funds which I may or may not have "borrowed" from the OID. I'm not going to tell you how to use it, you're adults after all. Ontop of that we have now confirmed that all of your current bounties have been wiped. The only exception being Ms. Blackwell."

Taylor examined the case in her hands, before looking back up to the Lord General. "Thank you, Lord General." she said, with a nod. Valkyrie simply shifted her stance. Her bounties were still intact, so she was happy. Her name and record remained tainted.

[QUOTE]Commander Rollonso. Seth. It's damn good to see you again, old friend. A shame I couldn't be down there with you all like the last few times. Like with Caine and her crew you and your men will also be compensated.[/QUOTE] Seth raised an eyebrow. 'Old friend? Where did he get this from?' [QUOTE]Between you and me, someone in management fucked up. Losing the Boomes' trust was a big mistake and it's only right that you know we admittedly screwed up. Bad. My door is, of course, always open.[/QUOTE] 'Oh, he's feeding me PR lines.' Seth's expresion didn't change, he just nodded to whatever the lord general said. "I'll keep the proposition in mind, lord general. My men will always need work, but I'll save business talk for another time."

Cross nodded. "I won't keep you delayed any longer, I assume you have other places to go. Make sure to send Miss Terika my regards. My men and I still owe her for what she did on Zeruel." With that said the Lord General nodded and bid his farewell. "Commander. Captain. Stay safe." Cross then turned around and returned to his shuttle which then slowly ascended from the hangar floor before departing. Iron turned towards Taylor and Seth. "What now?"

[QUOTE]"What now?"[/QUOTE] Taylor looked to Iron. "Job's done. We leave." She then looked to Seth. "Need a lift anywhere? We can drop you and the others off somewhere. Least we could do, really." After she finished, she decided to take a look inside the case. Valkyrie, after watching the SDF shuttle leave, headed for the medical bay. She had to tend to tend to the nub of her left arm. "Hey, Amy. Think you could give me a hand? Need to treat this and wrap it up." she said, glancing over to her as she walked by. She wiggled her nub at her to show what she was refering to.

[QUOTE]Need a lift anywhere? We can drop you and the others off somewhere. Least we could do, really.[/QUOTE] "Next planet you visit that has a spaceport will be fine. We can get to Boome from there and I'm sure you have some other business to attend to." Amy looked at the Valk's nub, she'd seen worse, but still it felt nauseating "Yeah, sure. You gonna build a cyborg arm?"

[QUOTE]"Next planet you visit that has a spaceport will be fine. We can get to Boome from there and I'm sure you have some other business to attend to."[/QUOTE] "Alright. I'll get Eve to warp us over to one. You and your men can use the medical bay if you need it." said Taylor, before heading towards the bridge. [QUOTE]"Yeah, sure. You gonna build a cyborg arm?"[/QUOTE] "Yeah. Can't do my thing with only one arm to fight with." replied Valkyrie, with a bit of a chuckle. Making a new limb with only one arm was gonna be tricky, but she always had Eve to help if she really needed it. At least till she left the crew.

The train pulled to a stop inside of a long tunnel. The door behind was sealed and the tube was pressurized before the door in front opened up to reveal the station on the other side. "<This is it,>" Beshyem said as the train rolled gently to the platform. Inside, around sixty SULP engineers were packed and waiting, their luggage and tools stacked nearby. The TBC leaders stepped out onto the platform, expecting there to be more employees elsewhere in station, and were surprised when they realized just how small the station actually was. "There's a lot less of them than last time," Neasha commented. "<We couldn't find enough volunteers,>" Zeddai explained. "<After what happened on Rigel, it's hard to find skilled workers willing to take the gamble on your company, no matter what we offered.>" "Of course we'll take them, but-" Constantine began, but Myaga interrupted him. "<We know you need more, but Zeddai just told you... Our only advice is to travel to Roki-Khon and recruit some labor over there. Their culture is a bit old-fashioned in the interior, but the ports are as metropolitan as it gets.>" Neasha nodded. "Fair enough. I'm sure we can find our way easy enough," she said confidently. She turned to the crowd. "Alright, how many of you speak English?" --- Hours later, the shuttle containing the Aurikha's new crewmembers glided silently into the hangar bay. Oddly, Arkadam was waiting for them there, looking more loose and comfortable than usual. "How did it go?" he asked as Neasha stepped down the ramp. Neasha shrugged. "About as well as we realistically should have expected. We're going to have to make another stop on Roki-Khon if we're going to get a full crew again." Then, Arkadam surprised her by smiling. "I'm glad. I wish I had felt this well earlier; I might have gone with you." Constantine had caught up by then and remarked on the kanad's recovery. "You're sounding more like yourself by the hour. I guess that implant is really worth every penny. Been up to anything while we were out?" Arkadam nearly ignored the question in his hurry to ask one of his own, but thought better of it. "I spent most of the day working on personal projects and checking on the company dropbox. That reporter from INTERGALACTICA is getting impatient with us. If we're going to Roki-Kohn, would you like me to send word for him to meet us?" "I'll handle that," Neasha replied. "But go ahead and lay in a course anyway. I want to get us back up to speed as quickly as possible." "Sounds good. I'll be on the bridge," Arkadam said before walking off. Neasha turned to Constantine, beaming. "He really has gotten better, hasn't he?" she commented. "I can't believe that little computer pack can put someone back together like that. Boss really knew what the hell she was doing." "Yeah," Constantine replied. But something wasn't quite sitting right with him. It wasn't as if Arkadam had been improving steadily since the operation; he had only shown minor improvement in the days afterward and still wasn't able to express emotion naturally that very morning. But even if it seemed impossible, there was no other explanation. "I suppose we'll be involving him more in company decisions, going forward then." Neasha's joyous expression mellowed out. "Well... I-" she began to say, before pausing and letting out a sigh. "I don't think so." "No?" "It's just that... Just because he was Yanim's partner doesn't mean he gets to inherit the role she served here. We don't need any more leadership shakeups for the time being. I think we're all better off if he stays our navigator until we're certain about his recovery." Constantine looked at her skeptically. "But even then?" "...Yeah. I suppose there's no 'until we're certain.' We've got enough leadership as it is."

Taylor arrived on the bridge a few minutes later, and gave Eve the proper instructions. The nearest friendly world with a starport. "Understood, ma'am." she said simply, before checking starmaps. After locating one, the ship initiated jump procedures and warped away. Taylor found herself sitting in her chair a few moments later, looking over the case that the Lord General had issued them. Wonder what strings he had to pull to get this stuff for them. Eh, she didn't care. At least their bounties were cleared. She set the case down next to the chair. She'd hand this over to Neasha when she got the chance so they can do what needed to be done to get the money. After they dropped off Seth and the other Boomes, then Taylor would take care of Jag's body...and figure out just what Maddox had been talking about in his message. She decided to go ahead and shoot Neasha and Constantine a message about their victory against the Creed, as the ship made its way through warp. - - - - - - - - - - - - Valkyrie arrived with Amy at the medical bay a few moments later, where a few Boomes were already tending to their wounds. She grabbed everything she needed to deal with the wound, setting it on an empty counter. First, the wound needed to be cleaned and treated. Then, wrapped.

Amy tried to assist Valk in treating her wounds as best she could. She was thankful that her time with the sisters she learned something about medicine in case they had to perform operations in the field. Otherwise this might have been a complete mess. --- After all of that was over and done with, Alex went to his own personal quarters. He needed time to himself and think. --- Seth remained in the hangar with Orso, both of them having things to discuss. "How did it go?" "Ten guys dead, Seven injured, but they'll be fine after some time in medbay. Rest are calm after a good fight." Orso answered, staring into a point in the wall while smoking "I think they got their kicks out." 'Ten dead. Damn.' Seth thought to himself. He should have been with them. "Let's hope they still have some gas left in the tank. We'll be going after some more creeders pretty soon by the looks of it." "Sol has more work for us already?" "Nah. Just where the wind is blowing. Regardless, good work today sargeant." Seth patted him on the shoulder "As soon as we reach a spaceport we're gonna be on our way back home." "Can't believe I miss the jungles full of things trying to kill you." "They miss you more than you them, trust me." Seth chuckled

In society logic dictated that civilization could never work together with barbarism, that order could not work together with chaos and that good will could not work together with greed. It was a recipe for discord, hate and eventually conflict. Then there was Legkiy. A world which disobeyed society just to prove it wrong. A planet which was the seat for pirates within the South-Eastern Quadrant, a planet that hid some of most disgusting criminals and a planet which was a reminder to all that order and chaos could indeed co-exist. As long as everyone was properly motivated that is. In the capital of Glavnaya slaves carried stock and cargo while their masters looked on. Merchants and traders exchanged goods, insults or both. Miners were heading off to work or stumbling home drunk. Ambassadors and diplomats crossed paths while bounty hunters and wanted fugitives eyed each other with suspicion. Men and women of the Legkiy Planetary Militia made their way through markets and streets, making sure that everyone was respecting local laws. Police in red and black armor armed not with batons or should but with shotguns and assault rifles reminded the Legkiyans and all visitors that the Red Corsairs were in total control of the world. Despite the unlikeliness of everyone and everything working together they did, in near-perfect harmony even. In a nearby office overlooking Glavnaya's biggest market Captain Toporov of the LPM sighed and stroked his beard. His eyes quickly darted across the tablet with had been given to him. "This is alot of money", he said while looking up at the woman in front of him. Grand Admiral Joslyn Welsh of the Fists of Sol Navy nodded. "Indeed it is." She got up from her seat and walked up the window. Toporov placed the tablet on his desk before glancing over his shoulder at Welsh. "The Red Corsairs would have me executed for treason, should they find out about this." Welsh shook her head, partially at Toporov's remark and partially at a merchant on the marketplace below whom attempted to stab one of his competitors just as two militiamen walked past him. "They won't do anything. In fact, they already know about it." Said Welsh as she turned back to face Toporov. The militia captain raised an eyebrow. "They do?" Welsh nodded and sat down. "I came to your superiors first and they referred me to you." Toporov stared at Welsh with suspicion before easing up. "Very well then, I'll see what I can do." Welsh smiled. "Good, I'll be in touch." As she got up Toporov studied the Grand Admiral. "Remind again why one of Lord Sword's finest ask pirates for aid?" Welsh stopped at the doorway and looked over her shoulder. "I'm not stupid, Toporov. This war will eventually end. When and if it ends I'm going to make sure to have more than a plan A and B. Get me that abandoned spaceport-turned-safe haven and you will never have to worry about money again." Toporov nodded. "What about your leader?" Joslyn lowered her voice. "My crew takes priority." --- Outside of the office Igor and Yulina waited patiently alongside a cadre of Fist shocktroopers. As soon as Welsh opened the door to leave the building the crew quickly got up. "How did the meeting go?" Asked Igor with a stern look on his face. Joslyn nodded. "It went well. Toporov is going to stay in touch. In the meantime we have a war to win." Yulina nodded. "Time to get back into the sky." The party then left the LPM headquarters as they made their way back to their shuttle.

It felt like days, but it was only a few mere hours when the Muramasa arrived at the nearest spaceport on Kolis III. A mining world colonized by Sol. It was far enough from the human capital to have its own problems, but close enough to not draw any serious attention to itself. Back in the Union days, it was one of those 'proving grounds' used by the mercs as a way to test if they can handle the more boring and monotonous jobs of the career. Perfect for what Seth and his men needed. Once the Muramasa landed and its ramp lowered, the Boomes disembarked along with their two new 'recruits'. Amelia and her bodyguard, Porter. Before leaving, Seth send a message to Taylor. "Captain, we'll be off now. If you guys wanna say bye to your crew-mates, now's the time."

Taylor recieved the message as she sat on the bridge. Well, better go say her goodbyes. Amerlia was a fun one to be around, and brightened up life on the ship a bit with her presence. Maybe its just because she was a bit carefree, but it was nice. Taylor replied quickly that she was on her way, then sent out a message to the rest of the crew about their departure. [QUOTE]Well, Amelia and Porter are about to depart from the crew. If you wish to say your goodbyes to them, now would be the time. They're outside on the platform. - Taylor.[/QUOTE] After sending it off, she stood and headed down to the platform herself. - - - - - - - - - - - - Valkyrie glanced over from her bench in her room, noticing that she had recieved a message on her holotablet. She reached over and took it, reading over the message. So Amelia and Porter were leaving, eh? She didn't give much of a shit about Porter, but she'd at least say goodbye to Amelia. She did have fun playing video games with her after all. Valk stood from the bench, pocketing the holotablet, and headed out to the platform.

Alex and Amy arrived after they received the message. Before Amelia could say anything, Amy pulled her in for a hug goodbye. "I'm gonna miss having you around this place." She said before continuing "The clone boys give you any trouble, you just give me a call, you hear?" "She's a grown woman who can take care of herself, sis. C'mon give her some breathing room." Amy gave her brother an annoyed look before moving on to give Porter his hug goodbye. Alex was less touchy feely, but he handed Amelia a small refrigerated box "Sushi, for the trip and some for after. Don't know what they will give you. Hope you like."

The Aurikha descended through the atmosphere with a heavy rumble, having been granted permission to land by the port authority at Dorikade, the busiest and most accommodating port for large ships in the entire Foxglove Region. The weather was rather cold and wet, although it wasn't raining, and a bright gray sky hung over the complex. Setting down at one of the wide, flat concrete platforms, service booms were extended from nearby towers to allow the workers to provide complimentary maintenance checks while the vessel was stationary. Inside, Neasha and the other leaders sat in the meeting room, sipping on coffee and other drinks and planning out their goals for the day. Elsewhere, they knew, the crew would be arriving soon on Zyus II and would be fighting a difficult battle, but being as far away and as preoccupied with business as they were, they were forced to allow Taylor to continue leading her crew without supervision. As far as Neasha was concerned, this was a good thing. Yanim and Rask would never have been able to entrust their captain with full autonomy, but this was exactly the sort of thing a healthy company should be doing at this stage. Their current goals were to simply focus on the long-term health of the company. Mattheus would be looking for engineers and materials, Nir would be looking for suitable mercenary recruits, and Neasha, Constantine, and Arkadam would all meet with the reporter from INTERGALACTICA, a human by the name of Nicolas Chevelle. There was one more item on the agenda. Neasha opened a comm line directly to the warden. "János, would you please report to the deck 3 meeting room?" she requested.

Both Taylor and Valkyrie arrived outside on the platform to see Amy and Alex saying their goodbyes to Amelia and Porter. As soon as the pair were through, it was time for Taylor to say hers. She stepped up and gave Amelia a gentle hug. "Gonna miss you. Be safe, alright?" said Taylor, before releasing her. As for Porter, she stepped over and shook his hand. "You be safe, too. And take good care of her." Valkyrie stepped up, and simply decided to pat Amelia on the shoulder. "Take care of yourself. Don't let some fucker push you around." she said simply, before cutting a glance to Porter. She didn't give much of a shit about him, so she stepped back away from the pair as Taylor finished talking to Porter.

János was still in his office, still sifting through the ship's intranet, when he suddenly heard Neasha over the comms. He quickly responded: "Right away, ma'am," he said in a somewhat dull tone. He got off his chair and left his office for the deck 3 meeting room.

When János arrived a few minutes later, the rest of the group had already collected their things and exited. Neasha was sitting alone at the large meeting table. "Hey," she said with a gesture inviting him to follow her. The two of them walked out through the door opposite from where János had entered. "I wanted to talk to you about what you told me just before we left Rigel."

"What specifically? The seemingly endless sifting through the ship's intranet for everything we've got on Moloch and co, or my paper-thin trail to the truth about myself that'll probably lead me to leave?" János asked. It was obvious from the tone of his voice that he seemed mentally drained from concentrating on the intranet, if that were possible for androids even.

"The latter," Neasha replied. "I know it's been less than a month since we had that talk, but I think, given that we don't have any prisoners that need constant watch or interrogation, and that we're in a safe port, it might be time to talk about your 'search...' I offered you paid leave, and that offer is still on the table. But if you think you're going to need more than a few weeks, maybe it's time to think about resigning. You'll always have a position here if you want to return," she explained.