Jeremy sat near a chair grimacing about the events that unfolded. He remembered Kira Greene and the awkward moment between them back on the base. It was weird talking to her during the two week stay because ultimately he got to know her and she got to know him. Both had priories to focus on and the chances of being... more than friends were slim at best. He sighed and twisted a cap, taking it off to gulp down a bottle of water.
He did get her contact information though. He could easily contact her, if she wasn't too busy that was. Her work as a Major in the HarkArk Privateers was stressful already, 'if only Jeremy, if only.' He sighed.
...
An unknown appearance of a masked person walked across the desert, a few allies backing him up. He wore armor that covered every inch of skin. His heavy breathing was very audible. His teammates walked along, carrying standardized weapons. All were wearing desert camo.
"Very subtle equipment. I ask you what exactly are we looking for?" A teammate asked to the leader, he turned and kept breathing.
"A crew." He said with a modified voice with deep pitch.
"This Archius Crew right?" One of them said.
"Of course, stay on watch. If we find them-
"Then?"
"We have our orders, watch from the sidelines." The armored leader said, turning as he pulled out binoculars, scanning the area.
As the Red run shined it's brightest across the sand dunes, an private massage flashed on Jeremy's personal intercom. The massage source was the same as Viper's implant.
[QUOTE] From- Viper Solari
To- Jeremy Spacehawk
Sir, I have met the Sanghvi contacts and request an meeting between us to discuss our current concerns with the matters at hand.
It shall take place at noon or whatever equivalent to 12pm was on this world for you Terran.
The exchange is set to take place within the 2nd room on upper floor of an refreshment lounge at the southern outskirts of the Lozhnyy's beacon settlement.
The situation is very delicate so please take caution, Sir.
-Viper Solari[/QUOTE]
Jeremy nodded to himself as he finally heard from Viper again, he was a bit worried what happened to the chief but this place might be a place to settle down. He walked towards the ATV and started up the vehicle. Speeding up far away from this settlement, it was probably for the best. It took a short time before he found this other settlement in close up.
He went his way towards this bar. Watching the eyes gazing at him. He ignored it and went to the 2nd floor.
Sand blasted the sides of the ATD as Arkadam and Gataska raced across the dunes, the former operating the bike and wracking his brain in an effort to remember exactly where that rock was that he left his companion under. Ahead, just over the top of the dunes, a thin ribbon of smoke gave them the sign they needed to find her. Within moments, they had crested the sand and come barreling down the opposite slope toward Yanim, both hoping that they had been quick enough to save her life.
Both rushed in, Arkadam with a canteen and Gat checking vitals. Yanim was barely conscious, her eyes glazed and mouth twisted into an involuntary blissful smile, the result of her failing grasp on the events unfolding around her.
"Hello, prince..." she said upon seeing Arkadam's face. "Did I upset you?" she asked. "Is that why you left me..?" Her words were interrupted as he firmly but caringly adjusted her mouth so that he could pour water in.
"You woke up and took more?!" Arkadam couldn't believe it. "Are you insane? The fuck is wrong with you?" Gataska didn't understand the English, but could tell simply by the surreal nature of the scene exactly what was happening.
"I thought for sure I was going to d-die," Yanim said with an aura of utter complacency. "I'm glad you came back. I'm sorry you had to..."
"[What did she say?] Gataska asked him.
"[She's happy to see us,]" Arkadam said as his anger began to fade into depression. He hadn't raised any fuss about the amount and strength of the drugs they had taken since just after they started the previous night. In fact, he enjoyed the escape and the wild sensations just as much as Yanim. Had things gone just a little bit differently, it would have been him getting rescued in the middle of the desert.
Arkadam was a professional. This meant that he would have to move when others would be idle, or to be idle when others would move. This was a case of the latter- anyone else in his position would have said something or done something, and not just watch this crazy young woman take round after round until she was incoherent. But Arkadam had a responsibility to get close and stay close, where he could hear details that no one else could hear. This time felt much worse than usual. He wondered whether his participation had encouraged a more reckless approach to her usage.
A part of him ached as he remembered asking her, in the golden light when everything looked like it would pan out- "what's next?"
---
High above the Archius, unseen in the blazing light of twin suns, was a tiny, remote-controlled aircraft with a seriously powerful camera. It banked in and slowly descended as if riding the edge of an aerial whirlpool. With each pass it grew close and closer to the vehicle, sending a slightly clearer picture to its operator far away.
"[That's not the Archius, is it?]" Stratia said.
"[You're right, it isn't,]" replied Rhedal. "[That's just some clunker... but it's still sitting in the desert. Volrik was right about the crew laying low. If this is the Archius crew we've been told about after all, it means we have to get the word out soon as possible: the crew is here, but the ship isn't. They're not going to be happy hearing that the ship is somewhere out there, but it's better than nothing.]"
"[So what do we do now?]" Stratia asked.
"[...I don't know. I'm going to ask the commissariat for advice here. There's only six of us, five really, who could try to get close to that crew, and you know what happened to the last people who crossed them...]"
"Yeah, it is always a good idea to tie up loose ends. Besides, you've been working so hard, you deserve a quick vacation like this.", Dwan tells Lion.
"You know you could tag along if you want, my place on Mars is really relaxing. The Valley of Heroes usually make people stare silently in awe, you really have to see for yourself it to know how it feels."
Varn gave the photo back to Lion. "Do what you feel is right Lion. You've earned a breather." He turned to Dwan and Nycho. "So, how do you two prefer your fish?"
"Thanks for the offer, but I can't. The bar needs me and with you gone for a bit, we'll need all the level-headed people we can find.", Dwan said in a humorously serious tone.
Dwan turned to Varn. "Surprise me.", he told him.
(when are we leaving the planet?)
Nycho looked at Varn, squinting her eyes in a happy fashion.
"Not at all, Mr. Merner. As you may have noticed my species lack mouths and we only consume food with our skin." she looked over and observed the fish as it was being grilled. "If this fish was liquified I could absorb it with my hands.".
"Alright, a grilled fish for me, soup for Nycho and for you Dwan, the Spice. I can dip a fish in syntholium for Lion, but I doubt his machine parts would like the meaty bits." Varn stood up and looked around a camp.
After a minute he took a pot and filled it with water, tossing in a water purification capsule, just in case. While the soup was cooking, Varn stated another, smaller fire. He placed a fish on a spit over it. While that was preparing, he looked through his container for one ingredient. "Ah there we go. This is something I picked up years ago. Got it from an old merchant on Xan Xil 4. Called it "Dragon breath". Sprinkle it on whatever meat you have and it can set your tongue on fire. Metaphorically speaking." Varn sprinkled some of it on the fish as it was grilling. Small green sparks could be seen jumping off.
After some time the meals were done. "Now, I'm no Otso, but I do think I did a fine job."
Dwan watched Varn make his rotisserie fish. He watches as Varn adds "Dragonbreath" onto the fish, seeing the aforementioned small green sparks jump off from it. Varn hands Dwan his fish.
"Well, cheers.", Dwan said as he took a small bite out of his fish. Taking a few bites, he could tell the meat was medium rare, just like he likes it. As he took a few more smaller bites, the Dragonbreath finally hit him. He started feeling heat building up all over his body, especially in his mouth. Dwan coughs a few times before breathing out in order to get rid of the heat. "You got anything to down this with?", Dwan asks Varn, as he coughed while he talked.
Varn gives Dwan his canteen. "Drink this. If it's not enough, the lake is over there."
Lion chuckled. "If I recall correctly, dragon's breath is extracted from a chili-like plant. You might need to add in some alcohol."
Dwan takes a swig from Varn's canteen, not even questioning what is even in it. Dwan's looking red at this point. "Kurios!", Dwan yelled out as the heat was getting to him. He decides he had enough. He grabbed his fish and walked to the lake. He shoves his face into the lake water, as he gathers up water to gargle. He takes a spit take into the sand before shoving his face into the water again, repeating his actions a few more times just to be sure. He then dipped the fish into the lake water, before walking back to the group.
He takes a bite out of the fish, no longer being as spicy as it was. "I have to complement you for the fact that you made the meat medium rare.", he said. "But honestly, did you look up this spice after you bought it?", he asked Varn.
[Finally got my internet back]
"So Hixon, tank or mech?" The camouflaged soldier asked his comrade.
"Tank." Hixon said
"Tank? What for?"
"A mech is too impractical, first of all one: its slow, no legs are gonna be maneuverable. Two: very outlandish, too visible on your radar. And three: Tanks are gonna shoot the crap out of it, its tall its slow its a bad idea. In my opinion." He explained as he took a gulp down.
"Bull crap, Sol is doing it. Kercans are doing it, they can work on the battlefield." Both turned to the armored leader. The leader wrote current situations and the planet on a arm communicator.
"So, Agent. Tank or mech?" The first teammate said. The conversation grew silent as the Agent didn't respond. "Hello?" Hixon said, he whispered to his comrade. "I don't get it, why exactly is Harken Saw hiring Agents if they aren't going to talk?"
"Eh, more professional, straight to the point. We don't even know any personal info on this one. The more executive jobs. I heard you have to go through a lot of training for the job too." The other said, slightly pointing to the Agent. The Agent closed the device, searching for clues.
"Alright, we're done here. We'll review and keep a steady position." The Agent said. Both soldiers nodded and packed up.
"Yes actually. I was with a team, tracking a target on Xan Xil. It was some drug dealer with a love for spicy food." Varn chuckled. "In hindsight it was a bad idea. We burned down the safehouse when we tried to wash it down with alcohol after a victory diner."
After around an hour, Yanim had recovered and was talking with the other two kanads under the shade of the desert rock. It was approaching noon, but with ample electricity available from the ATD's battery, there was no worry about becoming stranded. A vehicle for hire was coming to retrieve Arkadam and Gataska, and so the whole group would depart together before going their separate ways at Bonram. Although Yanim still carried her cane, she discovered that her motor skills were returning more quickly than expected and that she no longer needed it to walk.
"[Not much for last words,]" Gataska commented on the message Yanim left on the rock itself.
"[What else was there to say?]" Yanim replied, taking a sip from the canteen before passing it along. "[I've already written messages to my family and a few friends back home and left them on the ship's database. If I die on this mission, the captain will send them out for me.]"
"[How often is your life in danger? I thought your ship was just a cargo vessel,]" Arkadam asked.
"[I've taken a lot of risks, but this is the first time I've been really stupid,]" Yanim replied. "[Usually it's other people out to kill me, but I almost did the job myself this time.]" She sneered insincerely. "[I don't know why I wanted to take all those things. Maybe I've been so stressed lately that I wasn't thinking straight. Or maybe I was just trying to recreate a fun experience I had before I got on this crew.]"
"[People are trying to kill you?]" Gataska cut in.
"[Yeah... Mostly humans- the Crimson Son are the worst. I didn't know anything about what we were going to be transporting before the mission started, but apparently they want it just as much as HarkArk wants it.]"
"[So what is it?]" Arkadam asked, trying to hide his urgency. This was the moment he was waiting for the whole time.
"[I shouldn't tell you,]" Yanim replied. "[There are so many people looking for us right now that knowing about our mission could make you into a target. You don't want what I'm going through. And my crew certainly wouldn't want me blowing our cover to a person I just met last night. Who knows, you might even be State Security,]" she joked.
"[What?]" Arkadam responded with a wry smile, his guts twisting from Yanim's line of thinking. He could ask why State Security would care, but that would be too direct. He chose self-deprecation instead. "[You don't trust me? I just spent the whole night believing I was an all-powerful being and vomiting into your hotel toilet. My book is open, [I]ice princess.[/I]]"
"[Ice princess?]" Gat repeated, amused.
"[That's what she called herself when we took tishnk last night,]" Arkadam explained. There was a hint of embarrassment in Yanim's eyes- it might work. The whole prodigal experience might have been worth it after all.
Yanim [I]was[/I] embarrassed, but she knew that they were laughing with her and not at her. After all, they had stayed for the entire duration of her sobering so that they could see her back safely. With everything that had gone on that morning and the night before, Yanim convinced herself that it would be alright if she confided in her new friends. And that was exactly what Arkadam was hoping for.
"[It's called the Oracle,]" she answered. "[It's a Kauzen artifact.]"
"[Never heard of it,]" Arkadam lied.
"[Same,]" said Gataska.
"[Well, you really wanted to know, so there's your answer,]" Yanim concluded, believing she had done no harm.
Sledge sat down to the Mexican meal of his life. He'd solicited some tacos from the nearest food droid and was not disappointed. These crunchy tacos were layered with carnitas, refried beans, shredded cheese, sour cream, diced tomatoes, and a hint of cilantro. Each delicious crunch was deliciously flavorful and brought with it an authentically spicy flavor.
Next were the enchiladas, stuffed with chicken and topped with an amazing salsa verde. Who knew black olives could add so much to an already delicious dish?
Next up were fajitas. The food droid brought out sizzling pans of steak, shrimp, peppers and onions along with piping-hot mini-tortillas. Sledge loaded up on like six of those.
And all through the meal there were gratuitous chips, salsa, and guacamole, made from the freshest ingredients and absolutely amazing.
All the while Hercules chowed down on plate after plate of taquitos and queso sauce. The two ate together, enjoying themselves as best friends would at an all-you-can-eat Mexican food fiesta.
Once full and forgetting all their problems, they thanked the droid-chef and shuffled off to the bedroom where they passed out in a happy food coma that will probably last at least until bathacker wakes up tomorrow.
[Shit, for a while I thought that the tread died.]
Lion opened up a comms channel to Jeremy and sent him a quick message.
"Status green. Dwan, Varn and Nycho accounted for."
Jeremy nodded in account for the green status, awaiting for Viper.
As Jeremy walk though the quite empty bar, mostly run down and in a sate of in disrepair except for a few squatters setting around a dining fire in the center of bar and an scraped service drone behind the counter.
The stairs nearly fell apart as Jeremy walked on them towards the 2nd floor, making sure to tread carefully after almost falling though the creaking stairway.
The hallway on the 2nd floor seemed to in the same condition of the stairs, the 3rd floor seem to have fallen though and crushed the middle of hall, the doors on both sides of the hall were either boarded or broken open and the interior swept clean by scavengers except for one on the right, near end of the hallway near the debris, witched seem to have been recently used.
No sounds but the winds running throughout the building and it's moans and creaks as it slowly falls apart could be heard.
Jeremy observed the used door, this was pretty odd and creeped him out. He checked his pistol in case something popped up, concealing it. The Captain walked through the door.
As Jeremy grabbed the door handle with one hand and his other on his gun, slowly turning the handle and carefully pushed it forward. It was pulled wide open from the inside before the captain could even react and the rooms occupants were revealed.
[img_thumb]http://i.imgur.com/p6ehIak.jpg[/img_thumb]
[I]"It's about time we met face to face, Captain Jeremy.."[/I]
[Sorry for the rather poor quality of the drawing, I was rushing to get it out within the hour and I will redo it if need be.]
Jeremy was alerted, almost withdrawing his gun out. "Who are hell are you?! You have seconds before I-"
"Quandary, Jeremy-Captain." The robot on the left said, interrupting Jeremy question with it's mono tone voice.
"Jeremy excuse my....benefactors but your in no way of making any demands in your current situation." The figure in font said with an stern tone towards Jeremy.
"Redundant." The robot on the right said. "Jeremy-Captain, your presence here is required for an cooperation offer."
"Cooperation offer?" Jeremy said, confused on the topic. "Where's Viper?"
[I meant to say cooperation, sorry.]
"Your chief of security is currently within confines of our employer, due to your officer ranther....unfortunate reputation among this particular Sanghvi sect. " the figure in font said.
"Interjection, Solari hunter drone 7-34 has been documented during the Sanghvi conflict with 381 confirmed kills, participated in 73 successful raids-
"You get ideal" the figure in font said, the interrupting robot's babble.
"Right..." Jeremy rolled his eyes, he stood up straight and holstered his gun to continue the conversation. "What exactly do you want from me?'
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